New Episodes Weekly!
Dec. 26, 2023

Diving Deep into the Incarnation and Divine Nature of Jesus Christ

Diving Deep into the Incarnation and Divine Nature of Jesus Christ
The player is loading ...
CityLight NYC Church
Diving Deep into the Incarnation and Divine Nature of Jesus Christ
Apple Podcasts podcast player badge
Spotify podcast player badge
iHeartRadio podcast player badge
Amazon Music podcast player badge
Audible podcast player badge
Podchaser podcast player badge
Pandora podcast player badge
Podcast Addict podcast player badge
TuneIn podcast player badge
JioSaavn podcast player badge
Apple Podcasts podcast player icon Spotify podcast player icon iHeartRadio podcast player icon Amazon Music podcast player icon Audible podcast player icon Podchaser podcast player icon Pandora podcast player icon Podcast Addict podcast player icon TuneIn podcast player icon JioSaavn podcast player icon
Season 1
Prepare yourself for a journey into the heart of the Christmas season. This episode promises to illuminate your understanding of this meaningful holiday, unraveling its profound significance and addressing the controversies surrounding its pagan roots. We'll be celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, but also acknowledging the lesser-known holidays of Kwanzaa and Hanukkah. It's a deep dive into the wonder of God becoming human and dwelling among us that will leave you in awe.
 
We then turn our attention to the pivotal term "Son of God" and its relevance to Jesus Christ. Together, we'll reflect on Matthew 1:18 and express our gratitude for Jesus's incarnation as a human being.
 
Finally, get ready for an enlightening discussion on the birth and divine nature of Jesus Christ, and the role the Holy Spirit played in His incarnation. We'll unravel the story of how Mary, a virgin, was chosen to carry the son of God and how the Holy Spirit overshadowed her to conceive Jesus. Moreover, we'll reiterate the significance of Jesus being the beginning of God's creation and His purpose to die for our sins. As we conclude, we'll remember Mary's blessedness without worshiping her, and emphasize the miraculous and divine nature of Jesus' birth. Buckle up for this enlightening journey into the heart of our faith!
Transcript
00:00.140 --> 00:07.584 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder and his name. 00:07.604 --> 00:09.789 This is the name of Jesus. 00:10.430 --> 00:13.156 Wonderful amen, counselor. 00:13.858 --> 00:14.720 How about the third one? 00:14.840 --> 00:19.649 Say it out loud Mighty God, who is Jesus? 00:20.271 --> 00:22.355 Mighty God, the Son of God? 00:22.615 --> 00:24.279 Yes, is he God also? 00:24.779 --> 00:28.427 Yes, Welcome to the City Light Church podcast. 00:28.667 --> 00:34.967 Thanks for joining us today as we look into God's Word and discover the hope and truth that he has for us. 00:35.709 --> 00:41.127 If you want to connect with City Light Church, feel free to visit us at CityLightNYCcom. 00:41.448 --> 00:43.412 That's CityLightNYCcom. 00:44.780 --> 00:51.903 Pastor Boyan Jansik and his team believe that the power of the Holy Spirit is already working in our hearts and minds. 00:52.645 --> 01:02.433 As you listen to today's teaching, remember that you are deeply loved by God, that you are surrounded by his grace and that he has a real hope and a future for you. 01:06.340 --> 01:07.644 Welcome to City Light Church. 01:08.586 --> 01:11.113 Those of you joining us online so glad that you're with us. 01:12.758 --> 01:19.989 Hallelujah, yeah, and that's a real dose of the Christmas spirit. 01:21.811 --> 01:24.956 Rockettes, radio City, rockefeller, whatever. 01:29.081 --> 01:34.700 I'm walking out here feeling extra Christmassy and I love Christmas. 01:37.044 --> 01:38.707 What an overwhelming response to that. 01:39.869 --> 01:40.350 I love it. 01:41.912 --> 01:48.790 I remember when I first immigrated here, because back in former Yugoslavia we didn't have Christmas. 01:48.910 --> 01:51.964 I mean they had the term, but really it was all about the new year. 01:53.728 --> 01:57.868 The new year was the big celebration and then I come to American Christmas. 01:57.908 --> 01:58.732 It's such a big deal. 01:58.772 --> 02:02.506 Then I get saved and I really get the meaning of Christmas when I was 16. 02:03.610 --> 02:05.095 And Christmas is extra special. 02:05.817 --> 02:16.243 And then shortly after, the Christian gringes came and other gringes they were mean one and they started telling me how Christmas was. 02:16.303 --> 02:18.271 Pagan, have you guys? 02:18.331 --> 02:20.380 You know the whole Christmas is pagan thing. 02:26.550 --> 02:38.210 If you don't want to celebrate the Lord's birthday because you're digging deep and finding some pagan roots, I mean you can do that with anything. 02:38.411 --> 02:38.912 What's today? 02:39.032 --> 02:39.874 What day is it today? 02:40.081 --> 02:41.024 Not the date, but the day. 02:41.847 --> 02:42.268 Sunday. 02:43.191 --> 02:49.249 That's the sun worshippers day, the Sunday followed by Monday or Monday. 02:50.151 --> 02:50.993 What is it in Spanish? 02:53.441 --> 02:55.207 Don't howl at the moon when you say that. 02:55.308 --> 02:55.729 Lunes. 02:57.034 --> 02:58.460 I took French, I didn't take Spanish. 