Advent
2
December 7, 2014
Mark 1:1-8
Should
Christmas Be Canceled?
Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to
make ready the way of Your only-begotten Son that at His second coming we may
worship Him in purity;
In Mark’s Gospel, there is no
Christmas! It begins with an adult Son of God. After John the Baptist’s
preparation for Jesus He simply appears as a thirty-year-old adult seeking
baptism.
If it were up to Mark, quite possibly,
we would have no Christmas celebration. Should we follow Mark as the Puritans
did in the 17th Century – by banning Christmas? Some would feel at
home with such an idea. Now, to totally
outlaw any celebration of Christmas might be stretching things a bit. However,
in light of the materialism of our modern day maybe we should simply skip all
of the Christmas “sell-abra-tion”! It is
imperative that we come to an honest understanding of what Christmas really
means for this world.
What is Christmas all about?
- Which
is not simply an understanding of how He was born but we need to
understand who was born in Bethlehem and for what reason He came to this
earth. All of us are quite familiar with the birth of Jesus Christ. We are
familiar with the story of His birth we know of the manger, the angels,
and the star.
A.
All these
things are important. They point to an undisputed fact that Jesus was born,
that He became a human being.
1 These facts points that Jesus was a
man. Hardly anyone would dispute these events as fact. Most people are not
offended to say that Jesus was
born, that He became human.
2
To make the point that He came in
history is all somewhat to say about
Jesus. This is the all some are willing or comfortable to go with respect to the birth of Christ. To
them “little baby Jesus’ is simply all
they care to know concerning Christ. They will attest to the fact that a baby
was born and that is it – nothing less and certainly nothing more!
B.
If we are hung up on just His birth, we may lose
out.
1 The reason for His birth is what is
important. Why did He come? The Lord of life entered time and space to be our
redeemer. He entered our world to bear our sin. He came to this earth to reconcile
us back to the Father.
2 He
is not simply a “cute baby” a little lamb. He is the eternal Son of God. Yes,
He entered this world as you did for He came to be your substitute. He came to
live a perfect life for you. He came to fulfill the law for you. He came to
fulfill and keep every requirement the Father requires of you. To be your
substitute He had to be perfect in every respect so that His sacrifice would be
complete.
2. Jesus,
the child who was born – He is “The Son of God”
A. Very God.
1 He
is the Creator of us all. In Him is all life. He is the one who was with the
Father from the foundations of the earth.
2
He is the all- powerful One by Him and for
Him all things were made. Mark will begin his gospel with a powerful and bold confession.
Jesus is the Son of God. This is Gospel and good news. B.
B.
In Him is what all the prophets had written
1 Over 800 prophecies concerning the
Savior were written in the Old Testament. Mark quotes from Malachi and Isaiah
to show that John was not an ordinary man nor was Jesus. Mark was the predicted
forerunner of the Messiah. John prepared the way for Jesus by calling the
people to repent, confess their sins, and be baptized.
2 Jesus
fulfilled each of these prophecies. He fulfilled each one of them. Every single
prediction concerning the Christ was fulfilled in Jesus Christ. Each has been
fulfilled in His birth, life, suffering, death and resurrection.
3. Why
He was born – He is “The Christ”
A. He is the One who came to save us.
1 We
could never save ourselves. Our sin condemns us. Our works are soiled with sin.
Our attempts at being good fall short. We need a
Savior. Only Christ will do.
2 Sin
has separated us from God. Sin has caused a huge wedge to separate
us from God, and from our neighbor. In Jesus’ life, passion, death and resurrection
that which has caused separation has been removed.
C.
By His
suffering and death, we are saved and redeemed.
1 In Baptism we are brought into His
family. Paul reminds us “When we were baptized into Christ Jesus we were baptized
into His death. We were buried with Him by our baptism into death so that just
as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father we too should
live a new life. For if, we have been united with Him in a death like His we
shall certainly be reunited with Him in a resurrection like His. Your baptism
is both a death certificate and a birth certificate. In your baptism, you died
to sin and became alive in Christ forever.
2 Through
Baptism, we are kept in faith. He calls, gathers, enlightens, sanctifies and
keeps you forever in the faith. He gives us His Holy Spirit. As He calls you,
He plants the seed of faith into your heart. He enlightens you causing growth
toward the light of the Gospel. He sanctifies you so that your works may flower
and show the fruit of a genuine faith. He keeps you watering and nurturing your
faith so that it remains active and effective, as He has promised to use you in
His kingdom.
So, should Christmas be canceled? By no
means! When we look at trappings, we see the One who has come to redeem and
save us. He is God in the flesh our Savior, King and Redeemer.
Words –1,012
Passive Sentences – 18%
Reading Ease – 80%
Reading Level – 4.9
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