Seven Reasons for the Incarnation

Transcript

GRM 551
12/21/1997
Seven Reasons for the Incarnation
Selected Verses
Gil Rugh

If we are going to ask the question why did Jesus Christ come to earth? Why was He born at Bethlehem? Believers would immediately be able to give some basic answers to that and we should. I've listed seven reasons for the incarnation. You could combine some of these. I've broken them out just to focus our attention on something of the breadth of what God was doing in Christ when He sent Him to this earth. That doesn't mean you couldn't list more than seven, but I've selected these seven as reasons for the incarnation. We are just going to walk through them and look at a couple of Scriptures with each one that present the scriptural statement on these reasons.

First one that I've listed as a reason for the incarnation is Jesus Christ was born at Bethlehem so that He might confirm God's promises. Look at Romans chapter 15 verse 8. God had made certain promises through Old Testament history. Those promises had to be established and confirmed and brought to pass. All of them center in Jesus Christ and the entire work of God as all the promises of God find their foundation and realization ultimately in Christ. So in Romans chapter 15 verse 8 we read, "For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God." Talking here to Jews, on behalf of the circumcision, Jews. "To the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers and for the Gentiles to glorify God for His mercy." Then you have quotes from the Old Testament. So both promises relating to Jews and promises relating to Gentiles are confirmed and established in Christ and center in His work.

Turn over to 2 Corinthians chapter 1. Just a few pages past Romans. Romans, 1 Corinthians, 2 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 20. 2 Corinthians 1:20, "for as many as may be the promises of god, in Him” [in Christ] “they are yes; wherefore also by Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us." "As many as be the promises of God, in Him they are yes." The confirmation of the promises of God, no matter how many promises of God there are through the Scriptures, they are confirmed in Christ. They are yes in Him. In Him is the assurance of their realization and accomplishment.

So the first reason for the incarnation very simply is to confirm the promises of God, to establish God's Word, to bring fulfillment to what God promised down through history until the birth of Christ.


A second reason for the incarnation was to reveal God the Father, to reveal the Father. Back in Matthew chapter 11. Matthew and the 11th chapter and verse 27. At this point in Matthew we are moving to the conclusion of Christ's public ministry. Chapter 12 will be the break point if you will with His rejection by the nation and the turn toward the crucifixion. Verse 27 of Matthew chapter 11, "All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son, except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father, except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him." So the revelation of the Father takes place through the Son. Any understanding of God the Father comes through God the Son.

Turn over to John's gospel chapter 14. John's gospel chapter 14. Here Christ has told the disciples He is going to be leaving them. And Thomas has said verse 5, "We do not know where You're going, how do we know the way?" Jesus told him that He was “the way, and the truth and the life.” Then you come down to verse 9 where Philip said in verse 8, "Lord, show us the Father, that would be enough for us." I mean, that would be all we need. Verse 9 “Jesus said to him, "Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father, how do you say, 'Show us the Father?'" Now that does not mean that Christ is God the Father. They are separate and distinct persons, but He is completely and fully God as God the Father is. So in His character and essence and being He is the same in His makeup as God. So you have seen what God is now. God the Father is a Spirit so He does not have a bodily form as Christ did as a result of the incarnation. So Philip what are you asking? You have seen Me and when you have seen Me, you have seen the Father.

Back in John's gospel chapter 1 verse 18, "No one has seen God at any time” [referring to God the Father]; “the only begotten God," some of the English translations have "the only begotten Son" but it seems the better text is "the only begotten God, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has explained Him." He has revealed Him, exegeted Him. So it is the role of the Son to reveal God to man. And that would be true of the Triune God. He is revealed through the second Person of the Triune God, Jesus Christ. So it's essential that He be born at Bethlehem so that He might reveal in a fuller and clearer way than had ever been done God Himself.

