2 Corinthians 5:17-19

New Year’s Resolutions
The time of year when everyone determines to be a better person.
It is the time of year when the past can be erased, and we can go forward different.

Of so we think.

I for one have no use for New Year’s Resolutions.
In fact, I can’t stand them.

And of course the reason is because they are in no way Biblical.

“You mean, me trying to be a better person isn’t Biblical”
That’s right.

YOU TRYING to be a better person isn’t Biblical.

We don’t go through life hoping that somehow by our shear strength and determination we will be able to live better in the coming year.

Nor do we approach life as though being a better person is within our grasp.

The simple fact is.
NO MAN EVER TRULY GOT BETTER BY HIS OWN ABILITY.

Now some people do succeed in becoming more moral.
Matthew 12:43-45 “Now when the unclean spirit goes out of a man, it passes through waterless places seeking rest, and does not find it. “Then it says, ‘I will return to my house from which I came’; and when it comes, it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order. “Then it goes and takes along with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there; and the last state of that man becomes worse than the first. That is the way it will also be with this evil generation.”

There is such a thing as morality in which you can remove your flaws and clean yourself up. But you saw what Jesus said, “the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

You see no man ever got truly better by his own ability. It is the weakness of the human flesh.

Romans 7:19 “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want.”

Paul knew that there was no way he could ever get truly better.
He could want to get better.
He could purpose to get better.
He could set goals and make plans.
But in the end “the good that I want, I do no do…”

Paul knew a true makeover was beyond his own ability, and it prompted him to cry out.

Romans 7:24 “Wretched man that I am! Who will set me free from the body of this death?”

Make all the resolutions you want, but even Paul knew they won’t last.
You may get more moral, you may even get a little thinner, but you will never truly be a better person. And if you aren’t careful, “the last state of that man becomes worse than the first.”

But in the text we study this morning, we find how to truly have an extreme makeover. It comes only by surrendering your life to Jesus Christ.

And we do need to place this text in context just a little bit.
If you are familiar with the book of 2 Corinthians, you know that in this letter Paul spends a great deal of time defending himself.

In part because of his background as a persecutor of the church…
Acts 9:26 “When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple.”

In part because of his unimpressive appearance…
2 Corinthians 10:10 “For they say, “His letters are weighty and strong, but his personal presence is unimpressive and his speech contemptible.”

But mostly because Paul was completely willing to be a fool for Christ.
1 Corinthians 4:9-13 “For, I think, God has exhibited us apostles last of all, as men condemned to death; because we have become a spectacle to the world, both to angels and to men. We are fools for Christ’s sake, but you are prudent in Christ; we are weak, but you are strong; you are distinguished, but we are without honor. To this present hour we are both hungry and thirsty, and are poorly clothed, and are roughly treated, and are homeless; and we toil, working with our own hands; when we are reviled, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure; when we are slandered, we try to conciliate; we have become as the scum of the world, the dregs of all things, even until now.”

In Paul’s mind, if God wanted him to do something that made him look completely foolish in the world’s eyes, he would still do it, because he belonged to God.

While we know this is what true Christianity is all about, it still left Paul constantly having to defend himself before those who tried to undermine his ministry.

This is one of the themes of 2 Corinthians, and it is one of the themes of chapter 5.

You can see Paul defending himself in verse 13.
2 Corinthians 5:13-16 “For if we are beside ourselves, it is for God; if we are of sound mind, it is for you. For the love of Christ controls us, having concluded this, that one died for all, therefore all died; and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

This statement is foundational for our text this morning.
Paul said, we may have been “beside ourselves” or foolish in your eyes, but we did it for God.

Paul was willing to look like a fool because “the love of Christ controls us”.

Paul had already learned a fundamental truth.
FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST HAVE SURRENDERED THEIR RIGHTS TO CHRIST.

They surrender their freedoms to Christ…
They surrender their actions to Christ…
They surrender their thoughts to Christ…
They surrender their possessions to Christ…
They surrender their reputations to Christ…
If we are truly Christians, then we have truly turned our backs on our self, which is what Paul said in verse. 15

“and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.”

This is exactly what Christ said when He offered salvation.
Matthew 16:24-25 “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. “For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.”

So in short, Paul is making this point.
I may look like a fool in the world’s eyes, but the reason is because I am doing what God wants me to do.

You Corinthians should not discredit my ministry just because other people make a spectacle of me. I am controlled with a deep love for Christ.

And then he makes the statement in verse 16.
2 Corinthians 5:16 “Therefore from now on we recognize no one according to the flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh, yet now we know Him in this way no longer.”

Paul’s point is this.
When we look at other people to see if they are a Christian, we don’t look at the flesh.

Paul said, “we recognize no one according to the flesh”.

DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?
You cannot recognize a Christian simply by looking at the flesh.

