Christmas message from Pastor Loh

基督为何降生？ （太1:18-25） Why was Christ born? (Matthew 1:18-25)

圣诞节是一个普天同庆的日子，因为上帝的独生子耶稣基督来到
世间，为人类带来了就恩和盼望。他的降生是人间一件非常奇
妙的事，不但应验了圣经中的预言，也成就了上帝救赎人类的计划。
Christmas is a day where thewhole nations join in jubilation,
as this is the day our Lord Jesus Christ came to earth to bring
salvation and hope to human kind. His birth is a miracle.
It is not only being said through prophet in the bible, but also
accomplished God’s plan of salvation.


主耶稣降生时,客房满了,所以马房成为他的出生地,马槽成为他
的摇篮。他是至高神的儿子，在荣耀中有千万天军为他效劳，他
竟来到人间，取了奴仆的形象，成为人的样式。他生於马槽，为
木匠之子，饿不得食，渴不得饮，他的口袋没有一文，连纳税的
钱还需从鱼口中取得。他一生中都以借物人的身份出现，出生借
马槽，住宿借房；出门借驴子，甚至死后埋葬也都是借用坟墓。

他身为神的儿子，来到世上，受尽人间的痛苦，因为他要与我们
认同，亲身体会我们的需要，了解我们的感受，但当我们的罪孽
。他来不是做民族英雄，受人拥戴，他来更不是做宗教领袖，教
导宗教道理。那到底他为何来到世上呢？
When Jesus Christ was born, there was no room in the inn.
Therefore, horse stable became his birth place and manger
was his cradle.

He is the son of the Lord most high, in His glory, there are
numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times
ten thousand of the heavenly host serving Him. However,
He came to the earth with a servant’s image and became man.
He was born in a manger and was the son of a carpenter.
He lived in poverty, even the tax money was from the mouth of a
fish. He appeared as a borrower in His whole life. He borrowed a
manger for His birth, a place to stay, a donkey when he travelled,
and even a tomb for His burial. He is the son of God, but He came
to earth and suffered because He wanted to experience our needs
and feeling and carry our sin. He did not come to be a hero and to
be crowned by people, neither did He come to be a religious leader
who teaches religion truth.
Then why did He come to earth?


1）他来是要成为人类的救主
[耶稣] 这字的意思是救主或耶和华的救恩。当天使对约瑟说：
1“马利亚要生一个儿子，你要起名给他叫耶稣，因为他要将自己
的百姓从罪里救出来。”
耶稣的身份是救主，那他拯救的对象是谁呢？犹太人早期有个狭
窄的观念，认为神的拯救是为了犹太民族，他们并不了解到‘神
爱世人’的伟大。无论是犹太人，西方人还是东方人，我们都需
要耶稣。2 [因为除他以外别无拯救，因为在天下人间，没有赐下
别的名，我们可以靠着得救。]

为何耶稣要成为救主？圣经说 3 [因为世人都犯了罪，亏缺了神的
荣耀 ]。自从亚当夏娃犯罪，罪便进入世界是每一个人都成为罪
人，我们一生下来便有犯罪的本性，很自然的会趋向罪恶，正如
保罗说：4a“我所愿意的善，我反不作；我所不愿意的恶，我倒去
作.....4b靠着我们主耶稣基督就能脱离了。”
1) He came as our Saviour
“Jesus” – means saviour or Jehovah’s salvation. When the angel
said to Joseph: “Mary will give birth to a son, and you are to give
him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their
sins.” Jesus is a saviour and who shall He save? In earlier days
the Jews believed that salvation was only for Jews and did not
understand the great love of our God. It does not matter whether
you are Jews, Westerners or Asians, we all need Jesus.
“Salvation is found in no one else, there is no other name under
heaven given to men by which we must be saved.”

Why does Jesus become the savior? The Bible says: “For all
have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Ever since Adam
and Eve had sinned, sin entered the world and people become
sinful as a consequence. We have the sinful nature from birth and
we are inclined towards sin, as Paul said: “For what I do is not the
good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do – this I keep on
doing…… who will rescue me from this body of death? ….. through
Jesus Christ our Lord.”


