Jesus Christ Is Come In the Flesh

Q: What does the Bible say about Jesus Christ coming in the flesh?

The Bible affirms that Jesus Christ came into the world in the flesh as a divine manifestation for the redemption of sinners. The Scriptures, particularly in 1 John 4:2, assert that every true preacher affirms the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. This incarnation is central to understanding Christ's dual nature as fully God and fully man. Hebrews 1:2 states that in these last days, God has spoken to us through His Son, who was divinely sent to fulfill the Law and provide salvation. The significance of the Incarnation lies not only in Jesus' humanity but also in His mission to reconcile humanity with God through His perfect life, sacrificial death, and resurrection. Preachers must emphasize this truth to proclaim the fullness of the gospel effectively.

Q: How do we know if a preacher is from God?

We know a preacher is from God if they confess Jesus Christ has come in the flesh and adhere to the complete truth of Scripture. 1 John 4:1 advises believers to try the spirits, meaning they should scrutinize preachers and teachers against the truth of Scripture. A faithful preacher acknowledges that Jesus Christ came into the world in the flesh and preaches His full work and person. False preachers may utilize Scripture, but they often distort its meaning or focus on their agendas. The faithful will convey the glory of Christ and His redemptive work, and as 1 John indicates, those who do not confess this fundamental truth are not of God.

Q: Why is preaching important for Christians?

Preaching is vital because it is through the foolishness of preaching that God chose to save believers. According to 1 Corinthians 1:21, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe. Preaching serves as the primary means by which God communicates His Word and reveals Himself to sinners. Faith comes by hearing, as noted in Romans 10:17, and preaching allows the truths of Scripture to penetrate hearts. The apostles were sent out to preach the gospel, and God continues to use faithful men to expound His Word today, making preaching essential for the spiritual growth and salvation of believers. Through it, God builds His church and draws His elect to Himself.

Q: What does it mean that Christ is our representative?

Christ as our representative means He came to bear the penalty for the sins of humanity, enabling reconciliation with God. Jesus Christ acts as our representative by fulfilling the role that Adam failed to fulfill. The Bible teaches that through the disobedience of one man, sin entered the world, and through the obedience of Christ, believers are made righteous (Romans 5:19). This representative work includes living a sinless life, dying as our substitute, and rising from the dead, ensuring our redemption. When the preacher declares that Jesus Christ came into the world in the flesh, they reveal the depth of humanity's fallen state and the necessity of a divine Savior to restore fellowship with God, showcasing the profound truth that our salvation is fully secured in Him.

