Flip to the Backyard Bulletin, follow along as we study the lesson this morning. We are speaking of the nature, the person, the life, the work of the Lord Jesus Christ. We started in on that last week there is one word that we could use to describe the study of the doctrine of Christ, the study of the person of Christ, the study of the nature. What would that word be? Somebody help me out. Anybody remember? Christian? Sorry? Deity, that's the fact that He is divine, that He is God in a body of human flesh, but more generally, more broadly, Michael? Christology. Okay, Christology. We're studying what we believe about Jesus Christ. Here's our summary statement, top of the sheet there. We believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be God, manifest in the flesh, virgin born, without sin, crucified, risen, coming again to receive his church, then returning to establish his kingdom. We don't believe that just because we're Baptists. We don't believe that because that's what Brother James wrote down in the doctrinal statement. We believe that because that's what the Bible teaches about who Jesus is. Jesus is not who we think him to be. Jesus is not who we want him to be. Jesus is not who the world imagines him to be. Jesus is who he revealed himself to be in the scripture. God gave us a Bible so we could know him and he is who he says he is. in His Word. Now last week we started on that first statement, we believe the Lord Jesus Christ to be God manifest in the flesh. And we emphasized the fact that Jesus Christ is God. Not just a prophet, not just a religious leader, not another man, He was divine. The Jehovah's Witnesses deny the deity of Christ. Many cultish groups deny the deity of Jesus Christ. Modernist liberals deny the deity of Jesus Christ. But you can't read the Bible honestly and come away with any other idea than the fact that Jesus Christ is God. It's not enough just to hear me say that. It's not enough just to know that intellectually. My question for you is can you go to the Bible and establish and prove and articulate the deity of Jesus Christ. You need to be able to do that in order to witness to people. You need to be able to do that in order to make sure that you're not drawn away or drawn aside or fall into some type of false doctrine or false teaching. You've got to have your heart and mind established in the deity of Christ and where it comes from in the Bible. And this morning we're going to shift our focus and turn from the deity of Christ to the humanity of Christ. And we'll start with the same verses that we started with last time. Go with me to 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse number 16. 1 Timothy chapter 3 and verse number 16 is our first passage and it says, without controversy, And without controversy, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifest in the flesh. That's an incredible mystery. That the Creator became a man. That the God of heaven walked this earth. that God Almighty was born as a baby in Bethlehem's manger and experienced everything that goes along with humanity. God was manifest in the flesh. But this morning we emphasize the second part of that. God was manifest in the flesh. Jesus Christ was 100% God, but Jesus Christ was 100% man. All wrapped up in one at the same time. His deity, I'm sorry, let me say it this way, his humanity in no way diminished from his deity. The fact that he was man didn't make him any less God. but his deity in no way diminished from his humanity. The fact that he was God made him no less man. Jesus Christ lived on the earth in a human body much like the one that you're living in. He experienced everything that goes along with life on the earth as a human being. God was manifest in man. We'll get to some applications of this and what it means to us at the end of the lesson, but just try to let your mind focus on that for a minute. God became a man. He entered the world as a human being. We believe that Jesus Christ was God, but not just was he God floating around as a spirit being on the earth. No, he was manifest. Think about that word. Manifest. He became a man. Manifest in the flesh. Come to John 1.14. John chapter 1 and verse 14. We'll go ahead and read verse number 1 as well. In the beginning was the word, capital W, a person. second person of the Godhead. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. No question as to the identity of this individual. Verse number two, the same was in the beginning with God. In the beginning, where is that? Genesis 1-1. So in the beginning, God created heaven and the earth. Who was that? According to John 1, verses 1 through 3, that was the Word, that is, Jesus Christ. He was in the beginning. He was with God. He is God. He made all things. And then verse number 14 says, and the Word, same individual, and the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of a father, full of grace and truth. Can you imagine being alive on the earth with Jesus Christ walking the earth? Can you imagine being in the presence of one who created all things, but then entered the world as a man? We beheld His glory, John said. He dwelt among us, John said. That's the humanity of Jesus Christ. We've got to move