Sermon: “Our Lord and Savior Was Born to Die; Let Us Live to Multiply Jesus’ Reach!”

Presenter: Rev. Dr. JoAnne P. King

December 25, 2022

Merry, Merry, Christmas Saints, and welcome to Exousia Ministries, Inc. on this glorious Christmas Morning. Over the years, we have been blessed to have heard many beautiful, anointed and informative Christmas messages. Todays’ message is entitled: “Our Lord and Savior Was Born to Die; Let Us Live to Multiply Jesus’ Reach!”

This sermon will start in Luke 1:26-38 Amp. with the angel Gabriel announcing to Mary that she was going to give birth to the Savior of the world. I don’t want you to think of Jesus now, as the babe in the manger, or hanging on a cross in Golgotha but in Heaven seated on the right hand of God the Father.

In Luke 1:26-38 Amp.: “Now in the sixth month [of Elizabeth’s pregnancy] the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of the house of David, and the virgin’s name was Mary. And coming to her, the angel said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” But she was greatly perplexed at what he said, and kept carefully considering what kind of greeting this was. The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Listen carefully: you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and eminent and will be called the Son of the Most-High; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David and He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.” Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin and have no intimacy with any man?” Then the angel replied to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most-High will overshadow you [like a cloud]; for that reason, the holy (pure, sinless) Child shall be called the Son of God. And listen, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now in her sixth month. “For with God nothing [is or ever] shall be impossible.” Then Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord, may it be done to me according to your word.” and the angel left her.

Mary, as every expectant mother, [expects the best outcome for each of their children] must have been thrilled to know that her child has been selected to be the Son of the Most-High; that He will reign over the house of Jacob (Israel) forever and His kingdom would have no end! And the angel added making this a certainty that “… with God nothing is or ever shall be impossible!” Mary may have envisioned Jesus actually sitting on David’s throne. I am sure that Mary, as well as, any expectant mother will attest, that it never crossed their minds that their child was going to die, let alone be “Born to Die!”

Mary was given a hint that her son was “Born to die” when she took Jesus to the Temple after her days of purification to present Jesus to the Lord and offer a sacrifice according to the Law of Moses. A devout and just man entered the Temple named Simeon and the Holy Ghost had revealed to him that he would not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. When Simeon saw Jesus, he picked him up in his arms and blessed God and said: “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.” Joseph and Mary marveled at those things which were spoken of him. And, Simeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (Yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also,) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2:25-35)

Additionally, “Anna a prophetess … and widow who departed not from the Temple but served God with fastings and prayers night and day, came in and gave thanks to the Lord and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.” (Luke 2:36-37) As usual, I am sure that Mary pondered all of these things in her heart.

Remember when the wise men came to Jerusalem from the East searching for the one born King of the Jews because they had seen his star? When Herod the king heard of it, he sent for them to inquire when they had seen the star?

The wise men brought Jesus gifts but these gifts are not what most people think they are. Gold, frankincense, and myrrh are not gifts for a baby; they were the burial items of kings. From the moment Jesus came into the world, He knowingly came to die to be the Savior of the world.

King Herod called all of his chief priests and scribes of the people together, and demanded of them where Christ should be born. After finding out where and approximately when Jesus was born ordered all male babies killed from two years and under. (Matt. 2:4-16)

An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying: “Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word; for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.” (Matt. 2:13) If Mary had any doubts about Jesus being in danger, all doubts were removed at this time.

All throughout the Old Testament, it was prophesied that the Savior would come and what He would suffer down to the last detail for the salvation of His people. Jesus knew that He was born to die and His purpose for coming to earth.

Let me show you something that you didn’t know about Passover. Just before the crucifixion, Jesus celebrated Passover with His disciples. An aged rabbi who was the last living signer of the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel, told one of my Ministry Partners that the custom of the Jews was to sing Psalm 118 at the Passover. When you read the Psalm, it is amazing the power of the words—and their fulfillment in the birth, life, ministry, death, and resurrection of Christ. For example:

Verse 5: “I called upon the Lord in my distress…”

Verse 6: “… I will not fear what man can do to me.”

