Sermon
God With A Human Face
December 25-26, 1999
Pastor Donald Sheley

Let's take our Bibles and together turn to a portion of Scripture which most theologians feel to be probably Paul's most profound statements concerning Jesus Christ. It's Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 through 11. And this is what Paul says in Philippians chapter 2 verses 5 through 11: Your attitude should be the kind that was shown to us by Jesus Christ, who, though he was God, did not demand and cling to his rights as God, but laid aside his mighty power and glory, taking the disguise of a slave and becoming like men. And he humbled himself even further, going so far as actually to die a criminal's death on a cross. Yet it was because of this that God raised him up to the heights of heaven and gave him a name which is above every other name, that at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Now put a little marker there in your Bible and turn to another reference, Matthew chapter 1 verses 18 through 23. And here we have Matthew's story of the birth of Christ which Paul has already described for us here in Philippians. It says, these are the facts concerning the birth of Jesus Christ: His mother, Mary, was engaged to be married to Joseph. But while she was still a virgin she became pregnant by the Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her fiancé, being a man of stern principle, decided to break the engagement but to do it quietly, as he didn't want to publicly disgrace her. As he lay awake considering this, he fell into a dream, and saw an angel standing beside him. "Joseph, son of David," the angel said, "don't hesitate to take Mary as your wife! For the child within her has been conceived by the Holy Spirit and she will have a Son, and you shall name him Jesus (meaning 'Savior'), for he will save his people from their sins. This will fulfill God's message through his profits- 'Listen! The virgin shall conceive a child! She shall give birth to a Son, and he shall be called "Emmanuel" (meaning "God is with us").'" 

According to a commonly circulated account of their meeting, when Napoleon met the great German scholar Wieland in 1808 he asked not about politics or about military affairs, and one would think that that would be high on the agenda as far as Napoleon was concern, but when you read much of the life of Napoleon you'll find that he was fascinated by the person of Jesus Christ. And in fact what he said to this German scholar was a question, in the form of a question. He said, what do you think about Jesus the Christ of history? You see the Jesus question haunts every heart for no one can escape the necessity of reacting to Him in someway. To worship Him if He is not divine, is nothing less than idolatry; and to fail to worship Him if He is divine, is sacrilege of the highest order.

The claims of the New Testament evangelists about Jesus are both extraordinary and unequaled. This is what Peter had to say, You are the Christ. The Son of the living God. When He began to preach in the early days of the church one of His sermons is recorded in Acts 4:12, and this is what Peter had to say about Jesus. He said, Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved. And what did Paul have to say about Jesus? He said in this passage that we have just read that Jesus Christ was God, and that He took upon himself the form of a human body in the person of Christ, and that He submitted Himself to the shameful death of the cross, and that He came alive after the third day, and that He is exalted to the highest place of the universe. And Paul concludes that all men someday shall bow before Him and acknowledge that He is Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. And Paul tells Timothy there is one God and one mediator between God and man, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all. 

When Jesus of Nazareth stood face to face with the high priest of the Jewish nation, Caiaphas, Caiaphas threw a question at Him, a challenge. He said, I charge you under oath by the living God tell us if you are the Christ , the Son of God? And the direct answer of Jesus was yes, it is as you say. Now such claims of great magnitude like this cannot be ignored. They are either true or they are false. They must be believed or rejected. If they are accepted as true and believed, profound implications follow for every aspect of one's life. And if they are thrown out as false and repudiated, one stands either to deny the existence of God altogether or else to propose another means of access into His favor, the favor of God. Now any attempt to be neutral when it comes to Jesus Christ is tantamount to rejecting Him. For with Jesus Christ neutral you cannot be. 

