Incarnation
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The Incarnation
The Incarnation
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 was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. 9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 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 have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
jn1.1-
This is the 3rd part of our Advent series… if you do not know Advent means the co ming of someone important, more specifically the coming of Christ.
Today we tackle the Incarnation… What does the word Incarnation mean?
Incarnation - by definition means the fixed and permanent physical dwelling of God, in his world, as opposed to the temporary manifestation of the divine presence and power in a theophany. or a visitation of God to his world… The OT are full of visitations, or Theophanies
The word theophany is a combination of two Greek words, meaning God and appearance.
The word theophany is a combination of two Greek words, meaning God and appearance.
The word Theophany is a combination of 2 greek words, meaning God and appearance.
A theophany is an appearance of God. More precisely, it is a visible display to human beings that expresses the presence and character of God. Examples include the thunderous display at the top of Mount Sinai (); the burning bush (); appearances to Abraham (; ; ), Isaac (), and Jacob (); the cloud of fire in the wilderness (; ; ); Micaiah's vision (); Isaiah's vision (); Ezekiel's vision (); and John's vision of God on his throne ().
Theophanies in the Old Testament anticipate and foreshadow the permanent coming of God into creation in the incarnation of the Son.
Theophanies in the Old Testament anticipate and foreshadow the permanent coming of God into creation in the incarnation of the Son.
Theophanies in the OT anticipate and foreshadow the permanent coming of God into creation in the INCARNATION of the Son.
In the incarnation, the Son of God takes to himself a human nature, while remaining the divine Son. The Son is the permanent appearance of God among us.
Of all the ways we can understand the Love of of God for his people there are no more powerful and important doctrines then the Incarnation (and the resurrection.)
The fact that God was clothed in flesh and that he was raised from the dead, are the two most powerful distinctive truths to the Christian Faith.
I would venture to say to anyone who is questioning Christianity, “what do you do with the Incarnation and the Resurrection?”
You can be “Jesus friendly” or even religious and still not believe the Gospel of Jesus Christ, being a regenerated believer. The truth is, if you do not believe in the bodily resurrection of Jesus from the dead, there is no Christianity, and likewise, if you do not believe in the Incarnation of Jesus, That he was Fully God and Fully Man, he is God in the flesh… Then you believe a different Gospel which is no Gospel at all.
Early church fathers like Athanasius, would assert to you a proper view of the Incarnation is indispensable to proper views of the Atonement… Translation?
Believing the truth about Jesus being fully God and Fully Man is the only way to make sense of Jesus dying for our sins and taking God’s wrath in our place.
As we look at this text and others this morning we are going to see how Christ Jesus is the ONLY mediator between God and Man.
It was Ignatius of Antioch who emphasized that there was one Christ who was inseparably both human and divine, both spirit and flesh, God in man, authentic life in death, from Mary and from God.
Ignatius emphasized that there was one Christ who was inseparably both human and divine, both spirit and flesh, God in man, authentic life in death, from Mary and from God.
This has been a foundational truth of the church since its beginning some 2,000 yrs ago and yet we are in jeopardy of losing it today.
Let’s look closer at this text from John’s Gospel today...
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
In many ways we who are familiar with the Bible hear the beginning of Genesis here, don’t we?
“In the Beginning God created...” vs 3 And God SAID...
And here in John we see that “in the Beginning was the WORD”??? What does that mean?
Didn’t God create everything BY his words… And God said… and it was??? Seems like the WORD here is in essence God… In the beginning was the Word and the Word was WITH GOD and WAS GOD...
There are deep thoughts and many sermons that have been preached on this verse alone. But at its core I want you to see that the WORD is sharing deity with God, it is Divine in nature… It is personified as being pre-existent to everything we know, and being connect to God the Father, but by the end of this verse there is a funny word that we must notice… the word WAS...
The Word WAS God… what does it mean it was God??? That word was is meant to point to some kind of a transfer of quality that we will see happen here. God is of one kind of essence and now there is something of another kind of essence being talked about...
