Jesus - God The Son Incarnate

to one starting at verse 26.

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 favoured.

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 favour 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 own 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.

Ralph.

Can I pray for you?

Sure.

Yeah.

Just going to pray and pray for Ralph

as he speaks this morning.

Let's pray.

Father, we thank you for your word,

for this historical account

that has been recorded for us.

It's truth.

But yet we don't want it just to be

history and mere ink on a page.

We want it to be words that travel deep

to the understanding of our mind

and changing our hearts

till we grasp afresh the wonder of who you are.

And we ask for your help to Ralph.

Fill him and us

with your spirit's power

for we need your help.

And we ask

that you will help us.

In Jesus' name we pray.

Amen.

Thanks, Ralph.

Thank you, Johnny.

This month we celebrate

arguably the most earth-shattering event

in all of history.

Just over 2,000 years ago,

according to the scriptures,

Jesus, God the Son,

the second person of the Trinity,

became a man.

God

became

a man.

Let that sink in

for one moment.

I think it's as if you were out

for a midnight walk

on one of these dark December nights.

And as you're walking,

you decide to gaze up

up to the night sky,

into the darkness.

And you start to see

these weak little starlights.

And suddenly,

your eyes are blinded

by the sudden appearance

of a midday sun

in the middle of the night.

And you're just overwhelmed.

such is the cosmic upheaval

of Jesus Christ,

God the Son,

becoming

a man.

man.

We confess,

as Christians,

that Jesus

is truly God

and truly man.

we say that Jesus

is one person

in two natures.

Jesus

has,

always has,

and always will have,

his divine

nature.

Infinite

across time

and space,

holding power

without limit,

knowing

all things.

But this same

Jesus

took on

a human nature.

Jesus

took on

human

flesh,

fragile,

humble,

bound

and

limited

to a body

and a human

soul.

soul.

So our

Christmas

celebrations,

if they're to have

any meaning

beyond shopping

and decorations

and food

and family,

must

come back

to this

simple

truth.

God

became

man.

But how

can the

infinite

exist

together

in one

person

with the

finite?

how can

the

ruler

of the

whole

universe

squeeze

into

the

womb

and be

born

and then

placed

in a

manger

among

the

animals?

There's

no shame

this morning

to say

that

here

there is

ultimately

deep,

deep

mystery.

In

preparing for

this sermon,

I went

and sought

out some

questions

from people

and read

up a little

bit on

some of

the things

that confound

people about

this glorious

truth.

How can

Jesus be

nursing as a

baby at his

mother's breast

and also at the

same time keep

that whole

universe going?

thing?

You can't

honestly believe

the idea that

Jesus was a

God living

among us

at the same

time a man

and the same

time God.

That's crazy

how those two

things go

together.

A man maybe,

but also God

at the same

time?

No way.

I don't

know if you've

ever thought

about it,

when Jesus

was a young

boy helping

his father

Joseph in

carpentry,

would Jesus

have needed

to ask what

that tool

was or what

this tool

was or how

that worked?

Or because

Jesus was

God, would

he have known

the answer

already?

How was it

that Jesus

on the earth

could say that

there were

things like the

hour of his

return that he

did not know?

Surely, if he's

God, he knows

all things.

And finally,

why is it even

important to

ask these

questions?

Why should we

care?

Is it not

enough to just

trust that he

died for our

sins and

believe?

How is the

incarnation,

God taking on

flesh, relevant

to us?

Maybe you found

something like

your question

in that list

or maybe not.

Maybe your

head hurts

already and

you're just

waiting for the

end of the

sermon so you

can get back

to planning

your Christmas.

But as we

gaze at the

manger and

we think about

the creator and

we wonder at

his coming,

we do so so

that we would

love him,

so that we

would worship

him,

so that we

would proclaim

him.

That's why we

are asking these

questions this

morning.

We look in

faith to

Jesus, the

God

man.

man.

And if we

love him now

by faith,

then one day

we will enjoy

him forever in

heaven by

sight.

This morning I

want us to

know this

Jesus, this

Jesus, one

person in two

natures, fully

divine and

fully human.

I'm going to

turn to Luke

Luke 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

where we read

this morning.

Let's turn to

the scriptures

Luke chapter

Luke 1 · chapter mention

1.

The angel

Gabriel came

to announce

to the virgin

girl Mary that

she would give

birth to a

son.

We see that

in verse 31.

Gabriel

speaking, you

will conceive

and give

birth to a

son and

you are to

call him

Jesus.

Notice

the details.

Mary will

conceive, that

is she will

become pregnant

and give

birth to

a son.

The son

will come

from Mary.

This baby

will be

conceived in

her body

and born

of her.

