Sermon Synopsis
This sermon explores the true meaning of Christmas through Mark 10:45, showing that Jesus came to meet humanity’s deepest needs. It presents three reasons for His coming: to be with us as God in the flesh, to die in our place as a ransom for sin, and to serve us by meeting our greatest need for forgiveness and restoration. The message contrasts human efforts to reach God with God’s initiative in coming down to us. It concludes with a personal invitation to receive the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus.
Note: Due to a technical issue, the audio is slightly distorted for approximately 9 seconds during the chairman’s closing announcement, though the words remain discernible. The remainder of the recording is unaffected.
Please note: This transcript is provided as close to verbatim record of the sermon.
What Do You Want for Christmas?
Text: Mark 10:45
Good evening, everyone, and welcome again to this evening’s service. Thank you, Sam, for the introduction and for the prayer.
Let me begin with this question:
What do you want for Christmas?
As a dad of three kids, this is a dangerous question. Why? Because there’s always the risk that I’ll have to say no to their requests. And yet, it is still a question we all ask.
So I wonder—how would you respond?
Let me invite you to pause for a moment and actually answer it:
If you could receive anything for Christmas, what would it be?
Perhaps the first thing that comes to mind is a physical gift—a watch, maybe, or a new phone. But let’s go deeper.
What about a job, if you’re unemployed?
Or healing for a family member facing a terminal illness?
At the root of this question lies a basic human desire:
hope—hope for a better future, hope that there is light at the end of whatever tunnel we are in.
At the deepest level, we all want our needs to be met and our desires fulfilled. And if we are honest, we would all love the idea of someone coming to us, asking what we want for Christmas—and then actually providing it.
So what if I told you that the heart of Christmas is about receiving what you most want and need?
That the God who made you actually wants to fulfill your deepest longings and meet your deepest needs?
Our theme verse today, as Sam read earlier, comes from Mark 10:45:
“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
From this verse, I want to share three reasons why Jesus came. As I do, I invite you to imagine what it would be like if there truly is one God who loves you so much that He wants to give to you, not take from you.
Think back to the songs we heard earlier—especially O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.
You might think, “The songs are nice, but what difference does it make that Jesus came 2,000 years ago?”
Here’s why it matters:
The heart of Christmas is that God came to be with us.
When the angel spoke to Joseph about Jesus’ birth, he said that Jesus would be called Emmanuel, which means God with us.
This is very different from how we typically think about religion.
You may have heard the illustration: God is at the top of a mountain, and humanity is at the bottom. Different religions are simply different paths up the same mountain.
But what if the God at the top didn’t wait for us to climb up?
What if He came down to where we are?
That is the fundamental difference of Christianity.
Jesus said, “The Son of Man came.”
In other words, I came.
He is the only person in history who could say that He chose to be born. None of us decided to enter the world—we did not exist before we were conceived. But Jesus did.
The Bible calls Him both the Son of Man and the Son of God:
Together, these show us that Jesus is God in the flesh.
This is the wonder of Christmas:
God is not distant or detached from our suffering. He knows our hurts, our struggles, and our pain—because He came to be with us.
And not just with us in general—
He came to be with you.
This brings us to the second reason:
Jesus came to die instead of us.
It may feel strange to talk about death during Christmas, but death is unavoidable. Many fear it. But Jesus was different—death was the very reason He came.
He said He came “to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Christmas, then, is the celebration of someone who was born to die.
Jesus spoke often about His death. The cross—the symbol of Christianity—is a symbol of execution. His death was not an accident. It was His plan from the beginning.
But why did He have to die?
Because He came to give His life as a ransom.
A ransom is a payment made to set someone free. And this is where we come in.
God created us for life with Him. But we have all turned away from Him. The Bible calls this sin. And we are enslaved to it.
We see this even during Christmas:
Our world is filled with brokenness, injustice, and suffering because we are separated from God.
And the consequence of sin is death.
If we remain separated from God, we face eternity apart from Him.
But this is why Jesus came—
to pay the price for our sin.
The word “for” in “a ransom for many” means instead of.
Jesus lived a perfect life—without sin. He did not deserve death. But He died in our place.
Because He is both fully God and fully man:
Only Jesus can take away our sin.
And the good news does not end there.
Three days after He died, He rose again.
He lived the life we could not live,
died the death we deserved to die,
and conquered the enemy we cannot defeat—death itself.
As Scripture says:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”
This is the true gift of Christmas:
Jesus came to die instead of you so that you can be free forever.
The third reason may be the most surprising:
Jesus came not to be served, but to serve.
At first, this seems unrealistic. How can God be a servant?
And yet, this is exactly what Jesus says.
Now, this does not mean He will do whatever we want. Like a loving parent, He does not grant every request. And yes, as God, He is Lord—we are His servants.
So what does it mean that He serves us?
It means that He meets our deepest needs.
God does not need us—He is completely self-sufficient.
But we desperately need Him.
Our greatest need is forgiveness—
to be freed from guilt and shame and restored to a relationship with God.
Religion often says:
Climb the mountain. Pray more. Do more. Be better.
But the truth is, we cannot erase our sin.
We cannot reach God by serving Him.
Instead, we need God to serve us by saving us.
That is why Jesus says:
“I came to serve you.”
An Invitation
If you have never asked God to serve you in this way, I invite you to do so now.
This may be the most important decision of your life.
You can pray:
Dear God, I know I have sinned against You, and I need You to serve me.
I believe that Jesus came to live the life I could not live, to die the death I deserve, and to conquer death itself.
Today I turn from my sin and trust in Jesus as my Savior and Lord.
Please forgive me and restore me to a relationship with You for all eternity.
This is a prayer God promises to answer.
God desires to serve you by saving you.
Conclusion
We began by asking:
What do you want for Christmas?
Perhaps your answers pointed to many different things. But now, I hope you see more clearly:
The heart of Christmas is God’s desire to meet your deepest needs and fulfill your greatest desires.
Christmas is not just about gifts we give or receive.
It is the declaration that God came to us in Jesus:
Jesus offers Himself to you—the very thing you most need.
So I encourage you today:
Lay aside your pride. Turn from your sin. Trust Him.
Not just for this Christmas,
but for all eternity.
Closing Prayer
Dear Lord, we pray that You would use the truth of Mark 10:45 to reach our hearts and convict us of our need for a Savior.
We thank You that You have provided that Savior in Jesus Christ.
Thank You that He came not to be served, but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.
Help us to trust and believe in this truth.
In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.