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Jack Hibbs: I'm not following some whimsical creation or fables. I'm following facts. Did you know that Christianity, we have faith founded upon facts? It's not blind faith.

David J: This is Real Life. Welcome to Real Life Radio with Pastor Jack Hibbs. I'm David J. Thank you for joining us today as we listen, learn, and are challenged by God's Word, the Bible.

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David J: On today's edition of Real Life Radio, Pastor Jack continues his series called "The Life and Times of Jesus Christ" and a message titled "Christ and His First Coming." This is a series about who Jesus really is, not the Jesus of popular opinion, but the Jesus of the Bible. God himself who stepped into our world. And in this message, we'll discover the wonder of His first coming, when God himself stepped into our world, wearing human flesh.

You see, religion is us reaching up from a fallen world, groping and working to find God. But Christianity, well, that's something completely different. It's God coming down to seek us out with His desire to save us, knowing that we can't possibly do enough to save ourselves.

So today, Pastor Jack teaches that Christ's first coming was real, witnessed by many, and life-changing for all, really. People saw Him, they heard Him, they touched Him, and that one humble arrival changed the entire course of human history. Now with his message called "Christ and His First Coming," here's pastor and Bible teacher, Jack Hibbs.

Jack Hibbs: As time goes on, the Bible is proven more and more every day. I don't know, last night I was watching a Nova documentary on Alexandria, Egypt, maybe you saw it on the origin of lighthouses. And they found, just as the Bible talks about, these areas in Egypt where they found these idols and stuff. Well, that's great, but they're just finding the past, which is wonderful, but it's all biblically recorded with accuracy.

God predicted by His Word, the Bible, that Jesus would come. The critic should stand up and take notice of that. How so, Jack? Well, how about like this? Isaiah chapter 61, verses one and two are completely linked to Luke 4:18. Luke 4:18 says the same of what was prophesied thousands of years in advance by Isaiah, 743 years before Luke's time.

When it says in Isaiah 61, "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings to the poor, and He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and the opening of the prison to those who are bound, to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." And at that, Jesus sat down, remember?

Hey, Jesus Christ was quoting out of the scroll of Isaiah in Luke chapter 4, Isaiah chapter 61. Jesus went to the Bible. When Jesus read that portion of scripture, he sat down, which I think is a good idea. The teachers in those days sat down and all the students had to stand up. How'd you like that? You guys are spoiled. You got cushy seats, air conditioning.

Jesus opened the scroll, he read it, he sat down. He said, "Alright, today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing." And their jaws hit the ground. Jesus said, "I am what this verse speaks about. I'm the messenger, I'm the one, I'm He." Their jaws hit the ground. The Word of God. Jesus quoted the Word of God.

Jesus quoted Deuteronomy more than any other book of the Bible, did you know that? That's His favorite book, it appears, during His earthly ministry. He quoted Deuteronomy more than any other book. Romans chapter one, verse one through four, Paul says this: "Paul, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated to the gospel of God, which he promised before through the prophets in the Bible, the holy scriptures, concerning his son, Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David," that is he came through Mary, "according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by the resurrection of the dead."

Second Timothy 3:16 says all scripture, the Bible, is given by the inspiration of God. That is God has possessed man to write or proclaim the word. That's why it's without error. You think God was going to leave this book to ourselves? Are you kidding? It is profitable, he says, for doctrine, and on he goes.

Then Second Peter chapter one, Peter says, "Know this first, that no revelation of scripture is of any private interpretation. For the revelation of scripture never came by the will of man, but holy men of God as they were possessed, moved, or inspired by the Holy Spirit." That's powerful stuff.

Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would bring to remembrance whatsoever he taught his disciples. Why? The Holy Spirit uses the Word of God, the Bible. Let's just continue. I was going to mention this thing about confrontational truth. Maybe I should. Confrontational truth. When Christ speaks things like this, he says, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." That's Bible. That's confrontational truth.

