Jesus Christ's incarnation, His ministry, crucifixion, death, and ascension
Why did Jesus come in to the world? There was story told once that a
man was sitting in porch watching birds play in the snow, but when it became
unbearable for them to stay any longer in the cool weather outside they sought
refuge in to the house, but they feared man sitting in the porch. The man
moved a bit and invited them to come in, but they would not come in. The man
threw few grains, yet they would not come in because of the fear that the man
might harm them. Then the man thought that he should become one like them and
invite them in to the house. Yes, when he became one like them and invited them,
they readily accepted him and hopped in to the house. Similarly, God is
so great and awesome that we would not be able approach him unless he became a
man to be the mediator for us and lived among us. The Bible says no man has ever seen God. Moses asked for
seeing him, but he could see only the back portion of him, when he walked by the
cleft, where God stationed him to watch him pass by. That is why, the
Father in heaven sent his One and only Son in to the world to become one like us
and to preach about the Kingdom of God. Jesus told us that He and the
Father are one. Jesus lived a poor life and walked great distances on this
earth, and
also went by small boats to reach places to preach repentance and the imminence
of the Kingdom of God. Jesus did miracles on this earth, healed many sick,
freed men from the possession of demons, raised dead and finally he himself
became the perfect sacrifice for us.
God placed Adam and Eve to move freely in the Garden of Eden, and God walked
with them in the cool of the day. But one day, Satan went to them and
deceived them by asking them to eat the fruit forbidden by God. Satan told Eve
that if that forbidden fruit is eaten, they would become like God and their eyes
will be open. True, the eyes of Adam and Ever were opened not unto seeing
God any more but to become sinners. They found that they were naked and ashamed
of coming out to see God any more when he called them. God
provided them skin coats and concealed their shame and nakedness. They lost the
grace of God and became sinners.
Often there is heard among Christians and others as to how some one could die
for our sins and we receive Salvation. Their question arises as as a
consequence of their hearing that Jesus died for our sins and whoever accepts
him will be saved. The Bible provides answer and if any one seeks answer
outside the Bible, he/she is only casting aspersions on the efficacy of the
precious blood shed on the cross by the Lamb of God, who did many miracles in
his time on the earth and showed the way to salvation. The Answer we receive from the Holy Scriptures is YES. Apostle Paul writes in
in epistle to the Romans 3:25 "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation
through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of
sins that are past, through the forbearance of God" and in Romans 5:12
"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so
death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" Just as sin is
inherited by man from his seminal head, Adam, the remission of the sins is
possible by the last Adam, Jesus, who bore our sins upon the cross of Calvary
and died for. Just as Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a
pole, which was lifted high to be seen by every one, and whoever saw that brass
serpent upon the pole was saved, God lifted high and exhibited His one and Only Son upon
the cross, and whoever saw and believed in Jesus was saved and will be saved. The shadow of
Jesus becoming the savior was presented in the Old Testament in Numbers 21:9
The purpose of Jesus dying upon the cross was to provide a way as salvation for
whole mankind that whoso ever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal
life.
Romans 3:21-27 "But now the righteousness of God without the law is
manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness
of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that
believe: for there is no difference: For all have sinned, and come short of the
glory of God; Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is
in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in
his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past,
through the forbearance of God; To declare, I say, at this time his
righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth
in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? of works? Nay:
but by the law of faith"
Jesus was the Son of Man on this earth, yet he was divine and the Son of God.
Jesus lived a perfect and sinless life and bore our sins and died on the cross.
Abraham was ready to sacrifice his son, Isaac, but God provided to him a lamb in
place of his son, as a sacrifice. Hebrews 11:17 "By faith Abraham, when he
was tried, offered up Isaac: and he that had received the promises offered up
his only begotten son" God tested Abraham by asking him to take his only
son Isaac in to the land of Moriah, and offer him as a burnt offering upon the
one fo the mountains, which God would show to him.
