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I don't want to take too long this evening, but I'd just like to touch on something that's so important to the
Christmas message and what Christmas is really all about.
I'd like to speak to you about, just for a few minutes, the reason Jesus came.
If you were to ask people today, even in evangelical churches, what kind of answer would they give?
If you were to ask them, why did Jesus come? Why did
He come? Why? You would get all kinds of answers. We're going to go right to the scriptures.
The scripture itself will give us the answer for this evening's question and message, the reason why
Jesus came. The reason why Jesus came. Two of the most important questions for each person to answer is, number one, who is the
Lord Jesus Christ? Who is He? I really believe that that is the most important question to be answered.
Who is Jesus Christ? And the second question would be this, why did
He come to earth? Like I said, you'd get all kinds of answers, wouldn't you? Why did
He come to earth? Why did He come? The Reformer Martin Luther saw this when he said, quote, if anyone stands firm and right on this point, that Jesus Christ is true
God and true man, who died and rose again for us, all other articles of the
Christian faith will fall in place for Him and firmly sustain
Him. End quote. I truly believe that tonight. So really the
Christmas story is not primarily about the birth of a baby who would grow up to become a great moral teacher and an example, or even a prophet, though Jesus did become those things, rather it is the profound and staggering story of the birth of a
Savior and we looked at the great truth this morning that the babe that was born in the manger in Bethlehem over 2 ,000 years ago, then when
He came to earth in the fullness of time, was truly God in flesh.
God in flesh. That is Christmas and that is the reason.
And that is who is born. And after explaining that Mary was with child by the
Holy Spirit, the angel told
Joseph something wonderful. Turn with me to Matthew 1, chapter 1, and we will see what the text says in the
Gospel of Matthew. Let me back up a little bit so we can get the story as a whole in the context.
Verse 18, now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. After His mother
Mary was betrothed to Joseph before they came together, she was found with child of the
Holy Spirit. Then Joseph, her husband, being a just man and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream saying, Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you
Mary your wife. For that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. It is marvelous that the third person of the
Trinity had part to do with this great birth as well. Because that is exactly how it took place in her womb.
The Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit. And verse 21 tells us, and she will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name
Jesus. For he will save his people from their sins.
From their sins. Let's bow, please bow with me in prayer as we look into this wonderful text just for a few minutes.
Oh Lord, we thank you for your word. We praise you.
We thank you for the great revelation that's given to us about your beloved son.
The Lord Jesus Christ. The one who came to save us from our sins.
Truly he will save his people from their sins. It will be a full salvation.
It shall happen by your grace and by the power of your spirit.
What a marvel this is. What a wonder. We are so amazed.
May we just wonder at the wonder of the greatness of the story.
And Lord, we thank you that through the blood of Jesus Christ you have saved us from the wrath to come of most the
Lord. We thank you that you will save us from our sins. For that is the reason our
Lord came. Lord, speak to us and may the true teacher, the spirit of truth, teach us from your word this evening.
In Jesus name I pray, amen. What a marvel this is.
She shall bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. For he will save his people from their sins.
The Hebrew name for Jesus is really an Old Testament name.
It's Joshua in Hebrew. And it actually means Jehovah saves. Jehovah saves.
That's what Jesus means. Jesus came to save his people from their sins.
I'd like to bring out four simple points to help us understand what the text is saying here this evening.
Who came? First of all. Second, who was his purpose?
What was his purpose in coming? What was his purpose in coming? And third, whom did he come to save?
Whom did he come to save? And fourth, what did he actually do? What did he actually do?
The first question will answer the question of Jesus' identity and the third answer tells us why he came to earth.
Very simple. I'm going to keep it as short as I can this evening and just help us focus on the great truth here of his grand purpose in coming to this world and we know that from the
Gospels that Jesus came to seek and save the lost. Christ came into the world to save sinners.
Paul says, of whom I'm chief. That's a faithful saying. But who was it that came?
Who was it that came? You know, you think of it, as I was contemplating this question,
I couldn't help but think to myself, what if right now he never would have come?
Have you ever thought of that? Think of it in the sense that what if he decided not to come?
He didn't owe us the salvation, did he? We really deserve to die if we look at it scripturally.
All sinners, as Edwards said, were sinners in the hands of an angry
God. But what if the Lord decided not to send a savior? He could have easily done that and been just about it.
