Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
December 17, 2000 p.m.
Incarnation - When God Became Man (Part 2)
Reading - Philippians 2.1-11
My God and I go in the field together,
We walk and talk as good friends should and do;
We clasp our hands, our voices ring with laughter,
My God and I walk thru the meadow’s hue.
This earth will pass, and with it common trifles,
But God and I will go unendingly.
Our Sunday series is on learning to walk with God ... How to have an intimate, walking, talking, hand-holding relationship with him. We talked this morning about the fact that the relationship for which we yearn is made possible by the INCARNATION. God becoming flesh and dwelling among us.
Tonight we continue our exploration of this concept of INCARNATION from Philippians chapter two: Who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death-- even death on a cross. I believe this passage tells us who Jesus really was, and why we should celebrate His coming ... HIS INCARNATION.
1. Incarnation means that Jesus was fully God
The first affirmation is bold and powerful... Who being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped -- Something to be hoarded -- But made himself nothing, taking on the nature of a servant. The King James says... Jesus was in the form of God.
Some people deny the deity of Christ and tell us that being in the form of God simply means he reflected God, in much the same way as we may reflect God. However, this is not what the Greek text says.
Let me share with you what William Barclay [The Letters to the Philippians, Colossians and Thessalonians] has to say about the Greek words: The word which the King James Version translates into our English word “being” is from a Greek word which describes “that which a man is in his very essence and which cannot be changed. It describes that part of a man which, in any circumstances, remains the same. So Paul begins by saying that Jesus was essentially and unalterably God.”
He goes on to say that Jesus was in the form of God. [The NIV says, In the very nature God.] There are two Greek words for form, morphe and schema. They must both be translated form, because there is no other English equivalent, but they do not mean the same thing. Morphe is the essential form which never alters; schema is the outward form which changes from time to time and from circumstance to circumstance. For instance, the morphe of any human being is humanity and this never changes, but the schema is continually changing---A baby... A child... An adolescent... A man... Middle age... An old man ---always have the morphe of humanity, but the outward schema changes all the time. The morphe never alters; the schema continually does.
The word Paul uses for Jesus being in the form of God is [Which do you think?] Morphe.
That is to say His unchangeable being is divine. HE IS ALWAYS GOD. However His outward schema - His outward appearance - might alter. Jesus remained in essence-- essentially and unalterably God... Divine.
Paul, by the Holy Spirit, was very careful in choosing his words. He knew what he was saying... He is proclaiming that Jesus was fully God. Admittedly...this is an astounding claim. Islam, the Mormons, Jehovah's Witnesses, and others consider this a claim to be untrue. They believe Jesus was a good man... But ONLY a man., not God!! They still call him a Savior, but they mean something different than we do.
Let’s consider these scriptures and see what the Bible says about His Deity:
Hebrews 1.1-3: In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word.
Colossians 1.15-20: He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
John 1.1-4: In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of men.
The Bible not only makes direct claims about the nature of Christ, there are indirect claims.
Divine names are ascribed to Him such as the Alpha & Omega.
Holy One, found in Acts 3.14.
Thomas exclaimed that Jesus was both LORD & God in John 20.28.
Paul says, He is the Great God and Savior in Titus 2.13.
Then there is the fact that Divine attributes were found in Jesus...
· All knowing... In Matthew 11.27.
· Omnipresence... Matthew 18.20.
· He is eternal... John 1.1.
· His unchanging immutability is mentioned in Hebrews 13.8: The same today, yesterday and tomorrow.
· His preexistence in Colossians 1.17.
Jesus claimed divine authority. He claimed power to forgive sins... Raise the dead... To bestow eternal life.
Jesus Himself made some direct claims about His deity:
Before Abraham was... I am.
I and the Father are One.
He who has seen Me... Has seen the Father.