I mean think about it.
Go to Wal-Mart and start asking people if they are a Christian.
Everyone says they are.

It is not hard to say you are a Christian.
It is not hard to look like a Christian on the outside.

Matthew 21:18-19 “Now in the morning, when He was returning to the city, He became hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, “No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you.” And at once the fig tree withered.”

That tree looked right, until the fruit was missing.

And there are a lot of people who try.
Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it.”

And to make his point Paul uses Jesus as an example.
HOW DO YOU RECOGNIZE JESUS?

Not by the flesh. We don’t know Him like this. Despite all the pictures, we don’t know what Jesus looked like. Yet even Jesus said, true Christians would recognize Him.

John 10:14 “I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,”

We recognize Jesus, but it is not because we see His face.
We recognize Jesus by testimony of the Spirit. We recognize Jesus by His fruit.

And this is also what Jesus taught.
You won’t know a fellow Christian by their appearance.
Just because a person where’s a suit and goes to church does not make them a Christian.
Just because a person has a fish on their car does not mean they are a Christian.
You can put a tuxedo on a thief, but he is still a thief.

HOW DO YOU SPOT A CHRISTIAN?
Matthew 7:16-18 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they? “So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit. “A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit.”

Just like the fig tree.

When we see people on the street, we are not looking at their face to see if they are a Christian, we are examining their fruit.

This is why things like New Year’s Resolutions are useless. Change the flesh all you want. Get thinner…Get moral…Dress better…Feel better…

But those things are futile, and Christians aren’t recognized by them.
A Christian is recognized by the inside, not the outside.
A Christian is recognized by the Spirit, not the flesh.

Make all the resolutions you want, but they are useless.
I don’t want them, and what is more, I don’t need them.

And if you are in Christ, neither do you.
And in our text this morning, I want you to see why.

We do not need to change ourselves, and indeed we can’t.
We aren’t strong enough.
But in Jesus comes an “Extreme Makeover”

#1 PROMISE OF RENOVATION
2 Corinthians 5:17

Now did you catch what Paul said?
He didn’t say, “he should be a new creature.”
He didn’t say, “he will be a new creature.”

Paul said, “he IS a new creature”

We don’t have the ability to make ourselves better, or new, but if we are in Jesus, He does it for us.

He says, “the old things passed away; behold new things have come.”

WHAT ARE THE OLD THINGS?
Galatians 5:19-21 “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”

These are all things you can’t change in yourself.
Oh maybe you can stop the action, but it’s the urge that is the problem.

You see you are what you are, regardless of what you do.
A thief doesn’t become a thief after he steals. He steals because he is a thief.
A murderer doesn’t became a murderer after he kills. He kills because he is a murderer.

You can’t change the inside.
Which is what makes Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount so convicting.

Matthew 5:21-22 “You have heard that the ancients were told, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT MURDER’ and ‘Whoever commits murder shall be liable to the court.’ “But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be guilty before the court; and whoever says to his brother, ‘ You good-for-nothing,’ shall be guilty before the supreme court; and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ shall be guilty enough to go into the fiery hell.”

Matthew 5:27-28 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY’; but I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lust for her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

These are the old things of the flesh, that you can’t change. You can try all you want, but they will always be with you. That is what Paul found out. When he said, I just can’t kick them.

Romans 7:19-20 “For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but sin which dwells in me.”

That is the flesh that is having a hay-day!
But when Jesus comes into a life, the “old things passed away”

In fact that was the problem with our moral man we talked about yesterday.
When the demons returned to it’s house, “it finds it unoccupied, swept, and put in order.”

You can’t get better in your own strength, only Jesus can remove the unsightlies.

But not only does he remove the old things.
“behold, new things have come”
WHAT ARE THESE NEW THINGS?

Galatians 5:22-24 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.”

You see, you can’t go get these things on your own. They are not for sale at the local hardware store.

You’ve heard it said, “You can’t buy love”
Well you can’t buy, “joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control” either.

Those things cannot be found on this earth.
No human possesses them in his self.

Those are the attributes of God’s Spirit, and if God’s Spirit isn’t there, then these attributes aren’t either.

Those new things only come when the house is occupied by God’s Spirit.

You can’t rid yourself of the problems, only Christ can do it in you. Try all you want, but it won’t work.

And many of us know this, that is why we all have at least one piece of unused exercise equipment.

But in Christ Jesus, we have a promise of renovation.
1 Corinthians 6:9-11 “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”

Now maybe you still aren’t convinced that you can’t do it on your own.
This text also shows us where the strength to do this comes from. And it doesn’t come from you.

