Before time began, God made a plan. He planned to create the world and all that is in the world. He also planned to create mankind. But He knew that we would all sin and be lost. So He purposed, before time began, that He would demonstrate His grace by sending Christ Jesus to the earth for mankind. 2 Timothy 1:9-10 (God) “who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.” It was no accident that Jesus came here. Praise God that He sent Jesus to the earth. God sent His Son for some very good reasons. Let us look as some of those reasons why Jesus came.
God loved the world that He created. He loved the people in the world even though they were sinners. John 3:16-17 “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” God could have decided to condemn and destroy the world because of our sinfulness. Instead He decided to save the world by sending Jesus. Jesus came into the world to seek and save that which was lost. We have the example of Zacchaeus, a sinful tax collector; Jesus came to his house. Luke 19:8-10 “Then Zacchaeus stood and said to the Lord, ‘Look, Lord, I give half of my goods to the poor; and if I have taken anything from anyone by false accusation, I restore fourfold.’ And Jesus said to him, ‘Today salvation has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.’” So perhaps the first and greatest reason that Jesus came was to save sinners. The apostle Paul wrote in 1 Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.”
Jesus came to bear witness to the truth. There is much falsehood in the world – falsehood in what people worship and believe, falsehood in what is good and what is bad, falsehood in what we should do and what we should not do. There are many lies in the world. Jesus came to speak the truth. When Jesus was on trial, Pilate asked Him what He had done. John 18:36-38 “Jesus answered, ‘My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight, so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here.’ Pilate therefore said to Him, ‘Are You a king then?’ Jesus answered, ‘You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice.’ Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, ‘I find no fault in Him at all.’” Jesus said that He came into the world to bear witness to the truth.
Jesus came to be a light. John 12:44-47 “Then Jesus cried out and said, ‘He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me. And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me. I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness. And if anyone hears My words and does not believe, I do not judge him; for I did not come to judge the world but to save the world.’” Light allows us to see how things are, to know what is good, and to see the path that we should take. Jesus came to be a light so that we would know the way and not abide in darkness.
Jesus came to preach the kingdom of God. Luke 4:42-43 “Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place. And the crowd sought Him and came to Him, and tried to keep Him from leaving them; but He said to them, ‘I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, because for this purpose I have been sent.’” God sent Jesus to preach His kingdom. Through Jesus we come to understand about His kingdom and can become a part of His kingdom.
Jesus came to serve. The apostles James and John wanted positions of honor in His kingdom. Matthew 20:25-28 “But Jesus called them to Himself and said, ‘You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those who are great exercise authority over them. Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you, let him be your servant. And whoever desires to be first among you, let him be your slave — just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.’” Jesus, the Son of Man, came to serve. Since Jesus came to serve you and me, we learn that we are to serve one another.
Jesus came to give life. John 10:7-10 “Then Jesus said to them again, ‘Most assuredly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep. All who ever came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.’” Not only did Jesus come to save us, but He came to give us life – abundant, eternal life.
Jesus came to save you, to bear witness to the truth, to be your light, to tell you about the Kingdom of God, to serve you and to give you life. I encourage you to rejoice in Jesus and rejoice in the Father who sent Jesus for you.