It's when we as Christians speak that, that the Holy Spirit comes upon that passage and drives it home to somebody's heart. Why? Because it's biblical. It's Bible. And the Holy Spirit uses it. That's why if you quote, if you're witnessing to somebody and you quote your grandpa to them, there's no effect. "Well, my grandpa says." Well, good luck, because that's all you have.

But when you say, "Jesus said." Charles Spurgeon said when you preach a message, it had better have a lot of Bible in it. He said every message should be plump and pregnant with Bibline, he called it. Bibline. Full of Bible. Very, very important.

Let's consider this. Our second point this morning is His coming to Earth was experientially confirmed. The second point, His coming was experientially confirmed. How's that? John chapter 1, verse 1 says, "In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

But John chapter 1, verse 10 says, "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, but the world did not know Him, or recognized Him." He came to His own, that's the Jewish people, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them gave He the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who were born not of blood, not of the will of the flesh, not of the will of man—that is all of our earthly birth, our first birth—but of God.

The Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Listen, the coming of Jesus Christ to Earth was experientially confirmed. People saw Him. People talked to Him. People heard Him. They were affected by Him.

In First John chapter one, listen to this. The same John writes this: "That which was from the beginning," that's First John chapter one, verse one, "which we have heard." John says, we've heard him. And you might say, well, that's one reporter's opinion. Well, consider this. He's one reporter writing the book, yes, but they were hundreds of early disciples, then thousands, then tens of thousands, then millions, then possibly billions, who don't give it a second thought to give their life for Christ and the truth that he's revealed.

Yes, John says, but we even heard him. So much was John convinced of what John taught that he was willing to suffer death if necessary. Peter, crucified upside down to death because he believed what he saw and heard about Christ. Thomas, killed. James, beheaded. Luke, killed. Paul, beheaded. What do you have in your life worth dying for? If you are a Christian, the first thing that comes to mind is Jesus Christ.

Right from the get-go. Right from the get-go. John says, "That which we had from the beginning, we've heard him, which we've seen him with our own eyes. We looked upon him and our own hands we have handled him concerning the word of life. The life was manifested and we've seen him and we bear witness to you and declare to you that eternal life which was from the Father. He was manifested to us. That which we have seen and we've heard and we declare it to you that you also may have fellowship with us and truly," he says, "our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ."

Christ Jesus came to Earth and he was experientially confirmed, meaning if you would have lived 1,999 years ago, you would have seen him. You could have followed him. You could have listened to him. You could have seen his works.

Consider this. He says that it's confirmed to us by eyewitness account. Matthew chapter 21, the nation saw him with their eyes. Matthew 21, verse one says, "Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and they came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two of his disciples saying to them, 'Go into the village opposite you and immediately you will find a donkey tied to a colt there. Loose them and bring them to me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say to them, the Lord has need of them, and immediately he will send them.'"

And all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of by the prophet, that's the Old Testament prophet. "Tell the daughter of Zion, behold your king is coming to you humbly and sitting on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." And they brought the colt and the donkey there and they laid their clothes on them and set Jesus on them, and a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road and others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road.

Then the multitude who went before and those who followed cried out saying, "Hosanna to the son of David. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest." The nation saw that moment. Jesus, Matthew, both of them quoting Zechariah 9, verse nine, written nearly a thousand years before Christ came.

And the buzzword or the code word was this to Jerusalem: "O Jerusalem, rejoice greatly, you daughter of Zion. Shout, daughter of Jerusalem. For behold, your king comes to you, just, having salvation, humbly riding upon a donkey, upon the colt, the foal of a donkey." Isn't that fantastic? You could have experienced Christ. You had the book. Here he comes. You could have said, "Hi, Jesus."

Experientially. Nothing was done in secret. We're not following some whimsical creation or fables, we're following facts. Did you know that Christianity is that we have faith founded upon facts? It's not blind faith. We have the Bible, we have science to look at that confirms God's Word.

Also this, scripture teaches us that it was confirmed by what God had said. Micah chapter 5, verse 2. Micah 5:2 tells us, "But you, O Bethlehem, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to me the one to be ruler in Israel, whose goings forth have been from of old, even everlasting."

