Who
Jesus The Messiah Is
and
How
He Changed My Life
I
WAS A HYPOCRITE
I
grew up in a typical “Christian” environment. I thought I was a
Christian, but I was a hypocrite! I said I loved God, but I hated my
fellow man. As a child I was mistreated and it made me an angry
person! My thoughts reeled with visions of revenge. I wanted to even
the score! Oh, I put on a “nice face,” but it was only a thin
veil for a hate-filled heart within. Yes, I read my Bible, I prayed,
and I went to church, but it didn't affect my life. I was a two-faced
hypocrite!
SEARCHING
FOR ANSWERS
Eventually
it really began to bother me that I was like this. I knew I wasn't
living right. I knew there was something wrong, but I couldn't figure
it out. I searched desperately for answers, but I couldn't seem to
find them. It appeared that no one could come up with the answers
for me. Yet, I was determined to find them. I didn't give up looking.
I kept on!
I
believed in Hell, and I knew I didn't want to go there. I knew there
were things I had done that were wrong, and it bothered me. I wanted
peace within, but it alluded me. I believed in God, the Creator-God,
but I couldn't see how he could accept me with all my sin. What was I
to do? Surely, if there was a solution, God would have the answer.
MOSES'
LAWS LIKE A MIRROR
Oh,
how the laws of Moses condemned me! The Law told me not to steal –
guilty was I. It told me to not covet – guilty again. It told me to
honor my parents – guilty yet again. It told me not to commit
adultery – according to Jesus, I was guilty of this too. It told me
not to murder – again, according to Jesus I was guilty. Yes, again,
and again, and again, it showed me my fault, just as a mirror would
reveal dirt on my face! Again, and again, it showed me, God is holy,
but you're not. What was I to do? Clearly, I had broken God's holy
laws! What about my sin? My sin had separated me from my holy God and
surely He would condemn me to Hell! I knew there was nothing at all I
could do about my sin. I felt so troubled within! Driven to despair.
Hating my life. Finally, finally, the break through came!
HER
OFFSPRING
You
see, I had for so long, looked to myself for the answer. Surely there
was something I needed to do, but that was the lie. I could do
nothing, nothing at all. My eyes needed to look to the One that was
spoken about in the book of Moses. The One of whom, “The LORD God
said to the serpent, '...her [Eve's] offspring; he [the Deliver]
shall bruise your head [the serpent or Satan].'” (Genesis 3:14-15)
(Notice, it did not say Adam's offspring, but hers!) The One that was
pictured in Abel's offering. The One that would come from Abraham's
lineage. He who would be a blessing to “all the nations.”
(Genesis 22:18) The One that was pictured by Isaac on the altar. The
One that was pictured in all those sacrifices of old! The One who
would be known as the Messiah. The One who would be the Deliver from
sin. For the gospels say, “She will bear a son, and you shall call
his name Jesus, for he will save his people form their sins.”
(Matthew 1:21) He was my only hope. Someone sinless would have to
take the punishment for my sin. This
Someone, was Jesus Christ, the Messiah! He had to die, just like the
lambs in the sacrifices! It was then that I saw – He
took the wrath of God for my sin. I
believe! I believe! He took my place! He was punished instead
of me! It was the solution! For
it was written in the gospels, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes
away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29) My life was forever
changed! He came to take away my sin!
IT
WAS LIKE I HAD BEEN CHANGED FROM
A
CATERPILLAR TO A BUTTERFLY!
I
WAS FREE AT LAST!
Suddenly,
I had love for others – even those who had hated me and mistreated
me! No longer was I a slave to sin. I was free! My misery was gone! I
knew I was forgiven by God. I knew that now He would accept me into
His holy Heaven, because His Son had paid my sin-debt for
me! In turn I was given the very
righteousness of Christ Himself! I didn't need to earn my way into
Heaven by being good – it
was a gift. For it is
written, “For the wages of sin is death, but the
FREE GIFT of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
(Romans 6:23) This is why we can “know” that we are going to
Heaven. It is because Jesus Christ paid the penalty of “death”
for my sin. The wrath of God already fell on Jesus for my sin. There
is no wrath left for me. That is why God says, “I write these
things to you who BELIEVE in the name of the Son of God [Jesus the
Messiah], that you may KNOW that you HAVE eternal life.” (1John
5:13) Now at last I had the assurance that I “have eternal life”!
WHY
MUST HE DIE?
