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Many years ago, in one of my seminary classes, I was given a pop quiz
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on the birth of Jesus Christ.
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There were about 30 questions ranging from very general to very specific questions
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regarding the events surrounding the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.
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Now, if you've ever attended my Sunday school class in December, you're probably familiar with this test.
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At the time I first took this test, I was a pastor and elder in full -time ministry.
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I had attended a Christian college and had majored in pastoral studies.
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I had taught numerous classes on the Bible and counseled numerous people in these
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My entire life had been lived in the church.
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I had attended numerous Bible studies in the church and Sunday school classes, year in and year
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And in every year, in great detail, I had read about or heard about.
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Or seen the Christmas story.
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And after I took this test, out of 30 questions, I got 19 correct,
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So technically a passing grade.
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But interestingly enough,.
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My grade was one of the higher grades in the class.
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Now, generally speaking, when it comes to the details regarding the Christmas story, the details
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of the events and theology that surround the birth of the Lord Jesus Christ, there is often
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And there overall is a lack of clarity.
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And the reason being, I think,.
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While almost everyone is familiar.
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With the Christmas story, the details of it often get mixed up and
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muddled by the books that we have read,.
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The movies that we have watched,.
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And the songs that we sing.
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For example, the Bible does not say.
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That Mary rode on a donkey from Galilee to Bethlehem.
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The Bible does not record a conversation.
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The Bible does not place the wise men at the scene of the manger, nor does it tell us their exact
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There is no mention of animals at the manger scene.
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There's no mention of cattle mowing.
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There's no mention of a lamb being given to the baby Jesus to keep him warm.
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There's no mention of a little drummer boy.
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And contrary to popular opinion in just about every Christmas card out there, the baby Jesus did not
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This morning, rather than looking at the birth of Jesus Christ through the lens of Christmas books,
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Christmas movies, or even the gospel narratives, we're gonna take a look at the birth.
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Of the Lord Jesus Christ through the eyes.
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Please turn with me to the book of Philippians.
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This morning, our text is Philippians chapter two,.
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Let's look at the text together.
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Philippians two, verses six to 11.
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Who though he was in the form of God, speaking of Jesus, did not count
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equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself by taking the form of
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a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
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And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of
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death, even death on a cross.
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Therefore, God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every
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name, so that at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow in
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heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is
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Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
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Here in this short but theologically rich passage, there is no mention of the Christmas star,
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there's no mention of the shepherds, nor the angels, nor the wise men, nor of Mary and Joseph.
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There's not even mention of the baby Jesus.
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But here in this passage, in amazing clarity, the apostle Paul shares with us the
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theology of the Christmas story.
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Paul shares with us the theology of the incarnation.
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The term incarnation is not a term that you often hear about today.
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The term incarnation means to make flesh.
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It refers to the Lord God becoming a man.
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It refers to the Lord God taking upon himself human flesh.
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The incarnation is the Christmas story.
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It is the Lord God entering into his creation, entering into time, and taking upon
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There's more to the Christmas story than the historical events recorded in the gospels of Matthew and Luke.
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In Philippians 2, verses six to 11, Paul gives us insight into the theological events
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surrounding the incarnation of God the Son.
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Paul provides for us what was happening behind the scenes of the nativity
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narrative, which in turn gives us a more complete account of the Christmas
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Let's look at each one of these verses in detail.
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Philippians chapter two, verse six.
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Who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a thing to be
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The first thing that we see in verse six is the divinity of God the
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Son, the divinity of Jesus Christ.
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Who though he was in the form of God did not count equality with God a
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The Lord Jesus Christ was in the form of God.
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The phrase he was in refers to the essence of what a person is at the very core of their
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It denotes the continuance of a previous state or existence.
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The phrase describes that which is true of a person which cannot be changed,
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which cannot be altered, which cannot be removed.
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The meaning of this phrase is clear.
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The Lord Jesus Christ being in the form of God is a clear declaration of his
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No one could be in the form of God who was not God.
