The christmas message for St Johns

Genesis 3:15 (read this) You will have seen tonight from the readings from the Bible, that the Christmas story is not confined to the New testament. It started in the old in Genesis, and the lords coming was foretold by Isaiah and Micah. Isaiah 9:2. 6-7 Micah 5: 2-5 ( Micah tells where he shall be born) Why did he come? ( Your answer to that question, will determine your eternal destiny) In the Genesis account we see that, The devil had tempted eve to do wrong and sin entered the world. God however in this verse reveals what he will do. He says, “He shall bruise you head and you shall bruise his heel”. If you hit someone on the head, they die, on the heel they are wounded. ( this is the Christmas story) It was a prophecy concerning Jesus. It was saying that jesus would come and destroy the devil and his works. The devil may try to stop him, but the device the devil used to try to stop him became Gods instrument for salvation. Christ came to deal with sin At this time of year, we tend to think of Jesus the baby, coming to earth, and then we do not think of anything beyond that. We read the Christmas story in the passages we have heard, and we sing the Christmas carols that remind us of Jesus, but why did he come. ONE OF THE VERSES IN THE CAROLS WE HAVE JUST SUNG SAYS. A virgin most pure, as the Prophets do tell, Hath brought forth a Babe, as it hath befell, To be our Redeemer from death, hell and sin, Which Adams transgression hath wrapt us all in. Refrain Rejoice and be merry, set sorrow aside; Christ Jesus our Savior was born on this tide. The reason he came, is in the book of Genesis. Mankind lived in harmony with God until Pride got in the way, he took of the knowledge of good and evil which God had commanded him not to do, and sin entered the world and through Adam, it is imputed to us. We still have in all of us, the knowledge of good and evil which comes from that first sin. Sin is our nature. We think wrong things and we do wrong things. We lust, we bicker, we lie and gossip, so sin is not just the things we do, it is our nature. WE are all born in sin and God is holy and perfect and cannot abide sin. Sin has to be punished and that punishment is banishment from God in eternal pain. We call it Hell where God punishes the wicked and it will never end. 1. Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 2. Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments. 3. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 4. Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it. 5. Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. 6. Thou shalt not kill. 7. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 8. Thou shalt not steal. 9. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour. 10. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s. It is impossible for us to keep the 10 commandments. The purpose of them is to show us the truth about ourselves. We are sinners deserving Gods wrath, and yet, he sent his son to take upon himself the punishment for our sin. However, God is also love. How can a loving God, deal with sin that shows his love, but also punish it? Have you ever thought about that? Death came into the world because of sin. God warned that that if Adam took of the knowledge of good and evil, he would die. Sin entered the world and so now we all die, and we will face God and account for what we have done. God wants us to repent. Repenting is not just an emotional experience. It is not just sorrow. Lots of people feel sorrow, but they feel that because they were caught or exposed doing wrong, but they did not repent. To repent means to change your mind. If I walk in one direction and change my mind, that produces a change of action. I will walk in another direction. It is like this with sin. We put our lives in a new direction. God sent his son Jesus to die. He put on him the punishment that all of mankind is due for sin. Christ endured temptation as we do, yet not once did he succumb. His nature was not sin as ours is. Yet it was the punishment for sin that he took upon himself. He was mocked and despised. He endured a cruel execution. He was publicly humiliated. He was scourged, a crown of thorns was thrust on his head and spear stuck in his side. He was in great pain as he carried the cross up the hill to be put on it by having large nails put in his hands and feet. He hung there He dismissed his spirit. Jesus is the only person who could dismiss his spirit for death had not claim on him for he had no sin. When we die, our spirit leaves and enters death because of our sin. Death had no claim on him and he rose from the dead and for those who trust him, who repent, who accept his substitutionary death in our place, he promises that we will be saved. That although we die, it we die trusting in Jesus and his death on the cross in our place, then we do will rise and never see hell. It is not just an agreement of the facts that Jesus was a real person that he died and rose again. The devil believes that and he is going to hell. It is a surrender of our lives to Jesus Christ and trusting completely in him to save us. For we will of our own deeds never be good enough Luke 2: 8-20 The shepherds were afraid, the angel reassured them. He came to bring Good News. They were given a sign. You will find a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. Mathew 2: 1-12 the wise men quoted the prophecy of Micah ( which we have read) V6” and you Bethlehem Land of Judah are by no means least among the leaders of Judah ( in the worlds eyes they were, but not in Gods) For out of you shall come forth a ruler, who will shepherd my people Isreal. The messiah, came from the least of the people of Israel, and yet of his reign there will be no end. He rose from the dead and he ascended to heaven and he offers himself to you for salvation. If you will trust in him with all your heart and repent of sin then he is faithful to forgive. Will you do that this Christmas?