My mind is very clear, 63 years ago I went to church. I was five years old. And the little lady that sang, if I remember correctly, sat in a chair and I remember she had red hair. And I still remember the words of her song. Jesus is standing in Pilate's hall. Friendless, forsaken, despised by all. Harken! What meaneth this sudden call. What will you do with Jesus? And the refrain was this, what will you do with Jesus? Neutral you cannot be for someday your heart will be asking, what will He do with me? Jesus Christ is inescapable. And the reason that is true is He was none other than the Son of God, God with a human face. And Matthew tells us that 2000 years ago to a little lady called Mary, a virgin, the Holy Spirit came, and Jesus Christ was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Mary was conceived as the work of the Holy Spirit. Jesus had two names. Jesus the Savior, but He also had the name Emmanuel, God with us - 2000 years ago 

God visited this planet and Paul tells it in various ways in his gospels. Go with me to Galatians chapter 4 verses 4 through 6. And here's what Paul says in a different way. He's telling about the birth when God took upon Himself a human face in the person of Christ. He says that when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeemed those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, "Abba, Father!" But you know what's fascinating about those verses is that first phrase. In the fullness of time it all happened. Now in the original thought the theme is this, there came a time in the events of God where all the strains of history converged at a point, precise, when God acted. And loving history it's fascinating to study the history books and watch the lines of history as they converge to that point 2000 years ago. 

What was the world like into which Jesus came the first time? One of the things that was very obvious was the political arena, and it was a time ruled by the Caesars and the Roman Empire. And what marked the time when Jesus came was the unification of the then known world. It's fascinating. If Jesus would have come 50 years earlier you'd have found the world made up of little states, and little governments, and little cities fighting over each other. And the world was simply a battleground for people to take each other's lives. And then came the Caesars, and all the way from Britain clear up here in the North Atlantic and down across France and Spain and Italy and into Turkey and across the Middle East and into the Far East as far as Iraq and Iran the Roman Empire ruled. 

And there were three distinctions, distinct characteristics, about the Roman Empire. First of all, is what is called by historians as Pax Romana, Roman peace. Because what happened when Roman took over all that part of the world, they put their garrisons in every land, and those little fighting cities and states now were it peace. Forced? Yes, by the garrisons of Rome. They didn't allowed disruption. But you had a world and a countryside with a form of peace never known before in world history, on a worldwide basis. 

Secondly, those Caesars were very smart. They knew that if they were going to rule an Empire so vast as from Great Britain off to Iran and Iraq and beyond and across those lands, they were going to have to tie together with some way of communication. They didn't have the electronics that we have today. And what they did, they put to work tens of thousands of slaves in all of those countries and they formed the great network of Roman roads, and they crisscrossed that Empire so that when a decree or an edict went out from Roman over here in Italy, it wasn't very many days it arrived in Baghdad thousands of miles away. One of the phenomenon of ancient history, the network of the Roman roads. And Travel was easy, barriers were down, people were not fighting. You could travel and not worry about borders and frontiers. Something else, when you were part of the Roman Empire you were bilingual. Because you spoke your native language plus you learned Greek. Greek was the language of the Roman Empire. So you could go anyplace in the Empire, you understood Greek, you could be at home. Paul said when the fullness of time had come God sent His Son. Listen, if Jesus would have come on the scene anytime afterwards, 50 years or 100 years, read the books, the barbarians would be coming down from the North, and again Europe would be disrupting southern Europe and you have the fightings that lead eventually into the dark ages. It was the ideal moment in history, and it was on those Roman roads that the early missionaries could take the gospel of Jesus Christ to the known world and preach it and be understood because they had ways of travel and they had a language understood, and it was at the golden moment of human history, at the fullness of time God said I'm going to visit the world with a human face.

Now you look on into the history books and you find out something very interesting too. The economics during the time of Jesus, what kind of an economical world did He come to? What were the conditions economically? Well here's what the historians say. Deep down beneath the shining culture of that whole world, down beneath its luxury and its magnificence, unrest was seething and poverty walked in rags. Two men of every three on the streets of Roman were slaves, mere goods, chattels, and sometimes the slave hearts would rebel. Now think that through. One-third of the world served by two-thirds as slaves. And the old historian goes on to say, indeed in many quarters of Caesar's dominion the economic situation had reached the point of crisis when Jesus came.

So it was in Palestine the disastrous aftermath of the war, the wild colossal extravagance of Herod the Great. The burden of taxation, both civil and religious, the growing overpopulation which made it impossible for the land to provide food enough for all the inhabitants. These things had precipitated a period of unexampled depression and poverty, and thus the Roman Empire, when you understand, was vexed and wrenched with poverty and hunger when Jesus came. Now let me go back. I find this fascinating because I say if God took the currents of history and wound them down to a moment where He said I'll come, I'm wondering if He isn't doing the same thing with history today. 