Yet it is important to understand that the Word is actually Christ… That is what all true Biblically orthodox and historically accurate churches believe... At no point is Jesus ever not God… We know Jesus is the second member of the trinity, God the Son… OK? Let’s see how we get there...
2 He was in the beginning with God.
Notice that the Word is now call HE??? the word was with God in the Beginning in verse 1 but now in vs 2, He was with God...
And again notice the word WAS, something happened that transferred HIM from being with God.
Why is all this important?
Again we are talking about the Incarnation or the fixed and permanent physical dwelling of God in his world. We are talking about God in human flesh being born into His world.
is the fixed and permanent physical dwelling of God in his world, as opposed to the temporary manifestation of the divine presence and power in a theophany.
We are saying that Jesus is God and he made his home in human flesh and lived among us...
Yet we need to understand that he existed before the Baby that was born to Mary and Joseph, in fact what this means is that he existed before the creation of the world because he is God in essence...
And so if he preexisted before anything was created because he is One with God, then scripture should tell us that, right?
3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Now I understand that this sentence seems to read a little funny, but what is it saying?
There is nothing before God, specifically Jesus. The Triune God made everything and nothing was around before he made it.
In fact when we build the Doctrine of the trinity, which is a word we use to say that God exists in three distinct persons - The Father, The Son, The Holy Spirit; this passage from the Gospel of John is essential to understanding who God was talking to during Creation...
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
Who was God the Father talking to? Who shares his Image and Likeness?
God the Son and God the Spirit.
The Incarnation helps us understand the mystery of the Trinity
The Incarnation helps us understand the mystery of the Trinity
John’s Gospel gives us a glimpse of who God really is, and specifically how God the Son, Jesus, is preeminent in all of creation.
In fact we see this all over the NT. Jesus is God and he is central to creation and existed before creation. We have to stop just seeing Jesus as a person who came into the story at his birth.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent. 19 For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, 20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross. 21 And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, 22 he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him,
Jesus is God and by him all things were created...
and in his flesh, the fullness of God was pleased to dwell...
And we are reconciled to God by his body of FLESH… Do you see it???
In his flesh he made peace on the cross with God, and this was for US to be made Holy and blameless!
The Incarnation brought us Forgiveness from God
The Incarnation brought us Forgiveness from God
Without Jesus coming in flesh, sin would not be punished.
The promise was a King, the fulfillment was a Manger, and the Incarnation was how God would accomplish his victory.
John’s gospel is telling us a story that shows us a beginning that happened before the actual birth of Jesus. Christmas celebrations are about Life from the Beginning… in fact look at the next verse.
4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men.
Where does mankind get the light of life? Only from Jesus!
Meaning those who do not have salvation through Jesus Christ do not have life and light.
What do I mean by life, aren’t we all alive?
I would submit to you that the life being talked about here is Eternal Life that is given to those who believe. Where do I get this from? From Jesus...
26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
24 Truly, truly, I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life. 25 “Truly, truly, I say to you, an hour is coming, and is now here, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
It is clear that this is a picture of eternal life that comes from receiving the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
In Jesus is Life, and that Life is the light of men, but this can only happen as the Gospel is preached and heard and believed. Every time someone believes in the Gospel and is saved, the Darkness of this world is overcome. Because Jesus is that Light and Life… And no matter how bad this world gets, the light of the Gospel of Jesus Christ will; continue to shine brighter and brighter.
5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
This is more than just a statement of God’s power to save, it begins what is a theme of the Gospel of John… Contrast; light and darkness, Faith and Unbelief, Love and Hate, Life and Death, etc...
Yet God’s word not only tell us what the Light is but what the darkness is… The Darkness is evil and sin...
19 And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
jn
So while Jesus is the light people are stuck in Darkness, and yet that Darkness is what makes the Light of Christ so glorious, because his light cannot be overcome...
12 Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
jn
When we celebrate the Baby being born into the world we are declaring the light that cannot be overcome! We celebrate true light and true life in Christ. And during this Christmas season, can I encourage to look at all the lights this world puts up on their homes and remember that the incarnation is a light that cannot be overcome by Darkness!
