Why Was Christ Born into This World?
Chapters
0:00:16 Why Did Christ Enter into this World
3:1 God Did Not Create To Get Wealth
5:7 Jesus Christ Came into the World
13:16 The Parable of the Prodigal Son
00:00:00.000 | Well, Christmas has arrived.
00:00:05.520 | Merry Christmas to each and every one of you who listen to the podcast.
00:00:08.920 | And today we celebrate Jesus of Nazareth, the incarnation of God in the flesh.
00:00:14.240 | Emmanuel, God with us.
00:00:17.120 | So why did Christ enter into this world?
00:00:19.600 | What was his goal?
00:00:20.880 | For the answer, I have persuaded Pastor John to read a chapter from his excellent book,
00:00:24.480 | Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ.
00:00:26.160 | He has.
00:00:27.160 | They recorded it specifically for you, the APJ audience, and you are hearing this for
00:00:31.840 | the very first time.
00:00:33.280 | Here now is Pastor John reading chapter 10 from his wonderful book, Seeing and Savoring
00:00:37.040 | Jesus Christ, to answer the question, why was Christ born into the world?
00:00:44.040 | But God being rich in mercy because of the great love with which he loved us, even when
00:00:49.560 | we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ.
00:00:54.440 | Ephesians 2, verses 4 and 5.
00:00:57.880 | Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy
00:01:03.800 | and find grace to help in time of need.
00:01:08.080 | Hebrews 4, verse 16.
00:01:11.120 | Chapter 10.
00:01:12.440 | The incarnate wealth of the compassion of God, the mercies of Christ.
00:01:20.240 | God is the wealthiest person in the universe.
00:01:24.400 | He not only owns more than anyone else, he owns everyone else and everything everyone
00:01:30.800 | else owns.
00:01:32.240 | When you create something, it belongs to you.
00:01:35.440 | And God created everything, including us.
00:01:38.040 | It is he who made us and not we ourselves.
00:01:41.760 | We are his people and the sheep of his pasture.
00:01:44.920 | Psalm 100, verse 3.
00:01:46.720 | There is one ultimate owner in the universe.
00:01:50.440 | God.
00:01:51.960 | All others are trustees.
00:01:54.560 | Neither we nor what we have is finally our own.
00:02:00.160 | It is all a trust to be used for the aims of the owner.
00:02:07.120 | In a sense, therefore, all sin is embezzling.
00:02:12.840 | But strikingly, the New Testament describes the wealth of God not mainly in terms of what
00:02:18.760 | he created and owns, but mainly in terms of the glory he has from all eternity.
00:02:26.920 | Repeatedly, we read of the riches of his glory or his riches in glory.
00:02:35.320 | For example, Ephesians 3, verse 16.
00:02:38.440 | Philippians 4, verse 19.
00:02:40.880 | Colossians 1, verse 27.
00:02:43.240 | If God were only rich because he made and owns all things, he would have been poor before
00:02:50.320 | creation.
00:02:51.800 | But that means he would have created out of need and would be dependent on his creation.
00:02:58.640 | But that is not the picture of God we find in the Bible.
00:03:02.960 | God did not create to get wealth.
00:03:05.920 | He created to display wealth, the wealth of his glory for the enjoyment of his people.
00:03:12.760 | Ephesians 1, verse 16, verse 12, verse 14.
00:03:16.960 | But even more specifically, the focus of the New Testament is that the wealth of God's
00:03:22.440 | glory is at its apex the wealth of his mercy.
00:03:29.240 | This is something the world takes very lightly.
00:03:33.280 | The riches of God's kindness and forbearance and patience.
00:03:37.920 | Romans 2, verse 4.
00:03:40.680 | God created and redeemed the world so that he might make known the riches of his glory
00:03:47.160 | for the vessels of mercy which he prepared beforehand for glory.
00:03:52.560 | Romans 9, verse 23.
00:03:54.480 | Or to put it another way, he creates and saves his people so that in the coming ages he might
00:04:02.240 | show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.
00:04:10.280 | Ephesians 2, verse 7.
00:04:12.280 | The universe exists primarily to display the wealth of the glory of the mercy of God for
00:04:20.400 | the enjoyment of his redeemed people from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.
00:04:27.440 | Kindness is essential among the perfections of God's glory, but mercy is paramount.
00:04:35.080 | He who justifies the wicked and he who condemns the righteous are both alike an abomination
00:04:42.760 | to the Lord.
00:04:43.760 | Proverbs 17, verse 15.
00:04:46.040 | Yes, therefore justice is essential, but something else is also true.
00:04:53.640 | It is a man's glory to overlook an offense.
00:04:58.280 | Proverbs 19, verse 11.
00:04:59.920 | Therefore, if justice can be preserved, it is the apex of glory to show mercy.
