The Life of All Lives - Our Saviour Jesus - 1
Introduction
I want to begin by welcoming you to this series of studies. It is my prayer that through them, God will bless you. In each study, we shall be focusing our thoughts almost exclusively on one Person. If we mention anyone other than this Person, it will only be to the extent that it helps our understanding of Him.
That Person is Jesus Christ. Let me say now that it is my conviction that He stands immeasurably higher than any other person who has ever lived or ever will. He has no rival, He is incomparable.
In a reference to Jesus, John the Baptist said to those who were listening to him: “Among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” Jesus Christ is so indescribably great that nobody - not you, not me, not even John the Baptist - could presume to do for him the humble honour of untying his sandal. He is so high, and we are so low. Yet He does not stand aloof, at a distance. He has come near, and He invites us to draw near to Him.
It goes without saying that these studies cannot be exhaustive. At the end of his account of the life of Christ, John said that Jesus did many other things that he had not written down, and that if he had, the whole world would not have had room for the books that would be written. We must therefore be selective. What we aim to do with God’s help is to focus on the key facts and the critical moments in His life and think about what the Bible tells us about them.
So we are going to take 12 central facts and events, and explore what Scripture has to say about them. As we do so, may it be our individual prayer that we shall be enabled to grow in our knowledge of Jesus Christ, “whom to know is life eternal.”
Let me set out the reasons why we are devoting the whole of this series of studies to the Person of Christ.
The first is this: if Jesus is not the Person the Bible says He is, the whole foundation of the Christian faith disintegrates at once. Let there be no confusion about this, because on this point the Bible is clear. It reveals Jesus Christ as fully God, who became fully human, who was crucified and who rose again, literally and bodily, to save His people from their sins. That is a truly awesome claim, but take it - or any part of it - away, and all you are left with is a religious system, just one of many, that will come to nothing in the end.
All Christians are united in respect of these central facts about Christ. There are many divisions between Christians on other matters, which is regrettable; but there is complete unanimity on this issue.
Now perhaps you are thinking to yourself: how can he say that with such confidence? The answer is simple: anyone who does not believe these basic things is not truly Christian, whatever he may call himself. The Apostle John put this in robust terms in the second chapter of his first Epistle. He said, “Who is the liar? It is the man who denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a man is the antichrist – he denies both the Father and the Son. No-one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also.”
What this forthright language means is that the person who denies the biblically revealed truths about Jesus Christ is not neutral; he is antichrist – he is opposed to Christ – he is not truly Christian. It is as serious as that.
The second reason is that Christian conversion is essentially an encounter with the Person of Christ. Shortly before the crucifixion, Jesus was praying for Himself, for His disciples, and for all those who would come to trust in Him. We find that prayer recorded in John chapter 17. At the beginning He said, “Now this is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.” Eternal life - the life of the age to come - can be enjoyed here and now. To have eternal life is to know Christ personally. Christian conversion always involves this encounter. It is to acknowledge Him as Scripture reveals Him - the eternal Word made flesh. It is to embrace Him as both Saviour and Lord. It is to trust Him - and Him alone - for salvation.
Thirdly, at the heart of Christian living is a day-to-day walk with Christ. When Jesus gave the disciples the great commission shortly before His ascension, he told them to “go and make disciples of all nations...teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” In other words, he gave them - as he gives us - work to do. But he brought that commission to an end with a great promise. He said, “And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” And he has kept that promise.
Finally, the Christian hope is centred on Jesus Christ. When the Christian thinks of heaven, there may be many things that come to mind. It is a glorious place. There will be ‘a new heaven and a new earth, the home of righteousness.’ There will be no sorrow, and no sinning. Christian friends and relatives who have passed on before will all be there. These are wonderful things to look forward to, and we are right to do so. But they are not at the centre of our hope. The Apostle Paul said, “I desire to depart and be with Christ, which is better by far.” In his great vision of the New Jerusalem in Revelation 21 and 22, the Apostle John wrote, “They shall see His face”. And that is just it: Paul knew it, John knew it. To see His face, to be in the immediate presence of Christ will be everything. For the Christian, it will mean that we are home.
We hope that you will join us on this journey through the life of all lives. If you already know Him as your Saviour, we pray that these studies will lead you into a closer relationship with Him and encourage you in your faith. Is there someone listening who simply cannot see what we see in Christ? If so, may God by His Holy Spirit open your eyes so you may see Him, and trust Him for salvation.