Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: HWIS
Program Code: HWIS000004
|
00:31 Let's seek the Lord in prayer.
00:35 Father, what a glorious day this has been. 00:39 Thank You Father, for all of the things that we take for granted. 00:43 Thank You for the crisp fresh air and the sunshine. 00:48 Especially for the sunshine of Your love 00:50 that shines in our hearts. 00:52 Father, we thank You for Your Word. 00:55 What would it be like in this world without Your Word? 00:59 We would be running around in confusion not knowing 01:02 where things are moving. 01:04 But because we have Your Word, we have a sure compass. 01:08 We just ask, Father, that as we open Your holy book 01:11 that Your spirit will be with us to guide our thoughts 01:15 and to open our hearts. 01:17 And we thank You, Father, for hearing our prayer 01:20 and for answering. 01:21 Because we ask it in the precious name of Jesus, amen. 01:29 In our study today, we are going to discuss 01:32 the incarnation's seven secrets. 01:37 But before we talk about the incarnation, I need to cover 01:41 one other point which is extremely important, 01:44 not only for what we're going to talk about tonight, 01:47 but for what we're going to discuss later on in our seminar. 01:51 And that is, what was Jesus like before His incarnation? 01:59 Now I can tell you for absolute certain that Jesus, 02:04 before He came to this world, was God in every sense 02:10 of the word. 02:12 He is God by nature. 02:15 He is not like God, neither did He become God. 02:21 He is God. 02:24 And so I'd like to read several verses as we begin that show 02:28 the deity, the full deity, and Godhood of Jesus Christ. 02:34 Let's begin by reading from the gospel of John 02:38 chapter 1 and verse 1. 02:41 And we're going to go through these quickly because our 02:43 main theme is not having to do with the deity of Christ, 02:47 but rather with His humanity. 02:49 John chapter 1 verse 1, very well know. 02:52 You probably can repeat it from memory. 03:05 Not a god, like you find in one Bible, but "the Word was God." 03:12 Now let's go to John chapter 8 and verse 58. 03:16 Here, Jesus makes a revolutionary statement. 03:19 He's speaking to the Jews and He says something that is going to 03:23 shake them up. 03:25 John 8 verse 58. 03:38 The very next verse says that the Jews picked up stones 03:42 to stone Jesus. 03:43 Because according to them, He was committing blasphemy 03:46 because He was claiming to be the "I AM" who appeared 03:50 in the burning bush. 03:52 He was claiming to be Almighty God. 03:57 Let's go now to John chapter 17 and verse 3. 04:00 John chapter 17 and verse 3. 04:03 This verse makes it very clear that Jesus existed before 04:08 His incarnation. 04:09 It says there, and this is His high priestly prayer 04:13 to His Father in the garden of Gethsemane, 04:15 He says... 04:30 Did Jesus exist before the world was? Yes. 04:33 In fact, John chapter 1 verse 3 says that all things 04:37 were made through Him. 04:38 Which means that He pre-existed all things. 04:42 Now let's go to Matthew chapter 1 and verse 23. 04:46 Matthew chapter 1 and verse 23. 04:49 And we're going through these verses quickly 04:51 because I just want you to see that Jesus, 04:54 before He became incarnate, was fully and completely God. 04:59 Matthew 1 verse 23. 05:01 Here, the angel is speaking and he says... 05:19 In other words, one of the names of Jesus, Emmanuel, 05:23 means, "God with us." 05:26 Now let's go to John chapter 10 and verse 30. 05:29 Here, Jesus makes another revolutionary statement 05:32 that shook up the Jews. 05:34 It says there in John chapter 10 and verse 30, 05:37 very short... 05:44 Now Jesus is not saying that He and the Father 05:46 are the same person. 05:48 What He is saying is that He and the Father 05:50 are one in the sense of perfect unity. 05:54 They are one like a husband and wife, when they get married, 05:59 become one. 06:00 Two persons in perfect unity. 06:03 In other words, Jesus is saying, "I and My Father are one. 06:07 We are perfectly united in attributes, in power, 06:11 and in character." 06:13 Now let's go to Philippians chapter 2 and let's read 06:17 verses 5 through 7. 06:19 Philippians chapter 2 and verses 5 through 7. 06:23 It says... 06:31 That word "form" is very important. 06:33 It's the Greek word "morphe," which means, by nature. 06:37 It means, in substance He was God. 06:41 In other words, it says, "who being in the form of God," 06:44 or of the same substance or essence of God. 06:51 A better translation is, "did not consider equality with God 06:55 as something to be grasped." 06:58 And then it says... 07:08 So it's interesting that the word "morphe" is used, 07:11 which in Greek indicates the very substance 07:15 or essence of God. 07:16 God is of the substance of God. 07:19 Now let's notice also John chapter 1 and verse 51. 07:24 This is speaking about the ladder that Jacob saw 07:28 in his dream. 07:29 John chapter 1 and verse 51. 07:47 Now when you go back to Genesis chapter 28, 07:49 you find something very interesting. 07:51 You find that it says that the ladder was firmly planted 07:55 on the earth and the top of the ladder reached 07:59 to the highest heaven. 08:01 Now the bottom of the ladder represents 08:03 the humanity of Christ. 