"God's Greatest Miracle"
(based on the devotions of Selwyn Hughes: 'Every Day Light')
Hebrews 10:1-10); Sunday October 9, 2011

Introduction: Today’s sermon title is ‘God’s Greatest Miracle.’ If I were to ask you what you thought was God’s greatest miracle, what would you say? You might say things like creation, God’s making people, or one of Jesus’ miracles (say bringing Lazarus back from the dead). I believe at one of my Easter sermons I said it was the resurrection. While all of these are amazing in their own right, I believe that God’s greatest miracle was His taking on flesh and dwelling among us; the Incarnation of Christ.

Today we finish our three-week series on the Incarnation of Christ. I want to talk about this miracle, because without it, we wouldn’t have had any of Jesus’ miracles, nor the resurrection of Christ. As we conclude this series, I want to propose that without this miracle of God taking on flesh, we would not be able to have any hope in our lives.

I. The Shadow, not the Image- (Hebrews 10:1-10)

a. The law is a shadow- Last week we spent some time talking about

how philosophy and moralism cannot lead us to God. Philosophy tries to teach us alternate truths, while moralism just leads us to feel guilt because we cannot live up to the law. The law is really just a shadow of the true image. Let me explain.

In our passage we just read, Hebrews 10:1-10, it starts off in verse 1 saying: “The law is only a shadow of the good things that are coming—not the realities themselves.” The law is not the true image of who God is, but just a shadow, helping to point us to God. If we try and make the law the focal point, then in essence the law becomes God and we will be lost in futility.

Up to that point, for centuries they had been making animal sacrifices to atone for the sins of the people. But in this chapter, the author of the book of Hebrews writes in a way that tells the people that animal sacrifices are to be no more. Speaking the words of Christ Himself in verse 5: “Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me.’” In other words, Christ was saying that the body He took on was for the purpose of sacrifice, once and for all, so that animal sacrifices could be finished.

Jesus then goes on to say in verse 7: “… ‘I have come to do your will, my God.’” When the Son of God placed Himself into a human body, the greatest miracle of all ages took place. This was the substance of all that was real and true. This was the substance of all that would give humanity hope and promise.

The whole point of creation was so that people could be in a relationship with God. Because of the sin of Adam and Eve, sin was now a deterrent for this relationship to happen. Animal sacrifices weren’t sufficient to bring us into a full relationship with God. The law couldn’t bring us into a full relationship with God. They were just shadows of what needed to happen.

b. The Incarnation supersedes the law- The real substance was the

Incarnation. This was ‘the good thing’ that was to come. The Incarnation of Christ superseded all previous manifestations of God, and now becomes the greatest miracle of God, because it is the fullest revelation of God we have received. Up to this point we have the law (the 10 Commandments), we have the prophets speaking God word, we have the Scriptures (the word of God), but in Christ we have the exact representation of God present among us!

No one would have ever thought that the God of the universe would take on a body and become a man in order to redeem mankind. In doing this God showed His great love for us. We truly need to try and wrap our minds around this concept of what God really did in taking on human flesh. It would maybe be like us taking on the body of an ant to save some ants. It would be quite humbling going from a human being and becoming an ant!

A love like that does not exist in the categories of philosophy, moralism, or even in other religions (as we have talked about the past two weeks). The incarnation supersedes the law, because the law just reminds us of how we cannot live up to the standards of God. The law tells us that we are nowhere near the holiness of God. The law puts a barrier between us and God that we cannot break down ourselves.

That is why the law is a shadow. But the Incarnation is the image, in that we have before us the image of God; we have before us the image of God’s love; we have before us the image of salvation; we have before us the image of redemption. As we are told in Hebrews 10:10, “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”

II. Firstborn from the Dead- (Colossians 1:1-20)

a. Obtaining salvation- I’m not fully sure why, but for so many

people they have trouble with the idea of a free gift from God. People think that they have to attain their salvation, meaning that they have to earn it. This is true of all other religions as well. It doesn’t come through faith in a savior, but through good works. Non-Christian religions teach that salvation is the work of mankind. The Christian faith teaches that salvation is the gift of God.

Therefore, in Christianity it is obtained, not attained. It goes along with the question: “Does mankind strive to reach up to God or does God come down to redeem mankind through the incarnate Jesus?” There are a good amount of Christians who believe that they are saved through faith in Christ, but then after they are saved, feel like they have to deserve this salvation by their deeds. So their deeds are to try and attain all the more their salvation, instead of being a response to the fact that they have been saved in Christ.

