1 00:00:00,000 –> 00:00:02,420 For some years now, we’ve tried to make it our pattern 2 00:00:02,420 –> 00:00:04,700 that in the weeks around Easter, 3 00:00:04,700 –> 00:00:07,220 we focus on the very central, 4 00:00:07,220 –> 00:00:10,560 core truths of our Christian faith. 5 00:00:10,560 –> 00:00:12,860 And that’s why we’re in Romans Chapter 1. 6 00:00:12,860 –> 00:00:14,500 We saw last time, if you were here, 7 00:00:14,500 –> 00:00:18,120 that the first four chapters are one massively long sentence 8 00:00:18,120 –> 00:00:21,459 and so we took a first step to get to the heart of it. 9 00:00:21,459 –> 00:00:24,860 We saw that these verses are about the Gospel of God, 10 00:00:24,860 –> 00:00:29,860 which is regarding God’s Son who is Jesus Christ our Lord. 11 00:00:30,900 –> 00:00:33,220 And we saw that Jesus is able to save us 12 00:00:33,220 –> 00:00:35,360 precisely because he is Lord. 13 00:00:35,360 –> 00:00:39,639 A Savior who isn’t Lord is of no use to us whatsoever. 14 00:00:39,639 –> 00:00:42,860 The good news is that a Savior has been born to you 15 00:00:42,860 –> 00:00:46,299 and he is Christ the Lord. 16 00:00:46,299 –> 00:00:50,459 Now, Paul has more to say regarding God’s Son. 17 00:00:50,459 –> 00:00:53,980 And today we’re going to focus on the humanity 18 00:00:53,980 –> 00:00:57,660 of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. 19 00:00:57,660 –> 00:00:59,580 And I hope you have it open in front of you. 20 00:00:59,599 –> 00:01:03,259 Paul speaks about the gospel of God, Romans 1, 1, 21 00:01:03,259 –> 00:01:06,699 regarding his Son, verse three, 22 00:01:06,699 –> 00:01:11,660 who, as to his human nature, 23 00:01:11,660 –> 00:01:16,660 his human nature was a descendant of David. 24 00:01:19,199 –> 00:01:22,320 Now, why is this here? 25 00:01:22,320 –> 00:01:25,379 Paul says, he’s talking about grand things, 26 00:01:25,379 –> 00:01:28,620 Jesus Christ is God’s son. 27 00:01:29,580 –> 00:01:32,680 He is our Lord. 28 00:01:32,680 –> 00:01:33,739 As we’ll be considering 29 00:01:33,739 –> 00:01:35,919 next weekend together triumphantly, 30 00:01:35,919 –> 00:01:38,779 he is risen from the dead. 31 00:01:40,379 –> 00:01:43,339 Why does Paul add here, 32 00:01:43,339 –> 00:01:48,339 as to his human nature he was a descendant from David. 33 00:01:49,180 –> 00:01:52,660 I was reading an ancient sermon by John Chrysostom, 34 00:01:52,660 –> 00:01:54,099 one of the fathers of the Church, 35 00:01:54,099 –> 00:01:55,860 and I love the way he puts this. 36 00:01:55,860 –> 00:01:57,099 John Chrysostom says, 37 00:01:57,099 –> 00:01:59,339 as if he was talking to the Apostle Paul, 38 00:01:59,540 –> 00:02:04,000 why, o Paul, after lifting up our souls 39 00:02:04,000 –> 00:02:06,500 and speaking of the gospel of God 40 00:02:06,500 –> 00:02:09,039 and bringing in the chorus of the prophets, 41 00:02:09,039 –> 00:02:12,479 why do you bring us down to David? 42 00:02:12,479 –> 00:02:13,899 I like that. 43 00:02:13,899 –> 00:02:15,899 Why, when you’re speaking about God’s son 44 00:02:15,899 –> 00:02:18,460 and our Lord and the Resurrection, 45 00:02:18,460 –> 00:02:23,460 why would you bring us down to such an earthy thing 46 00:02:24,539 –> 00:02:28,940 as he was descended with regards to his human nature 47 00:02:28,979 –> 00:02:31,860 from King David? 48 00:02:31,860 –> 00:02:33,039 Well, here’s the answer. 49 00:02:34,300 –> 00:02:37,059 The answer is that he brings in David here 50 00:02:37,059 –> 00:02:40,460 because the Savior who is Lord is good news 51 00:02:40,460 –> 00:02:45,460 precisely because he belongs to us, he’s ours. 52 00:02:49,759 –> 00:02:52,860 See, when you hear that Jesus is the Son of God, 53 00:02:54,300 –> 00:02:56,800 and when next weekend we’re hearing together 54 00:02:56,820 –> 00:02:58,720 that he’s risen from the dead, 55 00:03:00,240 –> 00:03:02,740 maybe you will find yourself asking this question, 56 00:03:02,740 –> 00:03:05,320 yes, well, it all sounds very grand but what in the world 57 00:03:05,320 –> 00:03:06,960 does it have to do with me? 58 00:03:08,039 –> 00:03:10,160 What difference does this great truth 59 00:03:10,160 –> 00:03:12,419 about Jesus being God’s Son and Jesus being risen 60 00:03:12,419 –> 00:03:14,899 from the dead and all the singing that goes on at Easter, 61 00:03:14,899 –> 00:03:18,679 what difference does it actually make to my life? 62 00:03:18,679 –> 00:03:19,779 That’s the question. 63 00:03:22,039 –> 00:03:25,119 And I want us to see today as we prepare for Easter 64 00:03:25,179 –> 00:03:28,320 that the good news of God’s Son is for you 65 00:03:29,520 –> 00:03:30,860 for every human person. 66 00:03:32,600 –> 00:03:35,419 Now here’s the doctrine that Paul is explaining to us, 67 00:03:35,419 –> 00:03:37,339 we’ll try and grasp it together then we’ll see 68 00:03:37,339 –> 00:03:41,059 how important it is as we imply it to our lives. 69 00:03:41,059 –> 00:03:45,720 This great truth that the Son of God became a man. 70 00:03:46,699 –> 00:03:50,880 Now remember that God has always existed in three persons, 71 00:03:50,880 –> 00:03:54,919 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 72 00:03:54,919 –> 00:03:56,479 Right at the very beginning of the Bible. 73 00:03:56,479 –> 00:03:57,720 You just read the first verses, 74 00:03:57,720 –> 00:04:00,639 this becomes evident that this is being pointed to. 75 00:04:00,639 –> 00:04:03,979 In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth 76 00:04:03,979 –> 00:04:07,699 and the Spirit of God brooded over the waters 77 00:04:07,699 –> 00:04:10,779 and God said, God spoke, the Word of God 78 00:04:10,779 –> 00:04:14,520 proceeded from the mouth of the Father. 