A Tale of Two Crosses

Pastor Koay Kheng Hin

Today I'm talking about the story of two crosses. We hear messages of one cross, that's the cross of Calvary but today I want to introduce to you the second cross.

I ended at the Garden of Gethsemane and it leads to Calvary and it's at the cross where Jesus was crucified. It is the preparation for that cross of Calvary. It symbolises a tree of shame where our sins are being nailed. It's a tree where Jesus bore our shame and God's wrath was poured onto that tree of shame.

When Jesus hung on the cross we find that it's the gateway through which every single one of us enter into sonship. 24 years ago I was led to that cross. When I came before that cross I had to make a decision. It applies to each and every one of us. We were led to that cross as an unbeliever.

At that time I was the child of the devil. It's very direct and what the Bible teaches. It's not a case of the devil on the left and God on the right and I'm  in the middle. It's not like that. It's not three kingdoms. In God there's only two kingdom.

24 years ago I'm not in God's kingdom. I was in the kingdom of the evil one. And the Bible described that I'm no son of God and not a child of God. But when I go through that cross I gained sonship and became a child of God.

After I go through that what happens? That's the other cross I want to talk about. When we find Jesus we find him in love. That day, you found what the Bible say is your first love. That's your first love encounter when you were first saved. That is what we actually experience when we become a Christian.

Romans say God demonstrates his love in that while we were yet sinners he died for us. A love relationship with Jesus. What's the other cross?

Luke 9:23-24

23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. 24 For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.

This is the other cross. Not the cross of Calvary but our own cross. What's the difference between this two crosses. Calvary happened only once. But in this verse this cross is a cross that is daily. That's the first difference.

The second difference is the one who was taking up the cross of Calvary. You are asked to take up your own cross. It's a very important difference. The cross that we carry resembles the cross of Calvary but it is not the cross of Calvary. The cross of Calvary requires you to be nailed to the cross and die. It's not about you crucifying yourself. Some religious sect does that where they literally crucify themselves.

When I was preparing this message I asked myself if the people wants to hear this. We are generally in an emerging economy or a developed nation and is generally having a good life. When we have a message about a cross, do people really want to listen to this? I thought about preparing another message but I decided my message is not to preach what people want to hear. If I were to preach about prosperity without  a cross I think in some places I may have a bigger crowd. But if I preached a message on carrying the cross daily there may be few people that will ask me to preach.

But I'm to preach the full gospel of Christ and it's much more than prosperity or healing. Through the viewpoint of these two crosses. If we preached only the cross of Calvary we will have half the gospel and cannot grow into spiritual maturity. We call it liberal Christianity. We preach the capital "C" and not the small "c". The other extreme would be legalistic Christianity.

What's the difference? We would be preaching a diluted gospel and not one that would mature you and you will remain a spiritual baby. We all have children who are cute but if at 15 they still behave like a baby it's wrong.

If we preach the small "c" without the cross of Calvary then we become like a Pharisee and Christianity becomes a burden. I want to strike a balance. Let us have a loving Christianity.

The big "C" is a cross of love. And when we are asked to carry our "c" daily we are carrying a cross of love. It's a matter of direction. The Calvary cross is a cross of input. Your cross is a cross of output. Calvary cross is a cross of God's love poured out to you. Your cross is you pouring out that love to others. The cross that you carry resembles the cross of Calvary but it is not the cross of Calvary.

You are carrying it to people whom God brings to your midst. You are expressing the love of God. They will sense the love of God in you and through you. That is what's meant by carrying your cross daily.

It's a nice cross. A cross of love.

He must deny himself says verse 23. What does it mean? To remove self centeredness from us. This love is only possible on humbled ground. A self centred man only loves himself.

You must let go of that self centeredness and then follow Christ. From self centeredness we have willingness to lose our life.  From self centeredness to God centeredness. It is the cross of the glory of God. When you pick up the cross you are saying this is the day the Lord has made. Not for me to spend time to get rich or for people to honour me. It is a cross to say that today I want to glorify God with my life.

It ties in with where I stopped at the Garden of Gethsemane. He said not my will but your will be done.

