Wings of Faith

The Incarnation—inspiration or illusion?

Today—cloning we play God but deny God intervention in Saviors birth

Did disciples write what they saw and then compare to scripture?

 

Doctrines of virgin birth and incarnation are the Heart of Christian Faith

    1. credibility of writers at stake------if we cant believe them here
    2. how can we believe anything they have to say

      Mat 1: 18, 20, 23-25 Luke 1:27, 31 34-35

    3. Credibility of Jesus at stake
  • Prophets Isa 7:14 9:6 Mica 5:2 no mere man

    But God Himself

    Jesus’ claims of himself John 4:26 8:58 Luke 22:66-70

    You are from beneath but I am not

    He had Gods attributes Heb 13:8 Col 1:17 Mat 28:18-20

    Authority of God Mark 2:5-7

    • And accepted worship as God

    Fresh acts of creative power marked his coming into the world

    The Birth of Christ

    Fingerprints of God Mat 1:18-23—second person of the Godhead supernatural conception and announcements

    Luke 1:26. 67, 41-55 Mary & Joseph received angel communications as did Zechariah Mat 1-20-21 Mary, Elizabeth and Zechariah all spoke inspired testimonies on the coming Messiah

     

     

    Supernatural Divine happenings

      1. angels talk to shepherds
      2. His star the shekina of God
      3. The magi
      4. Simeon and Anna proclaimed him Lord Luke 2-25,38

     

    Was simple and revealed to devout men and women and hidden from the rest, they we God seekers and God servers----no religious people here

    Mat 2:3 Jerusalem stirred up by reports of the birth

  • They were the establishment and had most to lose if new king were to show up

    Only the God seekers noticed, the rest were business as usual-------is it the same today?

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    Shadow of later ministry

    Herod tried to kill him at birth; religious leaders did kill him later, protect their own interests

    The humble in spirit worshipped Him, the rest ignored him

    His humble birth equates with being a servant

    Prophecies on his coming fulfilled

  • "born in Bethlehem but known as a Nazarene"----if it wasn’t for the census, this would not have occurred.
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    How do we interpret His birth in the Gospels?

    Virgin born---Mat 1:18-20 Luke 1:31,34-35

    All was normal except for the conception of Mary—Joesph and her were not married yet and therefore had no relations with each other

    If this is denied then you must hold to 1. No divine element in the Bible, 2, no possibility of miricles and 3 no fianlity about Jesus

    He was deity John 1:1-3,14,15

    He set aside his divinity and rights as God----he was diety and perfect humanity united permanently in one person

    Why? To revel God to man John 1;18 14:9 no one has seen God’s face

    Moses in the cleft of the rock, Elijah in the cave

     

    To reign over people Luke 1:33 Mat 2:2 most think this just spiritual but is a physical reign over His people, Israel

    To redeem Mark 10:45 satan stole Gods creation and people, Jesus came to buy them back

    Implications:

      1. measure of Gods ability to save Luke 1:37
      2. for nothing is impossible with God----same said as Gabriel at His birth
      3. measure of Gods willingness to save---His love to come in human form to redeem us
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      5. standard for measuring our love for one another---what He set aside for us to do for us His power and diety
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      7. is the way and the means God ordained to save men John 14:6 No one comes to the Father but by Me

    This formula, put together by the Council of Chalcedon, 451 AD, declares it to have always been the doctrine of the church, derived from the Scriptures and our Lord Himself, that our Lord Jesus Christ is "truly God and truly man, of a reasonable soul and body; consubstantial with the Father according to the Godhead, and consubstantial with us according to the manhood; in all things like unto us, without sin; begotten before all ages of the Father according to the Godhead, and in these latter days, for us and for our salvation, born of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, according to the manhood; one and the same Christ, Son,. Lord, Only-begotten, to be acknowledged in two natures-inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably; the distinction of natures being by no means taken away by the union, but rather the property of each nature being preserved, and concurring in one Person and one subsistence, not parted or divided into two persons, but one and the same Son, and Only-begotten, God, the Word, the Lord Jesus Christ." There is nothing here but a careful statement in systematic form of the pure teaching of the Scriptures; and therefore this statement has stood ever since as the norm of thought and teaching as to the person of the Lord. As such, it has been incorporated, in one form or another, into the creeds of all the great branches of the church; it underlies and gives their form to all the allusions to Christ in the great mass of preaching and song which has accumulated during the centuries; and it has supplied the background of the devotions of the untold multitudes who through the Christian ages have been worshippers of Christ.

     

  • ALL ROADS DO NOT LEAD TO ROME (OR HEAVEN)
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