79 00:04:14,520 –> 00:04:16,260 Genesis chapter 1 in verse 26, 80 00:04:16,260 –> 00:04:18,160 the very first chapter of the Bible, 81 00:04:18,160 –> 00:04:23,160 God says, let us, plural, let us make man in our image. 82 00:04:23,899 –> 00:04:28,899 There is one God who has always eternally existed 83 00:04:29,660 –> 00:04:34,660 in three persons, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. 84 00:04:34,980 –> 00:04:39,679 This is the most marvelous truth for many reasons 85 00:04:39,679 –> 00:04:42,480 and here’s one of them that we should always remember. 86 00:04:43,519 –> 00:04:45,880 Before anything ever existed, 87 00:04:45,880 –> 00:04:48,040 before the creation of the world, 88 00:04:48,040 –> 00:04:53,040 love flowed between the Father and the Son 89 00:04:53,440 –> 00:04:56,000 and the Holy Spirit. 90 00:04:56,000 –> 00:04:59,679 In fact, the universe is created out of an overflow 91 00:04:59,679 –> 00:05:02,920 of the love that has always and always will 92 00:05:02,920 –> 00:05:06,679 flow between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. 93 00:05:06,679 –> 00:05:11,519 Listen, if life evolved only by random chance, 94 00:05:12,399 –> 00:05:15,600 if life evolved only by random chance 95 00:05:15,600 –> 00:05:18,799 on the basis of the survival of the fittest, 96 00:05:18,799 –> 00:05:20,760 then love could be nothing other 97 00:05:20,760 –> 00:05:22,720 than enlightened self interest. 98 00:05:23,799 –> 00:05:27,440 To say I love you, if it’s just the survival of the fittest 99 00:05:27,440 –> 00:05:31,700 could only mean I need you or I want you 100 00:05:31,700 –> 00:05:33,519 or I’m trying to get one over on you. 101 00:05:33,519 –> 00:05:34,799 That’s all it could mean. 102 00:05:36,440 –> 00:05:40,559 So I am so glad that the world and everything in it 103 00:05:40,559 –> 00:05:42,440 has not evolved by random chance 104 00:05:42,440 –> 00:05:43,959 by the survival of the fittest 105 00:05:43,959 –> 00:05:47,320 but is created by the triune God 106 00:05:47,320 –> 00:05:51,160 so that it flows out of the eternal love 107 00:05:51,179 –> 00:05:56,179 that has always been between the Father 108 00:05:56,179 –> 00:06:00,000 and the Son and the Holy Spirit who said, 109 00:06:00,000 –> 00:06:04,359 let us, the God who is love, 110 00:06:04,359 –> 00:06:07,859 let us make man in our image. 111 00:06:07,859 –> 00:06:10,619 You see the life-changing significance of that? 112 00:06:12,200 –> 00:06:13,799 Where else would love come from? 113 00:06:15,500 –> 00:06:17,160 God has always been three persons, 114 00:06:17,160 –> 00:06:20,040 the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 115 00:06:20,040 –> 00:06:21,019 but here’s the great truth 116 00:06:21,019 –> 00:06:22,619 at the very center of the Bible. 117 00:06:23,579 –> 00:06:25,380 That at one point in human history, 118 00:06:25,380 –> 00:06:28,339 now more than 2,000 years ago, 119 00:06:28,339 –> 00:06:32,239 the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, 120 00:06:32,239 –> 00:06:34,200 did something completely new. 121 00:06:35,220 –> 00:06:37,200 Something happened to him. 122 00:06:38,500 –> 00:06:42,239 The Son of God became a man. 123 00:06:42,239 –> 00:06:45,760 And the Bible describes this in different ways. 124 00:06:45,779 –> 00:06:50,720 Philippians 2, being in very nature, God, 125 00:06:52,119 –> 00:06:56,859 He made himself nothing taking on the form of the servant. 126 00:06:56,859 –> 00:06:59,279 That is what God the Son did. 127 00:07:00,179 –> 00:07:02,720 Or to put it in another way, John chapter one. 128 00:07:02,720 –> 00:07:05,959 The word, the word that proceeds from the Father. 129 00:07:05,959 –> 00:07:08,279 The second person of the Trinity 130 00:07:08,279 –> 00:07:12,100 became flesh and lived among us, 131 00:07:13,040 –> 00:07:14,700 or as Paul puts it in Corinthians, 132 00:07:14,820 –> 00:07:19,500 not so he was rich yet for your sakes, he became poor. 133 00:07:19,500 –> 00:07:22,140 That’s what the Son of God, God the Son, 134 00:07:22,140 –> 00:07:24,540 the second person of the Trinity did. 135 00:07:24,540 –> 00:07:26,839 But remember this, that God the Father 136 00:07:26,839 –> 00:07:30,019 was involved in this as much as God the Son. 137 00:07:30,019 –> 00:07:31,579 How was the Father involved? 138 00:07:31,579 –> 00:07:33,619 The Father gave the Son. 139 00:07:35,720 –> 00:07:40,179 God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son 140 00:07:40,179 –> 00:07:42,160 that whoever believed in him should not perish 141 00:07:42,160 –> 00:07:43,579 but have everlasting life. 142 00:07:44,399 –> 00:07:46,519 The Father sends the Son. 143 00:07:46,519 –> 00:07:49,700 Galatians 4, 4, when the time was fully come, 144 00:07:49,700 –> 00:07:52,799 God sent his Son to be born of a woman. 145 00:07:54,619 –> 00:07:56,859 And of course as the Son of God is involved 146 00:07:56,859 –> 00:07:59,440 humbling himself and taking the form of a servant 147 00:07:59,440 –> 00:08:02,399 and as the Father is involved giving the Son 148 00:08:02,399 –> 00:08:06,579 and sending the Son, the Holy Spirit is involved 149 00:08:06,579 –> 00:08:09,220 as much as the Father and the Son. 150 00:08:10,179 –> 00:08:13,880 You remember the words of the angel Gabriel to Mary, 151 00:08:13,880 –> 00:08:17,059 the Holy Spirit will come upon you 152 00:08:18,019 –> 00:08:21,519 and the power of the Most High will overshadow you 153 00:08:21,519 –> 00:08:26,519 so the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God. 154 00:08:28,500 –> 00:08:32,380 So here is the central mystery of the incarnation, 155 00:08:32,380 –> 00:08:35,219 the enfleshing of the Son of God. 156 00:08:35,219 –> 00:08:38,340 The Eternal Word of God took human flesh 157 00:08:38,340 –> 00:08:41,179 and was born of the Virgin Mary, 158 00:08:41,179 –> 00:08:44,099 the Son of God became a man, 159 00:08:44,099 –> 00:08:48,539 He left heaven, He came, 160 00:08:48,539 –> 00:08:53,539 He was born, and He did this folks for us. 161 00:08:57,419 –> 00:09:01,099 Now, I want us to think then about the human nature 162 00:09:01,099 –> 00:09:02,400 of the Son of God. 163 00:09:02,400 –> 00:09:04,280 You see that phrase in Romans chapter one 164 00:09:04,299 –> 00:09:05,380 and verse three, 165 00:09:05,380 –> 00:09:10,380 who as to His human nature was descended from David. 