02:58.600 --> 02:59.583 In French it's lundi. 03:01.027 --> 03:02.331 Wednesday is Woden's day. 03:02.913 --> 03:06.362 You guys, it's actually not a character in the Marvel universe. 03:06.443 --> 03:10.835 It was a former God that people worshiped Odin or Woden. 03:11.898 --> 03:19.314 Odin's day followed by Thursday, which is Thursday, followed by Friday from the German goddess of fertility, free art. 03:21.100 --> 03:25.090 And so you can dig and find pagan roots in anything you know. 03:25.130 --> 03:26.393 A birthday cake is pagan. 03:28.280 --> 03:33.020 Bringing flowers to a funeral or leaving them at the cemetery, that's pagan. 03:35.284 --> 03:36.607 I mean, we can't do anything right. 03:39.272 --> 03:55.740 And so my point is this how many people have you seen going to the first church of Thor, or the Thor temple, or Woden, or actually worshiping the sun, not going to Jones beach and getting a nice tan? 03:55.860 --> 04:08.624 I mean actually worshiping, because God, as he promised in the Psalms, has made these other gods his footstool and they are nowhere around and they have been straddled down and we have built a top of it. 04:08.785 --> 04:09.146 Amen. 04:10.049 --> 04:20.029 And so you can be a Grinch and talk about pagan roots and find some obscure verse in Jeremiah that talks about cutting down an evergreen tree and go oh, my evergreen tree isn't to some other God. 04:20.229 --> 04:23.541 It's for Christmas and I'm celebrating the incarnation of Jesus. 04:23.681 --> 04:28.509 Amen, hallelujah, hallelujah. 04:30.332 --> 04:31.093 Thank you, lord. 04:34.197 --> 04:34.858 A wonderful thing. 04:34.919 --> 04:36.461 Was he born on December 25th? 04:37.443 --> 04:47.645 Probably not, but it's as good a day as any, I'd say, to celebrate the incarnation of God Almighty Amen. 04:48.989 --> 04:52.018 You know, because the shepherds were out when he was born. 04:52.038 --> 05:01.005 There were shepherds in the field and in December the shepherds wouldn't have been field and that region of the earth would have been probably late spring or summer. 05:02.188 --> 05:03.832 No one knows the day he was actually born. 05:04.581 --> 05:05.865 I hope I'm not blowing some of you away. 05:07.210 --> 05:13.445 No one knows the actual day, but if I was to pick a day, december 25th seems like a good day. 05:13.766 --> 05:22.890 Amen, to actually stop our lives and recenter and focus on God being made flesh, hallelujah. 05:24.053 --> 05:25.016 So I just wanted to alleviate. 05:25.076 --> 05:31.793 If you've, some of you've been online a lot and the Grinches are coming and now you fancy yourself a historian on all things paganism. 05:33.081 --> 05:36.614 Ask yourself where are these gods today and where are their worshipers? 05:37.678 --> 06:04.746 I think it's a beautiful thing that the altars have been torn down from all the high places and where there's now just ash, we have built such a beautiful, beautiful holiday that really provokes some people to so much jealousy Really it's jealousy that they had to change it to happy holidays, if you remember when that whole shift was happening. 06:04.766 --> 06:08.485 It's been now like 30 years, because you know the word was it's offensive. 06:09.046 --> 06:09.788 What's offensive? 06:10.409 --> 06:12.782 How beautiful it is, how majestic, how glorious. 06:14.567 --> 06:17.803 Well, you know, there's a lot of people that celebrate a lot of other holidays in December. 06:17.884 --> 06:18.425 No, there aren't. 06:19.849 --> 06:21.113 It's my microphone on. 06:22.898 --> 06:23.400 No, there aren't. 06:25.643 --> 06:40.486 When was the last time you actually knew someone who celebrated Kwanzaa, chris, you know anyone who celebrates Kwanzaa? 06:41.890 --> 06:42.371 One person. 06:45.480 --> 06:47.990 Hanukkah, all right, 2% of the population. 06:48.030 --> 06:50.700 By the way, hanukkah is a minor, minor holiday. 06:51.845 --> 06:52.889 Yeah, it wasn't even really. 06:52.950 --> 07:03.163 You can look at the graph of when it actually started in mass being celebrated, started in the 50s, where it was like all minorities everywhere, but it was 2% of the popular minor holiday. 07:05.227 --> 07:08.112 So who's it offending Atheists? 07:08.332 --> 07:08.833 Be offended. 07:08.893 --> 07:25.025 Be thou offended that we have something so majestic, so beautiful, so glorious that the God of the universe would take on human form and come and dwell among us, be born of a virgin supernaturally, live a perfectly sinless life and be innocent. 07:25.927 --> 07:27.370 Go to the cross in our place. 07:28.532 --> 07:39.963 Hallelujah, I'm the Grinch Buster this Sunday morning and we're celebrating Advent here. 07:41.587 --> 07:46.549 I, because of how I was saved and where I was saved, advent eluded me for many, many years. 07:46.609 --> 07:48.698 I really didn't know what it was about. 07:49.240 --> 07:54.353 And I'm going to celebrate a Christmas and you know when you're a real Christian, really, christmas and Easter are every single day, right. 