Sermon Central
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The Word Becomes Flesh Series
Contributed by Todd Leupold on Dec 28, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: A focus on the incarnation of Christ really means. The emphasis being that He became one of us not only to save us, but also that we may become more like Him.
The Eternal Word Becomes Flesh
THE WORD: BECOME FLESH
Rev. Todd G. Leupold Perth Bible Church Sunday, 12/23/07 AM
INTRODUCTION:
Video Clip: “God Grew Tired Of Us” (Wing Clips)
Perhaps, the more real question is: Have we grown tired of God? Even, especially, during this Christmas season? To what degree, TODAY, is the incarnation of Christ for us simply a good feeling, cause to be nice and generous to others, jolly songs, family bonding? Or, to what degree, is His presence and its implications REAL to you today?!
SCRIPTURE: John 1:14
In the past few weeks, we have already established that The Word is eternally existent, The Word is God, and The Word is Light and Life for all who believe. This morning, the last Sunday before Christmas Day, we will spend some time focusing on the significance that this same Word voluntarily and purposefully came to us in the flesh and ’as one of us.’
God Became One of Us . . . That We May Transform Into His Likeness!
The Word . . . as already discussed, refers to God, refers specifically to the Son, Jesus.
Became . . . This verb is significant. As explained in the Wycliffe Dictionary of Theology: “. . . whereas the earlier verses had spoken of the continued state and activity of the Word, a completely new and different state and activity is now posited. The Word was God; the Word now becomes what he was not – flesh. Yet, he became this without ceasing to be what he eternally was – God. Moreover, egneto expresses the activity of the Word; not ’was made’ as in the AV, but ’became’ . . . “ (p. 283)
Flesh . . . “sarx,” meaning the actual physical substance comprising a body, created life on earth.
I. GOD BECAME ONE OF US
A. Why?
WHY would God bother? WHY not just continue to guide and rule as Spirit and from
Heaven?
1.With God, Words are not enough
- Even from the beginning this has been true! We have already learned how the Word created and sustains all things. By the Word all things have been created and given their identity and purpose. Yet, God never stopped there. Before sin entered the world, Scripture tells us that God walked with Adam in the garden. After Sin corrupted the nature of all people and the world itself, God has continually appeared before His people in various ways and emanations – even dwelling amongst them in Spirit for a time.
- Simply creating and setting things in motion has never been enough for the Almighty! His desire has always been to have an intimate involvement and even relationship with His creation.
- Yet, never “face-to-face.” Never “like-to-like.” Never as anything other than as spirit and something “out-of-this-world.” That is, never until the incarnation of Jesus!
2.It was necessary for our salvation.
- Rom. 3:23; 6:23
- We all have sinned. The only way any can atone for any of our own sins is through
human death. But, if we die for a sin, that’s the end. Also, we have all sinned multiple
times but can only die once.
- Therefore, the ONLY possible way of salvation is for one who is a perfect man and
whose life is truly of infinite and eternal value to pay the price on behalf of all and apply
to those who seek it. There is, never has been, and never will be a human being who is
either perfect or infinite and eternal. Only God is those things. Thus, the ONLY means
for any to be saved from the price of sin (death) is for the Almighty God to become one
of us without losing any of Himself and then making the sacrifice on our behalf.
B. But, Why As A Baby Through Gestation & Natural Birth To a Virgin?
The late theologian, Lewis Sperry Chafer, explained it this way:
“. . . it was both natural and reasonable that Christ should enter that estate by the way of birth and pursue the normal process of development through childhood to manhood. Any other approach to this estate would not only be unnatural, but would have left Him open to grave suspicion that His manner of existence was foreign to the human family (Vol. I, pg. 355) . . . By such a procedure no question may be raised about the genuineness of His humanity or the permanency of it. It is true that, because of His unchangeable Deity, He could not be born of a human father. Had He been born of a human father and mother there would have been nothing to identify His humanity as the rightful property of His Deity. On the other hand, had He appeared with no relation to human parentage, there would have been no legitimate basis for the fact of His humanity. The divinely wrought arrangement by which He is generated of the Holy Spirit and born of a woman is the perfect solution of the problem.” (Vol. 5, pg. 47-48).
