Seeking Real Truth Minisitries - Seeking Higher Faith In Our Lord Jesus Christ

What Jesus Did For Us And Why It Is Important To You.

Now we can clearly see that we are born into sin. We can also see that we sin every day. Wanting what we don't have. Wanting who is not ours to want. Hatred, envy, slanderous speech [name calling], bitterness, unwilling to forgive, the list goes on.

There once was a virgin named Mary who was engaged to a carpenter of Nazareth named Joseph. One night Gabriel, the angel, came to Mary and told her that the Holy Spirit would come upon her. She will conceive a baby and give birth to a son, and his name shall be Jesus.

Joseph did not believe her story. Would you if you were him? I likely would not have believed it either. According to Jewish law at that time, suddenly Mary was guilty of a sin worthy of death by stoning. But Gabriel came to Joseph also and told him what he told Mary. Joseph married her, but did not sleep with her until after Jesus was born. He certainly faced ridicule from the Jewish community of the time. Yet he was obedient to God's command to take Mary as his wife.

Even from birth, Jesus was a marked man. King Herod killed all the newborn boys in Bethlehem two years old and younger - a genocide to rid the world of the promised Messiah before he was even old enough to talk. Yet God saved Jesus through this and other attempts on his life until the appointed time came for Jesus to die on the cross.

So, Jesus came, he lived his life, he told his stories and parables, and he said, "Behold, the kingdom of God is suddenly upon you." He told about what will happen in the future long after his death. He predicted his resurrection. He told about the Old Testament prophecies that spoke about him.

He went out into the desert after being baptized by John for the sole purpose of being tempted by the devil. The bible reports three of the temptations, but don't be deceived into thinking that is all he was tempted. For forty days he was in the desert being tempted, not eating, not drinking.

I don't know if you can imagine how that forty days went. I imagine that Satan took him throughout all of earth's time, past, present, and future, and tempted Jesus with the very sin that you find most appealing despite your knowing how wrong it is. For me, I can clearly see Jesus being tempted with sexy women throwing themselves at him. Whatever your 'pet' sin is, you can be assured Jesus was tempted with it. But one thing he was able to do that we are not able to: He was able to resist even the smallest sin.

He lived a perfect life in our place. While we are unable to go through even a single day without sinning, he went through about thirty-three years without sinning. Then, one week he came to Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey. The Israelites by this time acclaimed him to be a great teacher and prophet. Many realized he was the Messiah, the "King of the Jews". Yet throughout his ministry, he also made it clear that he 'had other sheep in other pastures.' He was referring to the Gentiles, anyone who was not Jewish by birth.

A few days after that triumphal entry to Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, it was passover. He had the Passover feast with his disciples during which he instituted the Lord's Supper. He took bread, broke it, and gave it to his disciples saying "Take and eat. This is my body given for you." Then he took the cup of wine, and gave it to them, and said, "Take and drink. This is my blood of the new covenent of forgiveness." The NEW COVENENT. This is the covenent God promised us in the Old Testament (testament means covenent).

That night Jesus was arrested, tried, found guilty of crimes he did not commit, and was ultimately crucified. He died the death of the worst of sinners, yet he was completely without sin. Even dying on the cross, he was issuing blessings and forgiveness for those who were crucifying him. Meanwhile the two criminals who were crucified with him heaped insults on Jesus, until the one realized suddenly who Jesus was and asked him to be remembered to Jesus' Father in heaven, the same Father who is ours in heaven.

On the third day after his death, Jesus raised himself back to life again. He appeared to many of his disciples, not only the eleven remaining who had been his chosen, but to many others. Then he ascended into heaven where he remains again.

You have no doubt seen "The Passion Of The Christ". If you haven't I urge you to watch it to see even a shadow of what Jesus likely went through during those days. This is what he did. We are unable to live without sinning because of our natural, human descent. But Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit, not by a man. He was conceived of God. He WAS (and still is) God. That is why he was able to live without sin as a human being. He was fully human. He was not some incarnation of God in human form. He had flesh and blood. He became hungry. He was thristy. He lived his life every bit as human as you and I are.

But he was perfect, without sin, falsely accused and convicted, condemned. His blood was shed for the forgiveness of sin. Without the shedding of blood from a perfect being, there can be no forgiveness.

Read the gospel accounts of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. They all provide accounts of the life of Jesus. I suggest reading John first, but by all means, read all four. Then you will find a full picture of Jesus and his birth, life, death, and resurrection.

Now let's go into what he invites us to.