The Miracle of the Incarnation
Notes
Transcript
Handout
John 1:14
Christmas is a season filled with lights, music, and joyful traditions, but beneath all the celebration lies a truth so profound that it should make every believer pause in reverent awe.
At the center of Christmas is not merely a story about a baby in a manger, but the greatest miracle in the history of the world.
It is the miracle of the incarnation, the moment when the eternal Son of God stepped into time and took on human flesh.
The God who spoke galaxies into existence chose to be wrapped in swaddling clothes.
The One who sits upon the throne of heaven chose to lie in a feeding trough.
The Creator entered His creation, not with the majesty of earthly kings, but in humility so deep that few even noticed His arrival.
And yet nothing God has ever done reveals His heart toward us more clearly than the incarnation.
To help us begin to grasp the wonder of this miracle, consider a simple illustration.
Imagine a world-class architect who designs the most magnificent structure ever conceived.
Every arch reflects brilliance.
Every hallway reveals beauty.
Every detail declares the genius of the one who designed it.
But one day, the architect learns that the workers inside the building have become trapped.
The supports have shifted.
The rooms have collapsed.
The stairways have become unstable.
Everyone inside is in danger of perishing, and no one can escape.
The architect tries sending plans.
He sends instructions.
He sends messages of warning and messages of hope, but none of them can rescue the people inside.
So he does something unthinkable.
He becomes like them.
He gets on work clothes, and hard hat.
He enters the building, breathes their air, walks their broken hallways, and endures their danger.
He does it so he can lead them out and save them from within.
Only He knows the way in or out.
That is only a faint picture of the miracle of the incarnation.
God did not shout His love from heaven.
He stepped into our world.
He entered our pain.
He took upon Himself our flesh.
He dwelt among us so He could die for us and redeem us.
As John declares, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
This morning we explore the miracle of the incarnation so that our hearts may stand in awe of the Savior who came near.
I. The Person of the Incarnation
I. The Person of the Incarnation
John begins by telling us something staggering.
The One who became flesh was not an ordinary child, not just a gifted teacher, and not even an angel sent from heaven.
He was and is the eternal God.
Before we can understand what Christ did at the incarnation, we must understand who He is.
If we misunderstand His identity, we will misunderstand His mission.
If we diminish His deity, we diminish the miracle.
A. His Divine Nature
A. His Divine Nature
John 1:1 declares
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
John intentionally uses language that echoes Genesis 1 to show that Jesus existed before creation ever began.
He has no starting point.
He did not begin in Bethlehem.
He did not come into existence when Mary conceived.
He is coequal, coeternal, and coexistent with the Father.
He possesses the very nature of God Himself.
16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:
The hands that later stretched out in a manger were the same hands that fashioned the universe.
If Christ is truly God, then He is not optional in our lives.
He deserves our worship, our loyalty, and our full surrender.
We do not negotiate with God; we bow before Him.
B. His Distinct Personality
B. His Distinct Personality
John calls Him the Word, or Logos, meaning the expression and revelation of God.
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
He is not the Father, yet He is fully God.
He is the One who makes God known to us.
Everything Jesus said, everything He did, and every way He responded in the Gospels reveals the heart of the Father.
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
If you want to know what God is like, you do not search culture, philosophies, or your own imagination.
You look at Jesus.
His compassion shows God’s compassion.
His purity shows God’s purity.
His grace shows God’s grace.
And His truth shows God’s truth.
Whatever you see in Christ is what exists perfectly in God.
C. His Divine Glory
C. His Divine Glory
John writes, We beheld His glory.
This does not mean that Jesus walked through Galilee with a halo around His head.
His glory was veiled beneath His humanity, but it was not absent.
It shone through His miracles, His authority, His wisdom, and His compassion.
The disciples saw glimpses of that glory daily.
On the Mount of Transfiguration, they saw it unveiled as His face shone like the sun.
But even in His humility, the glory of God was present.
To behold Christ is to behold the glory of God in human form.
The more we behold Christ in His Word, the more His glory shapes our lives.
Transformation does not happen by trying harder.
It happens by looking longer at Jesus.
What captures your gaze eventually shapes your heart.
Once we understand who He is, we can begin to appreciate the wonder of what He did—how the eternal God stepped into human flesh.
