If I were to tell you that a friend of yours had given up His life for you, what would your thoughts be? If you pushed through the disbelief of someone doing this for you, chances are that you would be overcome with emotion. He died… for me?!? Why?
Who is Jesus Christ, and where does He fit into all of my spiritual learning? How can He provide peace and comfort in preparation to meet my Maker?
As we have learned in the previous post, I invite you now to HOPE that the things I share in this post with you are true. Prayerfully ask that you can know for yourself what is true about Jesus Christ. Set your internal radar to be ‘tuned in’ with the feelings that you will have while studying about Him.
I began by telling you that He died for you. This is not to guilt you in to feeling like you owe Him something in return. I bring this to your attention to announce one of Christ’s greatest gifts that He has given to us. (More to come on this later).
I want to help you see the wonderful characters of this great leader. By understanding these things, it will set the required background for my next post which is instrumental in preparing you to meet your maker. I would like for you to look forward to meeting Him, rather than shy away from the thought of being, ‘a sinner who is going before a judge to receive his sentence.’
Jesus was actually on the Earth. Wait… What? Take a moment to process that thought. Jesus, “the story” was actually on this Earth. Born as a baby, he grew up on this earth just like you and I are doing. My point here is, there are many spiritual things that we do not have physical hard evidence of. But this is not the case here with Christ.
He was here, people saw Him, they listened to what He taught and recorded His teachings which is now recorded in the New Testament of the Bible. Hundreds if not thousands of people witnessed His life first-hand. So, let’s learn about Jesus from the hard evidence of the information contained in these records. Let’s try to understand everything that we can about Him; Who He was, what He taught us, and how the things that He has done for us will prepare us to “comfortably” meet our maker.
Back in his day there were laws, just like there are laws today in our life. One of the laws on the books was that if someone were to have been caught having committed adultery…(wait for it….) they were to be stoned to death! Serious?!? The punishment was a brutal death from rocks thrown at you from other citizens!
John 8: 1-59, (if you would like to read this story).
A woman had been caught in the act of adultery and taken to a group of people outside that had gathered to listen to the teaching of Jesus. “What shall be done with her?” This question was asked to Jesus, trying to put Him in an impossible position to answer.
These men knew the legal consequences that should be enforced. They also knew that Christ’s teachings were that of love, and empathy. In their minds, the two facts were conflicting. With anticipation from all who were there, Jesus answered…
“Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
Jesus Christ is empathetic. He is loving. He is forgiving. He is wise. He understands you and me. He recognizes men and women’s weaknesses. He has taught us a great deal in just this one sentence. He challenged the law, shedding light onto it’s unfairness, which was supported by the men who dropped their stones and left. He was tuned in to the emotions, and felt compassion and understanding for the woman who had sinned. He knew of her sorrow, and the realization that she knew that she had made a mistake. He also knew of her humility and desire to “try harder each day not to sin”. We acknowledged her remorse.
The Savior knelt next to woman and said,
“I do not condemn you either. Go. From now on sin no more.”
Are you getting this? We have a factual account written in the bible, where a woman who had committed adultery met Jesus Christ in person. Jesus knew of her sin and forgave her, telling her to sin no more.
This too is very telling to us. Sometimes we see “God” as being one that would punish us because of sin by placing us into a fiery burning pit of hell. The Savior would not allow such an unjust event such as stoning someone to death because of their sin. Please note His fairness in this example. Feel His love and compassion, as it overrides the sin.
Onto another example of who Jesus Christ is.
Luke 15:4
Jesus taught people through parables, which are like an example of what to do taught through a story. He talked about being a shepherd over a flock of 100 sheep, and leaving that flock to go searching for just one sheep that was lost. When finding the lost sheep how great the joy would be.
The parable continued; If our shepherd, Jesus Christ, were to leave the 99 people who were righteous and “Need not repentance,” how great would be His joy to find the one sinner and return him to the flock.
Jesus has just taught us a great deal about Himself and God through this parable. We sometimes think that “God” is happier with those people who always seem to go through life without making mistakes. But, as the black sheep… or lost sheep in life, I feel that He would shy away from me and want to be with “those other people”. Is that how you feel? Many do feel that way, but what has He just taught us? He, without question, would find greater joy in leaving the 99 to rescue the one sheep who was lost. THAT’S HOW IMPORTANT YOU ARE TO HIM! He just told you so!
