The Road to Glory / El Camino a la Gloria
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
Introduction
Today is the first Sunday of December.
A month in which we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
In Western culture, but more specifically in the United States, this time is known as the “holiday season”.
It is remarkable to see how we can get caught up in the festivities, the many meals, celebrations, and forget that the reason behind the Christmas celebration is the birth of Jesus Christ who was born of a virgin 2,000 years ago.
Today, we also come to the Lord’s Table to proclaim the Lord’s death and how it is sufficient for the forgiveness of the sins of all those who believe.
It may be shocking to many - that in a month where we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ we start of the month by celebrating this death.
The truth of the matter is that these two events - the birth and death of Jesus Christ go hand in hand. You cannot have one without the other.
The salvation of mean require Christ’s birth, life, death…but it also requires his resurrection.
For this reason, we turn our attention to a wonderful hymn found in Paul’s letter to the . Today we will consider:
The Son of God’s Humiliation
The Son of God’s Death
The Son of God’s Glory
I. The Son of God’s Humiliation / La Humillación del Hijo de Dios
I. The Son of God’s Humiliation / La Humillación del Hijo de Dios
The Apostle Paul in poetic language, in the span of seven verses, sets forth three important aspects of the life of Jesus Christ, beginning with his humiliation.
The act of humiliation refers to bringing someone to a very low point.
Humiliation speaks about treating someone as less than they should be treated.
Humiliation of a CEO would be to start of a board meeting by introducing the new CEO and handing him a mop and bucket so that he can clean all of the restrooms of a multi-million dollar company, by the end of the day.
We would call this humiliation, not because the act of cleaning restrooms is humiliating in itself, but rather because the CEO was hired for his ability to strategize, to have a vision for the organization, to lead hundreds or maybe even thousands of people.
He is being asked something for which he was not hired for.
In the same way, the Apostle Paul wants us to realize how the eternal Son of God was humiliated in the incarnation.
In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
Haya, pues, en vosotros este sentir que hubo también en Cristo Jesús,el cual, siendo en forma de Dios, no estimó el ser igual a Dios como cosa a que aferrarse,sino que se despojó a sí mismo, tomando forma de siervo, hecho semejante a los hombres;
Phil 2.
There has never been a point of time when the Son of God has not existed.
We tend to think that Jesus Christ began to exist 2,000 years ago.
It is true, that the baby Jesus was born at a point of time. However, his existence precedes that wonderful day in Bethlehem when Mary gave birth to him.
Jesus Christ, as the eternal Son of God, as God himself has always existed.
Jesus has not beginning and no end.
There was never a time when he did not exist and there will never be a point in time when he will cease to exist.
For this reason, we refer to the time when he was conceived in Mary’s womb as the miracle of the incarnation.
It was in this moment when the Son of God took upon himself human flesh.
Paul says that Jesus Christ had always been by his very nature God.
He possesses divinity.
Nevertheless, the eternal Son of God knew that in order to save humanity from their sins, then someone who was a man must have lived a perfect life and give his life as a ransom/payment for the sins of men.
In the Old Testament we read of the law that demanded an “eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth”.
We had sinned before God and are stand justly condemned.
What is the penalty? Eternal condemnation!
Therefore, Jesus Christ took upon himself human flesh so that by being the perfect man, he would offer his sinless life on behalf of sinful human beings.
Paul recognizes the incarnation as one of the wonderful works of God.
It is by the incarnation, that the eternal Son of God, takes upon himself all the limitations of human flesh.
He did not simply look like he had taken upon him human flesh - he actually had a human body susceptible to illness, pain, and hunger.
He took upon himself all the limitations that we are also subject to.
This is the way that the great and almighty, eternal God, limited himself to reside in a human body.
He was no superman. He was not a super human.
Jesus did not do miracles out of his own power; but by depending entirely upon God the Father Almighty.
Jesus depended upon the Father’s sustaining grace throughout his earthly life.
The incarnation was necessary for he was born to eventually die; he would eventually offer his life as a sacrifice for his people.
II. The Son of God’s Death / La Muerte del Hijo de Dios
II. The Son of God’s Death / La Muerte del Hijo de Dios
God cannot die.
Eternity, self existence, are attributes that belong solely to God. Therefore God cannot die.
