INTRODUCTION
Today is the last sermon that I will be giving for the year.
We have had a great year and we can only thank God for this.
We have seen how He had His hand in every aspect of this church and how he made changes in people’s lives and relationships and their finances.
We have seen miracles and how He aided those in hospitals.
We have seen the working of the Holy Spirit in this Church.
And for that I would like to thank Him.
Let’s pray
This morning I am ending the series on THE SIGNIFICANCE OF JESUS’ BIRTH, with the third instalment entitled THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE PURPOSE OF JESUS’ BIRTH.
Last week we discussed the significance of the Place of Jesus’s birth and the week prior to that the significance of the Timing of Jesus’ Birth.
So let’s start with our series scripture:
Luke 2:1-7 KJV
And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed.
(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)
And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
And now the sermon scripture.
And this is probably the best know scripture in the Bible:
John 3:16-18 KJV
(16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
(17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.
(18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
SERMON INTRODUCTION
Today we celebrate the Birth of Jesus Christ.
Now some people do not think that the birth of Jesus has any great significance and would argue that it is His death on the cross and His resurrection that is of importance.
Yes, Jesus’ death on the cross is of great significance for all mankind as is His resurrection.
However, it is illogical to debate that the birth of Jesus is of no or little concern because, if Jesus was never born He could not have died on the cross.
The birth of Jesus is where everything started.
It is where His death on the cross and His resurrection started from.
Therefore, for me personally, Jesus’ Birth is of the utmost importance.
It is, however, sad to observe how people usually celebrate Christmas.
They forget the true reason why we celebrate Christmas.
All they see is presents and eating and drinking and father Christmas.
So our first question should be:
“Why are we celebrating Christmas?”
And the answer is easy…
We celebrate Christmas because we are celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.
We are celebrating His Birthday.
And the giving of gifts and the eating and the celebrations are just by-products of the celebration of His birthday.
The second thing that we need to understand when it comes to the birth of Jesus, is this:
Why was Jesus Born in the first place?
What is the significance of the purpose of Jesus’ Birth?
Well this morning I will discuss 4 Primary reason for the Birth of Jesus
Why was Jesus born?
SERMON
JESUS WAS BORN…
TO REDEEM MANKIND
Adam and Eve found themselves in the Garden of Eden.
They had everything they need.
Enough food, no dangers, everlasting life, communion with God…
Everything was perfect.
But God had one restriction.
They were not allowed to eat from the tree in the middle of the garden.
And you all know the story.
They did eat from the tree and this meant that they sinned.
They disobeyed God.
When they ate from the fruit they were detached from God, lost for eternity.
And, as we read in Romans 6:23, the payment for sin is death.
Therefore someone needed to pay it.
But no one on earth was able pay the debt because no one is perfect, no one was without sin
Therefore, a perfect sacrifice was needed and there was only one person who could fulfil that requirements and that was Jesus Christ.
He was the only one perfect redeemer.
Therefore, Jesus was born in order for Him to become the Perfect Sacrifice, the Redeemer, in order for Him to redeem mankind.
Now you might think to yourself that, before Jesus died for our sins, there was sacrifices made in the form of animals.
And you would be correct.
God showed Moses a temporary way to ensure that their sins are temporarily forgiven.
All the patriarchs made offerings to God, Abraham even going as far as to almost sacrificing His own son.
But none of these sacrifices were perfect.
None of these sacrifices were permanent.
We read in
Hebrews 10:3-4 KJV
(3) But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year.
(4) For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.
No sacrifice, before Christ became a sacrifice, was able to take away the penalty of sin.
So, if these sacrifices were not adequate then what was the reason for these sacrifices?
It was to teach them that sacrifices were necessary for the redemption from sin.
But Jesus needed to be born in order for Him to become the Perfect Sacrifice, the only one able to take away sin.
Romans 6:23 KJV
(23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Jesus needed to die in order for Him to pay the penalty in place of us.
And that penalty was the death penalty.
That is how much God loves us that He sent His Son to die for us, to pay our penalty, to die for what we were supposed to have died for.
He took our death penalty, he took death on Himself.
That’s called grace…
Romans 5:6-10 GW
(6) Look at it this way: At the right time, while we were still helpless, Christ died for ungodly people.
Finding someone who would die for a godly person is rare. Maybe someone would have the courage to die for a good person.
Christ died for us while we were still sinners. This demonstrates God’s love for us.
