Good morning. It's so good to
be here. And I have grown to love so much
this time of year. We're going to divert from the
book of Ezra for this Sunday and next Sunday. And would you
turn with me in your Bibles to the book of John. John chapter
one. We're going to spend some time
there. And then we're going to be over in that chapter that
Brother Mike was bringing the lesson from in the book of Luke
chapter 1. In this book of John, we have
no lineage of the Lord Jesus. In the book of Mark, we have
no lineage of the Lord Jesus. One preacher said that every
book has a central theme. In the book of John, the theme
is the deity of Christ. And when we speak of the deity
of Christ, we don't have a lineage, we have eternity. When we go
to the book of Mark, Mark declares our savior as the servant, and
servants never had a lineage. They were brought into this world,
they worked, they died, and that was it. Well, here in the book
of Luke, we have these words, mentioned with regard to our
Lord Jesus and his incarnation, God coming in the flesh. It is so vital. The prophets
spoke of it throughout the Old Testament, and the evangelists
have spoken of it ever since. The coming of God in the flesh
for the redemption of his people. The book of John chapter 1 verse
1, it says, in the beginning was the Word and the Word was
with God and the Word was God. We find in this verse of scripture
that there is no interest. God does not have any interest
in declaring an argument about God or about the existence of
God. That is assumed. Brother Mike
mentioned a quote that I have in my office, one who has faith
No explanation is necessary. One without faith, no explanation
is possible. You can't explain the existence
of God. Either you believe it or you
don't. and if we truly, truly believe
in the existence of God as declared in the word of God, it only comes
by revelation. God had to reveal that to us. We may believe in a God, but
we find out that God wrote in his word that even the demons,
the devils believe there's a God, and they stand in judgment by
him. This word, word, that we find in this verse of scripture
is common in the New Testament, but it is very specific with
regard to the Lord Jesus Christ. He is called the word four times
in the New Testament. Many times is this word logos
translated in the scriptures as word, but it makes reference
to the Lord Jesus and one of them is found here in John chapter
one. This Word. And we know as we use them, it
would be very difficult for us to explain what we want to say
or explain an object if we were limited by not being able to
use words. Explain your home without using
words. Explain your mate without using
words that would be very difficult. Well, we find that Word is an
expression a vehicle of thought and when we apply that thought
to the Lord Jesus We find it is the Word of God then is the
deity expressing itself We're going to have God Jesus the Christ
Expressing the deity of God to us By his very being and by his
words. He is the word or the logos of
God God is going to use him to express to us Almighty God That
is why the Lord Jesus is called the Word of God He is God's final
spokesman. We read this in the book of Hebrews.
I hope I never forget the message that Brother Lance brought from
the book of Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 and 2 there. that the word
in the past was brought by the prophets of God, but no longer
is that necessary for Jesus Christ has come, and he is the final
spokesman for God Almighty. Throughout the Old Testament,
Moses was a spokesman for God, and five books were written by
Moses by inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We go through the rest
of the Old Testament books, and they were spokesmen for God.
We read them as God's word. They were the spokesman of God.
When we come to the New Testament, we find that the final spokesman
of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. And he gives us those words that
we have through the book of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, and up
through book of Revelation. These are the word of God. He's
the final spokesman, the final prophet of God Almighty. And
we also find out that when we have a word, we're going to have
letters. Every word is made up of letters even the smallest
a I are made up of letters These letters we find out Christ
is God's alphabet for he is the Alpha and Omega of all the things
concerning God He is the final word of grace, and he is the
letters that make up a word of grace he is the explanation of
the Godhead and he is the words of that declare it and he is
the letters that make up the word and A word is the means
of manifesting, communicating, and revealing. And we find with
regard to Christ, he manifests the invisible God. When those
folks during those times that Christ walked upon this earth,
when they saw him, they saw God, the very God, and there were
some that understood that. That man that raised him up as
an infant in the temple recognized him as God Almighty. Mary recognized him as God Almighty
and there were some that simply said, is not this Joseph's son? They had no concept of the revelation
that Jesus Christ was the manifestation of the invisible God. He communicates
the love and mercy of God. The Lord Jesus and all that he
said and did reveals the love and mercy of God, for God so
loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. and the mercy of God. Mercy,
we read in the scriptures that mercy is something God gives
to us when He withholds the justice that was due us. And the justice
that was due us was laid upon Him, the everlasting Christ,
and He bore our sins in His own body on the tree. And he reveals
the attributes and the perfections of God. We call it his holiness. We call it his righteousness.
