INTRO: Merry Christmas and welcome to our Christmas themed teaching series. Today we begin with a look at a very theological word that much like a Christmas ornament we pull out once a year and then put it back. The word is incarnation. Stay with me. Some of you are probably thinking, this guy has only been up there for 30 seconds and it's already over my head. What in tarnation is an incarnation? My first hearing of the word produced a similar response, i.e., did he say carnation? tarnation? I dont know why but for some reason I pretended I knew what it meant when I really didnt. It wasnt until Bible college that I learned that it was a theological word for describing the first Christmas when God, Jesus specifically, took on human flesh, bone, and DNA. But why?
The story begins in Genesis but dont worry we'll get out in time to beat the Methodists to lunch. After Adam and Eve succumbed to temptation God shows up and regretfully announces the consequences. There's generally always consequences in some form or another for our sins as well, i.e., collateral spiritual damage. Adam is told that he'll now have to work by the sweat of the brow, Eve is told she'll have great pain in childbirth, and among other things there's also a consequence for the devil.
You'll recall that when Jesus tells Peter "Get thee behind me Satan" that he was looking Peter straight in the face but speaking to the spirit behind him. In this case the devil. Old Testament prophets like Isaiah and Ezekiel will do the same. They'll be addressing a particular king but then they'll take a moment to address the spirit behind the king. The first instance of this is in Genesis 3. God looking at the serpent speaks to the spirit behind it and says,
SLIDE
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel. (Gen. 3:15)
The point is clear. A descendant of Eve will wield a death blow to evil, satan, sin. A blow to the head is a death blow. This is what the Messiah would do. He would put an end not only to the consequences of sin, but to evil itself.
In Chronicles of Narnia C.S. Lewis will depict this by showing the great concern that Jadis (the satan figure) has upon the children by asking “Are you a son of Adam?”
Presuming possibly that Abel is the one God was referring to in Gen. 3:15 it is quite likely that this is a part of the backstory behind the first murder Genesis 4 as well as the "massacre of the innocents" by Herod the Great recorded in Matthew 2:16-18.
The Christmas story, the incarnation, a Savior who would crush sin and the devil is also the backstory of the Christmas story. This descendant of Adam and Eve has been born!
Text Lk. 1:26-38: In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!”29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”
34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”
35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God.
GABRIEL
“Don’t be Afraid” is the standard angel greeting
“Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God.” (Lk. 1:30)
-The Bible has a lot to say about Angels. In fact, Angels are mentioned 108 times in the Old Testament and 165 times in the New Testament.
-Upon Adam and Eve's eviction from the garden of Eden a sword wielding angel is assigned to guard the entrance. (Gen. 3:24)
-In Revelation they are also seen as the executers of judgment during the Great Tribulation period.
-Seen in their natural state, they generally take people’s breath away.
-Thus, they generally introduce themselves by saying, “Don’t be afraid.”
Nevertheless, Mary is very perplexed...
The Mystery: Mary is Perplexed
But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. (Lk. 1:29)
And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?” (Lk. 1:34)
The Virgin Birth
Whereas most young women would leap for joy at the news they are pregnant, Mary is greatly troubled (verse 29). The very first piece of information you have on Mary from Luke is she is a virgin. She’s never been with anyone (1:27). In fact, the Bible twice tells us Mary is a virgin before we are even told her name.
SLIDE 1
The Virgin Birth is a key ingredient of Essential Christian Doctrine.
Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. (Lk. 1:26-27)
Therefore, the Lord Himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (Isa. 7:14)
ESSENTIAL e.g. Ice Cream. Ice cream comes in many different flavors but to be classified as ice cream requires some dairy and sugar. Likewise, whereas some Christians may have a charismatic expression or worship and others a more liturgical expression, to be a Christian necessitates that we have some basic ingredients, one of which is that Jesus was born of a Virgin, specifically Mary.
-Some so-called progressives falsely teach that Isaiah 7:14 should be translated as “young woman” rather than virgin. While its true that the word can sometimes be translated that way generally its used to define a chaste virgin. We must also consider the context. Young women get pregnant all the time and thus that's not really much of sign is it? But a virgin birth should and does get our attention. Isaiah clearly shows that this distinction of being a virgin would be a Messianic sign.
How?
Mary Asks the question any young woman would’ve asked, “How?” (1:34)
“How will this be, since I am a virgin?” Mary says in effect, “I have never had sexual relations with a man. I am betrothed, but I am not yet married. She and Joseph have not slept together. So “how can I be pregnant?”
