CELEBRATING GOD’S LOVE TO US

Jesus the Saviour

God wants the World to Know Jesus

and Respond to Jesus
Booklet 53
 INTRODUCTION TO THE SERIES
This series of Booklets on Celebrating God’s Love to Us began several years ago
with a collection of Prayers, Psalms and Hymns to help us all with our devotions.
Since then other resources have been produced to help us grow in our
discipleship (please see the back pages of this Booklet). All of this is offered in
the hope that the resources are helpful to you and many others.

My prayer is that these Booklets and Leaflets/Handouts will also help us

Celebrate God’s Love to Us and keep us focused in our mission to tell through
words and actions that God wants the world to know and respond to Jesus.

Please visit the website: http://wewanttheworldtoknowjesus.weebly.com

Father Richard Lindsay, 2023

INTRODUCTION TO THIS BOOKLET

Jesus is the greatest treasure we can ever have. He is God’s amazing wonderful
gift, the Saviour of the World and the Way the Truth and the Life. Further, and
incredibly Jesus invites us all to follow Him, to trust in Him, to be our Saviour, to
be our Friend. This invitation needs a response from each of us, the response of
trust and repentance of our sins.

This booklet is intended to cover what is meant by Jesus the Saviour and give
helpful resources, that we may rejoice in God’s love in Jesus and respond to this
love in faith and repentance: that they may share in eternal life now and after
death.

Please feel free to download any of the Booklets and Leaflets from the website
mentioned above.

The Purpose of Life is to Know God (John 17:3)

To Know God we must Spend Time with God

2
 JESUS THE SAVIOUR

Who exactly was Jesus? When and where did he live? What was he like? How
did he behave and why did he die? What was so special about him that long
after his death millions still put their trust in him and look to him to give meaning
to their lives?

THE EVIDENCE
Some time ago a few scholars decided that Jesus had never, in fact, existed! He
was, they argued, simply an idea that certain religious people had expressed in
story form. It is, however, entirely beyond doubt that a man named Jesus lived
nearly 2,000 years ago in Palestine and was put to death under Pontius Pilate.

For one thing, certain secular historians testify to the fact. The Roman historian
Tacitus (who died about AD 155) though not especially interested in Jesus or the
Christian movement, wrote in his Annals, ‘The name Christian comes from Christ
who, during the principate of Tiberius, was put to death by the procurator
Pontius Pilate’. Josephus, the Jewish historian, writing about AD 90 appears to
know that Jesus was crucified by Pilate at the instigation of leading Jews.

For another thing, the New Testament itself is a witness that should not be
disregarded, at least not if we are to behave as responsible enquirers. It is true
that the New Testament writers were prejudiced; they believed Jesus to be a
unique figure who accomplished in his life and by his death and resurrection a
turning point in the world’s history. It was because of this belief that they
bothered to ‘put pen to paper’. But such belief in no way invalidates their
testimony - for all historians have points of view, presuppositions, attitudes
towards the events they record. We have to ask whether the gospel writers
acted responsibly or not; whether they were interested (or not) in recalling what
actually happened. Many scholars conclude that considerable credence should
be given to the gospel accounts and that, although there are minor differences
between the various ‘portraits’ of Jesus, nevertheless in general they provide us
with an honest and accurate account of the basic facts.

3
Here, only by way of illustration, are a few of the many reasons for their
confidence:

1. Luke 1:3 shows that Luke at any rate thought that he was presenting
a carefully researched and accurate account of Jesus’ life and death.

2. The gospel writers retain some passages that they must have found
difficult or perplexing (Mark 13:32 for instance), though it would
have been a simple matter to omit them. Only considerations of
honesty and of faithfulness to the tradition, presumably, led them to
retain such passages in their accounts.

3. In 1 Corinthians 7, Paul carefully distinguishes between his own

teaching and what he calls a ‘word of the Lord’. It is not entirely
clear whether by this he means something Jesus had said during his
earthly ministry or something said to Paul in a vision. But, either
way, we see Paul taking pains to distinguish between his own (albeit
wise) words and Jesus’ words.