I want to spend 5 minutes on God's will. There is your will and the will of God. The Bible says it's a concurrent thing. God's will is good and your will end like what happened at the Garden of Eden. Your will ends in self glory while the other ends with the glory given to God. When we talk about these two wills, it's about dancing with God. It's like tango where they cannot do their own thing. They have to synchronise. Everyday we as the children of God we are dancing with God like a tango. We hold his hand and he is the lead. When he pulls we go towards him. Then we live in the prescriptive will of God.

We see God as the lead dancer and surrendering and synchronising with him.

On the other hand if God pulls and you resists you will fall. And God wants to lift you up and you resists you will fall flat on your face.

It is a cross for the glory of God.

It is a cross of sacrifice. The cross is identified with suffering. When Jesus said to pick up the cross there will be a time of sacrifice and suffering. Love is a sacrifice so we can relate. The issue is the cross of suffering. People misunderstand this suffering. It's not about you falling sick or business not doing well. This suffering is related to persecution.

What does persecution means? When people became Christians on the first century they were thrown into prison because of their faith. Many Christians goes through their lives without being thrown into prison. What about being martyred for their faith? Even less.

You do not need to worry about that at this present moment. When the time comes the Lord will empower you to go through it.

It's a cross of love and for the glory of God. And it's a cross of sacrifice. What makes it an intimidating view, then it becomes burdensome. Meaning dilutes suffering. If love is the basis and not the law, you will joyfully carry that cross.

Do you know if your husband after hearing this message and decides to carry that cross of love and glory and sacrifice, by the time he walks out you will have a more wonderful husband.

If your wife makes this decision, when they walk out they will look much prettier today. It's an inner beauty.

If you walk past that cross of Calvary, carry your own cross you will be less easily offended, more patient, more sacrificial and live a life you are meant to live. The world is full of self centred people.

Mother Theresa said a life lived not for others is not a life. God created us to relate with him for his glory and we are supposed to relate to others for their blessings. This is what is meant by carrying the cross daily. If it's in love it will not be burdensome.

Like when a parent sacrifice for their children, they will say it's not burdensome because you love them. Love is something that enables us to rise above our circumstances because it becomes a joy. When love comes in then everything becomes light and with it an element of joy.

Carrying such a cross for God is only possible and make sense to you if you have a heavenly home. Verse 25 and 26 are about that heavenly glory.

We must hold this balance or we become so heavenly that we are of no earthly use. How does it impact us? When we met Jesus we met him in love. Our whole faith is love. The spiritual dynamics is actually love. We often try to break it down and define love. Philosophers also try that. Psychologists too. And scientists. They are the worst. They say it's a reaction of chemical compounds. Today I do not want to define love. But we can define love through action.

Let's look at Jesus. When I skimmed through the 24 chapters of Luke, I noticed that Jesus was always with people. He was with the Pharisees, he ate with people. Always with people. He's either with his disciples or with multitudes or with the Pharisees in their homes. Jesus Loves these people and he wants to be with them.

Let us not define the love of God but express it. We should be interested in people's lives. He was interested in the tax collector's life. The Samaritan woman's life. The prostitute's life. Even God himself weeps in the shortest verse of the Bible when Lazarus died. It's an expression of love, the heart of your Lord.

I believe God will anoint and empowers us and he will begin with the leaders. The first requirements is to be interested in people's lives. We as leaders can take some time to be interested in people's lives. Then we will start to realise who they are is more important than what they can do for us.

I've had Christians who say they love God but they cannot love people. Whether a person love God or not we cannot know because we cannot see a person's heart. But how much you love God can be seen from how you love people. The extend to which you love people is the extend to which you love God. I said leaders but it is meant for all of us.

When you love people, as much as it is sacrificial, you will be the first one to be blessed more than the person you bless. There will be a certain joy and fulfilment that will come to you. When we look at Jesus we see how much time he spent time with people.

Look at the apostle Paul. Concerning the Ephesian church.

Acts 20:26-27

26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all men. 27 For I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God.

Acts 20:33-37

33 I have coveted no one's silver or gold or apparel. 34 Yes, you yourselves know that these hands have provided for my necessities, and for those who were with me. 35 I have shown you in every way, by laboring like this, that you must support the weak. And remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’ ”

36 And when he had said these things, he knelt down and prayed with them all. 37 Then they all wept freely, and fell on Paul's neck and kissed him,

This is the picture that we have of the great apostle Paul. He has touched so many lives. When they thought they won't see him again, they wept.