You
see, Jesus had to die. It was God's plan from the very beginning. In
the writings of the first book of Moses, its says that the Deliver
from sin would be, “her offspring.” This means that one of the
descendants of Eve, and not Adam, would be the Deliver. This also
means that he would not have an earthly father, but God Himself was
His father. We also read in the first book of Moses, in Genesis 3:15,
that the Messiah would have his “heel” bruised by the serpent –
Satan. This showed that the Messiah would have to die. Yet, on the
third day He would rise to life from among the dead ones. For in
Psalm 16:10 it says, “For you will not abandon my soul to Sheol, or
let your holy one see corruption.” Yet, in thus dying, he paid our
sin-debts, and therefore brought a mighty blow to the serpent – the
devil. For it was also written in Genesis 3:15, “He [the Messiah]
shall bruise your [the serpent's] head.” Therefore, Jesus the
Messiah, and not the serpent – Satan, won the victory at the cross
that day. For Jesus cried from the cross in victory, “It is
finished”! (Gospel of John 19:30)
Further,
throughout the writing of Moses, the Torah, it is shown that many
lambs had to die in place of the one who sinned. We are also told
repeatedly that these lambs that were to be killed, had to “be
without blemish.” That
it had to be a “male.” Also, that they were “not to break any
of its bones.” (Exodus 12:5-6 & 46) This was fulfilled in Jesus
the Messiah. For it is written in the Gospel of John, “Behold,
the LAMB of God, who
takes away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) Yes, Jesus the
Messiah was “without blemish,” that is no sin. He was a “male.”
Neither were any of His “bones” broken when they killed Him. For
once more, in the Gospel of John, 19:33, we read, “But when they
came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break
his legs.”
Understand
then, that the one who was to die in our place had to be sinless.
Only Jesus the Messiah qualified. No other would do.
We
must remember too, the words written in the books of Moses, Leviticus
17:11, “It is the blood that makes atonement for your souls.”
That is why it is also written, “Without shedding of blood there is
no forgiveness of sins.” (Hebrews 9:22) Then also it is says, “The
wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) See then, that the penalty
for our sin is “death.” That means separation from God now and
through eternity. Our only hope is that someone sinless would die in
our place. That is exactly what Jesus the Messiah did for you and me!
This is why Jesus the Messiah had to die. Without Him, we would have
no hope.
LOVE
Oh,
how glad I am that I now stand as innocent in His holy sight! I am
now His beloved. Oh how tremendously thrilling to experience His
unconditional love for even me!
Look,
the Messiah, Jesus Christ, loves you too. He did the same for you as
He did for me! Do you believe? Will you place your trust in Him, as
the one who is able to save you from the penalty for your sin?
IS
THE MESSIAH GOD?
Maybe
you don't believe the Messiah is God, but it is true. In the
beginning of the writings of Moses, it says, “In the beginning,
God.” (Genesis 1:1) The Hebrew meaning here for God [Elohim] is a
plurality. Yes, God in three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
yet, one God. Jesus Himself claimed the title, “I AM.” This is
the same title that God identified Himself with when He sent Moses to
go into Egypt and deliver His people. In the second book of Moses it
is written, “God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM,' And he said, 'Say
this to the people...I AM has sent me to you.'” (Exodus 3:14) This
too, is the same title Jesus claimed when on Earth. He said, “For
if you do not believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.”
(**Gospel of John 8:24) Look, either Jesus is who He claimed to be,
or He is a liar and someone we can't trust at all. Besides, could
anyone other than God raise the dead, heal the sick, die and rise
from among the dead? Has any other ever accomplished such things? The
reality is, that the things He did, give full support for who He
claimed to be – God. Do you believe?
You
see, the only solution for our sin, was for God to come to Earth as a
man. This, that He could take the penalty for our sin – death.
KNOW
YOU'RE GOING TO HEAVEN NOW
My
prayer is that you too, come to see what a wonderful Savior Jesus is!
He really does love you! He proved that love by coming to Earth and
dying on the cross for you. Trust Him today as your Savior. It is my
love for you, that compels me to write these things. I want you to
know that your sins can be forgiven you and that you can know that
you are on the way to God's holy Heaven!
“For
God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son,
that
everyone believing in Him should not perish,
but
have everlasting life.”
**John
3:16
“For
everyone who calls on the name of the Lord
will
be saved.”
Romans
10:13
“I
write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God
that
you may
KNOW
that
you HAVE
eternal
life.”
1John
5:13
Victor
J. Reimer
**”Scripture
taken from KJV Literal Translation Bible, First Edition, Copyright ©
2006 Used by permission of the copyright holder, Jay P. Green, Sr.”
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