In the 10th chapter of the book
of Hebrews, the Holy Spirit gives us a statement made by our Lord
Jesus as he was coming into the world. When he came into the
world, our Savior, as it were, lifted his hand to the triune
Jehovah and made this declaration. When he stepped forth as our
surety in the covenant of grace, This is what our savior declared
he would do when he came into the womb of the Virgin in that
body, that holy thing formed in the Virgin's womb by God,
the Holy Ghost. And when he, the firstborn of
God, broke his mother's womb, crying, Lo, I come to do thy
will. Oh, my God. This is what he said. Hebrews chapter 10, verse 5. Wherefore, when he cometh into
the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not,
but a body hast thou prepared me. Now that's my subject tonight. A body hast thou prepared me. If the Son of God would be our
Redeemer, If he would be our savior, it was necessary for
him to become one with us and one of us, God with us, God in
our nature, Emmanuel. Therefore, in order to redeem
and save his people, a body was prepared for him in Mary's virgin
womb. Let me repeat what I've said
to you many, many times, and it needs to be repeated many
times more. It was not necessary for the Lord of Glory to redeem
and save anyone. We contribute nothing to God. God needs us for nothing but
having purpose to save sinners for the glory of his own name,
for the praise of his own great being. The only way God in his
holiness The only way God in his justice, the only way God
in his truth could save sinners like you and me is if his son
come into the world in our nature, live in obedience to him, die
in our stead, having our sins made his for the satisfaction
of divine justice. God having purposed to save a
people for the glory of his name, Sent his son to redeem us Call
his name Jesus the angel said for he Shall save his people
from their sins But save us he could not Without becoming one
of us turn back to Hebrews chapter 2 Hebrews chapter 2 look at verse
16 For verily he took not on him
the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
He passed by the fallen angels, gave them no mercy. He passed
by all the sons of Esau, showed them no mercy. He took hold on
the seed of Abraham, his elect, his covenant people. Now watch
where it says in verse 17. Wherefore in all things it behooved
him. He was constrained. He was compelled
to be made like unto his brethren for this purpose, that he might
be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to
God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. He could
not be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining
to God. He could not make reconciliation
for the sins of his people for the sins of Abraham's seed whom
he took hold of to save Except he become one of us and that's
exactly what we're told back here in Hebrews chapter 10. Let's
begin reading with verse 1 Hebrews 10 verse 1 The law having a shadow of good
things to come and not the very image of those things can never
with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually
make the comers thereunto perfect. For then, that is, if the sacrifices
of the law could make the worshipers perfect, then would they not
have ceased to be offered? Of course they would. Because
that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience
of sin. But in those sacrifices, There is a remembrance again
made of sins every year, for it is not possible that the blood
of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore, wherefore,
because there is no other way of atonement whereby God could
be just and the justifier of all who believe, whereby God
could both forgive sin and satisfy his own law and justice. Wherefore,
when he cometh into the world, at that precise moment when God
the Son entered Mary's virgin womb as he was entering that
holy thing prepared in the virgin's womb by the overshadowing power
of God the Holy Ghost. He sayeth sacrifice and offering
thou wouldest not. Because sacrifice would do but
the sacrifice no sacrifice would do but the sacrifice of himself. We read the Lord Jesus says,
but because God found a way to save his people, a body has now
prepared me. Because it pleased God, the great
glorious triune Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost to make an
