What does Incarnation mean to us? John 1

There is no way to approach God and see his glory in the old testament. The consequence of seeing God’s glory is death. Moses found that out very quickly. He spoke to God Ex 33: ¹⁸ Then Moses said, “Now show me your glory.” ¹⁹ And the Lord said, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name, the Lord, in your presence….. ²⁰ But,” he said, “you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live.” But deep inside Moses, he longed to see God’s glory.

Why couldn’t he see God’s glory? (That means he couldn’t see God’s face). Why?  Because the God of the universe is absolutely holy, righteous, glorious, beautiful, but humans are sinful. The center of gravity for man’s life is himself; his accomplishment, his goals, his desire. But God’s center of gravity is His holiness, beauty, righteousness. These two systems clash when they meet. It’s just impossible. It’s like 2 solar systems approach one another, with 2 different centers, they will clash & some will be spun out of the orbit!

 The missing chapter of all these is the incarnation of God. When Christ became man, he became like one of us, totally man, and totally God, a theology that’s hard to comprehend. Its like us in the kingdom of God, and in the kingdom of the world. We carry the divine nature, and the fallen nature of mankind too. The one who can redeem us must be a man like us because he has to be like one of us. However, he must be God too, because only the blood of God can redeem us. Not a human, who is sinful. Therefore only the incarnation of God to become a man can truly redeem us and save us. And by that incarnation, we can now behold God’s glory! Hallelujah! Because he tore away the veil. The veil in the temple is torn by his death on the cross. The barrier between man and God is abolished.

 You see all of us are running away from God, and at the same time running to God. Running away from God because of our anger and fear. Anger because things do not always works out the way we wanted it to be, and God seems to have his own way. Running to God especially when we need him, when we are humbled. In other words, we can’t live with Him, and at the same time, cannot live without Him!! What a wretched man!

 But now, Jesus has made a way so we can see God’s glory in Him. He brings all the forgiveness and restoration and healings in our lives. He is our savior! That’s why we can see God face to face in Jesus without being consumed. Because our sins are taken away in Jesus. The incarnation of Jesus made this possible. That explains why we are always in this tension of running away and to God. That’s why this world is always so full of turbulence and at the same time the beauty of God. The solution is in the incarnation of God to bridge that gap. He is our missing chapter. With Christ in us, that tension is gone, and only in Christ alone.

1 peter 1⁸ Though you have not seen him, you love him. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him and rejoice with joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory,

 You have not seen him and you believe in him and rejoice with a joy that is inexpressible and filled with glory! That’s seeing the glory of God that eluded Moses. That’s our call today. How can you  be filled with that inexpressible joy? Do you feel that as a Christian? Paul said all his sufferings are nothing compared to the incomparable joy! 2 Cor 4: ¹⁷ For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all.^[1]

 How can Paul honestly take in all the punches of life like ship wrecked for 3 days, flogged, imprisoned for the gospel etc., and he calls it light and momentary troubles? That’s the biggest joke of the bible! Why? Because he sees the eternal glory that far outweighs them all. He sees the incarnated Christ, the glory of the risen Christ. Can we see that? Don’t think the river is it, no!  There is an ocean out there. Don’t mistaken the river as the ocean in our lives, go for the ocean. Rejoice with inexpressible joy with beholding the glory of the living God.

 John 1: ¹⁴ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.^[2] 

 We have seen his glory!! CS Lewis calls this as the weight of glory!

http://hopenychurch.org/sermons/2013/7/8/god-became-man-incarnation-john-114-18