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
There would be no hope of a resurrection, not even the concept of one
There would be no eternal life
Nothing to anticipate, except the closing of the coffin lid and the coldness of the grave
But because Jesus came, all that has changed
We live in joyful anticipation of what is yet to come
Christmas means that Christ has given us the gift of life and heaven
At this point it is still wrapped. But the package has our name on it
We know what awaits us. It is ours.
We would never have received the gift if it were not for Christmas
But we wait longingly for the day when we will enjoy the gift of heaven in all of its unwrapped wonder
Because Jesus came, we know what God is like. We experience forgiveness for our sins and the transformation of our hearts and minds. We have received the promise of heaven and eternal life. What better gifts could we ask for?