external manifestation, an external revelation of his glory. A body was prepared for our Savior
in which he would show forth the glory of God in the saving
of his people. It is impossible for me to state
with sufficient emphasis that nothing ever transpired in history
more momentous, more significant, more important than the incarnation
of God our Savior in human flesh. God becoming one of us to redeem
and save us. The Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us, resided among us, tabernacled in our midst. And as the Word
made flesh, lived in our midst, John says, we beheld His glory. the glory as of the only begotten
of the Father, full of grace and truth. Peter, James, and
John on the Mount of Transfiguration saw Christ in his glory. They saw the glory of God made
manifest in the glorified Christ as he anticipated his death,
which he would accomplish at Jerusalem. Truly, this is the
mystery of godliness. Paul said, and without controversy,
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, received up into glory. This great wonder The wonder
of the triune Godhead and the deity of the incarnate God is
such a matter of mystery and wonder that no man can understand
it, let alone explain it. And because it is such a great,
infinite revelation of the infinite God that no man can wrap his
mind around it, no man can, by reason, explain it, by logic,
declare it, many have determined that it can't be so. It is no
wonder that the modern translations of the English Bible, without
exception, Omit first john chapter 5 verse 7 the one place in holy
scripture Where the doctrine of the eternal trinity is plainly
stated that it's taught throughout the scripture But that one passage
is the one place where it is plainly stated It's no wonder
that the modern translations all either leave it out or say
it ought to be left out When you consider that the men who
are the fathers of modern translations, Westcott and Hort, both denied
the eternal deity of the Son of God. Both denied that it's
possible for Christ, the man, to be God. Great is the mystery
of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. God stepped into humanity. to show us who God is. God stepped
into flesh to show us what God is. God stepped into manhood
to make us understand something of his glory, his glory, the
greatness of his being by which he distinguishes himself from
all who are called gods. As we consider this great mystery,
the mystery of the incarnate God, Let's do so with reverent,
believing hearts. I've been working on this message
now for a long time. In the last couple of weeks,
I've had this on my mind and I've been working on it with
great care because I want us, as we consider these sacred things,
to put aside carnal speculation and our carnal lust for understanding
of mysteries and rather stand like Moses barefoot before God
to behold this great mystery this mystery of the incarnate
God Moses saw the Lord Jehovah in the bush that burned but was
not consumed and that out of that bush God declared his name
I am my name is Jehovah God who saves and that burning bush was
emblematic typical of Christ, the incarnate God, by whose obedience
to God we are saved. Let us then stand like Moses,
barefoot on holy ground, bowing to worship God, not merely to
feed our minds of speculation. J.C. Philpott wrote a book I
read a long, long time ago, small little booklet, called The Sacred
Humanity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. In that book he said the sacred
humanity of the blessed Lord consists of a perfect human body
and a perfect human soul. A perfect human body and a perfect
human soul taken at one and the same instant in the womb of the
Virgin Mary under the overshadowing operation and influence of God
the Holy Ghost. That's the meaning of the angel's
message. Back here in Luke chapter 1.
Come back there if you will. Luke chapter 1 verse 35. The
angel Gabriel comes and speaks to Mary. And he says in verse
35, The angel answered and said unto
her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee. The Holy Ghost shall
come upon thee. And the power of the highest. What a word to describe God's
omnipotence. The power of the highest shall
overshadow thee. Therefore also that holy thing. What a word to describe our Savior.
