Trinity Baptist Church

 

In Max Lucado's book God Came Near, he has a chapter entitled, "Twenty-five Questions for Mary." Let me share with you a few of those questions:

 

?       What was it like watching Him pray?

?       When He saw a rainbow, did He ever mention a flood?

?       Did you ever feel awkward teaching Him how He created the world?

?       When He saw a lamb led to the slaughter, did He act differently?

?       How did He act at funerals?

?       Did the thought ever occur to you that the God to whom you were praying was asleep under your own roof?

?       Did you ever accidentally call Him Father?

 

Imagine that night. A young teenager by the name of Mary has just given birth to her firstborn son. She looks in the face of her baby--yea, in the face of her Savior, her Lord, her God! She can't take her eyes off Him. For nine months she had carried Him in her womb. He was her baby, yet He was much more.

 

As she holds Him she remembers the words of Gabriel, "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end" (Luke 1:32-33). He looks like any other baby, yet, He was not any other baby. He was Emmanuel, God in the flesh.

It is almost hard to conceive, God as a fetus! Holiness sleeping in a womb! The Creator being created! However, that is what happened. The Word became flesh! The more I think about the Word becoming flesh the more I am amazed. The Word in eternity past was with God. The Word was God! Yet, He became man!

 

Christmas is about the Word becoming flesh. When the Bible says that Mary "brought forth her firstborn son" (Luke 2:7), that Son was the Word becoming flesh. When the Bible says that the shepherds "came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger" (Luke 2:16), that babe was the Word made flesh.

 

Last week we thought about the Word before He became flesh. Understanding the Word before He became flesh makes His becoming flesh even more amazing. John MacArthur said, "The Incarnation is the central miracle of Christianity, the most grand and wonderful of all things that God has ever done."

 

John declares, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made" (John 1:1-3).

 

John tells us that before there was anything, Jesus was. He is eternal having neither beginning nor end. In eternity past He was with God and He was God. As God He is the creator of all things. There would be nothing if He had not brought all things into existence. When we say that the Word became flesh, we are saying that the eternal God became flesh--God became a man.

Philippians 2:7 describes it this way. Jesus, "made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men." 

 

The word "likeness" speaks of that which is made like something else. It is more than having the appearance of something. It is actually becoming something else. He was God, but He was made a man. He was not a clone, or some reasonable facsimile of a man, but a genuine man among men. The Word literally became flesh. As Hebrews 2:14 states, He became "flesh and blood" like you and me.

 

Today I want us to think about the Word when He became flesh. Let's began by first thinking about:

 

 

There was a moment in time when Mary "brought forth her firstborn son" (Luke 2:7). There was that moment when the Word came into this world as a baby. But this was not just any moment in time. It was the moment in time. It was an eternal moment that had been marked on heaven's calendar from eternity past.

 

The Bible says in Galatians 4:4, "But when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman, made under the law." 

 

Paul was declaring in Galatians 4:4 that the moment the Word became flesh was much more than an historical moment, even though it was the most significant moment in history. It was an eternal moment, moment that pulsated with the divine.

First, understand that it was:

 

 

The prophecy was given in Isaiah 7:14, "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel."

 

The prophecy was given in Micah 5:2, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."

 

The prophecy was given in Isaiah 11:1-2, "And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of His roots: and the Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD."

 

There are others prophecies concerning the Word becoming flesh but just these three remind us that His birth was a prophetic moment--it was a moment that had been predicted in prophecy.

 

Furthermore, it was not only a prophetic moment, but it was also:

 

 

We often talk about the timing of certain events. If ever there was an event in which the timing was right, it was when the Word became flesh.

 

 

 

Alexander the Great had established Greek culture and language throughout the known world. The Roman Empire had organized the whole Mediterranean basin into one vast communication network, almost perfectly geared to foster the spread of Christianity.

 

The time was right politically.

 

Rome had spread the welcome blanket of peace across the world in the Pax Romana (Roman peace), which provided economic and political stability. This enabled the apostles to travel freely throughout the empire on the magnificent system of roads that were built by the Romans and Christianity to thrive.

