The Purpose of Christ

Matthew 1:21-22 ~ “’She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.’ All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.”
 
The angel of the LORD came to Joseph to prepare him for the upcoming child who would be born through Mary. This promised child would be no ordinary son, for He would be conceived of the Holy Spirit. We read in in Matthew 1:20, “But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.’” This Son to be born would be the Son of God and His purpose in coming was foretold long ago in the Scriptures. As we consider this text today, we stand upon the eve of Christmas, the day of celebration for the birth of the promised One. Let us look upon His great purpose for coming and draw ourselves to Him that we should find His mission fulfilled in us.
 
The first thing we must acknowledge is His reason for needing to come. He came because of our sins. We read in our text a simple statement, “he will save his people from their sins.” It is the condition we are in that has set in motion the necessary arrival of the One who saves. Those two words, “their sins” marks the entirety of mankind. We read in Romans 3:9-11, “What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, as it is written: ‘None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God.’” Because of our sin, we are in desperate need of Jesus. There is not one person upon the earth who is capable of leaving their sins behind, for our fallen nature is ever with us no matter how hard we try to escape from it. The problem for many is this: they don’t want to acknowledge their guilt before the LORD. Because no one seeks for God, the LORD came seeking us.
 
And as the LORD has sought us, we come to understand that He came to be our Savior. Our text today continues “and you shall call his name Jesus.” The very name given to the LORD is “Jesus” which means “The LORD is Salvation.” Jesus left His throne, His glory and humbled Himself to the greatest degree in becoming a man. The Judge need not leave His chambers to send his judgment upon the criminal in the prison yard. But Jesus left His rightful place to seek and save what was lost. We read in Luke 19:10, “For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” Sin will not be vanquished without Jesus, but in Christ sin will no longer have dominion over you. We read in Galatians 1:3-5, “Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to deliver us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” How do you know that Jesus has come to seek you? Have you come to understand your condition before the LORD? Do you know that you are lost? That understanding came from the LORD—He is seeking you. If you have already come to know the LORD as your Savior, having your sins forgiven through His substitutionary sacrifice, you can look back and see the fingerprints of God leading you to that place of faith.
 
Finally, we see that the LORD Jesus came to fulfill Scripture. The conclusion of our text today states, “All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet.” There is not one word of Scripture that has or will ever fail. God who has made all His promises is the same God who will fulfill every one of them. The Redeemer was promised long before Jesus arrived. We read in Isaiah 59:20, “’And a Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who turn from transgression,’ declares the LORD.” The birth of Jesus is the fulfillment of all that God has declared. Our LORD understood this. Jesus says in Luke 24:44, “These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.” Let us look to the promises of Christ and hold fast our faith in His Word. When doubts rise up in your heart, return again and again to the Holy Scriptures and renew your understanding of His promises.
 
Has Jesus fulfilled His promise to save you? The mission is complete. He has taken upon Himself the due punishment for our sins and has sent His word to us that we should know His salvation. He has sought you out, have you responded by placing your faith in Him?
 
In His Grace,
Pastor Michael

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