“Why Was Jesus A Far Way From Home?” by sysministriesinc long Well, on the TV news shows during the Christmas Season, it’s kind of heart-warming to see those men and women in their combat fatigues sending Christmas greetings home from wherever they’ve deployed in this world this season. It’s one of the hard things about Christmas really, and it’s been true every Christmas for a long time. Soldiers who won’t be able to be home this Christmas, men and women for whom “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is just a song. You know, at Christmas, many people are on a Mission that has taken them far from home. Ironically, the Christ of Christmas knows that feeling all too well. The baby Jesus we celebrate as being born that first Christmas was very far from home indeed. Listen to the Word of God, from the first chapter of John, and several verses beginning with verse 1. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God and the Word was God.” And that’s referring to the Son of God, Jesus. “Through Him all things were made, without Him nothing was made that has been made.” And then as you go on later in the chapter, it says, “He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God.” Now the angels who brought His first birth announcement didn’t want us to miss WHO this was in that stable, “A Savior,” they said. “He is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). The “Savior” is God’s Rescuer, sent to save you and me. “Christ” – that’s the Messiah God promised. “The Lord” – the word means the Controller, the One Who Runs Everything! And what we just read from John makes it clear that He Literally Created Everything That Is, and YET He came to this little speck of dust called the Earth in the middle of all these galaxies He created, For No Other Reason Than To Save Us! Talk About Being the “Reason For The Season”! But this Son of God had to leave Heaven and come to a world in rebellion against Him; HE WAS INDEED A LONG WAY FROM HOME! He came on the most Important Mission In History – To Give the People He Had Created a Chance to Get Right With God…the Very Same People Who Hijacked Their Lives From God! Like a person trapped in the rubble of a violent earthquake or in a burning building, We’re Going to Die Unless a Rescuer Comes! And No Matter How Hard We Dig, We Can’t Dig Ourselves Out! Furthermore, if any religion, or any good thing that we do could ever pay our sin-bill with God, Jesus Would Have Never Left Home! He Would Have Never Carried His Rescue Mission All the Way to That Brutal Death On a Cross! However, He Gives Us His Mission Statement: “THE SON OF MAN CAME TO LOOK FOR AND TO SAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE LOST” (Luke 19:10 CEV) His Mission is described in 25 of the Most Important Words In the Bible! You may have heard these words a thousand times. OR, You may have Never heard them at all. Either Way, Listen to Them This Time AS If Your Life Depends On Them! Why? BECAUSE IT DOES! “God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16). It’s a verse you need to put your name in! Follow My Example: “God so loved SHERMAINE that He gave His one and only Son, that if SHERMAINE will believe in Him, then SHERMAINE shall not perish but have eternal life.” DO YOURSELF A HUGE FAVOR, AND TRY THIS WITH YOUR OWN NAME! YOU’LL BE AMAZED AT HOW PERSONAL AND POWERFUL THIS SCRIPTURE BECOMES TO AND FOR YOU! John 3:16 Lets Us Know: HE LEFT HOME..FOR US! “This is how much God loved the world: He gave his Son, his one and only Son. And this is why: so that no one need be destroyed; by believing in him, anyone can have a whole and lasting life. God didn’t go to all the trouble of sending his Son merely to point an accusing finger, telling the world how bad it was. He came to help, to put the world right again. Anyone who trusts in him is acquitted; anyone who refuses to trust him has long since been under the death sentence without knowing it. And why? Because of that person’s failure to believe in the one-of-a-kind Son of God when introduced to him.” (John 3:16-18 MSG). WE’RE THE REASON HE WENT ALL THE WAY TO THE CROSS! “No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends.” (John 15:13 AMP) WE’RE THE REASON HE CHOSE TO BE CRUCIFIED! “For this [reason] the Father loves Me, because I lay down My [own] life—to take it back again. No one takes it away from Me. On the contrary, I lay it down voluntarily. [I put it from Myself.] I am authorized and have power to lay it down (to resign it) and I am authorized and have power to take it back again. These are the instructions (orders) which I have received [as My charge] from My Father.” (John 10:17-18 AMP). HE LOVE US! WE ARE THE REASON FOR HIS RESCUE! WE WERE WORTH HIM BEING A FAR WAY FROM HOME! “…after her baby is born, name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21 CEV). He was far from home in that manger. He was even farther from home on Good Friday. The Bible says He actually “carried our sins in His body on the tree” (1 Peter 2:24). He carried our sins and died for our sins, so we would never have to! He left home so we could go home! He gave up Heaven so we could have Heaven! His Father Gave Up His Son, So We Could Have His Son and All the Benefits a Joint Heir Receives Through Receiving Him! Our sin is why our heart has been searching for home all these years, because home is the love relationship with God that only Jesus can give us. How can you NOT give yourself completely to Him? He Gave Himself Completely For Us! That stirring you feel in your heart? That’s Jesus, the One Who died for you, drawing you to Him. You can’t come to Jesus when you feel like it. You come when God’s drawing you or you don’t come. “And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw and attract all men [Gentiles as well as Jews] to Myself.” (John 12:32 AMP). Keep In Mind: This season when we celebrate His coming to earth for us, He’s working in our heart to open our life to Him. DON’T HARDEN YOUR HEART! “Look at me. I stand at the door. I knock. If you hear me call and open the door, I’ll come right in and sit down to supper with you. Conquerors will sit alongside me at the head table, just as I, having conquered, took the place of honor at the side of my Father. That’s my gift to the conquerors!” (Revelation 3:20 MSG). Open the Door…Open Your Heart! Why? Because God Has a Gift For You! It’s JESUS! “The earlier revelation was intended simply to get us ready for the Messiah, who then puts everything right for those who trust him to do it. Moses wrote that anyone who insists on using the law code to live right before God soon discovers it’s not so easy—every detail of life regulated by fine print! But trusting God to shape the right living in us is a different story—no precarious climb up to heaven to recruit the Messiah, no dangerous descent into hell to rescue the Messiah. So what exactly was Moses saying? The word that saves is right here, as near as the tongue in your mouth, as close as the heart in your chest. It’s the word of faith that welcomes God to go to work and set things right for us. This is the core of our preaching. Say the welcoming word to God—“Jesus is my Master”—embracing, body and soul, God’s work of doing in us what he did in raising Jesus from the dead. That’s it. You’re not “doing” anything; you’re simply calling out to God, trusting him to do it for you. That’s salvation. With your whole being you embrace God setting things right, and then you say it, right out loud: “God has set everything right between him and me!” (Romans 10:4-10 MSG). This Christmas Season can be the celebration, not only of Jesus’ coming to earth, but of Him coming into your life today! Tell Him, “Jesus, I’m Yours.” After All, That’s What He Said To You! Wherever you are this Christmas, your heart can finally be home, because you finally belong to Jesus. This Christmas Make Sure Salvation, NOT Santa Is the Cause of Your Celebration! Remembering That His Best Gift to You Is HIM…And Your Best Gift to Him Is YOU! Exchange Gifts Today! You’ll Never Regret It! Feel Free to Join Us On Sisterhood School of Inspiration at: sisterhoodschoolofinspiration.blogspot Today’s Lesson: Topical Teaching Thursday: You Can Change!
Posted on: Fri, 20 Dec 2013 17:31:57 +0000
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