08:05 He is one with us. 08:07 But the top of the ladder represents the Godhood 08:10 or the divinity of Jesus Christ because He is 08:13 one with the Father. 08:15 In other words, Jesus can bridge heaven and earth 08:18 because He is God with God and He is man with man. 08:24 So the first thing that I want us to notice 08:26 is that Jesus, according to the New Testament, 08:28 is God in every sense of the word. 08:33 But the ladder shows that Jesus is also man 08:37 in every sense of the word. 08:39 Now let's read several verses that present Jesus Christ 08:43 as fully being a man, being human. 08:46 Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4. 08:49 You have these on the list of texts. 08:51 Galatians chapter 4 and verse 4. 08:53 It says... 09:01 Born from whom? 09:07 Was Jesus born of a woman just like we are born from a woman? 09:11 Absolutely. He was born of a woman. 09:14 Galatians 3 verse 16 tells us that Jesus was of the 09:18 seed of Abraham. 09:20 He was a descendent of Abraham. 09:21 And Abraham was a human being. 09:23 Notice Galatians chapter 3 and verse 16. 09:41 In other words, Christ is the seed of whom? 09:43 He is the seed of Abraham. 09:45 Abraham was a human being, therefore, Jesus being His 09:49 descent is also a human being. 09:52 Now notice Revelation chapter 22 and verse 16. 09:55 This is a very interesting verse referring both to the divinity 10:00 and to the humanity of Jesus Christ. 10:02 It says there in Revelation 22 verse 16, Jesus is speaking... 10:23 Did you notice here that Jesus is David's Father 10:27 and He's also David's Son? 10:30 Now the question is, how can you be a person's father 10:33 and be that person's son also? 10:36 Because Jesus is the Root of David. 10:39 In other words, David comes from Him. 10:40 But He is also the Offspring of David. 10:43 In what sense is Jesus the Root of David? 10:46 In the sense that Jesus was the Creator before He became a man. 10:50 But He's an Offspring of David because He became what? 10:55 He became a man and He was a descendent 10:59 by the flesh from David. 11:02 Now notice John chapter 1 and verse 14. 11:06 Another verse that speaks about the humanity of Christ. 11:09 John chapter 1 and verse 14. 11:12 It says... 11:19 That word, "dwelt," could very well be translated, 11:22 "tabernacled," or "pitched His tent in our midst." 11:26 Now tonight, we're going to talk about the ministry of Jesus 11:29 in the camp before He went to the Court to die. 11:32 We're going to talk about the fact that Jesus came to 11:35 live in our midst. 11:37 He became one of us where we are camped on this earth. 11:41 So it says... 11:52 Notice 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16. 11:55 There are so many of these verses in Scripture 11:58 that speak about the humanity of Christ. 12:01 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse 16 says... 12:15 So He's God, but He also took upon Himself human nature. 12:22 Now let's notice Luke 24 and verse 39. 12:25 Some people think that Jesus was a man until His resurrection. 12:29 And then after His resurrection, He left His manhood 12:31 and He just took back His nature of God 12:34 and He went to heaven as God. 12:36 But notice that after the resurrection of Jesus, 12:39 Jesus is still a full man. 12:43 It says in Luke 24 verse 39, Jesus is speaking 12:46 to His disciples... 13:04 Did Jesus have flesh and bones after His resurrection? 13:07 He most certainly did. 13:09 Now there's another interesting passage 13:11 in John chapter 20 and verses 24 to 28. 13:14 There was a disciple that wasn't present when Jesus 13:18 appeared to the disciples the evening of the resurrection. 13:21 That disciples name was Thomas. 13:23 We know him as, doubting Thomas. 13:25 And in a minute, you're going to see why we 13:27 call him, doubting Thomas. 13:29 John chapter 20 and verses 24 through 28. 13:34 Thomas is now there the Sunday after the Sunday 13:38 of the resurrection. 13:39 And let's pick up the story there in verse 24. 14:39 Was Jesus a real human being after His resurrection? 14:43 He most certainly was. 14:45 Now let's notice also Hebrews chapter 2 and verses 14 and 15. 14:50 Hebrews chapter 2 and verses 14 and 15. 14:55 This is so clear. 14:57 It says there... 15:01 The children is us. 15:24 So did Jesus come to this earth and take flesh and blood, 15:28 according to Scripture? 15:30 He most certainly did. 15:31 He was a human being in every sense of the word, 15:36 but He was also God. 15:38 He is called, the God-man. 15:41 He is God and He is man in one person, 15:44 two natures in one person. 15:46 Please don't ask me to explain that. 15:48 It's a mystery. 15:50 I can't explain how one person could have two natures; 15:54 the nature of God and the nature of man. 15:56 That's one of the mysteries that I don't know even if God is 15:59 going to explain to us in eternity. 16:02 But for now, we don't need to know how it happened. 16:05 We need to know that it's true, because the Bible says so. 16:09 Now we want to study a little bit more why it was necessary 16:13 for Jesus to become a man. 16:15 Why was it necessary for Him to come and camp with us? 16:19 See, the sanctuary had the camp, it had the Court, 16:22 it had the Holy Place, and the Most Holy Place. 16:24 Most Christians start in the Court 16:26 with the death of Jesus Christ. 