Let me go back to the first point, the unification of the world. We now talk about the global community. I mean in the last few years our world has gotten so small by the Internet and all of the satellites. It can happen in Burma and a minute later we know about it in Britain. If ever the world is so small, it gets smaller every day. And if there's something that has unified the world, and I don't care much for computers, you all know that, but I have to back away and say there's something amazing. I say God's going to use it in the final drama of the ages. There is a unification. Things and thoughts can happen in one land and in a second's time up on the satellite and down on the other side of the world. Fantastic. And I think of some of those sitting here and I look at John who probably knows so much more about computers what were headed for in 10 years. John, it's going to be phenomenal, isn't it? I believe that. Unification, the world gets smaller. And when Jesus comes all the world is going to know. 

But what about these economics? You say, Pastor, your whole theory starts falling apart because we live in a world where, I mean, the stock market as high as it is and everybody's done well. Well you don't have to live very many years till you realize bubbles do break. I was born during the great Depression when my father and mother stood on the streets and begged for food. I know it what it is to walk in cold snow without shoes. I understand what poverty is. I know what it is to go through the great Depression, and I've watched it over the years. You watch economic tides come and fall. You see times of much and times when it doesn't take very much for it to below the bubble of economics. And I'm going to tell you something, and I may be offkilter here, and you may walk out and say he's really stupid, but that's all right. I listen and I understand that this whole issue of global warming and weather change is political. I know that so I'm going to back away from that, but did you know that last week the leading meteorologist of America and the leading meteorologist of Great Britain issued a world warning. And they used words never used before in their warning. They said, and this is taking from the, I understand the tides of North Atlantic currents, that there is drastic and rapid change in the weather conditions of the world, that there is a possibility if they continue at the same rapidity and the same rate, that in 20 years, two decades, it will not be uncommon to have winds across the face of this earth 200 plus miles an hour. And they say because there is such a drastic change in weather, and we look at it today, just the last couple of weeks ago rains came down in Venezuela, what 30,000 lives were rushed to death. We go back just a few months and we've seen the devastation of North Carolina. You watch these tremendous storms, and I've always said Jesus said in the last days one of the signs of the times will be the signs in the skies. And I read those signs the changing of the weather. And it went on to suggest that when you can't predict weather and when you have these cataclysmic storms, they wash away much of the economic underpinning of nations. 

Go down to Central America with Honduras where a whole nation was set back 50 years economically, and that doesn't have to happen in very many places until the world is on its knees just like it was economically 2000 years ago. One other, when you study the history books you say what kind of moral atmosphere did Jesus, what kind of world, what were people like, what were their moralities of those days? Paul tells us. Go with me to Romans chapter 1, I mean here's the history of the morality of the Roman Empire. You got it. Paul puts it down. You read Gibbon's book on the rise and the fall of the Roman Empire, and he parallels just exactly what Paul said. 

Look what Paul says. Romans 1:18, For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man - and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them up to vile passions. For even their women exchanged the naturally use for what is against nature. Likewise also the men, leaving the naturally use of the woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men committing what is shameful, and receiving in themselves the penalty of their error which was due. And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boosters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. 

I don't have to paint you any pictures to show the parallels. You read the papers just like I do. The moral condition of the Roman Empire just before Jesus came was, I mean, right at the bottom. Do you know that you were most popular in the Roman Empire if you could boast the most divorces? On one of the pages of history one Roman lady boasted of 82 divorces. She was the most popular lady in town. What I'm saying is, morality in the Roman Empire was clear at the bottom. And out of the darkness the strings of history flow again into earth's deepest darkness I believe Jesus Christ will come again. You see that's one of the hopes we have as Christians. He came once, but one of these days Paul tells us He's coming again. It will be very sudden. The heavens will part, the trumpet will blast, 1 Thessalonians 4:13, and all of a sudden those that are Christians will disappear from earth's scene in the twinkling of an eye, gone to be with Jesus in heaven, and everybody else will be left to the devastation of a world in havoc. Jesus is coming again, and God once again will reveal Himself wondrously. 

