Merry Christmas
Matthew 1:21
By
Dn. Chris Nerreau
_______________________________________________________
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
ORIENTATION:
• Do you know what the word Jesus means? (The Lord Saves)
• Have you ever considered what it means that Jesus Christ is our savior? So often we hear Christians say “Christ is my personal savior” or “Christ is the savior of the world”, have you ever stopped and asked yourself what that means.
ILLUSTRATION:
• About (2) years ago in the state of Indiana, there was a poor man. He had a car, but it was all rusty, had a house; but it was about to fall down; had a job but it was as a janitor at the local factory; he had clothes; but not many of them were without holes. Had a family but they left.
• On Christmas Eve this man lost all hope despairing of life itself. On his way to the building he intended to leap off of, he stopped for off to buy a drink at the local market. While looking for money in his wallet to pay, he noticed a lottery ticket he had purchased some 10 months prior. After having it scanned, he realized that for the last 10 months he had been carrying 15.2 million dollars around with him.
INTRODUCTION:
• I tell this story not because I think that life is found in material wealth. Rather because this story is a great illustration of the many Christians who, in trying to get things right and earn the Fathers love carry a heavy burden of guilt and shame over their sins.
• And just like the man, as these Christians live from day to day they carry a valuable yet unperceived gift, worth far more than the 15.2 million, it’s the gift of a savior.
PROPOSITION:
The toughest battle you will ever fight is with yourself, wrestling with the reality of what it means to have Christ as your savior.
PREVIEW:
Tonight I want to show you what it means to have Christ as your savior:
1. God no longer Remembers our sins Is. 43:25 / Jer. 31:34
2. God no longer Counts our sins 2 Cor. 5:19
3. God no longer Condemns us for our sins – Ro 8:1
TRANSITION:
So lets begin firstly by taking a look what it means that
I. God No Longer Remembers Your Sin (Is. 43:25, Jer. 31:34)
EXPLAINATION:
• Is. 43:25 - In this passage Isaiah is giving a prophetic word. The word was, “even though the people of God have messed things up really badly (vs. 24), it was Gods desire to restore them and remember their sins no longer (vs. 25).
• This passage in Isaiah was fulfilled through the sacrificial system, it was received by the covering of sin through sacrifice. But in Jeremiah a word is given about a new covenant and in this covenant God will no longer remember our sins because of the ultimate sacrifice. (Jer. 31:31-35)
• Note: The Jewish people did not understand themselves to be individuals, but rather corporately the nation of God. So if one fell (in a sense) they all fell, and they knew all to well what happened when God’s people fell, They ended up being exiled, temples torn down ect.
• Thus there was extreme legalism and the burden of that legalism must have been great. It’s into this atmosphere that Isaiah and Jeremiah spoke of a merciful God and a new covenant. Could you imagine what it must have felt like to hear those words? Today we stand in that new covenant! When Jesus said “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”
ILLUSTRATION:
• About (6) years ago I owed a local farmer some money for loam. Unfortunately at the time my wife was home sick (pregnant) and I had to take time away from work to care for her and the other children. I avoided this man like the plague. I can remember the night I bumped into the man, He stretched out his hand and said “Hi”. I just stood there bewildered, he had forgotten about my debt, I on the other hand was so guilt ridden I was losing sleep. I finally did pay him and felt much better.
• Now, this is just like our relationship to God. I am not trying to say God has a bad memory but when He looks at us, just like my friend, He does not see our debt.
APPLICATION:
• To have Christ as your savior means that God no longer remembers your sin! How about you, Do you remember your sin? (Discuss)
• When God looks at you, He does not see your sin, He see’s His Son, and God had something to say to His Son.
• “You are my Son whom I love, with you I am well pleased” If God see’s His Son when He see’s you, then He say’s to you just as He said to His son “(_NAME_) My Son / Daughter whom I love, with you I am well pleased.”
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
TRANSITION:
So we have seen that in order to understand Christ is our savior, we need to understand that God no longer remembers our sins! But also…
II. God No Longer Counts Our Sin Against Us – (2 Cor. 5:19)
EXPLAINATION:
• In 2 Cor. 5:19 – The GK Word for Count Literally means: to not consider or ponder, in this sense God is not considering our sin, he is not wringing His hands with worry or anger over your sins, He is not thinking about them at all.
• This passage really encapsulates the heart of the Gospel that Christ’s righteousness has been imputed to us and as such, God, when he looks at us does not see our sin, he sees in us His Son.
