“BORN TO DIE”
The Chronicles of Christmas - Week 4
Matthew 1:20-25
INTRODUCTION TO THE SERMON: (After :32 video intro)
The story is told of a 6 year old who had a new baby brother. His mother had told him that his new brother was a gift from heaven. So, one afternoon he tiptoed softly up to the crib in which his new baby brother lay. He looked at this baby intently, his eyes bright & shining. He stooped far over, leaning down over his baby brother. Finally, he whispered into one tiny red ear, "Quick, tell me about God before you forget."
You know, with our hectic schedules and the heightened commercialism, I think probably all of us, when it comes to the “real reason for the season,” could say, “Quick, tell me about Christmas, before we forget.” You see, Christmas is not just about decorations, egg nog and presents (although those things are good) and it’s also not just about the birth of Jesus. Christmas is really all about remembering the purpose for Jesus’ coming. It’s understanding that God had a grand design for this baby that would allow us the opportunity to have our sins forgiven and our futures assured.
That’s one of the reasons C.S. Lewis wrote The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Lewis reveals the purpose of Jesus through Narnia’s ultimate hero, the lion, Alsan. In fact, there are so many similarities between Aslan and Jesus that it’s almost an “in your face” representation. But Lewis wanted, through his fantasy world, to give children and adults alike the opportunity to see Jesus in a new way. A Jesus as Robin sang a moment ago, who would show us how it feels to hope and how, by facing tomorrow with Him, can learn to fly. So, this evening I want us to explore the real reason for the season. Oh, we’ll bow before the baby in Bethlehem but only long enough to see and comprehend that He became the Christ of Calvary. We’ll do that by comparing Lewis’ Aslan to Jesus seeing that their purpose was one and the same.
I. THEIR INTENTION WAS PREMEDITATED:
First, I want you to see that their intention was premeditated. What both Aslan and Jesus did was no accident, but a careful, thought out plan. First, how did they come to be?
I was watching “48 Hours Mystery” last Tuesday night on CBS. Their show that night was called “The Mystery of Christmas.” It was all about finding and looking at historical evidence for the birth of Christ. Early in the show Maureen Mauer, the host, gave this disclaimer. “While there is much documented historical evidence that Jesus Christ lived and that he died on a cross, there is little historical documented evidence for His birth.” That’s a true statement. We don’t have any birth records from Bethlehem, we don’t have any first person accounts from the shepherds or wise men. None of them wrote anything down, that we know of. But more than leading us to question Jesus’ birth I think that it speaks to God’s emphasis. He wanted us to focus more on the purpose for Jesus’ coming then He did on the entry.
Maybe that’s why C.S. Lewis in his stories has no record of Aslan’s birth. We are simply introduced to the Lion, Aslan, in the book, The Magician’s Nephew. There, Digory (the Professor in the LWW) and his friend Polly, Digory’s uncle Andrew and the White Witch come into Narnia before it has been fully created. As they stand in the dark they begin to hear a song. The song begins to transform the dark, formless world they are in, into a beautiful land. They discover that the song is being sung by a Lion. “Huge, shaggy, and bright, it stood facing the newly risen sun. It’s mouth wide open in song and it was about three hundred yards away.” (MN pg.63) The Lion is Aslan and his song creates the world of Narnia. But that is all we know. Lewis’ Aslan just appears. But you learn later that Aslan is the son of the Emperor-by-the-Sea who sent him to create this world.
Now, we know much more about Jesus’ birth than Aslan’s. Although we don’t have any historical documents we do have scriptural evidence of where and how Jesus was going to be born. God proved His Word and authenticated His Son by predicting details about the birth and life of Jesus, hundreds of years in advance that all came true. So, we know Jesus birth was planned, first of all, through prophecy. For example, the first prediction of the coming of Christ was all the way back at the beginning of time in Gen.3:15. We see it when God cursed the serpent, who was Satan, for tempting Eve. God said, "The Seed of The Woman Will Crush Your Head.. You Will Strike His Heel."(NIV) In other words, Satan was going to have a temporary victory over a descendant of Eve, which was Jesus. When did he strike Jesus’ heel? At the cross. Satan thought he had killed the Son of God but Jesus would have the ultimate victory, the one that would crush his head, defeat everything the devil had done, when Jesus arose from the dead.