The hill countries of Bethlehem, beautiful, as you see, hills rolling, shepherds to this day. This was a current picture. It hasn't changed. And God said through Micah, the Old Testament prophet, 522 years before Jesus was born. God spoke through Micah and he said, "You, Bethlehem, the Messiah's going to come out of you. He's eternal. Born in a shepherd town, low-income town, still to this day."

We have some images that you can see. I mean, it's just absolutely as it was thousands of years ago. And when the Bible says that he was born in a manger, consider this. I would have liked to have shown you this image that I took a photograph of, but I was unable to find it. But here's a neat stone representation. I want you to keep your eye on this closely. Do you notice this carving here? There's donkeys. See the donkey and the animals looking in at him right there.

And there's baby Jesus. And look, he's lying in this manger. Doesn't that manger look like it's made out of brick? You know the message they're trying to convey? All mangers in Israel to this day—you mean they still make them? Yes, because a manger is not for babies. Well, I thought the Christmas story said you could find the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. It's true, but a manger's a feeding trough for animals that holds water and it holds grain.

It's made out of stone. And we've seen fantastic, out in the middle of nowhere, ask someone who's been with us to Israel, out in the middle of nowhere near a well or someplace, there'll be a manger carved out of stone. And you pull up the bucket like we did, out in no man's land, pulled up the bucket and poured water into the manger. You put food in the manger. That's why he's the bread of life. You put the bread of life in the manger for food.

By the way, you don't bring a manger inside of a house. It's unclean, it's a filthy thing. They had to line it with straw or something because it had cow boogers and stuff on it. I mean, it had donkey saliva on it. You don't put a brand-new baby in there, you line it with material.

And by the way, you don't put it inside your house, you put it outside your house. Mangers were outside the house, just like you put your dog's bowl outside the house. Isn't that funny? God sent his son and you could find him in a manger. That's why it says when everybody came to look at him, remember they all came to see him? He's in a manger. He's on public display outside the house. It's fantastic. Very exciting.

God's Word, true. The virgin birth of Jesus Christ. Jesus had to be born of a virgin. Very, very important. Had to be that way. Let's consider this also. Third point, his coming changed the course of human history. His coming changed the course of human history. Consider this.

Did you know that every time you sign your check or you do something with the date, did you know that you are consciously or not using the fact that Christ came into the world? You know the Earth is a lot older than that, you know that. Human existence is a lot older than that, you know that. But if you're going to do anything meaningful and anything actual and factual in this Earth, you've got to do it by a date, and that date is the date concerning the coming of the Son of God to Earth. Isn't that cool? I love that.

Listen, his coming changed the course of human history. How's that? By qualifying God's plan for the ages. By qualifying God's plan for the ages. Quickly this, because Jesus Christ came into the world as God in human form, his purpose was manifold.

Number one, it was to identify with humanity. Why? Because God was going to save mankind. Check this out, I find it highly attractive. Jesus did not come and die for angels. Did you know that? They're not redeemed. Now you might say, poor angels. Well, I don't know what angels know. It's their tough luck, I don't know. Some of them are lost forever, we know this. But Jesus didn't die for angels.

He died for us. He identified with humanity. Second thing is he came to reveal God to man. Hebrews chapter one, verse one tells us that in these last days he has spoken to us finally by his son. He used to speak to us by prophets, now Hebrews chapter one says he's spoken to us by his son.

Why would you follow somebody else? Why would you follow some strange teaching by some nincompoop or some crazy group of people? Jesus. What does Jesus say? What does the Bible say about him? He has come to reveal God to us. He qualified God's plan for us in that he showed the power of God over evil.

He went around healing people, raising people from the dead, opening up the eyes of the blind, cleansing lepers from leprosy. He came to forgive mankind their sin. He qualified God's plan in that he came to die for our sins. He destroyed the work of Satan. Jesus did, only God can do that. Mankind couldn't do that.

We try so hard, don't we, to unravel Satan's work? You know, that's why there's hospitals. Satan loves to afflict. Satan loves to sicken people and to abuse people and destroy people. And we have hospitals and we have various ways of trying to undo. Consciously or unconsciously, you can go to Cedars-Sinai where they have a great medical facility there for all kinds of problems. What are they trying to do there at that great hospital? Undo the work of Satan.

