Why Jesus Was Born | Mark Estes

Merry Christmas, North Palm.

Wow, you look so wonderful. You know, I

think we should begin this with a

prophetic declaration over the new year.

How about that? Look at the person next

to you. Speak this from your heart. I'm

looking forward to seeing less of you

next year.

I mean, we're starting off with a fast,

right?

That was a joke. Merry Christmas. Yay.

All right. I want to talk to you this

morning about why Jesus was born. Why

Jesus was born. If you'll open your

Bibles to the New Testament to the all

the way back to the back to First John

1 John 3 · chapter mention

chapter 3. I believe we can really find

the meaning of Christmas

in John's writing. 1 John chapter 3.

1 John 3 · chapter mention

We're going to begin. Why don't we just

begin with verse one?

1 John chapter 3:1. Behold, what manner

of love the Father has bestowed on us

that we should be called the children of

God. Therefore, the world does not know

us because it did not know him. Beloved,

now we are children of God, and it is

not not yet been revealed what we shall

be. But we know that when he is

revealed, we shall be like him, for we

shall see him as he is. And everyone who

has this hope in him purifies himself

just as he is pure. Verse four, whoever

commits sin

also commits lawlessness,

and sin is lawlessness. And you know

that he was manifested to take away our

sins.

and in him there is no sin. Whoever

abides in him does not sin. Whoever sins

has neither seen him nor known him.

Little children, let no one deceive you.

He who practices righteousness is

righteous just as he is righteous. He

who sins is of the devil. For the devil

has sinned from the beginning. Now look

at this last part of verse eight.

For this purpose the son of God was

manifested that he might destroy the

works of the devil.

Whoever has been born of God does not

sin for his seed remains in him and he

cannot sin because he's been born of

God. In this the children of God and the

children of the devil are manifest.

Whoever does not practice righteousness

is not of God, nor is he who does not

love his brother. Take a moment. Lift

your hands with me. Come on, everybody.

Lift your hands. Pray this prayer with

me. Holy Spirit,

>> open my ears

>> that I can hear

>> what you have to say. Open my heart.

Make it receptive. I give you permission

to move deep in my life.

to form my heart to my heart

>> to form my character.

>> Jesus have your way

>> in me

>> today.

>> Amen. Amen. So that that last part of

verse number eight, for this purpose

the son of God was manifested that he

might destroy

the works of the devil. You know, at

Christmas, we sing about peace. We sing

about joy. We we sing about hope. And

and we should we should focus on these

things. It is joy to the world. It is

peace on earth, goodwill toward men. But

if we're not careful,

we'll reduce Christmas to an atmosphere

instead of an assignment.

And we all love the atmosphere of

Christmas.

We love the, you know, I'm dreaming of a

white Christmas. We love all the things

that that bring those warm fuzzies in

our heart. But we cannot forget the

assignment of Christmas.

We decorate our homes. We gather with

our families. We retell the gentle story

about the babe in the manger. But the

Bible insists that Christmas

was not gentle.

It was an invasion of the kingdom of

darkness. The birth of Jesus wasn't

simply this moment in history. It was a

decisive intervention by God into a

broken world. And so the apostle John

tells us plainly why Jesus came. For

this purpose the son of God was

manifested that he might destroy the

works of the devil. That single sentence

gives us the meaning of Christmas.

that sentence. He wasn't born to be

admired.

He was born to confront. He was born to

break. He was born to undo what sin and

the enemy had done to humanity.

So, a little context as to why John is

speaking so strongly here. He's writing

to believers. He's not writing to

unbelievers. He's writing to the church

and he's concerned that some people in

the church are being misled.

There were voices that were saying that

grace doesn't or grace means that sin

doesn't really matter anymore.

They were saying that claiming spiritual

knowledge is good and you don't have to

necessarily have moral change.

You can be enlightened

but live any way you want to live. And

John is writing and he is refusing to

separate faith from obedience.

You can't say you have faith and then

walk in disobedience.

He's refusing to separate salvation from

transformation.

You are not saved if you are not

allowing Jesus to transform every part

of your life. And so he's he's not going

to separate the birth of Christ, the

coming of Christ from the purpose of his

coming.

