 Okay. Good morning everyone. Hope all of you had a good weekend and all of you are doing well. Yes. Okay. Can somebody lead prayer please? Can I ask Aradna? Can you lead us in prayer? Yes. Thank you. Thank you, Father God, for this time, for this day, Lord, as you've given us, Lord, whatever we learn, Lord, help to receive in our mind, Lord. Give us a new revelation of your word, Lord. Lord, bless each of us, Lord, and we pray in Jesus' name. Amen. Amen. Amen. Thank you. Okay. Let me just keep this aside. So, yeah. Okay. So, last Monday in our two-hour class, do you remember what we learned? Anyone remembers what we learned? The pre-existence of Jesus Christ. Okay. Pre-existence of Jesus Christ. That's in our first class. Thank you, Isaac. That was our first class, but I'm saying what did we learn in our previous class? This role in creation. Okay. Then what else did we look at? The promise of His coming, chapter 4. Yes. We looked at the promise of His coming. We looked at some important Old Testament prophecies which foretold the coming of the Christ as the incarnate one. So, when we're talking about incarnation, we're talking about God taking on human form. Okay. So, today we're going to look at what is incarnation, going to get a better understanding of what is incarnation. What is incarnation? What does it mean to you? God becoming man? Incarnation? What does it mean to you? What is your understanding? You can just tell me what you understand. Okay. God became man. Okay. When you say God became man, what is your understanding? Yes, Isaac. Yeah. Divinity came as human. Okay. Divinity came as a human being. Okay. Yes. Go ahead, Lubega. I think this was God sending His Son in both man and God, basically to remove a debtless sin that was brought on us by Adam and Eve. Okay. So, you're saying that God became man to remove the sin that was brought about by Adam and Eve. Did I hear you outright? Basically, through faith. To remove the sin that was brought on mankind through Adam and Eve, through faith. Through faith. Okay. Thank you. Anyone else? So, when God became man, was he just fully man or was he fully God who just came and lived here on the earth? Yes, go ahead, Lubega. He was fully man and fully God. Okay. He was fully God and he was fully man. Okay. So, when you say that, thank you, Lubega. When you say that he was fully God and fully man, how could somebody who's fully God and fully man come here and live on the earth? What is your understanding about that? How was he fully God and how was he fully man? Anyone has any different thoughts on it? Does anyone else say no, he was God? He was God but he came to earth as human and he operated as human but he had the spirit of God inside him. Okay. He was God but he came down as man and he operated as a man and he had the spirit of God living in him. Okay. Thank you. What are your other views of others? So, when Lubega said he was fully God and fully man, what do you understand by that? How many of you all say that no, he was just fully man but he just, you know, he was not God when he lived here on the earth? Anyone's going with that thought? No one? So, all of you in class agree that he was 100% God, 100% man, he was fully God, fully man? Well, he was not, he did not operate fully as God, he was God but he operated, I think he operated as fully man because some of the qualities of God he lacked as a human being. God was omnipresent, omnipotent but on earth Christ was not, he was not present in all places, he has to move from one place to another so he operated more as human though he was God. Thank you, Isaac, some very good important points. Yes, he was fully God, fully man but he operated as fully man. He did not have some of the nature of God of being omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient and he gave proofs about that and also something that Isaac said was, you know, he had the spirit of God in him. Subash says when he was on earth, he was fully God and fully man. Okay, thank you. Yes, go ahead, Lubeka. When we talk about a man having a spirit of God, that is us, me and you and any of my brothers or sisters, but Christ as a being, he was 100% God when on earth and he was 100% a human being when he was on earth. A spirit of God living in man is us, is us, me, you and all others, not Jesus Christ. He was 100% God and 100% God. Okay, thank you. Some good thoughts in today's class. Anyone else would like to share? Okay, so we look at today we'll understand incarnation about God taking on human form. We'll also look at his earthly ministry and his, you know, 38, 33 year period when he walked on this earth. So in this chapter, we'll try to gain insight into the how of the incarnation, how did God take on human form. We'll gain a biblical perspective of his incarnation. And we'll also look at what happened when this eternal God became man when he became the man of Galilee. We will not look at the historical aspect of the whole thing, but we'll rather look at the spiritual implications. Okay, so we look at how God became man and for that we will look at one John chapter one, verses one to three and verse 14. We've kind of studied this passage in much in detail the last few classes, both in systematic theology and in Christology. So we'll just look at a few important things. Now last class I already mentioned about logos and what was the prevalent meaning of this word logos during