166 00:09:11,000 –> 00:09:13,479 He is God, He is man. 167 00:09:13,479 –> 00:09:15,719 And Paul says as to His human nature, 168 00:09:15,719 –> 00:09:18,179 He is descended from David. 169 00:09:18,179 –> 00:09:23,179 Now, you may think that the humanity of the Son of God 170 00:09:25,440 –> 00:09:27,640 is a truth that you know well 171 00:09:27,640 –> 00:09:30,000 and don’t need to hear more about today. 172 00:09:30,960 –> 00:09:35,960 But here’s the test as to how much you have grasped 173 00:09:37,640 –> 00:09:39,840 this great truth. 174 00:09:39,840 –> 00:09:41,239 Are you ready for the test? 175 00:09:42,580 –> 00:09:45,719 Here’s the test as to how much you have grasped 176 00:09:45,719 –> 00:09:49,099 this great truth that we think we know. 177 00:09:51,419 –> 00:09:53,179 Do you pray? 178 00:09:54,320 –> 00:09:55,219 That’s the test. 179 00:09:55,940 –> 00:09:59,400 And when you pray, do you think that the Son of God 180 00:09:59,400 –> 00:10:05,359 And when you pray, do you think that the Son of God 181 00:10:05,359 –> 00:10:08,659 really understands what is going on in your life? 182 00:10:11,419 –> 00:10:12,700 Do you think he gets it? 183 00:10:14,799 –> 00:10:18,020 Do you think he knows where you’re coming from? 184 00:10:18,020 –> 00:10:19,000 That’s the test. 185 00:10:21,840 –> 00:10:24,039 See, the reality is that when we’re in trouble, 186 00:10:24,159 –> 00:10:27,500 we turn away from folks who don’t know what it’s about. 187 00:10:27,500 –> 00:10:29,859 We turn towards people who’ve been there. 188 00:10:32,299 –> 00:10:36,219 When you’re tempted, do you feel that you 189 00:10:36,219 –> 00:10:39,099 could come to Jesus and you could say, 190 00:10:39,099 –> 00:10:40,500 you know what it’s like? 191 00:10:43,380 –> 00:10:48,760 When you’re afraid, do you feel that you could come to Jesus 192 00:10:48,780 –> 00:10:52,299 and you could say, you’ve been here too? 193 00:10:54,739 –> 00:10:57,059 Great test of whether you have really understood 194 00:10:57,059 –> 00:11:00,400 the humanity of Jesus is do you turn to him? 195 00:11:02,739 –> 00:11:04,219 Do you see him as someone who 196 00:11:04,219 –> 00:11:06,099 understands what you are going through 197 00:11:06,099 –> 00:11:08,140 and knows what it is really like? 198 00:11:08,140 –> 00:11:12,179 Now this is the teaching of Hebrews 4 in verse 15. 199 00:11:12,179 –> 00:11:13,580 I’m not just making this up. 200 00:11:13,580 –> 00:11:15,159 This really is the test, do you see? 201 00:11:15,159 –> 00:11:18,099 Hebrews 4 in verse 15 says this, 202 00:11:18,099 –> 00:11:20,400 we don’t have a High Priest who is unable 203 00:11:20,400 –> 00:11:23,500 to sympathize with our weaknesses 204 00:11:23,500 –> 00:11:24,940 but we have a Great High Priest, 205 00:11:24,940 –> 00:11:27,700 he’s talking about Jesus, who has been tempted 206 00:11:27,700 –> 00:11:31,739 in every way just as we are yet he was without sin. 207 00:11:31,739 –> 00:11:36,080 Let us then approach the throne of grace with 208 00:11:36,080 –> 00:11:38,460 confidence so that we may receive mercy 209 00:11:38,460 –> 00:11:40,520 and find grace to help us in time of need. 210 00:11:40,520 –> 00:11:41,960 You see the connection he’s making. 211 00:11:41,960 –> 00:11:45,219 If you understand that the Lord Jesus Christ 212 00:11:45,260 –> 00:11:49,000 has been through it, in every way that you are, 213 00:11:49,000 –> 00:11:53,059 then you will come to him with confidence. 214 00:11:53,059 –> 00:11:55,340 If you don’t understand the humanity of Christ, 215 00:11:55,340 –> 00:11:58,099 you’ll think other people understand you more than Jesus. 216 00:12:00,359 –> 00:12:02,700 That’s how important this doctrine is. 217 00:12:04,280 –> 00:12:06,039 And the reason that we’re spending this weekend 218 00:12:06,039 –> 00:12:07,520 on it together is simply this, 219 00:12:07,520 –> 00:12:10,580 that when you grasp the humanity of the Son of God, 220 00:12:10,640 –> 00:12:15,640 when you really get it, you will come to him, 221 00:12:17,500 –> 00:12:20,700 you will feel a freedom and a drawing to come to him 222 00:12:20,700 –> 00:12:23,739 in the hardest, most difficult moments of your life, 223 00:12:23,739 –> 00:12:25,340 in your greatest failure, 224 00:12:25,340 –> 00:12:29,340 and you will receive help from him. 225 00:12:32,000 –> 00:12:33,640 So I want us then to strengthen, 226 00:12:33,640 –> 00:12:35,500 or grasp this important truth, 227 00:12:35,500 –> 00:12:37,419 the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ. 228 00:12:37,419 –> 00:12:40,159 And I wanted you to know why right up front. 229 00:12:41,559 –> 00:12:44,979 The humanity of Jesus means first 230 00:12:44,979 –> 00:12:48,840 that the Lord Jesus Christ had a human body, 231 00:12:48,840 –> 00:12:52,039 let’s just think about this for a few moments together. 232 00:12:52,039 –> 00:12:54,840 I’ve been helped in this last week, as often before, 233 00:12:54,840 –> 00:12:57,020 by reading Professor Donald MacLeod, 234 00:12:57,020 –> 00:12:58,979 writing on this subject. 235 00:12:58,979 –> 00:13:03,260 He has a very wonderful gift for fresh language, 236 00:13:03,260 –> 00:13:07,419 and so I’m going to be quoting him several times today. 