Let me read a verse over here
in the book of 1 Timothy 3, verse 16. 1 Timothy 3, verse 16. It says, and without controversy, without argument, Great is the
mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh,
justified in the spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the
Gentiles, believed on in the world, and received up into glory. There's another verse over here
in Isaiah chapter 9 that I'd like to read in light of that
verse in 2 Timothy. Verse 6 of chapter 9 of the book
of Isaiah. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the
government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting
Father, and the Prince of Peace. Well, there's a great, marvelous truth
in the first statement of this sixth verse. Not that it's not
all great and glorious truths. All of it is, the whole of the
Bible. But there's a glorious truth
here. For unto us a child is born,
and unto us a child is given." Well, we know that that has reference
to the Christ of God. That has reference to the Lord
Jesus Christ Himself, who is the second person of the Godhead,
God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. Unto us
a child is born that has reference to the second person of the Godhead. Unto us a son is given that has
reference to the second person of the Godhead, the Lord Jesus
Christ. Now where was the second person
of the Godhead before he came into the flesh, into this body
that was aforeprepared for him. Where was the second person of
the Godhead before he came into the flesh as a baby in Bethlehem's
manger? Well, it says there was a child
born. was a child born. That is the
human nature of God's Christ. Unto us a child is born. A child
was born in Bethlehem's manger. Where was that second person
of the Godhead before he came into this body prepared for him,
conceived in the womb of the Virgin Mary. Where was He? Well, there was a child born
that is His human nature, that is, of the Christ of God. That human nature of the Christ
of God did not have existence before it was born of Mary, or
He was born of Mary. His human nature, is what I'm
saying, did not exist before he was born of the Virgin
Mary. Now, as the second person of
the eternal Godhead, the Messiah, had no birth, the Lord Jesus Christ as God,
the second person of the Trinity, of the Godhead, He had no birth. The Son was not born. The Son
was given. A child was born, but the Son
was given. The child and the Son are both
one and the same person. The Messiah, the second person
of the Trinity, had no birth. Now, if the Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ, second person of the Trinity, existed before he became
the child born, in what form did he exist? Well, let me read
to you from the book of Philippians. This is the answer that the Apostle
Paul gives, and I think it is the right answer. It is the truth. In Philippians chapter 2 and
verses 5 to 7, listen to what it says. It says, Let this mind
be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, Now,
we're trying to answer the question. As to the second person of the
Godhead, the Messiah, that he had no birth, the Son was not
born but was given. And if the Son existed before
he became a child born, in what form did he exist? He existed
in the form of God. Who, being in the form of God,
thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made himself
of no reputation, and took upon himself the form of a servant,
a man, and was made in the likeness of men, and being found in fashion
as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly
exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name, that
the name of Jesus every knee should bow of things in heaven
and things in earth and things under the earth, it will be a
universal bowing and confessing that the Lord Jesus Christ, the
second person of the Godhead, is none other than God manifest
in the flesh. at His name, at the name of Jesus,
every knee should bow, things in earth, things in earth, things
in heaven, things under the earth, that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Now, before incarnation, That
is, before the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the second
person of the Godhead, into the flesh to exist in the form of a man. The Lord existed before the child
was born, and before he was. He existed as the second person
of the Godhead. He always existed because he's
God. Always, always, always. Never was there a time in the
eons of eternity past, the eternity present, or the eternity to come. that the Lord Jesus Christ did
not exist in his human nature. He always was and always will
be. John here agrees with the apostle. Let me read that in John chapter
1, I believe it is. Chapter 1. Let me read that to
you. Listen. In the beginning was
the Word, and the Word, and the Word was with God. In the beginning
was the Word. The Word is the Lord Jesus Christ,
the second person of the Godhead. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was
in the beginning with God. John agrees with the Apostle
Paul. in the form that he existed before he came in the expression
a child was born. He existed in the form of God. Thought it not robbery to be
equal with God? In the beginning was the Word.
