[Lesson 99: What Do You Think about Jesus? (#1)] [Table of Contents] [Lesson 1: God Has Spoken]
Lesson 100
What Do You Think about Jesus?
Part 2
Peace be with you, listening friends. We greet you in the name of God, the Lord of peace, who wants everyone to understand and submit to the way of righteousness that He has established, and have true peace with Him forever. We are happy to be able to return today to present your program The Way of Righteousness.
Today we are going to continue with the talk we began in the last program, called "What do you think about Jesus?" This question is intensely important, because where we will spend eternity depends on what we think about Jesus the Messiah. In our last program, we asked what you thought about His miraculous birth, His holy character, His wonderful words, His mighty power and His lofty titles. Today we have five more solemn questions we want to ask you about Jesus. The first question is:
6.) What do you think about His death?
Do you know where you will die? Or how you will die? Do you know when you will die? You and I must admit that we know nothing about these things. But Jesus was not like us. He knew where He would die and announced it. He would die in Jerusalem. He also foretold how He would die. He told His disciples,
"We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be handed over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him, spit on him, flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again." (Luke 18:31-33)
He also told His disciples when He would die, that is, on the same day the Jews would be killing a lamb to celebrate the feast of the Passover. It was on that day that He must die as the Lamb of God, as a sacrifice to take away the sin of the world.
The death of Jesus was different from all other deaths, because He Himself chose to die. We heard Jesus say, "No one takes [my life] from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again." (John 10:18) Jesus never sinned; that is why He could have bypassed death. He could have simply ascended to heaven from where He came, without passing through death. But He chose to die because of His obedience to His Father's will and His love for sinners. He gave His life for us by allowing men to nail Him to a cross. He died to provide for us forgiveness of sins and guarantee a place for us in Paradise. About seven hundred years before the Messiah came into the world, God's prophet, Isaiah, declared why the Redeemer must die, when he said:
"But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all." (Isa. 53:5,6)
You and I are the reason that Jesus the Messiah died. He is the Good Shepherd who willingly gave His life for His sheep. No man has ever died like Him. He is incomparable. He is unique among men.
Another important question to which everyone must respond is:
7.) What do you think about His victory over death, that is, His resurrection?
Jesus died and was buried. His enemies did everything they could to guard the tomb. They rolled a huge stone to close the tomb, then sealed it tight. They placed soldiers there to guard the tomb. However, all their efforts did not hinder Jesus from rising from the dead. Indeed, the Lord Jesus rose from the dead on the third day and appeared to His disciples. After that, He appeared to more than five hundred witnesses at once. Those people saw Him, touched Him, and ate with Him after His resurrection. He showed them the wounds in His hands, His feet and His side. Yes, He rose from the dead exactly as He predicted! God raised Jesus from the dead to prove to the whole world that He is satisfied with the work of Jesus on the cross as the perfect and final Sacrifice which pays for sins.
Death is a great enemy. Our ancestors died. The prophets also died, and their corpses remain in their graves. We too will die some day. But praise be to God, Jesus Christ conquered death! He is a living Savior and can save all who come to God through Him, because He is alive and intercedes for all who believe in Him. Is any other prophet alive today after having died? No, not one. Jesus Christ is the only One who conquered the grave. He is alive today, which is why those of us who believe in Him are not afraid to die. To die is merely to go to be with our Lord above. Yes, Jesus is unique and incomparable. He has no equal on earth or in heaven. What do you think about His victory over death? Another question is:
8.) What do you think of His ascension to heaven?
After the Lord Jesus arose from the dead, He appeared to His disciples for a period of forty days. Then we saw that He bid them farewell, ascended to heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God, the place of supreme honor, thus showing that He is greater than the angels, the prophets, and all humankind! That is what the Scripture declares, saying,
"God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father." (Phil. 2:9-11)
Yes, Jesus is unique. He is incomparable! In relation to this, another question you must answer is:
9.) What do you think about His return to the earth?
Jesus Christ is going to come back. He declared it. The prophets announced it. The angels also said so. All true disciples of Christ await His return. He will return and take His people to heaven. He will judge the world in righteousness and reign over all the earth. He will be the King of the world. He must reign for one thousand years until all His enemies bow at His feet. Yes, He is coming back soon. Everyone will confess that He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He is coming and you will stand before Him, the Great Judge. On the day in which you will be face to face with Him, He will ask you, "What did you think of me?" What will you answer? If you answer, "I thought You were one of the prophets," then He will ask you why you did not sincerely believe Him--and you will be condemned, because you did not believe what He said about Himself, nor what the prophets wrote about Him--that He is the Son of God from heaven, the one and only Savior. Who is coming back to reign? Will Abraham, Moses, David or some other prophet return to reign? No. The Lord Jesus Christ is the One who is coming back. He will be the Judge. God has given proof of this fact by raising Him from the dead. He will return. Every eye will see Him. Every knee will bow. Every tongue will declare that "Jesus Christ is Lord!"
