Sermon Tone Analysis

This morning I want us to focus our minds on our Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ.

In one of the most wonderful and glorious moments in history, and yet one of the most incomprehensible and mysterious moments in history, Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son, very God of very God, entered the world and became like one of us.

We call this beautiful mystery the incarnation.

The word incarnation, comes from the Latin incarnatio, which means to embody in flesh.

We use the word to refer to the enfleshment of God the Son- the act whereby the second person of the triune God was embodied permanently in human flesh and nature.

The Eternal Son added to his divine nature and second and full human nature, yet untied into a single person, un-confused, un-changeable, indivisible, inseparable.

This is a glorious truth that is incomprehensibly wonderful!

The New Testament has much to say about this beautiful mystery that is the incarnation:

The NT itself lists the incarnation as one of the great mysteries of godliness:

Other Descriptions:

He is the second man, the Lord from heaven

He came (to serve)

He came into the world

He came down from heaven

John 6:51 (ESV)

51 I am the living bread that came down from heaven.

He descended from heaven

He was sent

He appeared

He emptied himself and took the form of a servant

Philippians 2:7 (ESV)

7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant,

He became poor

He was made a little lower than the angels

A body was prepared for him

He was made of a woman

He partook of flesh and blood

He was made of the seed of David according to the flesh

He was sent in the likeness of sinful flesh

He was made in the likeness of men

He was made like His brethren in all things

It is of this wonderful glorious truth I want us to focus our attention on this morning!

And specifically I want us to think about the beautiful mystery or the incomprehensible paradox that is the incarnation.

I.

The beautiful mystery of pre-existence

What beginning does John refer to?

The beginning of creation- Jesus antedates creation itself.

Yet, the text implies that you can pick any beginning you wish.

Before the the beginning of anything you can imagine the Word already was.

Jesus is very God of very God.

He is pre-existent.

He is eternal.

He is Alpha- He has no beginning.

And yet, in a sense, had a beginning as a human baby.

He entered our word and the infinite, pre-existent one, the eternal one, became one of us.

This wonderful mystery leads to astonishing verses in Scripture.

That glorious babe that we worship in the manger is the pre-existent, eternal Son of God.

How can that small child be both pre-existent God and babe wrapped in swaddling clothes?

It is the glorious beautiful mystery of the Incarnation.

And though our finite reason fails to fully comprehend it, its glory should burst forth in our hearts and cause our worship of our blessed Savior Jesus Christ!

II.

The beautiful mystery of omnipotence

Jesus, the eternal Son, the very God of very God, the omnipotent one, the all powerful one, took upon himself in his flesh weakness?

Jesus the Omnipotent One!

And yet he was made like us!

That means Jesus the Almighty partook in weakness!

What a glorious paradox- He took upon himself weakness and yet remains Omnipotent!

That glorious babe that we worship in the manger is the Omnipotent Son of God.

How can that small child be both all powerful God and yet frail human babe wrapped in swaddling clothes?

It is the glorious beautiful mystery of the Incarnation.

And though our finite reason fails to fully comprehend it, its glory should burst forth in our hearts and cause our worship of our blessed Savior Jesus Christ!

III.

The beautiful mystery of exaltation

Jesus, the eternal son of God, very God of very God, the pre-existent, almighty one, who dwells in the glories of heaven surrounded by exaltation and worship became a meek and lowly babe, born in a manger, born into a word that did not know him?

Jesus in his exaltation!

Jesus in his humiliation!

Isaiah 53:2–3 (ESV)

2 he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

That glorious babe that we worship in the manger is the Exalted Son of God.

How can that small child be both all exalted God and yet despised and rejected human babe wrapped in swaddling clothes?

It is the glorious beautiful mystery of the Incarnation.

And though our finite reason fails to fully comprehend it, its glory should burst forth in our hearts and cause our worship of our blessed Savior Jesus Christ!

IV.

The beautiful mystery of holiness

Jesus Christ, the Eternal Son of God, very God of very God, the holy sinless one, yet he entered our world, experienced temptation and suffered for the sin of the world.

This is the cause of joy during our celebration of Christmas!

The words of Simeon!

That glorious babe that we worship in the manger is the Holy Son of God.

How can that small child be both all Holy God and yet the one on whom all iniquity was laid?

It is the glorious beautiful mystery of the Incarnation.

And though our finite reason fails to fully comprehend it, its glory should burst forth in our hearts and cause our worship of our blessed Savior Jesus Christ!

There are many many more beautiful mysteries of the incarnation!

Jesus the God-Man, remains incomprehensible yet the most comprehensive revelation of what God is like.

He remains immutable yet experienced progression in his humanity.

He remains everywhere yet dwelt among men in a unique way.

He remains all knowing while willingly assuming limited knowledge.

He remains sovereign yet gladly submitted to the will of the Father.

He remains infinite, unlimited, immeasurable God yet somehow displayed that glory through human flesh!

Have you received the fullness of the God-man?

Do you know the wonders of His grace in salvation?

Can you right marvel and worship Jesus Christ, incarnate Eternal Son of God, very God of very God?

For those that know Him- for those who reflected on his beauty with me this morning.

For those who rejoice anew at the the thought of the Son of God entering our world, bringing peace and joy to the earth.

Let us adore him more and more!

He is truly deserving of our awe and worship!