(Christ Formed) 03 - Christ as Infant — Ed Miller

Well, good morning brothers and sisters in the Lord. Isn't the Lord good this weekend. Isn't he good all the time. You like my shirt, thank you. My daughter-in-law said don't wear that it's corny. I Love Nike that's corny.

Coming to Jesus as Teacher and Rest

As we come to the study of God's Word. There's a principle of Bible study That is absolutely indispensable. Now we say that over and over and over again. I say it every time I come to the Word of God, even when I'm alone.

I say that I recite that Because I don't want to forget or ever depend upon anything Except him who alone can open the word and open my heart and unveil the Lord Jesus. And the the last the bottom line of all Bible study.

Come on to me all he that labor and our heavy laden. Learn of me. That's not learn about me. He's the teacher learn of me. He's the one that leads us to himself and into rest. I Want to share a Bible verse before we pray together.

The Lord Strongly Supports Those Who Depend on Him

It's a precious verse in 2nd Chronicles chapter 16 in verse 9. And I'm sure you're familiar with this wonderful verse. It says The eyes of the Lord move to and fro throughout the earth. That he may strongly support those who are his.

And what I want to call attention to is this that the eyes of the Lord are searching to and fro on the earth. But he is not looking For those who are strong toward him. That's not what it says. He's looking for those to whom he can be strong.

That's not the same thing. And I have an idea we have a room full of Those to whom he can be strong. He's looking for those who will allow him to strongly support them and In a special way this morning.

I would ask you to pray for me. I need To have the Lord strong toward me and we all need it. So let's trust the Lord together and let's pray that God Will meet us again. Our Heavenly Father how glad we are to come to you in the name of our Lord Jesus and to be able to Claim to know that it is your great desire to unveil Christ to our hearts.

Far more desires are you Than we are to see and we ask you Lord to work in us that child like attitude of helpless dependence that we might trust you this morning as you minister your word and and Perform all of your purposes in us we pray for all the will of God this morning.

Meet us where we are and then take us where you desire us to be. We ask in the matchless name of our Lord Jesus. Amen. Well, we don't need to review quite as much because We're into the weekend. You know, we're looking at this wonderful 30 years this Those years of preparation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Christ’s Progressive Formation Through Thirty Years

I've suggested to you that that record the Bible gives us of those 30 years of God's record of the progressive revelation of the Lord Jesus. I Don't know of any perhaps you do but I don't know of any scripture section segment portion of God's Word that more clearly presents the progressive revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Then those 30 years and it's sad that often those 30 years are neglected by God's children in the study of his word He is progressively Manifest those were preparation years for our Lord Jesus according to Hebrews chapter 5 and other places that he learned obedience by the things that he suffered in those 30 years in those days of his flag and He was made perfect.

It said you say well, wasn't he already perfect? Or did he was perfect? But if you read the context what it says is he was made by those 30 years the perfect Savior. Qualified that's what it means that those years qualified him For the ministry the redemptive ministry that he did now.

We've been following those handout sheets. That's only an aid, you know. It's not inspired, but it helps us to see where we are and where we're going. I've suggested to you that the way he came Is the way he comes.

And what he was then he is now he's Everlastingly the same the same yesterday and today and forever and as he was Progressively revealed in the gospel record is Exactly the way Christ is formed in our hearts now God in his greatness Condescended to give us this wonderful picture.

Adam, you know was created an adult. He was already an adult. Christ could have come as an adult and just done the work but in the wisdom of God He wanted us to see how Christ was progressively formed.

And so he gave us this marvelous marvelous picture. And first as he was conceived in Mary He is conceived in us and as he was formed in her He's formed in us and in the fullness of time as she gave him forth and he was an infant so there is a stage in our life where he is an infant and as he matured and grew and developed he matures and grows and Develops to a young adult in our life.

We'll follow the record of that progress of that growing of that maturing because as He grows as he matures as he's formed He finally reaches the place where he can begin his ministry. It's after those stages that he begins his ministry.

We are always from the time we come to know the Lord. Ready to roll up our sleeves and wade in. Let's start ministering and we minister long before he does. He matures in us. He grows in us, but there comes a day.

