I’m guessing most of you have seen the classic Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life with Jimmy Stewart. In the movie, Stewart plays George Bailey who has inherited the Bailey Building and Loan, and survives Black Tuesday in October 1929. Later his absentminded uncle misplaces $8000 and George knows he will probably go to jail. On a snowy night he heads out in desperation, uncertain about what to do, and he comes to the bridge and considers committing suicide wishing he had never been born. Of course George is saved by Clarence Oddbody who we later discover is an angel, and he grants George’s request. He shows George what the world would have looked like had he never been born. Through the rest of the movie we discover that George’s life has made a significant impact on his family, his friends, his community, and had he never been born, other people’s lives would have been worse off. The movie helps us realize the impact one person can make on those around us whether it is for good or for bad.
It got me to thinking about the Christmas story, and posing the question, what if Jesus was never born? What if the first Christmas never happened? No virgin birth. No baby Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes lying in a manger. No shepherds receiving angelic news of the Christ child, and therefore no trip to the stable in Bethlehem. No wise men making a long journey from the East following a star in order to give gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the baby Jesus. What kind of an impact has Jesus made on others over the last 2000 years? And more specifically what impact has Jesus made in our lives, is our life any different because Jesus was born?
I believe Jesus has made an incredible impact on the world, it’s estimated there are between 1 and 2 billion Christians on the planet, if Jesus hadn’t come we wouldn’t we be here tonight. If I were a historian I could probably take you back through the last 2000 years to demonstrate the difference Christ and his Christian followers have made in the world. I could talk about how world poverty has been stemmed because of non-profit organizations begun by Christians such as Red Cross and Salvation Army. Or how the Christian faith has held off the moral decay of nations. In America the first colleges were all begun by Christians. But tonight I want to get a little more closer to home because Jesus’ disciple John seemed to think Jesus made a significant difference and so we are going to look at three things you or I would never have known or experienced if Jesus had never been born.
If Jesus had never been born:
1. We wouldn’t know exactly what God is like
NIV John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
These verses tells us one of the most amazing truths that has ever happened. God came to our little world and became one of us. God came in the flesh as the Son of God, who we know as Jesus. As Billy Graham said, “If I want to know what God is like, I look at Jesus.” “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15, NLT).”
Jesus cleared up faulty images that people have about God. For example: In Jesus’ day non-Jews had messed up views of God. They didn’t even believe there was one Creator God, they believed in multiple gods and goddesses (Zeus, Aphrodite) who they believed were simply more powerful version of themselves, which meant they were prideful, deceitful, full of lust, vengeful, . It’s a pretty sad situation if the god or goddess you worship is morally just as bad as we are. Today there are some pretty messed up claims about God too. There are people like Shirley McLain, who believes she is god, I am god, you are god, we are all god. If you want to see God, look at each other. Personally, I find this pretty discouraging to think myself or Shirley McLain is God, if this is true I think we’re in trouble. People who are into Star Wars theology think God is some kind of force or energy. Again pretty disappointing if you ask me.
Maybe you have image of what God is like. God is like a judgmental Father waiting for you to mess up so he can punish you. God is like Santa Claus who wants to grant your every wish, just pray and God will do everything you want, as long as you’ve been a good boy or girl. God is like a gentle old grandfather who loves everybody and doesn’t really care what we do. God is some remote being out there somewhere on the edge of the universe somewhere, who really doesn’t care about us very much. Like Bette Midler sings, “God is watching us from a distance.” There are lot of images people have about what God is like.
But what the Christmas story reminds us is that we don’t have to wonder what God is like because the Bible says Jesus is God come in the flesh. Jesus himself even said, “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father (John 14:9).” It’s hard to imagine looking at a defenseless baby to think somehow this is the very presence and glory of God had come to earth, but that is what the Bible teaches us. So what does that teach us about God?
a. God is near
Because of Jesus’ birth we know that God is not some distant deity living on the edge of the universe looking at us through a super Hubble telescope, but a God who is near us. Jesus’ title was Immanuel, which means “God is with us.” Through Jesus we know that God is right here. God is with us as we worship. God listens to us as we pray. God is with us when we sleep, at work, at play, wherever we are at whether we are aware of God’s presence or not, whether we feel God’s presence, God is near.
Jesus told his disciples he would be with us always. Jesus even promised those who follow him that he would not only be present with them, but would actually live within them through his Spirit. You can’t get any closer than that.
b. God is Love
Some people think God is out to get them, or to punish them for their wrongdoing, but Jesus shows us otherwise. Through Jesus we see God’s incredible love for us. The Son of God was willing to give up his throne in heaven to take on a frail human body, to be born a helpless infant into humble situations (stable, manger), to grow up and endure temptation, to face the evil and injustices of this world (Phil. 2:6-11). Why? Because of God’s incredible unfailing love. God did not have to come to us, but he chose to come of his own free will because he knew there was no other way to make our world right.