The Word is the Lord Jesus. And the Word was with God. And
the Word was God. So John, the evangelist, the
dearly beloved disciple on whom the Lord laid his head, and he
laid his head upon the breast of the Lord Jesus, says that
the Word was God. The Word was God, the same in
the beginning with God. And all things were made by him,
and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was
life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth
in darkness, and the darkness comprehendeth it not. The Lord
Jesus Christ himself. All right? Our Lord Jesus Christ is both
the Child born and the Son given. He became a child, but he always
was the Son. When he became a child, he took upon himself a human
nature that never had existed prior to his taking on that form
and likeness of man. But as the Son of God, the second
person of the Trinity, He always existed. And we're made to agree with
Isaiah when he said, And his name shall be called Wonderful. A wonderful person is the Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, when it says that his name
shall be called Wonderful, it does not necessarily mean that
he is to be commonly called wonderful by men and women, but it means
that He is wonderful in who He is, wonderful in His person,
God and man in one person. Unto us a child is born. He was born of the Virgin Mary,
the Holy Spirit, deposited that holy thing, and
she conceived in her womb His nature. And His nature as a man
never existed prior to that. But the Son that was given, the
Child that was born, His nature came into existence at the conception. But the Son of God always was
and always will be. When the eternal Son of God was
planted in the womb of the Virgin Mary, did He cease to be God? Did God actually become a baby
and act like a baby? Well, you've got to remember
now that the essential nature of deity can never change. Deity is immutable, immutable,
not capable of changing. He who is God must ever be God,
can be no change. to a son is given as God manifests
in the flesh. God is not I was, God is not
I will be, but God is the I am. In the conversation that he had
with Moses, Moses said unto God the Father, he said, they won't
listen to me. They won't listen to me. I'm
not a fluent speaker. I've lost all that out there
in the plains those 40 years. No polish to my speech. Nobody
will listen to me. God said, you tell that barrow,
that monarch, you tell him that I am that I am, hath sent me. God is not I was. God is not
I will be. God is I am. In other words,
I was implies change from the past. God cannot change. He is the I am. I will be implies
that one will become other than what one is right now. He is not I was or I will be. He is I am, not capable of change. I will be implies change from
the presence. I was implies a change from the
past. It doesn't make any difference. In either case, there is change
in the two. But in I am, there is no change. Since God cannot change and does
not change, and since the Son of God is God, then He has birthed
into this world through the womb and conception of the Virgin
Mary could have never, in any word, in any sense of the word,
altered His divine nature. He always was God. In the incarnation,
the eternal and immutable second person of God. God the Son took
upon himself human nature under his divine nature. Well, I know
that this all sounds, well, it just maybe doesn't fit into your
thinking, but it is necessary for you and I as the children
of God to see how necessary it is for God to become a man in
order to save us. And when we see this a little
more clearly and plainly about the child is born, human nature,
a son is given, the Son of God, He came and took upon Himself
that human nature, and in that human nature was God. God become a man. It's necessary
that God become a man to save me and to save you. It's necessary. So, child is born. Son is given. God gave His Son. God so loved
the world that He gave His only begotten Son. He gave His Son. He sent His Son. He provided
His Son. His Son is the great gift of
God's love to His people. Unto us, Isaiah said, unto us, those who are believers in Christ
Jesus, those who have made application of the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ to their souls, that's who he's talking to, unto us.
A child is born. The Son is given. His name should
be called Wonderful. In the incarnation now, it does
not mean that God became a baby, or does not mean that the Son
of God in any way ceased to be God. It is two persons. It is two natures in one person. It's the nature of man and the
nature of God in one person. Now, one more time, one more
time. The nature of the child that
was born began to exist at conception, but the nature of the Son of
God existed from out all eternity in one person. So the person born in Bethlehem's
manger was both man and God in one person, two natures in one
person, God yet man, necessary necessary that the Messiah be
both God and man. He had to be both God and man. Now, let me tell you why, and
I'll quit. First, God cannot die. To be redeemed, somebody's got
to die, and God cannot die. It's an impossibility for God
to die. God cannot die, but God as a
man can die. See? God as God can't die, but
God as a man can die. So God become a man, Bob, unto
us. A child is born. A son is given. Great gift of God's love. How
He loved us. How love beyond imagination. Beyond comprehension is love
of God towards you. Why would He love us? What's
lovable about us? We've lived all of our lives
from our birth until our conversion in direct opposition to God,
never have had a kind word, a kind thought, never done a good deed,
never done anything to honor or glorify this God. And God
knew all about it, but yet He loved us. He loved us. He set
His love upon us before time ever was. And He said unto you,
unto us, a child is born, and unto us a son is given. You see,
God cannot die, but God as a man can die. Man cannot redeem, but
God in human nature can redeem. You see? Well, since man sinned
against God, it was Adam that sinned against
God, and we were in Adam, and what Adam did was charged us, and we sinned. But since Adam,
since man sinned against God, man must be punished. But listen. does not have the capacity in
himself to satisfy the demands of God. Only God can meet God's demands. So you can see then it's necessary
that a child be born and a son given in order that the demands
of God be met. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son
given, the Child born, God and man in one person, as a man, stood in our place, in our stead,
and redeemed us. We don't have the capability
or the capacity to receive the punishment, to pay the debt, but our great Savior, whom God
has sent, the Lord Jesus, being the covenant head, the second
Adam, the last Adam, took upon himself what was due
us. That's the simple story of the
gospel, the substitutionary work of the Lamb of God, standing
in the stead of the sinner, bearing the sinner's guilt and shame
and punishment, establishing the sinner's righteousness, rendering
unto God obedience to His holy law. That's what God requires. And our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Son given and the Child born, one person, paid our debt. And that's the good news to guilty
people, guilty sinners. That's who He comes to save,
sinners. He died for sinners. If I'm a sinner, I can lay hold
of that. But if I'm no sinner, it don't
mean anything to me. It don't mean a thing to me.
But if I'm a sinner, then I see that the answer to all of my
needs is found in that person. He's my righteousness, he's my
obedience, and he's my sin bearer. All that I need is in him. So
I can't help. When I see that, and I can't
help myself, I've got to trust Him. He only is my salvation. My high tower, my rock, my hiding
place. He's the only one. Where else
can it go? Ah, no wonder. No wonder they said,
His name shall be called Wonderful. Mighty Counselor. Almighty God
is the Lord Jesus Christ. You remember that now. Unto us
a child is born. His flesh never existed until
the conception. His flesh, the form, never existed. But the Son of God always existed. And He's the Son given. He's
the Son given. And the child born. One person. God and man. It takes God and
man to save us. One man. One person. Well, the
Lord bless us and help us. We worship Him. That's who God
is. The true and the living God.
He's God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit.
That's the true and the living God. Three in one, one in three. And our Savior is the God-man. God-man, one person. And the
man Christ Jesus ever lives to make intercession for His people.
Thank God that He's given us His Son. Let's stand and we'll
do this.