JOHN 13:15 NKJ
15 "For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you.
JOHN 13:34 NKJ
34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.
JOHN 14:12 NKJ
12 "Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.
JOHN 15:12 NKJ
12 "This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you.
EPHESIANS 4:31-5:2 NKJ
31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.
32 And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God in Christ forgave you.
1 Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet- smelling aroma.
EPHESIANS 5:25 NKJ
25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her,
COLOSSIANS 3:12-14 NKJ
12 Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, long suffering;
13 bearing with one another, and forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another; even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
14 But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfection.
MATTHEW 5:43-48 NKJ
43 "You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'
44 "But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you,
45 "that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 "For if you love those who love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?
47 "And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so?
48 "Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.
1 JOHN 2:6 NKJ
6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.
MATTHEW 11:19 NKJ
19 "The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, `Look, a gluttonous man and a winebibber, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!'. . . .
Jesus had trouble with the religious leaders of His day, because He was a friend of sinners. Jesus is the same today. He never changes. Jesus is your friend.
LUKE 19:7 NKJ
7 But when they saw it, they all murmured, saying, "He has gone to be a guest with a man who is a sinner."
Religious people couldn't understand how Jesus could love a sinner -- they certainly did not. But Jesus did, and He still does.
Notice what Jesus said to the woman caught in the act of adultery.
JOHN 8:11 NKJ
11 She said, "No one, Lord." And Jesus said to her, "Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more."
Jesus does not condemn you for your sin. He understands. He came to earth and lived in a human body just as you do.
Jesus knows the pressure you face. He knows the pain. And Jesus cares. He cares enough to help you be free of the sin; because He knows that sin will destroy you.
Sin may give a temporary pleasure, but in the end sin always destroys. Jesus loves you so much, and does not want you to be destroyed.
So Jesus is against sin because He loves you.
PHILIPPIANS 2:9-11 NKJ
9 Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth,
11 and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
No matter what it may seem like at times, Jesus Christ is Lord. He is ruler, boss, king: the One ultimately in charge.
He just hasn't exercised His prerogative and taken charge of everything yet.
Jesus is not currently micro-managing everything on earth. He is not responsible for every mistake, accident, and bad thing happening in the world.
God has allowed mankind to "try things our way" so we may see the folly of going our own way in rebellion to God.
But this won't last forever. God has a plan with a limited amount of time allotted for this part of history.
Although God has set certain boundaries, basically human beings are now in control on earth. We are free to choose. Because we are free to choose, we bear the responsibility for the consequences of our chosen actions.
All that is bad in the world today is the result of choices people made. God is not to blame. His only blame is that He allowed us the freedom to choose.
One day Jesus will exercise His authority and put a stop to all evil. Not only that, but He will eliminate the curse and all its effects. He will make all things new, whole, and sound again.
One day everyone will see and acknowledge the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You have that privilege today.
God not only approved of everything Jesus did -- He was very pleased with everything Jesus did.
JOHN 8:29 NKJ
29 "And He who sent Me is with Me. The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him."
Why is it important for us to look at this?
Many people are unclear what God's will is in many areas. There is much confusion over what many call "acts of God" which bring destruction. But if we understand that Jesus always did God's will perfectly, and that God was thrilled with everything Jesus did, then we can examine what Jesus did and see what God's will is.
Did Jesus ever make anyone sick -- even to teach them something? Did Jesus ever tell anyone it was not the will of God for them to be healed? Did Jesus ever tell anyone that God would not love them and help them? Did Jesus ever destroy anyone's property or steal it from them? Did Jesus ever kill anyone's family member?
No. Never. Jesus did what was pleasing to God. Those things are still not pleasing to God, and He should not be blamed for them.
Is God pleased when people are helped? Is God pleased when people are healed and delivered from bondage? Is God pleased when people's needs are met? Is God pleased when people have their sins forgiven? Is God pleased when people know that God loves them?
Yes. Those are the things Jesus did, and He perfectly pleased God.
Do you want to know God? Get acquainted with Jesus through the pages of the Bible.
JOHN 12:44-45 NKJ
44 . . .Jesus. . .said, "He who believes in Me, believes not in Me but in Him who sent Me.
45 "And he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me.
JOHN 14:7-10 NKJ
7 "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him."
8 Philip said to Him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us."
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, `Show us the Father'?
10 "Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.
Why am I stressing this point? It's simple. Most people think highly of Jesus of Nazareth. After all, there is not anything to fault with Him. But when it comes to God, most people blame Him for a lot of bad stuff.
The truth is: looking at Jesus gives you a perfectly clear picture of what the invisible God is like. Any other picture is a lie and a distortion.
2 CORINTHIANS 4:4 ICB
4 The devil who rules this world has blinded the minds of those who do not believe. They cannot see the light of the Good News -- the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is exactly like God.
What is God like?
Before Jesus of Nazareth came on the scene, the human concept of God was a bit fuzzy. (It still is for those who have not understood this truth.)
But Jesus perfectly revealed to us what God is like. He was (and is) Heaven's perfect representative.
COLOSSIANS 1:15 ICB
15 No one has seen God, but Jesus is exactly like him. Christ ranks higher than all the things that have been made.
COLOSSIANS 1:15 WEYMOUTH
15 Christ is the visible representation of the invisible God, the Firstborn and Lord of all creation.
HEBREWS 1:3 WEYMOUTH
3 He brightly reflects God's glory and is the exact representation of His being, and upholds the universe by His all-powerful word. After securing man's purification from sin He took His seat at the right hand of the Majesty on high,
The scriptures above should have made it clear that God is like Jesus. Now let's look at a verse summarizing the life of Jesus on earth.
ACTS 10:38 NKJ
38 "how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.