00:05:07.000 | For this reason, Jesus Christ came into the world.
00:05:10.240 | Jesus is the mercy of God incarnate and visible.
00:05:15.080 | He is also the justice of God incarnate.
00:05:18.120 | But justice was subordinate.
00:05:20.800 | God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world
00:05:26.200 | might be saved through him.
00:05:28.320 | John 3, verse 17.
00:05:30.960 | God the Father offered up his Son in death so that he might be just and the justifier
00:05:38.720 | of the one who has faith in Jesus.
00:05:40.600 | Romans 3, verse 26.
00:05:42.960 | The substitutionary death of Jesus Christ created the backdrop of justice where justifying
00:05:50.600 | mercy would shine with unparalleled glory.
00:05:54.720 | Therefore, the glory of God's mercy is the aim of Christ's coming.
00:06:01.480 | This is explicit in Romans 15, verses 8 and 9.
00:06:06.400 | Christ came into the world to confirm the promises given to the patriarchs and in order
00:06:14.520 | that the Gentiles might glorify God for his mercy.
00:06:20.280 | The aim of the incarnation was to magnify the mercy of God for the enjoyment of the
00:06:25.760 | nations.
00:06:27.080 | In Mary's Magnificat and in Zechariah's prophetic song at the birth of John the Baptist,
00:06:32.960 | the reason given for the coming of Jesus was in remembrance of God's mercy.
00:06:38.920 | Luke 1, verse 54.
00:06:40.960 | And because of the tender mercy of our God.
00:06:44.840 | Luke 1, verse 78.
00:06:47.400 | For as the Apostle Paul put it, the work of Christ is due to God's being rich in mercy.
00:06:55.120 | Ephesians 2, verse 4.
00:06:56.800 | It is all according to the riches of his grace.
00:07:00.520 | Ephesians 1, verse 7.
00:07:02.120 | He bestows his riches on all who call on him.
00:07:06.240 | Romans 10, verse 12.
00:07:08.640 | This mercy that Jesus embodies and brings is utterly free.
00:07:16.840 | Not that there was no cost.
00:07:19.080 | Jesus paid the price at the cost of his own life.
00:07:23.800 | In him, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according
00:07:31.380 | to the riches of his grace.
00:07:35.720 | Ephesians 1, verse 7.
00:07:37.480 | But now to broken and needy sinners, it is absolutely free.
00:07:43.800 | Thus God says, "So then it depends not on human will or exertion, but on God who has
00:07:50.360 | mercy.
00:07:51.420 | So then he has mercy on whomever he wills, and he hardens whomever he wills."
00:07:58.480 | Romans 9, verses 14 to 16.
00:08:02.280 | Verse 18.
00:08:03.960 | We do not earn mercy.
00:08:06.240 | We receive it as a free gift by faith, not by works.
00:08:10.400 | He saved us.
00:08:12.220 | Not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.
00:08:20.320 | Titus 3, verse 5.
00:08:23.000 | Even the faith to receive this mercy is itself a gift of mercy.
00:08:30.420 | To you, it has been freely given for Christ's sake to believe.
00:08:37.320 | Philippians 1, verse 29.
00:08:39.440 | Author's translation.
00:08:41.240 | And what about others?
00:08:43.080 | Let us correct our opponents with gentleness.
00:08:47.240 | God may perhaps grant them repentance, leading to a knowledge of the truth.
00:08:54.280 | 2 Timothy 2, verse 25.
00:08:56.460 | See also Ephesians 2, verse 8.
00:08:58.440 | John 6, verse 44.
00:09:00.520 | Acts 13, verse 48.
00:09:02.720 | From start to finish, God saves us not because of works, but because of his own purpose and
00:09:09.400 | grace which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began.
00:09:14.200 | 2 Timothy 1, verse 9.
00:09:16.840 | His triumphant mercy is utterly free.
00:09:23.360 | Since Christ is the incarnate display of the wealth of the mercies of God, it is not surprising
00:09:30.360 | that his life on earth was a lavish exhibit of mercies to all kinds of people.
00:09:37.460 | Every kind of need and pain was touched by the mercies of Jesus in his few years on earth.
00:09:45.320 | When the blind beggar cried out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me," many were embarrassed
00:09:52.820 | and indignant.
00:09:54.680 | But Jesus said to him, "Recover your sight.
00:09:57.960 | Your faith has made you well."
00:10:00.000 | Luke 18, verse 38.
00:10:01.920 | Verse 42.
00:10:03.980 | When the revolting and feared lepers raised their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have
00:10:11.700 | mercy on us," he stopped and took pity on them and said, "Go, show yourselves to the
00:10:19.360 | priests."
00:10:21.040 | And as they went, they were cleansed.
00:10:24.800 | Luke 17, verses 13 and 14.