Just. You tell most people about that today and they say, oh, no, no, no, no. Have you noticed in this world, especially even among evangelical so -called believers, professing believers, that a lot of them look at salvation in the sense that God owes it to them?
But that's erroneous. God doesn't owe us anything. Actually all he owes us is justice in hell.
That's what he really owes us. I think often, too, that so many people want to serve
God and come to God, I say serve God, for wrong and false motives.
It's like they want God for the benefits. The benefits.
They want all the blessings that come with it. They want the good things that come with salvation.
To escape hell, I call it fire insurance. And get to heaven with a ticket, so to speak.
And they have cheapened the grace that is costly. It's like they want
God just for their own benefits. Isn't that what Esau wanted? He really didn't seek repentance because he hurt the heart of God.
That he sinned against God. It was about his selfish means. It was because of him that he lost the blessing.
So many people, as you see, they just want
God for the benefits. And doesn't that tell you something? Self is still on the throne.
Self is still on the throne. This is why Jesus said, first of all, if you're going to follow me and be my disciple, you deny yourself.
Take up your cross and follow me. There's a cost in serving
Jesus. Oh, there is benefits. Don't get me wrong. There's benefits that pours from heaven, but it's always
God's way. It's not our way. Actually, the song tonight in hell is,
I did it my way. It's crushing, isn't it?
You see people like this, and the church is professing to be Christians, and they say, they say, oh,
I love God, and I serve God, but you can hardly get them to do the easiest thing in the
Christian life, and that's to come to church. That's the easiest thing. Folks, what's going to happen when persecution hits?
Oh, it's going to clean up things, I can guarantee you, and it is coming. It's coming, and true motives will be revealed, and the tears will be, you start to see the tears to fall away when the hard times come.
Well, we see here, who is it that came? Jehovah saves.
Verse 23, Behold, the virgin shall be with child and bear a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which is translated
God with us. I believe Felicity quoted that tonight. All these children did a great job quoting
Isaiah, and Matthew, and Heather, praise
God. Jesus was God in flesh.
You know, the Gospel of Luke says much. In chapter 1, let me turn to it.
We see it from Luke's Gospel, and why
Jesus, and who He was, He came. In verse 31, it says,
Behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bring forth a son, and you shall call his name
Jesus, and he will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father
David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom, there will be no end.
Oh, did you hear that? Did you hear that? He will reign, he will be great.
He will be called the Son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father
David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever. He will reign.
He will reign forever and ever. And Scripture says from Revelation that God has made us kings and priests, and washed us in His precious blood, and we will reign with Him.
I like what J .C. Ryle said, he said, there's a crossless
Christianity among us today, and this was years ago when this Anglican minister wrote this, he said, but unfortunately, and I'm paraphrasing it, everybody wants a crown without a cross.
Nothing's changed. Nothing's changed. Look around today. Look in the churches. Everybody wants a good time.
They want, again, they want the benefits. They want to go to heaven. But would they be forever happy in heaven the way they're living?
You know, you think of it, heaven's a holy city.
It's a holy place. And there's a holy God, and there's a holy king, and there's a holy people.
And everything about heaven will be holiness unto the Lord. Holiness will reign on this earth, and righteousness, and when
Jesus Christ comes back. So Jesus Christ will reign forever and ever.
He was born of a virgin. Virgin birth is important, isn't it?
Why? This is how God entered into this world, as flesh, as the second member of the
Trinity, without Adam's sin. He did not bring Adam's sin with him.
That's why he was completely pure, without the original sin.
The importance of the virgin birth is incredibly important. So it's Jesus who came.
Jesus who came, Jehovah saves. Secondly, what was his very purpose in coming?
What was his very purpose in coming? The text tells us, back in Matthew, look at it.
She will bring forth a son, and you shall call his name
Jesus. Jehovah saves, for he will save his people.
Now there's other commentators that comment on this, and they basically say that his people is
Israel. But it's interesting to say, if you read through the
Scriptures, that not all of Israel is Israel. Now some people today, even in evangelical churches, they really believe this, that Jews, the
Jewish people, because they were the covenant people of God, they do not believe that they should be even evangelized because they were
God's covenant people. Almost like they get an automatic pass. But that's not true, is it?