quickly. Colossians chapter 2. Colossians chapter number 2 and verse number 9. Colossians chapter 2 and verse number 9. Colossians 2.9 says, for in him, into verse 8, that's Christ, for in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead. He's completely God. He's 100% God. But in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead. How? Bodily. All of God in human form, that's the nature of the person of Jesus Christ. So the first heading in your notes is the humanity of Christ. Last week we focused on the deed of Christ. This week we focus on the humanity of Christ. The second heading in your notes would be Jesus' human experience. Jesus' human experience. Once again, he experienced every aspect of humanity. He learned what it was like to be a man. And we'll just move quickly through some examples of this. Let's turn to Luke chapter number 2. Luke chapter number 2 and verse 40. Luke chapter 2. Verse number 40, the Bible says, and the child, this is Jesus Christ, he's 12 years of age in this passage, and the child grew and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom, the grace of God was upon him, the same statement made in verse 52, and Jesus increased in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man. Christ's human experience, what did Jesus experience on the earth? Number one, he experienced growth. He experienced growth. He was born the same way you were born, of a woman. He entered the world the same way you entered the world, as an infant, as a baby. Mary and Joseph, maybe, changed his diapers. They had diapers back then. They had to have something. Can you imagine? It's God. And he spit up, that's God. And he went through those stages of development from an infant to a toddler to a child to a, I don't think teenagers existed back then, but to a, the child grew. This is God growing. How does God grow? By becoming a man. The Bible says he increased in stature. Like Mary and Joseph, they tracked his height on the doorframe. Now, why is that so incredible? Why is that so mind-blowing? Well, Malachi 3.6 says, I am the Lord, I change not. He's the eternal, immutable God out of eternity. but he came to this world and he grew just like you grow and develop just the same way that every other person on the earth develops. Number two, look at John chapter four. John chapter four and verse six. John chapter four and verse number six, he's traveling from Judea into Galilee, and he's gonna stop in Samaria in verse number six. Now Jacob's well was there, Jesus therefore, look at this, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well, it was about the sixth hour. How many of you took that hike with us at Stone Mountain State Park in North Carolina? How many of you got tired and decided to take a seat? Okay. You know, the Bible says Jesus, he's taken a long walk from Judea to Galilee, take a rest stop in Samaria. And you know what Jesus said? Man, I'm tired. He sat down for a drink of water because he got tired. How many of you tired this morning? And you don't have to raise your hand, I can see it on your face. Jesus knows what that's like. Now what does the Bible say about God? Isaiah chapter 40 and verse number 28. He doesn't grow weary. God doesn't grow weary. But when God became a man, he found out what it was like. He grew weary. Look at Matthew chapter 8. Matthew chapter 8 verses 24 through 25. We've got to quickly, because I want to focus on the applications. Matthew chapter 8. Verse number 24. Jesus, the disciples, they're on a ship. Storm blows in. You know the story. We just want to focus on a statement that's made here. Matthew 8, 24. And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with waves, but he was asleep. Like most of you in the van on a youth trip. It's traveling time. Jesus said, I'm going to take a nap. Jesus, down the boat, and his head is on a pillow, and he's sleeping. Now Psalm 121 says, he that keepeth Israel shall never slumber. nor sleep. God doesn't sleep. He created the world in six days and six nights and on the seventh day he rested not because he was tired but to set an example to establish a precedent so that man wouldn't wear himself out so he could work six days and take one day of rest. God has not slept in six thousand years but when he became a man Sleep was necessary. When he put on a human body, he said, guys, I'm taking a nap. Jesus slept. He grew. He was tired. He slept. Look at Matthew 21. Matthew 21 and verse number 18. Matthew 21, verse number 18. Many of us identify with this at this present moment. Matthew 21 and verse number 18. Now in the morning, As he returned to the city, he hungered. Ruth's hungry right now. Jesus knows what that's like. God didn't know what that was like before he became a man. Think about it. God had never been hungry before. There's a marriage supper of the lamb in heaven, not because God needs food. It must just be because it's enjoyable. I appreciate that fact. There was a time in my life when I ate to survive. The time in my life now, I eat because it's fun. Right? That's the way it's going to be in heaven. Eat because it's fun and you don't have to worry about the side effects. But here's God on the earth in a human body and he required food. He