Part 3 of 4 / The Purpose Of The Incarnation: Why God Became Man

Luke 19:10, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."

Introduction: A Question

That Shakes The Soul

Every year at Christmas, we celebrate an impossible miracle: God became a human being. The One who constructed all the galaxies came by wrapping Himself in our skin. The eternal Word entered a world of noise, dust, and pain.

John 1:14, "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us; and we saw His glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth."

Yet most Christians, even devoted ones, rarely ask the single most important question:

Why did God come down?

Not, "Why did Jesus teach?" or "Why did Jesus inspire hope?" These are secondary.

We must ask the deeper, more explosive quetsions:

• What was the mission behind the manger?

• Why did the infinite God embrace human limitation?

• What problem was so catastrophic it required God Himself. to bleed?

• Why couldn't salvation be accomplished from heaven?

• Why did Jesus have to live, not just die?

This week, we are going to be looking theologically at the key core of what Christmas is truly about; the Purpose of the Incarnation. This is not sentimental or poetic imagery. This is the heart of the Gospel, the engine of Christian hope, the foundation of redemption.

Christmas is not primarily about celebration. Christmas is an invasion. God entered enemy-occupied territory to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8).

1 John 3:8, "The one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil."

Let us walk through ten massive biblical purposes behind the incarnation, each of them deep enough to stand alone as a doctrine, yet together functioning as a breathtaking mosaic of redemption.

Jesus Came To Reveal The Father Perfectly

God Became Visible

Before Bethlehem, God was invisible, incomprehensible, unapproachable in majesty (1 Timothy 6:16), but John wirtes in John 1:18, "No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him."

1 Timothy 6:16, "who alone possesses immortality and dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To Him be honor and eternal dominion! Amen."

The Word exegeomai (made Him known) means: to unfold, to interpret, to reveal fully, & to make clear what was hidden.

Jesus is not simply a messenger of God, He is the explanation of God.

This means if you want to know God's love, look at Jesus; if you want to know God's mercy, look at Jesus; and if you want to know God's holiness, anger at sin, compassion, tenderness, justice, patience, and wisdom, look at Jesus.

Why This Matters At Christmas

If you think about if Jesus had not come, we would guess at God, we would imagine Him incorrectly, we would project our own flaws onto Him, and we would not know His heart, ways, or intentions.

However, Christ shouts for all of us to hear in John 14:9, "If you have seen Me, you have seen the Father." Christmas is God saying, "I am not silent. I am not distant. Look at My Son and see exactly who I Am."

Jesus Came To Destroy The Works Of The Devil

The Universe Is At War

Behind the glitter of Christmas lights is a battlefield. We know from 1 John 3:8.

1 John 3:8, "the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has been sinning from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil."

Destroy the works.

Not weaken them.

Not delay them.

Not negotiate with them.

Destroy them.

What are those works referring to?

• Sin

• Death

• Lies

• Accusation

• Condemnation

• Separation from God

• Eternal Damnation

• Fear

• Bondage

• Spiritual Blindness

Jesus did NOT come to inspire us to fight harder, He came to win the war we could NEVER win.

Christmas Was A Military Operation From Heaven

Did you ever stop to consider that when the angels' made their announcement before the shepherds in the field near Bethlehem, that it was not a soft tune as we claim it is? When the text says in Luke 2, "a heavenly host" appears, a Host means an ARMY. This was not a carol, but a declaration of INVASION into the darkness of the earth separated from their creator for over 4,000 years!

The armies of Heaven SHOUTED, "Glory to God in the Highest!" - (Luke 2:14) and this was the army that God had sent to declare that the King of Kings had arrived to reclaim territory from Satan.

The Cross Was The Decisive Blow

When we fast forward from Christ's Birth to His Death, what did Jesus do?

• Jesus Disarmed Rulers & Authorities

  • Colossians 2:15, "When He had disarmed the rulers and authorities, He made a public display of them, having triumphed over them through Him."

  
  

• Broke The Fear Of Death

  • Hebrews 2:14-15, "Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives."

  
  

• Jesus Crushed The Serpent's Head

  • Genesis 3:15, "And I will make enemies Of you and the woman, And of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise Him on the heel.”

