Advent: Christmas program/sermonette: Jesus became Like Us to Give Us Fullness of Life (John 10:10)

Prepared and preached by Steve Rhodes for and at Bethel Friends on Sunday, December 7, 2025

In AD 1190, King Richard the Lionhearted of England was sailing back from the Crusades when bad weather forced him to land in the unfriendly territory of Austria. King Richard and his men decided to travel by land back to England. But they couldn’t just travel as a king’s caravan. So they disguised themselves as the Knights Templar so they could sneak their way back, posing as religious pilgrims.

But their disguise wasn’t enough to protect them. While passing through Vienna, King Richard was identified and taken captive—all because he insisted on eating roasted chicken for dinner and wearing his fancy rings (some disguise). So he was put in chains and forced to live as a slave.

The Duke of Austria wanted to send England back their king, but he wanted some money for his troubles. So he set what was—and still is, today—the most expensive ransom of a person in history: $3.3 billion in today’s money. And England paid it.

[One person writes]:

The first time I read that story, my first thought was, “Would I ever be worth that high a price to someone?” I’m certain the United States wouldn’t think so. My family might wish to pay that, but they wouldn’t be able to.

Yet God paid infinitely more than that for every one of us.

When we came to Jesus, we weren’t particularly strategic to him—not like King Richard. It makes sense to pay through the nose to get your king back. But you and I weren’t kings to God. Before he chose us, we were his enemies. If you think dropping billions of dollars for your king is wild, imagine doing that for your enemy!

But that’s precisely what God did. Though we were far less valuable to him, and far more antagonistic toward him, God paid the fullness of our ransom price without a second thought. The price was much higher than billions of dollars: It was the cost of his own life. We are redeemed, Peter said, with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish and without spot.

Why would he do it? So that he could transform his enemies into his sons and daughters. Because it may be impressive to pay a huge ransom for your hero. But it’s truly glorious to pay a ransom to redeem those who rebelled against you. God redeemed us—paid our ransom—because it brings him glory upon glory.

And like King Richard, we aren’t just redeemed to be set free. We’re redeemed for a purpose. The people of England wanted Richard back so that he could be their king again. They had a job for him to do; they were willing to pay the big redemption price so he could get back to it. So it is with us in God’s kingdom: We aren’t only saved from sin, but for good works. God pays the huge redemption price so we can get on to the tasks he has for us.

God brought us back to himself, not only with an incalculable price, but for an eternal purpose. We were bought to belong to him, to reflect his glory, to bring his light to the nations, and to be his instrument of blessing.

That’s the purpose behind your redemption—the biggest ransom ever paid.[1]

Every year we celebrate Christmas, but what are we really celebrating? Are we celebrating Christmas?

What is the purpose of Christmas?

Theme:

Jesus came, fully God and fully man, in order to die for our sins and give us life abundantly (John 10:10).

Application:

My application is that you repent and surrender to Jesus. Keep Christ the center of Christmas. 

Let’s read Luke 2:1-7:

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. ² (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) ³ And everyone went to their own town to register.

⁴ So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. ⁵ He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. ⁶ While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, ⁷ and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

1. Christmas is about God becoming a human being to save us from our sins.
   1. The Bible can be summed up with the acronym that spells GOSPEL.
   2. God created us to be with him (Genesis 1-2).
   3. Our sin separated us from God (Genesis 3).
      1. But don’t think of God as this megalomaniac wanting to inflict punishment on us.
      2. Think of it this way.
      3. Imagine you go to the roof of the empire state building and walk off the building, what happens?
      4. You fall and hit the ground, but why?
      5. Gravity.
      6. Gravity is part of the created order.
      7. There is no reason to be angry at gravity.
      8. There is no reason to cast blame. Gravity did not want to hurt you. It is part of the created order.
      9. Think of the wrath of God like gravity. God is holy and when we sin it is like violating the law of gravity. There is an automatic response. The response is separation from God. Hell is separation from God. But like gravity, God also does not want to hurt you. Back to the acronym.
   4. Sins cannot be removed by good deeds (Gen 4-Mal 4).
   5. Paying the price for sin, Jesus died and rose again (Matthew – Luke).
   6. Everyone who trusts in him alone has eternal life (John – Jude).
   7. Life that’s eternal means we will be with Jesus forever (Revelation 22:5).
      1. Do you know that when you trust in Jesus as Lord and Savior, you don’t only receive eternal life, but also abundant life?
      2. You are reconnected with God.
   8. John 10:10: The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
2. So, in a nutshell Christmas is all about Jesus’ birth. God became a human being so that He could die for our sins. God brought events involving kings, common people, and shepherds in order to bring His Son into the world. Jesus lived among us for 33 years and then died in our place. He died for our sins. Do you believe that? I want to ask you a personal question: have you come to a point in your life where you have accepted Jesus into your heart for the forgiveness of your sins? Jesus didn’t come to earth just to live with us; He came to instruct us and to die in our place.
   1. Whether you are part of the church or not, my question for you is: Do you know Jesus as Lord and Savior, and are you committed to him?
   2. The Bible uses four verbs to describe the Christian life, they are: Believe, confess, commit and trust. Let me explain:

1. The Bible teaches that we must believe in Jesus. We must believe that He is who the Bible says He is. The Bible teaches that He was born of a virgin; He lived a sinless life and died on the cross for our sins and He rose triumphantly over the grave (John 3:16; 14:6; 1 Cor. 15; 2 Cor. 5:17 and 21).
2. The Bible teaches that we must confess that we are in need of forgiveness. This means that we must confess that we are a sinner in need of a Savior. In other words, we have done wrong things and we need forgiven (Romans 3:23; 6:23 10:9-10). We tell God this.
3. The Bible teaches that we must commit to Jesus as Lord and Savior. This means we are not simply fans of Jesus, but instead we are followers of Jesus. Fans stay on the sidelines, but Jesus calls us to be on the field with Him. Jesus told them to count the cost before committing to Him (Luke 14:27-33).
4. The Bible teaches that we must trust The belief in Jesus as Lord and Savior is not a casual belief, but a firm trust (1 Timothy 1:15; John 3:16).

 

Firmly make the decision to be with Him in order to become like Him and to learn and do all that He says and then arrange your affairs around Him. 

This year, don’t miss Christmas. Make Christmas your spiritual birthday.

Pray to receive Jesus as your Savior and Lord.

Pray

[1] Greear, J. D. June 24, 2024. Accessed on October, 20,2 025

https://jdgreear.com/the-biggest-ransom-in-history/