Remember Hebrews started out, in past times God spoke in a variety of ways through a variety of servants and so on. But “in these last days He has spoken to us” in One who is a Son. He is the One who is the full manifestation of His glory. He's the exact representation of the divine nature. So Jesus Christ was born at Bethlehem so that He might reveal God to man and enable man to know God.

The heart of Christ's coming to earth is His work of redemption and I've broken this down into two particular parts although they could be put together because they are really facets of the same thing. He was born at Bethlehem to become a faithful high priest.

Over in the book of Hebrews 2. Hebrews chapter 2 and we'll come back here as well a couple of times again. You might want to leave a marker here in Hebrews chapter 2. Look at verse 17, "Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things." In the context here we are talking about His humanity. Verse 14, "Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, He became flesh and blood." "He had to be made like His brethren in all things that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God." So that He could be a priest representing humanity, He had to become humanity is the point.


Over in chapter 4 of Hebrews verse 14, "Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin." So we have a high priest who was taken from among us if you will since He was human as well as divine. He experienced the sufferings, the difficulties, the trials that go with humanity. Now He did not sin. He was tempted, yet at the end of verse 15 without sin. He never sinned. He never succumbed to temptation, for example in the wilderness by Satan in Matthew chapter 4. Satan tempted to lure Him to sin but there was so succumbing to it. Some have made the point that He has endured temptation to a degree that we have not because He never succumbed. Often we come to a break point where we yield but He never yielded. He never sinned. But He has experienced the other things common to humanity such as the weariness, grief, the loss of a loved one in death like Lazarus, rejection, ridicule and so on. So He has been identified with us so He can be a high priest who understands us. Because He is taken from among us He has humanity.

He became a man. He was born at Bethlehem so that He might be a high priest. There is more in the next point we are going to talk about, the sacrifice for sin. Hebrews chapter 7 verse 25 makes the point as verse 24 says, "He abides forever, He holds His priesthood permanently, hence, He is able to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them." So understand that this high priestly ministry is an ongoing ministry. But it necessitated the incarnation so that He could take upon Himself the role of the high priest of humanity. That is a role that He continues today in the presence of God in glory. “He ever lives to make intercession” for us which assures us as believers of our security in our salvation because He carries on that high priestly ministry as our representative in the presence of God.

So Christ was born at Bethlehem to confirm the promises of God, to reveal God the Father, to become a merciful and faithful high priest, and related but I've set it out as a separate point, number four, to put away sin, to deal with sin. This is related to His priestly ministry because it's the sacrifice that He offered but I've marked it out because His high priestly ministry is broader than just the sacrifice He made even though this is at the heart of everything. So I've put it as the middle point, number four. To put away sin.

Look in Hebrews chapter 9 verse 26. The contrast is with the Aaronic priesthood. The priesthood of the descendants of Aaron under Mosaic Law through Old Testament times. So that's the contrast when he says in verse 26, "otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world." We want to pick up the last part of verse 26, But now once at the consummation," in other words, it's the climax of time. Remember, “in the fullness of time God sent forth His Son”. Now here at the consummation, the climax of time, when all has been brought to the appointed time, in the divine plan, He has been manifested. That refers to His birth at Bethlehem, His taking upon Himself humanity to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. That is probably the first thing we think of as believers when we think of why was Christ born at Bethlehem. He was born to deal with the issue of sin. I think there's no doubt that that is at the heart of everything. That is the number one reason. So you could put it first for importance. You could put it last for importance. I put it in the middle for importance.


Back up to chapter 2 again of Hebrews verse 17. Where it said He became a merciful and faithful high priest. He took upon Himself flesh and blood. He had to be identified with the humanity that He was going to represent and the key in His priestly work would be offering the appropriate sacrifice for the sin of humanity and the uniqueness of this priestly ministry. The sacrifice He offers is Himself. So, verse 17 which we read the first part, "He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people." Now at the heart of the priestly ministry is sacrifice. That's what enables Him to represent the people before God, to intercede on behalf of the people before God. So this is related to His high priestly ministry, but His ministry as priest continues on even though it was only one sacrifice offered at one time. Hebrews chapter 10 “by one sacrifice has perfected for all time those who are sanctified”. And after He offered that one sacrifice He sat down at the right hand of God.