16:28 We're going to start in the camp because that's where 16:30 needy sinners live. 16:32 Jesus, before he died, came to live in our midst, didn't He? 16:35 He took flesh of our flesh and bone of our bones 16:38 and blood of our blood. 16:40 He came to live with us for over 30 years before He died. 16:44 So His life with us must have extreme significance. 16:48 So we're going to start with the life of Jesus in the camp. 16:52 The question is, why did Jesus have to become one of us? 16:57 Why did He have to become a man? 17:00 I have at least seven reasons that I want to share with you 17:03 as to why it was absolutely indispensible that 17:07 Jesus came to the camp of the sanctuary and lived with us 17:10 in our midst, take our flesh and our blood and our bones. 17:15 Reason number one, so that He could reveal what God 17:20 is really like. 17:22 You see, before sin Adam and Eve had face to face 17:27 communion with God. 17:29 But when Adam and Eve sinned, God had to conceal Himself 17:33 from Adam and Eve. 17:34 Because if He had not concealed Himself, 17:36 Adam and Eve would have been destroyed instantly 17:39 because God cannot coexist with sin. 17:42 So God had to conceal Himself. 17:47 I want you to notice Exodus chapter 33 and verse 20 17:50 where we're told clearly that no one can see the face of God 17:54 and live in their sinful condition. 17:56 It says there in Exodus 33 and verse 20... 18:03 Here, God is speaking. 18:11 Notice also Deuteronomy chapter 4 and verses 23 and 24. 18:16 God is spoken of as a consuming fire against sin. 18:20 It says there... 18:41 In fact, we're told... 18:43 And this verse isn't on your list, but you 18:45 might want to write it down. 18:46 1 Timothy chapter 6 and verses 15 and 16 tells us that 18:50 God dwells in unapproachable light whom no man has seen, 18:57 nor can see. 19:00 At least in their sinful condition. 19:02 So God had a problem. 19:05 Because the Bible tells us that Adam and Eve spoke with God 19:09 face to face. 19:10 But when man sinned, God had to conceal Himself 19:14 because His glory would have destroyed these sinners. 19:16 But the Bible tells us that in order to be saved, 19:19 we must know Jesus Christ and we must know God. 19:23 In fact, let's read that in John chapter 17 and verse 3. 19:27 John chapter 17 and verse 3. 19:31 Here, Jesus is speaking and He says... 19:38 Remember, He's speaking to His Father. 19:46 Let me ask you, is it indispensible to know God 19:50 in order to have eternal life, in order to have salvation? 19:53 Absolutely. 19:54 But now we have a problem. 19:56 How could man know God if God had to conceal Himself from man 20:03 because of man's sin? 20:05 Well the fact is that God solved the problem 20:08 partially in the Old Testament by revealing Himself 20:12 in words and in pictures through the sanctuary. 20:16 He gave symbols, He spoke to the prophets, 20:19 He gave visions, He gave dreams, He spoke through the 20:23 Urim and the Thummim. 20:25 In other words, He gave a partial and incomplete 20:29 description of who God is. 20:31 But it wasn't a personal appearance of God. 20:34 It was words and symbols about God. 20:39 Because God cannot reveal Himself in His divine nature, 20:44 Jesus Christ came to this earth and He veiled His divine glory 20:50 under human flesh so that we could see 20:54 what God is like without the glory of God destroying us. 20:59 In other words, Jesus became a man to veil His divine glory 21:03 so that He could reveal the Father to us 21:05 and not destroy us at the same time. 21:09 You say, "Where do we find that in Scripture?" 21:11 Notice Hebrews chapter 1 and verses 1 and 2. 21:15 Hebrews chapter 1 and verses 1 and 2. 21:18 There's a comparison that is made here between 21:21 how God revealed Himself in the Old Testament 21:24 and how He reveals Himself when Jesus comes. 21:27 It says there in Hebrews chapter 1 and verses 1 and 2, 21:30 "God, who at various times and in various ways 21:35 spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets..." 21:53 So in the Old Testament, He revealed Himself 21:55 through the prophets. 21:57 But in these last days, He has revealed Himself 21:59 to us through whom? 22:01 Through His Son. 22:03 Notice John 1:14 once again that we read a little while ago 22:07 about the humanity of Christ. 22:09 It says there... 22:16 And now notice what Jesus revealed. 22:23 His glory was veiled in human flesh, 22:25 but the glory was revealed. 22:35 You see, there's no one in the universe who could 22:38 reveal the Father like Jesus could reveal the Father. 22:40 But He had to veil His divine glory 22:42 or He would have destroyed us as sinners. 22:44 So He veils His glory and He comes to reveal 22:47 what His Father is like. 22:50 In fact, notice John chapter 1 and verse 18. 22:52 I love this verse. It's a beautiful verse. 22:54 John chapter 1 and verse 18 says... 23:02 There's the emphasis again. Now notice. 23:14 Let me ask you, what picture do you get when you 23:17 talk about the bosom? 23:20 Closeness, intimacy. 23:23 In other words, He who was in the bosom of His Father, 23:27 the closest of anyone to the Father, has revealed 23:30 what the Father is like. 23:32 And He has revealed Him in His humanity because He 23:36 veiled His divinity, because it would have destroyed us. 23:39 That's the reason why, you remember, Philip once asked, 23:42 He said to Jesus, "Could You please show us the Father?" 