07:55.160 --> 08:00.012 It's just we take an extra amount of time and really focus in on it. 08:00.100 --> 08:20.820 So I kind of let Advent go over my head, really, even as a pastor, until my wife, after we had Victor, went to the first church of Trader Joe's you know where I'm going with this huh, the Advent calendar, the Trader Joe's chocolate Advent calendar, and she got it. 08:21.101 --> 08:23.185 And of course Vivian hadn't come along yet. 08:23.205 --> 08:24.187 Victor got very excited. 08:24.227 --> 08:31.300 Every Christmas, every morning leading up to Christmas, was Daddy, let's celebrate Advent, let me get to my chocolate, you know, and I would. 08:31.661 --> 08:34.991 I'm like, let me look into Advent, like it's original roots and what it's supposed to be. 08:35.401 --> 08:41.700 And it's supposed to be a time and once again we're in the middle of Advent right now, from the beginning of December culminating on December the 25th. 08:42.762 --> 09:03.673 It's supposed to be a time where we focus in on, specifically, the incarnation, the incarnation from the Latin to be made flesh of God, having come as a man, as a human, a person, which he didn't have to do. 09:04.561 --> 09:06.732 I mean, he had to do it if he was going to redeem mankind. 09:06.793 --> 09:08.140 But he didn't have to redeem mankind. 09:09.063 --> 09:16.972 He could have said look, you've rebelled in the garden and ever since then, every time I've reached out to you, you've turned your back on me and you've rebelled, and you've rebelled, and you've rebelled, and you've rebelled. 09:17.253 --> 09:18.880 And he could have just washed his hand of the whole ordeal. 09:20.024 --> 09:24.180 But while we were still sinners, christ loved us and Christ died for the ungodly. 09:25.103 --> 09:42.369 And so he did what he had to do, which is come in the person of a man, come as what the Bible calls the last atom, in a sinless body, perfect spirit, sinless soul, sinless soul, and pick up where Adam left off and where he messed up. 09:42.429 --> 09:48.732 Jesus wouldn't and on top of that, go to the cross as a sacrifice to take away all of our sins. 09:49.561 --> 09:52.190 So that's what I want to talk to you about this morning the incarnation. 09:53.481 --> 09:54.626 And let's get ready for Advent. 09:55.961 --> 09:58.048 And we've got another week. 09:58.460 --> 09:59.766 Next Sunday will be Christmas Eve. 09:59.820 --> 10:02.008 We'll be here celebrating once again. 10:03.886 --> 10:08.403 Let's celebrate what Jesus did, shall we Isaiah? 10:08.643 --> 10:10.069 Let's go to Isaiah 9-6. 10:11.681 --> 10:29.200 The word incarnation means the act of being made flesh, and it comes from the Latin version of John 114, which in English reads the word became flesh, the word was incarnated and made his dwelling among us. 10:31.315 --> 10:36.220 So let's talk about the person of Jesus, and for too long it's been a mystery who was he? 10:38.384 --> 10:40.770 Not what he did, but what was he? 10:42.173 --> 10:43.256 God, man. 10:45.004 --> 10:52.353 And that term, son of God, actually seems to confuse a lot of people today, because it had a different meaning in the Hebrew. 10:54.706 --> 10:57.337 Especially if you come from a Catholic background, it's confusing. 10:57.358 --> 10:57.860 Yes, it is. 10:58.364 --> 10:59.900 I talked to a lot of Catholics. 11:01.065 --> 11:03.535 My kids go to Catholic school and I'll go to Catholics. 11:04.083 --> 11:05.418 I'll say tell me about Jesus. 11:05.438 --> 11:05.620 Who is he? 11:05.701 --> 11:06.246 He's the son of God. 11:07.372 --> 11:07.860 Okay, is he God also? 11:08.424 --> 11:09.873 Well, and you see the head go on tilt. 11:11.923 --> 11:19.820 They don't quite know because, yeah, there's a Mary figure that's been introduced and so now it's almost like did God have a wife? 11:19.860 --> 11:20.996 Therefore he could have a son. 11:22.527 --> 11:22.788 They don't. 11:22.809 --> 11:24.780 That's not the doctrine, but it produces this confusion. 11:25.041 --> 11:34.437 Whereas son of God to the Hebrews I'll show you that a little bit meant something entirely different than how I would say I have a son. 11:35.423 --> 11:47.914 Here's an ancient prophecy from Isaiah, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, and the government will be upon his shoulder and his name. 11:47.954 --> 11:49.240 This is the name of Jesus. 11:51.949 --> 11:54.759 Wonderful amen, counselor, counselor, Counselor, counselor, counselor. 11:55.362 --> 11:56.305 How about the third one? 11:56.366 --> 12:01.145 Say it out loud Mighty God, who is Jesus? 12:01.800 --> 12:03.864 Mighty God, the son of God? 12:04.125 --> 12:05.783 Yes, is he God also? 12:06.265 --> 12:08.011 Yes, mighty God. 12:10.161 --> 12:11.166 What about the next one? 12:12.040 --> 12:13.446 This will really bake your noodle. 12:14.041 --> 12:15.447 Everlasting Father. 12:16.300 --> 12:19.610 Jesus said when you see me, you see the Father. 12:20.241 --> 12:21.645 I and the Father are one. 12:23.129 --> 12:29.570 Wonderful Counselor, mighty God, everlasting Father, prince of peace. 12:30.961 --> 12:32.146 So is he the son of God? 12:32.247 --> 12:32.829 Is he God? 12:33.091 --> 12:35.120 Yes, is he mighty God? 12:35.281 --> 12:36.305 Everlasting Father? 12:36.646 --> 12:37.842 Yes, but is he also? 12:37.902 --> 12:39.806 If he's a king, is he also a prince? 12:40.427 --> 12:48.260 Yes, hallelujah John, chapter 8, verse 56, going to 58. 