Start With Why A Sermon for Advent 4 John 1:1-14

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Ethelbert Patrick
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1 Start With Why A Sermon for Advent 4 John 1:1-14 Rev. Michael D. Halley December 23, 2018 Suffolk Christian Church Suffolk, Virginia Fourth Sunday of Advent ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It was while I was studying for this sermon that I discovered the important work of author Simon Sinek 1. He is author of a book by the same title as this sermon, though his book is about leadership, not theology. Every year I struggle, as probably every preacher does, with making the message of Christmas fresh and meaningful. We all know the what of Christmas... Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem... Mary and Joseph discovering that there is no room for them at the inn... Mary and Joseph taking shelter in a manger... the birth of Jesus there... the visits of the shepherds, and then later the magi. The what is well known and we never tire of hearing and telling the story. And, as I said last week, what s not to like about the Christmas story? Little babies always steal the show, don t they? Our hearts just melt when we think of a beautiful little baby being born in such humble circumstances. We love the what, don t we? But today I would like us to think about the why. Why was Jesus born? Why did God choose to send his Son to earth, to be born of a woman, to inhabit the flesh of humanity, to be subject to human life, human temptations, even human limitations? Why did all this occur? 1

2 Page -2- It s actually not a real pretty story. Not nearly as pretty as the what of the story. So I ask, Why did Jesus come to earth to suffer and die? The Bible is clear about this question. Let s look at just a few reasons 2. One of God s purposes in sending his Son to earth was to mend the hostility between races. In Bible times there was great enmity between Jews and non-jews. There was prejudice and terrible attitudes between them, much like we find in our own culture today. God never intended that his people would live with such fear and hatred toward others. One of the missions of Jesus was to break that down and help to reconcile us with our sisters and brothers who walk with us on this earth. Jesus died to make a way for a whole new way for people to be reconciled. As Saint Paul said in Ephesians 2:14-16, Jesus has broken down the dividing wall of hostility making peace through the cross. And then there is the demand of God, written in Deuteronomy 6:5: You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. Are we loving God in that total way? No. We love other things more. We dishonor God by looking for things other than him. We love other things more. This is what sin is, loving other things more than we love God. So God sent his own Son Jesus to take the punishment of this sin from us and take it upon himself. And when God raised Jesus from the dead, it was a public endorsement of this great accomplishment of taking our sins upon himself. We live under the curse of the law. There is no escape. God s law is just and we are guilty before God. Someone must come to set us free, someone who can pay the penalty for us. And Jesus did just that. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, Saint Paul said in Galatians 3:13.

3 Page -3- It was more than a cute baby in a manger. It was more than the star over the stable, more than Mary, more than Joseph, more than the shepherds. It was the great act of incarnation, Emmanuel, God with us. That s the why. Now in Jesus the demands of God s law has been fulfilled. Jesus perfectly kept the law and paid the penalty that was rightfully ours. That s the why. In the birth of the baby in the manger, we are condemned no longer. Through his suffering and death, we know that There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1). Through faith we can be in relationship to Christ and we are free from all condemnation. And on top of it all, for those who trust Christ, the best is yet to come. No eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined what God has prepared for those who love him (1 Corinthians 2:9). We will one day see with our eyes the glory of God. Why would we not embrace Jesus as our Saviour who frees us from sin and judgment, and who invites us to live with God for all eternity? Praise God for Christmas 3. Praise Him for the incarnation, for the word made flesh. I will not sing of shepherds watching flocks on frosty nights, or angel choristers. I will not sing of a stable bare in Bethlehem, or lowing oxen, wise men trailing star with gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Tonight I will sing praise to the Father who stood on heaven's threshold and said farewell to his Son

4 Page -4- as he stepped across the stars to Bethlehem and Jerusalem. And I will sing praise to the infinite, eternal Son, who became most finite, a baby who would one day be executed for my crime. Praise him in the heavens, Praise him in the stable, Praise him in my heart. Let us pray together: Lord, I thank You for coming to earth so You could redeem me. When I think of the extent to which You were willing to go in order to save me, it makes me want to shout, to celebrate, and to cry out with thankfulness. You love me so much, and I am so grateful for that love. Without You, I would still be lost and in sin. But because of everything You have done for me, today I am free; my life is blessed; Jesus is my Lord; Heaven is my home; and Satan has no right to control me. I am eternally thankful to You for everything You did to save me! I pray this in Jesus' name! 4 Amen. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ All Scripture references are from New International Version, NIV, copyright 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc., unless otherwise indicated. +==+==+==+==+==+==+ Sunday Sermons from Suffolk Christian Church are intended for the private devotional use of members and friends of the church. Please do not print or publish. Thank you. Suggestions for sermon topics are always welcome!

5 Page He is author of the book, Start with Why: How Great Leaders Inspire Everyone to Take Action (Penguin Books, 2009). One of his lectures can be found at 2. This discussion is based on a tract written by John Piper, which itself is based on his book, Fifty Reasons Why Jesus Came to Die (Crossway Books, 2006), 3. Written by Joseph Tate Bayly ( ), an American author and publishing executive. Found at Christmas, 4. A Prayer to Remember What Christmas is All About, by Rick Renner,

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