And we'll look at it standing in the waters of baptism and in the wilderness where he's tempted where he reaches that maturity and his ministry Begins. Oh God, may he help us again our prayer. We're sighing with the Apostle Paul Galatians 4 19 my children.

With whom I am again in labor in travail. Paul says until Christ is formed in you. My son shared with me last night Philippians chapter 2 and verse 6 Philippians 2 6 as he who has begun a Good work in you.

Can you finish it? Bless the Lord for his goodness. Has he come into your life? He will mature. He will he will grow and he will use you Redemptively now that may be a bumpy road along the way, but he's going to mature.

He's going to bring you to those places and those seasons that we see. I don't think we can nail it down say well this happens eight days later like it happened in his life. But there are seasons. Give or take depending on many things that we can't go into.

Christ as a Fetus: The Beginning of Spiritual Life

But that's what we're looking at last evening. We looked at the nine months that our Lord Jesus was in Mary her pregnancy that Jesus has a fetus and there we saw the first principles and Christ at that time and I hope you remembered as I shared with you those early days.

When Christ was so small He was so tiny almost Imperceptible in your heart in your life and the facts of the Bible record. Give us the great principles. Let me just set that before your heart again, and then we'll move on when for Christ is first conceived in my heart.

I Don't know much. I Principles we looked at last night. I know this. It's not by man He has discovered to me. I didn't word it that way at that time. I didn't say well now I have discovered the virgin birth.

But I knew it was not by works but by his spirit. That's not a lot, but that's the beginning. And that was the introduction of Christ being conceived in your heart. At that time I didn't know much but I knew this.

God had written a magnificat in my heart. There's a song. There's a joy. Can't explain it. It's just there praise God and I was alive with Thanksgiving and the exuberance of emotional joy was a chief Characteristic when Christ was a fetus in my heart.

Those days, I don't know much. But I know there's something in me drawing me to be with those Who have had a similar experience? And I find myself Gravitating to those who by his miracle have also been prepared by God at that time.

I Don't know much. But I know this that God is doing something in the lives of my loved ones. Because there's no way I can explain what happened in my life and God begins to do miracles in My family praise God for that.

At that time when Christ is just a fetus. When everything's new when there's this song in my heart and I'm rejoicing in God's people. I Don't have a clue about the Word of God but God does and So he guides me by Circumstances and he leads me to the house of bread.

Mary had no clue. She had to arrive in Bethlehem at a certain time. So God used the government and Caesar and all the rest in order to bring her to that place. Well, that's how it was then. That's how it is now.

Christ’s Infancy as the Second Stage of Formation

And that's how it shall ever be God be praised when Christ is a fetus in my heart. That brings us this morning to this second stage of the maturity of our Lord Jesus his infancy. His babyhood he's still young.

He's still unformed. He's in process. He's growing. He's developing. He's maturing. It's different than what he was in the womb. At least you can see him now. He's born he's a baby he's an infant. He can be seen and beheld and be hugged and be appreciated and be admired and be shown off.

You can see from the outline that This section is going to include all of those famous Christmas stories the shepherds. Go on to the temple to have the Lord circumcised and dedicated. The coming of the Magi and So on now, I didn't include this on the outline, but you might want to also include Matthew 2 12 to 23 and It's really the last story of this section of his infancy.

This section closes with Herod's wickedness slaying all person like this. Am I disconnected. I'm a little problem with a section like this because we're so accustomed to Study these stories in an isolated way and they're so familiar.

Like last year Brent shared about the shepherds and he just took that story and I understand I didn't. I Did get to hear the tape and all I just understand he shared. And shared. You might get the idea that we're going to start with the shepherd story and we'll look at that and then we'll go to the temple and look at Simeon and then we'll Do the Magi and all that kind of thing?

That's not how we're going to do it this morning. And so may God help us as we just sort of get out of that mold just for a little bit. There's nothing wrong with that. But we're trying to follow this progress the development of our Lord Jesus.

We're not just looking at Christmas stories one story after another. But we're going to focus more on the development the forming of Christ. So I'm going to try God helping to weave the stories together.

In order that we might not just look at four stories. Because it's not four stories. It's one story. It's the story of Christ when he was an infant. And so we're going to look at it as one story. Oh You're going to.

