4/14/14 - "WHY HE CAME"

Luke 19:35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.
Luke 19:36 And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.
Luke 19:37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen,
Luke 19:38 saying: “ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’ Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

There is no doubt that the most important event in history was when Christ was raised from the dead. The resurrection of Jesus Christ was the proof that He was the Son of God and that man could be redeemed. Without the resurrection you would have another powerless religion, but because of the resurrection of Christ you have a powerful Savior who opened the door for man to be reunited with the Father. During this resurrection week I want to share three key parts of the life of Christ that reveal why He came.

1. THE KING OF GLORY HAS COME

Psa. 24:9 Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in.

As Jesus rode into Jerusalem descending from the Mount of Olives, the people spread their clothes and palm branches on the ground in honor of His triumphant entry into the city. This was done in the days of Jesus in recognizing the entrance of a king. The King of glory had come in preparation for what would become His death and then resurrection. Here in Psalms 24:9 we have a reference to the King of glory who has come to enter in through the doorway of every heart of man who will welcome Him in.

For every heart that willingly receives Him, Jesus will come to reign within our hearts, bringing into our lives the ability to rule and reign with Him as kings and priests. What He needs to do so is a heart that has godly sorrow. One who has godly sorrow will repent for their sin. They will have the desire to turn from their old sinful nature and receive the Lordship of Christ to come and reign in their lives. As they do the King of glory then resides within their hearts.

Those who have received this King into their lives must remember He has come not just to give us a way to heaven, but also to now reign in and through our lives. Allowing Christ to reign will change the way we live our life. When we are born again we are to now place Jesus on the throne of our life. We are to yield our lives, spirit, soul, and body, completely to Him. By acknowledging His rule as the King of our life we will see our lives transformed. This takes place in our lives once born again by daily recognizing who we now are in Christ, and by choosing His ways over ours. Jesus referred to this when He said that if we want to follow Him we must deny self, take up our cross, and follow Him. To deny self is to deny the old fleshly nature and it’s desires. Taking up our cross means we now walk in God’s will for our life, which is found in the scriptures. Doing so we will follow our King.

2. REDEEMED BY HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD

1 Pet. 1:18 For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And the ransom he paid was not mere gold or silver.

1 Pet. 1:19 He paid for you with the precious lifeblood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God.

As the King of glory had come to enter the hearts of man, He then paid the most valuable price ever for our life by shedding His blood. To be redeemed means to be ransomed, purchased from the slavery that held us bound to the freedom we now have in Christ Jesus. Every drop of blood Jesus shed was a payment to free us from a part of the empty life we had previously inherited through the fall of man. There are six different times Jesus shed His blood, none without significance.

The first place Jesus shed His blood was in the garden of Gethsemane. In Luke’s account we find that He was in great agony as He was dealing with separation for the first time ever from the presence of His Father. Jesus states in Luke 22:42, “Father, if it is Your will take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.” Jesus won the battle for us over the human will. The second place Jesus shed blood was at the whipping post when the Roman soldiers scourged him. As Isaiah prophetically stated it would be by His stripes that our healing would be paid for. Jesus has paid the price for our bodily healing.

The third place Jesus shed His blood was when the soldiers made a crown of thorns and pushed it down upon His head. Through His shed blood we now have what scripture calls the mind of Christ, victory over the carnal mind. Our minds can now be renewed to the Word of God. The fourth place Jesus shed His blood was when they nailed His hands to the cross. James tells us to cleanse our hands of sin. Through the blood of our Savior we can now walk free from the power of a sinful lifestyle, no longer bound by sin.

The fifth place He shed His blood was when they nailed His feet to the cross. Once born again we are now to walk by faith not by sight, believing in the redeeming work of our Savior, walking in this new lifestyle of faith. The six place Jesus shed His blood was on the cross when they pierced His side with a spear in which blood and water flowed out. As Isaiah also prophesied that He would be pierced for our transgressions, man’s sin would no longer be covered, but washed away. Man would now be able to receive a new heart and become a new creation within.

The blood of Jesus shed for us is the proof of how much God love us. When you look at what determines the value of something there are two primary factors. One factor being how rare something is, and the other is based on what someone is willing to give to purchase what they want to buy. When you look at humanity we are all rare for God only made one of you. When you look at the price God was willing to pay to redeem your life there is no higher price that has ever been paid then the blood of Jesus shed for you. Don’t ever allow the enemy to make you think you are not valuable to God. You are very valuable to Him.

3. THE RESURRECTION POWER OF CHRIST

Eph. 1:19 You will also know the unlimited greatness of his power as it works with might and strength for us, the believers.

Eph. 1:20 He worked with that same power in Christ when he brought him back to life and gave him the highest position in heaven.

Eph. 1:21 He is far above all rulers, authorities, powers, lords, and all other names that can be named, not only in this present world but also in the world to come.

The apostle Paul in writing to the Philippians spoke of his desire to know Christ, and the power of His resurrection. That power was what raised Jesus out of hell itself, and made Him victorious over all the powers of darkness. Through this resurrection power Jesus stripped satan of the authority he had taken from the fall of Adam and Eve in the garden. He no longer has this authority. The very authority that God had originally given to man that was lost in the fall Jesus recovered and has now given that authority back to every born again believer. This was all accomplished because of His resurrection.

Notice it states here in verse 21 that Jesus is far above all rulers, authorities, powers, lords, and all other names that can be named. This refers to the different demonic powers that had ruled over man here on earth. Some might say well that is true Jesus has been raised above all such powers of darkness, but that does not mean we have. But in fact we too were raised up with Christ at the same time He was raised up by this resurrection power.

In Ephesians 2:5-6 Paul states that we were made alive together with Christ, raised up together with Christ, and then seated together with Him in heavenly places. The resurrection power of Christ in the life of the believer has raised you up to sit down with Him. Taking your rightful place seated next to Christ is done when you rest in the work of His life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension. When you by faith take your place with Him, you will experience the power of His resurrection in your life, giving you victory over all the power of the enemy.

May you walk in all Christ has done for you. Keep pursuing relationship with Him everyday, and keep looking to the Word and meditating on who you now are in Christ. Allow Him through His Word to sit on the throne of your life, recognize His shed blood in every part of your life, and acknowledge your rightful place with Him through His resurrection power. As you do you will know and experience for yourself “Why He Came.”

See You Again Next Week For More “Weekly Wisdom”

May God’s Best Be Yours!

Pastor Darryl Baker