January 1, 2023— Life is stressful and difficult. It is filled with debt, anguish, and exhaustion. Yet, for those of us that are called, we have something that no one else on this earth has access to unless they too are called: We have peace through the salvation and acceptance of Jesus Christ of Nazareth as our savior. The Holy Bible states, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27).
In another chapter of John, Jesus Christ said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). What things were Jesus Christ of Nazareth speaking about? Jesus was telling His disciples about life on earth (persecution and tribulations, but being led by the Holy Spirit) versus eternal life in the kingdom of heaven.
Who will go to heaven? Those that accept Jesus Christ as their savior and repent from their sins. Jesus refers to this as “the elect” (Matthew 24:22, and Mark 13:20). As I alluded to earlier, Jesus Christ calls these people. “For many are called, but few are chosen.” (Matthew 22:14).
God Comes to You
Jesus Christ was speaking to the chief priests and the Pharisees when He said the words in Matthew 22:14. Jesus used parables frequently not only to teach, but so the words of the prophet Isaiah would be fulfilled, “Keep on hearing, but do not understand; keep on seeing, but do not perceive.” (Isaiah 6:9). The gospel of Matthew 13 speaks to this prophecy and that Jesus fulfilled it. In addition, John 12:40 cites Isaiah 6:10:
“Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.”
When Jesus Christ was at the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem with His disciples, He told them, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (John 14:6). This saying is simple, but let us break it down:
“I am the way”- Before Jesus, the only way to get to God was through priests. Jesus Christ is the way to God, and you can only get to God through believing in Jesus Christ whom God has sent. The Holy Bible says, “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.” (John 14:1).
“the truth”—Jesus came professing the gospel for he is the Word, providing His testimony of the kingdom of heaven, and explaining it to us. When questioned before Pilate, Jesus had said, “You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice” (John 18:37). All who are called by Jesus Christ, know His voice, and knows their charge (John 10:27). Proverbs 14:25 says, “A true witness delivers souls.” Psalm 34:22 says, “The Lord redeems the soul of His servants, And none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.” Jesus professed the truth of the gospel and by doing so, He called us to Him taking our souls away from Satan and delivering our souls to God. The Holy Bible says that all souls belong to God (Ezekiel 18:4), but not all souls will be saved (Revelation 20:15).
“the life”—Jesus Christ taught us how to live life by preaching the gospel. He became not only our savior, but our role model. The Holy Bible says, “In Him was life and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (John 1:4-5).
“No one comes to the Father except through Me”—Jesus Christ calls us to Him. He calls the = the hardworking. David was a shepherd before being called to be the King of Israel. Jesus calls the meek and the peacekeepers. Moses was called while he was herding Jethro’s flock, but he was of poor speech. Four of Jesus’s disciples were fishermen (Peter, Andrew, James, and John). Paul and Sosthenes lay this for us, “not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” (1 Corinthians 1:26). They go on to say that the foolish things of the world are chosen to put to shame the wise. Paul also explains that the weak are chosen to put to shame the mighty things (verse 27), and those that are despised are chosen by God to “bring to nothing the things that are” (verse 28).
If Jesus has not called someone that you know, it is not because He does not love them. It is because it is up to you to be the light for them and to pray for them.
While Jesus Christ came to earth to pave the way for salvation, He did more for us than you may realize. Even in heaven, Jesus is actively working for us.
Jesus’s Role on Earth and Heaven
When Jesus Christ was on earth, His role was for salvation, “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance” (Matthew 9:13). You cannot believe in God without believing in salvation through Jesus Christ, and this is God’s gift to us: eternal life through believing in Jesus Christ (John 17:3, and Romans 5:21) and repenting from our sins (Matthew 4:17). The gospel of John states, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” (John 3:15-16)
However, after Jesus Christ was #crucified, and #resurrected, He ascended into #heaven, where He now has a different role. Several verses speak to Jesus sitting at the right hand of God as outlined in the *table below:
Matthew 26:64 | “Jesus said to him, “It is as you said. Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’ “ |
Mark 14:62 | “Jesus said, ‘I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.’ “ |
Mark 16:19 | “So then, after the Lord had spoken to them, He was received up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God.” |
Luke 22:69 | “Hereafter the Son of Man will sit on the right hand of the power of God.” |
Acts 2:33 | “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear.” |
Acts 7:55-56 | “But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, gazed into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, ‘Look! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!’ ” |
*This table is not a complete list of all the verses speaking to Jesus sitting at the right hand of God.
Jesus Christ is currently sitting on the right hand of God and according to Matthew and Mark He is awaiting the timing of His second coming. When He returns, Jesus Christ will come as a warrior, and will be a judge.
In the meantime, Jesus watches our every move while He sits at the right hand of God (Proverbs 15:3). He resides with those of us that believe in Him, sending the Holy Spirit to the believers on earth (John 14:26).
In addition, if you read John 14:2, there are dwellings in the kingdom of heaven, and Jesus has gone “to prepare a place for you” (John 14:2). The gospels of Matthew 13:55 and Mark 6:23 state that Jesus Christ was a carpenter while on earth. Perhaps He was a carpenter on earth to build us our dwellings in heaven.
Isaiah said, “He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.” (Isaiah 53:12). According to the apostle Paul, Jesus Christ “is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.” (Hebrews 7:25). Paul repeats this message in Romans 8:27, “Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” It is repeated again in Romans 8:34, “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.”
1 John 2:1-2 shows that Jesus Christ advocates for us, “if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He Himself is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the whole world.”
Therefore, as we transgress against God (commit sin), Jesus Christ is already speaking to us through the Holy Spirit so that we do not sin and is advocating to God in the process. The only thing Jesus Christ asks in return, is that we believe in Him as our savior, and that we follow His commandments. To get to know His commandments, go through His teachings in the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
Accepting Jesus Christ as Your Savior
Beloved, in today’s article, you have learned that Jesus Christ is your savior, and that the choice to be saved is up to you Are you willing to accept Jesus Christ as your savior today? It is freely given, and the promise of salvation, the Helper, and eternal life are gifts for you from the grace and the mercy of God. If you are ready, say this prayer aloud:
God, I confess that Jesus came in the flesh and blood, paid the price for my sins, died on the cross, rose on the third day, ascended to the heavens, and sent the Holy Spirit to help me understand Your ways. For that, I accept Jesus Christ as my savior and Lord, and I welcome the Holy Spirit in my life. In Jesus’s name I pray, amen!
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