Jesus: The Hinge of History

Intro: Around here we really enjoy digging into the details of God’s Word because it suits us quite well in our expositional approach to sequentially teaching through passages of Scripture. But from time to time it’s good for us to take a step further back and view God’s work given in his Word from a broader lens.

So today we’re looking at several passages surrounding the nativity, in fact touching on all four Gospel accounts, to take in the sweeping grandeur of the centrality of Jesus in the narrative of human history… as it is presented to us in the Bible.

John 1:14 tells us just how substantial the incarnation was in history:

John 1:14 ESV

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.

God became a person and lived among us… for a reason!

Let’s refresh our memories from two key parts of the nativity narrative as presented by Matthew and Luke:

Matthew 1:18–25 ESV

Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us). When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him: he took his wife, but knew her not until she had given birth to a son. And he called his name Jesus.

Luke 2:8–20 ESV

And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among those with whom he is pleased!” When the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.” And they went with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in a manger. And when they saw it, they made known the saying that had been told them concerning this child. And all who heard it wondered at what the shepherds told them. But Mary treasured up all these things, pondering them in her heart. And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, as it had been told them.

From the nativity narratives in the Gospels, I want us to meditate on four simple but profound truths that are history-hinging and life-altering for each of us who believe them and therefore live by them. And these can be some “talking points” for you to share with others this Christmas season.

Jesus Is Immanuel: God With Us (Matthew 1:23)

Although it was always God’s eternal plan, he intervened at a moment in history and God the Son became a person. The second person of the Godhead, perfect in unity and coequal with God the Father and God the Spirit, God the Son took on humanity. Real humanity… he was born.

And his birth was just like yours and mine, generally speaking. You were probably born in a hospital… or in some room at home, or even in a car. Jesus was likely born almost outside, perhaps in a cave or a stable used as shelter for animals. But his birth was normal in the sense of the way he was delivered into the world.

But human life begins at conception, and that wasn’t normal—his conception. ***Joseph

But when it was explained to him by God’s messenger, Joseph believed and obeyed. Vv. 18, 20, and 25 all confirm that Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit.

So Jesus truly became a man. But he was not just any human; he was God in the flesh—the God-Man. – That’s the point of the prophecy and why Matthew brings it up. Immanuel means “God with us.” Not simply ‘God is with us,’ you know, present with us. No, this is a special case and forms the fulcrum of all of history, God became human and dwelt among us! – Everything before swings on this hinge, and everything after swings on this hinge.

Again, consider from John 1:14 that...

Jesus Is the Word Made Flesh (John 1:14)

Jesus is revelation from God in human form—the perfect manifestation and representation of God on earth.

John 1:1–18 ESV

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to bear witness about the light, that all might believe through him. He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light. The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 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. (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.’ ”) For from his fullness we have all received, grace upon grace. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father’s side, he has made him known.

John explains at the outset of his Gospel that Jesus was the source of spiritual life that brings light that people need to see God, but they didn’t know him. The reason John writes is so that people will realize and believe that Jesus has revealed God, for He is God!

Now speaking again of using these four buckets as talking points, you really could simplify them even further into just two main categories, so long as you don’t forget you don’t forget the key ideas and corresponding passages that further explain and reinforce the truths.

Let’s go to the second main idea:

Jesus Is Savior—Christ the Lord (Luke 2:11)

Back to Matt 1:21

Matthew 1:21 ESV

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

This son of Mary and Joseph would also need a common name, and that name to be given him was Jesus. Jesus means Savior. It comes from the Hebrew name Jeshua, meaning “the Lord is salvation.”

Save whom from what? “for he will save his people from their sins.”

Let’s look back at Luke 2.

Some nameless shepherds have the night of their lives. (I mean, they’ve probably had to fend off wild animals before at night, and that’s pretty exciting. But this would be a fishing story for the ages!) - In a field nearby Bethlehem, minding their own business… when suddenly they are in the presence of an angel and in the limelight of God’s glory.