So there's a finality to His sacrificing ministry as high priest not to be repeated. In the items within the tabernacle and then within the temple there were no seats provided for the high priest realizing the fact his work was never done. The book of Hebrews emphasizes that. They had to continue to sacrifice repeatedly, repeatedly offering the same sacrifices which could never take away sin. But Jesus Christ offered one sacrifice for sin for all time, and He sat down. The only sacrifice that would ever need to be made was made by Him. Of course, there are multitudes of verses that we could turn to for this. That's why John the Baptist introduced Him to the nation in John's gospel chapter one verse 29, "Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world." He is the high priest, and He is the sacrificial lamb. He will offer Himself as the allsufficient sacrifice. For you and I that reason for the incarnation obviously overwhelms everything because our redemption and salvation is founded in the provision that He made to put away sin, to deal with sin.

A fifth work, and again, as I mentioned, these connect though I've sorted them out, "to destroy the works of the Devil”. Still in Hebrews chapter 2 look at verse 14, "Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same." He became humanity, flesh and blood. "That through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil." For the defeat of the Devil and the breaking of the power of the Devil over fallen humanity necessitated the death of Christ. Now we want to be careful here that we don't misunderstand what the writer to Hebrews is saying. It's not as though you have the Devil of such power that God was powerless. It was a standoff. There's the sense there was no way that the power of the Devil over fallen humanity could be broken. God could have sent all humanity to hell. But to free humanity from the power of Satan it took the incarnation of the Son of God who by His death would provide provision for the forgiveness of sin. By His death would provide for the defeat and conquering of Satan so that you and I through faith in Him can only be cleansed from our sin but we are set free from the power and authority of Satan.

Remember in John 8 Jesus said to the religious leaders of His day, "You are of your father the devil and you are always doing his will." You live under his authority. You live under his power. But Jesus Christ has made provision for the destroying of the works of the Devil. “Him who had the power of death, that is, the Devil.”

Look over in 1 John chapter 3 toward the back of your New Testament. First John chapter 3 verse 8, "The one who practices sin is of the devil for the devil has sinned from the beginning." And there's the same connection I just referred to in the Gospel of John chapter 8. You manifest your spiritual parentage by your behavior. The children of the Devil manifest the character of their father the Devil which is sin. The children of God manifest the character of God which is righteousness. "The one who practices sin is of the devil for the devil has sinned from the beginning." Note the last part of that verse, "The Son of God appeared," it's referring to the incarnation. "The Son of God appeared for this purpose that he might destroy the works of the devil." It's a reference to sin. The work of Satan is carried out in the lives of people, the sin that they produce and carry out.

"He might destroy the works of the devil." Back in the Gospel of John chapter 12. John's gospel chapter 12 verse 31. And John chapter 12 is the close the public ministry of Christ. Chapter 13 will pick up with the last supper, that last evening with His disciples and several chapters then will be devoted to that last evening with the disciples, chapters 13 through 17. Then we come to chapter 18 with the betrayal. So here Jesus is speaking of His coming crucifixion. "Now judgment is upon this world; now the ruler of this world shall be cast out," referring to his defeat. He is about to be overthrown, defeated. That means to be cast out. His power is going to be broken. "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men to Myself." That being lifted up from the earth is a reference to crucifixion where for crucifixion they laid the cross on the ground then laid the person on it, nailed them to the cross and then lifted the cross up to stand in the hole that had been dug. So to “be lifted up” was a reference to crucifixion and in that He “will draw all men to Himself”. This He was saying to indicate the kind of death which He was to die in verse 33. Essential in that for the casting out of the ruler of this world was He become a man that He might die and in His death deal with the issue of sin break the power of Satan.