4. The earliest Christians lived in a world that had known Jesus and that
remained, in general, hostile to him. Had the Christian community
invented words and works of Jesus wholesale, there were not lacking
those who could - and doubtless would - have responded, ‘We were
there and it did not happen like that’, or, ‘We heard him and he did
not say that’.

If then we take the New Testament evidence seriously, what can we learn of this
person Jesus?

4
THE BEGINNING

He was called ‘Jesus of Nazareth’ because he was brought up and plied his trade
in that insignificant little town in the province of Galilee. But he was born in
Bethlehem in the south, in the village from which the great king David, 1,000
years before, had come; only a few miles from Jerusalem. We cannot say
precisely when he was born. Certainly our calendar has misjudged things
because Jesus’ birth occurred whilst Herod the Great, who died in 4 BC was still
alive! The most likely date seems to be about 7 BC.

According to Matthew and Luke, before Joseph and Mary were married Jesus
was conceived though the action of the Holy Spirit upon Mary. Christians,
therefore, speak of the virgin birth (meaning, strictly, the virgin conception).
Since Paul makes no reference to this in his letters, the fact may well have been
unknown to him and to the earliest Church and only became widely known in
the later part of the first century. Mark’s Gospel and John’s make no mention of
the virgin birth, but both seem to know of rumours suggesting that Jesus was
illegitimate (Mark 6:3, John 8:41, 9:29).

Closely associated with his birth, Luke mentions Jesus’ circumcision, the
purification of Mary and the offering of the child to the service of God - all three
more or less rolled into one story (Luke 2:21-40). We are assured, at the outset,
that the one of whom the gospels speak is not a divine being who only seems to
be human, but one who is both truly divine and also truly human.

There is a veil over the whole period from Jesus’ birth until the start of his public
ministry, with one fascinating break given by Luke (2:41-52). According to this,
Jesus was growing conscious of a special relation to God and of a special mission
in life. ‘In itself the story is a natural one, and does not include any supernatural
features which might lead to sceptical estimates of its historicity. It portrays a
growth in religious understanding such as might be expected in Jesus in view of
his later life, and this understanding is complemented by his obedience to his
parents’.

5
Sometime after our gospels were compiled, other writings (now called
‘apocryphal gospels’) delighted to fill in these ‘hidden years’ with fanciful
accounts of Jesus’ powers as a wonder-child.

The first Christians were relatively uninterested in biographical details of this

kind, just as they felt it was unimportant to record anything about Jesus’
appearance (whether he was tall or short, slim or thick-set). They concentrated
their interest, on the words and works of the adult Jesus; as though to say to us,
‘if you want to know who Jesus was, do not ask what he looked like nor how he
grew in infancy, but rather attend to what he said and did in his public life - this
will tell you what manner of man he was’.

GALILEE
Jesus was about thirty years old (Luke 3:23). Possibly encouraged by a religious
revival initiated by John the Baptist, he left home and began a public ministry in
Galilee. From his words and works in Galilee we learn much about Jesus’
character and purpose.

1. Fulfilment

Matthew makes this a special theme of his story, but the earlier gospel of Mark
also speaks of it: ‘the time is fulfilled, the Kingdom of God is at hand’ (Mark
1:15).

The ancient prophets of Israel had encouraged the hope that God would one day
intervene in history to make his rule visible and put it beyond all doubt. They
affirmed that God was already king; but his sovereignty was often called in
question, especially by the prosperity of the wicked, the suffering of the
righteous and the waywardness of nature. The hope, therefore, grew up that
one day God would so act - by condemning the wicked, by blessing the righteous
and that his sovereign rule would no longer be questioned. He would raise up a
new king (or priest, or both - the precise form of the expectation varied
considerably) through whom this rule would be exercised. The thrust of Jesus’
message was that this longed-for event was happening as he spoke. Luke makes
the same point when he reports Jesus as saying, at the outset of his ministry,
‘this day this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing’ (Luke 4:21).

