The Reason for the season
What a cause for celebration. Christmas time is a joyous time of celebration. It is a time of celebrating the coming of Jesus. The birth of Jesus was the moment of God coming to dwell among us. “… and they shall call His name Immanuel, (which means, God with us.)” (Matthew 1:23 ESV)
The invitation is given once again to celebrate the reason for the season. The birth of Jesus is an important event in the Christian faith. The birth of Jesus points people to the Saviour of the world.
Jesus is the reason for the season.
He shall save people from their sins
“And she shall have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21 NLT) The world needed a Saviour. Jesus means, ‘The Lord saves.’ That’s exactly what Jesus came to do. It is not possible for people to save themselves. We don’t have the power to save ourselves. Only Jesus has the power to us from our sins and the penalty of our sins. The coming of Christ heralded this moment of God coming to save us.
Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of God’s plan to bring salvation to a world lost in sin. “God has now revealed to us his mysterious plan regarding Christ, a plan to fulfill his own good pleasure. And this is the plan-At the right time he will bring everything together under the authority of Christ-everything under heaven and earth.” (Ephesians 1:9-10 NLT)
We needed saving from sin. The coming of Jesus was all part of the redemptive plan of God. The baby in the manger would grow up to be the man who take our place on the cross so that we could be set free.
Not only are we saved from our sins, it means more than that. God sent His Son Jesus to buy our freedom for us. We were once slaves. God bought our freedom so that He could adopt us as His own children. We are no longer slaves, but we are now His children. What a wonderful position to be in.
He came to bring light to a world in darkness
Imagine being in a world that is in permanent darkness. Imagine for a few seconds if the sun didn’t rise each day. Imagine how somber and depressing that would be. Jesus coming into the world was a fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy. “The people who walk in darkness will see a great light. For those who live in a land of deep darkness, a light will shine.” (Isaiah 9:2)
There is a sense of hopelessness when we live in the darkness. The people of Israel experienced it first hand during their time in exile. It was a place of gloom and despair. But then came these words, “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwell in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.”(Isaiah 9:2 ESV) This too is a wonderful assurance for a world lost in darkness. The coming of Jesus was to put an end to the darkness. The coming of Jesus means that He came to put an end to the spiritual darkness we experience because of sin.
“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.” (John1:5 ESV) When we open our hearts to the saving grace of Jesus, He rescues us from the darkness. Jesus came to deliver people from the darkness of sin and transfer them into His kingdom of light. Jesus lights up the way we should go.
He came to take away our fears
“Because He lives, all fear is gone.” These are the lyrics which form part of the chorus to the song, “Because He lives.” Jesus came to take away our fears.
“Do not be afraid” are the words the angel spoke to the shepherds on that night when they were overwhelmed by the radiance of God’s glory. These words were words that spoken to still and calm their fears. These words were spoken upon the announcement of Good News which brought great joy.
Throughout life we will fear many a thing. As we grow up into adulthood we out grow the fears we had as a child. There are fears that take longer to overcome than others. Jesus came to replace fear with peace. In the Upper Room, when the disciples were locked behind closed doors for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in His resurrected state and spoke words of peace to His disciples.
When Jesus comes into a person’s life He slowly, but surely takes away any fears that person may have. The coming of Jesus says that there is nothing more to fear now.
“The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life, of whom shall I be afraid? Though an army encamp against me, my heart shall not fear; though war break out against me, my heart will be confident.” (Psalm 27:1,3 ESV) David knew where his confidence was found. The Lord was his salvation and stronghold. It was the Lord who provided safety and security for him, therefore he didn’t need to fear when his enemies surrounded him. One of the amazing things I have discovered is that as I have grown closer in my relationship with the Lord so my dependency on Him has grown deeper. The things I used to fear I fear no more. The coming of Christ means that we no longer need to be afraid. Because He came and because He lives all fear is gone.
He came to bring peace
Jesus came to bring peace. The peace Jesus came to bring is different to the peace the world offers. What is the peace that Jesus offers? It is a peace that surpasses human understanding. It is a peace that shall rule in the heart of every believer. The peace that Jesus came to bring is more than the absence of conflict. It is a deep inner tranquility and assurance that comes from knowing God and having a relationship with Him. “Let grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord.” (2 Peter 1:2 ESV) It is a peace that sustains believers through life’s difficulties and challenges.
The peace that Jesus brought was an end to the hostility between God and humanity. “For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, making peace by the blood of his cross.” (Colossians 1:19-20 ESV) We are now at peace with God and we can live in that peace that Jesus offers.
The coming of Jesus showed that the time of peace between God and humanity was to be restored.
Jesus is the reason for the season because He came to save people from their sin, He came to bring light, to take away fear and to bring peace.
Disclaimer: This blog post is for informational purposes. All Scripture references are taken from the ESV and NLT.