#2 THE POWER FOR RENOVATION
2 Corinthians 5:18a
“Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ Jesus”
Notice where these “new things” come from?
GOD

As we just said, you can’t find them in the world. There is no ‘lovefast chocolate shake”
There is no “peacefast chocolate shake”

These things only come from God.
And they come by being reconciled back to God through Jesus Christ.

You can’t get them any other way.

We don’t go through life trying to better ourselves. We go through life letting God work in us.

Philippians 2:13 “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”

Here is the key.

IF YOU REALLY WANT TO BE BETTER
If you really want to change.
If you really want a renovation.

Then do not make some resolution and then spend all your energy trying to attain it.

VICTORY OVER THE FLESH IS NOT ATTAINED THROUGH STRENGTH. IT IS ATTAINED THROUGH SUBMISSION.

You do not overcome your flaws by trying to take control of yourself. You overcome your flaws by surrendering yourself to God.

Galatians 5:16 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.”

We have talked enough about holiness and perfection lately in the book of 1 Peter.

I have had more than one person approach me to remind me that perfection isn’t possible. We still have to sin.

IF PERFECTION ISN’T POSSIBLE, THEN WHY DOES GOD COMMAND IT?
IF HOLINESS ISN’T POSSIBLE, WHY DOES GOD COMMAND IT?
DOES GOD FILL HIS BIBLE WITH COMMANDS WE DON’T HAVE TO DO, SIMPLY BECAUSE WE KNOW WE CAN’T?

Of course not.
The reason we think perfection or holiness isn’t possible is because we know we aren’t strong enough in ourselves to do it.

THAT’S THE POINT!

“walk by the Spirit, and YOU WILL NOT carry out the desire of the flesh.”

The power to be renovated is not found in you trying to renovate yourself. The power for the extreme makeover is found in submitting your life to God through Christ Jesus.

2 Corinthians 12:10
“Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ’s sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.”

Make all the resolutions you want, but you are not strong enough.
Only God is strong enough, submit to Him.

But that isn’t all.
Because you see, there is reason why God renovates us.

#3 PURPOSE OF RENOVATION
2 Corinthians 5:18b-19

The end of verse 18 says, “and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.”

And just in case you don’t know what that is, he spends the first part of verse 19 explaining it.

“that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not counting their trespasses against them.”

You see, God has had a plan for this world. He has been trying to reconcile all men to Himself.

And the way He does this is by renovating some and sending them out to show others the way.

“And He has committed to us the word of reconciliation”

The secret to being better in the coming year is to let the potter work on you.
He takes those blemishes and reforms them into marks of beauty.
He takes what is helpless and gives it purpose.

God is in the business of taking old clay pots, breaking them down, and reforming them into beautiful pitchers from which He can pour His living water.

In short, you have been saved, you have been changed, you have been reconciled for a purpose, and that purpose is to show others how to get to the Potter.

We live in a world that is screaming to be made new.

Romans 8:18-25 “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us. For the anxious longing of the creation waits eagerly for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body. For in hope we have been saved, but hope that is seen is not hope; for who hopes for what he already sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, with perseverance we wait eagerly for it.”

Our world is full of people who wish they could be new.
Even our creation longs to be new.

This is why we make new year’s resolutions. People wish they could be different.

They why don’t you show them.
If they only knew there is a God who really does make all things new.

Let that be your New Year’s Resolution, to stop trying in your own strength, and to run to Jesus. Submit to Him and let Him change you from the inside out. And then, once you are made new, share your secret with others.

Help others see how to be reconciled to this great God!

That is your ministry; that is your message; that is your purpose.
Have a Happy New Life.

2 Corinthians 5:20-21 “Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were making an appeal through us; we beg you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Why Christmas Makes Sense
Hebrews 2:5-18
December 25, 2011

It is always a unique joy of mine to be able to gather here on Christmas morning with God’s people and celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

I am grateful you have chosen to come.

Earlier we watched the video: “How Many Kings?”
The singer asked:
“How many kings stepped down from their thrones? How many lords have abandoned their homes? How many greats have become the least for me? How many gods have poured out their hearts to romance a world that is torn all apart? How many fathers gave up their sons for me?”

And when you ask the questions like that it highlights what could easily be called “The Absurdity of Christmas”

Philippians 2:6-8 “who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men. Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”

And again that statement just almost sounds absurd
That Holy God would become Lowly Man.

2 Corinthians 8:9 “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.”

Again, an absurd statement, that someone would give up all their riches
In order to trade places with those who are the most poor.

2 Corinthians 5:21 “He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.”

Romans 8:3 “For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,”

Galatians 4:4-5 “But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons.”

And when you read statements like that we must admit that
They sound a little bizarre, if not fully unbelievable.

In fact, the notion that the God of all creation would belittle Himself
To the point of becoming the poorest of men
And would submit Himself to the most shameful of deaths,
Just so those who killed Him could have some of His glory….
That’s really hard to handle.

