The Purpose Of Christmas

THE PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS Matt 1:21 "And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."

As we enter the Christmas season most of us would be amazed at the large number of people who could not tell us the true meaning of Christmas. Christmas to many is simply a winter holiday which is celebrated by the giving of gifts. Therefore, it behooves us as Christians and the church to teach our children and our world that Christmas is the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ some 2000 years ago. Yet, have we ever really thought about the purpose of Christmas. It is one thing to sing about the birth of the Christ Child and another to understand the purpose of His coming. The angel spoke of the purpose of Christmas when informing Joseph of the name the babe should be called, Jesus, which simply means deliverer or savior.

To fully understand the purpose of Christmas we must go back even further than the first Christmas morning, or the announcement of the birth, or even the prophecies of the birth. We must go all the way back to the creation account itself to understand the reason God would send His Son into the world.

To understand the Purpose of Christmas, we must first understand....

1) GOD’S GRAND DESIGN FOR MAN (Genesis 1:26)

In the creation account we find that man and woman was God’s crown jewel of all creation.

-- God Created Man in His Image

- Holy

- Will/Volition

- Eternal

God Created Man to Enjoy Relationship/Fellowship

God created man a triune being giving man alone a body, soul, and a spirit. God created man uniquely in a way to commune with Himself through the spirit of man.

-- God Created Man to Have Dominion Over the Earth

Man is not just another part of some evolution process, but was created for the purpose of having domain over all of God=s creation. Man was placed on earth as its overseer.

Not only did God make man His most special creation, He also placed man in a perfect environment. The Bible calls this place Eden. As we examine Eden it was really Aheaven on earth@.

Can you imagine living in a place with a perfect environment. A place not too hot, nor too cold. A place with lush vegetation although it never rained. A place where there was no shortage of food, but the best of everything.

Can you imagine living in a place where there was perfect harmony between man and man, man and beast, and even beast and beast? A place where never a cross word was spoken and everyone loved one another in a perfect way.

Can you imagine living in a place where there was no sickness, no pain (not even in childbirth), and no death. A place where there is no worry nor care because you have total assurance that God will provide for everything you need.

If you can imagine such a place, then you can just begin to picture what God had planned for every man, woman, boy and girl.

Also, to fully understand the purpose of Christmas, we must understand..

2) MAN’S TRAGIC FALL FROM GOD’S PLAN (3:1-7)

- Sin Tarnished Man’s Character

(Rom 5:12) Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned

- Sin Corrupted Man’s Will

Not only was man’s character tarnished, but when sin entered man, man’s will was corrupted. Man’s decision making process became skewed with the effects of sin. When Adam was created he was given a free will to decide between right and wrong. But with the entrance of sin, man=s will is no longer free as all decisions must be processed through a sinful heart.

For example, immediately after Adam sinned his decision making ability became tarnished and he became bent to make bad decisions.

- immediately hid himself, instead of seeking God out for help

- immediately began to make excuses instead of honestly confessing

- Sin Broke Man’s Relationship

(Isa 59:2)But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear.

- Sin Transferred Man’s Dominion

- Sin Destined Man’s Eternity

Wow! Man lost so much and fell so far when sin entered the human race.

*Man traded his righteousness for corruption.

*Man traded his relationship with God for rebellion

*Man traded his perfect enviroent for one with pain, suffering and death

*Man traded eternal life for eternal damnation

3) GOD’S REDEEMING PURPOSE OF CHRISTMAS (Matt 1:21)

"And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins."