Christ Came For You - Christmas Eve

Why Christ Came

Luke 19:10

December 24, 2015

Have you ever had a neighbor who really lights up the street with their display? Sometimes we compete with our neighbors about who has the best lights around. Well there’s a family in Australia who lights up the neighborhood. They have the Guiness World Record for the number of lights. I can’t imagine counting them, but they have 1,194,380 million lights.

But is that all there is to Christmas? Some of you are here because you wouldn’t be anywhere else on Christmas Eve, some of you are here because you have no choice . . . If you want dinner and presents tomorrow, then you have to be here. Many of us would say we know who Jesus is, but to do we really understand why He came.

So, I’m going to answer the question, — Why did Christ come to the earth?

You see, it’s not enough to know who Jesus is. Most of the world knows what Christians believe about Jesus. I think the world still wants to know and maybe we need to be reminded — Why did Jesus come and what difference does it make?

People have many different thoughts and opinions about why Jesus came. There are all kinds of theories . . .

. . . but we need to look to God’s word and to the words of Jesus, Himself. In the gospel of Luke there’s a popular story that was made into a song. It’s the story about Jesus encountering a thief who was the chief tax collector. He was a sinful man named Zaccheus.

After visiting with Jesus, Zaccheus was a changed man - - and Jesus said this - - - 9“Today salvation has come to this house, since he also is a son of Abraham.” That’s great news for Zaccheus and his family.

Then Jesus made this statement about Himself - - - from Luke 19:10 ~

10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.

It’s really a simple statement, yet it’s so rich and deep and profound. Think about this - - - The Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost!

That’s it!! That’s the Gospel message, that’s the reason Jesus came.

We have the most amazing and powerful historical fact. “The Son of Man came.”

Jesus has come! The Almighty entered our world, the infinite became finite! The eternal invaded time. It’s the Incarnation – God in human flesh. Immanuel – God with us. He is Jesus - One who saves.

His birth differs from every other birth in history. He voluntarily came in obedience to the Father’s will. That’s not true of you and I. We were born, but we had no choice in the matter. I had no say in it. I am here by the choices made by my parents. But Jesus “came” according to the plan of God.

Paul tells us in Galatians 4:4 ~ “When the time had fully come, God sent forth His Son.” Every detail was 100% perfectly planned. Nothing happened by chance.

He came from the light into the darkness.

He came from perfection into weakness.

He came from purity into a world of sin.

But still He came! God himself entered the human race in the form of a tiny baby. He is the Son of Man because He was first the Son of God.

And the Word (Christ) became flesh (human, incarnate) and dwelt (lived) among us” (John 1:14).

Sometimes we focus on peripheral questions – how did Jesus turn water into wine? – how did Jesus heal that person? How did Jesus do this or that — — and often times they distract us from the core issues.

We believe God became a man. This is the central truth of our faith. It’s a fact which is inconceivable in other religions. They reject the notion that somehow — God could become one of us. To Christians it is impossible to speak about God — without speaking about God becoming one of us.

At the heart of our faith is this truth ~ God came to us in the person of Jesus.

Second, we have the most spiritually significant mission.

The Son of Man came to seek and to save.

Jesus came looking for someone. What is our Lord like? He is like the woman who lost a coin and searched her house until she found it. He is like the man who lost one sheep and went out into the wilderness to find it. He is the like the Father who welcomed his Prodigal Son home again. Jesus came looking for someone.

He came seeking sinners in a tree, at midnight, and the woman at the well.