I'm going to have you open your
Bibles today to the book of I John. I'll be reading from I John chapter
4, verses 1 through 6. Now, I'd like very much, if you
don't mind, if you'll get your Bible and follow as I read these
scriptures and comment on them. I John, the first epistle of
John, chapter 4, verse 1. Now, here's the subject. Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh. Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. Now, my friends, the living God
has chosen to use men, men like you and me, to preach the gospel
and to teach His Word. That's what the Lord's chosen,
and that's His good pleasure, and that's according to His purpose. that men like you and me preach
His Word and preach the gospel. The Scripture says in I Corinthians,
it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. In other words, if a person hears
from God, if a person learns of God, it's not going to be
by vision or dream or some type of revelation. But he's going
to hear from God by the hearing of the Word preached. Now, that's
what Scripture says, faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
Word of God. Romans 10 says this, Whosoever
shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. But how
shall they call on him in whom they've not believed? And how
shall they believe in him of whom they've not heard? And how
shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except
they be sent? If a person hears from God in
this day... Now, there was a day when God
spoke directly to the prophets. That's what He said in Hebrews
1. God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake unto
our fathers by the prophets, hath in these last days spoken
to us through His Son. And if a man hears from God or
learns of God, it's not going to be by a vision or a dream. It's going to be by the hearing
of the Word of God. Now, that's just so. That's illustrated
at Pentecost. Here, all these people had assembled
at Pentecost from all the different nations, and God would have them
hear His Word and hear His gospel. And how did he purpose for them
to hear it? Peter preached to them. The apostles preached to
them. God even gave these men the ability to speak in other
languages so that men from every nation heard the gospel, they
said, in their own tongue, in their own language, but they
heard it from a man. Angels didn't come down and preach
the gospel. Men preached the gospel. And
that's how they heard the gospel. Cornelius. Here was a man who
had prayed to God and asked God to visit him and asked God to
reveal Himself to him. And what did the Lord do? He
sent Peter down there to Cornelius to preach to him. Lydia. God
would save Lydia. God would open her heart. But
how did He do it? He sent Paul down to preach the
gospel. And as Paul preached to her,
the Scripture says God opened her heart. and she attended to
the things spoken to her by the apostle Paul. You take the Philippian
jailer. Paul taught him the gospel. Take
the Ethiopian eunuch. Here was a man who was reading
Isaiah the prophet. He'd been up to Jerusalem to
try to find out something about God, something about a revelation
of God, and he learned nothing. And on his way home, he was reading
Isaiah the prophet. And God sent a preacher. God
sent Philip to him. And Philip joined himself to
the chariot, walking along beside it, and the man was here reading
Isaiah 53. And Philip asked him, do you
understand what you're reading? He was reading the Bible. He
was reading passages of Scripture from the Old Testament. And Philip
said, do you understand what you're reading? The man said,
how can I? How can I except some man show me? And so Philip climbed
up in the chariot with him, and from that Scripture, preached
to him Jesus. This is what our Lord said to
his disciples, you go into all the world and preach the gospel.
He that heareth you, heareth me. And he that refuses to hear
you, refuses to hear me. So that's what I'm saying. God
has chosen by the foolishness of preaching to save them that
believe. And if a man or a woman hears
from God, they're going to hear from God through a man. preaching God's Word. Paul wrote
to Timothy and told him to preach the Word. He told him again in
another place, he said, and you commit this Word to faithful
men, teaching them, instructing them that they might instruct
others. He said also to Timothy, take
heed to yourself and to your doctrine, for in so doing you'll
both save yourself and them that hear you. So that's true. God speaks through preachers,
preachers of the gospel. God speaks to people through
His servants. But we're faced with a dilemma.
We've got a problem. While we know that God has His
faithful preachers, I know that and you know that, God's never
left Himself without a witness. He does have a witness. He's
had a witness in every generation. And while we know that God has
His faithful preachers in this world, there are many false preachers. There are many false prophets.
There are many religious con-men in this world, and we've had
that brought seriously to our attention just in the past few
days, and in the past few weeks and months, the many religious
con-artists, people making merchandise of the souls of men, people using
religion to further their own cause. Our Lord said in Matthew
7, beware of false preachers. come to you in sheep's clothing,
