Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
December 17, 2000 a.m.
Incarnation - When God Became Man
Reading - John 1.1-14 & 18
A little girl climbed upon her mother’s knee and said... Mommy tell me the story of Jesus’ coming and put me in it.
Truth is... Each and every one of us is in the story of Jesus’ coming. There are no exceptions... Every man... Woman... And child that has lived... Is living, or will ever live is in His Story... You are his story. This is what incarnation is all about...
God becoming flesh and dwelling among us.
Incarnation is God with flesh on.
Incarnation is God downsizing Himself to the confines of mankind to live as we live.
You see... His incarnation accomplished two purposes:
First... It allowed God to better understand His creation... Mankind... You and me.
This concept is born out by several statements from the Hebrews’ writer... Listen as I read... He who was made for a little while lower than the angels... So that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone... Since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives... Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin... Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. (Hebrews 2.9-14, 17, 4.15 & 5.8)
Secondly... The incarnation allows us to better understand God.
John tells us the incarnation allowed God to put on flesh and dwell among us. In Jesus... We can see God’s glory... His love... His grace... But at the same time.
We could touch His face... And, break His heart.
You could place thorns on His head and He would bleed.
You could drive nails in His hands and he would moan.
You could crucify Him and He would die.
Catch a glimpse of this... God the creator... Sustainer... And provider... The One who was superior to the angels... Became flesh. Catch a glimpse of the depth of the condescension when Jesus became man... Became flesh. The Incarnation not only means we understand God better... We know that God understands us as well... Because He became one of us.
Examine now with me the significance of the Incarnation
What happens when God becomes man... And dwells among us?
1. It Means He Felt What We Feel
The Hebrews’ writer says... During the days of Jesus' life on earth, He offered up prayers and petitions with loud cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and He was heard because of his reverent submission. Although he was a son, He learned obedience from what He suffered.
If I understand this verse correctly it means that Jesus lived his human life without drawing on His eternal wisdom and knowledge. He went through life... Learning as we do. Jesus learned by being taught... He learned by making mistakes – Now, you’re not hearing me say he sinned. (Making mistakes and sinning are not the same thing here). -- I am saying that He learned how to walk after stumbling and falling... And, probably had bruises in the process.
He learned how to talk after much coaxing from His mother.
He went through the painful time of cutting teeth.
He learned to drive nails after bruising his finger and thumb.
Jesus learned and grew in the same way we do.
Listen to Isaiah 53.3-4... He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted.
· Jesus knew what it was like to be hungry and tired. (At one point He went for forty days without eating.)
· He knew what it was like to be lonely and rejected. (At a time when he most needed companionship, his friends ran away.)
· He knew what it was like to be unappreciated. (He healed a man of demons... And the man's neighbors from Gadara asked him to leave town.)
· He sought to teach the truth and even the teachers rejected Him. (They called the one who was one with God a blasphemer and a demon.)
· He knew what it was like to be misunderstood.
· He knew what it was like to be beaten and ridiculed.
· He knew what it was like to face death.
· He knew what it was like to stand at the graveside of a best friend.
· Since we don't hear anything about Joseph after the birth narrative, I think we can assume that Jesus knew what it was like to bury a parent... What it was like to grow up without a dad.
Jesus knows what we are going through... He's been there... Done that.
2. He Has Faced What We Face
Again from the book of Hebrews we read... For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way... Just as we are... Yet was without sin... Hebrews 4.15. Do you hear what the Bible says?... He was tempted in all the ways we are tempted.
· He was tempted to seek His desires above the Father’s will. In the garden He was under what seems to be tremendous pressure to give in... To continue His ministry rather than follow God's will... God’s plan for Him.
· He was tempted to shade the truth to gain an advantage.
· He was tempted to strike out in anger or bitterness.
· He was tempted to lose faith in the midst of His trials.
· He was surely tempted by sexual desires... Jesus was human like the rest of us.
Do you realize that Jesus not only faced the same kind of temptations we face... He faced much greater temptations? We tend to think just the opposite... don’t we??... We feel that because He was God in the flesh, that He had an advantage that we don’t have. We feel that because He was sinless... He had no concept of the struggle we face.
Consider this illustration... Imagine two bridges. They look exactly the same, but the super structure is different. One bridge collapsed after only a few cars had gotten over it. As soon as it faced stress... it collapses. The other bridge stood even during bumper-to-bumper traffic. Now... which bridge endured greater stress? The one that collapsed or the one that stood firm? It was the one that stood. The first one collapsed at the beginning of pressure, the other continued to endure that pressure and more... And more... And more.
