Our youth fellowship, they're going to come, and they're going to sing at this time. They're singing the paraphrase 39. You'll find it on the page 190, or 159, if you want to follow along. Hark the glad sound, the Savior comes. Young people, come on ahead, and we'll sing this to God's praise. The paraphrase 39. Hark the glad sign, the Saviour comes, the Saviour promised long. Let every heart exult with joy, and every voice be sung, and every voice be sung, and every, every voice be sung. On him the Spirit largely shed, exerts its sacred fire. Wisdom and might and zeal and love, its holy breasts inspire, its holy breasts inspire, its holy, holy breasts inspire. Here comes the prisoners to relieve In sanctum's bondage held Their gates of brass before him burst The iron fetters yield The iron fetters yield The iron, iron fetters yield He comes from darkening scales of ice To clear the ever sight And on the eyeballs of the blind To pour celestial light To pour celestial light To pour, to pour celestial light He calms the broken hearts to bind, the bleeding souls to cure, and with the treasures of His grace to enrich the humble poor, to enrich the humble poor, to enrich, enrich the humble poor. O'er glad hosannas, Prince of Peace, Thy welcome shall proclaim, And heav'n's exalted arches ring, With thy most honoured name, With thy most honoured name, With thy, with thy most honoured name. Well, we thank the young people for their willingness to be conscripted for this evening, and we never make a choir. We understand that, we know that. We're not deluded, but we're singing it to the glory of God. And thank God Christ has come, and he has come to do many a great thing. We're going to have a final reading this evening from John's Gospel chapter one, and our brother Mr. Alistair Brown is going to read. I want to encourage you then to keep the word of God open there in John chapter one, because I'm going to direct you to a verse that our brother will read this evening, that our brother Mr. Alistair Brown is coming to read at this time. John's Gospel, chapter 1, read from verse 1 to 14, commencing reading verse 1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made. In him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the light that all men through him might believe. He was not that light, but was sent to bear witness of that light. That was the true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world. He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name, which were born not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the word was made flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. Amen. I appreciate all the help given for the service. Sister Mrs. Strong for all of her efforts in getting us all prepared. And the young people, the boys and girls, and for those who have read God's precious word. I direct your attention to the verse 11. here of John chapter 1, the words John wrote by inspiration concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. We read here in John 1 verse 11, he came on to his own and his own received him not. With the word of God open before us, let's unite briefly in a word of prayer. Loving Father, our gracious God, we come to give our praise to our God. We pray that that which has come from our hearts and lips tonight may be found to be acceptable in thy sight. And now as we gather around the word of the living God, we pray that thou wilt come in a very special way. Come, open hearts and lives and ears. To thy word we ask of thee, settle every heart We pray and grant, dear God, the infilling of thy Holy Spirit for this preacher, that I might make Christ known to this congregation before me this evening. Answer prayer, glorify thy son. We offer prayer in and through the Savior's precious name. Amen and amen. It is this time of the year more than any other time of the year that we come to remember the miracle of the incarnation The moment when the Son of God took into union with himself, humanity, and stepped into this world and stepped into humanity's history. His coming, however, almost went unnoticed. No newspaper editor reported the miraculous events that occurred in Bethlehem that night No public herald was sent into the wider community to make known the Savior's birth. No billboard was erected to announce that the long-awaited Messiah had come to dwell among men. Only a few shepherds and some wise men from the east were alerted to the fact by angels and a star that a Savior had been born, the Savior of the world, had come into the world. John simply refers to the incarnation in two words found at the commencement of our text in verse 11. The words, he came, he came. Those words encapsulate the miracle of the incarnation, Christ being born of the Virgin Mary. He takes to himself humanity, the Son of God, now the Son of Man, coming to dwell and to live among men. But why did he come? Why did he come? Well, it is that profound question that I want to answer tonight, a question that I believe is needed to recalibrate our focus when it comes to this time of the year, because too often we can get caught up in the extras of Christmas, those things that society have added to Christmas, trivial, unimportant matters as Christmas approaches. We think of the presents, We think of the family gatherings, the food, all of these things. But tonight I want us to think upon this very question, this critical, this crucial question. Why did Christ come? Why did he come? Why did the Son of God leave the glories of heaven behind to step into this sin-cursed world? Why did the Son of God come, taking to himself humanity, and yet at all times remaining God? Why did the infinite become an infant? What was