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And the Lord Jesus Christ was in the form of God.
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Jesus Christ at the very core of his being is God.
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Jesus Christ unalterably and unchangeably is God.
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One commentator remarked, it describes that part of a man which in any
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circumstances remains the same.
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So Paul begins by saying that Jesus was essentially and unalterably
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The clearest and most profound example of this truth is found in the Gospel of John,
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In the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the word was God.
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Verse 14, and the word became flesh and dwelt among us
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and we have seen his glory.
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Glory is of the only son from the father full of grace and truth.
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The phrase in the beginning was the word carries with it the idea that the word was eternal.
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The word has existed from all eternity.
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At the very beginning of history, at the very beginning of time, at the root of the universe,
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already in existence was the word, Jesus Christ.
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In the beginning was the word and the word was with God.
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The phrase the word was with God.
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Means that the word was and is distinct from God.
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It paints the picture of two personal beings standing face to face with one another, engaging
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From all eternity, the word, God the Son, has coexisted with God the Father.
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God the Son has been face to face with God the Father, engaging in close personal
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In the beginning was the word, the word was with God and the word
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Not only did God the Son exist from all eternity, not only did
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God the Son have intimate communion.
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But God the Son was also God.
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Jesus Christ has always been and will always be divine.
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He did not become the Son of God, he already was the Son of God.
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The word was God and conversely, God was the word.
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Beloved, this is the simplest, clearest and most direct proclamation of the deity of the Lord Jesus
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Found anywhere in all the scriptures, the word was God.
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And to fully understand the Christmas story, this must be our starting point.
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Jesus Christ, the word, was in the form of God.
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Jesus Christ, the word, was God, he is God.
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The second thing we see in verse six is the humility of God the Son,
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the humility of Jesus Christ, who though he was in the form of God,
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did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.
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Even though the Lord Jesus Christ eternally existed as God, during his incarnation,
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he refused to hold on to his divine rights and his divine privileges.
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The Lord Jesus Christ abandoned his exalted position and he did not count equality with
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God a thing to be grasped.
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Philippians 2, six and seven, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a
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thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing,
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taking the form of a servant being born in the likeness of men.
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The phrase to be grasped refers to something that is seized or to something that is carried away
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It refers to holding on to something tightly for fear that you may lose it, for fear that it
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may be snatched away right out from under you.
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The Lord Jesus Christ's equality with God was not something to which he had to cling.
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It was not something that he had to hold on to tightly for fear of losing it, for fear of having it
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The Lord God could never cease to be God.
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The Lord Jesus Christ is God and he can never cease to be God.
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There is no losing his divinity.
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There is no snatching away his divinity.
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John 8, 58, Jesus said to them, truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was,
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Colossians 1, 15, he, referring to Jesus, is the image of the invisible God,
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the firstborn of all creation.
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Hebrews 1, verses two through three, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,
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whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
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He, referring to Jesus, is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact
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And he upholds the universe by the word of his power.
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Colossians 2, 9, for in him, referring to Jesus, the
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whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.
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The Lord Jesus Christ is the great I am.
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He is the image of the invisible God.
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He is the radiance of the glory of God.
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He is the exact representation, the exact imprint of his nature.
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The Lord Jesus Christ upholds the universe by the word of his power.
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And in him, all things hold together.
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And in him, the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily.
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The reason why Jesus Christ didn't have to demand equality with God, the reason why he didn't have to grasp
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it, the reason why he didn't have to hold onto it tightly, is because Jesus Christ is God.
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And he will forever be God.
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But rather than demanding his equality with God, what did he do?
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The King James Version translates this phrase as he made himself of no reputation.
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During his earthly ministry, the Lord Jesus Christ never used his divine powers or his
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authority for his own personal advantage.
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And rather than demanding his own honor, rather than demanding his own rights and his privileges as the
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creator of the universe, all of that was laid aside.
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And he willingly emptied himself.
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He willingly made himself nothing.
