The Reason Why
Forward -
This year's Christmas service was our largest and most ambitious project yet. And it took months of planning and the help of the entire Church to make it a success. Because we wanted to be an effective church that didn't just talk the talk, but would walk the talk and be a real impact and blessing to the community as well.
The inspiration for this year's theme and the message came from a song which I heard on a very old Christmas Album, entitled "The Reason Why". The first time I heard the song, I was captivated by the lyrics, and it grabbed my heart. And I knew that it was because of Christmas, that Jesus Christ had come to set this captive free.
The Reason Why
Russell Fragar
The peace of a sleeping baby
The joy in a new mother’s eyes
And the hope of a million tomorrows
Be found in your heart tonight
May the angels who sang glory
Be always at your side
And may you find in Christ the Saviour
The reason why
May the star shine bright this evening
To show you where he’s laid
And if the road is long, and you’re tempted
To give the search away
Know the King has also traveled
From a palace fair, on high
May you find in Christ the Saviour
The reason why
Glory glory
Angels singing joy and peace
Glory glory
Christ has come
To set all people free
THE REASON WHY
- Christmas Message 2006
25 December 2006
Gary Chan
Free Community Church
+ + +
Hello everyone, my name is Gary and as we draw this wonderful Christmas celebration to a close, I would like to share a very short message with you. Yes, I’m the guy standing between you and your Christmas dinner so I promise to keep this short!
So how’s everyone doing so far? I hope you are enjoying our service today. I want to thank each and everyone of you for coming today to celebrate Christmas with us. Weren’t the dancers from the APSN Katong School absolutely fantastic? Every year, we use Christmas as an opportunity for us to bless a charity and Jorg will tell you in a short while how much you guys raised for them!
Before we go on, I also want to use this opportunity to thank Christine Suchen Lim, and Vox Camerata, the drama and worship team and the entire church for their months of hard work to put this event together! Why don’t we give all of these people a big round of applause?
Introduction
Well as we draw this service to close this evening, you’ve sung the carols, celebrated in the Communion together, heard the stories, and watched our not so traditional nativity play. In a few minutes, we will all be tucking in to a yummy Christmas dinner outside. But this Christmas, I just want us to take a few minutes to stop and think about what Christmas is really all about.
For many of us like myself, it’s a time to shut down our work computers to enjoy the two long weekends, or put aside our books for a couple of weeks of partying, eating, catching up with friends, travelling and my personal favourite, shopping at the sales on Orchard Road! I can’t recall how many SMSes I received this year over the last 2 weeks telling me how much I can save if I went shopping today at Robinsons, or Takashimaya, or Tangs.
But is that all Christmas means to us? Have you stopped and wondered why do we join with people around this world every year on this day to celebrate Christmas? What is the real message or significance of Christmas? Is Christmas even relevant anymore?
You know in some countries like England, I read that it is even getting politically incorrect to wish people “Merry Christmas” or put up sign saying “Christmas Blessings” anymore in fear of offending certain religious sensitivities. So they say “Happy Holidays” or “Seasons Greetings”, and for many, the significance of Christmas, and its very important message itself has become irrelevant.
So today, I want to take just a few minutes to talk about the message of Christmas and what it means to me.
The Reason for Christmas
Yes, most of us here know the story of Christmas. Since we were kids, the picture of the nativity scene has been etched into our minds - with baby Jesus wrapped in a blanket in a manger in Bethlehem with soft-lighting, surrounded by Joseph and Mary, and the Shepherds, and the 3 wise men with their treasure chests and the donkeys and cuddly sheep around them.
And we’re told that God himself came to us in the form of Jesus over 2000 years ago, to be born of the Virgin Mary to be the Messiah and the saviour of the world.
But what does that mean to us today? What is the reason that Jesus had to come into this world? What is the significance of the birth of Jesus Christ that we come together to celebrate even 2000 years later?
I want to read you a passage of scripture from the Bible. It is taken from Luke 4:16-20 and this is right at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry as an adult.
Luke 4:16-20 (NLT)
When he came to the village of Nazareth, his boyhood home, he went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath and stood up to read the Scriptures. The scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to him. He unrolled the scroll and found the place where this was written:
“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”
He rolled up the scroll, handed it back to the attendant, and sat down. All eyes in the synagogue looked at him intently. Then he began to speak to them. “The Scripture you’ve just heard has been fulfilled this very day!”
There are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that foretell the coming of the Messiah. And in that day in the synagogue, Jesus declares that that same prophecy in Isaiah 61 has been fulfilled, and He who would bring salvation and the good news of the gospel to all people who hear it. (v18)
So what is this good news promised with the coming of the Jesus Christ that the entire world celebrates till this day?
