The Person and Purpose of Christmas

Trevor S Ferguson

January 2, 2016

Matthew 1:18-21 (KJV)
¹⁸Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.
¹⁹Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.
²⁰But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
²¹And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.

Romans 6:1-2 (KJV)
¹What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
²God forbid.

Summary statement: Christmas is all about Jesus Christ and His ability to save people from sin!

INTRODUCTION

Although Christmas is celebrated all over the world, most Christmas celebrations fail to focus on Jesus Christ or to consider the real meaning of the Christmas season. For many, Christmas is all about giving and receiving of gifts or a time for fun and festivity. For those who take time out to reflect on Jesus Christ, the reflections are sometimes superficial, with a focus on a baby in a manger, or the fact the Mary and Joseph could find no room in the inn. Other reflections include the challenges faced by Mary and Joseph in light of Mary’s unusual (and for many, unbelievable) pregnancy. Others may speak of the wonder of the angelic visit to the shepherds in announcing the birth of Christ and marvel at the wise men from the east as they followed a star to find the place where Jesus was born. In addition, we sometimes speak of the unbelief and redemption of Zacharias, or the pronouncements of Simeon and Anna when Jesus was presented at the temple.

One topic that is not often discussed in our discourse on the Christmas story is that of human sin. I would like to suggest however that, when we think about it, this was the main reason for Jesus coming into this world. Another topic that is not often addressed is the  true identity of the baby in the manger – i.e. that this was the Great God and Creator of the Universe who had enveloped himself in a robe of flesh and came to dwell with humankind, so that he could deliver us from the power and devastating effects of sin.

Today, I want to challenge our minds to reflect more deeply on the person and the purpose of Christmas, as I bring to your remembrance that Christmas is all about Jesus Christ and his ability to save people from sin. I want to challenge those who are not yet saved to make an appropriate response to God’s precious gift to you this Christmas by accepting His generous offer of salvation. I would also like to remind you that there is a gift available to all today, which is more precious than any gift you might have received this Christmas and that this gift is the gift of the Holy Ghost.

EXPOSITION

Let us first look at the PERSON of Christmas.

Matthew in his account of the gospel of Jesus Christ is careful to establish the true identity Jesus Christ. He begins with a listing of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, tracing Jesus’s descent from Abraham, through 42 generations, until we come to Joseph, who was legally the father of Jesus. Matthew’s genealogy proved that Jesus was Jew, a descendant of Abraham and more specifically a descendant of David. As such, he had legal rights to the Davidic throne and was fully qualified to be Israel’s Messiah. In verses 18-23, he further shows that Jesus was not only the son of David, but was in fact the Son of God. He first declares in verse 18 that Mary was “found with child of the Holy Ghost”; in other words, Mary was pregnant, but this was not a ‘normal’ pregnancy, because the source of her pregnancy was the Holy Ghost. Of course, this was difficult to believe and Joseph had problems accepting this. But while he struggled with this problem, contemplating to divorce her privately, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him and confirmed the words Mary had spoken to him – Mary was still a virgin, “that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost”. He further instructed him that he should call his name JESUS.

Let me hasten to point out that this name Jesus was no ordinary name. The name Jesus is derived from the Greek equivalent to the Hebrew name Joshua, which literally means Jehovah-Saviour or Jehovah is Salvation. It incorporates all that the name Jehovah denotes and adds to it the attribute of salvation. We know that the name Jehovah is derived from the Hebrew equivalent of the verb “to be” and therefore means the Self-existing One, the “I AM”, who always was, now is and always will be! Therefore Jesus is the Self-Existing One, the Great Creator, who has now become our Saviour!

It is noteworthy that the two Joshua’s of the Old Testament foreshadowed the saving power of Jesus Christ. The first Joshua was Israel's captain on the occasion of their first settlement in the Land of Canaan after their bondage in Egypt. After succeeding Moses Joshua led Israel from victory to victory and so brought them into the Promised Land

The second Joshua was Israel's high priest at their second settlement in the land after the bondage in Babylon. Thus both were thus associated with great deliverances; but neither these great men had given the full rest of true salvation to the people of God as stated in Hebrews 4:8; They were only able to procure for them political freedom and a land they could call their own. Salvation from Egypt and from Babylon were only types of the great salvation from sin which was to come through the Christ of God.

Before dealing with the salvation that Jesus wrought for us, let us look at the second name mentioned for the Messiah in Matthew 1. Verse 23 tells us that this son which was to be born of Mary was in fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophesy which had declared that this son to be born (of a virgin) was “Emmanuel”, that is “God with us”! Thus Jesus was the Jehovah God of the Old Testament patriarchs who had now come to dwell with us. This is the PERSON of Christmas. He is our Emmanuel! He is God with us!

Let us turn now to the PURPOSE of His coming. This is explicitly stated in the last clause of verse 21 “… for he shall save his people from their sin”. Herein lies that challenge – the basic problem of humanity is sin, but most persons are not willing to admit it! We inherited the sinful nature from Adam, and without Divine intervention are destined to keep on sinning! The scriptures clearly declares that “there is none righteous, no not one” (Romans 3:10) and that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). As a result without God, all humanity stand condemned under the curse of sin and is destined for both physical death and spiritual death. The great news at Christmas time therefore is that Jesus came to deliver mankind from sin! If he had come to deliver Israel from Roman oppression and set up an earthly kingdom, we, especially the Gentiles, would still be “without hope and without God in the world”! Jesus came however, not just to deliver from earthly oppression, but to deliver from the power and effects of sin. He came to save us.

Listen to these verses say about him:

Psalm 130:7-8 (NIV): ⁷O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. ⁸He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins.

John 3:16-18 (KJV) ¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. ¹⁷For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. ¹⁸He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Luke 19:9-10 (KJV) ⁹ And Jesus said unto him, This day is salvation come to this house, forsomuch as he also is a son of Abraham. ¹⁰For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

It is abundantly clear, the purpose of Christmas is to recognize that Jesus was born, with the purpose to bring salvation to lost humanity, to save his people from their sin! Such a recognition requires a response: As Paul asked in Romans 6:1, the question is being asked today: What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin? This is a question that requires and answer from one and all. If you recognize that the great God of heaven, came down to earth, was born as a babe, subjected himself to all the limitations of fallen humanity, including the indignity of being born in a manger and being crucified on a cross, all this, so that He could bring salvation to you and to me, what is the appropriate response? I declare to you that there is only one appropriate response to this revelation – that is to accept the free gift of salvation offered to one and all.

What is so amazing is that Jesus, having had to pay a high price to purchase our salvation, now offers it to us freely. The prophet Isaiah invites us, “… come, buy wine and milk, without money and without price”; he further challenge us: “Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon”. Isaiah 55:7 (KJV). This offer of salvation is available to one and all today!

CONCLUSION

We have declared today that Christmas is all about Jesus Christ and His ability to save mankind from sin and that this offer of salvation is available to one and all! If you are not yet saved, now is the acceptable time! The message of salvation is the same as that preached on the day of Pentecost – Repent of you sins, accept water baptism in the name of Jesus Christ and seek for the baptism of the Holy Ghost. Only by doing so would we fully acknowledge the person and then purpose of Christmas!

I challenge you to make that decision today, In Jesus name.