Why Did Jesus Come to Earth?

Why did Jesus come to earth?

Seriously, answer the question before you read further. What do you think was His primary purpose for coming to earth?

Did you answer, “To die on the cross and save us from our sin?”

That’s what most people who follow Jesus say. It’s true that He came to save us from our sins. It’s His desire that all mankind believe and be saved. We have new life because of Him.

However, this week the Lord gave me new understanding about His purpose for coming to earth. Consequently, I’m convicted.

Just before being arrested, on His way to the cross. Jesus spent intimate time with His disciples. He truths to encourage and strengthen them for the coming crisis of His crucifixion and departure from them.

He then turned His eyes toward heaven and spoke to His Father saying, “Father, the hour has come. Glorify Your Son, that Your Son also may glorify You” (John 17:1).

Jesus then mentioned our salvation, “as You have given Him (the Son, Jesus) authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him, and this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:2-3).

He then immediately returns to the topic of glorifying the Father and links it to having completed His assignment on earth. “I have glorified You on the earth, I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” (John 17:4).

Jesus came to glorify His Father. To glorify means to magnify, praise, honor, or cele Image result for image of a spotlight brate. Jesus shined a spotlight on His Father so we would see—and hopefully also celebrate Him. Jesus asked to be glorified so He could glorify His Father more.

Jesus’ work included dying on the cross to pay the price for our sins, but His ultimate purpose was to glorify His Father. Indeed, His birth is highlighted every year at Christmas. He also brought glory to His Father by living a sinless life as a man in the midst of a sinful society. His obedience to His Father, love and compassion for sinless people, the power evident in miracles, and the authority in His words all brought glory to His Father.

Jesus’ whole life pointed to His Father. Through Him we know the Father because His love, character, authority, and power were manifested and recorded through the life of Jesus.

Yes, He came to save us from our sins, but I no longer believe that was His primary purpose. Jesus came that we might know His Father, know that He came from the God, and believe in Him and the Father. These themes are repeated over and over through the book of John.

After speaking of glorifying His Father on earth, Jesus said, “I have glorified You on the earth, I have finished the work which You have given Me to do” John 17:4).

Our belief that the primary purpose of Jesus’ time on earth is so that we can be saved is an indication that we believe in a man-centered, or self-centered gospel.

But, it’s not about me, or about what I get out of it. Life in Christ is about Him. And His Father. About God—the three in one. The Spirit points us to Jesus. Jesus points to the Father.

Jesus is Father-centered. He came to introduce us to the Father. He died and took our sins upon Himself so that we might know and fellowship with a holy God. Indeed, so that through Jesus Christ, we might be one with Him. If we follow in His footsteps, we will be Father-centered too.

If our focus is on glorifying God, we will be more aware of His love for us, more confident in His care, protection, and provision, more certain that He is working His purposes out through trials and tribulation, and more abundantly blessed with His grace to walk through the tough times.

If our goal is to glorify the Father, rather than saving ourselves, it should not be difficult to rejoice in all things and to count it all joy when we encounter various trials. After all, we will be confident that our sovereign God is at work and will rejoice that our trial is for His glory.

The first question of the Westminster shorter catechism is, “What is the chief end of man?” In other words, what are we created for?

The answer: “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever.”

For years, I wondered, “How can I, whose righteousness is like a filthy rag (Is. 64:6), have any glory to give a omnipotent, holy God? Nothing I can do will add to Him!”

But I was wrong. Through obedience, Jesus glorified His Father. If I obey Him, He can be glorified through me too. As I take up my cross daily (Lu. 9:23)and surrender to Him (John 10:17-18). He will more freely work in and through Me, and thus will more clearly shine forth from me.

I cannot glorify God, because I have nothing to offer. Nothing but me. However, as I surrender myself–my Me–to the Lord, He can bring glory to Himself through me. That, to me, is amazing.

But that’s what Jesus called us to. He told the Father, “As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world (Jn. 17:18). He sent us into the world to shine the light on God, so the world will come to know Him and will believe.

The world desperately needs to see and know our God.

Paul said, “Whatsoever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31b).