12:52.288 --> 13:03.026 I just want to bask in the glory of the Lord and focus on his beauty, his magnificence, and let's begin by first acknowledging that Jesus always was. 13:05.141 --> 13:10.090 He wasn't created on December 24th and he wasn't. 13:10.130 --> 13:14.994 He wasn't, he's not a creation that came right before Mary got pregnant with him supernaturally. 13:15.858 --> 13:18.686 He always was your Father. 13:19.067 --> 13:21.232 Why is the anointing so strong on this verse? 13:24.101 --> 13:27.671 I think it because it's so loaded and so dense with truth. 13:31.821 --> 13:37.188 I mean, imagine beautiful Jesus, god in the flesh, surrounded by cynics. 13:39.181 --> 13:40.707 You know, jesus didn't mind skeptics. 13:41.002 --> 13:43.924 Even today, he doesn't mind skeptics, but cynics. 13:44.988 --> 13:48.260 There's a difference If you're skeptical, he'll work with you. 13:49.068 --> 13:54.609 I came to Christ very, very skeptical, not knowing what I believed, but I wasn't cynical. 13:55.524 --> 14:01.969 Here he's surrounded by cynics and he says your Father Abraham rejoiced to see my day and he saw it and was glad. 14:02.344 --> 14:07.300 Then the Jews said to him you are not yet 50 years old and have you seen Abraham? 14:08.628 --> 14:14.029 And Jesus said to them most assuredly I say to you before Abraham was I? 14:14.370 --> 14:14.490 am. 14:16.033 --> 14:32.264 I am, have no beginning, have no end, have coexisted with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit since the beginning, before Abraham was, I am, and this is how God revealed himself on the Old Testament as the great I am. 14:32.720 --> 14:47.908 This, by the way, in the Gospels not all of them, but I believe one of them At least one where the soldiers come in and arrest him right before that sham of a trial in the middle of the night that broke countless Jewish laws. 14:50.141 --> 14:51.732 The soldier said is that the one? 14:52.336 --> 14:52.900 Are you the one? 14:53.041 --> 14:54.005 And he said I am. 14:54.126 --> 14:59.352 He and 50 soldiers fell to the floor. 15:00.721 --> 15:01.967 Bible says they fell prostrate. 15:03.082 --> 15:10.953 It's something they never show you in any of the Jesus movies not the 70s ones with the surfer Jesus and not the modern ones None of them. 15:12.161 --> 15:22.632 I want to see that scene where he says I am and they hit the deck, falling under the power of God, hallelujah. 15:26.181 --> 15:29.340 Let's look at Matthew 1.18, talking about the birth of Jesus. 15:34.357 --> 15:35.100 Thank you, lord, for coming. 15:35.582 --> 15:36.532 Thank you, lord. 15:36.552 --> 15:39.212 You were always a person, but you were made a man. 15:40.265 --> 15:46.820 When you were on earth, you were 100% God and 100% man at the same time. 15:49.870 --> 15:55.519 Now, the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph. 15:55.660 --> 16:04.630 After his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 16:07.005 --> 16:09.733 I thought the father was Jesus' father. 16:10.765 --> 16:12.432 I thought Jesus was a child of the father. 16:13.945 --> 16:16.453 Here it says she was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 16:17.485 --> 16:18.107 Which one is it? 16:19.330 --> 16:23.020 Yes, yes, yes. 16:25.125 --> 16:41.254 What I'm trying to get you to see and get you to dive in and enjoy is the reality of God taking his esusia, his essence, his substance, his spirit and putting it inside the womb of the Virgin Mary. 16:44.145 --> 16:47.996 She gave birth to God in the flesh. 16:49.885 --> 16:56.033 All three involved in the incarnation the father, the Holy Spirit and the word. 16:56.073 --> 16:56.715 Who is Jesus? 16:57.545 --> 16:59.451 She was found with child of the Holy Spirit. 17:00.505 --> 17:05.512 Let's go to Luke to just get a little bit of a better glimpse of how this actually happened. 17:07.665 --> 17:17.989 Now, in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph of the house of David. 17:19.185 --> 17:28.433 The virgin's name was Mary and, having come in, the angel said to her rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you, blessed, are you among women. 17:29.665 --> 17:35.132 But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying and considered what manner of greeting this was. 17:36.105 --> 17:40.151 Then the angel said to her do not be afraid, mary, for you have found favor with God. 17:41.125 --> 17:43.292 And behold, you will conceive in your womb. 17:44.205 --> 17:45.851 How will that conception take place? 17:46.505 --> 17:51.411 You will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and shall call his name Jesus. 17:52.625 --> 17:56.426 He will be great and will be called the son of the highest and the Lord. 17:56.507 --> 18:10.632 God will give him the throne of his father, david, and he will reign Thank you, lord Over the house of Jacob forever and of his kingdom there will be no end. 18:12.845 --> 18:20.010 And Mary asks a fair question how can this be, since I'm a virgin, since I do not know a man? 18:21.345 --> 18:24.254 And the angel said to her the Holy Spirit will come upon you. 18:25.065 --> 18:33.073 Can you imagine the full volume, anointing blast that came upon her, covering her, surrounding her, going inside of her? 18:33.665 --> 18:46.954 The Holy Spirit, god's Spirit, yahweh's Ruah, the creator, god, the one who made the heavens and the earth, that Genesis says he formed the stars also. 18:47.305 --> 18:49.874 Have you ever caught in Genesis how it says that God? 18:49.894 --> 18:52.974 Just it says it goes into the detail of the earthly creation. 