What Christmas Meant to Jesus: God Became Man

Devotional

Day 1: Selfless love: putting others first like Jesus

Jesus shows that real love is not about getting our way but about seeking the good of another. Though He is Lord, He acted as if our need outranked His comfort, listening, serving, and suffering to rescue us. You can mirror His heart in small ways: listen longer than you speak, let someone else have the last word, or prioritize another’s crisis over your convenience. This isn’t weakness; it’s the strength of Christ expressed through humble care. Ask Him today for eyes to notice the interests of others and the courage to act. [06:59]

Philippians 2:3–5: Set aside rivalry and pride. With humility, treat others as weightier than yourself. Look beyond your own plans to consider the needs of others, thinking the way Christ thinks.

Reflection: In one conversation this week where you’re tempted to push your point, how could you practically listen to understand—perhaps by asking two sincere follow-up questions before sharing your view?

Day 2: The God-Man who bridges heaven and humanity

At Christmas, God did not love us from a distance. The eternal Son took on real humanity—our skin, our language, our limits—so He could be the bridge between God and us. He remains fully God and fully human forever, our perfect Prophet who speaks for God and our High Priest who represents us to God. Some mysteries stretch our minds, and that’s okay; let awe lead you to trust. Invite Jesus to meet you in your real, ordinary life today, because He understands it from the inside. [15:24]

John 1:14: The eternal Word became truly human and lived among us. We saw His splendor—the one-of-a-kind Son from the Father—overflowing with generous grace and steady truth.

Reflection: What part of your story feels most misunderstood right now, and how could you invite Jesus to meet you there—through honest prayer or by sharing with a trusted friend?

Day 3: The downward way: humility to the cross

The path of Jesus sketches a “V”: from the highest glory to the lowest shame, to lift us up. Though equal with God, He refused to cling to privilege; He poured Himself out as a servant and obeyed to the point of a cross. This is not just His story to admire; it is a pattern to follow. You can choose the lower place in your home, at work, and with friends—quietly serving, refusing to grasp for credit, and embracing small, unseen obedience. The cross-shaped life is costly, but it’s the way Jesus loves the world through you. [22:14]

Philippians 2:6–8: Though He shared God’s very status, He did not insist on His rights. He emptied Himself, taking a servant’s role and becoming human. He went lower still—obeying to the point of death, even death on a cross.

Reflection: Where this week could you deliberately take the lower place—perhaps doing an unglamorous task, letting another receive credit, or yielding the final word—and what exact step will you take?

Day 4: The Name above every name: Jesus

Humility is not the end of the story; resurrection and honor follow. Because Jesus went low, the Father lifted Him high and gave Him the Name above every name. One day, every knee—heavenly, earthly, and demonic—will bend before Jesus, and every tongue will declare that He is Lord. When you bow your heart now, you join the worship that will fill the universe and you bring delight to the Father. Let your words and your posture today echo that future confession: Jesus is Lord. [27:53]

Philippians 2:9–11: Because of His obedience, God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names. At Jesus’ name every knee will bow—in heaven, on earth, and under the earth—and every tongue will confess that Jesus the Messiah is Lord, bringing honor to God the Father.

Reflection: What area of your life most resists Jesus’ lordship—your schedule, finances, or relationships—and how can you practice bowing there today (for example, by kneeling in prayer and speaking a specific surrender aloud)?

Day 5: Living for the Father’s glory every day

The decorations come down, but the meaning of Christmas lives on: Jesus took on flesh to lead us into a life that shines with the Father’s glory. The Son glorifies the Father; the Father glorifies the Son; the Spirit glorifies both—and we are invited into that radiant circle of praise. Ordinary faithfulness—serving a neighbor, speaking gently, giving generously—becomes a window through which others see God’s beauty. Live today as a quiet spotlight, drawing attention away from yourself and toward Him. Let your life sing, “To God be the glory,” in the small and the unseen. [31:39]

Matthew 5:16: Let the light of your life be visible so that people notice your good works and end up praising your Father in heaven.

Reflection: Which ordinary rhythm this week (a meal, commute, meeting, or chore) will you aim toward the Father’s glory, and what will doing it “unto Him” practically change about your attitude or actions?