Verse 10 “All nations compassed me about …”

Verse 17: “I shall not die, but live and declare the works of the Lord.”

Verse 19: “Open to me the gates of righteousness. I will go into them…”

Verse 22: “The stone which the builders refused has become the head of the corner.”

Verse 24: “This is the day which the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it.”

Verse 27: “God is the Lord which has showed us light. Bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.”

At Christmas time, we are so busy giving and receiving gifts ourselves that we seldom think about the gifts that Jesus died to give us.

Just pause and think about “The Eleven Eternal Gifts from the God who So Loved.”

Salvation: The gift received through Jesus’ birth, death and resurrection. God saved you by His grace when you believed. You can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God! (Ephes. 2:8)
Eternal Life: When you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you received eternal life. This means that you will spend eternity with Him in heaven and not hell. (John 3:16) What would your life be like, if you knew that you were going to spend eternity in hell?
Peace: “… The peace of God that passes all understanding…” (Phil. 4:7) Just think, what would your life be like, if you didn’t know a day of peace?
Provision: “… My God will supply all your needs…” (Phil. 4:19) What would your life be like, if all of your needs weren’t met?
Direct line to God: “…What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11:24) What would your life be like, if you didn’t have a heavenly Father to answer your prayers?
Joy: Our joy comes from the Holy Spirit that is inside of you. (John 15:11) The scriptures tell us that “the joy of the Lord is our strength.” What would life be like without the Holy Spirit being inside of us to lead and guide us into all truth? We would be like that sinner man out there that is devoid of hope, peace, joy …
Heaven on Earth: Don’t look for the Kingdom of God outside of you—for it is already inside of you. (Luke 17:21) When you pray, worship, sing, be thankful, and talk, sing, worship and pray to the one that is on the inside of you. He will respond with that still quiet voice. He has the sweetest sounding voice; I have ever heard.
Family & Friends: Your family, friends, & church family are your biggest support system. “Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way, more and more like Christ who is the head of the body, the church. He makes the whole body fit together perfectly as each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love.” (Ephes. 4:16-17) What would life be like without family and friends?
Grace: God’s grace is free and undeserved. “But if it is by grace [God’s unmerited favor]; it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace [it would not be a gift but a reward for works].” (Rom. 11:6 Amp.) What would life be like without God’s grace?
Healing: Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we have access to the healing power of God. (1 Peter 2:24) God has already done everything we need for our healing 2,000 years ago. All we have to do is to believe and receive our healing. Remember nothing is impossible for God. If He did it for anyone in the Bible, or anyone else, He will do it for you because God’s Word will not return unto Him void.
Abundant Life: We have an abundant life, it is overflowing with love, peace and grace. (John 10:10) Don’t you turn it into a desert with hate, envy and strife!
In the United States, we enjoy so many of life’s pleasures and luxuries, even though we may think that we don’t, but the poorest of us are rich compared to our brothers and sisters in Christ around the world. Their love and sacrifice for Christ makes our praise and worship, feeble compared to theirs. Just listen to some of the sacrifices our brothers and sisters in Christ make overseas on a daily basis to live to extend the reach of Jesus!
Witness No. 1: (Nigerian) On February 27, 2021, Pastor Emmanuel Maigairi had just finished praying with his wife and mother-in-law when the sound of gunfire erupted outside their home in Nigeria’s Kaduna state. Within minutes, three dozen Fulani Islamic militants had burst into the house. They took the curtains from the windows and used them to bind and blindfold Emmanuel, his wife, and his mother-in-law. The attackers took their phones and a box containing money that belonged to the pastor’s church. The group’s leader told the pastor that “he was going to suffer in the bush, and if we like, we might kill you.” Pastor Emmanuel replied: “I have given myself over to God, and I am ready to die.” The captors led the prisoners into the forest.

Angered that the mother-in-law could not keep up, the captors hit her in the head with the butt of his gun and another cut her on the back of her neck with a machete, leaving her for dead.

