John 1:14
[0:00] I'm going to guess that you would not expect me today to say turn in your Bibles to John.
[0:10] Is that right? You who have been part of our fellowship from week to week know that our studies have been in the book of John. And we have actually worked our way through chapters 1, 2, and into chapter 3.
[0:25] And as we come to this Christmas season and as we think about the significance of the Lord Jesus coming to this earth, I can't help but having had my heart in John for about a year to come back to the book of John and ask that you turn this morning to John chapter 1.
[0:42] We are going to look at verse 14. And we're going to take the time to think about John chapter 1 in particular in relationship to the unbelievable doctrine of the incarnation.
[0:55] And as we do that this morning, it would be appropriate for us to begin with prayer, reminding ourselves of how absolutely we are dependent upon the Holy Spirit to help us in the study, in the understanding, and the application of the Word of God.
[1:12] So you join with me this morning as we come to the Lord. Our Father God, this morning as we come together as your people, our hearts are reminded of the clear instruction of Scripture in relationship to the matter of your Word and our dependence upon your Spirit, quickening us to comprehend, to apply, to have our lives affected by the beauty of the truth that we find in the Scriptures, and to grow to be more like the Lord Jesus Christ as a result.
[1:47] I pray, Lord, that my preaching this morning would be marked by the power of the Spirit of God and that the reception of the preaching of the Word would be something that is recognized in the hearts of your people, first by continuing growth in the grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and also that those who are here today that do not know Christ would be drawn to the cross and come to faith in the Lord Jesus.
[2:16] We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Let me read the passage to you in John chapter 1. We begin there in verse 14. It says, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen His glory, the glory, as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
[2:40] Look at it again, if you would. It says, And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us. This morning, as we kind of think about what this verse says to us, I want you to understand that if we were to take this out into the larger arena of the world that you and I associate in and where we travel day to day, and we were to say to people as they're kind of going through the Christmas spirit and season and all those kind of things, if you would say to them, Jesus came in the flesh, He is all God and all man, you'd probably get a little bit of a weird look on your face and people say, What does that have to do with Christmas?
[3:19] I mean, after all, Christmas is a time where everybody kind of gears up. I mean, driving through the new neighborhood that Judith and I are living in over on Guernsey, it seems that we are the only house that is not decorated.
[3:33] And part of that is probably because we are in the process of moving, but the other part of it is, if you really want to know the truth of it, we are not those people who kind of light our house and then when you turn on the lights, the rest of the neighborhood kind of dims down a little bit.
[3:48] You follow me? It's like stealth Christmas practicers. How's that? And when you drive through our neighborhood, everybody's kind of lit up with reindeers and Santa Claus.
[3:59] I was actually walking my dog and I see this huge blow-up Santa Claus and I thought, Well, what does this really have to do with Christmas? It doesn't.
[4:10] It's just kind of add-on and it really isn't the heart of what Christmas is all about. And I want you to look at this passage and fix it in your mind that at the heart of Christmas is the doctrine of the incarnation and it is the very foundation of our faith.
[4:27] Now, I want to confess this morning that the doctrine of the incarnation is not an easy doctrine. It's not one of those that you pick up and say, Oh, I got that. It's easy. It just makes perfect sense.
[4:39] It is complex to the point that J.I. Packer, commenting on it, he said, Here are two mysteries for the price of one. The plurality of the persons within the unity of the Godhead and in that union of the Godhead, God and man together in the person of Christ.
[5:02] And so as we think this morning about the incarnation, I want you to recognize that it is something that you, as you sit here this morning, appropriately should say, Lord, I need the help of the Holy Spirit that my heart can be enriched and encouraged and strengthened by the mystery of what the incarnation actually is.
[5:23] Let's begin by taking a little bit of time to understand the doctrine in broad terms. And this morning, if we're going to talk about a Christmas sermon, I want you to recognize, fundamentally, what we're going to be doing is dealing with a doctrinal truth.
[5:36] And when you think about the word doctrine, we have a tendency to kind of gray out a little bit. Oh, okay, heavy duty. It is a foundational truth and it's the very heart of our faith. When we think about the matter of the doctrine of the incarnation, we recognize that what this truth declares is that Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man in one person.
[5:59] Now, is that a little complicated? How can you be all God and all man? The truth of the matter is, it is not a truth that we put together simply by just rational, logical comprehension and say, well, I got that.