6
Actually, Jesus fulfilled Israel’s ancient hopes only in an unexpected way. John
the Baptist, who had challenged people to make ready for the awaited man of
God, asked in bewilderment ‘are you he who is to come, or shall we look for
another?’ (Matthew 11:3). And the religious leaders were very far from
convinced that God was fulfilling, in Jesus, his promises of old! However, those
who followed Jesus saw the full expression and establishment of God’s promised
rule, and they affirmed, in a kind of short creed, ‘Jesus is Lord’; they meant that,
in Jesus, God’s sovereign will was fully expressed and fully obeyed. Paul similarly
underlines the theme of fulfilment in Jesus when he writes of him, ‘all the
promises of God find their Yes in him’ (2 Corinthians 1:20).

2. Calling

Jesus’ first action in Galilee was to call individuals to follow him. They became
his ‘disciples’, a word that simply means learners. Their calling was radical,
spelling a thorough break with the past and with legitimate family and business
ties. It was hazardous, involving sharing the uncertain lot of a wandering
preacher; and it embraced self-sacrifice (see Mark 8:34).

Specifically twelve such followers were banded into an inner core, the nucleus of
a new, reconstituted people of God. The number (more important than the
precise identity of those who made up the group) recalls the twelve tribes of
Israel, for although the Church is never referred to in the New Testament as ‘the
new Israel’ it is certainly thought of as such - Old Testament scriptures originally
applying to Israel are applied to the New Testament Church (see e.g. 1 Peter 2:4-
10).

The purpose of the group was twofold. First, to be with Jesus, to learn of him as
an apprentice might learn the skills of his master. Secondly, to be sent out by
Jesus, extending his own mission in the world. These two purposes found initial
fulfilment during and immediately after Jesus’ ministry but continue to find
further fulfilment in the worshipping and witnessing life of the Church.

Just as Jesus was born into a modest home, so too were his followers, for the
most part, drawn from the ordinary members of society. The twelve, typical of
the Church throughout its history, were not exceptional men, especially talented
or especially good. They were ordinary people. What bound them together was
Jesus himself whose call they could not ignore.
7
 3. Preaching

The central theme of Jesus’ proclamation was the presence of God’s kingdom (or
rule). His preaching was not, primarily, an appeal or exhortation,
encouragement or challenge; it was simply the declaration of a truth - though
not in a take-it-or-leave-it fashion, for he challenged people to acknowledge this
truth and live in its light. Nevertheless it was affirmation rather than appeal.
When Mark headed his story ‘the beginning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ’ he
emphasised this; for ‘gospel’ in the Old Testament signifies announcement of
good news, especially news of victory.

In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus speaks of the kingdom; in John’s Gospel he
speaks much more (and more directly) about himself. Here is a clue to the
meaning of ‘kingdom’. If we ask ‘where is this kingdom?’, the answer almost
certainly is ‘in Jesus himself’. (Origen, a second century theologian, commenting
on Matthew 18:23, says ‘as Jesus is the wisdom itself and the righteousness itself
and the truth itself, so maybe he is also the kingdom itself…’) If we ask why,
according to the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus preferred to speak of the kingdom
rather than to say ‘I am God’s king’, the answer is not immediately apparent.

One of Jesus’ favourite preaching techniques was the parable. The Greek word
parabole means, basically, an illustration. But the Hebrew background to the
New Testament’s use of this word provides a wider significance and means,
besides illustration, an enigma or puzzle. When Jesus spoke his parables he was
not offering easily understood anecdotes but puzzles!

4. Teaching

Jesus’ practice was public proclamation (of a puzzling kind) followed by private
elucidation to the inner group (Mark 4:33-34). His puzzles were not meant
permanently to conceal but to challenge the hearer to struggle through to full
understanding. Those who tried, and wanted to know, were given further
teaching. (The fourth gospel presents the same idea in a different way; a long
conversation during which understanding grows from partial to complete; see,
for instance, John 9).

