I believe in Jesus
Notes
Transcript
Scripture
Scripture
In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”
Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David,
and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month.
For no word from God will ever fail.”
“I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.
Pray.
Introduction
Introduction
opening illustration: Mystery from Justus
One of my mentors was preparing to give a lecture on what it means that Jesus is God. Breakfast with his son..... “oh, that’s hard dad.”
“Mystery of the faith.”
Mistake that you can master mystery
Mistake that you can’t talk about mystery
This is the second part of the creed. Last week we talked about God the Father, this week we turn to the second person of the trinity.
I believe in Jesus Christ his only son, our Lord; conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary”
I want you to see the context.... I believe in Jesus Christ, his only son our Lord; born of the virgin Mary
suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, dead, and buried; The third day he rose from the dead
He ascended into heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God the Father Almighty;
From thence he shall come to judge the quick and the dead.
This whole section is about Jesus. Even by the formate and structure of the creed you can see the center piece is about Jesus. It is often said that the creed is a didactic, doctrinal set of teaching, but the center of the creed is not an idea but a person. It is not an idea, or theory, or vision of life, but Jesus Christ.
And I want you to see the very opening part of our section. Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Which while this is the earliest known creed, the earliest confession is believing that Jesus is Lord. Everything else in the creed radiates off of this like spokes on a wheel. It all points to this. And especially in this section.
So when we focus on conception and birth, on the two natures of Christ, I don’t want you to think we rushed by what it means that Jesus is Lord. In fact, the next few weeks will actually be the summation of that very confession as we believe in birth, life, death, resurrection, ascension, and return.
show arrow picture.
We will talk about all of this and what it means to profess Jesus is Lord over the next several weeks, but first I want us to consider together
I believe in Jesus Christ his only son, our Lord;
Conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary.
What does it mean that Jesus is God’s son?
Is Jesus fully God?
Is Jesus fully man?
Why is it important?
Jesus, his only son
Jesus, his only son
This can be confusing for us as we consider trinitarian theology. Jesus, his only son. This qualifier, this description of Jesus does not mean Father and son in the way that we think of it. Just like God, the Father is a helpful category so that we might know his person. Who God is. Jesus is the son of God by relationship, not by temporal means.
There was never a time that the Father was and the son was not. Jesus, the second person of the Trinity was not created by God the Father.
Jesus is of one essence with the Father.
Mystery of the faith.
Is Jesus fully God?
Is Jesus fully God?
Throughout history, this idea that Jesus was some special dude creeps onto the scene. Heard of even recently a person going to be ordained in our denomination, when asked who Jesus was, answer with he was a good man that died for what he believed in.
Let’s look at what happens in the Luke text.
Mary, by accounts is probably 12-15 years old. And God comes to her via a messenger, Gabriel, and says listen.... you are going to have a child.
Luke’s text makes it very clear that she has not been with a man and not even her husband Joseph.
Angel shows up, Mary is freaked out. Then he says:
But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God.
You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus.
Now listen, this is not just a miraculous thing. This is impossible. I need you to see that. This is not even the same as stories from the Bible like Abraham and Sarah or others who are barren and cannot have a child. This is impossible.
This is why Mary gets blunt and says:
“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”
Angel responds....
The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God.
A couple of things here:
Can we believe this? I have often found it humorous when people just cant believe in something like this. Because it is scientifically impossible. Yes, but think about it this way....there is a God who created this system for procreation. You know what I am talking about....birds and the bees. Certain things take place and there can be a baby born. It is beautiful and intricate and detailed system. The God who created this system is powerful and creative.....maybe the one who created the system can also do it without the system.
There are very strong creation ties here in Luke 1. Think about the Spirit hovering over the deep in Genesis 1. The Holy Spirit coming over Mary.
Trinity is all present
creation ties
Jesus and Adam
God has made it clear he is about to lean in. Then throughout the gospels we see Jesus slowly reveal himself. Command over storms, supernatural feeding of thousands, casting out of demonic. One of the best hints of this in Luke’s gospel is when he heals a paralyzed man....
