God Incarnate, Can It Be?

Introduction

Good morning to everyone. As we were singing these songs, I was overwhelmed that our lips can utter such incredible things. And I am overwhelmed by what my lips get to utter about this subject this morning. We talk about it so much, I often wonder if it is hard for us to appreciate it. And thus it is not the motivating truth that God wants it to be. So I want to talk about something today that, if we truly understand it, if we get it, should have some kind of impact on the way we think and the way we live. Now I’m not going to talk a lot about that. I want to just talk about this particular truth and the impact that it should have. And that truth is God taking up human flesh, as we have sung.

God with us, the meaning of the Hebrew term Emmanuel. God incarnate. Can it be swaddling robes for deity? Carne coming from the idea of meat or flesh, God taking up human flesh. I’ve been thinking to say what I would want to say about this great biblical truth in regard to our Lord. Had the Lord not appeared at other times. Perhaps the Lord appeared in Exodus chapter 3, the occasion of the burning bush, and yet that visitant is described as the angel of the Lord. Perhaps in Joshua 5, Daniel Baker and I talked about this recently. But this is the captain of the host of the Lord. And most Jewish tradition identified this person who visited Joshua with Michael the archangel. And then there’s the case of Daniel chapter 3.

And Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego in the fiery furnace, and there was a fourth figure in the furnace visible to those outside. And it is Nebuchadnezzar, not a prophet, not Daniel. It is Nebuchadnezzar who says, it was one like a son of the gods, or one like the Son of God, some translations say. But remember, these again were the words of Nebuchadnezzar. In answer to that question, in regard to all three of these texts, in any case of God speaking to his people in the Old Testament, I want to take you to one passage of Scripture. It is significant on a number of fronts. In fact, we’re going to talk about this same passage tonight. And that passage is Hebrews chapter 9. Hebrews chapter 9, verses 24 through 28.

So you’re only getting the short rendition of what I want to say about this text tonight. Hebrews 9, beginning in verse 24. These are marvelous things that are said. For Christ did not enter a holy place made with hands, such as the temple, a mere copy of the true one, but into heaven itself. You talk about the most holy place. Now to appear in the presence of God for us. That’s the result of what Jesus did when he came and died at Calvary and ultimately ascended. He goes into the most holy place for us. Nor was it that he should offer himself often, as the high priest enters the holy place year by year with blood not his own. I mean, the whole the high priest every year offer a sacrifice, but it was not his own blood that was offered.

He did that yearly, but not Christ. Otherwise, he would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world. If he was going to do what those priests did. But now once. It’s the word Martha mentioned in our class, hopox, meaning once for all that we see in Jude 3. But now once at the consummation of the ages. He has been manifested. John 1 talks about that specifically, then uses the term manifest. And he explained the Father to us. He has been seen. John says that in 1 John chapter 1, things that our hands have handled and touched concerning the word of life. He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. This is the grand message of the Bible. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment, this may be the verse we know the best in this section.

And it’s sort of unfortunate. Because it’s just an illustration. And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once, and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once, there’s that word again, to bear the sins of many, incredible, shall appear a second time for salvation, without reference to sin, because he dealt with that the first time, to those who eagerly await him. He has appeared at what the Bible describes as the consummation of the ages. What is that all about? Again, more on that tonight. But we’re talking about the focal point of all history. The beneficent or good or kind reign, think beneficial. The beneficent reign of the Messiah, the establishment of his kingdom, victory over sin and death, the last days.

This is the consummation of the ages. This is what history has been all about.

You are all the children of God by faith. Paul would say in Romans or Galatians chapter 3, verse 26. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ, and in Christ there is neither Jew nor Greek, bond or free, male nor female. You are all one in Christ Jesus. This has been the focal point of all history. This is where it is headed. This is what you are experiencing in Christ. Earlier in Hebrews, speaking of the consummation of it all, it says in the very beginning, God, after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways, in these last days, has spoken to us in his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom also he made the world.

I mentioned Hebrews 9 27 just as an illustration. The Hebrew writer is pointing to our common experience, except for cases of resurrection, which were the example rather than the rule. But those who were resurrected did die once. Ultimately. But what was common to the experience of most men was you live, you die, and what follows that is the judgment. And he says, as we do that one time. That is an illustration of what Jesus did once for all in dealing with the problem of sin. When he appeared in order to take away sin, the Hebrew writer says. That is to provide a remedy for sin. And since a second appearance is yet future, then Jesus coming described in the Gospels is his first coming of that kind.

1. His Descent

A literal visible appearance of our God. Emmanuel, God with us. And I want to talk to you about that for a few minutes, and I want to give you the first two points all at once. I want to talk about both his descent and his ascent. Something the scriptures talk to us about in the New Testament. Out of the ivory palaces we have sung into a world of woe. I can’t tell you how many. Well, I’ve sung that my whole life. And know the words by heart.