That he was absolutely obedient to all that was found in the
law of God. What we could not do, he has
done. And what we could not do, we
could not approach God. He was in the very presence of
God for eternity. And he pleased God with all his
nature and all his being and all his obedience. It is so pleasing
to God that he welcomed him back into the throne of grace, back
into the throne of God when he accomplished his purpose on the
cross. when he went to the grave and
was resurrected, spent 40 more days on this earth to show to
people, his disciples, and those around him, I have come out of
the tomb victorious. I have accomplished the purpose
that I set out to do when I came and was born of a virgin Laid
in a manger and grew up among men dead men all of them by nature
a few He gave the revelation of Jesus Christ, and they could
see him for who he actually was God the very God Now in the same
chapter verse 14 read that with me It says and the word of was made
flesh. We could contemplate that for
ages. It's beyond my ability to understand,
but I am so thankful it is written there and the Holy Spirit can
reveal it to our hearts and we can believe it as the fact. The word was made flesh. This word was made flesh. We already realized that he was
already preexistent. The Lord was preexistent. Christ was preexistent. He was
the eternal son of God. He is God the very God. But in
time, because of the fall and because the plan that God had
before the foundation of the world, as the lamb slain from
the foundation of the world, it was of necessity that he come,
God the very God, and take upon himself flesh like unto those
he was going to die for. God the very God could not die.
Man could not die for himself. So God in his grace and in his
mercy sent his only begotten son who took upon himself the
form of a man, made like unto his brethren. He came and was
born in such a capacity that He could suffer death and pay
the price of all the sins of all His people on the cross.
You and I could not do that, and God could not come as God
and deal with it because God cannot die. The God-man has paid
the price for all those He chose in God before the foundation
of the world. We find that this is such a marvel. The scriptures we heard read
this morning over in the book of Isaiah gives us some insight. The prophets throughout the Old
Testament gave us insight. And those who knew something,
those who had been revealed something, had this knowledge in their heart.
God is going to do a work that he has never done before. He
created Adam of the dust of the ground. He created Eve from the
rib of Adam. But he did not do that for his
son. His son was brought into this
world in the most miraculous way. We read that Abraham's wife
Sarah had a son in her old age. We find that Zacharias' wife
had a son in her old age. One was Isaac. The other one
we find was John. They were brought into this world
in a miraculous way. They were beyond the age of childbearing
and yet God touched them and they were able to have children
in the natural way. But this one that God promised
to be the redemption of his people came in such a miraculous way. The word became flesh. And the Old Testament writers
give us some insight into that. Isaiah in chapter 7 gave us some
insight into this. And people have said, since it
was written in the days of Isaiah, that is impossible. And God answers that with, God,
nothing shall be impossible. He answered it in the days of
Isaiah. He answered it in the days of
Moses. And he answers it today. A virgin shall conceive. Behold,
God shall give a sign. A virgin shall conceive. And
men and women have declared with loud voices even today, that
is impossible. Left to man, it is. With God,
nothing shall be impossible. But when the fullness of time
would come, Over in the book of Daniel, if we had some insight,
we'd be able to trace the exact day when the Lord Jesus would
be born. It was given to those Jews. Daniel
was given that information by the angel Gabriel. Gabriel lined it right out. There
is the time to expect the coming Messiah. A whole bunch of folks
couldn't understand it. People today have tried to make
that into something that it is not. And then when it didn't
happen like they planned it, that Jesus didn't set up an earthly
kingdom, they had a big long postponement between the 69th
and 70th week. In the middle of the last week,
it tells us that Jesus Christ laid down his life a ransom.