18:53.065 --> 18:56.270 And it just says and he formed the stars also, almost like it's an afterthought. 18:56.665 --> 19:04.677 He was so focused on the earth and he formed the stars also, kind of just set him up billions of them in the cosmos. 19:05.765 --> 19:12.049 He's gonna overshadow you, he will come upon you and the power of the highest will overshadow you. 19:12.625 --> 19:18.512 Therefore, also, that holy one who is to be born will be called the son of God. 19:19.425 --> 19:22.871 Hallelujah, merry Christmas everybody. 19:24.934 --> 19:30.529 Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. 19:33.705 --> 19:36.449 He did that for you, he did that for me. 19:39.345 --> 19:41.771 My son the other day was asking me who killed Jesus. 19:43.234 --> 19:43.936 You know what I said? 19:43.976 --> 19:47.267 I said I did and you did. 19:48.425 --> 19:51.228 You gotta get the look of horror first before you can hit. 19:53.153 --> 19:55.712 I did, you did, we all did. 19:59.345 --> 20:01.051 We killed him because he came for our sin. 20:01.825 --> 20:03.211 If we didn't have sin, he wouldn't have died. 20:03.606 --> 20:04.750 He was born to die. 20:05.465 --> 20:10.650 In fact, if you look at a picture of mangers from that era, you'll see they were made of stone. 20:14.805 --> 20:20.071 Google Middle Eastern manger, first century, and you're gonna see it hewn out of stone. 20:20.105 --> 20:21.169 You know what it looks like a tomb. 20:22.345 --> 20:33.715 I say that because in the Hallmark Cards and the way mangers always presented, like in the little setups in front of churches, it's kind of like two wooden slats with some hay in it. 20:33.785 --> 20:35.211 That's not what the mangers were like. 20:35.325 --> 20:40.191 They were made out of stone, held the water or held hay. 20:42.025 --> 20:46.296 Could you imagine baby Jesus lying in a sarcophagus, in a tomb? 20:47.646 --> 20:48.788 That's what that manger was. 20:51.273 --> 20:52.997 It was a prophetic foreshadowing of that. 20:53.017 --> 20:54.200 He was born to die. 20:55.050 --> 20:56.515 He came to take away our sins. 20:58.410 --> 21:02.593 Hallelujah, revelation 3.14. 21:07.390 --> 21:21.832 Thank you, lord and the angel of the church, excuse me, and to the angel of the church of the leo de Sien's right, these things says the amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God. 21:23.470 --> 21:24.093 Who is Jesus? 21:24.710 --> 21:26.397 The beginning of the creation of God? 21:26.891 --> 21:30.605 Now, this can throw someone off, because it almost sounds like. 21:30.705 --> 21:35.740 Almost sounds like he was the first thing that God created, the beginning of the creation of God. 21:36.630 --> 21:37.494 That's not what it's saying. 21:37.910 --> 21:40.258 It's saying that he's the origin of the creation of God. 21:40.990 --> 21:42.997 He is the source of the creation of God. 21:43.690 --> 21:47.019 God spoke and released the word and creation happened. 21:47.710 --> 21:49.277 Jesus was right there at creation from the beginning. 21:49.350 --> 21:55.432 The Bible says all things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made. 21:57.610 --> 22:00.597 Everything is held together this is scripture by the word of his power. 22:00.990 --> 22:15.379 In him we live and move and have our being, and that all things are held together, the molecules in our bodies held together, the universe, and the universe of universe is held together by the word of his power. 22:17.470 --> 22:22.594 Thank you, lord, hebrews 10.5. 22:24.250 --> 22:32.004 So we have God putting himself in the womb of the Virgin Mary, who was called blessed among women. 22:33.072 --> 22:34.016 I'll just leave it at that. 22:34.350 --> 22:34.551 That's all. 22:34.571 --> 22:42.914 The scriptures called her Blessed among women, not to be worshiped among women, not to be prayed to among women, but blessed among women. 22:44.331 --> 22:50.802 And to this day we bless her and acknowledge the contribution. 22:52.811 --> 23:13.305 But he bypassed God, bypassed this world system and bypassed the natural order of things, because he had to be made flesh, he had to become in human form, and so Mary was a vessel filled with the Holy Spirit and God was made flesh, incarnated through her. 23:13.950 --> 23:17.874 A special body was prepared for him and he was different. 23:18.690 --> 23:27.921 He was 100% God, he was 100% man, but he was different than any other human because he didn't have a sin-spotted soul. 23:30.950 --> 23:32.957 Let me try that again another way. 23:33.870 --> 23:45.600 Jesus didn't perform any miracles until he was anointed at his baptism, the Bible says he had emptied himself out, he had laid aside some of his divine attributes when he was on earth. 23:46.590 --> 23:52.516 And this is a great paradox because then the Bible says when he was anointed, he was anointed with the Holy Spirit without measure. 