23:46 Notice John chapter 14 and verses 8 and 9. 23:50 John chapter 14 and verses 8 and 9. 24:18 Like Father, like Son. 24:21 And so Jesus veils His divine glory and He reveals 24:24 what God is like without destroying sinners. 24:28 He had to assume human flesh to reveal God, 24:31 and at the same time not destroy sinners. 24:35 There's a second reason why Jesus had to assume human flesh, 24:39 had to take human flesh. 24:41 And that is so that Jesus could die for our sins. 24:45 You say, "Why would He have to take humanity 24:47 in order to die for our sins?" 24:49 It's very simple. 24:51 1 Timothy chapter 6 verses 15 and 16. 24:54 We've read this before but let's read it again. 24:57 1 Timothy chapter 6 verses 15 and 16, 25:00 speaking about God, says, "...which He will manifest 25:03 in His own time, He who is the blessed and only Potentate, 25:08 the King of kings and Lord of lords..." 25:10 Who alone has what? 25:29 What does God have? 25:30 God has immortality. 25:34 Can God die? 25:37 That would be ridiculous to say that God can die. 25:40 God is by nature immortal. 25:42 He is life eternal within Himself. 25:45 God, as God, cannot die. 25:49 So why would Jesus have to assume human nature? 25:54 He would have to assume nature, a mortal human nature, 25:57 so that He could what? 25:59 So that He could die for our sins. 26:02 Because if He had come merely as God, He couldn't have died. 26:06 Because God is immortal. 26:08 God does not die. 26:11 Now the question is, Did Jesus really die? 26:16 He most certainly did. 26:18 Notice Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 9. 26:20 Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 9. 26:23 It says here... 26:40 Did Jesus really die? 26:42 Did His divinity or deity die? 26:45 No, His humanity died. 26:47 He had to become a man in order to die for our sins. 26:51 If Jesus had not come as a man, we would still be in our sins. 26:55 Notice John chapter 19 and verse 30, 26:57 speaking about the death of Christ. 26:59 He really died. 27:00 It says... 27:14 Did Jesus really die? 27:16 Of course He really died. 27:18 Did He die for His own sins or did he die for our sins? 27:21 He died for our sins. 27:23 He assumed human nature, mortal human nature, 27:27 so that He could die. 27:28 Because God, the deity of God, does not die. 27:32 Ellen White, in the book Selected Messages 27:35 volume 1 page 30, has this very interesting remark. 27:38 She says, and she's quoting Christ... 27:59 When Jesus came from the tomb, He came with a life 28:02 that was within Himself because He was God. 28:05 But notice what she continues saying. 28:23 So Jesus assumed mortal human nature so that Jesus could 28:28 die for our sins. 28:30 And by the way, this is the reason why the devil 28:31 tried to keep Jesus from going to the cross. 28:34 You say, "What? 28:36 I thought the devil wanted Jesus to go to the cross and die." 28:40 Oh, no he didn't. 28:42 The devil tried to keep Jesus from going to the cross. 28:46 Let me give you several examples. 28:48 On the mount of temptation, the devil says, 28:50 "I'll give you all the kingdoms of the world 28:51 if You just bow down and worship me. 28:53 You don't have to go to the cross." 28:55 Remember Peter when Jesus said, "I must go to Jerusalem 28:58 and suffer and die and resurrect the third day." 29:00 What did Peter say? 29:02 "Oh, that should never happen to You." 29:04 And then Jesus said, "Get thou behind Me, Satan." 29:07 He wasn't speaking to Peter, He was speaking to the devil 29:10 who was trying to use Peter to distract Jesus from the cross. 29:13 Even toward the end of His life, some Greeks come to Jesus 29:16 and they say, "We want You come and preach 29:17 the gospel in Greece." 29:19 And Jesus said, "It's not time to preach the gospel in Greece." 29:21 He said, "It's time for the Son of Man to be glorified." 29:25 Even when Judas betrayed Jesus. 29:28 See, some people think that Judas betrayed Jesus 29:30 because He wanted Jesus killed. 29:31 No way. 29:33 The devil used Judas to betray Christ because he was 29:36 hoping that Christ, when He was arrested and He was mistreated, 29:40 He would take over the throne. 29:43 And you say, "How do we know that?" 29:44 Because when his plan backfired, he took the money 29:47 and he threw it, and he went and committed suicide. 29:51 If he wanted Jesus to die, he would have been happy. 29:54 But his plan backfired. 29:55 Even when Jesus was on the cross of Calvary hanging there, 29:59 there were people at the foot of the cross saying, 30:02 "If you're really the Son of God..." What? 30:04 "Come down from the cross." 30:05 You say, "Well didn't the devil want to kill Jesus?" 30:08 Yes, the devil wanted to kill Jesus. 30:10 But the devil did not want Jesus to give His life 30:13 voluntarily Himself. 30:16 The devil tried to kill Jesus many times during His ministry. 30:19 But killing Jesus would not be a sacrifice for sin. 30:24 Because the Bible says that Jesus had to voluntarily 30:26 give His life, give Himself, to save man. 30:30 It wasn't enough for the devil simply to kill Him. 30:32 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 30:34 And so Jesus had to become a man so that He could die 30:38 for our sins. 30:40 And by the way, His death is once for all. 30:44 Jesus is not continually being sacrificed, like is taught 30:49 in one church these days who say, you know, 30:52 you repeat the sacrifice of Jesus over and over again. 