the purpose, the intention, the reason for his coming into the world? Now tonight I could throw out to you many a suggestion with regard to the answer to that question, but tonight I want the Lord Jesus Christ to answer that question. why he came. Because no better person can tell us why he came than the one who actually did come. And in the New Testament, the Son of God does tell us why he came into this world. And tonight I want to simply draw your attention to the Bible and what the Bible has to say and what Christ said concerning his coming into the world and apply those truths, those statements to you in the gospel. So the title for this simple message is, Why He Came. Why He Came. In the first place, the Son of God came to fulfill the law and the prophets. In Matthew's Gospel chapter 5 and the verse 17, the Lord Jesus Christ uttered these words to his disciples and those gathered with them. This is what he said, think not that I am come to destroy the law or the prophets. I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. In his own words, the Lord Jesus Christ, he simply alerts these individuals to the fact that Jesus Christ came into the world to fulfill all that was written concerning him within the prophets. Every prophecy, every type, every picture, every shadow found within the Old Testament concerning the Lord Jesus Christ was going to be fulfilled by him when he came into this world. Not only that, but he was going to come to fulfill the law. The moral law, the law of God on our behalf. You see, while the death of Jesus Christ is essential to any man or woman, boy or girl's salvation, so is the life of Jesus Christ. In his life, the Son of God would fulfill every precept, every commandment, every statue, every requirement placed in the law of God, and he would do it on our behalf. He came to fulfill the law. to meet its just demands, to satisfy its just claims, and thereby, in doing so, He would secure for us a righteousness, simply that which brings us into a right standing with God, by His life, and then by His death, He would do all that was required for a man or a woman, a boy or girls salvation. He came not to destroy, but to fulfill. He came to fulfill the ceremonial law by becoming the sacrifice for sin. The sacrifice to which all the Old Testament offerings and sacrifices pointed towards. Christ would come to fulfill the ceremonial law. He came to fulfill the civil law. This is why we find him on the 8th day being circumcised as a Jew. We find him attending Jerusalem as a 12-year-old boy. We see him present at all of the Jewish feasts throughout the calendar year. He is fulfilling the civil law, and then he comes to fulfill the moral law, of which we find its, as it were, expression in the Ten Commandments, you know them well. Thou shalt, thou shalt not. He comes to fulfill that law by yielding to it a perfect obedience, which you and I could never do. And then He comes to fulfill the prophecies, the prophecies that the prophets had spoken, foretold that Christ would one day, a Savior would one day step into this world. He came to fulfill, that's why He came. That truth should cheer your heart tonight. if you're unsaved in this preaching place this evening, because you see that moral law has been broken by you, broken by you on countless occasions. Tonight charges they stand against your name, offenses that you have committed against your God and your Creator. And yet the amazing thing about the gospel is this, that Jesus Christ, having fulfilled the law, giving to it a perfect obedience to it, He can take those charges that stand against your name, and He can blot out those sins, and blot out those charges by His own precious blood. You see, it is the blood of Christ that cleanseth us from all sin. It is not the water of baptism, it is not communion wine that cleanses us from sin, but rather the blood of Jesus Christ. That's what the Bible tells me. 1 John 1, verse 7, the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son cleanseth us from all sin. He has rendered full, complete and perfect obedience to the law. And thereby that law has no charges against the person who is trusting in the one who fulfilled the law, who kept the law on their behalf. And that's why Romans 8 verse 33 tells us, who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifies all charges of sin that stood against me. And they were many. Thank God I've been answered by Him on my behalf. I was referring to my own meeting with God, God dealing with my soul even this morning. It was a Christmas Sunday evening. After returning from the place of public worship, having lived in Edinburgh for three to four months, and lived in sin, transgress God's law, did things that I should never have done. It was at Christmas Sunday evening that I knelt at the side of my bed and I asked God to do something in my life, to save me from my sin, to make me a child of God. 1997, and I tell you I've never regretted, not for one minute, what happened to me that night. Oh, that tonight, this Christmas Sunday evening, that you would do the same, that you would turn from your sin. Christ came to fulfill the law. It is a law that you will never be able to keep. All will be found guilty of that law, and thereby we need another to fulfill it, to obey it on our behalf, and that person is none other than the one that we've been worshiping in this house tonight, and that is the Lord Jesus Christ. He fulfilled the law and the prophets. In the second place, the Son of God came, and this may surprise you, the Son of God came to divide and conquer, to divide and conquer. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew chapter 10, verse 34, think not that I am come to send peace on earth, I came not to send peace, but a sword. And then he goes on to say in verse 35, for I am come, Christ is speaking here, I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, and a man's foes shall be they of their own household. And he that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, And he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not up his cross and followeth me, or followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it, and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. Christ said, I am not come to send peace, but a sword. I don't need to insult your intelligence tonight, but you and I know what a sword does. A sword divides. A sword severs. A sword partitions. A sword separates whenever it's employed properly in the hand of a swordsman. What the Lord Jesus Christ was saying in Matthew chapter 10 was that he came into this world to wage war. He came to wage war. And what did he come to wage war against? He came to wage war against Satan and against sin. He came to sever, to divide. He came to sever sinners from their sin. And He came to destroy the works of the devil. We read of that intention elsewhere in Scripture. 1 John 3 verse 5, And ye know that he was manifest, speaking of Christ, to take away our sins. And in him is no sin. And in 1 John 3, verse 8 we read, For this purpose was the Son of God manifest, that he might destroy the works of the devil. This is why he came. He came to divide and he came to conquer. Sin and Satan were in the sights. Sin and Satan were in the crosshairs, as it were, of the Son of God when he stepped into this world. And the message that Christ brought concerning salvation from sin, the message that he brought severed sinners from their sin, conquered their hearts, and drew them onto faith in Jesus Christ. And whenever that happened, you know what happened? Division. Division within homes. Division within families. Soon sons were against daughters, or sons against fathers, soon daughters were against mothers, daughters-in-law against the mother-in-law, because some within the family had believed in Jesus Christ, and others remained in their sin, others remained in their unbelief, and that caused a great division within the home. J.C. Riles said, we are not to think it strange if the gospel reigns sunder families and causes estrangement between the nearest relations. It is sure to do so in many cases because of the deep corruption of man's heart. So long as one man believes and another remains unbelieving, so long as one is resolved to keep his sins and another desires to give them up, the result of the preaching of the gospel must needs be division. For this the gospel is not to blame, but the heart of man, the heart of man. You see, the gospel divides in this house tonight, the gospel of Jesus Christ. It brings about a division within this company of people. It impacts upon those who are nearest and dearest to us, because some of us have believed, others have not. I wonder, is there a division in your home tonight? because of the gospel. As the gospel brought division, where one is saved, the other is not. Your father's saved, but you're not. Your mother's saved, but you're not. Your sister is saved, but you're not. Your brother is saved, but you're not. Your aunt, your uncle, they're saved, but you're not. The in-laws are converted, but you're not. And there's a division within this assembly of people. There are those who have believed and others have remained in their sin and in their unbelief. The gospel has divided the home because he came to bring a sword. He came to bring a sword. Maybe tonight there is a division. As I've said, those in the family saved, and you're still not a Christian. Oh, then tonight let me say that you have an opportunity in this house to put that right this very evening. Because tonight you can be saved from your sin. You can repent and believe the gospel. And oh, what a reunion, what a glad reunification of that family of yours would be whenever you've come to trust in Christ. Maybe you're the last to be saved. Maybe you're the first or the second or the third to be saved, all for a family to be reunited in Jesus Christ. I tell you, if there is someone here tonight, and you've got a loved one who has invited you into this house this evening, and they're praying for you, and you're not a Christian, I want to say that this, your salvation, will be the greatest gift that you'll ever give them this Christmas. They'll not care about what perfume you buy them. And they'll not care what kind of technology you've purchased for them and put them under some Christmas tree. They'll not care about that if they're a genuinely saved individual. Because all that they're concerned about is your salvation. That's all they're concerned about. That you would be in God's family. That you'd be reconciled to God. that you'd be redeemed, that you'd be rescued, that you would be reconciled to your God. That's the news that they're waiting for. That's the news that they're praying for. They pray for you in the prayer meeting. You in this house, your name is mentioned. They're praying for you at home. Some of you have caused mothers to go to bed at night with tears. Others have caused heartache and trouble within the home. They're praying for your soul, that you'll be saved. This is the gift that they want this Christmas? Oh, that you would come to Christ. He came to separate. He came to divide. I tell you, the sword of the gospel divides and separates people from their sin, from the world, from its practices and its principles. This is what the gospel does. The gospel severs us from sin. That's what it does. And so if you want your sin, have