The Gospel is for All People
Christmas has a way of pulling out memories.
As we look forward to Christmas, think back with me to your favorite gift. For me, it wasn’t even my gift. I was about seven or eight, and I remember my stepdad unwrapping the 1997 VHS Collector’s Edition of Star Wars. It was an awesome present, not just because I finally watched the movies all the way through, but because it became one of the first times I remember our family slowing down and doing movie nights together.
Christmas for us now has changed a lot since what it was 2,000 years ago.
Christmas didn’t start with carols, a crowd, cheering, and decorations.
Christmas began with interruption.
And if you are like me, you have learned something about interruptions:
That’s the kind of Christmas the Bible gives us.
Not a sentimental story.
A rescue story.
And Titus 2:11–14 gives us the clearest, simplest summary of what Christmas really means:
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…” (Titus 2:11)
That word appeared matters.
Grace did not show up as a concept.
Grace did not arrive as a philosophy.
Grace stepped into the world as a Person.
This is Christmas.
Grace has appeared.
And from the cradle to the cross, there is one story: Love made visible for all.
As we’ve walked the last five weeks through our series, there has been an overall theme. Today we walk together through the Christmas story, and you may recognize some of the people we are going to talk about.
Because Christmas is not just one scene.
It’s a gospel movement.
And it moves in four directions.
As we look forward to Christmas, think back with me to your favorite gift. For me, it wasn’t even my gift. I was about seven or eight, and I remember my stepdad unwrapping the 1997 VHS Collector’s Edition of Star Wars. It was an awesome present, not just because I finally watched the movies all the way through, but because it became one of the first times I remember our family slowing down and doing movie nights together.
Christmas for us now has changed a lot since what it was 2,000 years ago.
Christmas didn’t start with carols, a crowd, cheering, and decorations.
Christmas began with interruption.
And if you are like me, you have learned something about interruptions:
- They rarely show up when it’s convenient.
- They don’t ask for permission.
- They change the direction of your plans whether you were ready or not.
That’s the kind of Christmas the Bible gives us.
Not a sentimental story.
A rescue story.
And Titus 2:11–14 gives us the clearest, simplest summary of what Christmas really means:
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…” (Titus 2:11)
That word appeared matters.
Grace did not show up as a concept.
Grace did not arrive as a philosophy.
Grace stepped into the world as a Person.
This is Christmas.
Grace has appeared.
And from the cradle to the cross, there is one story: Love made visible for all.
As we’ve walked the last five weeks through our series, there has been an overall theme. Today we walk together through the Christmas story, and you may recognize some of the people we are going to talk about.
Because Christmas is not just one scene.
It’s a gospel movement.
And it moves in four directions.
- The gospel comes down
- The gospel goes out
- The gospel draws in
- The gospel stands before you
The Gospel Comes Down
When we come to the Gospel of Luke, Luke tells us God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth.
Not to Jerusalem.
Not to Rome.
Not to the temple.
To a place so small and ordinary you would honestly have trouble placing it on a map. And right there, in an unexpected place, God starts revealing His salvation. nHe introduces salvation not from the top down, but from the bottom up.
The angel comes to a young woman living an ordinary life, and I love this part:
Mary wasn’t searching for it.
She wasn’t on a spiritual quest.
She wasn’t trying to get noticed.
She wasn’t praying, “Lord, make me famous.”
She was just walking through life, and suddenly heaven breaks in. That’s where the grace of the gospel often meets us too. Not in the moment when we have it all together.Not when we feel worthy. Not when we finally “clean ourselves up.”
Gabriel says, “Greetings, O favored one.”
That favor was not earned. It wasn’t performance-based. It was grace given.
And that’s exactly where many of us wrestle at Christmas.
We measure our year by:
But the gospel isn’t measured by any of that.
Mary simply says, “Let it be according to your word.”
Some of us are waiting to say yes to God until:
The gospel comes to ordinary people in ordinary places. The gospel comes down like an interruption of mercy. Not to the impressive. To the surrendered.
Not to Jerusalem.
Not to Rome.
Not to the temple.
To a place so small and ordinary you would honestly have trouble placing it on a map. And right there, in an unexpected place, God starts revealing His salvation. nHe introduces salvation not from the top down, but from the bottom up.
The angel comes to a young woman living an ordinary life, and I love this part:
Mary wasn’t searching for it.
She wasn’t on a spiritual quest.
She wasn’t trying to get noticed.
She wasn’t praying, “Lord, make me famous.”
She was just walking through life, and suddenly heaven breaks in. That’s where the grace of the gospel often meets us too. Not in the moment when we have it all together.Not when we feel worthy. Not when we finally “clean ourselves up.”
Gabriel says, “Greetings, O favored one.”
That favor was not earned. It wasn’t performance-based. It was grace given.
And that’s exactly where many of us wrestle at Christmas.
We measure our year by:
- how well we held it together
- how strong we were
- how much we accomplished
But the gospel isn’t measured by any of that.
Mary simply says, “Let it be according to your word.”
Some of us are waiting to say yes to God until:
- we understand everything
- we feel worthy
- we feel ready
The gospel comes to ordinary people in ordinary places. The gospel comes down like an interruption of mercy. Not to the impressive. To the surrendered.
The Gospel Goes Out
From there the story moves forward, not to the most important place, but to the fields on the outskirts of Bethlehem.
Not a palace. Not a synagogue. A field.
Not surrounded by influencers, but shepherds.
Men working the night shift.
In the ancient world, shepherds were often considered unreliable, unclean, and socially pushed to the margins. They didn’t carry prestige. They didn’t carry power.