Testing is entirely a different from that of temptation. God never tempts any one but he will test his children
to see how firm and true they are in their faith.. It is the Satan that brings
in temptations. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reads. "No temptation has seized you except
what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted
beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way
out so that you can stand up under it". Abraham by faith took his son Isaac, who
willingly obeyed his father's demand of offering a sacrifice and accompanied
him. Isaac did not know that he was to be the sacrifice that Abraham had in his
mind, but
he obediently followed. At one point Isaac even asked his father, where was the
lamb of sacrifice. Genesis 22:7 "And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and
said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire
and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering? Abraham replied to him
that God would provide the sacrifice". Rightly so, God provided sacrifice
when Isaac was bound by Abraham, and was placed upon the wood on the altar.
The angel of the LORD appeared un to Abraham and asked him not to lay hands on
Isaac. Abraham looked up and saw a ram that was caught in a thicket by its
horns. Abraham took the ram and offered him as sacrifice unto the
LORD. The death of Jesus was unique in itself. He came down on to
this earth from the heavenly place and died for us in compliance to the plan of
salvation God had for us. When the offenders of Jesus beat
him and flogged him, he could have called for help from the heavenly Father but
he did not seek such help. When Peter cut off one of the ears of soldiers
in defense of their attack on his Jesus, he was asked to keep back his sword and
was also admonished that those who lived by the sword would die by the sword.
Jesus also asked him if knew that if Jesus desired the Father in heaven would
send an army of angels to defend him. Yes. the Father in heaven
would have sent army of angels to kill all those, who persecuted him, but if he
did that the purpose for which he came in to this world would have been
defeated. When Pilate boasted of himself saying he had power to release Jesus or
crucify him, Jesus firmly said, Pilate could have no power against Jesus except
if it were given him from above. Jesus also warned him saying whoever
delivers him to be crucified had greater sin. (John 19:10-11) Pilate
delivered Jesus to be crucified and who wrote a title and put on the cross.
John 19:19 "And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross.
And the
writing was, JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS"
On the cross Jesus gave up his spirit on his own and commended his spirit in to the
hands of the Father in heaven. He was numbered among the transgressors and none
of his bones was broken,
fulfilling Old Testament prophecies in Isaiah Chapter 53. One of the
ecclesiastical law was that Israelites were asked to keep the LORD's Passover
(Leviticus 23:5). In Exodus 12:3-17 instructions were detailed as to how a
lamb without any blemish to be offered as sacrifice unto the LORD and the blood
of the Lamb be applied on the door posts of their houses so that When the LORD
passes by those homes, he would see the blood of the lamb applied and spare
their first born. In the New Testament the shadow of the sacrifice
of the Lamb of God is fulfilled in the crucifixion of Lord Jesus Christ, who
died on the cross and taking his blood to the Father in heaven as a perfect
atonement. Hebrews 11:28 Through faith he kept the passover, and the
sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them.
Jesus became perfect tabernacle for us not made of man, but becoming a
sacrifice, mediator, and an high priest for us. Hebrews 9:11-14 "But Christ being
come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect
tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; Neither
by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into
the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us. For if the blood of
bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of
Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God,
purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?"
As it began to dawn toward the first week of the day, at the end of Sabbath,
Mary Magdalene and other Mary came to the sepulcher, where Jesus was laid to
rest, after his crucifixion, and death. There was a great earth quake and
the angel of the Lord descended and rolled the stone back and sat upon it.
The angel of the Lord proclaimed good news of the risen Lord Jesus Christ.
Matthew 28:5-6 "And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for
I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen,
as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. The writer Hebrews
says about the risen Lord Jesus Christ, Hebrews 1:3 "Who being the brightness of
his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the
word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right
hand of the Majesty on high".
May His name be glorified.
Dear Friend,
Today is the day of salvation. Please confess your sins
to Jesus Christ and be blessed. Receive Salvation and
eternal life. Jesus is the Way, the truth, and the
life. Holy
Bible says God created man, in his own image and named
him as Adam and God put him in a very comfortable place
called 'the garden of Eden' and gave him a wife, whom
Adam named as Eve. God gave Adam and Eve all the freedom
except for eating the forbidden fruit, which Eve and
Adam ate and brought sin into this world. In order to
redeem mankind from their sin God sent his one and only
son, Jesus Christ, who died for our sake, was buried,
rose from the dead and ascended in to heaven.
[...Jesus Saves You...]
God bless
Leslie John
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