30:56 No way. 30:57 When Jesus died on the cross, He died once and for all. 31:01 No more sacrifices of Christ. 31:03 It was unrepeatable. 31:05 And it was complete. 31:07 In fact, we're told in Hebrews chapter 7 and verse 27, 31:10 speaking about Christ... 31:26 See, the devil didn't take His life. 31:28 Jesus said, "I lay down My life and I take it up again." 31:33 Let's go to the third reason why Jesus had to become a man. 31:36 He had to become a man so that we could know that 31:39 He sympathizes with us. 31:42 That He understands us. 31:45 Notice Hebrews chapter 5 and verses 1 and 2. 31:48 Hebrews chapter 5 verses 1 and 2. 31:51 Here's the principle. 31:52 It says... 31:58 Taken from where? 32:00 From among men. 32:25 Let me ask you, does Jesus really understand us? 32:29 Can He really sympathize with us? 32:32 Can we know that He knows what it's like to walk in our shoes? 32:36 Absolutely. 32:38 Notice Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 11, 32:41 and then we'll read verse 14 and verse 17. 32:43 Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 11 says... 32:51 This is Jesus and us. 32:56 Because we're all what? 32:58 We're all human beings. 33:00 And now notice what it continues saying. 33:06 Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren because 33:09 we all are human beings. 33:10 We all come from one. 33:12 Verse 14... 33:16 The children is us. 33:27 Verse 17... 33:33 Why did He have to be made like us, His brethren, a human being? 33:37 Here's the reason. 33:50 So Jesus had to become a human being so that He could be 33:54 merciful, and He could be faithful, and He could 33:57 represent us as one who understands our situation. 34:05 Several years ago, you might remember this, 34:09 these images came across the television screen 34:13 of all of these people that were dying of hunger in Ethiopia. 34:18 Skin and bones. 34:21 People covered with flies. 34:24 You remember that? 34:26 The scene was grotesque. 34:28 Now let me tell you something. 34:30 I felt sorry for those people. 34:33 But did I really understand what they were going through? 34:37 No. 34:38 I could intellectually think, "Wow, that's terrible." 34:42 And I could sympathize with them to a certain degree. 34:46 I could feel sorry for them, but I couldn't really 34:48 understand them because I hadn't been through their experience. 34:53 You see, Jesus could have remained in heaven 34:55 and He could have seen the suffering on this earth, 34:57 and the pain and the sorrow, and He could have said, 34:59 "Oh, it's terrible what they're going through." 35:02 He could have said to His Father, "Oh, that grief 35:05 is horrendous, isn't it." 35:08 Would He really understand what we're going through? 35:10 God would not understand. 35:12 And so Jesus said, "I'm going to go down there 35:15 and I'm going to become like one of them. 35:17 And I'm going to walk in their shoes. 35:19 I'm going to share their grief, I'm going to share their sorrow, 35:22 I'm going to share their suffering. 35:24 So that they can know that when I represent them in heaven, 35:28 I understand. 35:30 So that they can know that I empathize 35:32 and I sympathize with them. 35:35 You know, it's really tragic... 35:36 And I'll mention the name of the church. 35:38 ...that the Roman Catholic church feels like they 35:40 need the virgin Mary to do that job. 35:44 Or they need the saints to do that job. 35:46 See, in Roman Catholic theology, even though they pay lip service 35:50 to the idea that Jesus is God and man, 35:54 for them Jesus is not fully man like us. 35:58 He has a different kind of humanity than we do. 36:02 And therefore, Jesus does not really fully understand us. 36:06 So you really need Mary and the saints, who really 36:09 walked in our shoes, to represent us before God. 36:13 That's impractical Roman Catholic theology. 36:16 But Scripture tells us that Jesus has walked in our shoes. 36:19 He can fully and completely empathize and sympathize 36:24 with us because He was and He is fully and completely human. 36:31 Now listen up. 36:33 Jesus is the supreme Pontiff. 36:38 There's someone on earth who has claimed to be 36:40 the supreme pontiff. 36:41 Do you know what the word "pontiff" means? 36:43 It comes from two words, "pons" and "facere." 36:46 It means, bridge builder. 36:49 Jesus is the supreme bridge builder. 36:52 The bridge builder between what? 36:55 Between heaven and earth. 36:57 He is the ladder that connects heaven and earth 36:59 because He is God and He is also man. 37:02 What human being could ever claim to be the supreme 37:07 bridge builder when he's only a man and not God. 37:13 Notice 1 Timothy chapter 2 and verse 5. 37:16 We have only one Mediator. 37:18 It says here... 37:27 Now what part of "one" don't you understand? 37:31 It's very clear. 37:33 Notice John chapter 14 and verse 6. 37:35 John chapter 14 and verse 6. 37:48 Not through Mary, not through the saints, but through whom? 37:52 Jesus. 37:53 Because He's one of us. He understands us. 37:55 He empathizes with us, He sympathizes with us. 37:59 He knows our situation. 