needed something to eat. He was hungry. He got real mad at the fig tree because it didn't have any fruit. Why? Because he wanted to eat some figs. He was hungry. Look at John chapter 19. John 19. This really is a blessing when you think about it this morning. We're going to think about it in a second. John 19 and verse number 28. John 19, 28. It's Christ on the cross. After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst. I thirst. Jeremiah 17, 13 says that God, Jehovah, the Lord, is the fountain of living waters. And here's the fountain of living waters thirsting. It's quite the paradox. Jesus' human experience, he grew, he was tired, he slept, he was hungry, he was thirsty. Even more than that, look at Hebrews chapter 4. Hebrews chapter number 4 and verse 15. Hebrews 4. In verse number 15, the Bible says, for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted, like as we are, yet without sin. Jesus experienced life on the earth in a human body with everything that goes along with it, not only the physical aspects of life on the earth as a human being, But according to Hebrews 4, the spiritual, the emotional aspects of life on the earth as a human being, James 1.13 says, God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man. But when God became a man, he experienced temptation. He fasted 40 days and 40 nights. And the Spirit led him into the wilderness, Matthew 4 and Luke 4 says, where he was tempted of the devil. Have you ever been tempted? You have. You're going to be tempted today. You're going to be tempted tomorrow. You're going to face temptation this week. It's going to be a fact of life the rest of your life on the earth. But when you walk into temptation, you're walking somewhere Jesus has been. He knows what it's like. He can deliver you from temptation because He's been in temptation Himself and come out victorious. He can help you when you're tempted because He Himself has been tempted. And Hebrews 4.15 says, yet without sin. Everything you face as a human being Jesus Christ knows what it's like. He's been there. He's done that. He gained that knowledge by robing himself in flesh and living 33 and a half years in his dirty, rotten, sinful world. Jesus human experience. The third heading in your notes is going to be the purpose of his humanity. the purpose of his humanity. We'll go to the references. I'll give you the sub points as we make our way through. Philippians chapter two, verse number five. This should be very familiar. Philippians chapter two and verse five. If you're following along in our memory program for the church for the year, Philippians two, Verse number five, the purpose, the outcome, the results, the blessings of the fact that God became a man. Why did he do that? What was accomplished because he did that? Philippians chapter 2 and verse 5, the Bible says, let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus, who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. Okay, so he was in the form of God. He was absolutely God. He was 100% divine. No question about it. No doubt about it. He was very clear in his claim to deity and he thought it not robbery to be equal with God. He wasn't taking something that didn't belong to him when he took a divine title to himself. When he called himself the Son of God, he was not blaspheming. because he is in every way equal to his father, though he subjected himself. Subjection does not equal inferiority. You'll remember that from last week. So Jesus Christ, he's in the form of God, but he's not robbing God of anything. He deserves it. That's who he is, verse 7. But, though he's in the form of God, though he was equal with God, but made himself of no reputation. And this is our example. This is the humility that we're supposed to demonstrate in our lives as we follow Jesus Christ, but made himself of no reputation and took upon him the form of a servant and was made in the likeness of men. So one who is equal with God, one who's in the form of God, entering the world as a servant made like unto men. Why? Verse 8, and being found In fashion, as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Why did God become a man? The primary, ultimate purpose of the humanity of Jesus Christ is so that he could die on a cross for you and for me. Come to Hebrews chapter 10. You see that progression in Philippians chapter 2? He's God. It's not robbery, but he humbled himself. He was a servant. He was made like men so that he could die. He became obedient unto death. Hebrews chapter 10 verse number 1. Hebrews 10 and verse number 1. The Bible says for the law, Having a shadow of good things to come and not the very image of the things, can neverwith those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered, because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. The point of those verses is very clear. If the sacrifice they brought to the temple, to the tabernacle, was effective in taking away their sins, they wouldn't have to bring it again, and again, and again, and again. It was a picture, it was a type, it was a shadow it was all leading to. something else, an ultimate sacrifice that would be made by the Messiah. Verse 4, For it is not possible