For Scripture says, even to the Jews, after all, it is the Jews that first rejected the
Messiah. The Gospel came to the Jew first, then to the Greek. Jesus made that clear.
But the Jews rejected Christ. What was his purpose in coming?
To save his people from their sins. And his people is just not the Jewish people, it's actually his people that are chosen.
Chosen. Yeah, but pastor, isn't Israel chosen? Well, there are a select chosen few that will be saved, but not all of Israel, again, is not
Israel. Salvation is of the Lord, Jonah 2 .9.
If you actually look from Ephesians chapter 1, that really tells us a great deal.
This is a chapter that a lot of people do not like to go to. If you go to chapter 1 of Ephesians, and I'm here to tell you,
I have witnessed this myself years ago, not even mentioning
John Calvin's name, preached through Ephesians 1, and it was quite a large congregation that I ministered to, and they literally came very angry and hostile toward me.
These are so -called church moral people, folks. Moral people. They did not like Ephesians 1.
Why? Because it speaks about the doctrine of election. But I'm here to tell you the doctrine of election stands true in the
Scriptures, and it's there. There is redemption in Jesus Christ. Notice in chapter 1,
Ephesians verse 3, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
It's all in Christ. And notice in verse 4, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world.
Before the foundation of the world. This decision has already been made in eternity past, that we should be holy.
That's our sanctification. That's the perseverance of the saints, that you will persevere, that those that are saved from the wrath to come, chosen by God, are not only saved from the wrath to come, but they are sanctified, holy, and will be without blame before Him in love.
And notice verse 5, having predestined us to the adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself according to the good pleasure of His will.
If there's anything that saves us in the reason from the heart of God, it's the good pleasure of His will.
It's nothing in us. It's the good pleasure of His will. He had good pleasure in it, that He will have a people for Himself, a righteous people, a holy people, a sanctified people, to the praise of the glory of His grace.
You know, it's all about worship, isn't it? It's all about worshiping Him because He will have a people that will worship
Him and love Him and adore Him and praise Him forever and ever. This is a people that will do this forever and ever in heaven.
And I like what Ravenhill says, actually, this life here is a dressing room for eternity and if we can't do it here, how can we expect to do it in heaven forever?
This is just a dressing room for the big one, for the big picture to come.
To the praise of the glory of His grace by which He made us accepted in the beloved.
He accepted us. Aren't you glad He accepted you? And by the way,
He doesn't accept us because of some good works we do. Why did God the
Father accept us? Because of His Son. The Beloved made us accepted in the
Beloved, His Beloved Son, in Him, in Him, in Christ.
That's who He's talking about. We have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace, which
He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will according, again, listen to this, according to His good pleasure.
It's always God's good pleasure, which He purposed in Himself. Salvation is of the
Lord. Salvation is of the Lord. I love Isaiah 46.
Let me give a cross -reference here. Isaiah 46. It's a great chapter.
I tell you, the gospel of Isaiah is wonderful, isn't it? If you look at Isaiah 46,
God deals with the dead idols. Basically, this whole chapter deals with dead idols and the living
God. He says this, remember the former things of old, for I am
God and there is no other. I am God and there is no other. God has done like me, declaring the end from the beginning, from the ancient times, the things that are not yet done, saying, my counsel shall stand and I will do all my pleasure.
God's good pleasure. That is to save a people for Himself. And by the way, it's all for His glory.
It's all for Him. It's all about Him. That's why I tell people about the church. It's not about the pastor.
It's not about the people. And even though we're part of it, but it's really about Jesus.
Because He's the Lord of the church. It's His church. He will grow it. We don't have to worry about that.
All we have to do is be faithful in doing exactly what He has told us to do.
To the praise of the glory of His grace. Number three.
Whom did He purpose to save?
Whom did He purpose to save? His people. His people.
He will save His people from their sins. It's amazing that salvation is what it is because it's all of God, isn't it?
I've contemplated on this so much and I'm thinking, to those that are regenerated, we would not be regenerated unless it was for goodness and mercy.
We would all be dead in trespasses and sins. Notice Ephesians 2. Verse 1.
And you who were dead in trespasses and sins. And you may see
He made alive, but that's actually not in the original. It literally reads,
And you who were dead in trespasses and sins. In which you once walked according to the course of this world.