Notice that Jesus went about DOING GOOD -- not doing bad. Not hurting people, but helping people. That is what God is like.
John 10:10 NIV
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.
There is a stark contrast between the Lord Jesus Christ and the devil.
Jesus is for you. He loves you and desires the best for you. He loves you even more than He loves Himself. He proved it by dying in your place. His desire is for you to have life in its fullness -- life as God planned it to be -- both now and for all eternity.
The devil is the opposite of Jesus. The devil is against you and is always trying to steal from you, kill you, and destroy everything that is good. The devil is selfish and does not care about you or anyone else but himself.
Can you trust the devil? Yes . . . to be the devil. You can depend on him lying and trying to always deceive you. The purpose of this deception is always to draw you away from God and His Word because that is your only source of help and deliverance from the devil's strategies -- which are stealing, killing, and destroying.
Can you trust Jesus? The answer should be obvious. Anyone who cares for you enough to die in your place, suffering for you, so you won't have to suffer, is trustworthy. Jesus promised to never forsake you. He will never quit loving you and trying to help you.
The trouble is, too many people hinder Jesus from helping them. They believe and follow what the devil says, and turn away from Jesus and the Word of God.
You need to invite and welcome Jesus Christ into your life -- in every area. He wants to help you, but will not force His help on you. If you don't -- the devil may get into those areas of your life and wreak havoc.
ROMANS 5:17 NIV
17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God's abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
The New Testament reveals the good news that God offers righteousness as a free gift to everyone who receives the Lord Jesus Christ.
Righteousness means right-wise-ness, or being right. So righteousness is right standing, or good standing with God.
Righteousness is a GIFT from God -- not something you can earn or achieve. God simply declares that you are innocent, as far as He is concerned, because you believe in Jesus.
You are righteous if Jesus is your Lord. In fact, Jesus is your righteousness. So, you are really as righteous as God is -- because He IS your righteousness. As a believer in Jesus, you will never be more righteous -- no matter what you do.
1 CORINTHIANS 1:30 NIV
30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God -- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption.
Palm Sunday is the day we remember the "triumphal entry" of Jesus into Jerusalem, exactly one week before His resurrection (Matthew 21:1-11).
Some 450-500 years earlier, the Prophet Zechariah had prophesied, "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, Lowly and riding on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey” (Zechariah
9:9
Matthew 21:7-9 records the fulfillment of that prophecy:
"They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them. And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Hosanna in the highest!’” This event took place on the Sunday before Jesus' crucifixion.
In remembrance of this event, we celebrate Palm Sunday. It is referred to as Palm Sunday because of the palm branches that were laid on the road as Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem. Palm Sunday was the fulfillment of the Prophet Daniel's "seventy sevens" prophecy:
"Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the
command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times" (Daniel 9:25).
John 1:11 tells us, "He (Jesus) came to His own, and His own did not receive Him." The same crowds that were crying out "Hosanna" were crying out "crucify Him" five days later (Matthew 27:22-23).
For whom was all the suffering undergone, which Jesus endured at Calvary? For whom where those hands and feet nailed to the cross? For whom did the precious blood flow so freely down? Wherefore was all this done? It was done for you! It was done for the sinful – for the ungodly. It was done freely, voluntarily – not compulsion – out of love for sinners, and to make atonement for sin. As Christ died for the ungodly, I have a right to proclaim that any one may be saved.
Anyone may be saved because Christ still lives. He lives to receive all who come unto God by Him, to give power to become the son’s God. He lives to hear the confession of every heavy – laden conscience.
He lives to be one Mediator between God and man, the kind shepherd, the never-failing Priest and friend of all who come to God by Him. He lives to be wisdom, righteousness, and redemption to all His people – to keep them in life – and bring them finally to eternal glory.
Jesus is sitting at the right hand of God for the sins of men. He still cares for that mighty work which He undertook when He was born. He is the same as He was when He walked the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
He pardoned Saul the Pharisee, and sends him forth to preach the faith he has once destroyed. He is the same as He was when He received Mary Magdelene – called Matthew the publican – brought Zachaeus down from the tree. He is the same yesterday, and today, and forever. Surely I have a right to say that anyone may be saved, since Jesus lives.
“Come unto Me, all ye that labour and heavy burden, and I will give you rest” says the Saviour, “He that believeth on Him is not condemned”. “Everyone which seek the son, and believed on Him may have everlasting life”.
To be saved is to be delivered in the present life of sin, by faith in Jesus Christ. It is to be pardoned, justified and freed from every charge of sin, by faith in Christ blood and mediation. Whosoever believes in Jesus Christ with his heart is a saved soul. He shall not perish, he shall have eternal life. This is the first part of the salvation but this is not all.
Secondary, is to be delivered in this present life from the power of sin, being born again. To be freed from the hateful dominion of sin, by having a new nature put in us by Holy Ghost. Whosoever is thus renewed is a saved soul. He shall enter into the glorious Kingdom of God. This is not all.
To be delivered in the days of judgment, to be declared blameless, faultless and complete in Christ means you are saved. To bear these comfortable words – “Come ye blessed!” while others are bearing those fearful words – “Depart ye cursed!”
To be owned and confessed by Christ, as one of His dear children and servants. It is to receive the reward prepared for the righteous, in the day of Christ’s second coming. This is complete salvation. This is “redemption” for which true Christians are bid to look and long.
Faith is the only thing required in order that you and I may have our sins forgiven. By faith we come to Jesus as sinners with our sins, - trust in Him, - rest on Him, - lean on Him, - confide on Him, - commit our souls to Him, - and forsaking all other hope, cleave only to Him,- this is all and everything that God ask for. Let a man only do this, and he shall be saved. His iniquities shall be found completely pardoned, an his transgressions – entirely taken away.