As a leader whether as a CEO or a headmistress of a school or a pastor of a church, the mark of successful leadership is this. It's all about people. The day will come when you have to move on you will see who are there for you. The mark of successful spiritual leadership when you are leaving, it will be like in verse 27 where they wept. It's about identifying with people.

The word pastor is that of a shepherd. It's the pastoral care that a leader must give. This is the same church that Paul ministered to and this was their fault.

Revelation 2:4

Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

They were actually a strong church if you look at the verses before this. A classic example of a church who put their hands to the kingdom but have lost their first love.

Why I say this? We will do what verse 2 and 3 and put our hands to the plough but we want to keep verse 4 and not forsake our first love.

Philippians 1:21

For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

Empty Promises of Resurrection Sunday

Rev Allan Chan

The Crucifix – cruel death; torture; broken,

bruised; punishment; shame.

What is the DIFFERENCE?

I celebrate the empty cross.

It is FINISHED

John 19:17-30 (NIV)

17 Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

“They divided my clothes among them

and cast lots for my garment.”

So this is what the soldiers did.

25 Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

The Death of Jesus

19:29, 30pp — Mt 27:48, 50; Mk 15:36, 37; Lk 23:36

28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

What was Finished?

Salvation plan of God which began in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:14 & 15):

The LORD God said to the serpent, “ I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise him on the heel."

God’s Final Sacrifice for Sin

Isaiah 59:16 – And He saw there was no man …then His own arm brought salvation..” 

Jn.1:29 – "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”

Heb. 9:22 – without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Heb.10:18-19 – Now where there is forgiveness of these things, there is no longer (need for) any offering for sin…we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus.

The Empty Cross Speaks of Fullness of God’s Promises

•  Forgiveness & Victory over sin
•  Reconciliation to right relationship with God
•  Restoration of position, status and authority
•  Abundant life now and…
•  Ruling with Christ forever.

For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.

 - 2 Cor.8:9(NKJV)

He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed

– 2 Peter 2:24

 For He (God) made Him (Jesus) who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him (Jesus).

– 2 Cor.5:21 (NKJV)

Jesus EMPTIED Himself that we might be full.  “I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

- John 10:10

We Celebrate an EMPTY  TOMB

Without an EMPTY TOMB

1 Corinthians 15:14-19

• Our faith is in vain;
• Our preaching is meaningless;
• We are still in our sins

•  There is NO SAVIOUR
•  There is NO SALVATION
•  There is NO HOPE for eternity.

He is not here:  for HE IS RISEN!

Matthew 28:1-6

•  Jesus was seen ALIVE for 40 days before He ascended to Heaven (Acts 1:3).
•  Mary Magdalene met Jesus (Mk.16:9).
•  The Disciples met and fellowshipped with Jesus (Lu.24:36; Jn.20:26; Jn.21:1-4).
•  500 people saw or met Jesus (1 Cor.15:3-8).

The EMPTY TOMB

•  EVIDENCE of the Resurrection of  Jesus Christ
•  PROMISE that we too will be raised to ETERNAL LIFE.
•  DEATH is defeated – no more fear.

RESURRECTION SUNDAY

A Celebration Of  EMPTINESS

•  World gives us promises full of emptiness.
•  But God gives us emptiness full of promises.

Notes taken from the PowerPoint presentation.

Who Killed Jesus

Good Friday Healing & Miracle Rally

Rev Allan Chan

And why it matters that we know?

Introduction

John 18:1-8 (NIV)
Jesus Arrested
18:3-11pp — Mt 26:47-56; Mk 14:43-50; Lk 22:47-53
1 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley. On the other side there was a garden, and he and his disciples went into it.
2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him, went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”
5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied.
“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.
8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.”

• Who was really responsible for the arrest, unlawful trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ?
• Did Jesus have to die in such a cruel manner?
• Is anti-Semitism a justifiable movement?

JEWS as a People/Nation?

