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We Need a Little Christmas | Week 4 | Pat McCalla · Rewind

Rock Point Church

65 min

Pastor Pat McCalla · Dec 6, 2021 · 4 min read · 65 min listen

The big idea

The birth of Jesus and the death of Jesus are intrinsically linked—you cannot understand the depth of Christmas until you understand why Jesus had to die.

In this message

The big idea
Point 1 of 7The birth and death of Jesus cannot be separated
Point 2 of 7Several common explanations for Jesus' death fall short

Point 3 of 7Jesus died as atonement—the once-for-all sacrifice of propitiation
Point 4 of 7Jesus died as a ransom to free us from captivity
Point 5 of 7Jesus died to reveal God's character
Point 6 of 7Jesus died to give us victory over the enemy
Point 7 of 7Jesus died to restore relationship with God
Take it into your week
Transcript

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Scripture in this message

Isaiah 6
Philippians 2
John 10
Acts 2
Romans 3
Romans 3:21

Rewind AI drafted the Big Idea and some point headings shown here from the sermon transcript. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

Pastor Pat McCalla · Dec 6, 2021 · 65 min watch · 2 min read

We Need a Little Christmas | Week 4 | Pat McCalla

In this message

Big Idea
Key points
Application

Scripture in this message

Isaiah 6
Philippians 2
John 10
Acts 2
Romans 3
Romans 3:21

Big Idea Key points Application

Big Idea

The birth of Jesus and the death of Jesus are intrinsically linked—you cannot understand the depth of Christmas until you understand why Jesus had to die.

We were born crying out "that's not fair," but the good news of Christmas is that God did not give us what was fair—He gave us grace. Because God is just, He could not simply overlook our sin, so He sent Jesus to become the once-for-all sacrifice, ransom, revelation, victory, and reconciliation we needed.

Key points

1
1The birth and death of Jesus cannot be separated
Pastor Pat opens with the image of a crown of thorns next to a Christmas scene, explaining that though it seems to mix holidays, the birth of Jesus only makes sense in light of why He had to die. He uses an imaginative time-machine journey to Nazareth and Bethlehem to walk through the nativity story before turning to the deeper question of why the baby in the manger had to die.
2
2Several common explanations for Jesus' death fall short
He walks through and dismisses three false explanations: that Jesus died by accident, that He died merely as a martyr, and that He died to appease an angry God. He points to Jesus' repeated predictions of His own death and Acts 2's language of God's foreknowledge and plan, and offers the line that Jesus does not save us from God but reveals God as Savior.
3
3Jesus died as atonement—the once-for-all sacrifice of propitiation
Working through Romans 3, Pastor Pat shows that Paul first proves we are sinners, not mere mistakers, and that a just God cannot ignore sin. He unpacks Romans 3:25's word 'the sacrifice' (propitiation, a covering), connecting it to the Old Testament mercy seat and Day of Atonement, where the covering for sin had to be renewed every year—but Jesus' sacrifice covers sin permanently.
4
4Jesus died as a ransom to free us from captivity
He explains that we were hostages to sin, death, and hell, and that Jesus' death bought us back, citing Mark 10:45 and John 8's promise that those the Son sets free are free indeed.
5
5Jesus died to reveal God's character
Using Romans 5:8, he shows that the cross reveals God's love, mercy, and grace by demonstrating that Christ died for us while we were still sinners and enemies of God.
6
6Jesus died to give us victory over the enemy
Drawing on Colossians 2:15, Pastor Pat reminds the church that they have a real enemy bent on stealing, killing, and destroying, and that the cross publicly disarmed and shamed spiritual rulers and authorities, giving believers victory over hell, death, and addiction.
7
7Jesus died to restore relationship with God
He traces the Bible's story from humanity being made in God's image for relationship, to that relationship being broken, to 2 Corinthians 5:18's declaration that God took the initiative through Christ to reconcile us back to Himself.

Application

Pastor Pat's charge is to let the cross change how you see Christmas, not just how you feel gratitude at Easter.

Keep Christmas and Easter linked
Do not celebrate the manger without remembering the cross; understanding why Jesus had to die is what gives the birth of Jesus its full weight.
Get a crown-of-thorns ornament
Find one and hang it on your Christmas tree this year so that every glance reminds you of the depth of what you're celebrating.
Trade 'that's not fair' for gratitude
Recognize that justice would have left you condemned, and thank God that He gave you grace instead of what was fair.
Receive what Jesus' death accomplished
Let the sacrifice, ransom, revelation, victory, and restored relationship Jesus secured on the cross be personally applied to your sin, addiction, and brokenness this week.

