Years ago, on a dangerous sea coast where shipwrecks often occurred prior to advanced navigation aids, there was a little life-saving station. The building was just a hut and they had only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea. When there was word of a shipwreck, they went out tirelessly searching for shipwreck victims.
Many lives were saved by this little life-saving station, and some of those who were saved and various others in the surrounding area wanted to become associated with the station and give their time, money, and effort for the support of its work. New life boats were bought and new life-saving crews were trained. The little life-saving hut was replaced by a larger, nicer facility.
Fewer members were now interested in going out on life-saving missions so they hired lifeboat crews to do the work.
At the next meeting there was a conflict of opinion in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the life-saving activity because it was unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club.
Some members insisted on life-saving operations as the primary purpose and pointed out they were still called a life-saving station and when they were needed to go to the rescue of shipwreck victims they were pleged to go. But they were voted down and they left to start a real life-saving station farther down the coast.
And as the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that occurred in the old and it evolved into a club.
The club members forgot that the purpose of the life-saving station was to go when the call was given.
God is constantly saying “Go!” and He expects us to go, in season and out of season; convenient or inconvenient, comfortable or not.
• When told "Go to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let My people go." Moses was unwilling but, after running out of excuses, went reluctantly.
• In contrast to that, Abraham was willing to obey when he was told, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; Genesis 12:1 (NASB). So, “Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.” Genesis 12:5 (NASB).
• Isaiah was willing and said, “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8 (NASB).
People in churches today tend to be one way or the other. Many become unwilling to move out of their comfort zone even to save the lost.
But many still keep the focus on the commission Christ gave, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB).
Let us consider the text and notice that when He was told to go, He went. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-14 (NASB). When God the Father said to God the Son, “Go.” Jesus went.
I. HE WENT FROM PARADISE TO POVERTY:
A. The Bible says,
1. “Though He existed in the form of God, [He] did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.” Philippians 2:6-7 (NASB).
2. And, “you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8:9 (NASB).
B. That is characteristic of Jesus – He purposely chose earthly poverty and lowliness and insignificance.
1. Born in Bethlehem not Jerusalem.
2. Born to common people, not to royalty.
3. Born in a cattle shelter, not a palace.
4. Laid in a manger, not a comfy cradle.
5. As an adult, Jesus was concerned with prostitutes, tax collectors, the poor and needy.
6. He, Himself, was among the poor. He said, "The foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head." Luke 9:58 (NASB).
C. So, how am I rich? There are four ways that come to mind:
1. We are rich when we are content with what we have. God’s promises and His Spirit help us be content. “Godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment. For we have brought nothing into the world, so we cannot take anything out of it either. If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content.” 1 Timothy 6:6-8 (NASB).
2. We are rich because we have God’s resources waiting to meet our every need. Not our every whim or desire; our need! Paul’s words are, “my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:19 (NASB).
3. We are rich because we are children and heirs of the King! Paul wrote, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, heirs also, heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him so that we may also be glorified with Him.” Romans 8:16-17 (NASB).
4. We are rich when we have Jesus. As Patrick Henry said, “I have now disposed of all my property to my family. There is one thing more I wish I could give them and that is faith in Jesus Christ. If they had that and I had not given them a single shilling, they would have been rich; and if they had not that, and I had given them all the world, they would be poor indeed."
D. Now, because of Jesus, the poor can say, “I am rich! In Christ I have access to God’s riches in glory; His riches of grace and His riches of mercy! In Him I am rich.”
E. A little girl shows us that being rich is a matter of attitude. She went to visit an elderly lady with her Preacher father. Though they were somewhat short of money, they were taking a few bags of groceries they had purchased to her because she was very poor and had no family. She wept with gratitude and relief when she saw the groceries. When they left, the little girl said, “Daddy, I’m so glad we are rich and can help people like Mrs. Olson.” Being rich is a state of mind and attitude of heart. If we have Jesus we have all the riches of heaven, too, because Jesus was willing to go wherever the Father sent Him. He went from Paradise to Poverty and:
II. HE WENT FROM CROWN TO CROSS:
A. The Word was with God and the Word was God. And though as God He was Royalty in Heaven, as man on earth He was a common peasant. He came to His own and
1. They turned Him down.
2. They quarreled with Him.
3. They tried to entrap Him with trick questions.
4. They put Him through a kangaroo court and finally demanded His death.
B. But,
1. Not one of His enemies could outwit or entrap Him.
2. The Tempter could not tempt Him to deviate from His Purpose.
3. The appeal of His disciples could not deter Him.
4. He was born to die, and His destiny was fixed before earth was formed. He came to die for us; He had to die to save us; He died for us wearing not a heavenly crown, but one made of thorny vines.
