INTRODUCTION:
1) Celebration of birthdays: Historically, in the
Chinese culture, celebrating birthday is reserved for the royalty, the elderly
and the rich and famous. Until we came to America, we see birthday celebration
is for everyone, young and old, rich and poor, the elite and the common.
Christian churches celebrate the birth of Jesus in grand scale across the
world. We have Christmas music, festivity, drama, decoration, giving of gifts
and of course, special kinds of food for the occasion. Most people, Christians
and non-Christians alike, love the Christmas season, the festive atmosphere and
the holidays.
2) More than just a birthday: The celebration of the
birth of Jesus into this world is much more than any birthday. From the nature
of life to the fulfillment of biblical prophesy, from the purpose of God to the
effect of his life and death, we know Christmas is much more than the
celebration of his birth. The Bible has so much to say about the meaning of
Jesus¡¯ birth. From the words of the angel who announced the good news to his
own words in his earthly ministry, Jesus came to this world for a very special
reason: All who believe in him shall not perish but shall have everlasting
life. (John 3:16)
LET¡¯S SEE WHAT THE BIBLE
SAYS: (John
1:29)
1) The world is searching: ¡°This was John¡¯s testimony:
The Jews of Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. He did
not fail to confess freely: I am not the Christ.¡± (John 1:19-20) Since the dawn
of human history, men have been searching for a Savior, the Christ, to solve
all the problems in this world and the sins in their hearts. That is the reason
we have seen the invention of religion in all parts of the world among all
tribes and cultures. The search will continue until a Savior is found.
2) The personal encounter: ¡°The next day, John saw
Jesus was coming toward him.¡± (1:29a)Some might like to see John went out to
search for Jesus because he as a man who needs a Savior. But instead Jesus came
to meet him. This is the difference from all other religions: God, in Jesus,
came to this world to seek and save sinners. (Matt 11:18)
3) Calling for attention: ¡°Behold.¡± (1:29b)This is Greek,
Ide from eidon, imperative interjection, calling
people to pay attention for something important. As soon as John saw Jesus, he
called his disciples to pay attention to his personal encounter. This is what
all Christians should do: do not hide your personal relationship with Christ
but calling others to know him too.
4) The purpose of his birth: ¡°The Lamb of God.¡±
(1:29c)This is from the Old Testament law: a lamb offered as a sacrifice for
the sin of man. It began with the Exodus story in which a lamb was slain and
its blood was splashed on the door-frame to save the lives of those inside the
house. Later, a lamb was offered as the price of sin for the man whose sin was
carried by the animal. The main idea is: Jesus was born to die for the sins of
the world. The whole idea of this sacrificial death of a lamb is from the heart
of God. Instead of man tries to create something to deal with his sin that has
never achieved anything for anyone, God sent his Son to do what man cannot do
by or for himself. So, this is the Lamb of God, not of man.
5) The effect of his birth: ¡°Who takes away the sin of
the world.¡± (1:29d) Takes, or carries, ho
airon, in Greek, to bear the weight, the burden
of something. Sin has its weight on the sinners both emotionally and spiritually.
Sin is always a burden, be it sin in the heart or in action. Sin also has a
price, not to correct what is done, but what is in the heart and mind of the
sinner. Many suffer emotional breakdown because of the weight or the guilt of
sin in them. But here, Jesus bears it all, the sinful nature, the act and the
guilt after the act. The effect of carrying the weight of sin is not just for
the Jews or Christians, but for all the people of the world, the cosmos. Evidently, when God sent Jesus
to this world, he has more in his mind than just for the Jews and the
Christians. He has all the sinful people of the world in his mind. This
universal scope of salvation for all men is the driving force of the New
Testament mission movement.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO THEN?
1) No more searching: ¡°If you confess with your
mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from
the dead, you will be saved.¡± (Romans 10:9)This is for those who haven¡¯t found
Jesus or accepted him as their Lord and Savior. If you have been seeking and
searching for the true God to believe, here is Jesus and you have found him.
Stop searching, just believe in him in your heart, and confess it with your
mouth, you will be save.
2) Jesus has found you: ¡°As Jesus was walking
beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon and his brother Andrew,
they were casting a net into the lake for they were fishermen. Come, follow me,
Jesus said, I will fishers of men.¡± (Matt 4:18-19)This was a life changing
moment for Peter and Andrew when Jesus found them and called them to follow
him. Today, Jesus has found you and he is calling you to follow him, so, you
may become fishers of men, saving souls of your family and friends for the
kingdom of God.
3) Bring them to see Jesus: ¡°Andrew was one of the two
who heard what John had said and followed Jesus. The first thing Andrew did was
to find his brother Simon and tell him: We have found the Messiah, and he
brought him to see Jesus.¡± (John 1:40-42)Do you have a brother or a sister, a
friend, a colleague, a neighbor who needs to see Jesus? Can you do what Andrew
did in doing two simple things: Tell him/her whom have you found and bring
him/her to see Jesus? This may be the biggest thing you can do for them¡ªyou are
doing something to save their souls for eternal life.
4) No more struggle with sin: ¡°What a wretched man I am!
Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God¡ªthrough Jesus
Christ our Lord.¡± (Romans 7:24-25) If you are struggling with sin, the power of
sin and the guilt comes with it, here is the solution: come to Jesus. He is the
Lamb of God sent to rescue you from all the grip of sin your body of death puts
you in. The power of God through Jesus Christ is much more than your own
struggle. Ask God to put all you sin on his Lamb and get rid of them once and
for all.
5) Enjoy the peace of Christmas: ¡°For high as the heavens
are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him; as far as the
east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.¡±
(Psalm 103:11-12) As the Lamb of God carries the sin from the offender and much
more, our God will remove our sins from us if we have confessed them to him.
God has made peace with sinful men through his Son, we have the promise of God
to make peace with him. As Paul said in Hebrews 4:16: ¡°Let us then approach the
throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to
help us in our time of need.¡±
CONCLUSION:
1) This birthday is special: Although we celebrate the
birthday of Jesus at Christmas time, but never forget this is not just another
birthday of some VIP. This is about Jesus and his coming to this world to save
sinners like you and me. While the world tries so hard to make it as another
holiday or an American culture, we who are called by His name know this is the
day God has sent His Son to save the souls of his people. Do something
different to make this birthday special for someone who needs the love of God
in his life.
2) Do you have Jesus in you? ¡°Don¡¯t leave home without
it¡± is a popular commercial for a credit card. But I am sure you will be better
off without a credit with you. But I want to urge you: Don¡¯t leave the church
without Jesus today. Bring Him with you by asking him to enter your heart to be
your Lord and Savior. You will never be the same in your life.