The doctrine we know as the Trinity makes His deity, His Godship understandable. There is one God who exists in three persons... God The Father... the Son... and the Holy Spirit. I agree this is somewhat difficult for us to grasp. But think about the difference in one dimension and three dimensional living. For instance, in a one dimensional world a square has (How many sides?) Only one side. But in a three dimensional reality a square has (How many sides?) Six sides. These three dimensions combine to form one cube. But the one cube still has six faces.
You see... We live in a one dimensional spiritual world... God lives in a three dimensional reality. This is how God can become man... As the Son... But still be ruling in Heaven... As the Father... And live in us as the Holy Spirit.
We may or may not totally understand the Trinity, but we cannot deny that the Bible teaches Jesus to be God. But on the other hand, incarnation demands that Jesus was fully man. It is one thing to believe that Jesus was fully God. It is another to believe He was fully man. It seems impossible to believe both at the same time. But this is what the Bible affirms... He was fully God ... and fully man. So if the Bible affirms it, we must believe it, accept it -- whether we can understand or explain it or not.
2. Incarnation means that Jesus was fully human
I like the New Living Translation here in Philippians two: Though He was God, He did not demand and cling to His rights as God. He made Himself nothing; He took the humble position of a slave and appeared in human form. Jesus was and is God. He had every right to the privileges and honor due Him as God. But He did not cling to those rights... He did not see these rights as something to be hoarded. Instead, he relinquished them in order to become a man.
He chose to leave the splendor of Heaven to live in the limitations of earth.
He chose to submit to the limits of human understanding rather than tap into the clarity
of divine perspective.
He chose to endure the limitations of the physical frame rather than bask in the freedom
of the Spirit.
He subjected Himself to the requirements of sleep, aching muscles, hunger, frustration,
temptation, and time. He... Who could have spoken a word and had it take place... Now had
to walk miles before He could address the needs that were there.
It is a fact, that in the Gospel narrative:
Jesus experienced limits to His knowledge
To His physical endurance... He needed to eat... Rest... Sleep, etc, etc..
He faced temptation...
He had reason to pray...
He felt emotions (Twice we are told that He shed tears).
Jesus was still God... But He didn't tap into His deity while He was on earth. He voluntarily put aside those attributes... These rights and privileges to become human. Jesus was not just pretending to be human; He was human. Our Lord refused to hold on to His rights. Instead He faced the same kind of pressure... temptation... and struggles that we have.
3. Incarnation meant that Jesus became obedient to death
Our text says... He humbled himself and became obedient to death... Even death on a cross! Jesus came to earth with a mission... He came to reach out to us. He came to do for us what we could not do for ourselves. The Bible is clear... You and I have failed in our efforts to be Holy. And because we are sinful, we cannot be acceptable to God. Scripture speaks of our sins in no uncertain terms:
· Sin is a capital offense... The sentence is death... The wages of sin is death.
· We are all guilty... For all have sinned... There is none righteous... No not one.
· Those who sin are to be removed from God's presence forever... Your sins... Your iniquities have separated you from your God.
In the Old Testament God provided animal sacrifices as a way of paying the penalty for sin... But this payment was temporary. It was a picture of what penalty sin requires... that’s DEATH. But the charge was still on the books so to speak. The animal sacrifices did not pay for sin... It just gained for the worshiper a reprieve.
The Hebrews’ writer says... There was an annual remembrance of their sins. An animal does not pay for a human sin... The blood of bulls and goats could never do it. Jesus came as that payment... He was the propitiation... The payment for our sins. He became our substitute.... He suffered where we should have suffered. He died where we should have died.... When He died... He faced God's wrath for us. He became the sacrifice once for all for our sins... Praise His name!!