Jesus more than understands what we are facing. The difference between Jesus and us is this... When we’re tempted we cave in. When Jesus was tempted He resisted... And resisted... And resisted... And resisted. He endured when we seldom do. You see... He knows the full force of temptation... We only know what the initial stages are like.
During difficult times we tend to believe we can't go to the Lord... He wouldn't understand. We are embarrassed by our struggle... And so we try to hide it... How foolish.
The Lord DOES understand. He not only understands... He knows how to gain victory... In even the most difficult temptation. You see... We can talk to Him... We can draw strength from Him... We can learn from Him.
3. He Knows Where We Are Going
Jesus has lived the life we have lived... But... He has also faced what we have not. Jesus actually died... He knows what is on the other side of the grave.
How many of us are afraid of death and dying? It’s life’s big fear... life’s big unknown. We go to great lengths to keep from dying. We don’t want to die because we are afraid of it. But... Jesus HAS experienced death... He has been through it.
We've talked about how Jesus came to help us know God in a personal way... He came to exegete God... Explain Him... To demonstrate Him... He came to show us what God was like. But let's be clear... Jesus did not just come as an advertisement for God. Jesus came to give His life to pay for the sin that separates us from God!
When Jesus died...
· He dealt with the fear of dying.
· He faced the wrath of God on our behalf.
· He endured the punishment we deserve.
· He died where we should have died.
· He felt our pain.
· He endured the separation from God.
Because Jesus died for our sin... Those who trust Him will never have to face the death He faced for us.
With these concepts in mind, let us draw some conclusions this morning.
First... Jesus knows what we are really like and still loves us anyway. The INCARNATION tells us that... Jesus knows what is in each of us...
He understands our duplicity.
He knows that most of our good deeds are done for self-serving reasons.
He knows that we tend to hide the real self under the mask of hypocrisy.
He knows the ugly... Mean... And revengeful thoughts hidden deep in our hearts.
He knows our lust and evil desires.
The very things that we would hate for people to know about us... Jesus knows. But here’s the good news... He knows what we are like... And loves us anyway!! Let that sink in... You see... We don't have to pretend anymore... We don't have to hide our faults and failures... We can be honest with God. The Lord loves us and wants to save us in spite of our real self. Indeed... His grace is amazing!
Secondly... Jesus knows what we need... And He provides it.
Jesus understands our heartaches. He understands our weaknesses. He understands our feelings of loneliness. Because He does understand... He meets our needs:
To the one who is lonely... He gives His presence.
To the one who has experienced moral failure... He gives His forgiveness.
To the one encountering depression... He seeks to give perspective and joy.
To the one who feels separated from God or others... He brings reconciliation.
To the one enduring great sorrow... He gives hope.
To the one facing a major decision... He gives wisdom.
To the one needing resources... He provides their needs.
No wonder the Hebrews writer says... Let us boldly come before the throne of God... Seeking help in our time of greatest need. Because He became like us... He knows what we need and provides... Praise God!!
Thirdly... He knows the temptations we meet... And how to defeat them.
· When we face the temptation to give up... He will give us the will to go on.
· When we face weariness in well doing... He will give us strength for the journey.
· When we want to give up... And give in to unfaithfulness... He helps us honor our promises.
· When we face the temptation to cheat... Or to use others... He can give us faith to trust Him and to do things His way.
Paul promises: No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. This verse assures us that there is NO temptation that is unique to us, and whatever the temptation... There IS a way out. God promises to help us. Again... Praise His Name!!
Finally... He has faced our greatest fear and won.
Death is no longer the great unknown. To the believer, to the child of God, death is only a transition; death loses its sting because the element of surprise and fear is gone; death is a victory; death is simply an opening door from this world to His world.
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son... So that whosoever should believe on Him should have - not death, not eternal separation - But eternal life.
Jesus said... I am the resurrection and the life... Whoever believes in me will never die.
Jesus’ coming into the world is not just something to be celebrated once a year in December... It’s to be celebrated every day.
We must not miss the verses in our text which says... He came unto His own... And His own did not receive Him. His coming means nothing ... unless we are willing to believe in Him, trust Him, respond in obedience to His word. Only then does His coming have meaning to us.
Let Jesus fulfill the purpose of His coming in your life... Become a child of God by Faith, Repentance, and New Testament baptism, immersion in water for the forgiveness of your sins.
For those of us who are children of God... May we begin with this holiday season to understand the significance of His coming into our world as our incarnate God. May we begin today to live the life He came to make possible.
Respond to His coming... As we stand and sing this invitation song, will you come??
