When The Father Said "go" Jesus Went

Years ago, on a dangerous sea coast where shipwrecks often occurred prior to advanced navigation aids, there was a little life-saving station. The building was just a hut and they had only one boat, but the few devoted members kept a constant watch over the sea. When there was word of a shipwreck, they went out tirelessly searching for shipwreck victims.

Many lives were saved by this little life-saving station, and some of those who were saved and various others in the surrounding area wanted to become associated with the station and give their time, money, and effort for the support of its work. New life boats were bought and new life-saving crews were trained. The little life-saving hut was replaced by a larger, nicer facility.

Fewer members were now interested in going out on life-saving missions so they hired lifeboat crews to do the work.

At the next meeting there was a conflict of opinion in the club membership. Most of the members wanted to stop the life-saving activity because it was unpleasant and a hindrance to the normal social life of the club.

Some members insisted on life-saving operations as the primary purpose and pointed out they were still called a life-saving station and when they were needed to go to the rescue of shipwreck victims they were pleged to go. But they were voted down and they left to start a real life-saving station farther down the coast.

And as the years went by, the new station experienced the same changes that occurred in the old and it evolved into a club.

The club members forgot that the purpose of the life-saving station was to go when the call was given.

God is constantly saying “Go!” and He expects us to go, in season and out of season; convenient or inconvenient, comfortable or not.

• When told "Go to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let My people go." Moses was unwilling but, after running out of excuses, went reluctantly.

• In contrast to that, Abraham was willing to obey when he was told, “Go forth from your country, And from your relatives And from your father's house, To the land which I will show you; Genesis 12:1 (NASB). So, “Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, and the persons which they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan; thus they came to the land of Canaan.” Genesis 12:5 (NASB).

• Isaiah was willing and said, “I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ Then I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8 (NASB).

People in churches today tend to be one way or the other. Many become unwilling to move out of their comfort zone even to save the lost.

But many still keep the focus on the commission Christ gave, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:18-20 (NASB).

Let us consider the text and notice that when He was told to go, He went. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the Light of men. The Light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe through him. He was not the Light, but he came to testify about the Light. There was the true Light which, coming into the world, enlightens every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, even to those who believe in His name, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we saw His glory, glory as of the only begotten from the Father, full of grace and truth.” John 1:1-14 (NASB). When God the Father said to God the Son, “Go.” Jesus went.