[6:15] It's an easy one. Second, and I think it's important for us to comprehend this truth, this doctrine is not understood apart from the grace of God.
[6:27] It's not something that the natural man kind of just picks up on and says, hey, that makes undeniable truth. It's easy to see. It's recognizable. I've got it.
[6:38] In fact, if you would take just a moment and turn over in your Bible to 1 Corinthians 2, we are reminded of the fact that ultimately all spiritual truth is something that is comprehended by the mind of the individual or the believer by the grace of God and the work of the Holy Spirit.
[6:59] So you look here in 1 Corinthians 2, verse 10, it says, these things God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God.
[7:12] For who knows a person's thoughts except the Spirit of that person which is in him? So also no one comprehends the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.
[7:25] Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might understand the things freely given us by God. How is it that you and I sit here as people who have come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and we can put together, we accept, we understand, we receive the truth that Jesus Christ is all God and all man.
[7:50] All God and all man. We understand that because of the grace of God. Third, I want you to recognize that this doctrine is absolutely unique to Christianity.
[8:04] Many world religions have mythological events in which the gods came down to visit humankind.
[8:16] If any of you can remember your Greek mythology from when you were in grade school or whatever, you remember all kinds of stories about things that the gods did. Whether it was getting angry at certain individuals or causing one heartache or another or engaged in immorality, whatever, there are all kinds of ideas of God's coming down.
[8:36] There are also very clear ideas of God being judgment, judging sin and dealing with things. And you have all kinds of illustrations of that in a lot of the different religions.
[8:48] But in no religion in the world does the truth come forward that God sent his son into the world to take upon himself humanity for the sake of mankind's salvation.
[9:04] I want you to understand also that there is no doctrine that probably has been the focus of more theological study and attention than this one.
[9:14] No other doctrine. And I'm not going to take the time this morning to run through all the history of the councils, but suffice it to say that the doctrine of the incarnation, the nature of Christ, was of such a challenge to the early church that it wasn't finally reconciled until 451 or 60 AD.
[9:38] 460 years. Actually, it was 300 and some after Christ's crucifixion. But you recognize that it's a profound, complex doctrine that really was a great challenge to the church to think through.
[9:50] It is clearly settled and it is understood that Christ is all man and all God. I want you to understand also that this doctrine rests on a great deal of scriptural evidence.
[10:02] It's not just one little verse here or one little verse there. And the Bible hammers home the fact that Jesus indeed is all God and all man. Let's take a minute and look at a couple of the different verses that make this point clear.
[10:16] John chapter 1 verse 14 put your finger on it and let me just remind you again the word became flesh and as we know from verse 1 of John when it talks about the word it's talking about God the creator the Lord Jesus Christ.
[10:31] Then in John chapter 6 verse 51 Jesus as he is preaching and you'll remember that John chapter 6 is that kind of break over break over chapter in which Jesus having had this great public ministry and everybody being very excited about his ministry he then preaches a series of sermons actually a sermon and the outcome is most everybody leaves.
[10:56] One of the things that he says in relationship to that is in verse 51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven. I Jesus I am the living bread and I came down from heaven.
[11:13] How does a person come down from heaven? Nobody who is in the flesh comes down from heaven just naturally it was God the son who came down here to be our savior.
[11:25] Galatians chapter 4 verse 4 I want you to encourage I want to encourage you to kind of take the time and track if you will so turn over to Galatians chapter 4 verse 4 but when the fullness of time had come God sent his son born of woman born under the law.
