The Word Became Flesh. (2)

Opening:

It is a beautiful thing to open the Word of God on the Lord’s Day.

Introduction of the Passage:

This morning we are continuing on in our Advent series. Last week we covered the Old Testament Prophesies regarding Christ’s first coming. This week we will be in John 1:1-18. And our focus this morning is something called the Incarnation. The word “incarnate” means “in flesh” or “taking on flesh.” So our study this morning is Jesus, God the Son, becoming man. We will study what the incarnation is, why it matters, and how it should affect our celebrating. So with this in mind, I would ask you to stand with me for the reading of God’s Holy Word.

Reading of the Passage:

John 1:1–18

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

2 He was in the beginning with God.

3 All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

4 In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men.

5 The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

6 There came a man sent from God, whose name was John.

7 He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him.

8 He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light.

9 There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man.

10 He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him.

11 He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him.

12 But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name,

13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

14 And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 John testified about Him and cried out, saying, “This was He of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me has a higher rank than I, for He existed before me.’ ”

16 For of His fullness we have all received, and grace upon grace.

17 For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth were realized through Jesus Christ.

18 No one has seen God at any time; the only begotten God who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him.

Behold, these are the very Words of God. Thanks be to God. Let us pray.

Prayer:

Our gracious Heavenly Father, we commit this time in Your Word to you this morning. Please be with us. Grow us by Your Word. May we leave in joy and celebration having heard from You by Your Word. We ask this in Jesus name, amen.

Introduction/ Opening Illustration:

Advent is the season where we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Christ. Last week, we prepared our hearts by examining that Jesus is the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophesies about the coming savior. This morning we will be preparing our hearts by examining why it matters that Jesus came to earth as a man.

Need:

And there is great need to examine this. Often we can take this for granted. Especially this time of year. Yes, Jesus became a man and was born of the Virgin Mary. So what? We often miss how incredibly important this is.

The entire Christmas season is celebrating this doctrine. So I believe it is pretty important for us to examine it more fully.

Sermon Idea:

The central idea this morning is that Jesus Christ, eternal second member of the Holy Trinity took on flesh, to pay the debt we owe for our sin. This should cause us to respond with humble awe, and great joy in our celebration!

Transition:

So let’s begin. First and foremost, we should start with definitions. So:

What is the Incarnation?

Let me try to give a brief definition.

The Incarnation is God the Son, eternal second member of the holy Trinity taking on flesh to save His people from their sins.

And this idea, that Christ is truly God and truly man is known theologically as the “hypostatic union.” Which as my friends will tell you, is one of my personal favorite doctrines.

And our fathers in the faith labored to accurately define this doctrine. They strived over what words to we use and how do we accurately talk about who Jesus is? And perhaps the best definition given in all of church history is in the words of the Athanasian Creed, which we as a church hold to. Let me quote from this creed:

“Furthermore it is necessary to everlasting salvation that he also believe rightly the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ. For the right faith is that we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is God and man. God of the substance of the Father, begotten before the worlds; and man of substance of His mother, born in the world. Perfect God and perfect man, of a reasonable soul and human flesh subsisting. Equal to the Father as touching His Godhead, and inferior to the Father as touching His manhood. Who, although He is God and man, yet He is not two, but one Christ. One, not by conversion of the Godhead into flesh, but by taking of that manhood into God. One altogether, not by confusion of substance, but by unity of person. For as the reasonable soul and flesh is one man, so God and man is one Christ;”

There is a lot contained in that. Let me break it down a little.

Simply put, Jesus Christ is truly God, truly man.

Jesus is Truly God, Truly Man.

He is truly God. He is the uncreated Creator of all. He is of the same substance and equal to the Father. He is also truly man. He has a true and real human nature. He was conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary by the Holy Spirit.

Even just from reading that creed, I think we get a taste of the labor our fathers in the faith put into how they speak about Christ. This is because how we talk about God is vital. And part of the care comes from the fact that there were many heresies in the early church about Jesus.

Some taught that Jesus was not eternal God. He was a man who achieved deity. He became a God. Others taught that Jesus was not really a man. He was God, but was a Spirit who only appeared as a man. He didn’t actually have a body. Others taught He was some blend of the two. He was half God, half man. Others taught Jesus abandoned His deity when He became a man.

But this is not what the Bible teaches. So what does the Bible teach?

Scripture Teaches that Jesus is Truly God.

If we examine our passage we read this morning, we will see beyond a doubt that the Bible teaches Jesus is God.

John 1:1 “1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John is here poetically but also accurately calling Jesus the Word. He is tying this to creation. He is even using the exact same language as Genesis 1. And this is because he is emphasizing that Jesus is God. Remember Genesis 1:1 “1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.”