Lord, help us lay aside our self-serving beliefs and embrace and maintain a goal of glorifying You through our lives. May you receive all glory, honor, and praise so the world will know you.

The Rendezvous Time is Set

Once Robert and I noticed each other, we couldn’t find enough hours in a day to share life.

We ate all our meals together in the college cafeteria, studied together at the library, and held hands as we walked around the campus. When 10:00 curfew confined us to separate dorms, I sat in the tiny booth down the hall and talked on the phone with him until midnight.

I had never known anyone with such similar values, dreams, and interests. We longed to know each other better and to share life. We made a way to be together every chance we got.

Recently, while studying John, I read about Jewish leaders seeking to heal Jesus because He broke the laws of the Sabbath. The passage led me to look more closely God’s guidelines for the Sabbath. My findings reminded me of our dating days.

First, in brief summary, some truths from Scripture:

God initiated the Sabbath as a day of rest from all work. He blessed it and sanctified it—set it apart to be different from other days. (Gen. 2:2-3; Ex. 20:8-10)
The Sabbath is a memorial. It reminds us that God sanctifies us. Those who profane it are to be put to death (31:13-14).
When a nation honors the Sabbath, the nation is honored and God is lifted up
Not honoring the Sabbath, leads to destruction. (Jer. 17:21-27).
Business and commerce as usual breaks the Sabbath (Jer. 17:21-27, Neh. 13:15-19).
God desires that we cease from work and enjoy rest. Disobedience robs us of rest (Heb. 4:1, 4-11).

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath (Mt. 12:8, Mk, 2:28).
It’s made for man. Man is not made for the Sabbath ((Mt. 12:8).
It’s not set aside for our own pleasure, is God’s holy day and should be honored by delighting in the Lord. (Is 58:13-14).
It’s lawful to do good on the Sabbath, not evil. (Mk. 3:4).
It’s lawful to give life on the Sabbath, not death. (Mk 3:4)
We are to be diligent to rest from our work (Heb. 4:11).
Rest helps keep us from falling (Heb 4:11).

There is more, but this is enough to show that honoring the Sabbath day is much more important to God than it has become to us as a nation. Indeed, more than it has become to us as His body.

Furthermore, we are missing blessings and reaping destruction because we have ceased to set the day apart as different from other days of the week.

However, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for their list of laws designating what they couldn’t do because it would be working on the Sabbath. If we follow Jesus, rules of what to do and what not to do isn’t the answer.

Jesus is Lord of the Sabbath, and He said it was made for man. So what does that mean? Why is a day set aside? What’s God’s purpose for the Sabbath? I’m sure it isn’t exhaustive, but I have several thoughts in answer.

First, the Sabbath is a sign, a memorial, a reminder to help us remember that our sanctification comes from God. Without a regular reminder, we get so tangled up in life’s busy pursuits that we forget God and our need for him. We need a reminder, so the Lord established it for us.
Second, we need regular rest from busyness. In fact, we need it to maintain health and perform our best. If we don’t schedule it, we won’t take it, so the Lord mandated it into our schedule—and then stressed how important it is.
While the particular work we can or can’t do on the Sabbath isn’t mandated, the work that Jesus did involved ministry and service, not personal gain.
Fourth, and I believe most important, we need time, intimate time, to fellowship with our Lord, to get to know Him more deeply and delight in Him.

If we love the Lord our God with all our hearts, soul, mind and strength, would we not delight to be with Him every chance we get? Just like Robert and I did during our dating years?

Our love for each other—imperfect though it was—drew us together. We delighted in being together and learning more about each other. We joyed in sharing life in all its ups and downs.

Our loving heavenly Father set aside a day because He knew our needs, that our schedules would be full, and our love lacking. His love is pure. He delights in us, wants to share life, and wants us to prosper rather than face destruction.

As I look at our nation and our world, I think it’s time to consider our ways and to find time to share life with our Maker.

The rendezvous time is set. And our Lord is waiting.

When Calamity Strikes, Where is God?

It seems the whole world is in chaos these days, that sensibility, morality, and reason
have vanished. In culture, and even in some churches, good is considered evil, and evil as good. Where is God in the midst of the chaos and calamity?

