The Mystery of the Incarnation: God Among Us
Summary
In the Gospel of John, chapter 2, verse 21, we find a profound statement: "But he spake of the temple of his body." This passage invites us to reflect deeply on the significance of the Incarnation, the event where God became flesh in the person of Jesus Christ. The Christmas season, regardless of its debated historical date, is a time to focus on this monumental event that has reshaped human history. Unlike other religious figures whose teachings could be separated from their person, in Christianity, the person of Jesus is central. Our understanding of Him shapes our entire view of faith, salvation, and the world.
There are two primary perspectives on Jesus: one sees Him as merely a man, albeit an extraordinary one, while the other recognizes Him as the Son of God, the second person of the Trinity. The New Testament consistently presents Jesus as divine, and this is crucial to our faith. The Incarnation is not just a historical event but a mystery that reveals God dwelling among us. Jesus' body is described as a temple, a dwelling place for the fullness of God. This concept is rooted in Old Testament prophecy and fulfilled in the New Testament narrative.
The Incarnation is a mystery that confounds human understanding. It is a marvel that the eternal God could dwell in human form, yet this is the essence of the Christmas message. Jesus' birth was not an end in itself but a means to an end—His death and resurrection, which opened a new way for humanity to know God. The destruction of His body, the temple, symbolizes the end of the old covenant and the establishment of a new one. Through His sacrifice, the physical temple's significance is replaced by the spiritual temple, the Church, where God now dwells.
Key Takeaways:
- The Incarnation is central to Christian faith, emphasizing that Jesus is not just a teacher but the divine Son of God. Our understanding of Him shapes our entire worldview and faith. [02:55]
- The mystery of the Incarnation reveals God dwelling among us in the person of Jesus. His body is the temple, a dwelling place for the fullness of God, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. [12:24]
- The Incarnation is a profound mystery that defies human understanding. It is a marvel that the eternal God could dwell in human form, yet this is the essence of the Christmas message. [27:08]
- Jesus' birth was not an end in itself but a means to an end—His death and resurrection, which opened a new way for humanity to know God. This event marks the transition from the old covenant to the new. [35:26]
- The Church is now the spiritual temple where God dwells. Through Jesus' sacrifice, the physical temple's significance is replaced by the spiritual temple, emphasizing the personal relationship between God and believers. [44:12]
Youtube Chapters:
[00:00] - Welcome
[00:09] - Introduction to John 2:21
[01:06] - The Significance of Christmas
[02:00] - The Centrality of Jesus' Person
[03:16] - Two Views of Jesus
[05:04] - The Role of Scholarship
[07:28] - The Argument of Prophecy
[09:16] - Jesus as the Son of God
[11:18] - The Meaning of the Incarnation
[13:14] - The Temple as a Type of Christ
[15:36] - Solomon's Temple and God's Dwelling
[17:10] - Jesus as the Meeting Place with God
[19:08] - The Mystery of Godliness
[21:13] - The Revelation and Concealing of God
[25:43] - The Mystery of the Incarnation
[33:39] - The Message of the Incarnation
[37:36] - The New Covenant and the Church as Temple
Study Guide
Bible Study Discussion Guide
Bible Reading:
1. John 2:21 - "But he spake of the temple of his body."
2. Colossians 2:9 - "For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily."
3. 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 - "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?"
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Observation Questions:
1. What does John 2:21 mean when it refers to Jesus' body as a temple? How does this relate to the Old Testament understanding of the temple? [12:24]
2. In Colossians 2:9, what does it mean that "all the fullness of the Godhead" dwells in Jesus bodily? How does this verse support the concept of the Incarnation? [19:27]
3. According to 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, what is the significance of believers being described as the temple of God? How does this connect to the sermon’s message about the Church as a spiritual temple? [43:29]
4. How does the sermon describe the transition from the old covenant to the new covenant through Jesus' death and resurrection? [37:36]
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Interpretation Questions:
1. How does the concept of Jesus' body as a temple challenge or deepen the understanding of the Incarnation as presented in the sermon? [12:24]
2. What implications does the fullness of the Godhead dwelling in Jesus have for understanding His nature and mission? How does this shape the Christian view of Jesus as both divine and human? [19:27]
3. In what ways does the sermon suggest that the Church, as the spiritual temple, changes the way believers relate to God compared to the Old Testament temple practices? [44:12]
4. How does the sermon explain the mystery of the Incarnation, and why is it considered a profound mystery that defies human understanding? [27:08]
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Application Questions:
1. Reflect on the idea that Jesus' body is the temple where God dwells. How does this influence your personal understanding of who Jesus is and His role in your life? [12:24]
2. Considering that believers are described as the temple of God, how does this affect your view of your own body and your daily actions? What changes might you need to make to honor this truth? [43:29]
3. The sermon emphasizes the transition from the old covenant to the new. How does this transition impact your understanding of your relationship with God today? [37:36]
4. The Incarnation is described as a mystery and a marvel. How can you cultivate a sense of wonder and reverence for this mystery in your daily spiritual practice? [27:08]
5. How does the understanding that the Church is now the spiritual temple where God dwells influence your participation and involvement in your local church community? [44:12]
6. Reflect on the sermon’s message about Jesus’ birth being a means to an end—His death and resurrection. How does this perspective shape your celebration of Christmas and your understanding of its significance? [35:26]
7. The sermon discusses the personal relationship between God and believers. How can you deepen your personal relationship with God this week, considering the truths discussed in the sermon? [44:12]
Devotional
Day 1: The Incarnation as the Foundation of Faith
The Incarnation is central to Christian faith, emphasizing that Jesus is not just a teacher but the divine Son of God. This understanding shapes our entire worldview and faith. The person of Jesus is not merely an extraordinary human figure but the embodiment of God Himself. This belief is not just a theological concept but a transformative truth that influences how Christians perceive their relationship with God and the world around them. The Incarnation is a profound mystery that invites believers to explore the depths of God's love and commitment to humanity. By recognizing Jesus as the divine Son of God, Christians are called to a deeper faith that transcends mere intellectual assent and becomes a lived experience of God's presence in their lives. [02:55]
Colossians 1:19-20 (ESV): "For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross."
Reflection: How does recognizing Jesus as the divine Son of God change the way you approach your daily life and decisions?
Day 2: God Dwelling Among Us
The mystery of the Incarnation reveals God dwelling among us in the person of Jesus. His body is the temple, a dwelling place for the fullness of God, fulfilling Old Testament prophecy. This concept is not only a fulfillment of ancient promises but also a present reality for believers. The idea that God chose to dwell among humanity in a tangible form is a testament to His desire for a personal relationship with His creation. Jesus, as the living temple, becomes the meeting place between God and humanity, offering a new way to experience divine presence and grace. This understanding challenges believers to see their own lives as places where God's presence can dwell and be made manifest to the world. [12:24]
John 1:14 (ESV): "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."
Reflection: In what ways can you become a living temple where God's presence is evident to those around you?
Day 3: The Marvel of the Incarnation
The Incarnation is a profound mystery that defies human understanding. It is a marvel that the eternal God could dwell in human form, yet this is the essence of the Christmas message. This mystery invites believers to embrace the wonder and awe of God's plan for salvation. The Incarnation is not just a historical event but a continuous invitation to experience the depth of God's love and the transformative power of His presence. By contemplating the mystery of the Incarnation, Christians are encouraged to move beyond mere intellectual understanding and enter into a deeper relationship with God, marked by trust, wonder, and worship. [27:08]
1 Timothy 3:16 (ESV): "Great indeed, we confess, is the mystery of godliness: He was manifested in the flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory."
Reflection: How can you cultivate a sense of wonder and awe in your relationship with God today?
Day 4: The Purpose of Jesus' Birth
Jesus' birth was not an end in itself but a means to an end—His death and resurrection, which opened a new way for humanity to know God. This event marks the transition from the old covenant to the new. The Incarnation is the beginning of a divine plan that culminates in the redemption of humanity through Jesus' sacrificial death and victorious resurrection. This understanding calls believers to see the birth of Jesus as the starting point of a journey that leads to the cross and the empty tomb. It is a reminder that the Christian faith is rooted in the historical reality of Jesus' life, death, and resurrection, which offers a new covenant of grace and reconciliation with God. [35:26]
Hebrews 9:15 (ESV): "Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant."
Reflection: How does the understanding of Jesus' birth as the beginning of a journey to the cross impact your view of the Christmas season?
Day 5: The Church as the Spiritual Temple
The Church is now the spiritual temple where God dwells. Through Jesus' sacrifice, the physical temple's significance is replaced by the spiritual temple, emphasizing the personal relationship between God and believers. This shift from a physical to a spiritual temple highlights the intimate and personal nature of the Christian faith. Believers are called to be living stones, building a spiritual house where God's presence is evident and active. This understanding challenges Christians to see their community of faith as a place where God's love, grace, and truth are lived out and shared with the world. It is a call to embody the presence of God in everyday life, making the Church a beacon of hope and transformation in the world. [44:12]
1 Peter 2:5 (ESV): "You yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ."
Reflection: In what ways can you contribute to your church community being a vibrant and living temple of God's presence?
