It's Christmas time! As Christians, we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior.
When you think of the Story of Christmas, what comes to mind?
The past three weeks we've looked at some of the key people, a few of the well-known places, and the reality of problems associated with The Story of Christmas. Today our focus is on the true purpose of Christmas.

The meanings behind our holidays and celebrations become unclear or lost as cultural norms, values, beliefs, and priorities change. This is what has happened to the story of Christmas. It has been colored over, crowded out, and covered up by what appears to be a conscious effort by the secular world and a careless enthusiasm by the religious world. Surveys and polls reveal that over the past decade, the reason for the season has become distorted.

The Story of Christmas really isn't very complicated and can be easily understood by those who have an open mind. On the surface it's relatively simple, but it's purpose is incredibly profound as you think through the impact and implications for your life.
Today we'll make The Story of Christmas as simple as we can.

The Story of Christmas is about the birth of Jesus!
The simple, unassuming birth of a peasant boy, born in an insignificant village in Israel, and in the middle of the Roman Empire would be the cause of an annual celebration for the past 2,000 years. And the purpose for his birth is clearly given in our Scripture today. In verse 11, Jesus is called a Savior!

A Savior is someone who redeems, liberates, or rescues someone or something from an impending danger. They do this because the person is in trouble and unable to do this themselves. There are hundreds of movies, books, and stories about people who stand against some foe or sacrifice their life for others. Here in Luke, we see the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. It was his mission to save humanity from the penalty of sin and to reconcile mankind to God.

There are two distinct aspects to what Jesus came to do:
1. To save us FROM something.
2. To save us FOR something.

First - Jesus came to save us FROM something.

Think of the letter "I." It is the center letter of two words that have caused all of the misery that has befallen our world.
PRIDE and SIN
Pride is the thought that you don't need God; that you are enough.
Sin happens when our deeds, words, thoughts, attitudes, and motives go against the nature of God's will and revealed Word.
We deceive ourselves if we say we have not sinned because there are sins of...
Commission - when you willfully do what God doesn't want you to do
Omission - when you choose not to do the things God wants you to do

Pride and Sin place us in direct in eternal conflict with God because of three aspects of His character:
1. God is HOLY which means He is morally pure and righteous and cannot approve of anything that violates His nature. The Bible teaches that we have all sinned and therefore are enemies of God and separated from His life.
2. God is JUST which means He has a set of standards that are different than ours; and He is duty-bound to deal with those who violate His Holiness and Authority.
3. God is a personal being who has great LOVE for humanity. His love isn't an emotion but embodies selflessness, sacrifice, and unconditional care for others.

When we think of these characteristics of God the Father we can understand what Jesus the Son of God came to save us from.
God created man because of His love and wanting to share all of His goodness with us.
Man unexplainably chose to rebel against God; and the two "I" words resulted.
Therefore humanity bears the stain of sin and are helpless and hopeless. As a just God, He must deal with man's rebellious nature which means we experience death...death in this physical life and in the future with separation from any relationship with God for eternity.
But, this is where the love of God has displayed itself. His plan allowed His Son, Jesus, to take upon Himself human form. His sinless Son lived as a human and showed us how to live and please God, without giving in to sin. As part of that plan, Jesus was put to death for all of the evil of mankind, to pay the death penalty owed by each of us. That action was the ultimate gift!

For that to be of any affect for us, the Bible states many times that we must repent from our "I" desire and to have faith in Jesus alone.
To repent means to change your mind about Jesus Christ and change your mind and heart about your sin.
To have faith or believe in Jesus simply means that you acknowledge all that God has said about Him in His Word, and therefore entrust your life to Jesus as the sole source of your salvation, forgiveness, and hope for eternity.

Second - Jesus came to save us FOR something.

If a person is sincere about wanting God's gift of salvation, then he or she will not desire to continue in the life that He wants to save them from. A choice must be made.
Jesus modeled in human form, how a person is to live in a way that is pleasing to God and is able to get along with other humans.
The Bible teaches that at salvation we have moved from death to life, we are a new creation, and we are born again.
God takes ownership of our life, empowers us with His Spirit, begins to rebuild our character, and establishes new priorities that honor God and help people.
God's gift of salvation is evidenced by transformation. We become more like Jesus and less like the person He died for. Transformation is the evidence of Salvation!

Why would a person not want a Savior? God's love provides gifts of freedom. Freedom from the controlling power of arrogance, sin, worry, fear, addiction, selfishness, corrupt behavior, a rebel's heart, anger, bitterness, unforgiveness, and so much more.
God offers us a new identity, family, security, love, approval, a clear conscience, selflessness, and a clear mission for our life.

Think of a Christmas gift… it’s an act of love from someone to you, and not deserved. To make it yours, you must respond to the offer. To not do so, means loss.