The Incarnation of Jesus and What That Means For Prolife Ministry

0:00 I Am Yours, I am yours, I am yours s and me, Lord, I am yours. Welcome to the Gospel Center Pro Life Podcast, and this episode we're going to talk about the incarnation of Jesus and the Christmas story and what that has to do with pro life ministry. Hope you're blessed is you continue to listen, stay tuned. I felt show passish touch your heart. Welcome to the Gospel Center pro life podcast. Micky and I are here just talking through some things about the incarnation of Jesus. It's Christmas time, it's the time that we celebrate the birth of our Lord and Savior, Jesus, and we thought that there are some theological and practical implications of the incarnation of Jesus, some things that would bless you, guys, and some scriptures that we're going to talk about that have to do with you know this.

0:59 You know what I had said was an unplanned pregnancy. Unplanned according to according to Mary. She certainly didn't plan Jesus coming into her womb, right, but God did. So, yeah, there really are no unplanned pregnancies like ever, right according to God, but according to man there certainly are. We deal with those on a regular basis and those who are in pro life ministry. That's what you deal with, and unplanned pregnancies by but hopefully, as we as we talk through some of this that has to do with the Christmas story and the incarnation of Jesus, it'll have some application, thank you, will have some application to just your daily ministry in your walk with the Lord. So so let's hop into it. Yeah, well, I'll tell you when you introduce this subject and said, what do you think about talking about this? My understanding and how I view the Christmas story and the birth of Jesus and his incarnation it has really changed over the past six years as I have been very involved in in pro life ministry. So I look at I look at it with new eyes and I look and it colors even how I look at the women who are coming to abort their children. Okay, so I'm really glad that we're talking about this because I think it's I think it's a very important story, yeah, and truth for people in Pro Life Ministry to explore. Yeah, and think about. Yeah, I think if we just sort of best we can look back into history and look back

2:34 into the story not just of Jesus, but the story of Mary herself. Yeah, I know one one movie that we've watched as a family past couple of years and on if you've watched this movie, but the Nativity story movie. It's sort of a modern movie. I've when it was made in the tooth. I haven't seen it, I've seen the advertisements. Yeah, yes, should, because it really brings you back to that day and age. I think they do a really good job of sort of laying out the historical picture of what it was like for Mary and what she experienced. You know, the Romans were there, had control over Israel and over Jerusalem and oppressing the people, and that was the historical context that was Mary, that Mary was in. Also the Jewish context there of what could potentially happen to an unwed woman who was pregnant. Yeah, and a lot of US know that.

3:23 We've heard about. You know what what Mary must had suffered and must had at least been thinking about in the back of her mind while she's carrying this baby? Any what she may have been thinking about whenever the angel came to her and told her that she was going to conceive. Yeah, it can help us appreciate Mary and in a hundred way. Yeah, second price that she made and willfully submitting. We'll probably get into that scripture, hopefully in a little bit, about how she willfully submits herself to this plan of God and it can have some application to the some of the women that we deal with now quite a bit different than Mary herself because she was pure and she was a virgin, but some of the women that we deal with who are in difficult situations, she was in a difficult situation that we deal with her, in dire situations, yeah, mostly because of their own sin.

4:14 She certainly was not in her situation because of her sin, but it can help us to because this is a real world scenario. Yeah, and in Biblical text especially, we're looking at a biblical stories. We can disconnect ourselves, I think, from the fact that these are real people with real struggles and to try to just take our minds back to that era and what she dealt with and kind of put ourselves in that scenario, I think is helpful. Yeah, I s to Adnifi, with with I agree. I sudrive, I'm working with a well, she's I'm no longer working with her. She actually did not save her child. But a teen? Yeah, who? Who would have been about Mary's age? Okay, and when I you know, and I kept thinking as I was reading through the the text, about when the angel came to Mary and how she responded and, like you're saying, the the context, the the world in which she lived, and then how the teen that that I was working with, how she responded to the struggles and and it made Mary more real to me and what happened in her life even more astonishing, and the decisions that she made because she was young, right. Yeah, I mean, what do they say? A young teen? Yeah, yes, some folks say thirteen, fourteen, maybe fifteen years old. The scripture doesn't say exactly how old she was, but the impasion is she was. Yeah, she was young. Yeah, but