But by the very nature of things, we can’t be saved by faith and by works. Likewise, we can’t be saved by faith and keep our salvation through our works. This is because we are then transferring the means of salvation onto us, who are incapable of saving ourselves. Salvation is initiated by God, and brought to fruition by God. The whole of the New Testament revolves around the Person and work of Jesus Christ. In some form or another, Jesus is on most every page. Without Christ there would be no New Testament!!

In Colossians chapter 1, the apostle Paul writes to the Colossians commending them on their faith, not their works. He does remark about how they are bearing fruit with their works, but in the sense that it is coming out of their faith. He then tells them that he is praying for them so that their faith would be lived out in a way that is worthy of the Lord. This living out of their faith is not for the purpose of salvation, but for the purpose of living for the Lord.

b. Christ is the meeting point- We have to make Jesus the meeting

point, the focal point of all things. Colossians chapter one is a great chapter to help us understand this. Paul talks about how Jesus is the image of the invisible God. In Christ, God is made visible. Then he continues in verse 16 saying: “For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. ¹⁷ He is before all things, and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.”

There is so much in this passage, but let me pull out a few things that really fit with the Incarnation. First, all things are held together through Christ. Christ is the meeting point of the human and the divine. That is the beauty of the Incarnation, in that God came to us, dwelt among us, but was also one of us! It is only Christ, God become flesh, who can hold the position of uniting God and humanity.

Second, He is the head of the church. Without Christ the church would have no future. Because of who Christ is, and what Christ has done, the church now has a purpose: to bring people into the Kingdom of God by being saved through Christ. While one purpose of the church is to have a place to worship God, another important purpose is to reach out to the lost so that they can be saved. Only in Christ can they be saved.

Lastly, this section helps us understand that Jesus came to this earth to die for the sins of the world. After He died He was raised from the dead. Paul refers to this as Christ being the ‘firstborn from the dead.’ Because of Christ’s resurrection we too can know that we will be resurrected, or born from the dead. In all this, Christ is the meeting point of heaven and earth!

III. The Genius of Christianity- (Isaiah 7:13-17)

a. Wonderful events- There are some wonderful stories in the Bible.

If I were to name a few I might mention how God caused the sun to stand still. OR, how God gave Moses the 10 Commandments. OR, how God helped Joshua and his people overcome Jericho by marching around the city once a day for six days, then on the seventh day they marched around the city 7 times while blowing their trumpets. At this the great wall of Jericho crumbled to the ground and the Israelites overcame the people of Jericho.

But an even more wonderful event, that really happened, is the Incarnation of Christ. There were eyewitnesses to this event. There are historical records supporting this event. The works of Jesus Himself shows that He was God in the flesh. There are even eyewitnesses to Jesus’ resurrection and His appearance after His resurrection. God, becoming flesh, was a real event!

The genius of Christianity is that it is not just a religion that influences people with values and principles, but a religion with happenings and events and historical occurrences. The Incarnation belongs to the very core of the gospel, that asserts that God, in the Person of His Son, came to earth at a certain hour in history, lived among us, died for us, and rose from the dead. Those who say that they admire Jesus as a great teacher and human being are missing the whole point of the story.

This then leads us to have to speak the truth: those who cannot believe that God took a body and became man cannot claim to be a Christian. Jesus Himself made statements about this truth. If they do not believe Christ’s statements concerning Himself, and the reason why He came into this world, then they cannot be disciples of Christ. As Christ Himself said, “If you are not for me, then you are against me.”

b. Ridicule transferred- Illustration: “Wet Pants,” One day at a third

grade classroom there was a nine-year-old boy sitting at his desk, when all of a sudden he realized he had wet his pants. His heart stops beating as he wonders what he will do next, knowing that he will be totally embarrassed by this event. He puts his head down and prays this prayer, 'Dear God, this is an emergency! I need help now! Five minutes from now I'm dead meat.' He looks up from his prayer and here comes the teacher with a look in her eyes that says he has been discovered. As the teacher is walking toward him, a classmate named Susie is carrying a goldfish bowl that is filled with water. Susie trips in front of the teacher and ‘accidentally’ dumps the bowl of water in his lap. The boy pretends to be angry, but all the while is saying to himself, 'Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!' Now all of a sudden, instead of being the object of ridicule, the boy is the object of sympathy. The teacher rushes him downstairs and gives him gym shorts to put on while his pants dry out. All the other children are on their hands and knees cleaning up around his desk. The sympathy is wonderful. But as life would have it, the ridicule that should have been his has been transferred to someone else – to Susie. She tries to help, but they tell her to get out. ‘You've done enough, you klutz!' they say. Finally, at the end of the day, as they are waiting for the bus, the boy walks over to Susie and whispers, 'You did that on purpose, didn't you?' Susie whispers back, 'I wet my pants once too.'

