I remember one time, while working in a prison
ministry, a man said to me that he thought that the deal Jesus had was not so
bad. To die, even though he admitted it was a terrible death, then to stay in
the grave for only three days, but then to come back to life and be King of all
creation forever…was not a bad deal. I agreed with him…if that had been him or
me. Then I asked him - “if you
were a billionaire, had all the fame and power in the world…and I offered you a
deal…to be tortured to death, dead for three days and then when you came back
to life I would make you a billionaire and give you all the fame and power in
the world…would you do it?” He said, “why would I, I already have everything
you are offering!” Then I could see the light go off in his head – he
understood, Jesus already owned everything, so what was His gain? We will look
at that after we finish what it cost Him.
·
[1] Cost the Right
to home
·
[2]
Cost the Right of perfect Fellowship with the Father.
·
[3] Cost the
Right of Eternity
Here are two others:
·
[4] Right
of Omnipresence
The Son as God had no limit on His presence. How does that work – only
one person understands that…God. When Jesus gave up His rights of deity, and
became incarnate, He now was limited to being in one place at one time. Having
never been able to experience this we do not know what a sacrifice it was.
Still, after working in a prison for two years, I did understand the tremendous
power and privilege I must have seem to have compared to the inmates. I can
come and go as I please, they on the other hand were forced to remain in the
prison and many times even in their small cells.
·
[5] Right
of Omnipotence
Before incarnation Jesus never needed anything or endured the limitations
of the human body. That first Christmas changed all that. As God incarnate He
experienced things that God never would have.
o Growth
Luke 2:52 And Jesus kept increasing in wisdom and stature,
and in favor with God and men.
o The
grief of a friend dying
John 11:30–35 Now Jesus had not yet come into the village,
but was still in the place where Martha met Him. Then the Jews who were with
her in the house, and consoling her, when they saw that Mary got up quickly and
went out, they followed her, supposing that she was going to the tomb to weep
there. Therefore, when Mary came where Jesus was, she saw
Him, and fell at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my
brother would not have died.” When
Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews who came with her also weeping, He was deeply moved in
spirit and was troubled, and said,
“Where have you laid him?” They said to Him, “Lord, come and see.” Jesus wept.
o Hunger
Matthew 4:2 And after He had fasted forty days and forty
nights, He then became hungry.
o Fatigue
and Thirst
John 4:5–7 So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar,
near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; and Jacob’s well
was there. So Jesus, being wearied from His journey, was sitting thus by the
well. It was about the sixth hour. There came a woman of Samaria to draw water.
Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
Compare your Christmas to His. Allow what He did to encourage
you not to allow any disappointment with this season to rob you of the real joy
that Christmas can bring.