5:46 we know she's she's betrothed. So she's engaged at to be married. She's a virgin. And can you imagine, I mean, being alone in your room and this stranger appears and an angel? But yeah, and I don't know if she knew it was an angel instantly. Maybe the text tells us, and I just don't remember, if initially she knew. Yeah, well, I didn't say that in particular. I'll read the text. Okay, let's do that and and we'll talk about okay, yes, is in Luke, chapter one, okay, and it says now in this is verse Twenty Six, Luke, Luke one hundred and twenty six is where we'll begin. Down the six 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. 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. But when she saw him she was troubled at his saying, and consider what manner of greeting this was. So seems maybe she didn't know it was an angel just so what are you thinking? Here's my first question. What she thinking? There's a strange man, yes, standing room saying you are highly favored. Yeah, well, at least he didn't, he didn't speak angrily to her, apparently. Yeah, highly favored. Since then the Lord said to her, do not be afraid, or the angel, I'm sorry, said to her, do not be afraid Mary, for you have found favor with God.

7:09 Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a son and she'll call his name Jesus. He will be great and he will be called the son of the most high, the Lord. God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the House of Jacob forever in his kingdom, of his kingdom. There will be no end. And then Mary said to the angel, how can this be, since I know no man? So here she has. He's having this exchange with this angel. He's told her a lot of stuff. He's not just given her a little a little picture of what's got. He's given her a sort of the big picture. This this she's been given her that. He's even given her the name of this son that you're going to conceive. And then this prophecy about him. He's going to rule over his people. That the you know.

7:50 You know the Kingdom is of his kingdom there there's going to be no ends. You've got a king in your womb. Let me ask you. I honestly I don't know the answer. I hope you do, but don't. Would Mary have been well versed enough in scripture that would she have recognized that this was the angel was talking about the Messiah. You know, I don't know actually, because I know in that day and age, certainly they were Biblical text that were read and they study the scriptures. Jewish people were, you know, made to study the scriptures. Now, the peasants, I don't know that they would have had that sort of knowledge, and especially a woman. In that day and age they did not sew a lot into theologically and as far as the scriptures concerned, into women. It was mainly men, young men were were trained in the scripture. But her being a peasant, her being a woman, she may not have. I don't know, maybe she would have. Presumably net right, presumably she would have.

8:48 You know, she probably celebrated Passover. Yeah, and and so there certainly is. Anyone celebrating Passover knows that the Messiah's going to come. That's what they're they're waiting for. So I just I wondered that if because she doesn't ask anything, at least it's not recorded except one thing. How can this be done? Yeah, because I'm a virgin. She doesn't ask unless you would think if there were other questions it would have been recorded. Maybe not, but anyway, were you done reading the yeah, yeah, maybe we'll kind of kind of Pauls right there. And because there's another big why the you know, why did God in in all the ways that he could have sent the savior of the world to Earth? Why as a little baby in the womb? Yeah, that is a big question. You think about it, because as we think about Christmas and we think about and maybe the theology of Christmas or whatever, we might gloss over because we just this is the story that we know about RSIAH come. He came as a baby and whatever.

9:58 Yeah, what we mayb don't put thought to. Could he have come other ways? I. Could the Messiah have come to this earth? You know, you mentioned, as we talked about this before, that Adam was, seems to be a full grown human being when he was put into this world. Right, right, could in the Messiah? Couldn't Jesus have come as just a full grown man? And I guess I don't see any theological reason why he couldn't have. In the sense if that's what God intended, if that's how the son of God was to come into the world, I guess he could have. Right. He didn't. Yeah, he didn't. So they're in. You know, we know nothings by accident. Right, God, God, the Eternal Plan of God. This is his plan and and I think it. Well, I guess we don't know. I think there are things that we can kind of guess from, you know, make educated guesses. Yeah, I from you digging in the scripture. We talked about some of these scriptures earlier and he brews. Hebrews is rich and full of verses that talk about the humanity of Jesus also about the divinity of Jesus.

