The Glory of the Incarnation

Ramon Navarro

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Introduction:

Joint service, acknowledge Pastor Arnold. Members of FIlipino organizations.

Anecdote:

We’re going to have our Christmas lunch after this service. What is Christmas with a Christmas party of some kind? How many here have already been in a Christmas party, with co-workers or friends?

In the time and culture we live in, parties are a must around the holidays.

Imagine, for a moment, that your birthday is coming up. And you find out that your friends decided to throw you a big birthday party. This makes you happy of course..

You heard that they are making preparations for your big day. You knew who are planning your party and who would come to it. So you heard invitations are being sent out. Days passed, you find out that the party was all set and ready to go, but you haven’t received information on the time and place. You found out one day that the party will be that day at a very nice restaurant. So out of curiosity you went to the place.

But when you arrive, standing outside the restaurant, people just ignored you and passed by. You find the music so loud and your friends having such a good time that they can't hear or see you knocking outside. As you press your face up against the glass, you see pictures of yourself on the tables. You overhear people telling stories about you. Saying that you are the reason they are celebrating.

You saw people coming with gifts, but instead of giving you the gift for your birthday, they are giving gifts among themselves!

Everyone is having a great time celebrating your birthday while you're standing outside, knocking on the door. And it is cold outside.. baby it’s cold outside.. I won’t sing the song this time.

But they won’t let you in to your own birthday party!

This may sound ridiculous but this portrays Christmas in our time. It is a birthday celebration where the birthday celebrant Himself, Jesus Christ is not allowed to enter in and join.

This time of the Christmas holidays, Jesus remains outside the gatherings.

Second message in the sermon series “The Glory of Christmas”,

-Last week I talked about the glory that Jesus gave up for us.

-Today I’ll share about the glory of the incarnation. When God became man.

The message of the Incarnation is exactly the opposite to what happens in our Christmas celebrations during Christmastime. Jesus came to us not only to be in our parties and celebrated around the Christmas season, He came to permanently dwell among us.

Jesus is our Immanuel

The Big Idea of the message this morning is this is simple:

Big Idea: The Incarnation of Jesus is both a Miracle and a Gift that we Receive and Accept into Our Lives.”

Jesus is not Only the Reason for the Season. He is the Reason for Our Lives!

The prophet Isaiah was the one who wrote the title “Immanuel”, and he foretold the coming of Jesus as the Messiah over 700 years before Jesus was born.

The glory of its history.

The glory of the Main Character.

The glory of the gift.

Isaiah 9:3–4 ESV

3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

Isaiah 9:2–4 ESV

2 The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone. 3 You have multiplied the nation; you have increased its joy; they rejoice before you as with joy at the harvest, as they are glad when they divide the spoil. 4 For the yoke of his burden, and the staff for his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, you have broken as on the day of Midian.

The prophet Isaiah foretold the coming of Jesus as the Messiah over 700 years before Jesus was born.

Isaiah 7:14 ESV

14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.

Jumping to..

-2

Jumping to..

Isaiah 9:6–17 ESV

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this. 8 The Lord has sent a word against Jacob, and it will fall on Israel; 9 and all the people will know, Ephraim and the inhabitants of Samaria, who say in pride and in arrogance of heart: 10 “The bricks have fallen, but we will build with dressed stones; the sycamores have been cut down, but we will put cedars in their place.” 11 But the Lord raises the adversaries of Rezin against him, and stirs up his enemies. 12 The Syrians on the east and the Philistines on the west devour Israel with open mouth. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still. 13 The people did not turn to him who struck them, nor inquire of the Lord of hosts. 14 So the Lord cut off from Israel head and tail, palm branch and reed in one day— 15 the elder and honored man is the head, and the prophet who teaches lies is the tail; 16 for those who guide this people have been leading them astray, and those who are guided by them are swallowed up. 17 Therefore the Lord does not rejoice over their young men, and has no compassion on their fatherless and widows; for everyone is godless and an evildoer, and every mouth speaks folly. For all this his anger has not turned away, and his hand is stretched out still.

Isaiah 9:6–7 ESV

Isaiah 9:

Part I. The Glory of the Miracle.

This is a big deal if we wrap our minds around this. The only way the birth of Jesus could be foretold centuries before is that God has ordained it in eternity, outside of time.

Here in Isaiah’s prophecy is the key why Christ should be all in all..

Reality of Christ’s royalty.

“For unto us a child is born == born speaks of Christ’s humanity. He had to become human in order to save us. He had to grow up as a boy, he had to live like any human being..