Who created the Heaven and Earth? God did. But now, John is expanding on this. He is giving more information. John 1:1–5“1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shined in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.”

Jesus is the Word. In Genesis we learn that God spoke and created all. He created by His Word. Here John is without any confusion saying Jesus is the Word that created all things. He is eternal God who made everything. He is also the life and the light of men. Who was it that gave life to Adam? John says it was Jesus.

But there are many other verses that teach that Jesus is God. For example, we could examine Philippians 2. Or Paul says elsewhere in Romans 9:5 “...Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.” And in Colossians 2:9 “9 For in Him (Christ) dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;”

We must also remember that the Old Testament prophesied that the Messiah would be God. Isaiah 9:6“6 For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” The Messiah is given the name “Mighty God.”

Jesus Himself also claimed openly to be God. In John 8 Jesus is addressing the Pharisees. And He says that Abraham rejoiced to see His day come. This obviously led the Pharisees to ask an obvious question. John 8:57–58“57 Then the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have You seen Abraham?” 58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”” What Jesus just did here was use the divine name of God for Himself. Jesus is here directly claiming to be God. He is claiming the name God revealed to Moses at the burning bush as His own name. Jesus is the Great I AM. And the Pharisees knew this. This is why they immediately picked up stones to stone Him.

It is beyond a doubt that the Bible clearly teaches that Jesus is God. But the Bible also teaches that Jesus is truly man.

The Bible Teaches that Jesus is Truly Man.

Again, we see this perhaps most clearly in our passage this morning. remember, Jesus says that the Word is the God who created all. But it continues.

John 1:14 “14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.” God, took on flesh and lived among us. This is where we get the word “incarnation.” Incarnate means to take on flesh. What this is saying is that Jesus became a true man.

We also see this in the accounts of His birth. In the opening of Matthew and Luke we see that Jesus had a normal human birth. His conception was supernatural, but His birth was as human as they come.

Jesus possessed a true human nature. And we see this in little snapshots in the gospel. Matthew 4:2 says Jesus grew hungry. John 4:6-7 say that Jesus grew weary and even thirsty. He ate, drank, slept, laughed, wept, and did everything that is natural to a human being, uncorrupted by sin, because He was and is truly human. The disciples touched Him, ate with Him, heard His human voice, heard Him laugh and cry. Jesus was a man.

Hebrews 2:17 says Jesus was made like unto His brothers in all things. This means that Jesus was every bit as human as you and I are.

Scripture clearly teaches that Jesus is truly God. Scripture also teaches that He is truly man. But here is one final important part. Jesus Is One Person, Not Two.

Jesus Is One Person, Not Two.

Jesus Is One Person, Not Two. Jesus is one person; truly God and truly man.

Why do I emphasize this? Because it is important and the Bible teaches it. It matters that we understand what the Bible says about Jesus. What Scripture teaches about Christ is probably the single most important thing we need to understand from the Bible. All through the New Testament, is speaks of Jesus in both divine and human terms as being one man. It always speaks about Him as one person, not as two.

Transition:

Now, it would be forgivable if we had a headache at this point. This is complex. This is why the great theologian R.L. Dabney said “The doctrine of the constitution of Christ’s person is purely one of Revelation, and involves a mystery as great, perhaps, as that of the Trinity itself.” Understanding that Jesus is one Person with two natures is complex. And even though this is complex, I hope you have not checked out, because the theology is really important. Before we can address how the truth of the divinity and humanity of Christ impacts us, we must be sure we understand it. And having come to hopefully somewhat understand this truth, we can now move on to why it matters.

Why Does the Incarnation Matter?

Explanation:

R.L. Dabney said that “The Hypostatic union is the cornerstone of our redemption.” But why? Well, for many reasons. Christ took on flesh for many reasons. And I believe that as we prepare our hearts to celebrate the birth of Christ, it would be good for us to know at least some of these reasons.

1. Christ Became a Man to Reveal Himself to Us.

Explanation:

One author said it well: “If He (God) is to be known, God must take some initiative to make himself known to humanity.” -Erickson, Systematic Theology. We as humans are hopeless to climb our way up to God. If fallen man is to know who God is, He must speak to us.

And this is why Jesus came. Jesus came to fully reveal who God is. And this is one of John’s central points in our passage this morning. John 1:18 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known. (ESV)

No one can see the God and live. God says multiple times in the Old Testament that if anyone were to see Him, they would die. So Jesus became a man to reveal Himself to us.

The author of Hebrews also says this. Hebrews 1:1–2“1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds;”

See, formerly, God spoke through the prophets. But Christ came to speak directly to man. He came to reveal Himself.

