Every year our family watches the classic movie, “It’s a Wonderful Life”, made 74 years ago. We see George Bailey coming to the end of his rope, his world is encapsulated with no solutions, no hope. He wishes he had never been born; the world would be better off without him. Suddenly, his guardian angel, Clarence, appears and gives George a chance to see what the world would be like without him. But at the end, after seeing how his life touched others, George is standing on a gloomy snow covered bridge, changed and crying out “I want to live”. There is something universal about the message, one life can make a difference.
What if we take this idea that one life can make a difference and ask the question, what if Jesus had not been born? The angel would never have appeared to Mary to tell her she was chosen to be the mother of the Messiah, Joseph would never have had an angel speaking to him in a dream about Jesus, the shepherds on a hillside outside of Bethlehem would never have heard the angels breaking through the silence of the night exclaiming a Savior had been born, the wise men would not have made the arduous journey from afar bearing gifts for Jesus, and over 300 Old Testament prophecies about Jesus would not be mentioned in the Bible.
When we contemplate the implications here we begin to see Christmas in a fresh new light. If Christ had not been born, we would be missing the important things.
If Jesus had not come, we cannot know God
Jesus was not an idea; he came as a person. Jesus was God himself in human form. The Hebrew Prophet Isaiah predicted Jesus 700 years before Jesus was born. “Therefore, the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel meaning God with us” Isaiah 7:14
One day Phillip asked Jesus, “Lord, show us the Father”. Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9. God gave us his only Son, then His Son gave us God.
If Jesus had not come, we could not be forgiven
If Jesus had not been born, we could not be forgiven of our sins. Joseph had a dream where an angel told him, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” Matthew 1:20-21
If Jesus had not been born, we would not be forgiven and would still be our sins; permanently separated from God forever. Our destiny is eternal separation from the God who loves.
If Jesus had not come, there can be no hope
I remember visiting Bethlehem an incredible recreation of the town by a church in Florida. As I strolled in the main gate, a burly Roman guard approached me demanding a denarius to enter. Intimidated by the strong soldier, I handed over a quarter. I suddenly felt I was transported back in time to Bethlehem over 2,000 years ago. As I meandered through the streets, I was so busy talking with people and merchants selling wares, I was totally unaware of what was taking place outside the city. A great light shown down on one spot. I could barely make out some shepherds, a man and a woman, and a baby. Someone told me that Jesus, the Savior of the world had been born. I turned to focus on this event but noticed everyone else in town did not see it; they missed it.
The Bible tells us Jesus came at exactly the right time. “For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly”. Romans 5:6
The world Jesus lived in was ruled by controlling Romans, the people were heavily taxed and offering up extreme forms of torture. Jesus willingly surrendered himself to the crushing agony and pain of crucifixion on the cross. The literal weight of all the sin in the world pressed upon Him as He suffered through the final moments of His life on earth. His sinless life was sacrificed to save ours. The obscure birth of a peasant child echo’s through 2, 000 years, affects all time. We must believe because Christ alone can forgive our sin; He is the only way to the God the Father. God freely offers us the gift of hope, the gift of His Son Jesus.
Today, we are far removed from the world of Bethlehem but we are not so different. We still live in a secular world pushing all the trappings to take your mind and heart off of the Christ in Christmas. There is nothing wrong with decorating our homes, cooking food, going to parties, and giving gifts, but when we focus only on these things, we will soon feel empty again.
If Jesus had not come, we could not go to heaven
Know that you are fully loved by the Creator. It’s unimaginable that God would send His only Son to earth with one mission. (John 3:16) Jesus was obedient to the Father’s will and willingly offered a one-time final sacrifice, full payment for your sins. Jesus came so that if you confess out loud that Jesus is Lord and Savior, you believe in your heart that he died and was raised from the dead, you will be saved and go to heaven when you die. After you die, your soul will live eternally in either heaven or hell, it’s your choice. May you choose to surrender and follow Jesus.
“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” Romans 10:9
If Jesus had not come, we would not have the Holy Spirit
When people accept, believe and follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit immediately indwells in their hearts. The Holy Spirit continues to work on believers, molding us to the character of Jesus and becoming more Christlike. The Holy Spirit conforms and retrains believers and without the Holy Spirit we would see the world turning to complete chaos, absolute anarchy, and utter evil. You can feel it, there is a spiritual battle in the world. There are only two sides: Satan or Jesus: may you choose Jesus.
Jesus said, “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters.” Matthew 12:30
May you turn your focus this Christmas to the cradle, then look to the cross. Believe and be filled with joy that Jesus came for you.