• Jesus upset Jewish leaders who plotted to kill Him (Jn.8:59; 10:31; 11:8; 11:53)
• Jesus was arrested by Sanhedrin (Mt. 26:3,4 & 47); brought Him to Romans to be killed (Mt. 27: 1 & 2)
• It was the Jewish religious leaders who were jealous, felt threatened, and instigated the people (Mt.27:20)
• Peter (Acts 2:22 & 23); & Paul blamed Jewish people (1 Thes.2:14-15)

Gentile ROMANS?

• Only Roman authority had power to sentence death (Jn.18:31)
• Roman soldiers scourged and mocked Jesus (Mt. 27: 1 & 2); nailed Him to the cross (Jn. 19:16 – 23)
• But, we can’t blame the whole Roman Empire for acts of Pilate & soldiers in Judea, much less all gentiles.

Annas & Caiaphas?

• High Priest was Caiaphas, but Annas was father-in-law (former corrupt High Priest) illegally questioned Jesus (Jn.18:12 - 24)
• They feared Jesus for reasons of political power, prestige and popularity (Jn.18:19)
• Their focus was on Jesus’ following, His disciples before His teachings.

Pontius PILATE?

• He was Roman Governor of Judea and allowed self-government by Jews, so long as imperial authority maintained and taxes collected (Jn.18:31; 19:4)
• He believed Jesus was innocent (Jn.19:4; Mt.2723) and could have set Him free, but wanted nothing to do with Jesus’ fate (Mt.27:19 & 24)
•  Pilate tried to absolve himself of the responsibility but yielded to mob demand and gave the order for crucifixion.

Answering Anti-Semitism

• Anti-Semitism based on Mt.27:25 “His blood be upon us and on our children”
• Interpreted as a multi-generational indictment on all Jews throughout time
•  In Acts 2:38 & 39, Peter used same words to offer salvation and Holy Spirit to all who would repent – he was referring to the  1st century generation then Peter added Vs. 39.
• Jews just as eligible for salvation thru Jesus as anyone else.

YOU  and  ME?!

• Rom.5:8 & 9 – “…while we were sinners, Christ died for us… justified by His blood”
• I Cor 15:3 – “Christ died for our sins”
• 2 Cor 5:15 – “He died for all…that we should live unto Him who died for us”
• Heb 2:9 – “…that Jesus should taste  death as a man for every man”
• 2 Cor 5:20 – He…became sin that we might be the righteousness of God.”

ABOVE ALL

GOD’S Sovereign Will

• Rev.13:8 – It was God’s plan from the start (Gen.3:15; Acts2:23: 2Tim.1:9; Tit.1:2)
• Mt.26:42; Jn.18:11, 37 – Jesus chose to submit to God’s will (Lu.22:42)
• Phil. 2:8 – Jesus was obedient unto death of the cross
• Jn.10:17 & 18; Mt.26:53 & 54 – Jesus had power to save Himself, but…
• “IT IS FINISHED”.

OUR  RESPONSE

• How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation (Heb. 2:3)
• You are bought with a price, you are not your own; so glorify God in body and spirit (1 Cor 6:20)
• We are God’s “workmanship”, created and called unto works He has ordained (Eph 2:10)
• Continue what Jesus began until completion (2 Cor 5:18 & 19)

These are notes compiled from the Powerpoint presentation by Rev Allan Chan.

Rev Allan Chan praying for those that needs healing or a miracle.

The Word Made Flesh

Sis Melinda Song

In the book Stewarding Christmas, author Scott Rodin pointed out that “the Incarnation is the greatest event in the history of the human race!”

As we approach Christmas I would like us to take a closer look at the Incarnation.

Text: John 1:1-3, 14, 18

A. WHAT IS THE INCARNATION?

Like the Trinity, the Incarnation is an essential doctrine of the Church. Like the Trinity, the word "Incarnation" does not occur in the Bible. It is a word which has been coined to express the idea of Jesus Christ coming to earth in human form.

It comes from the Latin words "in," which has the same meaning as our English word "in," and "carnis," which means "flesh." Flesh is the solid part of our being, the part that we can see and touch, in contrast to our mind, soul, and spirit.

The word is a Latin term that literally means "the act of being made flesh." This Latin term was used in John 1:14, which speaks of Jesus who "became flesh and dwelt among us."