but within they're ravening wolves. So beware of these false preachers. You'll know them by their fruits.
In II Peter 2, verse 2, verse 1 and 2, Peter writes this, But
there were false prophets among Israel, way back in the Old Testament
days, false prophets, many of them among the people of Israel.
Now watch this. even as there shall be false
teachers and preachers among you." And here's the tragic results. He said, now, back in the days
of Israel, there were many false preachers. And He said, among
you, even among the early church, even a few years after our Lord
was crucified and rose from the grave, He said, even among you,
there'll be false preachers. And here's the tragic results.
And many many shall follow their pernicious or lascivious ways. And through covetousness, through
covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise
of you." What are you to them? So much merchandise to be used
for their gain, to be used for... They use people. These false
preachers use people, use people for their profit, for their gain,
for their glory." In other words, there are many of them. There
are many false preachers. The world's full of them, always
has been since the days of the Apostle Peter. They passed themselves
off as ministers of God. They passed themselves off as
ministers of righteousness. He said even Satan himself comes
as an angel of light. And so it's no marvel that his
ministers passed themselves off as ministers of righteousness.
and they use the Bible, and they use religious phrases and religious
words, and they make merchandise of people, using people to get
rich or to get famous or to advance themselves. Now, that's a dilemma. God has His true preachers, but
the world's full of false preachers and false religious con artists. Now, how can we detect false
preachers. How can we tell the difference?
How can we be sure a man is a true servant of God and not an enemy
of the truth? Whom do we believe? When their
words are so similar, when they're reading the same Bible, when
they say the same hallelujahs and praise the Lord and healing
and all this sort of stuff, talk about heaven, how do we tell
the difference? That's John's subject in 1 John 4. That's what
we're dealing with right here. 1 John 4, verse 1. Now, you look
at these words. I told you to get your Bible. This is important. In 1 John
4, verse 1, John says, Beloved, speaking to believers, children
of God, Beloved, believe not every spirit. Believe not every
spirit. but rather try the spirits, whether
they are of God, because many false prophets are going out
into the world. John repeats what Peter said.
Don't believe every spirit. Try the spirits. Now, what does
the word spirit there signify? When he says, Beloved, don't
believe every spirit, but try the spirits, because many false
preachers are going out into the world. The word spirit here
signifies a person. like myself, who claims to be
endowed with the gift of the Holy Spirit, who claims to be
endowed with the gift to perform the office of preacher or prophet
or teacher, who claims to be endowed with the gift to speak
for God. He said, now, don't you believe
every preacher? Don't you believe everybody that comes to you in
the name of religion? Don't believe everybody that comes to you in
the name of God? Try the spirits. We're not to believe everyone
who lays claim to the calling of preacher or to the distinction
of teacher. But he says, try these spirits.
Try them. Try these preachers. Put them
to the test. Put me to the test. Put everyone
you hear to the test. Well, how are they? What's the
test? How are they to be tried? Here it is. Try them by the Word
of God. Now, I don't mean a few pet verses
that people take out of the Scripture and use for their own causes
and their own purposes and the advancement of their own programs. I'm talking about using all the
Word of God. You become so familiar with all
the Word of God. The Word of God is one book,
one message, one glorious gospel. And don't single out this verse
and that verse and make it to mean what you want it to mean.
Become so familiar with the whole Word of God that you can put
a preacher to the test by the Word of God. Listen to what Isaiah
8, 20 says, For if they speak not according to the Word of
God, it's because there's no truth in them. When a man keeps
giving his revelations and his opinions and his thoughts all
of these things, and he doesn't speak according to the Word of
God, it's because he's got no light, no truth. The truth's not in him. And Acts
17, 11, talking about the people of Berea, it says, they were
more noble than the Thessalonians because when they heard Paul
preach, yes, Paul, the apostle, when they heard Paul preach,
they searched the Scriptures to see if these things were true. They went home and searched the
Scriptures. You see, the Word of God is our only rule of faith
and practice. False preachers use parts of
the Scripture, not all the Scripture. And all Scripture is given by
inspiration of God, and all Scripture is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness.
Well, what about the miracles, Brother May? You'll find most
of them are phony. But what about miracles? What
about signs? What about miraculous things
that men claim? You know what the great Martin
Luther said? Martin Luther once said this, there are many false
preachers in this world. Don't believe them. Don't believe
