The Life of Jesus Christ - Chapter 6 - Who is Jesus? - Part 6
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An online Bible Study course by Barrie Wetherill about the life of Jesus. This book is in EasyEnglish Level B. Use the links below for other online Bible Study books and commentaries that will help you. Or go to the Word List, which explains words with a *star.
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Jesus came to set up an
entirely new *kingdom. His *kingdom was for people who trusted Jesus. The *Holy
Spirit now lived in these people. Jesus did not want to change things in a small
way. He was a real revolutionary. (A revolutionary is a person who starts a
revolution. But Jesus' revolution was not political. Instead, Jesus set up the
*kingdom of God.) That was why he was born in an animals’
shed, and not in a
palace, or into a royal family.
People in this world often
want only what will give them pleasure. Some people desire money and some people
desire power. We recognise such attitudes in the way that the *Pharisees and
other people behaved towards Jesus.
But Jesus came to establish
a new *kingdom. People who belong to this new *kingdom love perfectly. They
serve other people humbly.
Like any other
revolutionary, Jesus saw wrong things in society. For this new *kingdom, he
would need new men and women. He needed people whom the *Holy Spirit had
changed. They would have new hearts and they would love in a different way.
Also like any revolutionary,
he asked us to obey him totally. But he is also not like today’s
revolutionaries. His methods are totally fair and loving. Other revolutionaries
would not hesitate to use cruel methods to achieve their ambitions. But Jesus
was gentle and humble.
Just after Peter’s words
at Caesarea Philippi, we read these words.
Matthew 16:24-28
‘If anyone would come to me, he must give up his own desires. He must take
up his *cross. [That is, he must be ready to suffer.] He must follow me.
Whoever wants to save his life will lose it. But whoever loses his life for me
will find it. A man may gain the whole world, but lose his *soul. That would
be terrible. A man's *soul is more important than anything else that he could
gain. The *Son of Man [Jesus] will come in his Father’s *glory with his
*angels. Then he will reward each person for what he has done. I tell you the
truth about some people here. They will not die before they see the *Son of
Man’s *kingdom’.
Do we want to follow Christ?
Then we must give up our own desires. We must give up the desire to do what
other people do. We must give up our jealous ambitions. In these verses, Jesus
showed that people are very foolish in this world. Whatever they gain in this
world is not really useful. It will have no value when Jesus comes again to
*judge the world. It will have no value when we live with him, after death. But
suppose that someone did gain the whole world. That person would lose his soul.
And he would lose his life with Jesus. Jesus came to give us a completely full
life (John 10:10). This only comes to people who follow him completely. So, when
we serve Jesus, we should be totally sincere.
Earlier, when Jesus taught
his *disciples on the mountain, he said this. We cannot trust anything that we
own. It is not safe to do this. In the end that thing will disappoint us. If we
have money or valuable possessions, thieves can steal them. Many possessions
will lose their value because time will spoil them. If we trust only our family
or friends, they will also disappoint us. God made people. He designed people so
that they would trust him alone. We are completely safe only when we do that.
Jesus came to forgive us. He wants to give us peace with God. [That is, Jesus
wants us to be friends of God.] And Jesus wants to give us *eternal life, and
security. Because of Jesus, anyone can trust God. First, that person must be
really sorry for his *sin. Then that person can turn to God. God will make that
person a citizen of the *Kingdom of God. But we must give up the behaviour and
attitudes of people who do not obey God.
What does the Christian have to give up? Jesus asks us to give
up our *sin. He offers to forgive us. He gives us *eternal life. We trust him.
So, we believe that God’s word [the Bible] is true. And the Bible teaches new
attitudes to us.
The life of the *apostle Paul shows us this. When he became a
Christian, he gave up a good career. He gave up the chance to be an important
man in his nation. Even although he was young, he was already a leader. He gave
all this up for Christ. There were more things that he had to give up later. But
Paul always said that he gained so much more. What he gained in Christ was much
better than his old life. Paul had new attitudes now. To do well in his career
was not important to him now. Popularity was not important now. What was
important was to please God. We can see this when we read his letters. Nothing
else in life could satisfy him. He was really happy only when he was pleasing
God. Here are his words.
Philippians 3:7-10 I
achieved many things. But these things do not seem worthwhile now that I know
Christ. In fact, I think that everything in this world is of little value. But
I have received something much better: I know Christ Jesus my *Lord. I have
lost everything because of him. But I consider that these things are like
rubbish. I have gained Christ. I belong to Christ. The law could not make me
good. But Christ makes me good as I trust him. God makes me really good
because I believe in Christ. I want to know Christ and the power of his life.
I am willing to suffer like Jesus and to become like him in his death. Then I
will also become alive again, as he did, after death.
The *apostles could not possibly know this when Jesus was with
them. Their ideas about Jesus' *Kingdom were still wrong. But they knew enough
to understand this. Jesus was the *Saviour. God had promised this *Saviour. So,
they should trust him. And they should obey him.
Read: John 6
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2002-2005, Wycliffe Associates (UK)