Born to Save Us!

Luke 2:1-20 In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to his own town to register. ⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn. ⁸ And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. ⁹ An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. ¹⁰ But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. ¹¹ Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. ¹² This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger." ¹³ Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, ¹⁴ "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests." ¹⁵ When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." ¹⁶ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. ¹⁷ When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, ¹⁸ and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. ¹⁹ But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. ²⁰ The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.

Have you ever thought about why children are born? In the past, parents may have wanted a larger family to help them on the farm. Today parents might want someone who can share in their passions – sports, shopping, crafts, hunting, etc. Parents might want a daughter they can dress up as a princess or a son they can brag about on the athletic field or a few kids so there are playmates and lifelong companions for their other children. Parents have a lot of love to give and they want to share that love with their children.

There are a lot of possible answers to that question why a particular baby was born.

There is something exciting about a birth. It’s a completely new start. I think some of the excitement comes from the fact that we see that child so full of potential. This could be the child that will cure cancer, or be a great president or artist. This could be a child that will be great in so many different ways.

Those of you that have kids, why did you have yours? Those of you who are or were kids – why were you born?

I suppose we could each interview our parents on that one, but even if they did admit their thinking, we really wouldn’t get the answer – since our parents can’t really take the responsibility for giving us life. That credit ultimately goes to God. So why did God put you here? Go back to the first human life He made.  God had a conversation with Himself telling us His purpose for humanity: “Let us make man in our image, in our  likeness” (Genesis 1:26).

God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, made us … you were born … to be like God – perfect, to be with God – to live with Him forever, in total joy and peace and perfection – to be a holy companion for a holy God. Now that’s a noble purpose for a birth, right?

Only problem is, that whole “image of God” thing didn’t last real long. God made Adam and Eve, gave them the garden, gave them everything. He also gave them one command, “Do not eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil.” They disobeyed that one, single command. They doubted the Father’s love and brought the curse of sin and death on all of humanity. They ruined their perfection and ability to be with a holy God.

And that’s a problem that we’ve inherited, isn’t it? It’s a problem we’ve perpetuated, haven’t we? God made us to be perfect. You were born to be His companion, but you hide from God in the darkness and are afraid to walk with Him in the cool of the day. We were created to be part of God’s holy family, but I’m willing to bet that you wouldn’t pick the word “holy” to describe your family – from the eye-rolling and back-talking to your short fuse and angry words, to the complaining from the children (and maybe even dad) that you have to come to church in the middle of the week.

I don’t have to do much convincing. We aren’t holy. We aren’t living up to our purpose – the reason for which we were born. And then add to that all the times we go in the absolute opposite direction and do exactly what God tells us not to do. Now think about what all that means for our relationship with God.

More disappointing than the kid that doesn’t win the championship for his father who never grew out of his teenage sporting career, more crushing than the kid who rebels against his parents and ends up in jail, worse than any kid failing to meet the expectations of their earthly parents – our failures mean we don’t meet God’s demands. Our sins earned death – separation from God forever.

And that, my friends, is why Christmas is such a big deal.

It’s a big deal first of all because it is the birth of God’s Son. The holy Creator and Preserver of the universe sent His own Son. God came to earth as an infant. The LORD who holds the planets in their courses and the stars in their places left behind the eternal glory of heaven to become our substitute, to become so weak and fragile that He couldn’t walk or talk or hold His head up. God became man.

That’s mind blowing.

But it’s even a bigger deal because of the purpose. This baby was born not to win a state championship or even cure cancer, not to fix hunger or end a war – but to cure sin – the cause of it all. You see, God’s presence with us would not emphasize the gulf between God and humanity but would span it.

God became man - not born in Augustus’ palace because He wasn’t born to rule. He wasn’t born in the lap of luxury because the purpose of His birth was not to be treated as He deserved. He was born in Bethlehem because that is what was promised through the prophets. He was born to a descendant of Adam and Abraham and David, because that what God had promised He would send. He was born and placed in a manger because He came to suffer, not show off. God Himself was wrapped in cloths and put to sleep in a feed trough among the smells of manure and dirt, all because of why He was born.

He was born to save us. He was born to take our place and feel the pain our mistakes brought on. He was born to do what we are too weak to do – obey the law. He was born to pay for the times we don’t.  He was born to die.

And every detail in Luke chapter 2 proclaims that. The God who plays kings and emperors like pawns on a chess board had Caesar move the world’s population with this census so that Micah’s little prophecy of the Savior would be fulfilled and David’s greatest descendant would be born in Bethlehem. That’s the kind of power this helpless baby gave up to be born there. And even with that great family name, God sent His Son to some of David’s poorest children, who couldn’t even afford a lamb to dedicate Him at the temple, who couldn’t even afford a room the night He was born, all so that what He said through Isaiah would be true – “He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him” (Isaiah 53:2).

Examine how simply this miraculous and divine birth is described: “While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son.  She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn” (Luke 2:6-7). Such simple words, such a simple scene, foreshadowing another scene 33 years later as this baby’s grown, helpless body is carried from the cross, wrapped in linen cloths, and placed in a borrowed bed, the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea.

This child was born to die. We were created to live, but sin caused us to die. This child was born without sin in order to die, so that through His death we might live. Even the angel’s announcement of it points to the purpose: “Today in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. This will be the sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger” (Luke 2:11-12). The sign is the cloths, the borrowed bed. That’s the sign that this child was born to die. Because that is what it took to save us.

We’ve tried so many ways to deal with our failures – from denying them, to trying to blame someone else for them, making excuses and every rationalization – but our efforts don’t work.

Even trying our best to be good can’t fix our sin problem.

Remember – we were born to be perfect, to live with God forever. But we aren’t. So Christmas happened. This baby was born to rescue us from what our sins had coming, to deliver us from the guilt and shame and discipline that our mistakes bring into our lives. He was born to save us from hell.

Now that’s a birth worth celebrating, don’t you think?

So, now, let’s go back to where we started. Why were you born?

All the details of your birth say that you were born to die – that was the price tag hanging over you. But the night of the Father’s love changed all that. Christmas changed that. This baby, God’s Son, the sinless, perfect Son of the virgin was born to die in your place so that you will live, so that your rebirth means life forever, so that your guilt is gone, so that you are perfect and perfectly suited to live with your God for all eternity. You were born to live because this child was born to save us. Amen.