I want to sum up four points of why Jesus came to us as a
baby and grew up into the man that could be the pure sacrifice on a cross for
our sin.
1) Christ
came to be Crucified
Colossians 1:12 NKJV:
giving thanks to the Father who
has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. Jesus’ death on the cross was the payment for
all humanity to qualify us to eternal life, the gift from God. We cannot save ourselves. We have no original goodness in us to even
start making us eligible on our own. By
faith we must agree that God took on the responsibility of our sin despite us
causing it.
That is the kind of love talked about in John 3:16 that
probably is quoted so much we forget how awesome and mind blowing it really
should be to us. God could have chosen
to let us flounder without his help, but instead he sent Christ to die for
us. Ephesians 2:5-6 NLT: that even
though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ
from the dead. (It is only by God’s
grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with
Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with
Christ Jesus. He loves us so much we
become children of God sharing in the inheritance with Christ.
2) Jesus
came to claim us
His love made us part of the family. All we have to do is accept Christ and what
he did for us on the cross in order to have this eternal life and become a
child of God. He truly is the way back
to God and an inner peace we all keep looking for. Humble yourself to this and accept that all
the knowledge you are filled with is making this seem like nonsense and blocking
you from what your soul was made to crave.
Our human knowledge feeds our pride and builds us up, creating fantasies
that do not solve the human dilemma of sin and separation from God.
You will know when you have accepted Christ because he
will send his Holy Spirit to live within you and guide you. He is the seal on this acceptance of
Christ. Ephesians 1:13-14 NKJV: In Him
you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit
of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the
purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
3) Jesus
rescued us
We are lost in the darkness listening to the wrong
voices. We cannot blame anyone but
ourselves for what voices we chose to follow.
Many of us have some inkling of what is in the Bible and about whom
Jesus is. If not, I hope this gives you
at least a basic idea of what Jesus did for us.
We need to trust what aligns with God and to do that we
must accept Christ and receive the gift.
Then we will have the voice of the Holy Spirit to help guide us out of
the darkness.
Whether you have come to believe yet or not, ALL must
deal with the skeletons in the closet.
Don’t hang on to those things that don’t agree with God’s Word once you
accept Jesus. These will only hold you
back from the life he really wants you to live.
Don’t be afraid to stumble because Christ will carry you when you can’t
manage it yourself. I know he has carried
me a lot and I keep finding new things to help me improve. Earth is our training ground for what awaits
us in heaven, which we only see in part like through a haze for now.
Let Christ save, heal, and correct you.
4) Jesus
came to redeem us
Finally, he came so we could once again be reconciled to
God despite the sin that came into the world causing a great void between us
and God. He wants to have a loving
relationship with you and adopt you into his family.
It will take a lot of nerve and a strong backbone to
stick to your faith when you accept Christ.
I had many friends who ridiculed me or would not talk to me the same way
after I accepted Christ. However, I
found a peace in life despite it still being full of turmoil. I found a greater family to be tied to with a
great deal of helpful friends that pick me up when I fall down. Persevering through the trials of life helps
us build our faith further in Jesus.
I am hoping this
makes you think about what Jesus did for us and how he helps daily through the
Holy Spirit. I know I am sticking with
him despite everything the world has thrown at me.
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Thank you, Pastor Bob Englehardt, for the sermon I plucked this out of and did my best to write up from my notes.
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