He will

be her

son and

she is to

give him

the name

Jesus, which

means he

saves or

God saves.

Verse 32,

like each

of us, Jesus

has a family

history.

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 or

his ancestor

David.

In this

case, Jesus'

family history

goes back

to King

David.

Later, we're

going to

come to

some of

the unusual

aspects of

Jesus'

conception,

especially

Mary's

virginity.

But for

now, I

want us to

notice this,

that Jesus

truly comes

from Mary.

He is

truly descended

from King

David.

Mary becomes

pregnant,

carries a

growing baby

within her,

and as we

know, gives

birth to a

son to

whom she

gives the

name Jesus.

If we look

on to the

next page

in chapter

2, and

again,

familiar

verses, the

story of the

birth of

Jesus, chapter

2, and

let's read

verse 6.

While they

were there,

that's Joseph

and Mary

in Bethlehem,

the time

came for

the baby

to be

born, and

she gave

birth to

her firstborn

son.

She wrapped

him in

cloths and

placed him

in a

manger,

because there

was no

guest room

available for

them.

You see,

these verses

recorded by

Luke are

telling us,

in many ways,

of a

normal birth,

a normal

birth of

a baby.

Luke, the

careful

historian, even

notes that

Jesus was

Mary's

firstborn

son.

You know

that Mary

would go on

to have

other children.

Jesus grew

up with

brothers and

sisters in

his family.

He would

have played

with them.

He would

have learned

from them.

As the

oldest brother,

he would

have cared

for them.

Verse 21,

chapter 2.

On the

eighth day,

when it

was time to

circumcise the

child, he

was named

Jesus, the

name the

angel had

given him

before he

was conceived.

On the

eighth day,

Jesus is

taken to

be

circumcised.

Christ.

We cannot

miss the

fact that

Jesus is

truly human.

A man

born in

the flesh.

He is

fully

human.

But I think

it's a good

point here to

maybe pause

for a second

and ask,

what does

it mean

when we

say that

Jesus is

fully

human?

Fully

human?

Truly

human?

Well,

and people

throughout the

church history

have tried to

figure this

out in

different ways

and some

have said

that, well,

maybe Jesus

only has a

human body

like ours.

But would

we say that

to be truly

human is

just to

have a

physical body,

to have

skin and

bones and

sinew and

guts?

Well, of

course not.

When we

say someone

is truly

human, it

means more

than just a

physical body.

Humans, we

have a

body and

a soul.

It's not

just dead

flesh that

makes us

human.

So whatever

is true to

say of

me as a

human must

also be

true of

Jesus as

a human.

Otherwise,

Jesus would

be less

than human.

You see,

Jesus did

not simply

appear to

be a man,

a divine

being that

kind of

comes into

a shell

of a

human body.

Jesus

isn't acting

like a

puppeteer

that pulls

the strings

on a

wooden

doll.

No,

Jesus has

a full

humanity

like

ours,

yet

without

sin.

The book

of Hebrews

is so

helpful

in helping

us to

think about

Jesus.

Let's turn

to the

book of

Hebrews.

We could

read the

whole book

to understand

who Jesus

is, but

just some

verses

particularly

helpful.

Hebrews

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

and verse

17.

Hebrews

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

and verse

17 and

18.

Page

1202.

Hebrews

2

17.

For this

reason,

he,

and that

is Jesus,

had to

be made

like them,

that's us,

fully

human in

every way

in order

that he

might become

a merciful

and faithful

high priest

in service

to God,

and that

he might

make atonement

for the

sins of

the people,

because he

himself

suffered

when he

was tempted.

He is

able to

help those

who are

being tempted.

And just

over the

page,

chapter 4

and verse

15.

Chapter 4

and verse

15.

for we

do not

have a

high priest

who is

unable to

feel sympathy

for our

weaknesses,

but we

have one

who has

been tempted

in every

way,

just as

we are,

yet he

did not

sin.

Jesus

is fully

human,

like us

in every

way,

yet

without

sin.

Jesus

had to

grow.

Jesus

had to

grow.

Just like

us,

physically,

mentally,

spiritually,

Jesus

grew.

Jesus

had to

learn

things

in his

human

nature

and in

his

mental

capacities.

Just like

any child

grows

and learns

things.

And we

turn back

to Luke,

back to

chapter 2

of Luke.

That's

page

1027.

Sorry,

this is

verse 40,

next page,

1028,

if you're

using the

church

Bible.

Luke

Luke 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2

and verse

40.

And the

child,

that is

Jesus,

grew and

became

strong.

He was

filled with

wisdom and

the grace

of God

was on

him.

And then

to the

end of

the chapter

in verse

51 and

52.

Then

Jesus,

he went

down to

Nazareth

with them,

that's his

parents,

and was

obedient to

them.

