Hello and Happy New Month! It is an a blessing to be alive in this season we are in. It is even a bigger blessing to be entering into the Easter Season ,remembering that Jesus Christ is the reason for the season. Today I want to talk to you about a man from Galilee. For He has done so very much for you and me and He is still doing so much for the world.
Hebrews 7:24-25 But because Jesus lives forever, His priesthood lasts forever. Therefore He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.
God created humanity to have a close relationship with Him. He created a perfect world for us to live in, but our relationship with God was ruined when humanity decided to disobey God, that defiance was catastrophic, bringing sin and death into the world. The word ‘sin’ means wrong actions, wrong sayings and wrong thinking. Sin separates us from God and leaves us stained for God is pure and Holy, 1 Peter 1:16 "because it is written: 'YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY. God cannot tolerate sin, but He wants our relationship with Him to be restored, so something had to be done about sin. John 3:16-17 For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through Him. The Bible shows that God the Father and Jesus Christ love human beings deeply and want us to share eternal life with them and for that to happen God had to provide a way for us to be saved and delivered from sin and everlasting death. Romans 5:8 tells us, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
Matthew 1:21-23 And she [Mary] shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Jesus Christ came to earth and lived a perfect life, sinless and gave His life for us so we can be saved. He was the lamb that was slain for all human sins. It is by His shed blood that salvation is now made possible for all humans.
We hear the word Salvation so often that we take it lightly and don’t appreciate this beautiful gift that God has given us through Christ Jesus. The Scenarios below are from the Bible after the time Jesus was arrested. Take time to read them and understand the things that The Lord went through .
Matthew 26:57-68 New Living Translation
Jesus before the Council
57 Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered. 58 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to the high priest’s courtyard. He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.
59 Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council[a] were trying to find witnesses who would lie about Jesus, so they could put him to death. 60 But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they could not use anyone’s testimony. Finally, two men came forward 61 who declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” 63 But Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I demand in the name of the living God—tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64 Jesus replied, “You have said it. And in the future you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand[b] and coming on the clouds of heaven.”[c]
65 Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Blasphemy! Why do we need other witnesses? You have all heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?”
“Guilty!” they shouted. “He deserves to die!”
67 Then they began to spit in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. And some slapped him, 68 jeering, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who hit you that time?”
Jesus was arrested and He was brought before the council. The High Priests who had been plotting against Jesus all along went about looking for people who would lie and bear false witness and accuse Him of things He didn’t even do. Many people were willing to come forth and lie , they accused Jesus of blasphemy and found Him guilty, that was all for you and I and the rest of the world. Jesus Christ went through all that torment because of us.
BIBLE PLAN ON SALVATION
Matthew 27:11-26 New Living Translation
Jesus’ Trial before Pilate
11 Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. “Are you the king of the Jews?” the governor asked him.
Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
12 But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent. 13 “Don’t you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?” Pilate demanded. 14 But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor’s surprise.
15 Now it was the governor’s custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted. 16 This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas.[a] 17 As the crowds gathered before Pilate’s house that morning, he asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 (He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)
19 Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.”
20 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death. 21 So the governor asked again, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?”
The crowd shouted back, “Barabbas!”
22 Pilate responded, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?”
But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”
24 Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”
25 And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!”[b]
26 So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.
Jesus Christ appeared before Pontius Pilate and the accusations continued but Jesus did not back away from His mission to save us. He was persecuted and still stood His ground because He knew what He had come to this earth to do. The crowd became rowdy, condemned Him to be crucified and chose somebody else , a notorious prisoner over Jesus Christ whom they had seen doing good works . He still stood His ground and did not waiver even after the rejection from the world He was dying for , Jesus chose you and me. He chose us.
Matthew 27:27-31 New Living Translation
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27 Some of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters[a] and called out the entire regiment. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a sceptre. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, “Hail! King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it. 31 When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.
Jesus went through all this for you ,imagine if you were in His place, would you be able to bear the humiliation, the beatings, the pain, the mockery, the spit, the removal of your clothes, the shame and disgrace, knowing that you are going to your death for the very people who are persecuting you but Jesus bore it all for you. He chose you.
Matthew 27:32-44 New Living Translation
The Crucifixion
32 Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene,[a] and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33 And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”). 34 The soldiers gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.
35 After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.[b] 36 Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there. 37 A sign was fastened above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Two revolutionaries[c] were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39 The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. 40 “Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
41 The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus. 42 “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him! 43 He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.
They gave Jesus wine mixed with Gall (a bitter tasting substance made of plant e.g. wormwood).They nailed Him to the cross, gambled His clothes, the people passing by shouted abuse at Him and were shaking their heads in mockery. Even the religious folk taunted Him and threw His good deeds in His face. What a friend we surely have in Jesus, He did this for you, He did this for me , He did it for all of us. He bought our pardon and gave us the gift of Salvation.
What is salvation?
Salvation simply means to be saved, or delivered, from the result of sin which is eternal death. Salvation is possible through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Salvation is a process that begins when we accept Jesus Christ’s sacrifice for our sins. We are saved, or delivered, from our past sins and their penalty (death). We must then begin a life of change and growth, becoming more like our Savior, Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, the term salvation describes two essential components of a Christian’s life:
a) Being delivered from the penalty of sin, which is eternal death (Romans 6:23).
b) Being delivered from mortality and given the gift of eternal life (John 3:15).
Salvation is very important. The Bible calls it “so great a salvation” Hebrews 2:3. Salvation is all about how a Christian can live a better life today and ultimately have eternal life. But that doesn’t mean we only have to “accept” that sacrifice and it ends there because we are saved. The Bible shows we need to accept His sacrifice and also repent and turn from sin.
To learn more about Jesus Christ’s death and sacrifice for us READ YOUR BIBLE.
The prophet Isaiah wrote: “Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts; let him return to the LORD, and He will have mercy on him; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).Changing our lives is an important part of the salvation process. The Bible is clear that salvation is a gift, and it cannot be earned (Ephesians 2:8). But that doesn’t mean we can live anyway we want and still be saved! We have been called to be “His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works” (Ephesians 2:10). We must be obedient to God's Word and keep His commandments and the good works Jesus told us we need to do in the Scriptures. Amen.
SALVATION
