The Glory of the Incarnation
God Does Great Things in
Small packages
Matthew 1 & 2
December
11th 2011 AM
Pastor
Craig Ledbetter
I.
Introduction (John 1:1-3,14)
A.
It is undeniable – God has a
Son (Proverbs 30:4)
1.
The eternal Word of God
became the Son of God!
2.
But He didn’t appear as this
brawny, superhero, blazing across the sky at light-speed
3.
No, He appeared as a Baby –
a real baby! A tiny little baby
B.
It’s called, the Incarnation
– God becoming flesh and bones like you and me
C.
Loads of famous babies
1.
Cain was the very first baby
2.
Isaac was a special baby –
to 100 year old parents!
3.
Moses was a pretty special
baby (Exodus 2)
4.
Samuel was a special baby
5.
Samson even was a special
baby
6.
John the Baptist
D.
But the one born early on
Christmas morn, is the most special of all!
E.
He is glorious, even as a
Baby!
F.
Christmas shows us the glory
of a BABY! “We beheld His glory!” The only begotten of the Father!
II.
Message
A.
Jesus was a Needed Baby
(Matthew 1:18-21)
1.
What Everyone Wants…
a.
Everyone wants a MIGHTY
superhero, but what we needed was a Baby!
b.
Everyone wants a load of
money, but God thought we needed some humility.
c.
The world desires mansions
and glory, but God thought we just needed to focus our attention on a small barn
late one night
2.
But this world needed a tiny
Baby!
3.
God had appeared several
times throughout history
a.
As a mighty angel in the
burning bush to Moses
b.
As a mighty voice that shook
Mt Sinai
c.
As a massive cloud in the
day, and a fire at night in the wilderness
d.
Even in the fiery furnace as
the Son of God
4.
But there was a great need
for God, the Almighty God, to become a Man
a.
So, why a BABY? A Tiny,
weak, wrinkled, so small
b.
Why?
1)
Because mankind had made a
mess of things since Adam
2)
Because our sins costs us
death (Rom 6:23a) – both physical death and eternal death in hell
3)
So if mankind were to be
repaired, saved from hell, something had to be done
c.
So God allowed ANIMALS to
take the place of a sinner for a time
d.
But those animals could
never take away sin – could only just hold back the consequences
e.
So God fashioned a body –
like he did with Adam, the first man (Heb 10:4,5)!
1)
God fashioned a body for
Himself in a virgin’s womb
2)
He fashioned that perfect
body NOT for a crown, or a throne, but for a cross!
3)
To save His people from
their sins (Mt 1:21)
a)
From the power of sin – who
wants to be in bondage to the constant pull and dominion of sin
b)
From the penalty of their
sins – hell!
5.
There is a great need today
for people to personally know and worship and know the glory of THAT Baby again!
a.
He was VERY needed in that
day, 2,011 years ago
b.
And He is still very needed
today!
1)
No joy unless drunk, on
drugs, or just won the lotto
2)
No love except lust and
animal passions and all end in domestic violence
3)
No freedom, just bondage to
sin, and sorrows, and addictions
4)
No hope, just a struggle to
survive
6.
Our desperate NEED for the
Son of God makes that Baby glorious!
B.
Jesus Would be a Powerful
Baby (Matthew
1:21; 2:1,2)
1.
Jesus was no ordinary baby!
a.
Even though He didn’t
radiate with a halo, He was still all glorious!
b.
He was KING at His birth
already
c.
EXAMPLE: Mark Twain’s Book,
The Prince and the Pauper. Prince Edward Tudor and Pauper Tom Canty. They swap
places, and the king has all power, but no one accepts it – because he looks
like a beggar boy!
d.
Well, that Baby, wrapped in
swaddling clothes looked like a beggar boy, but He was the King of Glory!
2.
Angels sang and worshipped
that Baby
3.
Shepherds bowed and
worshipped that Baby
4.
Just His very name is
powerful – JESUS! (Philp 2:5-9)
5.
When He would stand in the
presence of demons, they would scream in fear and terror of His power!
6.
No other baby has ever held
such sway over nations and powers, as that Baby born of a virgin
7.
THAT Baby caused quite a
stir in kingdoms and nations! His very presence shook entire kingdoms
a.
In Judaea and
b.
In
c.
He CHANGED the calendar of
the entire world even! Anno Domini instead of the year of Augustus or Nero or
Mohammed!
d.
This little baby drew
several wealthy men 600 miles to come and bow down and worship Him
8.
And Jesus STILL draws grown
men and women to their knees!
9.
What a powerful Baby Jesus
was!
C.
Jesus is a Promised Baby
– not an accident (Matthew 1:22,23)
1.
Prophesied
a.
Genesis 3:15 said that a
Deliverer would come from a woman, not a man
b.
Isaiah 7:14 He would be born
of a virgin
c.