• When God looks at you, it’s not with a scorecard. God is not keeping score.
ILLUSTRATION:
I was in Ireland about 9 years ago and a wonderful thing happened. I was allowed to play golf on a professional golf course! But even better than that, it was their off season and I was ALONE! I was able to simply dump 10-12 balls on the ground and start shooting for the pin.
I remember having played amazingly well that day, I shanked a few, hooked a few but I don’t remember those shots, I remember the shots that landed firmly on the green. The long putts I sunk, not the 8 shots it took for me to get it.
The reason none of the bad shots mattered to me was because I was not keeping score! It did not matter if I miss hit a few, I just kept on plugging until I got it right.
This is what Paul is saying about our relationship with God, God is not keeping score either, He has purchased your freedom! (Gal. 5:1) There is no one behind you pushing and no one ahead of you watching. God is simply there saying try again, try again.
Eventually when we get this, we begin to focus more on being His than on being good! A strange thing happens when we do this, goodness and righteousness sneak up behind us and we never see it coming.
APPLICATION:
God is not counting your sin, others are but God is not, are you? How would your life be different if you believed this? When God looks at you, He does not see your sin, He see’s His Son, and God had something to say to His Son.
“You are my Son whom I love, with you I am well pleased” If God see’s His Son when He see’s you, then He say’s to you just as He said to His son “(_NAME_) My Son / Daughter whom I love, with you I am well pleased.”
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
TRANSITION: So we see that when we allow Christ to be our shepherd we find rest and reassurance but lastly we f
III. God No Longer Condemns Us For Our Sin – (Ro. 8:1)
EXPLAINATION:
• Ro. 8:1 follows on the heels of Paul’s teaching on “struggling with sin”. What Paul teaches is that within ourselves we do not have the strength to live out this Christian life.
• The fact of the matter is God understands that. Paul then teaches that if you live according to the Spirit, there is no condemnation for you, because your in Christ.
• This again is not a teaching about begin good it’s a teaching about being His! Living by the Spirit is a work that God does in us, changing our hearts and causing us to love that which is good!
• Living by the Spirit is not about being good, it’s about God making us good.
• The word condemnation is a judicial term that is reflected in the sound of the judge’s hammer slamming down. Your condemned!
• Fortunately for us, the sound of the hammer striking the nails into Christ’s hands has replaced the sound of the judges hammer.
• What Paul is saying is that we need to realize who we are in Christ. We, living in the Spirit. Gal 5:1 Jesus gives true freedom!
ILLUSTRATION:
Repeat Chorus several times until they receive it –
“There is now! No condemnation for those in Christ Jesus!
But you say “You don’t know what I have done”, Repeat Chorus
But you say “I have blown it really big” Repeat Chorus
But you say “I have stolen and lusted in my heart” Repeat Chorus
But you say “I have committed adultery” Repeat Chorus
But you say “I have killed, abandoned and lied” Repeat Chorus
But you say “I have _____________!” Repeat Chorus
Jesus died for real sin not fictitious sin and real sinners not fictitious ones! Hear me on this, you’re a real sinner who has committed real sin and Jesus really died for you! You have yet to surprise Christ with a single sin!
APPLICATION:
God is not condemning you for your sin, others are but God is not, are you? How would your life be different if you believed this? When God looks at you, He does not see your sin, He see’s His Son, and God had something to say to His Son.
“You are my Son whom I love, with you I am well pleased” If God see’s His Son when He see’s you, then He say’s to you just as He said to His son “(_NAME_) My Son / Daughter whom I love, with you I am well pleased.”
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
Conclusion:
This Christmas season, where are you? Do you really believe that Christ is your savior? That the little child born in the manager came to save “YOU” from your sins?
To believe that Christ is your savior is to believe:
God does not remember your sin
God is not counting your sin
God will never condemn you for your sin
The word God has given me for you today is simply come home to Jesus this Christmas season.
Are you tentative in coming before Christ because of the guilt of your sin? Do you fear judgment or wrath from God?
In Christ you will not find condemnation or judgment, rather you will find perfect love and perfect love drives out all fear. (1 John 4:18)
There is an old Christian hymn called softly and tenderly, I want to close with the lyrics to this hymn:
Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me
See on the portal He’s waiting and watching, watching for you and for me.
Come home, Come home, ye who are weary come home. Earnestly, tenderly Jesus is calling, calling Oh sinner come home.
She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”
MERRY CHRISTMAS
