Behold Your God!

The ninth movement in Handel’s Messiah is based on Isaiah 40:9, and Handel’s oratorio applies it to the birth of Christ.  It says in its incomparable, majestic language:

O thou that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up into the high mountain. O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, behold your God!

That is why we rejoice on Christmas.  No one can ascend to the heavens to see God.  No one can search out the mysteries of the earth to discover God.  But when Jesus was born into the world, God came down to us so that we may behold our God.  And he did not come down just to come and go, but he came down to redeem us so that we could enter God’s presence and behold him forever, so that we could join with Job in saying, “And after my skin has been destroyed, yet in my flesh I will see God” (Job 19:26).

On Christmas we celebrate a historic event, as our text says: “When the time had fully come . . . [he was] born of a woman” (Gal. 4:4). I will speak first about the historical events that led to Christ’s lowly birth under the heading: “The History.”  But this was not just something that happened in the course of events as history moved on.  God himself entered creation in a new way: “God sent his Son . . . born under law.” I will speak about that under the heading: “The Incarnation.”  He did this for our redemption, so the third heading will be: “For Our Redemption.” 

The History

Galatians 4:4 says,“But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman.”  Other versions say, “In the fullness of time.”  These are historical events that happened in time and space. Our God rules over all human history.  He sent his Son at a time in history that is significant in several ways.

This was the promised time.  Daniel had prophesied the rise and fall of various nations before the Holy One would come, and that history had happened at that point.  This was a time after human ability had had its chance and failed.  Greek philosophy, for example, had its heyday beginning in the 500s BC and continuing through the time of Aristotle, who died in 322 BC. But Greek wisdom had failed to solve men’s problems, and it was at this time that God sent his Son, who would be wisdom for us to accomplish that all human ability never could.  And, finally, this was a time that was prepared for the spread of the good news.  The Roman Empire had built roads connecting the whole empire, and it had established a measure of peace to ensure safe travel.  The Greek language was widely spoken, making it easy to communicate to many different people who were scattered throughout the whole known world.

It was at this time that God sent the angel Gabriel to a poor but righteous young woman in Nazareth named Mary.  God had already shown Mary saving grace, and now he would add to that the gracious privilege of being the human mother to bear his one and only Son.  She would be pregnant and give birth to a son, even though she was a virgin.  Mary then asked how she could conceive as a virgin.  Gabriel told her that God the Holy Spirit would accomplish it.

God explains what is puzzling to man.  We cannot explain creation, the miracles throughout history, prophecy, the resurrection of Christ, and the new heaven and the new earth to come without reference to God.  But with God all of these things make sense.  As Paul said in Acts 26:8 to Agrippa and the august assembly with him, “Why should any of you consider it incredible that God raises the dead?”   And why should anyone consider it incredible that God causes a virgin to conceive? God created the universe. God performs miracles.  God foretold what was to come. God caused the virgin to conceive.  And God will raise us up from the dead to live in the new heaven and the new earth that he will create.

Now, it is not just that God explains all things, but God is in charge. And he is in charge, not just of the great eras and sweeps and movements of human history, but he is also in charge of particular events and circumstances and individuals.  Gabriel told Mary, “Nothing is impossible with God,” just as the Lord had told Sarah, “Is anything too hard for the Lord?”

Mary received that message and believed God and, therefore, she was not anxious.  She did not question or challenge God’s word as Zechariah had done.  She did not take matters into her own hands, as though God, who would bring about this miraculous conception, would not also handle all of the related concerns that would arise from it.  She faced the risk of shame, slander, alienation, poverty, divorce, and even death by stoning.  Yet rather than becoming frantic considering these possibilities and urgently moving to do something—anything!—she trusted in God.  And the reality is, she could not be killed, because God had said she would have this baby.  And so we see her at peace and eager to visit Elizabeth, the soon-to-be mother of John the Baptist.  When she arrived at Elizabeth’s home, she praised God with words that showed that her mind was full of theology and of the history of God’s dealings and promises, not full of “what if’s” and “poor me’s.”

