Articles
The Other Sacrifice
To tell people that Jesus Christ left heaven to come to earth to be our Savior doesn’t make as much of an impact if they don’t know what a sacrifice it was to come to earth. I am not talking about the sacrifice of Him dying on the cross. I am talking about what our Lord left behind to come to this world.
He left heaven
Here on earth, we are doing all we can to get to heaven, yet the Son of God left that abode to help us. There is no pain, sickness or dying in heaven (Rev. 21:3-4). The reason Jesus came was to make a way for us to be with the Father (Jn. 14:1-6). Our God is in heaven and that’s where Jesus was (Jn. 1:1,14). It is hard to imagine leaving a place so glorious to come to a sin infested world that can never be compared to heaven.
He left His Father
The scriptures clearly state that Christ was “with God” (Jn. 1:1). The fact that Jesus was a man of prayer reveals the relationship He and the Father have – they are one (Jn. 17:21). Understand that I am not saying that Jesus as a rebellious child would leave. On the contrary, Christ left to do the will of His Father (Lk. 2:49) knowing He would not be present with the Father in heaven.
He left heaven to become a servant
The only begotten Son took the form of a bondservant (Phil. 2:7). One might think that it would not be a difficult task for Christ to become a servant because He is God. Perhaps that is true. However, this article is not written to demonstrate how easy it was for our Lord to sacrifice. The point is that it was a sacrifice. The whole idea of coming as a servant is to help us see that He didn’t come to this world the easy way. He made Himself of no reputation (Phil. 2:7). Joseph and Mary were not a king and queen where Christ could be raised in a palace with all the comforts that can be obtained in the world. He was born in a stable (Lk. 2:7) and even when He began His earthly ministry, He had no place to lay His head (Matt. 8:20).
He left heaven knowing what lies before Him
The whole plan of Jesus coming to earth for the purpose of dying wasn’t “plan B.” Jesus came from heaven to go to the cross (Lk. 18:31-33). This helps us to understand what Christ was going through in the garden prior to His death (Matt. 26). He knew what was about to happen. Jesus knew this was the plan before the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:3-4). What is amazing is that He came knowing this. That, in and of itself, is a great sacrifice!
He left knowing His sacrifice would be appreciated by only a few
How sad it is to even think about the sacrifice of leaving heaven knowing that the majority of the people who you came to help will reject you (Matt. 7:13-14, 21-23). This isn’t meant to minimize the few that would devote themselves to serving the Lord. The point is that Jesus came for the whole world (Jn. 3:16). He came to save everyone (Mk. 16:15; II Pet. 3:9). Unfortunately, before the Lord even left His abode in heaven, He was aware of what would be gained in the end. The lesson for us: He came anyway.
He left knowing He would have to face and reject every temptation
The salvation of the world depended upon the fact that a perfect sacrifice was required (I Pet. 1:18-20). Christ faced all the temptations we face, yet never broke any of God’s laws (Heb. 4:15). While Jesus did sacrifice Himself on the cross, let us not forget the other sacrifice of leaving heaven.
