The Reason for the Season
O Come, All Ye Unfaithful • Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 21:12
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· 8 viewsChrist Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost
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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.
Illustration – WWII
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost
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.
Paul alerts us to the seriousness and severity of the statement he’s about to use.
“Christ Jesus Came”
“Christ Jesus Came”
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.
Christ Jesus existed with the Father before all things (Pre-existence).
The language that Paul draws on here assumes that before His becoming a child, Jesus Christ existed.
He pre-existed all other things.
This pre-existence is not merely being the first created being, but being as John 1 tells us.
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.
Christ Jesus came from heaven.
He was the Lord of Glory that dwelt in unapproachable light.
And He came from His throne of endless glory to a cradle in the dirt.
though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
It wasn’t merely leaving heaven, it was being clothed in humanity.
“Into the World”
“Into the World”
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.
Jesus became like us in every way except for sin (Incarnation)
Jesus didn’t just become man and then float around in some esoteric reality.
He became man and lived a whole life.
A life that was particularly in the world.
14 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things…
14 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.
As the Nicene Creed says,
“God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father.” —Nicaeno-Constantinopolitan Creed, AD 381
The light that always dwelt in eternal communion with the Father has been made manifest to the world.
Now for what purpose?
There’s a reality that we should stand back in holy fear and trembling and recognize what was deserved to humanity.
We deserved judgment.
We deserved condemnation.
We deserved the wrath of God for sin.
But the little baby in a manger tells us a remarkable different purpose.
If we keep Jesus merely in the manger as a baby, we misunderstand why he came into the world.
He did not come to show us how to live.
He did not come primarily as an example.
Jesus Christ came…
“to Save Sinners”
“to Save Sinners”
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.
Jesus’ purpose was to save all kinds of sinners.
The purpose of the coming of Messiah Jesus was not to condemn a lost and dying world, but to save it.
17 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.
What kind of salvation did Jesus bring?
We see the salvation that Jesus won for sinners by the weapons he brought for the warfare He would fight.
He didn’t bring a gun or a knife.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, but he never came here to spare their sins.
Charles Spurgeon
He brought Himself.
All those who were far from God needed to be reconciled to God and this only came through the cross of Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:19-20).
18 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.
The one who believes, or who places his whole trust in the life, death, burial, and resurrection of the Lord Jesus will not be condemned.
They won’t be condemned because their condemnation has already born by Jesus.
18 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.
What kind of sinners?
“of whom I am the foremost”
“of whom I am the foremost”
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.
Like the tax collector Jesus references prays for himself, “God, be merciful to me, the sinner!”
13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent.
He was a huge sinner.
He describes himself as a “chief of sinner” or the “worst”
But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief,
The core problem for him though was acting ignorantly in unbelief.
And though he gives us a list of any number of gross and defiling sins (blasphemy, and violent).
He also describes himself as the self-righteous and pious looking of all.
4 though I myself have reason for confidence in the flesh also. If anyone else thinks he has reason for confidence in the flesh, I have more:
5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to righteousness under the law, blameless.
But all of this was consider by Paul as a steaming pile of dung when compared with the surpassing worthiness of Christ Jesus.
7 But whatever gain I had, I counted as loss for the sake of Christ. 8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
The worthiness of the Lord Jesus Christ makes Paul to wonder that he ever trusted and hoped in anything else.
The spotless lamb of God has come in order for sin stained sinners would be washed white.
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.
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost
Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost
17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