II. The Power of the Incarnation
II. The Power of the Incarnation
Once we understand who Christ is, we stand in awe when we learn what He did.
The eternal Word did not stay distant.
He came near.
He stepped into our world, clothed Himself in our humanity, and lived among us.
The incarnation is not simply a doctrine to affirm.
It is a miracle to adore.
It is a wonder to cherish.
It is the greatest act of condescension in the history of the universe.
John writes, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.
Those few words contain an ocean of meaning.
A. He Entered Humanity Fully
A. He Entered Humanity Fully
John does not say that the Word appeared like flesh.
He says the Word was made flesh.
Jesus did not merely put on a human disguise.
He became fully and truly human while remaining fully and truly God.
He experienced hunger, thirst, fatigue, sorrow, and joy.
He grew physically, mentally, and emotionally.
The gospel of Luke tells us…
52 And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man.
He entered the fullness of human life, yet without sin.
17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
Because Christ entered humanity fully, He understands everything you face.
When you feel weary, He knows what weariness feels like.
When you feel rejected, He knows what rejection feels like.
When you pray through tears, He knows what it is to weep.
The incarnation means you are never alone in your struggles.
B. He Embraced Humility Willingly
B. He Embraced Humility Willingly
The incarnation was not forced upon Christ.
It was His choice.
Philippians 2:6–7 tells us
6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:
7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:
He exchanged the throne of heaven for the limitations of a human body.
He left the adoration of angels for the rejection of men.
He traded divine glory for a stable and a manger.
He grew up in poverty, worked with His hands, and moved among ordinary people.
The humility of Christ is breathtaking when we pause to consider it.
There once was a king who disguised himself as a beggar to live among his people and learn their struggles, but even that picture falls short of what Christ did when He became flesh.
The humility of Christ calls us to lay aside pride and serve others.
If the King of glory did not cling to His rights, then we cannot cling to ours.
Humility is not a burden; it is a Christlike beauty.
C. He Experienced Life Authentically
C. He Experienced Life Authentically
Jesus did not hover above the human experience.
He immersed Himself in it.
He walked dusty roads.
He sat at kitchen tables.
He worked, He laughed, He cried, and He felt the weight of living in a fallen world.
He faced temptation, not from within as we do, but from without as Satan assaulted Him.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
He experienced pain, betrayal, loneliness, and even death itself.
Yet in all of it, He remained the sinless Lamb of God.
Because Jesus experienced life authentically, you can trust Him with your struggles.
You can bring Him your fears because He has walked through fear.
You can bring Him your temptations because He has stood against the tempter.
You can bring Him your burdens because His shoulders have carried more than you ever will.
Christ does not merely sympathize with us from afar.
He walks with us in our daily lives.
D. He Entered Our World Purposefully
D. He Entered Our World Purposefully
John says the Word dwelt among us.
The word dwelt literally means tabernacled or pitched His tent with us.
He did not visit from a distance.
He moved in next door.
He lived among real people in a real world with real problems.
He came with intention and purpose.
4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,
Nothing about the incarnation was accidental.
Every step was guided by divine design.
If Christ came with purpose, then your life also has purpose.
God does nothing by accident.
The incarnation assures us that God is deliberate, intentional, and actively working in our lives, even when we cannot see it.
If this is how Christ came—fully, humbly, authentically, and purposefully—then the question remains, why did He come, and what was He seeking to accomplish in taking on flesh?
III. The Purpose of the Incarnation
III. The Purpose of the Incarnation
If the incarnation shows us who Christ is and how He came, then we must ask the most important question of all.
Why would the eternal God robe Himself in human flesh?
Why would He step into a broken world, walk among sinful people, and subject Himself to suffering and death?
John tells us that He came full of grace and truth.
Every detail of the incarnation points to a divine purpose.
Christ did not come to be admired as a baby.
He came to accomplish a mission that only He could fulfill.
A. He Came to Reveal God’s Heart Clearly
A. He Came to Reveal God’s Heart Clearly
18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.
Jesus came to make God known.
He is the perfect revelation of the Father’s character.
When we see Christ’s compassion for the hurting, we see the compassion of God.
When we watch Him forgive sinners, we see the forgiveness of God.
When we hear Him speak truth, we hear the truth of God.
3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Christ came so that no one would ever be confused about who God is.
Whenever you feel unsure about God’s love or God’s will, look at Jesus.
