THE GOD-MAN WHO CAME FROM HEAVEN

These days we hear the term 'fake news' a lot. Sadly there is much of that today. It is hard to know what is true and what is false.
Here in the text, Paul says: "This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance." The saying he refers to is the Christmas story.
If we meditate only on the birth of Jesus and not on His death, we would completely miss the point of it. Let us never talk about the birth of Jesus without explaining the reason for His coming. |||||
The PERSON WHO CAME INTO THE WORLD "That Christ Jesus came into the world" Before He was born, the Lord spoke to Mary. "You will call His name Jesus." Jesus was a common name. The meaning is saviour. He was also given a title: Christ, which means 'the annointed one' or 'the chosen one.'
- Matt 16:15-16 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
- Matt 26:63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
The Jewish people had been waiting for the Messiah/Christ, and they did not recognise Him
- Luke 4:41 And demons also came out of many, crying, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew that he was the Christ. (The demons recognized that He was the Son of God.)
- John 1:1-3 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. (That Baby was in the beginning with God and He was God.
The shepherds and later the wise men fell on their knees in worship when they came to see Jesus.)  |||||
THE PURPOSE IN COMING INTO THE WORLD
"to save sinners"
- Matt 1:21 She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.”
- Matt 20:28 even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.
- Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.
- Rom 5:8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
- Rev 7:9-10 After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, “Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!”
Is there any doubt as to why He came? Are we not sad when we hear people say that Jesus came to make people healthy and wealthy and happy, as if Jesus is a great humanitarian who came to reduce our stress. Jesus came to save us from damnation.
- Jn 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.
Jesus did not come to give us our best life now. He came to save sinners. He came to seek and save the lost.  |||||
OUR PERSONAL RESPONSE TO HIS COMING
"Of whom I am the foremost" This is Paul's testimony. What is our personal response? Head knowledge is not enough.
Matt 7: 21-23 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?’ And then will I declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.’ (These terrible verses teach us that even while we take the name of Jesus on our lips, it is possible to be unsaved.)
- Acts 26:5 They have known for a long time, if they are willing to testify, that according to the strictest party of our religion I have lived as a Pharisee. (Here we see how impecable Paul's pedigree was, and yet he does not boast in it. He knew that he was a sinner and said that he was the chief of sinners. Back in the day, people would stand up and give their testimonies, starting with, "I want to testify to the saving and keeping power of our Lord Jesus Christ." That is our boast.
In the parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector, we see the religious pharisee telling God how good he was. The tax collector, on the other hand, could only cry out: God be merciful to me  sinner.
Like the tax collector, we too need to understand for whom it was that He came from heaven, that He came for me.
I came to Jesus as I was, / I was weary, worn, and sad / I found in Him a resting place / And He has made, made me glad
Can you identify with Paul in every detail of today's text?