[11:51] Let me have you look at another passage in relationship to this if you're there in Galatians just move forward if you will to 1st Timothy chapter 3 in 1st Timothy chapter 3 we have a very interesting sequence of thought and coming towards the end of chapter 3 Paul explains he says listen let me tell you why I'm writing this book it's so that you part of the family of God the body of believers there in Ephesus he said that you would know how to handle yourself verse 15 if I delay you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God which is the church of the living God the pillar and buttress of truth and as Paul thinks about the church his heart then moves up further into the glory of thinking about the church and thinking principally about who the church is really all about it's the Lord Jesus that brings him to verse 15 or 16 great indeed we confess is the mystery of godliness now what is a mystery in the scriptures a mystery is something that we wouldn't know if we weren't told how many of you have sat through one of those
[13:04] TV shows that's kind of a mystery and you're sitting there trying to figure it out my wife and I will be sitting there and she'll say to me have you figured it out yet I said no I never figure them out I just wait till they tell me you know why waste the brain cells trying to figure out the mystery ahead of time they'll tell you within an hour promise in the Bible a mystery is something you would never figure out unless God told you and here is what it says great is the mystery of godliness he was manifested in the flesh vindicated by the spirit seen by angels proclaimed among the nations believed on in the world taken up into glory it is speaking about the Lord Jesus Christ and affirming the fact of his incarnation let me have you look at another passage in relationship to this over in the book of Hebrews and by the way if you're going to think about the incarnation and you're going to think about the ministry of Christ in salvation you always come back to the book of Hebrews as well because it is so rich in its explanation of the ministry and the work that Christ has look if you will at Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14 it says since therefore the children share in flesh and blood and that's what you and I are flesh and blood he himself likewise partook of the same things that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death that is the devil don't you like that fact this coming Wednesday my family will gather at a committal service in Alton cemetery and we are going to put the remains of my father in the ground and I want you to know that when I think about that day
[14:53] I am thankful that the Lord Jesus Christ came in the flesh and he died and rose again because if it were not for the fact of the incarnation of Christ and for his victory over the cross and his resurrection from the dead I would have no confidence whatever when I stand at that graveside but because of the incarnation and because of the certainty of the resurrection of Christ I can say with absolute certainty Jesus is the first fruits and others will follow after here it says that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death even the devil verse 17 therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God to make propitiation for the sins of the people
[16:02] I want you to look at one more verse I can't help but get away from this one if you will turn in your Bible to Hebrews chapter 10 verse 5 in Hebrews chapter 10 the author is continuing his argument of the supremacy the sufficiency of Christ as the sacrifice for sin and look at what it says there in verse 4 for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins so what is it that you can do to accommodate the wickedness of your soul and to satisfy the holy judgment of God against sin that you have created and committed you can do nothing and why is it because there is nothing that we can contribute in our finite and incapable person to the infinite offense that sin is against the holy God and how did he satisfy the judgment that would fall on sinful man he did it by sending his son infinite God to become man and in his flesh to fully satisfy the penalty for sin and so what we find there in verse 5 it says sacrifice is an offering you have not desired talking about the the animals the bull the sheep etc he says sacrifice an offering you have not desired but a body you have prepared for me here is Jesus recognizing you made me to be all flesh that I could be the satisfactory substitute for Tim
[17:52] Knoyer for Joe Halsey for Jeff Merrill for Sharma for all of us isn't that right he came to die in our place and to satisfy the debt of our sins we think about the broad scope of understanding the doctrine but let's kind of step into it a little further we'll take another step down and think about the actual nature of the incarnation the nature of the incarnation let me say up front that this is not one of those easy things and it's one that if you're sitting here and you're kind of fuzzing off on me a little bit I would plead with you that what you do right now is stop and say I need your help Holy Spirit fair enough how many of you understand that mediocre preaching can at least be remedied in part by a little bit of prayer I don't want to be mediocre in the task but I do want to challenge you you got a part to play and that's praying I want to understand the doctrine of the incarnation and have it make a difference in my heart because it's so important help me the nature of the incarnation as I take this section what I'm going to do is reduce what the council of Chalcedon hammered out into 207 words the Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is completely