  
  

• Jesus Spoiled Satan's Power Over Sinners

  • Acts 26:18, "to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Me.’"

  
  

• Jesus Shattered The Weapons Of Accusation

  • Isaiah 53:7, "He was oppressed and afflicted, Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth."

Christmas is D-Day! Calvary is the crushing blow! The Resurrection is the

public declaration that Satan has forever lost his control on mankind.

Jesus Came To Seek And Save The Lost

Jesus Initiates Therefore Salvation Exists

This is the Mission Statement for Christmas from Jesus - Luke 19:10, "For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

Notice:

• Jesus Does Not Just Save - He Seeks

The incarnation is God's search party for sinners.

This means:

• Salvation Is Not Humans Finding God - Salvation Is God Finding Us

Every step of Jesus' earthly life was a step toward sinners.

• Jesus Sought Shepherds (Luke 2)

• Jesus Sought Fishermen (Matthew 4)

• Jesus Sought Tax Collectors (Luke 5)

• Jesus Sought Demon Posessed Individuals (Mark 5)

• Jesus Sought The Adulterous (John 8)

• Jesus Sought The Self-Righteous (John 3)

• Jesus Sought The Unclean, Forgotten, & Desperate (Matthew 9)

Jesus, our King, our Christ, is the Shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine for the one. (Luke 15:4)

Without The Incarnation, No One Could Be Saved

We are spiritually dead.

Ephesians 2:1, "And you were dead in your offenses and sins,"

Dead people don't RISE TOWARD God.

Dead people don't SEEK Him.

Dead people don't CHOOSE personal revival.

Jesus came to RESURRECT the dead.

John 5:25, "Truly, truly, I say to you, a time is coming and even now has arrived, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live."

What is the opposite of being dead? It is being alive. How does Christmas point us there?

We were RUNNING from God - Jesus RAN FARTHER!

We were HIDING - Jesus SEARCHED the earth!

We were LOST - Jesus CAME TO FIND us!

Jesus Came To Provide A Perfect Sacrifice For Sin

A Body Prepared

Hebrews 10:5, "Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, “You have not desired sacrifice and offering , But You have prepared a body for Me."

God the Father prepared the body of Jesus in Mary's womb so that His Son could die for us. He did not come to merely live among us, but He came to die for us. His birth points to His death.

• He was born among animals - He would die as the Lamb of God.

  • John 1:29, "The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"

    
    

• He was wrapped in cloth - He would be wrapped in burial linen.

  • John 19:40, "So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the burial custom of the Jews."

    
    

• He was laid in a manger (a feeding trough) - His body would become true food.

  • John 6:55, "For My flesh is true food, and My blood is true drink."

    
    

• He was rejected from the Inn - He would be rejected by His own people.

  • Isaiah 53:3, "He was despised and abandoned by men, A man of great pain and familiar with sickness; And like one from whom people hide their faces, He was despised, and we had no regard for Him."

Why The Sacrifice Had To Be Human

God cannot die. Angels cannot die for man. Animals are insufficient.

In order for God to die in our place, His Son Jesus had to become:

• Human enough to represent humanity.

• Sinless enough to satisfy divine justice.

• Divine enough to bear infinite wrath.

Only The God-Man Can Atone Sin.

No Incarnation ='s No Cross

No Cross ='s No Salvation

Christmas is not the beginning of a sweet story, it is the beginning of a sacrifice from Heaven.

Jesus Came To Live The Perfect Life You Could Never Live

Most Christians know Jesus died for them, but few realize Jesus also lived for them!

Active Obedience Matters

Jesus fulfilled the Law perfectly:

• Every Command

• Every Statute

• Every Requirement

• Every Moral Demand Of God

He says, "I always do the things that are pleasing to Him." - John 8:29

Why? Because you and I don't and you and I can't. We needed more than forgiveness, we needed righteousness credited to our account. Jesus earned that righteousness by His life, then gives it to His people freely.

2 Corinthians 5:21, "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin in our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him."

Without Bethlehem, there is no Nazareth.

Without Nazareth, there is no perfect obedience.

Without Perfect Obedience, there is no righteousness to justify the sinner.