11:05 He brewises one of my favorite books of the Bible, and Hebrews Chapter Two, in verse fourteen, which is a scripture you mentioned to me earlier, and it says inasmuch as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, he's talking about human beings partaken a flesh and blood. He himself is talking about the son of God. Is talking about Jesus here. If you read that larger context, he himself likewise shared in the same the human flesh, flesh and blood that through death he might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil. And we can rabbit trail on that and do a big thing logical discussion about that, but we won't do that. We'll keep reading that, maybe for another podcast or for a theological podcast with this is a this is a prolife podcast. That will try to keep it on that and release from those. This is verse fifteen, through fear of death, where all the life, all their lifetime, subject to bondage.

11:54 For indeed, he does not give to aid to angels. So he didn't. He wasn't born of an angel or anything like that. He doesn't give aid to angels. He gives a the implication is to human beings. But he does give aid to the seat of Abraham. Therefore, in all things he had to be made like his brethren. He had to be made like his brethren in all things and all think that's critical. Yes, important thing that is. That is an important point. That has especially as it has to do with human beings, a human life and even conception, which will look at him just a little bit, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priests in things pertaining to God, to make propagation for the sins of the people, for in that he himself has suffered being tempted. He is able to aid those who are tempted. Then I believe this thought continues on even into chapter four here in a verse fifteen, and this is an important point. This is like, this is phenomenal to me. This, this, this fact that the eternal God would be a partaker of human flesh, would come in the filth, in the in the in just the depravity of human society and humanness is amazing to me and it shows the grace and the mercy of God. And in Verse Fifteen, this is part of that says, for we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses. Is talking about Jesus. So our high priest. He can sympathize with our weaknesses. He's not so distant so far that he doesn't know our struggles in the stuff that we're going through. But here's the power point here

13:28 of Verse Fifteen. But was tempted, or was in all things tempted, as we are, yet without sins, all the stuff that we experience as temptations, he himself experienced, he submitted himself to those experiences. And again we can go on a theological rabbit trail, and it would be a good one, that's to talk about temptation and how Christ was tempted. How could? How could divinity be tempted? God can't be tempted. And we getting all that in their other podcast for that. Yeah, and people do with that. Subjects a good subject to deal with. But yeah, but what we're talking about is the humanity that Jesus took on. Yeah, and the experience that he had in temptation, but also the experience that he had in the womb, in the womb, and that's where, you know, my thoughts have really gone and since we started thinking about this is okay, so he's in the womb and conceived. The angels said that Mary would conceive right, and and so you know, presumably from the moment of conception, Jesus is in the womb. Yeah, and you know, develops as any baby in the womb develops. And what there is a reason for that. We don't necessarily know the reason, but we know God has a reason for that.

14:46 And you know, some of the thoughts that went through my mind was, well, number one, that there are experiences in the womb that are essential, yeah, to being human and and that Jesus, if he was going to be, what was the word all that, that he was in all things that he became like us. Yeah, then that includes whatever these developmental things going on in the womb that are critical for whatever, for whatever reason, so that he could fully identify with us. And so it, you know, for part of the reason, I think, is explained in the text, so that he would fully identify with us. But I think something that you can you can surmise based on this, is that God values that unborn child. Yeah, why would he have brought his own son to Earth as an unborn child unless there was value and an importance in that unborn child and the experience, yeah, the womb. And it's in such sharp contrast to to what we see the the value placed on the unborn child in an abortion minded world. Yeah, yeah, yeah, world. I mean it's a culture of death that we live in, where sort of abortion for