the time when John was there and how he takes on this word logos because it had a Jewish background to it and how he uses it to introduce Jesus, not as some principle or some guiding reason or some intermediary between God and man, but how this logos he introduces him as God himself. Okay. So in using this title logos by introducing Jesus, when he introduces him in his, his book one John chapter one, the beginning was the word and the word was with God, and the word was God and the word here is the word logos in Greek translated in English, it's word. So in choosing this title, the Apostle is drawing our attention to the function of Christ and the function of Christ is to reveal the Father to us. Okay, so the word is God. The logos is God, and he's one who is speaking to man. He's the one who is revealing mankind, revealing God to mankind, and he is the logos who became God manifest that means who manifested in the form of and revealed God to us. So the word is God manifested. Okay, that means the logos whose Jesus Christ came to reveal the Father to reveal the nature, the attributes, the character, who God is and what he does. Okay, so I'm not going to look at all the other details because I've already mentioned it about what is the prevalent idea or the understanding of the word logos. But here we're just going to look at why he brings out this word logos, Apostle John is basically to reveal to us the function of Christ, and what is the function of Christ is becoming incarnate is to reveal the Father to us. It is the logos who is God speaking to man. It is the logos who is God revealing himself to man. It is this logos who is God manifested. Okay, so the incarnation is the eternal logos who became flesh and who dwelt among mankind. That is what we read if you can please open all of you can open to John chapter one versus one to three and also follow through to verse 14. Okay, so here we see that, you know, he became flesh verse 14 says, can somebody read verse 14 of John chapter one. And the word became flesh and dwelt among us and we saw his glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father full of grace and truth. Yeah, so we see that this incarnation, this logos who is the incarnate one, the, or the eternal logos became flesh and dwelt among us mankind. Okay, the word flesh is not to be taught only in terms of a human body. But the word flesh here is to be understood as somebody who's presenting the fullness of mankind. Okay, the fullness of humanity. That means the logos was eternally God became fully man. Okay, the eternal logos took on humanity. And we also see from verse 14 that this logos who took on humanity, the eternal logos who took on humanity, dwelt among mankind, dwelt literally means tabernacled. Okay, and it refers to the tabernacle in the wilderness. And we know that the tabernacle was a very special place for the Israelites. It was where they met God. It was where God would come and meet with his people. God would speak to them. God would speak face to face with his servant, Moses, and they would also offer sacrifices. So we see that in the wilderness God manifested his glory among his people. So when we talk about the manifest glory of God, they're basically talking about who God is and what he does. We read this in Exodus chapter 40 verses 34 to 38. We see that when the Israelites were journeying in the wilderness in the desert from Egypt to the Promised Land, we see that God moved with his people in this tabernacle. So wherever they journeyed, wherever they moved, God moved along with his people. We read about this in 1 Chronicles chapter 17 verse 5. And even in Isaiah chapter 63 verse 9, the first half of this verse says, in all the reflections he was afflicted, that means he went through, he not only journeyed with them, he identified with them. He was God who was very present with them. So also we see in incarnation that God came to dwell with mankind. He came to tabernacle just like in the Old Testament. He came and he dwelt with mankind. In Isaiah chapter 63 verse 14, can somebody read that please? Isaiah chapter 63 verse 14. As the cattle which go down into the valley, the spirit of the Lord gave them rest. So you led your people to make yourself a glorious name. Yeah, so here the word glory, the Greek word for the word glory is the doxa. And it originally meant honor, reputation or esteem that is given to somebody to a person. So the Greek word for this word glory means doxa. And it originally meant honor, reputation or esteem that is given to a person. Now in the New Testament doxa is used to denote again honor, splendor and majesty. Okay, so it is a manifestation of the divine splendor, the divine power, the majesty of God. But one thing we need to be very, very clear about is when God became man, when Jesus lived here on the earth, the glory that he manifested when he walked here on the earth was not his divine glory, but he manifested his sonship glory. Now, how do we know this? You know, we read this about this in John chapter 17 in the high priestly prayer. But in John chapter one was 14, it says the glory as of the only begotten of the Father. So we see that he had a glory when he was there with the Father. That was his glory of being divinity, of being God. But when God became man, when Jesus became man, he left his divine glory or his glory of being deity or being God. And he took on the sonship