Now I ask you to go back with me to the Philippians passage, and we're almost done this morning, because there are some interesting things. Now Paul wanted us to know that when Jesus Christ came to this earth He was always God, never less than God. Look at what he says in verse 6, being in the form of God, he was by nature in very form of God. As I've often explained to you, we have difficulty in our English language sometimes finding words that will explain Greek words. If we spoke Hebrew our normal vocabulary of the Hebrew person is just 10,000 words. It's a very limited language. As English-speaking people we have a normal vocabulary of about 30,000 words which we use in conversation, but if you were a Greek your vocabulary would be almost 200,000 words because every word is precise. We say love. They say agape, eros. They'll use many words because each usage applies to one specific aspect or expression of affection. We just use the word love. 

Now Paul uses the word being, and if we were reading Greek today this is what it would mean. It describes that which a man is in his very essence and which cannot be changed. It describes that part of a man which in any circumstances remains always the same. So Paul begins by saying that Jesus Christ was essentially, and always, and unalterably God, never less than God, never diminished because the next word says He emptied Himself. And theologians have taught of recent years what is known as the Kenosis theory that in order for Jesus to become human He had to cut off some of His divinity. That's a lie. Jesus Christ was never less than total God and total man. Paul says so. That word for being says His deity was never altered when He came to this world. That's an immense thought. 

Now then he uses, he says, he goes on to say that Jesus was in the form of God. Now here again we only have one word form. We don't have an equivalent of the original Greek, and there were two words that could be used. One would be morphe (m-o-r-p-h-e) with a long 'e', or schema. Two words. Morphe is the essential form which never alters. It's much like the word being. It's that absolute that doesn't change under any condition. What Paul is saying, even though Jesus took upon Himself human flesh, He never altered His deity one bit. It's an amazing thing when you follow the gospels that you will find that beautiful harmony of humanity and deity. Jesus will go to a tomb of Lazarus stand there and weep because he can feel the pain of loss just like a human being. He could cry. John 11:35 it says, Jesus wept. But after He cried His tears and joined with them He walked up to that tomb and said, "Lazarus, come forth!" And his deity is displayed in the glorious resurrection of Lazarus from the dead. You have the tears of humanity and the power of life to bring somebody back from the grave. 

You go with Him down on the water. He's in the boat. He's a sleep. He's tired. His human body is tired, and He's sleeping. And the winds become boisterous and those disciples think that everything's going down. That's a, can you imagine that the boat would go down when Jesus was in it? Those guys got scared. Just a minute. Jesus is here and sometimes we get fearful of the weather around us, right? As long as He's here we're never going to sink. He's a sleep. They wake Him. He walks up and says peace be still, and the seas He created, go to sleep. Humanity, deity. That's what Paul says. His morphe never changed, but the word schema is an interesting word. It's that which changes and goes through various courses of life. 

My morphe as a human being is my humanity. That's my morphe. I'll always be a human being as long as I'm alive. My schema is the way I appear. I came, this morphe came in as a little schema, a little baby. The schema grew to a child. The schema grew to young child. My schema changes constantly and the older I get the more I realize how much it does change. Paul never used the word schema to describe Christ. He always used morphe, that which never changes. The deity that always was with Him, perfect man, perfect God. You say Pastor, why do you make that emphasis today? Because I'll tell you why. Every heresy today the first thing they attack is the Christology, what the Bible teaches about Jesus. And if you want to ask somebody, if they're trying to tell you what they believe and get you to be their follower, the first question you ask them is, what do you think about Jesus Christ? Just like Napoleon did. And if they start skirting the issue and say well, He was a God and spell it was the little 'g', or He was a created being, it doesn't take you very long you'll realize they're involved in heresy because heresies always disintegrate and disembody what the Bible says. John says in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. When Jesus Christ is made less than what the Bible says He is, we don't have a Savior and we have no reason for a Christmas celebration. But when we make Jesus Christ everything the Bible says He is, we have a Savior, we have a Lord, and we have a wonderful reason to rejoice. Amen.

Jesus, we bow before You and again we say we love You, and we acknowledge that You are the divine Son of God. You walked amongst men. You revealed to us the very nature of God. You died and rose again so someday we can be with You. That thrills us, and as we leave the sanctuary today we do it with hearts filled with joy, and everybody said, amen. God bless you folks. God bless you.