The Incarnate God

 

This is the manuscript of the second sermon in the series "Responding to the Living Word".  

John 1:14 NIV 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.

Incarnation is the word we use to communicate the truth that God became flesh and dwelt among us. The word carnal is an English word for flesh, as in “carnal desires.” Carnivorous means a flesh-eating animal. Incarnation means the “enfleshment.” or becoming flesh.  God took on human flesh and revealed himself to us; he was incarnated among us.

An link for an audio recording of the sermon is at the end of the manuscript.

You can watch a video recording of the entire service on the Christ Church YouTube Channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8epxyuv9_DVac8R5jR2yPQ/featured

Scripture Reading:

John 1:1‭-‬14 NIV 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 all mankind. 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 testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. 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.

Text: 

John 1:14 NIV 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.

Introduction 

There was a young boy who was very excited about the fact that he would soon have a little sister. His mother was pregnant, and his parents had carefully told him how God was sending a little sister to their family for them to love and care for. When the great day arrived the baby had been born and was now home and and  had been safely settled in her crib, the brother stood close by and whispered, “Quick, little sister, tell me, before you forget, what does God look like?” 

John’s gospel is an attempt to put into words what God is like, but its success in showing God to us is not in the words of the book, but in the Word (capital W) made flesh.

John 14:8‭-‬9 NIV Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

So let's see today if we can really see God through Jesus Christ. 

A minister once said that the five most important words in all of the Bible are “And the Word became flesh.” Without the Word becoming flesh, there would be no life of Jesus, no Sermon on the Mount, no atoning death, no victory in resurrection. Without the incarnation, we would have no way to know God as He wants us to know Him. 

I. The meaning of the incarnation. 

Here is the definition of incarnation from Easton's Bible Dictionary 

that act of grace whereby Christ took our human nature into union with his Divine Person, and became man. Christ is both God and man. Human attributes and actions are predicated of him, and he of whom they are predicated is God. A Divine Person was united to a human nature. The union is personal; the two natures are not mixed or confounded, and it is perpetual.

Incarnation is the word we use to communicate the truth that God became flesh and dwelt among us. The word carnal is an English word for flesh, as in “carnal desires.” Carnivorous means a flesh-eating animal. Incarnation means the “enfleshment.”, or becoming flesh.  God took on human flesh and revealed himself to us; he was incarnated among us.

Philippians 2:6‭-‬11 NIV  Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This truth points to the greatest mystery of the Christian faith—Jesus, fully human and fully divine—held up for us to see, for us to attempt to comprehend, and finally for us to bow, in worship. 

The Christian reformer, John Calvin said that if Jesus is not God, he could not have saved us, and if he is not man, he could not have reached us. God has come to us in the flesh, not just in spirit, which we could not see or touch, but in a body of flesh.

1 John 1:1 NIV That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

Matthew and Luke wrote that God became flesh through the willing obedience of the Virgin Mary. They told of Mary’s faith, of Joseph’s fears, of the angels’ songs, and of the shepherds’ worship. 

Through the Christmas story, the great and powerful truth rings out that as John 1:14 says 

John 1:‬14 NIV 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.

The truth is this: It is not simply a little baby innocently snuggled to his mother’s breast in view here: it is the Lord God incarnate, God in the flesh, who calls us to believe and follow.  There is also a warning of the consequence of unbelief. 

John 3:18 NIV Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.

II. The purpose of the incarnation. 

The reason for the incarnation was to bring life to all mankind.

John 1:4 NIV In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.

John 10:10 NIV The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

John gives the reason for writing his gospel at 

John 20:‬31 NIV But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.

 

God’s purpose was to bring eternal life to us through the life of the Son, who is the Light of the World.  Through him, through Jesus, the light shines into every dark nook and cranny of our loneliness, brokenness, and emptiness.

John 8:12 NIV When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Eternal life has two dimensions—length and depth. Eternal life with God is forever—that is the length of it. Eternal life with God is at this very moment, abundant, meaningful, filled with courage and joy— that's the depth of eternal life.  

Jesus, the incarnate God, has come with the purpose of delivering you from the darkness of death into the light of life. And it is not just existence, not simply breathing, not merely getting by it is life that is full now, of all that heaven promises to be.  It is an abundant life.

John 10:10 NIV The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

III. The church and the incarnation. 

The work of the church is previewed in the incarnation too. Since God sent His Son into the world to minister to us and redeem us, is our best clue as to what the church is to be doing?  We should be ministering to others?

Jesus said it himself:

John 20:21 NIV Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.”

Jesus did not remain cool and distant from our need; he entered the desperate situation of our world, of our lives. He is right there with us. Whenever missionaries go on behalf of a church to preach the gospel and minister to human and spiritual needs, they are following in the footsteps of our Lord Jesus, who came on a mission to redeem our world. Every time a church goes out to care for men and women, boys and girls who are sick or hungry, lonely or frightened, left out and ignored, lost without Christ, we continue the ministry of Jesus. Jesus is the God who traveled from the security of heaven’s glory to the risk and threat of human existence to touch us at the places where we hurt.

When the church shares the good news that people do not have to die, but they can live, the message comes straight from the open tomb where the incarnate God left death defeated and the grave clothes behind him. 

Every time the church bows in worship, it knows that the transcendent God has come to earth, refusing to remain distant that he might by his presence bring us to a sense of intimacy with him. It was Jesus who taught us to call God “Father” and know His love for us as his children. 

Conclusion 

God has come to us in Jesus. We can never be the same again. He invites you to believe and to move from darkness to light, from dying to life, from aimless wandering to meaning and purpose. The journey may be long, but it begins with one decision and one step. Believe and live!

That is my message for us today. To those of us who are already believers and to those of you who have not made the decision for eternal life through Jesus Christ. Believe and live.  

To those who haven't made the decision to make Jesus the Lord of their lives you have no real future beyond this life.  But when you make Him Lord of your life you will have abundance in His presence for eternity. I invite you to do that today. 

As Romans 

Romans 10:9‭-‬10‭, ‬13 NIV If you declare with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. for, “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

You can do that by saying something like;

Dear Heavenly Father, in the Name of Jesus, I repent of my sin. I turn to You. Father, I receive Your Son, Jesus Christ, as my Lord and Savior. I believe that Jesus Christ died and rose just for me. 

I believe that His Blood washes me and cleanses me from all unrighteousness. Father, in You, I am set free. Father, through the Blood of your Son, Jesus Christ my past is history and my future is bright. 

Father, In You, I am made new. Father, in You, I am complete. Father, in You, I am made whole. Father, in You, I am restored. Father, I surrender every area of my life to You now and forever. In Jesus Name. Amen.

I urge you to do that today, right now

Benediction 

Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. “The Lord  bless you and keep you; The Lord  make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’

Sermon Audio