It is important that you understand why Christ was born, all that He did and why, and how you must to respond to His works. This is the prerequisite for getting to God. No one can get to the Father except through Christ (John 14:6).
Introduction
Text: Matthew 1:21 And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.
The Christmas period is the time of the year when the story of the birth of Christ is most told. Many preachers will preach on the subject. Sunday school teachers will have lessons on the story. And parents will use it for bedtime story. It is in fact a sweet story to tell, not only in December, but throughout the year. The believers should tell it at all times for as long as they live.
But most people in the world do not understand the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ. They have no idea why He had to be born or what He came to do in the world. And of course there are others who want to make this period all about shopping and Santa Claus. They want nothing to do with Jesus or His story. Perhaps they don’t think they need Him.
The purpose of this study is to help you understand why Christ was born, all that He did and why, and how you must to respond to His works. This is very important for everyone because it is the prerequisite for getting to God. No one can get to the Father except through Christ (John 14:6). In other words, you cannot believe in God without believing in Jesus Christ. More on this in Peace with God and The Peace of God. See also: Three Reasons why Jesus is the Only Way to God.
God Manifested in the Flesh
During His earthly life and ministry, Jesus was God manifested in the flesh. I understand this may sound strange to those who are unfamiliar with the Christian faith. The Bible calls this the mystery of Godliness.
1 Timothy 3:16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
Jesus Christ Himself is God, He has always been, and always will be. He is the “Word” “in beginning,” which created all things.
John 1:1-5 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 The same was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men. 5 ¶ And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.
Colossians 1:16-17 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.
He was never created, but has always been with the Father since eternity past. He does not have a beginning. The world did not physically encounter Him until He was manifested in the flesh, in the form of a new born baby.
Born of a Virgin
We read these words as part of our text today “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS…” Matthew 1:21. Jesus was born by a virgin as previously prophesied of Him by the Prophets. Mary the mother of Jesus is the “she” in our text and the virgin in Isaiah’s prophecy:
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
The above prophecy was later quoted by Matthew in his Gospel:
Matthew 1:23 Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.
The last part of the above verse, “God with us,” is the meaning of the name “Emmanuel.” This confirms the above truth that Jesus Christ was God manifested in the flesh. He was conceived by the power of the Holy Spirit. The promise and prophesies of His coming go as far back as in the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 3:15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
He Came to Save His People
There is no question about why Jesus came. He was born for the sole purpose of saving His people from their sins, to reconcile us to God. He was born to suffer and die for our sins, for the sins of the whole world. He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29, 36).
The last part of our text states that ” for he shall save his people from their sins” Matthew 1:21. In second Epistle to the Corinthians we read these words:
2 Corinthians 8:9 For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich.
The word “rich” in the above verse does not refer to Christ’s earthly riches or possessions. It is about His heavenly glory and position which He put aside for our sakes so as to save us. His poverty in this case is Him becoming a man, and living and breathing like us in this wretched world. The only difference being that He had no sins like the rest of us.
The purpose of this is for Him be the Mediator between God and man.
How He Saves Us
Jesus Christ came as man, died as man, for the sins of all men. He needed to be man to do this. He also needed to be God for Him to be sinless since all men have sinned and come short of the glory of God. No man can atone for the sins of other men. We read about the humility of Christ in Philippians:
Philippians 2:6-8 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.
This of course is the highest level of humility. He is God, but He did not find it too humiliating to become like man. Probably because of how much He loves us. But not only did He become a man, He was also subject to further humiliation of being sentenced to death by same offenders He came to save.
He Humbled Himself and Died for Us
Still, He did not fight back. The Bible says “he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” The cross was the ultimate goal of His coming, where He would die and pay the penalty of our sins. This was unknown to those who crucified Him, but it has always being in God’s plan. The death of Jesus on the cross was the payment for our sins. They sacrificed Him in our place. The One who knew no sin, became sin for us.
Romans 5:6-8 For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. 8 But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
The gospel states that Christ died for our sins according to the Scripture. He was buried and He rose again the third day according to the Scripture – (1 Corinthians 15:1-4). One of the most important part of this passage is that “Christ died for our sins.” This is why you and I need to take His coming seriously.
Only Jesus Christ
No one else can do this, and obviously you cannot do it for yourself. If this is the only thing you take away from this article, my job is done. Jesus Christ came to this world to save us from our sins. He did it by suffering and dying painfully in our place.
Colossians 1:21-22 And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22 In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight:
Titus 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Salvation is a Gift
Christ had paid the penalty of our sins in full. He had atoned for all sins. He did it all, and there is nothing left for us to do to be saved. This is the best part of the whole story. The fact that you and I can simply believe in Him and be saved. In the Epistle to the Ephesians, the Bible says:
Ephesians 2:8-9 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
To be saved means that your sins are forgiven and you have been delivered from the wrath of God. It is by grace because it is something we do not deserve. We deserve to be punished for our sins, but Christ came to rescue and redeem us, even while we ‘re still in sin.
Moreover, salvation comes through faith because we receive it by believing the gospel and what Christ did on our behalf. It is a gift since it costs us nothing. And it is so because Christ paid the full price. Christ has done and completed all works of our redemption. There is nothing left to do on our part. This is why there is absolutely no ground for boasting in ourselves. All boasting must be in Jesus Christ’s death and resurrection.
Romans 3:24-26 Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: 25 Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; 26 To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.
We are “justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.” Everything is tied to the blood that Christ shed on the cross.
1 John 3:5 And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.
You Must Respond in Faith
Salvation is not just a gift, it is a gift that you must receive. Simply having the knowledge does you no good if you do not believe and put your trust in Christ. Until this takes place, all you have is a mere head knowledge that neither touches nor changes the heart.
The first step of faith is repentance. It is important that you admit your sins and repent from them. Until you agree with the Bible that you’re a sinner, you cannot be saved. Jesus did not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32).
Salvation is not just a gift, it is a gift that you must receive.
The bad news about sin is that it comes with a penalty, which is death (Romans 6:23). This is what Jesus paid for with His blood on the cross. So your next step is to believe that He shed His blood for your sins. The blood of Jesus Christ is the ransom for our redemption. Therefore believe that Christ died for your sins and He rose again. As far as the Bible is concerned, this is all you need to be saved.
The blood of Jesus Christ is the ransom for our redemption.
Believe and Live
As mentioned earlier, God does not require any work on our part to be saved. Simply believe. The Apostle Paul, while addressing the Jews at the early days of the Church, declares this truth:
Acts 13:38-39 Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.
“All that believe are justified from all things…” Did you catch that? The Philippian jailor asks a straight forward question, the same question for which many seek answers today: “What must I do to be saved?” (Acts 16:30). Here is the straight forward answer given in the Bible:
Acts 16:31 And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
Now you know! You know who Jesus is, why He came, what He did, and what you need to believe. The choice is now yours. But do not delay. You can only believe while you’re still alive, and no one knows the day of his death. I will close with these words:
John 5:24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.
John 3:36 He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.
Thank you for reading!