Take it into your week

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

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Scripture in this message

From the transcript
“That this is the God that Isaiah six writes about saying that constantly around the throne of God, angels are flying twenty four seven and saying, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty who was and is and is to come. That”
From the transcript
“This is the one that in Philippians two it says, someday we'll come come back and every knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is lord”
From the transcript
“In fact, in John chapter 10, Jesus said, no one takes my life from me, I lay it down”
From the transcript
“In fact, in Acts chapter two, it actually said that it was God's foreknowledge and plan. That the cross was planned before the creation of the world”
From the transcript
“We're gonna get to Romans. So if you have your Bibles, open to Romans three. We're gonna talk about this in just a moment”
From the transcript
“you get to chapter three verse 29 or verse 21, and there's finally good news. It says, but now”
From the transcript
“But then you get to verse 23, and it says, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There's more bad news”
From the transcript
“Look at this. Okay. Acts or Romans chapter three verse 24. Yet God in his grace freely makes us right in his sight. He did this through who? Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty of our sins”
From the transcript
“Look at verse 25. Oh, verse 25 is so good. God help us get this. Help us get this, God. Verse 25, for God, this is how he did it, for God presented Jesus as”
From the transcript
“Remember part of the tabernacle of the temple was you had the holy place that only the priest could go to, and then you had the holy of holies where the ark of the covenant sat, and on top of the ark of the covenant was the mercy seat”
From the transcript
“Look at Mark chapter 10 verse 45. It says, for even the son of man, Jesus, came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a as a what? As a ransom for many”
From the transcript
“It bought us back from hell. It bought us back from death. It bought us back from our addictions. John eight says, when the son sets you free, you are free indeed”
From the transcript
“look at Romans chapter five verse eight, but God showed or revealed, but God revealed his great love for us by sending who? Christ to die for us while we were still sinners”
From the transcript
“John 10 says John ten ten says that enemy's only goal is to steal and kill and destroy everything that God has for you and me”
From the transcript
“Look at this verse in Colossians chapter two verse 15. In this way, he, Jesus, disarms the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by, how did he do this? By his victory over them on the”
From the transcript
“look at second Corinthians five verse 18, and all of this, meaning the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus, all of this is a gift from God who brought us back to himself through Christ, who brought us back into relationship through Christ”

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

7-day devotional

A personal reading plan from this message — scripture, reflection, and prayer for each day.

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Day 1

There is a tendency, especially in December, to keep Christmas soft and warm — a baby in a manger, candlelight, familiar carols. And that beauty is real. But Pastor Pat opened the sermon with a provocation that is worth sitting with all week: Christmas and Easter cannot be separated. The manger and the cross are one story, not two. Philippians 2 helps us see why. Paul writes that Jesus, who was in the very nature of God, emptied Himself, took on flesh, and became obedient to death — even death on a cross. The descent did not begin at Calvary; it began at Bethlehem. Every step from heaven to a borrowed feeding trough was already a movement toward the cross. He did not arrive by accident and die by surprise. He came with a purpose that the tinsel and wrapping paper can quietly obscure if we are not paying attention. This week is an invitation to hold both realities at once — to let the wonder of His birth grow deeper because you understand what the birth was for. The crown of thorns was already written into the Christmas story before the shepherds arrived. That is not a dark thought. It is the most loving one imaginable.

For reflection

When you picture the nativity this season, what do you tend to leave out — and what might change if you held the manger and the cross together at the same time?

Pray

Pray for eyes to see the full arc of what Jesus chose when He chose to be born.

Day 2

Before Pastor Pat explained why Jesus died, he laid the groundwork for why death was necessary at all. Romans 3 is unflinching about it: all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. Not most people. Not the especially broken ones. All. That word is meant to level every comparison we might reach for — every 'at least I'm not as bad as' thought that lets us feel exempt. But notice that Paul does not leave the sentence there. The phrase 'fall short of the glory of God' points back to something we were made for. We were created in God's image, designed for His glory, built for relationship with Him. Sin is not just rule-breaking; it is the fracture of something that was meant to be whole. And a perfectly just God cannot simply look away from that fracture as though it does not matter — because it does matter, and He is good enough to say so. That honesty about the problem is not meant to crush you. It is the necessary first step toward understanding how breathtaking the solution actually is. You cannot fully receive grace if you have not felt the weight of what grace is answering. Sit with Romans 3:23 today not as a verdict, but as a diagnosis that a good doctor is already treating.

