Consider: Jesus Christ

[0:00] Jesus Christ is my topic tonight.

[0:12] The Lord Jesus Christ. And Christianity is more than just a series of beliefs or doctrines or systems of teachings.! But it is a person.

[0:23] It is truly the person of our Saviour, of our Lord Jesus. And we are not saved by rules or rituals or rites, but through this person, our Lord Jesus Christ.

[0:33] Who is He and what has He done? These are fundamental questions that we all need to know about and take to heart. And firstly, the Lord Jesus Christ, He is the perfect man.

[0:47] He is the perfect man. He is 100% man and 100% God, as we'll see later. In Galatians 4 verse 4, it tells us that the Lord Jesus, He was born of a woman.

[0:59] He was born of a woman. So, He was physically born, came out of a woman, and He was born into the world as a human being, as a human soul.

[1:10] He was born of a woman. It says in the scriptures, we're taught how the Lord Jesus, at times He got tired and He slept. He felt hunger. He had to eat.

[1:20] And He felt pain on occasion. And Hebrews 4 verse 15 says that just as the Lord Jesus, He was experienced in all these things, that the Lord Jesus, He was tempted in all things, yet without sin.

[1:35] It says that in Hebrews 4 verse 15, For we have not a high priest, which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, but was in all points tempted, like as we are, yet without sin.

[1:47] And John 19 verse 33 tells us that this one, born of a woman, sinless, died a physical death, a real physical death.

[2:15] In John 19 verse 33 it says, But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was dead already, they break not His legs. This was no make-believe Hollywood kind of spectacle, some kind of pretense.

[2:31] The Lord Jesus died a physical death, a physical death with suffering, with pain, with anguish, and more than just the physical agony and suffering, The Bible says that He bore our very sin.

[2:45] And it's been said of this one. A poem was written, The greatest man who ever lived. He was born in an obscure village, the child of a peasant woman.

[2:55] He grew up in another village, where he worked in a carpenter's shop until he was 30. Then for three years he was an itinerant preacher. He never wrote a book, he never held an office, he never had a family or a home, He didn't go to college, he never visited a big city, he never travelled 200 miles from the place where he was born.

[3:16] He did none of the things that usually accompanied greatness. He had no credentials but himself. He was only 33 when the tide of public opinion turned against him.

[3:27] His friends ran away, one of them denied him. He was turned over to his enemies and went through the mockery of a trial. He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.

[3:38] While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his garments, the only property that he had on earth. And when he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave through the pity of a friend.

[3:51] Nineteen centuries have come and gone and today, today he is the central figure of the human race. All the armies that ever marched, all the navies that ever sailed, all the parliaments that ever sat, all the kings that ever reigned, put together, have not affected the life of man on this earth as much as that one solitary life.

[4:14] It's so true, isn't it? The Lord Jesus truly man. And secondly, Jesus Christ is God. G-O-D. John 1.14.

[4:25] John 1.14. It says there, This one made flesh, obviously it's talking about Jesus.

[4:43] It's talking about the Lord Jesus Christ. The one made flesh, who else could it be talking about? And John 1.1 says the word was God.

[4:53] The word was God. In the beginning was the word, and the word was with God, and the word was God. There's no mistaking that. From John 1.1.

[5:05] Why did the Jews try to kill Jesus in John 5.18? We're told, Therefore the Jews sought the more to kill him, because he not only had broken the Sabbath, but said also that God was his Father, making himself equal with God.

[5:22] John 5.23. The Son is due the same honour as the Father. The same honour. It says there, That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father.

[5:37] He that honoureth not the Son, honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. It's clear cut there. It's very plain to the eye. He that honoureth not the Son, honours not the Father.

[5:50] We should honour the Son, even as we honour the Father. In John 10.30-33, the Lord Jesus speaks. I and my Father are one.

[6:01] Then the Jews took up stones against him to stone him. And Jesus answered them, Many good works have I showed you from my Father. For which of those works do you stone me?

[6:14] Saying, For a good work we stone thee not, but for blasphemy. Because thou, being a man, makest thyself God. The Lord Jesus, he was truly God.

[6:27] How else could he not be God? As if God would send someone else to suffer and die as something other than himself. For God, robed in human skin, in human flesh, in the person of his Son, came and bore our sin, our guilt, our penalty in our place.

[6:46] God intervened. God intervened for man to redeem us. And the Lord Jesus said, I and my Father are one.

[6:58] One. And John 10.31-33, when we see Jesus, we see the Father. Of course, we know that the persons are distinct as well as one.

[7:12] But certainly, the Father, the Holy Spirit, and the Son are one. One God. When we see the Father, when we see Jesus, we see the Father.