Now we come to the final question:
10.) What do you think about His demands on you? {Lit. what He wants you to do}
The Lord Jesus says, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." (Matt. 11:28,29) This very day He is calling you. When He called the first disciples to follow Him, they left everything: their homes, their families, and their work. He wants you to do the same. This does not mean that you must abandon your home and your job to follow Jesus, but you must surrender your whole life to Him and give Him first place in your heart. He wants you to trust Him, believe in Him, and receive Him as your Savior and Master. He wants all of you-your mind, heart, body and soul. If He is the One He claims to be, then everything He demands is logical.
As we have seen, Jesus Christ is unique and cannot be compared with anyone else. He is unique in His birth, in His character, in His teachings, in His works, in His names and titles, in His sufferings and death, in His resurrection, in His ascension, in His return, and in His power to change the hearts of the children of Adam. He is alive today. He is with those who believe in Him. Soon He will return. There is no one like Him in heaven or on earth. That is why He has the authority to be the King and the Lord of your life! The Lord Jesus Christ wants to be your Savior and your Lord. That is why He died on the cross and came back to life! He has the power to take away your sins and give you a deep and wonderful relationship with God forever. He can give you new life, wash your heart clean, and renew you in the power of the Holy Spirit, but you must trust {Lit. hang your hope on} Him and His sacrifice.
Tragically, so many consider Jesus Christ to be a great prophet, but they have never received Him as their Lord and Savior. To believe that Jesus was a great prophet is not enough! You must agree with God that Jesus is the Lord of all and that when He died on the cross, He died in your place. All of us children of Adam have a serious problem: it is sin. God, in His great mercy, has provided a remedy for our problem, but we must take it. If I am sick and go to the doctor, he writes me a medical prescription. So I go and buy the medicine, return home, place it on my table, look at the medicine and the medicine looks at me. Will that make me get well? No! To get well, I must take the medicine, and swallow it as prescribed. The medicine of God is the Lord Jesus Christ and the blood which He shed on the cross.
Perhaps someone is asking, "How can I take God's remedy for my sin?" Very simply, you must confess to God that you are a sinner, that your "good works" are like filthy rags before Him, and that you have no means of saving yourself from His righteous judgment. Then you must believe in your heart that the Lord Jesus Christ bore the punishment for your sins. Jesus the Messiah satisfied completely God's every demand for judgment. If you believe that Christ died and rose again to save you, then God will forgive your sins, clothe you in the righteousness of Christ, send His Holy Spirit into your heart, and give you the right to live in His presence forever! Glory to God, you can be made righteous today--if you will believe!
Listening friends, have you taken "God's medicine" which can heal you of the disease of sin and save you from the eternal fires of hell? Whoever despises God's medicine, that is, the blood that Jesus shed, must know that there is no other medicine to cure you of sin. None whatsoever! God has no other way to cleanse sinners and make them righteous before Him. There is no other way to Paradise.
Listen carefully to what the Holy Scripture declares concerning the one and only way of righteousness which God has provided for sinners to be made righteous before Him. The Scripture says:
(Rom. 3) 20No one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law… 21But now a righteousness from God, apart from law, has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22This righteousness from God comes through faith in Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference, 23for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.… 27Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. On what principle? On that of observing the law? No, but on that of faith.
"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast." (Eph. 2:8,9) "If you confess with your mouth, 'Jesus is Lord,' and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.…for 'Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!'" (Rom. 10:9,13)
Dear friend, have you called on the name of the Lord? Have you received God's gift of salvation? Or are you still trying to save yourself by your own works? We plead with you not to reject God's righteous way of Salvation. God knows your heart. Admit to Him that you are a sinner, that you have broken His holy laws. Tell Him you know you deserve His fiery judgment. Then thank Him for sending you a sinless Savior who willingly suffered in your place--taking your eternal punishment and then rising triumphantly from the grave!
Friend, you must come to God by the way of righteousness that He has established--or you cannot come at all. God, the Merciful, the Compassionate, invites you to come. Come to Him today and be saved. "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and you will be saved--you and your household." (Acts 16:31)
If you have put your trust in the One of whom all the prophets bear witness, write to us and tell us about it…
Today is the one hundredth (and final) lesson in our journey through the Holy Scriptures. Thank you for joining us. We bid you farewell with this wonderful prayer found in the Word of God:
"To him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before his glorious presence without fault and with great joy-to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all ages, now and forevermore! Amen." (Jude 24,25)
Please direct questions and comments to:
"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst
for righteousness,
for they shall be filled."
(Matthew 5:6)