It's as though even writing by inspiration, Larry, Luke couldn't
find words suitable to describe that holy thing. That holy thing. Which shall be are the angel
couldn't find words to describe it which shall be born of thee
shall be called the son of God All right. Now, let's look at
three things this evening And i'll spend the bulk of my time
on the second, but let's look at these three things together
first understand this A body was prepared for the son of god
in eternity in the covenant of grace before time began I know
full well, I am well beyond the capability of my understanding
when I talk about things that transpired in eternity. But the
scriptures speak of a time before time, when the Lord God blessed
us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ
Jesus. A time when the Son of God stood
forth as our surety, our substitute, and assumed all responsibility
for our soul. And our Lord Jesus, then in the
mind and purpose of God, stood before him as the God-man. Now listen, before he had existence
as a man, before his human body and human soul was created in
the Virgin's womb, still in the mind and purpose and decree of
God, our Lord Jesus stood before him as the God-man, our mediator. Turn back to Psalm 139. Believe
this Psalm Psalm 139. Yeah, I will Acknowledge there's
room for a for some talk concerning it It stands certainly for more
than just what I'm about to use it for but the Psalm at its heart
is not talking about David and his physical body It is not talking
about me and my physical body. It is talking about the Lord
Jesus Christ the God-man our mediator Psalm 139 verse 13. For thou has possessed my reigns. Thou has covered me in my mother's
womb. I will praise thee for I am fearfully
and wonderfully made. Marvelous are thy works and that
my soul knoweth right well. Now watch this. My substance
was not hid from thee when I was made in secret. and curiously
wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see
my substance being, yet being unperfect. And in thy book all
my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned,
when as yet there was none of them. The incarnation of our
Savior has always been the purpose of God. God made the world. God created the heavens and the
earth that he might come into the world and show himself gloriously
as the God man in the redemption of his people. One old said,
the world is a stage and we are just actors on the stage. The
world is a stage. upon which God is working out
the unfolding drama of redemption. And here is the great display
of his glory. God became a man. But it was
always his purpose from eternity that his son assume our nature
and become one of us. The Lord God in the beginning
said, let us make man in our image and after our likeness. Now, there's no question in my
mind at all. When God made Adam in the garden,
he made Adam in the moral image of his own being. Intellect,
emotion, will. Righteous, a perfect man. But there's more than that. He
made Adam after the image of that one who alone in the book
of God is called the image of God. Standing before the triune
Jehovah, the Lord God, Father, Son and Holy Ghost said, let
us make man just like that man who shall come the second Adam,
who shall bear the sins of his people in his own body on the
tree. Make this man just like him. And Adam was made to be a man. The image of Christ the last
Adam who would come in time by the appointment of God Made in
his physical image and made in his moral image as a representative
man Further Merle read this to us back here in Proverbs chapter
8 look at it again. Look at it again Proverbs chapter
8 verse 22 Verse 22 hear our Savior speak The Lord possessed me in the
beginning of his way before his works of old. I was set up from
everlasting from the beginning or ever the earth was. That's
not talking. Our Lord is not talking here
about him being set up as God. Oh, no, no. He's the eternal
God. He's talking about him being
set up in that time before time in the covenant of grace as our
surety. When there were no debts, I was brought forth. When there
were no fountains abounding with water, before the mountains were
settled, before the hills was I brought forth. While as yet
he had not made the earth nor the fields nor the highest part
of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens,
I was there. When he set a compass upon the face of the depth, when
he established the clouds above, when he strengthened the fountains
of the deep. When he gave to the sea his decree that the water
should not pass his commandment, when he appointed the foundations
of the earth, then was I by him as one brought up with him, and
I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him. All right,
here's the second thing. The word of God tells us plainly
that in the fullness of time, God prepared a body for his son
in the womb of the virgin by the supernatural power of his
spirit. Turn to Matthew chapter one.
Matthew chapter one. Every time you have an opportunity
to speak to someone and you may have many opportunities with
family and friends in the next few days, about the scene at
Bethlehem 2,000 years ago when the Christ child is laid in the
manger. Seize the opportunity to read
the scriptures or refer to the scriptures and let family and
friends know who this Christ is. Look in Proverbs, or in Matthew
chapter 1 and verse 18. Now, the birth of Jesus Christ
was on this wise. This is how it happened. This
is how it happened. Not like the birth of any other
man. When his mother, Mary, was espoused to Joseph before they
came together. She was found with child of the
Holy Ghost. That little preposition of can
be translated many, many ways and all of them accurate. It
might be translated of, or out of, or by, or through the Holy
Ghost. That's what it means. Mary was
found with child, out of, by, and through God the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph, her husband, being
a just man, an upright man, and not willing to make her a public
example. You can picture Joseph. Here
he is engaged to this woman. They're about to be married.
And suddenly she starts to sweat a little bit in her belly and
everybody notices she's pregnant. And Joseph by law could have
her stolen. By law, he could put her away.
