The Incarnation John 1:1-14

Last Sunday morning in our Sunday school class we were studying Genesis 3, the story of the first sin, or what Bible teachers have called, “the Fall.” When Adam and Eve disobeyed God and ate the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil something changed in their relationship with God. God did not change, but something changed in Adam and Eve. We read,

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. (Genesis 3:7-8 NIV)

Something changed in Adam and Eve. Their sin led them to become aware of their nakedness and they became ashamed. They tried to cover up their shame, but all of their efforts were futile and insufficient to bring them any relief. When their best efforts failed they hid themselves from God. Adam and Eve’s sin was a game changer. Now, I want to make it clear that God continued to reach out to His people throughout history. As you read the Hebrew Bible you can see how time and time again God sent prophets to His people to call them, plead with them, and urge them to turn away from their sin and turn back to trusting Him. God also gave His people a path to have fellowship with Him. Each year at the temple they would make their sacrifices and God would “cover over” their sins. In addition to these, throughout the Hebrew Bible, we hear whispers from God through the prophets, that God was going to send a Deliverer one day. They were looking for a deliverer who would overthrow the powers that kept oppressing them–the Assyrians, the Babylonians, and later the Romans, those who made their lives so miserable and hard. God had a different kind of Deliverer in mind. I think most of the world is still looking for a deliverer, something or someone that can make our life better, something or someone that will deal with those difficult people who cause us anxiety and misery at times, or something or someone who will lift us out of the pit of unhappiness and unrest and transport us to the land of satisfaction and serenity. Martyn Lloyd-Jones wrote,

The terrible, tragic fallacy of the last hundred years has been to think that all man's troubles are due to his environment, and that to change the man you have nothing to do but change his environment. That is a tragic fallacy. It overlooks the fact that it was in Paradise that man fell. (Martyn Lloyd-Jones, Studies in the Sermon on the Mount)

The problem that they failed to recognize in the past and the problem that we fail to recognize is that their greatest problem and our greatest problem is not “them,” but our most pressing problem is us. My problem is deep, so deeply embedded in me. So, Paul wrote in Galatians, 

4 But when the set time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those under the law, that we might receive adoption to sonship. (Galatians 4:4-5 NIV)

When the “set time” arrived, God sent His Son… But how did He send Him and why did He send Him? That’s what I want us to talk about this morning. At Christmas those who are followers of Jesus talk about the “baby Jesus,” but I want to talk about the Incarnation. The word Incarnation means “the act of being made flesh.” It comes from the Latin version of John 1:14, which in English reads, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” Let’s read our Scripture for this morning, found in John 1:1-14 and see what we can learn.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it. 6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. 9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God. 14 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. (John 1:1-14 NIV)

Larry King, the legendary broadcaster who they say interviewed somewhere in the neighborhood of 45,000 people during his 60 year career, passed away on January 23, 2021. During his 60 year career on television King interviewed every sitting President as well as the most famous celebrities from the world of fashion, entertainment, sports, literature, business, and religion. When the final episode of his show Larry King Live, aired on CNN, it was the longest-running show hosted by the same person. In a recorded message on his final show, then President Barack Obama said King had “opened our eyes to the world beyond our living rooms.” In 1990, Larry King was interviewed by People magazine and asked who would be the one person he would like to interview from history? Larry King said, “Jesus Christ.” Then, the interviewer asked, “What is the one question you would like to ask Him?” Larry King answered, “I would ask Him if He indeed was virgin born, because the answer to that question would define history for me.” And Larry King was right. The answer to that question absolutely defines history for all of us. There are two things I want us to focus on in the time we have remaining this morning. First of all, the Word was with God from the beginning and the Word was God. We see this in the opening verses of John’s Gospel. Read it again with me.

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. (John 1:1-3 NIV)

The Word was with God and the Word was God. In a world filled with religions of every kind, the doctrine of the Incarnation is unique to Christianity. In some of the world's religions we find the teaching that God is in everything and everyone. This is what we call “Pantheism.” The word is made up of two Greek words, “pan,” meaning “all,” and “theos,” which is the Greek word for “God.” People who believe in pantheism believe God is the world around them, God is present in all things. The world is God and God is the world. All is God and God is all.  Hinduism and Buddhism both hold these beliefs. On the other end of the spectrum, some religions teach that God is altogether “other.” He is so holy, so transcendent, that becoming a sinful human would be the most absurd of absurdities. Both Judaism and Islam teach this about God. And yet, there were some Jews who listened to Jesus teach, witnessed Jesus’ life, and saw Him after His resurrection from the dead and were convinced that what Jesus claimed about Himself was true. The great Bible teacher, J.I. Packer wrote,