38:01 We don't need any other individuals who supposedly 38:03 are more human than Jesus was. 38:06 Jesus understands. 38:09 Notice Hebrews chapter 7 verses 25 and 26. 38:13 You see, in order for a priest to represent us, 38:16 not only does He have to be man, but He has to be a perfect man. 38:20 And he also has to be God. 38:23 So that disqualifies all human priests. 38:26 Because there's no human priest, other than Jesus, 38:28 that has perfect humanity, and there's no human priest 38:31 that is God. 38:32 Now notice Hebrews chapter 7 and verses 25 and 26. 38:46 Through whom? Through Mary? 38:49 No. Through the saints? 38:50 No. Through Jesus. 38:59 Why can Jesus intercede before the Father for us? 39:02 Because not only is He a man, but He is a perfect man. 39:08 So that disqualifies every priest that I've ever know. 39:12 Notice what it continues saying in verse 26. 39:27 In order for Jesus to represent us, He has to be God 39:31 and He has to be a perfect sinless man. 39:35 That disqualifies any priesthood on earth that claims to be able 39:40 to represent us before the throne of God. 39:43 You see, Jesus as God represents us before God. 39:48 And Jesus as man represents God to us. 39:52 In other words, Jesus is the supreme bridge builder. 39:56 He has all of the qualifications to connect heaven and earth 40:00 which are not possessed by any priest that I know of 40:05 on planet earth. 40:06 1 John chapter 2 and verse 1 also emphasizes that Jesus 40:10 can represent us because He is righteous. 40:13 It says there in 1 John chapter 2 and verse 1... 40:29 An advocate means what? 40:30 A defense attorney. 40:39 Let me ask you, can an unrighteous priest 40:41 represent us before God? 40:43 God would say, zap, "You're a sinner. 40:48 You can't appear before Me." 40:51 The priest has to be what? 40:53 Righteous. 40:54 And when I come to Jesus... 40:56 And we're going to talk about this in our next two lectures. 40:58 When I come to Jesus and I'm repentant and I confess my sin, 41:01 I say, "Jesus, I'm miserable. I'm lost. 41:04 Jesus, please take Your righteousness, Your perfect 41:07 righteous life, and put it to my account." 41:09 Jesus takes His righteous life and He places it to my account. 41:13 And God looks upon me as if I had never sinned. 41:16 A human priest cannot do that. 41:20 Fourth reason why Jesus had to become a man. 41:22 Is the incarnation important? 41:25 Oh, it's a matter of life and death, folks. 41:27 He had to come and live in the camp before 41:29 He could die in the court. 41:30 Notice the fourth reason. 41:32 Jesus became a man so that He could be tempted 41:35 and help those who are tempted. 41:39 Do you know the Bible says that God can't be tempted? 41:42 Notice James chapter 1 and verse 13. 41:45 James chapter 1 and verse 13. 41:49 It says... 42:03 Can God be tempted by evil? 42:04 Of course not. 42:06 So what would have happened if Jesus had come as God? 42:09 Do you think the devil can deceive God? 42:13 Listen, if Jesus had come merely as God 42:15 and the devil had tried to deceive Jesus, 42:17 Jesus would have said, "You old devil. 42:20 I know it's you." 42:22 Because the omniscience of Jesus would not have allowed Him 42:26 to be deceived. 42:28 That's why Jesus had to come as a man. 42:31 To live as a man, to be tempted as a man as we are tempted, 42:36 and yet overcome. 42:37 You see, if Jesus had gained even one victory over Satan 42:42 by using His own divine power, the devil would have said, 42:45 "No fair. 42:47 You expect human beings to overcome temptation, 42:50 but their human beings. 42:51 You beat me as God. 42:53 That's no fair." 42:54 So Jesus came as a human being and He did not gain 42:58 any victory over sin by using His divine omnipotence 43:03 or His divine omniscience. 43:05 He gained the victory as each one of us 43:07 can gain the victory as well. 43:10 He had no advantages over us. 43:12 Notice Hebrews chapter 4 and verses 14 through 16 43:16 where we find this clearly revealed 43:18 that Jesus had to become a man in order to be tempted. 43:21 Hebrews chapter 4 and verses 14 through 16. 43:25 It says there... 43:39 See, there's the idea that He can sympathize with us. 43:42 Now notice what it continues saying. 44:02 You see, we are like little pebbles next to the sea side. 44:07 Have you ever seen the waves come in with the little pebbles? 44:11 First they move out, and then the waves come down 44:13 and the little pebbles move down. 44:15 That's the way we are before temptation. 44:17 We're moved to and fro. 44:19 But if you've been to the Pacific Coast Highway... 44:21 I love to go to the Pacific Coast Highway 44:23 and just stand there, you know, from the heights 44:26 and see those waves come crashing into those huge 44:31 boulders on the edge of the sea. 44:32 And the waves crash against the boulders, 44:35 and the waves recede, and the boulders are still there. 44:39 That's the way Jesus was. 44:41 We're like little pebbles moved to and fro. 44:43 But Jesus faced all of the waves of temptation. 44:47 And yet when the waves receded, Jesus had been victorious. 44:53 That Bibles says that because He was tempted in all things 44:56 such as we are, He is able to what? 44:59 He is able to help us when we are tempted. 