The Gospel is for Everyone

Luke 2:10-15

Welcome to Christmas here at Mountain View Baptist Church. We are delighted to have you here today. It is our prayer this week that God will give you a wonderful Christmas with you and your family.

If you are a first time guest here, we would love the opportunity to connect with you. Please be sure to stop by our welcome center so we can get better acquainted with you.

This will be our final message on Gospel Christmas. We learned in this series that the greatest gift given to us is the gospel of Jesus Christ. In this season of gift giving remember the greatest gift.

This means Christ came to this earth to die on a cruel cross paying for our sins by His shed blood. Jesus was buried in a tomb and three days later He arose from the dead. When we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior, we receive the greatest gift ever.

Who is this gift for? Some people confuse who the gospel is for? Some believe it is only for a select few, some believe it is only for those who live in America, some believe it is only for the Jews. The Bible says in verse 10 “all people.” The last time I looked up “all” in the dictionary, it meant all. Jesus came to die for the rich, the poor, the known of our world, and the unknown of our world, the intelligent and the not so intelligent, the upper class and even those with no class. Jesus died for the religious and those who are not religious. Jesus died for the sins of the whole world.

John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

1 John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” This means Jesus satisfied the payment for sin for the whole world.

What does this mean to you? If Jesus died for the whole world, then what does that look like in our world today?

The gospel brings to the whole world a powerful message.

Message 1. . .

Message of good news

Good tidings is the word for the gospel. This means that even though we are in a horrible sinful condition and under the judgment and punishment of God, we have a remedy for our situation. We have an answer to our spiritual problem. The answer is the gospel for all of mankind.

No matter where we travel, either here in this country or in another country, the common thread is we all are under the judgment of God. The answer is the good news.

This why missions is so vital and why Jesus sends us into all the world. Sin is no respecter of persons or nations, we all have this need upon us. God sends us with the gospel to those You may not know their name, you may not speak their language, you may not understand their culture, and you may not have ever met them before, but you can be assured that Jesus came to bring good news to them through the gospel.

You cannot rejoice in the Good News of salvation until first you face the bad news of condemnation.

Warren W. Wiersbe

The shepherds were the lowest in social standing but Jesus has good news for them. The good news for all of us is that Jesus came to bring us joy. This joy is found in the gospel. Jesus did all that was needed for us to be saved.

Religion says “do” but Christianity says, “done” by Jesus.

The gospel is good news. But Jesus never said it was easy news.

Charles Colson

The good news is that Jesus came to the extremely religious world of the Jews to offer a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. This brings all of us joy because we long for joy in our hearts. We are filled with joy when we receive Jesus as our Savior. The absence of joy will be there without the good news of the gospel.

The devil has many people in our world think that the message of Jesus will rob them of life, of peace, and of joy. The opposite is true because Jesus is the Giver of life. We are given new life in Christ. Have you heard this good news? Have accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior? Christmas is Good News because of the joy Jesus brings to our lives.

Message 2. . .

Message of hope

The hope is connected to the God of impossibility. When Mary was told she was to have a virgin birth, she questioned the angel? She was pure and had not any relations with a man.

In Luke 1:37 “For with God nothing shall be impossible.” God reminded her that with Him, nothing is impossible.

The message of hope is found in the miraculous work of God. The virgin birth of Jesus is a miraculous work of God. He chooses to do the impossible. The hope of having a relationship with God can only by accomplished by God.

The Christmas message is that there is hope for a ruined humanity—hope of pardon, hope of peace with God, hope of glory—because at the Father’s will Jesus Christ became poor, and was born in a stable so that thirty years later He might hang on a cross.

J. I. Packer

It is humanly impossible that Jesus would come through a virgin birth, that Jesus would live a sinless life, be crucified as an innocent man bearing the sins of all mankind, died, buried and rose the third day from the dead. All of this is miraculous because we don’t have hope in religion, good works, or baptism.

God is showing us hope in the work of Jesus Christ. Your need of your sins forgiven, of a relationship with God, and home is in heaven is not impossible with God. He is the Only One who can provide salvation for us. He comes to be our Savior. A Savior is one who comes to deliver us out of our need which we are unable to take care of.

Jesus is our Savior who can miraculously save us, but can also meet our needs that seem impossible. Maybe as a Christian you are struggling with your health or maybe your family relationships are not good, perhaps your finances are low or your children or grandchildren are not living for God. There is nothing impossible with God.

Our hope in this world is questionable but our hope in the Lord is secure, it is guaranteed. Please note Christ the Lord v. 11.

Christian, is Christ the Lord of your life? Is He the Lord of your family? Is He the Lord of your finances? Of your time? Matthew 11:27–28 “All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

He knows Your need and now He is inviting you to bring your needs to Him. Wouldn’t it be outstanding if this Christmas those burdens would be cared for by Jesus? He says “Come” unto me. Bring those needs unto Him.

In the famous book, Pilgrim’s Progress written by John Bunyan, he allegorizes the man who is carrying a heavy load on his back looking to for help with the load. When he comes to Jesus, the load is lifted from his back. He is telling this story to those who are carrying heavy loads and not taking them to Jesus. The load of unsolved problems, bitterness of heart, anger and unforgiveness towards others, fear and unbelief, all can be overwhelming. We can bring our cares to Him. 1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.” When you carry a load it seems hopeless but when you lay on Jesus, He lifts the load. Christian don’t leave here carrying an unnecessary load. Jesus is our Lord who can take care of all thing including the impossible things.

Message 3. . .

Message of good will

Ephesians 4:32 “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” The gospel brings healing to mankind through Jesus Christ. It is not a message of judgment but a message of love and forgiveness. The good will here is loving and wanting what is best for others.

Paul records this amazing verse here which says we are to forgive others as Christ has forgiven you. Just as Christ forgave us, we are to forgive others. In order for us to have good will towards others, we must be forgiven and forgive. The gospel transforms us on the inside. Our heart now cares about the spiritual well-being of others. Our heart wants them to know Christ and live in Christ which will not only change us, but it will change the world. There is nothing better to impact and change the lives of others than the gospel of Jesus Christ.

To will is human, to will the bad is of fallen nature, but to will the good is of grace.

John Calvin (French Reformer)

The gospel brings good will which means it will bring kindness and acceptance of others. The gospel will encourage us to reach others with the message of Christ. This also means the gospel will bring goodwill to husband and wife, to parents and children, to brothers and sisters, to neighbors and work associates.

To love is to will the good of another.

Saint Thomas Aquinas

Christmas can be a time of good will towards mankind and the gospel gives us the promise of peace and goodwill.

This is why the gospel is for everybody. There is no doubt the world needs help, needs healing and the Jesus Christ is the answer. Do you know Him? Have you accepted Him as your Savior? The gospel is for you. Will accept Him today as your Savior?

If you are a Christian, what is God speaking to you about? Maybe you are carrying a load, He did not intend you to carry. Maybe you have a bitterness or unforgiving spirit in your life. Maybe you have not allowed the gospel to flourish in your life so that you can have good will towards others. Today would be a great time to settle it with God by coming to the altar on this season of peace and good will.