237 00:13:07,419 –> 00:13:09,659 Here’s one thing he says. 238 00:13:09,659 –> 00:13:13,580 God’s Son took a human body, 239 00:13:13,580 –> 00:13:18,460 which had the same biochemical composition as our own, 240 00:13:18,460 –> 00:13:23,219 exactly the same anatomy and physiology, 241 00:13:23,219 –> 00:13:26,619 the same central nervous system, 242 00:13:27,599 –> 00:13:29,559 and the same sensitivity to pain. 243 00:13:31,820 –> 00:13:33,979 The enfleshing of the Son of God means 244 00:13:33,979 –> 00:13:36,380 that he had touchable, 245 00:13:37,580 –> 00:13:39,479 visible, 246 00:13:39,659 –> 00:13:41,820 wondable flesh, 247 00:13:41,820 –> 00:13:45,080 just like you and me. 248 00:13:47,760 –> 00:13:48,719 You know, it’s very interesting 249 00:13:48,719 –> 00:13:50,559 that the first serious heresy 250 00:13:50,559 –> 00:13:51,820 in the history of the church, 251 00:13:51,820 –> 00:13:54,400 the first serious heresy ever to come up, 252 00:13:54,400 –> 00:13:56,500 was not denying that Jesus is God, 253 00:13:56,500 –> 00:13:57,599 it was the opposite. 254 00:13:57,599 –> 00:13:59,679 It was denying that Jesus was man. 255 00:13:59,679 –> 00:14:00,960 Did you know that? 256 00:14:00,960 –> 00:14:02,799 It was called docitism. 257 00:14:03,760 –> 00:14:06,799 And the docitists found the idea 258 00:14:06,799 –> 00:14:09,280 that the Son of God had a human body 259 00:14:09,280 –> 00:14:11,719 to be quite repulsive. 260 00:14:11,719 –> 00:14:14,640 I mean, think of all the mess that that involves, 261 00:14:14,640 –> 00:14:16,460 it just kind of offended them. 262 00:14:18,179 –> 00:14:19,159 They would think like this, 263 00:14:19,159 –> 00:14:21,960 how could God himself stoop down 264 00:14:21,960 –> 00:14:25,400 to get bound up with something as basic 265 00:14:25,400 –> 00:14:30,219 and earthy and embarrassing as a human body? 266 00:14:30,219 –> 00:14:31,679 I mean think about it, 267 00:14:31,679 –> 00:14:34,780 nails that need to be clipped 268 00:14:34,780 –> 00:14:37,640 and a nose that needs to be blown, 269 00:14:38,500 –> 00:14:41,640 and hair that gets out of whack. 270 00:14:43,039 –> 00:14:46,960 Could God take a human body? 271 00:14:48,640 –> 00:14:52,799 Dositus said the idea that for God to be bound up 272 00:14:52,799 –> 00:14:56,739 with all that stuff was just too gross to be contemplated. 273 00:14:58,479 –> 00:14:59,559 And so the dositus said, 274 00:14:59,559 –> 00:15:01,940 well he must’ve had a body that kinda looked like ours, 275 00:15:01,940 –> 00:15:03,239 but it only appeared like ours, 276 00:15:03,239 –> 00:15:05,340 it couldn’t really have been a human body. 277 00:15:06,299 –> 00:15:09,280 And so you find, in the New Testament, 278 00:15:09,280 –> 00:15:11,539 the Apostle John writing, these words I’m quoting 279 00:15:11,539 –> 00:15:13,900 from 1 John, chapter four and verse three. 280 00:15:13,900 –> 00:15:16,640 This is how you recognize the spirit of God, 281 00:15:16,640 –> 00:15:17,840 that’s that big an issue. 282 00:15:18,960 –> 00:15:21,820 Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ 283 00:15:21,820 –> 00:15:25,460 has come in the flesh is from God, 284 00:15:25,460 –> 00:15:27,640 and any spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus 285 00:15:27,640 –> 00:15:28,820 is not from God. 286 00:15:28,820 –> 00:15:33,059 The humanity of Jesus mattered that much to the apostles, 287 00:15:33,059 –> 00:15:34,340 and it should matter to us. 288 00:15:34,359 –> 00:15:36,219 Christ came in the flesh. 289 00:15:36,219 –> 00:15:39,340 He had a human body like yours, like mine. 290 00:15:39,340 –> 00:15:40,159 It was physical. 291 00:15:40,159 –> 00:15:41,000 It was touchable. 292 00:15:41,000 –> 00:15:43,299 It was woundable flesh. 293 00:15:46,099 –> 00:15:48,419 But human nature, of course, involves more than a body. 294 00:15:48,419 –> 00:15:50,979 You’re more than a body, aren’t you? 295 00:15:50,979 –> 00:15:52,900 What else are you beyond a body? 296 00:15:52,900 –> 00:15:55,539 A body and a soul. 297 00:15:55,539 –> 00:15:57,739 So for Christ to take human nature 298 00:15:57,739 –> 00:16:00,080 meant not only that Jesus had a human body, 299 00:16:00,080 –> 00:16:02,580 but that Jesus had a human soul, 300 00:16:02,580 –> 00:16:04,099 which, of course, involves the mind. 301 00:16:04,200 –> 00:16:05,020 It involves the heart. 302 00:16:05,020 –> 00:16:08,979 It involves thinking and feeling and relationship. 303 00:16:08,979 –> 00:16:11,700 Think about the humanity of Jesus, 304 00:16:11,700 –> 00:16:14,059 what the scriptures tell us. 305 00:16:14,059 –> 00:16:17,260 Luke tells us, for example, chapter two in verse 52, 306 00:16:17,260 –> 00:16:19,619 that Jesus grew in wisdom. 307 00:16:19,619 –> 00:16:21,039 He grew in wisdom. 308 00:16:22,419 –> 00:16:24,059 How’d you think he knew all the scriptures 309 00:16:24,059 –> 00:16:24,960 from the Old Testament? 310 00:16:24,960 –> 00:16:26,880 Listen, kids, listen up. 311 00:16:28,700 –> 00:16:30,900 When you learn and study, 312 00:16:31,739 –> 00:16:35,640 when you memorize verses in a juana, you know what? 313 00:16:35,640 –> 00:16:37,940 Jesus did it exactly the same way. 314 00:16:37,940 –> 00:16:40,380 No shortcuts for him. 315 00:16:40,380 –> 00:16:44,580 When you take notes, when you kneel down to pray, 316 00:16:44,580 –> 00:16:46,760 the Lord Jesus Christ did these things 317 00:16:46,760 –> 00:16:48,760 in exactly the same way. 318 00:16:50,799 –> 00:16:53,340 He learned like we do, he prayed like we do, 319 00:16:53,340 –> 00:16:54,940 he was tempted like we are. 320 00:16:54,940 –> 00:16:58,260 Listen, he formed friendships like we do. 321 00:16:58,260 –> 00:17:00,340 He had places that he liked to go 322 00:17:00,380 –> 00:17:02,559 where he was able to relax more than others. 323 00:17:02,559 –> 00:17:04,859 The home of Martha and Mary and Lazarus 324 00:17:04,859 –> 00:17:06,540 was obviously one of these. 