A Christmas Sermon, Part 3: The Reason for the Nativity
Jesus Christ was born as a Man in order to live a perfect human life- keeping every one of God's commandments- and to die on behalf of sinners, taking the full punishment for sin in the place of everyone who would trust in Him alone for salvation.
So, as others have noted, there is a real sense in which Jesus was born for the purpose of dying.
And the death of Jesus is crucial to the Christian message. This is why the Apostle John is so specific in relating his eye-witness account of the death of Christ in John 19:31-35 [the text of which was given in Part 1 of this sermon]. John includes the gory details of the blood and water flowing from the side of Christ's corpse and he is emphatic that he is telling the truth because he wants his readers to know that Jesus surely died. This historical fact is so important for readers to grasp because it sets the stage for subsequent information John will present- for John tells us that Jesus not only died, but He was laid in a tomb- a tomb that was found empty three days later- and that Jesus was seen alive. This sinless Man, who had been tortured to death so publicly was found living! His empty tomb was open for public examination, causing His enemies to invent lies to account for it; hundreds of His followers- as we are told in First Corinthians 15- saw Him alive after He had been dead! Jesus Christ, the child of the virgin Mary and the Son of God, who was perfect God and perfect Man, conquered sin and death.
So, as others have noted, there is a real sense in which Jesus was born for the purpose of dying.
And the death of Jesus is crucial to the Christian message. This is why the Apostle John is so specific in relating his eye-witness account of the death of Christ in John 19:31-35 [the text of which was given in Part 1 of this sermon]. John includes the gory details of the blood and water flowing from the side of Christ's corpse and he is emphatic that he is telling the truth because he wants his readers to know that Jesus surely died. This historical fact is so important for readers to grasp because it sets the stage for subsequent information John will present- for John tells us that Jesus not only died, but He was laid in a tomb- a tomb that was found empty three days later- and that Jesus was seen alive. This sinless Man, who had been tortured to death so publicly was found living! His empty tomb was open for public examination, causing His enemies to invent lies to account for it; hundreds of His followers- as we are told in First Corinthians 15- saw Him alive after He had been dead! Jesus Christ, the child of the virgin Mary and the Son of God, who was perfect God and perfect Man, conquered sin and death.
Labels: Bible study
posted by Andrew Lindsey | 4:09 PM
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