And so he's speaking with clarity, not

with harshness,

but with firmness. And he wants every

believer to understand that if Jesus

entered into your life, then something

begins to change.

And so John makes it very clear. The

first thing I want you to see is that

John makes it clear that sin is not a

slip. It is rebellion.

Sin is rebellion. First John chapter 3

1 John 3 · chapter mention

verse four and five. Whoever commits sin

also commits lawlessness and sin is

lawlessness. And you know that he was

manifested to take away our sins. And in

him there is no sin. And so John is

redefining sin in a way that confronts

modern thinking. Sin is lawlessness.

John doesn't describe sin as a weakness.

He doesn't describe sin as a mistake. He

describes it as a refusal to live under

God's authority.

And so sin is choosing independence over

obedience.

Sin is living as though God's word

doesn't apply to me.

And so this matters because if we

understand sin or if we misunderstand

sin then we misunderstand

the purpose of Christmas.

And so he John is pointing the church to

Jesus. He was manifested to take away

our sins and in him there is no sin. So

Jesus didn't didn't enter into the world

carrying sin. He was born of the Virgin

Mary. He was placed in the manger. He

was born the son of God. He became man.

God became man.

And he entered this world to remove sin.

He came clean into a dirty world so that

dirty lives could be made clean. He came

sinless so that we who are sinful could

be cleansed by his perfect blood. Jesus

Christ came to shed his blood on the

cross of Calvary for the sin of mankind.

That's your sin and my sin. It's all the

iniquity, all of the murder, all of the

sexual immorality, all of the addiction,

all of the sickness, all of the disease.

Jesus came to pay the price for our

cleansing.

So there's a connection in Christmas

here. When the angel spoke to Joseph, he

explained the mission. He said, "You

shall call his name Jesus,

for he will save his people from their

sins.

He wasn't born to help us cope with sin.

He was born to rescue us from sin. Now,

if a doctor discovers a deadly disease,

compassion doesn't mean to ignore it. If

you have a disease, it should be cut

out. Compassion is removing that

disease. That's what Jesus came to do.

Jesus didn't come to manage sin. He came

to deal with the root of sin. He came to

remove it. And so, here's the truth.

Many people want forgiveness.

They want freedom, but they don't want

transformation.

Jesus came to forgive and he came to

transform us. He came to set us

completely free so that we would no

longer be bound to sin. And so Christmas

really is calling us to stop excusing

what God came to remove.

The second thing I want you to notice is

that Christmas really was the beginning

of a war.

First John chapter 3 verse 6-8.

1 John 3:6–8

Whoever abides in him does not sin.

Whoever sins has neither seen him nor

known him. Little children, let no one

deceive you. He who practices

righteousness is righteous just as he is

righteous. He who sins is of the devil.

For the devil has sinned from the

beginning. For this purpose the son of

God was manifested that he might destroy

the works of the devil. And so John

draws a line that makes a lot of people

uncomfortable. He who sins, John says,

is of the devil, for the devil has

sinned from the beginning. John is not

talking about a believer who stumbles.

He's not. and then that believer repents

and then he gets up. He's talking about

a settled way of life. He's talking

about ongoing unreentant

resistance to God.

And so he delivers one of the clearest

purpose statements in all of scripture.

For this purpose, the son of God was

manifested that he might destroy the

works of the devil. Jesus came to break

what sin had built.

Jesus came to dismantle the dismantle

the bondage that holds people captive.

Jesus came to dismantle the lies that

distort the truth. Jesus came to

dismantle the shame that crushes

identity.

Jesus came to dismantle fear that

crushes and paralyzes faith. Jesus came

to dismantle the depression that

overwhelms and cripples God's people.

Jesus came to dismantle sickness and

disease that weaken and destroy the

body. Jesus came to dismantle addiction

that enslaves people and opens doors of

darkness. Jesus came to dismantle

selfishness that blinds us so that we

can't see other people's needs.

So understand the Christmas connection.

The manger is not a peaceful ending.

It is the opening move of a rescue

mission where God becomes man to save

men from their sins. Hebrews chapter

Hebrews 2 · chapter mention

2 verse number 14

the writer says in as much then as the

children have partaken of flesh and

blood he himself likewise shared in the

same that through death he might destroy

him who had the power of death that is

the devil. and release those who through

fear of death were all their lifetimes

subject to bondage. Look at that. That

through death he might destroy him who

had the power of death. That is the

devil.