325 00:17:06,540 –> 00:17:07,979 When he chose his disciples, 326 00:17:07,979 –> 00:17:10,819 the first reason that he chose his disciples was what? 327 00:17:10,819 –> 00:17:12,939 That they should be with him. 328 00:17:14,459 –> 00:17:16,280 When children came to him, he immediately 329 00:17:16,280 –> 00:17:17,579 connected with them. 330 00:17:19,760 –> 00:17:21,859 You read some of the words that are right there 331 00:17:21,859 –> 00:17:23,880 in the Scriptures that speak to us 332 00:17:23,880 –> 00:17:26,219 about the real humanity of Christ. 333 00:17:26,219 –> 00:17:27,660 I just wrote down a few of them 334 00:17:27,660 –> 00:17:29,099 because we skip over them. 335 00:17:29,099 –> 00:17:31,300 The Lord Jesus was troubled. 336 00:17:32,339 –> 00:17:36,680 John 11 verse 33 and other places. 337 00:17:36,680 –> 00:17:38,739 He was in anguish. 338 00:17:40,219 –> 00:17:41,939 In anguish, 339 00:17:41,939 –> 00:17:45,380 Luke 22 in verse 44. 340 00:17:45,380 –> 00:17:48,819 He was deeply distressed. 341 00:17:48,819 –> 00:17:50,939 Mark 14 in verse 23. 342 00:17:50,939 –> 00:17:53,500 He was overwhelmed with sorrow. 343 00:17:53,500 –> 00:17:56,699 Mark 14 and verse 34. 344 00:17:56,900 –> 00:18:01,260 So Jesus had a human body. 345 00:18:01,260 –> 00:18:04,219 The Lord Jesus had a human soul. 346 00:18:05,079 –> 00:18:07,819 The Lord Jesus Christ knows more about 347 00:18:07,819 –> 00:18:10,579 your life experience than 348 00:18:10,579 –> 00:18:14,579 your best friend or your counselor 349 00:18:14,579 –> 00:18:17,780 or any pastor ever could. 350 00:18:18,579 –> 00:18:21,859 The Lord Jesus Christ knows more about 351 00:18:21,859 –> 00:18:24,439 your experience of life 352 00:18:25,420 –> 00:18:28,699 than his mother Mary ever could. 353 00:18:28,699 –> 00:18:29,680 Think about this. 354 00:18:29,680 –> 00:18:33,459 Why is it that Mary has assumed such 355 00:18:33,459 –> 00:18:35,839 importance in large parts of the Church 356 00:18:35,839 –> 00:18:37,800 throughout the centuries? 357 00:18:37,800 –> 00:18:38,959 I’ll tell you. 358 00:18:41,239 –> 00:18:43,020 Because many people feel that Jesus 359 00:18:43,020 –> 00:18:45,119 Christ is so far away from them 360 00:18:45,119 –> 00:18:47,459 and are looking for someone nearer. 361 00:18:49,339 –> 00:18:51,319 I’m telling you, on the basis 362 00:18:51,319 –> 00:18:53,939 of the humanity of the Lord Jesus Christ, 363 00:18:53,979 –> 00:18:56,739 that Jesus Christ knows more about your 364 00:18:56,739 –> 00:19:01,739 life than his mother or any other person ever could. 365 00:19:03,459 –> 00:19:07,079 And when you see that, you’ll want to come to him. 366 00:19:07,959 –> 00:19:10,579 That’s how important the humanity of Jesus is. 367 00:19:10,579 –> 00:19:11,420 That’s what we were learning 368 00:19:11,420 –> 00:19:13,599 from Hebrews in chapter four in verse 15. 369 00:19:14,920 –> 00:19:16,319 So I want to make this third point. 370 00:19:16,319 –> 00:19:17,459 Jesus had a human body. 371 00:19:17,459 –> 00:19:19,280 Jesus had a human soul. 372 00:19:19,280 –> 00:19:20,819 And I now want to make the point 373 00:19:20,859 –> 00:19:24,540 that Jesus knows human life. 374 00:19:25,579 –> 00:19:29,540 And, boy, we could go on for the rest of our time here, 375 00:19:29,540 –> 00:19:31,099 and I promised that I won’t. 376 00:19:31,099 –> 00:19:35,699 I just made a list of experiences of the Lord Jesus Christ. 377 00:19:35,699 –> 00:19:37,400 Then I pruned it down to 10 378 00:19:37,400 –> 00:19:40,099 that I thought might be helpful for us. 379 00:19:40,099 –> 00:19:42,040 And I’ll race through them very quickly here. 380 00:19:42,040 –> 00:19:44,500 Number one, have you ever been exhausted? 381 00:19:44,500 –> 00:19:47,079 Hands up everyone who has ever been exhausted. 382 00:19:47,079 –> 00:19:48,300 Okay, you know that experience of life? 383 00:19:48,300 –> 00:19:49,640 Jesus has been there. 384 00:19:49,699 –> 00:19:51,640 He fell asleep in a boat. 385 00:19:51,640 –> 00:19:53,359 That’s exhaustion. 386 00:19:53,359 –> 00:19:55,800 I mean, on a lake, you ever done that? 387 00:19:55,800 –> 00:19:57,119 Ever been that tired? 388 00:19:58,800 –> 00:20:00,819 When the demands on you are so great, 389 00:20:00,819 –> 00:20:03,780 you can come to him because he knows what that’s like. 390 00:20:05,780 –> 00:20:09,079 When you feel you need some space just to get alone 391 00:20:09,079 –> 00:20:11,500 because everything’s around you, 392 00:20:11,500 –> 00:20:13,619 the son of God knows what that’s like. 393 00:20:13,619 –> 00:20:14,680 All these crowds, 394 00:20:14,680 –> 00:20:16,979 and he had to come apart and rest for a while. 395 00:20:17,979 –> 00:20:20,400 Two, do you have loved ones 396 00:20:20,400 –> 00:20:22,239 who are deeply resistant to Christ? 397 00:20:22,239 –> 00:20:24,859 Do you think the son of God knows about that? 398 00:20:24,859 –> 00:20:26,660 He certainly does. 399 00:20:26,660 –> 00:20:28,079 Jesus has been there. 400 00:20:28,079 –> 00:20:33,079 His own brothers thought that he was out of his mind. 401 00:20:33,839 –> 00:20:35,000 The gospel says so. 402 00:20:36,260 –> 00:20:41,260 Third, do you work or live in an ungodly environment? 403 00:20:42,719 –> 00:20:44,300 You’re surrounded by people 404 00:20:44,400 –> 00:20:47,339 who are blasphemous in their language, 405 00:20:47,339 –> 00:20:49,000 ungodly in their behavior. 406 00:20:49,000 –> 00:20:50,339 Does it get to you? 407 00:20:51,579 –> 00:20:52,800 Jesus has been there. 408 00:20:54,439 –> 00:20:58,520 Muccloud says he came into first century Nazareth. 