[19:17] God and completely man and recognize that the council of Chalcedon at 450 some years after AD finally came to the point of reducing it down to 207 words not a one of them is really just carelessly thrown out how many of you know that some authors actually get paid by the word do you know that Zane what was the guy Zane Gray I think it was Zane Gray one day they asked him why do your heroes always take five shots he said well that's not hard I get paid 10 cents a word and so I want you to know that the council of Chalcedon was not paid by the word and when you have 207 they were important they are important to the understanding of the doctrine of the incarnation but we're going to push it together into pockets for us number one the Bible teaches that Jesus is God that Jesus is God
[20:17] Isaiah chapter 7 verse 14 identifies our coming Messiah as Emmanuel which means God with us and again there in Isaiah chapter 9 verse 6 and 7 Christ is spoken of as the mighty God the everlasting father the prince of peace peace when you read those statements made there in Isaiah chapter 9 you can't help but wonder why is it that the Jew doesn't understand the truth of the incarnation we find also that John spoke of Jesus as God in numerous places in John chapter 1 verse 1 it says in the beginning was the word and the word was God and the word was with God John chapter 1 verse 1 verse 2 verse 3 verse 14 and you can work your way through the book of John and hit one time after another the clear declaration that Jesus Christ is indeed
[21:17] God Paul also affirms that truth and we find it in Romans chapter 9 verse 5 and particularly in Philippians chapter 5 Philippians chapter 2 verse 5 through 8 remember where it says he did not think it was robbery to count himself as God and yet he willingly humbled himself and took upon himself the form of a servant Jesus Christ is 100% God secondly the Bible teaches us undeniably that Jesus is truly man he's truly man he came in a human body that's what we referred to over there in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 5 you have made for me a body and what he is recognizing is that Jesus Christ when he came to this earth he took upon himself the form of mankind he was born of a woman he came into this world the same way the rest of us have come into this world he grew and developed as any child would grow and if you turn back in your
[22:18] Bible there to Luke chapter 2 and don't need to now time wise but just kind of recognize in Luke chapter 2 it talks about his birth and then over in chapter 2 verse 52 it talks about his progressive growth it says that he grew in wisdom and stature and so I want you to understand when you think about the Lord Jesus Christ that there were times where he got tired he got thirsty his hands I have no idea exactly how it played out but when he was working in a carpenter shed with his father I would imagine there are times where a tool slipped or something and he got nicks and dings like everybody else does he learned how it was to be effective he learned obedience he learned in the environment that God had placed him and I want you to understand that he died like all mankind dies turn over in your Bible if you will to Luke chapter 23 I should clarify the uniqueness of his death I say that he died like all mankind what I mean by that is that he did die but look if you will in Luke chapter 23 verse 46 here's what it says then Jesus calling out with a loud voice said father into your hands
[23:30] I commit my spirit and having said this he breathed his last I want you to stop and think about that just for a moment God dying it's pretty complex isn't it God dying God the son in his human form dying the Bible also teaches us that Jesus Christ to complete natures remain distinct and retain their own properties let me say that again slowly the Bible teaches us that Christ to complete natures remain distinct and retain their own properties probably the best illustration of this distinct having their own properties would be if you would turn and just follow with me in your minds if you will but remember in the temptation of Jesus Satan came to Jesus and he relied upon
[24:31] Christ's complete humanity after 40 days of fasting he said hey are you hungry that's not what he said but he says how you doing there 40 days 40 days and he he tempted Jesus in his humanity and reminded him of the hunger and then he challenged him to rely upon his deity and he said if you're the son of God do what turn this stone in the bread you can do it the distinct humanity of Christ tempted the distinct deity of Christ called upon to satisfy a personal preference and Jesus said no man does not live by bread alone but by what every word that proceeds from the mouth of God the Bible teaches us that Jesus
[25:36] Christ is only one person we we may not be able to get that easily Christ's two natures do not make him two people John chapter 1 verse 14 says it well in the statement that the word became flesh and dwelt among us deity and humanity in one person and living in that one person in that time and for all eternity there's one other little thing I add to this in terms of Jesus Christ being only one person it's very interesting when you stop and do a little bit of Bible study you find that Jesus never spoke of himself in the plural that's interesting isn't it in fact several weeks ago when we were preaching in the in who's we
[26:37] I have a mouse in my pocket when I was preaching you know it's like there we go talking about the we and I don't buy that divine plural you know the pastor and God it's like Tim Kenoyer said it I was preaching and I referenced the fact that in John chapter three remember when Nicodemus came to Jesus and he says hey I I I and then he says we what was the we about does anybody remember I do yes who said that Carrie I make her stand up but I won't do that that's good wow that gives me great confidence does anybody else remember it besides Carrie when he says we he was talking about not just Jesus but he was talking about the word there are two testimonies one is Christ the other is the word but as a point of reference Jesus when he spoke about himself he used I first person himself me he didn't speak about himself as being the Godhead plural so it's important for us to understand that Jesus