It’s a spiritual place. But I think it presents the concept very well. Jesus talks about it in John 17 and verse 5 as death is looming, and he is about to be killed. And of course, rise again the third day, ultimately ascending to the Father, as we’ll see tonight in Acts chapter 1. He is anticipating, he says, and I love this just simple expression of it, the glory that I had with you before the world was. Even before any of this was ever done, he experienced glory and joy with his father as they were one in heaven. And he surrendered that. And the word surrender is a perfect word. He surrendered that. He gave it up, as we have sung, because of his love for us, because he wants to deal with our problem of sin.

Lord of all in infancy. I’ll tell you, folks, there are some things that I will never completely understand, and this is one of them. And as I’ll say again tonight, it is okay to say sometimes, I don’t know. And in regard to how deity takes on humanity and how that works, I cannot explain to you. For example, in Luke the second chapter. And Luke the second chapter, when it is obviously told from the point of view that Jesus is now grasping what his role in life is to be when he is at the age of 12 and he stays behind in the temple, talking to the religious leaders and Joseph and Mary had to come back and get him. You remember the story? And he said, Did you not know that I had to be about my father’s business?

But then the statement of verse 52, when it says, And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and men. Let me just tell you, that’s one of those verses that says what it says. I can’t explain it. How deity in human flesh goes from swaddling robes to the age of 12 and then to adulthood, and that he is still God in human flesh, and though he is God in human flesh, he is growing in wisdom and in stature and favor with God and man. I cannot explain all of that. All I know is it’s amazing. Spend some time thinking about, contemplating his descent. Paul is helping us think about it in Philippians chapter 2. And sometimes I think we miss the context of this statement when the point is in verse 5 when he says, you need to have this attitude in yourselves.

If we’re going to claim that we’re Christians, that we’re followers of Christ, we’ve got to think like he thought. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, and then he immediately goes to his descent. His self-surrender, his self-sacrifice, what he gave up for us, and he says, You’ve got to model that in your life, and we’ll come back to that in a second.

When he says, who, although, verse 6, he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped. The King James says he thought it not robbery to be equal with God. I’m not sure that really captures it, but the idea is that he didn’t hold on to what he had in heaven. He didn’t keep grasping it. He let it go. He did not regard, and what he let go was not his deity. And this is an important point. Because we’ll see in a moment in Colossians chapter 2, Paul argues very affirmatively, he was still deity in human flesh. And some have used this text to suggest that he gave up the prerogatives of deity. He surrendered his deity.

No, he gave up something, and what he gave up was equality. As he goes on to explain in verse 7, when he says, here’s what he gave up. He emptied himself, and as we say, of all but love, taking the form of a bond servant, and made in the likeness of man. That’s what he surrendered. He became submissive to the Father. He took on a role of subjection, though he had equality with God. He surrendered that. And not only did he make himself subject, he did so by taking on the limitations of human flesh. Now, this is all we’ve ever known, so we’re pretty good with it. But think about the infinite, the infinite taking on the finite. That he would later say that he didn’t know something.

That only the Father knows. To take on these kinds of limitations by taking human flesh. But do not say that he surrendered his deity, because Paul makes it very clear in Colossians 2 and verse 9, for in him all the fullness of deity dwells in bodily form. And here I stand saying, what I’ve just said is inadequate.

To make us see how incredible it is that the infinite would take on the finite, that he left ivory palaces and came into a world of woe, that he would come solo for us. And not only did he come to earth and take on human flesh, which is astounding enough, he did not even do it in the palace of a king. He did not even come as a descendant of David. Oh, this is what the Jews thought. The Messiah was going to be of royal lineage, thus he was going to come with the privileges of the royal family. No, not that line of descendants. The Joseph and Mary line. The peasants. Living in Nazareth. Yes, born in the manger. Because there was no room in the end.

He appears in a barn. Grows up in the despised town of Nazareth. One of the common people. Okay. So the descent is unimaginable. And nearly indescribable. But the extent of the descent is unconscionable. That he who did no sin would be treated as a criminal. Villainous. Murderous. Intentions. A wicked man. In Philippians chapter 2, and being found an appearance as a man, he humbled himself further by becoming, and I’m adding the word further, but he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death. A death that he did not deserve. He who was without sin, he did not deserve. But not just death, it says even death on a cross. That’s the extent of the descent. But thankfully, that’s not where the story is.

2. God Has Highly Exalted Him

Because he says in Philippians 2, verses 9 through 11, therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name which is above every name, and that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. And what Paul goes on to say in Colossians 2, after he said, In him dwell all the fullness of deity and bodily form, he says, in him you have been made complete. And he is the head of all authority and rule. Illustrated. Matthew chapter 23, verses 10 through 12. When he says, He who humbles himself shall be exalted. He who exalts himself shall be humbled.

