The Purpose of Christmas: Time for Salvation

Based upon the Book, The Purpose of Christmas, by Rick Warren

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 1John 1:8-10
Romans 7:14-20

When I say the word salvation, what comes to mind?  Some of you might say, going to heaven, NOT going to hell, saved from sins, or a variety of other things that take you from something bad to something good.  Maybe you thought that you need salvation from worry or debt and just maybe you even said from yourself.  All of these are valid, but there is so much more that is proclaimed by the angle when he says; “¹¹ Today a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. [1]   The freeing from something is only one piece of salvation.  Jesus saves you from something, for something and saves you by something.[2]

For us to move on to the other purposes of salvation, we must   understand that God creates all living things.  There are no accidents in creation and you are not an accident, none of us are and there is a purpose for each of us.  It says in Ephesians 1 that; ⁴ … in Christ, [God] chose us before the world was made so that we would be [God’s] holy people—people without blame before [God]. ⁵ Because of [God’s] love, God had already decided to make us [God’s] own children through Jesus Christ.[3]  If God chose us even before the world was made, then it is no accident that you are here and God has a plan, which we are told through Christ, Jesus.

We are saved from our Sins, not only so we may have a sinless eternal life with God in heaven but also so we can be saved from ourselves.  Yes, “ourselves” is what I said.  If we could be sinless on our own, we would not need Christ.  Even before the world was made God knew we would need salvation.  So you and I cannot do this, and it is I, that we see in each and every one of ourselves that prevents us from being sinless and creates sin.  God intended us to be in relation with God and dependent upon God.  As soon as we use the “I” term in anything related to God, we have driven a wedge between God and ourselves and sin occurs.  The only way to remove the sins that come from being self centered, such things as guilt, fear, regret, emotions we don’t like of any kind or whatever causes us to sin, is to have a change of heart.[4]  The only way to change our hearts is to remove the “I” and put in the we of Jesus and me, Jesus and you.

So, you have it, there is the work you need to do, remove you as the sole way to be sinless and accept that Jesus is the only way to become sinless.  It is in our faith in Jesus that does this and even that faith is given to us through the Spirit.  Jesus is the one that has already done the work in taking on the sins of all humanity, was crucified upon the cross and was raised to defeat death, all for you and me.  Why did Jesus do all of this for us?  It is all about the love of God for you and I.  God so loves us that God came down as God’s son, Christ Jesus to give the best gift of all, God’s life upon the cross for our sins so that we may have salvation and everlasting life with God.

Because of God’s love for you, God through God’s grace, makes you righteous through Jesus and your salvation is assured in faith.  Because God loved, you are free to love. Because you are saved by grace in faith through Jesus, you are freed in salvation to respond to God’s love, to God and all of God’s people.  The salvation that Jesus provides is a salvation that saves you not only from the effects of sin but to serve God with a changed heart towards all of humanity.  We can give because God gave.  Another other purpose of salvation is to serve God, in the giving of us.  We are saved so we can be of service to others for God.

Salvation is about the Love of God, through Christ, being freed by Grace, to change the old-self to a new one centered on Christ to serve God and all of humanity for God.

Amen