Jesus Our Redemption

Intro

Preparing for this - the question I asked myself is this “What’s the point of Christmas?”

Why do we do it? Why celebrate, we put so much time and effort, money into as event?

We cook, spend money to buy gifts, to set parties and go to parties. It’s almost like we this time around we’re programmed to stop and alter our lives just so that we can celebrate Christmas. But why?

Many say that it’s to celebrate the birth of Jesus. To celebrate the birth of the Messiah. This is why we do it. This is why we put so much effrot into this, because we calebrate Jesus. The most important person in our lives.

So, if you really think about it, Christmas is not about us. It’s about Jesus, we are just privileged to take part in it.

But culture and human nature has its way of somehow making everything about us. We party, we cook, we do gifts - for each other (Isn’t that kind of funny) That on Christmas we exchange gifts for each other but we don’t really give anything to Jesus. For some they won’t even say merry Christmas, they’ll just say happy holidays.

We’re humans, this is what we Good at - we make things about us, we corrupt the good things that God gives us by turning it the other way and making it about us.

But thank God, God knows this.

And So in his love and mercy, the God of the universe came to us in a form of a baby in a manger.

GOD CAME TO BE WITH US

John 1:14 ESV

And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

God sees, and knows the borkenness in us. Knew that we’re helpless and so He came close. He initiated the relationship, between man and God.

The heart of Christmas shows that He is not a distant God- that he’s near. He showed us that he’s willing to heal, restore, and redeem. GOD STEPPED INTO OUR BROKEN WORLD.

Didn’t send and angel, didn’t shout from heaven - He came to be with us, became one us of. Human. He came in a forn that we could understand, touch, see.

God was, and is with us.

Matthew 1:23 ESV

“Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel” (which means, God with us).

Jesus came in the flesh Not an idea, not just religion, not a tradition. He came as a person.

You’re not alone, God is with you. Regardless of where you’re at in your life. God meets you where you are. In need, in questions, doubts, in suffering, in fear. But in the same way he meets you in joy, and in victory, and in plenty. He’s with you.

GOD CAME FOR US

Luke 2:10 ESV

And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.

God’s heart is for the broken - When the angles annouced the birth of Jesus they did it to Shepherds. Not kings, not religious leaders, not the rich. The shepherds, the unimportant, the overlooked, the unclean. (If you’re rich don’t be sad.) Jesus still loves you.

Not just that but it’ds for those who feel forgotten, unworthy, those who feel distant. Jesus hang out with the unlikely. The tax collecetors, the sinners, Jesus came for those who no one wanted. Jesus sat with sinners. - Thanks God for that. You and I are the exact kind of people Jesus would’ve sat with.

He sees you, ha cares for you, he is for you. You matter to God, come. You don’t have to clean up first.

He offers grace. Giving us what we don’t deserve. And if we have to get everything right before we come to God, that that’s not grace. And if we going to wait to get it right before we come to God, we never come.

GOD CAME TO SAVE US

Matthew 1:21 ESV

She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”

Jesus wasn’t just born to give us a holiday. To give us a couple days off work before Christmas. For us todo parties and exchange gifts with one another. Friends, it’s mo much deeper than that. He came to give us life.

The manger and the cross share in the same story, it’s different chapters in the same story. They bost tell the redemption story. The manger is the start and the cross finishes the story of redemption.

The crib leads to the cross - the cross leads to the tomb - the tomb leads to eternal life. He came to forgive, to transform, to secure our eternity. He didn’t come to judge, but to save.

Conclusion -

So Christmas asks one question: What will you do with Jesus.

Not:

What traditions will you do

What gifts will you give/ receive

What food will you eat

But: Will you let God who came close come close to your heart?