 

 

The Jews had developed synagogues for worship, as well as schools and courts. Israel had once and for all forsaken the idolatry into which she had so often fallen. Although they would reject Jesus as the promised Messiah, the Jewish people were looking and longing for the Messiah to bring in His kingdom.

 

It was the perfect time for the Word to become flesh. Now, we may call it timing, but the proper term is providence. God had so orchestrated history and time to arrange for a perfect time for the Word to become flesh.

 

Lastly, it was not only a prophetic and perfect moment, it was also:

 

 

 

The phrase "fullness of time" means that Jesus came the exact and precise moment that had been determined by God. In eternity past, God had set the time. I believe He set the year, the month, the day, and the hour that He would become flesh.

 

We get our English word chronology from the word translated "fullness of time." In God's chronological sequence of events Jesus was born at the precise moment that had been predetermined.

 

In Genesis 3:15 the prophecy was given, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise they head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." The "when" was established by God and occurred according to His will.

 

Some babies come early and some come late. But this baby--the Word becoming flesh--occurred at the very moment that had been set by God.

 

Secondly, I want you to think with me about not only the moment of the Word becoming flesh, but also:

 

 

There are multitudes of babies that have been born since Cain and Abel, more than we are able to count. But none have had a birth like when the Word became flesh. His birth was unlike any other birth. His birth was a miraculous birth. The Word became flesh not by means of a natural birth, but a supernatural.

 

This birth was:

 

 

The Bible says in Matthew 1:18, "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."

 

The Bible says in Matthew 1:22-23, "Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us."

 

We read in Luke 1:26-27, "And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary."

 

I want you to see something in Matthew 1:16: "And Jacob begat Joseph the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ."

 

Notice very carefully that it does not say that Joseph begat Jesus. It says that Joseph was the husband of Mary, not the father of Jesus. It says that He was born of Mary which is a direct reference to His virgin birth.

 

 

 

 

 

Nicholas Kristof is a columnist for the New York Times. Back in March, 2003, he wrote a column in which he spoke of evangelical Christians as strange people with radical religious beliefs that will do great harm to our nation.

 

Then in August, 2003, he wrote another column in which he said, "The faith in the Virgin Birth reflects the way American Christianity is becoming less intellectual and more mystical over time."

 

Now, Kristof is a Harvard graduate and a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford, which would make many call him a very smart person. I would not be among them. I have to place myself in Kristof's less intellectual crowd because I do believe and hold firmly to the truth that Jesus’ birth was, as the Bible declares, a virgin birth.

 

I agree with Al Mohler who said, "Christians must face the fact that a denial of the virgin birth is a denial of Jesus as the Christ...The virgin birth does not stand alone as a biblical doctrine, it is an irreducible part of the biblical revelation about the person and work of Jesus Christ. With it, the Gospel stands or falls."

 

Never let some supposed scholar make you feel like some dim-wit because you believe the Bible and what it says about the virgin birth. When the word became flesh it was through the miracle of a virgin birth.

 

Furthermore, it was not only a virgin birth, but also:

 

 

 

 

By a vital birth, I mean that of necessity the birth of Jesus had to be a virgin birth. 

 

The angel said to Joseph in Matthew 1:21, "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins."

 

If Jesus were to save His people from their sins, the virgin birth was vital. It was absolutely necessary.

 

The virgin birth was essential for it is the base of a sinless Jesus. Romans 5:12 states, "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." The Bible is telling us that we have inherited a sinful nature. If Jesus had had an earthly father, he would have inherited the same sinful nature.

 

As well, if Jesus was to be our substitute and save His people from their sins, He had to present an absolute sinless life. Even the slightest taint of sin would have disqualified Him to be a substitute. It was therefore necessary for Him to become flesh in such a way that He would not possess inherited depravity. This could only be accomplished through a virgin birth.