We might actually find it easier to believe a fat man in a red suit rides reindeer from house to house and drops through chimney’s in order to bring a child’s most desired gift if they have been good all year.

I mean, when you think about it that story isn’t much harder to believe.

In fact, the story of Christmas seemed so absurd
That it was in fact the reason the Jews so often failed to believe.

Remember John 6?
• The crowd that had just been fed at the feeding of the 5,000…
• Fully enamored with Jesus…
• Wanting more bread…

And then Jesus hit them with this bombshell:
John 6:35-38 “Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. “But I said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe. “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me.”

And when Jesus said He came from heaven,
Instantly the crowd lost their enthusiasm.

John 6:41-42 “Therefore the Jews were grumbling about Him, because He said, “I am the bread that came down out of heaven.” They were saying, “Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How does He now say, ‘I have come down out of heaven’?”

John 6:60 “Therefore many of His disciples, when they heard this said, “This is a difficult statement; who can listen to it?”

And even later:
John 6:66 “As a result of this many of His disciples withdrew and were not walking with Him anymore.”

• You see, the notion of a king stepping down from His throne…
• The notion of a lord abandoning His home…
• The notion of the great becoming the least…
• The notion of a god pouring out His heart…
• The notion of a father giving up His Son…

That was just too absurd to be true.
And this is why the Jews so quickly rejected Him.

And if for just a moment, we forgot that we have been taught this from childhood, and put ourselves in the Jew’s shoes
We can see how they thought this was a little too far-fetched to be true.

It just sounds absurd.

BUT: There is a perfectly good explanation for why Christmas happened.
And it is the explanation that the writer of Hebrews gives this morning.

You are familiar that the book of Hebrews wasn’t a letter that was written, but was a sermon that was preached.

And the preacher is addressing a Jewish congregation.
• Some are skeptics – thinking it all a little too much to believe.
• Some are cowards – knowing it is true, but afraid of the scorn of admitting it.
• Some are weary – having confessed, but considering denying due to hardship.

And the preacher hits all three at various points.

The sermon actually opens (and the portion we will see)
Dealing with those skeptics.

And in chapter 1, the writer gives his first argument, and that is that
Jesus is greater than the angels.

That seems like a no-brainer to us,
But it was actually a big deal to the Jews.

Angels were with God on Sinai…
Angels mediated the Law…
Angels were lofty messengers…

But more than that, angels were certainly higher than humans.
And they definitely believed Jesus was human.

And so they believed that Jesus was lower than the angels.
The writer first sets out to prove that isn’t so.

HEBREWS 1:5-14 (And we won’t comment on this fully, but notice the argument)

And because Jesus is higher than the angels, the writer gives a little encouragement then that we had better listen to what He says.

HEBREWS 2:1-4

So even though Jesus was human, He is higher than the angels,
As God’s Old Testament clearly reveals, and we had better listen.

That is really the scope of the entire sermon,
But the preacher knows it isn’t that easy.

For there is another question about to arise.
WHY?

You are asserting that Jesus is in fact higher than the angels.

THEN WHY DID HE BECOME HUMAN?
• Why didn’t He remain as God?
• Why didn’t He become like the angels?
• Why did He become human?

And the answer begins in verse 5,
Where the preacher says it all makes perfect sense.

Three things I want to show you this morning.
#1 THE REASON
Hebrews 2:5-9

And right off the bat the preacher gives the reason
That Jesus became man and not an angel.

“For He did not subject to angels the world to come, concerning which we are speaking.”

The reason He didn’t become and angel
Is because it wasn’t the angels who were in danger.

It wasn’t the angels who needed saving.
It was men.

WHAT DO YOU MEAN?
(6-8) “But one has testified somewhere, saying, “WHAT IS MAN, THAT YOU REMEMBER HIM? OR THE SON OF MAN, THAT YOU ARE CONCERNED ABOUT HIM? “YOU HAVE MADE HIM FOR A LITTLE WHILE LOWER THAN THE ANGELS; YOU HAVE CROWNED HIM WITH GLORY AND HONOR, AND HAVE APPOINTED HIM OVER THE WORKS OF YOUR HANDS; YOU HAVE PUT ALL THINGS IN SUBJECTION UNDER HIS FEET.” For in subjecting all things to him, He left nothing that is not subject to him. But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.”

The preacher there quotes Psalms 8 in which David recognizes
That God has given full dominion over all creation to man.

Genesis 1:28 “God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

So God had given full dominion to man.

In fact according to the preacher Psalm 8 is clear:
“He left nothing that is not subject to him.”

God put all things under the feet of man.
BUT THERE IS AN OBVIOUS PROBLEM
“But now we do not yet see all things subjected to him.”

Obviously man is not in control.