His life is a window into the heart of the Father.
If you want to know what God thinks of you, look at the cross.
He came near because He loves you.
B. He Came to Redeem Sinners Completely
B. He Came to Redeem Sinners Completely
The manger makes sense only when we see the shadow of the cross.
Jesus did not simply come to live among us.
He came to die for us.
10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
He took on flesh so that He could take our place.
He was born so that He could bear our sins.
The incarnation was the first step toward Calvary, where the plan of redemption would be completed.
Every cry of the newborn in Bethlehem pointed to the cry on the cross, It is finished.
He entered our world, took on our nature, and bore our penalty.
You cannot save yourself.
You cannot redeem your past.
You cannot cleanse your conscience.
But Christ can.
He came to redeem you completely, not partially.
Your salvation is secure because the Savior took on flesh to die in your place.
C. He Came to Relate to Us Compassionately
C. He Came to Relate to Us Compassionately
Jesus did not come merely to forgive us.
He came to walk with us.
He came to be our sympathetic High Priest.
15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.
He understands human weakness because He entered human weakness.
He knows sorrow because He has wept.
He knows pain because He has suffered.
He knows temptation because He has been tempted.
Christ is not distant.
He is not indifferent.
He is not detached from your struggles.
He is near and He is compassionate.
Application: When life overwhelms you, you can run to Jesus.
He never turns away the weary or the broken.
He welcomes the hurting.
He understands the burdened.
He lifts the fallen.
The incarnation assures you that Christ is the Savior who walks beside you in every valley you face.
D. He Came to Restore Fellowship Eternally
D. He Came to Restore Fellowship Eternally
John says the Word dwelt among us.
He came near so that we could be brought near.
Sin had separated us from God and placed an uncrossable distance between heaven and earth.
Christ crossed that distance by coming to us.
He did not come only to save us from something.
He came to save us for something.
18 For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
The incarnation opened the way for restored fellowship with the Father.
God with us in Bethlehem leads to us with God in eternity.
When you feel distant from God, remember that Christ came all the way down so that you could be brought all the way in.
He did not merely give you forgiveness.
He gave you access.
He gave you fellowship.
He gave you Himself.
When we stand before the miracle of the incarnation, we cannot remain indifferent.
The God who came near calls us to draw near to Him.
He stepped toward us at Christmas.
The question is, will we step toward Him in faith today?
Conclusion
Conclusion
As we stand before the miracle of the incarnation, we are confronted with a Savior who came near.
He did not wait for us to climb to Him.
He came down to us.
He entered our world, our weakness, our experience, and even our death so that we could know God and be restored to Him forever.
The eternal Word became flesh so that flesh and blood sinners like us could become children of God.
The God who spoke the universe into existence came as a baby so that He could one day hang on a cross for our salvation.
The incarnation is not simply a theological truth.
It is a personal invitation.
It invites us to trust Him because He understands us.
It invites us to come to Him because He welcomes us.
It invites us to surrender to Him because He is worthy.
It invites us to draw near to Him because He has already drawn near to us.
For someone here this morning, the incarnation may feel like a distant doctrine or a beautiful story, but you have never received the Savior who came for you.
The purpose of His coming was not to leave you in your sin but to redeem you from it.
He took on flesh so He could take your place.
He came to save, and He is still saving today.
If you have never placed your faith in Christ alone for salvation, today is the perfect day to come to Him.
The God who came down to you at Bethlehem now calls you to come to Him at the cross.
And for those who already know Him, the incarnation calls us to worship.
It calls us to wonder.
It calls us to gratitude.
It calls us to renewed devotion.
It reminds us that the Savior who came into our world desires to be present in every part of our lives.
He did not enter the world only to be admired.
He entered it to be adored, obeyed, and loved.
As we enter this Christmas season, let your heart be filled with awe.
Let your mind be anchored in truth.
Let your life be shaped by the Savior who came near.
The miracle of the incarnation is God’s declaration that He has not forgotten us, He has not abandoned us, and He has not left us to ourselves.
He is Emmanuel, God with us.
And because He came, we can come to Him.
If God has spoken to your heart this morning, answer His call.
If you need salvation, come and talk to me.
If you need forgiveness, come.
If you need hope, comfort, or renewed faith, come.
The Savior who stepped into our world waits to meet you where you are.