So we don't have to look for something in the future. The
only thing holding back the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ the
second time is that there's still some sheep that need to be saved,
and when they're saved, this will be over. And we'll sit at the feet of
the Lord Jesus, saying hallelujah for the cross. The fullness of time was come,
God sent forth his son, made of a woman, made under the law.
Timothy said, without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. He calls it a great mystery,
and it is without controversy that it is a mystery. But God
came in the flesh. God was born of a virgin. The
Lord Jesus Christ came in a very special way, not ever having
taken place before. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us. And we, I have to ask, I ask
myself the same question. How can these things be? We heard read this morning in
the book of Luke, a young lady in Israel when she was approached
by the angel Gabriel, asked the very same question. How can this be? Well, God gives
us some information about that. God lets us have an inside track
on that. God lets us see a little bit
about how he does his business. He shows us a little through
Speaking to Mary, Gabriel, Gabriel is mentioned a number of times
in the Old Testament as well as in the New Testament and it
was this same great angel, archangel. It's interesting that Gabriel's
name means man of God. We have someone greater than
an angel. We have a messenger from God
and there is one true messenger of God and the Lord. Gabriel appeared unto Daniel
in the book of Daniel twice and Gabriel appeared unto Zacharias
and Gabriel appears unto Mary. Now it's interesting to me when
we find out who this Gabriel is that he's speaking to the
woman that's going to bear him into the world. He's not going
to leave it to an angel. He's not going to leave it to
a person. He appears directly in her presence
and lets her know exactly what she is going to do even though
it is contrary to everything that is in this world. A virgin
shall conceive and bear a son. She asked the question, how can
these things be? I'm convinced that there were
a number of women throughout Israel's history that thought
they might be the one to bring the Christ child into the world.
I'm convinced by the words that Eve used that she thought when
she had her first son, that we have the answer to the problem
that was created by Adam, that someone was going to come and
be a ransom for our sin. It turned out he wasn't it, but
the seed of a woman was going to be the answer to the problem. That's what God shared with Adam
and Eve and to the serpent just after the fall, that a seed of
the woman will take care of the problem. It's interesting that
the Lord never called, in our understanding from the scriptures,
he never called Mary mother, but he called her woman. That's what he said to John when
he says, you take care of this woman. He was the seed of the
woman. He was the answer to the problem
that had been created in the Garden of Eden by Adam. He was
the answer to the fall. He was the answer to the fall
for all his people. Gabriel, the man of God, the
mighty one, is mentioned here. This one, the man of God, the
mighty one, made this appearance. and spoke in such an authoritative
way, we can only make it, this is the Lord. Gabriel came to
give Mary an account of the manner in which all these things would
take place. It's the right time. The woman
has been identified. The power of God appeared. The
manner and the means of the fulfillment of the word of the prophets is
declared. Would you turn with me there
to the Book of Luke? The Book of Luke, Chapter 1. The Word was in the beginning.
The Word was with God and the Word was God. And then it said
in John 1.14, the Word was made flesh. Turn with me to the Book
of Luke, Chapter 1. In Luke, Chapter 1, we have the
answer to the question, how shall these things be? Luke chapter
1, verse 26, it says, in the sixth
month, that's in the sixth month of
the unborn life of John. John was six months older than
the Lord in six months of Elizabeth. The angel Gabriel was sent from
God unto a city of Galilee named Nazareth. It's no wonder that the folks
during the time of Herod, the time of the birth of Christ,
couldn't figure out why this king of the Jews Couldn't be
Jesus because they said he's from Nazareth. The king of the
Jews is going to be born in Bethlehem. They never can any good thing
come out of Nazareth. It was a despicable place. It
was just one step above the Dalles. It was a place where natural
man lived and lived out his life. And without Christ and without
God and without hope, there is no pleasant end. Jesus was born in Bethlehem,
as the prophet would say, and grew up in the city of Nazareth.
