Sermon Notes – December 16th

The Difference that Christ Makes
Matthew 11:2-15

Jesus came to earth as a baby 2000 years ago. God with us, Emmanuel. The angels sang, the shepherds wondered, the kings came from afar. So what. After 2000 years, what difference has Jesus made?

Evil people still rule over evil systems. Injustice and unfairness are institutionalized. Wasn’t the Messiah supposed to take care of all that? What about John the Baptist’s words of the Messiah laying the ax to the root of every unfruitful tree, of the Messiah gathering the wheat into his barn and burning the chaff with unquenchable fire?

Looks like business as usual to me.
John the Baptist wondered the same thing. Imprisoned by the corrupt ruler, Herod, John sent his disciples to ask Jesus if he were the one, or if they should wait for another?
Jesus answered not with words, but with a witness. He showed John’s disciples the fruit of his ministry. Blind men seeing, the lame walking, the leprous cleansed and the poor hopeful because of Jesus’ announcement of the arrival of God’s kingdom.

When God came to earth, his first concern was not judgment of the wicked. His first concern was the healing of the hurting. God hears the cries of the oppressed, the maimed, the crippled, the poor. Jesus came because God so loved the world, not because God was angry with the world.

Besides, if Jesus had come with judgment, who would stand? All have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. We would all be consumed by the unquenchable fire. There are no good guys and bad guys, we are all bad guys. We are all part of the problem. God loves us. He doesn’t want to come back and condemn the entire world. He wants to redeem a remnant first. This was his message to John. His message to us.

The truth?

• We are blind. We are blinded by the glare of this world and our attraction to the glitter of sin. Jesus gives us sight to look up to heaven and glimpse our creator, Jesus gives us sight to look around us and see the miracles that surround us everyday.
• We are lame—we are crippled by sinful desires, and are unable to walk in paths of righteousness, in right living, to keep our promises. Jesus strengthens our weak knees and unsteady feet.
• We are leprous—our souls are defile by sin, the most loathsome and inveterate of diseases, getting worse and infecting others. Jesus cleanses us and makes us vessels which bring this cleansing to others.
• We are deaf to the voice of God, his word, and our own conscience Jesus restores our ears so we can here his voice once again.
• We are dead in our sins and transgressions, separated from God and without hope of heaven. Nothing less than the power of Christ can redeem from all this.
• We are poor towards the things of God. Jesus preaches to us, the poor, the Good news of God’s love and redemption.
  
  The good news of the gospel is that God so loved us that he came to us not as a judge but as a savior. Judgment is coming, but that is not first on God’s list. What is first is our redemption, our healing, our cleansing. The question is not does Jesus make a difference? The question is will you trust him to make a difference in your life. This Christmas, make that step. Give your heart, your steps, your life to Jesus.
  
  Grace and peace,
  James