Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?

The question of why Jesus came from perfect, glorious fellowship with God (Himself) to becoming a man on this earth should be a simple question–and it is. But, with contemporary emergents like Brian McLaren who has discovered the secret message of Jesus…it is good to really examine the Gospels to see what Jesus himself said about why he came.

Interestingly enough, my pastor began preaching a 6-week series on why Jesus came to earth. The series gets even more interesting because it is 6 reasons why Jesus came from Jesus’ own words. These are the reason that Jesus himself said he came. So far we have heard the first three reasons–I thought I would share my notes from week #1.

(You can LISTEN to these sermons too).

#1: Why Jesus Came: To Disturb the Peace (Luke 12:40-59)

“Do you think that I have come to give peace on earth? No, I tell you, but rather division.” (Luke 12:51)
There are so many half truths thrown around as to the real meaning of Christmas. So many half truths on why Jesus came into the world. “A half truth is a whole lie.”  Jesus knew exactly why he came into the world. Luke 12:49 – INTENSE!

3 Half Truths:

1. Jesus is mild and harmless. Be careful not to domesticate, sentamentize, or even feminize Jesus. “I came to cast fire on the earth.” Fire=the Gospel he brought. The fire of the gospel takes over all until the glory of the Lord is revealed. It burns up all that is opposed to God, and purifies all that belongs to God.

   The FIRE of his judgment. Jesus is looking forward to a day when all evil will be banished and punished. Don’t think of him as tame or mild. Everyone is going to encounter the FIRE of God’s holiness: either by accepting Christ, or by waiting for God’s judgment. But..the fire of God’s wrath first goes against his Son Jesus on the cross.

2. The birth of Jesus is the central event of Christianity. You can’t think about his birth rightly without thinking about his death.

   Great Mark Dever quote:
   “To think that Christmas is more about the stable in Bethleham than about the cross in Jerusalem is to regard the acorn as more important than the oak…The Christian message is not merely the fact that God became man by being born of the virgin Mary; the Christmas message is the reason for the incarnation: Christ Jesus into the world to save sinners.”

3. Christmas is all about peace on earth. V.51 “Do you think that I have come to bring peace on earth?” NO! But rather, division. The only peace that Jesus brought was to submit to God through Christ. Families are divided on views of Jesus. Accept God, human strife. Accept humans, God strife.

   Maneur stinks. The hot sun brings the stink out. It’s not the gospel that is the problem, it’s our filthy hearts. The gospel illuminates our sin, and that’s why it has enemies.

   Pilgrim’s Progress…Pilgrim sees the light and runs to it…his family said “Come back! Come back!” — he put his fingers in his ears and ran to Jesus.

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