By Justin Edwards
Last week I posted the first three parts of this series that outlined some of the attributes of the Lord Jesus Christ, who is the only true God. In Part 1 it was shown that Jesus is the God of the Old Testament; that He is unchanging; that He is the Alpha and the Omega; and that He is a God of love, mercy, and grace. Part 2 outlined that Jesus is a holy and righteous God; and Part 3 showed that He is a just judge who will pour out His wrath on those who have rebelled against Him (those who reject the Gospel or live a lifestyle contrary to it). Yet, for those with ears to hear and eyes to see, there is Good News!
Despite His terrible and just wrath against the wicked - all born into this world who have a sinful nature - the Lord Jesus Christ is rich in mercy. He has provided a way out for sinners to escape the wrath to come. If you have a penitent heart for having sinned against God, pay attention to what the Bible says about the Savior.
The Suffering Servant
Who has believed what he has heard from us? And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed? 2 For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of dry ground; he had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. 3 He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
4 Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 5 But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. 6 All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned—every one—to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7 He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. 8 By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the living, stricken for the transgression of my people? 9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.
10 Yet it was the will of the Lord to crush him; he has put him to grief; when his soul makes an offering for guilt, he shall see his offspring; he shall prolong his days; the will of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. 11 Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and he shall bear their iniquities. 12 Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
Listen to C.J. Mahaney portray the account of Christ's sufferings from the 2007 Resolved Conference message titled The Suffering Servant.
The Redemptive Savior
Why did Christ come? He most certainly did not come to give you your "best life now", nor did He come to merely give us an example for which to live by. Scripture tells us He came to shed His blood, without which there can be no remission of sin (Hebrews 9:22):
She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. - Matthew 1:21
Who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. - Romans 4:25
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, - 1 Corinthians 15:3
So Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. - Hebrews 9:28
He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. - 1 Peter 2:24
For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. - 2 Corinthians 5:21
The Love of God
Why did Christ have to die? As shown above, the shedding of blood is necessary to atone for sin. There is no other way. Why is this the case? The only answer I have is it is the infinite wisdom of God that decreed it necessary, and our thoughts are not God's thoughts, neither are our ways His ways (Isaiah 55:8). If He said it is good and necessary, then it must be good and necessary and I accept that by faith. But what was the motivation behind it all? The Good News is based on love:
Greater love has no one than this, that someone lay down his life for his friends. - John 15:13
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers. - 1 John 3:16
I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. - John 10:11
In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. - 1 John 4:9-10
For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. - Romans 5:6-8
Ironically enough, Love epitomized is the most hated person in the world.
Jesus the Only Way
You have no doubt heard that Christ said in John 14:6,
I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Whether you have heard it once or a thousand times, it remains true. You must go through Jesus Christ by faith in order to receive eternal life. There is no life found in Buddha, Allah, Mother Earth, New Age philosophy, the Catholic jesus, the Mormon jesus, the liberal jesus, the social justice jesus, or any other jesus who is not the Narrow Way Jesus. This is what He says,
Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few. - Matthew 7:13-14
Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able. - Luke 13:24
Only those with contrite hearts will enter the kingdom of God as the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 7:10,
For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death.
If you want Life and to escape God's wrath, this is what Jesus says to you:
I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. - John 6:35
Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again. The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. - John 4:13-14
I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, 26 and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this? - John 11:25-26
Do you want this Bread and Water? Do you want Life?
Jesus Is Worthy
The Son of God is worthy for you to come to Him.
He was crushed by His own Father to demonstrate His love toward sinners. Are you a sinner?
God killed His own Son, who willingly laid His life down for His sheep. Are you one of His sheep?
Jesus refrained from saving Himself so that He could save and heal the sick. Are you sick from the disease of sin?
Beaten, cursed, afflicted, bruised, scorned, mocked, tormented, and brutalized - is He not worthy of your worship, praise, devotion, allegiance, love, and surrender?
A perfect man, the only one to ever grace this earth, became sin so His Father could punish Him as our substitute. He bore the iniquities of His children. Are you one of His children? Is He not worthy for you to come home? To receive your inheritance?
The angels know He is worthy and sing,
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing! - Revelation 5:12
The saints exalt Him by singing,
Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created. - Revelation 4:11
The glorified creatures of heaven proclaim,
Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb!...Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.” - Revelation 7:10-12
Is the Lord Jesus Christ not worthy of you to join the heavenly choir?
Purchased to Be Set Free
Jesus tells us in John 8:34-36
Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is a slave to sin. 35 The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son remains forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.
Dear friend, do you want to be set free? Do you want to know and have true freedom? Freedom from the bondage of your sin, freedom from the god of this world, freedom from your enslavement to your flesh, freedom from the love of the world and the things of this world? Do you want this freedom? This is why Christ purchased His people with His own blood - to set them free! He bought us to set us free!
Jesus, a holy and righteous God of love and wrath, will set His people free. If you are of His people, and you are weary from the chains, cry out to Christ to be set free. Don't wait any longer, today is the day of salvation. To illustrate this point, that Christ bought us to set us free, listen to Paris Reidhead below. Truly, when our freedom is purchased by One so worthy, we will want nothing more than to be His slave.
Won't you be a slave to Christ? That is the Good News, dear friend. The freedom is yours for the taking - become a slave to the worthy and glorious risen King. Yield your life to Christ, and be free.