409 00:20:58,520 –> 00:21:02,040 He lived where he could see human sin, 410 00:21:02,040 –> 00:21:05,800 hear human swearing and blasphemy, 411 00:21:05,800 –> 00:21:10,079 see human diseases and observe human mortality, 412 00:21:10,079 –> 00:21:12,260 poverty and squaller. 413 00:21:12,260 –> 00:21:13,520 He’s been there. 414 00:21:13,520 –> 00:21:14,760 He’s been there. 415 00:21:14,760 –> 00:21:15,599 He knows it. 416 00:21:16,959 –> 00:21:20,239 Four, do you live with tension 417 00:21:20,239 –> 00:21:22,520 due to disloyalty on your own team? 418 00:21:24,160 –> 00:21:26,459 Unfaithfulness on the part of someone 419 00:21:26,459 –> 00:21:27,760 you care about deeply? 420 00:21:29,359 –> 00:21:30,439 Jesus has been there. 421 00:21:32,359 –> 00:21:37,000 Judas was one of the 12 but he was not with Jesus. 422 00:21:39,079 –> 00:21:40,199 Not with Jesus. 423 00:21:40,339 –> 00:21:45,079 Fourth, McLeod says Christ knows 424 00:21:45,079 –> 00:21:50,079 the full horror of human infidelity and treachery. 425 00:21:52,459 –> 00:21:55,140 So you faced that, you could come to the son of God 426 00:21:55,140 –> 00:21:59,699 and you could say you know about this 427 00:21:59,699 –> 00:22:02,880 more than any other person I know. 428 00:22:02,880 –> 00:22:07,880 Fifth, have you felt moved by the plight 429 00:22:11,459 –> 00:22:14,560 of people living without hope in the world? 430 00:22:16,140 –> 00:22:18,939 Jesus has been there you think he cares? 431 00:22:20,000 –> 00:22:25,000 He sees sheep, people like sheep without a shepherd 432 00:22:25,020 –> 00:22:27,819 and the Bible says he had compassion on them, 433 00:22:28,780 –> 00:22:31,040 his heart went out to them, it’s your Jesus. 434 00:22:32,000 –> 00:22:33,979 Or on the other side number six, 435 00:22:33,979 –> 00:22:36,380 have you ever felt angry about injustice 436 00:22:36,380 –> 00:22:38,339 and abuse in the world, anyone on that? 437 00:22:38,339 –> 00:22:42,540 You bet, does Jesus know about that? 438 00:22:42,540 –> 00:22:44,819 Yeah I think the Lord Jesus Christ when you feel angry 439 00:22:44,819 –> 00:22:47,199 about injustice and abuse in the world, 440 00:22:47,199 –> 00:22:50,939 you know I think the Son of God can say to you, 441 00:22:50,939 –> 00:22:53,380 me too, me too. 442 00:22:53,380 –> 00:22:55,359 You say where do you get that from? 443 00:22:55,359 –> 00:22:57,479 Remember when the Lord Jesus Christ went into the temple 444 00:22:57,640 –> 00:22:59,819 and the Temple and there was just one area 445 00:22:59,819 –> 00:23:01,739 in the Temple at that time that God himself 446 00:23:01,739 –> 00:23:05,160 had designated as a place of prayer for Gentiles 447 00:23:05,160 –> 00:23:07,500 and do you know what some greedy people had done? 448 00:23:07,500 –> 00:23:09,540 They had turned it into a market place 449 00:23:09,540 –> 00:23:11,819 with almost no possibility of prayer. 450 00:23:13,099 –> 00:23:15,219 And Jesus made that whip of cords when he went in there 451 00:23:15,219 –> 00:23:17,140 and he drove out the money changers. 452 00:23:19,839 –> 00:23:22,160 If you think the Son of God does not care, 453 00:23:23,359 –> 00:23:26,920 is not inflamed with passion over the injustice 454 00:23:27,579 –> 00:23:29,060 and abuse of this world you’ve not come 455 00:23:29,060 –> 00:23:30,660 to know the Christ of the Bible. 456 00:23:33,060 –> 00:23:37,219 Number seven, do you grieve the loss of someone you love? 457 00:23:39,140 –> 00:23:40,760 Ever been there, you there now? 458 00:23:42,880 –> 00:23:44,160 Jesus has been there, 459 00:23:44,160 –> 00:23:47,359 Gospels tell us about a day when Jesus received news 460 00:23:47,359 –> 00:23:49,520 that one of his closest friends had died. 461 00:23:50,540 –> 00:23:53,800 He went to visit and when he saw 462 00:23:53,880 –> 00:23:56,420 the man’s sister Mary weeping, 463 00:23:57,760 –> 00:24:00,300 the Bible says when he saw her tears, 464 00:24:00,300 –> 00:24:03,160 Jesus was so deeply moved 465 00:24:04,199 –> 00:24:06,439 that he broke down in tears himself 466 00:24:08,680 –> 00:24:12,119 and people said you can see how much he loved Lazarus. 467 00:24:13,640 –> 00:24:15,339 So when your heart is breaking 468 00:24:15,339 –> 00:24:17,680 and you’re feeling the desolation of loss 469 00:24:17,680 –> 00:24:20,920 of someone you love you can come into the presence of Jesus 470 00:24:21,000 –> 00:24:25,660 and you can say Jesus you know what I’m feeling right now. 471 00:24:27,160 –> 00:24:28,619 It’s the humanity of Christ. 472 00:24:30,040 –> 00:24:32,140 Number eight, have you ever felt 473 00:24:32,140 –> 00:24:33,599 that the future was so dark 474 00:24:33,599 –> 00:24:36,439 you could hardly bear to think about it? 475 00:24:36,439 –> 00:24:37,819 Maybe there is someone here 476 00:24:37,819 –> 00:24:39,560 and that’s exactly where you are today 477 00:24:39,560 –> 00:24:41,599 and that’s why God wants you here today. 478 00:24:42,819 –> 00:24:45,219 You feel that the future for you is so dark 479 00:24:45,219 –> 00:24:47,400 you hardly bear to think about it. 480 00:24:47,400 –> 00:24:50,040 Listen, the Son of God has been there 481 00:24:51,520 –> 00:24:54,119 when He came to the Garden of Gethsemane 482 00:24:54,119 –> 00:24:57,319 He was overwhelmed with sorrow 483 00:24:59,260 –> 00:25:00,719 and did He want to die, 484 00:25:00,719 –> 00:25:03,680 did He want to die at the age of 33? 485 00:25:05,920 –> 00:25:07,560 And He says, Father, if it’s possible 486 00:25:07,560 –> 00:25:09,060 let this cup pass from me 487 00:25:10,959 –> 00:25:14,060 but not my will but yours. 488 00:25:14,060 –> 00:25:14,900 Be done. 489 00:25:17,300 –> 00:25:19,459 If future looks to you like a dark hole 490 00:25:19,619 –> 00:25:21,619 then you can come to the Son of God 491 00:25:21,619 –> 00:25:24,400 and you can say, Lord Jesus, 492 00:25:24,400 –> 00:25:26,939 You were in Gethsemane. 