The Incarnation, this mysterious miracle at the heart of historic Christianity, is central in the New Testament witness. That Jews should ever have come to such a belief is amazing. Eight of the nine New Testament writers, like Jesus’ original disciples, were Jews, drilled in the Jewish axiom that there is only one God and that no human is divine. They all teach, however, that Jesus is God’s Messiah, the Spirit-anointed son of David promised in the Old Testament (e.g., Isa. 11:1-5; Christos, “Christ,” is Greek for Messiah). They all present him in a threefold role as teacher, sin-bearer, and ruler—prophet, priest, and king. And in other words, they all insist that Jesus the Messiah should be personally worshiped and trusted—which is to say that he is God no less than he is man. (J.I. Packer, Incarnation: God Sent His Son to Save Us)

How were these Jews who were so committed to the transcendent nature of God convinced that in Jesus, God had come in the flesh? They paid attention. They watched and they listened as Jesus ministered and taught. Let me give you a couple of examples. On one occasion some of the Jewish religious leaders were harassing and accusing Jesus when they said, “Our father is Abraham.” Jesus responded by saying,

56 Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." 57 "You are not yet fifty years old," they said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" 58 "Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" 59 At this, they picked up stones to stone him, but Jesus hid himself, slipping away from the temple grounds. (John 8:56-59 NIV)

Why did they pick up stones to try and kill Jesus? They wanted to kill Him because when they heard Jesus say, “Before Abraham was born, I am!” they knew what He was saying. Every Jew knew that “I am” is the divine name of God, “YHWH,” the covenant name of God given to Moses and found over 6,000 times in the Hebrew Bible. The name that is so holy that no Jew will even speak it. Jesus was claiming to be God in the flesh.   Let me give you one more example. In John 14, Jesus would soon be arrested and executed on a cross. His disciples had no idea what was coming even though He had told them what would happen to Him time and time again. While Jesus was speaking, Philip spoke up. Turn with me to John 14:8-9 and let’s read together.

8 Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us." 9 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'? (John 14:8-9 NIV)

“Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” “Before Abraham was, I am.” “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” C.S. Lewis wrote,

…the Christian story is precisely the story of one grand miracle, the Christian assertion being that what is beyond all space and time, what is uncreated, eternal, came into nature, into human nature, descended into His own universe, and rose again, bringing nature up with Him. It is precisely one great miracle. If you take that away there is nothing specifically Christian left. (Lewis, C.S. “The Grand Miracle,” God in the Dock, pg. 80)

Athanasius was born in 293 A.D. in Alexandria, Egypt. There was a controversy in the church of his day just like there is a controversy in the church of our day. The controversy had to do with “what do we make of Jesus?” Was He born of a virgin? Was He God Incarnate as He claimed? Or, was Jesus a created being, the best of humans, but not God? The leader of the group, known as Arianism, that believed Jesus was a created being and not God Incarnate was a man named Arius, a priest in the church in Alexandria who was growing in popularity.  Athanasius knew the cornerstone of the faith was at stake. He knew Arius was denying the biblical teaching of the Trinity and God’s plan of salvation. Athanasius knew the Bible taught that Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, and was the only one who could offer His life as a sacrifice for sinful humanity. Jesus was fully God and fully man and yet willing to give His life for the redemption of sinners. This was the truth of the faith and there was no price too great to pay to defend it. Athanasius was exiled five times by four Roman emperors. He spent 17 of the 45 years he served as bishop of Alexandria in exile. Yet, the price Athanasius paid was no price at all when he considered the price his Savior paid for the opportunity for sinners to be forgiven and reconciled to God. This same controversy is present in our own day. Many believe that Jesus was a great teacher, a humanitarian unparalleled in history, but when it comes to believing that Jesus was God in the flesh who came to give His sinless life as an offering for sinners like you and me…that’s something they are not willing to believe. As unpopular as it may be, you and I must never ever give in to the pressure of our culture. Jesus is God who came down to save people like you and me by giving Himself as an offering of reconciliation. Let’s move on. So, first of all we focused on Jesus the Word who is equal with the Father, eternal as the Word of God, the Second Person of the Trinity, and fully God. Now let’s focus on Jesus who became flesh, fully human and lived among us. Turn with me to John 1:14 so we can refresh our memory. 