8
So Jesus teaches his followers about prayer and discipleship, about private,
domestic and social responsibilities. This is not simply good advice to all and
sundry. It is teaching for those who see in Jesus their king and who believe
themselves to be caught up in his rule. That is to say, Jesus’ teaching relates
primarily to those whose lives are touched by God’s Spirit. When Jesus says (for
example) ‘Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness’ (Matthew
5:6) he means ‘happy the man moved by God’s Spirit to long for the things of
God’.

5. Miracles

John’s Gospel records fewer miracles but he selects highly dramatic ones. What
are we to make of these strange happenings? There is certainly no necessity to
read them as unhistorical, the inventions of a credulous early Church! If God
was indeed present in Jesus, we might well expect that extraordinary things
might happen. Everything depends on whether, as Paul puts it, ‘God was in
Christ reconciling the world to himself’ (2 Corinthians 5:19). Our answer to this
will determine our attitude to the miracles.

But what were miracles for? The obvious answer is that they expressed Jesus’
care for needy people (see e.g. Mark 8:2). What, however, are we to make of
the (apparently) many occasions when miracles did not happen? Was Jesus, on
those occasions, lacking in compassion? Should we, perhaps, add the faith also
was necessary, so that miracles were the response of love to faith? This ties in
with Mark’s statement about Jesus’ failure in Nazareth (‘because of their
unbelief’ Mark 6:5). However, in some cases people were healed without,
apparently, having faith…

Probably compassion was only a partial motivation of the miracles. To some

extent they were simply an inevitable expression of the presence, in Jesus, of
God’s sovereign rule. They were signs of that presence (Matthew 12:28). But
precisely because miracles were signs of the kingdom present in Jesus, they were
to some extent an embarrassment to him. They tended to disclose too much,
too clearly. Hence Jesus sometimes healed away from the crowds, sometimes
commanded silence about it, so that the miraculous element would be
minimised. Here again we confront the determination of Jesus to disclose the
truth about himself in an indirect way.

9
 6. Conflict

Here we meet one of the most puzzling aspects of the entire story. God, in
Jesus, came to his own to fulfil his gracious promises; and he was rejected out of
hand (John 1:11)! Already, when he entered the world as a helpless baby, there
was found not much room for him. And, though in Galilee Jesus went about
doing good, immediately there were those who grumbled at him; and it was not
long before a definite decision was taken to do away with him (Mark 3:6).

The reason for this, on one level, was because Jesus startled people. He
appeared to claim that he was God’s special envoy, yet he was clearly a
carpenter. He set light to cherished religious customs and the ritual demands of
the law. He seemed to pose a threat to the status quo and so to the privileged
position of the powerful. In rejecting Jesus men were doing what they are
always doing; turning from light and life…

So the Galilean ministry was a mixture of many things. And though there was
that undercurrent of antagonism, it might be reckoned a time of relative
popularity and success. What was the point of it all?

Essentially, Jesus’ purpose was to present himself to the world as:

God’s chosen or anointed one.

Jesus never spoke of himself as ‘Christ’ (meaning anointed), but when others
used it of him he did not reject it. In John’s Gospel Jesus speaks of himself not
infrequently as God’s Son, one who enjoys special affinity with God and owes
God special obedience. Often Jesus referred to himself as ‘Son of Man’. This is a
comprehensive term, because on the one hand it could mean ‘one who shares
all the characteristics of mortal man’, whilst on the other hand it could mean
‘one who shares the characteristics of a divine ruler’, a being from heaven with
authority and power. It was therefore an extremely ambiguous term, yet one
containing claims of the highest order.

10
The man of service.

Mark 10:45 says, ‘the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve’. In
representing God to men and in presenting himself to the world as God’s chosen
instrument, Jesus did not lord it over men as though it belonged to divine
sovereignty to manipulate and to bully. Rather, God showed himself to be
humble, seeking the well-being of others rather than of himself, caring for all and
sundry, but especially for those who were socially outcast, physically or
spiritually oppressed.

The man of faith.