[27:47] Christ is only one person finally the Bible teaches that the unity of Christ's two natures is permanent the unity of Christ's two natures is permanent turn over in your Bible if you will to 1st Timothy chapter 2 verse 15 1st Timothy chapter 2 I think I want to say 2nd Timothy chapter 2 no I don't okay here we go someone's going to have to save me help me rather for there is one God and one media that's got to be chapter one of oh that's why we have deacons thank you excellent John Jack appreciate that 1st Timothy chapter 2 verse 5 look at it there it says for there is one
[28:48] God and there is one mediator between God and man the man Christ Jesus one God and one mediator between God and men the man the man the man Christ Jesus why you look at one other passage in relationship to this issue of Christ turn back if you will to Acts chapter 17 Acts chapter 17 verse 31 this is a wonderful passage in which Jesus is brought out as the judge of all eternity what's happening in this passage is that Paul ends up preaching to a large gathering of unbelievers in Athens and really ostensibly they gather because they're curious about the idea of the resurrection
[29:55] I mean for the Jew I mean for the for the Greek the idea was this life's all you got and when it's over it's gone done you know and along comes Paul and he talks about the resurrection that's really intrigued them and so Paul starts out his sermon and notice how he kind of ends it up there if you will in verse 31 let me go to verse 30 the times of ignorance God overlooked but now he commands all people everywhere to repent you know what it means to repent to repent involves fundamentally an admission that you're heading in the wrong direction that your life's a mess and that you are a sinner stands justly condemned before a holy God and something needs to happen something needs to change repentance is not just a matter of saying oops
[30:55] I'm sorry no biggie no repentance means understanding that the Lord of this universe has a right to judge your life and find it contemptible because of the wickedness of your heart and you stand condemned in the eyes of a holy God and you have no hope apart from what Christ Jesus has done in dying for your sins and there in verse 30 he says hey listen the time is coming when God is going to judge because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead how do we know that Jesus is going to judge sin because of the empty tomb and who will judge sin not a distantly removed entity who has no personal understanding of what it is to live a human life the one who will judge sin is one who came here and lived on this earth lived a sinless life and died in my place and in your place to satisfy the holy judgment of
[32:10] God against my sin and the one who will ultimately judge the sinner and condemn that person who refuses the offer of salvation through the Lord Jesus Christ to a hopeless horrible eternity will be the very one Christ Jesus who came here in the flesh died upon the cross rose again and will be the judge of the whole earth so let's think now as we bring it together what is the importance of the incarnation just how important is this doctrine for one it is the true test of our faith you know I'm amazed at the wishy washiness of people today about doctrine well it ain't no big thing it is I mean if we take the Bible at face value we have to say if this is what God said he must be serious about it we ought to believe him or we ought to admit hey
[33:14] I don't buy it look at first John chapter four by this you know the spirit of God every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God okay pretty cut and dried hey you the second person of the trinity to become all man to live forever in that state and to be the savior of the world I want you to understand it also shows that God keeps his promises over in Romans chapter 15 verse 8 as we think about the practical value of this doctrine I want you to mark what it says in Romans chapter 15 for I tell you that Christ became a servant to the circumcised to show the truth God's truthfulness in order to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs why is the incarnation important how many promises does
[34:24] God get to break before he stops being God what's the answer one none God cannot change he cannot break a promise and so when God made a promise to the fathers Christ came to fulfill it and became human in entirety third Jesus came to be the effective sacrifice for sin go back if you will John chapter 3 verse 5 John chapter 3 verse 5 you know that he appeared to take away sins so why did Jesus come to take away sins last week as I was having a conversation with an individual regarding the home going of my father and the nursing home that dad and mom have lived in has been just a wonderful environment in which week after week day!
[35:22] day opportunities to talk to people about the Lord Jesus Christ and with dad's home going I cannot tell you how many people have come and said very kind things one of the more common ones is that well your father went to a better place now I agree 100% that my father is in a better place I want you to know that and the immediately the thing that was said immediately after that was your father was such a good man and I said well my father was a man who was blessed by the kindness of Christ who saved him while he was a sinner and drew him to his side yeah I can't my dad was a good man but he didn't start out that way he started out a sinner broken a wretch completely despairing I got to tell you the truth and I will say this in the memorial service I never knew!
[36:19] how I why did Jesus come?
