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Jesus for Life

WHY DID JESUS COME

DOWN TO EARTH

FROM HEAVEN?

To understand why Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came

down from heaven to earth, we need first to understand

that God is perfect holiness and justice. 

God tells us in Exodus 34:7

"He does not leave the guilty unpunished"

and in Habakkuk 1:13 we read

"Your eyes are too pure to look on evil;

you cannot tolerate wrong".

As we read the Bible, we come to see clearly there is no

way that any person on earth could, on their own, have

any chance to stand before God and live. God totally

abhors sin. And God tells us in the Bible that since Adam

all human beings have sinned.

'If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves

and the truth is not in us'

1 John 1:8 (NIV)

All of us have become like one who is unclean,

and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;

we all shrivel up like a leaf,

and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

Isaiah 64:6 (NIV)

Many people think that they can earn their way into

heaven by living a good life, or by turning up to church

each Sunday.

But whatever our ancestry, background or upbringing,

whatever rituals and ceremonies we have performed,

whatever religion we have followed, however sincerely we

have tried to live a good life, the same facts remain.

God tells us in the Bible that we are spiritually dead - that

we are morally corrupt - that we are guilty before God.

That we are powerless to save ourselves and that, left as

we are, our case is hopeless.

As the benchmark for holiness, God gave us His ten

commandments through Moses on Mount Sinai:

And God spoke all these words:

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of

Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

"You shall have no other gods before me.

"You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of

anything in heaven above or on the earth

beneath or in the waters below.

You shall not bow down to them or worship them;

for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God,

punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the

third and fourth generation of those who hate me, but

showing love to a thousand generations of those who

love me and keep my commandments.

"You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God,

for the LORD will not hold anyone guiltless

who misuses his name.

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six

days you shall labour and do all your work, but the

seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it

you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or

daughter, nor your manservant or maidservant, nor

your animals, nor the alien within your gates. For in six

days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the

sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the

seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed

the Sabbath day and made it holy.

"Honour your father and your mother, so that you may

live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.

"You shall not murder.

"You shall not commit adultery.

"You shall not steal.

"You shall not give false testimony against your

neighbour.

"You shall not covet your neighbour's house. You shall

not covet your neighbour's wife, or his

manservant or maidservant, his ox or donkey, or

anything that belongs to your neighbour."

Exodus 20:1-17 (NIV)

As if these commandments are not hard enough to keep,

without one single failure, for a lifetime: then Jesus tells us

that God considers even anger or aggressive words or

thoughts to be just as sinful in God's eyes as murder:

"You have heard that it was said to the people long

ago, 'Do not murder, and anyone who murders

will be subject to judgment.'

But I tell you that anyone who is angry with his brother

will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to

his brother, 'Raca,' is answerable to the Sanhedrin. But

anyone who says, 'You fool!'

will be in danger of the fire of hell.

Matthew 5:21-22 (NIV)

and, concerning adultery, Jesus went on to say -

"You have heard that it was said,

'Do not commit adultery.'

But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman

lustfully has already committed adultery with her

in his heart.

Matthew 5:27-28 (NIV)

God is totally pure, holy and good. 

He cannot tolerate sin of any kind. 

Impure thoughts are just as sinful as impure actions.

I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and

be holy, because I am holy. ..... I am the LORD who

brought you up out of Egypt to be your God;

therefore be holy, because I am holy.

Leviticus 11:44a and 45 (NIV)

And the LORD said, "I will cause all my goodness to

pass in front of you, and I will proclaim my name,

the LORD, in your presence. I will have mercy on

whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on

whom I will have compassion. But," he said, "you cannot

see my face, for no one may see me and live."

Then the LORD said, "There is a place near me where

you may stand on a rock. When my glory passes by, I

will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you

with my hand until I have passed by.

Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back;

but my face must not be seen."

Exodus 33:19-23 (NIV)

It was not always so, that man could not see God’s face.

It was mankind’s sin that caused this separation from

God. We understand that in the Garden of Eden, God

and Adam and Eve were friends, before the fall -

‘Then the man and his wife heard the sound of

the LORD God as he was walking in the garden

in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God

among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God

called to the man, "Where are you?"

He answered, "I heard you in the garden,

and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid."

And he said, "Who told you that you were naked?

Have you eaten from the tree

that I commanded you not to eat from?" ’

Genesis 3:8-11(NIV)

And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, 

"The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, 

slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness,

maintaining love to thousands, and

forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin.

Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished;

he punishes the children and their children

for the sin of the fathers

to the third and fourth generation."

Exodus 34:6-7 (NIV)

We find God's own view of mankind's sinfulness in

Genesis 6:5-8

The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the

earth had become, and that every inclination of the

thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the

earth, and his heart was filled with pain.

So the LORD said,

"I will wipe mankind,

whom I have created, from the face of the earth

-- men and animals, and creatures that

move along the ground, and birds of the air --

for I am grieved that I have made them."

(NIV)

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.

(NKJV)

It is the gift of this same grace that Noah received

that we also may be invited to receive by God.

For, as we read in 1 John 4:16 "God is love."

And He so much wants us to come to Him. God,

speaking to us through His prophet Jeremiah, says:

"I myself said,

"'How gladly would I treat you like sons

and give you a desirable land,

the most beautiful inheritance of any nation.'

I thought you would call me 'Father'

and not turn away from following me.

But like a woman unfaithful to her husband,

so you have been unfaithful to me,

O house of Israel,"

declares the LORD.

A cry is heard on the barren heights,

the weeping and pleading of the people of Israel,

because they have perverted their ways

and have forgotten the LORD their God.

"Return, faithless people;

I will cure you of backsliding."

"Yes, we will come to you,

for you are the LORD our God.

Surely the idolatrous commotion on the hills

and mountains is a deception;

surely in the LORD our God

is the salvation of Israel.

From our youth shameful gods have consumed

the fruits of our fathers' labour --

their flocks and herds,

their sons and daughters.

Let us lie down in our shame,

and let our disgrace cover us.

We have sinned against the LORD our God,

both we and our fathers;

from our youth till this day

we have not obeyed the LORD our God."

Jeremiah 3:19-25 (NIV)

God tells us that now we have no excuse, because we all

know God - He has written His law on all our hearts:

"The time is coming," declares the LORD,

"when I will make a new covenant

with the house of Israel

and with the house of Judah.

It will not be like the covenant

I made with their forefathers

when I took them by the hand

to lead them out of Egypt,

because they broke my covenant,

though I was a husband to them,"

declares the LORD.

"This is the covenant I will make with the house of

Israel after that time," declares the LORD.

"I will put my law in their minds

 and write it on their hearts.

I will be their God,

and they will be my people.

No longer will a man teach his neighbour,

or a man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,'

because they will all know me,

from the least of them to the greatest,"

declares the LORD.

"For I will forgive their wickedness

and will remember their sins no more."

Jeremiah 31:31-34 (NIV)

And in Peter's second letter, God tells us:

First of all, you must understand that in the last days

scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil

desires. They will say, "Where is this 'coming' he

promised? Ever since our fathers died, everything goes

on as it has since the beginning of creation."

But they deliberately forget that long ago by God's word

the heavens existed and the earth was formed out of

water and by water. By these waters also

the world of that time was deluged and

destroyed. By the same word the present heavens and

earth are reserved for fire, being kept for the day of

judgment and destruction of ungodly men.

But do not forget this one thing, dear friends:

With the Lord a day is like a thousand years,

and a thousand years are like a day.

The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise,

as some understand slowness.

He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish,

but everyone to come to repentance.

But the day of the Lord will come like a thief.

The heavens will disappear with a roar;

the elements will be destroyed by fire,

and the earth and everything in it will be laid bare.

Since everything will be destroyed in this way,

what kind of people ought you to be?

You ought to live holy and godly lives as you

look forward to the day of God and speed its coming.

That day will bring about the destruction of the heavens

by fire, and the elements will melt in the heat.

But in keeping with his promise

we are looking forward to a new heaven

and a new earth, the home of righteousness.

So then, dear friends, since you are looking

forward to this, make every effort to be found

spotless, blameless and at peace with him. Bear in

mind that our Lord's patience means salvation, ......

2 Peter 3:3-15a (NIV)

__________________________________________________  

Pray to God that He will call you to be one of His

children, and that He will move your heart to true

repentance and faith in Jesus.

God the Father sent His Son Jesus Christ, God the Son,

to earth to die on the cross for our sins and on the third

day he raised him from the dead, so that we can have the

possibility of coming into a right relationship with God.  

As Luke reports from Peter's speech to the Jewish crowds

in Jerusalem after Pentecost:  

"Men of Israel, listen to this: Jesus of Nazareth was a

man accredited by God to you

by miracles, wonders and signs,

which God did among you through him,

as you yourselves know.

