Why Jesus Came

Christmas, Media, Sermons | by Pastor Adam Sinnett

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Summary

Why did Jesus come? That question faces us every Christmas. It is one of the most important questions we can think about today, on Christmas, or the rest of your life. Jesus is undoubtedly the best known and most influential human being in the history of the world. Yet, there is a surprising amount of confusion about this God-Man, particularly when it comes to why he came.

Introduction

Why did Jesus come? That question faces us every Christmas. It is one of the most important questions we can think about today, on Christmas, or the rest of your life. Jesus is undoubtedly the best known and most influential human being in the history of the world. More books have been written about him, songs sung to him, and lives changed by him than any other human who has every lived. 2 billion people in the world identify themselves as his followers and an estimated 70,000 give their lives to him every day. No one has crossed cultural divisions and contexts more extensively than Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Yet, there is a surprising amount of confusion about this God-Man, particularly when it comes to why he came. So, I pulled together every verse in the Bible that speaks to that. What follows are the top six reasons why Jesus came.

“Never in the history…has this record ever quite been equaled. Never in so short a time has any other religious faith, or, for that matter, any other set of ideas, religious political, or economic, without the aid of physical force or of social or cultural prestige, achieved so commanding a position in such as important culture.” Kenneth Scott Latourette, A History of the Expansion of Christianity.

Why did Jesus come?

#1) Jesus came from God and is God.

“Jesus said to them…I came from God and I am here.” (John 8:42)
“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God…Word became flesh” (Jn 1:1)

Jesus made an astonishing claim, not only that he was sent from God, but that He was God. No other religion’s founder said such a thing. They (whether Muhammad, Buddha, Krishna or others) said “I am not the way, but I point to it.” Jesus alone said, “I am the way” (Jn 14:6)  As a man he identifies with us. As God he identifies with God. As such, he is the perfect mediator. (1Ti2:5) We may say he was just a man, but he didn’t say that of himself – so how could we? That is not intellectually honest with the data we have on hand. This is the meaning of Christmas: God came to be with man, as a man.

#2) Jesus came for sinners

“For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”” (Matthew 9:13, ESV)
“The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…” (1 Timothy 1:15)

Biblically, sin is a condition of the soul (or heart). This condition causes us to live life centered on ourselves instead of god. Sin is not only what we do, it is what we are. The world sees sin only as what we do. But, what we do proceeds from what we are. We tend to look at those who are addicted, immoral and irreligious and say “They’re the sinners”. But, outside of Jesus, we are all sinners, even if your clean, moral, successful and well-liked. Jesus came for moral and immoral sinners; religious and irreligious sinners. Jesus came for the angry, sexually deviant, addicted, stubborn, gluttons, drunkards, prostitutes, greedy, nasty, and liars. Yet, Jesus also came for the self-righteous, rule-followers, moral, nice, put-together, and proud – that live apart from him.Our condition is so critical that God became man and came for sinners on a rescue mission.
This is the true meaning of Christmas: Jesus came to save sinners.

#3) Jesus came to give sight to the blind.

“I came into this world, that those who do not see may see…” (John 9:39)
“I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness.” (John 12:46)

Because our natural condition is what it is, we are by nature and choice blind to the things of God. Jesus is saying that we have two sets of eyes and ears (Physical/spiritual). Jesus came to give us sight, which is the ability to see our sin, see God, see our need for a savior. Jesus came so we can see. This is the meaning of Christmas: Jesus came to give sight to the blind – to see things as they are.

#4) Jesus came to bring salvation.

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,” (Titus 2:11)
“When the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, according to his own mercy” (Titus 3:4–5)

Salvation infers there a danger we must be saved from: Satan, sin, death, God’s condemnation. Let’s look at how Jesus came to save us from each of these:

Satan: “The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:8; Heb 2:14)

Sin: “You know that he appeared in order to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.” (1 John 3:5; Heb 9:26)

Death: “Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him (Ro 6:9)

Condemnation of God: “For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:17–18, ESV)

Jesus came to save us from Satan, sin, death and divine condemnation. These no longer have any claim on those who are in Jesus Christ. We were spiritual runaways, but are now brought home in him. Jesus saves us to be part God’s family. He lived a sinless life for us. He suffered as a substitute on cross for us. He satisfied the wrath of God for us. He defeated death for us. He, in all these things, secured salvation for us.

This is why the Bible says, if God is for us, by faith in Christ, nothing can be against us. But, if God is against us, nothing can save us. We need a savior and we have one. It is his arrival that we are celebrating today. Baby Jesus came to destroy Satan, sin, death and satisfy God’s condemnation. That is stunning news. This is the meaning of Christmas: Jesus came to bring salvation.

#5) Jesus came that we may have abundant life.

“I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” (John 10:10)
“In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him.” (1 John 4:9)
“God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16)

There is life, then there is life in Jesus. Everyone has a definition of what “living the life” looks like. Biblically, “living the life” is living in close, vital relationship with God in Jesus. That life is a forgiven life, a redeemed life, an adopted-child-of-God-life, it is a life-w/-God-now-and-forever-life, it is an infinitely-loved-and-graced-life, it is a sin-removed-life, and a life-under-the-promises-of-God-life. This is the meaning of Christmas: Jesus came to give us abundant life, now and forever.

#6) Jesus came that we might know him.

“The Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true” (1 John 5:20)

God became man, so we might know Him. This the result of points one through five and the best news of all. We can know and be known by God. He is the treasure worth selling all we have to get. Whatever it is in your life that competes for your highest affections and attention; Jesus is better. You can know God. This is the meaning of Christmas: Jesus came that we might know him.

This is what Christmas is about. This is why Jesus came. God became man for sinners, to give sight to the spiritually blind, to bring salvation, to offer abundant life, and, ultimately, knowledge of Him. Embrace Him this morning as your King, Savior, Lord and Chief Treasure. “The birth of Christ is the central event in the history of the earth — the very thing the whole story has been about.” (CS Lewis) Make Him the very thing your whole story is about this Christmas. Merry Christmas. The King has come…and is coming.