Throughout human history, good men and women have been deified. In mythology, it is not uncommon for gods take on human form and walk among man. BUT there is nothing in fact or in fiction in the history of man which matches the mystery of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Humanly speaking, no one anticipated God’s coming as baby born in a humble manger. We would expect God to appear on earth like Mr Bean or Terminator-style. Even the Jews who were looking for the Messiah did not expect him to come in this way.

John 1:1-3, 14, NKJV

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 

14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Our God is a God who speaks. Christ was called “the Word,” “the Word of Life” and “the Word of God.” The LORD God who has spoken in times past has revealed Himself fully in the coming of His Son.

John declares Jesus as fully God in John 1:1-3.

 •    “In the beginning” - The virgin conception and birth in Bethlehem does not mark the beginning of the Son of God. Rather, it marks the eternal Son entering physically into our world and becoming one of us. Jesus was pre-existent before all things. He was “in the beginning with God” (v.2) and He created all things (v. 3). Compare with Genesis 1:1.

Jesus himself declared “before Abraham was, I am” (John 5:58)

•    “the Word was with God” - John affirms Jesus’ separate personality. An awareness of a diversity within the Godhead.

•    “the Word was God” – Jesus was fully God. “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30)

John declares Jesus as fully human.

•    The Word became flesh (v.14)

Galatians 4:4-7, NKJV

4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 

The Gnostics denied that Jesus was truly a human being. Yet the Apostle John verified “the Word became flesh” (John 1:14) by the fact that the eyewitnesses of Jesus had heard, seen and touched Him (1 John 1:1-3).

John even went so far as to assert that these heretical Gnostics were false prophets in the spirit of the antichrist when they denied that Jesus had “come in the flesh” (1 John 4:1-3).

B. UNDERSTANDING THE INCARNATION

Philippians 2:5-7, NKJV

5 Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, 7 but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men. 

Jesus did not give up any of his divinity in the incarnation. Christ “was not now God minus some elements of his deity, but God plus all that he had made his own by taking manhood to himself.” (Packer). Thus, Jesus did not give up any of his divine attributes at the incarnation. He remained in full possession of all of them. For if he were to ever give up any of his divine attributes, he would cease being God.

Jesus veiled His glory as a sign of his humility. He voluntarily makes Himself of no reputation. He sets aside His high position and waives His divine prerogatives because He loves us. But while Christ surrenders His divine glory, he does not surrender His divine attributes.

The Incarnation teaches that the eternal Logos (Word), the second person of the Trinity, without diminishing His deity took to Himself a fully human nature. Specifically, this doctrine teaches that a full and undiminished divine nature, and a full and perfect human nature were inseparably united in the one historical and divine person of Jesus of Nazareth. 

C. MISUNDERSTANDING THE INCARNATION

Theologians have grappled with the mind-boggling concept of our Lord being both fully God and fully man at the same time. Millard Erickson identified the following 6 Christological heresies in his book Christian Theology (Baker, 1985):

Heresies Regarding Christ’s Deity

•     Heresies which deny the genuineness of Christ’s deity: Ebionism

Jesus was human but possessed of unusual gifts through God’s power that descended on him in a special way at his baptism.

•     Heresies which deny the completeness of Christ’s deity: Arianism

They believed that the Word was a created being, though the first and highest created being. He was a demigod, an intermediate being, not God (this is the theology of modern-day Jehovah’s Witnesses).

Heresies Regarding Christ’s Humanity

•     Heresies which deny the genuineness of Christ’s humanity: Docetism

Jesus was a hologram. He only seemed to have a physical body and to physically die, but really he was a pure spirit and so could not die.

•     Heresies which deny the completeness of Christ’s humanity: Apollinarianism

Jesus had a human body and soul, but a divine mind.

Heresies which divide Christ’s person: Nestorianism

Jesus was two “persons” – Jesus the human son of Mary and Jesus the divine Son of God - rendering him somewhat schizophrenic.

Heresies which confuse Christ’s natures: Eutychianism

Jesus’s nature was a hybrid of divine and human, and therefore a third, altogether new nature.

Jesus’ apostles were Jewish monotheists; nevertheless they were convinced that in Jesus Christ of Nazareth they had encountered none other than God in human flesh. 

The doctrine of the Incarnation is the result of the Christian church’s sustained and critical reflection upon the overwhelming Scriptural evidence that Jesus is indeed both God and man. 