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He willingly made himself of no reputation.
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The term nothing is an interesting word.
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This means to be completely unoccupied.
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It means to pour something out until everything is gone.
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What did the Lord Jesus Christ pour out?
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What did he give up during his incarnation?
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Well, the Lord Jesus Christ gave up his glory.
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He gave up the full manifestation of his glory.
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As a man, his glory was veiled.
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His glory was hidden in his humanity.
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Throughout his ministry, there were glimpses of his glory in his works, in his words,
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and certainly in his transfiguration before Peter, James, and John, but the full
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blinding brilliance of the glory of God was temporarily given up, and it was
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John 17, four and five, I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to
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And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you
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before the world existed.
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At the time that these words were spoken, the Lord Jesus Christ did not have his full glory, which he had before the
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The full expression of the glory of God had been temporarily laid aside.
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The Lord Jesus Christ also gave up his honor.
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Isaiah 53, three, he was despised and rejected by men,
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a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief, and is one from whom men hide their
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He was despised, and we esteemed him not.
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Throughout the Gospels, we see that Jesus was a hated man.
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His own people rejected him.
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His own people sought to stone him.
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He was said to have a demon.
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He was betrayed by a close friend.
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He was beaten, he was spit upon, he was defamed, he was unfairly accused,
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He was stripped and shamed and scourged.
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He was mocked and given a crown of thorns and a purple robe, and he was publicly ridiculed.
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The Lord Jesus Christ gave up his honor to suffer mockery, disrespect,
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and an agonizing and brutal death at the hands of his own creation.
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The Lord Jesus Christ also gave up his eternal riches.
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2 Corinthians 8, 9, for you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he
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was rich, yet for your sake, he became poor,
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so that you by his poverty might become rich.
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The Lord Jesus Christ gave up the greatest riches of all.
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He gave up his intimate relationship with the Father.
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For all eternity, the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son, existed in complete unity and complete
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harmony with God the Father.
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But in order to fulfill God's plan of redemption, for our sake,
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2 Corinthians 5, 21, he made him to be sin who knew no sin,
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so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
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It was our sin placed upon Jesus Christ that caused God the Father to forsake the
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And in this brief separation between the Father and the Son, this is what caused the Lord Jesus Christ tremendous
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It was this unbelievably horrid separation that caused the Lord Jesus Christ to call out, my
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God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
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Arthur Pink commented, incomparable condescension was this.
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He who was by inherent right in the form of God suffered his glory to be
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eclipsed, his honor to be laid in the dust, and himself to be humbled to a
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The Lord Jesus Christ showed great humility in his incarnation.
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But he was further humbled by taking the form of a servant.
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Philippians 2, six and seven, who though he was in the form of God, did not count
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equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the
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form of a servant being born in the likeness of men.
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The Lord Jesus Christ who existed in the form of God now furthers his condescension,
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not by taking the form of a king or a mighty conqueror, but by
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taking the form of a servant.
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The term form refers to the outward manifestation of the inner reality.
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The Lord Jesus Christ exists in the form of God.
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He also exists in the form of a servant.
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Jesus Christ is a servant.
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In fact, he is as much God as he is a servant.
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Mark 10, 45, for even the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve
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and to give his life as a ransom for many.
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Beloved, by his incarnation, the Lord Jesus Christ willingly took up
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God the Son willingly took the form of a servant for you.
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He was born in the likeness of man.
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The term likeness refers to that which is made to be like something else, not only in appearance, but
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The Lord Jesus Christ was a genuine man.
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He didn't just appear to be a man.
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He was not some sort of copy of a man.
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He was not a wandering spirit.
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He was exactly like every other man with all the characteristics and all the attributes of
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humanity, yet without sin.
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Romans 8, three through four.
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For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do.
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By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin,
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he condemned sin in the flesh in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled
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in us, who walk not according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.
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During his incarnation, the Lord Jesus Christ was the embodiment of the law.
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Of all the men that ever lived, he and he alone perfectly fulfilled the law of God.
