Knowing Jesus
Many of us heard about Jesus - we know Him for turning water into wine, feeding the 5,000, resurrecting Lazarus from the dead, the one who walks on water, and very much so, the one who hung on a tree for our sins. We know Him mainly for His ministry, but did you know, Jesus was present even before all that stories were told? He was in the creation when the light first shone on the world, the very King who met with Abraham and blessed him and his men with bread and wine. He is the beginning and the end, the Alpha and Omega. He is the very Word of God who was made flesh and came to dwell among His people. He is the Messiah. He is Lord.
Jesus, the Messiah. The word "Messiah" came from the Hebrew word "Maschiach" which means The Anointed One. In Jewish beliefs, the Messiah refers to a Saviour and King who would come from the lineage of David to restore Israel and usher the Kingdom of God. When Jesus came into the world many years ago, some believed that He was the Messiah, and the purpose of His reign is to liberate the Jews from the Romans. However, His death on the cross left them confused. They were looking at Him on a political point of view and not for the real purpose of His earthly ministry. Only He resurrected were they enlightened that His coming was not to free Israel from earthly rulers but to save those who will put their faith in Him from the bondage of sin and eternity in hell.
Verses
Luke 9:18-20
Now it happened that as he was praying alone, the disciples were with him. And He asked them, "Who do the crowds say that I am?" And they answered, "John the Baptist. But others say Elijah, and others, that one of the prophets of old has risen. Then He said to them, "But who do you say I am?" And Peter answered, "The Christ of God."
1 Peter 1:18-21
knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.
Isaiah 7:14
Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign. Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.
Matthew 1:20-23
But as he considered these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, do not fear to take Mary as your wife, for that which is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel”
Jeremiah 23:5-6
“Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. n his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’
We may have heard so many good news in our lifetime, but Jesus' coming to be the Saviour for us is nothing in comparison. We might not even think we need saving, but we do. For all has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23). At some point we have lied, harbored anger in our hearts, or let our emotions get the best of us. If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us (1 John 1:9). Our sinfulness by nature and choice has eternal consequences that is separation from God. For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).
Jesus is our hope, and we don't even need to earn our salvation. Those who will believe are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God's righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus (Romans 3:25-26).
We must acknowledge we have sinned against the Holy God, repent and believe that He sent Jesus, His One and only Son, fully God in Himself to die on the cross for our sins. He took the penalty so whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life.