However, if God were to take upon himself human flesh, then it would be possible for him to die.
This is a mystery which we will not fully comprehend.
In the incarnation something unrepeatable, something unique, something truly glorious - humanity and divinity came together to become truly God and truly man.
Jesus Christ not only took upon himself humanity but now he would allow his humanity to be subject to all sorts of suffering and pain.
Jesus Christ would be rejected by his enemies and even by those who professed to be his disciples.
Jesus Christ would be betrayed by one of his own disciples.
Jesus Christ would allow himself to be delivered in the hands of the jewish and roman authorities who had the power to sentence him to death.
The reason we say that he allowed this - was because we should never forget that he never ceased to be God.
He had all power and authority to prevent further pain and suffering simply by praying to the Father who would deliver him.
Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?
¿Acaso piensas que no puedo ahora orar a mi Padre, y que él no me daría más de doce legiones de ángeles?
The day eventually came when he would be lead to Golgotha with a cross upon his back.
And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
y estando en la condición de hombre, se humilló a sí mismo, haciéndose obediente hasta la muerte, y muerte de cruz.
Phil 2.
He allowed himself to be crucified.
Let us not forget that crucifixion was a truly painful death.
Those that were crucified did not die from the actual act of crucifixion but rather by asphyxiation from their inability to push themselves up to breathe.
It was such a barbaric death that the romans did not sentence roman citizens to crucifixion. Only non-romans could be sentenced to such a barbaric death.
The Bible even declares in the Old Testament that those that were sentenced to hang upon a tree were surely considered cursed of God because of the nature of this awful death.
you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.
no dejaréis que su cuerpo pase la noche sobre el madero; sin falta lo enterrarás el mismo día, porque maldito por Dios es el colgado; y no contaminarás tu tierra que Jehová tu Dios te da por heredad.
Jesus’ crucifixion represents for us the God-man taking upon himself the curse/punishment of God that we justly deserved for our many sins.
Jesus went to the cross for he was determined to pay the price of our sins - even though it meant receiving upon himself the fulness of our punishment.
So when we consider the incarnation, when we consider Christmas, when we consider the birth of Jesus Christ we should see it in the light of his eventual death upon a cross.
Jesus took upon himself human flesh with the main purpose/mission in life to die by taking the punishment that we deserved.
This means forgiveness is possible, we can be reconciled with God, we who have failed against God, we who have sinned against God’s holiness, we who have hated God and turned our backs against him, we who have made a wreck of our own lives . We...
can be made right with God
can become children of God
can be forgiven
can receive eternal life
can be free of the bondage of sin
III. The Son of God’s Glory / La Gloria del Hijo de Dios
III. The Son of God’s Glory / La Gloria del Hijo de Dios
Remarkable acts are usually recognized with awards and recognition! How will Jesus Christ be seen in light of what he has done?
Many use the name of Jesus as a curse word.
Many make fun of him and his followers.
This is all done in ignorance because people forget his true identity - Jesus Christ is God in the flesh who has all power and authority. He sustains creation by the power of his word.
Paul shows us how Jesus Christ will be recognized for what he has done:
Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Por lo cual Dios también le exaltó hasta lo sumo, y le dio un nombre que es sobre todo nombre,para que en el nombre de Jesús se doble toda rodilla de los que están en los cielos, y en la tierra, y debajo de la tierra;y toda lengua confiese que Jesucristo es el Señor, para gloria de Dios Padre.
Note how everything started.
The incarnation began with humiliation.
Jesus took upon himself frail human flesh.
He set aside his prerogatives and exercise of his power as the almighty God.
He allowed himself to be spat, punched, whipped, betrayed, insulted, and nailed upon a cross.
His life began in utter humiliation but now the Father has exalted Jesus to the highest place.
There is no one above him.
There is no queen, queen, dictator, president, no one is above or superior to the place that Jesus Christ occupies presently.
The way we know this is that the day will come when everything and everyone will - bow the knee and confess his authority as Lord over all.
It does not matter that there are many who deny him today.
It does not matter that there are many who are blinded by false religion and call Jesus a figment of one’s imagination.
It does not matter that there are many who see him as simply a good teacher or others see him as a lunatic - when all is said and done, when the final day comes - Jesus Christ will be recognized for who he is and will be worshipped as the God almighty and worthy of our praise.