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The law of God commands righteousness, but it cannot provide that righteousness.
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Thus, what the law was unable to do, the Lord God did himself.
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On this particular verse, one preacher put it this way.
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The law can condemn the sinner, but only God can condemn and destroy sin.
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And that is what he has done on behalf of those who trust in his Son, by his coming to earth in
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the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin.
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The humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, the incarnation, is an extremely important truth
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because without the incarnation, without God becoming flesh, there would be no
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1 John 4, 1 and 2, by this you know the Spirit of God.
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Every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God.
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And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God.
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This is the Spirit of the Antichrist, which you have heard was coming and is now in the world already.
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In this passage, John is stating that the supreme test of demonic spirits
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and false teachers and the people that they influence
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is concerning the nature of Jesus Christ.
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If in any way, the humanity or the deity of Christ is separated, if his full
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humanity is denied, or if his full deity is denied, then they and their teaching
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This is the reason this is such an important doctrine.
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If the Lord Jesus Christ was not a perfect man, then he could not have died for our sins.
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If the Lord Jesus Christ wasn't God, then he could not have defeated death and thus could never have saved us.
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So any doctrine that twists or perverts that Jesus Christ was fully God and fully
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The 1689 London Baptist of Faith, Article 8, Paragraph 2, states the Son of
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God, the second person of the Holy Trinity, is truly and eternally God.
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He is the brightness of the Father's glory, the same in substance and equal with him.
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He made the world and sustains and governs everything he has made.
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When the fullness of time came, he took upon himself human nature, with all the essential properties
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and common weaknesses of it, but without sin.
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He was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary.
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The Holy Spirit came down upon her and the power of the Most High overshadowed her.
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Thus he was born of a woman from the tribe of Judah, a descendant of Abraham and David in
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fulfillment of the scriptures.
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Two whole, perfect and distinct natures were inseparably joined together in one
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person without converting one into the other or mixing them together to produce a different or
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This person is truly God and truly man, yet one Christ, the
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only mediator between God and humanity.
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The Lord Jesus Christ came into this world to accomplish what we could never
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God the Son came to do the Father's will.
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He came to serve the needs of his people in the name of his Father.
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And his ultimate act of service was when he died on the cross in order to save his people.
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Philippians 2, six to 11.
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Who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,
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but made himself nothing.
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Taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men and being found in human form, he humbled
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himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a
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Jesus Christ existed in the form of God and he abandons his sovereign
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He makes himself of no reputation.
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He takes the form of a servant.
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He's born in the likeness of men.
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And then he humbles himself further by becoming obedient to the point of death,
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Beloved, this is the gospel message.
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During his incarnation, Jesus Christ never broke the law of God.
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He never missed the mark of God's perfection.
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He never transgressed the will of the Father.
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And yet he became obedient to the point of death, even death on a
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From the moment he was born to the moment of his death, the Lord Jesus Christ bore
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in his body the burden, the penalty and the consequences of the law,
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the law that he himself had never broken.
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But in our place, as our substitute, condemned he stood.
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Have you ever been wrongly accused or wrongly judged or misunderstood?
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Have you ever been personally attacked for no reason?
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Have you ever found yourself at odds or in personal conflict with a family member or a friend or
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These are difficult situations and they weigh heavy on us.
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The conflict is always on your mind.
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To be dealt with in an unjust manner again and again can be downright crippling,
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especially if it stretches out over a long period of time.
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Do you realize this was the constant experience of the Lord Jesus Christ as he lived his
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life with our sinful burdens?
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Beloved, the Lord Jesus Christ never got what he deserved in his life.
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He never got the honor that he deserved.
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He never got the appreciation that he deserved.
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He never got the gratitude that he deserved.
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Rather, he abandoned his rights.
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He abandoned his privileges.
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He made himself of no reputation.
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He took the form of a servant.
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He was born in the likeness of men.
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And he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, death on a cross.