But he thought, I don't want to humiliate her. This is humiliation
enough. So he thought to put her away
privately. Verse 20. But while he thought on these
things, Behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in
a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take
unto thee Mary thy wife. Now watch this. For that which
is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth the
son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. For he shall save
his people from their sins. Now, all this was done, all this
was done. Here's Joseph, Mary's spouse,
engaged. Mary shows up pregnant and Joseph
is about to put her away privately rather than making a spectacle
of her. And the angel appears to Joseph and says, said, don't
don't you be concerned about this. This is the work of God.
All this was done. Verse 22. that it might be fulfilled,
which is spoken of the Lord by the prophet saying, behold, a
virgin shall be with child. Well, that just means a young
woman. No, there's word translate young woman. That means virgin.
Behold, a virgin shall be with child and she shall bring forth
the son and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted
as God with us. Then Joseph, being raised from
sleep, did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him, and took
unto him Mary his wife, and knew her not till she had brought
forth her firstborn son, and he called his name Jesus. Our Lord's humanity, his earthly
humanity, his human body and soul, were prepared in the Virgin's
womb by the overshadowing of the Holy Ghost, by the power
of the highest. The word translated overshadow
in Luke 135 has the idea, it conveys the thought of enveloping
in brilliance. Enveloping in brilliance. As
Moses saw God's glory envelop in the brilliance of his Shekinah
glory. the tabernacle. The Holy Ghost
enveloped in brilliance this woman, Mary. It has the idea
of supernatural power and ability. So that God, the Holy Ghost,
did a miraculous, supernatural, glorious thing in Mary. He formed
a man in her who is God. He formed a man-child in her
womb who is God in the flesh. I want to show you four things
about this clearly set before us in Scripture that I think
will be of help to you. First, our Lord Jesus assumed
a real human body. Turn to Hebrews chapter 2. Hebrews
2. man sinned man must obey man
sinned man must suffer man sinned man must pay Man broke God's
law man must satisfy God's law or there could be no salvation
Hebrews chapter 2 verse 10 It became him it became it was needful. It was necessary. It became him
for whom are all things and by whom are all things, and bringing
many sons to glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect
through sufferings. For both he that sanctifieth
and they who are sanctified are all of one, for which cause he
is not ashamed to call them brethren." We and he are one. Jesus Christ, the man seated
in glory, the man who died at Calvary, the man who rules the
universe, the man whose hands and side were pierced for us,
the man whose heart was broken for us, the man seated yonder
on the throne of the universe is a man with the same body as
I have right here. Same flesh. a real human body
so that he is touched with the feeling of our infirmities and
able to succor them that are tempted. The scriptures show
us plainly that the Son of God assumed a real human nature. He emptied himself and became
obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. And yet the
nature he assumed was not a fallen, sinful, mortal nature, but a
perfectly, perfectly, perfectly holy human nature, a nature without
sin. He came not with the assistance
of a man, but he came into this world through the womb of one
who was a virgin. Now, understand this. Please
understand this in this day when People who ought to know better
follow the trend of Rome and act like they worship Mary and
you got pictures of Mary with halo over her head and statues
of Mary and all that nonsense. Mary was just a sinner like you. A sinner saved by free grace
like you. And she sang the praise of the
Lord who was in her womb knowing he who was in her womb is God
on the throne. But this woman Mary was chosen
of God to be the vessel In whom he would cause the humanity of
our Savior to be conceived, the woman seed. With no assistance
from a man. Why is that so important? Turn
over a couple of pages to Hebrews 7. Hebrews 7, verse 26. For such an high priest became
us. This is the kind of priest we've
got to have. If you're going to have a priest with God, you've
got to have one who can do business with God. One who is holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, made higher than the heavens,
who needeth not daily as those high priests to offer up sacrifice,
first for his own sins and then for the people's. Those high
priests every morning, every evening had to offer up sacrifices.
Every year had to offer up sacrifices. This man did it all one time.