[7:24] And John 20.28, Thomas came and saw the Lord and he bowed at our Saviour's feet and he cried out. Now, Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

[7:40] My Lord and my God. Thomas knew this was more than some mere human, some great prophet, some good teacher. This was God. This was my Lord and my God.

[7:53] Hebrews 1.8 tells us likewise, The title, O God, is given to the Son. It's given to the Son. Hebrews 1.8, But unto the Son, he saith, Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever.

[8:11] A sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Thy throne, O God, was spoken to the Son. The Son. One of the names of our Saviour is God.

[8:25] Genesis 1.1, we know that familiar one. In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. John 1.3 says, All things were made by him.

[8:37] Talking of Christ. And without him was not anything made that was made. So we're told how much was made by him? All things.

[8:48] Nothing was made without him. Not anything was made that was made without him. So the Lord Jesus, truly man.

[8:59] 100% man. A real man. He got tired, hungry, felt pain. He died. A real man. 100%.

[9:10] A real, the real God. 100% God. Very God. Very man. Very man. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin. 1 Timothy 3.16 it says that Jesus is God.

[9:24] G-O-D. Manifested in the flesh. 1 Timothy 3.16. Great is the mystery of godliness. Timothy is told by Paul. God was manifest in the flesh. Justified in the spirit. Seen of angels. Preached unto the Gentiles.

[9:35] Believed unto the world. Received unto the world. Received unto the Gentiles. Believed unto the world. Received unto the world. And received unto the world. God. Manifest in the flesh. This is the truth of it brothers and sisters. As if he would clothe himself in human skin. And intervene for your sake and mine.

[9:46] That he would come as that wonderful person of Christ.

[10:00] To be our Saviour. Our Master. Our Lord. Manifest. Revealed. In the flesh. Clothed with human skin. Our Saviour and Lord. And he is called the son of Mary.

[10:11] Because Mary was his mother. And the son of God. Isaiah 7.14. We told therefore. The Lord himself shall give you a sign. Behold a virgin shall conceive.

[10:22] And be. Bear a son. And shall call his name. Emmanuel. We know. Emmanuel. Elsewhere. Translated. Is God with us. A virgin shall conceive.

[10:34] Truly wonderful. Miracle. A wonderful conception. By the Holy Spirit. The supernatural birth. And Luke 1.35. The angel spoke. To Mary. And announced to her.

[10:46] The angel answered. And said unto her. In Luke 1.35. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee. And the power of the highest shall overshadow thee. Therefore also. That holy thing.

[10:57] Which shall be born of thee. Shall be called the son of God. God. Now it's interesting and important to know. That the Lord Jesus. He was born. He was made of a woman.

[11:10] And yet. He pre-existed. Our Saviour and Master. Was before time. He was before anything was made. That was made. We read in Micah 5.2.

[11:21] Speaking of Bethlehem. His birthplace. Thou be little among the thousands of Judah. Yet out of these shall. He come forth. Unto me. That is to be ruler in Israel. Whose goings forth. Have been from of old. From everlasting. Where did Christ come from?

[11:32] From everlasting. From eternity past. He always was. He pre-existed. His human form. As the man. Christ Jesus. Because he was there. Right in Genesis 1. Verse 1. And the death of our Lord Jesus.

[11:43] Is noteworthy and vital. That we capture this. This truth. Of the Lord Jesus. The truth of his death. Of his atoning sacrifice. For us. In Luke 19.10. We read there. For the Son of Man is come.

[11:54] To seek and to choose. To seek and to seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek.

[12:05] To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek.

[12:16] To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. To seek. That which was lost. In Matthew 1.21. We read. She shall bring forth a son. And thou shalt call his name.

[12:28] Jesus. For he shall save. His people. From their sins. Jesus. Meaning. Jehovah. Or the Lord. Our Saviour. The Lord Jesus.

[12:39] Our Saviour. our saviour. He comes to see and save the lost. He's come to save. To save his people from their sins. He didn't come to give us a greater self-esteem.

[12:50] He didn't come to make your life happy or glad. Although I think he does that too. But not necessarily so. But I mean as far as that's not what the ultimate is. The ultimate answer is come to save you. To save me from our sins. Because no one else can save us. We can't save ourselves. He is the only one who can save. That is his mission. That is his work. By his grace he's the only one. His blood is the only solution that can take away the stain and guilt of our sin.

[13:24] Christ came. He died for sinners. You know if you're lost or we that have been lost we can appreciate he came for us in our lost estate. In our sinful condition.