The Incarnation is a Light that Darkness cannot overcome!
The Incarnation is a Light that Darkness cannot overcome!
And this is the beauty of knowing the truth about what Advent is… this is the beauty we can enjoy in our fallen world when people who do not know the light and reject the light are still celebrating the light. That is because Jesus is a light that gives hope… Hope of eternal Life brings light to everyone in the world, and we get to celebrate it openly!
What a joy this season should be to us who know the light of the world and the lIfe of men!
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. 8 He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
jn1.
Now John mentions John the baptist, how he was also sent by God, but not as the light, rather his job was to tell people about this light. Now I do not want to spend much time on this since we are talking about the Incarnation, but suffice it to say that John baptist called people to repentance and faith in the true light, Jesu Christ… That is exactly what our job is as believer today, to bear witness to the Light of the world that gives Hope of Eternal life!
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
jn1.
Back to the Christmas story, back to our Advent calendars, back to the picture we painted for you last week of a couple of young poor parents having a baby in an animal stable. That amazing night was not just a night when Jesus was born but it was the night when true Light came into the world!
And it truly is for everyone… here is how… First that word True in true light is meant to mean everlasting or eternal light… it is true light as opposed to temporal light that will eventually go out! and second - to say it is for everyone does not mean everyone will receive this light, but it means that this light is not just for one people group, but rather it is true light that people from everywhere will receive! this is the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ!
It would seem as though that was the most momentous occasion to ever happen in the world up to that point… And yet the next verse makes this triumphant sounding light of the world sound so sad… and a tension begins...
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him.
The sad truth about the incarnation, is the same sad truth we see in the world to this day...
Though the world was made through him, the world does not know him...
Though he was actually in the world in the flesh, they didn’t know it...
And today he is in the world by his Spirit and his Word in his people who are flesh, and yet the world does not know it...
Do you feel the tension in the Gospel story? I want you to feel the tension and hear it with tension...
10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
Do you feel the tension, do you sense the agony of these words about how desperately lost the world is without him? And this is what we call the bad news… The world is blind to God and dead in sins and without hope… THIS IS THE HUMAN CONDITION!!!! Don’t believe me???
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind.
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins
speaking of our former state before being saved… we were dead
This is the condition of mankind and we were all at this place before we knew Jesus… but it goes further even...
12 remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.
this is the bad news… without hope and without God in this world… The is the Human Condition!
This is exactly where we were, and this is exactly what the tension is that we read in ...
He was in the world, it was made by him, and they didn’t know him, he came to his own and they did not receive him...
and while we feel the tension, remember that the bad news is the backdrop to the Good News. I want to re-read these verses to you with hope instead of despair. Because while the truth and facts looks bleak sometimes… there are times where we can have hope in the midst of the darkness...
9 The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.
jn1.
Now he is true light, and he made the world, and the world didn’t know him, he came to his own and they did not receive him… BUT HE WAS IN THE WORLD!!!!!!!
did you see that? He was actually there… he was physically present in his world. Even though they didn’t know him and didn’t receive him, but he was there. There was hope alive in the midst of an obscure beginning when no one could recognize him.
The Promise of Immanuel God with Us had come to pass… It didn’t matter how dark it was, and it didn’t matter who recognized it, because he made good on his promise… he was with us!
Do you see the good news in the midst of all the bad news! Doesn’t make it seem all the more brighter?! and all the more Glorious!!!
The Incarnation meant God was with us!
The Incarnation meant God was with us!
and even though it seems awfully dark and sad that no one knew him who created them… Reading this is like watching a movie where we see the hero walk into the room and no one in that room knows it yet but they are as good as saved, because he is here!!!