45:02 And some people say, "Well Pastor Bohr, 45:04 but Jesus never sinned. 45:06 How can He understand us? We do sin." 45:09 Well, let me give you an illustration. 45:12 If you were sinking in quicksand... 45:17 ...would you rather have someone on solid ground 45:20 with a rope to throw to you or would you rather have 45:22 somebody in the quicksand sympathizing with you? 45:29 Imagine both of you in the quicksand, 45:31 "Oh this is terrible, isn't it." "Oh, we're sinking." 45:33 "Oh, we're going to die." 45:35 If Jesus had sinned, He would be in the quicksand with us. 45:39 Praise the Lord that He faced temptation, 45:42 every temptation plus much more than we suffer, 45:45 and yet He remained firm. 45:48 He never sinned. 45:50 If He had sinned, He could not be our Savior. 45:53 Notice Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 18. 45:56 Hebrews chapter 2 and verse 18. 45:58 It says... 46:07 You see, Jesus is the great pioneer. 46:11 Jesus has blazed the road before us. 46:14 He knows all of the devil's tricks because He has 46:17 already faced all of the devil's tricks. 46:20 And He's able to reveal all of those tricks to us. 46:24 He's able to say, "Now when it comes to this, 46:26 remember to answer this way. 46:28 When it comes to this temptation, 46:29 remember to face it that way." 46:31 He's been over the road. 46:33 He's blazed the trail for us so that when we are tempted, 46:37 we can overcome as He overcame. 46:43 Reason number five why Jesus had to become a man 46:47 and live in the camp with us. 46:49 Jesus became a man in the likeness of sinful flesh, 46:55 the Bible says, so that through the power of the Holy Spirit 47:00 Jesus could develop a perfectly righteous human life 47:04 that He could impute to us and that He could impart to us. 47:10 Now those are fancy theological terms; impute and impart. 47:15 So let me just explain what they mean. 47:18 Jesus lived a perfect life. 47:20 He lived the life that we should live. 47:23 The life that the law requires. 47:25 The law say, "I demand perfection. 47:27 If you don't give me perfection, you die." 47:30 Jesus came and lived that perfect life 47:33 that the law demands. 47:35 He lived it in my place. 47:37 So that when I come to Jesus in repentance, 47:40 confessing my sin and trusting in His merits, 47:43 Jesus takes the perfect life that He lived 47:46 and He places it to my account. 47:48 And God looks upon me as if I had never sinned. 47:51 Did Jesus have to become a man in order to 47:54 credit His life to me? 47:55 Absolutely. 47:57 But Jesus not only came so that He could impute His life to us, 48:01 He also came so that He could impart His righteousness to us 48:05 so that we could live a holy life. 48:08 The Holy Spirit that developed His life has the pattern now, 48:12 because the Holy Spirit developed the pattern life. 48:15 That same Holy Spirit now is willing to mold our lives 48:19 in harmony with the life of Jesus Christ. 48:22 You see, it's not enough only for Jesus to live for us. 48:28 Jesus also wants to live in us. 48:33 The first is imputed righteousness. 48:36 The second is called, imparted righteousness. 48:41 Now let me illustrate what I mean. 48:47 And some people have criticized me for using this illustration, 48:51 but I'm going to use it anyway. 48:52 Because I think it's a good illustration. 48:55 Did Jesus gain any victory over temptation, over sin, 48:59 by using His divine nature? 49:01 Absolutely not. 49:03 Did Jesus tell us that we're suppose to follow His example? 49:07 Yes. 49:08 Does He give us the power to follow His example? 49:10 Absolutely. 49:12 Now listen up, let's suppose that Superman existed. 49:16 Some people say, "Oh, I don't like that illustration." 49:18 It's a good one. 49:20 Believe me, it's a good one. 49:21 Let's suppose that Superman existed. 49:24 And Superman shows up here in the middle aisle. 49:27 And he says to all of us, he says, "Follow me." 49:31 Whoosh. 49:33 And he flies off into the air. 49:36 What would you say? 49:40 "See you later." 49:44 You know what I'd tell him? 49:46 "I can't fly. 49:48 You have powers that I don't have." 49:51 Right? 49:53 So let me ask you this question. 49:56 Could Jesus ask us to follow His example 49:59 if He used powers to develop that example 50:02 that are not accessible to us? 50:05 Absolutely not. 50:07 The Bible repeatedly tells us that Jesus gave us an example 50:10 that we're suppose to follow. 50:11 And God gives us the power to follow His example. 50:14 It's not only looking at the example and saying, 50:15 "Okay, I'll copy it." No. 50:17 The Holy Spirit gives us the power 50:18 and lives the life of Jesus in us. 50:22 Notice 1 John chapter 2 and verse 6. 50:26 It says... 50:37 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 21 says... 50:52 John 10 verse 27, Jesus says... 51:01 Now let's go quickly to reason number six why Jesus had to 51:03 become a human being. 51:05 Is the humanity of Jesus extremely important? 51:08 It's a matter of life and death, folks. 51:10 Number six, Jesus became a man so that He could 51:13 serve as a sympathetic and impartial judge. 51:18 Notice John chapter 5 verse 22, and then we'll 51:21 jump down to verse 27. 51:23 John chapter 5 verse 22 says... 51:34 Why has the Father committed the judgment to Jesus? 