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The Purpose of His Coming: To Save the Lost
Intro. Crowds have been filling the malls, lights are strung on the eves and the front yards of many houses. The decorations are out and preparations are in full swing. What is all the fuss about?
I. A child that was born in Bethlehem almost 2,000 years ago.
A. We recognize immediately that this was no ordinary child.
1. Cards reminding us of His birth are sent with words of love and greetings.
2. We see the nativity sets of the mother and Child, with the adoring shepherds and we read the stories of the wise men, coming from afar to worship Him.
3. What does it all mean? Who is this Child, what makes Him so important that wars have been stopped for a day to acknowledge His birth?
B. The Bible tells us that this Child is the Son of God, the promised Messiah.
1. John declared, "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God, the same was in the beginning with God, all things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
2. The angel in announcing to Mary that she had been chosen by God to bring His Son into the world declared, "That holy One that shall be born of thee, shall be called the Son of God."
II. Why would God send His Son into the world?
A. Because He loved the world.
1. The world that He loved was not as He created it, parts of it that were once covered with vast forests are now frozen waste lands.
2. Where once there were beautiful lakes with dinosaurs roaming along the shores, there is now barren deserts.
3. His love was not for the physical world, but for man who lived in this world.
4. But man was not as he was originally created.
a. God did not create man to hate and destroy one another through wars, and fighting.
b. God created man that he might know God and know the sheer delight and joy of fellowshipping with God.
c. God did not intend that man should seek to take by force that which belonged to someone else.
d. God did not intend that man should be ruled by his greed.
e. Mankind was lost and far from fulfilling the purposes of God.
B. So God sent His Son to seek and to save those who were lost.
1. In
Luke 19 we read how that as Jesus was passing through Jericho one of those who was so lost, a man hated by all was curious to see Jesus, but because he was small and could not safely mingle with the crowd, climbed a tree to get a glimpse of Jesus.
2. Jesus came right up to that tree and called him to come down for Jesus wished to come to his house to dine.
3. When the religious leaders saw that Jesus was going to his house for dinner, they murmured against Jesus saying that He was going to be the guest of a man who was a sinner.
4. In response to their complaint Jesus said, "The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost."
a. On another occasion Jesus said, "Those who are well do not need a doctor, but those who are sick."
b. Again Jesus on still another occasion said, "I did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repent."
5. Paul writing to Timothy said, "The Messiah Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief."
6. Before Jesus was ever born the angel told Joseph that the child that Mary was carrying was conceived by the Holy Spirit and he was to name Him Jesus for He would save His people from their sins.
C. So that when we think of this Child and celebrate His birth, we must always remember why He came into this world in such a unique way.
1. He came to seek and to save men from the lost world, He came to call the sinners to change from their empty futile lives to a life that was rich and fulfilling.
2. He came to restore man back to the image of God so that the original intent of his existence might be fulfilled.
a. You can use something for purposes other than for which they were made.
b. Trucks are made to haul things in but you can use them as flower pots. In the front yard of a house in Kuiai there is a rusted truck with no tires that is filled with dirt and a flower garden growing in the dirt. It works as a flower pot, but it is not fulfilling it's original intent for being created.
c. You can use your bodies for many things, but you are only abusing your body and not fulfilling the reason why you were created.
d. God gave you a mind so that you might know Him, a voice so that you might praise Him. Eyes so that you could see the glories of His creation so that you would be drawn to worship Him. You can use your body for many things, but until you use it to bring glory to God you are not fulfilling the purpose for which it was made.
3. It is only proper that we celebrate His birth with great rejoicing, singing, and worshipping God such as we are doing here today.
4. Paul said, "Thanks be unto God for His indescribable gift." So we give thanks.
III. Jesus told Nicodemus, "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believed in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life."
A. Can you think of any greater love?
1. Paul said that for a righteous man one would scarcely die, if you had a truly good man some might dare to die for him, but God commended His love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for the ungodly.
2. John said, "In this was manifested the love of God to us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world that we might live through Him.
3. Love is often measured by it's gifts. Note the gift that God gave to us because of His love for us.
4. A gift is measured by what it cost the giver.
a. Some gifts may be very expensive, but did not cost the giver very much.
b. Often times after a funeral the people would say to me do what you want with the flowers, so I would take home bouquets to Kay that cost several hundred dollars, but it was not meaningful because it didn't cost me anything.
5. To show His love God could have given you diamonds, but that would not be very meaningful because He could make galaxies of diamonds. The same is true for gold or silver.
6. To show His love He was willing to give His only Son.
7. Now I could see giving His Son to reign over man in power and glory, every soul being subject to Him and worshipping Him. Seeing His Son thus exalted I could understand Him giving Him.
8. But He gave His Son to suffer and die for our sins. That kind of love is beyond my ability to comprehend.
9. He so loved the world, to the extent that He gave His Son to save those whose lives were ruined by sin, to restore them again to His original intent, to give them a life full of meaning and purpose.
10. That little child in the manger will change the course of history.
a. Not only will He die for mankind, but in the years after His death, millions will die for Him.
b. Doctors will give up lucrative careers to work in far off jungles to save the lives of the hurting people, just for the opportunity of sharing with them that Jesus loves them.
c. Millions will give up their lives of comfort in their homelands to live in foreign countries with different cultures to share the story of this child who can transform a savage cannibal into a loving neighbor.
d. We have watched Him change drug dealers, and gang leaders into ministers.
11. He has not just changed the history of the world, but He wants to change your life, He came to seek and to save those who were lost, and if you do not know Him as your Savior, you are lost.
Verse-Reference
Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]
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