While reading through Ezekiel recently, I was struck by how God’s word of doom and gloom to His people is appropriate today.

I finished Ezekiel and moved on, but one message lingers. God called Ezekiel to speak to Israel, because they were an impudent, stubborn, and rebellious people. Ezekiel was told to speak “whether they hear or whether they refuse—for they are a rebellious house” (Ezek. 2:3-4), “for they have refused My judgments, and they have not walked in My statues” (Ezek. 5:6). He then listed one calamity after another that will befall God’s children because of their rebellion.

Throughout history, God has blessed His children. They then get comfortable, lazy and distracted by things of the world. The next step is that they turn from Him. Ezekiel wrote in such a time of rebellion.

Through Ezekiel, God warned Israel that total destruction was coming. God’s chosen people would either die or be carried into Babylonian captivity.

He then added, “And they shall know that I am the Lord; I have not said in vain that I would bring this calamity upon them” (Ezek. 6:10)

God initiated the calamity on Israel. He did so because of their rebellion. His purpose was that they once again know that God was their Lord

As a nation, we are somewhat like Israel. America was founded on Christian principles, with God at the center, and has been identified as a Christian nation. We have also been abundantly blessed.

However, like Israel we have turned our backs on God–to the extent that there is now a concerted effort to ban Him from the nation. The faithful remnant of believers is not having much effect on the direction of our country. We are a rebellious nation.

Consequently, we should not be surprised by the chaos and anarchy around us. God, the only true God, is a jealous God.

When we turn from Him, He is longsuffering, and faithful, but there are consequences. If we continue to deny God, He will remove His hand from us. Indeed, He may call evil people or nations to destroy us.

However, we need to resist evil and the way of the world. In the midst of the chaos of rebellion, we need to remain faithful to the Lord even when we don’t understand what He’s doing. All calamity is not initiated by God, but His ways are higher than ours (Is. 55:9). We can never fully understand His purposes, but we can trust Him to be righteous and just.

In Ezekiel 37:28 God reveals that His purposes for the calamities are bigger than His chosen people. He said, “the nations will know that I am the Lord who sanctifies Israel, when My sanctuary is in their midst forever.” It is repeated through the rest of the book that through observing God at work in Israel, they will come to know God.

He is God. His desire is that every knee bow and confess Him as Lord (Is. 45:23).

We find further clarity in Ezekiel 38:23: “And I shall magnify Myself, sanctify Myself, and make Myself known in the sight of many nations; and they will know that I am the Lord.”‘

He will do it. He will magnify Himself and make Himself known. We can preach, teach, demonstrate, and win political battles, but if the Lord is not leading, we labor in vain (Ps. 127:1). He is the source of all authority, power, and transformation.

God is on the move in the midst of the chaos, and His purposes will be realized. If we want to be on the winning team, it’s time to take stock and get firmly on His side.

We also need to realize that it’s not about us or about saving our great nation. It’s about the Lord God being lifted up so that all people will come to know Him.

People and nations come and go, but the kingdom of God is forever. Meanwhile, in the midst of the chaos, what do we need to do?

Seek to know God more intimately. When destruction comes on His people, it is so that we will seek Him, know Him, and serve Him with our whole heart (See 1 Chron. 28:9). The better we know Him, the better we can join Him in His work.
Be a daily testimony to life in Christ. Stand firm, faithful, obedient, and true to God, united as one, living in harmony with fellow believers. Show the love and share the truth of Jesus Christ to those who don’t know Him. Be His tools to accomplish His purpose.
Pray for God to be revealed. Only God can magnify Himself, sanctify Himself and make Himself known. Only God can work in peoples’ hearts. As we pray, we join God in His work, acknowledge His sovereignty, declare our dependence on Him, and call Him to action.

Father, in the midst of the chaos, help us to “be still, and know that [You are} God: [may You] be exalted among the heathen [and throughout all] the earth” (Ps. 46:10).

The Great Exchange: Bound by Blood reveals a concrete picture of God Who God is love and His love an faithfulness to those who follow Him. Order it here.

Robert & Kay Camenisch encouraging and equipping relationships