For reflection

How does naming the reality of sin honestly — without minimizing it or being crushed by it — actually open the door to experiencing grace more fully?

Pray

Pray for honest self-awareness about your own need, and gratitude that God already knew and acted anyway.

Day 3

This is the hinge of the whole sermon. Romans 3:24-25 introduces a word that carries enormous weight: propitiation, or in the NLT, 'sacrifice of atonement.' Pastor Pat drew a sharp and important distinction here — the Old Testament sacrifices covered sin temporarily, like a debt being deferred. But Jesus is the once-for-all sacrifice that removes sin permanently. Not a Band-Aid over the wound; a complete healing of it. The word propitiation carries the idea of satisfying a just requirement. God, being perfectly just, could not pretend sin had no consequence. But God, being perfectly loving, provided the solution Himself. He did not wait for us to earn our way back. He stepped in, through Jesus, and absorbed the cost entirely. This is why Pastor Pat said we should stop thinking in terms of fairness. Fairness would mean each of us facing the full weight of what our sin deserves. What God offered instead was not leniency — it was substitution. Jesus in our place, fully and finally. That is what was born in Bethlehem: the one who would stand in our place so we would never have to stand condemned. Receive that today. Not just as theology, but as something that is personally, permanently true about you if you have trusted Him.

For reflection

What is the difference between your sin being 'covered' versus 'removed' — and how does that distinction change the way you relate to God today?

Pray

Pray for a deeper sense of what it means to be truly clean, not just temporarily excused.

Day 4

Jesus said He came not to be served, but to serve — and to give His life as a ransom for many. Pastor Pat highlighted this image of ransom because it speaks directly to the condition we were in before the cross. A ransom is paid when someone is held captive and cannot free themselves. The picture in Scripture is not of people who made a few poor choices and need a nudge in the right direction. It is of people enslaved — to sin, to death, to the enemy — who have no means of buying their own freedom. The ransom price was not silver or gold. It was the life of the Son of God. And Jesus paid it willingly. He was not a victim of circumstances or of Rome's legal system. He said Himself in John 10 that no one takes His life from Him; He lays it down of His own accord. That is the baby in the manger. A king who came knowing the price, paid it in full, and did it out of love. If you have ever felt trapped — by a pattern you cannot break, a past you cannot undo, a burden you cannot put down — this is the word for you today. The ransom has already been paid. The door is already open. You are not too far gone for the one who came specifically for this.

For reflection

In what area of your life do you most need to receive the truth that the ransom has already been paid and you do not have to keep earning your freedom?

Pray

Pray for the courage to walk through the door that Jesus already opened — in a specific area where you still feel captive.

Day 5

Pastor Pat described Jesus' death as a revelation — an unveiling of who God actually is. And Romans 5:8 is one of the clearest windows into that character: God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Not when we had cleaned ourselves up. Not when we had shown sufficient remorse or made adequate progress. While we were still in the middle of the mess. The cross is God's definitive self-portrait. If you have ever wondered whether God is angry with you, distant from you, or simply tolerating you — look at the cross. That is not the posture of a reluctant deity. That is the posture of a God who took the initiative, bore the cost, and refused to let distance be the last word. Isaiah 6 gives us a glimpse of God's holiness, and it is overwhelming — the prophet's first response is 'I am ruined.' But the same God who is that holy is the same God who sent His son while you were still a sinner. Holiness and grace are not in tension in God; they are resolved in Jesus. Let that settle something in you today. You do not have to earn His attention. You already have it. You always have.

For reflection

How does knowing that God acted first — before you were ready, before you were worthy — change the way you think about approaching Him right now?

Pray

Pray for a fresh sense of being loved by God not because of your current spiritual condition, but in the middle of it.