 

If He was not born of a virgin, then He could not be a Savior. If He could not be Savior, we can't be saved from our sins. Hallelujah! Jesus was virgin-born.

 

 

 

The Word became flesh! He became flesh at the time set by God, and He became flesh by means of the miracle of the virgin birth.

 

Lastly, think with me about:

 

 

Look at John 1:14 again. We read, "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us."

 

I want you to pay special attention to the words "dwelt among us." In these words we have the motive or the reason why the Word became flesh.

 

First:

 

 

The word "dwelt" means "to tent or encamp." Literally it speaks of how the Word became a person and took upon Himself our person. He became one with us. He took up abode in a human body.

 

Hebrews 2:14 says, "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, He also himself likewise took part of the same." 

 

Dr. Robert L. Moyer said in a sermon:

 

In Jesus divine omnipotence moved in a human arm;

In Jesus divine wisdom was cradled in a human brain;

In Jesus divine love throbbed in a human heart;

In Jesus divine compassion glistened in a human eye;

 

In Jesus divine grace poured forth in human lips.

 

A poet wrote: "Twas much that man was made like God before,

But that God should be made like man, much more."

 

The Word was made flesh. He became one of us. The question before us is why did He become one of us?

 

The Word not only became one with us, but also:

 

 

Let me share with you a story. There was once a man who didn't believe in God, and he didn't hesitate to let others know how he felt about religion and religious holidays. His wife, however, was a Christian, and she raised their children to also have faith in God and Jesus, despite his disparaging comments.

 

One snowy Christmas Eve, his wife was taking their children to a service in the farm community in which they lived. She asked him to come, but he refused saying, "That story is nonsense! Why would God lower Himself to come to Earth as a man? That's ridiculous!"

 

So she and the children left, and he stayed home. Outside, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening. Then he heard a loud thump. Something had hit the window. He looked out, but couldn't see anything. He walked outside to see what could have been beating on his window. There he saw a flock of wild geese. Apparently they had been flying south for the winter when they got caught in the snowstorm and couldn't go on. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They just flapped their wings, and in the falling snow, they flew around blindly and aimlessly. A couple of them flew into his window. That was the noise he had heard.

 

The man felt sorry for the geese and wanted to help them. The barn would be a great place for them to stay, he thought. It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm. So he walked over to the barn and opened the doors wide, then watched and waited, hoping they would notice the open barn and go inside. But the geese just fluttered around aimlessly and didn't seem to notice the barn or realize what it could mean for them.

 

The man tried to get their attention, but that just seemed to scare them, and they moved further away. He went into the house and came with some bread, broke it up, and made a bread crumb trail leading to the barn. They still didn't catch on. He got behind them and tried to shoo them toward the barn, but he only scared them and scattered in every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where they would be warm and safe. "Why don't they follow me?!" he exclaimed. "Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm?"

 

He thought for a moment and realized that they just wouldn't follow a human. "If only I were a goose, then I could save them," he said out loud. Then he had an idea. He went into barn, got one of his own geese, and carried it in his arms as he circled around behind the flock of wild geese. He then released it.

 

His goose flew through the flock and straight into the barn--and one-by-one, the other geese followed it to safety.

 

He stood silently for a moment as the words he had spoken a few minutes earlier replayed in his mind: "If only I were a goose, then I could save them!"

 

Then he thought about what he had said to his wife earlier. "Why would God want to be like us? That's ridiculous!" Suddenly it all made sense. That is what God had done. We were like those geese, blind, lost, and perishing. God had His Son become like us so He could show us the way and save us. Years of doubt and disbelief vanished with the passing storm.

 

He fell to his knees in the snow, and prayed his first prayer: "Thank You, God, for coming in human form to get me out of the storm."

 

If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.

If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.

If our greatest need had been money, God would have sent us an economist.

If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.

But our greatest need was forgiveness, so God sent us a Savior.

 

The Word became one of us that He might be one for us. The Word became a man that He might die for all men. The Word came to dwell among us that He might die for us.  THE WORD BECAME FLESH--that is what Christmas is all about!