The Majestic, Mysterious Incarnation - Pastor Dan Cravillion

The Majestic, Mysterious Incarnation

12-21-14

Luke 1:26-38

26 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. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God." 38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And the angel departed from her.

Most of us yawn thru the Christmas story and all its details— we miss the significance of the incarnation.

·      We think of a God who created out of nothing = that’s awesome, or Exodus of 2-3 million people as an amazing display of God's power/love, and the virgin birth = that is astonishing & absolutely necessary.

o   Matt 1:23, Col 1:15, 2:9,

“It is by far the most amazing miracle of the entire Bible—far more amazing than the resurrection and more amazing even than the creation of the universe. The fact that the infinite, omnipotent, eternal Son of God could become man and join Himself to a human nature forever, so that infinite God became one person with finite man, will remain for eternity the most profound miracle and the most profound mystery in all the universe.” Wayne Grudem

The heart of the Christian faith: Immanuel: God is with us…God in the flesh.

·      Jesus didn’t stop being God when He came to earth.

o   Jesus was still a part of the Trinity & equal to the Father in all attributes and at all times.

• Jesus was not simply a revealer of God but also God Himself revealed.

o   It is an inconceivable mystery: that deity should dwell bodily in Jesus Christ.

• Christ did NOT set aside His deity but voluntary differed the use of His power as God.

o   At any moment He could have drawn upon any power.

o   Jesus refused to rely on His divine nature to make obedience/life easier.

§  He chose to submit Himself to the will of Father, who called Him to rescue/save the lost.

Christ didn’t give up any of his deity or related attributes when he became man, but he did take on humanity that was not His before.

·      By God’s infinite wisdom He used the virgin birth to make possible the uniting of full deity and full humanity in one person. Lk 1:34-37,

o   Mary was ready to believe she might give birth to the Messiah, but to give birth as virgin was beyond comprehension.

• "therefore" (v. 35) proclaims divine sonship of Christ- depends on his virgin birth
• Conception in the womb of a virgin guaranteed the fatherhood of the child would be absolutely unique in history:
• divine Father, not a biological human father (Joseph).
• Divine as God’s Son, & human as Mary’s son.
• 2 distinct natures in Jesus retain their own properties, yet together in one person.
• Christ was weak/tired but yet omnipotent. Mt 8:24-27, Col 1:16-17

o   The Baby Mary held was holding the universe in place!

The Hypostatic union, thru miraculous conception, is essential to Christian faith.

·      Full humanity is necessary to be our example/pattern in life, to obey and die in Christians place, to be true mediator between God & man.   1 Jn 2:6, 1 Pet 2:21, Rom 5:18-19, Heb 2:16-18, 1 Tim 2:5,

·      But if you take away Christ’s deity, you take away His atonement for our sins

o   Only an infinite God could live and follow the law perfectly & bear full penalty for all Christians’ sins

§  Any finite creature is incapable of bearing that penalty.

We should celebrate the majestic, mysterious virgin birth that sets Jesus apart from everyone in history.

·      As fully God & fully man, Jesus offers us both an eternal perspective & a sympathetic understanding of life’s journey on earth.

• As God: Jesus knows the way to heaven because He is God, He was/is there.
• As man: Jesus can relate to our struggles, temptations, and other earthly experiences
• Go to Christ, He understands what you’re going thru, is compassionate & as God can give you the strength/wisdom necessary to endure & overcome.