them. If they speak not according to
God's Word, don't believe them, even if it snows miracles. Even
if it snows miracles and signs. Believe not every spirit, every
preacher. Try the spirits, whether they
be of God. Try them by the Word of God.
Now look at verse 2, I John 4, 2. Hereby, hereby, this is the
way, hereby know we the Spirit of God. Here's how we know if
a man has the Spirit of God. If a man is truly a preacher
of God, if he is a true servant of God, here's the way we know
it. Here's a sure sign. Every spirit, every preacher
that confesseth not that Jesus Christ, Jesus Christ is coming
to the world is of God. Every preacher that confesseth,
is that what I said? Every preacher that confesseth,
that Jesus Christ is coming to the world in the flesh as preachers
of God. Hereby know we the Spirit of
God. Every preacher that confesses
that Jesus Christ is come from heaven into the world, he is
of God. You see, every true preacher
of God is clear and plain in what he preaches about Jesus
Christ. about the person and work of
the Lord Jesus Christ. He knows who He is. He knows
why He came into this world. He knows what He did. He knows
where He is now. He knows why He did what He did.
And you can determine, this is what John is saying, when you're
trying to preach it, you can determine if a man is a true
preacher by what he preaches about the Lord Jesus Christ and
His coming into the world. Now, it says, He came into the
world. I didn't come into the world.
I was born in this world. I didn't exist before I was born.
You couldn't say Henry Mahan has come into the world because
I had no preexistence, none whatsoever. When I was conceived in my mother's
womb by my father, that's the first that seed was ever heard
from. But when Jesus Christ was conceived
in the womb of the Virgin Mary, He came from heaven and inhabited
that body that God prepared for him. This is what I'm saying.
Jesus Christ is God Almighty. No question about it. He is coming
to the world. He wasn't just born in this world.
He came deliberately on purpose. He came from heaven into this
world and inhabited that body which God prepared for him. Jesus
Christ is God. He's called the Word. beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God in the beginning. All
things--" And the Word was God. And all things were made by Him.
And without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word
was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory.
Yes, He's God Almighty. The Word was made flesh. God
became a man. God was in Christ. You see, Jesus
Christ is the sum and substance of all Scripture, Old and New
Testament. Jesus Christ is the only revelation
of God Almighty. No man has seen God at any time.
The only begotten Son hath declared Him. You see, Christ was made
of the flesh according to the seed of David. He was declared
to be the Son of God. He was made what He was not before,
the seed of David. He was declared to be what He
always is, was and is and shall be. He's the surety of the everlasting
covenant. He's the only prophet, priest,
and king. He's the whole foundation of
acceptance with God. We're accepting the Beloved.
He's the cornerstone of the living temple. He's the same yesterday,
today, and forever. And the prophet said, under us
a son is given. and the government shall be on
his shoulders, and his name shall be called. This is the name of
Jesus of Nazareth, wonderful counselor, the mighty God, the
everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Show us the Father,
the disciples said to the Lord Jesus. He said, Have I been with
you this long and you don't know me? He that hath seen me hath
seen the Father. Jesus Christ is coming to the
world. You see, the whole question regarding
your relationship with God hinges on your answer to this question,
what think ye of Christ? Whose Son actually is He? What think ye of Christ? Whose
Son actually is He? You see, Jesus Christ has come
from heaven in the flesh. He was made of a woman. He became
a real man. Paul writing to the Philippians
says, "...let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ
Jesus, who thought it not robbery to be equal with God, but made
himself of no reputation, took upon himself the form of a servant,
and was made for a time in the likeness of sinful flesh, and
became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore
God hath highly exalted him, given him a name above every
name. That's the name of Jesus, every
knee will bow in heaven, earth, and under the earth, and all
the tongue shall declare that He's Lord. You see, He came here. Why did He come? As our representative. You see, in a man we fell, in
a man we were restored. In a representative man called
Adam, we became sinners. In a representative man called
the God-man, we were made righteous. See, by one man's sin entered
this world, and death by sin. So death passed upon all men.
And by the disobedience of one, we were made sinners. By the
obedience of the second man, we were made righteous. Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, God Himself, took a human body and came into
this world as a substitute. And as our substitute and representative,
He made full satisfaction for our sin. When we really, clearly,
plainly declare that Jesus Christ is coming to the world in the
flesh as a man, what we're telling people is this, our true condition