This man was handed over to you by God's set

purpose and foreknowledge;

and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death

by nailing him to the cross.

But God raised him from the dead,

freeing him from the agony of death,

because it was impossible for death

to keep its hold on him.

Acts 2:22-24 (NIV)

And continuing his speech in Acts 2:36-39  

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has

made this Jesus, whom you crucified,

both Lord and Christ."

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart

and said to Peter and the other apostles,

"Brothers, what shall we do?"

Peter replied,

"Repent and be baptized, every one of you,

in the name of Jesus Christ

for the forgiveness of your sins.

And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

The promise is for you and your children

and for all who are far off -

for all whom the Lord our God will call."

Acts 2:36-39 (NIV)

John the Baptist, sent by God to 

prepare the people for Jesus' arrival said of Jesus :  

The next day John saw Jesus

coming toward him and said,

"Look, the Lamb of God,

who takes away the sin of the world!"

John 1:29 (NIV)

Here is a trustworthy saying

that deserves full acceptance:

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners

1 Timothy 1:15 (NIV)

Jesus himself said:

"the Son of Man did not come to be served,

but to serve,

and to give his life as a ransom for many."

Matthew 20:28 (NIV)

And, in John's Gospel, Jesus says:  

"I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If

anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever.

This bread is my flesh,

which I will give for the life of the world."

John 6:50-51 (NIV)

"I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my

sheep know me - just as the Father knows me and I

know the Father - and I lay down my life for the sheep.

I have other sheep that are

not of this sheep pen [Gentiles]. 

I must bring them also.

They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be

one flock and one shepherd.

The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my

life - only to take it up again. No one takes it 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.

This command I received from my Father."

John 10:14-18 (NIV)

And we read in Isaiah, 

speaking of the long-promised Christ:  

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.

Isaiah 53:5-6(NIV)

After Peter and John had healed a man crippled from

birth (near the Jerusalem temple gate called Beautiful),

they were arrested, imprisoned overnight and then

brought before the Jewish rulers and elders 

and teachers of the law: 

The next day the rulers, elders and teachers of the law

met in Jerusalem. Annas the high priest was there, and

so were Caiaphas, John, Alexander and the other men

of the high priest's family. They had Peter and John

brought before them and began to question them:

"By what power or what name did you do this?"

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them:

"Rulers and elders of the people!

If we are being called to account today

for an act of kindness shown to a

cripple and are asked how he was healed,

then know this, you and all the people of Israel:

It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,

whom you crucified

but whom God raised from the dead,

that this man stands before you healed.

He is

"'the stone you builders rejected,

which has become the capstone.'

Salvation is found in no one else,

for there is no other name under heaven given to men

by which we must be saved."

Acts 4:5-12 (NIV)

Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 

The younger one said to his father, 

'Father, give me my share of the estate.' 

So he divided his property between them. 

"Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 

"When he came to his senses, he said, 'How many of my father's hired men have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 

I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: 

Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 

I am no longer worthy to be called your son; 

make me like one of your hired men.' 

So he got up and went to his father. 

"But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, 

threw his arms around him and kissed him. "The son said to him, 

'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 

I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 

"But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 

For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; 

he was lost and is found.' 

So they began to celebrate. 
Luke 15:11-24 (NIV) 

 
When the prophet Nathan had come to him 

after King David's adultery with Bathsheba, King David wrote:

For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me. 
Against you, you only, have I sinned 
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you speak 
and justified when you judge. 
Surely I was sinful at birth,
sinful from the time my mother conceived me. 
Surely you desire truth in the inner parts;
you teach me wisdom in the inmost place. 
Psalm 51:3-6 (NIV)  

But the good news is that Jesus' death and resurrection 

has saved us from the consequences of our rebellion against him - 

if we turn from our sinful lives and give him control of our lives.

'Christ died for our sins'

1 Corinthians 15:3 (NIV)

'So Christ was sacrificed once

to take away the sins of many people'

Hebrews 9:28 (NIV)

'Christ suffered for you ......

He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree'

1 Peter 2:21 and 24 (NIV)

'Christ died for sins once for all,

the righteous for the unrighteous'

1 Peter 3:18 (NIV)

But now a righteousness from God,

apart from law, has been made known,

to which the Law and the Prophets testify.

This righteousness from God

comes through faith in Jesus Christ

to all who believe.

There is no difference,

for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

and are justified freely by his grace

through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement,

through faith in his blood.

Romans 3:21-25 (NIV)  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this:

While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Romans 5:8 (NIV)