And yet this is where God places the first public proclamation of the gospel.
They are doing their job, nothing dramatic, just ordinary life—and heaven interrupts again.
The angel doesn’t start with correction.
He starts with comfort.
“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
That sentence alone would have shocked the night air.
All people.
Not a salvation for the religious elite.
Not a salvation for the powerful.
Not a salvation for the polished.
A Savior has been born.
Not guarded by banners or soldiers.
Wrapped in swaddling cloth.
Lying in a manger.
And the shepherds don’t just receive information.
They move.
They go see.
Then they go tell.
That’s how the gospel spreads.
Grace, when truly heard, produces movement.
The overlooked become witnesses.
The forgotten become messengers.
Christmas says the gospel comes to us—and then it goes through us.
Not a palace. Not a synagogue. A field.
Not surrounded by influencers, but shepherds.
Men working the night shift.
In the ancient world, shepherds were often considered unreliable, unclean, and socially pushed to the margins. They didn’t carry prestige. They didn’t carry power.
And yet this is where God places the first public proclamation of the gospel.
They are doing their job, nothing dramatic, just ordinary life—and heaven interrupts again.
The angel doesn’t start with correction.
He starts with comfort.
“I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.”
That sentence alone would have shocked the night air.
All people.
Not a salvation for the religious elite.
Not a salvation for the powerful.
Not a salvation for the polished.
A Savior has been born.
Not guarded by banners or soldiers.
Wrapped in swaddling cloth.
Lying in a manger.
And the shepherds don’t just receive information.
They move.
They go see.
Then they go tell.
That’s how the gospel spreads.
Grace, when truly heard, produces movement.
The overlooked become witnesses.
The forgotten become messengers.
Christmas says the gospel comes to us—and then it goes through us.
The Gospel Stands Before You
Now Paul brings it home in Titus 2.
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…” (Titus 2:11)
That means Christmas is not just a story about:
This grace brings salvation for all people.
Not all people who qualify.
Not all people who behave.
Not all people who measure up.
All people.
That’s why the cross matters.
That’s why the covenant matters.
That’s why the Lord’s Supper matters.
Jesus didn’t come to bring a private blessing to a single group.
He came to bring a Savior for the world.
So here is the last movement:
The gospel doesn’t just come down.
It doesn’t just go out.
It doesn’t just draw in.
It stands before you.
And it asks something.
Not “Did you grow up in church?”
Not “Do you know enough?”
Not “Have you earned it?”
It asks, “What will you do with Jesus?”
“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…” (Titus 2:11)
That means Christmas is not just a story about:
- Mary’s surrender
- shepherds worshiping
- wise men searching
This grace brings salvation for all people.
Not all people who qualify.
Not all people who behave.
Not all people who measure up.
All people.
That’s why the cross matters.
That’s why the covenant matters.
That’s why the Lord’s Supper matters.
Jesus didn’t come to bring a private blessing to a single group.
He came to bring a Savior for the world.
So here is the last movement:
The gospel doesn’t just come down.
It doesn’t just go out.
It doesn’t just draw in.
It stands before you.
And it asks something.
Not “Did you grow up in church?”
Not “Do you know enough?”
Not “Have you earned it?”
It asks, “What will you do with Jesus?”
The Gift Under the Tree
I want you to imagine something with me.
Every year, there are gifts bought with real thought behind them. Not last minute, not generic. Someone saw it, picked it up, paid for it, wrapped it, and wrote a name on it.
But sometimes those gifts don’t get opened.
Not because they weren’t meant for you.
Not because they weren’t valuable.
But because they sat under the tree untouched.
Maybe the moment passed.
Maybe the person felt awkward receiving it.
Maybe they assumed it couldn’t really be for them.
So it stayed wrapped.
Can I tell you salvation is much the same way?
The gift is there.
It’s already been bought.
And it has your name on it.
The greatest tragedy is that some people keep thinking it’s for someone else:
Or they think they don’t need it.
But Christmas doesn’t end with the shepherds or the wise men.
It ends with a question:
What will you do with the gift God has given?
Every year, there are gifts bought with real thought behind them. Not last minute, not generic. Someone saw it, picked it up, paid for it, wrapped it, and wrote a name on it.
But sometimes those gifts don’t get opened.
Not because they weren’t meant for you.
Not because they weren’t valuable.
But because they sat under the tree untouched.
Maybe the moment passed.
Maybe the person felt awkward receiving it.
Maybe they assumed it couldn’t really be for them.
So it stayed wrapped.
Can I tell you salvation is much the same way?
The gift is there.
It’s already been bought.
And it has your name on it.
The greatest tragedy is that some people keep thinking it’s for someone else:
- someone cleaner
- someone stronger
- someone who has their life figured out
Or they think they don’t need it.
But Christmas doesn’t end with the shepherds or the wise men.
It ends with a question:
What will you do with the gift God has given?
A Simple Christmas Invitation
The gospel comes down to the ordinary.
The gospel goes out through the unlikely.
The gospel draws in the restless.
The gospel stands before you.
And the grace of God has appeared.
Not as an idea.
As Jesus.
If you’ve been waiting until you feel ready, hear me:
You don’t get ready first.
You come.
You surrender.
And He will do what only He can do.
The gospel goes out through the unlikely.
The gospel draws in the restless.
The gospel stands before you.
And the grace of God has appeared.
Not as an idea.
As Jesus.
If you’ve been waiting until you feel ready, hear me:
You don’t get ready first.
You come.
You surrender.
And He will do what only He can do.
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