The Incarnation of Christ

We have been looking for some weeks at what the Bible teaches about Christ, really studying the doctrine of Christ in the Bible, and we've we have looked at the pre-existence of Christ. That's where we began, the fact that he existed before he came to this earth in eternity past in heaven. And then we spent a good bit of time, 11 studies, I believe, in all on the deity of Christ. So we've been going down in one direction, a long straight road for quite a while. We're going to turn a corner tonight, had a little different direction. We're going to talk about the incarnation. Moving a step forward into the actual story of Jesus and of Christ and what the Bible teaches about Him. We're looking at the fact that he became man. That's what incarnation is all about. So let's start with the meaning of incarnation. What does that mean? Actually, the word incarnation comes from two Latin words, which mean in flesh, in flesh. And so that gives you the clue as to what we're talking about to embody in flesh is what incarnation means. So it has to do with Christ becoming man. That's what we're talking about. Basically, the way theologians say it is this, the second person of the Trinity adds to his divine attributes a complex of human attributes. Including a human body. That's what the incarnation really is. Christ becoming man is the way we would think of it. But it is actually the one who has been forever existed forever as God and has all of the divine attributes is now adding a complex, a set of human attributes as well. So God becomes man without losing his deity as we'll see particularly when we look at the person of Christ and the two natures in Christ, but he becomes man. He takes on human attributes, including a human body. That's what incarnations all about. Christ becoming man in flesh. Okay, any question about that before we move into some of the scriptural passages that highlight that. All right, three key passages. There are others as well, but these three are what we're going to call the important passages on the incarnation really key passages. It will start with John chapter one verse 14. It's a familiar verse. In fact, all of these verses will probably be familiar to you. Nothing really new here because these are such basic and important passages. John chapter one verse 14. The word became flesh. Talk about the incarnation that really is the definition of it. 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. Let's take that first statement and unpack it a little bit, pick it apart a little bit. The word, the fact that Jesus is called the word, Harkens back to verse one, which really highlights the fact of his pre-existence. This is one of the key passages we looked at when we were talking about the pre-existence of Christ was John chapter one verse one. In the beginning was the word. The word, the logus, the embodiment of the very mind of God, the thought of God put into words. That is Jesus Christ, the word. And he existed in the beginning. In the beginning he was. He was already there. In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. So in verse 14, when he mentions the word, he's going back to verse one, picking up the thought of the one who had existed forever in eternity past with God the father. And now something happens, the one who has existed forever in eternity past, something changes. The word became flesh. The idea of humanity, the idea of flesh is all of humanity, including both material and immaterial parts, material being the body, immaterial being the unseen parts. Christ took on a human mind, emotions, will, all of that. It was a part of him becoming man. It was not just the body, it was taking on all of humanity. And so the word, who had existed forever in eternity past, now takes on humanity. He becomes flesh. And then the next phrase is also important and made his dwelling among us or dwelt among us. Literally the word dwelt among us is tabernacled among us. That's the literal meaning of the Greek word. He tabernacled among us. And it harkens back to the Old Testament tabernacle. What was the tabernacle? What was significant about the tabernacle? Tommy, where God dwelt that? Yes, exactly. It was a physical structure where God actually manifested his presence among his people. Now there was a lot of symbolism in the tabernacle about how you approach God. But once you get into the high priest gets into the inner holy of holies, the innermost room, and sprinkles the blood. God actually makes his presence known. And when the tabernacle was dedicated later the temple, the glory of God actually would fill that place. God actually in a sense came down and dwelt among his people in the tabernacle. And so when it says that Jesus tabernacled among us, it is that picture in mind of the glory of God dwelling in a structure. Now the glory of God dwells in a body in a human body. So he tabernacled among us. God moved among us. His presence was among us in the person of Jesus Christ in a human body. So John 114 is very clear and powerful statement of the incarnation. Any question about that verse? What it's talking about? Okay. We're good to go to Philippians 2. Philippians 2 maybe is the most detailed passage of the incarnation. Philippians chapter 2, this great passage about Christ becoming man. It's important to put this passage in its context. What Paul is really teaching here is humility. Our humility in relationship with one another. Verses 1 through 4 of chapter 2 deal with that. And that's really the thrust of his teaching. The great passage on Christ becoming man really is just an example. But it really becomes the focus of most everybody's thinking on chapter 2. But really what Paul's teaching is that we should be humble toward each other. Notice verse 2. He says, make my joy complete by being like-minded. Having the same love being one in spirit and one mind. Verse 3. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather in humility value others above yourselves. Not looking for your own interests, but each of you to the interests of the others. So putting others first relating to one another with humility is Paul's teaching in this passage. Now Christ is introduced as an example of that kind of humility. Verse 5, in your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus. So Paul saying, be like-minded, be humble toward one another, put others interests first. And he says, okay, I'm going to give you an example. Jesus Christ is the perfect example of this. And he begins talking about how Jesus acted not out of selfish ambition, not out of vain conceit. But in humility valued us above himself and didn't look to his own interests, but our interest. Here's how Jesus did that. This great, great passage. Verse 6. Who being in very nature God. Now there's several steps in Christ's incarnation that are mentioned here and the full effect of that. There are several steps. And so let's just take them one at a time. Paul begins by saying that he was in very nature God or some translation say he was in the form of God, being in the form of God. The word for form actually means to have an inner nature that is expressed outwardly. And it includes both ideas, the inner nature, but also the outward expression of that inner nature. So what he's saying here is Jesus had the inner nature of God. He was God in really same nature, same essence personhood, attributes, all that is God. But it was also manifested in an outward fashion and that would be in his glory. The outward brilliance of his majesty was the same as God's father. And so that's where he starts. He starts in the very form of God, the inner nature of God outwardly expressed in his glory. So that's where the incarnation starts. That's where he comes from. The next step did not consider equality with God, something to be used to his own advantage. The equality with God here is all of the status and privileges that flow from him being in the form of God. Since he is God inwardly and it's displayed outwardly in his glory, then that equality with God basically is all of the status and privileges that come from that outward glory, showing the glory of God. All that comes from that, the Bible says Jesus did not think that's something to be used to his own advantage. That's the way the my copy of the NIV translates it. It could also be translated. It did not consider it something to be grasped. And the real idea here is that Jesus did not consider this outward display of his inner nature as being God. He did not consider that to be something that had to be forcibly retained at all costs. In other words, I'm going to hang on to that that outward expression of this inner nature, this glory that everybody can see, I'm God, he did not consider that was something that he had to clutch onto and hang onto and forcibly retain at all costs. You see how that fits into the passage that Paul's talking about, put other people's interests first, don't consider yourselves above others, don't live with vain conceit, live in humility. You know, when we attain a certain position and that is seen in outward status or privileges, we don't want to give that up. We don't want that taken away from us. And Jesus basically is demonstrating the kind of humility that we're supposed to live with by saying that outward status, all the outward privileges of the glory of God, that's not something I have to hang on to. I can give that up and I'm willing to give that up for you for your needs, for what you need as sinners, a perfect savior. So he did not consider this status and privileges of this outward expression of deity to be something he had to hang on to. The next step is in verse 7, rather he made himself nothing. That is a powerful phrase, probably the best way to translate it is that he emptied himself. Some translations or footnotes in your, your Bibles will have that concept. He emptied himself. Now, it would be a mistake to think that Jesus emptied himself of his deity. He did not. It is clear that throughout his life on this earth and his ministry, he proclaimed his deity. He claimed that he was equal with God. He did not give that up. But if you've been following clearly what this passage is talking about, it's not talking about the inner nature. It's talking about the outward expression of that inner nature as being God in the glory, the status, the privileges that he had which showed he was equal with God. He was willing to give that up. In fact, Jesus makes it very clear that's what this is talking about in his own prayer in John 17. Look at this verse on the screen. When Jesus was about ready to go to the cross, he said, and now Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began. In other words, restore me to that glory. So it was the outward glory, the outward manifestation of that nature of deity which he laid aside to come down here. That's what it wasn't the deity. It wasn't the inner nature. That never changed. He was still God. But it was all the status and privilege of the outward expression of it in glory that he gave up to come down here. He veiled that with a human body, covered it with a human body and a human nature and thus was willing to do that for us. And so when he's ready to go back to heaven, he's asking to be restored to that glory, that outward brilliant display of his inner nature as God. So that's what he gives up and that's what it means he made himself nothing or he emptied himself. Now the next three phrases all describe how he emptied himself and they also make it clear he did not