But his

mother treasured

all these

things in

her heart.

And Jesus

grew in

wisdom and

stature and

in favor with

God and

man.

Do you see

how Jesus is

described in

those verses?

Jesus, he

physically and

mentally and

spiritually in

his relationship

with God,

grew and

became strong.

He grew in

wisdom and

stature and

favor with

God and

man.

So even

though this

is one

person,

this is

Jesus Christ

who is

also God,

when he

acts through

his human

nature,

he doesn't

violate what

it means to

be human.

You see,

his human

nature isn't

mixed in

some way with

the divine

nature to

create some

sort of

special

superman.

man.

That's not

what we're

talking about.

Jesus had

to grow in

his human

nature, in

his relationship

with the

Father.

He isn't

reliant in

his human

nature and

acting through

his human

nature with

his eternal

relationship with

the Father as

God the

Son.

Jesus, the

man, had

to grow in

favor with

God.

And Jesus

had limits

in his

knowledge, in

his human

nature.

He had a

human mind,

not knowing

what carpentry

tool did

what, and

he had to

learn that.

Jesus had to

memorize

scripture.

He had to

learn his

memory verses,

if you like.

In his

human mind,

he did not

know the

time of

his return

to the

earth.

his human

mind doesn't

have exhaustive

knowledge.

Only the

divine mind

knows all

things.

So Jesus,

the one

person,

through his

human nature

and through

his will,

his human

will, had

to learn

obedience to

his heavenly

Father's will.

will.

So Jesus,

acting through

his human

nature, can

truly say,

yet not my

will be

done, but

your will

be done.

The human

will of the

Son is

truly obedient

to the

divine will

of God.

It is

true

obedience.

Jesus,

Jesus,

the man.

There is

much to

rejoice and

find comfort

in all of

this truth.

Rejoice

because in

Jesus we

see that sin

is not

needed to

be human.

In Jesus

we see what

it is to

live free

from sin

and perfect

obedience as

a human in

relation to

God.

Adam, the

first man,

was created

without sin.

Now Jesus

is born as

the new

Adam, again

without sin,

but where

Adam failed,

Jesus

succeeds.

And as a

result we

can truly

say there

is no one

more human

than Jesus

Christ.

He is free

from the

shackles of

sin and he

was the most

truly human

person that

ever lived

and ever

flourished.

Therefore,

brothers,

and sisters,

you and

I have

hope.

You and

I have

hope.

Jesus came

down and

lived as

a man

so that

we can

reach up

and live

with God.

All that

we truly

are in

our body

and our

soul

and our

will

and our

mind,

Jesus

has taken

on to

himself

and redeemed

for us.

Hallelujah.

When we

read the

scriptures

and meditate

on the

life of

Jesus,

we know

that his

actions on

earth were

truly done

as a

man.

It wasn't

some fakery

or illusion

or mask

wearing.

Jesus truly

took to

himself at

the incarnation

both a

body and

a soul

like ours.

He lived

a truly human

life for us

and in

our

place.

And again,

there are

many

applications

of these

truths.

Here's

one.

How do

you feel

when you

wake up

in the

morning

about

your

body?

For

many of

us at

a certain

point in

our lives,

it's a

battle.

It's a

battle.

The aches

and the

pains

and the

stiffness,

the

limitations

of not

being able

to get

out this

morning,

to be

with our

friends.

we'd

love to

babysit for

someone,

but we

just don't

have the

energy.

It may

even be

that our

minds feel

weak and

frail and

plagued by

doubts and

darkness at

times.

Well, the

incarnation brings

us hope and

the incarnation

seeds our

patience for

each and

every day

that is a

struggle.

Because Jesus

lives forever

in a human

body,

and with a

human mind

just like

ours,

forever

united to

a full

humanity.

He suffered

common

infirmities

like us.

He got

tired.

Jesus got

weary.

He knew

true sorrow.

He cried

out in

pain and

anguish.

When you

read the

Psalms,

they are

the words

of Jesus.

He knows

you and

he knows

your pain.

more than

that,

he has

gone through

pain and

he has

gone through

death for

you so

that you

may finally

enjoy a

body and

a soul that

is free from

sin and

free from

all of

life's

infirmities.

He suffered

in the body

for us

that we

may know

ultimate

relief and

freedom in

his sight

forever.

Jesus,

however,

was not

just a

man.

The

scriptures

reveal time

and again

that the

man,

Jesus Christ,

is also

God

himself.

Come

in the

flesh.

man.

Jesus,

Jesus,

is the

God

man.

His

humanity

was in

closest

possible

relationship

to his

divine

nature

as is

possible

without

mixing

the two

together.

Luke

Luke 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

again and

the announcement

to Mary

verse 34.