For this he did once when he offered up himself. For the law
maketh men high priests which have infirmity. The law makes
priests out of men like Aaron and Eli and Levi, men who have
infirmity. But the word of the oath, which
was since the law, maketh the son who is consecrated forevermore. Our Lord was made flesh, real
flesh, but he was made in the likeness of sinful flesh, not
in reality, sinful flesh, in the likeness of sinful flesh.
He was made of a woman, the woman's seed. He took his flesh from
a woman, not from a man, from the virgin's womb. When the fullness
of time was come, God sent forth his son made of a woman made
under the law to redeem them that were under the law. And
once our Lord assumed our nature, he became his nature forever. God. Became. what God never was before
and he remains what he became forever. Our Lord's humanity
was not like this coat that I put on right before I came in here
tonight and I'll take off when I go home. Our Lord did not put
old human flesh and then take it off when he died. Oh no. Our
Lord Jesus assumed our nature and it became him and he became
it permanently. The word was made flesh. He took
humanity into indissoluble, indestructible union with himself. The preacher,
didn't he die on the cross? Yes. But that death didn't dissolve
this union. While his mortal flesh lay in
the tomb. While he laid buried in the tomb
for three days, his human soul entered into glory with the merit
of his own blood, having obtained eternal redemption for us. All
right. Secondly, understand this. Our
Lord's humanity is a nature, not a person. At first glance, this might seem
insignificant, but it's a very important distinction because
our Lord is one person. with two natures, not two people,
one person with two natures. Everything he did while he walked
on this earth as our representative has the stamp of divinity upon
it and is of infinite merit and worth and efficacy. That means
his obedience as a man was not just the obedience of a mere
man. It was the obedience of a man
of infinite worth. It was the obedience of a man
of infinite worth. That means David Peterson, what
he did is of such value to God that it's effectual for all his
people. And he brought an everlasting
righteousness for us by one man's obedience. And when he died. He died as one of infinite worth
and the blood shed at Calvary. It's the blood of a man, but
it's blood of God in human flesh. And so we're told that God redeemed
the church with his own precious blood. Thirdly, the forming of
this holy thing, the human body and soul of our Lord was an act
of all three persons in the Godhead. I'm more and more and more amazed
at this. And I don't know why. It's one
of those things that ought to be plain to us at first glance. As I read through the book, as
you start through the scripture reading this next week, you start
reading through the scriptures again this year, try to remember
to mark something. When the scripture speaks of
God's work, we're talking about creation or providence or grace. When the scripture speaks of
God's work, I can't think of a place where the Word of God
doesn't include all three persons in the Godhead. You say, well,
but Christ was our Redeemer. Yeah, but God the Father was,
and God the Holy Spirit was too. Christ died, yes, but God the
Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost are involved in
the whole thing. When God made the world, Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost are active. When God said, let us make man
in our image and after our likeness, God the Father, God the Son,
and God the Holy Ghost were active. When God came to be baptized
in the River Jordan, our Savior was baptized, but there is the
God-man, the Son of God in our flesh. Descending from heaven
is God, the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove lighting and dwelling
upon him. Speaking from heaven is God,
the Father, God, the Father, God, the Son, God, the Holy Ghost.
In Ephesians 1, the blessings of grace are heaped upon us by
God, the Father, through God, the Son, by the power of God,
the Holy Ghost, all the way through the scripture. And here, with
regard to our Lord's humanity, God, the Father, prepared a body
for him. God the spirit formed the body
in the Virgin's womb and God the Holy Spirit entered the body
Now that I Can tell but look on your face
that's not just astounding. Yes, as this isn't that's not
shocking It ought to be turn to Revelation chapter 12 Revelation
chapter 12 If something shocks the angels,
is it going to shock you? If something causes the angels
of God to be dumbfounded and speechless, is it going to cause
you to be dumbfounded and speechless? If something causes the angels
of God to erupt with praise, is it going to cause us to? Look
at Revelation 12, verse 1. And there appeared a great wonder
in heaven. Man, a lie. Haven't you read
the first 11 chapters of this book? Revelation 1 through 11,
full of wonders. The Lamb walking in the midst
of the seven churches. The Lamb holding the angels of
the churches in His hand. The Lamb of God in the midst
of the throne. The throne in heaven. The Lamb taking the book.
