Mark 1:35-39 And
rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went
out to a desolate place, and there he prayed. And Simon and those who were with
him searched for him, and they found him and said to him, “Everyone is looking
for you.” And he said to them, “Let us go on to the next towns, that I may
preach there also, for that is why I came out.” And he went throughout all
Galilee, preaching in their synagogues and casting out demons.
Salvation
ultimately must come from God. Man cannot save himself. The best we can do is
try really hard to be righteous in our own strength. The Bible says that all
our righteousness is like filthy rags. It was absolutely essential that God came
to earth in human form, born of woman, born under the law to redeem all mankind
who would come to him. I am going to list for you several reasons why Jesus
came into the world the first time. This list is, by no means, exhaustive.
Jesus came…
To
fulfill the law. During the Sermon on the Mount Jesus spoke
to why he came into the world. Listen while I read Matthew 5:17 Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law
or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.
One of the things Jesus was
accused of during his ministry was that he violated the Law of Moses. Perhaps
these words in the Sermon on the Mount were a preemptive strike against his
accusers. He did not come to abolish the law and he didn’t want people thinking
he did. Paul wrote to the Galatians that the law was a schoolmaster designed to
bring us to Christ. The purpose of the law was always to bring men to the end
of themselves and cause them to reach out to God for their deliverance. Jesus
came to complete the law. Jesus kept the law on our behalf so that we could
come to God, the same way Abraham did, by faith.
Jesus came to fulfill the
law and intentionally…
To
bring division. For all those who think that Jesus came into
the world to bring some kind of sweet harmony, listen to Jesus’ own words: Matthew 10:34-39 Do not
think that I have come to bring peace to the earth. I have not come to bring
peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a
daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. And
a person’s enemies will be those of his own household. Whoever loves father or
mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more
than me is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take his cross and follow me
is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his
life for my sake will find it.
Jesus is not saying that he
came to cause people to dislike others. Jesus came to call people into the
kingdom of God out of the kingdom of darkness. The result of a person coming to
faith in Christ is often an occasion for others to turn against them. God does
not put enmity into the heart of people enmity is already there! The natural
condition of mankind is rebellion against God in self-centered pride. When a person
comes to faith in Jesus Christ he, or she, admits the need for God in their
life and therefore separates themselves in large degree from their past actions
and past relationships. In some cultures the division is so sharp that it
results in martyrdom for the Christian. In some religions a profession of faith
will result in their family conducting a symbolic funeral for the Christian.
Jesus came to fulfill the law and cause division. He also came…
To
lift the heavy burdens. While it is indeed difficult for person
to take up their cross every day and follow Christ they are not alone in the
struggle. In Matthew 11:25-30 we
find Jesus beginning in a prayer to the Father and concluding with a call to
cast our cares upon him. At that time Jesus declared, “I thank you,
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that you have hidden these things from the
wise and understanding and revealed them to little children; yes, Father, for
such was your gracious will. All things have been handed over to me by my
Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father
except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me,
all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you
will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
First, Jesus thanks God that
truth has been revealed to little children while being hidden from the worldly
wise. He then transitions from speaking to the Father to a statement of fact.
Everything has been given to Jesus by God the Father. And then he makes an
appeal. All those who labor and are heavy laden should come to him for rest. In
our struggles we should allow him to place his yoke upon us so that he can
share our burden with us.
A yoke is a device that
holds two animals together. It would be a wooden device that goes over the neck
of both animals and connects backward to the load whether it be a sled or a
wagon. The stronger animal would carry the heaviest part of the load while the
weaker would gain strength from the exercise. The more experienced animal would
guide the less experienced and train them in their task. Jesus comes to join us
in our task. He came to fulfill the law, to bring division, to
lift our heavy burdens and…
To
call sinners to repentance. In Luke’s gospel, Jesus has just healed
a man after first telling him that his sins were forgiven. The religious crowd
around him questioned Jesus’ ability to do that. In order to show that he had
the right, and the power, to forgive sins he told the man to take up his bed
and walk. We pick up the story in Luke
5:27-32 After this he went out and saw a tax collector
named Levi, sitting at the tax booth. And he said to him, “Follow me.” And
leaving everything, he rose and followed him. And Levi made him a great feast
in his house, and there was a large company of tax collectors and others
reclining at table with them. And the Pharisees and their scribes grumbled at
his disciples, saying, “Why do you eat and drink with tax collectors and
sinners?” And Jesus answered them, “Those who are well have no need of a
physician, but those who are sick. I have not come to call the righteous but
sinners to repentance.” Notice
that the Pharisees spoke to his disciples but it was Jesus who answered them.
