THE LORD JESUS CHRIST AND HIS REDEMPTIVE WORK! Pastor J. C. O’Hair
Concerning our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ, we read in Acts 4:12; “Neither is there salvation in any other;
for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be
saved.” It was this Christ Who uttered the great truth recorded in John 14:6 “I
am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father, but by Me.
After the dead sinner becomes a
living saint, by God’s grace and by faith in the redemptive work of the Lord
Jesus Christ, he is in a race for an incorruptible crown. (I Corinthians 9:24
to 27). Hear these important instructions in Hebrews 12:1 and 2—“Let us lay
aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run
with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the Author and
Finisher of our faith; Who for the joy that was set before Him endured the
cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God.”
The risen, glorified Son of God, Who
put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself (Hebrews 9:26) and Who is now in
heaven with His Father, is the Author and the Finisher of our faith. So we read
in Philippians 1:6 this statement: “Being confident of this very thing, that He
which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus
Christ.” This word “perform” is from the same Greek word translated “finisher”
in Hebrews 12:2. Both are from the same Greek word translated “uttermost” in
Hebrews 7:25: “Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that
come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
This Greek word is also translated “end.” Hear John 13:1—“Now before the feast
of the passover, when Jesus knew that His hour was come that He should depart
out of this world unto the Father, having loved His own which were in the
world, He loved them unto the end.” Christ loved them unto the end. God is
able, and Christ is able, to save all the way to the end all who come to the
Father through the Son. Note how this wonderful truth is stated in John 6:37,
John 17:12 and other verses:
“All that the Father giveth Me shall
come to Me; and him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.” John 6:37.
“While I was with them in the world
I kept them in My name; those that Thou gavest Me I have kept, and none of them
is lost, but the son of perdition; that the Scripture might be fulfilled.” John
17:12.
“For I am persuaded, that neither
death nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present,
nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be
able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Romans 8:38 and 39.
are judged, we are chastened of the
Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.” I Corinthians 11:32.
Thus we learn something of the
meaning of the statement that the Lord Jesus Christ is both the Author and the
Finisher of our faith.
In this connection let us hear this
glorious truth in Ephesians 1:6 and 7—“To the praise of the glory of His grace,
wherein He hath made us accepted in the Beloved: in Whom we have redemption
through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His
grace.” The God of all grace accepts the believing sinner in His Beloved Son.
And the believer’s redemption and forgiveness, by the blood of this Son, is
“according to the riches of God’s grace.” We know something of this, but the
full revelation of this is reserved for the glorified saints in heaven in the
ages to come. (Ephesians 2:7). Then note Philippians 4:19 “But my God shall supply
all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” “All your
need,” means “all you need.” This supply is according to God’s riches in glory
by Christ Jesus our Lord
Another truth Christians accept by
faith, but very few seem to comprehend, is stated in Colossians 2:9 and l0—“For
in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in
Him, which is the Head of all principality and power.”
Yes, all Bible Christians believe
that in Christ Jesus dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. In Christ
are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. (Colossians 2:3).
It was this Christ Who said, “This
is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ,
Whom Thou halt sent.” John 17:3.
Concerning this Christ we read in
Philippians 2:5 to 11 the greatest story of the ages:
“Let this mind be in you, which was
also in Christ Jesus: Who being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to
be equal with God: But made Himself of no reputation, and took upon Him the
form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in
fashion as a man, He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death
of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name
which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of
things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that
every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the
Father.”
All Bible Christians believe that
the uncreated, eternal Christ was in the form of God before He took unto
Himself the form of man: that He was with God in the bosom of the Father; that
He was God the Creator of all things. (John 1:1 to 3—John 1:10 and John 1:18).
So Christians join with the redeemed ones in Revelation 5:12.
“Saying with a loud voice, Worthy is
the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength,
and honour, and glory, and blessing.”
Because Christians believe in the
eternal Deity of the Lord Jesus Christ, they know that He is worthy of all of
His titles in the Bible, such as “the Lord of glory,” “the Prince of life,”
“the King of glory,” “the Prince of peace,” “Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and
the End,” “Wonderful Counsellor” and many others.
The Father calls Christ, “His
Beloved Son,” in Whom He is well pleased. And the Scriptures speak of the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ as the precious blood. “Forasmuch as ye know that ye
were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, from your vain
conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.” (I Peter 1:18
and 19).
Hear this interesting statement
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ as the Stone:
“To Whom coming, as unto a living
Stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious.”
“Unto you therefore which believe He
is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone which the builders
disallowed, the same is made the Head of the corner.” I Peter 2:4 and 7.
Chosen of God and precious. Hear
Christ’s own words:
“Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never
read in the Scriptures, The Stone which the builders rejected, the same is
become the Head of the corner; this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in
our eyes?”
“And whosoever shall fall on this
Stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to
powder.” Matthew 21:42 and 44.
Thus we learn that Christ is the
precious Stone, the rejected Stone, the smitten Stone and the smiting
Stone.With these wonderful truths let us read:
“The kings of the earth stood up, and
the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against His Christ. For
of a truth against Thy holy child Jesus, Whom thou hast anointed, both Herod
and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered
together, For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be
done.” Acts 4:26 to 28.
“And when they had fulfilled all
that was written of Him, they took Him down from the tree, and laid Him in a
sepulchre. But God raised Him from the dead.” Acts 13:29 and 30.
Thus we see that Christ’s death was
neither premature nor accidental. He was not the helpless victim of
circumstances in the hour of death. He was delivered according to the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. (Acts 2:22 and 23). He was God’s
spotless, slain Lamb, foreordained before the foundation of the world.
Therefore, the words of Christ in
Matthew 26:24 and Luke 24:25 to 27:
“The Son of man goeth as it is
written of Him; but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it
had been good for that man if he had not been born.”
“Then He said unto them O fools, and
slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken; Ought not Christ to
have suffered these things, and to enter into His glory? And beginning at Moses
and all the prophets, He expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the things
concerning Himself.”
So Christ died for our sins,
according to the Scripture. He was buried and raised from the dead the third
day, according to the Scripture. This is the gospel that the sinner must
believe to be saved. I Corinthians 15:3 to 6.
Note also Hebrews 9:12:
“Neither by the blood of goats and
calves, but by His own blood He entered in once into the holy place, having
obtained eternal redemption for us. Christ on the cross cried, “finished.”
Then He came from the grave, went to
heaven, and by His blood He obtained eternal redemption. So we read in Romans
8:34—“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is
risen again, Who is even at the right hand of God, Who also maketh intercession
for us.”
Then note I Thessalonians 4:13 to
18:
“But I would not have you to be
ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even
as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again,
even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him. For this we say
unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the
conning of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord
Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the
archangel, and with the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first;
Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the
clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
Wherefore comfort one another with these words.”
So we learn something of the Lord
Jesus Christ as the Author and Finisher of our faith.
He did appear. (Hebrews 9:26). He
doth appear. (Hebrews 9:24). He shall appear. (Hebrews 9:28).
The Christian has been saved. The
Christian is being saved. The Christian shall be saved.
How God Saves Men
Believing
Christ DIED, that’s HISTORY.
Believing
Christ DIED for YOU SINS and Rose again that’s SALVATION.
Read Romans
1:16, Romans 10:9-10 and 1. Corinthians 15:1-4
(A 10 Minute Video)
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