The course of this world, listen to this. According to the prince and the power there. That's talking about Satan, the God of this world.
The spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. We are naturally sons of disobedience because of Adam's original sin that is inherited in us.
Among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lust, That means the desires of our flesh.
Fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind. And we're by the nature children of wrath just as the others.
The transition is made in verse 4. Aren't you glad? In these two words we could put the whole gospel in these two words.
But God. But God. You know what that means? God intervened. God is sovereign.
He intervenes. Who is rich in mercy because of His great love with which
He loved us. Even when we were dead in trespasses. Think of that.
Even while we were yet sinners. Christ died for us. Even when we were dead in trespasses.
Made us alive together with Christ. And then he says this in parenthesis.
By grace you have been saved. By God's unmerited favor. Nothing that you have earned. Nothing that I've done.
Not of good works. But all because God is good. And He loves you.
And He favored you. Because of His good pleasure. Raised us up.
Together. Together in Jesus Christ. Isn't that glorious? In the heavenly places.
In Christ Jesus. And listen to verse 7. That in the ages to come.
He might show the exceeding riches of His grace. And His kindness toward us. In Christ Jesus.
Do you see that? It's all about God. It's all about His glory. It's what He has done.
In Jesus. And through Jesus. For who Jesus is. Doesn't that help us get the right perspective?
That we get our eyes off ourselves. That it's not about us. It's not based on how faithful.
Even though He desires us to be faithful. But it's not based on my faithfulness. It's based on Christ.
Who is the faithful one? He's faithful and true. For by grace you have been saved through faith.
And that not of yourselves. It is the gift of God. There it is. The gift of God. God's gift.
God's gift. Not of works lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship.
Created in Christ Jesus. For good works. Notice. For good works. It's not. We're not saved by good works.
We're created for good works. That follows. And obedience. And faith.
Which God prepared beforehand. That we should walk in them. That's very practical isn't it?
We should walk in them. We should conduct ourselves. This is the way we should walk.
Every day of our lives. In our home. Before our family members. To practice being
Christ like. Among those who we love. And those who we reach out to.
That's His purpose. That's why He came to save us. For the good pleasure of His will.
Well what did He do? What did He do? He actually saves His people from their sins.
And that is actually a great truth and a fact. He's washed us in the blood of the
Lamb. That we will be priests unto Him. Go with me very quickly to Titus chapter 2.
I love Titus. It's one of the pastoral epistles. And this section here.
It really shows us what the grace of God. Actually trains us and teaches us.
You ever think of it like that? God's grace teaches us. It teaches us. It trains us.
Look at verse 11. In chapter 2. For the grace of God that brings salvation.
Let me stop right there. What has brought salvation? God's grace. What's God's grace?
God's unmerited favor. He's had favor. He's gracious. He's kind.
He's good. His mercy endures forever. God's grace.
The grace of God. That brings salvation has appeared to all men. Now it doesn't mean that all men is going to be saved folks.
It's to all people. In other words. It's to all. To the whosoever will. It's the general call.
It is the invitation to all people. It's not universalism.
It doesn't say that all will be saved. It means it is actually appeared to all men.
Look at verse 12. Teaching us that.
Now this is true sanctification folks. This is what grace really teaches us.
God's grace teaches us first of all to deny ungodliness. It teaches us to deny worldly lust.
Worldly desires. It teaches us that we should live soberly.
Righteously. And godly. In this present age.
So salvation is here and now. We are saved from our sins here and now.
We deny ourselves here and now. We repent of our sins here and now. And by the way that repentance is just not a one time act is it?
It is a continual act. All the days of our lives. I don't know about you. I repent every day.
A lot of times I repent of my repenting. I need repentance.
I need to have self examination. I need the searchlight to cut on my own heart.
To see oh god. Are there sins in my life that not only I know but are there sins
I do not know? Teaching us God's grace. Keep that in mind. It teaches us to deny ungodliness.
Worldly lust. We should live soberly. Righteously. Godly. In this present age. And notice verse 13.
Looking for the blessed hope. And the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ.
You know it makes me think when I come to verse 13. That Christ is coming back for a bride.
That would be holy. And pure. Washed in the blood of the
Lamb. Verse 14. Who gave himself for us that he might redeem us from every lawless deed.