The last, and most important event that the Savior undertook on this earth is called the Atonement. (Focus on your feelings as you learn about this. I would also recommend having a box of tissue nearby).
You might have heard, or have even thought, that God doesn’t like sinners. We feel, and perhaps have even be taught that, “No unclean thing can enter into the presence of God”. When we try to process this thought, we are overcome with guilt and a scene of doom! We think, “well if that’s the case, there is no hope for me”. “Why should I even try then? It’s too hard, and unfair.” Can you relate to these feelings?
Let’s break that down and try to see this through His eyes. God’s presence, or surroundings are without sin. It has to be that way. Think of it like this. Most, if not all of us reading this, are good people. Our current presence or surroundings are filled with sin. There is violence, crime, evil, etc. that is in our town, and perhaps at our job, or within the people that we associate with. This sin in our presence does not represent who I am. I don’t like it! You don’t either. I don’t like living under corrupt leadership and people who are trying to destroy the world. We are living in a Telestial environment, which is not like the environment or presence that God lives in.
God’s environment is without sin. Perfect, and Celestial.
We are sinners.
These two statements seem to conflict, and do not have an obvious acceptable solution allowing our union.
God knew that all of us on the earth would make bad choices which would lead to sin. Because of this knowledge, and with His empathy, fairness, and love, He enabled a solution. He created a way for all of us who have sinned, to have that sin washed away… Forgotten… AS IF IT NEVER HAPPENED. This process is possible through the Atonement.
The Atonement took place before the Savior died for us on the cross. It began by Jesus entering a grove of trees, with a full knowledge of what was about to happen to Him. Within the next many hours, Jesus experienced the pain and consequence of every sin that had occurred, as well as any sin that would come after His death. Sin committed by you and me. He felt the shame of adultery. He experienced the horror of abuse. He felt all of the emotions both of those who had committed grievous crimes such as murder, as well as the emotions and hardships of those who were victims of such actions. He felt everything from the perspective of a sinner, as well as being in the position of those who received consequences from those sins.
“The Savior felt all of this…HE FELT ALL OF THIS. He felt the weight of the anguish of all mankind―the anguish of sin and sorrow. Surely he has borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows.” He did this that night in the grove.
The pain that He experienced by accepting to fulfill the Atonement was so intense, He began to sweat blood from every pour of His body. And, even for Him, the son of God, it pushed Him to His ultimate tolerance limit level, as indicated with what He said,
Matthew 26:39
“And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
Through His Atonement, He has made it possible to heal not only the transgressor, but also the innocent who suffer because of those transgressions.
1 Peter 3:18
“For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit.”
This Atonement is rather difficult to comprehend. I invite you to study it further, as it is indeed one of the best things that has ever happened to benefit us. We also have something that it required on our part to complete this blessed gift.
As we continue this Series, understanding that the Attornment has already taken place is crucial for us in continuing to “Prepare to Meet Your Maker”.
We will learn how to utilize the atonement in my next post, as we discuss the principle of repentance. I invite you to approach this coming post with the HOPE of eliminating some of the greatest burdens that you carry.
Join me… in feeling, “PEACE RIGHT NOW.” As you listen to the song below, the lyrics are the testimony you are seeking. I have provided those words below the link of the song.
Come, Thou Fount of every blessing
Tune my heart to sing Thy grace
Streams of mercy, never ceasing
Call for songs of loudest praise
Teach me some melodious sonnet
Sung by flaming tongues above
Praise the mount, I’m fixed upon it
Mount of Thy redeeming love
Here I raise my Ebenezer
Here there by Thy help I’ve come
And I hope, by Thy good pleasure
Safely to arrive at home
Jesus sought me when a stranger
Wandering from the fold of God
He, to rescue me from danger
Interposed His precious blood
Oh, to grace how great a debtor
Daily I’m constrained to be
Let that goodness like a fetter
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it
Prone to leave the God I love
Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
(Additional Lyrics)
Oh, that day when freed from sinning
I shall see Thy lovely face
Clothed then in the blood washed linen
How I’ll sing Thy wondrous grace
Come, my Lord, no longer tarry
Take my ransomed soul away
Send Thine angels now to carry
Me to realms of endless day
Here’s my heart, oh, take and seal it
Seal it for Thy courts above
Bind my wandering heart to Thee
Life Coach 