I hope we don't judge one another. When we go from stage to stage and say what Christ is a fetus in his life. No question about that God hasn't called us to do that. God has called us to rejoice that Christ is Maturing in our lives and he's going to come to maturity in order that he can minister through each one of us Individually and through us corporately as a body.

That's the glory of the whole thing. There are some in whom Christ is still a fetus. They know about grace and they know it's not by works and they Gravitate to God's people and they're not grounded in the word and God is still guiding them by circumstances.

There are some that are that Christ has only become an infant in their life. And that's a different thing and so the assignment that I Believe God has given me this morning is to set before you as we tried to do last night.

What does it look like? What are the characteristics of my life? When Christ is just an infant and so may God help us. Now I don't want to Jump right in. I want to make an observation. Before we begin with those principles and that is this that the way the Holy Spirit tells the story.

Although the stories give us clear demarcations. Concerning the progress the growth of our Lord. We can see he. These are nine months and then these are eight days and then this is two years. And then this is 12 years.

He marks it off so that he's almost inviting us to say study this and Then study this because this is different than this and so on. Just so there are other truths that are observable as you go through the record that are also growing and maturing.

The Growing Revelation of God’s Word and Purpose

But in an abbreviated weekend like this, there's no time to develop those refrains. Let me give you a couple of examples. So, you know what I'm talking about. In each stage of the record there is an emphasis on the Word of God.

By the word, I don't just mean the Bible. I mean the purpose of God the will of God. And as you go from stage one to stage two the will of God Gets bigger also. And as you move into the next stage the will of God.

You see it in every stage the Word of God the purpose of God. Let me try to illustrate that for you. For example, we looked yesterday at the virgin birth. Why was he virgin born? Well among the many reasons and some we touched on yesterday is this.

Because it was prophesied in Isaiah chapter what 7 verse 14 to fulfill the Word of God. And why was he born in Bethlehem? Among many reasons to fulfill the Word of God. Micah said he was going to be born in Bethlehem and when He was a baby.

Remember we quoted the verses. Why did he come? He said in Hebrews chapter 10 5 to 7 I come To do thy will. So even in the beginning we see it's about God's will it's fulfilling God's purpose. It's fulfilling God's Word.

And when they brought him to the temple in Luke 2 22 and 23 Why did they bring him there? They said according to the law of Moses as it is written in the law to fulfill the law and so we see even in his infancy and Why did he come out of Egypt?

To fulfill Hosea 11. It's about the Word of God. And why did he settle in Nazareth? That it might be fulfilled which was written by all the prophets. That he shall be a rejected person that's the principle of the Nazarene.

And when he was 12, why did he go to Jerusalem? Because of the Word of God it was commanded that three times a year they would go up to Jerusalem. And what was it all about when he was 12 chapter 2 verse 49 of Luke the father's business.

I Must be about my father's business. There's this growing Emphasis on the Word of God. And when he was baptized by John. There was this little argument. John didn't want to do it at first. And why did he finally do it.

Matthew chapter 3 15 permitted at this time to fulfill all Righteousness to fulfill the Word of God. And so I'm suggesting as Jesus matures, there's this growing Maturity also of the will of God the purpose of God.

The Cross Progressively Revealed in Christ’s Infancy

And not only the truth of God's will. But as you look at from the very beginning at first, it's a shadow you can hardly see. But then you go to the next it gets clearer and clearer and clear. You know, what else is in every story?

The cross the cross. You see he's moving toward the cross, of course. But every story has a hint that gets bigger and bigger and the cross grows and grows even in his infancy. Some suggest that the swaddling clothes.

That he was wrapped in. The same that Lazarus was wrapped in their grave clothes. I don't know if that's so or not, but it wouldn't surprise me if his first Wrappings and his final wrappings were the same.

Some have seen the cross in some of the offerings that the wise men brought. Especially in the murder the sufferings you've studied that kind of thing. It's included in Luke 234. Simeon's word the child is appointed for the rise and fall of many in Israel assigned to be opposed.

When he was born, he said I come to do thy will. Sacrifice and offering. You didn't desire a body you've prepared for me. Jesus was 12 years old. What's the whole background of that story. It's the Passover.

