He Took On Flesh - For You
Text: John 1:1-14
In
the name of Jesus: Amen.
Everything
began in that small town of Bethlehem. He
stepped into human history that Christmas Eve long ago. Yes, Jesus took on human flesh; He became
man, our brother. He became one of
us. He came and was exposed to all that
we are exposed to. This all happened
some 2,000 years ago, as the Son of God was conceived in the Virgin’s womb and born
into time, space, and history. This is
why we are gathered here today.
There
is no doubt about it; this is the deep mystery of Christmas: Jesus was conceived and born; Jesus came to
humanity. But the greater mystery of
Christmas is this: why would the Lord God come to us? Why would the Lord humble Himself to take on
human flesh and enter humanity in such a lowly way? Why would He care so much about a world full
of sinful rejects and losers like me and you? The answer: Christ came to humanity to bear our
burden of sin and to suffer the penalties of our sin; He came to defeat death
on our behalf. He came to win you and me
back by His life and sacrifice. He was
born, lived, died, and rose, because He cares for you and He cares for me and He
cares for this world. He was not content
to leave His creation in death and the condemnation of sin. He was
not content to let us burn.
In
order to make all things right, in order to make all things new, Jesus Christ not
only had come to us, but He had to come to us as a true man. You see without God having truly been born a
real man, the work of Jesus would be worthless to us. Without God dwelling with us, Good Friday,
Easter, and all of the rest of the Christian holidays would be meaningless.[1] Without the Lord putting on flesh and
dwelling among us, our salvation would be empty and worthless. Otherwise stated, Jesus had to take up our
earthly flesh and set His foot into this world – into time, space, and history
physically – so that He could live the life that we cannot live and die the
death that we cannot die.
Dear
friends, Jesus came to Bethlehem, came to this world, to be our Savior. As our Savior, He had to live a life in
submission to the Law. (God is not
subject to the Law. Humans are.) Our Savior also had to suffer the penalty
that we earn with our sins every day. (God
doesn’t suffer and die. Humans do.) On the other hand, our Savior’s life and
sacrifice had to be sufficient for the sins of the entire world. Even if there were such a thing as a perfect
human being, that perfect human could only offer himself in the place of one
other human. However, only God can
ransom the entire human race – and that is what happens in Jesus. Furthermore, our Savior also had to do battle
with death and the devil. Humans are too
weak, but God is Almighty. What this
means is that our Savior must be both God and man in one person. And that is who Jesus precisely is.[2]
Today,
do not be deceived by the soft and gentle and peaceful baby in the cradle. This baby is not some sentimental figure of
Christmas fairy tales. No! This baby is almighty God in the flesh, born
unto you, unto me, and unto this world for the specific reason of doing battle against
our sins, the devil, and the world. He
was born into time, space, and history in order to take our failures and our
sins upon Himself and to bear the wrath of God the Father on our behalf. Indeed, this birth is the start of the long, focused,
caring march of Jesus to the cross, where everything at the cross will be the same way as it was in Bethlehem – surrounded by wood,
wrapped strands of clothing, basically all alone and in rather lowly
conditions.[3]
And
so we are here this morning to remember, celebrate, and hear once again about
the historical fact that ‘unto us’ a child was born – that the Son of God put
on human flesh. We gather today to hear
this reality that Jesus gave up all of heaven and earth and took on your flesh
and was born of a lowly virgin – for you.
This
morning, behold the Christ-child proclaimed from the Word, who lived the
perfect and sinless life you never could; who went on to suffer your justly-deserved
punishment; who went on to die your justly-deserved death; who rose again for
you, and who now lives and reigns victoriously – for you.
Behold,
Christ! The government is upon His
shoulders. He is our mighty God and
Prince of Peace. He has worked salvation
for you and for me!
Here
is your Lord and Savior! Here is your
reason for you to celebrate and give thanks this Christmas Day.
Blessed
Baptized Saints, “He comes to you this very day—His blessed birthday—to give to
you His blessed gifts of eternal life, forgiveness, grace, and mercy; to give
to you the very gift of Himself; His body and His blood, for the strengthening
of your faith, for the forgiveness of all your sin, for your comfort, your
assurance, and your peace that surpasses all human understanding.”[4]
This
morning, rejoice! “He has come unto His
own. He has come to you. . . . You are
His child. God be praised, evermore and
evermore.”[5]
Merry
Christmas to you in the name of the one who was born unto you, Christ Jesus the
Lord: Amen.
[1] David Kind, “God Made Accessible,”
University Lutheran Chapel Newsletter: Fall/Winter, 2015,
http://www.ulcmn.org/News/Newsletter%20-%20Current.pdf (Accessed December 24,
2015).
[2] James T. Batchelor, “Nativity of Our
Lord,” LCMS Sermons, http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3978 (Accessed
December 24, 2015).
[3]Jason Zirbel, “Now What?” LCMS
Sermons, http://lcmssermons.com/index.php?sn=3982 (Accessed December 24, 2015).
[4] Ibid.
[5]
David H. Peterson, God With Us: Advent,
Christmas, and Epiphany Sermons (Fort Wayne, IN: Emmanuel Press, 2014), 91.
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