He had to go through physical, emotional pain so that He can sympathize and empathize with all of us..

Bible says in that even Jesus was

Bible says in

Hebrews 4:15 ESV

15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.

says He was tempted just as we are

So the child being born talks about Jesus’ humanity, but remember Christmas is not just about a baby lying in the manger in our nativity sets. We used to have a beautiful outdoor nativity scene displayed on our front lawn until some vandals kidnapped our baby Jesus.. really who does that?

We are stuck with an image of Jesus as a baby being born, and lying on a manger..

The central picture of Christmas is not just the birth of the baby, it is that a Son was given..

The word for “given” in Hebrew was Natan.

Nathan, your name is special because it means “gift from God”.

Jonathan, your name is also special because it means God has already given.

Talks about God being the giver of the gift, and the gift is His own Son.

“A son was given” talks about Jesus’ deity.

The King of the Universe, God’s only Son was given to us, and was born as a child..

This is profoundly important because this is unique to Christianity.

Well someone may ask: What is so unusual about the birth of Christ the King? Other men who became kings were also babies once!

Here is the difference:

A thousand times in history a baby has become a king, but only once in history did a King become a baby.

What’s truly amazing about the birth of the King of the Universe is the miracle of it:

Can we imagine just how the King of the Universe, through which all things were created, with the power of His spoken Word everything came to being, Paul in COlossians said through Jesus all things were created and that in Him all things hold together.. the power that He had, in eternity and then He entered time, He took on human flesh, it sounds so simple, but that’s figurative, he didn’t just take on human flesh, He formed his own DNA, cells, tissues, body parts, everything that we have and yet unlike us, He remained uncreated and became a small baby? He became 100% man, and yet He remained 100% God.

Well it doesn’t add up, Ramon you can’t do math. Well, chalk it up as the divine mystery of the incarnation. But it is more the miracle of the incarnation that we should believe by faith! Jesus is not limited by the dichotomy of He is either God or man, He is the Only ONE WHO IS BOTH! Hallelujah!

J.I.Packer, a renowned theologian said this:

“It is here, in the thing that happened at the first Christmas, that the profoundest and most unfathomable depths of the Christian revelation lie. “The Word became flesh” (); God became man, the divine Son became a Jew; the Almighty appeared on earth as a helpless human baby, unable to do more than lie and stare and wriggle and make noises, needing to be fed and changed and taught to talk like any other child.” (J.I. Packer)

Some have argued that the supreme miracle of Christianity is the incarnation. This is why... If someone can believe that the beginningless, omnipotent creator of the Universe took on human nature and remained God, so that Jesus of Nazareth was both fully human and also fully divine, then he can believe the other miracles of Jesus, that His death is the perfect atonement for the sins of humanity and they will even believe the resurrection.

This is the wonder and the glory of the Incarnation of Jesus!

So what does this tell us? If we can believe in the supreme miracle of the incarnation, you can trust that His incarnational presence in your life is enough to see you through any situation or challenge in your life.

What are the Names of Jesus according to Isaiah?

Isaiah here talks of a future rule of King Jesus.

Imagine a government ruled by the Only One Righteous King!

Our government is so divided nowadays, Americans are so obsessed about politics and leaders in government. When King Jesus reigns there will be no executive branch, no congress of Democrats nor Republicans, no judges in black robes who attempt to rewrite the rules.. we see the imperfection of human government everywhere.

King Jesus will be King, legislator and judge ALL in ONE.

Isaiah 33:2 ESV

2 O Lord, be gracious to us; we wait for you. Be our arm every morning, our salvation in the time of trouble.

Isaiah 33:22 ESV

22 For the Lord is our judge; the Lord is our lawgiver; the Lord is our king; he will save us.

There is hope today in the midst of the injustice and disorder around us someday King Jesus will rule on the earth set things right and the Bible says that He will reign forevermore. I look forward to that day!

That is in the future, but in the meantime the Kingdom of Jesus in the hearts of men and women.

Does King Jesus really sit on the throne of our hearts today?

What are the Names of Jesus:

Names of Jesus in Isaiah 9:

1. Wonderful Counselor

2. The Mighty God.

3. Everlasting Father.

4. Prince of Peace.

Part II The Glory of the Gift:

All these mean that Jesus is beautiful and you can turn to Him for answers to all you life questions.

Jesus did not only bring peace, He is the Prince of peace, Jesus is our peace personified.

Ephesians 2:14 ESV

14 For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility

We need peace of mind especially with the hustle and bustle of this season. A lot of people find this time to be the most depressing time of the year. People feel lonely.