[13:38] In our hopeless depravity of soul. Christ came to save sinners. He came to save sinners. But God commanded his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.

[13:54] What a joy that you can claim that today as a believer. That Christ died for us. He died for us. And young people, older people if you've not trusted him the Lord Jesus when he died on that physical piece of work bearing in his body our sins.

[14:11] We're told as he bled and died the sacrifice for your sins and mine. That was his work. That was his action on that day.

[14:21] Your sins were there at Calvary's Hill. Your sins were there nailed there. Paid for there. The penalty of them. And Isaiah 53.6 we're told all we like sheep have gone astray we have turned everyone to his own way and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

[14:44] The iniquity of us all. Our sin. The word iniquity means sin. The Lord laid on Christ our sin and paid for it there for us all.

[14:57] Romans 5.10 Through his death we are reconciled to God. Romans 5.10 we read For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his son much more being reconciled we shall be saved by his life.

[15:14] So friends today recognise his death. We love to recollect it to be reminded of it to be personally in touch with what happened at Calvary.

[15:29] That's why we love to sing about the blood of our Saviour. That's why we love to read these passages of his atoning work of Calvary's cross and to be prompted to as the Lord's table reminds us of what our Saviour has done that he died for sinners for the iniquity of us all and for whom was Christ given the world God so loved the world that he gained what a wonder that he gained his only begotten son that whosoever whosoever believeth in him should not perish believeth on him should not perish perish perish Lily knows it amen should not perish but have everlasting life life beyond our comprehension life beyond this life life everlasting what a wonder what a wonder that he should grant it to us for whosoever shall call upon the name of the

[16:31] Lord shall be saved are you in that whosoever tonight! Amen! whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved saved saved from our sins saved from hell saved from his wrath saved from his punishment that we deserve that we that we deserve God commended his love towards us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us John 19 30 does anything need to be added does anything need to be added to his death to complete the work of salvation what did he say in John 19 30 when Jesus therefore had received the vinegar he said it is finished it is finished and he bowed his head and gave up the ghost he said it is completed the work is done paid in full he stamped it with his blood on the record of your sin if you trusted him he's paid it it's remitted it's paid in full nothing needs to be added nothing needs to be done thank

[17:47] God for that I mean some religions teach it's a step by step by step a ladder a crying a trying a trying but no it's a trust it's not a trying it's a trusting it's not a doing doing doing it's a done done done finished a finished work finished once for all once for all he's atoned once for all I've known folk who struggle and go through mental torment am I saved have I lost it have I regained it where am I but if you've trusted him if his blood has washed your sin away it's gone forever it's gone forever trust him trust him not yourself the minute we start to trust ourselves we fall short of the glory of God we come short of the glory of God and brother and sister trust him today don't add anything to the death don't add anything to the cross just trust just trust receive his gift receive his word and 1

[18:55] Peter 1 3-4 he told of the resurrection of Christ our saviour truly man truly God born of a virgin crucified killed by man by our sinful hands bleeding and dying for my sin in my dead taking God's wrath for my guilt and shame but no longer dead alive risen the stone was rolled away the grave could not hold him the grave clothes were laid aside he is not here he is risen they were told when they came there and we're told as believers we have a lively hope a living hope a lively alive vibrant lively living hope for a wonderful inheritance that's reserved in heaven as we read in 1 peter 1 3 and 4 blessed be the god and father our lord jesus christ which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of jesus christ from the dead to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fadeth not away reserved in heaven for you it's in heaven it's a wonder to think that somewhere in some book not on this earth but somewhere in some page your name is there brother your name is there sister it's been written down in glory it's been written down as the lord says of some your names are written in heaven and we know that that can be true for us not by any working of our own but by the virtue of his blood receiving his work for your sake and that's the wonder of it the wonder that in heaven there's an inheritance reserved for us and then he ascended not only did he die and rise from the dead then he ascended he raised up returning to heaven 40 days after the resurrection acts 1 3 to 9 and when he had spoken these things while they beheld he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight he was taken up just lifted off and taken and they were looking watching and the angel said in act 1 10 and 11 while they looked up steadfastly towards heaven behold two men stood by them in white apparel in act 1 11 which also said ye men of Galilee why stand ye gazing up into heaven this same

[21:30] Jesus which is taken up from you into heaven shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven what a blessing he's coming back he's coming back he's ascended what is he doing now he's making intercession he's praying for believers says in Hebrews 7 wherefore verse 25 he is able also to save them to the utmost that come unto God by him seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them what is he doing now he's praying for you believer tonight he's praying for you sister he's praying for you brother he's praying he's interceding for us he ever liveth to make intercession for you isn't that wonderful to think that your saviour is praying for you I know you've heard folk of late in the news and folk saying I prayed to saint so and so or someone who's going to be a saint so and so and somehow God did something we don't pray to any man or woman we don't pray to any idol or stone anything made of man we pray to our saviour there is one mediator between

