Sumair Mirza

“Furthermore, of course, Church history shows very clearly—indeed, before you come to Church history, the New Testament itself shows us—that the devil is concerned about nothing more than to lead people astray with regard to the person and the work of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. That is why we can take no risks, and we cannot content ourselves with a mere general statement of the doctrine of the incarnation. We must break it up and analyse it; we must show what it does and what it does not say, lest any of us should inadvertently fall into error.”

- Martyn Lloyd-Jones

1. His coming was in flesh not mere appearance

2. He came as a human not mere appearance

3. His humanity was not manufactured but anatomically grew

4. Initiated the capacity to make the purchase of our redemption

5. Destined to suffer

6. Required to obey the law

7. Human needed to pay the price

The Spirit returns in prophecy (Luke 1-2)

The angels are keenly interested

(1 Peter 1:10-12)

The angels rejoice (Job 38:7, Luke 2:13-14)

Astronomical navigation

(Matthew 2:9)

Jesus’ entrance into the Temple fulfills

(Matthew 2:9)

Herod’s death timed to judicial change

(Matthew 2:19, John 18:31)

Lowly status and utter humility (Leviticus 12:8,

Luke 2:24)

“It was the only way in which He could save us. So we cannot afford to take any risks about this doctrine. We cannot afford to say, ‘It does not matter what your precise statement is.’ That is to be utterly unscriptural. We must be precise and clear and certain and definite in all our statements, otherwise, without knowing it, we may make the doctrine of our own redemption quite impossible.”

- Martyn Lloyd-Jones

Philippians 2:6–11 (ESV) 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:6–8 (ESV) 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Philippians 2:9–11 (ESV) 9Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

“For us Christians, there is no place where the principle of effacing self in behalf of others appears so impressively as it does in Jesus Christ. He is God giving Himself away, yet remaining God. He is God putting off a sovereign's vesture for a beggar's rags. He is God rising from His bench where He sits as judge and going to the gallows for the criminal. He is God impoverishing Himself, beggaring Himself, exposing Himself to evil, spite and spittle, never sparing Himself until He has made the rude cross on Jerusalem's hill the sign and the sum of His utter self-giving.” - Paul Reese

Building a firm foundation…

• The angel of the LORD went up from Gilgal to Bokim and said, "I brought you up out of Egypt and led you into the land that I swore to give to your forefathers. I said, 'I will never break my covenant with you, and you shall not make a covenant with the people of this land, but you shall break down their altars.' Yet you have disobeyed me. Why have you done this? (Judges 2:1-2)

• "The days are coming," declares the LORD, "when I will raise up to David a righteous Branch, a King who will reign wisely and do what is just and right in the land. In his days Judah will be saved and Israel will live in safety. This is the name by which he will be called: The LORD Our Righteousness (YHWH Tsidqenu). (Jeremiah 23:5-6)

• Can look at Genesis 18:1, 18:16-17, 18:33-19:1, and 19:24 to find the pre-incarnate Christ

• The OT foretells His place of birth as Bethlehem — Numbers

24:17, 19, Micah 5:2

• His lineage from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David — Gen: 12:3,

21:12, 2 Samuel 7:13

• His forerunner, John the Baptist — Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1

• His vicarious suffering and death — Isaiah 53

• His crucifixion, before crucifixion was a mode of execution — Psalm 22:16, Zechariah 12:10

• His execution with common criminals — Isaiah 53:9, 12

• His divinity — Isaiah 9:6, Jeremiah 23:6, Micah 5:2

Some reasons:

1) Needed to be born under the law (Galatians 4:4)

2) Law required circumcision on the 8th day after being born (Leviticus 12:3)

3) Would not be both divine and human (John 1:1,

John 1:14)

4) To be eligible for His priestly work, He had to be 30 years of age (Numbers 4:3)

http://carm.org/jesus-born-30

Before you walk out that door…

Before you walk out that door… Have confidence in

the doctrine of incarnation

Spend time learning and appreciating it – that is the first step

to true worship

Critical Fact: The Son of God became man that the children of men might become

children of God.