“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”- Matthew 1:21
“He will save His People from their sins!” That’s the good news of Christmas we’re here to celebrate this morning! Jesus came to save us, but from what? From our sins! From all our God-denying, small-minded, earth-is-all-I-care-about meaningless, wasted lives where we flitter away 70 or 80 years for nothing more than money and sex and luxuries and houses and lands and vacations and beauty and fame and whatever else you might come up with in an attempt to satisfy that empty place at the center of your soul! “For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his own soul?” (Mark 8:36)
Or maybe we can say it this way: What does it profit you to live your whole life and yet never know God? You see, that’s what Christ has come to do for us. Not only does He save us from God’s wrath against our sin, He also brings us into fellowship with God. “Christ died for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God” says 1 Peter 3:18. You and I were made for God! We exist to know God (John 17:3) – to glorify and enjoy Him forever! So any life lived without God at the center is a wasted life! You can be rich and powerful – a millionaire celebrity – but without God it’s all dust and ashes! But if you have Him – if you know Christ the way a man knows and trusts his dear and most faithful friend – even an ash-heap can become a joy-filled mansion.
So do you know Him this morning? That’s the greatest gift Christmas can bring; not just to know your sins are forgiven, but to have Christ Himself reigning as Savior and Lord over all you are and all you have! That’s how He saves His people from their sin, by giving Himself to us!
Let’s rejoice in Him who gave Himself for us! Pastor Scott Lee
(Don’t forget our Christmas Music Fellowship tonight at 6:30 and our Christmas Eve Candlelight Service at 5 PM on Wednesday)