Isaiah 9:6,7 He would be the
mighty God, living, dwelling with us - Emmanuel
2.
The Purpose of That Baby
a.
To show that children – not
just grown, successful men - are priceless
1)
Jesus thought that children
are awesome (Mt 18:2-5; Mark 10:13-16)
2)
All children are miracles
(Eccl 11:5; Psalm 139:14,15)
3)
All children are gifts from
God (Psalm 127:3-5; Gen 33:1-5) – we ought to have a bunch of them
4)
A BABY IS A BLESSING
a)
A baby is a blessing - It’s
a joy to watch it grow,
b)
To see it’s little toothless
smile, And count each tiny toe.
c)
A baby is a blessing, For
it’s new life is bright and new;
d)
Just by being here it gives,
Our lives new purpose, too.
e)
A baby is a blessing, For
when faith or hope is gone,
f)
A baby clearly signifies,
God’s wish that life go on.
g)
—by Jill Wolf
5)
Do you realise that there
are 258 babies born every minute? 371, 520 a day!
6)
God became like a CHILD,
like a BABY, not like a grown Man
7)
It doesn’t matter what the
world thinks of you – God thinks you are pretty cool! And especially worth HIM
coming to save!
b.
To prove that we matter to
God – He came our way
1)
Our world is not alone
2)
God cares about what we go
through, and wants to go through it all with us - Emmanuel
c.
To save us from our sins –
the best part!
1)
There was no other way
2)
All our best efforts fail
3)
We all fall short of God’s
requirements
4)
We needed a Saviour who
would be and do what we could never do
3.
I am so glad for the promise
of that Baby!
4.
All the promises of God
focus on the birth of this Baby and make it glorious!
D.
Jesus’ Birth was an
Impossible Birth
(Matthew 1:18-20)
1.
No wonder people won’t
believe in the Jesus of the Bible
a.
Because the virgin birth was
an impossibility
b.
A Baby born to a virgin?
Duh. Right.
2.
It just wasn’t possible was
it? Really?
a.
Mary couldn’t believe it
b.
Joseph couldn’t believe it
c.
Nobody would believe it!
3.
It was impossible (Luke
1:26-37)
4.
Yet it happened!
a.
I like how God goes ahead
and does impossible things!
b.
God doesn’t mind impossible
situations
c.
It shows that it was of GOD
5.
That’s why Christmas endures
– because it is not a fairy tale like Santa or Rudolf, or Frosty the Snowman!
6.
Never forget just how
impossible that birth was! It makes it all the more glorious!
E.
That Baby has Some Enemies
(Matthew 2:12-18)
1.
God warned the wise men not
to return to Herod
2.
God warned Joseph and Mary
about what was coming (1:13) and got them out of the country
3.
The world is not always so
kind to children
a.
b.
c.
Modern world has figured a
way to destroy children without guilt – abortion (1.2 billion have died since
1980!!!)
d.
In
e.
Somebody is behind all this,
and hates children!
4.
Don’t think that people
truly love the Jesus of the Bible that THAT infant in the nativity crib
represents!
a.
Jesus is rejected by the
world for being too plain, too simple, too weak looking
b.
Hated by the world for being
too different, too clean, too holy
c.
To this very day, religions
worship Jesus’ MOTHER more than they do HIM
d.
Religions honour Jesus’
teachings, and His lifestyle
e.
But they hate His
conclusions – that we are ALL sinful wretches, who are lost and without hope and
with God, and that there is no other way to God, than through HIM!
5.
Well, Jesus said it is to be
expected!
F.
That Baby was Just the
Beginning (Luke
1:33; 2Cor 3:18)
1.
He came as a Baby, and died
on a cross
2.
But He is not finished yet!
3.
He is coming again – to rule
and reign as King of kings and Lord of lords
4.
God didn’t just do something
cute and cuddly on that Christmas morning
5.
He started something that
will finish one Day with every person in this world on one side or the other
6.
That’s why Jesus commanded
that people MUST get born again
7.
It only gets more and more
glorious as we follow Jesus (2Cor 3:18)!
a.
ME being changed is glorious
b.
My family
c.
Nations getting saved
d.
Heaven will be even more
glorious
e.
The millennium
f.
The New heaven and New earth
g.
Eternity!
h.
It has only just begun!
III.
Conclusion
A.
Christmas shows us the glory
of a BABY! “We beheld His glory!” The only begotten of the Father!
B.
Jesus was a Needed Baby
(Matthew 1:18-21)
C.
Jesus Would be a Powerful
Baby (Matthew
1:21; 2:1,2)
D.
Jesus is a Promised Baby
– not an accident (Matthew 1:22,23)
E.
Jesus’ Birth was an
Impossible Birth
(Matthew 1:18-20)
F.
That Baby has Some Enemies
(Matthew 2:12-18)
G.
That Baby was Just the
Beginning (Luke
1:33; 2Cor 3:18)