When Jesus called Levi to
follow him (Levi is Matthew) he was brought into a circle of people who were
not very acceptable to the average man on the street. Levi made a great feast
and his friends came so that he could introduce them to Jesus. At the same time
there were a large number of Pharisees there who complained to Jesus’ disciples
about the presence of tax collectors and sinners. Jesus had an immediate answer
for them. One of the reasons he came into the world was to call sinners to
repentance. In order to do that one must be in contact with sinners.
Jesus came to fulfill the law, to bring
division, to lift our heavy burdens, to call sinners to repentance and…
To
call his followers to self-denial. Dietrich
Bonhoeffer, in his book, The Cost of
Discipleship, wrote, “When Christ calls a
man, he bids him come and die.” Bonhoeffer gave his life at the hands of the
Nazis in Germany at the end of World War II. Jesus said in Luke 9:23-24 “If
anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily
and follow me. For whoever would save his life will lose it,
but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it; and in Luke 14:27 Whoever does not bear his own cross and come
after me cannot be my disciple.
Too often we think of
bearing a cross as something like I have on my left lapel. The cross Christ
bore was a means of execution. It was painful and permanent. Jesus came to call
his followers to symbolically die to themselves — to their ambitions and
desires — we are to allow him to become the life in us.
The apostle Paul, in writing
to the Galatians, put it this way: I have been crucified
with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the
life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me
and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
Jesus came to fulfill the
law, to bring division, to lift our heavy burdens, to call sinners to
repentance, to call his followers to self-denial and…
To
call the children to himself. One of the things that is
really great about the Lord Jesus Christ is that he was liked by children.
That’s a really good sign of a person’s character. Luke tells us about an
instance that illustrates this in Luke
18:15-17 Now they were bringing even infants to him that
he might touch them. And when the disciples saw it, they rebuked them. But
Jesus called them to him, saying, “Let the children come to me, and do not
hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of God. Truly, I say to you,
whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it.”
Little children were
attracted to Jesus and their parents appreciated it. They appreciated it so
much that they even brought infants to him so that he could touch them. Usually
the pictures show Jesus either seated or standing with small children around
him. The picture I get from this passage is Jesus taking infants into his arms
and blessing them. I can imagine Jesus walking along with small children trying
to get to him and the disciples trying to shoo them off. Then the parents began
to get involved and not only push past the disciples with their toddlers but bringing
their infants as well. Then Jesus has to interfere. He corrected this disciples
who wanted the children to go away. Wherever Jesus goes today he attracts
children to himself.
Jesus came to fulfill the
law, to bring division, to lift our heavy burdens, to call sinners to
repentance, to call his followers to self-denial, to call the children to
himself, and…
To
bear witness to the truth. We find Jesus face-to-face with the
Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. The governor asked Jesus if he was a king and
we pick up the story in John 18:36-37 Jesus
answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world,
my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the
Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” Then Pilate said to him, “So you
are a king?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. For this purpose I was
born and for this purpose I have come into the world—to bear witness to the
truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
Jesus says, “For this
purpose I was born and for this purpose I have come into the world to bear
witness to the truth.” Pilate concluded the interview with, “What is truth?” He
then went out to tell the Jews that he found no fault in Jesus. Jesus came into
this world so the truth could be shared. In fact a little earlier he had told
his disciples, “I am the way, the truth,
and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” John 1:17
Not only did Jesus come to bear witness to the truth he is the truth
itself. John, in his Gospel, tells us that grace and truth came through Jesus
Christ. A little later in the gospel of John Jesus
said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly
my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will
set you free.” John 8:32 the truth that Jesus bore witness to was himself.
Jesus came to fulfill the
law, to bring division, to lift our heavy burdens, to call sinners to
repentance, to call his followers to self-denial, to call the children to
himself, to bear witness to the truth, and…
To
take away the sin of the world. John the Baptizer pointed
Jesus out the day after he had baptized him. The disciple, John, recorded the
incident for us. Listen to what he said, John
1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb
of God, who takes away the sin of the world!
John’s followers would have
immediately understood the implications of what he was saying. The only way
they understood for sin to be atoned was through the sacrifice of an animal —
usually a lamb. In order for the lamb to take away the sin of the person
bringing it to the priest it was necessary that the lamb to be killed and its
blood sprinkled on the altar. They understood that there was no remission of
sin apart from the shedding of blood. Of course, this meant that Jesus would
have to die a sacrificial death in order to present his own blood at the altar
in heaven. For thousands of years people had brought sacrificial lambs to
altars to atone for their sin. The innocent died in place of the guilty beginning
with the animals that gave their lives to cover Adam’s and Eve’s nakedness with
their skins. These sacrifices were symbolic. They were simply shadows of the
real sacrifice acceptable to God.