00:10:27.920 | Even more remarkably, Mark recalls the time another dreaded leper fell on his knees pleading
00:10:34.360 | with Jesus to make him clean, and Jesus not only spoke to him but also touched him, moved
00:10:41.880 | with pity.
00:10:43.200 | He stretched out his hand and touched him and said to him, "I will be clean."
00:10:51.040 | Mark 1, verse 41.
00:10:53.200 | When Jesus saw a widow who had not only lost her husband but now her only son as well,
00:11:01.560 | Luke tells us Jesus had compassion on her and said to her, "Do not weep."
00:11:08.600 | Then he raised her son from the dead.
00:11:12.800 | And in this case, not a word was said about her face.
00:11:17.720 | It was a free and lavish overflow of divine mercy even before faith.
00:11:26.500 | Mercy also drew Jesus to those who were made miserable by demons.
00:11:31.520 | One man brought his demon-possessed son to Jesus after years of sorrow.
00:11:35.980 | The boy was unable to speak and the evil spirit often threw the boy into the fire.
00:11:42.200 | The father pleaded with Jesus, "Have compassion on us and help us."
00:11:46.760 | Mark 9, verse 22.
00:11:48.840 | And even though the grieving father could only manage a mustard seed of faith, "I believe,
00:11:54.280 | help my unbelief."
00:11:55.880 | Mark 9, verse 24.
00:11:58.160 | Jesus responded to the cry for pity and rebuked the spirit and cast it out.
00:12:05.600 | Even when a demon-possessed man had no one to be his advocate and could not believe or
00:12:11.520 | submit to Jesus, as in the case of the Gerasene demoniac, the Lord delivered him and then
00:12:17.880 | explained that it is sheer mercy.
00:12:22.120 | Go home to your friends and tell them how much the Lord has done for you and how he
00:12:28.840 | has had mercy on you.
00:12:32.040 | Mark 5, verse 19.
00:12:34.400 | And don't miss the added mercy that this man was not a Jew but a foreigner, just like the
00:12:41.080 | Canaanite woman who cried out, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, son of David.
00:12:45.880 | My daughter is severely oppressed by a demon."
00:12:49.240 | Matthew 15, verse 22.
00:12:51.520 | Neither the demons nor the Gentile distance from Israel stopped the mercy of Jesus.
00:12:59.200 | Not only was the mercy of Jesus kindled by suffering but also by sin.
00:13:05.360 | When Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, the Pharisees and scribes criticized him.
00:13:12.120 | But Jesus told three parables to explain what he was doing.
00:13:16.480 | One was the parable of the prodigal son.
00:13:18.880 | The climax of this parable pictures God filled with compassion for his sin-soaked homecoming
00:13:26.080 | son.
00:13:27.640 | While the son was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion and ran
00:13:33.660 | and embraced him and kissed him.
00:13:35.880 | Luke 15, verse 20.
00:13:38.080 | In other words, Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners because he was the incarnate display
00:13:44.680 | of the Father's tender compassion for sinners.
00:13:48.800 | Jesus showed his compassion not only for the individuals who sin and suffer but also for
00:13:54.480 | whole multitudes.
00:13:56.540 | He did not look on masses with contempt or with impersonal indifference.
00:14:02.680 | Once when the great crowds had followed him and had not planned well for their food, Jesus
00:14:08.880 | looked on them and said, "I have compassion on the crowd, because they have been with
00:14:14.520 | me now three days and have nothing to eat."
00:14:17.800 | Mark 8, verse 2.
00:14:19.640 | On another occasion, it was not their hunger but their spiritual need for truth that filled
00:14:25.680 | him with compassion for the crowds.
00:14:28.080 | He saw a great crowd and he felt compassion on them because they were like sheep without
00:14:34.280 | a shepherd.
00:14:35.480 | And he began to teach them many things.
00:14:40.200 | Mark 6, verse 34.
00:14:43.280 | One of the most sweeping statements about God's mercy that Jesus ever made came from
00:14:48.680 | Hosea 6, verse 6.
00:14:51.040 | It was Jesus' way of putting the whole Old Testament ceremonial law under the banner
00:14:56.520 | of mercy instead of meticulous rules.
00:15:00.320 | When he was criticized for going to dinner at Matthew's house with unclean tax collectors,
00:15:05.920 | he turned the criticism around and said, "Go and learn what this means.
00:15:11.160 | I desire mercy and not sacrifice."
00:15:14.880 | Hosea 6, verse 6.
00:15:16.680 | "For I came not to call the righteous but sinners."
00:15:21.040 | Matthew 9, verse 13.
00:15:23.960 | And when his disciples were rebuked by the Pharisees for picking grain and eating it
00:15:28.960 | on the Sabbath, Jesus said, "If you had known what this means, 'I desire mercy and not
00:15:34.560 | sacrifice,' you would not have condemned the guiltless."
