Why did Jesus come?

It’s Christmas day! And there are celebrations all over the world and the story is all about the birth of Jesus Christ. Today, we look again at the Reason for the season and ask ourselves this pertinent question, “Why did Jesus come?”. Did Jesus come to found a religion? Did He come to set before us a new set of rules? Did He come so we can have a day like today to celebrate His birth? Why did Jesus come?

John 10: 10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

In John chapter 10 verse 10, Jesus tells you why He came. He didn’t come to start a religion. He came that we might have life. The devil is the thief. Also, from this verse, we see the 3-fold mission of Satan. His mission is simple: Steal, Kill and Destroy. He steals joy from a family by the death of the breadwinner, robs a young man of his future by sickness and destroys destinies by the lure of sin. Mankind laid helplessly prostrate before his reign and cruel dominion. Then Jesus showed up on the scene. And when He came, He soundly proclaimed, “I am come that they might life, and that they might have it more abundantly”. Jesus came to give us life. This life is the Life and Nature of God. It brings light to whoever receives it and makes sons of God of men previously sold out to Satan. It removes hatred from the vilest of men and fills their heart with love. This Life removes men from the dominion of Satan. This Life makes men righteous. The man who receives this Life can stand boldly in the presence of God, without fear, guilt or inferiority. They are acceptable to God, as though they had never sinned. This Life restores peace. It empowers the man who yields to it and walks in it. His intelligence is greatly improved. The man who has this Life is master of the devil. He is the very righteousness of God, a master of the devil in all completeness. That’s what Jesus came to do. That’s why He came. “That they might have life”. But there is  more!

It seems to me that the apostle John had a marvelous revelation of why Jesus came. He gives us further insights

1 John 3:5
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

Why did Jesus come? He was manifested to take away our sins. He came to remove our sins. He has removed it. You don’t need to have it again. No man can put away sin, but Jesus did. In Him was and is no sin. The Sinless One came for sinful man. He was born as a babe in a manger, sought to be destroyed by wicked Herod, rejected by His people, beaten, smitten, spat upon, nailed on the Cross and killed. Why did He have to go all through this? To start Christmas celebration? Oh, no! He rose from the dead, having put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself, that whoever believes in Him may not perish but have everlasting life. Today, He has brought many sons into glory

1 John 3:8
He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Again, why did Jesus come? John tells us, in the above verse, that Jesus come to destroy the works of the devil. Hallelujah! He came to dissolve, melt, break up, loosen, put off the works of Satan. “For this purpose”, I don’t know about you, but that sends a thrill in my heart. God was definite. For this purpose! What’s the purpose? That Jesus might put off and break up the works of the devil. O the gospels tell us stories of how He confronted the demons that possessed a man (Mark 5: 1-19). At the end of that encounter, the works of the devil in that man’s life was broken up. He healed a woman who had suffered the issue of blood for 12 years, who had spent all she had on doctors and was not bettered but rather grew worse. Then she heard of Jesus, stepped behind Him and touched the hem of His garment and was made whole (Mark 5: 25-34). He met a woman who had been bound by the devil for 18 long years. He spoke to her, “Woman, thou art loosed”, touched her and she was straightened up and gave God glory (Luke 13: 11-13). For this purpose! For this purpose! For this purpose! Satan’s power is broken. Jesus has defeated him. Jesus has conquered the devil. Jesus came for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. Hallelujah! Acts 10:38, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him”. Jesus is the Healer. Satan is the oppressor. His works include sickness, bondage, fear but Jesus has broken his teeth (Psalm 58:6). Glory to God!

1 John 4:9,10, 14
In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him.
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins…
And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.

Again, why did Jesus come? The above verses tell us more. God sent His Son Jesus into the world, that we might live through Him. That means, the man without Him, does not live. Life is through Jesus Christ. How is this possible? verse 10 tells us God sent Jesus to be the propitiation for our sins. Jesus came to satisfy the claims of Justice and appease the wrath of the Father. Now, He has reconciled us to God, for God was in Christ Jesus reconciling the world to Himself, not counting our sins against us, but cancelling them (2 Cor. 5:19 AMPC). Jesus is the propitiation for our sins. Jesus is the Saviour of the world. You don’t need to continue in bondage to that sin. Jesus is your saviour. You don’t need to run away from God. God is not angry with you. Why, when Father has sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world? He is a good Father that longs for a relationship with mankind, even with you.

Praise God, Jesus came! As we celebrate today His first coming, let us rejoice in what He has done for us and accept Him. He will come again, but this time around for different reasons. We will look at those reasons some other time.