16:18 some people is the default position. Yeah, I mean, could you see Mary saying well to the Angel, you know? Well, you know, it sounds like you mean well, and I understand. You know, maybe you need a good vessel to carry the baby Jesus in. But do you know my situation? Right? I'm unmarried, I'm poor, I've got neighbors who might stone me for finding me pregnant. I mean that was a real danger. It was a real dangerous she could have died, she could have been killed for adultery. The betrothal in that day was the same as as marriage in terms of faithfulness to, you know, to your betrothed and and you know this young team. What were her parents going to say? So you know the she faced some terrible, terrible things and and and she she still didn't challenge the angel and say God must have it wrong. Yeah, in contrast to so many of the an abortion minded woman, yeah, who is saying? This is the thing? Stay here, you say this statement here in Luke Chapter One, because yet you do have that attitude. We're dealing with abortion mind of women's almost like and on, since they recognize that God doesn't make mistakes, because we ask them and they say, well, no, but stakes God. But in this situation I think maybe he missed it. You know, it's kind of what what they're saying when they're when they're willing to take the innocent life of their baby, even though they know

17:49 that it's wrong. Right. There's almost no abortion minded woman that I've encountered that, at least in some measure, didn't agree that abortion is wrong. It's wrong, but there's always that but attached to it. Right, yeah, but here in the story, in Luke Chapter One, as the angel gives this, you know, this proclamation of what a what's going on? And but what does Mary say? She says in Verse Thirty, in Verse Thirty Seven, it says for with God. This is as after she asks, how is it possible that I can conceive, because I've never been with a man like I don't understand how this is going to work. But she doesn't argue no, because the angel answers for God, with God, nothing will be impossible. Then Mary said, behold the maid, servant of the Lord. Basically, I'm your servant. You know, if you say that's the right, that's God's plan, then I'm beholding to it. Let it be to me according to your word. Let it be to me according to your word. One of the most beautiful lines in sure picture, I think.

18:55 Well, so to to not rabbit trail but to debunking idea that I've heard. Some of our pro abortion friends says like God raped Mary. Even heard that. That is I have. I have so ridiculous. It's like, okay, how blasphemous and how how irreverent, if for you even to sacre even say that right. But the fact is that married submitted herself to this by her own volition. The plan was laid out. The Angel didn't just come and say you're already pregnant and blah, blah, Blah Blah, and he said here's what's going to happen, right, and it's possible. I mean, we don't see any reason. There's no reason to believe that she would have been against this plan, because obviously God knew he was picking right. Her heart was prepared beforehand and whatever. But she says, let it be according to your will. She is bowing her wheel to the will of God. She said, if that's God's plan, on submit myself to it. So this idea that sort of God took advantage of her or something like that, is utterly ridiculous. She, of her own volition, submitted herself to the plan of God. She showed completely her faith was beautifully displayed in her trust. Yeah, and her trusted. Okay, let it be done to me. I don't understand it. I'm sure there was part of her that was thinking, I'm not sure I like it. Because there's a lot of scary stuff I'm going to face, but let it be done to me, as you have said. So that the the true, the absolute trust, that that it was going to be okay. Yeah, that she

20:27 needed and wanted to submit to the will of her heavenly father. And this remarkable. Yeah, it's markable. It's amazing, especially again considering the scenario there and what could have happened to her. She could have been stoned to deaths you could have been rejected by the people who she loved the most, or family and whatever, even by Joseph. We see it was a certainly temptation for Joseph, even though he was a humble man. He was going to put her away secretly. He's going to divorce her, you know, break off the the betrothal secretly. But, but, but, it, that indicates that he didn't believe her at first. Right, he clearly didn't believe her. I assume she went and said this angel gave to my room and and this is what he told me. Well, you know, again, putting yourself in that situation, who would believe that? I wouldn't believe that, sure, man. Yeah, right, yeah, so he didn't initially and then what happens in angel comes to him, right, yeah, dream is a matter of fact. Actually are one of our pastors preached on this last Sunday where he talked about, you know, how God can speak through dreams, and God spoke to Joseph. It says that the Lord came to him in a dream. Yeah, and and told him this plan.