So you understand that the baby in

Bethlehem is heaven's declaration that

darkness will not win.

>> Christmas is not a ceasefire. It is the

beginning of invasion. The enemy hears a

baby crying and heaven knows that that

cry means that the end has begun.

So here's some real world application.

Many believers tolerate what Jesus came

to destroy.

Stop tolerating things that Jesus went

to the cross to take care of.

Stop tolerating things that are lawless,

that are ungodly, that are rebellious.

Stop tolerating it and accept the

invitation that Jesus Christ can set you

free. Jesus Christ, the babe born in the

manger, the babe born of a virgin. Jesus

Christ, the spotless lamb of God, who

came to this earth for one purpose, and

that is to redeem you and I, to save us

from our sins. to deliver us, to set us

free, to wash us, to cleanse us, to heal

us, to give us peace. You see, the third

thing I want you to see is that new life

produces a new way of living.

Look at verse number nine.

1 John chapter 3 verse number nine.

1 John 3 · chapter mention

Whoever has been born of God does not

sin, for his seed remains in him, and he

cannot sin because he's been born of

God. In this the children of God and the

children of the devil are manifest.

Whoever does not practice righteousness

is not of God, nor is he who does not

love his brother. And so John now

explains what happens when someone truly

belongs to God. Whoever has been born of

God does not sin, for his seed remains

in him. His seed. the seed of the woman

that crushed the head of the serpent.

You don't sin because his seed remains

in you. John is not teaching perfection.

He's teaching direction.

And when God puts his life inside of

you, your desires begin to change. When

God puts his life inside of you,

conviction begins to deepen. When God

puts his love inside of you, then your

patterns begin to shift and you

recognize things that were wrong. You

recognize things that were unrighteous.

You recognize things that would pull you

away from God. The pattern begins to

shift and you say, "No, no, I'm not

doing that any longer. I've made a

decision to serve God. I'm not going

there any longer. I'm not going to say

that any longer. I'm changing my pattern

of lifestyle. I'm changing my pattern of

thinking. I'm changing my pattern of

speech. I'm changing the works that I do

with my hands. I'm changing what I allow

my ears to hear. I'm changing what I

where I allow my heart to go because his

life is inside of you. I am transformed

by the power of Jesus Christ. 2

2 Corinthians 5 · chapter mention

Corinthians chapter 5 verse number 17.

Paul said, "Therefore, if anyone is in

Christ, he is a new creation. Old things

have passed away. Behold, all things

have become new. You are made new

because of Jesus." If you are in Christ,

the old is gone. I am not the person

that I used to be. I'm not the man that

I used to be. I don't have the desires

that I used to have. I have crucified

them. I've taken them to the cross of

Calvary and I'm living this life in the

flesh by the faith of the son of God who

loved me and gave himself for me.

>> I'm a new man.

So John concludes in verse number 10 by

saying in this the children of God and

the children of the devil are manifest.

Whoever does not practice righteousness

is not of God nor is he who does not

love his brother. So Christmas reveals

who we belong to.

Who we belong to.

I think sometimes we need to open our

eyes and see who we're allowing around

us to influence us.

And I love the fact that God accepts

everyone. He loves everyone.

God loves you the way you are. You don't

have to do anything to make him love

you. He loves you. As a matter of fact,

there's nothing you could do to make him

love you more.

He loves you. God loves you. But here's

the truth. Because he loves you, he

refuses to leave you the way you are.

And he's constantly working in us. He's

constantly moving us and forming us and

molding us and making us. And that

process is uncomfortable. That process

doesn't feel good all the time, but it

is a revelation of the love of God. So

don't smooth over the conviction of Holy

Spirit. When God deals with you about

something that you shouldn't be involved

with, listen to Holy Spirit. Don't go

along with what society says. And if you

if you just feel like you want to be

that way, you be that way. No, you

determine I'm going to be who God called

me to be. I'M GOING TO BE WHAT WHAT GOD

called me to be. I'm going to do what he

called me to do. I'M GOING TO GO where

he calls me to go.

Don't allow the pressure of society to

form your values.