To a virgin, a spouse to a man whose name was Joseph, in the
house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary, And the angel
came into her and said, hail thou art highly favored. And
I'm here to tell you that the number of times you say that
is not gonna help. She was blessed among women. But every woman that God has
exercised grace to has been richly blessed by God. Every man that
God has expressed grace to is richly blessed by God. And when she saw him, she was
troubled at his saying, and cast her in her mind what manner of
salutation this should be. She didn't say a word, but the
angel of the Lord knew what was going through her mind. The angel
said unto her, fear not, Mary, for thou hast found favor. That
word is grace. Behold, thou shalt conceive in
thy womb, and bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name
Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the
Highest. And the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his
father David. And he shall reign over the house
of Jacob forever. And his kingdom, there shall
be no end. Then said Mary unto the angel,
How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?' And the angel answered and said
unto her, This is how it's going to take place." Joseph wrestled with this, we
find out in the book of Matthew, when he found out that his engaged
bride, was already pregnant. He wrestled with it. In fact,
under Old Testament law, he had the right to have her stoned
to death. But he wanted to put her away privately, not making
her a public example because he loved her. And the angel of
the Lord appeared unto him and says, Joseph, I'm here to tell
you something. This is a very special pregnancy. And when the time comes, you're
going to call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people
from their sins. And Joseph was convinced. Now,
he's a whole lot like the church. How can these things be? How can God do his business? And there's a whole lot of folks
believe that they must be involved with God's business. And the
church, the true church believes, leave God alone and he will do
his business. Stay out of it. That's what we
find here. Joseph thought she had relations
with another man, and this is unheard of. And the Lord appeared
unto her and says, she was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit. Now, natural
man in their thought processes, we all think that we have to
do something to be saved. What shall I do to be saved? The rich young brewer brought
that to the Lord. The jailer there brought that to
Paul. What shall I do to be saved?
The answer is always, the Lord saves his people from their sins. Now, how can we get a savior
in here without mankind? How can we get a Savior down
here without helping it along the way? And the answer is the
answer that the angel gave unto Mary. We're not going to have
man involved in this because they only mess it up. When Adam
sinned and brought forth children, he messed them up. And when they
brought forth children, they were messed up. And when we come
down to our generation, everybody that had ever been born has been
messed up towards God and have no right view about him. And the only people that will
ever look at God with affection are those who have what we read
about Mary being able to have a child without man's influence. The Holy Spirit must come, and
must overshadow us, and must give us the new birth, and that
which is left in us shall be called holy. That's what the
new birth is. It's the Holy Spirit coming upon
his folks and overshadowing them and using the seed. The church
is called a woman many times in the scripture, and it is the
church that shares the seed, the word of God. It is here that
God said, I will overshadow, I will come upon, I will bring
the spirit of God, and I will generate life. I will indwell
that which is left in them is holy, because it's the Holy Spirit
left in those he deals with. There in the book of Luke, Mary
said, I'm just so overwhelmed by what I've just heard. How
can these things be? And it tells us in verse 35,
the angel answered and said unto her, the Holy Ghost shall come
upon thee. Jesus said to Nicodemus, you
must be born again. What was his answer to that?
How can these things be? Must I enter the second time
in my mother's womb? He gave an honest answer from
a human standpoint. And the Lord Jesus brings up
the activity of the Holy Spirit to him. The wind blows where
it wants to. You can see the action of it,
but you cannot see where it's come from or where it's going.
