On the fourth Sunday of Advent, the pastor reflects on the gift of Jesus to the world

“When Christ came to earth, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not like, but you prepared a body for me; roll, look, I come to do your will, O God.” Hebrews 10:5-7

These verses are taken from the New Testament book of Hebrews. They are Jesus’ first words at Christmas time, Jeremiah J. Johnston, PhD, told Fox News Digital.

This Sunday marks the Fourth Sunday of Advent, the last week in the preparation period before Christmas.

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Johnston is an elected member of the New Testament scholar Studiorum Novi Testamenti Societas, president of the Christian Thinkers Society and pastor of apologetics and cultural engagement at Perstonwood Baptist Church in the Dallas area.

He said: “The scriptures reveal a conversation between Jesus and God when he was in the flesh. Quoting Psalm 40:6-8, the writer of Hebrews pictures Christ who was present speaking through the psalmist.

Jesus’ birth was in the midst of a period of “religious and political exhaustion,” Johnston said.

“Later Second Temple Judaism expanded God’s commandments to 613 commandments of which 248 were positive (‘do…’) and 365 negative (‘thou…’),” he said.

He said this turned religion into a “burden of endless rules” with no heartfelt devotion.

Jesus followed God’s will for mankind.

In addition, Johnston noted that the situation was not good for many people living in the Roman Empire at the time of Jesus.

The average life expectancy was just 20 years, he said – and about a quarter of the population was in serious need of medical help.

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“About 40% of people live in slavery,” said Johnston. “The famous ‘Pax Romana’ failed to bring true peace.”

True peace on earth was not achieved through religious practices or political power, but because Jesus followed God’s will for mankind.

“His first written words, as echoed in Hebrews 10:7, reveal this mission: ‘And I said: “Here I am, it is written about me in the scroll that I have come to do your will, O God.”‘”

True peace on earth was not achieved through religious practices or political power, but because Jesus followed God’s will for humanity, said a well-known religious leader. (Stock)

During the Christmas season, “these words remind us that God wants to obey wholeheartedly, not empty practices,” he said.

In the verse, the use of the phrase “in the scroll” is to show Jesus’ commitment to the text, Johnston told Fox News Digital.

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“From his first words to his last moments before death, Jesus consistently supported the fulfillment of God’s Word,” he said.

“Unlike the four Old Testament sacrifices mentioned in Hebrews, which often lacked a corresponding faith, Jesus’ sacrifice was voluntary and from the heart.”

From His first words to His last moments before death, Jesus consistently supported the fulfillment of God’s Word. (Stock)

Johnston said that God, “repeatedly condemns vain religious practices without sincere devotion.”

Unlike animal sacrifices, “Jesus gave His life willingly to fulfill God’s eternal will, as it was planned before the foundation of the world,” he said.

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He said this is proof that “what God desires is not outward performance, but inward honesty,” said Johnston.

As the world prepares to celebrate the birth of God’s son, people should “think about the deeper meaning of Jesus’ words and actions,” Johnston said.

These verses, he said, “capture the essence of Jesus’ work.”

“It is only through the incarnation of Jesus that he could put an end to sin and fulfill God’s will in his death, burial and physical resurrection.”

He said: “By taking human form, Jesus could put an end to sin and fulfill God’s will through his physical death, burial and resurrection.

His life reminds us that true worship involves listening from the heart, not empty rituals—something we could never achieve on our own, without His atoning help.

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During the last week of Advent and leading up to Christmas, “may we follow the example of Jesus by offering our lives with sincere devotion to God, increasing His love and peace through our actions and depending on Him,” he said.