Argumentation:

And think of the impact of this. God was under no obligation to speak to us. He did not have to reveal Himself. And yet, He did. And really think of this. God Himself has made Himself known. The creator of the universe has revealed Himself.

Christ was born of the Virgin Mary so that we could know who God is. God Himself was born and laid in a manger so that we could know the one who made us.

So why do we celebrate Christmas? Because God has come so that we could know Him.

2. Christ Became a Man to Sympathize With Us.

Hebrews 4:14–15 says “14 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Now we will cover the High priest idea in just a moment. But for right now, let’s just focus on the fact that Jesus can sympathize with us. Because Jesus took on flesh, He knows what it is to be human. Specifically the text says He knows our weaknesses.

Think of how comforting this is. God became a man so that He might sympathize with us. He is not unfamiliar with the pains and trials of this life. He truly lived a human life. He experienced pain and suffering. He saw friends die. He lost loved ones. He was betrayed and abandoned.

Beloved, there is nothing we can experience in this life which our Lord does not understand. Think of the comfort this brings. Christ knows your pain. He knows my pain.

Why did Christ come? So that He may sympathize with us. Why do we celebrate Christmas? Because God took on flesh in order to in a sense, come and know us.

3. Christ Became a Man to be Our Mediator.

A Mediator is someone who speaks on someone’s behalf. He is someone who stands in the place of another. You see, we all have a problem. We are all of us, sinners. And as sinners, we cannot go directly to God. As sinners, to be in the presence of God would destroy us. But we must go before God. We have sinned against Him. How can we make our case if we cannot approach Him?

In the Old Covenant this was the role of the priests. Specifically, the High Priest would stand between God and the people. He would go before God and make sacrifices for their sins. But there were problems here. First, the priest himself was a sinner. He had to sacrifice for his own sins before he could make sacrifice for the people. Second, the priest was mortal. He died. No priest could stand between God and man forever.

This is why Jesus became a man. Jesus became a man so that He could be our perfect Mediator. He is our Perfect High Priest who stands before God and speaks on our behalf. This is what Hebrews 7:23–25 says. “23 Also there were many priests, because they were prevented by death from continuing. 24 But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.”

You see, As man, Christ can speak on our behalf. This is why Paul says in 1 Timothy 2:5“5 For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,” Christ is our one perfect Mediator. Christ speaks to God for us.

And whenever a charge is brought against us, Christ speaks for us. Romans 8:33–34“33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” And again in 1 John 2:1 we read “1 My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”

Argumentation:

Think of the impact of this. Christ is interceding for us. This means speaking on our behalf. When we sin, we have an advocate. Jesus is our defense against all charges. If our faith is in Him, our sins are paid for. If you sin and are overwhelmed by guilt, confess your sin. And know that Christ is there before the Father speaking on your behalf.

Literally what this means is that Jesus is standing in our place before the Father. When God looks at us, He sees Christ. How do we know our sins are forgiven? We know this because Christ stands forever in our place. We are given His righteousness. In Him we are eternally forgiven.

Why did Jesus become a man? He became a man in order to stand in our place. Why do we celebrate Christmas? Because God became a man in order to stand in our place before the Father.

Transition:

But the last reason is the most important. All these other reasons are important. But as with any feast, we have saved the best for last. Why is the incarnation important? Why does it matter that Jesus became a man?

4. Christ Became a Man to be Our Substitute Sacrifice.

Here is the reality. We are all sinners. Our father and mother Adam and Eve plunged all of humanity into sin. And because of this we are all sinners. But we are hopeless to ever pay for our sins. What could we offer to God? Scripture even tells us that our righteousness, the very best we can do, falls short. So what hope is there? There is only one. Christ. Christ is our hope because He is truly God and truly man. And Christ had to become a man so that He could pay the debt we owe. Let me break this down.

Who owed the debt for sin? -Man. Man fell into sin. So man is the one who owes the debt. Our father and covenant head, Adam sinned. This damned all of mankind. In Adam we are all sinners.

Therefore, A man must pay the debt, for it was man who owed the debt. But no sinful man could pay for our sins, for he would first have to pay for his own sins. It must be a man without sin. But here there is another problem. What mere man could endure the wrath of God for all the sins of the world? Who could bear that punishment? No mere man could endure that. To bear the wrath of God against all sin is more than any mere creature could handle.

Man must pay the debt. But only God could endure the punishment. And here is where we see the importance of the incarnation. Christ, God the Son, who could endure the punishment for the sins of the world, took on flesh to pay the debt we owed.