Quotes
"But he spake of the temple of his body. Now this Christmas season is a value to us all because it directs our attention to the person of our Blessed Lord and Savior. There are parents who might try to tell us that we can't be sure of the dates and that the observance of the 25th of December was the baptizing as it was called of a pagan custom. Well, that doesn't make the slightest difference. What makes the whole difference to us is the great fact, the great event itself." [00:19:56]
"Now as with no other teaching, the person is here not only simple but absolutely vital. There are many religions in the many teachings, many of them associated with the names of particular men, but these men are not essential to them. Somebody else might equally well have taught the same thing. Doesn't that detract from the greatness of the particular men, but is not light after it is not essential to it. It is the teaching that metals, but here it is the person himself that counts and the matters." [00:20:24]
"On the one hand, there are those who say that he was only a man, nothing but a man, a great male they're prepared to grant, an unusual men and outstanding men, but nothing more than a man. Some of them are prepared to say that he achieved live as the result of his good faithful obedient life. He achieved divinity father say that because of the life he lived and the obedience that he rendered and the godly that he became one through whom God could many FISC himself to us." [00:03:50]
"Now those of you are familiar with your scriptures will know that there's nothing neve about all this. This is something that has been said about him from the very beginning with their extraordinary honesty. The New Testament Gospels regard all these things that were said about him from the moment of his birth until his ascension into him. There's nothing new about this, but the world in its blind isn't in its folly always gets excited about this very thing during this first week." [00:05:00]
"Well, now let me take this opportunity of saying this about what is called scholarship and at the sight of which some people always begin to tremble with Allah. There is no peculiar Authority possessed by what is called scholarship. It just means that a man has given his life to doing a certain amount of work along a certain given line, but it doesn't endure him with any unusual faculties or powers and we need never be afraid of scholarship for this reason that it always cancels itself out." [00:05:36]
"Now hear this teaching concerning him is given in many ways as we've got these wonderful stories of the announcement of his birth who actually was born and all the wonderful details that are given at the beginning of the other three Gospels in particular, particularly Matthew and Luke, but in addition to that and all about the shepherds and Mary and Joseph and all the gladness and the joy and the rejoicing of the singing in the heavenly places and so on." [00:10:42]
"Now this could be translated like this he speak of the right the shrine of his body. What does this mean? Well, you see our Lord was speaking here in a kind of enigmatic manner. He was speaking with a double meaning. He just claims the literal physical temple and everybody's mind is on death, but he had one of the same time talks about the literal temple and his own body and in doing that we are given very wonderful teaching with regard to what happened at the Incarnation when our Lord was born in Bethlehem." [00:12:49]
"Jesus of Nazareth is God God the eternal son and his body is the house in which he dwells the Bobby of that infant that bed lying in the manger is that the dwelling place of the eternal God in the person of the son now we've had this same idea innocence in the first chapter of John's Gospel in the 14th verse the word was made flesh and dwelt among us which as you know should be translated the word was made flesh and tabernacled amongst us." [00:17:42]
"Now then our Lord you see is confirming this teaching and he's explaining it he insane destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up he is referring primarily as John tells us to himself and to his body in particular destroy this my body he says and I will raise it up in three days but he knows that they are thinking of the temple and innocence he is suggesting that they are right that these two things go together so the light that we get on the Incarnation is this." [00:17:02]
"Now that's what Christmas means that's what the birth of the child in Bethlehem means God was manifest in the flesh in the old temple God was manifest in the Shekinah glory but now God is manifest in flesh and blood in human form in a child lying in a manger so that the little him the children's him which unfortunately is not in a book otherwise we would have sang it just now it's quite right I love to tell to tell the story." [00:22:06]
"Now this very incident brings a third aspect there's a double meaning here and there is one of these people were confused they missed it and while he was here on earth most people missed it the Pharisees and scribes they never recognized him he spoke amongst them they saw his miracles they questioned him and he was never ever lost in the matter of answering them and yet they never saw him they saw nothing by the carpenter but Jesus they one whom they felt was an impostor." [00:23:19]
"Now as Christian people the temple in which he dwells and takes up his abode by the Spirit he spake of the temple of his body all the more of the wonder of the mystery the Meerut of the glory of it all may God give us increasing understanding of all these things above all may he enable us to realize that as members of the Christian Church we are part of this temple in which he dwell and that in us individually he comes to dwell in our hearts by faith he and the father come and they take up their abode in us." [00:46:04]
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