21:37 Yeah, and then Joseph again shows the trust and the faith that that this revelation to him through the dream is is true, yeah, and that he then is going to take on this incredibly difficult situation. Yeah. Well, I'll read the passage jays Matthew and verse, Chapter One, Verse Twenty. But while he thought about these things, where he's talking about putting a her away, secretly backing off the betrothing. But while he thought about these things, behold an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying Josephs of Joseph, Mary was in this struggle, right, she was in the struggle in her heart of this plan and how's this going to happen? And Oh, this anxiety involved in her, but also there's some anxiety involved in Joseph. was. You don't just get that he's he finds out about this, that she's pregnant, and it's like, okay, that's a bad thing and he moves on. No, he's wrestling with he's struggling, he's probably having a hard time sleeping at night because he loved this woman and in one sense it's going to put him to shame because he's accused probably of having had sex with her prematurely, before they actually were married, in the midst of the Betrothal, with the back, which of would have been shameful as right. Yeah, so he's accused of that. Possibly he's also thinking, okay, who's been with my betrothed? Right, because I'm not the father he has, and so there's a lot going on in his mind, right.

22:56 He still obviously is a humble man, because he could have called it for her to be stoned immediately, but he didn't. So he's contemplating these things as he thought about these things. That's what it says that angel came to him and dream saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary to you're you're not be afraid to take you mary, your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit and she will bring forth a son and you will call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. And so God reaffirms Joseph in the midst of this unplanned pregnancy, unplanned for Mary and for Joseph, speak to him in a dream, the reaffirming this plan, that this is God's plan. It's unconventional according to man, but it's God's way and it's God's plan. Yeah, and it's what the whole Christmas story centers around.

23:49 Yeah, yeah, which is Awesome Plan of God. Yeah, and it follows a we mentioned this be earlier, that it follows God's kind of the way he works throughout the Bible is he chooses. He seems to in many cases choose the weakest, the most vulnerable nation people to promote his purpose. Yeah, and and I think Mary is a perfect example. Yea, that, yes, we were talking this through. You mentioned, you know, God could have chosen a queen. Yeah, I to have, yeah, Gina Palace and all the things that you would need and all the baby supplies you'd need and, you know, gold studded diapers and whatever. But you know, he this was a baby born to a poor family that had to be wrapped in swaddling close so there's no room, and could have chosen to for the s I had to come, you know, in as a full grown man. I guess he could have chosen, if he was going to choose the baby route, he could have chosen to have this baby born in a palace and all this. So our wisdom and conventional wisdom is oftentimes not God's. With them, it's not God's will. Often in front of the abortion center, do be here it I can't have this baby. My situations too terrible. It's not the right time. Yeah, and contrast that to marry. Well, it is their situation really any worse than Mary's and most cases, honestly know, but ails in comparison, because very few would be

25:25 under threat of being stoned at that's for sure. So you know another interesting passage that you're probably none. Yeah, let's we're not stone and I'm we guarantee. But but you know at right after Mary and Joseph, Well, Mary has this encounter with the angel then, I think it's in Luke one hundred and forty four where, and it says that she hurries to her cousin Elizabeth. It uses the word hurries after this. And and look at what happens in that passage because because, I think again, it's so much speaks to me as someone in pro like ministry. Okay, for indeed, as soon as the voice of this is a luke one hundred and forty four, for indeed, soon is the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby leaped in my womb for joy. So this is Elizabeth, this is Mary. Had hurried to her cousin Elizabeth's House and she's pregnant with Jesus at that point. Elizabeth is pregnant with John The baptizer at that point, and when she heard Mary's Voice, the baby apparently heard the voice to and leaped in the whom the babe leaped in the womb? So a lot of things. First of all, she hurries to Elizabeth, and actually it was actually my sister that mentioned this to me, that you know, Elizabeth is here with basically an unplanned pregnancy herself. Yeah, right, she was.

26:48 She was very surprised to because she was old. Yeah, and so she didn't think that child bearing years were over. Yeah. So look at the contrast here. Yeah, there's Mary, who's really too young, not married and totally not thinking I want to have a baby. And then there's Elizabeth, who's past childbearing years, who's old, and who finds herself in this unplanned or unexpected, yeah, pregnancy. And and they come together and the two babies, unborn babies, two of the most pivotal, important babies in history. Yeah, right. We've got John The baptist. Yeah, Jesus said of John the Baptist that he was the greatest, greatest of all the prophets. So there's no man born that was greater than John The baptist.