Purify for himself his own special people. Zealous for good works. Speak these things.
Exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one despise you. That's the salvation.
That God has brought. Praise his name. Well our text is very clear.
Jesus will. Or there's another translation. Jesus shall save his people from their sins.
One evangelical commentator said it like this. And I'll close with this.
Are you one of his people? Are you one of his people?
How can I know? And the answer lies in answering some other questions.
And I get this from Stephen Cole.
He's a retired pastor now. But out from California. He said this.
Here's some questions he said. And I thought this was excellent. Has God opened your eyes to see that you are a sinner who deserves his judgment?
That's a great question. Has God really opened your eyes to see that you are a sinner who deserves his judgment?
If you think you're a pretty good person, he says, in God's sight, then you're not one of his people. Wow, that's a dead giveaway, isn't it?
Ask people, what makes you think God's going to let you into his heaven?
See what kind of answer you get. I'm a good person. Most of the time, that's the first thing that comes up.
Folks, that's a dead giveaway that they need to be regenerated right there. They do not understand the gospel.
They do not understand who God is. And they do not understand who they are. That's a great question.
He says, at least it has not been yet for them to be revealed who they are. But if you say, yes,
I know that I'm a sinner, deserving of God's judgment, then the next question is, have you fled for the refuge from the
God's judgment to the cross of Jesus Christ? Have you gone to the cross, flee from the wrath to come, and fly to Jesus?
Amen? Next question is, and I love this, are you trusting in his precious shed blood alone, alone, to pay the penalty for your sins?
Folks, this is what it comes down to. This is what the gospel comes down to. And he says this, if you answer yes to those questions, you need to ask yourself further, is there any evidence that Christ has saved you from your sins?
Don't you love that? Is there any evidence? I like what John MacArthur says about this.
What's the greatest evidence of my salvation? Because it's not perfect.
Our evidence is our, not perfection, but direction.
Which direction are you going? Are you going backwards or are you going forward? Yeah, we're going to slip at times, we're going to fall,
I don't know about you, I do it quite often. But you know something?
God is there to cleanse us and wash us, and renew us, and restore the joy of our salvation.
We should never ever, I like what one Puritan said, we should always examine ourselves and look and see if there be any indwelling sin that will grieve the heart of God, but we do not need to stay there and allow our sins to keep us from going to Jesus.
Is there evidence that Christ has saved you from your sins?
And he closes with this, and I'll close with it as well. It is possible to say that you have believed in Christ, but to have an intellectual faith that does not save you.
You must ask yourself, has God changed me? Has he changed my heart?
Transformation. Before you used to live for yourself only, with no regard for Christ or for what he did on the cross.
But now you love the Lord Jesus Christ. You're flooded with gratitude and thanksgiving because you know he gave himself on the cross for you before you had no hunger for holiness.
And we're content to live in disregard of God's commands. Now, although you do fall into sin, you mourn over your sins.
Matthew 5, 4. You confess your sins and seek to please God by forsaken sin and by obeying
God. And now, your aim and goal is to know the
Lord Jesus Christ in communion more and more. And I'll close with that.
May this be true of us. May this be true of us as God's people. Let us pray.
Our Father and our God, Lord, we thank you for the Gospel. We thank you for the purpose of sending your dear
Son. And Lord, I think of the scripture that's in Hebrews.
That Jesus Christ saves to the uttermost. It's a full salvation. Lord, so many times we have failed you.
So many times we've fallen into pitfalls. And we have grieved the Holy Spirit of God.
But Lord, our hearts, if we're truly regenerated, our hearts is to know you more and to grieve over our sin and have conviction of sin and repent of our sin and have sorrow over sin.
And Lord, we desire to do something about it and our doing something is to come to you and allow the precious blood of Christ by faith to wash us and cleanse us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Thank you, Lord Jesus. You're a perfect, wonderful Savior that continues to help us.
May we continue to look to you, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith. And may we continue to run with steadfastness unto the very end by the grace in which you give.
We thank you, Lord, for saving us from our sins and that will be perfect, perfectly done at the end when we enter in.
Only by your grace because it surely will not be anything good in us. It's all by you and your sovereign grace.
We praise you and we thank you for the great work of redemption that you have wrought in Jesus Christ.