Gabriel’s Answer: God. It’s Supernatural
SLIDE 2
The Power of the Incarnation
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
Incarnation is a term used by theologians to indicate that Jesus, the Son of God, took on human flesh.
“Your pregnancy,” Gabriel says, “is supernatural and unlike anything or anyone before or after you.” Mary is left wondering and pondering Gabriel’s words when her thoughts are interrupted; Gabriel says, “For nothing will be impossible with God” (Luke 1:37).
With hardly a pause in the information, Gabriel begins to describe the future life of Mary’s son in 1:32: “He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end” (Luke 1:32-33).
Gabriel has the high privilege of being the first to describe the supernatural distinctives of her child. This is also the chiasm of this passage, the keystone.
SLIDE 3
The Announcement: He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David (Lk. 1:32)
1-He will be Great
2-He will be the Son of God.
3-He’ll be a King with an everlasting throne.
4-He is The Son of David.
First of all Gabriel says that He’ll be great.
SLIDE 4
1-He will be Great
He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most-High. And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David (Lk. 1:32)
“Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised.” (Ps. 95:3)
SLIDE 5
“Great is the LORD and most worthy of praise; His greatness no one can fathom.” (Ps. 145:3 NIV)
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power; His understanding is infinite.” (Ps. 147:5 NKJV)
There is none like you, O Lord; You are great, and your name is great in might. (Jeremiah 10:6)
The Greek word used here is “mega” which isn't of much help for today's 21st century english. Today "Great" is a word or adjective that’s so often used that it’s lost some of its’ punch, i.e.,
That was a great taco. That was a great movie.
Tony the Tiger “They’re Grrreat”
GOAT – greatest of all time in sports. Tom Brady, Michael Jordan, Dale Earnhardt,
In biblical times, and within this context, it means that He will have abilities, qualities, that are exceedingly above those surrounding them, beyond our comprehension and that are incomparable.
Some of the words that we use to describe God’s attributes are words like:
Omnipotent-all powerful
Omniscient-all knowing.
Incomprehensible-we’ll never be able to fully comprehend all that He is.
As Zig Ziegler used to say, God is God and you’re not.
SLIDE 6
“If you don't see the greatness of God, then all the things that money can buy become very enticing. If you can't see the full moon, you will be impressed with a street light. If you've never felt thunder and lightning, you'll be impressed with fireworks. And, if you turn your back on the greatness and majesty of God, you'll fall in love with a world of shadows and short-lived pleasures.”
So, within this context when Gabriel uses the word Great, he is clearly inferring that her child is God, the Messiah. Which leads into our next point…
SLIDE 7
2-He will be the Son of God, i.e., “Son of the Most-High”
“He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High.” (Lk. 1:32)
“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).
MOST HIGH = none higher, ie. God.
Jesus has always existed. There was never a time He didn’t exist. The meaning of the term “Son of God” has its roots in the Old Testament and was used as a term to reference the coming Messiah in the form of a human, a God-man, that they have the same attributes (omniscient, omnipotent, etc.)
ILLUS: Have you ever met someone's relative and you noticed the family similarities, i.e, the same walk, laughter, mannerisms, etc.
Since a son bears his father’s qualities, calling a person someone else’s ‘son’ was a way of signifying that they were of the same DNA. By telling Mary that her Son would be the Son of God is the same as saying that He is God. The Messiah.
This is something, btw, that was well understood in the first century.
-After fasting for 40 days and nights, the devil will tempt Jesus to turn rocks into bread, but he will preface it by saying, if you’re the son of God
-The Sanhedrin will ask Jesus if He’s the son of God to which He responds in the affirmative.
ILLUS
Oh God! (1977 Movie with George Burns and John Denver) was somewhat the Bruce Almighty of it's day.
Before reporters George Burns playing God is asked, "Is Jesus your son?" He takes a drag from his cigar and says yes. After pausing he then goes on to say, Muhammad is my son. Buddha is my son.
Of course this is Hollywood and what we'd expect.
However, Muhammad, Buddha, etc., cannot speak worlds into existence. They cannot call forth the dead to life. They cannot forgive you of your sins.
Because He’s God He alone has the credentials to offer forgiveness and everlasting life. Jesus is the name of the Lord.
The Messiah, will be Great, The Son of God, and would also be a King.
