Because Life is Precious

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth... And God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. (Genesis 1)

Why do billions celebrate the birth of a child 2,000 years ago—and what does life and death have to do with the answer?

Why Christmas?

This Christmas season we have been seeking to answer one question: why Christmas? When we did a similar series a few years ago, asking people on Black Friday why we celebrate, it was astonishing how few could answer. Pew Research found in 2015 that 92% of Americans celebrate Christmas, but most do so as a cultural tradition—for family, for gathering, for exchanging gifts. Those things are wonderful. But ask people why we celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth, and many don't have a good answer.

People can give you the whats of Christmas. They might mention wise men, Mary, Bethlehem, a star. They may even know it celebrates the birth of Jesus. But when you ask why that birth, 2,000 years ago and 7,500 miles away, still matters, the answer often isn't there. We understand the cultural trappings—lights, ornaments, Santa, reindeer, elves, snowmen—but in the midst of all the whats, we can miss the whys.

There's a story about a young couple's first Christmas. The wife cut the ham in half before putting it in the oven. Her husband asked why, and she said, "That's just how my mom did it." So they asked the mother, who said, "That's how Grandma did it." Finally they asked Grandma, who said, "Your grandpa and I had an oven too small for the whole ham, so I cut it in half." We do all kinds of things without realizing why. It is my conviction that the why of Christmas is very important.

Going Back to the Beginning

To answer that question, it helps to go all the way back—not just to Christmas 2,000 years ago, but to the very beginning of the Bible. "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." So over the last couple of weeks we have gone back to Genesis 1 and 2, the creation account, where the life-giving God spoke everything into existence over the six days of creation. At the end of each day God assessed what He made and said, "It is good." And in Genesis 1:31 He beheld all He had made and said, "It is very good."

Yet here we are thousands of years later, reminded every single day that things are not very good. We live in a broken world. The amazing thing is that nearly everyone you talk to—even if they don't know the Bible or go to church—will agree on this point. Every person has experienced that brokenness firsthand. We see it in famines, earthquakes, storms. We've seen it in the fires north of us in Santa Barbara, nearly a thousand homes destroyed, and just this last week a CalFire firefighter from right here in Escondido died in those fires.

We saw two weeks ago that the world is broken because of Genesis 3. In Genesis 2, God commanded the first humans, "You shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." Genesis 3 records how humanity was deceived by the serpent into eating that tree. Their eyes were opened, they knew their nakedness, they were ashamed and tried to hide from God—and immediately death and brokenness came into the world.

The Gift-Giving God

So we have Christmas because we live in a broken world. But as we saw last week, there is more. At that same point in Genesis 3, we learn that our God is not only the Creator and life-giver, but the gift-giving God. Looking upon the brokenness caused by sin and rebellion, He knew He had the perfect gift for a broken world, and He began to give hints about it—what we call Bible prophecy—even though its full revelation would not come for thousands of years.

In Genesis 3:15, immediately after the fall, God begins to speak of one who would come: a man born of a woman, from the line of Abraham through Isaac, Jacob, and Judah, of the royal line of King David, born in Bethlehem, born by miraculous means to a virgin. This one would destroy the dominion of the devil—the very one who brought brokenness into the world. So we have Christmas because the world is broken, and because God is the gift-giving God who had the perfect gift to deal with it.

Life Is Precious to God

This brings us to our focus today, point number one: to God, life is precious. Why would God even concern Himself with bringing a perfect gift to a broken world? Why not just start over right there in Genesis 3? The reason is that to God, life is precious.

We understand this innately—and so does everyone you meet. Even those who don't know the Bible agree that life is precious. Billy Graham, in a book on life and death, called the desire to live on the basic desire of the soul. Today we see this more than ever. Venture capital money is moving away from tech companies toward life-extension companies—anti-aging startups like Human Longevity in San Diego, Unity Biotechnology, and Elysium Health, pouring in tens and hundreds of millions of dollars.