Ultimately, Jesus demonstrated God’s unfailing love when we died as a sacrifice on behalf of every person. NLT Romans 5:8 But God showed his great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.
c. God is Faithful
Through Jesus we realize God kept the promises he made to his people in the OT scriptures. In the OT God promised he would save his people and create a kingdom which would never end. He would raise up a descendant from king David who would deliver his people from evil, and transform their hearts so they could love God and one another just as God loves us. This person would even be a light to the Gentiles, that’s you and me by the way. Through Jesus we know God kept every promise. Jesus came to share that truth about himself.
Through Jesus we realize God is nearer than we can ever imagine, and God is full of unfailing love and faithfulness.
2. We would not be able to have a personal relationship with God
John 1:12 sheds another truth, if Jesus was never born, we would never have been able to become one of God’s children, or to have a personal relationship with God.
John 1:12 Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
God came to earth as a child so we could become a child of God. God became like one of us so we could become like him.
Scriptures tell us “His [God’s] unchanging plan has always been to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ.” Eph. 1:5 (NLT)
God planned from the very beginning of time to come as the Son of God to earth so that we might become part of His family, a family which will be together forever.
You might think, what’s the big deal with becoming part of God’s family?
God isn’t interested in religion, religion is following a set of rules and laws. God is interested in a relationship. Being in God’s family means we are in a relationship with God, like a mother or father to a child. You can be religious, go to church, you can pray, and read your Bible but if you don’t have a relationship with God you’ve missed the whole point. Likewise it doesn’t matter how much you’ve messed up your life or disobeyed God, because of Christ you can find forgiveness and be in a relationship with God. God’s family isn’t quite like our earthly families, God’s family is one of unconditional love.
As John’s gospel reminds us though, we don’t automatically become a part of God’s family, (1 Jo. 5:1). We have to receive God’s gift of his own Son. My wife, Amy, has a long sleeved t-shirt she wears at Christmas which says, “God wrapped his gift too,” referring to Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. We have to choose to accept God’s gift, Jesus. Only those who receive this gift will become part of God’s family. Many of us will be giving and receiving gifts today and tomorrow, but as we know a gift is useless unless we open it and receive it.
3. We would never experience the light of life
NRS John 1:4 in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it.
There is a story about how the Lewis and Clark Caverns north of Yellowstone National Park were discovered. As the story goes, one of the original explorers was walking along the top of that mountain and fell through a hole, and he dropped down several hundred feet into this cavern and was stuck in almost total darkness for over a week, no food, no water. He cried out every day, “Help me!” Hoping that somebody would hear his voice and figure out that he was down there. Sure enough a guy came along and heard this faint sound and looked around and found the hole. They dug him out and that’s how they found this giant cavern. They asked him, “How did you hold on to hope day after day after day in the dark without giving up?” He said, “There was one little pinhole ray of light that was coming through and I just kept focused on that ray of light.”
A light shining in the darkness has a way of drawing our attention. In the midst of darkness it has a way of giving hope. John’s gospel tells us Jesus was the light shining in the darkness. The darkness he is referring to is the darkness of our world evil, sin, hatred, violence, poverty, brokenness, disease, death, anything which goes against God’s original plans for our world. Jesus came to shed light in our darkness, to bring hope into hopelessness. How does Jesus shed light into our darkness? It says the light Jesus shed was life, “in him was life, and the life was the light of all people.” The ray of hope we see in Jesus Christ is God’s promise of life; abundant life now and eternal life with God.
a. Abundant life
Jesus promised us he would bring us abundant life. NRS John 10:10 “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” What is abundant living that Jesus offers? It means we experience God’s gift of love, joy, peace because of God’s gift, Jesus. These are gifts which the world cannot give only God gives us these through Jesus. This light is not able to be extinguished or snuffed out by the darkness. No amount of evil can snuff out the abundance of life God wants to give us.
b. Eternal life
The greatest gift is eternal life.
NIV John 3:16 "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.
Because of God’s love and faithfulness, we know that when we become part of God’s family we will live eternally with God. Our life on this world is only the practice round, the warm-up for eternity, and God wants us to spend eternity with him, but it is our choice right here and now if we will receive God’s gift in his Son Jesus Christ. Will you unwrap the gift and receive it?
Unlike George Bailey, who didn’t realize the impact he had made on others, I think Jesus knew the difference his life would make on us. That’s why he gave up the glory of heaven for the darkness of our world. That’s why he died on a cross for our sin. He did it because of his love and faithfulness for you and for me.
Conclusion:
What impact has the birth of the Jesus made on your life? If the first Christmas never happened would you be any different than you are today? Fortunately for us Jesus was born in Bethlehem, God came near, and showed his unfailing love and faithfulness to us so we can be his children, and experience the light of abundant and ever lasting life. I hope you have received God’s gift of adoption into his family and new life through Christ. I invite you to pray with me to experience the ray of hope.
