Bible Study - Looking Forward (4) - Looking Forward to Love - December 22, 2024

Bible Study – Looking Forward (4) – Looking Forward to Love – December 22, 2024

We can know the love of GOD because of JESUS’S sacrifice.

John 15:13 - ¹³ No one has greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.

John 15:15:
I do not call you servants anymore, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is doing. I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything I have heard from my Father.

When we love people, we want to do something special for them. It may be baking a beautiful, nutritious cake we know that they need and will enjoy. All the ingredients are mixed and poured into cake pans and then placed into the oven to bake. Once the cake layers are baked, they are assembled and decorated. The baker looks at it and thinks perfection. How delicious it is going to be. The cake arrives and after warm greetings the baker reveals this beautiful cake. Time goes by and the baker asks, “When are we going to cut my cake?” Oh, do we say, this is only to look at and enjoy its beauty?

NO! We say, let’s check it out, cut the cake, and give the baker the first slice. The baker approves and all our guests join in and enjoy the cake.

The event of GOD sending HIS ONLY SON to earth was a once in a lifetime event. GOD’S only SON willingly came to earth for a specific purpose. HIS purpose was to live as 100% human and to be tempted as all humans are tempted. HE was to remain sinless! WOW!!! JESUS willingly left HIS home in Glory and came to earth to live. HE had to be born 100% Human, yet GOD.

Keep in mind that JESUS makes up the Trinity – GOD, THE FATHER, GOD, THE SON and GOD, THE HOLY SPIRIT.

When I consider the Trinity, if I ask any WHO makes up Trinity a question, I will get the same answer.

The purpose of JESUS is to be the perfect acceptable sacrifice to GOD for the sin of all humans, provided they accept their Savior. JESUS was tempted in all ways as humans are tempted, yet HE did not sin. Yet, HE gave HIS sinless life on the cross by the shedding of HIS blood.

Why was this important? In Hebrews 9:22 - ²² According to the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

The law requires the shedding of blood. JESUS fulfilled the Law and as a result, when JESUS atoned for sin, HE established Grace!

The Law is rigid. However, GOD’S Grace through the passion of JESUS (HIS Life, physical death, physical resurrection, physical ascension into Heaven) was and is GOD’S redemptive plan for all who will accept it.

Some may think, “I have my own plan.” Ok, then Hell is your destination when you reject JESUS as your Savior.

JESUS was born, as all human babies are born with two exceptions; HIS Mother was a virgin, and JESUS was conceived by the Divine Sperm of GOD/The Holy Spirit. Thus, the true One and Only SON of GOD.

Do you believe that the Holy Spirit conceived JESUS?

If your reply is yes, that miracle is a foreshadow of our own, Spiritual birth. When we ask JESUS to forgive us for our sins and for JESUS to come into our hearts, that is GOD’S redemptive plan. In that instant Spiritual conception takes place quicker than the twinkle of the eye. Thus, a person’s Spiritual birth into GOD’s eternal Family.

The proof is that JESUS paid the price for all sin is in the fact that GOD raised JESUS from the physically dead to be eternally alive. This is a foreshadow of all who accept JESUS as their SAVIOR.

SAVIOR is one thing, but the real joy comes is when we make JESUS the LORD of our lives.

The ultimate love of GOD, JESUS, our Savior, and GOD’S only SON, was nailed to the cross for all sin. HE gave HIS sinless life for all, who placed their faith in HIM. Quicker than the twinkle of the eye the person who places his/her faith in Jesus is “born-again” in their human spirit and redeemed by the shed blood of JESUS.

The same power that conceived JESUS in the womb of Mary is the same power that redeems all who place their faith in JESUS.

Does this sound too good to be true? What did JESUS tell Nicodemus as we read in John 3:1:

Jesus and Nicodemus

3 There was a man from the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. ² This man came to him (JESUS) at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God, for no one could perform these signs you do unless God were with him.”

³ Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born again,^[a] he cannot see the kingdom of God.”

⁴ “How can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?”