One executive who made a fortune from the Google IPO is trying to find a way to upload human consciousness into the cloud, so that when the body dies the consciousness remains and could even be placed into another body. Other companies are working to take your own cells, grow them in a laboratory, and 3D print a new liver or kidney from your tissue. Others pursue cryogenics—freezing a legally dead body in liquid nitrogen to preserve it, hoping a future cure for death will allow them to thaw you out and bring you back. For centuries we've heard the myths of the Fountain of Youth, and nothing has changed, because people know innately that life is precious and want to hold on to it.

Every one of us is affected by the fall. Each day the sun rises you feel the brokenness a little more, and our bodies break down. But we don't grow tired of life, because God, who loves life and gives life, has given us a desire for life forever. Through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin spread to all humanity. We carry death in us, yet we want life. Where did that desire come from? From God. "The Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being" (Genesis 2:7). God is the source of life. Science has long tried to create life ex nihilo, out of nothing, but life comes from God. As John 5:26 says, "For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son to have life in Himself."

God Gives Life and Loves Life

Point number two: God is life, He gives life, and He loves life. Because He loves life, when He created us He also gave us the ability to make more life—to procreate. That is an amazing gift. And the very first commandment God gave humanity centers on this. Genesis 1:28 says, "Then God blessed them, and God said to them, 'Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion...'"

Do you realize this may be the one commandment humanity has done a really good job obeying? We've broken all the others, but "be fruitful and multiply"—we're doing pretty well at that. God joined one man and one woman as husband and wife and gave them this command, and now, however many thousands of years later, there are 7.5 billion people on this planet.

God who gives life gave us the ability to make life, and He also told us how to maintain life. In Genesis 2:17 He said, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." So the second command had to do with life—the first was to extend life, the second to maintain it. But we broke that command. Adam and Eve succumbed to the deception of the serpent, and death came through one man.

Sin Brought Death and Brokenness

Point number three: sin brought death and brokenness to the world. Romans 5:12 sums it up: "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned." Death is a foreign invader that came into this world through man's disobedience.

There is a fascinating detail in Genesis. Among all the trees God created, two were named: the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and another. Genesis 2:9 says, "The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." If God gives life, is life, loves life, and life is precious to Him, then why—when humanity brought death into the world—did He not simply apply the tree of life? Why didn't He say, "Come over here, eat of this, and live"?

The answer is in Genesis 3:22: "Behold, the man has become like one of us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever..." So God sent him out of the garden. Verse 24: "So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life."

Why would God, who loves life, guard humanity away from the tree of life? I believe it was never God's design or desire that we live forever in a broken world. Even though science seeks to extend life for hundreds or thousands of years, I'm not sure I would want to live forever experiencing this brokenness. As wonderful and beautiful as this life is, it is broken. God did not want Adam and Eve to live forever in their fallen, sinful condition. Though He loves life and life is precious to Him, He desires that we experience a kind of life better than this fallen existence.

The Word Became Flesh

So why do we celebrate the birth of Jesus of Nazareth? To answer, we fast-forward from Genesis to the Gospel of John. John 1:1 opens with the same three words as Genesis: "In the beginning." But the next word changes. Genesis says, "In the beginning God created." John says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men."

Back in Genesis 3, God said, "The man has become like one of us." Who is the "us"? John gives us insight. This brings us into the mysterious doctrine of God's nature: one God existing in three persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Here we are introduced to the Word. Everything made was made by the Word of God, and in Him is life, and this life is the light of men—the very life all humanity desires.

John continues: "And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There was a man sent from God, whose name was John." Two thousand years ago, John the Baptist came as a witness to bear witness of the light—not that he was the light, but to point to the One who is, "the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world." This world, darkened by sin, needs to be enlightened to the truth of the gospel.

Verse 10: "He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name." Notice that receive and believe are connected. We receive life and light by believing—"who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God."