Now, if you asked a physician there, "What are you doing here?" he wouldn't say, "We're trying to undo the work of Satan." But that's exactly what they're doing. But only Jesus can do it ultimately. The Great Physician heals completely everything. To destroy the work of Satan.

He qualifies God's plan by representing our concerns to the Father. You know the Bible teaches that Jesus right now is praying for you and I right now. Isn't that something? "Well, what's he praying about?" Something you and I need for sure.

Let's consider this also. Jesus, he changed the course of human history also by vindicating God's justice. Vindicating God's justice. What could that mean? God is just and he demands payment for wrong. When Jesus Christ came, he vindicated God's justice in that what God has to have to abolish sin and its power, Jesus Christ did by going to the cross.

Ezekiel 18, verse four: "Behold," God says, "all souls are mine. The souls of the father as well as the souls of the son are mine. And the soul that sins, it shall die." Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ."

And then finally this, very important, check this out, write it down, by enacting the power of salvation. He changed the course of human history by enacting the power of salvation in that by the preaching of the gospel people can be saved. By the going forth of this good news.

I know it sounds silly, Paul the Apostle said by preaching the gospel, the silliness, the funniness, the weirdness of giving out the gospel, he said it's a strange thing, but people are changed, people are converted. How is that? Because it's a spiritual truth. It's a power. By Jesus Christ coming to Earth, he died on the cross, rose again from the dead, he enacted the power of salvation.

Quickly, Hebrews chapter 9, verse 16 says, "For where there is a testament," that is a will, "there must also be the necessity for the death of the testator. For a testament is in force only after a man dies, since it has no power at all while the man lives." That's why you have the New Testament. The power of Jesus Christ now to save you. Why? Because he died. He came to die for the sins of the world. That's why any other way into heaven is an abomination to him.

Hebrews chapter 9, verse 26 says, "But now once at the end of the ages, he has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." Romans chapter 5, verse 8 says, "But God demonstrated his love toward us in that while we were still sinners, Jesus Christ died for us." Romans 1:16 says, "I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ."

The incarnation of Christ, the coming of Jesus. And I want to give you a last couple of verses, one that you hear often here in First Timothy chapter three, verse 16. It says, "Without debate, great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested," that is you could touch him, feel him, hear him, see him, "in the flesh, justified in the spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, and then he was received up into glory."

Isn't that awesome? Isn't that exciting? Very important. Very life-changing. Have you considered what Jesus Christ has done?

David J: Pastor and Bible teacher Jack Hibbs here on Real Life Radio and his message called "Christ and His First Coming." Thanks so much for being here with us today. You know, this message is part of Pastor Jack's series called "The Life and Times of Jesus Christ." It's a series about the real Jesus of the Bible, God in the flesh, and why knowing Him more deeply changes everything. And we'll continue on the next edition of Real Life Radio.

Are you searching for answers these days in a world where truth is hard to find? Well, my friend, as you heard in our broadcast, Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. And if you'd like to learn more about what that means to you personally, just go to our website JackHibbs.com and then click on that tab there that's labeled "Know God." And there you'll be guided through what committing to Jesus Christ really means and the freedom that you'll find in knowing God. That's the "Know God" tab at our website JackHibbs.com. That's JackHibbs.com.

Hey, thank you again so much for listening. And if you'd like to hear or see more of what we do here, you can always go to JackHibbs.com for all the latest on what's going on with this ministry. And please, if you're ever in the Southern California area, come see us at Calvary Chapel Chino Hills. We'd love to see you there in person. It has been so good to be with you today and I pray you find yourself in the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. See you on the next episode.

This program is made possible by the generous contributions of you, our listeners. Visit us at JackHibbs.com, that's JackHibbs.com. Until next time, Pastor Jack and all of us here at Real Life Radio wish for you solid and steady growth in Christ and in His Word. We'll see you next time here on Real Life Radio.