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Jesus |
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There was a time when I had reached a place where it seemed no light could ever shine. I had been taken to Sunday School, raised in the church, but I was in my rebellious years and I was far away from that. Then, one night, I reached the nadir. Something had to give. I knelt and prayed. There was no faith in it. I simply told God, "I have to know whether you are there or not. I'm willing to stay here all night and wait on you, but when this night is over you will forever exist or not exist and I'm going to live my life accordingly." That night, I learned that He was there and listening to me. We are all sinners. (Romans 3:23) No matter how well intentioned we are, no matter how hard we try, we all commit sins, almost on a daily basis. Sin has a price tag. (Romans 6:23) That price is death. Death entered the world because Adam and Eve sinned and God could not stand the sight of sin, nor could a just God let it go unpunished. (Genesis 2:19) Sin also has its wages. (2 Peter 2:13) I know few, if any, people who never feel any remorse for the wrongs they have done. The guilt that we carry is a heavy burden that causes strained family relationships, unhappiness, rebellion and resentments. The wrongs we do all have their consequences. All of these things change our lives, even damage our own health. The God who is always just is also, however, always merciful. From the beginning God had a plan to redeem - buy back - man from Satan's dominion. He begins telling about it as early as the third chapter of the Book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible, where he warns Satan that a child born of woman will be his enemy and will crush him. (Genesis 3:15). He says that through this child all earth shall be blessed. (Genesis 12:3). Beginning about 1000 years before the birth of Christ, God gave information about this man to those who followed his teachings, listened to what he had to say and faithfully delivered his words to the people. We call these men prophets, and the things God had to say to them about the birth of Jesus get pretty specific. He said Jesus would be a descendant of Jesse (Isaiah 11:1-6). He said his way would be prepared by John the Baptist (Isaiah 40:3, Malachi 3:1). He said he would put his own spirit upon him. (Isaiah 42:1-4, Matthew 3:16). He said he would remove iniquity from the world in one day. (Zechariah 3:8). He said he would be of lowly birth, (Zechariah 9:9) and would be born of a young virgin. (Isaiah 7:14). He said this king would come to Jerusalem riding on the back of a donkey. (Zechariah 9:9) All of these prophecies and more were fulfilled in the life of Jesus. Either he was exactly who he said he was or he was the most powerful charlatan of all time, for 2000 years after his death men are still looking to him and believing. God invites you to examine what he says closely. Although you must find within yourself an element of faith, he does not ask you to suspend your own intelligence and follow blindly. He says to try, and prove, his words and see for yourself if they are not true. (1 Thessalonians 5:21, Malachi 3:10) Jesus just had three short years of ministry. Yet, in that time, he had more impact on the world then any other man who ever lived. While he ministered on earth, he did many miracles that amazed those who followed him. There are those who try to explain these away by natural occurrences, yet even the skeptics have had to accept that the Lord did heal people, because the doctors of that day believed it. Look, for instance, at how many times the physician Luke describes these miracles in his writing. (Luke 4:38-39, 5:12-16, 7::31-37, 15:17-26, 6:6-11, 6:17-19, 7:21-22, 13:10-17, 14:1-6, 22:14-15, 17:23, 8:43-48. Luke even vouches for the raising of Jairus' daughter and the Widow of Nun's son from the dead. (Luke 7:11-16, and Luke 8:41-42) These miracles show us that Jesus had the power to intervene in those situations in our lives that we can't cope with. He can change the circumstances and change our attitudes and make things work for us, not against us. Yet, even that would not take away our guilt. His greater mission was to take the world back from Satan's grip and restore it to God and only his death on the cross could do that. It was not easy for him. He prayed so earnestly just before the crucifixion that his sweat was like drops of blood falling on the ground. (Luke 22:44) He asked, as any of us would, for God to remove the need for the horrible death he was facing. But there was no other way. By this one man, and by the sacrifice he made, the whole world was given a chance to be free - free of the burden of sin and guilt. The blood one innocent man shed on the cross paid the price to justify us all (put us back into line) with God. God no longer had to turn his face away from us because we were covered by sin. Instead, now he looks at those who have chosen to follow Jesus and all he can see is his much-loved son. Jesus had a band of followers, men we know as the disciples. The death of the Master plunged them into fear and confusion. Then a miraculous thing happened. Christ arose from the dead! He was seen by many people before he ascended into heaven. He pointed the way for all to follow him to an everlasting life and he had already told us that he would go to prepare a home for us in Heaven. (John 14:2-3) Truly he did give us a more abundant life, one that is ours forever. (John 10:10) We mourn the loss of family and friends here on earth, yet we are promised we can join them for eternity in Heaven. Death, where is thy sting? God will never turn away anyone who wants to know him and know Jesus. (Matthew 7:7-8) If you open your heart to him, he will be there for you. This message is for anyone who wants to come. (John 3:16) Test it. What have you got to lose? Wherever you are right now, if you feel the need for peace, joy and forgiveness in your life, talk to God. Just be honest. He knows all about you anyway. Tell him you recognize that you are a sinner and need to be saved. Ask him to let you feel his presence and his love. Tell him that you want to be a follower of Jesus. That's it. That's all. He will come to you. He's standing ready now, waiting for your call. When you have met him, commit yourself to learning all you can about him. Find a church fellowship that will support your search for knowledge of God. He has many promises for you that you need to learn about. Talk to God often. We call it prayer, but it doesn't have to be anything formal. Just talk with him daily. You can't expect him to tell you what to do if you're not speaking to him. Read the Bible. In it is a wealth of knowledge that will empower you to deal more effectively with your life and build your hope in the life to come. |
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