2）他来是要表明神与我们同在
天使向约瑟说：5“必有童女怀孕生子，人要称他的名为以马内利
，以马内利翻出来，就是神与我们同在。”上帝在创造人类后，
安置在伊甸园中，上帝与他们一起生活，一起工作，一起团契，
他时刻与人同在，看顾保守他们。但亚当夏娃犯罪后，他们失去
了也被赶出了美丽的伊甸园，同时也失去了上帝的同在。罪使神
与人的关系破裂，因为神是圣洁的，人却是污秽的。除非罪被除
去，人才能重新得着上帝的赐福与同在。而耶稣的降生，就是要
除去人的罪孽，使我们重新得着所失去的，也重得失去的乐园，
因为上帝的同在就是乐园，就是天堂。
2) He came to indicate that God is with us
Angel said to Joseph: “The virgin will be with child and will give
birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel – which means,
“God with us.” God created man and put them in the Garden
of Eden. God lived, worked and had fellowship with them.
He was always there to watch over and keep them. However,
after Adam and Eve sinned, they were drove out of the beautiful
Garden of Eden and lost God’s presence. Sin ruined the relationship
between God and man because God is holy but man are unclean.
Unless sins are cleansed, we will be unable to enjoy His blessings
and His presence. Jesus’ birth was to take away our sin, so that
we can regain what we have lost, as well as the lost paradise,
for God’s presence is paradise and heaven.


3）他来是要赐给我们天上的平安
天使向牧羊人报告耶稣降生的好消息说：6[在至高之处荣耀归于
神，在地上的平安归与他所喜悦的人。] 天使在报信中提到天上
的事 - 荣耀归给神；也提到地上的事 - 平安归给人。天上与地
上 因着耶稣基督的降生而连接起来了。当人愿意接受耶稣基督为
救主时，他的罪就得到上帝的赦免，生命也得着改变，从一个犯
罪的生命成为一个圣洁的生命，黑暗的生活转变为光明的生活，
以至于上帝从他的生命中的着荣耀。正如主耶稣曾说：7“你们的
光也当这样照在人前，叫他们看见你们的好行为，便将荣耀归给
你们在天上的父。”
世人之所以没有平安，是因为人犯罪的缘故，罪要使人失去平安
。[平安] 一字基本上是 [完整] ，[健全]，[安宁] 的意思。犹
太人常以平安彼此问安或告别，正如回教徒一样，在犹太人的观
念中，平安是指神人和好，人际和谐，家庭和睦，人物共存意思
是人与神有美好的关系；人与人有美好的团契。
主耶稣曾对忧愁的门徒说了一句很重要的话 8“我留下平安给你
们， 我将我的平安留给你们，我所赐的，不象世人所赐的；你
们心里不要忧愁，也不要胆怯。”这充分的显示基督徒的平安是
暴风雨中的平安，这平安不是外在的平安，乃是内在的平安。
在这圣诞节的来临，愿一切荣耀归给天上的父神，愿天上的平安
归给地上的世人。
3) He came to give us peace
Angels brought good news to the shepherds “Glory to God
in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favor
rests.” The angels mentioned a heavenly news – Glory to God;
earthly news – peace to man. Heaven and earth are connected
because of Jesus. When a person accepts Christ as Savior, his/her
sin will be pardoned. His/her life will be transformed to a holy life,
from darkness to brightness, where our God is glorified. Jesus said:
“In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see
your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Man does not
have peace because they have sinned and sin hinders us from
enjoying peace. “Peace” on its own means “completeness”,
“whole” and “calm”. Jews usually greet each other or bid farewell
with peace just as Muslims do. In their opinion, peace is reconciliation
between man and God, harmony among people and family, good
relationship between man and God and wonderful fellowship among
man. Jesus mentioned an important message to His worried disciples:
“Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as
the world gives. Do not let your heart be troubled and do not afraid.”
This reflects that the peace we possess is intrinsic and not of what
can be seen. In this coming Christmas, may all glory be to God and
on earth peace to man.