JESUS CHRIST: His purpose

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Did Jesus Christ come for any particular purpose? I am sure that some of us have immediate answers. Some answers would be based merely on opinions and there are others that would base their answers on what Scripture says.

In my previous blog I shared with you about Jesus Christ coming to identify Himself with us by taking the position of a servant. He came to serve and to accomplish the purposes of God for all humanity which no one else could. [Luk 19:10 KJV] “For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.” How would He accomplish this? The answer is based on the following Scripture [Mar 10:45 NASB20] “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.”

This is not about being religious, but it has everything to do with a fact of life, and that is, that we all have sinned. [Rom 3:23 KJV] “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God. . .” The Bible tells us [Rom 6:23 KJV] “For the wages of sin [is] death. . .” Where did this originate? In the story of Adam and Eve God told them that the day they would rebel against His commandment they would die. And God cannot go against His judgement of sin. Man was sentenced to die, and, as a result of his disobedience He died spiritually and physically.

Jesus, the Son of God, was chosen to come and remedy the problem. Otherwise, mankind was doomed for eternal destruction. Redemption was the answer. Jesus Christ became our redeemer. The word redeem means to set free, rescue, save or deliver. So, it meant that for us to have a chance for salvation Jesus Christ would have to die to pay the ransom. He came to fulfill the plan of God to take our place by going to the cross.

This was not an easy thing to accomplish. Jesus understood the tremendous suffering He would go through as evidenced on the night He was arrested. The Garden of Gethsemane was the scene in which Jesus took some disciples with Him to pray. His prayer had everything to do with what He was about to experience [Mar 14:32-36, 39 NASB20] “They came to a place named Gethsemane . . . And He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be very distressed and troubled. And He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch.” And He went a little beyond [them,] and fell to the ground and [began] praying that if it were possible, the hour might pass Him by. And He was saying, “Abba! Father! All things are possible for You; remove this cup from Me; yet not what I will, but what You [will.]” … And again, He went away and prayed, saying the same words.” The following day Jesus would be crucified on the cross.

To take our place He permitted His creation to hurt Him, despise Him, torture Him, and then to crucify Him, nailing Him to a cruel cross at Calvary, so that you and I could be saved. But for this sacrifice to be complete Jesus had to rise from the dead as He promised He would. Many religions build shrines at the tomb of their heroes, but the tomb of Jesus is empty. Jesus did rise three days later because this was to confirm and prove that He is truly the resurrection and life. [1Co 15:3-8 NASB20] “For I handed down to you as of first importance what I also received, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. After that He appeared to more than five hundred brothers [and sisters] at one time . . . then He appeared to James, then to all the apostles; and last of all, as to one untimely born, He appeared to me also.”

A question arises at this point: are all men and women saved since Jesus paid the price by redeeming us through His death and resurrection. The answer is “no”! God has never taken away the privilege of our choice. We have every right to accept or refuse to believe what He has done. It is your personal decision to accept Him as your personal saviour. [Jhn 3:16-18 NKJV] “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. “He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

May I invite you at this time if you have not yet done so, to repent and receive Jesus Christ into your heart. [Jhn 1:12 NKJV] “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. . .”

Testimonies . . .

I lived in Winnipeg at the time of my conversion and of course there is more to the story. I came from a farm outside a small down in southern Manitoba. Once I reached the age of maturity I decided to move to Winnipeg and find a job. After finding a job, I also looked for a place to live. I found a place to live not realizing that this would be the family that would be instrumental in my salvation.

David Wilderson, the author of The Cross and The Switchblade, was scheduled to hold a crusade at the Winnipeg Auditorium back in November of 1967. The family that I was staying with invited me to attend this crusade and since I had a vehicle, and they didn’t, it was a way to get me to the crusade. So, I went.

I do not remember the service nor the message that David Wilkerson shared that night. However, I do remember at the tail end of the service there was an invitation given for anyone who wanted to receive Christ into their lives. I knew at that moment that this was it. For a long time, I’d been wanting to do that but without success. This time it was like it was a definite move towards giving my life over to Christ. So, I stepped out of my seat and made my way to the front. There I was met by a counsellor who showed me some Scripture and led me in a sinner’s prayer. It felt so final. In other words, it felt like it was a done deal. I knew I was saved without any lights flashing or any emotions experienced. It was done.

The next morning, however, was a different story. When I woke up it felt like my world was brand new. The snow that was on the ground was whiter then usual, my heart seemed to be filled with joy and peace which I had never experienced before. A few days later, I noticed something else. I had been trying to stop using foul language and swearing but without success, but now it was gone. Praise be to the God of our salvation who delivers us, gives us hope and direction in life. Eventually I was called to the ministry. Right now, I am serving as a chaplain at a Prison Institution. PRAISE THE LORD.

Devotional: reposted.

[2Ti 3:14 NASB20] “You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of . . .”

Joseph Chamberlain was a famous British statesman (1836-1914). In his younger years, he taught Sunday school in Birmingham. His favourite verse of Scripture was  from [Gen 12:5 KJV] “And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.” It was a motto well-suited to a man of his determination and iron will. It also gave him a biblical basis for citing two qualifications for success in life. One is to have the right destination – “they went forth to go into the land of Canaan.” The second is to keep going after we have started – “into the land of Canaan they came.”

As he was facing death, the apostle Paul reflected on his life. He was not a leaf tossed about by the winds; he was an arrow headed for a target. Paul found his direction and destination in his relationship with Christ. And he wanted to cultivate in Timothy the virtues of a well-lived life. He offered himself as a model: “[2Ti 3:10 NKJV] “But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance.” “Stay with it,” he seemed to be saying to young Timothy.

Keeping Christ uppermost in our lives will keep us heading right and give us the strength to keep going.

• HWR