Jesus said, ‘if you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this
mountain, “Move hence to yonder place,” and it will move; and nothing will be
impossible to you’ (Matthew 17:20) - and so Jesus lived! He was himself the man
of faith who lived out of the hand of his Father, looking to him to achieve his
purposes through the Son, trusting him to attend to all his needs, calling down
from God whatever was necessary to effect his will and to meet the needs of
men.

Jesus generally presented himself to his contemporaries in an indirect way. Why

was this? Could he not simply have said, ‘I am God’s anointed’, or, ‘I have come
to establish God’s rule’? The answer is that an indirect self-presentation was
appropriate, for two reasons.

(i) It would hardly have become one of a humble disposition to make

(however legitimately) large claims for himself. That is why at the outset Jesus
submitted to a baptism that, strictly speaking, he might have refused. He took
his place humbly alongside all other men.

(ii) It belongs to God’s purposes that men should have the opportunity to
come to a personal, voluntary and growing realisation of the truth, rather than
to have truth forced upon them. Clearly if God were to present himself to men
in direct fashion, men would bow down and worship whether they really wished
to or not! So God reveals himself with a degree of hiddenness; some light is
given, but not too much.

11
The story of Moses (in Exodus 33:17-23) is instructive. Moses asks to see what
God is really like. But Moses cannot see the undiluted glory of God and retain
his senses. So God shows him a little. The story of the Transfiguration is also
instructive. Jesus’ real splendour is for a moment revealed, and Peter makes his
crazy suggestion (Mark 9:5) because he is practically out of his mind! There was
too much light.

In order that men might come to faith there must be disclosure - so that Jesus
spoke God’s words and worked God’s works; but there must also be
concealment - so Jesus spoke in riddles and worked miracles in relative
ambiguity. He was God with us (revelation) in the form of a servant
(concealment).

STRATEGIC WITHDRAWAL

The work in Galilee ended with Peter’s acknowledgement of Jesus as Christ. At

that point, Jesus withdrew to the north and wandered apparently aimlessly
about. Some have seen in this an expression of Jesus’ frustration (at the crowd’s
superficial response) or his disappointment (at God’s failure to intervene
dramatically). However, the obvious purpose is stated in Mark 9:30-31); the
need to teach the disciples further.

In particular Jesus needed to speak to them of his impending death. There were
enough instances in Israel’s history of God’s messengers being rejected and
killed, for the disciples to anticipate trouble. Nevertheless, the suggestion that
God’s anointed, the new Davidic king, might have to die was quite unthinkable to
them (see Mark 8:32). Despite his efforts, Jesus’ death still caught the twelve
unawares so that they all abandoned him and returned to their former business.
However, during this period of withdrawal the foundation was laid on which,
later, Jesus could build a proper understanding of what his death had
accomplished.

12
During this time the Transfiguration occurred, an event with some similarities to
Jesus’ baptism. The event reminds us that though this man of God is shortly to
be rejected by men, he has divine approval. It points also to the future when the
hiddenness of Jesus’ glory will be over and when God’s truth will be seen
without the slightest ambiguity or contradiction. What Christians have since
learned to call the Parousia of Jesus, i.e. his final coming in splendour, is seen in
the Transfiguration in an anticipatory way and the promise of his final return is
confirmed.

THE END AND THE BEGINNING

Jesus moves southwards, still teaching the twelve but drawing ever closer to the
capital where he faced certain hostility and death.

He entered Jerusalem in style (Mark 11:1-10)! Actually, since no immediate

action was taken by the ever-vigilant Romans and since the incident was not
mentioned at the trial, it was may have been a quite ordinary affair. Only in
retrospect was it seen that Jesus had fulfilled the promise of Zechariah 9:9 and
come as the lowly, peace-making king.

His first act was to ‘cleanse’ the Temple. The place was meant to symbolise
God’s presence and to foster worship. In practice there had grown up around
the cycle of sacrificial worship something of a racket in the sale of animals and in
currency exchange. And this business was conducted not simply nearby but
actually in the Temple area, in the part set aside for Gentiles. Jesus’ indignant
action was a plea for genuine religion.