27:36 That was Jesus testimony later on in his ministry. And he's coming as an unborn baby also. Yeah. And and so here's this unborn John The baptist, who is going to Harold the coming of the Messiah, and then the baby Jesus. And what happens when they meet? And I know there's a meme out on facebook now which is the first person to greet our Lord and Savior was an unborn baby. Yeah, it was John the Baptist in the womb of his mother, Elizabeth. And what does he do? He the Scripture says, he leaps for joy. Yeah, and Elizabeth describes the baby as leaping for joy in her womb. That to me they clearly a little unborn baby is described as having emotion, yeah, and leaping for joy and greeting the savior of the world, another unborn baby, and there's some obviously the the scripture says there's a recognition, yeah, be in these two babies, unborn babies. Yeah. So that to me is like just again speaks of God's sacred value of the unborn child and that there's a lot going on in that womb. That that some of which we do know and and some of which we probably don't know. Yeah, you know, one of the

29:07 things that speaks to you. We've mentioned before, I believe in previous podcast. We're sort of given an apologetic for what the Bible says about unborn children. We mentioned the scripture. We mentioned that word that used here, the Greek word that used in verse forty four. The Babe leaped in the womb. That Greek word for babe. What's the Greek word? Breafos, Brefsos, and that word is also used in other passages to describe unborn children, but also born children. So the Bible does not make a distinction, just like we don't. We say it's a baby. When we look at an ultrasound, that's a baby, right, and when we hold an infant, we say that's a baby. Right. It's a word that sort of we use for all those things. Well, in fact, go back to I mean you don't have to turn back there, but think about what the angel said. To marry, you will conceive a son, yeah, right, yeah, a son, not a Zygoat, yeah, not a Gambria, not, not an embryo, not a clump of cells, but he gave personhood to that unborn baby. Yeah, from the earliest moment, you will bear a yeah, son. Yeah, you will conceive a son. So it wasn't she would bear a son. Right, she would conceive, right, a son. Yeah. So that that at its smallest. Yeah, that sort of brings brings it around in my mind, to a question that we talked about before we started the podcast, which is when did Jesus take on human flesh? And I think this is an important point. Yeah, it's like the son of God is going to come and the likeness, as

30:40 the Bible says in those at Philippians, and likeness and the likeness of sinful flesh he's going to come. Well, when did he take on this likeness of human beings? Yeah, when did the son of God become human? And if we were to go and one train of thought, who he became human? When he was born, right when he passed through the birth canal, and that's when his humanity was was in dued on him. That's one train of thought. But I think the obvious biblical train of thought is at the moment of conception. I think that's what the angel says. When the angel says conceive a son, I think at conception you will conceive and that is your son. Yeah, and that is Jesus, and that is when the eternal son of God. He's got to recognize in in the scriptural context, that there is within the Godhead, the Trinity, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, all three, or coeternal code, equal in power and in glory and in Majesty. Each has a different role, right, the Holy Spirit has his role, the son has his role and the father has his role, but the son of God, in his role, comes in human flesh. The Jesus exists eternally, right, he always is. He's not a created being, right. Yeah, he's not a creature. He is the eternal Sun, and so he existed in eternity forever. But yet his humanity began in the womb of Mary. His humanity, him taking on

32:15 human flesh, happened at the moment of conception, right yeah. And then we see in the Scripture and that Hebrews Chapter two passage, that he took on this sinful flesh of that he might are not sinful flesh in the likeness of sinful flesh, right, but he was a partaker of flesh and blood, as it says at Hebrews passage, so that he threw death. So his his flesh, he took on so that he could ultimately lay it down and die. Right yeah, so that he could destroy him who had the power of death, and the Bible says that that is the devil, and also so that he can identify with our humanity. Right right. So I don't know where, where and when we want to get into this, but it's I think I just a really was a good time. Wonderful. Point is also at the moment of conception, and I think this is fairly recent that scientists have discovered that and they've got pictures of it. At the moment of conception. Conception, a meet sperm and there's a flash of light in the WOMB. Yeah, a flash of light. So you know, as I was thinking about that and looking at the pictures, and there's pictures, you can absolutely can see these pictures of this. Well, what is Jesus called? He's called the light of the world, light of the world.