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In this world, in light of our own sin and transgression, do you and I
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Do we get the justice that we deserve?
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Do we get the judgment that we deserve?
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Do we get the condemnation that we deserve?
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Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus Christ never got what he deserved in this life so that
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you and I would never get what we deserve in this life.
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Galatians 3 .13, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse
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For it is written, curse it is everyone who is hanged on a tree.
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So that in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might
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receive the promised spirit through faith.
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Second Corinthians 5 .21, for our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin
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so that we might become the righteousness of God.
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The author Jerry Bridges remarked, just as God charged our sin to Christ, so
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he credits the perfect obedience of Jesus to all who trust in him.
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It is what is often called double imputation or the great exchange.
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God exchanges our sin for Christ's righteousness.
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As a result, all who have trusted in Christ as savior and Lord stand before
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God, not with a clean but empty ledger, but one filled with the very
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Beloved, this is the Christmas message.
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It's not just the virgin birth.
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It's not just the shining star.
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It's not just the angels, the shepherds or the wise men.
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It is God the father sending God to son to save his people from their sins.
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God the father sent God the son into the world to be the propitiation of our sins.
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God the father sent God the son into the world to be our substitute.
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The son of God was sent to die in our place.
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He was sent to die the death that we had earned, the death that we so rightfully deserve.
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God the son was sent to die in our place to appease the righteous wrath
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of God and the righteous wrath that was incurred by our sin and our
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God the father sent God the son as a redeemer and a savior for the lost.
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This is the good news and great joy of the Christmas story.
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In light of this good news, in light of this great joy, there is something
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that we must now accomplish.
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There is something that we must pursue.
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Beloved, we must lift up on high the name of Jesus.
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The Lord Jesus Christ is to be honored, glorified, worshiped and exalted.
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Philippians 2, nine through 11.
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Therefore, in light of what Christ has done, God has highly exalted him
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and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus, every
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knee should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus is
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Lord to the glory of God the father.
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Now, the contrast between what we just read in verses nine through 11 and verses six to
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The Lord Jesus Christ humbled himself, God exalted him.
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The Lord Jesus Christ sought not a name for himself, but God gave him a name above all names.
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The Lord Jesus Christ bent his knee to save and to serve others, but God decrees that
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every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth and every tongue confess that Jesus
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For the Lord Jesus Christ and consequently for the Christian, the way up
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First comes humiliation and then comes exaltation.
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First comes the cross and then comes the crown.
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Beloved, no one will ever bear the crown in heaven who does not bear the
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This is the pattern that we see throughout the scriptures, but especially in the life of Jesus.
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At his birth, the Lord Jesus Christ was born into poverty.
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He was born in a manger and wrapped in swaddling clothes, and yet there was a multitude
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of heavenly hosts praising God and saying, glory to God in the highest and on earth peace among
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those whom he is pleased.
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Humiliation first, then exaltation.
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At his baptism, the Lord Jesus Christ identified with the sins of the nation, but as he
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rose out of the water, God the Father proclaimed, you are my beloved son in whom I am well
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Humiliation first, then exaltation.
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At his temptation, the Lord Jesus Christ went 40 days and 40 nights without eating, and when they ended, he was hungry,
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and the devil came to tempt him.
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After the devil had ended every temptation, angels came and were ministering to him, and he
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returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit.
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Humiliation first, then exaltation.
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At his transfiguration, after the Lord Jesus Christ had foretold to his disciples that he would go to Jerusalem
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and suffer many things from the elders and the chief priests and the scribes and be killed, six
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days later, he was transfigured before them.
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His face shone like the sun.
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His clothes became white as light.
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For a moment, a glimpse of his glory and majesty was revealed.
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Humiliation first, then exaltation.
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At his crucifixion, the Lord Jesus Christ was falsely accused.
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He was mocked, he was slandered, he was beaten, he was bloodied, he was nailed to a cross
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Three days later, he resurrected from the dead.
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Humiliation first, then exaltation.
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Beloved, this is a lesson that each one of us need to learn.
