Why Jesus Came

 

Several weeks ago, I began to ponder this question, thinking it would be a good thing to study during the Christmas season. I picked up my Bible and began in Matthew, and just jotted down statements that explained reasons for Jesus coming. The first one I found was in Matt. 1.

Matt 1:18-22

18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary had been betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with child from the Holy Spirit. 19 And her husband Joseph, being a just man and unwilling to put her to shame, resolved to divorce her quietly. 20 But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins."

There are many reasons given in the Bible for Jesus coming, but the very first one mentioned is that he will save his people from their sins.

God always planned to come and save us.

Isa 35:3-6  Strengthen the weak hands, and make firm the feeble knees. 4 Say to those who have an anxious heart, "Be strong; fear not! Behold, your God will come with vengeance, with the recompense of God. He will come and save you." 5 Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; 6 then shall the lame man leap like a deer, and the tongue of the mute sing for joy.

Zech 9:16 On that day the Lord their God will save them, as the flock of his people; for like the jewels of a crown they shall shine on his land.

I especially like that verse, because it says that we will be like jewels that shine on his land!

Then Jesus came to save us from our sins

From the guilt of sin by his death,

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

Gal 1:3-4 Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, 4 who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, 5 to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

1 Peter 2:24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed.

Ps 103:12 as far as the east is from the west, so far does he remove our transgressions from us.

Isa 38:16-17  O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these is the life of my spirit. Oh restore me to health and make me live! 17 Behold, it was for my welfare that I had great bitterness; but in love you have delivered my life from the pit of destruction, for you have cast all my sins behind your back.

He also saves us from the bondage of sin

John 8:34-37  Jesus answered them, "Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

Rom 7:15-8:3  I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate. 16 Now if I do what I do not want, I agree with the law, that it is good. 17 So now it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 18 For I know that nothing good dwells in me, that is, in my flesh. For I have the desire to do what is right, but not the ability to carry it out. 19 For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I keep on doing. 20 Now if I do what I do not want, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells within me. 21 So I find it to be a law that when I want to do right, evil lies close at hand. 22 For I delight in the law of God, in my inner being, 23 but I see in my members another law waging war against the law of my mind and making me captive to the law of sin that dwells in my members. 24 Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? 25 Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself serve the law of God with my mind, but with my flesh I serve the law of sin. 8 There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.

PRAISE GOD!  He has set us free…free from guilt, declared us not guilty! Because of His death, I am free from the condemnation that my sin would bring.  

AND free from the trap. As Paul said, “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Because of His life inside of me, I am free from the cycle of sin that held me.

Mary’s Prayer

On Sunday night, we had a beautiful time of worship with the Cottonwood Women. We enjoyed wonderful music led by a group of college women, worship expressed through painting and through dance. I cannot express how meaningful and moving the evening was.

As part of the worship, I had asked a number of women to read Scriptures and other writings that proclaimed the wonder of the birth of Jesus. One of those was a reading of the following piece written by Max Lucado, entitled Mary’s Prayer.

God. O infant-God. Heaven’s fairest child. Conceived by the union of divine grace with our disgrace. Sleep well.

Sleep well. Bask in the coolness of this night bright with diamonds. Sleep well, for the heat of anger simmers nearby. Enjoy the silence of the crib, for the noise of confusion rumbles in your future. Savor the sweet safety of my arms, for a day is soon coming when I cannot protect you.

Rest well, tiny hands. For though you belong to a king, you will touch no satin, own no gold. You will grasp no pen, guide no brush. No, your tiny hands are reserved for works more precious:
      to touch a leper’s open wound,
      to wipe a widow’s weary tear,
      to claw the ground of Gethsemane.

Your hands, so tiny, so white—clutched tonight in an infant’s fist. They aren’t destined to hold a scepter nor wave from a palace balcony. They are reserved instead for a Roman spike that will staple them to a Roman cross.

Sleep deeply, tiny eyes. Sleep while you can. For soon the blurriness will clear and you will see the mess we have made of your world.

You will see our nakedness, for we cannot hide.

You will see our selfishness, for we cannot give.

You will see our pain, for we cannot heal.

O eyes that will see hell’s darkest pit and witness her ugly prince . . . sleep, please sleep; sleep while you can.

Lie still, tiny mouth. Lie still, mouth from which eternity will speak.

Tiny tongue that will soon summon the dead, that will define grace, that will silence our foolishness.

Rosebud lips—upon which ride a starborn kiss of forgiveness to those who believe you, and of death to those who deny you—lie still.

And tiny feet cupped in the palm of my hand, rest. For many difficult steps lie ahead for you.

Do you taste the dust of the trails you will travel?

Do you feel the cold seawater upon which you will walk?

Do you wrench at the invasion of the nail you will bear?

Do you fear the steep descent down the spiral staircase into Satan’s domain?

Rest, tiny feet. Rest today so that tomorrow you might walk with power. Rest. For millions will follow in your steps.

And little heart . . . holy heart . . . pumping the blood of life through the universe: How many times will we break you?

You’ll be torn by the thorns of our accusations.

You’ll be ravaged by the cancer of our sin.

You’ll be crushed under the weight of your own sorrow.

And you’ll be pierced by the spear of our rejection.

Yet in that piercing, in that ultimate ripping of muscle and membrane, in that final rush of blood and water, you will find rest. Your hands will be freed, your eyes will see justice, your lips will smile, and your feet will carry you home.

And there you’ll rest again this time in the embrace of your Father.

“God’s Word is True”

It is the day after Thanksgiving. It has been a long day, and I am feeling pretty introspective, just thinking about things.

I am thinking about Thanksgiving. I really like that we have a holiday that is specifically for expressing gratitude.

I am thinking about all the that I am thankful for.

I am thinking about something that I had the honor to witness recently. 

Last week, we had our annual Thanksgiving Dinner at Cottonwood.  Levi and Kasha Lewis were at the dinner, and had been asked to share a short testimony. Levi and Kasha are 30 years old, parents of a two year old son and infant daughter. Just 4 weeks ago, Levi went to the hospital with a severe headache and found out that he had a tumor, which tests showed was cancer. The tumor was removed, but further testing showed that the cancer was melanoma, and the doctors have said that the melanoma absolutely will come back. Everyone who has had melanoma in the brain has had it return. Levi is considering possible treatments, but the prognosis is bad. 

So, last week the whole church family was moved just to see Levi and Kasha walk to the stage.  Levi spoke with such courage and confidence about the great, amazing grace that he has experienced.  He is confident that God is fully in control.  Even when the circumstances seem hopeless, he is full of hope because his hope is in God.

As Kasha began to speak, she was a little shaky, seemed nervous, and trying to not cry. She shared that, as we come close to Thanksgiving, she was considering the things that she is thankful for. Every year, she is thankful for her family, her husband, and her beautiful children. This year, she is thankful for those things. Her voice grew stronger and she spoke with deeper conviction as she said, “This year, what I am really, really thankful for, is that God’s word is true. God’s word is true.” As this young woman faces a trial that none of us is prepared to face, she is holding firm to the fact that God’s word is true. She continued with great strength and conviction, “God’s will is perfect. God’s will is perfect.” GOD’S WORD IS TRUE. GOD’S WILL IS PERFECT.

So, as I have prepared for a big Thanksgiving feast with my big family, as I cleaned house and cooked turkey and ham, as I visited with my parents, children, grandchildren, siblings, and so on, as I cleaned up after the dinner, and now as I still am thinking about all that Thanksgiving means, I am rejoicing in the fact that God’s word is true, and , no matter what I see, I can be sure and confident that God’s will is perfect.