I want us to look at just a couple of these detailed prophecies about the birth of Jesus that were made centuries before He was born in Bethlehem. Even the world agrees that these prophecies have been found in manuscripts that are proven to be written 100’s of years before Jesus’ arrival; i.e. these prophecies weren’t inserted later to make Him look good. Micah 5:2 predicts Jesus’ birthplace, "O Bethlehem.. you are but a small Judean village, yet you will be the birthplace of my King who is alive from everlasting ages past!" (LB) Matt. 2:6 tells us that Bethlehem was where He was born. Isa. 7:14 written 100’s of years before Jesus’ birth says, “Look! A virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel - ‘God is with us.’”(NLT) Matt. 1:23 (printed) tells us that is exactly how it happened. You see, it was no fluke that Jesus’ arrival was when, where and how it was.. it was predicted accurately 100’s of years before.
God’s detailed preparation for Christmas is also seen in the precise preparation of the world’s cultural conditions of that day. It was the right time culturally. Alexander the Great had conquered the world. Alexander was followed by the Greeks.. artists, philosophers, athletes that permeated the whole known world and when Jesus was born almost everyone spoke and understood Greek.. There was a universal language - what better time to communicate the good news of Jesus’ coming!
It was the right time politically. We read at the birth of Jesus in Luke 2 that "Caesar Augustus issued a decree.." The Romans ruled the world. The Roman empire was held together by an effective network of roads and trade. The Roman soldiers guarded the peace. Jesus was born at the time of history called "Pax Romana," there was no major conflict in the world. So missionaries like Paul were free to travel from one country to another without restriction to tell all everyone about Jesus.
It was also the right time spiritually. For 2000 years God had been training the Jewish people about the basics of the faith. They knew that there was one God not a multiplicity of gods. They knew that God was a Spirit not one made with hands. They knew that Jesus, the Messiah was coming. And God had been silent for 400 years between the last prophet and the time of Jesus’ birth. There was a spiritual void.. people everywhere were looking for answers. No wonder when a star appeared in the East, men from afar said, "Something special is happening. Let’s go see what it is." The time had come. Jesus was born at a unique moment in history.. when Roman peace, the Greek culture, and the Jewish religion all merged into one. As Gal. 4:4 says, “When the time had fully come, God sent His Son...”(NLT)
Now, the death of both Aslan and Jesus was also premeditated. C.S. Lewis’ Aslan is confronted by the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe after one of the children, Edmund has betrayed his own brothers and sisters. The Witch says to Aslan, “You at least know the Magic that the Emperor put into Narnia at the very beginning. You know that every traitor belongs to me as my lawful prey and that for every treachery I have the right to kill.”(LWW pg. 175) Aslan, surprisingly asks the Witch to walk & talk with him & after some time Aslan says to the crowd, “I have settled this matter. She has renounced her claim on your brother’s blood.” (LWW pg. 175) Everyone is so overjoyed Edmund won’t be killed no one thinks to ask Aslan, “Wait, how have you settled the matter?” We learn later that from the prophecy of the children coming into Narnia to Edmond’s betrayal to the Witch’s demand, that it all led to this moment.
{Video Clip - Aslan’s sacrifice - :55 mpeg.}
Aslan walked up those stairs to his death, not by some freak accident but he went intentionally, voluntarily, determinedly, his dying was planned.
Jesus’ dying was also planned. In fact, Jesus’ death was divinely premeditated. That fact is clear in the Bible. Rev.13:8 - "The Lamb was killed before the world was made." (NLT) Jesus’ death was no accident, it was a part of God’s blueprint from the beginning of time. I admit to you that I don’t completely comprehend this, but the Bible teaches us that even before God breathed into Adam the breath of life, God knew that Adam and Eve would sin. And He planned, even before their creation that He would send His Son to earth to be a substitute for our sins.
So, like with Jesus’ birth we see the plan for His death predicted through prophecy. The book of Isaiah was written nearly 700 years before the birth of Jesus. But Isaiah 53 predicted that God’s Son was going to suffer and die. He would be "Despised, rejected, suffer, pierced, punished, oppressed, afflicted, slaughtered, guilt offering." Psa. 22 was written hundreds of years before crucifixion, as a type of execution, was even invented. And yet somehow, the Psalmist knew what was going to happen. Jesus quoted at least a part of this Psalm while on the cross. "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" All who see me, mock me. They hurl insults, shaking their heads. He trusts in the lord, let the lord rescue him. People stare and gloat over me. They have pierced my hands and feet. They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing."(Psa. 22:1,7-8,16,18 NIV) You see, God had planned and predicted for centuries that the Messiah would die.