23:53.290 --> 23:57.456 So on the one side he laid aside his divine attributes, on the other side he received the anointing. 23:57.930 --> 24:02.878 We all get it with a certain measure, but Jesus received it without measure. 24:07.850 --> 24:08.875 But he never did any miracles. 24:09.030 --> 24:25.979 When I was in Ethiopia there was this old church, an old mosaic, and they showed like an eight and nine-year-old Jesus picking up pieces of clay and it was a mural that went on, kind of like a comic strip, picking up pieces of clay and then turning it into doves that flew away. 24:27.550 --> 24:29.395 Pretty mural, completely unscriptural. 24:30.538 --> 24:31.180 He didn't do that. 24:31.590 --> 24:33.177 He couldn't have done that. 24:33.230 --> 24:38.002 There's no recorded miracle of Jesus until he was anointed by the Holy Spirit. 24:38.530 --> 24:42.713 That's when the power of God came upon him, although before that he was still fully God and fully man. 24:43.430 --> 24:48.722 But there's this interesting passage in Scripture where when he was 12 years old he got lost. 24:49.630 --> 24:54.442 Must have been a very large caravan, because his parents didn't even notice for three days. 24:54.690 --> 24:59.999 What kind of neglect is that they must have thought he was in the back coach on his iPad or something. 25:00.019 --> 25:01.282 Just, oh, boys will be boys. 25:01.830 --> 25:03.858 Three days it took him to realize, oh, where's Jesus? 25:04.652 --> 25:07.059 I mean, remember the scene in Home Alone Where's Kevin? 25:07.711 --> 25:09.558 They were rushing back. 25:10.090 --> 25:14.061 I mean, even they didn't even take them three days, took Mary and Joseph three days. 25:14.771 --> 25:30.434 And they come back and they see Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem, surrounded by the doctors of the law, and it says he was both asking them questions and teaching them, asking inquisitive, and that they were all confounded. 25:30.494 --> 25:31.518 As who is this kid? 25:31.590 --> 25:32.493 This is so profound. 25:34.150 --> 25:44.280 Until I studied it further, I used to think, oh, of course he's the person who wrote the whole Bible and he's God, and so he would just be able to refer to them in that way and confound them. 25:44.710 --> 25:53.540 But it wasn't him operating as God, it was him operating as a man, but a different kind of man, because his mind, his soul, was unspotted and untainted from sin. 25:54.990 --> 26:00.457 Ours is, by the way you know, spotted with sin, and our minds can be renewed. 26:01.150 --> 26:02.574 Tell me somebody, how do you renew your mind? 26:04.830 --> 26:11.540 The word, picture the word as a giant bar of soap that renews your mind every single day. 26:13.150 --> 26:18.619 Our soul, our psyche, our mind, will and emotions are being constantly renewed whenever we're in the Word of God. 26:19.290 --> 26:26.777 But Jesus came with a totally perfect soul, came with a totally sinless body and, of course, a sinless spirit. 26:28.452 --> 26:33.932 Therefore, when he came into the world he said sacrifice an offering you did not desire, but a body. 26:34.890 --> 26:37.198 I'm hammering this because it's important. 26:37.590 --> 26:45.536 The entire letter of John, first John, is written to nastics who didn't believe that Jesus had a physical body. 26:45.670 --> 26:47.156 They believed anything physical was evil. 26:47.310 --> 26:49.858 Therefore, jesus must have just been a spirit gliding around. 26:50.851 --> 26:57.833 But there's a power when you confess biblical truth, that Jesus came in a body, that he was man. 26:58.590 --> 27:06.551 He often referred to himself as son of man and yet fully God at the same time. 27:08.840 --> 27:11.489 Hallelujah, hallelujah. 27:14.620 --> 27:24.583 I wanna just answer this question cause I hear it often to those who are brave enough to ask, because I find a lot of people have this question but they don't ask. 27:25.165 --> 27:34.394 But you can ask, and you should ask some important questions such as if Jesus is God, why is he called God's son? 27:35.220 --> 27:36.265 Isn't that a fair question? 27:36.420 --> 27:38.901 Talk to me, church Right. 27:38.921 --> 27:40.206 Doesn't that get a little confusing? 27:47.200 --> 27:48.886 Am I the only one that asks questions of others? 27:49.780 --> 27:54.807 No, you should ask your friends, even your Christian friends, ask them what do you believe about the makeup of Jesus? 27:55.240 --> 27:57.226 What do you believe about the identity of Jesus? 27:58.560 --> 27:59.564 Do you believe he's God's son? 27:59.584 --> 28:02.086 Yes, well, how could he then be God and then watch the? 28:04.540 --> 28:08.070 You should have an answer to that, amen. 28:09.640 --> 28:21.626 And it gets even more confusing today in America, because son only means one thing, like I have a son, but he's a separate person than me, so it has his own unique identity. 28:22.020 --> 28:28.411 Here's what son meant in the Hebrew Equal in likeness to, identical to. 28:29.840 --> 28:31.627 And you know the Jews understood this. 28:32.460 --> 28:33.665 Go to John 5.18. 