About an hour and a half later, the pastor’s wife was expendable also, and after threatening her they let her leave unharmed and told her how to find her way home. I am happy to inform you that the mother-in-law also survived the ordeal. The pastor continued to walk on, unsure whether he would ever see his family again.

In the kidnappers’ camp, the prisoners would sleep on the ground, where maggots crawled around their hands and feet. Pastor Emmanuel related that the kidnappers would go into town and buy sodas in plastic bottles, and the prisoners would beg for the empty bottles so that they could use them as pillows so the maggots could not enter their ears.

Emmanuel’s captors beat him frequently, sometimes so severely that others in the camp feared he had been killed. On Sundays, they beat him because he was a pastor. One day they saw him praying and they almost beat him to death and he fainted. Three days later, he heard some captors talking behind his shed and they said that they thought he had died from the beating. They said the fact that: “He survived proves there is a God.”

The militants demanded a payment of 5 million naira, or about $12,000 from Emmanuel’s family, threatening to kill him if they wouldn’t pay. Pastor Emmanuel said: “If God says I will die here, then that will be my fate.” “If God says I will live, then I will live.”

Emmanuel trusted God to sustain him through whatever the militants had planned. He prayed constantly. After a month and a day in the militants’ camp. Emmanuel was finally released and returned to his family.

Pastor Emmanuel learned that his family’s abduction had been arranged by the leader of his village. He hoped to silence Emmanuel’s Christian witness. “He does not like hearing the gospel,” Emmanuel explained, “He thought that kidnapping a pastor would bring him good money.”

Pastor Emmanuel’s message for his brothers and sisters in Christ around the world is the same truth that has sustained him during those long days in the militants’ camp: “Depend on God in every situation.” So, Pastor Emmanuel is telling us that in order to extend Jesus’ reach, we need to depend on God in whatever circumstance we find ourselves in.

This is just one example but in Kaduna state, several thousand were kidnapped in 2021. “Nowhere in northern Nigeria is safe anymore,” was reported by a front-line worker.

Witness No. 2: (Chinese) Prepared for Persecution: “A man really believes not what he recites in his creed, but only the things he is ready to die for to extend the reach of Jesus!” The first step in preparing for persecution is identifying the things we will do at any cost, even dying, such as: We will read God’s Word, pray, worship, gather with other believers and witness for Christ, and nothing will stop us from doing these things with willing and glad hearts. Because we do these things in obedience to the commands of our Lord, their worth is beyond evaluation. The value of everything else in this world pales in comparison, including our very lives. If you are not willing to give up any of the above things that we have been commanded to do, then you are not ready for persecution.

This witness whose name is Cole says that when he talks to Christians here in the U. S. and in other free countries, the word that constantly comes to mind is “unprepared.” Persecuted Christians in restricted nations have counted the cost and considered Christ worthy, so they prayerfully approach each day with an obey-at-any-cost mindset, even if it means their death. Anchored by an understanding of God’s greatness and with their desires fixed on His eternal kingdom, they approach life differently from most Christians in free nations. Too many Christians in free nations live in fear of those who oppose them while worrying about losing the things of this world!

We are warned in 1 John 2:15-17 Amp.: “Do not love the world [of sin that opposes God and His precepts], nor the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world—the lust and sensual craving of the flesh and the lust and longing of the eyes and the boastful pride of life [pretentious confidence in one’s resources or in the stability of earthly things] –these do not come from the Father but are from the world. The world is passing away, and with it, its lusts [the shameful pursuits and ungodly longings]; but the one who does the will of God and carries out His purpose lives forever.

The Bible cautions us: “For What shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul! Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?” (Mark 8:36-37)

For decades, the Chinese Christian family members have boldly, lovingly and humbly obeyed Christ, no matter how their government opposed them. When their gatherings were made illegal, they held church services anywhere necessary to avoid the secret police. They also prepared for the inevitable arrests so that when pastors were imprisoned, others in the congregation were ready to take their place. Meanwhile, the imprisoned pastors embraced their time in jail, as a new ministry assignment from the Lord. They simply continued their work. They viewed their new situation as a new opportunity to minister to people.