Since Christ’s blood has now given us God’s approval, we are even more certain that Christ will save us from God’s anger.
If the death of his Son restored our relationship with God while we were still his enemies, we are even more certain that, because of this restored relationship, the life of his Son will save us.
Our scripture this morning also reveals this:
Jesus died for us so “that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life”
God wanted us to have everlasting life and not everlasting death in hell.
Therefore He sent His son as the perfect sacrifice.
So the first reason that Jesus was born was to REDEEM MANKIND.
Let’s move to the second reason Jesus was born.
JESUS WAS BORN…
SO THAT GOD COULD REVEAL HIMSELF TO MAN
One of the original reasons why God created man was in order for man to have communion with Him.
God wanted a personal relationship between Himself and mankind.
And at first this worked out quite well.
Adam and Eve was with God in the Garden of Eden and the idea that we get was that God had communion with them.
He spoke to them.
He taught them.
He gave them instructions.
They had personal contact with Him.
However, when they sinned they broke that relationship.
They severed it like you would a branch from a tree.
When a branch break from a tree it is no longer attached to that tree and therefore it can no longer be sustained by that tree.
This is the idea I get from this.
The relationship between God and mankind was severed because of mankind’s sin.
This meant that God became a distant God to His people.
He became a God who you could not approach on your own.
There had to be a cleansing ceremony with the Priests and then the Priests would approach God on your behalf.
So mankind had no idea what God’s personality really was.
They had no idea who God truly was.
They did not know the nature of God.
And when God appeared they were afraid.
A typical example can be found in:
Exodus 20:18-19 GW
(18) All the people heard the thunder and saw the lightning. They heard the blast of the ram’s horn and saw the mountain covered with smoke. So they shook with fear and stood at a distance.
(19) Then they said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we’ll listen. But don’t let God speak to us, or we’ll die!”
When God appeared the people were scared.
But the irony is that God wanted all of mankind to be like Him.
He wanted them to have His character.
In fact, when you read Genesis you will find that God made man in His own image.
God wanted man to be like Him.
But man was rebellious and sinned.
And that changed the relationship.
Adam and Eve were unsuccessful in carrying God’s Glory in their lives.
Therefore mankind was unsuccessful in being righteous.
There was only one way and that was for God to come to earth in the form of a man.
Jesus needed to come to earth to fix the severed relationship.
To fix the broken off branch.
To reveal God’s character to mankind.
We read in Hebrews 1:1-3
Hebrews 1:1-3 GW
In the past God spoke to our ancestors at many different times and in many different ways through the prophets.
In these last days he has spoken to us through his Son. God made his Son responsible for everything. His Son is the one through whom God made the universe.
His Son is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact likeness of God’s being. He holds everything together through his powerful words. After he had cleansed people from their sins, he received the highest position, the one next to the Father in heaven.
Through Jesus, God is revealed as:
A Loving God
A Merciful God
A Faithful God
A God that wanted to have a relationship with us
An approachable God
And many more…
The fact is that God wanted to repair the broken relationship between Himself and man and he wanted to show man who He was.
Remember what Jesus said to Philip when Philip asked Jesus to show him the Father?
John 14:9 GW
(9) Jesus replied, “I have been with all of you for a long time. Don’t you know me yet, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
By coming to earth, Jesus revealed the Father.
God showed us that He loved us in that He sent His Son.
Our scripture this morning reveals this where it says:
”For God so loved the world”
This brings us to the third reason why Jesus was born.
And this is related to our previous reason.
JESUS WAS BORN…
TO BE OUR MEDIATOR
In the New Covenant we see that Jesus is the mediator.
When Jesus died on the cross the temporary sacrifices of the Priests were replaced by the everlasting sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
We read in:
Hebrews 8:6 GW
(6) Jesus has been given a priestly work that is superior to the Levitical priests’ work. He also brings a better promise from God that is based on better guarantees.
By becoming the perfect priest, He has taken over the Priestly duties, where one of them is to be a mediator between God and mankind.
Jesus became the mediator of the New Covenant.
The author of Hebrews continues in
Hebrews 9:15 ESV
(15) Therefore he is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred that redeems them from the transgressions committed under the first covenant.
Paul also affirms this when He wrote to Timothy in:
1 Timothy 2:5 KJV
For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
When Jesus died on the cross He took over the role of the Priests.
He became the mediator, the go-between, amid God the Father and mankind.