Is the cross in there? Well, that's the whole point of that. That's the celebration of deliverance through the blood of the Lamb. And when Jesus was eight days old. That's the first shedding of the blood of the Lord Jesus as As he was separated from the flesh.

It's all a picture and the cross grows and grows and grows and grows and when he stood in Jordan's stream and identified with Hell-deserving sinners and that dog came down. He said oh, there's the dove of peace.

Now primarily so that's not the dove of peace, you know what the dove is in Luke. It's the poor man's lamb. It's the cross. And as he stood in the water God anointed him with the cross as he stood among those he came to say and.

So the point I'm trying to make is we're scorned and we're following the the growing the maturing of Jesus. But as you follow that it's also the word of God the purpose of God gets bigger and bigger and the cross Gets bigger and bigger and there are other things as well that grow and I'm suggesting In proportion to the revelation of Christ in my life and in proportion to the revelation of Christ in your life so we'll grow the purpose of God in your life and.

So we'll grow the cross in your life. The more you see Jesus and so other things are also growing but we're going to Come back and focus just on our Lord Jesus Christ. Begin by calling attention. We're going to look at the characteristics of Christ as an infant but let me begin by calling attention and.

From the Instrument to the Person of Christ

And as I'm not going to just I'll give verses and you can look at them if you'd like or trust me on that. But again, it's not this story and then this talk I'm going to try to bring it together and I want to show you transition between Christ as a fetus in my heart and Christ as an infant.

When I describe Jesus as a fetus, I call attention to the fact that Mary the instrument of the indwelling Christ Brought Christ to the door of those prepared by God. Remember we talked about that and I illustrated at that time that when Mary brought Christ to Elizabeth's door Christ was so small.

He was so imperceptible. That Elizabeth looked in an unhealthy way toward the instrument. Praise God for the Christ, but also praise God for the instrument. That's not unusual and I'm not saying it's wrong at that stage.

To be thankful for the instrument that brings Christ to your door. But that's sort of where we closed last night the instrument and the Christ in the instrument Are so united that you can't really take them apart.

They're one and Only the instrument. Well, I can't say only the instrument is seen but the instrument is certainly prominent in that fetal stage but now watch. How this begins to change? When the Lord Jesus comes out of the womb.

The first story is about the shepherds and again if you want the full record of that get Brent's tape. But for our purposes, I want you to see this. Luke chapter 2 verses 6 to 20. When the glory of the Lord appeared to the shepherds in the field.

And I believe that's the kind of glory that had left the earth 600 years before in the days of Ezekiel. Notice. In the word there's not a word about the human instrument. Verse 10. Luke chapter 1 and the angel said to them be not afraid.

I Bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people. For there's born to you this day in the city of David a Savior who's Christ the Lord and this is the sign to you. You shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger.

The instruments are mentioned, but only incidentally. It's not about them. It's about him. Unto you is born this day a Savior Christ the Lord. This time it's not the instrument indwelled by an Unformed Christ.

Gravitating toward those prepared so that she can have fellowship. This time the prepared are seeking her out. The shepherds are coming to her. She's not going to them. I have an idea the shepherds would have never gotten the news that night.

If they waited for Mary to show up in the fields or waited for Joseph to show up and tell them. Take a look at my baby. That's not how it happened. Mary and Joseph at this time were themselves as instruments very Christ centered as.

Any new parent would be? They would be focused on their baby focused on their child. But at this point others are coming to see the baby. Now when I arrived in Bethlehem and sought out by the sign that the angel gave them.

Did they find the human instruments. And the answer of course is yes, they found the ones that brought Christ into the world. Mary was there and so was the stepfather of the Lord Jesus. Luke 1 16. They came in haste and they found both Mary and Joseph and the baby lying in a manger.

The instrument is still there, but I want you to notice that there's a separation now. It's not that the baby is hidden in the instrument. So all you see is the human instrument. Now they see the instrument.

But they also see the baby and there has been a separation of the instrument and the Christ. Mary still there. Jesus is still there, but now the attention comes off Mary and They look in the manger and they see the Lord Jesus.