51:37 Verse 27 says... 51:48 Why can Jesus judge? Because He is what? 51:51 The Son of man. 51:52 Are we all going to have to stand before the 51:54 great judgment seat of Christ? 51:56 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and verse 10 says... 52:04 Now do you know what the good news is for those 52:06 who have received Jesus Christ; have repented of sin, 52:08 confessed their sin, and through the power of the Holy Spirit 52:11 have gained the victory over sin? 52:12 Do you know what the good news is? 52:15 The Judge is also our Defense Attorney. 52:20 I love that. 52:22 Wouldn't you like to have the judge on your side? 52:25 Yeah, see, Jesus has been through our experience. 52:28 When we come to Him, Jesus not only will close the 52:33 devil's mouth by saying, "This individual, yes, sinned. 52:39 Absolutely. The record is there. 52:41 But he or she received Me as Savior and Lord. 52:45 And therefore, I pronounce the judgment, not guilty." 52:49 Because the Judge is also the Advocate. 52:53 That's good news. 52:55 Let me ask you, could Jesus serve as a judge 52:58 if He wasn't a human being? 53:00 Could He really sympathize with us? 53:02 Could He really represent us fairly and with sympathy 53:05 and with empathy? 53:06 Absolutely not. 53:08 I would be afraid to appear before the judgment bar of God 53:12 not having someone to represent me who belongs 53:16 here as a human being. 53:18 Now the second reason why Jesus Christ 53:22 only can judge. 53:23 And that is, that in the judgment, there will be 53:25 no excuses. 53:28 I want you to imagine someone that says, 53:29 "Well, you know, it's easy for You to sit there on Your throne 53:34 and condemn me for all of these sins that I committed 53:37 that I didn't repent of. 53:38 But You don't really understand what it was like 53:40 to go through depression and to go through grief 53:43 and to have to take drugs." 53:46 You know what Jesus is going to say? 53:48 He's going to say, "Excuse Me? 53:51 Have you ever been to Calvary? 53:53 Have you ever been to Gethsemane? 53:55 Listen, I was tested with drugs. 53:57 When I was on the cross, they offered me a drug 54:00 to calm My pain. 54:02 And I said, 'No.' 54:04 So what did you say your excuse was?" 54:08 Only a human being who has walked in our shoes 54:11 can be someone who will accept no excuses 54:14 in the judgment for hanging on to sin. 54:18 Let's go quickly to number seven. 54:20 I didn't think we were going to get through these seven. 54:22 This is the longest lecture that I have in this series. 54:25 But we're doing alright. 54:27 We still have three minutes to go. 54:32 Reason number seven why Jesus had to become a man. 54:35 So that He could come again in His second coming. 54:39 Let's read quickly John 14 verses 1 through 3, 54:42 which has been greatly misunderstood. 54:44 Jesus says... 54:52 You know, many people say Jesus went to 54:54 heaven to build mansions. 54:55 No He didn't. 54:56 He said, "In My Father's house ARE many mansions." 55:00 They were there when He said it. 55:02 Jesus does not need 2000 years to do heavenly contracting 55:06 when He created the world in six days 55:09 and rested on the seventh day. 55:11 So He says... 55:21 We usually think that this means that Jesus went to heaven to 55:24 build houses and to plant trees and to prepare a place for us. 55:29 But do you know why Jesus went back to heaven? 55:31 He went back to heaven to carry on His intercessory ministry 55:34 in the Holy Place. 55:36 That's part of the work of preparation 55:38 of us for heaven. 55:41 You see, by living His life on earth, 55:43 and by dying His death, He now makes provision 55:46 for me to come to Him and say, "Jesus, I'm sorry. 55:50 I confess my sin. I trust in Your merits. 55:53 Please take that life that You lived and that death 55:55 that You died, and Lord, please place it to my account." 55:58 And I'm accepted in the Beloved. 56:00 That's what Jesus does now. 56:01 We're going to talk about this in our next two lectures. 56:04 You know, there's this conception that at the cross, 56:06 Jesus forgave everyone's sins. 56:08 No, no. 56:10 Jesus did not forgive anyone's sins at the cross of Calvary. 56:13 And you say, "Wow, this is some kind of heresy 56:15 Pastor Bohr is talking about." 56:16 I'm going to prove it from Scripture. 56:19 You see, sin is forgiven when you come to Jesus in faith 56:22 and you claim what Jesus did by His life and by His death. 56:26 And then He also has another thing that He has to do 56:29 to prepare the place for us. 56:31 He has to perform a work of judgment 56:32 to shut the devil's mouth. 56:35 And so now He intercedes in heaven. 56:38 He applies His life and His death. 56:40 And then we all will stand before the judgment seat 56:43 of Christ, and Jesus will be our Advocate. 56:45 And then when His work is finished, He's prepared a place, 56:49 and He will come again. 56:51 And as it says in John chapter 14, 56:53 it says in verse 3... 56:55 "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again..." 57:05 And at the time, He will have taken care of the guilt of sin, 57:10 He will have taken care of the power of sin, 57:12 and He will have taken care of the presence of sin. 57:20 So the humanity of Christ is everything to us. 57:23 And we can thank Jesus that He became flesh of our flesh. |
Revised 2014-12-17