I’ve told you before, just watch animal planet.
“I shouldn’t be alive” – nature tries to kill man.
“Fatal Attractions” – animals try to kill man.

This world isn’t in subjection the way God intended it.

WHY?
Genesis 3:17-19 “Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; In toil you will eat of it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; And you will eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You will eat bread, Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.”

So God didn’t become an angel
Because angels weren’t the ones with the problem.

Man had the problem.
He was supposed to reign, but he didn’t, he had fallen.

This is why God became a man.
(9) “But we do see Him who was made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”

You see, there is only one way for man to undo the curse.
Pay off the debt.

He sold his rights to the usurper in exchange for “the knowledge of good and evil” and in order to get his rights back, he must pay the debt.

WHAT IS THE DEBT?
Romans 6:23a “For the wages of sin is death…”

So, the only way to deliver man from his predicament
Is to become man and pay their debt.

That is exactly why God became man.
“so that by the grace of God He might taste death for everyone.”

There is the reason.

BUT WAIT A MINUTE!!!
As we said earlier, THAT SOUNDS STRANGE.

If man disobeyed God and brought this misery on themselves, why wouldn’t God just leave it up to man to fix it?

Why would God belittle Himself so much so as to fix it for them?

It sounds absurd that God would do this.
#2 THE RATIONALE
Hebrews 2:10-16

Notice how the preacher starts:
“For it was fitting”

In other words, “This makes perfect sense”

“For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.”

The preacher said it makes perfect sense for God
To let Jesus suffer as a human.

WHY?
(11) “For both He who sanctifies (Jesus) and those who are sanctified (men) are all from one Father; for which reason he is not ashamed to call them brethren,”

Why does it make sense for Jesus to become man?
BECAUSE WE ARE GOD’S CHILDREN TOO.

And the preacher quotes some more Old Testament passages
To reinforce this fact.

(12-13) “saying, “I WILL PROCLAIM YOUR NAME TO MY BRETHREN, IN THE MIDST OF THE CONGREGATION I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.” And again, “I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.” And again, “BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME.”

The point there being that Jesus called humans “My brethren”

So we are God’s children too, and that is why it makes perfect sense for Jesus to become human.

God sent one Son to help the rest of them.
It all comes back to the love of God.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life.”
The notion of Christmas does sound absurd,
Unless you understand the love of God,
And then it makes perfect sense.

In fact Christmas only sounds absurd to those who only love themselves.

But in God’s mind this “was fitting”
He sent one Son to rescue the rest.

And to rescue a human, you have to be human.
(14) “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same”

WHY?
So He could die
“that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and might free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives.”

He came to pay man’s debt and set them free.
And He had to become man to do that.

Make no mistake, the most fitting symbol of Christmas
Is not the manger, it is the cross.
HE CAME TO DIE

That is why He became man and not an angel.
“For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but He gives help to the descendant of Abraham.”

It wasn’t about Him maintaining status,
It was about Him giving help to those who needed it.

The Reason, The Rationale
#3 THE REALITY
Hebrews 2:17-18

• If God loves humans…
• And if the only way to help them is to become human…

Then the rest is obvious:
“Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things”

It wasn’t just a decision, it was necessary.
It was the only way man could be delivered. “He had to” do it.

“so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.”
The point here is that if He hadn’t become human,
Then not only could He not have died and paid the penalty,
But He couldn’t even have been sympathetic to their dilemma.

Ever hear the statement, “Walk a mile in a man’s shoes…”?

That is what Jesus did, in fact He went 2.
Hebrews 5:8 “Although He was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered.”

No He didn’t learn to obey, He was already doing that.
He learned why obedience is so hard.

He learned how to sympathize with us.
He learned how to be merciful to us.

Perhaps if the older brother had fed the pigs with his prodigal younger brother, he would have been more sympathetic when he came home.

Well, Jesus is sympathetic because He became one of us,
And this had to happen.
(18) “For since He Himself was tempted in that which He has suffered, He is able to come to the aid of those who are tempted.”

He endured compassion training.

And so
• It seems strange that God would become man.
• It seems strange that a king would leave his throne.
• It seems strange that a lord would leave his home.
• It seems strange that the greatest would become the least.
• It seems strange that a father would give up his son.

Unless you understand the love of God
And His desire to save man and sympathize with them.
And then it makes perfect sense.
And the point?
God really did become man, and He really did die in our place, and you can believe it.

 

Merry Christmas!

 

God’s Great Gift
John 3:16

This morning we look at a text, that none of you needed me to read to you. It is very well the first you ever learned.

And as I began to contemplate what to preach on this Christmas morning,
It was this verse that rang in my head.

At Christmas time we rightly look upon the manger
And dwell upon those near impossible words,
“The word became flesh and dwelt among us”.