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The cross must precede the crown.
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Therefore, James 4 .10, humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
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First Peter 5 .6, humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time
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Matthew 23 .11, the greatest among you shall be your servant.
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Whoever exalts himself will be humbled and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
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Charles Spurgeon remarked, you and I have no idea how high an honor it is to
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How can we therefore measure the descent of Christ when our highest thoughts cannot comprehend
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the height from which he came?
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The depth to which he descended is immeasurably below any point we have ever reached and the
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height from which he came is inconceivably above our loftiest thought.
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Do not, however, forget the glory that Jesus laid aside for a while.
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Remember that he is very God of very God and that he dwelt in the highest heaven with his father.
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Yet though he was thus infinitely rich for our sakes, he became poor that we through his
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He stooped, who can tell how low?
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He was raised, who can tell how high?
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Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, he threw away his name, he emptied himself of his reputation
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how high is this reputation now?
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How glorious is the name that God hath given him as the reward of his redemptive work?
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Beloved, this is the Christmas story.
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This is the theme of the Christmas story and the theology behind it.
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Jesus Christ, who is in the form of God, abandoned his sovereign position, empties himself
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and makes himself of no reputation.
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He takes the form of a servant.
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He was born in the likeness of man.
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He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.
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Beloved, the theme of our lives and the pattern of our lives must also be
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To bow at the name of Jesus is to recognize your great spiritual poverty.
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It is to recognize your sinful and helpless estate.
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All men are born spiritually dead in their trespasses and sins and because you are dead,
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you are not able to respond to the Lord God.
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You are not able to be reconciled to the Lord God.
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You are not able to make things right with the Lord God.
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And unless you do, you will be the one paying for your sin and your
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transgression for all eternity.
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But to confess with your tongue that Jesus is Lord is to recognize his Lordship and his divine
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It is to personally transfer your reliance for salvation from yourself
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to the Lord Jesus Christ.
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This involves godly sorrow and repentance of sin, a turning away from sin and a
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diligent pursuit to trust, submit, love and follow after the Lord Jesus Christ in
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obedience to his revealed will by the power of the spirit.
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Beloved, saving faith will always result in good works.
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And faith and repentance are the only evidence that a man has a new heart.
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And turning from sin to Christ reveals that new heart.
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But if you are trusting in anyone or anything else for your salvation, if you are continuing
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to live in sin, then this reveals an old heart.
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This reveals an unsaved heart and a need for a savior.
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Beloved, humble yourselves before the Lord and he will exalt you.
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This Christmas season, this Christmas season, this is what we should be reflecting upon.
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The divinity of Jesus Christ, the humility of Jesus Christ and his great work
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And we need to have his attitude.
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Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus.
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Our Father, we thank you for this Christmas message.
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We thank you for the incarnation of Christ.
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Lord, what a tremendous miracle that is.
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God accomplishing what we were called to do but we failed.
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So Christ doing it for us, fulfilling your word, fulfilling your law, fulfilling your will.
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Lord, we thank you for this gift.
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We thank you that you accepted his offer.
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That when we repent and we turn to Christ in faith alone, we thank you, Lord, that
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you transfer our sin to Christ.
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His righteousness is transferred to our account and when you look at us, you no longer see our sin but you see Christ's
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righteousness because we are clothed in his righteous robes.
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Lord, this is just unfathomable.
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We thank you for this truth.
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We thank you, Lord, that you've revealed it to us.
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We pray for those folks this Christmas season, Lord, who are struggling and who have difficulty, who are not
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We pray, Lord, that we would be bold in sharing this message with other people.
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We pray that we would see men and women and children come to Christ.
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We pray that the focus would be taken off all the commercial garbage that's out there and focus on Christ.
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We thank you, Lord, that you've saved us.
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We thank you that you've given us your spirit, you've given us your word, you've given us the church.
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We thank you for all of these tremendous blessings, Lord.
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We pray that, like Christ, we would walk humbly in a manner that pleases you.