To be a Christian means accepting the great fact of the Incarnation—that Christ, the second person of the Trinity, was born at Bethlehem, as the Scriptures tell us. The Christian faith carries certain facts at its heart, and this is the greatest of them. Jesus Christ came to this earth to take the ridicule of our sin for us. What should have been our penalty has been transferred to someone else—to Jesus.

IV. Christianity Unrivaled-

a. The weight of the matter is on Christ- Before we finish up we have

one more aspect to look at, and that is at the Person of our Lord Himself. The truth is, Christianity IS Christ. Meaning, Jesus Christ is not just the founder of Christianity like Mohammad, or Zoroaster. Jesus Christ is the very foundation of Christianity. On Him rests the weight of bringing all men and women to God. As we read before, He is the head of the church, and all things on heaven and earth were created by Him and have been redeemed by Him.

It is important to reflect on this point, as I have said over and over again that the uniqueness of Christianity is Christ. We have to admit that over the centuries things have been done in the name of Christianity of which our Lord would not approve. The historical figure of Jesus and His teaching is the criterion by which everything must be measured. Jesus is not like anyone else who has ever lived or will ever live. No one else in history can be compared to Jesus Christ, and no other religion can be compared to Christianity.

“Missed Shots,” A couple of years ago at a high school basketball game a team from Madison, Wisconsin and a team from Dekalb, Illinois (who were bitter rivals) squared off against one another in a hotly contested game. The week before the game the mother of a key player for Madison died. As a result, the player was not expected to play and was not listed on the roster for the game. However, the player, Johntel Franklin, decided he needed to be at the game as a way to help him through his grief. The coach for Madison faced a tough decision. If he let Johntel play, the team would be charged with two technical fouls and Dekalb would receive free shots. In essence giving Dekalb a chance to have 2 free points. Despite the rivalry, Madison’s coach and the players decided to let this young man play and give Dekalb two technical foul shots. This is when the amazing happened. The Dekalb players went to the free-throw line and intentionally missed all the shots. The coach and team had decided this was the best way to respond to this situation.

A game like this is rare. It is rare because there was great compassion shown to the other team for their situation. So Christ shows us amazing compassion by coming to this earth to be our Savior and Lord.

b. Christ stands alone- Do you know what the 7 wonders of the world

are? The seven wonders of the world have been compiled from antiquity to the present day, to catalogue the world's most spectacular natural wonders and manmade structures. There have been many lists drawn up, and now there is a list just for the 7 natural wonders of the world. This lists consist of: the Grand Canyon, the Great Barrier Reef, the Harbor of Rio de Janeiro, Mount Everest, the Aurora, the Paricutin volcano, and Victoria Falls. They have been chosen for their beauty, wonder, and magnificence.

Jesus Christ however stands alone. You do not select Jesus Christ from a list of rivals, He is not the first of a class, He occupies a category all by Himself. There is a passage in John where we see people starting to drift away from Jesus. His teachings were too hard to understand. His standards were too high to attain. Even the disciples started to reconsider their position. At this point Jesus turns to His 12 disciples, in John 6:67 and asks: “You do not want to leave too, do you?” Simon responds for the twelve in verses 68-69, “… ‘Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. ⁶⁹ We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

That is the point here, that Jesus is not just someone who came to point us to God. Jesus isn’t just a great teacher, Jesus is the ONE who not only has the words of eternal life, but provides for us the way to eternal life.

Conclusion: For three weeks now we have talked about the Incarnation of Christ. Maybe it seems like we have spent too much time of this. What is there to say other than God took on flesh? Well, the fact of the matter is, this is the greatest thing that God has done for us. It is one thing to create us and all of creation, but in coming to this earth God the Son gave up the confines of heaven. Then, He had to be subjected to ridicule and torture before being crucified. All so that we could have the penalty of our sin paid for us! Do not take this theological truth lightly. The Incarnation is what sets Christianity apart from all other religions. The Incarnation is what show us that God truly loves us. The Incarnation is what gives us hope and purpose. I hope You believe in it fully, and speak of it often. Because it is the Incarnation that gives power to our faith. Amen.