It is absolutely mind boggling to try and understand the incarnation.
It is absolutely mind boggling to try and rationalize how it occurred.

How can Jesus be fully God and fully man?
How can two natures be one, and yet two?

Even theologians for centuries have wrestled with the concept.

Eventually we have to strike it all up to the transcendence of God.
This is just another concept on that long list of things
That God knows, that I cannot.

For His thoughts are not my thoughts, and His ways are not my ways.

The incarnation is a mystery.

However, not all of it is mysterious.
In fact, part of the incarnation is quite clear.
And that part is the “WHY” of the incarnation.

While we may never fully grasp the concept of God becoming flesh,
The simple reasoning as to why He did has always been plainly stated.
And that reason is LOVE

And this morning as we meet for Christmas,
I just want to remind you of this great love of God.
A love so strong that it conceived
And then performed the miracle of the incarnation.

Now, as is true in all study of God’s word, no text stands alone, and every one must be put in context.

You are aware that in John 3
Jesus is in the middle of a nighttime conversation.

Nicodemus came under covering of darkness (a fact that Jesus will exploit later in the text) and Nicodemus came with bad theology.
(2) “Rabbi we know that You have come from God as a teacher; for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”

Nicodemus had a faulty mindset that all Israel needed was a good teacher. (That after all is probably why he was a Pharisee)

Jesus absolutely overturned this notion in verse 3.
(3) “Jesus answered and said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

Man didn’t need to be “tweaked”,
Man needed to be “scrapped” and started over.

There was and is nothing salvageable in mankind.

Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,”

Romans 3:10-12 “as it is written, “THERE IS NONE RIGHTEOUS, NOT EVEN ONE; THERE IS NONE WHO UNDERSTANDS,THERE IS NONE WHO SEEKS FOR GOD; ALL HAVE TURNED ASIDE, TOGETHER THEY HAVE BECOME USELESS; THERE IS NONE WHO DOES GOOD, THERE IS NOT EVEN ONE.”

Mankind must be “born again”

But as you remember, this concept was inconceivable to Nicodemus.
(4) “Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born, can he?”

Even after Jesus did some explaining, Nicodemus was still in the dark.

(9) “Nicodemus said to Him, “How can these things be?”

And don’t be too hard on Nicodemus,
True salvation has always been hard for man to swallow.

Man has always had difficulty conceiving of a salvation
Where man is powerless to do anything,
But must throw himself at the mercy of God.

Even when the rich young ruler went away sad
And Jesus revealed that it is easier for a camel
To go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven.

It was the disciples who said, “Then who can be saved?”

To which Jesus responded:
Matthew 19:26 “And looking at them Jesus said to them, “With people this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

Man has always had difficulty conceiving of a salvation
That cannot be attained by their own efforts.
Yet true salvation, according to Jesus, is the total work of God.
Man cannot help, God must do it all.

And Jesus first introduced the MEANS of this salvation in verse 14.

(14-15) “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life.”

Jesus revealed to Nicodemus that salvation
Would be attained through the death of the Son of Man,
And that man would partake of that salvation,
Not through strong effort, but through faith.

And all this seems like a cozy plan, except for one thing.

WHAT WOULD POSSESS THE SON OF MAN TO ALLOW HIMSELF TO BE LIFTED UP?

WHY WOULD GOD DO SUCH A THING?

And then enters John 3:16
It is a verse that explains the “why” of salvation.
It is a verse that explains the “why” of the incarnation.
It is a verse that explains the “why” of the crucifixion.

And the “why” is simply LOVE.

And this morning I just want to take a close and thoughtful look
At the love of God as it is depicted in this famous verse.

#1 THE AUTHOR OF LOVE
“For GOD”

And please don’t read on until you take a moment
To comprehend exactly who did the loving here.

This verse does not begin by saying, “For man was so broken that God…”

Man did not initiate this salvation, God did.
It was God who was first at work.

A natural man doesn’t even want salvation, let alone seek it.
Ephesians 2:1-3 “And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience. Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.”

Man didn’t want God, man wanted sin.

And that goes for you as well.

If God hadn’t intervened,
You would have never even wanted what He had to offer.

Apart from God you could not have come,
And apart from God you would not have come.
God set the whole thing in motion.

And don’t miss out on the fact that He is God.

The author of love is not some insignificant being.
We are talking about the Creator of the universe.
We are talking about the absolute supreme Power.

The entire universe bends to His will.
When He told light to come, light had to come from somewhere.
When He told land to appear, land had to arrive.
When He told fish to swim, they had better do it.

It didn’t matter “how” it happened, but it happened
Because the supreme authority of all things told it to.

Furthermore He is the judge of all the universe.
All things answer to Him.

And if anything or anyone dares to stand against His decrees,
All He has to do is blink, and that small piece of obstinance
Is forever removed from existence.

