If Jesus Never Came

If Jesus Never Came

JCC Carol service 20.12.09 pm

Imagine what the world would be like if God, in the person of Jesus Christ, had never come to earth

Our way of dating history would be completely different, since all of history is divided into the things which happened before Christ and after Christ

Have you ever wondered what the calendar would look like if there was no Jesus?

There would be no churches

We would have only half a Bible

We wouldn’t have heard of the love of a personal God

There would be no Christmas, no gifts representing God’s greatest gift

There would be no Christmas Carols or hymns

Can you imagine the world without Jesus?

What would winter without Christmas be like?

Dark, long cold days, with just spring to look forward to

Without Jesus, Mary Magdalene would have died in her sin

Matthew would still have been a traitor to his countrymen

The Roman soldier would have continued his cruelty

Peter, James and John would have done nothing more with their lives than fish for a living

The Apostle Paul would never have been more than a cruel Pharisee steeped in legalism with an unrelenting demand for perfection from other people

The people who needed healing, during that time, would still have been broken in body and spirit

The lame would still have been lame

The blind would have remained in their darkness

The deaf would have still lived in silence

We would never have heard the words: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” John 14:27

Or “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” John 15:11

And “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10

This is why we sing about Emmanuel at Christmas

God is with us

He was with us over 2000 years ago, and he is with us now in this present moment to show us what God is like

We have a God who cared enough to come

He showed us what he was like and his name was love

He was the friend of sinners and people with failures

He showed love and compassion to the outcasts of the world

He healed the sick and raised the dead

It means our sins can be forgiven

Think for a moment of the worst thing you have ever did

The thing that makes you most shameful

Then think of what it would be like if Jesus had not come and you could not be forgiven for your sin

What would that be like?

Your guilt would never be gone, and condemnation would always be hanging over your head

But since Jesus came, forgiveness has come to those who have received the grace that Christ came to give

We can know the freedom that forgiveness brings

We can forgive ourselves and others if we have experienced the forgiveness that Jesus Christ came to give us

But if Jesus had never come, we would have only commandments to follow

We would never hear the great words of the New Testament: “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” John 3:16-17

We would be missing a Saviour

There would be no talk of forgiveness and reconciliation to God, only laws to be obeyed

Grace would not be a word in our vocabulary

We would talk about justice, and people getting what they deserved, rather than finding and giving mercy through God

Think about what the world would feel like if there was no hope of heaven

What would you say at the funeral of a loved one if Jesus had not come?

There would be no hope beyond the grave

You could not talk about heaven, or any reason to hope for eternal life with God

Only the reality of dissolving into nothingness

The Bible says, “If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men” 1 Cor 15:19

If Jesus Christ had not come, there would be no book of Revelation

No hope of a returning Saviour who would overcome the world and open heaven for us

There would be no hope of hearing the words: “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!” Matt 25:21