I want to share with you 3 reasons why we celebrate Christmas from the passage we have just read, and it is all contained in Luke 4:18.
Verse 18 says: “He has sent me to proclaim that the captives will be released.” Another translation says, “he has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners.”
1. Christ has come to RELEASE us from the PRISON of the PAST
Many of us are caught in the past. There are things that have happened in our lives that have impacted us and hurt us so deeply that it stops us from moving forward in life.
Some of us have been hurt by a close friend, or relative. Trust has been broken. You feel betrayed, disappointed, ashamed. Some of you have faced rejection from friends and family members because of who you are. And these hurts keep replaying like a broken record and it affects every area of your life.
I heard once that the greatest prison is the prison of your mind.
Perhaps you are unable to forgive someone for what he or she had done to you in the past. Some of you may not be even able to forgive yourself for something that has happened a long time ago.
But I want you to know today that Jesus Christ has come into the world so that you can be released from the prison of your past. He has come to set the captives free.
A few years ago one Saturday night I was catching up with a girlfriend of mine who was feeling a bit down and we had gone to the old Boom Boom Room in Far East Square for a few laughs with Kumar and gang. And while driving her back to her home in Ang Mo Kio and I was sharing with her what God had done and was doing in my life and I asked her to come along to church with me the next day. And what she said to me that night many years ago, was one of the saddest things I ever heard in my life. And I can still remember it to this day.
“Gary, you don’t know my past and what I have done. I can’t even forgive myself. What would the church and God want with someone like me.”
Friends, I want to tell you today that we celebrate Christmas, because Christ has come to release us from the prisons of our past. No matter what we had done. For all the big sins and all the little sins of our past. For all the hurts, the rejections, the betrayals. He has come to set all of us free.
Hallelujah! Praise the Lord!
Let’s continue reading where we left off in Luke 4:18. The next line says that “the blind will see.”
Now this means a lot more than just physical healing. Yes, during Jesus’ time, he did go around and healed all the people who had physical sickness in their body. But more than that, I want to share that:
2. Christ has come to RESTORE our VISION for the FUTURE.
So beyond your physical healing, Christ has come to restore our vision for the future.
The wisest man possibly of all time, King Solomon, writes in Pro 29:18, that “without vision, the people perish.” Another translation says, “without vision, people run around unrestrained, or like wild horses.”
I have many friends who keep online journals, and I subscribe to their journals as a way to keep up to date with their lives. So each morning, I’d start my day at home with a cup of coffee after my shower, download my email, and catch up on my blog readings to stay in touch with their lives.
And over the years of reading blogs, I’ve noticed a very disturbing trend. Many people today, some of my friends included, live for the moment. They dash from one party, to another dinner, to the next event. They get caught up with work, with their family situations, with their sports. Everyone seems to be in “fill time” mode, working to the next pay cheque, the next exam, the next party, the next holiday. And if you read their journals over months, or even years, it seems like things never change.
If you ask them what plans they have for the future, more often than not, the answer comes back “See la.” Que sera, sera, whatever will be, will be. Let me tell you this Church. We are all created as unique individuals with a unique set of skills combined with a unique personality, born at a unique time and place to fulfill a unique purpose that God has specially designed before you were even conceived.
And the Bible says in Book of Jeremiah 1:5 where God said to the Prophet Jeremiah:
Jer 1:5 (NIV)
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
before you were born I set you apart;
I appointed you as a prophet to the nations."
Church know this: conception does not begin in the womb, it begin in eternity in the mind of God before time even began. He has created you uniquely to be you.
And one of the most powerful verses in the New Testament is Acts 2:17:
Acts 2:17 (NIV)
" 'In the last days, God says,
I will pour out my Spirit on all people.
Your sons and daughters will prophesy,
your young men will see visions,
your old men will dream dreams.
Starting with the Christmas event, Christ came to us so we could be given the Holy Spirit to restore to us visions and dreams. Whether you are young or old. And when the Spirit of God speaks to us, and we begin to move in the realm of visions and dreams, there is no limit to what we can achieve. The impossible becomes possible. Today you sit in this Christmas Service because the leaders of this church had a vision of a church that would have a significant impact in the community. Of a church that is looking to give and not take. Of a church that will be a blessing to many people just as we have been blessed by God. Of a church that will draw people to God as we reflect His love to others.
Friends today, we celebrate Christmas because 1. Christ has come to release us from the prison of the past, and 2. Christ has come to restore to us our sight, to give us hope and a vision for the future.
Thirdly and finally,
3. Christ has come to RELIEVE us from OPPRESSION in the PRESENT.
The next part of the verse in Luke 4:18 goes on to say that “the oppressed will be set free.”