HE IS GOD
• It is our mission to find out what He wants.
• It is our mission to please Him.
• It is our mission to get to Him.

And yet, even though He is the supreme authority,
It was not us, but He who originated salvation.

The Almighty, Infinite God is the One we are dealing with.
He is the Author of Love

#2 THE EXPRESSION OF LOVE
“For God SO LOVED”

And that too is a mind-blowing concept.

Because He is God, He has the right to promote and display
Any emotion He desires.
He could choose vengeance, or deception, or wrath.
He had the right to be whatever He wanted,
And yet He, with no input from us, DETERMINED TO EXPRESS LOVE.

While false gods throughout the world demonstrate
“anger” or “hunger” or “rain” or “wind”
THE God demonstrates love.

1 Corinthians 13:4-7 “Love is patient, love is kind and is not jealous; love does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”

THE God could have done whatever He wanted
And forced us to bend to His will, and yet He chose to express love.

And what did He choose to love?

#3 THE OBJECT OF LOVE
“For God so loved THE WORLD”

And there is a notion for you.
If it had been us, we would have set our affection upon ourselves.
And yet God did the opposite.

God chose to love the world.
And this is especially mind-boggling,
Especially when you consider how unworthy the world was of love.

All mankind had ever done was disregard God.
• Adam & Eve broke the only command they had.
• Cain killed Abel
• Lamech started polygamy and killed a man and a boy.

And finally by the days of Noah, this was God’s evaluation of “the world”

Genesis 6:5-6 “Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.”

And man hasn’t changed much over the years.
Even as we read earlier out of Romans,
“there is none who does good, not even one.”

And yet it was this wicked, obstinate, disobedient, God rejecting world
That God chose to love.
God loved those who cursed Him.

God chose to express His love to a wicked carnal world
That had done everything they could to reject His right to be God.
And what did this love look like?

#4 THE EVIDENCE OF LOVE
“For God so loved the world THAT HE GAVE…”

Does this strike anyone else as odd?
Why should He give?
He did nothing wrong.
Why should He offer a ransom?
He wasn’t the offender.

Because love that does not give is not love.

Amy Carmichael said: “You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.”

1 John 3:16-17 “We know love by this, that He laid down His life for us; and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

God’s love is not unverifiable.
God’s love is not invisible.

God didn’t just say, “I love you” and leave it at that.
God proved His love by giving.

What did He give?

#5 THE EXTENT OF LOVE
“For God so loved the world that He gave HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON,”

In Scripture we are told that love is MEASURABLE.

Remember the woman at Jesus feet?
Luke 7:44-47 “Turning toward the woman, He said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has wet My feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. “You gave Me no kiss; but she, since the time I came in, has not ceased to kiss My feet. “You did not anoint My head with oil, but she anointed My feet with perfume. “For this reason I say to you, her sins, which are many, have been forgiven, for she loved much; but he who is forgiven little, loves little.”

We know the woman loved more than Simon
Because she gave more than Simon.

Love is measured by giving, and if that is true,
Then the depth of God’s love can never be questioned.

For God did not just give water, or even and alabaster vile of perfume.
God gave “His only begotten Son”

God’s love is absolutely priceless.

Romans 5:6-8 “For while we were still helpless, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

1 John 4:9-10 “By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.”

God demonstrated love by giving, and He gave no small gift.
God gave His Son.

He gave Him first into exile, and then into death.

Charles Spurgeon said:
“If you desire to see the love of God in this great procedure you must consider how He gave His Son. He did not give His Son, as you might do, to some profession in the pursuit of which you might still enjoy his company; but He gave His Son to exile among men. He sent Him down to yonder manger, untied with a perfect manhood, which at the first was in an infant’s form. There He slept, where horned oxen fed! The Lord God sent the heir of all things to toil in a carpenter’s shop: to drive the nail, and push the plane, and use the saw. He sent Him down amongst scribes and Pharisees, whose cunning eyes watched Him, and whose cruel tongues scourged Him with base slanders. He sent Him down to hunger, and thirst, amid poverty so dire that He had not where to lay His head. He sent Him down to the scourging and the crowning with thorns, to the giving of His back to the smiters and His cheeks to those that plucked off the hair. At length He gave Him up to death – a felon’s death, the death of the crucified. Behold that cross and see the anguish of Him that dies upon it, and mark how the Father has so given Him, that He hides His face from Him, and seems as if He would not own Him! “Lama sabachthani” tells us how fully God gave His Son to ransom the souls of the sinful. He gave Him to be made a curse for us; gave Him that He might die “the just for the unjust to bring us to God.”
(Spurgeon, C.H. “The Treasury of The New Testament” Volume II St. Luke XV. 8 to Romans III. 25 [Marshall, Morgan & Scott, Limited; Edinburgh, London] pg. 283)

God’s love is indeed deep, God’s love is indeed wide.
God’s love gave, and gave His only begotten Son

WHY?

