"WHAT IF?"

" If I had not come... " John 15:22

Have you ever played “what if” in your head? One of my favorite movies is a
sci-fi movie called The Final Countdown in which a US Navy nuclear carrier is taken back in time to the South Pacific on December 6, 1941. The upshot of the movie is that it presents the hypothetical dilemma of “what if a nuclear powered carrier of the United States Navy with all of its firepower had a chance to stop the Japanese fleet and their attack at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941?” Should they do it? Do they dare attempt to change the course of history? What would happen if they did? As you could imagine all sorts of “what if” questions were raised by the film. Well that was fantasy, but in John 15:22 which is really just a fragment of a verse, Jesus invites us to consider a real possibility. What if Jesus Christ had not come to earth? What if he had not been born in Bethlehem? What if he had not walked the dusty roads of Judea? What if he had not uttered those wonderful words we call the Sermon on the Mount? What if he had not walked on water? What if he had not made the blind see, the deaf hear, the lame walk? What if he had never raised the dead? What if we didn’t have his words to comfort us, to challenge us, to teach us, and to lead us to God? What if he never died on the cross? What if he never rose from the dead? What if he never sent his disciples out into the world? Where would we be? And what kind of world would this be? How would things be different if he had not come? Jesus said, "If I had not come."

What difference would it have made if a Bethlehem stable had never served as a makeshift delivery room? On the lighter side, if Jesus had not come there would be no Christmas holiday, no Christmas cards, no Christmas trees, no Santa Claus, no presents, no Christmas carols. What would we do in December?! But more seriously, if Christ had not come, there would be more than an absence of holiday festivities. There would be no New Testament, no Christians, and No churches anywhere if he did not come. We would not be here. No blogs by Pastor Bill. No missions. No evangelism. All would be gone, vanished into the mist if Christ had not come.
But the news is much worse than that…If Christ had not come, the promises of God would be unfulfilled. If Christ had not come, the world would still be in darkness. If Christ had not come, we would all be dead and lost in our sin. If Christ had not come, we would not know the Fatherhood of God or that God is love. We would not have known the beauty and glory of God. If Christ had not come, there would be no gospel to believe. If Christ had not come we would have no ground for hope, joy, or peace. If Christ had not come, there would be no Christmas and no Easter. If Christ had not come, there would be no hope beyond the grave. If Christ had not come, we would still be lost for there would be no Savior for sin. If Christ had not come, there would be no Good News to preach to the nations. Listen again to the words of the angel, and think of what it means for us.

Without Jesus, Mary Magdalene would have died in her sin. Matthew would still have been a traitor to his countrymen.The Roman soldier would have continued his cruelty. Peter, James and John would have done nothing more with their lives than fish for a living. The Apostle Paul would never have been more than a cruel Pharisee steeped in legalism with an unrelenting demand for perfection from other people. The people who needed healing, during that time, would still have been broken in body and spirit. The lame would still have been lame. The blind would have remained in their darkness. The deaf would have still lived in silence


We would never have heard the words: “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid” John 14:27

Or “I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete” John 15:11

And “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” John 10:10

We would never hear the great words of the New Testament: “For 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. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” John 3:16-17


Jesus said, "If I had not come." But thank God, he came. " Jesus really did come! The angel said “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord…The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.” (Luke 2:10-11; John 1:14)

How would I live, how would I know . . . If Jesus never came? How could I love . . . And praise His name, without His birth? He came to set us free from sin . . . And take us all to be with Him. How would I know . . . If Jesus never came? Could I survive in this dark world . . . If Jesus never came? He gives me strength to walk the path He chose for me .The Father made a way for me. . To be with Him eternally. How would I know . . . If Jesus never came? Praise God He sent His Son to be . . . A Savior just for me! He walks with me . . . And holds me in His loving arms …I praise His holy name on high . . . And thank Him that He came and died... What would I do . . . If Jesus never came? How could I run from His deep love . . . And think to go MY way? He brings me home . . . in love forgives . . . And sets me free. Oh! Thank you Lord . . . for loving me. . Despite all that I've yet to be …What would I do . . . If Jesus never came?

Pastor Bill