Are you distraught, feeling anxious today? Are you fearful?

Jesus said “My peace I give unto you.”

John 14:27 ESV

27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

John

But peace here is more than just a state of mind, peace of heart and mind. The apostle Paul talked about the dividing wall of hostility. This means that there used to be aggression between us and God.

So that the peace here is the opposite of war. Apart from Jesus, we were engaged in constant hostility against God.

If you allow Jesus to rule your heart, then your personal war with God will be declared over.

Matthew 1:16–17 ESV

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom Jesus was born, who is called Christ. 17 So all the generations from Abraham to David were fourteen generations, and from David to the deportation to Babylon fourteen generations, and from the deportation to Babylon to the Christ fourteen generations.

Paul said:

Matthew 1:

Romans 5:1 ESV

1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Where are you today in relation to the Prince of PEace.

This time of the year as people go to churches to celebrate the birth of Jesus, we typically would hear the narrative of the Christmas story

We have seen pageants around the holidays

The main actors:

Angel Gabriel

Mary

The Baby Jesus

the Shepherds

The wise men

Let us not forget that the Main Character in the Christmas story is God:

Galatians 4:3–5 ESV

3 In the same way we also, when we were children, were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world. 4 But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.

- Do you need the peace of Christ to rule your hearts?

Galatians 4:3

Surrender your life to His Lordship.

Bible says the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus ().

- Peace is absent because you are still in warfare with God.

Before the Prince of Peace can rule or dwell in your heart, He needs to be born first.

We have to receive the gift of Jesus in our lives.

The Christmas Story demands a response especially now that you know it is the supreme miracle of the Christian faith!

God’s Timing is always right

The Christmas Story demands a response

- We oftentimes hear about behavior around the Christmas season.

But the coming of Jesus is not meant to just change the way we behave around the holidays. The Christmas story is not even meant to change the way we live.

The Christmas story is not even meant to change the way we live.

Christianity is not all about do-it-yourself self-improvement. Of course the gospel message has massive implications on the way we live. But the most important message of Christmas is that we needed to be saved!

If Jesus went through great lengths and performed the greatest miracle in His incarnation, we should understand the importance of why He came.

We are saved not in the slightest by what we can do. We are saved by what God has done!

We are saved by receiving the gift of the incarnation.

A gift can only be enjoyed if we receive it. Why would people not receive the gift of Jesus?

Christmas is a time of giving and receiving presents. There are people who find it challenging to receive gifts. They only want to give but do not want to receive.

Receiving a gift is not just taking it home. It is not unwrapping it. It is more than that..

Receiving gifts make us swallow our pride to a certain degree. Some gifts are by nature hard to accept. Imagine receiving a Christmas gift from a friend and after unwrapping the present you find a box of dieting pills. Or opening a present and find a book entitled “Overcoming Selfishness”. “How dare you friend! I’m gonna unfriend you on Facebook former friend!”

With a little introspection you realize, well I have gained more weight than what is healthy, and you remember, I may have acted selfishly, abrasively and obnoxiously (terrible person) many times that my friends on facebook are leaving me..

But then if you receive and acknowledge it by saying thank you, you are in a sense admitting that you are overweight and selfish. you see the difficulty?

There lies the difficulty of receiving the gift of the Incarnation of Jesus. We are all sinners and in need of salvation. Yet people will not admit to the need, I am a good person, I haven’t stepped on anyone. Or you admit the need, but you have embraced other ways to remedy your malady. You think you can be saved by good works, I will work on my salvation. It is in a way saying the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross to atone for your sins is not enough.

The key to salvation is coming to terms with your need and receiving and accepting the gift of Jesus by faith. It sounds counterintuitive, no I have to do something for God! But now that you’ve heard what great lengths Jesus went through, just in His incarnation alone, then living a life met with pain, even loneliness and rejection, dying on the cross, then you can accept, yes, He did it all!

although they Until we can come to terms with the need, we cannot receive the gift.

Once you receive the gift of Jesus into your heart, you have received the gift that keeps on giving. Jesus’ will save you, and you will experience your own personal incarnation of Jesus in your life and in turn you will be an incarnation of the life of Christ to others… JOSH

Isaiah 9:7 ESV

7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.

The Glory of the Incarnation

Introduction:

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Joint service, acknowledge Pastor Arnold. Members of FIlipino organizations.

We’re going to have our Christmas lunch after this service. What is Christmas with a Christmas party of some kind? How many here have already been in a Christmas party, with co-workers or friends?