THE PASSWORD THAT UNVEIL CHRISTMAS
(What Christmas is all about?)
Randy Bataanon
In far away cold country a number of years ago there was a young orphaned boy selling papers on a cold, freezing Christmas Eve afternoon. Toward the close of the afternoon the little boy went up to a policeman and said, "Sir, I’m real cold. I nearly froze to death last night. Do you know someone who could take me in tonight?" The policeman said, "Son, go right down that street to that big white two-story house. It’s a mission. When you get there you will need the password. When the man comes to the door just say; “John 3, verse 16” and he’ll take you in." The little boy said, "What’s a mission?" The policemen said, "Just go down there and say, ’John 3 verse 16.’"
The little boy went down and he knocked on the big door. In a moment a kind faced man came to the door and the little boy said, "John 3, verse 16." The man said, "Come on in, son." The little boy said, "I don’t know what John 3, verse 16, means, but it sure will get you in a big house."
He said, "Son, are you cold?" He said, "I’m so cold that I’m shaking all over." The man said, "Son, come right over here." There was a big roaring fireplace. The man said, "Just get as close as you want to this fireplace and just sit there until it just warms you all the way through." The little boy just got right up close to that fireplace and he just got warmer and warmer and warmer and he said, "I don’t know what John 3, verse 16, means, but it sure will get a cold boy warm."
In a moment the man said, "Son, are you hungry?" The boy said, "Mister, I’m so hungry that I don’t know what to do. I haven’t had a good meal in days and days and days." He said, "Come in here, son." He took him into a room and there was a big table and the table was loaded with a Christmas Eve meal. There was turkey and dressing and cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes and pies and cakes. He said, "Son, you just pull up a chair to this table and just eat until you are full and can’t eat anymore." The little boy grabbed a chair and pulled himself up to the table and said, "I don’t know what John 3, verse 16, means, but it sure will make a hungry boy satisfied." He ate until he could eat no more.
Then the man came and said, "Son, are you dirty? You’ve been out on the street a lot. Do you need a bath?" The boy said, "Mister, I haven’t had a bath in I couldn’t tell you when. Yes, I’m dirty." The man said, "Come with me." He took him up to the second floor to a room. There was one of those old porcelain tubs. The man began to draw warm water. He said, "Son, here’s a bar of perfumed soap. Take that soap and get in that warm water and just wash and scrub and wash and scrub until you get yourself real clean." The little boy got in there, and he just washed himself good. He scrubbed himself good and he felt good all over, and he got out dripping and said, "I don’t know what John 3, verse 16, means, but it sure will get a dirty boy clean."
There were some warm, clean pajamas laid out. He put them on. The man said, "Son, are you tired?" He said, "Yes, sir. I’m tired. I’ve been walking on the streets. I haven’t had a good night’s sleep. I’m so tired." He said, "Come with me." He took him into another room and there was a big bed with clean sheets on it and a big heavy quilt on it. He said, "Son, get in that warm bed and sleep just as long as you want to sleep." And he did. He slept late the next morning and when he woke up he said, "I don’t know what John 3, verse 16, means, but it sure can get a tired boy rested."
The man came in and the little boy said, "Sir, I don’t know what John 3, verse 16, means. Could you tell me what is it?" The man opened his Holy Bible and read it in the book of John Chapter 3 verse 16.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
My son, John 3:16 tell us what Christmas is all about. It is about God’s unconditional love, God’s unspeakable gift, God’s unselective deliverance and God’s uncommon blessing.
The room was denied for the Son of God as he was born in a manger so that you become accepted in His mansion in heaven. He strips off His royal robe of deity and put on the form of human flesh so that He can cleanse you and then cloth you the robe of righteousness. His body has been broken in the cross like bread as He shed his blood so that He can quench and satisfy your spiritual hunger and thirst. Yes He became tired and weary of His cross so that he can say; "Come to me, all of you who are tired from carrying heavy loads, and I will give you rest.”
My son, you may wonder why everything that I gave you in this house are free. It is because somebody has already paid the price the same way Christ paid the greatest price by shedding His blood so that we can enjoy all the blessing of Christmas.
WHAT CHRISTMAS IS ALL ABOUT?
I. GOD’S UNCONDITIONAL LOVE – “For God so love the world”
It is just common for everyone to love a lovable person. But God love us without any reasons and condition. You can be a poor, unknown, unlearned, and unclean but God still loves you with his unconditional love.
Rom 5:8 But God has shown us how much he loves us---it was while we were still sinners that Christ died for us!
II. GOD’S UNSPEAKABLE GIFT -"that he gave his only-begotten Son"
In the beginning; God created man and place him in the Garden of Eden in paradise. But man committed sin and forfeited all his right for eternal life, good health and prosperous life. He lost his right to rule the world by the virtue of sin. Satan becomes the ruler of this world by default. In His redeeming love, God automatically plan the rescue. We can imagine that there is an emergency meeting in heaven on how God will rescue the human being from the slavery of Satan the deceiver.
