Why Jesus Came Down: The God Who Descends

Full Manuscript Sermon

Title: Why Jesus Came Down: The God Who Descends
Texts: Luke 2:11; John 3:16; Genesis 3; Genesis 11; Revelation 21

Introduction — The Message of Christmas

Luke 2:11 says:
“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”

Christmas is more than lights, gifts, and traditions. Christmas is the celebration of a historical event—the moment when God entered our world in the person of Jesus Christ. Christians can easily explain that Jesus came because God loves the world (John 3:16), because He came to fulfill prophecy, and because He came to die for sinners. All of these are true and central.

But today I want to highlight another important truth that many Christians rarely stop to consider:

Jesus came down to earth because humanity can never climb up to Heaven on its own.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible tells a story of two opposite movements:

  1. Human beings repeatedly try to rise up to God.

  2. God repeatedly comes down to rescue humanity.

At Christmas, these two movements collide. Humanity could never reach God—so God came down.

I. Humanity’s Repeated Attempts to Reach Heaven

Humans have always had a deep desire to become like God, to reach Heaven, or to save themselves by their own strength.

1. Adam and Eve (Genesis 3)

The serpent told them, “You will be like God.” That lie promised divinity—promised that humans could rise to God’s level by their own choice and their own wisdom. When they ate the forbidden fruit, they were not ascending—they were falling. Their sin brought separation and death.

2. The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11)

Humanity united to build a tower “that reaches to the heavens” so they could make a name for themselves. It was the first great human project of self-salvation. God interrupted their pride, confused their language, and scattered them.

The message is clear: Humans cannot climb to Heaven.

3. Human History Makes the Same Attempt

Throughout history—Greek myths, Roman emperors, Eastern religions, Chinese traditions—people have dreamed of immortality, godhood, and ascending to Heaven. In Chinese culture, emperors sought eternal life; monks pursued divine enlightenment; legends told of mortals becoming gods.

The human heart longs for Heaven but has no power to reach it.

Why?
Because sin creates a chasm between God and humanity—a gap so wide no human effort can cross.
Romans tells us:
“All have sinned” and “the wages of sin is death.”

We cannot reach God by:

  • good works

  • religious rituals

  • intelligence

  • moral effort

  • philosophical insight

  • cultural tradition

No ladder built by human hands can reach Heaven.

So what does God do?
When humanity cannot go up—God comes down.

II. God’s Pattern Throughout Scripture: The God Who Descends

The story of the Bible is not humanity searching for God—it is God seeking humanity.

1. Creation and Eden

God creates Adam and Eve and walks with them. Before sin, God and humanity enjoy perfect fellowship. God comes down to form man from dust and breathe life into him.

2. God Comes Down in the Old Testament

In Scripture, God repeatedly descends:

  • God came down to rescue Israel from slavery in Egypt.

  • God came down to dwell among them in the tabernacle and later in the temple.

  • God came down to meet Abraham, Jacob, and Moses.

  • On Mount Sinai, God descended in fire, cloud, and thunder to give His law.

This is one of the most consistent patterns in the Bible:
Humans cannot reach God, so God reaches down.
Humans cannot lift themselves up, so God stoops down in mercy.

All of these divine “comings” lead to the greatest one of all—Christmas.

III. Christmas: The Greatest Descent of All

On that first Christmas night, God came down in a way the world had never seen.

1. The Incarnation—God With Us

Jesus was not merely a prophet or a teacher. He was not just a holy man.
He was God in human flesh, born of a virgin, laid in a manger, raised in a humble Jewish family.

In Jesus, God did not appear in fire or cloud, but in a baby’s cry.

  • He became fully human.

  • He walked our roads.

  • He felt our pain.

  • He carried our burdens.

  • He entered our world so that we could enter His.

2. The Ministry, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus

Why did Jesus come down?

  • To teach the truth.

  • To show God’s character.

  • To heal the broken.

  • To save the lost.

But most of all—
He came down to die.
He died on the cross in our place.
He paid the price for our sin.
He rose from the dead and conquered death forever.

Jesus did not come to help us climb to Heaven.
Jesus came to bring Heaven down to us.

3. The Future: God Finishes What He Started

After Jesus rose, He ascended to Heaven to prepare a place for His people.
He will come again to take His followers home.
And in the end, according to Revelation 21, God brings Heaven down to earth, re-creates the world, and dwells with His children forever.

The Bible ends with the same truth that began at Christmas:
God comes down.

IV. Application — What This Means for Us

1. Stop trying to climb to God on your own

Many people still try to earn salvation by their effort.
But salvation is not a ladder you climb—
it is a gift you receive.

No one will stand before God and say, “I made it on my own.”

2. Trust in the One who came down for you

Jesus is the bridge between God and humanity.
Only His blood saves.
Only His righteousness covers.
Only His grace brings us home.

Christmas invites us not to work harder—but to believe.

3. Live as God’s children

If God has come down to live with us, then we go out to reflect His love.
We walk in humility, gratitude, and hope.
We share this message with others who are still trying to climb ladders that cannot reach Heaven.

Conclusion — The Gospel in One Sentence

C. S. Lewis beautifully summarized the incarnation:

“The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God.”

That is the message of Christmas.

Because He became human, we can become God’s children.

Because Jesus came down, we can be lifted up.

Because He entered our world, we can enter His forever.

This is Christmas. This is the gospel. This is the God who descends.

Amen.

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