Jesus: The God Who Knows Your NameSample

Victorious Sacrifice

Each one of us entered the world with a sin nature. God entered the world to take it away. But it would come at a great cost. Jesus came to save us, not just from politics, enemies, challenges, or difficulties. He came to save us from ourselves. God has high plans for you and me. God had a plan, a story he was writing from the beginning.

Jesus, knowing everything that lay before him—the betrayal, the pain of the cross—pled with God for another way to fulfill his plan. He was afraid, and never had he felt so alone. But Jesus didn’t back out on God’s plan because he saw you right there in the middle of a world that isn’t fair. He saw you cast into a river of life you didn’t request. He saw you in your Garden of Gethsemane—and he didn’t want you to be alone. He had experienced loneliness, in the wilderness, in the Garden, when his friends abandoned him. He knew what it was like.  

On the cross, Christ was in the very position in which he came to die—between humanity and God. Jesus became sin for us—he put himself in your and my place—and he finished God’s history-long plan of redeeming humanity. Thank God that Jesus endured because you cannot deal with your own sins (see Mark 2:7). God put our wrong on Christ so he could put Christ’s righteousness on us. Though we come to the cross dressed in sin, we leave dressed in Christ himself (see Galatians 3:27). 

The task is finished, but the story isn’t over. Forgiveness of sin was made possible, but victory over death was coming. Friday’s tragedy emerged as Sunday’s Savior. All the time Satan thought he was defeating heaven, he was helping heaven. God wanted to prove his power over sin and death, and that is exactly what he did by resurrecting from the grave! His victory over sin and death was complete. 

The last chapter of God’s plan, where Jesus returns and where heaven comes down to earth, is still coming. Whether you are in Peoria or paradise, if you’re a follower of Jesus, you can count on enjoying the greatest gathering in history (see Mark 13:27). God will purge every square inch that sin has contaminated and we will see “the Son of Man coming on the clouds in the sky with power and great glory” (Matthew 24:30 GW). This is the moment toward which God’s plot is moving. Let this sink in. You will see the face of God. These days on earth can seem so difficult. What is this world coming to? we wonder. God’s answer: a Great Day when all history will be consummated in Christ. 

In the meantime, we are here. Life is complicated. We spend much energy repairing yesterday’s decisions. Can you imagine how sinlessness would simplify life? When you can, you’re imagining heaven. Satan will no longer be present to tempt us. But do we have to wait for heaven to enjoy life? By no means, but you do need a Savior. Jesus Christ has great dreams for you and he offers joy in this life and perfection in the next. Simplify today by letting Jesus forgive your sins and cleanse your heart (see 1 John 1:9). Simplify tomorrow by setting your heart on heaven. You have a friend who will take you there. His name is Jesus.

Respond

How does Jesus’ struggle in the Garden of Gethsemane help you trust him with your struggles?

Do you need to accept Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross for your sins? How does accepting Jesus sacrifice on the cross change how you deal with sin and face the future?

How can you find joy today as you look toward the perfection of heaven? Who can you share this hope with?