Baby Jesus couldn’t tell us anything about his birth, because he was fully baby. But grown-up Jesus can. In this episode we'll look at three reasons Jesus came into the world... in his own words.

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05 Baby Jesus (Christmas Eve)

Title: Three reasons Jesus came into the world (in his own words)

Intro: Kids and Christmas

I’m not sure if kids really write letters to Santa anymore. You can probably just tweet at him or send him your wishlist on Instagram. But I did come across a couple actual letters from kids to Santa that I wanted to share with you:

• Dear Santa,
• You did not bring me anything good last year.
• You did not bring me anything good the year before that.
• This is your last chance.
• Signed, Madison
• Dear Santa,
• There are three little kids who live at our house.
• There is Jeffrey; he is 2.
• There is Ashley; she is 4.
• And there is Norman; he is 7.
• Jeffrey is good some of the time.
• Ashley is good some of the time.
• But Norman is good all of the time.
• I am Norman.

Kids love Christmas. Do you know who was the first kid at Christmas?

• Jesus! (Did you ever think about that?)

Tonight we’re finishing our Christmas series

• The Story of Christmas from People Who Were Actually There
• The innkeeper: make room
• The shepherds: 
• The wise men:
• King Herod:
• Today: Baby Jesus

The most important person who was actually there is… Jesus. 

• We don’t have his viewpoint as a baby
• Because he was fully baby, so he doesn’t remember
• How many of you remember when you were a baby?
• Some people claim to remember their birth, but that’s bogus:
• We have "infantile amnesia," the inability to recall events from the first few years of life. 
• Memory formation, particularly episodic memory (the ability to recall specific events), begins to function more reliably around the age of 3–4.
• My earliest memory is about 5 
• Sunday morning, brother’s face bit by a German Shepherd
• So, baby Jesus couldn’t tell us much about his birth
• But grown-up Jesus can
• At Christmas we tend to think of Jesus as a baby, but Jesus didn’t come to just be a baby, He came because He’s Immanuel, “God with us” 
• Today: three reasons Jesus came into the world (in his own words) 

John 3:16 (NLT) 16 “For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son….”

• Jesus came as the ultimate demonstration of God’s love
• Principle: the gift you give is a demonstration of your love
• Not everyone understands this (me, AJ)
• “This is how _____ showed his love: he gave me ______”
• God understands this principle, that’s why he gave his one and only son
• Ultimate demonstration of his love
• Not like giving Kenzie’s hand in marriage
• That will be a blessing to her
• He gets to provide and protect now
• God gave his Son for a brutal purpose
• That’s the second thing…

John 3:17 (NLT) 17 God sent his Son into the world not to judge the world, but to save the world through him.

• What a simple, powerful verse
• So many people see God as judgmental
• Christmas proves that he is not
• He sent his son to save the world
• To do that, he would have to die in our place
• (Come back for Easter to learn more)
• Come back on Sunday to learn about the difference between conviction (good) and condemnation (bad)
• Jesus didn’t come to condemn us, but to set us free
• But this doesn’t mean we’re free to live wreckless, sinful lives…
• That’s what Jesus’ final quote is all about…

John 12:46 (NLT) 46 I have come as a light to shine in this dark world, so that all who put their trust in me will no longer remain in the dark.

John 8: 12 (NLT) 12 Jesus spoke to the people and said, “I am the light of the world.  If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

• Light is a fun theme at Christmas time
• Star of Bethlehem (the light above our drum cage)
• Lights on houses, trees, etc.
• But the real reason lights are connected to Christmas is this:
• If we follow Jesus, He leads us out of the darkness of
• Selfishness
• Pride
• Addiction
• Anger
• Anxiety 
• Hopelessness
• Fear
• Grief
• Purposelessness