28:34.700 --> 28:37.709 Equal in likeness to, identical to. 28:38.800 --> 28:44.967 So when you say Jesus is God's son, you're saying he's equal in likeness to, he's identical to God. 28:45.400 --> 28:53.083 In fact, jesus said I came forth from him and I will return back to him, hallelujah. 28:54.140 --> 29:04.769 Therefore, the Jews sought all the more to kill him because he not only broke the Sabbath, but also said that God was his father, making himself equal with God. 29:06.420 --> 29:08.046 That's why they wanted him dead. 29:09.700 --> 29:10.543 For a lot of reasons. 29:11.085 --> 29:11.928 They were very jealous. 29:16.620 --> 29:24.512 He threatened their whole system, but he also allowed people to recognize him as the son of God, which they immediately knew. 29:24.560 --> 29:29.663 If you're saying you're the son of God, you're making yourself equal to God, hallelujah. 29:30.160 --> 29:37.150 And there's a power also in saying Yahweh, god of the Old Testament, is Jesus Christ of the New Testament, hallelujah. 29:38.740 --> 30:01.621 I think it's healthy right that we talk about these things, since we spend our lives worshiping Jesus, we should know who he is and where he stands in the Godhead, amen, so that when we begin praying we don't sound confused and confuse others and just throw in every name there Father, god, in the name of Jesus, holy Ghost, lord, jesus Christ, father, daddy, god, holy Spirit, just like. 30:01.661 --> 30:05.452 Let me name them all three several times, so I hit each one. 30:05.500 --> 30:06.905 I don't know who's gonna answer me today. 30:07.880 --> 30:11.510 They're one, amen, amen. 30:12.080 --> 30:13.886 The Holy Spirit is also called the Spirit of Christ. 30:14.660 --> 30:15.643 It's God's spirit. 30:17.408 --> 30:26.094 They're separate, though yes, they're also one, hallelujah. 30:28.480 --> 30:33.288 Let me read from Philippians Philippians talking about how Jesus emptied himself. 30:34.500 --> 30:37.968 Philippians, chapter two, verses six, through eight worship team. 30:37.988 --> 30:38.449 Come on up. 30:40.500 --> 30:48.568 Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage. 30:49.480 --> 30:53.207 Rather, he made himself nothing or he made himself of no reputation. 30:53.260 --> 30:59.205 That's what he did when he left heaven and the glory of heaven, and once again, he didn't have to, but he did it because he loved us. 31:03.380 --> 31:07.885 I don't know what that was like for him, but I imagine pretty different. 31:11.140 --> 31:16.407 I mean the glories of heaven where everything is perfect, coming down here. 31:17.543 --> 31:18.768 I mean I don't want to sound sacrilege. 31:18.840 --> 31:20.266 My first thought is oh the smell. 31:25.400 --> 31:33.301 You guys, I'm trying to give you permission to let your mind wander Everybody. 31:33.321 --> 31:35.188 Just fluff your tush a little bit right now. 31:35.340 --> 31:38.446 Would you do that for me On this beautiful Advent season? 31:38.640 --> 31:41.209 Just rotate it around a little bit in your seat. 31:43.706 --> 31:45.090 May your sphinxster be loosed. 31:52.540 --> 31:54.847 There is a power when you gaze upon him. 31:55.720 --> 31:57.366 There's a power when you look at him. 31:57.880 --> 32:08.052 And if you don't ever give yourself an opportunity to just go into your sanctified imagination and think about what happened during Christmas, and what was that like? 32:08.160 --> 32:18.744 God himself, the creator of the universe, came and dwelt among us, incarnated, was made flesh Hallelujah. 32:19.380 --> 32:20.083 What was that like? 32:20.920 --> 32:27.389 Ask him, pray about it, sing to him, make a song on the spot, a spontaneous spiritual song. 32:28.120 --> 32:29.125 Sing to him about it. 32:30.920 --> 32:34.588 He made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant. 32:35.100 --> 32:47.088 That's what it was like for God Almighty to come and just be born in human form, the nature of a servant and being made in human likeness and being found in appearance as a man. 32:47.200 --> 32:55.324 He humbled himself by becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross. 32:59.632 --> 33:02.459 Another question why did God come to earth as a man? 33:02.605 --> 33:03.609 Why did he have to? 33:04.345 --> 33:07.173 Why was it important that he come as a human? 33:08.245 --> 33:09.952 We actually just read this, but let's do it again. 33:10.025 --> 33:12.608 In Galatians, during our series on Galatians, we touched on this. 33:12.965 --> 33:18.217 Galatians four, four through five Hallelujah. 33:20.845 --> 33:32.676 You know what I think of when I hear that he was a man is that he knows and he gets me, he understands, he understands. 33:32.805 --> 33:36.873 The Bible says he was tempted in all points, like as we are, but without sin. 33:42.085 --> 33:44.449 Sometimes you think of Jesus just in his resurrected form. 33:44.489 --> 33:45.311 You think, does he get it? 33:45.993 --> 33:46.735 Yeah, he gets it. 33:49.525 --> 33:52.655 I love reading in Revelation to the seven churches. 