What does it mean to be oppressed? The dictionary defines “oppression” as the source of fear, worry or stress to a person. And when you are oppressed, when you have fear, worry or stress, you lose your joy. You lose your peace.
Everyone wants peace. Politicians all around the world are desperately looking for peace. Peace in the Middle East, in the Korean Peninsula, in Africa, in Latin America. Families are looking for peace in the home and in marriage, and for relationships to be free from argument and tension.
Ernest Hemingway (1899-1961) was one of the greatest novelists in the 20th century. He had success, he had fame, he had wealth from that success. But all throughout his life, Hemmingway struggled to find peace in his heart. He was a heavy drinker and towards the end of his life, he became an alcoholic. Eventually, this very rich and famous man committed suicide at the age of 61.
We all want to live a happy life, but to find happiness in your life, you got to have peace in your heart. There can be no happiness if your life is filled with fears anxieties and worries.
And that’s the reason for the season. When Jesus Christ was born 2000 years ago, just like the song we just sung, the angels declared “Peace on earth, and good will to all man!”
Isa 9:6
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.
Isaiah calls Jesus the Prince of Peace!
What are you being oppressed about today? What stresses you out? What worries you and causes you to be anxious?
The good news of Christmas is that Jesus Christ was born to relieve us from the oppression in the life today, to bring peace between God and Man, and Man and Man.
So today, we celebrate Christmas not just because it is a great time to enjoy the 2 long weekends. Or just to party and get drunk. We celebrate Christmas because of the very good news that Jesus Christ has come into the world.
And He has come:
1. To RELEASE us from the PRISON of the PAST
2. To RESTORE our VISION for the FUTURE
3. To RELIEVE us from the OPPRESSION of the PRESENT
That is the miracle of Christmas! And this miracle is available for all who hear the good news and receive Him. And today, this Christmas, is the time you can receive the favour of God in your life and claim these promises for yourself.
My Testimony
You know, 10 years ago, I was in a service not unlike this, and I heard the good news and received Jesus for myself. And I wish you had known me 10 years ago, because I was a totally different person.
I was stuck in a prison of my past. I had low self-esteem having been rejected by people in school. I went from one cycle of defeat to another. I gambled and lied compulsively, smoked and was addicted to pornography.
I had no vision for the future - I was wasting my life away, drifting from one job to another. I’d grab at anything life handed to me. Que sera, sera.
And I had no peace. I was constantly oppressed and depressed by the constant lack of money, from business losses and mounting debt.
But 10 years ago I made a decision to receive Christ when I heard the good news that Christ has come to set this captive free, to give me a future and a hope and to help me in my problems that robbed me of my joy and peace. It didn’t happen overnight, but as I received Him into my heart, He showed me the way through the desert and into the land where today I can stand before you and testify for His goodness and His faithfulness.
Altar Call
I would like to invite you to stand, and I would like to invite the worship team to come back on stage to join me. Tonight I’m not here to sell you a religion. In fact, I really couldn’t be bothered with religion. Christianity is not a religion, it is a response to an invitation to a relationship with God through Jesus Christ.
John 3:17 (NIV)
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through Him.”
And today, don’t get too busy like the innkeeper in the play, or with the festivities of the season or work that you miss the greatest miracle of Christmas happening right before you!
I would like every eye closed and every head bowed. Please no one moving around or talking for a moment.
Time is short tonight, in a moment we will be heading out for dinner. But I want you to take a moment to think about what I’ve said. This Christmas, Christ has come to release you from the prison of your past, to restore to you a vision for your future, and to return to you your joy and peace.
Will you open your heart to receive Christ this evening? It will be best decision that I have ever made and you can experience the greatest miracle of Christmas for yourself.
With every eye closed and every head bowed. I’m not going to ask you to lift your hands or come forward tonight. All I want you to do is to join me in saying this very simple prayer in response to this invitation and I want the rest of the church to encourage them by repeating it with them.
Are you ready? Let’s all pray.
Dear heavenly father, I come before right now. Just as I am. I don’t want to live in the prison of my past anymore. I don’t want to live without a vision for the future. I don’t want to struggle with things that rob my peace and joy. Lord tonight, I give you my heart. Forgive me from all my sins, by the blood of Jesus Christ. I invite Jesus Christ to wash my heart clean and to be my Lord and Saviour. I ask this in Jesus name, Amen! Amen!
Let us sing this song together: "The Reason Why"
Father, I thank you that you have brought each and every one of us to this place to share in the wonderful celebration of Christmas together, to experience once again the miracle of Christmas. Holy Spirit, I pray that you will continue to work in our lives, teach us, guide us, bring us into right relationships so that we can enjoy the peace, the joy and the blessing you promised. In Jesus name we pray, Amen!
