The Incarnate God
The God Who Is • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 36:50
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· 218 viewsJesus is the promised and complete revelation of God, whose work supersedes all previous covenants.
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Introduction:
Introduction:
This week I saw a friend post on social media about a store that had Christmas decorations out. Now I realize that we haven’t had Thanksgiving yet (not to mention Veterans Day, Reformation Day, Halloween, or Columbus Day), but the thing I noticed about these Christmas decorations is that none of them had anything to do with the Birth of Jesus.
I understand that describing that miraculous event can lead many to the wrong assumption that this was the beginning of Jesus. We started this series with the truth that all 3 persons of the Trinity eternally co-existed before anything was created that now exists in the realm of time and space.
So today when I speak of what is called the Incarnation—when the 2nd person of the Trinity took upon Himself a human body. We are in no way speaking about the beginning of God, or a human becoming God.
The Incarnation Foretold
The Incarnation Foretold
Confusion about Who will come (Psalm 110:1, LK 20:42, MT 22:44)
Confusion about Who will come (Psalm 110:1, LK 20:42, MT 22:44)
1. In my messages about God’s reign and rule we saw that God’s perfect plan was that He would lead His people directly, but that he also made concessions to lead through judges, priests, kings, and (today we will see) prophets.
2. In some prophecies it appears God is promising a human ruler who turns out to be Himself.
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.
3. In other prophecies it appears God is speaking of himself when He is talking about a human representative.
23 And I will set up over them one shepherd, my servant David, and he shall feed them: he shall feed them and be their shepherd. 24 And I, the Lord, will be their God, and my servant David shall be prince among them. I am the Lord; I have spoken.
· Ezekiel lived about 400 years after David so he clearly was speaking of either a resurrected David or one who would be like David.
4. Fast forward 600 years to Luke 1 and it was clear that the people were looking for the anointed one – the Messiah.
5. Matthew takes great care and details in his first chapter how Jesus descended from David.
6. Both the Pharisees and the Sadducees were awaiting Messiah, but they couldn’t see the dual nature of Christ humanity and divinity in one person.
7. Jesus did not arrive in the fashion that they had imagined based upon Jewish Scripture.
Application
Application
1. “It is a rather stunning fact that before the coming of Jesus, no one clearly understood that the promised servant of the Lord would also be the Davidic king, whose coming would also simultaneously be the visitation of God. In retrospect it is easy to see that the pieces are there.
2. Old Testament strands are coming together”.[i]
Transition: God had said “I will come to my people” but there were many misunderstandings of what this would mean or what it would look like.
The Incarnation Fulfilled
The Incarnation Fulfilled
The first 4 books of the New Testament are frequently called the “Gospels” and they describe the events while Jesus was on earth in human body.
The Hebrew name Y’shua literally means “YHWH (I am who I am) saves” but save from what? In Matthew 1:21 an Angel told Joseph about Christ’s birth and instructed
21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
The Hebrew name was translated into Greek (the common language of the day) which was later translated into our common language.
[Just as a sidenote that is important to make sure that we are not creating a Jesus like us. Jesus was born to a Jewish woman and most likely had Jewish features which do not include pale skin, blonde hair or blue eyes.]
Matthew, Mark and Luke are often called the synoptic gospels because they each provide a synopsis of the life of Christ from a unique perspective. But John’s Gospel is different. It doesn’t start out with pregnancy or birth of Christ. John’s gospel is different from the others because it is not as much focused on WHAT Jesus did, but on WHY it was done.
John’s Introduction (John 1:1)
John’s Introduction (John 1:1)
1. John’s gospel is unique. Whenever the name John appears it is never referring to the apostle John who wrote this Gospel. “John” only refers to John the Baptist or the Father of Simon Peter. John refers to himself 4 times in the 3rd person as “the disciple Jesus loved.”
2. This highly relational description helps us understand the first 18 verses as an Introduction to a relational God.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
3. John refers to Jesus in these verses with the title “Word” because words are how we reveal ourselves to others.
As we raised our children there were frequent times when they would express emotions of anger by tantrums. They would express sadness with tears. They would use silence to communicate confusion or frustration. We as parents often reminded them to use their words to let us know what they were feeling. Because feelings only matter if there is relationship and words have the potential to be the building blocks of stronger relationship.
4. By using the title “Word” John is emphasizing the self-revelation of who God was.
5. The Word, the revelation of God, is identified in v.17 as Jesus Christ. So then we can go back and read “Jesus” into all the places where we find Word, Light or many of the he/him pronouns.