#6 THE SCOPE OF LOVE
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, THAT WHOEVER”

It is truly one of our favorite concepts of Scripture,
And that is that God’s love comes absolutely without limit.

We sing the song, “Whosoever, surely meaneth me”

Romans 10:13 “for “WHOEVER WILL CALL ON THE NAME OF THE LORD WILL BE SAVED.”

Jesus said:
John 6:37 “All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out.”
God holds absolutely no favoritism.
God holds absolutely no partiality.
God holds absolutely no prejudice.

In fact, the use of “the world” earlier
Was shattering to the prejudice of the Jews.

It was to remind their Jewish readers that the gospel wasn’t just for them.
It was to remind them that “whoever would” could come.

You may even remember the fight in the early church
As to whether or not Gentiles could really be saved.

But after God sent Peter to Cornelius, this was his response:
Acts 10:34-35 “Opening his mouth, Peter said: “I most certainly understand now that God is not one to show partiality, but in every nation the man who fears Him and does what is right is welcome to Him.”

God’s love reaches to whoever, and they all have the opportunity.

#7 THE EXPECTATION OF LOVE
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever BELIEVES IN HIM”

Today in the church world if you throw out the word “Limited Atonement” people instantly get in an uproar.

How can you say the atonement of Jesus is limited?

Because Scripture says it is.
Even you believe the atonement is limited, for right here it says that the atonement is limited to who?

To “whoever believes in Him”

That does not diminish the scope of God’s love,
But it does indicate that God’s love comes with expectation.

God love comes expecting the recipients of His love to believe.

And the word “believes” means far more
Than to ascribe intellectual ascent.

The word here means to trust.
• It is a word that encompasses obedience to God’s commands.
• It is a word that encompasses endurance in God’s work.
• It is a word that ultimately points to love of God in return.

Mark 12:28-34 “One of the scribes came and heard them arguing, and recognizing that He had answered them well, asked Him, “What commandment is the foremost of all?” Jesus answered, “The foremost is, ‘HEAR, O ISRAEL! THE LORD OUR GOD IS ONE LORD; AND YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND, AND WITH ALL YOUR STRENGTH.’ “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to Him, “Right, Teacher; You have truly stated that HE IS ONE, AND THERE IS NO ONE ELSE BESIDES HIM; AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE ONE’S NEIGHBOR AS HIMSELF, is much more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” When Jesus saw that he had answered intelligently, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” After that, no one would venture to ask Him any more questions.”

Jesus revealed the main objective of salvation
And that is that you would love God.

And that is still the expectation of God’s love.

He loved so much that He sent His Son,
With the expectation that you would love in return.

And there is good reason why you should.
#8 THE EFFECT OF LOVE
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him SHALL NOT PERISH,”

This is an absolutely amazing effect of God’s love toward us.

As we have already said man is born sinful,
And absolutely deserving of destruction in hell.

We inherited a sin nature from our father Adam,
And very soon we followed in his footsteps.
And the wages of that sin is death.

And yet God loved us enough to send His son,
That His Son could pay the penalty for that sin.

And that all those who believe in the Son could be forgiven.

God’s love brought about forgiveness from the sin
That would send each and every one of us to hell for all eternity.

Psalms 103:10-14 “He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as high as the heavens are above the earth, So great is His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him. As far as the east is from the west, So far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, So the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.”

It is the tremendous love of God
That comes with the effect on our lives of forgiveness.

But that is not all
#9 THE BONUS OF LOVE
“For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, BUT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE.”

It’s one thing to be called forgiven and to escape the sentence of hell,
BUT THIS IS EVEN BETTER.

Now not only are we no longer called enemies,
But we are actually called sons.
Not only do we skip the sentence of hell,
But we gain an invitation to heaven.

And more than just heaven it is “life”

Eternal life is not just what you get when you die,
It is what you get when you believe.

It is what picks you up out of your sinful lifestyle
And allows you to walk in holiness
AND IT IS ALL A BENEFIT OF LOVE.

When you sit back and try to soak it all in, it is really too much to fathom.

For here in this verse we learn
• That even when He didn’t have to,
• The God of the universe chose to exercise love,
• And love to such degree that He would give His only begotten Son
• To pay the penalty for sinners
• Gaining them forgiveness and eternal life

And all of this is free to those
Who will simply believe in Christ and love Him in return.

I don’t know how Christmas works.
I don’t know how God entered the womb.
I don’t know how the incarnation occurred.
BUT I DO KNOW WHY.

Christmas exists because of the love of God,
And today I simply invite you to bask in that love with me.

1 John 4:19 “We love, because He first loved us.”