Sermon Summary

In a world that prizes status, the birth of Jesus reveals a different kind of greatness. Christmas, from Jesus’ own perspective, is the breathtaking moment when the eternal Son selflessly took on human flesh to glorify the Father. Philippians 2:3–11 frames this as a summons to a countercultural life: do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but consider others more significant and look to their interests. That is not sentimental niceness; it is the costly shape of love he embodied—God stooping, serving, and saving.

This descent is purposeful. The One “in the form of God” did not clutch privilege, but “emptied himself,” taking the form of a servant and becoming obedient to the point of death—death on a cross. For a church surrounded by Roman honor culture and veterans acquainted with crucifixion’s shame, this was scandalous grace: the Highest went lower than the lowest to lift the lowest to God. That “V-shaped” story—humility down to the cross, exaltation up to the Name above every name—redefines greatness and calls believers into the same mind.

The incarnation also unveils a holy mystery: Jesus is fully God and fully man, forever. He didn’t trade deity for humanity; he added a complete human nature to his divine person, becoming the true bridge between God and humanity—our Prophet who speaks for God to us and our High Priest who brings us to God. Such mysteries (virgin birth, hypostatic union, resurrection) are not puzzles to solve but invitations to adoration. They remind finite minds that God’s ways are higher, leading hearts to worship.

All of this moves toward a single horizon: the glory of the Father. The Father exalts the Son, bestowing the Name above every name, so that every knee—heavenly, earthly, and demonic—bows, and every tongue confesses Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Christmas therefore commissions a way of life: practicing selfless love, marveling at the majesty of the God-Man, and organizing every ambition around the Father’s honor. In that light, presents and traditions fade, and what remains is the radiance of salvation secured by the One who came low so we could be lifted high.

Key Takeaways

1. Put others first like Jesus. True love is not about preserving comfort but prioritizing another’s good. The Son, though infinitely worthy, acted as if we were more important—listening, serving, yielding. Start with attention: notice interests, release the last word, reorder a day for another’s need. This is the costly beauty of Christlike love. [11:25]
2. Christ’s descent defines true greatness. Greatness isn’t grasping privilege; it’s emptying for others. Jesus took the servant’s form and obeyed to the cross, mapping a downward path the Father later exalted. Embrace “downward mobility” in a status world—trust God with honor as you stoop to serve. Lives that bend low trace the contour of his cross-shaped glory. [21:06]
3. Fully God and fully man, forever. The Son did not cease to be God; he added a complete human nature. This hypostatic union secures a perfect mediator who represents God to us and us to God. He keeps that humanity eternally, pledging our nature’s welcome into divine fellowship. Mystery here becomes a doorway to wonder and steady faith. [23:57]
4. Every knee will bow to Jesus. The Father gave him the Name above every name; universal worship is inevitable. Angels, humans, and even hostile powers will confess his lordship. Let that future certainty steady present courage and witness. Faith now agrees with what all creation will soon acknowledge. [27:53]
5. Live to the Father’s glory. The arc of Christ’s humility and exaltation culminates in the Father’s praise. Trinitarian love is self-giving: the Son glorifies the Father, the Father the Son, the Spirit both. Make God’s honor the organizing center of choices, ambitions, and celebrations. Christmas matures into worship when life itself becomes doxology. [29:05]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:38] - Courtroom witnesses analogy
[02:34] - Hearing from Jesus’ perspective
[03:01] - Christmas: Jesus becomes the God-Man
[04:46] - Prayer of gratitude and petition
[05:43] - Family service; kids invited in
[06:59] - Three truths of the Incarnation
[07:32] - Olaf’s definition of love
[09:00] - Philippians 2 in Roman honor culture
[11:25] - Count others more significant
[19:12] - The V-shaped descent of Christ
[21:06] - Cross-shame and obedience
[27:26] - Exalted Name above every name
[29:05] - Glory to the Father, our aim
[30:07] - Practice Christlike selflessness

Bible Study Guide

Bible reading

- Philippians 2:3–11

Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death—even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Observation questions

In Philippians 2:3–4, what are the “don’ts” and the “do’s” Paul gives for how we relate to others?
Trace the “V-shaped” movement in Philippians 2:6–8. What high place does Jesus start from, how far down does he go, and what specific steps are mentioned?
What details about Philippi’s veteran and honor culture help us feel why “count others more significant than yourselves” is so countercultural? [10:23]
What is meant by “the name that is above every name,” and how does that deepen the meaning of every knee bowing to Jesus? [27:26]