Do we trust in God like Mary did?  Do we trust in him so completely that we are not bearing the burdens of anxiety, but we have peace and joy as she did?  If this seems impossible, remember that even here, nothing is impossible with God.  Mary proved it.  Trust his word, cast all your anxieties on him, and experience his peace.

And so God did take care of everything.  He sent an angel to speak to Joseph to inform Joseph of what God was doing and what Joseph was to do.  God led Caesar Augustus to issue a decree to take a census of the entire Roman world.  So Joseph together with Mary went to Bethlehem in Judea to register, where the baby was to be born.

Many other people also came to Bethlehem because of the same census decree, and the crowds filled the available lodging in that town.  When Joseph and Mary arrived, Mary was well along in her pregnancy.  No doubt that was readily apparent to one and all.  So it is shocking that people voluntarily gave up their place, and no innkeeper moved someone out to make room inside for this couple.

This was the first time among many in Jesus’ life that his own did not receive him (John 1:11).  We do not blame these people for not knowing that Mary was pregnant with the Son of God.  We blame them, and they deserve blame, because they did not have pity on a pregnant woman in her time of need.  And, as some in earlier times had entertained angels without knowing it, some at this time rejected the Son of God without knowing it.

We today cannot offer a room to him directly, but Jesus said in Matthew 25:40, “The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for the one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’”  Do you show pity to others as you have the opportunity?  Do you lend a helping hand to your siblings when they are cleaning up or carrying a large load through the door?  Familiarity breeds contempt, and sometimes for us “the least of these” are people who live under the same roof.  Do you help those who are older and need help as they face the limitations and infirmities that come with age?  Christ receives such help as being given to him personally.

So Jesus was born in Bethlehem.  He was born to poor parents with no material security and laid in a manger.  This was a very humble condition, but it was all exactly as God had determined, and God’s plan is always good.

The Incarnation

There are multiple publications available today with the title, “From Jesus to Christ.”  The basic message of all of them is that Jesus was nothing more than human, although he grew into a great teacher and a revolutionary leader.  Then, because of the cultural forces at work in his time, his following grew, especially after his death, and his followers came to view him as a divine Savior.  This is a false account of Jesus.  An accurate phrase to replace it would be, “From God to Jesus.”

Galatians 4:4 says, “God sent his Son.”  That means that his Son pre-existed his conception and birth.  More than that, he has existed from all eternity.  He is the one who would later say in John 8:58, “I tell you the truth, before Abraham was born, I am.”

We begin our existence when we enter this world, so we cannot comprehend eternal existence with no beginning.  When we try, we stagger.  But he who existed eternally is the only solid ground for us to stand on as we pass quickly through time.  Psalm 90:1–2 says about our triune God, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place throughout all generations.  Before the mountains were born or you brought forth the earth and the world, from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.”

From all eternity the Son is God in all his attributes.  He dwelt in glory.  Jesus later spoke about his glory in John 17:5: “Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.”  John 12:41 says that Isaiah saw Jesus’ glory and spoke about him.  This glory caused the angels around Isaiah to call out, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”  And with these cries, the doorposts and the thresholds shook (see Isa. 6:1–4)!

As God, he possessed sovereign power.  All wisdom was his.  John 1 calls him “the Word,” and in Psalm 33 we read about the word. Verse 4 says, “The word of the Lord is right and true.”  Verse 6 says, “By the word of the Lord were the heavens made.”  Verse 9 says, “He spoke, and it came to be.” This is God the Son.

He is the one who was born outside the inn in Bethlehem and laid in a manger.  He is the one who lay there as a baby, and he truly was a baby.  He was as weak and as vulnerable and as helpless as any other baby. (GMW)  He needed his mother’s milk along with the warmth and care that any other baby needs.  When we consider this, we can well understand the answer to question 27 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism that explains Christ’s humiliation.  It begins, “Christ’s humiliation consisted in his being born, and that in a low condition.”  For him, that is humiliation indeed!