If we keep this concept in mind, we've talked about this on other occasions, a lot of the foolishness that's gone on about satanic activity and demonic activity would be dealt with. All we need for dealing with Satan and the demonic spirit world is the power of Jesus Christ. And that centers in His finished work on the cross. He was born into the human race that He might destroy the works of the Devil, break his power, set free those who were in bondage, Hebrews 2 said. So this idea that people are running around doing conferences and writing books for Christians and so on about being free from the power of demons is really an attack on the work of Christ. It gets at the heart of the problem. One of the reasons for the incarnation was so that the incarnate Son of God could cast out the ruler of this world, set free those who are in bondage to Him, break his power, free people from his authority. There are no magical formulas for dealing with the Devil. You need to hear and believe the Gospel. When you do you are set free. It does not mean the battle does not go on, that Satan just quits and goes home but he is defeated. Sometimes you watch the news reel from former wars like World War II and so on and you'll find that there was a battle going on here or there after the agreement was signed ending the war. Well, it was in that sense a settled matter. The outcome was settled. So it was at the cross. So we need to keep this reason for the incarnation before usto destroy the works of the Devil.

A sixth reason for the incarnation and very important one in these days, every day. But in our day we need to be reminded of it to give us an example of a holy life. Now we need to be careful. Sometimes we back away from these things because some have confused the fact that Jesus Christ, the value of His life and death, was an example. That's not what we're saying here. But one of the things accomplished in His incarnation is for those of us who have been redeemed He is a model of godliness or holiness that we are to follow.

Turn over to 1 Peter chapter 2. First Peter chapter 2. Here it's in the context of submissive and immediately in the context of servants who may be suffering unjustly and unfairly at the heart of harsh masters. Verse 20, "For what credit is there if, when you sin you are harshly treated, you endure it with patience? But if when you do what is right and suffer for it you patiently endure it, this finds favor with God. For you have been called for this purpose, since Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example for you to follow in His steps." So it was essential for Jesus Christ to be born into the human race so that He might set a pattern and example for those of us who would be redeemed to follow.

"He committed no sin, no deceit was found in His mouth while being reviled. He did not revile in return while suffering, He uttered no threats, He kept entrusting Himself to the One who judges righteously."

A life that is what God intends our life to be. So here under trial and stress and unjust suffering, I have an example of how I should conduct myself. My Savior who Himself was a man who suffered more unjustly and unfairly than I could ever suffer, He left me an example to follow in His steps.

Look back in Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2 verse 5. Here Paul is speaking about the matter of humility. Verse 3, "Do nothing from selfishness of empty conceit, but with humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself." "Have this attitude," verse 5, "in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus." So here again He is an example, a pattern. Now again, you are not saved by trying to follow the example of Christ. You are saved by recognizing your sinful condition and turning from your sin and believing in Him, the Son of God as your Savior, the One who died for you and was raised from the dead. But when you are born into His family, then His life and conduct and behavior becomes an example that we are to follow. We are to have the same attitude, the same way of thinking as He had.

"Although He existed in the form of God He did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped” [be held on to], “He emptied Himself, taking the form of a bondservant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point to death, even death on a cross." The point is that there's no limit to how much I must be willing to humble myself before God and in my service to God before others. You know, we think wel,l it's a give and take. But no. Verse 3, "Let each of you regard one another as more important than himself." That's the point here that he is then illustrating with Christ. "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus." He didn't think it was too much to humble Himself, to step from the throne of glory as we talk about in our studies from Isaiah 6. No. Fine.

And that wasn't all. He didn't just come and be born at Bethlehem and humble Himself to becoming a human being but then He humbled Himself to the obedience of the suffering and death of the cross. So his incarnation provided the opportunity for God in the flesh, for the One in whom all the fullness of deity dwelt in bodily form, to set an example and pattern of how we as human beings who have been born into the family of God are to manifest the character of our Father. The One who is the Son of God in a way that none of us can be sets the example and pattern for us as sons of God in our behavior and in our conduct. So the incarnation becomes very important for us because it provides a physical, concrete example of living a holy or godly life.

