Why Jesus?

Today we continue the series titled ‘Why?’ Where we are looking at more basic doctrines & teachings and simply explaining ‘why’ - ‘why’ we should do a thing.

The first issue that began it all was a message titled ‘Why Church?’ - where we looked at the importance of church, and why church should be a priority in our lives.

Why Church?

Because Jesus was Crucified for It

Because it’s God’s Chosen Vessel to Accomplish His Will

Because of Our Command, Our Commission & Our Concern

It shows whether we’re concerned about our Brethren, our Commission, our Command or even our Lord.

Why Train?

We looked at The Particulars, The Process & the Permanence of Training our Children

Why the Bible?

Because of It’s Author, It’s Accuracy, It’s Accessibility, It’s Ability

Topics we didn’t get to include: Because it’s Alive; It’s Applicable & Because of it’s Authority

Today we’re going to examine a rather obvious topic - Why Jesus?

I say it’s an obvious topic, because to most of us in this room it’s a no-brainer… But truthfully, most outside these walls don’t know this man Jesus, they’ve never experienced the Salvation that He offers, nor do they truly understand Why He’s Essential, What makes Him different from every other religious deity, nor what He’s all about.

So today as we begin looking into ‘Why Jesus?’, the first thing to note is simply Because He Loves Us

I. Because Jesus Loves Us

An Unmerited Love

I’m speaking of how you Didn’t do anything to gain it

When we consider the Love of Christ, we must first consider the fact that we didn’t do anything to for it. We did not earn His love - He loves us ‘just because’.

I was curious about something so I searched it out. I wanted to see if the Quran spoke of ‘Allah’s’ love toward men. This is what I found in the few passages speaking of Allah’s love we see these phrases:

Allah loves those who do good

Allah loves the God-fearing

Allah loves those who place their trust in him

Allah loves those who are good in deeds

Allah loves those who do justice

Do you see a pattern here? Allah’s love comes with strings attached - but let me read one of my favorite passages: Rom. 5:6-8 “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

The TRUE God - the God of the Bible isn’t like that at all! God loves you so much that He sent His Son to die for you! Jesus loves you so much to walk up Mt. Calvary for you! Jesus offers UNMERITED LOVE!

It’s an Unmerited Love

An Unrequited Love

Either at first or at all

1Jo. 4:19 “We love him, because he first loved us.”

Do you love Jesus? We let me say, if you do, it’s because He loved you first! He extended His love to you

And let me say this to all those who don’t love Jesus - He loves you still.

An Unconditional Love

Can’t do anything to lose it

Rom. 8:35 “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?” Rom. 8:37-39 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

(Ill.) Church, if we’re honest, many (if not most) relationships in our lives are merit based. We love people because we have a reason to do so. When those reasons subside, so does our love. We see this all too often in marriages that fall apart - The husband or wife begins to lose favor in the eyes of their spouse. “They don’t do this anymore; they don’t look that way anymore; The do this now...” And because of that, their love begins to dwindle.

Church, this is NOT the way Jesus loves us! ‘While we were yet sinners...’ Understand this:

No matter where you’ve been

No matter what you’ve done

No matter what life you’ve lived

No matter what sins you’ve committed

JESUS LOVES YOU! You can run away from Christ, but you can’t outrun His love for you! He loves you anyway!

It’s an unconditional love

Why Jesus? Because He Loves You. Secondly, Because He Laid Down His Life for you

II. Because Jesus Laid Down His Life for Us

Jesus’ Sacrifice Proved His Love

1Jo. 3:16 “Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.”

If anybody over the course of history has ever done something to prove their love - it was Jesus.

Consider what Jesus endured: The beatings & the mockings; plucking of His beard; the Crown of thorns upon His head; the nails in His hands and feet; the shame and ridicule of hanging their between two thieves naked before all AS IF He were guilty.

He did all this EVEN THOUGH HE WAS INNOCENT!

Yet as the prophet Isaiah says: Isa. 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, Yet he opened not his mouth: He is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, So he openeth not his mouth.”

He did all these EVEN THOUGH HE DIDN’T HAVE TO!

As we saw in the garden, Jesus simply uttering the words ‘I AM’ caused the entire guard to fall backwards upon the ground! Jesus didn’t have to die, He CHOSE TO FOR ME AND FOR YOU!