This reminds me of the story of Joseph… His brothers do not recognize him and they are absolutely wrecked and without hope… they are in desperate need and they are crying and sweating bullets from fear of losing everything, and their Brother, the Hero they hated, is standing before them… they don’t know it yet but they are fine, darkness cannot win, they are saved… they have no clue of the salvation that has been provided form them… and there is Jospeh in the same room with them...
this is a picture of what we see here in Johns Gospel… true light was finally here, no one knew it and no one wanted, but HE WAS HERE!!!!
This is why we celebrate!
No lets look at the rest of the text!
11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,
jn1.12
Look at that BUT in verse 12… Do you understand the power of that little word??? It sounds funny to say that yet some of the best verses in all of scripture have that little word BUT in it...
He came to his own and they didn’t receive him BUT to all who did!!!!
It really doesn’t matter who doesn’t receive him, in fact it only matter to those who do receive… to ALL who receive, who believe in his name… HE GAVE THE RIGHT TO BECOME CHILDREN OF GOD!
What a Glorious promise that comes in the midst of bad news!
We can become Children of God… Someone said, “I thought we were all children of God”
NOPE! we are all creations of God but only those who receive Christ can become children of God.
You and I were dead in our sins and trespasses… BUT GOD!!! Remember the bad news earlier I shared about our human condition? There is a BUT in there...
1 And you were dead in the trespasses and sins 2 in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. 4 But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, 5 even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved—
eph2.1
Did you hear that BUT GOD in there!!!
To be saved by God means to be a Child of God and this happens only as we receive and believe in Jesus Name!
The Incarnation brings Salvation!
The Incarnation brings Salvation!
If Jesus doesn’t come in the Flesh there is nothing for us to receive and believe in.
But if he does come and we do believe it and receive it, we go from death to life, from a creation of God to a Child of God.
And we are not children to God as some in this world are children to their parents… We are not accidents or mistakes, but we are found in Christ as part of God’s plan for everyone who would believe it...
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
To be a Child of God means to be born of GOD!!! Do you understand how powerful that is.
You whole life can seem like a series of coincidences and random chances… everything about your existence can seem like good luck or bad luck… who you were born to, where your family comes from, all the good and all the bad, and in the end… once you are saved you come to realize that it is not be accident but by providence… If you are a believer, YOU ARE BORN OF GOD!
This is the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ! This is why we can celebrate and sing and worship and give and serve with joy and gladness!
And none of this is possible if Jesus doesn’t come in flesh!
14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The word becoming flesh and dwelling among us is the most sacred truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!
jn1
There is no God that can claim what Jesus did! Many other religions and mythologies tell stories of those who were sons of a god, but none can say that they are God in flesh who came for us and fought for us and did for us what we cannot do for ourselves!
God came and was born in flesh.
The Incarnation means the INFINITE became an INFANT
The Incarnation means the INFINITE became an INFANT
The word of God didn’t just appear to a human, but became a human and took on flesh!
But the last part of this beautiful passage points us to His Glory! We have seen his Glory… What does that mean?
I like what R.C. Sproul said here - “Glory” applies supremely to God, the creator and ruler of the universe, the One before whom all knees must bow.
The Incarnation is about God in Flesh, and yet there is another Advent coming to this earth where Jesus will seen in glory ands power.
25 “And there will be signs in sun and moon and stars, and on the earth distress of nations in perplexity because of the roaring of the sea and the waves, 26 people fainting with fear and with foreboding of what is coming on the world. For the powers of the heavens will be shaken. 27 And then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
The Incarnation is about God in Flesh, and yet there is another Advent coming to this earth where Jesus will judge and be glorified...
luke21.
Just as they missed the fact that God was with them on that night in Bethlehem...
We have a message of a promise of a coming God in power and great Glory....
we are celebrating advent, but we do not want to miss the point of this season, how it assures us of God fulfilling his promises no matter how long it takes to come to pass.
The First Advent - The Coming God in Flesh The Second Advent - The Coming God in Glory
The First Advent - The Coming God in Flesh The Second Advent - The Coming God in Glory
Let us remember the great plan of God from before the foundation of the world, how Jesus was with him and a time came for him to be in flesh, and that a time is coming for him to be seen in Glory!
This is what
Let’s pray!