A seventh reason that I have noted and one that ought to thrill our souls. It's to prepare for the second advent. Christ had to come to this earth the first time so that He could prepare the way for His return to earth. Look at John 14. John 14. As Jesus is preparing His disciples for His departure from this earth, His crucifixion and ascension to the Father ultimately. "Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me, in My Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; I go to prepare a place for you. If I go and prepare a place for you I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also." In the flow of these events what is taking place is because of His coming to earth at Bethlehem and all He would accomplish at His first coming and at His crucifixion which will occur in a few short hours from His speaking in John 14. You understand that this prepares the way for the second coming. Because as a result of His being born at Bethlehem, crucified on a cross, He returned to the Father to prepare a place for us so that He might come again and receive us to Himself.

There are a number of verses that we could refer to. Let's go back to Peter. We were just in Peter. I should have had you keep your place but it's good practice. Go back to 1 Peter. We study that extensively and your Bible tends to fall open easily to the places that we have repeatedly gone to when you're studying a book. And 1 Peter was one we studied. First Peter chapter 1 verse 11. In the flow of thought here . . . It's a long sentence. Talking about the "outcome," verse 9 of 1 Peter 1, "of your faith the salvation of your souls. As to this salvation, the prophets who prophesied of the grace that would come to you made careful search and inquiry." Now note verse 11, "Seeking to know what person or time the Spirit of Christ within them was indicating as He predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories to follow." So the Old Testament prophets prophesied about the sufferings of Christ, prophesied about the glories of Christ but they couldn't sort it out. Now we've come to understand with the completion of that plan, at least to this point, the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, was showing the sufferings that Christ was going to undergo which would be followed at a later time by the glory. So the coming to earth at Bethlehem was essential for preparing the way for the second coming to earth.

Back up a few pages to Hebrews chapter 9. Hebrews chapter 9 verse 28, last verse of Hebrews 9, "So Christ also, having been offered once to beat the sins of many, shall appear a second time, not to bear sin, to those who eagerly await Him, for salvation." The first coming to earth was to deal with sin. The second coming will bring the promised glory to the redeemed. The first coming was essential to prepare the way for the second coming. Jesus Christ could not come to earth to rule and reign in Glory without the provision of redemption for sinful humanity. Otherwise, no one could be part of the kingdom that He would establish because we would all be under the condemnation of death for our sins. So the first coming was to deal with sin, to bear sin. When He comes the second time it will be for salvation in the sense of the ultimate climax of our salvation, the glory of His presence, the glorification of the Body, the establishing of an earthly kingdom, all that will take place.

That second coming in two steps, two parts, coming in the heavens to take us as the Church to be with Himself. It's called the Rapture. We are caught up from the earth to meet Christ in the air. Then seven plus years later Christ will return to earth at the end of the sevenyear Tribulation. We return with Him and He establishes His reign in glory. That's why we as believers ought to constantly have linked in our mind the first coming of Christ to earth and the second coming of Christ because His first coming is to prepare the way for the second coming. Jesus linked this in the communion service. "Where as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you do show the Lord's death, you do proclaim the Lord's death, until He comes." That's not the memorial for a historical event. It's a memorial for a historical event which reminds us of a yettobeexperienced event, the return of Christ to earth. So the celebration of the birth of Christ ought to thrill us with the reminder this Savior is coming a second time and He will receive us in glory.

We must ever keep before us that this second coming of Christ and the events that are all prophesied with it, we will experience the same kind of fulfillment as the first coming of Christ. We read in 1 Peter where the prophets prophesied about the first coming and the second coming and they had it all mixed up. They couldn't sort it out. It wasn't mixed up in God's plan but since they wrote about it together. They saw both the sufferings of Christ and the glory of Christ and they'd write about them in the same passage. They couldn't sort out how it would be. They didn't understand there is a space between, now almost 2000 years.

