Because He came, we go (Matthew 1, 1 Timothy 1:15-17, Matthew 28)

Because He came, we go. (Matthew 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:15-17; Matthew 28:16-20) Last week we mentioned that Christmas should be Christianity on Display Our focus was on the fact that Christmas is the celebration of a person, not an event. What that means is that the celebration of Christmas is actually worship. My hope for us is that Christmas will be a time that grounds us in our faith and centers us on what it means to follow Christ. This week in our sermon I’d like to take some time and unpack a truth that is directly connected to Christmas, and applies immediately to all of our lives. The truth is that Because He came, we go. It seems simple enough, I mean we celebrate the truth that Christ came as we look into our Nativities and sing carols of the birth of the Messiah. As Christians we don’t just celebrate the idea of Christmas or the vibes of Christmas. A Christian celebration is different from the rest of the world. You would think that the fact that Christmas is rooted in the worship of Jesus Christ, would mean that Christmas is about Jesus. But, it’s not. Other characters have been created, other reasons have been justified, and even people of other religions join in some kind of holiday tradition they call Christmas. But, when we celebrate Christmas we are celebrating the truth of the gospel, we are celebrating the reality of a promise that was kept. Today I’d like to share 3 Unique characteristics of a Christian celebration of Christmas. 1. A Christian celebration of Christmas emphasizes that Jesus is the promised Messiah Every year at Christmas we point out that the birth of Christ is the fulfillment of God’s prophecies. And, when we read through the gospel of Matthew we see that all of the prophecies God makes have a central character. Matthew 1:1 (ESV), “The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham.”

Because He came, we go. (Matthew 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:15-17; Matthew 28:16-20) The central character in the OT prophecies is a great King & Messiah whom God has promised will rescue His people and rule over His kingdom. When you look at Matthew 1, Jesus is “the Christ, the son of David, and the Son of Abraham.” “Christ” is a title, not a name. It means the anointed one, or King. Jesus Christ means Jesus the anointed one. “When we read or hear Jesus Christ “we should be thinking Jesus the Messiah, the one God anointed to bring about our redemption.” - DA Carson According to Matthew Jesus is the king God promised, the Son of David and the Son of Abraham. Jesus is the King who will rule with all authority and be the promised blessing to all nations. The designation, “Son of Abraham”, refers to the promised son of Abraham who would be a blessing to all nations. 2. A Christian celebration of Christmas rejoices in the truth that Jesus came to save sinners 1 Timothy 1:15–17 (ESV) 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. God has made it abundantly clear, from His promise to Adam and Eve to the revelation of John the apostle, that the Messiah was coming to save sinners. And, if you think that you have lied to much, drank too much, failed too much, doubted too much, and generally sinned too much for God to save you... you’re wrong.

Because He came, we go. (Matthew 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:15-17; Matthew 28:16-20) As Paul said of himself, Christ Jesus came into the world to save the worst sinner in the world. Why would Paul think he was the worst sinner? First, he rejected Christ and actively worked to squash the spread of the gospel by arresting, imprisoning, and even murdering Christians. So, you can see why Paul might consider himself the worst sinner he knows. But, the truth is that we are all the worst sinner that we know. You know yourself and the sin that others don’t know about more than anyone else. The only person who knows more about your sin is God... and God is the one who has come to save you. So, when you consider that God knows more about you than you know about yourself, and He comes to save... then all your arguments about being too bad to be saved go out the window. At that point you are left holding the reality of your pride and personal rejection of Christ... and it’s my hope that God will open your eyes to the beauty of His love and grace for you and that you will open your heart and mind to the truth and surrender your life to Him, find forgiveness for your sin, and receive the gracious gift of eternal life through faith in Jesus. The messiah who came to save sinners... even a sinner as bad as you and me. And as sinners who have been saved by the grace of God our celebration of Christmas motivates us to go and share the gospel. 3. A Christian celebration of Christmas spurs the church to go and share the Gospel Matthew begins his gospel with the coming of the Messiah and King, and ends his gospel with the same Messiah and King exercising His authority for the joy of all the nations. Matthew 28:16–20 (CSB) 16 The eleven disciples traveled to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had directed them. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped, but some doubted. 18 Jesus came near and said to them, “All authority has been given to me in heaven and on earth. 19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the

Because He came, we go. (Matthew 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:15-17; Matthew 28:16-20) name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Jesus came to save, therefore we go and make disciples John records Jesus in John 20:21 saying, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And as I mentioned in the sermon last week, Worship motivates and fuels sharing the gospel. And today I am excited for you to get to know one of our Harrisburg members better. Some of you know Morgan Dennis, and many of you don’t. But, after today I hope that she becomes an important person in your life. Here’s a quick video of Morgan sharing about what’s happening in her life before she comes to join me up here. Video Plays... Bring Morgan up... Morgan, we are thrilled at the way the Lord is working in your life. I for one have been so encouraged seeing you seek the Lord and surrender to His call on your life to serve Him in missions. 3 Questions: 1. ____ 2. ____ 3. ____ Thank you Morgan... we are going to commission Morgan and pray over her in January.

Because He came, we go. (Matthew 1:1; 1 Timothy 1:15-17; Matthew 28:16-20) So, now I want to challenge you to consider your life and who God is calling you to share the gospel with this Christmas season? Because He came, we go. Who can you pray for this week? Who will you share the gospel with this week?