Today, the Chinese Communist Party has set up horrifying technological apparatus against Christians. Hundreds of millions of facial recognition cameras help track believers’ whereabouts and create a digital record used to punish them for their so-called disloyal and illegal activities. The Christians’ response to their heighten surveillance has been the same as their response to previous threats and attacks. They simply continue in obedience with joyful hearts, having counted the cost and considered Christ worthy of any price they must pay. Why, because they have decided to live to extend the reach of Jesus!

To extend the reach of Jesus, we need to know what that means and how do we accomplish this? Let’s take a glimpse of one day in the life of Jesus on earth as recorded in Matthew 8:1-34 Amp., and see what Jesus decided to do. If Jesus did this to be successful, then we need to do likewise.

When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. And a leper came up to Him and bowed down before Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing You are able to make me clean (well.)” Jesus reached out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus said to him, “See that you tell no one [about this]; but go, show yourself to the priest [for inspection] and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony (evidence) to them [of your healing]”
As Jesus went into Capernaum, a centurion came up to Him, begging Him [for help], and saying, “Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, with intense and terrible tormenting pain.” Jesus said to him, “I will come and heal him.” But the centurion replied to Him, “Lord I am not worthy to have You come under my roof, but only say the word and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man subject to authority [of a higher rank], with soldiers subject to me, and I say to one, ‘Go!’ and he goes, and to another ‘Come!’ and he comes, and to my slave, ‘Do this!’ and he does it.” When Jesus heard this, He was amazed and said to those who were following Him. “I tell you truthfully, I have not found such great faith [as this] with anyone in Israel.
“I say to you that many [Gentiles] will come from the east and west, and will sit down [to feast at the table, and enjoy God’s promises] with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven [because they accepted Me as Savior], while the sons and heirs of the kingdom [the descendants of Abraham who will not recognize Me as Messiah] will be thrown out into the outer darkness; in that place [which is farthest removed from the kingdom] there will be weeping [in sorrow and pain] and grinding of teeth [in distress and anger].” Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go; it will be done for you as you have believed.” And the servant was restored to health at that very hour.
When Jesus went into Peter’s house [in Capernaum}, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law lying sick in bed with a fever. He touched her hand and the fever left her; and she got up and served Him.
When evening came, they brought to Him many who were under the power of demons; and He cast out the evil spirits with a word, and restored to health all who were sick [exhibiting His authority as Messiah], so that He fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Isaiah: “He Himself took our infirmities [upon Himself] and carried away our diseases.”
Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to cast off for the other side of the Sea of Galilee. Then [on His way to board the boat] a scribe [who was a respected and authoritative interpreter of the Law] came and said to Him, “Master, I will accompany You [as Your student] wherever You go.” Jesus replied to him, “Foxes have holes and the birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.”
Another of the disciples said to Him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father (collect my inheritance).” But Jesus said to him, “Follow Me [believing in Me as Master and Teacher], and allow the [spiritually] dead to bury their own dead.”
When He got into the boat, His disciples followed Him. And suddenly a violent storm arose on the sea, so that the boat was being covered by the waves, but Jesus was sleeping. And the disciples went and woke Him, saying, “Lord, save us, we are going to die!” He said to them, “Why are you afraid, you men of little faith?” Then He got up and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was [at once] a great and wonderful calm [a perfect peacefulness]. The men wondered in amazement, saying “What kind of man is this, that even the winds and the sea obey Him?”
When He arrived at the other side in the country of the Gadarenes, two demon possessed men coming out of the tombs met Him, they were so extremely fierce and violent that no one could pass by that way. And they screamed out: “What business do we have [in common] with each other, Son of God? Have You come to torment us before the appointed time [of judgment]?” Some distance from them a large herd of pigs was grazing. The demons began begging Him, “If you drive us out, send us into the herd of pigs.” And He said to them, “Go!” So, they came out [of the men] and went into the pigs, and the whole herd rushed down the steep bank into the sea and died in the water. The herdsmen ran away, and went to the city and reported everything, including what had happened to the men under the power of demons. And the whole city came out to meet Jesus, and as soon as they saw Him, they begged Him to leave their region.