Jesus speaks of the future (Mark 13 and similarly Matthew 24, Luke 21). His
prediction about the destruction of the Temple (Mark 13:2) brings to mind the
expectation that one day God would establish a quite new Temple, and a new
Jerusalem; indeed, a whole new world. So we are given a general description of
this cataclysmic event (Mark 13:24-27). This divine act will not be unheralded; a
whole range of situations, especially domestic and political disturbances, would
point to that future event and be reminders that one day conflict would cease.
So we are given a description of such ‘signs’ of the End (Mark 13:5-23).

13
We may well ask “When will this happen?” First, the signs are happening all the
time; even Jesus’ contemporaries (not to mention successive generations)
experience them (Mark 13:28-31). Secondly, the End itself cannot be dated, for
God keeps this information to himself (Mark 13:32-37). The discourse, strange
to modern ears, is a reminder that contemporary events are eloquent of the
future and the wise will allow the present scene to point beyond itself to the
ultimate purposes of God for his world.

At this point, the story becomes quite detailed and carefully put together.
Indeed, one scholar some years ago declared our Gospels to be ‘passion
narratives with extended introductions’ and, in a sense, they are. Almost
certainly the events of Jesus’ final days in Jerusalem were compiled and
circulated at an earlier stage than the events of his Galilean ministry.

Jesus shared a final meal with his friends. It was Passover time (the Synoptic
Gospels say the evening of; John says the evening before Passover). Passover
was a memorial meal celebrating the event when God’s people escaped slavery
in Egypt. It spoke of the pilgrimage of the people of God, moving out of bondage
into the place of liberty where God could be worshipped without fear or
hindrance.

Into this meal, already loaded with spiritual value and meaning, Jesus injected
further significance. He took bread and said that it spoke of his body; wine, and
affirmed that it pointed to his blood. A new kind of remembrance meal was
inaugurated and a new liberation celebrated; a new covenant (we think of
Jeremiah 31:31) was established, new fellowship with the visiting, liberating God
facilitated. The meal was from the start a central aspect of Christian worship
(Acts 2:46) and continues, in most churches, to be so.

14
Judas, ‘one of the twelve’, was unmasked at this meal; yet not without the right
hand of fellowship being extended to the end. This celebration meal is not for
the select few alone but for the whole motley collection of needy people whose
release from captivity Jesus effected.

Jesus’ trial divides into two; that before the Sanhedrin (central council of the
Jews) and that before Pilate (local Roman governor).

Judas had facilitated the arrest. He led the authorities to the secluded spot to
which Jesus resorted each evening and here he was taken without a commotion
(see Mark 14:2). It was night and, so far as we know, night-time meetings of the
Sanhedrin were illegal; so the assembly described in Mark 14:53 was probably an
informal gathering to decide action and to formulate a charge. At daybreak the
informal decision was ratified and Jesus was sent up to Pilate with a charge
alleging that he was a political agitator and a threat to peace.

Pilate made some effort to achieve Jesus’ release. But Rome tended to post
weak officials to Palestine, and Pilate was certainly no match for the wily Jewish
leaders who were determined to have Jesus condemned. Even his suggestion
that he release a prisoner at this festal time (a kind of limited amnesty) backfired
and a genuine terrorist was freed.

Jesus made no attempt to defend himself and he was condemned and summarily
crucified. He accepted that, though what was being done could not be excused,
nevertheless his suffering and death were all part of the Father’s purpose for
him - and, through him, for the world (John 12:32). That does not mean that he
found the experience easy. From the description of his prayer in Gethsemane
and his cry on the cross (‘My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?’) it is
clear that the pain of those final hours defies human understanding.

15
The question we must ask is this: what did Jesus’ death achieve? Here are some
of the many elements that need to be considered in grappling with this question:

1. The Element of Sacrifice

Israel was well used to the practice of offering animals in sacrifice to God; it was
part of the ‘furniture’ of worship. It was thought that sacrifice expressed the
penitence of the worshipper and helped in securing forgiveness from God.
There are a number of hints in the New Testament that we should understand
Jesus’ death as a sacrificial offering through which sins are forgiven and pardon
procured.