Transition: In the next 17 verses I find no less than 5 activities that are done by Jesus.
Works of the Word (John 1:2-18)
Works of the Word (John 1:2-18)
1. Jesus created (John 1:2-3)
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.
2. Jesus offers light (John 1:4-5), which gives hope in the midst of darkness.
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.
· The reader has to contemplate if John is referring to the physical darkness of Gen 1:2 or the relationship darkness following the rebellion of Gen 3.
· The Light is transforming and powerful. (John 1:6-8)
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.
1. Perhaps he wrote this as a book one that people would re-read and see that Jesus offers hope in whatever dark experiences one is facing.
One time a person reads the Gospel of John with an acute awareness of his separation from God and the reader inserts this idea whenever he considers darkness. The next time a reader is especially aware of the rebellious condition of society around them and the offer of light in a dark culture gives hope. The next time a reader is dealing with sadness or sickness and finds Jesus is the light in their despondency. The next time a reader is facing bleak financial future and God provides light for the day.
2. John uses poetic language because he is describing relationship and a God who relates is relevant in whatever dark circumstances we find ourselves.
· Verse 3 speaks about physical light being created. Verses 6-8 speaks about the light of Christ changing a person.
· Do we interpret vv.4-5 in light of v.3 or in light of vv.6-8? Yes!
3. Jesus confronts and separates (John 1:9-13)
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.
· Humanity is divided into 2 groups—those who receive him and those who do not.
a) Receiving is demonstrated in belief
b) Receiving requires 2nd birth.
There are some lines from movie and literature where quoting just 1 line causes us to recall the entire scene.
[what movie?] “Frankly my dear, I don’t give…”
[what movie?] “Nobody puts baby in the Corner”
[what movie?] “Vote for Pedro”
[finish this] “Everytime you hear a bell ring, an Angel…”
[finish this] “It was the best of times, It was the…”
[finish this] “Four Score and seven years ago…”
This same familiarity is associated with some words in these next 5 verses.
4. Jesus tabernacles and reveals glory (John 1:14-15)
· 1st century Jews would hear the words “dwelt among us” and “glory” and their minds would automatically recall Ex 32-34 that we studied on Sept 8.
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. 15 (John bore witness about him, and cried out, “This was he of whom I said, ‘He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.’ ”)
· “glory” is a theme John will revisit no less than 19 times in his Gospel.
· “where is God’s glory most manifested? In God’s goodness—when Jesus is “glorified,” lifted up and hung on a cross, displaying God’s glory in the shame, degradation, brutality, and sacrifice of his crucifixion, and by this means returning to the glory he shared with the Father before the world began” (see 17:5).[ii]
5. Jesus replaces grace with GRACE (John 1:16-18)
· V.16 introduces a misunderstood phrase that v.17 explains.
16 For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.
· The preposition is “anti” and it means “in place of” or “instead of”.
· This is a place where, I believe, the ESV and NASB give a weaker translation and the King James and NIV got it better.
16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given.
16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.
1. John is not describing layers of grace.
2. He is saying that the fullness of grace and truth demonstrated in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ replaces the temporary system of grace that was described in the old covenant where occasionally God would visit the Tabernacle or sacrifices would annually atone for the peoples’ sin.
Transition: Grace is not like the soup aisle at the grocery store where you can choose the flavor and brand of your own preference. It is not as if we can choose to obey rules or trust in Christ.
Conclusion:
Conclusion:
Ever since Gen. 3:15, the aware reader of Scripture has been looking for the seed of Woman who would crush the head of the Evil One.
In the days of Noah there was only 1 ark to avoid the Flood. In the days of Moses there was only 1 God who deserves worship and allegiance. In the Wisdom Literature we learned that knowledge of the 1 God was the beginning of wisdom. In the prophets we await 1 deliver. And in Jesus we find 1 Savior that we must receive or reject.
13 In speaking of a new covenant, he makes the first one obsolete. And what is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to vanish away.
The Bible does not offer a buffet where we can attempt eternal life by law keeping or belief in the Savior. The law itself points to our need for the 1 perfect sacrifice of Jesus as our only hope out of the darkness of this world.
My friend, if you have not done so, today I invite you to receive God’s gracious gift of eternal life by repenting of your sin and trusting in Christ’s death alone as the only acceptable remedy for sin.
[i] D. A. Carson, The God Who Is There: Finding Your Place in God’s Story (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2010), 107.
[ii] Ibid., 115.