I can imagine Michael, the commander of God’s army of angels saying let us invade the earth and snatch the key from the Devil by force. But the good Lord said, I am a God of justice and since man’s authority has been surrendered to the Devil by man’s free will, it should be recovered also by the same way. I have to buy it back from the Devil in a fair price. I need someone to be sent as sacrifice to die on the cross and redeem the world from the slavery of darkness
I can imagine that the heavenly meeting becomes silent until angel Gabriel volunteered; you can send me my Lord then the other angels volunteered too. But the Son of God, the Prince of Heaven break His silence and said; so that you can greatly show your love to the world - send me to die on the cross my Father. Let me be Your greatest gift to the world. That is why it is written in God’s Holy book, For God so love the world that He gave His only begotten Son.
2Co 9:15 Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.
Isa 53:6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.
III. GOD’S UNSELECTIVE DELIVERANCE-"that whoever believes on Him should not perish"
God want all people to be saved. The word whoever; means anyone regardless of race, color, age, sex or status in life. However, God is a gentle God and he respects our free will of our own choice. He respect our human rights that he will never force us to come back to his care unless it our decision to choose Him. For this same reason that God provided the room of refuge and He gave us the key to its door. It is up to us to open the door for our own salvation. The key is the word “believe” which is our faith on Him. It is faith on what Christ accomplished on the cross to provide us the way back to God.
John 14:6 Jesus said unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man comes unto the Father, but by me.
John 6:47 Truly, truly, I say to you, He who believes on Me has everlasting life.
We can come to Jesus by repentance from our sin and believing that Christ died for our sin to redeem us. This story of redemption was called the Gospel of Christ.
Mar 1:15 …The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent, and believe the gospel.
IV. GOD’S UNCOMMON BLESSING -"but have everlasting life"
Life on earth is sometimes full of desperation and tears. But this is not the end of the story. God is the author of our book and at the end of its chapter, the ending words have already been written. Yes! We will live happily ever after…
Rev 21:4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.
Whoever Takes the Son
Many years ago, there was a very wealthy man who shared a passion for art collecting with his son. They had priceless works adorning the walls of their family estate. One day, the nation was at war and the young man left to serve his country. After only a few short weeks, his father received a telegram. His son had died. Distraught and lonely, the old man faced the upcoming Christmas holidays with sadness. The joy of the season had vanished with the death of his son.
On Christmas morning, a knock on the door awakened the depressed old man. He opened the door and a soldier, with a large package in his hands greeted him, “I was a friend of your son. I was the one he was rescuing when he died. May I come in for a few moments? I have something to show you.”
The soldier mentioned that he was an artist and then gave the old man the package. It was a portrait of the man’s son. Though the world would never consider it the work of a genius, the painting featured the young man’s face in striking detail. Overcome with emotion, the man hung the portrait over the fireplace, pushing aside millions of dollars worth of art.
His task completed, the old man sat in his chair and spent Christmas gazing at the gift he had been given. The painting of his son soon became his most prized possession, far eclipsing any interest in the pieces of art for which museums around the world clamored.
Half a year later, the old man died. The art world waited with anticipation for the upcoming auction. According to the will of the old man, all the art works would be auctioned on Christmas Day, the day he had received the greatest gift.
The day soon arrived and art collectors from around the world gathered to bid on some of the world’s most spectacular paintings. Dreams would be fulfilled that day. The auction began with a painting that was not on anyone’s museum list. It was the painting of the man’s son. The auctioneer asked for an opening bid, but the room was silent. “Who will open the bidding with $100?” No one spoke. Finally someone said, “Who cares about that painting. It’s just a picture of his son. Let’s move on to the good stuff.”
The auctioneer responded, “No, we have to sell this one first. Now, who will take the son?” Finally, a neighbor of the old man offered $50 dollars. “That’s all I have. I knew the boy, so I’d like to have it.”
The auctioneer said, “Going once, going twice…gone.” The gavel fell. Cheers filled the room and someone exclaimed, “Now we can bid on the real treasures!”
The auctioneer looked at the room filled with people and announced that the auction was over. Everyone was stunned. Someone spoke up and said, “What do you mean, it’s over? We didn’t come here for a painting of someone’s son. There is millions of dollars worth of art here! What’s going on?”
The auctioneer replied, “It’s very simple. According to the will of the Father, whoever takes the son…gets it all.”
The message is the same this Christmas. Because of the Father’s love…whoever takes the Son gets it all. Will you take Him this Christmas?
Rev 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hears my voice, and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will eat with him, and he with me.
Joh 1:11-12 He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the children of God, even to them that believe on his name:
(Story Illustrations are not my own. They are borrowed from other’s sermons)
If you have been blessed, encouraged or inspired by this sermon then it’s your turn to be an encouragement too. You can do it by sending email to this contributor at spy2rb@yahoo.com or post comment on the discussion box below.