And behold, there was a great wonder in heaven. What's that
wonder? A woman clothed with the sun
and the moon under her feet and upon her head a crown of twelve
stars. And she being with child cried
travailing in birth and pained to be delivered. And there appeared
another wonder in heaven. And behold, a great red dragon
having seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns upon his heads.
And his tail drew a third of the third of part of the stars
of heaven and did cast them into the earth. And the dragon stood
before the woman, which was ready to be delivered. for to devour
her child as soon as it was born. And she brought forth a man child
who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron. And her child
was called up to God and to his throne. Oh, what a wonder is
the incarnation. Here's the fourth thing about
his body formed in the Virgin's womb in time. The body of our Redeemer is perfect,
holy, incorruptible, immortal humanity. His body wasn't subject
to sickness, disease, decay, and death. You and I, careful not to get
around folks who got sneezes, lest we get the same thing they
got. Everybody these days carries a bottle of hand cleaner around
wash their hands all the time. Good idea. Good idea Disease
everywhere Do you know why you're likely to get the runny nose?
And then likely to get sore throat and then likely to get you bronchial
tubes Solidified and turn into pneumonia and then likely to
have your heart stop and you drop dead because sins in you
Your body is subject to disease and sickness and death because
of sin. Not his. He did no sin, knew
no sin, had no sin. The only way he could possibly,
the only way he could possibly, the only way he could possibly
die is to take on himself. Mercy. He could not die otherwise. He
could not die. He's born without sin. He did
no sin. He knew no sin. And then he took
on himself our sin and died bearing our sin in his own body on the
tree as a voluntary victim under the wrath of God burning with
fever. broken in heart, crushed in spirit,
because he who knew no sin was made sin for us, that we might
be made the righteousness of God in him. One last thing. See this and rejoice. Those words
which fell from our Savior's lips, a body hast thou prepared
me. also speak of the sure salvation
of God's elect. Because as God prepared our Lord's
physical body in Mary's womb by the overshadowing power of
God the Holy Ghost, so he prepares our Savior's mystical body, the
church, in exactly the same way. In eternity. God raised up a
body for our Redeemer in union with himself, choosing Christ
as our covenant head and choosing his body, his church, his bride
in him, the covenant head as one with him. So much so that
as our mediator, as our surety, as our covenant head, the scripture
says we are the fullness of him that filleth all in Jesus Christ, the Son of God,
is perfectly complete without you and me. He doesn't need us
for a thing. But Jesus Christ, the God-man,
our mediator, our surety, cannot be complete without every member of His body
with Him in glory. That's the certainty of the salvation
of God's elect. This body, prepared for Him from
eternity, is prepared for Him in time by the power of the highest. By the overshadowing, the enveloping
with the brilliance of the glory and power and grace of God, of
God the Holy Ghost giving dead sinners life. Through the night last night
and through the day today, I've been able to, God, do something
I'm not able to do every day. I've called the names of every
son and daughter of you who attend this assembly and have for the
last 35 years. before God Almighty. Call the names of our children
before God. Then praying, God, give me opportunity,
give me a way to minister to those who yet know you not. And
ask God to do what I can't do. Oh, God. Find them out by your
grace. Overshadow them by your spirit.
Envelop them in your glory in your goodness Save them by the
power of your grace For Christ's sake And soon soon This is Maybe even more astounding
than anything else. I've said tonight soon He who
came here in our nature is coming again in his glory. And when
he appears in his glory, he will transform us and make
us in resurrection glory in the likeness of his glorious body. Imagine that. Imagine that. Raised up in the
likeness of him who is the image of God in the perfection of resurrection
glory forever. Oh, may God give you such hope.
And with that hope, send you home rejoicing. Amen.