33:34 And when God what was the first words? Well, among the first words that God said, as he's creating the universe, let there below, let there be light. And so, you know, here's the the the conception of the savior of the world is, is a spark of light. Presumably, if that's true, of all babies as they're born in the womb or as they're conceived in the womb, and and so, you know, again, to me it speaks again of their that moment of conception was supremely wonderful and all that follows to birth is is wonderful and sacred and and so important.

34:23 And then coming to the moment of birth is, you know, again, the probably the pivotal physical event in a human beings life. You're born, you physically enter, you leave the womb and enter the world, and and and in so much of the Bible. Nearly every physical event has a spiritual parallel, and you look at that. The the description of when we come to faith. Is Born again, John Chapter three, and listen, and is born again, feign against see the Kingdom of God. Yeah, the scripture that comes to mind is in John, the Gospel John, in Chapter Fourteen. It starts out verse one. Many of you guys probably know this passage. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God and the word was God. So obviously showing the divinity of this one who's called the word, which is obviously Jesus. And it talks about light in verse five and John Chapter One. The light shines in the darkness and the darkness does not comprehend it. So that's along the lines of what what you're saying. He was, he was the true light that came into the world. In verse fourteen that it says the word became flesh, HMM, and dwelt among us. We beheld his glory, the Glory as of the only begotten other father, full of grace and truth. So this word, this this eternal word, who was with God and was God, who, Bible says, all things were made through him and without him, nothing was made. That was made so through the eternal Sun all things were created.

35:57 All things, all creation, flowed from this uncreated son of God. But the word, this word became flesh, he took on flesh, and I think that says a couple of things. It says that God is willing to enter in to our humanity, to enter into our experiences. So that's one thing. It enter into our mess. Yeah, man enter and enter into a sinful and deprave the world. But the second thing it says is that God values human beings enough to do that. Right, because he didn't do it, as we reread in that Hebrews passage, for God does not give for he did it for the the the the Sun. I think the word is does not give aid to angels. So it doesn't mean that God doesn't care about angels, but it's what it's talking about. In in a salvific way. God does not intervene on behalf of angels, he doesn't, but he does on behalf of fallen human beings. He intervenes. He intervened in such a way that he became one of us. He didn't become an angel.

36:55 Right, Jesus is not an angel when never was an angel, regardless of what some false religions like who is, who's witnesses teach that he's Michael, the Archangel. Yes, not what the Bible teaches, that he's the eternal son that took on that became human flesh. Right, and and so it again, it does show us the humanity or the value of humanity. It shows us God's willingness to come and to be a partaker in what we experience so that we can have, as it says in Hebrews. Later on it says we have a high priest that can sympathize with our weakness. He knows the stuff that we're going through. HMM, which is massively comforting for us to know that this eternal God who, who, the Bible says, dwells an unapproachable light, who was holly unapproachable in the sense that he is majesty and His glory will feel the earth, but he stoops down, becomes a human being and allows us to approach him. Yeah, it allows us to come into his presence and have fellowship. But yeah, yeah, and you know, another thought that just came to me as you were speaking was God, we are made in the image of God and one of God's most obvious attributes is as creator. He created the universe, he created all life, he created us. And when we conceive children and there's this life growing

38:29 within us and then eventually this life comes forth into our actual world outside of the womb, I think we have a small taste of what it is to create and to create something as miraculous as life. We don't create it right. We conceive that that child God is the creator of all life, but I think it gives us kind of a little bit of an understanding of the magnificence of God, because I don't know really any woman who has given birth who has not described it as utterly miraculous. It is miraculous. It is what brought me to the Lord. Honestly, was was the birth of my first son Onders that made me recognized there has to be a God. And so I gues again. I going back to why. Why? I know God usually doesn't answer wise, nor do I need this answered, but it's something that's kind of interesting to think about. Why did he bring Jesus to to Earth as an unborn child and and to a moment of birth? And I think that that might be part of the answer is understanding and us being able to understand a little bit more about God. Yeah, yeah, well,

