Jesus the Savior
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December 25, 2016 |
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 Senior Pastor Dr. Jaerock Lee
"She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins" (Matthew 1:21).
The Word became flesh and came to the earth to save all mankind. He is Jesus. With what kind of heart did Jesus have when He fulfilled His duty as the Savior for all humans? Let's look into the heart of the Lord in three aspects.
1. Jesus did not have 'self'.
Philippians 2:6-7 reads, "[Christ Jesus] who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men." The duty of Jesus the Son of God was to be born in the form of man and to fulfill the duty of the Savior by dying on behalf of sinners.
Suppose the king of a nation ordered his son to hide his identity and serve as a slave for 3 years to make him experience the life of the ordinary people. How would the prince feel?
When he wore rough clothes, he would probably be reminded of soft clothes that he used to wear, and when he had to eat nothing but low quality foods, he'd be reminded of good foods in the palace. When people in the lower classes, who couldn't even be compared to those of his royal identity beat him, cursed at him, and made him do difficult labor, he might have wanted to reveal himself, rebuke, and punish them. But in order to obey the command of the king, he had to give up his status and authority and abandon elevating himself above others.
Think about Jesus. He existed in the form of God and has such great authority that all the heavenly host and angels are at His command. Still, Jesus was born in human flesh on this earth, and fulfilled His duty completely. He was born and crucified at the God-destined time. Throughout His life He only obeyed God. He preached the word; healed the sick and revived the dead. He went where He was to go and stopped where He was to stop, met whom He was to meet and did what He was to do. He did not want to be respected or recognized. In this same way, we should deny ourselves completely to obey God completely. Only then will we be able to accomplish God's providence.
When we deny ourselves and give everything we have to God as Jesus did, God will certainly lead us into spirit so that we can bear fruit and be blessed. However, sometimes, we can see that some say they love God and the shepherd and they work to give glory to God, but they do not bear good fruit. It is because they have the 'self' deep inside of their heart. Deep in their hearts they insist on what they want to gain, they think they are right, and they dislike giving God all their possessions. In their deep heart, they want to reveal themselves and get recognition from others.
Luke 17:10 says, "So you too, when you do all the things which are commanded you, say, 'We are unworthy slaves; we have done only that which we ought to have done.'" I urge you to deny yourself and get rid of the heart that wants something back. Then, you will give glory to God greatly and receive great love from God like Jesus did.
2. Jesus had the love of the cross.
Philippians 2:8 states, "Being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross."
You know very well how cruel crucifixion is. Jesus' flesh was torn apart by whips having lead pieces, and was crowned with thorns. He went up to Golgotha exhausted and bled so much, and was hung on a cross with His hands and feet nailed. Insects gathered at His wounds following the smell of blood in such a hot weather. As death came closer, His pain got worse and worse.
Jesus suffered all these things without any complaint. It is because of love. Because Jesus loves God so much, He wanted to accomplish God's will despite any kind of suffering. Also, because Jesus loves each and every soul who was made in the image of God, He wanted to save all of us by receiving the pain on behalf of us. His earnest and heart-rending love gave Him the power to voluntarily endure all the sufferings and even the crucifixion on this earth.
The reason why I could do God's works and have remained with my church members in any situation until today is because I love God and the Lord and the members. No matter how hard or difficult this way was, I could always choose to accomplish the kingdom of the Lord, because I truly love the Lord.
If you love God, then leading a Christian life is so easy. Also, if you love the souls with your love towards the Lord, fulfilling your duties and doing your ministry is so easy. You will be happy when you pray and worship before God, and you will be full of thanks and joy when you are faithful to God's kingdom. Preaching the gospel and taking spiritual care of the members make you happy because you feel it gives life and strength to lovely souls. Then, God will be able to accomplish His providence through you. He will love you so much, give answers to your prayers and bless you.
3. Jesus' heart was full of hope for Heaven.
Philippians 2:9-11 says, "For this reason also, God highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
Jesus had certain hope that after all the sufferings on the earth He would go back to God in Heaven and enjoy the splendor as the King of kings. He had another hope that, through His death on the cross, countless souls on this earth would be led to God and become His children. Because of that hope, He did not consider any hardship as hardship, or any difficulty as difficulty.
Then, how great is your hope for Heaven? Is the happiness and joy that you will enjoy in New Jerusalem actually engraved in your heart? Are you hopefully thinking of heavenly rewards for spreading evangelizing materials, heavenly glory for your prayer for the church, and heavenly praise for every deed for the Lord? If so, you will always have joy and grace in your life. You will be able to lead your Christian life being full of the Holy Spirit in any kind of circumstances.
God has loved us to the point of giving up His only begotten Son to death. Our Lord has loved you and me that He could receive the sufferings on the cross with thanks.
I urge you to compare the heart of the Lord with yours as to see how clearly you are feeling God's grace, how much you have gotten rid of the 'self' in you, and how much love and hope you have in your heart. I pray in the name of the Lord that you will quickly achieve the heart of Jesus and thereby receive the love of God, become the source of His joy and bear abundant fruit.
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