The Awe of the Incarnation: God Among Us

What happened that Christmas was that God came down to dwell on earth. Remember hearing of an old preacher, an old Welsh preacher, preaching on this very text that I'm trying to preach on this morning, and he handled it like this. He first of all gave out his text, and the Welsh translation would go something like this: "Is it true indeed that God will dwell on the earth?" [00:05:18]

This is the truth, that God the Son, the second person in the Blessed Holy Trinity, has literally and actually come down to dwell amongst men. It's not a story, not fancy, it's not a figment of the imagination. We are dealing here with sure history, solid fact, the same sort of thing as we record when we say Julius Caesar conquered this country in 55 BC. [00:08:29]

The marvel of the fact that was the thing, of course, that was in the mind of Solomon. That's the thing he couldn't get over. Is this possible? Why? Well, he gives the reason. He says, "Behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded." [00:11:27]

The heaven, the heavens of heavens, can contain thee, but the Virgin's womb did contain him. The Virgin's womb, the everlasting Son, the Word, the one through whom, as we've been reminded, all things were made, and without whom was nothing made that is made, the sustainer of everything, has been confined to the Virgin's womb. [00:14:20]

Though he was equal with God, he counted it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself of no reputation. There it is. He was equal with God. He was in the form of God. He'd been that from eternity. In the beginning was the Word. He always was coequal, coeternal with the Father. [00:19:13]

The whole object and purpose of the temple was that it should be a place of worship. It should be a place where the people could meet not only together but to meet with God. They went there to meet with God. That's the object. That is the ultimate purpose, that they might have communion with him. [00:23:25]

What's the object of the Incarnation? Why did the Son of God ever come down on earth to dwell? Why was Jesus ever born at Bethlehem? What's the object of this? What's the purpose? Why did God send His only Son here into this world? And the answer, you see, is still the same: this is the object, that we might meet with God. [00:25:22]

Our Lord Himself said it. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me." It is only in him and through him that you can meet the Father. The Apostle Peter, in writing his first epistle in chapter 3, verse 18, says exactly the same thing. [00:27:30]

He was born to die. He was born to sacrifice himself for us and our sins. He was born for the suffering of death, that he might taste death for every man. He was born that he might be made the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world, and that's the only way whereby we can meet God. [00:28:38]

What is our response to this? What should be our response to this? Well, it's shown, it's prefigured in this Old Testament. It should be amazement. Will God indeed dwell on the earth in order that I may meet with him? Is it possible? Can it happen? Amazement. Solomon was amazed that God should meet in the Shekinah glory with his people in the temple. [00:33:19]

Are you filled with amazement this morning? Is that your supreme feeling, amazement at the fact that God has so loved you that he has come down into the Virgin's womb in order to meet with you? Come to the cross, fixed, nailed to the cross, immovable, the one who created everything and who controls everything. [00:35:02]

Rejoicing that God has visited and redeemed his people, rejoicing that you know God is your Father, that you know your sins are forgiven, that you know that you're a joint heir with Christ of the everlasting glory that is coming, rejoicing and praising him who alone is worthy to be praised. [00:37:30]