D. THE MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION

Like the Trinity, the incarnation is often considered to be logically incoherent.

1 Timothy 3:16, NKJV

And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness:

God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory.

How do we understand the mystery of the Incarnation itself?

Mystery is theology's label for any divine reality that we know is actual (because the Bible tells us so) while not knowing how it is possible (since it outstrips our minds). We know it by faith, taking God's Word for it, and see it as above (but not against) reason. The Trinity, God's sovereignty over human freedom, and our union with the risen Christ in new birth are examples. So is the incarnation of the Son of God.

Deuteronomy 29:29, NKJV

The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law.

Isaiah 55:8-9, NKJV

8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts,

Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord.

9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth,

So are My ways higher than your ways,

And My thoughts than your thoughts.

The things that are of God are far beyond the capabilities of our finite mind to comprehend, much less explain.  We have to leave room for the mysteries of God in order for God to be God.

E. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE INCARNATION

1.    The Incarnation reveals the humility of our Servant King

Jesus is no typical king. Jesus didn’t come to be served. Instead, Jesus came to serve (Mark 10:45). His humility was on full display from the beginning to the end, from Bethlehem to Golgotha. Paul glories in the humility of Christ that “though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking on the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Philippians 2:6–8).

2. The Incarnation fulfils prophecy

The incarnation was predicted in the Old Testament and in accordance with God’s eternal plan. Perhaps the clearest text predicting the Messiah would be both human and God is Isaiah 9:6: “To us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah prophesied that a son is to be born with extraordinary names that point to his deity. And taken together they point to him being the God-man, Jesus Christ.

3.    The Incarnation is necessary for salvation   

The Son of God came in the flesh in order to be the Saviour of mankind. First, it was necessary to be born “under the law” (Galatians 4:4). All of us have failed to fulfill God’s Law. Christ came in the flesh, under the Law, to fulfill the Law on our behalf (Matthew 5:17; Galatians 4:5).

Secondly, the shedding of blood is necessary for the forgiveness of sins (Hebrews 9:22). A blood sacrifice, of course, requires a body of flesh and blood.

If Jesus were only divine, or like an angel, He would not be flesh and blood. Only because He took on human flesh could He be the sacrifice to atone for our sins (Matt. 26:28, Acts 2:38). 

An early church father, Gregory of Nazianzus, said, “That which was not assumed is not healed.” By that, he meant that had Jesus not taken on (assumed) human flesh, our sins would not be forgiven (healed). Because Jesus did take on human flesh, lived a sinless life (Heb. 4:15) and offered His sinless life on the cross of Calvary, He can provide forgiveness, atonement, salvation and eternal life for us (Rom. 5:1-21).

Without the Incarnation, Christ could not really die, and the cross is meaningless.

4.    The Incarnation shows the love of God for us

The Incarnation reveals a God who loves us so much that He came to earth and took on a human form on our behalf, ultimately to give up His life to pay for our sins and offer us eternal life with Him (John 3:16).

5.    The Incarnation reveals a God who is both transcendent and immanent

He is different from us, free of our frailties and, at the same time, like us, deeply aware of our struggles, attuned to our needs, in our skin.

A god who is only transcendent is incapable of loving us.  A god who is just like us may care, but is incapable of delivering us. A god who is both transcendent and immanent is the only kind of God who can help us: different enough to be capable of saving us — enough like us to understand our needs.  Both are necessary to the Christian message.

ILLUSTRATION: There was once a man who didn't believe in the Incarnation and was skeptical about God. He and his family lived in a farm community. His wife was a devout believer and diligently raised her children in her faith. He sometimes mocked her faith and her religious observances.

One snowy morning around Christmas time, she was taking the children to a church service. She pleaded with him to come, but he firmly refused. He ridiculed the idea of the incarnation of Christ and dismissed it as nonsense. "Why would God lower himself and become a human like us?! It's such a ridiculous story!" He said. So she and the children left to worship while he stayed home.

After they left, the winds grew stronger and the snow turned into a blizzard. As he looked out the window, all he saw was a blinding snowstorm. He sat down to relax before the fire for the evening.