Interpretation questions

“Count others more significant than yourselves” confronts status-keeping and self-importance. In what kinds of real situations would that command push against personal rights or reputation today? [11:25]
“He emptied himself” does not mean Jesus stopped being God. How does the idea that he “added” a full human nature guard the truth of who he is and explain how he bridges God and humanity? [16:20]
Why are holy mysteries (like the virgin birth and the hypostatic union) invitations to worship rather than puzzles we must solve? What changes in a heart that treats mystery with adoration? [24:51]
If “every knee” will bow to Jesus, what courage or steadiness should that give a believer when facing pressure, ridicule, or spiritual opposition now? [27:53]

Application questions

This week, where can you look “not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others”? Name one person and one concrete step you will take. [12:03]
In your next tense conversation, what would it look like to let the other person have the last word and really listen? When will you practice this, and what might it cost you? [13:06]
Identify one place to take a “downward” step of service—doing the job no one wants, yielding credit, or giving up a convenience. What will you do, and when will you do it, trusting God with honor? [21:06]
Which truth about Jesus stretches you most right now—his virgin birth, his being fully God and fully man, or his resurrection? How will you respond in worship this week (song, prayer, silence, journaling), and when? [24:51]
Where do your plans for the next month need to be reorganized around the Father’s glory? Choose one ambition and rewrite it with God’s honor at the center. Share it with the group for encouragement. [29:05]
Who is one person you will bear witness to Jesus’ lordship this week, trusting that one day every knee will bow? What first step will you take (invite, text, prayer, serving act)? [27:53]
As the holiday season fades, what simple practice will help you keep the radiance of salvation in front of you—daily Scripture, a weekly fast, a set time of serving someone in need? Decide when you’ll start. [31:57]

Sermon Clips

And when God had a message for us, he he would do it through Jesus as our prophet. And when we had a message of, confession and repentance for God, we would do that through our priest. Jesus is our high priest. It's amazing that Jesus has done that to come and be the bridge so that we can be near to God because Jesus is both God and man. [00:18:19] (25 seconds) #JesusTheBridge

Jesus went from the highest of the high to the lowest of the low. Jesus took on human flesh so that he could come all the way down to the bottom of society where we needed him to be to provide salvation for us. It's a shocking truth, but it's one of the things that Jesus did on purpose when he took on human flesh. [00:22:18] (29 seconds) #JesusCameDown

For many of us, we know what it means that someone's in heaven. The angels and the saints who have already gone to be with their savior, they will bow the knee to Jesus. Everyone who's on earth right now at some point will bow the knee to Jesus. And all those under the earth, which was a a first century idea talking about either the the the dead or the demonic powers. [00:28:05] (24 seconds) #EveryKneeShallBow

So that first Christmas, Jesus came to Earth, and he showed us how to be selfless. May each one of us take that as a call to put him first, to put others first, to live truly in the way he's called us to, to demonstrate love for others. [00:30:04] (25 seconds) #ChristmasCallsUsToServe

Jesus also, he took on human flesh becoming supernaturally the God man so that he could bring us to God, so he could be that bridge. So each one of us, may we marvel at the majesty of what he has done to bring us into a relationship with him. [00:30:47] (22 seconds) #GodManBringsUsToGod

And Jesus went through the incarnation to give glory to God the father. All the praise, all the radiance, the brightness, the goodness that radiates off who he is, and that radiates off the faces of those who have come into contact with God to give him glory now and forevermore. [00:31:09] (25 seconds) #IncarnationForGlory

May we remember what Christmas truly means that Jesus carried out a critical part of our salvation need. The salvation that I needed, that all the men in the house need, that all the ladies here need, that all the boys and all the girls that God has blessed our congregation with, we each are in need of the salvation that only Jesus could provide. [00:32:08] (30 seconds) #ChristmasMeansSalvation

And I'm so thankful that that first Christmas, Christmas meant to Jesus, an opportunity for him to be selfless, to take on human flesh, and to give glory to the father. And that's why this critical part of God's salvation and all the glory that God deserves, That's what Christmas means to you, and I know that's what Christmas means to all of us as well. Amen. [00:32:38] (28 seconds) #GloryThroughChrist

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