When the shepherds finish sharing what they've been told. Everyone was amazed. Including the instruments that brought him into the world. Luke 1 19. Mary kept all these sayings pondering them in their heart.

Now hold that for a moment and let's go eight days ahead. We come into the temple and there's another that has been prepared by God. Luke 1. I'm not going to read the record because you know the story uh 2 26.

Luke 2 26. Thank you cat. It had been revealed unto him by the Holy Spirit. That he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. Truly this man was a seeker prepared by God to meet Jesus.

The timing is impeccable. Verse 27. He came in the spirit into the temple. Let me ask you again. Did he see the human instrument? The answer is yes. She's carrying the baby. When he was a fetus. Was she carrying the baby?

Yes, that's how we express it. She's carrying the child. Is there a difference between carrying a baby and carrying a baby. Yeah, she was carrying the baby in such a way that all you could see the instrument.

Now she's carrying a baby in such a way that you can see the instrument. But you can also see the baby and then look at verse 28. He received him into his arms and blessed God. You see the progress. Elizabeth sees mostly the instrument the shepherds.

See the instrument and Jesus, but he's sort of down there. And now Simeon bless the Lord. Simeon actually takes Christ from the arms of Mary and embraces him for himself. Now he's holding Christ for himself.

I'll tell you brothers and sisters in Christ. This is part of the infancy of Christ. But it is a wonderful day in the formation of Christ in our life when as Instruments of God we learn how to hand Christ to somebody else in such a way That they can embrace him without embracing us.

That's what took place here. And that's all part of the infancy of Christ. It's a wonderful wonderful day. And that's the first observation as we move from Christ as a fetus To Christ as an infant and it's that there is a gradual Separation between the instrument and the Savior.

Until finally the instrument is able to hand off the Savior and they can embrace him. Now, let me show you another observation of our Lord Jesus As an infant and how he develops. Let's go back to that Simeon story Simeon holding Christ.

Christ as Salvation and Lordship

I want to take the perimeter. I want to look at the terminal points of The record of the infancy of Christ as He embraces Jesus. He takes Christ from the Instrument and he holds Christ to himself and as he looks at the instrument What does he see?

Now according to the testimony Luke 1 Verse 29 or 229 and I'm wrong on this. I've got it wrong on every page of my notes. Now notice now my servant depart in peace according to thy word for mine eyes.

Have seen thy salvation which thou has prepared before the face of all people a light for revelation to the Gentiles and the glory of our people Israel and God is giving us an illustration of Christ in his infancy that he is embraced and now in a clear way.

We look at Christ and we say I've seen salvation. Salvation is a person and his name is Jesus. It's more than a plan a plan of salvation. It's now a person and that's how it begins when Christ is an infant.

And in verse 29 in effect, he says this I'm ready to die now. I Found Christ. Let your servant depart in peace. Do you remember when that's about all you move? Do you remember when you embrace Christ for yourself and all you lose is I?

Found salvation. I'm ready to die. Now I'm ready to see that's infancy. That's what he's just a baby. And all you know is he's Savior. And you're ready to die and then you go tear it out into the neighborhood to tell everybody else.

You're gonna find him and you'll be ready to die. Beautiful to see Christ as an infant in his children. Not just the instrument now now it's the person on whom we pin our hopes for all eternity. But that's not the full story.

Embracing him as Savior the other end of the infancy record. There's the story of the Magi. We're gonna pass over all those interesting facts about the amazing star and how many Magi were there. The relation of the Magi to the Old Testament prophets and astrology and all that kind of thing.

Come to the main point. Jesus is now about two years old. We learn that from Matthew 2 16. When Herod saw that he was mocked by the wise men. He was exceeding wrath and sent forth and slew all the male children that were in Bethlehem.

And the borders thereof from two years old and under according to the time He had exactly learned of the wise man. So from the infant in the manger. Now it's about two years some Gentiles Seekers come from the east.

They're seeking him, but now notice the difference. God's calling attention to a progress from the shepherds to Simeon and now to the Magi. What's their vision of him? Chapter 2 verse 2. Where is he that's born?

King of the Jews. We've seen his star and we're come to worship him. This is infancy. I'm one end. He's salvation. My eyes have seen salvation. I'm ready to die on the other end. He's king. He's Lord.