33:52.745 --> 33:58.331 He always starts off with I know, I know your works, I know your deeds, I know, I know you just keep reading in Jesus as I know. 33:58.511 --> 34:11.686 I know, I know and he just hit me one day that he's saying whatever your thing is, I know, I know I love you, lord. 34:11.726 --> 34:15.808 You know every yes and I still love you and I'm for you. 34:15.828 --> 34:17.626 I'm not against you, I'm with you. 34:17.907 --> 34:20.435 I hold you in the palm of my hand, I know. 34:22.089 --> 34:27.995 But when the fullness of the time had come, god sent forth his son, born of a woman. 34:28.105 --> 34:29.391 He had to be born of a woman. 34:31.585 --> 34:32.770 He had to come down to earth. 34:34.985 --> 34:43.528 He had to be the last Adam Born under the law. 34:43.648 --> 34:48.092 He had to be born under the law because he fulfilled the law perfectly. 34:48.285 --> 34:55.413 Jesus never, ever, sinned To redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 34:58.105 --> 35:01.315 I'll close with this, john, chapter three and verse 14. 35:04.065 --> 35:16.731 I'm just encouraging you right now, as it's a week before Christmas, especially with other people, to talk about Jesus, with your families, with your children, with your roommates, with your friends. 35:18.186 --> 35:21.511 Talk about the nature of Jesus, the person of Jesus. 35:24.154 --> 35:28.740 Behold him, look at him. 35:31.725 --> 35:44.266 Jesus talks about the importance of this here in John 3, 14, when he says and as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so, must the son of man be lifted up Now. 35:44.286 --> 35:48.185 To really understand this and get the benefit of it, you have to know what happened here. 35:48.225 --> 35:56.436 When Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, thousands of vipers were attacking the children of Israel. 35:56.545 --> 36:00.054 It was actually a judgment, it was a curse against them, and they were dropping like flies. 36:00.185 --> 36:01.470 It was complete pandemonium. 36:02.525 --> 36:03.630 You ever see snakes on a plane? 36:05.445 --> 36:07.071 Imagine that times a thousand. 36:08.205 --> 36:09.972 Actually haven't seen it, but I saw the trailer. 36:11.925 --> 36:14.774 I just imagined thousands of vipers, one bite. 36:15.245 --> 36:16.691 They're going in a catatonic state. 36:16.805 --> 36:17.327 This wasn't like. 36:17.367 --> 36:18.492 I got four days to make it. 36:18.565 --> 36:19.830 They were literally dying. 36:20.385 --> 36:26.693 And Moses rushes to God and says God, he begins to intercede for the Hebrews. 36:28.125 --> 36:35.428 And God said make a bronze serpent, put it on a pole, and whoever looks at the bronze serpent on the pole will be healed. 36:36.105 --> 36:45.571 And as the children of Israel began looking and gazing and setting their eyes on this bronze serpent on a pole, they got to get healed and the curse was lifted. 36:46.585 --> 37:03.272 And Jesus says even as Moses was lifted up excuse me, as Moses was lifted up, the serpent and the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, because that serpent on a pole was prophetic and was foreshadowing what Jesus would do. 37:03.845 --> 37:09.572 Jesus was lifted up on a cross and Jesus became like a serpent on a pole. 37:10.034 --> 37:10.495 How is that? 37:11.306 --> 37:17.152 He who knew no sin was made into sin, like this satanic serpent, like creature. 37:17.565 --> 37:18.530 He became sin. 37:19.905 --> 37:24.353 Beautiful Jesus, glorious Jesus Didn't just take on sin, he was made sin. 37:24.805 --> 37:28.126 And that when you set your eyes and set your gaze on him, you're healed. 37:30.271 --> 37:33.738 Hallelujah, hallelujah. 37:37.105 --> 37:41.413 So we're gonna take a moment here and set our eyes on Jesus. 37:42.665 --> 37:44.532 One final verse Hebrews 12-2. 37:47.045 --> 37:49.112 Fixing our eyes on Jesus. 37:51.965 --> 38:05.190 And I'm gonna invite you, during this next song, to fix your eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, the author and the finisher of our faith, for the joy set before him. 38:05.270 --> 38:12.470 He endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. 38:14.665 --> 38:17.473 Father, we're so grateful for the incarnation. 38:18.585 --> 38:30.850 We're grateful that you were made flesh, that you were made man, born under the law, fulfilling the law perfectly, ultimately paying the price for our sins, being raised again on the third day. 38:32.025 --> 38:33.390 Will you look to him right now? 38:34.105 --> 38:35.752 Look to the serpent on the pole. 38:37.028 --> 38:37.891 Look to Jesus. 38:38.392 --> 38:39.495 Fix your eyes on him. 38:41.465 --> 38:42.730 Merry Christmas everybody. 38:43.685 --> 38:45.833 This is the City Light Church podcast. 38:46.265 --> 38:54.891 If you've missed any part of today's message or if you would like to find out more about Pastor Boyan Jansik and City Light Church, visit us at citylightnyccom. 38:55.885 --> 38:57.731 That's citylightnyccom. 38:59.085 --> 39:02.074 Feel free to visit us online or in person anytime. 39:02.565 --> 39:04.071 We would love to connect with you. 39:05.025 --> 39:12.552 We pray that you have been encouraged today, that you have been reminded how much God loves you and that you are surrounded by grace. 39:13.425 --> 39:14.269 Thank you for listening. 39:14.825 --> 39:20.312 Make sure that you subscribe to City Light Church podcast wherever you find your favorite podcasts worldwide.