This is exactly what Romans 3:21–26 teaches. “21 But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, 26 to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”

You see, Christ came as a man to pay the debt that you and I owe. He took on Himself the wrath that should have been poured out on us. We deserved it. He did not. We did. But He took that on Himself. You see, Romans 6:23 “23 For the wages of sin is death.” Our sin deserves death.

But God could not pay the debt for God cannot die. So Christ, God the Son, took on flesh so that He could stand in our place and die for our sins.

Why did Christ become a man? To die. He took on flesh so that He could die. He did this so that He could take the death penalty that you and I deserve. Christ came to the cradle so that He could go to the cross. He came to earth to pay for your sins and mine.

Why do we celebrate Christmas? Because the Son of God came to earth to pay the debt we owe. We celebrate because the Son of God has come to forgive us of our sins.

All those who trust in Christ are completely forgiven. Their sins are washed away. They are saved. And this is why we celebrate.

Transition:

These are not the only reasons Christ came. But I pray they shape how we see this time of year. And this leads us to our final question. We have seen what the incarnation is. It is that Jesus Christ took on flesh and is truly God and truly man.

We have seen why this matters. As the God man He is made known to us, He can sympathize with us, He can stand in our place, and He can pay the debt we owe.

But finally this morning:

How Should the Incarnation Affect Our Celebrating?

Explanation:

Fundamentally, I would say knowing who Christ is and what He has done enables us to celebrate. Christians ought to be the most cheerful bunch. We should be jolly people. We know the truth and we have been affected by the truth.

This time of year is one of celebrating. But I pray we do not lose the reason we celebrate in all the hustle and bustle. I pray we remember that Christmas is a true Christian holy day. For us, the reality that Christ came should enrich our celebrating. Let me demonstrate this.

Why do we give gifts? Certainly we could say we give gifts because we love our family and friends. That is absolutely true. We could also say it is because it is traditional. Absolutely it is. And it is a wonderful tradition. But fundamentally, why do we give gifts at Christmas? What is the reason behind that tradition? I would wager most non-Christians would have no idea. But we know. We who know Christ know. We give gifts because God sent His son as the ultimate gift for us, that our sins may be forgiven. So this Christmas, give gifts. Receive gifts. But I pray the knowledge that Christ became a man to pay for your sins makes both the giving and getting of gifts all the richer.

Why do we decorate Christmas trees? Some have falsely said this was a pagan tradition. It is not. The first people to bring evergreen trees into their home to celebrate were Christians. It was a reminder of that first tree Adam and Eve ate from that plunged us all into sin. But it was also a reminder of the Tree of Life. That life that is offered to us in Christ. This is why we use evergreen trees. It symbolizes eternal life. That is the reminder that the Christmas tree gives us. I pray that knowing that Christ became a man to offer us new and eternal life makes every time you see your tree sweeter.

Why do we sing and feast? Do we not do this in memory of Christ? The songs we sing are about Him. The meals we eat are expressions of our joy that He has come. Feasts always mark important times.

But finally, why is it that Christmas always feels so magical? Why is it that there is something about this holiday that just feels more than a celebration? Why is it that Christmas is so different than Thanksgiving, New Years, Valentines Day, Independence Day, or any of the other holidays? I fully believe that the reason for this phenomenon is because there is something so ontologically important about God Himself coming to earth that it literally affects reality. It actually changed the nature of reality. God stepped into history. The dark evil that I think we could appropriately call dark magic began to break. As C.S. Lewis put it, “At the sound of His roar, winter meets it’s death.”

Christ has come to earth. The darkness has been broken. There in Bethlehem, as Christ was born, wrapped in swaddling cloths, and laid in a manger, reality itself changed. When the infant Christ Jesus cried, it was the sound of the enemy lines breaking.

When we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate the reality that God Himself came to earth to put an end to sin and death. The eternal Word who was and is God, who created the World, who upholds reality by the word of His power has come. He is the Light of the World. And in His light there is salvation and hope to all who come to Him.

There is no higher reason to celebrate. These words are faithful and true:

Joy to the world the Lord is come Let earth receive her king Let every heart prepare Him room And heaven and nature sing.

Joy to the world the savior reigns Let men their songs employ While fields and floods rocks hills and plains Repeat the sounding joy.

He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nations prove The glories of His righteousness And wonders of His love.

Let us celebrate this Christmas the Lord who trampled over darkness. Hail to the King of kings and Lord of lords who has crushed satan and paid for our sins. Let’s pray.

Closing Prayer:

Offering:

Offertory Prayer:

Benediction:

1 Timothy 3:16 “16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.”

2 Corinthians 13:14“14 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you all. Amen.”