Then, after Jesus was born, the wise men brought gifts to celebrate his arrival. Matt. 2:11 says they brought gold, frankincense and myrrh. Gold was a gift for a king, frankincense was used by the priests. But what a strange gift, to bring to a young child--myrrh. Myrrh was used in embalming or preparing a body for death. But that mysterious gift at Jesus’ arrival was communicating that He was born to die.
But not only did God predict His Son’s death, Jesus Himself knew He was born to die and talked about it. Jesus was not surprised by the cross, Matt. 20:18-19 clearly shows that Jesus knew what was going to happen. “‘When we get to Jerusalem,’ he said, `The Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and teachers of the law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, whipped and crucified.’”(NLT) Now, you just cannot get any more specific than that. And all during His ministry Jesus would say things like: "My time has not yet come." "The hour is not yet here." But in the Garden of Gethsemane He looked to the Father and prayed, "Father, the time has come." The time for the cross. Jesus’ intention from the beginning was to die. He said in John 10:18- “No one takes my life from me. I give it up willingly and voluntarily!"(CEV) Jesus’ death was no accident, it was premeditated, planned by God, and deliberately carried out by Jesus.
II. THEIR OBJECTIVE WAS PURPOSEFUL:
Now, it’s not unknown for people to plan their own death. We have suicide bombers and people who plan their own demise. So, if we left it there it wouldn’t be anything but a tragic story. But not only was their intention to die premeditated but their objective was purposeful.
Although C.S. Lewis didn’t spend any words on Aslan’s birth we certainly know from the Word of God that Jesus came into our world as a newborn babe. But, why? Have you ever wondered that? Maybe I’m the only one that sits around thinking about these kinds of things but have you ever thought... “Why did Jesus come as a baby?” Why not come as a teen? Or a 20 something? I mean the Bible teaches us that Jesus is everlasting why not just “poof” show up? Well, the Bible gives us some hints as to why he came as a baby. For example in Phil. 2:7-8 it says that “When the time came, Jesus set aside the privileges of deity and took on the status of a slave, became human! 8 Having become human, he stayed human. It was an incredibly humbling process but He didn’t claim special privileges.”(Msg) Jesus wanted to make sure that he lived this life in the exact same way as we do and that must start with a trip down the birth canal. He wanted to do things exactly the same, no special privileges. But then Heb. 4:15 gives us the answer to why he wanted it that way. It says, “Jesus is our priest, our mediator, but he completely understands our reality. He lived exactly as we do. He’s experienced life just like us, He’s been through weakness and testing, He’s done it all - all but the sin.”(SEV) He came as a baby in order to be able to completely understand our reality. That was the plan, to come into this world just like us and live just like us, except.. He never sinned. And that was part of the plan too.
Because their was a purpose to death. Aslan’s dying was to save Edmund. Edmund had betrayed his brother and sisters, in fact, he had betrayed Aslan. Edmund told the Witch that Aslan was going to meet his family at a place called the “Stone Table,” and that gave her great pleasure! Because now she can use Edmund as bait. The prophecy is that two son’s of Adam and two daughter’s of Eve will sit on thrones given to them by Aslan and overthrow the Queen. But if she kills Edmund the prophecy cannot come true. She says, “‘Four thrones in Cair Paravel,’ said the witch. ‘How if only three were filled? That would not fulfill the prophecy.” (LWW pg. 172) But in the end, Aslan, voluntarily gives up himself in Edmund’s place. It’s amazing to me watching the movie (highly recommend) how many things in this moment of execution of Aslan reminded me of Jesus’ death. Aslan is condemned wrongly, Jesus is condemned wrongly; Aslan climbs up to the top of the table, Jesus climbs up to the top of Mt. Calvary; Aslan is attached to the Stone Table, Jesus is attached to the cross. If there was ever any doubt as to what Lewis was trying to portray through his story, that doubt is all wiped away in this event.