2. The Element of Victory

Of course the cross looks like defeat. But in fact it spelt the downfall not of Jesus
but of those hostile forces that exist and are opposed to God’s good will. These
‘principalities and powers’ (as Paul calls them) were defeated in the death of
Jesus.

This, in fact, fulfilled Jesus’ own words in Mark 8:34-36. Those who ruthlessly
assert themselves and arrogantly imagine they have power to sustain their
existence are doomed. Those who are content to let go and even to die, trusting
God to dispose over them as he will, are guaranteed victory and life.

3. The Element of Love

‘Greater love has no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends’
(John 15:13). Actually, Paul is right in extending the thought that to die for one’s
enemies is even more astonishing (see Roman’s 5:8)! The Cross displays,
without explaining, the depth of God’s gracious concern for his rebellious
creatures.

16
 4. The Element of New Creation

‘The old has passed away, behold the new has come’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). We
may say that the death of Jesus shows God’s dissatisfaction with creation as it is
and his determination to renew it. Jesus is this new creation. But since he is not
simply an individual but also a kind of corporate figure (like the Son of Man in
Daniel 7 who represents a wider community), then in his renewal is contained
also the renewal of others. Of others also it can be said that they died ‘in him’
and are now alive ‘in him’ (Galatians 2:20, Colossians 3:3).

5. The Element of Faith

In Galilee we saw a man of faith who by prayer drew down from heaven
resources for a needy world. The man of faith called upon God and found
answer. But there is another aspect to faith.

In the Book of Job ‘Satan’ asked God, ‘Does Job serve God for nothing?’ Men do
not turn from God if indeed God is a kind of panacea for all ills. But neither do
men relate to such a God in sheer trust, for his sake alone; they relate to him for
what they can get out of him. In Jerusalem and on Calvary Jesus is asked ‘Will
you serve God for nothing?’, ‘Will you trust God even when he seems not to hear
you?’

Already at the outset Jesus had experienced the pressure of the so-called
Temptations. He resisted them. But the real test came at the end. God, who
had generously given all things into his Son’s hands, now allows him
systematically to be deprived of it all - family, friends, justice, dignity,
nourishment, life itself; and, hanging on a cross with the judgement of
Deuteronomy 21:23 in mind, he was deprived even of hope. Will he now trust
God? Will the man of faith repose confidence in God when God seems no longer
to warrant it? The answer is ‘yes’ for he endured to the end - hence the cry of
triumph, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30).

Three times Jesus had spoken of his impending death; each time he had added
that he would rise again. And that is what happened.

17
Mark’s Gospel records no Resurrection appearances (the Gospel ended, in its
original form, at 16:8) but we are assured that Christ was alive. Matthew speaks
of Resurrection appearances in Galilee, Luke of appearances in Jerusalem, and
John’s Gospel speaks of appearances in both places. Paul mentions some of
these and adds others (1 Corinthians 15:4-8).

What does it mean? Simply that the Cross achieved what it set out to achieve;
that God was pleased with the obedience of the man of faith, his own anointed
who trusted to the end; that God accepted the sacrifice and through it effected
the liberation and renewal of his people. It means also that Jesus is alive into all
eternity, death no longer having any hold over him. Christians worship not a
dead Jesus but a living Lord; one who is alive not by virtue of having escaped
death, but by virtue of having experienced it in all its anguish, yet coming out on
the other side.

The Resurrection gives meaning to the cross. But the Resurrection is not
‘merely’ meaning, a thought in picture form. It is meaning through event. The
New Testament invites us to accept that Jesus was just as really taken up out of
the tomb as beforehand he was really hoisted onto a cross and lowered into a
grave.

DOES IT MATTER?