How will

this be?

Mary asked

the angel,

since I

am a

virgin.

How can

I conceive

a baby?

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.

Jesus

had a

normal human

birth,

but his

conception

was anything

but normal.

we speak

of the

virgin

birth,

but really

we should

talk about

the

virginal

conception.

That would

be more

accurate.

We see

that the

Holy One,

the Son

of God

that was

to be

born,

was conceived

from the

power of

the Father

and by

the work

of the

Holy Spirit.

And you

see the

triune

God

always works

as one,

Father,

Son,

and Spirit,

and it's

one action

of all

three persons

of God

in the

virginal

conception

finds its

ending on

Jesus.

And he

is the

one then

that takes

on a

humanity

to himself

and is

conceived

within the

womb of

Mary by

the power

of God

because

nothing

is impossible

with

God.

And Luke

paints an

intimate

portrait of

this once-in-time

conception

as God

works

silently

yet

powerfully

in the

womb of

Mary to

bring about

the miracle

of God

the Son

in the

flesh.

And there's

another

portrait that

I want to

turn to

and that's

from the

Gospel of

John and

we're moving

around a

little bit

this morning

in our

Bibles but

this is

such a

big theme

it covers

all of

scriptures

really.

Christ

coming to

us.

John

John 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1

and verse

14

and 18

because

John in

his

Gospel

he paints

for us

the same

scene but

from a

different

angle.

It's like

if Luke

was an

intimate

portrait

John is

like the

wide

landscape.

In

John

John 1:14

chapter 1

verse

14

the

word

that is

Jesus

eternally

the word

became

flesh

and made

his

dwelling

among us

we have

seen his

glory

the glory

of the

one and

only

son

who came

from the

father

full of

grace

and truth

and down

to verse

18

no one

has ever

seen

God

but the

one

and only

son

who is

himself

God

and in

the closest

relationship

with the

father

has made

him known

cosmic

scene

spanning

eternity

the

eternal

word

and John

sees the

eternal

word

in all

his

grand

scope

Jesus

becoming

flesh

and dwelling

amongst

all of

us

the one

and only

son

who is

both

God

and at

the same

time in

closest

relationship

with God

the father

comes

as the

light

of the

world

like that

blazing

noonday

sun

at

midnight

he

appears

to make

God

known

to a

fallen

humanity

that is

in

darkness

here

then

is

true

truth

when we

look at

the man

Jesus

we are

looking

at

God

himself

when we

read of

Mary

becoming

pregnant

with a

baby

we can

just a

few

verses

later

read

of her

cousin

Elizabeth

exclaiming

to Mary

that Mary

is the

mother of

her

Lord

she

recognizes

and senses

the divine

baby

in the

womb

this is

no

ordinary

baby

Jesus

is

God

from

God

light

from

light

true

God

from

true

God

begotten

not

made

one

being

with

the

father

in

the

face

of

Jesus

we

see

our

creator

in

the

flesh

this

divine

person

who

has

always

been

God

this

son

in

closest

relationship

to the

father

and

spirit

takes

to

himself

the

human

nature

body

and

soul

but

Jesus

does

not

give

up

his

divinity

in

any

way

Jesus

is

still

living

and

acting

through

his

divine

nature

one

person

he

can

act

through

his

human

nature

he

can

act

through

his

divine

nature

so

Jesus

through

the

divine

nature

is

still

upholding

the

universe

Jesus

is

still

ruling

still

sustaining

life

Jesus

is

one

person

and

he's

holding

the

life

of

Mary

in

his

divine

hands

as

she

carries

him

in

her

womb

and

nurses

him

at

her

breast

Jesus

is

nursed

and

feels

and

experiences

life

as

dependent

infant

through

his

human

nature

and

as

he

holds

the

universe

together

he

knows

all

things

and

he

sees

all

things

and

simultaneously

Jesus

is

creating

the

breast

milk

that's

sustaining

his

human

life

always

remember

it's

one

person

acting

through

two

natures

man

but

why

does

it

matter

that

Jesus

is

God

the

son

we

talked

about

it

mattering

that

Jesus

is

like

us

that

he's

fully

human

but

why

does

it

matter

that

he

is

divine

and

surely

like

most

people

say

we

can

look

to

Jesus

and

just

get

inspiration

as

a

good

man

even

a

sinless

man

does

he

need

to

be

this

one

person

who

is

both

God

and

man

yes

Jesus

does

for

when

Jesus

came

to

the

paralyzed

man

and

he

says

to

that

paralyzed

man

these

words

your

sins

are

forgiven

those

words

are

coming

from

the

person

of

Jesus

God

the

son

incarnate

this

is

the

eternal

word

John

says

in

the

flesh

and

because

he

is