Here’s the audio and sermon notes from my Advent sermon “The Wonder of Jesus as TRULY Human” preached at Cross of Christ Fellowship in Naperville. You can find other sermons here.
Advent Week 2: “The WONDER of Jesus’ Humanity” Gal 4:4b
Intro: TWO Main errors we must avoid in thinking about Jesus
1. To deny the true deity of Jesus; 2. To deny the true humanity of Jesus.
LAST WEEK: The wonder of the incarnation. (INCARNATION=God became Human)
-The emphasis was Jesus is truly God.
-THIS WEEK: The wonder of Jesus’ humanity.
-Jesus was and is still is truly human.
-And this is wonderful thing!
-TODAY, I hope we will wonder at that the fact that Jesus is TRULY HUMAN.
Gal 4:4b:
1. The true humanity of Jesus; 2. The true experience of Jesus under the Law; 3. What does it teach us about God?
M.I.: It is wonderful that Jesus is not only truly God, but also truly human.
1 THE TRUE HUMANITY OF JESUS: born of woman
-Jesus was and is truly human.
-Gal 4:4: “born of woman”
-Born of woman=he was born into this world through a woman (the virgin Mary)
-Jesus came into this world through the miracle of the virgin conception and virgin birth
-John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us,
-“Become flesh” Jesus took on a real human nature.
–ERROR OF DOCETISM: Jesus looked human, but was not fully human.
-It is false: Jesus did just look or seem human, he really was truly human!
*Jesus shows us what true humanity is meant to look like
ATHANASIAN CREED:
“Now this is the true faith:
That we believe and confess that our Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Son,
is both God and human, equally.
He is God from the essence of the Father,
begotten before time;
and he is human from the essence of his mother, born in time;
completely God, completely human,
with a rational soul and human flesh;
equal to the Father as regards divinity,
less than the Father as regards humanity.
Although he is God and human,
yet Christ is not two, but one.
He is one, however, not by his divinity being turned into flesh,
but by God’s taking humanity to himself.
He is one, certainly not by the blending of his essence,
but by the unity of his person.
For just as one human is both rational soul and flesh,
so too the one Christ is both God and human.
*QUESTION: When Jesus was on Earth, did he cease to be God?
ANSWER: No, Jesus remained fully and truly God.
*HYPOSTATIC UNION: Jesus is one person with two natures: human and divine.
-SUMMARY: Jesus was and is truly human.
2 The True Experience of Jesus Under the Law: born under the law,
-“born under the law” -Jesus was subjected to the Law.
*WHAT LAW?
GILL: Civil Law, Jewish Ceremonial Law, Moral Law
-Jesus did not come to do away with the Law: Matt 5:17
-UNLIKE US: Jesus never sinned. Hebrews 4:15b
*SANTA’S NAUGHTY LIST AND NICE LIST
-If you have been naughty: coal. If you have been nice: presents.
-Before a holy God and compared to Jesus: ALL OF US are on the naughty list except Jesus: Jesus never sinned.
-Jesus as the ONE who Fulfills the LAW in LOVE for US (Romans 8:3-4)
Romans 8:3-4: 3 For God has done what the law, weakened by the flesh, could not do. By sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, he condemned sin in the flesh, 4 in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
–“likeness of sinful flesh”
-“for sin”
-“he condemned sin in the flesh”
-“in order that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us”
-JESUS, the SECOND ADAM, Who Gives Gifts to those who don’t deserve it (Romans 5:12-21):
Romans 5:12-2112 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned–13 for sin indeed was in the world before the law was given, but sin is not counted where there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those whose sinning was not like the transgression of Adam, who was a type of the one who was to come.
-JESUS is a SECOND ADAM
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if many died through one man’s trespass, much more have the grace of God and the free gift by the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many.
16 And the free gift is not like the result of that one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification.
17 For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.
-JESUS, unlike Adam, perfectly obeyed the law
-Comes giving the gifts of grace and eternal life
18 Therefore, as one trespass led to condemnation for all men, so one act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all men. 19 For as by the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous. -JESUS, makes many righteous
20 Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
-JESUS gives eternal life.
-This gift is better than any other gift you’ll get this Christmas or any year!
*QUESTION: Does it really matter that Jesus was truly human?
-CLARIFYING SUMMARY FOUND IN NCC 22
Why must the Redeemer be truly human?
“That in human nature he might on our behalf perfectly obey the whole law and suffer the punishment for human sin; and
also that he might sympathize with our weaknesses.”
1. Perfectly Obey the whole law (active obedience of Christ)
2. Suffer the punishment for human sin (passive obedience of Christ)
3. Sympathize with our weaknesses (Christ our high priest) Hebrews 4:14-16
SUMMARY: Jesus was and is truly human and as a human truly experienced life under the law.
3. WHAT DOES THE HUMANITY OF JESUS TEACH US ABOUT GOD:
1. Jesus, as the GOD-MAN, shows the love of God for humanity
-Here we see the nearness of God toward man: He wants to be near us and us to be near Him.
-GIVING OF TIME to be with others.
-God really does love us!
2 Jesus, as the GOD-MAN, secured our salvation for us
-Here we see the great length that God was willing to go to save us
-We see the gracious nature of God—giving the gifts of eternal life: Eph 2:8-9
-God really has saved us!
CONCLUSION: It is wonderful that Jesus is not only truly God, but also truly human.