Jesus Came to Give Life to the Broken

Point number four: Jesus came to give life to the broken. Verse 14: "And the Word became 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." This is the doctrine of the Incarnation. God the Word, who is life and light, stepped into humanity and put on human flesh. So when we celebrate the Nativity—a virgin named Mary conceiving and giving birth to Jesus of Nazareth—this is the Word becoming flesh, the Son given, coming to bring light to those in darkness and life to those who are dead.

This is the One promised in Genesis 3:15—born of a woman, destroying the dominion of Satan, from the line of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah, of the royal family of David, born in Bethlehem to a virgin. Isaiah 9 says, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

John 1:15–18 continues: John bore witness of Him, and of His fullness we have all received grace for grace. "For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him." Jesus came to declare who God is. And He does this, as we considered last week, because of John 3:16: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."

Everlasting Life to Everyone Who Trusts

In the very last letter Paul wrote, 2 Timothy 1:10, he says that life and immortality have now been revealed "by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Jesus came to deal with death. The serpent deceived humanity into bringing death and brokenness, but Jesus came to destroy death—by dying in our place on the cross and rising from the dead.

Point number five: Jesus gives everlasting life to everyone who trusts in Him. John 3:36 says, "He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him."

So here is my encouragement and challenge. Every year we are given a unique opportunity. Ninety-two percent of our culture will celebrate this holiday called Christ-mass—the advent of the One promised in Genesis 3:15 to deal with the brokenness of this fallen world. We all have friends, family, coworkers, and neighbors who don't know why we celebrate. They might know the details of the Nativity, the wise men, Bethlehem, but they don't know the why.

So simply ask: "Do you celebrate Christmas?" "Yes." "Why?" They may answer, "I don't know—presents, joy, family." Then ask, "Do you want to know why we celebrate?" We celebrate because the world is broken—and they'll agree. We celebrate because God is the life-giving, gift-giving God who loves life, and because of death and brokenness, He sent His only begotten Son to deal with it as a gift for us. If we receive that gift by trusting in Jesus, He gives us the right to be called children of God.

Jesus came to give life, and to give it more abundantly—not everlasting life in a broken world, but everlasting life in a kingdom where there will be no more death, sorrow, or suffering. Every human being deeply longs for that. We still haven't found what we're looking for, and it's only found in Jesus. If you are a Christian today, you have the answer to the brokenness of this world. May we be like John the Baptist, bearing witness of the light that has come to give life forever. The greatest Christmas gift ever given is Jesus Christ, and God the Father loved this world so much that He gave His only begotten Son so that we would know life forever.

Closing Prayer

Father, I come before You and ask that You would give me, and give my brothers and sisters here, boldness to share the good news of the gospel. It is because of Your grace, Your love, because You are the life-giving, gift-giving God who loves life, that You desired we would not experience death forever. So Jesus, You experienced death on our behalf on the cross, that we could have life forever—more abundant life in Your presence, where there is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore.

Lord, for the family members, coworkers, friends, and neighbors who don't know this good news, would You give us opportunities this week, even as our culture is distracted by the trappings and traditions of the holiday, to share the good news of Your grace. We are all confronted with the brokenness of this world, but we are thankful that You are the gift-giving, life-giving God who loves us so much that You want us to know this life forever. We praise You, Jesus.

It may be that today is the first time you understand fully the reason for Christmas, who this Jesus is and what He did. If you would like to receive the gift of His grace and the life Jesus came to give, the Scriptures say as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to be called children of God, to those who believe in His name. Pray with me where you are: Dear Jesus, I know that I need You. I am well acquainted with the brokenness of this world. Lord, I know I haven't followed You faithfully. I pray that You would forgive me of my sin, come into my life, and save me, that You would help me to follow You by faith and share this good news with others. In Jesus' name, Amen.

It is a glorious opportunity we have this holiday season to share the good news of the gospel with those in our lives. May God enable us to do that. Amen.