But how do we explain this weakness of God the Son?  How do we explain the vast difference between the glory that caused Isaiah to be undone and to cry out for mercy, on the one hand, and this weak, ordinary-looking baby on the other?  Did he lose something of his Godhood when he came into this world as a man?  Some have thought so, partly because of how it appeared in his earthly life.  Some have thought that he lost his power, knowledge, and various other divine attributes when he became a man.  In part this is based on a misinterpretation of Philippians 2:7, which says he “emptied himself.”  But he did not at any time become less than fully God, and God cannot at any time lose his divinity or divine attributes.  As the answer to question 21 of the Westminster Shorter Catechism says, “The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was, and continues to be, God and man in two distinct natures, and one person, forever.”

So why does it seem that his divine attributes were absent?  The fact is that although that often appeared to be the case, the gospels also tell us of times when they were clearly present.  As an adult, Jesus’ knowledge was often as limited as that of any other man.  But at other times he showed supernatural knowledge.  He knew that the first fish Peter caught would have a coin in its mouth, and just the right amount.  Usually he was as weak as any other man, but when the mob came to arrest him in Gethsemane, he merely spoke the words “I am,” and they all fell back.

Even his divine glory was not totally absent from him during his earthly life.  In one unique instance when he was on a mountain with three of his disciples, he transfigured, and his clothes became dazzling white.  Peter, one of his disciples who was there, later said about that event, “We were eyewitnesses of his majesty.”  But aside from that, Jesus had no beauty or majesty to attract anyone to him.

So we see in the gospels not that Jesus lacked entirely divine knowledge and power and glory, but that he drew on them and revealed them from time to time, while being content for much of the time not to do so.  He restrained his divine capabilities.  It was not inability, but it was the control upon his ability.

Why, then, did he live so much of his earthly life without relying on the divine attributes that were natively and naturally his?  It is because he is the Son, and as the Son, he submits completely to his Father.  He thought and acted only and wholly as the Father directed.  In John 5:19, he said, “The Son can do nothing by himself,” and in John 6:38 he said, “I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.”

Galatians 4:4 says Jesus was “born under law.”  Certainly that means that from the very beginning he was obligated to fulfill the requirements of the law, and at the end of his life he was put under the curse of the law. But this also speaks of his submission and his dependence.  Deuteronomy 8:3 says, “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.”  And this is how Jesus lived.  He would not even eat if his Father did not will that he should eat. And so he would not draw on his divine knowledge or power or glory if his Father did not will that he should.

The reason, then, that he did not appear in glory at his birth, and that he had all of the weakness and ignorance of a baby, the reason that he experienced real hardship throughout his life, was that his Father willed it.  It was the course that the Son must take under the will of the Father for our redemption.  In 2 Corinthians 8:9 we read, “For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”  This was him becoming poor. This was his poverty.  He accepted not only hardships, but also isolation and rejection, and finally death that involved a spiritual agony even greater than his physical agony.  He did this out of love for the most undeserving human beings, so that we, through his poverty, might become rich.

For Our Redemption

Galatians 4:5 says he was born of a woman, born under law “to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.”  We owed God a debt because of our sin, and it was a debt that we could never repay.  God has every right to command us.  He is the holy, righteous, and transcendent God, and he is our Creator.  When we violated his commands, we came under the curse of the law.  That curse sentences us to eternal hell for our sins.  No creature could ever fully satisfy that debt, and therefore no creature could ever satisfy that debt for us.

But when God the Son took on human flesh and entered this world as Jesus, he became the one and only one who could pay our debt.  As God, he could meet the infinitude of our debt.  As man, he could pay the debt by the death of a man, and that is what he did.  You see, that the Lord should die an atoning death and pay the full price for all time for all the sins of many, and that he should rise from the dead unto eternal power and glory, are wonders in that they are wonders of his love. But when you consider who he is, who he became at his incarnation, the God and man, his ability and his fitness for the task is no wonder at all.  And that is the wonder of Christmas, that he became the God-man, who could do and who would do all these things for us.

The gospel call then is “Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters; and you who have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”  Christ has come for us—for you—so that you may freely receive his salvation.

