Today’s message summary of December 3, 2017 from Pastor Gus Brown:
Why was Jesus sent to us in human form? This is what we will ponder today.
God desired that the first Adam would be successful in his relationship with the Lord, but sin caused the fall of man. It was God’s sending of the second Adam, in the form of Jesus Christ, that would claim the victory that the first Adam could not succeed in.
The first Adam was indeed without sin (before the fall). He was pure, holy and righteous. Jesus Christ is the One who would present Himself to the church to be pure and holy.
Ephesians 5:27
He did this to present the church to Himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or anything like that, but holy and blameless.
One day, the scars and blemishes that are present on your body today will be removed in our new bodies.
Note that Adam had direct access to God. We, also, will have the same thing when we are with Him in heaven because there will be no sin present.
Romans 5:12-14
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned. In fact, sin was in the world before the law, but sin is not charged to a person’s account when there is no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam’s transgression. He is a prototype of the Coming One. But the gift is not like the trespass. For if by the one man’s trespass the many died, how much more have the grace of God and the gift overflowed to the many by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ. And the gift is not like the one man’s sin, because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation, but from many trespasses came the gift, resulting in justification.
The second Adam became the gift that would justify and remove all of the sin that came from the first Adam, a human being in the flesh. The second Adam, a life-giving Spirit, repaired the breach in the relationship between God and man that came from the fall from the first Adam.
We bear the likeness of both Adams. The first Adam came from the dust. The second Adam came from heaven. It is important to note that the first Adam did not start as a child, but started as an adult, grew older, and died. Jesus Christ started his earthly life as a child and grew into adulthood. Both did not have earthly fathers, and both had direct fellowship with God. Both began without sin, but only Jesus remained without sin.
1 Corinthians 15:20-23
But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive. But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ.
1 Corinthians 15:45-49
So it is written, The first man Adam became a living being; the last Adam became a life-giving spirit. However, the spiritual is not first, but the natural, then the spiritual. The first man was from the earth, a man of dust; the second man is from heaven. Like the man of dust, so are those who are of the dust; like the man of heaven, so are those who are of heaven. And just as we have borne the image of the man of dust, we will also bear the image of the man of heaven.
Therefore, we see where the statement “being born again” comes from. Two births–one natural, and one that is spiritual. Jesus Christ is the one who allows for man to fellowship within the kingdom of God.
1 Corinthians 15:50
Brothers, I tell you this: Flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, and corruption cannot inherit corruption.
Now, what about the different bodies?
1 Corinthians 15:51-54
Listen, I am telling you a mystery: We will not all fall asleep, but we will all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we will be changed. For this corruptible body must be clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body must be clothed with immortality. When this corruptible body is clothed with incorruptibility, and this mortal body is clothed with immortality, then the saying that is written will take place: Death has been swallowed up in victory.
When Jesus was born, many thought that he was the earthly son of Joseph. Look at the genealogy of Jesus Christ:
Luke 3:23-38
As he began his ministry, Jesus was about thirty years old and was thought to be the son of Joseph, son of Heli, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Melchi, son of Jannai, son of Joseph, son of Mattathias, son of Amos, son of Nahum, son of Esli, son of Naggai, son of Maath, son of Mattathias, son of Semein, son of Josech, son of Joda, son of Joanan, son of Rhesa, son of Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, son of Neri, son of Melchi, son of Addi, son of Cosam, son of Elmadam, son of Er, son of Joshua, son of Eliezer, son of Jorim, son of Matthat, son of Levi, son of Simeon, son of Judah, son of Joseph, son of Jonam, son of Eliakim, son of Melea, son of Menna, son of Mattatha, son of Nathan, son of David, son of Jesse, son of Obed, son of Boaz, son of Salmon, son of Nahshon, son of Amminadab, son of Ram, son of Hezron, son of Perez, son of Judah, son of Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham, son of Terah, son of Nahor, son of Serug, son of Reu, son of Peleg, son of Eber, son of Shelah, son of Cainan, son of Arphaxad, son of Shem, son of Noah, son of Lamech, son of Methuselah, son of Enoch, son of Jared, son of Mahalalel, son of Cainan, son of Enos, son of Seth, son of Adam, son of God.