glory. And that is what also we read in John chapter 17 in the high priestly prayer of Jesus. He says, now Father I'm coming back to you, give me back the glory that I had even before the creation of the world. Now, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, we see that John elaborates on this by saying that this glory is characterized by grace and truth. So when Jesus lived here on this earth, he did not manifest all the eternal glory that he had. Because the eternal glory that he has is something that he lives in unapproachable light which no man has seen or can see. So if Jesus who became man, he was fully God, fully man, if he dwelled in his divine glory or the glory of God that he had, then he's somebody that mankind could not see or will not be able to go near because he lives in unapproachable light. The glory of God is, you know, he lives in unapproachable light. That is what we read in 1st Timothy chapter 6 verse 16. And so we see that when Jesus lived here on the earth, he lived in his sonship glory and when he goes back to the Father, he gives us the sonship glory. So each one of us can manifest the sonship glory. Was that clear? Did you all understand that? It's a very important truth for you all to understand that when Jesus lived here on the earth, he did not live in his eternal glory in the fullest sense. He lived in his sonship glory but when he went back to the Father, he received back the glory of being deity and when he went back, he gave us the sonship glory. So each one of us have the sonship glory but through which we can manifest God who God is and what he does. And that is how we can manifest God through the fruit of the Spirit, who God is. And through the works of the Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, the nine gifts of the Spirit, we reveal or we manifest the works of God. Is this clear? Anyone has any doubts? Any questions on this? So why didn't Jesus reveal his glory of being deity when he lived here on this earth? Because that is something that he dwells in unapproachable light and no man has seen or can see and hence he would not be able to dwell with us in the fullest sense or minister to us or be one among us and identify with us if he lived in the fullness of his eternal. Glory. Now what we need to understand is that on the earth, Jesus was truly God and truly man. He was fully God, fully man, 100% God, 100% man. When he became man, it did not mean that he ceased to be what he eternally was. I repeat that again. When he became man, or when he took on flesh, or when he became flesh, he did not cease to be what he eternally was. That means he was eternally God, so he did not cease to be God. Rather the eternal God took on the fullness of humanity. That means he became spirit, soul, and body. He was fully human. He took on the fullness of humanity while he limited the manifestations of his divinity. We see that he was fully God, fully man. He did not cease to be God when he became man, but he took on the fullness of humanity. He was fully human just like you and I, but also he limited himself in the manifestation of his divinity. Now the question can arise. What are the areas where he was limited? Where he limited himself in the manifestation of his divinity? We'll look at it in a little while. We turn to Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 to 3. Can all of you please turn in your Bibles to Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 to 3? It's good to have your Bibles open so that you can follow through in the Bible. And can somebody read that please for us? Hebrews chapter 1 verses 1 to 3. God after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways. In these last days has spoken to us in his son whom he appointed care of all things through whom also he made the world. And he is the radiance of his glory and the exact representation of his nature and upholds all things by the word of his power. When he had made purification of sin, he sat down on the right hand of the majesty on high having become as much better than the angels as he has inherited a more excellent name than they. Thank you John. Thank you John. So here we see this verse tells us this verse tells us that you know God in various times throughout history has spoken to various people to the fathers through the prophets. But in the last days he's spoken through his where he's spoken through in the last days through his in the past into the fathers Abraham Isaac Jacob and all of them and through the prophets. But in these last days who has he spoken through his son? Yes, thank you. So he's spoken to us through his son. He's spoken to human beings through mankind to mankind through his son again. Now we can notice two other facts here with regard to the incarnation that Jesus is the brightness of God's glory. And Jesus is the express image of God's person. Okay. So if you look at Hebrews chapter one was three the first part of it in the amplified version the amplified Bible. It says he's a soul expression of the glory of God and brackets. It says the light being the light being the out rain or radiance of the divine. And he's a perfect imprint and the very image of nature. Okay. That means God's nature in brackets is God's nature. So here we see that you know he's Jesus is a soul expression of the glory of God. There's no one like him. There's no one would come in the soul expression of the glory of