My friend’s grandson once asked me, “Who is this Jesus I hear people talk about?” What did He do to be so famous? Why did He have to die?
Welcome!
In this edition of my blog, I am reflecting on a song by Kari Jobe,
“Forever”
Click HERE for the lyrics video.
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
Vital questions come from an 8-year-old boy. These should also be the same questions for all of us. To most people today, Jesus Christ is a myth, a well-made story, an allegory. They also refer to Him as an escape from reality, a crutch, and an excuse for weak-minded people. For others, Jesus Christ was just a great moral teacher, a good guy who had it all together, a role model.
For us, born-again Christians, Jesus is God in the flesh, Emmanuel. The truth is that Jesus Christ is not a myth; He is a historical figure, and many historians have written about Him. We idolize singers, sports stars, and actors blessed with extraordinary abilities and seek to know everything about them. We spend our precious time worshipping them, dedicating time, effort, and devotion.
What about Jesus?
We should research before dismissing the King of Glory, our Creator, as just a myth.
Jesus living a perfect life, without sin, and then dying on the cross for our sins is foolishness for those blinded by the god of this age, as the Apostle Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 4:4.
But, for those that God is calling, Jesus Christ dying on the cross is the power of God (1 Corinthians 1:18)
For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
That is excellent news. God Almighty loves us and has sent us a rescuer, Someone who will pay our ransom and set us free from our bondage to sin, our redeemer.
This good news is the Gospel of Christ. Below is the Gospel in the Bible as explained by the Apostle Paul:
Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve. After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have fallen asleep. After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles.
1 Corinthians 15:1-7
Four main parts of the Gospel:
- Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures
- Christ was buried for three days
- Christ rose on the third day from death, according to the scriptures
- Christ was seen alive and risen by numerous eyewitness accounts
This blog covers the third and fourth points. If you need an explanation or need to touch upon the first two points of the Gospel, read my article on salvation on my blog.
Jesus dying in our place for our sins is good news, but if Jesus Christ did not rose from the dead, we would still be forgiven but would not have eternal life; as Paul wrote a few verses later:
And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty.
1 Corinthians 15:14
The resurrection of Christ is a critical element in the Gospel.
Many religions have sprung up on the earth, looking for followers and fortunes to control and manipulate people, and many are trying to explain our existence and our future. Other religions spring up to create gray areas and keep people from the truth found in the Holy Bible. These gray area religions, sometimes called cults, have founders or self-made prophets, long dead or dying.
How can they save you or guide you if eternal life is not in them?
Most cults miss identifying who Jesus is concerning God! The leaders of these religions are here for a little while and then gone. All the bones of these religious leaders are still in the grave.
When it comes to Jesus Christ, there is an empty tomb.
He is Risen and alive today, sitting at the Father’s right hand, interceding for us as the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans chapter 8, verses 33 to 34.
When it comes to part 4 of the Gospel, many have doubts that Jesus actually died and rose again, as there are many theories you can read on the internet. Some say the disciples stole the body, some say that He did not die, just passed out, etc. These theories are pushed by workers of iniquity who want to cause doubts in people’s minds and keep them from trusting Christ.
More than 500 people saw Jesus after the resurrection, as recorded in history records and the Bible itself in 1 Corinthians 15:5-7.
When did the resurrection of Christ become real to me?
I came to know for certain that Jesus rose from the grave because no one will die for a lie!
The story of Peter’s denial of Jesus is one of the proofs found in the Bible; at least, it is for me. Peter denied he knew Jesus when they arrested Him in the Garden of Gethsemane, and they started to torture Him. Peter and the other disciples began to fear for their lives, maybe thinking that Jesus may not be the Messiah. To the Jews, the Messiah was supposed to be invincible, a military leader, not realizing that He must first suffer for our sins and pay the penalty due us, which is death!
But after the resurrection and at Pentecost (after receiving the Holy Spirit), Peter stood up and boldly defended and proclaimed Jesus in front of the crowd, no longer fearing death. Peter now, after seeing Jesus alive again, understood that Christ has power over death and will restore him if killed because of his testimony. As some historians have written, Peter is eventually crucified upside down.
Many disciples were killed after Pentecost, but they did not die for a lie but for the King of kings and the Lord of Lords and are now present with the Lord.
Jesus rose again, trampling over the power of death.
For this, we can trust Him as the only one in which we can place our faith for continued living. The resurrection of Christ is why Jesus can claim that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one can come to the Father except through Him. He lives forever, and we will also live forever if we place our faith, our complete trust, in Him.
God imparts that power over death to us by making a deposit, a guarantee, sealing us by the Holy Spirit of God, as the Apostle Paul wrote:
Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us and given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
Someday, Jesus will clothe us with our eternal body, either when we die physically (or fall asleep, as the New Testament calls it) or at the rapture (See my blog on The Rapture Part 1). At that time, we can shout the words of the Apostle Paul:
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”
“O Death, where is your sting?
O Hades, where is your victory?”
1 Corinthians 15:51-55
My friends, do not be like the foolish dying without hope. Trust in Jesus Christ today. He is alive today and has Risen! And He promised this when He was with us:
…“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?”
John 11:25-26
Do you believe this?
Do you want to know more?
Do not wait to change before coming to Jesus; come to Jesus today, and He will begin to change you from the inside out and make you a new creation fit for His service!
Like the 8-year-old, we should research Jesus Christ, inquire about Him, and devote time to Him. In Jeremiah 29:11-13, God says He has a plan for His children. He promised we will find Him when we seek Him with all our hearts.
To God, be the glory!
Everything was created By Him, For Him!
“The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; The Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.” Numbers 6:24-25
Disclaimer
I write this blog as I get inspired by God. Consider this writing as a Bible study. Like the Bereans In Acts 17:11, search the Scriptures to determine whether what I write is so. Always consult with your church ministers about biblical matters. I am also not a professional writer, so some grammar or spelling errors may be. I try my best to write as efficiently as possible. Your brother, In-Christ, Ricardo