The first Adam had no earthly father. He, too, was a son of God.
The second Adam is also noted here:
John 1:14
The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. We observed his glory, the glory as the one and only Son[b] from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God does this in His own special way, when he acknowledges that they both come from God.
God seals His covenant with man in His own blood, which is significant. What God does in His covenant is very much a covenant with Himself (man has nothing to do with it), and yet God is the One who provides salvation for mankind. All that is required of man is to believe in Jesus Christ.
Genesis 15:12-21
As the sun was setting, a deep sleep came over Abram, and suddenly great terror and darkness descended on him. Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know this for certain: Your offspring will be resident aliens for four hundred years in a land that does not belong to them and will be enslaved and oppressed. However, I will judge the nation they serve, and afterward they will go out with many possessions. But you will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation they will return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure.” When the sun had set and it was dark, a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch appeared and passed between the divided animals. On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, “I give this land to your offspring, from the brook of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates River: the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites, Hethites, Perizzites, Rephaim, Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites, and Jebusites.”
Abram (Abraham) was unable to make a covenant with God. It was beyond his ability to do it. Only God could make such a covenant—and a commitment—to fulfill His promise to Abraham as the father of many nations. It was a promise that revealed God’s ongoing presence and ability to keep His promises.
Hebrews 6:13-14
For when God made a promise to Abraham, since He had no one greater to swear by, He swore by Himself: I will indeed bless you, and I will greatly multiply you.
God is the One who made the promise to work within us and give us salvation. God upholds His Word and keeps it. He will fulfill it and do it. If you are born again in Jesus Christ, it is because God provides the ability for you to fellowship with Him.
Note that God’s promise to Abraham is an important part of the timeline of God’s covenant with his people. Abraham is referenced within the genealogy in Matthew. This was when God’s work to fulfill the covenant through Jesus Christ was noted.
Matthew 1:1-2
The historical record of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham fathered Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob.
Note that blood was shed in that covenant with Abraham through the animals that were sacrificed. Why is this relevant? What did Jesus Christ declare about His sacrifice? (Note that, like the covenant with Abraham, man does not initiate it. It is a covenant that God makes with Himself for His people.)
Matthew 26:26-29
As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take and eat it; this is my body.” Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. But I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
Man is not involved with the covenant because of man’s fall. The covenant is a work of God.
God declared that the work was finished.
Genesis 2:2
By the seventh day God completed His work that He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work that He had done.
John 19:28-30
After this, when Jesus knew that everything was now finished that the Scripture might be fulfilled, he said, “I’m thirsty.” A jar full of sour wine was sitting there; so they fixed a sponge full of sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it up to his mouth. When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then bowing his head, he gave up his spirit.
What was finished? The work of salvation for all of mankind was now completed. The sacrifice had been given, and God had accepted it. The blood had been shed, for there was no remission of sin without bloodshed. What man cannot do for himself, God does it. What man cannot complete in his own life, God does it for us. Until a man gives over his life to Jesus Christ, there won’t be any progress or completion.
The work of salvation is a finished work. Once one declares Christ as Lord and Savior of our life, He covers sin for all eternity. It is a finished work.
Hebrews 10:12-18
But this man, after offering one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God. He is now waiting until his enemies are made his footstool. For by one offering he has perfected forever those who are sanctified. The Holy Spirit also testifies to us about this. For after he says: This is the covenant I will make with them after those days, the Lord says, I will put my laws on their hearts
and write them on their minds, and I will never again remember their sins and their lawless acts. Now where there is forgiveness of these, there is no longer an offering for sin.
You are worth much more than what you think. Note that you were bought with a price.
You are very special in that you are the work of God’s hands, and God gave His only begotten Son for the purpose of giving you the desire to be like Him and to live for Him.
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