So is everyone born of the Spirit. Here Gabriel says, the Holy Ghost
shall come upon thee, and the power of the higher shall overshadow
thee. What power does it take to raise
a dead person to life? The same power it took to raise
the Lord Jesus. That's the power of God. That's
why it's impossible for us to ever raise ourself. You know,
it'd just been as easy for someone to come up to Mary in this great
time of consternation when she says, how can these things be?
And says, well, you better be baptized. What good is that going
to do to bring a child into this world? Well, you better take
the Lord's Supper. You better have a Christian life.
You better walk good. You can't do that. You can't
go there. All those things that are brought up by religion have
just as much effect of Mary having the Christ child as anything
else. And the angel told her, God told
her, The angel of the Lord says, the Holy Spirit is going to be
here. The Holy Spirit is going to overshadow
you. The Holy Spirit is going to put
life in you. The Holy Spirit and that which
is in you shall be called holy. Says the Holy Spirit, Holy Ghost
shall come upon thee and the power of the highest, the power
of the highest. No less will do. It must be the
power of the highest. That's what came upon Mary so
long ago. The Holy Ghost came in the power
of the highest. Shall overshadow thee. Therefore,
also, that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called
the Son of God. For her it read this morning,
his name shall be called Emmanuel. What a wonderful name. There
have been people named that all through history. In fact, one
of the sons of Isaiah's name was Emmanuel. A picture and a
type and a shadow, but the real one came. His name is Jesus. The virgin shall conceive and
bear a son and you shall call his name Emmanuel, which is God
with us. The God, the very God that created
the heavens and the earth and creates life within sinners,
that God is with us. And here he is. Put that flesh. The Old Testament prophet said
in the Psalms, a body. thou hast prepared for me." Brought up in the book of Hebrews,
a body thou hast prepared for me. This did not become flesh
but was made flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld his glory
as the glory of the only begotten of the Father. Christ after the flesh should be the
seed of the woman Behold, a virgin shall be with child. How shall
this be? Power of the shadow, the Almighty
shall overshadow you. Body, for that which is conceived
in her is of the Holy Ghost. The act of conception from the
Holy Ghost must be holy. A virgin shall conceive, yes,
but not by man. She shall bring forth a son,
yes, but not by human begetting. The Holy Ghost shall overshadow
her. His almighty agency brings the
sole course, the sole cause. He was made of a woman, not begotten,
but made. God with us. Turn with me, if
you would, to Matthew chapter 20. We cannot, in any message, stop with just his birth. Why
did he come? What was the purpose of it? It
wasn't just to grow up and answer folks in the temple. It wasn't
just to grow up and do all those mighty works among the folks,
all those miracles. It wasn't just to go to the temple
at the time of the Passover. or to go there during other feast
times. It wasn't just to go out on the
mountain and spend three chapters of the book of Matthew giving
us the great sermon on the mount. It wasn't just to go into the
mount and there pray his great high priestly prayer. The reason
the Lord Jesus came to this world was not to glorify men but to
glorify God and he would do that as we read here in the book of
Matthew chapter 20. Matthew chapter 20 and there
in verse 28. Even as the son of man came not
to be ministered unto but to minister and to give his life
a ransom for many. A payment price worthy to take
care of the sins of his people. The word became flesh and dwelt
among us. Mary said, how can these things
be? See, and I know not a man. Man's
not involved here. God said, thank you. I'm glad
you recognize that fact, because man is not involved in the birth
of the Lord Jesus, and man is not involved in the birth, the
new birth of anybody. It's the Holy Spirit that brought
that seed, quivered that flesh, put that body in the womb of
the Virgin Mary. She carried it for nine months,
just like you and I were carried. And in the end, she brought forth
a firstborn son and called his name Emmanuel, called his name
Jesus, just like was prescribed in scriptures. And from the very
beginning, she noticed this guy is different. than anybody that
has ever walked the face of the earth. For as Thomas said years
later, my Lord and my God, this is Emmanuel. Nathan.