God. He's the light being the out rain or the radiance of the divine and he's the perfect imprint means exact representation, the very image of God's nature. The same was in the Jerusalem Bible says he's the radiant light of God's glory and the perfect copy of his nature. See this in the NIV translation it says the sun is a radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being. This was if you read it in the Greek the little Greek translation it says who being the radiance of the glory and the representation of the reality of him. So here we see that Jesus is the brightness of God's glory. He is the manifestation of the nature and the attributes of God. It is basically the expression of who God is and what he does. I've already mentioned this to you. Jesus is also the brightness and he's the outshining of the nature and the character of God. So all who God is seen or shines out in Jesus. So Jesus is the express image of God's person which means he's a perfect and complete copy the exact representation of God, the nature of God and what God really is like. So in the incarnation of God becoming man that is Jesus becoming man we have the complete revelation of the living God. And we begin to know and understand who God is what he is like and what he does. Now we'll look at what is the meaning of the image of God. If you look if you turn to Colossians chapter 1 verse 15 it says he's the image of the invisible God. So who is the he here is Jesus. Jesus is the image of the invisible God. Second Corinthians chapter 4 verse 4 says Christ who is the image of God. So the word image means an exact representation or revelation of who the person is. So for example you stand in front of the mirror. You know you will see an exact representation of how you look or who you are the outside. So you might admire some other personality you might want to be like them or look like them but when you look at yourself in the mirror it's not who you like or who you want to be like. The image in the mirror shows the exact representation of how you look in your outward being or in your outward form. So Christ is in the incarnation is the exact representation or the exact revelation of God. In the incarnation we see that the invisible God becomes visible through Jesus Christ. Now we look at the seven steps of incarnation and we looked at this verse Philippians chapter 2 verse 6 to 8. I would like all of you to please turn to Philippians chapter 2 verses 6 to 8. We had looked at this verse but we said we will study more about this in detail in the future classes. So we're going to look at this verse in detail because this gives us a lot of in-depth understanding about the incarnation. So can somebody read Philippians chapter 2 verse 6 to 8 please. Zillatoli can you read Philippians 2 verse 6 to 8 please. Who being in the form of God did not consider it robbery to be equal with God but made himself of no reputation taking the form of a bone servant and coming in the likeness of man and being found in appearance as a man. He humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death even the death of the cross. Okay thank you. So here we look at a few steps in incarnation basically seven of them. So we see that Christ was in the form of God. So basically from this verse we're drawing the seven steps in incarnation. Christ was in the form of God. Christ was equal with God. He did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. He made himself of no reputation. He took on the form of a burned servant. The sixth one is he came in the likeness of man. In the seventh one was he was found in the appearance of man. Okay so let's study each one of this in a little more detail. The first one is that Christ was in the form of God. Okay if you look at in the literal Greek translation it reads who is existing in the form of God. Okay he was somebody who existed in the form of God. Now this word form is if you look at it in this verse that are two words that appear here form. It says form of God and form of born servant. Okay so both are the same words the form of God or the form of the born servant form of a born servant. These two phrases the word form is the same but it needs to be distinguished from the words likeness and appearance that also is seen in this verse. Okay or the scene in the same passage. Now the word form is used it's not used to denote something that is just outward or external. Okay so when we think about the word form we think about something that is outward or external. But here it basically refers to the very being or the attributes of God the very essential nature of God. And of course the nature the attributes very being of God is something that is worn or can be seen outwardly. Okay so Christ existed as God and he possessed all the beings that pertains to the divine nature. Okay so he was the form of God which means he had he was the very being he had the attributes he had the nature that pertains to the divine nature of God. Which you know which can which was seen outwardly as well. Okay so that is the meaning of Christ was in the form of God. The next phrase was Christ the next phrase is Christ was equal with God. We already explained how Jesus Christ was co-equal with and one with God the Father and God the Holy Spirit. We already looked at it in the previous chapter so we won't be going through that. We'll move on to the third phrase he did not