Tell the story.
Jesus knew what they were thinking and asked, “Why are you thinking these things in your hearts?
Which is easier: to say, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or to say, ‘Get up and walk’?
But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” So he said to the paralyzed man, “I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home.”
Is Jesus Fully Man?
Is Jesus Fully Man?
Early church Father: Remaining what he was, he became what he was not.
Jesus was also born in a woman’s womb. He really wore diapers and pooped. We are potty training right now, God help us.....
And learned to eat and talk and walk. Was it easier for him? I do not know.
Jesus is really tempted by the devil…we see that he was really hungry. Jesus is really disappointed when he is betrayed. Jesus really faces fear and desperation in the garden near the end. Jesus really suffers and dies.
Why is it important?
Why is it important?
Why is it important that Jesus is fully God and fully man?
It is unique
First, this is completely unique. There is no other god, no other religion, no other faith throughout history that God would become like one of the created. To become one with us.
Even in the prechristian Israelite and Jewish understanding....there was no concept that the messiah would come in this way. That he would come and die. Every other faith says you work hard, you strive towards this thing. You obey and be all that you can be and that is how you make it to enlightenment or heaven or whatever. Christianity says we cannot get there. That it is in the joining to one human that we might know God. That God himself came to make atonement and rescue.
Tom Oden puts it this way:
“If the one who died on the cross were only human and not the Son of God, the death could not serve sufficiently as an act of atonement for the whole world. If the one who died were only God and not human there would have been no basis for celebrating the empathy of God with humanity. Only a mediator fully divine and fully human could undergo the experience necessary to save humanity.”
If Jesus was only human. It is just a good death. There is no way that his death could be anything more than inspiration.
If Jesus is only God, there is still no bridge. There is no uniting a fallen humanity with a holy God.
So we can say:
He hungers—but he feeds thousands
he is wearied, but is the Rest of them that are weary.
He is heavy with sleep, but walks lightly over the sea
he prays, but he hears prayers
he weeps but he causes tears to cease
he asks where Lazarus was laid, for He was a man; but he raises Lazarus, for He was God.
He is sold, and very cheap, for it is only thirty pieces of silver, but he redeems the world
As a sheep He is led to slaughter, but He is the Shepherd of Israel, and now of the whole world also
as a lamb he is silent, yet He is the Word
He is …wounded, but he heals every disease
He dies but he gives life
If the one give you a starting point for your error, let the others put an end to it.
Let’s close with my favorite image of what we are talking about in scripture:
We have a Genesis 3 problem. The fall of humanity means we are separated from God. The most loving thing for God to do is to give us the freedom to love. In that freedom we love ourselves over others, we quickly want to be our own gods. Bible tells us that we are all joined into this fall of Adam.
Perfect example of this:
yesterday my son. Sweet boy. Mom told him not to do something....
“Mom, don’t tell me that. This will make me happy so you have to let me do this. You have to make me happy.”
Luke, do you think our job is to make you happy?
And before you laugh it off like kids are the only picture of fallen human nature....how have you chosen your own happiness over those around you lately. Your sin struggle might not be black tar heroin, but it might be treating people that work for you less than. Or constantly appealing to your own needs in your marriage.
The state of things in Genesis lay all of this out. God calls one man, Abram, to be one family for God that God will bless and will save. (God is constantly working through human mediators but they all fall short, until one came that wouldn’t). Noah, Moses, David, Prophets.
In Genesis 15, God brings Abraham together to make a covenant, a promise, a vow to him and all through him.
Animals. Cut in two.
What is going on here? Suzerain (powerful king) and Vassal (lesser king) relationship.
Then something strange happens here.....
As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him.
When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.
Who passes through the pieces? who should have?
See Jesus becomes the one who is faithful to the covenant on behalf humanity. He is the one who passes through. He is also the sacrifice for those that could not.
The holy mystery of our Faith. Fully Human, fully God. and even today, we can know this God because we have an intercessor.