[22:36] God and man the man Christ Jesus and here's the mediator he's interceding for you he's praying for you sister tonight you can be encouraged brother tonight he's praying for you he's pleading he's pleading for your case he is the advocate before the father as we read in 1 John 2 1 my little children these things I write unto you but you sin not and if any man sin he have an advocate with the father Jesus Christ the righteous he is there pleading your case you know with knowing how the courts work and what a dread it would be to stand before a judge but he is there taking he's pleading your case he's pleading your case not saying oh judge please let Ashley off or you know judge please let Julie off because she's been a kind of a good person most of her life or his life and you know the good makes up for the bad if you put it in the scales and weigh the good against the bad there's none of that because we know that just one if we fail in one point we offend all and we can't make the grade by any trying of our own but he comes and he pleads your case and he says

[23:47] I have paid the penalty I have paid the price I have paid the punishment for this one and we can rejoice in that and John 14 he's prepared a place for us when he ascended he says before he ascended he said I go to prepare a place for you so he ascended into heaven what is he doing he's preparing a place for you Christian here tonight if you're a saint if you love the Lord Jesus as your saviour you are a saint you don't have to wait for the Pope to declare you one because he can't do any such thing anyway but the Lord Jesus Christ declares you a saint a man of God a woman of God by his mercy and you have a place prepared for you in heaven's glory by his grace and 1 John 2 1 says we've got an advocate and just lastly the return of Christ born died resurrected ascended coming back again our saviour he's coming back again brothers and sisters one of the great teachings of our Lord and Jesus our saviour our person and our saviour

[24:52] Jesus Christ is that he has gone to prepare a place for you he says I will come again and receive you unto myself but where I am there you may be also the return the return of Jesus Christ we know as we read the headlines and the news stories and as some commentators would draw parallels with some of the signs that we read in Matthew 24 for example in the gospel accounts where our Lord speaks of the end days and of the letters to Timothy we read of the last days perilous times of a falling away of much of these signs that we see our saviour is returning soon he's coming back for our prepared people and we shall be prepared for that looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the great God and our saviour Jesus Christ looking for it are you looking for that believer tonight you can be encouraged when you see these things rumours of wars and earthquakes and what not when you see the signs he says your redemption draweth nigh your redemption of course we redeem now as saved people for that full redemption the redemption of our body the glorifying of our body that fullness of when sin will be left on earth and our body will be joined to our spirit and we'll have a perfect physical body as well as spiritual will be raised incorruptible without corruption and just to close when

[26:27] Jesus comes we will meet him we will meet him there's a meeting guaranteed an appointment as we know it's appointed unto men once to die but after that the judgement for the lost for the believer there's a meeting there's an appointment he's got it in his clock already he's got it in his diary in his calendar we don't know when it may be perhaps it's just days away hours away our saviour has promised to return for his church and for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and the trunk of God and the dead in Christ shall rise first then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air friends today listen the dead will be rise and the alive will be lifted up we'll meet the Lord together in the air our loved ones we know some of our loved ones have gone ahead they're already with the

[27:30] Lord as we know to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord we don't go into some kind of limbo some kind of purgatory or some intermediate state we go to be with the Lord to be absent from the body one second and the microsecond after that you're with the Lord present with the Lord but then of course we know physically those dead in Christ will be reunited with their body the soul will be reunited will come to our Saviour alive will be lifted up to meet the Lord in the air at his coming caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever with the Lord friends tonight so much encouragement we can take take it to heart think of our Saviour think of personally is he your personal Saviour is he one that you personally know we can know a lot about him we can know we can know every fine detail you can memorise the

[28:30] Gospels you can know it back to front inside out and verbatim but do you know him do you know him it's not knowing facts about him which we've covered really tonight the fact of his Godhead of his humanity of his virgin birth of his physical death in our place of his resurrection of his ascension of his interceding now of his coming back again these are all facts of the word of God we can know all that and yet miss heaven we can know all about him and yet not know him personally and I just want to urge you tonight as was referred to in the testimony there it's making that personal step and really and truly it's his work it's his drawing it's his it's his dragging us to the cross and making us see the wrath that awaits us without his taking mercy upon us it's only by the virtue of his freely offered love and mercy and grace that we can find his pardon and friends tonight as was talked about in the testimony time it's about you personally being willing to come a ending a ending a