Today I want to talk about the topic of love. The kind of love that Jesus had for us. Love that goes beyond human comprehension.
Nothing quite gets to me as much as when you do something for someone, and they don’t care. That really gets on my nerves. I think it gets on the nerves of everyone.
I recently was faced with a decision. The decision was to get a gift for someone. Someone who probably couldn’t care less about me. I had to question myself. Was it really worth spending money for a gift when they couldn’t care less?
My dilemma got me thinking of someone else who gave the ultimate gift: to people who not only didn’t care, but threw it all back in his face.
Titus 2:13-14 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Jesus gave himself for us. We were destined for death. Trapped by our sin, doomed to die. There was no way out, except for someone to redeem us. Someone who wanted to pay, and could pay for our sin.
There was only one man who could pay: Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. The only man to walk planet Earth with no sin.
1 Peter 2:21-22 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
Let’s go down a few verses:
1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Jesus gave you and I the ultimate gift. He took our sins. Something none of us could do ourselves.
But now I want to bring up the main point: Jesus did it for EVERYONE. Whether they wanted it or not, Jesus gave them the ultimate gift. All they have to do is accept it.
Think about the grief that Jesus felt when he hung there on the cross. The priests, the Jews who mocked him, the Roman soldiers who stood by gambling to see who would own his clothes. He was dying for them all, giving them a gift that man has chased ever since he fell from Eden: eternal life.
But the majority of humanity didn’t accept his gift. Instead, they hated the light because it revealed their evil deeds. (Joh 3:19} How’s that for gratefulness?
Please, get a feel of how massive this scene really was. The ever-elusive eternal life, something that man had given so much to get. And Jesus gave it to humanity for free. All we have to do is accept it. And instead we throw it back at him because we have to change for the better. Jesus knew what was going to happen. What if Jesus suddenly stopped and thought, “What if they don’t appreciate it? What’s the point of all this pain? Most of them won’t appreciate it, I think I’ll leave them be.” It would have been disaster for humanity!
Jesus, however, did it willingly for you and for me. May we never forget the gift Jesus gave us. May we never forget that Jesus gave us the gift while we were still enemies with him. Jesus gave us the ultimate example of love, when he gave us a gift that we didn’t want, a gift of eternal value, a gift that was free. Even though we were spitting in his face, he still offered us the gift, and even as he was nailed to the cross, he was offering us the gift. And even now, hundreds of years later, he still offers the greatest gift ever known to mankind: eternal life.
May we follow Jesus’ example. To love the people who are not only close to us, but also those who are our enemies. Because that is what our greatest example did. He gave us a gift that is priceless, and he gave it to us for free, in spite of all we did to him, in spite of the fact that we so often betray and wound him. He still offers it to us. All we have to do is take it. If you don’t have it, get it. If you have it, lead someone else to it. The gift of eternal life.
Nothing quite gets to me as much as when you do something for someone, and they don’t care. That really gets on my nerves. I think it gets on the nerves of everyone.
I recently was faced with a decision. The decision was to get a gift for someone. Someone who probably couldn’t care less about me. I had to question myself. Was it really worth spending money for a gift when they couldn’t care less?
My dilemma got me thinking of someone else who gave the ultimate gift: to people who not only didn’t care, but threw it all back in his face.
Titus 2:13-14 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.
Jesus gave himself for us. We were destined for death. Trapped by our sin, doomed to die. There was no way out, except for someone to redeem us. Someone who wanted to pay, and could pay for our sin.
There was only one man who could pay: Jesus Christ, God in the flesh. The only man to walk planet Earth with no sin.
1 Peter 2:21-22 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps: who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
Let’s go down a few verses:
1 Peter 2:24 Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
Jesus gave you and I the ultimate gift. He took our sins. Something none of us could do ourselves.
But now I want to bring up the main point: Jesus did it for EVERYONE. Whether they wanted it or not, Jesus gave them the ultimate gift. All they have to do is accept it.
Think about the grief that Jesus felt when he hung there on the cross. The priests, the Jews who mocked him, the Roman soldiers who stood by gambling to see who would own his clothes. He was dying for them all, giving them a gift that man has chased ever since he fell from Eden: eternal life.
But the majority of humanity didn’t accept his gift. Instead, they hated the light because it revealed their evil deeds. (Joh 3:19} How’s that for gratefulness?
Please, get a feel of how massive this scene really was. The ever-elusive eternal life, something that man had given so much to get. And Jesus gave it to humanity for free. All we have to do is accept it. And instead we throw it back at him because we have to change for the better. Jesus knew what was going to happen. What if Jesus suddenly stopped and thought, “What if they don’t appreciate it? What’s the point of all this pain? Most of them won’t appreciate it, I think I’ll leave them be.” It would have been disaster for humanity!
Jesus, however, did it willingly for you and for me. May we never forget the gift Jesus gave us. May we never forget that Jesus gave us the gift while we were still enemies with him. Jesus gave us the ultimate example of love, when he gave us a gift that we didn’t want, a gift of eternal value, a gift that was free. Even though we were spitting in his face, he still offered us the gift, and even as he was nailed to the cross, he was offering us the gift. And even now, hundreds of years later, he still offers the greatest gift ever known to mankind: eternal life.
May we follow Jesus’ example. To love the people who are not only close to us, but also those who are our enemies. Because that is what our greatest example did. He gave us a gift that is priceless, and he gave it to us for free, in spite of all we did to him, in spite of the fact that we so often betray and wound him. He still offers it to us. All we have to do is take it. If you don’t have it, get it. If you have it, lead someone else to it. The gift of eternal life.