consider it robbery to be equal with God. If you look at it in the literal Greek translation it means that he did not deem on him or it did not deem being on equality with God as something to grasp. Okay I read that again did not deem being on equality with God as something to grasp or something to hold on to. So we see that even though Jesus was co-equal with God and has the right to be honored and worshiped as God because he is God himself. But he did not hold on to that glorious estate and heavenly privilege. Okay he gave up that. So one of the things that he gave up of his eternal nature or his being God or his being divine was he did not hold on to the glorious estate and the heavenly privilege of being honored or being worshipped as God. Okay though he was he's co-equal with God the Father and God the Son. Okay the next one next phrase is he made himself of no reputation. Now the Greek translation says but emptied himself. Okay now when we say that Jesus emptied himself it indicates that he voluntarily came down from once rank or dignity. He descended from took a descent from once rank or dignity. He came down from being God to becoming man. He emptied himself when we talk about emptied himself it does not mean that he gave up everything of him being God you know of his eternal nature or in the sense of him laying aside his essential nature as deity. But he rather willingly you know refrained or exercised refrained in you know giving up or refrained from using some of his divine attributes and the divine attributes that he refrained from using where being omnipotent. What is the meaning of omnipotent? What is the meaning of omnipotent? We studied this. All powerful omnipotent. Thank you all powerful omnipotent omniscient. Knows everything. Knows everything sees everything. Thank you omnipresent. Present everywhere. Thank you is present everywhere. So you don't have to worry about these phrase terms or these words are very simple. Omni is all you know omnipotent is or omnipotence PO powerful. Okay. So it's all powerful omniscient sees he sees everything he knows everything and of course omnipresent he is present everywhere. So he laid aside his position of being equal with God gave up that you know the glorious estate and the heavenly privilege of being worshipped or being honored as God. He gave up that position of being equal with God and also he willingly refrained from exercising his divine attributes and what are the divine attributes that he refrained from exercising was being omnipotent omniscient and omnipresent. Okay. So these are the areas where he limited himself or you know he willingly gave himself up. Even though he was fully God he gave himself up the rights of being co-equal with God and hence to be honored and worshiped as God and repeating this again so that you know all of you will will know this these truths. Okay. So he did not hold on to his glorious estate and his heavenly privileges of being worshipped and being honored as God. He also laid aside his position of being equal with God and he willingly refrained from exercising the expression of his divine attributes and that is being omnipotent omniscient and omnipresent. Okay. And we see as I mentioned you know in John chapter 17 when when Jesus was almost done with his earthly ministry was called the high priestly prayer of Jesus. In John chapter 17 verse five he says and now O Father glorify me together with yourself with the glory which I had before the world was. Okay. So we see that Jesus had a glory prior to his incarnation that was of him being God. But when Jesus was walked on this earth he was all God and all man but he made a choice for you and me to lay aside his power and the glory of his deity and he submitted himself willingly submitted himself to the father. Okay. And and Jesus said this in John chapter 14 verse 28 towards the end of his life here on the earth he said if you love me you would rejoice because I said I'm going to the father for my father is greater than I. So here we see that somebody asked this question you know why did. Why are why when when God is when Jesus God the father God the son and God the Holy Spirit co-equaled and why does he say that you know my father is greater than I because he gave up his heavenly privileges his position of being equal with God. And hence he says here only in terms of his incarnation he says that the father is greater than I okay because he took on the position of being man and not being co-equal with God took on the position of being equal with man and not being co-equal with God. And that's why he mentions here that you know my father is greater than I and it has to be understood only in the context of incarnation. Okay. So we see that there's a sense of joy that Jesus was experiencing when he was returning to the father because of the glory that he would receive back the glory of being God. Okay. Thanks joy. I'm not following the PDF version so hence I'm not able to tell you the right page we are on. Sorry. And I have a lot of extra notes in so you know the page numbering for me will be quite different from yours but thank you joy for helping. Yeah. So we look at the next phrase he took on the form of a bond servant. Okay. So we see that Jesus left his position of being equal with God and he took on or assume the state of being a servant. So we see that Jesus is called the servant of God and we have servant