The Sunday News
GREETINGS beloved nation in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
John 3:16, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Today I want to talk about the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ. We have entered into that season where we are getting ready to celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus Christ.
It is a time when families get together to spend time together, buy each other presents, visit holiday resorts and many such things. It is, however, sad to observe how people usually celebrate Christmas especially unbelievers and in some cases believers. They forget the true reason why we celebrate Christmas. All they see is presents, eating, drinking and Father Christmas. But why do we celebrate Christmas? We celebrate it because it is a time to celebrate the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. We cannot talk about the death of Jesus Christ at Easter time without talking about his birth.
Some people do not think that his birth has any great significance and they think that only his death on the cross and his resurrection are of significance. Yes, the death of Jesus on the cross is of great significance to mankind as well as his resurrection. But without Jesus ever being born, he would not have died on the cross. Therefore, his birth is of great importance and has a deeper meaning and significance.
It is important for us to have an understanding of his birth because that will increase our love for Jesus and will uplift our worship of him. Though many people, including unbelievers have heard of the story of his birth and children often perform plays about his birth during this time of the year, there is a deeper meaning and significance of his birth which we have to understand.
We may ask the question why Jesus was born in the first place. I would like to talk about some of the reasons he was born and why his birth is important to us.
(1) Redemption of mankind. The Bible tells us in John 3:16 that, “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, that whosoever believed in him should not perish but have everlasting life”. So, Jesus was born to redeem mankind and to die for our sins. Jesus died for us so that whosoever believes in him will have eternal life.
That’s why the Bible tells us when talking about the birth of Jesus in Matthew 1:21 that “She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins”. So, meaning Jesus was born to be our Saviour. Because of the fall of man, all human beings need a saviour and this Saviour is Jesus as he is the only one who saves us from our sins. Jesus died for us while we were still sinners. This shows God’s love for us.
(2) Revelation of God. Another reason why Jesus was born is so that God could reveal himself to man. One of the original reasons why God created man was to have communion with Him. After the fall of man, God wanted to restore us back to Him and repair the broken relationship between Himself and man. In Matthew 1:23 the Bible tells us, “The virgin will be with a child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means “God with us.”
So, by coming to earth Jesus revealed the father to us. Jesus the Saviour is God with us. He was not only with us while he was on earth, but he continues to be with us even after his ascension to heaven.
(3) Mediation between God and men. He came that he may intercede for us with the father. He mediates between us and God. Jesus is the only way for us to come to the Father and the Bible tells us in John 14:6 that “no one comes to the father except through me.”
To save us from our sins, God did an amazing thing. He sent his only son to earth to die for our sins so that we may be reconciled back to him, such is the love of God for us as we see in John 3:16. God reached mankind with his love, mercy and kindness. The birth of Jesus is an act of mercy and grace. He was born for humanity’s rebirth.
He was born for our reconciliation with God so that there will be no more enmity between man and God. In his birth all genders are embraced, in his birth all cultures are acceptable, all heights, all languages are embraced. His birth marked the liberation of many people. His birth marked our victory over the devil, demons, generational curses, liberation from death.
His birth moved us from death to life, from darkness to light. He was born not only to have his birth celebrated but for his birth to be the turnaround of lives. His birth deserves to be celebrated for it was to our advantage. His birth is not to the peril of any but the salvation of many.
So, ladies and gentlemen it is my prayer that as we celebrate Christmas, we celebrate with understanding. Let us not forget why Jesus Christ was born and the significance of his birth to us as believers.
Once again, I would like to invite you to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and saviour, by believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and Saviour, and you shall be saved.
May God bless you all and this beautiful nation Zimbabwe. Amen
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