So I ask you, first, are you rich?  For your sakes Christ became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.  But are you rich in Christ?  I ask this because it is very easy to be deceived on this point.  It is very easy to mistake a lack of anxiety for real security.  It is easy to mistake a lack of a feeling of guilt for actual righteousness before God.  And it is especially easy when we have a measure of material prosperity.  The Laodicean church was deceived by its wealth.  They said, “I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.”  But the Lord Jesus was outside.  They may have had many things, but they lacked one thing:  Jesus Christ.  And the Lord said to them, “But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked. I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich” (Rev. 3:17–18).  If you do not have a vital faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are poor.

What is Jesus Christ to you?  Is he your all in all?  Or do you find in all honesty that he is a stranger to you?  Perhaps you know that you ought to love him and you ought to have something to say about him, but you don’t.  If this is the case, your situation is very serious.  You are not “almost there.”  You lack the one thing you need, which means you lack everything.  It is a hard thing to turn from sin.  But if you consider yourself as good as dead in your current condition, then you need only to look to Jesus Christ and put your faith in him.  You can receive him freely, without having to earn his favor.  He came down from heaven to earth for you.

Now I ask those of you who trust in Christ: Are you rich?  Perhaps I should rather ask: Do you know that you are rich?  If you have received the Father’s indescribable gift, then you are truly rich, so count yourself as rich.  In Revelation 2:9, the Lord said to the church in Smyrna, “I know your afflictions and your poverty—yet you are rich!”  In Ephesians 1 starting at verse 3 Paul says, “Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”  Paul then goes on sort of a tour through the wealth of the riches that are ours in Christ.  We have the riches of having been chosen in Christ before the creation of the world.  God has determined that we be made holy and blameless in his sight.  He predestined us to be adopted as his sons.  We have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins.  We have been marked with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, guaranteeing our redemption until we are raised from the dead.  So rejoice and be glad that you are so rich!  Fix your eyes on this incomparable wealth.  Fix your eyes on Jesus.

And as one who is rich, be content.  If you have heavenly riches, how can your heart and your mind be filled with the love of earthly riches?  It is a shameful thing to see a materialistic Christian.  If you have food and clothing, be content with that (1 Tim. 6:8).

As one who is rich, do not be anxious.  Do not be anxious about what you might lose or what you might lack.  Do not be anxious about what might happen to you.  You have the one thing you need for eternal security.  And as for whatever may come up, whatever need may arise in the course of this life, don’t worry.  Romans 8:32 says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”  So seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all that you need will be added unto you.

As one who is rich, count yourself redeemed unto sonship, as Galatians 4:5 says.  What good is it to have your name on a large bank account if you’re locked in a prison?  To be rich, you must be free, and that we are.  We were the devil’s slaves.  We were mastered by our own sin.  We were slaves of our fleshly desires, but Christ came to redeem us from all of that.  So count yourself free from all these things.  The desires of your flesh will still arise, but they are no longer your master, and you have no obligation unto them.  The devil will still prompt you, but you are free from his authority, and you can resist him in the name of Jesus.  Say “No” to sin and make it stick.  Obey God with your head held high as his own son.

And, finally, I bring Jesus’ own words from Matthew 10:8: “Freely you have received, now freely give.”  God has given us everything free of charge, so he expects thanksgiving from us.  We live out our thanksgiving by serving the needs of his people, and Jesus himself is the model.  He who was rich became poor for our sakes. So our service to others is not to be limited to our surplus and to what comes easily.  We are to help others especially when it costs us.  We have each been equipped with a spiritual gift—in most cases that is the gift of service—to use for the building up of the body.  And on an individual level, look to the needs of others.  There are needs all around us, if we look.  Especially at this time when we have had less interaction with one another than normal, you may be amazed to find out how much that you didn’t know about has been going on over the past few months in the life of the person just six feet away from you.  Find out what is going on in the lives of others.  You won’t have the opportunity to meet needs that you don’t know about.

And as you have freely received Christ, freely share Christ with others.  This is what the apostle Paul did.  He said in 2 Corinthians 6:10 that he is “poor, yet making many rich.”  How can they call on him without believing in Jesus, and how can they believe unless they hear?  We have the information that the world needs, especially in this time of anxiety and depression.  So let us not be silent with the good news about Jesus Christ.  Praise the Lord our God who came down for us. Amen.