40:01 you know, I think maybe, hopefully you guys have your listening have joined in some of our ramblings and are going on about the Christmas story and about the Majesty of God and the Mercy of God coming in the likeness of sinful flesh. Hopefully this has been a blessing to you. I want to end out, though, with a you know, the holidays, Christmas time, is it awesome time to proclaim the Gospel. Picture is and this passage in Luke in chapter two, as I share with you this is one of my favorite of all time passage of scripture. It's very, very short, so it's easy to memorize and it's in Luke Chapter two, in verse fourteen, and this is the proclamation of the heavenly host of the angels, and here's what they say. Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, goodwill toward man. And when I read that scripture, actually I get till bumps a lot because I think about when we see God in the Bible, when we see the majesty is a described earlier the majesty, The holiness of this God, this God who made everything, and this God who would be perfectly justified in, you know, wiping us all out. He did it in one time. He did it with with the story of Noah and his family and save them, but wiped out the rest of humanity, and he was perfectly justified in doing so. No one's his accuser. He did wrong, he did evil. People try to be as accuser. He's God, he made everything. Yeah, he has the the authority over everything.

41:31 Right, and when his creation rebelled, agains him of that time. He wiped him out and it seems, though, in that story, even God's will was a good will toward man. He makes the ark big enough. Every human being could have fitted that thing and he offers. Noah was a preacher who offered, appealed, it seemed. He built this art for a hundred, twenty years in the middle of the desert as a testimony of the people. They could have come in and got salvation, but they didn't. That ark was just a picture, though, the foreshadowing of Jesus, who would be the Ark of salvation for all of humanity that would come into him. And we see God through bringing Jesus into this earth as the savior. Yeah, that was the proclamation of the angel that came to marry. He will save his name will be Jesus, he will save them, as the proclamation the angel that came to Joseph. His name will be Jesus, for real save his people from their sins. We see in the Christmas story this glory to God in the highest. So God is glorified in this story, but through his peace on earth and goodwill toward man, that he has a good desire for lost humanity. And Yeah, I think some of the Jews at the time of Jesus miss the point that God's good will was not just toward the Jewish people but toward all men, that all men would come into this this relationship with God through Christ and could be saved. Yeah, but we see in this the disposition of God towards humanity, toward lost, depraved, sinful humanity. was good that, he said, the savior into the world, Jesus says, the son of men comes to seek and to save

43:05 that which is lost. And so as we go through this Christmas season and we might buy presents and put up our Christmas tree and all of that and celebrate Christmas and Christmas time and be with family. We cannot forget God's desire toward all human beings to be saved. We can't forget, when we're with our family and people who are lost, to share with them the hope of Jesus Christ. We did a podcast some weeks ago about how to share with your family members. If you haven't listened to that, go back and listen to that, because I think it will be massively helpful during this season to share with your family members. But yeah, don't forget the reason. It's become a Cliche, the reason for the season. It is Jesus Christ.

43:45 We appreciate all those who listen. Appreciate you guys joining in with us. Share this podcast with your family members, with your friends. Shoot US over a tech or, I was gonna say a tax and email. I am at d parks at cities for lifecom. That's my email, addressed parks at cities for lifecom. Vickie is v Kassi Org at cities for lifecom. As always, we encourage you guys to go to our website, www dot sidewalks number, the number for Lifecom, where you can get trained and equipped to do sidewall counseling. We recently just put an article out a hostage situation at the abortion center. They gives an allegory of what we're dealing with and we're dealing with an abortion minded woman. That we think would be a blessing to you guys, but we hope that you're blessed about this podcast and hope that you continue to listen to future podcast God, bless and Merry Christmas. Amen, use, mil use, give me. Will cost me my life, but nothing's too precious.