4 - God Wants to Free Us

The Christmas Story USUALLY starts here:

Luke 2:1–7 NIV

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

And don’t get me wrong - this is CENTRAL to the christmas story - but the Christmas story sits on top of a long set of prophecies set up through the bible.

Even down to the beginning of humanity - Adam and eve deceived, God curses the serpent, and says, ‘there’s a seed, a person coming who will crush your head’.

There’s a really important prophecy that I wanted to highlight about Christ today. Really important to the nature of the Christmas story.

Isaiah 53:2–6 NIV

He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem. Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

When we think of Christmas, what do we think of?

Presents, a tree, giving gifts. Maybe, a nativity scene, a quiet baby in a manger?

But what about this portrait? A person, destined to be familiar with pain, despised by the world, a man of suffering? A sacrifice born into the world, to pay for our sins and to set us free?

This sounds like a terrible story! But

Christmas isn’t really about Jesus’ low circumstances - it’s about ours

See, in the manger, all we see is the humble circumstances, the stable and no space at the inn. the broken Israel. But when God called the shepherds - there were choirs of angels CELEBRATING.

When jesus faced the cross, we see the stress, and the pain, and the horror of it. Jesus - he saw it as bringing glory to His father. He saw it as God’s master plan throughout the thousands of years being finished.

In the natural world, it seems like things weren’t going well. Persecution, hatred, rejection. But in the spiritual world - it was totally different. In the spiritual world, God sent His son in power, and might, to break the hold that death had on us.

Colossians 2:15 NIV

And having disarmed the powers and authorities, he made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them by the cross.

in the cross, Jesus didn’t just win - he made a public spectacle of the powers and authorities.

See, Jesus was completely moral and right - and people treated him like he was demon possessed. He was perfectly just - and people treated him like he was rejected by God. He was the glory and wonder of God in human form, and people cast him out like he was worthless.

But Jesus wasn’t living what HE deserved -

Jesus carried what WE deserved

Jesus was a man of sorrows - but they were our sorrows.

Isaiah 53:5 NIV

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Jesus was pierced - because we did wrong. He was crushed because we were immoral. The story of the troubles of Jesus is our story. They’re our troubles.

He was punished - and we were given peace. He was wounded - and we were healed. In every harsh word, every thrown stone and driven nail - we were brought closer and closer to God. And when Jesus was crucified - we were forgiven completely. When he was given new life 3 days later - so were we.

Christmas is about our pain bore by someone else

See, this is the very reason that Jesus was born. And he knew it:

John 12:27–28 NIV

“Now my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I came to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” Then a voice came from heaven, “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”

That’s what I love so much about the Christmas season. It’s a constant reminder that, 2000 years ago, God’s son was born. And because of that - i can be free. I can be free from the problems that would crush me. From the pain that would destroy me.

Because of the birth and death of Jesus - I don’t have to carry the pain, and the problems. I don’t have to carry death in my life - i can be free. I can be a new creation with God.

2 Corinthians 5:17 NIV

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!

We are free from the judgment we earned for ourselves, we are free from death itself.

Christmas reminds us that in Jesus, we were lost - but now we are free

I really love the end of the Isaiah 53 prophecy:

Isaiah 53:6 NIV

We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

Life can often be very overwhelming and confusing. Sometimes, we just don’t know what’s going on, or why something happened.

And sometimes the problems can get so big and so crushing that we don’t see a way out.

But to God, he doesn’t see us as his enemies. He sees us as sheep, gone astray, wandering lost because of our sins.

And God took all of those sins, all of those ways that we have wandered from Him - and he put them on his son. And

when Jesus died - we were set free

And that is amazing news.

John 8:36 NIV

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

When we celebrate Christmas, we can remember that Jesus was born to set us free. And when He set us free - we were made completely free.

If we choose to follow him, if we choose to live our life WITH God instead of against him or without him - we can be free.

Whatever is holding you down or holding you back today - you can be free. Whatever ways your problems or your circumstances affect you - you can be free.

INVITE TO PRAY.