Jesus is the only way for us to come to the Father
Jesus Himself said this in:
John 14:6 ESV
… No one comes to the Father except through me.
The Old Covenant had the Priests as the mediator between God and mankind.
The problem with this was that the Priests themselves were mere men.
Therefore they were sinful as well.
They were not without sin.
The Word of God says that no one is without sin – All have sinned…
These Priests were imperfect.
But the salvation of man required something much more superior than sinful men.
The salvation of man warranted perfection.
The complete salvation of man could only be accomplished through the perfect sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross.
To enable us to personally enter the throne room of God we needed a perfect mediator.
That mediator was Jesus Christ.
And, by being our mediator we also received an additional advantage
An additional Bonus.
We have someone who intercedes for us.
Jesus intercedes for us at the Father.
He pleads our case.
He is our advocate in heaven.
Romans 8:34 ESV
(34) Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.
Jesus was born in order for Him to become our mediator and to intercede for us in heaven.
But what about on earth; who helps us here on earth?
That brings me to my last point.
JESUS WAS BORN…
TO ENABLE MANKIND TO PERMANENTLY RECEIVETHE HOLY SPIRIT
John 7:38-39 GW
(38) As Scripture says, 'Streams of living water will flow from deep within the person who believes in me.'"
(39) Jesus said this about the Spirit, whom his believers would receive. The Spirit was not yet evident, as it would be after Jesus had been glorified.
Jesus was born to become the sacrifice for our sin and, only after His death, resurrection and ascension could the Holy Spirit be revealed permanently.
Only after Jesus’ Glorification could the Holy Spirit be permanently received.
Only after this could we receive the Holy Spirit benefits from the gifts that He bestows upon us.
Jesus said this as recorded in the Gospel of John:
John 16:7 GW
However, I am telling you the truth: It's good for you that I'm going away. If I don't go away, the helper won't come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you.
Jesus is referencing the Holy Spirit here.
It is therefore evident that Jesus needed to be born, needed to die on the cross, needed to be resurrected and needed to leave by ascension, in order for the Holy Spirit to be permanently revealed.
The question now beckons:
Why it was necessary for Jesus to go away before the Holy Spirit could come?
Jesus was in human form and, in His human form He was not able to be at all places at the same time.
He came to earth to die for our sins.
He came to earth to reveal God to mankind.
But when His job was done He needed to ascend into heaven to become our mediator and to enable us to receive the Holy Spirit.
Yes, previously the Holy Spirit did come upon God’s people, but only for a short time.
But God’s plan did not just involve the Israelites.
It included everyone on earth.
It included Jews as well as Gentiles.
It included you and me.
Therefore, in order for God’s glory to manifest on the entire earth;
In order for God’s message, God’s Good News, to spread to the ends of the earth, He needed to give His Holy Spirit to all.
To not only comfort us, but to teach us and to give us power to do His work.
And only by Jesus leaving could the Holy Spirit be revealed.
The thing is, Jesus had to do certain things before the Holy Spirit was able to do what He needed to do.
And when the Holy Spirit comes…
He reveals God to us.
He reveals Jesus to us.
He aids and teaches us in our daily walk with God.
And this is where it comes full circle…
The Holy Spirit reveals Jesus’ redemptive work to us
He reveals who God is to us.
He enables us to speak to our mediator, Jesus.
He leads us and empowers us by His gifts.
CLOSING
When Jesus was born there was great significance concerning the purpose of His birth.
We have seen this morning that Jesus was born for the purpose of
• Redemption – He wanted to save mankind from their sins. And only Jesus was able to redeem mankind because He was the only perfect sacrifice.
• Revelation – God wanted to reveal Himself to us. The relationship was severed between mankind and God when Adam & Eve sinned. Jesus was born for Him to fix that relationship and to reveal who God really is.
• Mediation – Jesus mediates between us and God. When Jesus came to earth He became the perfect priest, the go-between amid God and us.
• Empowerment – Jesus’ ascension made way for the Holy Spirit. Jesus need to come to earth and die in order for our sins to be forgiven and for us to become righteous before the Holy Spirit was able to have permanent residency in us. And by doing so He comforts us, He teaches us and He empowers us.
I truly hope that these 4 points, though not exhaustive, will aid you in understanding the reason, the significance of the purpose of Jesus’ Birth.
I also hope that you will be able to aid others in their understanding of why Jesus was born.
With this I hope that you will have a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year.
Amen
Let’s Pray