But it's amazing to me some people who take all those events regarding the first coming of Christ and you can argue it was literally. You know, just as it was prophesied. It would be a virgin that would conceive and bear a child. He would be born at Bethlehem. This wasn't some spiritual idea that some place in the world in a little insignificant town a baby would be born. It didn't have to be a literal Bethlehem in Palestine. It just means you know, some kind of little town. No. It meant Bethlehem. And not just any town called Bethlehem. The Judean Bethlehem, Bethlehem. Ephratha as it specified. As we saw in our consideration of Matthew 2 today of how everything has to be exactly as He said. Somehow some people think well now all the prophesies relating to His second coming and all the events of that are spiritual. He rules and reigns in our heart. Don't expect He's going to rule over this earth and the lion's going to lie with the lamb and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the earth. Those are spiritual truths within our heart. No, no, no, no, no, no. Impossible. What kind of exegesis of Scripture is that? So you and I ought to be thrilled. We have a literal, physical return of Christ we are anticipating.

First, as I understand Scripture, a return in the air to call the Church to meet Him in the air. But He will be there. He Himself in that glorified body will meet us in the air to take us to the glories of the Father. Then about seven years later He Himself bodily will return to this earth and you and I with Him to establish a kingdom on this earth, over which He will rule. Then the lion will lie down with lamb. Then the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Then they will beat their swords into plow shears. Then the nations won't want war any longer. Then the curse will be lifted from the creation.

So this last reason, to prepare for the second advent, ought to have special focus for us. It ought to remind us what kind of second advent we are talking about. It's a second advent that is like the first advent only different. There is a literal, physical coming of Christ but it's not to deal with the issue of sin. By the sacrifice of Himself He did that. It is to bring to completion the salvation He provided for in His first coming. The glorification of our body, the redemption of the world, the earth with the lifting of the curse from creation and so on.

Acts chapter 4 verse 12, final verse. Acts chapter 4 verse 12, a verse that I often refer to and quote to you. Acts 4:12, a verse you should have marked or highlighted or underlined in your Bible, however you mark your Bible. Acts 4:12, "And there is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved." This unique Person born at Bethlehem 2000 years ago. The One who dwelt in eternity has taken to Himself humanity. He has not ceased to fully deity but now He has added to His deity full and complete humanity. They are joined together in the theanthropic union, the God-man union, and the mystery of that I do not understand. As baby at Bethlehem as fully God, He is fully man. And in His incarnation at least those seven things were accomplished and ought to cause us as God's people to be filled with gratitude and thanks for the wonderful Lord and Savior that is ours and the One who is coming again to take us to be with Himself.

That glorious truth puts everything else in its proper perspective. We eagerly await for Him. Perhaps even before this year comes to a conclusion. One of these days Jesus Christ will come. It will be true again as we referred to in Galatians. “In the fullness of time God sent forth His Son.” There will come a time again when the time will be full and in the fullness of time God will once again send forth His Son. That's the glorious hope, the blessed hope, even the appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, for the incarnation, for the time when the eternal Son of God took to Himself humanity. He became flesh and blood. Lord, what a marvelous mystery that goes beyond understanding that God has become a man and yet not ceased to be God. Lord, the glorious truth of that fact is awesome in light of your purposes and what was accomplished in the coming to earth of Your Son. And Lord, at the heart of it all is our salvation for which we give You praise and will throughout eternity. Lord, we eagerly look forward to that time when He will return again. And Lord, just as Your people had become dull and insensitive, we are not expecting His coming to earth 2000 years ago, so it has happened to so many people today. Lord, I pray that we might be alert and expectant, that we might realize that all that is taking place around us, all that is unfolded in Your Word, Lord, that we might be coming up upon the fullness of time again when Your sovereign purpose in sending forth Your Son to take us to be with You in the glory of heaven will be brought about. May the truths associated with the incarnation of the One who is our Savior shape our lives, our behavior, our thoughts, the purpose and goals of our life until Christ comes to call us to Himself. We pray in His name, amen.