Advent (Pt. 4): He is Mine by Faith.
If you haven’t realized it yet, the Christmas Story is full of powerful truths. God is Holy — through the miracle of the incarnation that holy God was pleased to dwell with man. I am sinful — Christmas exists because sin exists. It exists because people are messy. Jesus saves — that is why he came. He came to save. Jesus came as a baby to wage war on sin, Satan, death, and hell. He accomplished his mission by taking the punishment for your sins and offering you his righteousness in exchange. These are the powerful truths that are represented in the Christmas story.
There is, however, one final question that we must answer. The question is this. How can you and I receive the incredible gift of salvation? What must you and I do in order to be saved and to have a restored relationship with a perfectly holy God? Amazingly, we find an answer to that question in the Christmas story.
The story begins with Mary and Joseph traveling to the city of Bethlehem to be registered. When they arrived in the city, they soon discovered that there was nowhere to stay. The inn they had hoped to spend the night at was completely full—no room. We don’t know what Joseph said to the innkeeper. What we do know is Mary and Joseph spent the night the animals. Luke writes, “While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them” (Luke 2:6-7). There was no media. No fanfare. Instead, the savior of the world was born in a barn around smelly animals. Have your parents ever asked if you were born in a barn?
Jesus actually was!
The baby in the manger was willing to be homeless so that we would be guaranteed an eternal home. This is incredible news!
Luke says, “In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid, for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people” (Luke 2:8-10).
It is significant that the first announcement of Jesus’ birth was to shepherds in the field. The announcement was not first made to Herod, or to one of the priests in the temple. [1] Instead, good tidings of great joy came first to shepherds. That’s a big deal because in those days, shepherds were considered outcasts. Most people didn’t like shepherds—they were often considered part of the same group as thieves, murderers, and tax collectors. In other words, in Jesus’ day, when you thought of a sinner, shepherds would be some of the first people who come to your mind. And yet, these are the ones the angels appeared to first. The angel’s message was clear, “Today, in the city of David, a Savior was born for you, who is the Messiah, the Lord.”
Imagine the moments that followed. They just heard incredible news—a savior is born, and salvation is possible.
Do you think some of them doubted the news?
Were some skeptical?
Perhaps they thought it was too good to be true. We don’t know exactly what those first few moments were like following the angelic announcement. What we do know, however, is that they responded in faith.
The story continues, and we read, “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.’ So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child” (Luke 2:15-17).
It took faith to seek him out, faith to leave their flocks, faith to find the king, and faith to accept the good news of a Savior. This is the heart of the gospel message. We receive Jesus by faith. One author writes, “The shepherds brought only themselves and in the truest form of worship presented themselves to the Savior.” [2] The same is true for you and me. We don’t receive Jesus through hard work or merit. We don’t receive him by our good deeds. We don’t earn Christ’s righteousness through anything we do. We receive it by faith. Like the shepherds, we come with open hands and broken lives to receive by faith the righteousness of Jesus.
Someone once said, “What a miracle of miracles: the manger held the Lord of history, the Sovereign of the universe, the Savior of mankind.” [3] This is the reason Eric Sauer calls the manger:
of all times—the turning point
of all love—the highest point
of all salvation—the starting point
of all worship—the central point [4]
There is no salvation without resurrection. No resurrection without crucifixion. No crucifixion without incarnation. The message of the gospel is simple: God is Holy, I am Sinful, Jesus Saves, and He Is Mine By Faith. So this Christmas season, my hope is that you would make your heart like Bethlehem and receive The King.
[1] https://faith.edu/faith-news/the-shepherds-in-search-of-the-savior/
[2] Ibid.
[3] Ibid.
[4] Eric Sauer, The Triumph of the Crucified, pg.
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