give up his deity. He simply covered the outward glory. And the way we know this is the next three phrases are all part of cifles. Now I'm going to give you a little bit of an English lesson. This is about all I know about English. But as much as I know, I'm going to give you this evening. A participle will serve to further describe a main verb. And the main verb here is that he emptied himself. And then you see three words that all end in I N G taking the very nature of a servant being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man. All three of those phrases that have that that I N G ending those are participles which basically describe what it means that he emptied himself. I often like to illustrate it this way. There's a little child. This little child is in a park with his mother and the child played in the park running, skipping and jumping. Okay, the main verb is he played or she played. That's really what happened. But the running, skipping and jumping described how the child played. Now that's exactly what's happening here. Christ emptied himself. And the next three phrases describe how he emptied himself. What does that look like? What does that mean? He emptied himself, made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant. So he took on the nature of a servant, the form of a servant. Actually, it's the same word that we have back in in verse six, who being in very nature, God or the form of God. Again, the outward expression of an inner nature, Jesus literally was a servant at heart. And now he takes on the outward expression of that. And he submits himself to his father. That's what this phrase really means. Jesus took on the nature of a servant, the outward expression of an inner heart of a servant when he became submissive to his father. And now he is the servant. He will do his father's will. He will be obedient to the father. Okay, that's one way he emptied himself. That's one way the outward display of his glory is not going to be seen. And that explains all of those statements in the gospels about him doing the will of his father, about his father being greater than him, about him not knowing the time of his coming, only the father. This describes all of that. He lays aside the independent use, the outward display, all the status and privileges of his glory so that he can become a servant to his father and be obedient and submissive to him. Okay, the second way he empties himself is by being made in human likeness. In other words, he now takes on human limitations, being made in human likeness fully made a man. It's not just he looks like a man, but he's really not a man. That's not what this is talking about. It means he literally takes on all the limitations of humanity. He's going to get tired. He's going to get hungry. He takes on human limitations, the limitation of a body being in one place at one time. So that's one of the ways he empties himself, the outward glory, all the status and privileges of his deity is going to be limited now by humanity. So he takes on human likeness. And then the third one is being found in appearance as a man. You know, this is the real statement of the veiling, the covering of his glory. All the pictures you've ever seen of Jesus with the halo or the shining face are wrong. He did not look like that. The Renaissance painters got it wrong. There were a couple of occasions, one in particular where his glory shown through on the amount of transfiguration. But typically as Jesus walked this earth, he looked like us. He didn't have a radiance coming out of his face. That would have been his glory shining forth. And this the whole point of his becoming man was to veil that glory to cover it. So there was no halo. There was no glory shining out through his face. He was found in appearance as a man. In other words, his appearance, physical, visible appearance was just like any other person. Again, an amazing statement of him veiling his glory, giving up the outward status and privileges of that outward expression of who he really was, his inner nature. And then the next phrase, being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death. Now just think of how far he has come. He has come all the way down to death. Here's the Lord of glory, the one who has been forever in existence with the father and the spirit in heaven. And now he's lowering himself all the way to die. But it goes even a step lower than that. Even death on a cross. Not just to die, but the most ignominious, the most horrible, cruel, torturous kind of death that was inflicted on people in the first century. The worst kind of execution saved by the Romans for the worst criminals to make an example was crucifixion. And Jesus went that far in his descent to becoming man. You can see how important this passage is to understanding the incarnation. Christ becoming flesh. Well, this is what it means. This is what it means. From where he started, very form of God, very nature of God, the inner essence of God that demonstrated itself in all the glory, little by little, step by step, if you will. He covers all of that and finally ends up dying on cross. It's an amazing description of the incarnation and what that means. We spent a good bit of time on that passage, but it's worth it. That is one of the core passages in all the Bible to help us understand what it meant for Jesus to become a man. All right. Comments or questions about Philippians 2? Kenneth? Yes. That's a great question. If he emptied himself, then what about the times when he actually did display his power and his glory? I think we have to remember he did not empty himself of his deity. He was still got still had all the power. He emptied himself of what the outward expression of it. Right. So he emptied himself of