King of Kings. Prince of Peace. Redeemer. Healer. Friend. Comforter. The Way. The Truth. The Life. Immanuel. Messiah. Yeshua.
Jesus Christ.
Who is Jesus?
Jesus Christ is "the Messiah, the son of the Living God." (Matthew 16:16) He was sent by God to be born of a virgin(Luke 1:31-33,35)and to redeem all of humanity from punishment of sin.
"For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:16)
Jesus is not only the Son of God, but God in the flesh. (John 10:30) He is entirely human, yet entirely divine. He is perfect and Holy, yet understands and experienced the struggles of humanity.
Growing up in Nazareth, Jesus preached of His heavenly Father and His wishes for the world and its people. He taught of love, humility, acceptance, forgiveness and faith in God(1 Corinthians 13:13)through parables: stories containing symbolism that people would understand. It was not until His young adult years that He attracted a following that believed in His divinity. Through His ministries as the Son of God, Jewish leaders took offense to His confidence in His identity. Many felt as though Jesus was a fraud, yet His miracles proved otherwise. His acts of healing the blind,(John 9:11)mute, deaf, (Mark 7:31-37) paralyzed,(Matthew 9:2-8) of feeding 5,000, (Matthew 14:13-21) walking on water, calming storms(Matthew 14:22-33) and even raising a man from the dead(John 11:1-46) were recorded in the gospels of four of His disciples, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Although His works of mercy proved that He in fact was the true Son of God, Jewish leaders assembled and decided He should be persecuted for blasphemy. After being tried by the Roman people, Jesus was set to be crucified: one of the most brutal manners of persecution of the time period.
Jesus had done nothing wrong. But He knew this was what He was meant to do as Messiah: Savior of the World. He took our punishment for us by dying a dreadful death on the cross. Sin is within all of us, and the wage for sin is death (Romans 6:23). But Jesus loves us so much that He took that punishment for us so that we could live a beautiful life here on earth, and a perfect life in Heaven for eternity.
He made the blind see. He made the paralyzed walk. He calmed storms. He walked on water.
He was whipped 39 times. He had a crown of thorns. He carried His own cross. Nails were hammered through His wrists and feet. He was beaten. He died.
For us.
For you.
For me.
But then He lived again.
Because He is God in the flesh, death could not hold Him, and He rose again after 3 days in the tomb.(Acts 2:24) He ascended into heaven and is now seated at the right hand of God the Father. And He wants you to get to know Him.
Why Should I Follow Jesus?
Jesus didn't die on the cross for us to keep choosing death. The first people on earth, Adam and Eve, disobeyed God. From that moment on, all humans were born with the tendency to do just that. These acts of rebellion are what God calls sin.
Our sins make it impossible for us to get to God. It separates us from Him. He is Holy and without flaws, and our sins make us eternally flawed. Our sins make it impossible for us to be Holy like God, therefore the punishment for sin is death.
But what Jesus did on the cross redeems us from death and gives us eternal life. He already paid for the sins that cost us our lives when He died for us. Without Jesus, there is no way to God or to eternal life. Jesus died so that we don't have to. He took every sin and curse upon Himself so that we could be set free.
"But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed" (Isaiah 53:5)
Living through Jesus Christ is the only way for us to be totally fulfilled in our lives on earth. Though we will always continue to sin, Jesus died so that we can be forgiven of our sins, no matter what, and be able to live for eternity with Him. HE IS THE ONLY WAY TO HEAVEN and THE ONLY WAY TO GOD. (John 14:6) God is our provider, our deliverer and our healer. We will only find true peace when we live for Jesus, and that starts when we accept Him into our hearts.
How Can I Accept Jesus?
The bible says: "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the Scripture says, 'everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame'....For 'everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.'" -Romans 10:9-11,13
You can accept Jesus with a simple prayer:
"Lord Jesus, thank You for showing me how much I need You. Thank You for dying on the cross for me. Please forgive all of my failures and the sins of my past. Make me clean and help me start fresh with You. I now receive you into my life as my Lord and Savior. Help me to love and serve You with all my heart. Amen."
If you prayed that prayer and accepted Jesus today, please leave your information below to recieve a free devotional to start you on your journey with Christ! Congratulations!
Now What?
First of all, congratulations on your decision to follow Jesus Christ!
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation: the old has gone, the new is here!" (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Your relationship with God will only be as strong as you make it! Start studying the bible and pray consistently. Now that Jesus is in your life, you will see it transform before your eyes!! God bless!!
"Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you." (James 4:8)