00:15:38.920 | Matthew 12, verse 7.
00:15:40.920 | In other words, Jesus' entire ministry was shaped by the insight that mercy is the ultimate
00:15:49.040 | meaning of God's law.
00:15:51.340 | And since Jesus came not to abolish but to fulfill that law—Matthew 5, verse 17—he
00:15:57.960 | was the incarnation and manifestation of the wealth of the mercy of God.
00:16:04.440 | The same is true of Jesus today.
00:16:06.560 | In this regard, Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever—Hebrews 13, verse
00:16:13.320 | 8.
00:16:14.520 | This is why God, who is called the Father of Mercies—2 Corinthians 1, verse 3—beckons
00:16:21.140 | us to come boldly to his throne through Jesus Christ, who can sympathize with our weaknesses—Hebrews
00:16:29.020 | 4, verse 15.
00:16:30.980 | Jesus is our sinless, all-sufficient High Priest.
00:16:35.420 | He has offered himself as our substitute in perfect obedience and perfect sacrifice.
00:16:42.860 | All the Father's mercies belong to those who come to God through faith in Jesus.
00:16:49.820 | Let us with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find
00:16:59.100 | grace to help in time of need—Hebrews 4, verse 16.
00:17:03.540 | The place where mercies are kept is the throne of God.
00:17:09.260 | There is infinite wealth and infinite power and infinite wisdom, and all this stands ready
00:17:16.580 | in the service of mercy because of Jesus Christ, the mercy of God incarnate.
00:17:24.180 | Whether you learn this through pleasure or learn it through pain, like Job, whatever
00:17:30.700 | you do, learn it.
00:17:33.540 | The Lord is compassionate and merciful.
00:17:36.740 | James 5, verse 11.
00:17:39.300 | A prayer.
00:17:40.300 | O Father, how we need mercy!
00:17:45.500 | We sin every day.
00:17:47.060 | We fall short of your command to love you with all our heart and soul and mind and strength.
00:17:52.580 | We are lukewarm in our affections.
00:17:54.900 | All our motives, even at their best, are mixed.
00:17:58.300 | We murmur.
00:17:59.640 | We are anxious about tomorrow.
00:18:01.640 | We get angry too quickly.
00:18:04.140 | We desire what ought not to be desired.
00:18:07.180 | We get irritated at the very attitudes in others that we ourselves displayed five minutes
00:18:13.700 | before.
00:18:15.740 | If you do not show mercy to us, we are undone.
00:18:19.780 | O God, let us see the mercy of Christ and savor it for what it is.
00:18:27.940 | Grant us power to comprehend his love. Incline us to read and ponder the stories of the mercy
00:18:35.020 | of Jesus in the Gospels.
00:18:37.320 | Let us so admire what he did that we imitate him.
00:18:41.860 | But let it be much more than external imitation.
00:18:46.460 | Let it come from the heart where we have been broken for our sin and where we have come
00:18:51.740 | to cherish mercy and live by mercy and hope in mercy and long for mercy.
00:19:00.180 | Make the mercy of Jesus the greatest beauty of the Savior in our eyes.
00:19:05.180 | Let us behold and beholding become like him and bend this taste for mercy outward so that
00:19:13.780 | we show it.
00:19:15.440 | Make us full of his mercy that we might show mercy.
00:19:19.580 | Feel in us the command to do justice and love mercy.
00:19:23.780 | Let us love showing mercy.
00:19:27.460 | Make it so much a part of us that it is who we are.
00:19:32.460 | So unite us to Christ that his mercy is our mercy and our mercy is a presenting of Christ.
00:19:40.980 | He is all we have to give in the end.
00:19:45.340 | Identify his mercy, Father, in our faith and in our patience.
00:19:51.540 | Thank you.
00:19:52.540 | Oh, thank you for Christ and for your mercy to us in him.
00:19:58.160 | In his name we pray.
00:19:59.900 | Amen.
00:20:00.900 | Yes, amen.
00:20:02.740 | Make the mercy of Jesus the greatest beauty of the Savior in our eyes.
00:20:06.620 | That's such a good prayer.
00:20:08.380 | That was a reading from chapter 10 of Pastor John's book, Seeing and Savoring Jesus Christ.
00:20:12.380 | Thank you for listening and on behalf of the team at Desiring God and Pastor John and myself,
00:20:18.760 | we pray that you have a wonderful Christmas celebration with your local church, with your
00:20:23.100 | family and with friends.
00:20:24.780 | We'll see you on Friday.
00:20:25.980 | Amen.
00:20:26.980 | Amen.
00:20:26.980 | Amen.
00:20:31.980 | [BLANK_AUDIO]