Saints, as you can see, Jesus was able to reach only so many people on that day in one place. In John 21:25 it says: “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.” However, Jesus recognized with all that He was doing, many more were in need of salvation. So, what did He do?

He told His disciples to pray that God would raise up and send out more workers as His hands and feet (Matthew 9).
He called, trained, equipped, and sent out His own workers—disciples—to multiply his reach. He gave His twelve disciples power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease (Matthew 10). Notice that His disciples were sent out with power. If you go out representing Him, you too will have power. You only have to believe!
And, then at the end of His earthly ministry, He passed on to His disciples the on-going mission of making disciples of all nations (Matthew 28:18-20).

Jesus knew that to progressively teach all peoples throughout all time with the good news of His salvation, He would need His followers to multiply and continue His work from next door to everywhere, from generation to generation. As the apostle Paul said in Rom. 10:14-15 Amp. “For whoever calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” But how will people call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how will they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher (messenger)? And how will they preach unless they are commissioned and sent [for that purpose]? Just as it is written and forever remains written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!

The statistics show that the people around us who need a Savior is ever increasing. The number of disciple makers is insufficient to carry out Jesus’ vision for all peoples to be saved through Him. The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are still too few.

Earlier, I went over what some of the people and churches suffered in Nigeria and China because of their witness for the Lord. Saints of God, you may not be aware of it but persecution is here in America! Angry atheists and anti-Christian radicals have been trying to destroy prayer and religious expression from public life. Now a judge has agreed with them, banning public prayer. Today, the case has reached the Supreme Court and The American Center for Law and Justice has filed a brief in the case to overturn the ban on public prayer. The atheist Madelyn Ohara was successful in banning prayer from schools many years ago. Now, they want to ban public prayer from public life!

Again, the atheists and anti-Christian radicals recently tried to take away churches and religious organizations’ tax exemption for not being in agreement with the recently approved “Recognition of Gay and Interracial Marriages.” Much to their chagrin, an insertion had been included in the bill, exempting churches and religious organizations from having to approve of something that was against their beliefs. Praise the Lord!

As we see persecution rising up, the Church must take a stand and defend public prayer and any other ungodly thing coming down the line. The Church and any of its members must wake up from its’ state of apathy and get busy.

From all the recent teachings from Pastor Joyce and this sermon, we have our assignment. As followers of Jesus Christ, we’re called to live as He lived and continue His disciple making work, as He set forth. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ means not just learning more about Him. It also means being a disciple-maker for Jesus. Disciple making means we aren’t just being a disciple and growing spiritually ourselves—we’re purposefully making disciples, helping others grow spiritually, and equipping them to go and make disciples in turn.

As our title of today’s message says: “Our Lord and Savior Was Born to Die; Let Us Live to Multiply Jesus’ Reach!” He is calling Exousia Ministries’ Members in Maryland to the evangelistic field of Germantown to multiply Jesus’ reach. To our out-of-town Zoom members, don’t be surprised if our Lord and Savior presents opportunities for you to minister to individuals in areas nearby your homes. He will be desirous of you making disciples where you are. We will send you a few witness cards to keep in your car, so when needed you can use them. Pastor and I want you to invite them to join in the Services on Zoom and we will help you to disciple them.

In any event, He wants us to:

Pray that God will raise up people in our communities for us to disciple;
Call, train, equip and send out those people to do God’s work; and
Pass on to them the calling to multiply Jesus’ work by making disciples who make disciples.

On this Christmas Sunday in the year 2022, since our Lord and Savior was born to die for us; let us make the decision that we will live to extend and multiply Jesus’ reach everywhere we go because Jesus Christ is worthy of any price we have to pay! Hallelujah, Hallelujah, give the Lord a praise offering for His message today.