[video—Christmas 101]

I think these children had a pretty good concept of the Christmas story even though they messed up a few times, went blank a few times, and used the wrong words a few times. Gold, Frankenstein, and myrrh. I love it. How well could you do in front of a camera if you were asked to tell the Christmas story? Could you get it right? Would it be in order? Would you leave anything out?

What is your impossible? That's been our theme in our weeks of Advent. The Christmas story is filled with impossible events, miracles that only God could make happen. God still is in the miracle business. He can do miracles in your life. He can do the impossible through you. Our key verse is Luke 1:37—"For nothing is impossible with God."

Each week I've stressed to you that God can. God can relate to every need in your life because He became flesh and experienced a life that was fully human. God can impact the world through one ordinary life, just like He did through ordinary Mary. God can guide you to make wise decisions just like He guided the magi who followed the star.

All the pieces to the Nativity story are close to our hearts—the Virgin Mary, the wise men, the shepherds, Bethlehem, the angel, the star….But there is one part of the story that is most important. And if you aren't careful, you may skip right over it. I'm referring to the message the angel gave to Joseph in a dream in which he informed Joseph that Mary, his fiancée, would have a baby. But there is something in the angel's message that represents the heart of this fourth message. He said, "She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21)

He will save His people from their sins. How could this ever be? One man…one man who can save people from their sins. Impossible. This is the truth I want us to focus on today—God can save.

Do you know what the number one problem in Chapin is? Crowded schools? Early morning and late afternoon traffic? Family breakup? Materialism? Spiritual apathy? All these might very well be problems. But the number one problem in Chapin is sin.

Do you know what the number one problem in South Carolina is? Sin. Do you know what the number one problem in the United States is? Sin. Do you know what the number one problem in our world is? Sin. Do you know what the number one problem since the beginning of time is? You got it. Sin. So think about it. The greatest problem in our world is sin. And the angel tells Joseph that Jesus will save people from their sins. The angel gave Mary just the name Jesus. He gave Joseph the name but then explained why His name would be Jesus. He will save people from their sins. That's what the name Jesus means—"Yahweh saves."

Think about all the sin in our world. Just glance through some of the newsworthy items in the paper last week that demonstrate sin at work. A young woman at a Harbison convenience store is kidnapped and raped. A man is arrested for killing the baby belonging to his girlfriend. Many baseball players named in the Mitchell report for using steroids. More than 20 Florida State players suspended for cheating on exams. A Clemson player arrested for DUI. A Carolina player engaged in a 4 a.m. altercation in Five Points. Britney Spears' 16-year-old sister pregnant from her boyfriend. "You are to give him the name Jesus, because He will save his people from their sins." Let's make that statement personal. God can save you from your sins. Don't get so caught up in the fact that Jesus is the Savior of the world and that He can save all people from their sins, including all those involved in the news stories I just mentioned. The question is: Is Jesus your Savior? Have you allowed Him to forgive you from your sins?

Back in Jesus' day people went through annual ceremonies that involved animal sacrifices in order to take away their sins. This system was effective but very limited. In fact, listen to this verse from Hebrews: "It is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins" (Hebrews 10:4). There is that word—impossible. The phrase "take away" suggests the complete removal of sin so that it is no longer a factor in the situation. The blood from animals was inadequate. It would cover sins for a year. But that's not sufficient. What was impossible for the blood of animals to do, God did. Through His Son Jesus, He completely forgives and removes sin.

How much will Christmas cost you this year? The gifts, the extra baking, travel—what will the bottom-line price tag be? $500? $2,500? $10,000? Our boys begged this year for Chik-Fil-A Bowl tickets. We bargained with them and said there would be a tradeoff. We will get them tickets; but that would have to be their stocking stuffers. They agreed. So I ordered the maximum number of six tickets--$60 each. Three sons, two fiancées, and one nephew. They are on their own for food, gas, and hotel. Poor Mom and Dad will have 50 yard line seats in our family room.

