WHY WOULD I ACCEPT JESUS? WELL…..

Good Day, My Friends.  I had the privilege of spending last Wednesday through Saturday at Tan-Tara, Lake of the Ozarks for the Missouri Music Educators Conference.  The Saint Louis Wind Symphony was invited to perform, and what a spectacular concert we presented.  I could not be more proud of that assemblage of talent.  Luckily we made it back and forth with good weather, but how quickly things change. Yesterday it was 59 degrees.  Today at family excursion time (6:00 am), it was 8 degrees and windy!  Thank God for hot coffee…

Without a doubt the most baffling; the most debatable; the most thought-provoking; the most nagging, the most gut-wrenching, yet the most important question we all will have to contend with at some point in our life is, “Why would I accept Jesus?  Who is he?” or, “What’s the big deal?”  I am particularly partial to the last question because a few months ago, after delivering a message to the men at Sunshine Mission, a young man came up to me afterward and said, “I don’t get it.  What’s the big deal about Jesus?”  Wow!  I was momentarily stunned by the question, then the answer came to me: “The big deal”?  Jesus isn’t the “big deal”…Jesus IS THE ONLY DEAL!!”

I know the subject of Jesus has always been, from the first century on, the basis for energized conversations.  But the truth is…there is no way to be passive about the subject, nor any way to have a non-committal response because the very nature of Jesus won’t allow that.  Jesus demands a response… then you’d better be ready to defend your thoughts! “Oh, I think Jesus was a good man.” (blah!) “I believe Jesus was a prophet” (double blah!) “I believe Jesus was a historic figure who did wonderful things” (pabulum!)  How about this…“I know Jesus IS the Son of God who came to die for the sins of mankind so that we can have eternal life!”  Now you’re in the game!! But unfortunately that response has always demanded courage, and that courage certainly doesn’t come from us. (Hummm, that craziness sounds like double-talk or religious-eze…Right?  Let me explain.)

FACING REALITY

The truth of the matter is this: mankind is lost and waist-deep in ignorance. Now I’m not using that term in a derogatory sense, meaning stupidity or lack of intellect, but simply to mean, “not having been exposed to the truth”. To be exposed to the truth takes effort on our part. I know that because I spent most of my life as a non-believer and I had my own idea of truth. It was the gospel of Presgrave, and if something didn’t fit into my paradigm of thinking, it couldn’t be true…and I gotta tell ya, Jesus didn’t fit into my box.  But with further exploration, I did find His promise to be true: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” (Matt. 7:7-8)  As the asking, seeking and knocking continued, I found revelation in John, 8:32: Jesus said, “if you follow my teachings you will know the truth and the truth will set you free.” Those two scriptures are my story of transformation. That’s why I can say today with total confidence, “Jesus IS the Son of God who came to die for my sins so that I can have eternal life!” That is not only confidence; that is my foundation for living.

So who is this controversial figure, Jesus Christ? Well, the best way to find the answer to that question is ask Jesus; to let him tell you what he said about himself. While some of these claims may be challenging to you if you haven’t been exposed to the truth, try to imagine what it must have been like to the Jews who were living during Jesus’ time on earth. These claims were not only challenging, but downright scandalous…even blasphemous!   In fact, that’s what led Jesus to the cross.

LEARNING THE TRUTH

Jesus said: “I AM”, meaning He is one with God. He is everything, past; present; and future.  He is immutable. John 8:28, tells us: “Jesus said, when you have lifted up the Son of Man on the cross,  then you will realize that I am He and that I do nothing on my own…”  In other words, when you crucified me, you crucified God!  Wozzer!!   I bet that got their attention.

Jesus claimed to be the “Son of God”, meaning he came from Heaven; that he existed before he existed in his mother’s womb.  Colossians 1:19 tells us: “God was pleased to have his fullness dwell in him.” He also claimed to be the “Son of Man”, meaning he was the “natural” counterpart to the Son of God.  He was thoroughly human.  He was one of us in every respect.  He felt love, joy, temptation, sorrow, pain, suffering, anger…BUT, He remained sinless.  In John, chapter 8, we are told about Jesus’ confrontation with an angry mob of unbelievers.  Twice he directly challenged them: “point to anything wrong in my life” or “who can prove me guilty of sin”.  The amazing thing is, no one in the crowd was willing, or could, accept his challenge.

Jesus claimed to be “The Messiah”, meaning the anointed one from God; the Deliverer of those in bondage. Jesus’ coming fulfilled the prophecies found in the Old Testament.  In Matthew 5: 17, Jesus said, “Don’t misunderstand why I have come.  I did not come to abolish the Law of Moses or the writings of the prophets.  No, I came to fulfill them.” And when talking to Martha about her brother Lazarus’ death, Jesus said: “I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die like everyone else, they will live again. They are given eternal life for believing in me and will never perish…” (John 11:25-26).

Jesus claimed to be our Savior, meaning He IS the answer to mankind’s never-ending struggle with sin.  We are told in Luke 24:47, when Jesus was talking to his Apostles, “With my authority, take this message of repentance to all the nations, beginning in   Jerusalem: There is forgiveness of sins for all who turn to me”. Again in Matthew 20:28 He said, “For even I, the Son of Man, came here not to be served but to serve others, and to give my life as a ransom for many.” And again in John 10:10, “The thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy. I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” 

Jesus claimed to be The Truth, meaning he is the Word incarnate.  In John 1:14 we read: “And the Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.  We have seen his glory…” And again in John 14:7, “If you really know me, you know my Father as well.  From now on you do know him and also have seen him.”

WHAT’S NEXT

The statements or claims Jesus made about himself could fill many pages, in fact there have been hundreds of books written on just that topic. But my purpose in this segment is only to begin an introduction to this world-changing, world-challenging figure.  My intent now is to take the next few weeks and talk about the practical application of his teachings in our lives. Luke 19:10 tells us, “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost.” That, my friends, is anyone who has not repented and turned to God.  Hopefully as we begin connecting the dots, it will become obvious that Jesus was not just a “big deal”, but that Jesus IS THE ONLY DEAL!  Ephesians 2:5 makes it blatantly clear. “Without Him we are dead in our transgressions. It is by Grace we have been saved.” 

So my question to you today is…Do you know Jesus as your Lord and Savior?  If “No”, why not??

May God Bless Ya!, and feel free to respond to this posting.

Dan Presgrave (a.k.a. Pastor Dan)