Luke 2 (NIV)
11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
Have you ever noticed the young children ask a lot of questions? We have a new foster son. He asks questions constantly. One of the biggest questions is “what if…?” What if the sun doesn’t come up? What if it never rains? What if the other person doesn’t like me? What if? What if? What if?
Luke told the story of the birth of Jesus. He told us that a Savior had been born in Bethlehem. And this child had been born to us! The Messiah, the Lord had come into this world to free us from sin and overcome death. Angels told the shepherds they would find this baby in a stable’s feeding trough. How unlikely!
A few days ago was the anniversary of the birth of Jesus, our Savior. Pastor Anne Havrilla today, in her message, asked “What if Jesus had not come?” That is a really tough what if question. What if Jesus had not come? Wasn’t He the Savior of the world? Didn’t He overcome sin and death all on our behalf? Where would we be without Him? We would still be facing sin and death. You see, Jesus took on Himself all of the evil of this world so that we would not have to carry it anymore. The Law pointed out our faults but only offered animal sacrifices as atonement. Those sacrifices had to be repeated each time we sin. Jesus was the perfect and complete sacrifice once, for all! That is why He is called our Savior. As He said, “It is finished.” What if he had not come?
Do you run your life around “What if’s”? Are you paralyzed by every situation worrying what might happen? Does fear grip you constantly waiting for the next disaster to happen? Is that the way you want to live? Fortunately, Jesus has come! He absorbed sin and tasted death on our behalf. There is nothing else you need do except put your faith and trust in Him. Will you? What if Jesus offered you forgiveness? What if He offered you grace? What if He offered you life eternal with Him in paradise? Well He did! Now what? Will you accept the offer? What if you accept His offer? Will your life be curtailed? Quite the contrary! With fear and anxiety removed, your life will be incredibly better! Accept His grace and live the abundant life He came to give you! In Jesus name I pray! Amen!