It was a night like last night and tonight. The wind made it bitterly cold and the snow blanketed the ground. A man settled in to watch television. Suddenly, he heard a thump, thump, against the picture window. Investigating, he found several birds who had flown into the window. It was obvious that the birds were cold and the light in the window signaled a place of warmth and protection. The man's heart went out to the birds. It was obvious that they would not survive if they could not find shelter. He went out to the barn and opened the big door and turned on a light hoping the birds would fly into the barn and find shelter. But they didn't see the light in the storm and continued to smash against the window. He tried to shoo them into the barn. But this only frightened the birds and made them more desperate. He decided to spread some bread on a trail leading to the barn. But that too was to no avail. The man tried everything, but nothing worked. In his frustration the man said, “O, how can I help these birds? If only I could become a bird ... just for a little while, I could lead them to the barn and save their lives. If I could be a bird they would not be afraid of me and I could help them.”
Incarnation means that God became a man. He did it in order to lead frightened and confused humanity to eternal life. This is a passage rich with meaning and deep in theology. But if it serves as only a theological text, we have missed the point. Let’s conclude with three lessons we should learn tonight about His incarnation.
We must keep in mind the context of these verses about His coming. Paul is pointing to Jesus as the pattern for the way we are to live our lives. He says... If you want to know the correct attitude you should have toward self and others, look at Jesus. He came to show us how to live as a servant. If you want to know what it means to live as a servant, look at Jesus. If you want to know how to live, have a Jesus… Heart... Mind... Attitude.
First... Being a servant means making responsible use of the privileges we have been given.
Jesus used His heavenly privileges for the sake of others... for our sake. What are we doing with the privileges we have been given?
Maybe we can serve someone this Christmas by giving from our abundance.
Maybe we can give support to someone who is hurting.
Maybe we can invite someone who is lonely to join our friendship circle for a holiday
get-together.
Maybe you can invite them to come know Jesus.
Maybe we can share a word of encouragement... A word of forgiveness... A word of
salvation.
Secondly... Being a servant means being willing to give up our personal rights and opportunities in order to benefit another.
Jesus did not selfishly cling to the rights and honor that were rightfully His. We must not forget that Jesus was, in human form, the Creator of the world. The world was made by Him... In Him... and for Him. He allowed Himself to be Arrested... Tried... Scourged... Mocked, and Crucified by men whom He could have annihilated with a single glance... That’s humility.
Acting with less power than one has at his disposal... When attacked by another displays an astonishing level of grace. This is Jesus’ heart... And this is precisely the mindset that Paul calls us to imitate.
Perhaps this holiday season is just the right time for us to give up our right to revenge and
instead extend forgiveness to someone who hurt us.
Maybe this is the time to give up our right to fight back and instead seek to build a bridge.
Maybe this is the time to give up our right to do our own thing, and place someone else’s
interest before our own.
Maybe it is time for us to give up our right to say whatever we think, and give the benefit of
the doubt.
Now... don't miss the last verses of the passage. As a SERVANT... Jesus gave of Himself freely and completely; and in the end God exalted Him and raised Him to the position of exalted Lord. The way UP is looking DOWN the social ladder... In service to others, the way to be exalted is to serve. The greatest in the Kingdom must become the servants of all. The way to genuine joy is to give of ourselves to others.
Then thirdly... Becoming a servant demands obedience.
The incarnation is an invitation. It is an invitation from God saying to us...Come home!! It is God's declaration of unfathomable love. He's done everything He could for us... All that is left is for you to receive His grace gift. It's up to us to turn and run to His embrace.
Trust the one who died for you.
Trust Him to get you to Heaven.
Trust Him to forgive you as He promised.
Trust Him for your daily life... Follow His directions... Obey His commands.
Trust Him in the hard times and the good.
And when we dare to trust Him, we will discover the real reason to celebrate His coming. Become His obedient child tonight... by Faith... Repentance... and New Testament Baptism. Become an obedient servant tonight by giving yourself totally in service to Him. Today is the day of salvation... Now is the accepted time... This is the season to celebrate His coming in TOTAL OBEDIENCE. The invitation is yours as we stand and sing this song together. Will you come!! 