>> Allow Jesus

and his word to form your values.

You know, it's really interesting that

an apple seed

doesn't struggle to produce apples.

It produces apples because of what it

is. It's an apple seed

and it is it is born. It is birthed. It

is it exists

to die and then when that seed dies a

tree begins to sprout

and that tree will bear fruit in its

season

and that one little seed

can bear an exponential amount of fruit.

So you understand that new life produces

new fruit. So here's some more realworld

application.

Christianity is not about trying harder.

It's about living from new life.

Living from new life. If Jesus entered

your story, then transformation is going

to naturally follow. you're going to

bear fruit.

So why Jesus was born?

John gives us the purpose of Christmas

and in very clear terms. Jesus was born

to take away sin.

Jesus was born to destroy the works of

the devil. Jesus was born to create a

transformed people.

So Christmas without change is

incomplete.

Jesus didn't come to make us comfortable

in our chains. Jesus came to break our

chains and remove our bondages.

So receiving the purpose of Christians

Christmas really comes down to this. It

makes us ask this question.

Why did Jesus come?

Why did he come for you?

If he came to destroy sin,

then you don't have to live under the

bondage of sin.

If he came to break the enemy's work,

then bondage does not get the final word

in your life. If he came to give new

life, then change is possible and it is

possible today. So don't celebrate the

birth of Jesus this Christmas.

Receive the freedom that Jesus was born

to bring you.

Jesus was born to set you free. Jesus

manifested to bring you deliverance.

We all know John 3:16 for God so loved

John 3:16

the world. But until we make it personal

and we understand that Christmas is the

revelation that I am the world to God.

For God so loved me that he gave his

only begotten SON THAT IF I would only

believe in him, I WOULD HAVE everlasting

life. BECAUSE GOD DIDN'T SEND HIS son

into the world to condemn me. He sent

his son into the world to FREE ME, TO

SET ME FREE, TO SAVE ME, TO HEAL ME, TO

REDEEM ME, TO BLESS ME, TO CAUSE ME TO

BE RECONCILED BACK in right relationship

with the father.

That's the meaning of Christmas.

Because of sin, death entered the world.

Because of sin, man who used to walk in

intimate fellowship with God was

separated from God. Man who used to have

it so good he could go into the garden

and just eat anything he wanted and no

work, no labor, now he has to labor

because of sin by the sweat of his brow

among thorns and thistles. But the

meaning of Christmas doesn't stop in the

manger. It begins in the manger, but it

goes all the way to that old rugged

cross where Jesus Christ, the son of

God, the sinless son of son of God

became sin for me so that I could become

the righteousness of God in him. The

reason of Christmas is that Jesus Christ

could be wounded for my transgressions,

bruised for my iniquity, bear the

chastisement, the burden of my peace,

and by his wounds I could be healed.

That's the meaning of Christmas. The

meaning of Christmas is one day that

babe that was born in a manger is coming

back with a crown of many crowns. He's

coming back on a white horse. He's

coming back to redeem us one more time.

He's coming back to destroy death. He's

coming back to chain the devil and throw

him into a bottomless pit. He's coming

back to cause us to reign forever and

ever and ever with him IN GLORY. THAT

LITTLE BABE THAT came the first time is

coming back as THE KING OF KINGS AND the

Lord of Lords. And he will reign

eternally.

That's the meaning of Christmas.

Christmas marks the moment heaven

invaded earth and darkness began to lose

its grip. The son of God was revealed

not in weakness but in divine authority

to dismantle every work of the enemy and

to reclaim what was stolen. Because

Jesus was born, sin's power is broken.

Shame is silenced and bondage no longer

defines God's people.

What the enemy built through deception,

Jesus has torn down through truth.

What was bound through fear, Jesus has

loosed through his victory.

So I declare in the name of Jesus that

your family walks in the freedom that

Christ came to release. And I declare

that this season, this Christmas, will

not be marked by old chains and by

hidden struggles and by defeated living.

I declare that the life of God is at

work among you. And the seed of heaven

is producing righteousness and freedom

and love.

For this purpose,

the Son of God was revealed.

And by his coming,

by his cross, by his resurrection,

we stand,

redeemed,

restored,

and free.

I declare that in Jesus name over