493 00:25:29,540 –> 00:25:30,359 You know. 494 00:25:32,199 –> 00:25:35,479 And He understands you in a way 495 00:25:35,479 –> 00:25:39,439 that no one else can touch. 496 00:25:42,239 –> 00:25:44,420 Number nine, have you suffered unjustly 497 00:25:44,420 –> 00:25:45,680 at the hands of others? 498 00:25:47,359 –> 00:25:49,020 Read the story of Holy Week. 499 00:25:49,459 –> 00:25:52,260 That’s all I need to say about that, isn’t it? 500 00:25:52,260 –> 00:25:53,359 Read the story of Holy Week. 501 00:25:53,359 –> 00:25:57,199 Read it this week and see if you do not think 502 00:25:57,199 –> 00:25:59,400 the Son of God knows something about this. 503 00:26:01,199 –> 00:26:06,199 Number 10, have you ever felt utterly without hope, 504 00:26:06,800 –> 00:26:11,420 without help, without comfort, and without God? 505 00:26:12,920 –> 00:26:16,439 And I tell you, Jesus has been there. 506 00:26:17,300 –> 00:26:19,020 He was nailed to a cross. 507 00:26:20,619 –> 00:26:25,619 He was loaded with the guilt of the world imputed to him. 508 00:26:28,280 –> 00:26:32,219 The land itself was plunged into darkness, 509 00:26:34,280 –> 00:26:37,699 and at the moment when he needed it most, 510 00:26:38,859 –> 00:26:41,599 the one moment in his earthly life 511 00:26:41,599 –> 00:26:44,119 where more than any other he needed 512 00:26:44,380 –> 00:26:48,000 a sense of the peace and the presence and the blessing 513 00:26:48,000 –> 00:26:50,880 and the help and the comfort and the strength of God, 514 00:26:51,939 –> 00:26:55,300 in the moment when he needed it most, 515 00:26:55,300 –> 00:26:58,400 the sense of love and peace and blessing 516 00:26:58,400 –> 00:27:01,459 and approval of the father that he had enjoyed 517 00:27:01,459 –> 00:27:04,739 all through his life was gone. 518 00:27:07,260 –> 00:27:10,760 And he cries out, the Bible says, in a loud voice, 519 00:27:10,760 –> 00:27:15,339 my God, my God, why have you forsaken me? 520 00:27:18,619 –> 00:27:23,060 The cloud says, needing God as no man ever needed God, 521 00:27:23,060 –> 00:27:25,739 he cried and God was not there. 522 00:27:30,300 –> 00:27:33,339 Friend, I don’t know your pain, 523 00:27:35,020 –> 00:27:36,439 but Christ does. 524 00:27:36,540 –> 00:27:41,540 And your pain never goes beyond His pain. 525 00:27:44,339 –> 00:27:49,339 Your darkness never goes beyond His darkness. 526 00:27:50,859 –> 00:27:55,859 Do not ever say that God does not understand. 527 00:28:00,500 –> 00:28:01,800 Folks, you’re beginning to see 528 00:28:01,800 –> 00:28:04,979 why the humanity of Jesus is so important, 529 00:28:06,520 –> 00:28:07,560 it is huge. 530 00:28:10,260 –> 00:28:12,979 When you see the humanity of Jesus, 531 00:28:14,079 –> 00:28:16,680 it won’t be long before you find yourself saying, 532 00:28:16,680 –> 00:28:21,680 you know, this Jesus may have something for me after all. 533 00:28:23,640 –> 00:28:27,939 He knows my life, He knows me. 534 00:28:30,859 –> 00:28:35,859 We do not have a high priest who is unable 535 00:28:36,760 –> 00:28:40,060 to sympathize with our weaknesses, 536 00:28:41,920 –> 00:28:46,920 but we have one who has been tempted in every way 537 00:28:48,459 –> 00:28:52,339 just as we are, yet He was without sin. 538 00:28:54,199 –> 00:28:56,079 Now, when you understand that, 539 00:28:57,359 –> 00:28:59,119 the writer to the Hebrews says, 540 00:28:59,119 –> 00:29:01,979 well, now let us approach the throne of grace 541 00:29:01,979 –> 00:29:06,560 with confidence so that we may receive mercy 542 00:29:07,819 –> 00:29:11,359 and may find grace to help us in our time of need. 543 00:29:12,579 –> 00:29:16,280 Now, in these last moments, will you notice with me 544 00:29:16,280 –> 00:29:18,579 when we’ve grasped the humanity of Christ 545 00:29:19,699 –> 00:29:22,780 and we begin to say, oh, now, this is someone I can come to, 546 00:29:23,819 –> 00:29:26,780 and we do draw near to Him in all of our need 547 00:29:26,780 –> 00:29:30,079 and in all of our pain and in all of our difficulties, 548 00:29:30,079 –> 00:29:33,140 what is it that we look to receive from Him? 549 00:29:34,400 –> 00:29:36,079 The Book of Hebrews puts it this way. 550 00:29:36,079 –> 00:2:38,819 It says that we may receive mercy 551 00:29:40,000 –> 00:29:42,920 and that we may receive grace to help us, 552 00:29:42,920 –> 00:29:47,099 mercy and help, help and mercy, 553 00:29:48,260 –> 00:29:52,140 coming from the Son of God who took human flesh, 554 00:29:52,140 –> 00:29:54,719 who knows your life more than any other person 555 00:29:54,719 –> 00:29:55,859 you can ever meet, 556 00:29:57,380 –> 00:29:59,839 does now ascend it at the right hand of the Father 557 00:29:59,839 –> 00:30:03,699 and you can come to Him. 558 00:30:06,359 –> 00:30:08,079 And you see that’s why 559 00:30:10,160 –> 00:30:12,199 when Paul’s writing here 560 00:30:12,199 –> 00:30:14,579 about the humanity of the Lord Jesus, 561 00:30:14,579 –> 00:30:16,319 he just ends it by saying 562 00:30:17,660 –> 00:30:20,300 that according to His human nature, 563 00:30:21,380 –> 00:30:26,099 the Lord Jesus Christ was descended from David. 564 00:30:27,140 –> 00:30:28,619 Let me just say two things about this 565 00:30:28,619 –> 00:30:29,579 and then we’re gonna be through. 566 00:30:30,420 –> 00:30:33,239 Of course being descended from David 567 00:30:33,239 –> 00:30:34,859 is part of Palm Sunday, isn’t it? 568 00:30:34,859 –> 00:30:37,439 Remember when the crowds came in on Palm Sunday? 569 00:30:37,439 –> 00:30:38,280 You know what were they saying? 570 00:30:38,280 –> 00:30:40,859 Hazanah to the Son of David. 571 00:30:40,859 –> 00:30:43,020 And you remember the New Testament begins 572 00:30:43,020 –> 00:30:47,180 with saying that Jesus is descended from David. 