The only difference is that Jesus didn’t die for just one person, Jesus’ dying was to save all mankind. Jesus was born for this purpose, His death was his divine mission. In John 19:30 it tells us that Jesus’ last words on the cross were: “‘It is finished!’ Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit."(NLT) Jesus said those words because His mission on earth was complete. Jesus hadn’t come to earth just to be a martyr, He came so that the sins of the world could be paid for in full.
Two things happened at the cross. One we know about, the other we don’t think about as much. (1) God’s love was expressed. You see, there was a moment on the cross when Jesus took all of our Edmund like betrayal’s, all of our sin on Himself. In Matthew 27:46 it says, “At about three o’clock Jesus called out in a loud voice, `Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani!’ which means, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”(NLT) It is this moment in time that God was loading, unto His Son, all the sins of the world. Isaiah 53:6 says, "God laid upon him, the punishment for sin that we all deserved." (CEV) God gathered all the sins - from Adam & Eve’s disobedience, to Moses’ loss of temper, to Jezebel’s immorality, to David’s adultery, to Judas’ betrayal, to Hitler’s atrocities to Tim Smith’s selfishness & insensitivity.. and God gathered it all and laid it upon Jesus. And the reason Jesus asked why God has forsaken him was because in that moment a separation occurred between Jesus and the Father. No longer was it possible for them to have that close, intimate relationship as they had, because now the sinless One bore all sin. For the first time, in Jesus’ existence, He becomes guilty and He is separated by that sin from the Father. And He calls out - "God, why have you left me? Why have you abandoned me?"
I have always held my Father in high respect. I always wanted to please him. But, when I was in 10th grade I lost interest in school. Grades had always been pretty easy and I thought I could just skate by. Besides, everybody knew, baseball and basketball was what was really important. Then I got a 9-wks. report card and reality hit. I looked in disbelief at a ’D-’ in Geometry and a ’D’ in History. Well, I couldn’t show that to my parents, so I did the only logical thing. I took a pen and by making a mark in the middle of the ’D’s,’ I magically raised my grades to a ’B-’ and a ’B.’ I remember my Dad looking at that card and asking, "Tim, did you alter these grades?" "Oh, no, Dad. The cards came out with ’D’s’ and I knew I couldn’t be doing that bad, and sure enough they were mistakes and instead of making a new card, they just fixed them on the spot." Dad pressed me, but I wouldn’t confess. Not only was I dishonest, I was stupid, too. But the thing I’ll never forget is being called into my Dad’s office a week or so later. I sat in the chair across from my Dad at his desk and said, "What’s up?" My Dad never said a word, he just reached in his top drawer and tossed a new report card over to me. He had not believed me (Duh!) and had requested a duplicate card from the school. I looked at that card and waited for his anger but he didn’t say anything. But when I looked up I wished He had been screaming, because for one of the first times in my life, I saw Dad’s eyes filled with tears. And I knew that I’d not just lied, I had hurt my Dad deeply.. I had so disappointed my Father, and there was this feeling of alienation from him. How much more with Jesus. He had a perfect relationship with His Heavenly Father. But when all our sin was placed upon Him He could no longer experience a perfect relationship, but He was, for the first time, alienated from the Father. Some think, in that moment, Jesus experienced hell. Whatever hell is exactly, it is certainly separation from God. Never before and never since has love been expressed so intensely or so perfectly.
But the second thing that happened at the cross was that God’s wrath was satisfied. Sin incurs the wrath or anger of God, but for thousands of years His wrath was restrained. But the Bible tells us that His total anger against sin was finally poured out at the cross. Rom. 5:9 - "Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath because of him!" (NIV) Because of Jesus’ death, the wrath of God that should come upon us, came upon Him instead. You see, the reason Jesus born was so that he could die. And the purpose of Jesus’ death was so that we might have our sins paid for, that we might live. This was no accident, it was an appointment because God knew what we needed most.
"If our greatest need had been information, God would have sent us an educator.
If our greatest need had been technology, God would have sent us a scientist.
If our greatest need had been money, God would of sent us an economist.
If our greatest need had been pleasure, God would have sent us an entertainer.
But our greatest need was forgiveness, So God sent us a Savior."
So, this Christmas, bow before the baby Jesus in the manager, but don’t ever forget that the baby was born to die, for you and I. “...and you will name him Jesus, because he will save His people from their sins.” (Mt. 1:21 GW)
{All Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, God’ Word version, unless otherwise noted}
