8 Sermon Illustrations on Incarnation

A six-year-old tiptoed softly up to the little low crib where one of this world's very latest hopes was lying throned and swathed in the coverlets that love had sewn for its coming. Big brother's face was gravely intent, his eyes bright and shining. He stooped far over and gazed down at that wrinkled, peevish bit of a face. "Now, baby brother," he whispered into one tiny red ear half hid by the clustering black hair, "tell me about God before you forget." The brother thought that the tiny baby had a message from God. There was one Baby who did. He was born in Bethlehem. But His existence did not begin at the time of His physical birth. He had a message for us from God the Father. It is found in the old familiar words of John 3:16. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." A Birthday Never Forgotten How many people celebrate your birth? When a prince is born, there is usually a big national celebration. But when a child is born into a poor family, little or no celebration may take place. Yet, children of humble origin have often become national heroes whose birthdays continue to be celebrated long after their deaths. However, there is only one Person whose birthday is still celebrated nearly 2,000 years after the event-and He was born in a stable!

Have you ever had difficulty in making yourself understood by a young child? Just try answering some of his questions: "What's the sky made of? Why did Grandma have to die? Where did God come from?" It can be quite a problem. The difference between your mental ability and the child's is not as great as that between the mental ability of God, the Creator, and you, His creature. What method did He use to communicate with man? Did He send a great cataclysm of nature to awe us into submission? No, He sent a little Baby to be born in Bethlehem. Of course, babies are born every day, but this was a very special Baby. He was God in the flesh.

The physician was going to operate on a very rich man who always wanted the best of everything. "I don't think there will be any problem," said the doctor, "This operation is routine. We can even use a local anesthetic." "No," shouted the millionaire. "Don't use a local. Get something imported." That's what Jesus is-"something imported"; or Someone imported. A hymn puts it like this: "There was no other good enough to pay the price of sin; He only could unlock the gate to heaven and let us in." His birth was miraculous, the only one of its kind in history. It was prophesied in Isaiah 7:14, 700 years before it happened. But even more startling than that is John's declaration, "The Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." That meant one thing-that Jesus was born to die. The virgin birth of Jesus gave to us a divine Redeemer whose life became a ransom for sin. A Jesus born in sin or subsequently guilty of sin couldn't have atoned for sin. The Lord Jesus Christ will never be understood by those who don't see Him as the Savior. And Christmas is an empty thing unless the Christ of Christmas is your Savior. Why not receive Him as your Savior now?

It is the glory of the world that He who formed it dwelt on it; of the air, that he breathed it; of the sun, that it shone on him; of the ground, that it bore him; of the sea, that he walked on it; of the elements, that they nourished him; of the waters, that they refreshed him; of us men, that he lived and died among us, yea, that he lived and died for us; that he assumed our flesh and blood, and carried it to the highest heavens, where it shines as the eternal ornament and wonder of the creation of God.

— J. Maclaurin