the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore, because that wouldn't work, it wasn't God's intent with those sacrifices. Verse 5, Wherefore, when he cometh in the world, he saith, Sacrifice an offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me. Okay, a body that has prepared me. There's the humanity of Jesus Christ. When the angel Gabriel came to Mary in Nazareth, in Luke chapter number one, he said, that holy thing which shall be born of thee. Have you read that? Luke chapter one, verse 35, the angel's announcement to the Virgin Mary. Isn't that a weird thing to say, that holy thing? Why does the Bible call Jesus a thing? It's the body that the eternal word entered into in Mary's womb that was brought forth and came into the world. Hebrews 10.5, a body hast thou prepared me. for what purpose? Verse six, in burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin, thou hast had no pleasure, then said I, lo, I come, the volume of the book is written of me, to do thy will, O God. Above what he said, sacrifice and offering, in burnt offerings and offering for sin, thou wouldst not, neither hadst pleasure therein, which are offered by the law. Then said he, lo, I come to do thy will, O God. He taketh away the first, and he may establish the second. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering, pay close attention through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. Blood of bulls and goats never take away sin. So Jesus Christ came into the world and a body was prepared for him and that body was offered as a sacrifice in death for sin. God could not make that offering had he not become a man. God can't die. He is eternal. but he had to come and offer himself in sacrifice for our sins. In order to do that, he had to have a body prepared for him. Continue reading. Every priest in a daily ministering offering, oftentimes the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. Verse 12, but this man, this man, After he'd offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool, for by one offering he had perfected forever them that are sanctified. So the purpose of his humanity, number one, he became our substitute. He became our substitute, and number two, he became our savior. Number one, he's our substitute. Number two, he's our savior. He had to become a man so that he could die and the wages in his death. He died for us. He died for our sins. We deserve that punishment. He took our place. That's what a substitute is. He had to be a man so that he could be our substitute. He had to be a man so that he could die, but he had to be God at the same time or else he would have to die for his own sins. I love you guys. I can't die for your sins. I have my own sins I'd have to pay for. You understand? He had to be God so he could be perfect. He had to be a man so he could die as God, as man. He was the perfect sacrifice that was required to satisfy the wrath of God and take our punishment in our place. Look at 1 Timothy chapter 2, verse number 5. 1 Timothy chapter 2. In verse number 5, humanity of Christ, way more than just a doctrinal truth, it's an incredible blessing that is essential to our salvation. 1 Timothy chapter 2, verse number 5 says, for there is one God and one mediator between man and God, I'm sorry, between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. So one mediator, one man who can take sinful men and reconcile them to a holy God, that's Jesus Christ. He said, no man cometh to the Father but by me. He is the mediator, the go-between for God and man. Look at Job 9. It's a great cross-reference to 1 Timothy chapter 2. Job chapter 9, verses 32 and 33. Job 9, 32 and 33. Job is speaking, and of God he says, in Job 9.32, for he is not a man as I am. That's true. Numbers 23.19, God is not a man. He is not a man as I am, that I should answer him, and we should come together in judgment. There is a great gulf fixed between man and God. Verse 33, neither is there any daysman betwixt us that might lay his hand upon us both." Job said, God is so far removed from me and I don't have anybody who can get me to where he is. There's no dazeman betwixt us that can take hold of me and take hold of God and bring us together. But that was fifteen hundred and twenty years before Christ. When Jesus entered the world, He was God and he could lay his hand on God. And he was man and he could reach out and lay his hand on us. And now you and I are in a much different condition than Job was. We do have a daisman. We do have a mediator. We do have a Savior who can lay his hand on God and lay his hand on man and bring the two together because he was God, because he was man, because he offered himself as a sacrifice in death. Now you and I who are sinful can be forgiven and be reconciled to God. That required, that necessitated the humanity of Jesus Christ, but it's an even greater blessing in Hebrews chapter two. Not only our substitute, not only our savior, but the humanity of Christ enables him to be, and I just did this so it would be alliterated, our succorer. We'll help you spell it, it's a Bible word. Hebrews chapter two, begin in verse number nine. because we start with the points we just made, but then we move even further. Hebrews 