Christmas is the beginning of your righteousness being earned by Christ Himself.

Jesus Came To Fulfill All Prophecy And All Promises

Jesus Is The Yes To Every Promise

OPaul writes in 2 Corinthians 1:20, "For as many as the promises of God are, in Him they are yes; therefore through Him also is our Amen to the glory of God through us."

Hundreds of prophecies converge at Bethlehem:

• Born Of A Virgin

  • Isaiah 7:14, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and she will name Him Immanuel."

  
  

• Born In Bethlehem

  • Micah 5:2, "But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, Too little to be among the clans of Judah, From you One will come forth for Me to be ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, From the days of eternity.”

• Of The Tribe Of Judah

  • Genesis 49:10, "The scepter will not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples."

    
    

• A Star Will Announce Him

  • Numbers 24:17, "I see him, but not now; I look at him, but not near; A star shall appear from Jacob, A scepter shall rise from Israel, And shall smash the forehead of Moab, And overcome all the sons of Sheth."

  
  

• Children Will Be Massacred

  • Jeremiah 31:15, "This is what the L ord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, Lamenting and bitter weeping. Rachel is weeping for her children; She refuses to be comforted for her children, Because they are no more.”

  
  

• Called Out Of Egypt

  • Hosea 11:1, "When Israel was a youth I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son."

God Always Keeps His Word

The Incarnation Proves:

• God Cannot Lie

  • Titus 1:2, "in the hope of eternal life, which God, who cannot lie, promised long ages ago,"

    
    

• God Remembers Covenant

  • Psalm 105:8-10, "He has remembered His covenant forever, The word which He commanded to a thousand generations, The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac. Then He confirmed it to Jacob as a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant,"

  
  

• God finishes What He Starts

  • Philippians 1:6, "For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work among you will complete it by the day of Christ Jesus."

  
  

• God Fulfills Every Word He Speaks

  • Isaiah 55:11, "So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the purpose for which I sent it."

Christmas is God's loud declaration to the world, "My Promises Never Fail!"

Jesus Came To Bring Light Into Our Darkness

The World At His Birth Was Dark

Isaiah declares in Isaiah 9:2, "The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them."

Jesus Came Into:

• Roman Oppression

• Political Corruption

• Religious Hypocrisy

• Moral Confusion

• Spiritual Blindness

• Deep Despair

• Devastating Sin

Sound Familiar?

He Is The Light Who Exposes, Heals, & Saves

John 1:4-5, "In Him was life, and the life was the Light of mankind. And the Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not grasp it."

What does Light do to Darkness?

• Light Reveals Truth = Darkness Hides It

• Light Exposes Sin = Darkness Covers It

• Light Guides The Lost = Darkness Keeps Away Hope

• Light Gives Light = Darkness Brings Seperation

Jesus did not come to give light, He came to be THE Light!

Christmas is not cozy candlelight, but it is a blazing divine radiance breaking the power of night.

Jesus Came To Be The Mediator Between God And Man

The Infinite Gap

Sin separated God and Humanity

Isaiah 59:2, "But your wrongdoings have caused a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear."

Only a Mediator could bridge the vast chasm.

1 Timothy 2:5, "For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and mankind, the Man Christ Jesus,"

Why did Jesus need to be God and Man?

• As a man, He represents Us.

• As God, He represents the Father.

• As the God-Man, He reconciles Both.

Without The Incarnation, No Mediation Exists

• No Mediator

• No Reconciliation

• No Forgiveness

• No Access To God

• No Relationship

• No Salvation

• No Eternity

Jesus did not come just to teach us how to get to God; He came to BE THE WAY!

John 14:6, "Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Jesus Came To Bring Us Into The Family Of God

Adoption Is The Sweet Aim Of Salvation

Galatians 4:4-5, "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the Law, so that He might redeem those who were under the Law, that we might receive the adoption as sons and daughters."