not the inner nature, but the outward expression of it in glory. So to look at him, he looks like an ordinary man, but he still has power of deity. So he does calm the waves and heal people, raise people from the dead. His deity is seen, but as he's doing that, there's no flash of glory. That's still hidden. That light, that essence of God. I think that's the way those two kind of come together. And that is a puzzling dilemma to figure out how all that works. You know, his humanity and his deity working together. That is a very puzzling thing. Theologians really debated that in great church councils for several centuries, how that all worked. It's a puzzle, really. And we'll talk about that more when we talk about the person of Christ, how the two natures, humanity and deity work together in one person. You have to be careful how you look at that because you can almost, you can almost paint Christ as schizophrenic. Sometimes he was God, sometimes he was man, and we don't want to do that. He was always both. That's a real puzzle. Carol? Sure. So the way they do it is, you know, you know? Yeah. He was all of us. Yes. Certainly with the disciples. That was a major reason for him demonstrating his power was for them to be, to grow in their confidence of who he was. Another major reason that kind of fits with that was for the nation of Israel. He was demonstrating his credentials as the Messiah. He was fulfilling old testament prophecies of what the Messianic Age would look like. What Messiah would do like Isaiah 35 describes. This is what the Messianic Age looks like when the Messiah is here, when His Kingdom is here, this is what will happen and it gives all this list of things. You know, the lame will walk, the blind will see, the dumb will speak, all of those things, these great miracles. And Jesus basically is showing he has the credentials that the Old Testament said would be there of the Messiah. So that's another reason. So we have to hold those to intention. He is showing his power. He is demonstrating his deity. But remember what he covered was that blazing outward evidence of his glory. In other words, the bright shining light of divine majesty. That's what was covered in the incarnation. Not his deity, not his power, but that shining glory that God has. Okay, good, good questions, comments, any others? Did he ever get sick? I don't know. You know, not all illness is a result of personal sin. A lot of illness is simply the result of our human bodies. And Christ did have a full human body. Did he ever get a cold? I think it's possible. They did. Pardon me? Pardon me? I'm sorry. I didn't. No, there's no indication of it in the text of the New Testament. Yeah. He did mature. I mean, his body did change just like any human body would. And certainly he suffered pain. We know that from the garden. We know that from the cross. We know that he suffered physical pain. So is there anything that that would would necessarily keep him from having gotten sick? Certainly. I can't think of anything, but there's no indication of it in the in the New Testament. Yeah. He certainly got tired. We know that. We know he got tired, which indicates his his body had the human limitations of weakness that we would experience with exertion of energy. Yeah. So could that translate over to an illness? I think it could. I don't think that's any reflection on his deity. Again, this is very difficult ground we're treading on here. And so the reason why there were huge church councils that debated these things about the person of Christ, because it's so difficult to keep from going off in the ditch on one side of the other and maintain the balance of his nature, nature as God and man. Okay. He displayed this company. Yes. Yes. He was he was making a statement of deprivation to some degree in human experience by saying, I don't have a place to lay my head. I don't have a home. Yeah. Okay. Very interesting to think through. Isn't it? Let's look at one more passage and in Hebrews chapter two. Another great passage on the incarnation. In fact, I have I've preached Hebrews to I think I did just a year ago and also preached Philippians to Christmas time because these are such great passages about Christ becoming man. They're more theological than nature. It's not the story of the babe and the manger, but it really tells us what happened. Hebrews to verse nine. But we do see Jesus who was made lower than the angels for a little while now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death so that by the grace of God, he might taste death for everyone. I'm not going to get into these verses in depth like we did in Philippians two. I just want to point out the phrases in these verses that indicate the incarnation. In verse nine, it's this phrase who was made lower than the angels for a little while. That's a beautiful way of expressing the incarnation. See, before he came to this earth, what was his position in relationship to angels? Yeah, he was above them. Wasn't he? He was higher than the angels and that's part of the writer's point in the first chapter that Christ was superior to angels. In the whole context of Hebrews, Christ is better than what Jews have given up to come to Christ. And so don't go back to Judaism. That's the whole thrust of the book of Hebrews. And so it begins by saying in chapter one, Christ is far superior to the angels. And then you have this expression for a little while, he was made lower than the angels. And that little while is 33 years while he's on this earth. Okay, so that's one way to express the incarnation. And then look at verse 14, since the children have flesh and blood. Now the children is talking about us in verses 11 and 12 and 13. Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death, he might break the power of him who holds the power of death. That is the devil. So he shared with us in our humanity in having flesh and blood, the actual human body of humanity. Jesus shares that with us. And then verses 17 and 18. For this reason, he had to be made like them. Abraham's descendants is the them, verse 16, made like them people fully human in every way. Verse 17 says in order that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in service to God and that he might make a tonement for the sins of the people because he himself suffered when he was tempted. He is able to help those who are being tempted. So he is made for a little while lower than the angels. He shares in our humanity, flesh and blood, and he is made like us fully human. Okay, those are three ways of expressing what Christ did when he became man, the incarnation. Okay, any question there? Yes, the actual and as you mentioned here being tempted, he was tempted by Satan, Satan went after him because he had human limitations. And Jesus, what had Jesus just done before Satan came along and tempted him to highlight those human limitations? What had Jesus just done? He had fasted 40 days. He had fasted. He was weak. And so Satan attacks him at the point where his human limitations are in a sense at their lowest. His human strength, his human ability to respond would be at its lowest. You know what it's like when you're extremely tired, when you're sleep deprived, or you haven't eaten in a few days, well maybe we don't know what that one's like, but we know what it's like to be sleep deprived or something like that. And when you're physically weak, it's just harder to keep pushing forward, isn't it? It's hard to meet the stresses and challenges of life. Satan knows that and Satan attacked Jesus when he was physically at a low point. And he was tempted in those in those times, but still did not give in. Good point. Okay. Purposes of the incarnation. Let's at least start into that. Why did Jesus do this? Why did Jesus do what all Philippians too says he did? You know, say that you know this outward display of glory is not something I have to keep hang on to and at all costs. I'm willing to give this up. Why? Why Jesus? Would you do that? Well, here are the reasons at least some of them. The big one here to die for centers. That's the reason he did it was to die for centers. We're in Hebrews 2. So let's look at it again. Look back at verse 9. But we do see Jesus who was made lower than the angels for a little while now crowned with glory and honor because he suffered death. So that and that so that ties back into being made lower than the angels for a little while. Why did he become lower than the angels so that by the grace of God he might taste death for everyone. He died for centers. That's the reason why he became one of us. That's the reason why he was made lower than the angels. And again, verse 14, since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity. So that by his death, he might break the power of him who holds the power of death. That is the devil. And then look over chapter 10, very quickly chapter 10 verses 4 and 5. It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins. Therefore, when Christ came into the world in carnation, he said sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me. And then done in verse 7, then I said, here I am. It is written about me in the scroll. I've come to do your will. My God. Old Testament sacrifices could never completely take away sin. Deal with it once and for all. So God did it through Christ and he prepared him a body so that he could come and do the will of God and present that body as the ultimate perfect sacrifice. Look down at verse 10. And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Why did Jesus leave all the outward status and privileges of the outward display of his glory in heaven? He did it so that he could take on a human body so that he could die. You see, he had to have a body in order to die. God as spirit cannot die. And in his eternal pre-existence, he had been spirit pure spirit, just like God the father is, God the Holy Spirit is. He did not have a physical body in order to die in order to take our place and pay for our sin. He had to have a body, a human body that could die because God can't die. So he had to have a human body to die. That's the main reason there are other reasons we'll look at. But that is the chief reason why he did what he did so that he could die. The only way he can die is to have a human body. So he takes on a human body, becomes one of us. So that's what Hebrews is talking about when it says because we have flesh and blood, he also had to have flesh and blood. And you have prepared for me a body so that through the offering of the body of Christ, we are perfected, set apart once and for all. So it had to be through his body, through his death. Okay? The time is up. Kids are done bouncing on the bounties down there. You can go down, take your turn at it now. Okay? Let's pray. Father, thank you for the fact that Jesus was willing to come. We're willing to take on humanity so that we might be saved so that he would die for us. We never cease to be amazed at that Lord. The great love and humility that it took for him to do that. Certainly he is the perfect example of what it means to put others interest ahead of our own. To do nothing out of vain, concede or self-blory, but to really be humble, to pour out ourselves for others. He is the perfect example. And Lord, we thank you that he was willing to come and sacrifice his life for us. We will forever be grateful. We will sing your praises. We will sing the praises of our Lord and our Savior throughout eternity because of the incarnation. It's in his name we pray. Amen.