C. How many people of high or low rank do you know who would give up their position, wealth, and life for you?
1. The Bible says, “For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:7-8 (NASB).
2. The old song by Charles Rusty Goodman says,
“When I think of how He came so far from glory
Came to dwell among the lowly such as I
To suffer shame and such disgrace
On Mount Calvary take my place
Then I ask myself this question
Who am I?
D. We ought not grow arrogant because of that truth; rather it should humble us and make us grateful when we think that such a One as He would die for such a one as me!
E. In the poem "Curfew Must Not Ring Tonight" by Rose Hartwick Thorpe, the story is told of Bessie, a young girl who is willing to make any sacrifice to save her fiancé who is condemned to die when the curfew bell rings.
She appeals to the bell ringer not to ring the bell, but he refuses due to a sense of duty. So she surreptitiously climbs up the ladder in the bell tower and, risking a fall, reaches out to grasp the clapper. Wrapping her body around it she prevented the bell from ringing though the bell ringer pulled vigorously on the rope. When the clapper stopped swinging, she descended the ladder, bruised and battered, hands and arms bleeding. The poem concludes:
O'er the distant hills came Cromwell;
Bessie sees him, and her brow,
Lately white with fear and anguish,
has no anxious traces now.
At his feet she tells her story,
shows her hands all bruised and torn;
And her face so sweet and pleading,
yet with sorrow pale and worn,
Touched his heart with sudden pity,
lit his eyes with misty light:
"Go! your lover lives," said Cromwell,
"Curfew shall not ring to-night."
Wide they flung the massive portal;
led the prisoner forth to die,
All his bright young life before him.
'Neath the darkening English sky
Bessie comes with flying footsteps,
eyes aglow with love-light sweet;
Kneeling on the turf beside him,
lays his pardon at his feet.
In his brave, strong arms he clasped her,
kissed the face upturned and white,
Whispered, "Darling, you have saved me,
Curfew will not ring to-night!"
Jesus gave His life that we should not die. With nail-scarred hands and pierced side, He secured our pardon and curfew will not ring tonight. Jesus went from crown to cross and, finally,
III. HE WENT FROM GRAVE TO GLORY:
A. They wrapped His body in a shroud and placed Him in a borrowed grave.
1. Dying with Him was the hope, optimism and courage they had experienced.
2. Buried with Him were the dreams and aspirations of the disciples.
B. The disciples
1. Hid out for fear of the Jews going after them, too.
2. Wept and sorrowed and lamented.
3. Gave up on the life they had lived for three years.
4. Decided to go back to their former lives.
C. For three days the disciples were in a daze or a fog. They couldn’t comprehend what Jesus meant when He spoke of tearing down the temple (meaning his body) and rebuilding it in three days (meaning being resurrected).
D. The sermon “That Was Friday, But Sunday Was Comin’” by S. M. Lockridge sums it up:
It’s Friday
The disciples are running
Like sheep without a shepherd
Mary’s crying
Peter is denying
But they don’t know
That Sunday’s a comin’
It’s Friday
See Jesus walking to Calvary
His blood dripping
His body stumbling
And His spirit’s burdened
But you see, it’s only Friday
Sunday’s comin’
It’s Friday
The soldiers nail my Savior’s hands
To the cross
They nail my Savior’s feet
To the cross
And then they raise Him up
Next to criminals
It’s Friday
Jesus is buried
A soldier stands guard
And a rock is rolled into place
But it’s Friday
It is only Friday
Sunday is a comin’!
E. Has the significance of this event struck you in any way?
1. Jesus was dead and buried but in three days broke the bonds of death, rose from the tomb, commissioned His followers and returned to His proper position in Heaven.
2. Christmas is about Jesus, Who honored His Father’s will. God said, “Go.” and Jesus said, “I’ll go!” And that led Him to go from Paradise to Poverty; from the Crown to the Cross; and from the Grave to Glory.
3. Christmas is the starting point of Jesus’ journey from Heaven’s Throne to Virgin’s womb to cross to tomb and back to Heaven.
And the beauty of it is that He did it freely, willingly, and for you and me.
This Christmas season let us reflect on the gift Jesus brought us when He descended from Heaven’s riches and glory to earth’s poverty and shame.
He who was sent says to His followers, “as the Father has sent Me, I also send you." John 20:21 (NASB).
He gave the best gift we could ever give when He came to us as one of us. The greatest gift we could give to Him is self, committed and willing to go where He sends us.
When God said, “Go!” Jesus went. When He says “Go!” don’t be saying, “No!” Instead, by attitude and action, by word and deed show that wherever He leads you will go.
PRAY / INVITE / SING
