God became man

[0:00] Consider the miracle that God became man. In the story of Robinson Crusoe, Robinson came across some footprints in the sand. For him this was evidence that he was not alone. A two-footed human was living on that island with him.

[0:25] ! Secondly, it was evidence of the direction that human had taken. Thirdly, that the inhabitant had come from another direction. Fourthly, that the inhabitant was a man. Fifthly, that he was alive. And sixthly, that he had passed this way recently.

[0:43] What of the evidence that Jesus came? The evidence of Jesus Christ? What will we make of that, of his visit to planet Earth? God became flesh and dwelt amongst us. He became flesh and dwelt amongst us. He was like us, one of us. Yet without sin. A God who intervened in human history. Not remote or distant, but present.

[1:12] Eternity came and dwelt in humanity. The miracle of the incarnation. And he can do that today for those who trust in him. It's been put like this. The almightyness of God moved in a human arm. The love of God beat in a human heart. The wisdom of God spoke from human lips. The mercy of God reached forth with human hands. God was always a God of love.

[1:44] But when Christ came to the earth, love was wrapped in human flesh. Jesus was God with skin on. Let's suppose that I owned an ant farm. And for reasons known only to myself, I loved those ants more than anything in the world. How could I communicate my love to them?

[2:05] I could shout, I love you. But because I speak English and they speak ant, they wouldn't understand. I could write them a letter but they couldn't read it. I could shrink down to ant size but they wouldn't recognise me.

[2:22] But if I had supernatural powers, there's one thing I could do. I could take on the form of an ant. Be born as an ant. Live as an ant. And communicate as they do. Then I could find a way to say, I love you.

[2:38] That is what God did. He didn't mail a letter or shout from heaven. He did the one thing we could understand. God came down and entered the human race. He became just like us. So that forever we would hear him say, I love you.

[2:57] We wouldn't have done it that way. We'd schedule a press conference, call the TV stations, hire a press agent, have a parade, call in the dignitaries, sell tickets, make a big deal so all the world could see. But that's not God's way.

[3:14] Read the New Testament again. Instead of a flash and splash, there's a frightened father and an exhausted mother. In wintertime, a dirty stable, rags for diapers.

[3:27] There he is ignored by the mighty and powerful. A tiny, helpless baby. Emmanuel, God with us. God came down and lived among us. One solitary life. He was born in an obscure village. The child of a peasant woman. He grew up in still another village where he worked in a carpenter's shop until he was 30.

[3:56] Then he became a traveling preacher for three years. He never wrote a book. He never held an office. He never had a family or owned a house. He didn't go to college. He never traveled 200 miles from the place where he was born.

[4:14] He did none of these things one might associate with greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only 33 when public opinion turned against him. His friends ran away. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial.

[4:32] He was nailed to a cross between two thieves. When he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only property that he had on earth. And when he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed tomb through the pity of a friend.

[4:49] 19 centuries have come and gone. 19 centuries have come and gone. 19 centuries have come and gone. 19 centuries have come and gone. And today he is the central figure of the human race. The leader of mankind's progress. All the armies that have ever marched. All the navies that have ever sailed. All the parliaments that have ever sat. All the kings that have ever reigned. Put together have not affected the life of man on earth as much as one solitary life.

[5:15] 20 centuries have come and died. 20 centuries have come and died. 20 centuries have come and died. 20 centuries have come and died. 20 centuries have come and died. 20 centuries have come and died. 20 centuries have come and died. 20 centuries have come and died. 20 centuries have come and died. 20 centuries have come and died.

[5:26] 20 centuries have come and died. 20 centuries have come and died. 20 centuries have come and died. 20 centuries have come and died. to remember his death on our part. Let us be prayerful as we commune together, as we remember our Lord and bless him. Lord, we thank you for that one solitary life, Lord, that as you came, Emmanuel, you came with a reason, you came to live, the reason to live, to die for us.

[5:50] Lord, to die on our part. We thank you, Lord Jesus, that you took the cross upon your shoulder, you bore it to that hill and you laid your life down for us, that we can know your everlasting life.

[6:04] And now, Lord, as our risen Lord, we know you're coming again soon. And Lord, we remember your death until you come and we know that you are alive, very real and alive and present in our hearts.

[6:17] And Lord, we look forward to your coming again with great anticipation. We praise you, Lord, for this time, for our brothers and sisters all across our land, as we remember you, as we fellowship together, even in this strange way, Lord, yet we are together in that spirit of fellowship as we join as one body, as we take this time today in your precious name.

[6:43] Amen.