Jesus came to fulfill the
law, to bring division, to lift our heavy burdens, to call sinners to
repentance, to call his followers to self-denial, to call the children to
himself, to bear witness to the truth, to take away the sin of the world, and…
To
give those who believe eternal life. Perhaps the most famous
verse in Scripture is John 3:16 For
God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him
should not perish but have eternal life.
Taking away the sin of the
world opens the door to life eternal. Adam and Eve, when they were first placed
in the Garden of Eden, had the expectation of living forever. They rebelled
against God and brought death into the world. God, however, had a plan from the
beginning to give those who believe eternal life. In fact, in his high priestly
prayer, found in John chapter 17 Jesus said, “…this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom you have sent.” Eternal life is not simply our being born into
the world at a given point in time and living forever in the future. Eternal
life begins with the dawn of time and continues into an endless future. Eternal
life is nothing less than the life of God given to those who believe.
Jesus came to fulfill the
law, to bring division, to lift our heavy burdens, to call sinners to
repentance, to call his followers to self-denial, to call the children to
himself, to bear witness to the truth, to take away the sin of the world, to
give those who believe eternal life, and…
To
give God’s character to those who will believe. Salvation
is not just an improvement on human nature it is much, much, more than that!
Look at what Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians
1:27-31 But God chose what is foolish in the world to
shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God
chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring
to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence
of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became
to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so
that, as it is written, “Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.”
God chose his people by
grace, through faith, not through works of righteousness so that we have
nothing to brag about. Jesus came so that we could come before the throne of
the Father dressed in his righteousness, cleansed by his sanctification and
covered by his redemption. Jesus Christ was made to be sin, who had no sin of
his own, so that we could be made to be the righteousness of God in him. Jesus
said that he came to give us life — abundant life! Our human nature separates
us from God forever until he gives us a new nature. For those who receive him,
who believe on his name, he gives the right to become the children of God. With
salvation we receive a new character — the character of God himself!
Jesus came to fulfill the
law, to bring division, to lift our heavy burdens, to call sinners to
repentance, to call his followers to self-denial, to call the children to
himself, to bear witness to the truth, to take away the sin of the world, to
give those who believe eternal life, to give God’s character to those who will
believe, and in so doing…
To
disable the slave master and deliver the slaves. Let’s
look at Hebrews 2:14-15 Since
therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of
the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power
of death, that is, the devil, and deliver all those who through fear of death
were subject to lifelong slavery.
Jesus Christ took on flesh
and blood in order to be like us in everything. He was tempted every way that
we are — without sin! He experienced everything that we experience because he
partook of the same things. He did this with a known purpose in mind. His
purpose was not, as some teach, to live an exemplary life for us to imitate.
Jesus came to live a life that is impossible for us to imitate. He was born
without sin and we were conceived in sin. He lived a perfect life and was able
to come to the cross with no sin of his own so that he could take our sins to
the cross and deliver us from the power of death by disabling the devil.
Therefore, we are no longer subject to slavery. However, we often “feel” like
we are because we have all the memories and habits of the past resident in our
brain. Though Satan is not destroyed he is disabled and defeated. Strong’s
notes tell us that the Greek word translated “destroy” has many meanings, among
them are: 1 to render idle,
unemployed, inactivate, inoperative. 1a
to cause a person or thing to have no further efficiency. 1b to deprive of
force, influence, power. It’s encouraging to me to think that Jesus came to
render idle, unemployed, inactive and inoperative. And I can rejoice in the
Lord that we are no longer slaves to sin – we have been delivered!
We should rejoice that God
sent his son to give eternal life to his people. Our problem is that we are
born sinners and as soon as we are able we begin to commit sin of our own. It
is sad to see people choose sin instead of salvation. The Bible is very clear —
the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus
our Lord. God showed us how much he loves us by sending his son, Jesus Christ,
to take our sins into his own body, to be executed on the cross, buried and
then raised to life so that we could have life in him. Have you placed your
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ? Today is the day! We have no promise of
tomorrow! Surrender your life to him and accept him as your Lord and Savior.
All
scripture quotes are from: The Holy Bible: English standard version.
2001. Wheaton: Standard Bible Society.