I want to bow down. I want to worship him. I want to lay my gifts at his feet. Matthew 2 11. They came into the house. They saw the young child with Mary's mother. They fell down and worshipped him. Opening their treasures.

They offered him gifts gold frankincense myrrh. They find the king. They bow before the king. They worship the king and they lay their gifts before the king. And may I suggest? Those are the terminal points of the infancy of Christ.

You remember in your life? He's my Savior. He's my and then as he began to develop He's also Lord. He's my Savior. He's my Lord. You heard the testimony. For years I knew him as Savior. I never knew him as Lord.

But then finally I came to know him as Lord. Now brothers and sisters in Christ. I know We speak of Jesus as Savior and Lord and we are accustomed to think this way. Many many many Christians know him as Savior but not everyone has come to know him as Lord and it's a crisis in our lives when finally we see he's Lord and we bow down and we worship him as Lord and We think we're pretty far down the road by that time.

That's part of his infancy. You're not really far down the road at all. You haven't even begun when you see him as Savior and finally as Lord and you begin for the first time now, don't forget this is progress.

This is the first time we've introduced worship. And all of a sudden they're introduced He's Lord and we begin to worship the Lord. And this is their first real taste of surrender and now we begin to know a little bit about laying things down at his feet.

That's all early stages. That's threshold truth. Praise God for threshold truth. Praise God for the day when he opens our eyes we see he's my Savior. I'm ready to die. He's my Lord. He's my king. I bow before him.

I lay down all these gifts that is an incomplete view of a very complete Savior. Finally he's undisputed Lord. That's infancy. He's only begun to be formed in you when you come that far and it's true that some have not even come that far.

Dedication and the Expanding Revelation of Christ

All right now hold that for a moment. And let's go eight days after he's born we're sort of backtracking but I want you to see eight days later another Characteristic of this period in my life when Christ is being formed in me.

When he was a fetus, I didn't know the Word of God and I just I knew I wanted to be around God's people. I was happy and all that kind of thing, but now I've seen him and it's not a thing. It's it's a person salvation.

I'm ready to die. He's my king. I fall before him eight days later. According to the record Luke 1 31 God had told Mary before Jesus was conceived you'll call his name Jesus. Matthew 1 21 an angel told Joseph.

You'll call his name Jesus and so it happened in Luke 2 21 when eight days had passed. Before his circumcision his name was called Jesus. They didn't name the baby when the baby was born. They named the baby at the dedication at the circumcision eight days later.

I Want to call attention to this Federation of Christ in his infancy. One of the big things that will then become real in our life is dedication and There's going to be dedication and you'll see it and rededication and so on.

Now at this time, we've only seen him as Savior and as Lord. Is that all he is? I want to give a this is machine gun again. I looked up some of the titles that were given to him when he was a baby. This is not for later on.

This is when he was born. Matthew 1 1 1 16 Messiah the Christ. Matthew 1 1 son of David son of Abraham. Matthew 1 23 Emmanuel God with us. Matthew 2 6 a shepherd. Matthew 2 15 son of God. Luke 1 35 the same.

Luke 1 69 the horn of salvation. Luke 1 76 the most high. Luke 2 32 a light for the Gentiles. Luke 2 32 the glory of Israel. John 1 Verse 1 and 14 the word made flesh. John 1 for the life and the light of men.

Malachi 3 1 the messenger of the covenant. Isaiah 9 6 wonderful counselor mighty God Everlasting Father Prince of Peace. Hebrews 1 10 the firstborn from whom are all things. Hebrews 2 10 the author of salvation.

Genesis 3 15 the seed of the woman. 1st Corinthians 15 45 the last Adam. Zechariah 6 12 the branch. Haggai 2 6 the desire of the nations. Those are all infancy titles. This is amazing when you have a baby and you say come look at my baby.

Let me tell you about how many things can you say he's cute. What do we say he's got a dimple. That's all we say. Jesus was all of these things. Thought they had arrived because he's Savior he's Lord.

That's all they saw. They had not yet seen that he's the everlasting Father and the mighty God and the counselor and the Prince of Peace the desire of the things. I'll tell you this is a stupid question, but how many angels are there tell us?