⁵ Jesus answered, “Truly I tell you, unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. ⁶ Whatever is born of the flesh is flesh (water), and whatever is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷ Do not be amazed that I told you that you must be born again. ⁸ The wind blows where it pleases, and you hear its sound, but you don’t know where it comes from or where it is going. So, it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

⁹ “How can these things be?” asked Nicodemus.

¹⁰ “Are you a teacher^[b] of Israel and don’t know these things?” Jesus replied. ¹¹ “Truly I tell you, we speak what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but you do not accept our testimony. ¹² If I have told you about earthly things and you don’t believe, how will you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³ No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven —the Son of Man.^[c]

¹⁴ “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, ¹⁵ so that everyone who believes in him may^[d] have eternal life. ¹⁶ For God loved the world in this way:^[e] He gave^[f] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. ¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. ¹⁹ This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it,^[g] so that his deeds may not be exposed. ²¹ But anyone who lives by^[h] the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”

JESUS came into the world, not to condemn the world and its inhabitants. “NO!!!” The world was already condemned and GOD in HIS LOVE SENT THE INHABITANTS OF EARTH A SAVIOR AND REDEEMER. GOD DID NOT DESERT HUMANITY – INSTEAD, HUMANITY DESERTED GOD BY SINNING.

THIS TAKES US BACK TO JOHN 3:16 - For God loved the world in this way:^[e] He gave^[f] his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. 

What does it mean to believe? Take a step of faith when we do not see the step! It is trusting!

Let’s consider John 3:17-21:

¹⁷ For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. ¹⁸ Anyone who believes in him is not condemned, but anyone who does not believe is already condemned, because he has not believed in the name of the one and only Son of God. ¹⁹ This is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. ²⁰ For everyone who does evil hates the light and avoids it,^[g] so that his deeds may not be exposed. ²¹ But anyone who lives by^[h] the truth comes to the light, so that his works may be shown to be accomplished by God.”

HUMANKIND HAS A CHOICE!!! How do you choose?

JESUS WILLINGLY CAME TO EARTH TO BE THE PERFECT ACCEPTABLE SACRIFICE TO GOD FOR ALL SIN. HE CAME AS A BABY AND AS HE GREW, HE WAS TEMPTED IS ALL WAYS AS HUMANS ARE TEMPTED, YET WITHOUT SIN.

DEAR JESUS THANK YOU FOR COMING TO EARTH TO BE THE REDEEMER FOR ALL WHO PLACE THEIR FAITH IN YOU AND YOUR PASSION.

NOW, THE QUESTION IS, “HOW DO YOU CHOOSE?”

I recall praying early one morning after our eldest son had died from a fall. I screamed to the LORD, “I hate death!!!”

Guess what? The still small voice of GOD spoke to my heart, “SO! DO I!” and I did something about it! I sent my only son, JESUS, to earth to atone for all sin and removed the stone from the path that blocks all humans from eternal life and Heaven.

Ask JESUS to forgive you for your sins and ask HIM to come into your heart and be redeemed from eternal Hell and receive eternal life and eternal citizenship in Heaven.

It is not complicated. Dear FATHER, I am a sinner, and I accept JESUS as my Savior, and I ask JESUS to come into my heart right now. JESUS paid for all of my sins, in full and through the miracle of being “born-again” I will be your child for all eternity. Thank YOU, JESUS, for saving my soul.

Now enjoy Christmas as a born-again believer and grow as you read and study GOD’S Word, the Bible. Start with the book of John. If you are not already in a Bible teaching church or fellowship, ask GOD to lead you to the place where you can grow Spiritually and build your Spiritual muscles by telling others about JESUS as you are led by the Holy Spirit, WHO indwells you.

The LORD led me to begin our study with the story about baking and decorating a beautiful cake. GOD has displayed HIS best in the birth of HIS ONLY SON, JESUS, and HIS earthly life. We can look at and study JESUS, but the proof is in the tasting of HIS goodness by asking HIM to forgive us for our sins and for JESUS to come into our heart.

Psalm 34:8: Taste and see that the Lord is good.
How happy is the person who takes refuge in him!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Blessings!!!