SLIDE 9
3-He will be a King.
And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of His father David. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end. (Lk. 1:32-33)
“Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship Him. (Mt. 2:2)
Throne indicates that her child is royalty, a King…but not just any King, a king of kings.
Joy to the World. Let earth receive her King. He Rules the World with Truth and Grace.
Few do.
We sometimes see absurdities with our political leaders.
Absurdities: plastic straws. SF streets
Remember back in the good ol days of 2018 when the world's biggest crisis was plastic straws.
In San Francisco it's legal for humans to use the sidewalk as a restroom but if your chihuahua does it you'll be fined for not picking up. Pretty absurd isn't it?
.
Corruption. We of course see political corruption in our own system. It’s disturbing and unsettling when you know that justice is being manipulated by political powers, lobbyists, media, fake news, etc.
It's nothing new.
“Your princes…do not bring justice to the fatherless, and the widow's cause does not come to them” (Isa. 1:23)
At some point in life most of us become a bit cynical about politics. We see that they don’t always deliver what they promise, that they’re very flawed individuals, we all are for that matter. We know we should get involved, we should vote, fight for our freedoms, and that we must do something, anything to fix that which is broken and yet at some point in life we recognize the failure of politics to solves the world’s problems.
Jesus, the Rightful King rules with truth and grace. Not influenced by p-c, wealthy lobbyists, favor with the media, nor Hollywood, but He rules with truth and grace.
The government will be upon His shoulders.
SLIDE 10
“for unto us a child is born, a son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulders.” (Isa. 9:6)
He alone can shoulder it. He alone is worthy to shoulder it.
SLIDE 11
Why the big noise, nations? Why the mean plots, peoples? Earth-leaders push for position, Demagogues and delegates meet for summit talks, The God-deniers, the Messiah-defiers: “Let’s get free of God! Cast loose from Messiah!” Heaven-throned God breaks out laughing. At first he’s amused at their presumption; Then he gets good and angry. Furiously, he shuts them up: “Don’t you know there’s a King in Zion? A coronation banquet Is spread for Him on the holy summit.” (Psalm 2:7-9 The Message)
Daniel was given visions and dreams of superpowers that will come and go. Today you can visit the ruins of the Egyptian dynasty but they're just a historical relic now. But, Mary's child, the Messiah, Jesus will rule an everlasting kingdom.
So,
-He will be Great -He will be the Son of God.
-He’ll be a King (He has a throne, Jacob).
-He is The Son of David.
SLIDE 12
4-He will be a Son of David And the Lord God will give to Him the throne of his father David (Lk. 1:32)
The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham… (Mt. 1:1)
Other sons of David have been incapable of doing this.
With each successive son, i.e. descendant of David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Jehosaphat, Hezekaih, Jeconiah there was always a glimmer of hope for the oppressed wondering if this could be the one. One who will rule with truth and grace, protect the widows look out for the poor.
Many of Israel’s own kings exploited them for their own gain, took bribes, turned a blind eye to injustice. Some even directed the people to worship other gods.
This Son of David is the one who will rule with truth and grace. This Son of David is the One who will not only defeat evil but sin and death.
This is something only God can do.
CONCLUSION
Mary is told that her son is the Messiah, He’s the one we’ve been waiting for.
Great, Son of God, King of Kings, The Son of David we’ve been waiting for, i.e. He’s got the credentials.
ILLUS: Like signs in the airport pointing you to your flight, these signs point you to the one, Jesus, who loves you so much that He was born to be a sacrifice. To pay your bail.
This year many will receive gift cards. Companies love gift cards because they've already got their money, i.e, its already been paid. Some will forget or lose their gift card. Some will never get around to utilizing it. Regardless its already been paid for. The same is true of you and I. Jesus has already paid for our sins. The work has already been done. This is why the angels tell the shepherds that it's good news of a great joy for all people...a Savior has been born. A savior from what? Our sins. Like a virus, sin quarantines us from being in a relationship from God and can even keep us out of heaven. But Jesus is the solution.
“…and you shall call his name Jesus.” (Lk. 1:32)
You can be in a relationship with this King. He came for you. I want to give you an opportunity now to receive Him as Savior. Pray something like this, "Dear Jesus, I believe that you're God. Please forgive me for my sins and save my soul. Take me to heaven when I die. Fill me with the Holy Spirit. And use my life for your purposes and will.
PRAYER