Anyway, I came home from work one day last week and as I pulled into the garage, I noticed a large mailing envelope out in my back yard. I go pick it up and it says "Clemson University Ticket Office." One major problem—the envelope had been torn into. I'm not certain where the U.P.S. guy left the package. But I don't think he threw it out in the back yard. I knew immediately what had happened. Jade, Kevin's German Short-Haired Pointer that we are keeping until he gets married, found the envelope. And to her, everything is a toy that is to be shredded into little pieces.

Dollar signs and furious children were flashing through my mind. I looked around and I saw a pile of papers around the front of the house next to the driveway. I ran over and all the promotional stuff was torn to pieces. But there in a about a 20-square-foot area were six glossy bowl tickets all intact. Teeth marks in them, but not torn. God can do the impossible. He can protect those tickets. And He can keep me from killing that dog. You might think I'm making these dog stories up, but I'm not.

The cost of Christmas. How much will it cost you this year? Here are some better questions. What is Christmas all about? Do you think we would celebrate Christmas if Jesus had not died on the cross and come back to life on the third day? Do you really believe that Jesus saves people from their sins? If so, how much did it cost Him? It didn't cost Him the price of a couple of animals. It cost Him His life. God really can save you from your sins. But it cost Him a hefty price to make it happen. He came with a mission to die. And He died for you. He died on the cross in order to save you from your sins.

It is impossible for my mind to fully comprehend this truth. But I remember our key verse, "For all things are possible with God." I don't deserve to be saved from my sins; but thank God He saved me anyway. You don't deserve to be saved from your sins. But aren't you grateful He saved you anyway?

Let me give you a quick theology lesson that I hope will give you a deeper understanding about what the angel meant when he told Joseph that Jesus will "save people from their sins." I want you to think of being saved in the three tenses: past, present, and future. Let me explain.

First, past tense, I have been saved. That's justification. As a ten-year-old boy I invited Jesus into my life and he saved me from my sins. That's past tense. That decision put me in a right relationship with God. At that point in time God no longer saw me as a sinner doomed to hell but as a young man clothed in the righteousness of Christ. The Bible says, "Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Romans 5:1). Saved. Justified in the eyes of God. Not saved on my own merit but by the grace of God as demonstrated through the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

Second, present tense, I am being saved. That's sanctification. Although I am made right in God's eyes, I have not yet arrived. Salvation is a work in progress. The Bible says, "Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose" (Philippians 2:12b-13). As a follower of Christ I have the desire and responsibility to keep growing in my faith. I am on a quest to become just like Jesus. Now that I have been saved, I need to worship and serve my Lord every day. God wants to do His work in and through my life. He wants to mold me more and more into the likeness of His Son Jesus. This process is called sanctification. We never arrive until that final day.

Third, future tense, I will be saved. That's glorification. The Bible says, "But there's far more to life for us. We're citizens of high heaven! We're waiting the arrival of the Savior, the Master, Jesus Christ, who will transform our earthy bodies into glorious bodies like his own. He'll make us beautiful and whole with the same powerful skill by which he is putting everything as it should be, under and around him" (Philippians 3:20-21, Msg). I have been saved because I gave my heart to Jesus. I am being saved in the sense that God continues to make me more like His Son Jesus Christ. This present tense stuff can be frustrating at times because I keep falling short. I keep doing things that remind me that I'm a sinner. But praise God on that final day I will stand before God and He will transform my whole life so that I'm just like His Son. I will have a glorified body and sin will be no more.

So, you see, when the angel told Joseph that his Son Jesus would save people from their sins, that was a statement bursting with significance. He was saying, "No more animal sacrifices." Jesus will completely remove the stain and curse of sins so that they will become a non-factor in our lives. How can this be? It can only be because Jesus Christ gave His life on the cross for you and me. The beautiful, innocent baby in the manger one day would become the curse of sin on a cruel cross. And by that act, He saves us from our sin.

Sounds impossible, doesn't it? But with God all things are possible. God can save you from your sins. He can save you today. He has already given His life for you. In return, He wants you to give your life to Him. You may think that you have nothing to offer; but you do. You may think there's so much mess in your past or present that He could never save you. But He can. He wants to save you from your sins right now. If you would give your life to Him right now, He will justify you and begin the process of sanctifying you and give you the promise that one day He will glorify you. And it all begins with you making the most important decision of your life—giving your heart to Jesus who saves people from their sins.