He Proved His Love, so that He could Provide Salvation

Jesus’ Sacrifice Provided Salvation

Heb. 10:10-14 “By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; From henceforth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.”

Eph. 5:2 “And walk in love, as Christ also hath loved us, and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweetsmelling savour.”

As the Scripture says: Isa. 64:6 “But we are all as an unclean thing, And all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; And we all do fade as a leaf; And our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.”

We are wicked by nature, and deserving of Hell. Yet, because Jesus loved us, He died in our place - to pay the punishment that was due unto us!

Listen, if you die in your sins, you will lift up your eyes in Hell to pay for your sins yourself. But the Bible tells us that if we are born again by the Spirit of God by putting our faith in Jesus, we will be saved!

And according to Jesus - He is the ONLY way to Salvation! Joh. 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” If the Bible is true, then that means:

Allah can’t get you there.

Buddha can’t get you there.

Your good works can’t get you there

Tithing can’t get you there

Church attendance can’t get you there.

The ONLY thing that can get you to Heaven, is Jesus!

Jesus’s Sacrifice Provided the only Hope of Salvation mankind has

Why Jesus? Because He Loves You. Because He Laid Down His Life for you. Next, Because He Lives!

III. Because Jesus Lives

Jesus Conquered Death

Peter preaching at Pentacost said: Act. 2:21-24 “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.”

Jesus died some 2,000 years ago on a Cross upon a mount called Calvary.

Joseph of Arimathea took His body wrapped and anointed it, then laid it in a new tomb where never a man lay

Pilate sealed the tomb, then set a watch.

The first day came and went, as did the second. Church, but things changed after that third day! For early on that Sunday morning as the women went unto the tomb, they were met with a most fantastic scene: They saw the stone rolled away, were greeted by angels who proclaimed: Mat. 28:6 “He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay.”

The Bible tells us He showed Himself unto Mary

Then the Apostles

Then unto many

He even cooked them supper after a day of fishing

In Act. 1, Jesus would then ascend up into Glory, where He currently resides at the right hand of the Father, making intercession for you and I.

Church, Jesus is ALIVE!

Many have died for a cause - but only Jesus raised for one!

Why Jesus? Because His Resurrection sets Him apart! Jesus Conquered Death

Jesus Controls it All

Jesus said in: Rev. 1:18 “I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.”

Allah can’t say that.

Buddha can’t say that.

The Hare Krishnas can’t say that.

The traditional Jewish order can’t say that.

Confucius can’t say that.

Jesus is IN CONTROL!

Why Jesus? Because He Loves You. Because He Laid Down His Life for you. Because He Lives! Next, Because Jesus Left us Promises

IV. Because Jesus Left us Promises

Not suggestions or possibilities, He left us promises!

He Promised to Comfort

Mat. 11:28-30 “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

This world is a horribly, sin-sick place. It’ll beat you down. It’ll chew you up and spit you out. It’s just as Job said Job 14:1 “Man that is born of a woman Is of few days, and full of trouble.”

But church, there’s a place you can turn - you can turn unto Jesus! Jesus provides that cleft in the rock! When the winds blow and the storm rages, He provides shelter! He said ‘I WILL give you rest’!

He Promised to Provide Comfort - secondly, He Promised to Come Again

He Promised to Come Again

Joh. 14:1-3 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

At this moment, I want to remind you of something Jesus told His disciples prior to His Crucifixion: Mar. 8:31 “And he began to teach them, that the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and of the chief priests, and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again.”

Guess what? They rebuked Him. They didn’t want to believe Him - but it was TRUE!

Church, there’s a lot of people today that don’t want to believe the words that Jesus spoke in Joh. 14:3, but guess what? THEY’RE TRUE! HE IS COMING AGAIN!

Why Jesus? Because He’s Promised that He’s coming again!

V. Because Jesus is LORD

He is our Judge

Php. 2:5-11 “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

You will stand before Jesus. Today He either is or can be your Saviour - but rest assured, one day, He’ll be your judge. You will give answer as to what you did with what you’ve been given. That includes this message. If you’re lost today, you’ll have to declare unto Jesus what you did with the truth that’s been presented unto you today. Did you accept it and put your faith in Him, or did you reject it and turn Him away?

You’ll not stand before anyone else - you’ll stand before the LORD of Glory. Are you ready?

Conclusion

What will you do with Jesus today?

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