it. But you can't have Christ. You can't have Christ. It's either your sin or Christ tonight. Which will it be? In the third place, the Son of God, He came to call sinners to repentance, Mark chapter two and the verse 17, when Jesus heard it, when he heard the murmuring of the Pharisees and the publicans and the scribes, when the scribes and the Pharisees, when they grumbled and complained, when he heard it, he said unto them, they that are whole have no need of a physician, but they that are sick. And then these are the words, I want you to listen. Jesus Christ said them, not me, not this church, Jesus Christ said these words, I came not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. These are the words of Christ himself. He did not come into this world to call to Himself those who believe themselves to be righteous in and of themselves. Those who thought that their good works and their religious exercises and their penances would bring them into a right standing with God. God did not come in the person of His Son to call such to Himself. They don't need a Savior. That's what they believe. And so he does, he passes by such people and he comes to sinners. Sinners! You don't hear much about that in church these days. You don't hear much about that in society these days. Sinners! Ah yes, all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. I was a sinner. I was a sinner. I was born a sinner. lived as a sinner. I love my sin. I ran after my sin, and yet he came and he called me. He called me in the gospel, and he called me unto himself. It is for this purpose that he came. He came to call sinners to repentance, and therefore he calls you the night in this house, to come on to him. All you that are labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. I tell you, he doesn't call you to live a moral life. He doesn't call you to join a church. He doesn't call you to be kind to your neighbor. He doesn't call you to live by the golden rule. He doesn't call you to pay into the church. He doesn't call you to perform religious rites, although all these things are commendable, but rather He calls you to repentance. Repentance is the great requirement of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is the very key if you want the genuine thing. If you want some type of sham or religious experience, forget about repentance, but you'll not be in heaven. But if you want to know that all is well with your soul, if you want to be reconciled to God, if you want the peace of God to flood your soul, if you want to know that your sins are blotted out, then this is the key requirement. Repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ. So I asked you, have you ever repent it of your sin. Have you ever turned from your sin? Have you ever heard and heeded the Savior's call to repentance? I tell you if you haven't, you need to be reminded of the words of Jesus Christ spoken in Luke chapter 13, The Lord Jesus Christ said, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. In the fourth place, he came to do the Father's will. John chapter 6 speaks of that. John chapter 6 verse 38. For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which had sent me, that of all which he hath given me should lose nothing, but I should raise it up in the last day. And this is the will of him that sent me, that everyone which seeth the Son and believeth on him may have everlasting life, and I will raise him up in the last day. Hebrews 10, seven speaks of him coming to do the Father's will. Now that will involve many a thing, but John six speaks of two things. The Father's will involve the gifting of everlasting life to all who see Christ by the eye of faith. and believe on Him to the saving of their soul. It involves secondly the keeping of those who do believe, keeping them throughout their life's journey and seeing them brought safely home and their bodies raised to life on resurrection day. This is the will of the Father. He came to do these things. So I asked you, have you by the eye of faith Have you looked away from everything and everyone else to Christ who alone is able to save you from sin and from hell? Have you believed on Him to the saving of your soul with heart and mind and will? Are you trusting in Him to keep you until that day? Are you trusting that He would raise you up on the last day? I tell you these are eternally important questions that must be impressed upon your mind and they demand your attention sinner. If you don't believe to the saving of your soul you will be damned. That is the gospel. He that believeth not is condemned already. Oh, He comes to do the Father's will. I delight to do Thy will, O my God. Your eternal destiny hinges upon the matter. Have I turned from sin and trusted in Jesus Christ? If you haven't looked to Him by faith, look to Christ behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world fifthly he came to give abundant life John 10 verse 10 and we'll be closing very quickly the thief cometh not but for to steal and to kill and to destroy but I am come here he is again speaking this is my reason this is why I came I am come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly. Jesus Christ came into this world to give life. He came to give life so that I might live spiritually and that I might eventually live eternally. Now sinner, I'm not going to tell you something that you don't already know in this house tonight, but can I tell you? Life is not found at the bottom of a beer can or a spirit bottle. Life is not found in the nightclubs or the concert venues of this world. Life is not found at the end of a needle or a syringe. Life is not found in scratch cards or the National Lottery Bowls. Life is not found in foreign holidays, in branded fashion, in luxury cars, in well-furnished houses, in up-to-date technology, in loving relationships. Life abundant everlasting eternal life is found alone in Jesus Christ who is the giver of life and if you look anywhere else it will be a futile exercise an exercise what will end in complete disappointment and will lead to the eternal ruin of your soul Christ is the giver of life Romans 6, 23. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Finally, he came to save the world. John 12, verse 47. If any man hear my words and believe not, I judge him not, for I key him not to judge the world, but to save the world. I believe that verse really encapsulates the whole purpose of his coming. He did not come as a judge to judge the world, but rather he key him as a savior. to save the world. The little chorus, it goes like this. He did not come to judge the world. He did not come to blame. He did not only come to seek, but it was to save he came. And when we call him Savior, and when we call him Savior, and when we call him Savior, then we call him by his name. Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sin. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through him might be saved. Saved from sin, saved from hell. God sent us a Savior. Blessed be His holy name. And He can save because of what He did for us when He came into this world. He lived for us. He died for us. He rose again for us. The Son of God came to save. Save a world of sinners. And tonight, thank God He can save you from your sin. Ready, willing, able He is to save. So why not put then His readiness, His willingness, and His ability to the test this very moment? Because whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Put him to the test. He'll save you if you would come to him this night. It is my prayer that you'll be saved. Because I read in Revelation chapter 21 verse 24 that only the saved get to walk in heaven's light, only the saved. Are you a Christian? Have you been saved from your sin? Why did he come? He came to fulfill the law and all that the prophets said about him. He came to divide and conquer. He came to cause sinners to repentance. He came to do the Father's will. He came to give abundant life. He came to save the world. That's why He came. He came. Oh, may it not be said of you as it was said, of those that we read off there in John chapter one, that he came onto his own, but his own received him not. But may it be said of you that as many as receive him, to them give ye power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name. Christ came, and he came for you. come to him, he will receive you and he will embrace you and bring you into his very family. O may tonight you come to Christ. Let's bow our heads in prayer. We appreciate your time this evening. Thank you We're going to close in prayer and sing a final carol that will permit and allow our ladies to go out into the hall. But I'll be at the door if you need to speak to us. Maybe even through the night as you have tea. Get my attention and we'll take you to a private place we can speak about these things. Oh may you consider why he came. and the journey that He took in order to save a sinner like you and a sinner like me. Our loving Father, our gracious God, we bless Thee. We thank Thee that Christ came. He came into the world. He came for a purpose, a reason. We thank Thee that we have considered all that He came to do. We've heard it from His own lips. and therefore to reject salvation, to spurn his call, to scoff and to mock at the gospel, is to despise and to reject the very purposes for why he came. Oh, soften hearts, we pray. Draw sinners onto Christ. May they be saved from sin and hail. answer prayer and glorify thy son may the spirit do his work in this house we pray these are petitions and prayers in and through the savior's blessed and precious name amen let's turn to the carol number 80 Carol number 80, we'll sing just a number of verses here. Verses one, two, and six. One, two, and six. Verse two says, he came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all. We'll rise to sing. Those ladies who are helping us, you know where you're placed, and please make your way to that locality. Hymn number 80, verses one, two, and six only. We'll stand and sing this final carol. That's time to say. ♪ In a sacred city stood a lowly cattle shed ♪ ♪ Where a mother laid her baby in a manger for his bed ♪ ♪ There he was, that mother and child ♪ Jesus Christ, our little child. came down to earth from heaven, who is God and Lord of all. And his shelter was a stable, and his cradle was a stall. with the prayer of meek and lowly, with honor our Savior holy. Verse 6. Where lowly stable, with the oxen standing by, We shall see him love in heaven, said that God's right hand on high. My loving Father, our gracious God, we pray thou wilt apply thy word by thy spirit and grant dear God the sinner to understand and appreciate why Christ came. And we pray that tonight that they will come, come repenting, come believing, and come receiving from God his so great salvation. Take of our thanks for these good things provided for us, our fellowship around the cup of tea. May it be sweet, dear God. May we talk much of the Savior. And grant, dear God, then, as we part from one another, that thou will take us safely home. And may the blessing of the Father, the Son, and God the Holy Spirit rest and abide upon thy believing redeemed people until the day come when all shadows will flee away and we'll see the King in all of his beauty. We pray these our petitions and prayers in and through our blessed Savior's name. Amen and amen. Please take your seats.