[37:00] I love that question around Christmas time do you follow me? why did Jesus come? I mean was it all about this little story of a little baby in a manger and cows and chickens or whatever else around it is not about that it is about Jesus coming taking upon himself flesh to be the sacrifice for my sins and to die in my place I want you to understand that incarnation also gives us a perfect example to follow a perfect example to follow over in 1 Peter chapter 2 and take a look if you will just for a moment 1 Peter chapter 2 verse!
[37:40] 21 it says for you've been called for this purpose 1 Peter chapter 2 verse! 21 because Christ also suffered for you leaving you an example so that you might follow in his steps hey where do we get the idea that life is supposed to be just a bed of roses and they're not supposed to have any problems that would be nice if it were true right truth of matter is that the real test of Christian character is revealed under the pressure of adversity wouldn't you agree with that you find out what's really inside when you get pressed you step above those things by the power of the spirit for the glory of Christ and here it says you've been called for this purpose since Christ suffered for you you've got an example to follow
[38:40] I want you to realize also that Christ Jesus came in the flesh for the sake of revealing God directly to us revealing God directly to us look at John chapter 1 verse 18 go back to that just as we get ready to close John chapter 1 verse 18 no one has ever seen God if you were to take all those books that have been written and stack it up against John chapter 1 18 you'd have to make a choice which one is telling the truth the Bible says no one has ever seen God the only God who is at the Father's side he has made him known there's only one person who reveals to us fully and completely the reality of God the Father and is the Lord Jesus Christ I love
[39:41] I love what Jesus said when one of his disciples came to him and said hey hey hey do us a biggie here help us show us the Father and that's okay and what did Jesus say have I been with you so you know I kind of get the idea that Jesus what's the deal if you've seen me you've seen the Father isn't that right let me close with this turn your Bible to Hebrews chapter two chapter seven chapter two verse seventeen and eighteen therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect so that he may become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of
[40:42] God to make propitiation for the sins of the people for because he himself has suffered when tempted he is able to help those who are being tempted do you like that why is the incarnation important to us it's because it serves to make him our perfect high priest and king the Lord Jesus who around Christmas time we think of so often as this little baby in a manger and the whole world around us is thinking about just everything but the glory of the incarnation here's the truth God seeing my miserable state and your absolute inability willingly was committed to the ministry of reconciliation and our salvation that he sent his son the
[41:46] Lord Jesus Christ to humble himself to become a man to live here and to die to pay the penalty for my sins and for your sins and do you know how simple he made the matter of salvation unbelievable what do you have to do to be saved believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you'll be saved I love what it says in Romans chapter 10 verse 11 it says whosoever believes in him shall not be ashamed look at me there's not a one of us that honestly can stand full faced before God and not be ashamed when we think about the miserable truth of our own life I remember reading not too long ago an individual said something about me that kind of he's a bad person and I reminded myself immediately of what
[42:54] I think it was George Whitefield wrote a man had written an extensive letter accusing George Whitefield of all kinds of horrible things and George Whitefield wrote back to him and said you know what I'm a far worse man than you think I am if you knew all of my inner thoughts and struggles the truth of matter is is that what the Bible says is that whosoever calls upon the name of the Lord receives complete forgiveness for all sin and is made to be righteousness and truth in the Lord Jesus Christ does it get any better than that no does it get any simpler than that no and that is one of the reasons why I am fully persuaded that for all eternity those who willingly refuse the offer of the gospel will spend forever in bitterness resenting how clear and how simple and how wonderful it is that
[43:57] Jesus died in their place and they had the offer and refused it and I would plead with you if you are here today and you do not know Christ do not walk out that door saying no to the one who willingly came to be flesh for me and for you let's pray father god this morning our heart is caught with what the apostle wrote in first timothy without controversy great is the mystery of godliness us that you the eternal god and father appointed your son to come to this earth and take upon himself human flesh to become a man why to die for sin and to rise again to break the chains and the bondage of sin that whosoever believes in what
[45:27] Jesus did on the cross might have everlasting life and not come into condemnation and so this morning as we celebrate the incarnation and the fact that Jesus is all god and all flesh all man we want the great joy of our life to be the lord Jesus Christ who we who know him will someday see him and let that drive us towards eternity and I pray for those that are here today that do not know Christ that this morning the spirit of god would get a hold of their heart and draw them to repentance to confess the darkness of their soul and their absolute inability to save themselves and they would call upon the name of the lord and be saved amen as we who