2, verse 9, but we see Jesus, who is made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, a little lower than the angels. Well, what class would that be? That would be the class of humanity. It's a quotation from Psalm 8. Jesus was made a little lower than the angels. Why? For the suffering of death, so that he could die. crowned with glory and honor, that he, by the grace of God, should taste death." Here's the purpose again. "...that he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom were all things, and by whom were all things." Okay? This is the Creator. This is the Creator. bringing many sons into glory to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings for both he that sanctifyeth and they who are sanctified are all of one for which cause he's not ashamed to call them brethren saying I'll declare thy name unto my brethren in the midst of the church while I sing praise unto thee and again I'll put my trust in him and again behold I and the children which God have given me for as much then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood. Okay, that's us, we're human beings. He also himself, likewise, took part of the same. He became a... human being, that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil, and deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. For verily, he took not on him the nature of angels, but he took on him the seed of Abraham." Those verses reiterate the points we've just made. He became our substitute. He became our Savior. He died For our sins, he had to be a man in order to do that. But further, verse 17, wherefore, in all things that behooved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God to make reconciliation for the sins of the people, for in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succor them that are tempted. Sucker, that means to help, to aid, to fly swiftly to the aid of, to run, to give help and assistance. Jesus Christ became a man. Not only did he die for our sins, he lived victoriously over sin. And He can run to our aid. He can run to our rescue. He can run to deliver us when we go through temptation. He's there to make a way of escape. We might be able to bear it. Now, He had to become a man in order to be able to do that. Hebrews chapter 5, when I have time to read it, says there are some things that He learned through His humanity. Look at chapter 4 of Hebrews, last passage. We're at verse 15, we'll start this time verse 14. Hebrews 4.14, seeing then that we have a great high priest that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession for we have not an high priest which cannot be touched. That's a double negative, it equals a positive. He can be touched. We have not an high priest which cannot be touched. We do have a high priest who can be touched with a feeling of our infirmities. with a feeling of our infirmities. Do you have any infirmities? Do you have any weaknesses? Do you have any struggles? Do you have any problems? Do you have any issues? We all should wear the t-shirt. Because you do, you have problems, struggles, issues, weaknesses, infirmities. Jesus is touched with a feeling of those infirmities. He can have more than sympathy. He can have empathy. Not only does he want to help, he is able to help because he's been there. He's experienced that. He knows what it's like. Look, when you need someone to help you, when you need a shoulder to cry on, when you need a friend to come alongside and just be there, it really, really helps when the person who's giving you help and comfort has been where you've been, has experienced what you've experienced, when they can Honestly say, I know what you're feeling. I know what you're going through. It's really frustrating when someone says that and they're lying and they don't know. But when Jesus says that, he's telling the truth. What problem do you have this morning? You have a savior in heaven who can help you because he's been a human being himself. He's been tempted himself. He's experienced weakness himself. He is touched with the feeling of your infirmities. Verse 16, let us therefore come boldly, because he's been a man, let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Okay, it's important to understand Jesus was God. But it's important to understand he was a man. And it's important to understand the reason why. Without it, we could have no salvation. But with it, We've got a great high priest who's there, who can help, who knows what you're going through. So don't be afraid to go to him in your time of need. Don't be afraid to approach that throne of mercy. He's going to run swiftly to your aid. You should run swiftly to his help. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace. Humanity to Christ. It's a great doctrine and it's a great blessing. Praise the Lord. Let's pray. Father, help us, Lord, to take these truths to heart this morning. Help us to be grateful for our Savior and all that he's done for us. Lord, help us to pray what he told us to pray. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Thank you, Lord, for your ability to do just that. We love you. I pray that you bless the remainder of the day and the church service now, in Jesus' name, amen.