The reason why Jesus has a name that is above every name, the reason, as we talked about Wednesday night, that it is only the Father who has the ability to grant the right hand or the left is not just because God has power and the right to do that, but the places of honor and privilege are reserved for the humble. He who humbled himself to the uttermost was then exalted to the uttermost.

In him you are complete. Paul says in Colossians chapter 2. I read a quotation in this vein from Tommy Peeler, and he told me yesterday he had actually got it from another source. But I like this the weakest and most helpless person who puts his or her trust in the Lord, who depends upon him, will ultimately be shown stronger than the most mighty and powerful who refuse dependency. The one who says, I don’t need the Lord, the one who seems strong and powerful and has the world by the tail is actually going to be shown to be weaker than the weakest of men who put their trust and confidence in him. Because he has been exalted to the uttermost, and everyone shall bow the knee to him.

And now our society can reject him, they can denigrate him, and all of those who proclaim loyalty to him and talk about how foolish and ignorant and irrational we are, but one day they will find out just how rational we are.

And so the result of our understanding of Emmanuel is we should be led to profound and deep reverence. Now another song, Tim. Tell me the story of Jesus.

I was going to take a moment to look at Isaiah seven and talk about how that this had been long forecast, but I had it on the other slide, we’re past it now. We’ll talk about that later. But why? Why am I preaching this lesson about Emmanuel? This one who long ago was prophesied would be born of a virgin. Oh, Emmanuel, God with us, Isaiah chapter 7 and chapter 8. This is to be a motivating truth for us. This is to be fuel for our service and our spirituality. That is that we won’t be consumed with the carnal all around us. Isn’t that the biggest temptation we face on a daily basis? Just so focused on things that are material. This is motivation for our service, for our spirituality, and our passion for the right things.

3. To Fix the Problem of Sin Required an Extreme Measure

You know, I don’t want to beat people over the head about attendance to where they feel like, oh, I’ve got to come. I’m going to get in trouble. I’m going to be indicted by the preacher if I don’t come when he preaches about attendance. I think we should want to be here. I think you should have a passion for this. A passion for worshiping one who went through this for us. That’s what this is all about. If we can’t have a passion for this, we are looking at things in the wrong way. We’re not looking at them sufficiently. But not just the why of preaching this lesson. But the why of Emmanuel. And I want us to see these three things. To fix the problem of sin required an extreme measure.

This was the solution that fit the justice of God for sin. He couldn’t just turn a blind eye and ignore the problem and say, Well, I love them, and so I’m going to save them anyway. God’s holiness and justice demanded more. It demanded the perfect sacrifice, and he himself provided it. And all that he had to go through to accomplish it. His justice demanded an adequate payment for sin. He is the propitiation for our sins. I love 1 John 2 and verse 2. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for our sins only, but for the sins of the whole world. And that word propitiation simply means it is the satisfying of God’s anger towards sin. This extreme measure to fix my problem and your problem of sin.

4. He Left an Example for Us

But that’s not all it was. There are so many facets of this, I can’t really contain them, probably in three points. But this is another reason why he came. He left an example for us. Peter says in 1 Peter chapter 2. He provided a pattern for living that we can imitate. And it’s more than moral purity.

The way of the cross leads home. Again, the idea of self-sacrifice and self-surrender and submissiveness and service to others. He showed us how to regard others and serve others above ourselves. We are not Christians. Unless we do that. Unless we pursue that. Unless we exalt the needs of others above our own. And learn the concept of self sacrifice. That’s what He modeled for us. He redeemed us from the emptiness and futility of bowing at the shrine of self. Which is the God of our times. But that’s not all it was.

5. For the Purpose of Bringing Many Sons to Glory

The Hebrew writer says in chapter 2, it was for the purpose of bringing many sons to glory. Jesus led the way to glory. Now, this may not be all of the reasons. Why Emmanuel? Why God incarnate. But these are three supreme reasons. And so I ask in conclusion. As a result of who our Savior is and what he did. Why not? Why not serve him? Well, let’s see. There’s the demands upon my time. There’s this issue of commitment, and I know he expects commitment, and you’ve already talked about the requirement of self-restraint and self-control. Also, you’re asking me to run against the tide of popular opinion, even to the point of ridicule and persecution. Well, but those are some reasons I why not. And those are reasons people use all the time.

Conclusion

But I want to tell you should serve him because you need all three of those things. We often do not know what is best for us, what is good for us? What we really need. I have told you this morning what you really need. And I have confidence in it because it comes from this book. Do you need these three things? Absolutely. Choose to serve Him while there’s time and opportunity. Let’s stand and sing. Respond if you need to.