But God cannot adopt sinners unless:

• The Curse = Removed

• The Heart = Renewed

• The Price = Paid

• Righteousness = Provided

Jesus came to accomplish all of this so that we could become:

• Sons & Daughters

• Heirs Of God

• Joint-Heirs With Christ

• Members Of God's Household

• Partakers Of His Divine Nature

Christmas Is About Bringing You Home

• The Manger = Leads To The Cross

• The Cross = Leads To The Resurrection

• The Resurrection = Leads To Adoption

Christmas is God shouting, "Come Into My Family!"

• Sons & Daughters

• Heirs Of God

• Joint-Heirs With Christ

• Members Of God's Household

• Partakers Of His Divine Nature

Jesus Came To Give Eternal, Abundant, Transforming Life

Jesus Is Life Himself

John 10:10, "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it abundantly."

Eternal Life is not simply living forever as we are taught in church.

Eternal Life Is:

• Knowing God

• Being Filled With His Spirit

• Walking In His Presence

• Being Transformed Into Christ's Likeness

• Sharing In His Joy

• Living Under His Lordship

• Experiencing Resurrection Power

• Being Freed From Slavery Of Sin

The Incarnation Makes New Birth Possible

Jesus had to become human so He could:

• Make Us New Creations

  • 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore if anyone is in Christ, this person is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come."

  
  

• Give Us New Hearts

  • Ezekiel 36:26, "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh."

  
  

• Send The Spirit

  • John 16:7, "But I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I am leaving; for if I do not leave, the Helper will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you."

  
  

• Raise Us To Newness Of Life

  • Romans 6:4, "Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may walk in newness of life."

Christmas is NOT about a baby's birth, it is about your rebirth in Christ for why He came!

Application

Jesus came because HUMANITY IS LOST!

Jesus came because SIN IS DEADLY!

Jesus came because GOD IS HOLY!

Jesus came because SATAN IS REAL!

Jesus came because the LAW DEMANDED PERFECTION!

Jesus came because YOU CANNOT SAVE YOURSELF!

Jesus came because GOD'S LOVE IS TOO FIERCE TO LEAVE YOU WHERE YOU ARE!

Christmas is the BEGINNING of the rescue!

Calvary is the COST of the rescue!

The empty tomb is the VICTORY of the rescue!

Pentecost is the POWER of the rescue!

The Return of Christ is the COMPLETION of the rescue!

When the Son of God entered our world, EVERYTHING changed!

Reflection & Discussion - Simple Question

1. Has The Purpose Of His Coming Been Fulfilled In Your Life?

Prayer For This Week

Heavenly Father,

We thank You for the unfathomable gift of the Incarnation that you did not remain distant, but stepped into our broken world clothed in flesh. In Jesus Christ, You revealed Your heart, Your holiness, and Your saving love.

Lord, thank You that Christ came not only to dwell among us, but to redeem us, to bear our sin, fulfill the Law, and reconcile us back to You. Help us to never grow casual toward this holy mystery, but to stand in awe that the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.

May the truth of the Incarnation shape how we live, how we love, and how we proclaim the Gospel. Teach us to walk in humility as Christ did, to obey as He obeyed, and to serve as He served. Let our lives testify that Emmanuel truly is 'God with us.''

As we leave this weeks study, seal these truths in our hearts. Draw us closer to Jesus, deepen our gratitude for the cross, and streghten our hope in His promised imminent return.

We pray all of this in the mighty and matchless name of Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord,

Amen.

Sneak Preview - Week 4

In our conclusion into Week 4, we will be exploring how the Incarnation reshaped everything forever: our identity, our access to God, our victory over sin and death, and our unshakable hope for the future. Because as we have learned, Christ took on flesh, our salvation through His sacrifice on Calvary is secured, the Kingdom is advancing, and eternity is no longer uncertain. We'll also examine how the birth of Jesus still echoes through heaven and earth today and why what began in Bethlehem guarantees what will be fulfilled at His return. This week will challenge us to live with eternal perspective, confidence assurance, and joyful anticipation of what is yet to come.

IMPORTANT DATES - WRAPPING UP 2025 INTO 2026

• Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - January 1, 2026

  
  

  • Tuesday, 12/23/25 - Part 4: What Christ's Coming Means Forever

  • Tuesday, 12/30/25 - Year In Review: Look What God Has Done For HHTM

  • Thursday, 1/1/26 - 2026: The New Year Ahead