Then he heard a loud thump, something hitting against the window. Another thump. He looked through the window but couldn't see. So, he ventured outside. In the field near his house he saw a strange sight: a flock of geese! They had apparently been flying south to a warmer climate when they got caught in the snow storm. The snow had become too blinding and the wind too violent for the geese to fly or see their way. They were lost and stranded on his farm, with no food or shelter. They fluttered their wings and flew around the field in circles blindly and aimlessly.

The man had compassion for them and wanted to help them. He thought to himself, "The barn would be a great place for them to stay! It's warm and safe; surely they could spend the night and wait out the storm." He tried many things to get them to go into the barn. In frustration, he went over and tried to run after them and chase them toward the barn. They only got scared and scattered into every direction except toward the barn. Nothing he did could get them to go into the barn where there was warmth, safety, and shelter.

Feeling totally frustrated, he exclaimed, "Why don't they follow me! Can't they see this is the only place where they can survive the storm! How can I possibly get them into the one place to save them!" He thought for a moment and realized that they just won't follow a human. He said to himself, "How can I possibly save them? The only way would be for me to become like those geese. If only I could become like one of them! Then I could save them! They would follow me and I would lead them to safety."

Then he began to understand the Incarnation... We are like the geese -- blind, gone astray, perishing. God became like us so He could show us the way and make a way available to save us. That is the meaning of the Incarnation, he realized in his heart.

Jesus is Emmanuel — God with us.

•     It means that God is on our side. He is not a distant deity, judging us from heaven. He made himself weak and vulnerable. He is infinitely above us, but he came alongside us.

•     It means that God identifies with and understands us. The Creator entered into His own creation and participated in humanity along with the rest of us. Jesus experienced the challenges of growing up (Luke 2:42) and of being tempted (Matt. 4:1-11, Heb. 4:15). He knows what it means to be hungry (Matt. 4:2, 21:18; Mark 11:13; Luke 4:2) and thirsty (John 4:7, 19:28).

The author of Hebrews writes, “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things. . . . For because he himself has suffered when tempted, He is able to help those who are being tempted” (Heb. 2:14).

Hebrews 4:15 says, "We do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathise with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way just as we are – yet was without sin."

E. THERE IS A MAN IN HEAVEN TODAY

One of the lesser-known biblical doctrines concerns Jesus as a man right now. Jesus did remain a man, is still a man today, and will remain a man for eternity. 

Many do not know that right now in heaven Jesus is a man though in a glorified body.  He forever joined our humanity to his divinity and for all eternity will be fully God and fully man.

1 Timothy 2:5, NKJV

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus,

In Philippians 3:20–21, Paul writes, “Our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.”

Jesus didn’t shed his human skin. He still has a body—a “glorious body,” a perfected human body, a body like we haven’t yet experienced but one day will experience when he transforms us.

F. CONCLUSION

It was a quiet Saturday morning on March 5, 1994 at the Salt Lake City Library as eighty people quietly watched a Tibetan sand-painting ceremony. Then suddenly, a bearded man carrying a handgun and a bomb leapt onto a table. 

"Don't anybody leave! Don't anyone go anywhere! I've got a bomb!" he shouted, waving his .45-caliber semi-automatic handgun. 

Stunned and confused, people began screaming. 

The gunman, Clifford Draper, then began clearing the room. Hearing the commotion in the library room next door was Lt. Lloyd Prescott, who was teaching a class for police officers. As he stepped into the hallway he noticed a gunman herding 18 hostages into a room. With a flash of insight, Prescott, who was dressed in street clothes, joined the group as the nineteenth hostage. 

There was a five-hour standoff. Then the gunman began making preparations to execute one of the hostages. 

At this, Prescott sprang to his feet, identified himself and shouted, "Everybody hit the floor!" The plainclothes officer then fired five shots at the gunman and subdued him. 

One of the hostages was Michael Greer, who said, "I do believe Lloyd Prescott is a hero. Part of being a hero was his absolute humanity."

God dressed himself in street clothes of this world and joined us who are being held hostage to sin. On the cross, Jesus Christ defeated Satan and freed us from the power of sin. Are you grateful for Christ's becoming a man and dying for your sins? Today in prayer, praise Christ for His selfless, heroic act and freeing us from sin's power.

Jesus is our Emmanuel. He is God with us. Let us rejoice and know that He walks alongside us in all our circumstances.

Many thanks to Sis Melinda for her sermon notes.

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