songs that are mentioned in Isaiah. Several servant songs that are mentioned by Isaiah which is prophesying about the coming Messiah who will be the servant. Okay. And we see Jesus being a servant taking on the position of a servant you know he does this willingly and he submits to the father. So he's willingly offering his obedience devotion and service and he's subjecting his obedience he's subjecting his will to that office. Father and we see that you know in the Garden of Gethsemane he says you know take this cup away from me but yet not my will be done but yet not my will but your will be done. So we see that Jesus submits to the will of the father and as a servant he's willingly offering himself you know his obedience his devotion his service and also subjecting his will to the will of the father in doing what the father has commissioned him to do purpose him for him to do. Okay. If you look at Hebrews chapter 10 verse 7 can somebody read that please Hebrews chapter 10 verse 7. Then I said behold I have come in the volume of the book it is written on me of me to do your will oh God. Thank you. So here sorry go ahead. Jesus came to do the father's will. Yeah. So we see that you know it is written that you know I've come to do the will of God so Jesus came to do the will of the father. In John chapter 5 verse 30 we see that you know if we read there again that Jesus came to do the father's will. Okay. Any questions on these few phrases we are basically looking at the seven steps of incarnation and trying to get a deeper understanding of how Jesus was fully God and fully man and as being fully God what were the privileges that he or what were the things that he did not you know take upon himself or what did he give up as being fully God and you know being fully man. Okay. So any questions. Anything you all have any doubts. If not we'll move on to the next phrase he came in the likeness of men. You know if you read this in the new international version it says being made in human likeness. Okay. So we see that Jesus Christ conformed himself to the likeness of human beings just being like you and I and he continued to live his life here on the earth till he died as all men do. Okay. So we see that he was fully human in all aspects. And we see that he had the frailties of human being. He subjected himself submitted himself to the limitations of human experience. So we see the incarnation that God or deity you know becoming like man took on the limitations of frailties and became fully man. Okay. Now we look at how he was fully man in the next chapter but in this chapter which is basically looking at his incarnation. The next phrase is that and the last phrase of the steps of incarnation that we are studying in Philippians chapter two is that God manifested himself. Sorry. He was found in the appearance as a man. Okay. So he appeared as a man so that we human beings could see God could understand the full revelation of God who God is what he does. So we know that as we read before I know the worst we said that you know no man can see God because he lives in unapproachable light no human eye has ever seen or can see the glory of God because he lives in unapproachable light. Okay. But we see that when God became man he was able to come down to this earth become one like us and we were able to see him. We were able to understand the nature of God we are able to see God's ways his works and get a better revelation of who God is. Okay. So when Jesus lived here on this earth you know when he spoke to people the way he lived you know people could see him touch him and you know walk along with him receive from him. He came to do all of this so that we could understand the very heart the very nature of God the Father and all this was possible only through the incarnation. Okay. We know if you read in the Old Testament we gathered an understanding that the people in the Old Testament were very afraid of God. You know they wouldn't even want to go near the mountain Mount Sinai where Jesus or where God came to speak to his people give the laws the commandments. People were really scared of God. They go through mediators like prophets and priests. And this whole concept was of God was that he's an angry God or maybe a God who punishes a God who does not you know forgive easily keeps a record of sin. So that was a kind of understanding and a more of you know ritual based and law based. But here we see that you know even though God in the Old has manifested himself and revealed himself as a compassionate caring loving God a God who forgives sins. But people had a very different understanding of God so we see through the incarnation. When Jesus came when he did not condemn people when he forgave sins or when he showed a love when he healed when he delivered people. You know people were able to see the very compassionate forgiving loving nature and caring nature of God the Father and all of this was possible only through the incarnation. So we looked at the seven steps of incarnation in Philippians chapter 2 very important verse to know to study and also to understand what it incarnation really means. We'll take a break now and we'll come back and we'll continue with class. In the meantime if you just want to look at it again and you have any questions or doubts please feel free to ask. So enjoy your break I'll see you in 8 minutes sorry I took extra time. Thank you.