The angel says, “bringing good news of great joy for all people.” (euengelizomai) – [Luke] Hey, Theophilus, you’re paying attention, right? That’s you and me. Simeon will say so too. (v. 32)

And “a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” Theo, that’s what he came to do – save. He is the Christ, the Messiah, and He is Lord, Jehovah. Straight from the mouth of God’s messenger.

1. God offers salvation bc we need saving.

Luke 2:11 ESV

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

Why do we need saving? Because we are sinners separated from God by our sin.

Have you ever received something you didn’t know you needed and now you can’t live without? - Unfortunately, there are a lot of people out there who live like they don’t need rescuing from Jesus b/c they think they don’t need to be restored to God. – That means that they don’t know why they exist, to have a relationship of love with their God. Who will live differently and share differently to help them see?

2. What? The truth of us being all sinners falling short of God’s glory, having hearts that are desperately sick and beyond cure, that’s a part of the Christmas story? What a drag on the generic love and joy and peace for everyone platitudes that float about at this time of year! Yes, our sin problem is most DEFINITELY in the truth of Christmas.

1 John 4:9-10 (Berean Study Bible) This is how God’s love was revealed among us: God sent His one and only Son into the world, so that we might live through Him. And love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

3. God gave Jesus for a reason. He lived here, and he died here, and rose again here.

Because we needed him to and bc he wanted to because God is love. It still comes back to God’s love and initiative, but there can be no doubt of our need to respond to this freely-offered, perfect gift. (John 1:12)

John 1:12 ESV

But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

Again, the very term Savior indicates the sufficiency of the person doing the saving = Christ the Lord. And it necessarily means that someone needs saving. Which is why Jesus is himself the Gospel, the Good News.

Jesus Is the Gospel (Good News) (Mark 1:1)

Mark has the most brief introduction concerning Jesus, with no nativity narrative, because his Gospel essentially goes straight to the public ministry of Jesus. In fact, verse one basically serve as a title for what Mark writes:

Mark 1:1 ESV

The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The gospel is the good news of the fulfillment of God’s promises in the person of Jesus Christ.

Then Mark will get right to the public ministry of John the Baptist fulfilling prophecy and preparing the way for the Messiah’s ministry and mission.

But what Mark states with this introductory title is that…

Romans 1:1–4 ESV

Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy Scriptures, concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be the Son of God in power according to the Spirit of holiness by his resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord,

The gospel is God’s promises fulfilled in Jesus.

[Explain the Gospel] Begins with God *** … The central figure is God *** … And ends with God = to bring him glory eternally.

[Conclusion]

It’s right and necessary for us to realize and remember that it isn’t like we believe in something untethered from reality. In fact, there was a very real moment in history when God became man and lived among us. And the reason he did so was to be the Savior, the good news to all those who will receive him. (John 1:12)

Finally then, I thought I’d end with the reminder that… If we belong to God by faith in Jesus, we are bearers of the Good News.

Bearers of the Good News

Even as we consider being messengers of the gospel, we must not naively ignore the reality that some of us here today know the good news and even share the news of Jesus with others, and yet have never ourselves been transformed by faith in Jesus.

Jesus is the hinge of all human history. Is it clear in your life that Jesus is the crossroads of your story as well?

I was headed this way, living thus and thus, but then God has dramatically intervened through faith in Jesus and now the trajectory of my life is vastly different.

And now again, this is, I believe, one of the impacts that celebrating Christmas should have on us:

We are adopted children, spiritually born of God, who are being transformed into the likeness of Jesus, and whose mission it is to be Jesus’ messengers.

You’ve heard people use the cliche, when asked if they’re ready, answering, “I was born ready.” Well, when it comes to be a messenger of the gospel, you were indeed born (born of God) for this purpose, to be a bearer of that good news, but it isn’t accurate to say that we’re born ready. We’re born with everything we need for life and godliness, yes, but we have to grow up in that faith by studying it and learning to live according to it. And so too there’s a connection here to sharing the gospel. You need REAL clarity and maturity for why the gospel is so central to your own life and to the history of the world, so that you can share that with others.