Who is Jesus?
More than 2000 years ago a man by the name of Jesus lived in a small corner of the Roman Empire known as the land of Israel.
Right from the outset, Jesus was recognised as a great teacher, prophet, miracle worker and mighty leader. Despite having all of these qualifications, it did not stop the authorities capturing Him and publicly executing Him on a cross.
However, what is even more unusual about this account is that Jesus expected this to happen. Several times before He was killed, Jesus stated that He would be killed and that He would rise again.
Which is exactly what happened. Three days after His death, Jesus rose from the grave, an event that was attested to by hundreds of people at the time (1 Corinthians 15:6).
So why is this important?
Prior to His death Jesus had a number of bold statements to make about Himself.
He said He was the Light of the world (John 8: 12), He said that He came to save humanity (Luke 19: 10), and He said that He would judge all the nations at the end of time (Matthew 25: 31-32).
Obviously, these are all pretty big statements to make, but the fact that Jesus rose from the dead added a bit of weight to what He had to say.
The big question is then… What do we do with all of this?
Jesus put it this way, in John 3:16 He said:
“For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only son, so that anyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.”
Jesus was saying that He came to save humanity and was seeking people who would put their faith in Him.
So how do we get to know Jesus?
Jesus doesn’t require us to reach some standard of perfection for us to know Him. In fact, the Bible says that everyone has sinned and fallen short of God’s perfect standard.
Jesus simply asks us to turn to Him and ask for His help. Acts 2: 21 says, “All who call upon the Lord will be saved.” And Jesus promises to save us, both in our current circumstances and beyond death.
So how do we respond to all of this?
Perhaps the best place to start is by being honest with God and talking to Him.
Acknowledge your faults. Ask Jesus to help you live the life that God intended you to live, and believe that God will step in and do what you cannot.
The Bible says that when you declare with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe with your heart that God has raised Him from the dead you will be saved (Romans 10: 9).
Here is a prayer that you might find helpful to pray
God,
I am coming before You because I need your help. I cannot save myself.
Forgive me for trying to live life apart from You and help me to live a life that brings You glory. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit and lead me in Your ways.
I place my trust in Jesus as the Leader and Saviour of my life, and my hope in His unconditional love for me.
Thank You for hearing this prayer,
Amen.
Find out more with Alpha
Want to know more about Jesus? Do you have unanswered questions about life, purpose and religion?
Consider coming to our 11-week interactive Alpha course, designed especially to create a safe space to discover and discuss the burning questions of faith, life and God.
Visit our Alpha page or contact Alpha Coordinator David Macleod to find out when the next course is available, email david@hopehq.nz