Day 6

There is a moment in the crucifixion story that the world read as defeat and heaven read as victory. Colossians 2:15 pulls back the curtain: through the cross, Jesus disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities and shamed them publicly, triumphing over them. Pastor Pat pointed to this as one of the reasons Jesus died — not only to address our sin, but to win a cosmic victory over the enemy who had held humanity in his grip. John 10:10 names that enemy plainly: he comes to steal, kill, and destroy. The cross is where that agenda was undone. The very instrument that looked like the enemy's greatest win became the moment of his decisive defeat. This matters for everyday life. When you face spiritual opposition — when fear, accusation, shame, or despair seem to have the loudest voice — you are not fighting toward a victory that is still uncertain. You are standing in a victory that has already been won. That does not mean the battle is not real; it means the outcome is not in question. Jesus was born to take on not just your sin but every force arrayed against your flourishing. The manger led to a cross, and the cross led to an empty tomb, and all of it was for you.

For reflection

Where in your life do you most need to remember that you are standing in a victory already won, rather than fighting for one that is still uncertain?

Pray

Pray for a stronger awareness of spiritual victory — and for the peace that comes from knowing the enemy has already been disarmed.

Day 7

All five reasons Pastor Pat gave for the death of Jesus — atonement, ransom, revelation, victory, and relationship — flow into this one: reconciliation. Second Corinthians 5:18 says that God reconciled us to Himself through Christ. That word, reconciliation, means a relationship that was broken has been restored. It is the word you would use for a marriage that nearly ended but found its way back. A friendship fractured by betrayal that was somehow repaired. God could have simply declared us legally forgiven and kept His distance. Instead, He drew us back into relationship — to Himself, the one who made us and knows us most completely. That is what Christmas is ultimately about. Not a sentimental holiday, but a God who refused to let the fracture be permanent. He sent His Son into the world, into flesh, into poverty and obscurity and ultimately a criminal's death, so that the door between you and Him would be open. If Pastor Pat's challenge is still echoing — to stop asking 'that's not fair' and start marveling that a just God chose grace — let today be the day that marvel takes root. You are reconciled. Not almost. Not conditionally. Completely. Receive it. Live from it. Let it shape how you spend your time, your energy, your generosity, and your words this season and beyond.

For reflection

As you look back over this week, which of the five reasons Jesus died — atonement, ransom, revelation, victory, or relationship — landed most personally for you, and why?

Pray

Pray for the grace to live from a place of reconciliation this season — and to share, in whatever way fits naturally, what that reconciliation has meant to you.

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

Small-group discussion guide

For leading a group conversation about this message.

Open

Christmas and Easter can feel like separate celebrations on the calendar — but Pastor Pat McCalla made the case that you really can't have one without the other. Let's dig into why that connection matters.

Discussion questions

1
Pastor Pat opened by saying that Christmas and Easter cannot be separated — that the manger and the cross point to the same moment. What do you think is lost when people celebrate Jesus's birth without thinking about why He was born?
2
Romans 3:24-25 describes Jesus as the 'propitiation' — a once-for-all atoning sacrifice that permanently removes sin rather than temporarily covering it. What difference does it make, practically, that sin is removed rather than just covered?
3
Mark 10:45 says Jesus came to give His life as a ransom. What does the ransom picture — being bought back from slavery — add to how we understand what Jesus was actually doing on the cross?
4
Romans 5:8 says God demonstrated His love for us while we were still sinners. What does that timing — before any change on our part — reveal about the kind of God we are dealing with?
5
Pastor Pat challenged us to stop approaching God with a 'that's not fair' posture and start marveling that a perfectly just God chose grace instead of judgment. How might holding those two things together — God's justice and His grace — shape the way we talk about Christmas with people around us?
6
Pastor Pat suggested hanging a crown-of-thorns ornament on a Christmas tree as a tangible, annual reminder that Jesus was born specifically to die. What are other ways communities or families might keep the weight of that connection in view during a season that can move very fast?

Pray together

Thank God that He did not leave us to what would have been fair — and ask Him to deepen your sense of wonder at the grace that connects the manger to the cross

Rewind AI contributed study material from the sermon transcript; church-authored wording and verified sermon quotes keep their own source. Always trust the sermon itself over anything here. How Rewind uses AI

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Go deeper

Continue the series

We Need a Little Christmas

Week 4 · 6 messages

Where these passages are preached

Isaiah 6 Philippians 2 John 10 Acts 2

Explore related topics

Christmas and Easter Together God's Grace vs. Justice Redemption and Reconciliation The Cross and Atonement Why Jesus Died

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