573 00:30:47,180 –> 00:30:51,099 It’s in the very first verse of Matthew’s Gospel 574 00:30:51,099 –> 00:30:53,540 at the beginning of the New Testament. 575 00:30:53,540 –> 00:30:55,839 And I just want to capture this for you 576 00:30:55,839 –> 00:30:57,140 in these last moments 577 00:30:58,140 –> 00:31:02,839 that Jesus being the Son of David thinking about David 578 00:31:03,880 –> 00:31:06,140 helps us to get a handle 579 00:31:07,219 –> 00:31:11,400 on why the Son of God took our human nature. 580 00:31:11,400 –> 00:31:13,459 We’ve seen how wonderful it is that he has it, 581 00:31:13,459 –> 00:31:16,979 but why did he take this human nature? 582 00:31:16,979 –> 00:31:20,400 I mean, was it just so that he could empathize with us? 583 00:31:20,400 –> 00:31:21,680 No it’s more than that. 584 00:31:23,439 –> 00:31:26,520 You ask any person what they know about David 585 00:31:26,520 –> 00:31:28,819 and if they know anything at all about the Bible 586 00:31:30,180 –> 00:31:33,020 I’m confident that they’ll pick out two stories. 587 00:31:34,099 –> 00:31:37,420 One will be Goliath and the other will be David 588 00:31:37,420 –> 00:31:39,819 and Bathsheba. 589 00:31:39,819 –> 00:31:41,660 That’s what everybody knows isn’t it? 590 00:31:42,579 –> 00:31:46,579 One where he’s a champion, one where he’s a failure. 591 00:31:48,280 –> 00:31:49,439 You remember Golaith? 592 00:31:51,500 –> 00:31:55,780 Is there anyone who can come and face me, 593 00:31:55,800 –> 00:31:58,319 the enemy of God’s people says, 594 00:31:58,319 –> 00:32:01,160 and no one in the armies of God was ready to stand, 595 00:32:01,160 –> 00:32:03,180 and then David comes to the battlefield 596 00:32:04,160 –> 00:32:08,839 and he comes forward as the champion of the people of God 597 00:32:08,839 –> 00:32:12,319 and he slays Goliath. 598 00:32:12,319 –> 00:32:14,020 And because he slays Goliath, 599 00:32:14,020 –> 00:32:17,640 all of God’s people enter into the joy of his victory. 600 00:32:19,239 –> 00:32:22,599 That’s why Jesus took our humanity. 601 00:32:22,599 –> 00:32:25,599 By taking our humanity he was in the position 602 00:32:25,680 –> 00:32:29,000 where he could step forward as our champion, 603 00:32:29,000 –> 00:32:31,719 and that’s what he was doing on the cross. 604 00:32:31,719 –> 00:32:33,640 As our champion he was defeating 605 00:32:33,640 –> 00:32:37,339 our great enemies of sin and death and hell. 606 00:32:38,739 –> 00:32:41,719 But you remember the other story about David? 607 00:32:41,719 –> 00:32:43,920 Reminds us that the man was a great failure. 608 00:32:44,900 –> 00:32:48,599 Here’s this man who sees a woman and she’s married, 609 00:32:48,599 –> 00:32:51,579 and he wants her and he puts her husband 610 00:32:51,579 –> 00:32:54,079 who is loyal to him right in the front 611 00:32:54,140 –> 00:32:56,459 of the field of battle so that the man is slain 612 00:32:56,459 –> 00:32:59,180 on the field of conflict and David takes his wife, 613 00:32:59,180 –> 00:33:01,160 thinks he can cover it up as a secret, 614 00:33:01,160 –> 00:33:02,579 and of course it’s exposed. 615 00:33:02,579 –> 00:33:04,239 And what happens after that? 616 00:33:04,239 –> 00:33:06,859 There’s all this conflict within the family 617 00:33:06,859 –> 00:33:10,619 and all the tragedy that flows from this sin. 618 00:33:12,000 –> 00:33:14,660 Which leaves you saying however much a champion 619 00:33:14,660 –> 00:33:17,380 David was on the field with Goliath one day, 620 00:33:18,719 –> 00:33:23,439 the man was also a man with his own mess. 621 00:33:24,199 –> 00:33:25,199 And a man with his own mess 622 00:33:25,199 –> 00:33:26,939 can’t clear up the mess of others. 623 00:33:28,479 –> 00:33:31,479 And so we need David’s greater son. 624 00:33:31,479 –> 00:33:34,199 We need someone who can do more than win one victory 625 00:33:34,199 –> 00:33:36,400 and then die and go off the human scene. 626 00:33:36,400 –> 00:33:38,599 More than someone who can be a champion one day 627 00:33:38,599 –> 00:33:40,280 and a dreadful failure the next. 628 00:33:40,280 –> 00:33:43,319 And so the son of God comes not only to be our champion 629 00:33:44,640 –> 00:33:49,199 but the son of God comes to deal with our failures. 630 00:33:49,199 –> 00:33:53,959 And when he goes to the cross, in his human flesh, 631 00:33:54,459 –> 00:33:59,119 the son of God, the man Christ Jesus, 632 00:33:59,119 –> 00:34:04,119 bore our sins, the Bible says, in his body on the tree. 633 00:34:04,560 –> 00:34:06,280 That’s why he became a man. 634 00:34:06,280 –> 00:34:09,199 So that he could step forward as our champion 635 00:34:09,199 –> 00:34:12,840 so that he could be the sin bearer of our punishment. 636 00:34:13,600 –> 00:34:18,600 He came to stand with us and he came to act for us. 637 00:34:21,060 –> 00:34:23,560 One of the fathers of the church put it this way, 638 00:34:23,719 –> 00:34:26,439 that the son of God became the son of man 639 00:34:27,379 –> 00:34:32,379 so that the sons of men may become the sons of God. 640 00:34:33,580 –> 00:34:38,060 And so he offers himself to you as the Savior, 641 00:34:38,060 –> 00:34:41,520 as the Redeemer, and as the Lord. 642 00:34:41,520 –> 00:34:42,979 Let’s pray together, shall we? 643 00:34:44,520 –> 00:34:46,399 And in as much as you grasp the truth 644 00:34:46,399 –> 00:34:50,679 about Jesus Christ today, you will want to come to him. 645 00:34:51,280 –> 00:34:54,000 Son of God, Son of Man, 646 00:34:55,239 –> 00:35:00,179 Savior, Redeemer, Lord. 647 00:35:02,139 –> 00:35:07,139 Our Champion, the one by whose death 648 00:35:10,600 –> 00:35:11,899 our sins have forgiven. 649 00:35:14,560 –> 00:35:19,280 Draw near to Him, come to Him. 650 00:35:20,679 –> 00:35:25,260 Draw near to Him, come to Him. 651 00:35:25,260 –> 00:35:28,100 Hear our prayers, Lord Jesus Christ, Amen.