is such, is to the such extreme that it took God Himself in human
form to redeem us. Christ said this, I'm come that
they might have life. Well, that means we're dead.
Isn't that right? Christ said, I'm come into the
world to seek and to save the lost. That means we're lost.
It says Christ died for the ungodly. That means we're without God.
The scripture says God was in Christ reconciling the world. That means we were enemies. So
we're dead. We're lost. We're without God. We're enemies. And Christ came
to change that. He came into the world to save
sinners of whom I'm chief. You see, when we preach Jesus
Christ came into the world, we also preach the holiness of God.
He must come. He must be lifted up. That's
what he said. The Son of Man must be lifted up. There's no
way around it. Job laid the foundation of that
when he asked this question. How can man be just with God?
How can he be clean that's born of a woman? While the moon, the
stars, they shine not, nothing is clean in God's sight. How
much more abominable is man? So how are we going to be just
with God? That's why he came, to enable God to be just and
justify us. He says in I Peter, Christ once
suffered for sin, the just for the unjust, that he might bring
us to God. He obeyed every law. and gave
us a perfect righteousness. He died under the curse of God's
law. He died under the wrath of God
and gave us justification. You see, He was wounded for our
transgressions. He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace
was laid on Him, and by His stripes we're healed. He represented
us. Every preacher who preaches that Jesus Christ, who He is,
came into this world, lived and died perfectly. That's what He
did. Enabling God to be just and justifier,
that's why He did it. As ascended into heaven and is
seated at the right hand of God where He is our intercessor,
that's where He is now. And the preacher preaches that
is of God. When we preach that Jesus Christ
came to earth in the flesh, we preach the certainty of His work,
the certainty of His work. The sufficiency of his work.
Can God fail? Would you even consider such
a thing? Can God fail? What Jesus Christ,
the God-man, came into this world in the flesh to do, did he do
it? Did he get the job done? It says,
he shall not fail. The pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand. He said, I've finished the work
you gave me to do. He said, all that my Father giveth
me shall come to me. Him that cometh to me out in
no wise cast out. I came down from heaven. I came
into the world in the flesh down from heaven to do my Father's
will. And this is my Father's will,
that of all which He hath given me, I'll lose nothing, but raise
it up again at the last day. For whom He did foreknow, He
predestinated to be conformed to the image of His Son. And
whom He predestinated, He called. And whom He called, He justified.
And whom He justified, He glorified. What should we say to these things?
If God be for us, who can be against us? Now look at verse
3. And every spirit or preacher that does not confess that Jesus
Christ is coming to the world is not of God. Isn't that clear? If he doesn't preach Christ,
who he is, what he did, why he did it, where he is now, came
into the world, he's not of God. This is the test. A man who does
not clearly define the person and work of Jesus Christ is not
of God. He's not of God. What is he?
Read it. He's the spirit of Antichrist.
Antichrist. You know, the Antichrist is not
anti-religion. He's not anti-morality. He's
not anti-good works. He's Antichrist, the person and
work of Christ. You heard that the Antichrist
shall come? Look at verse 3. He's already
in the world. Every spirit that confesseth
not, every preacher that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come
into the world in the flesh to redeem sinners is not of God. He is Antichrist. And you've
heard that the Antichrist will come? He's already come. Now
he says, verse 4, you are of God, little children, You have
overcome these evil spirits, these false preachers. You know
them. You can detect them. You can discern them. You're
not deceived by them because greater is He that's in you than
he that's in the world. You can detect a false message,
and you can detect a true message. He said these preachers are of
the world. They speak of the world, and the world hears them.
We are of God. And he that heareth God, heareth
us. and he that's not of God will
not hear us. Write for this message if you
want it. It's on tape. I'll have another message on
the same tape I'll preach next week. Send two dollars and we'll
mail it to you. Jesus Christ is coming to the
world. Till next week, God bless you,
everyone.

Jesus Christ Is Come In the Flesh

What does the Bible say about Jesus Christ coming in the flesh?

How do we know if a preacher is from God?

Why is preaching important for Christians?

What does it mean that Christ is our representative?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

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Jesus Christ Is Come In the Flesh

What does the Bible say about Jesus Christ coming in the flesh?

How do we know if a preacher is from God?

Why is preaching important for Christians?

What does it mean that Christ is our representative?

Sermon Transcript

About Henry Mahan

Comments

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