14 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. (John 1:14 NIV)

I want you to think about something with me for just a minute. If you were God and you were going to make yourself known to your creation like never before, how would you do it? What kind of entrance would you make? I know human nature far too well. I know exactly what we would do. We would pull out all of the stops. We would spare no expense. We would leave an impression that would never be forgotten in all of history. We would summon every lightning bolt that had ever darted across the sky to get everyone’s attention. We would command every angel in heaven, every creature in the sea, on the earth, and in the sky to announce our arrival. We would put on a show! And this is what makes God’s entrance into our world so mind-boggling. We just finished studying Philippians in my Bible study. In Philippians 2:6-11, we find something in Paul’s letter to the church which most Bible teachers believe Paul didn’t write, but he inherited it from the early church. It is a hymn written and sung by the early followers of Jesus about Jesus. Listen to this beautiful truth. 

5 In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; 7 rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death-- even death on a cross! 9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:5-11 NIV)

Here we find it once again, Jesus is, in His very nature God, but instead of selfishly holding on to the glory and exaltation of being the Second Person of the Trinity…He made Himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. He wasn’t born to royalty, He was born to a young peasant girl who had never been with a man. His first night wasn’t spent in the maternity ward of the finest hospital in all of Israel, but it was spent in a feeding trough of cows, sheep, and donkeys. The Prince of Peace was born into a world of war, strife, and turmoil. There was a bounty placed on His head. Herold heard the Magi were looking for the One who was born King of the Jews so they could worship Him, he sent for them. He told them to let him know once they found Him so he too could go and worship the newborn King. God revealed to the Magi what Herod’s true intentions were and they never returned to him. Matthew tells us what happened next in Matthew 2:16.

16 When Herod realized that he had been outwitted by the Magi, he was furious, and he gave orders to kill all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had learned from the Magi. (Matthew 2:16 NIV)

A bounty on a newborn. The God of glory on the run from the moment of His birth. His life wouldn’t get any easier. Back in Philippians 2 we read, “He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death–even death on a cross!” His entire life was one of humiliation. He was loved and adored by some, but harassed and hunted by the powerbrokers of His day. He suffered, He wept at the grave of a friend, He was run out of town, and lied about. He was misunderstood and maligned. He worried about His mother. He was tempted in every way that you and I are tempted and yet He never, not once, did He ever give in to the temptations. The writer of Hebrews tells us,

He had to be made like his brothers in every way…Because he himself suffered when he was tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted…For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15-16). 

We have sanitized and sentimentalized that first Christmas morning haven’t we? I want to encourage you this morning to step away from the wrapping paper, step away from the tinsel and beautifully decorated trees, step away from the pretty bows and Santa’s jolly “ho, ho, ho” and listen to the cry of the newborn King. The newborn King would grow up and begin to tell His disciples about His soon coming death and resurrection. Matthew tells us,

18 "We are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death 19 and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified. On the third day he will be raised to life!" (Matthew 20:18-19 NIV)

I heard someone ask just the other day, “What’s the best thing that ever happened to you at Christmas?” There were all kinds of answers and some amazing stories that no doubt will never be forgotten by those who experienced them. The best Christmas of all was when God decided to write Himself in our story, to come for you and me. In every religion of the world today except for Christianity, the followers are commanded to live a good life, an extraordinary life in hopes that they will somehow find favor with the deity and be blessed. You and I, as followers of Jesus, look back to that day when God came to us, the God of glory came looking for you and me. Dorothy Sayers was born at Oxford on June 13, 1893. Her father was an Anglican priest. Dorothy developed a deep love for Jesus and literature. She graduated from Oxford in 1915 with first class honors in Modern Languages. During her lifetime Dorothy wrote sixteen novels, ten plays, six translations, and twenty-four works of nonfiction. Her most popular work was a series of detective novels about an aristocratic detective named Lord Peter Wimsey. Lord Wimsey was so successful at solving crimes. He was wealthy and intelligent, an expert on all matters of food and especially wine, men’s fashion, and classical music. The only problem was Lord Peter Wimsey was alone. None of his relationships with women worked out and he was not only alone, but he was lonely. Halfway through the Wimsey detective stories, a woman named Harriet Vane makes her appearance. The character created by Dorothy Sayers was a mystery writer who was also one of the first women to graduate from Oxford. Peter, who was so unhappy, a successful but broken soul, began to come to life once he met Harriet. The two fell in love and the lonely bachelor begins to experience a radical transformation of his life. What’s really interesting about the story of Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane is that Dorothy Sayers, like the character she created, was one of the first women to graduate from Oxford University. Dorothy, like Harriet, was also a writer of mystery novels. Dorothy Sayers looked at her character, Lord Peter Wimsey, and saw that he needed someone to help him out. She looked at the world she had created with her pen, saw Peter’s need, and wrote herself into the story. And that is exactly what God has done for you and for me. He has written Himself into our story at Christmas and life will never be the same for those who receive His gift of Jesus. Mike HaysDecember 24, 2023