It matters if we are concerned with traditional Christianity. Christianity is not a

set of ideas about God; not a world-view; not a code of behaviour - though it
involves these things. Christianity is a statement about events in which ‘God
visited and redeemed his people’ (Luke 1:68). If (within rough limits) Jesus did
not do and say what our Gospels maintain that he did and said, we might
continue to be Christian in some sense, but not Christian in the traditional sense.

18
It matters if we are concerned with the ‘truth as it is in Jesus’ Truth, according to
the New Testament, is not simply a set of correct propositions but a person,
Jesus (John 14:6). Knowing a person involves the heart and the will; but it
involves also, and perhaps first and foremost, the mind. So ‘knowing Jesus’
begins with ‘knowing about him’, weighing up the evidence and paying heed to
what the Gospels tell us about him.

It matters if we are concerned to worship the true Lord of the Church. For who
is this Lord? To whom are hymns sung and prayers said? The answer is that the
Church’s present and living Lord is the Jesus of whom the Gospels speak, the one
who lived, died and rose again; Jesus who is the same yesterday, today and for
ever (Hebrews 13:8). It is ‘This same Jesus’, the Jesus of history who is also now
the Church’s Lord and the Church’s hope.

Suggestions for further reading

 C.H. Dodd, The Founder of Christianity, Fontana

 Leslie Paul, Son of Man, H & S
 D.L. Sayers, The Man born to be King, Gollancz
 E. Stauffer, Jesus and his Story, SCM

You may experience difficulties in getting these books, but do try your local
clergy, bookshops and online. They are worth the effort.

God sent his Son into the World,

so that everyone may choose to start afresh
and enter into Eternal Life.
John 17:3

“The best book to read is the Bible

if you read it every day
it will help you on your way.”

19
 FOUR FACTS OF THE GOSPEL

Printed below are four facts of the Gospel that we really do need to take to
heart. Please look up the Bible references. It is GOOD NEWS TO SHARE WITH
OTHERS.

FACT ONE
God loves us and wants us to know Him personally.
“This is eternal life: that they may know you, the only true God, and Jesus
Christ, whom you have sent” (John 17: 3)

FACT TWO
Our sins separate us from God and stops us from experiencing His love.
“Your iniquities have separated you from God; Your sins have hidden His face
from you, so that He will not hear” (Isaiah 59: 2)

FACT THREE
Jesus Christ is the way back to God and experiencing His love.
“For Christ died for sins once and for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, to
bring you to God” (1 Peter 3: 18)

FACT FOUR
We must turn from our sins and believe in these facts.
“Repent and believe in the ‘Good News’” (Mark 1: 15)

God loves all people John 3:16

But their sins have separated them from Him Isaiah 59:2
Christ died to bridge the gap between them Romans 5:8
Everyone must receive Christ into their lives John 1:12
Turning away from their sins and coming to God Acts 3:19
They cross over from spiritual death to eternal life John 5:24

20
 BRIDGE TO LIFE

OUR RESPONSE SHOULD BE TO RECEIVE JESUS CHRIST

Acts 3:19
We are to change our mind (repent) and turn to God (have faith in) Him.

John 1:13
To all who receive Him, He gives the right to become the children of God.

HOW CAN WE RECEIVE THE LORD JESUS CHRIST PERSONALLY AS OUR

SAVIOUR?

1) Admit our need (“I am a sinner”)

2) Be willing, God helping us, to turn from our sin (repent).
3) Believe that Jesus died to save us (on the Cross).

A Suggested Prayer:
LORD JESUS
It is true I am a sinner. I honestly want to turn from all my sin. Thank you for
dying on the cross for my sin. I am glad you are alive again. Lord Jesus come
into my life right now. Help me to live the rest of my life in the power of your
Holy Spirit, under His control. AMEN.

21
 JESUS IS THE LIGHT OF ALL PEOPLE

He was the real light, who, in his coming into the world,
gives light to all. - John 1:9

Please read John 8: 12-20.

John is saying that Jesus is the real light that has come to bring enlightenment.
Before Jesus came there were other lights which were followed. Some were
flickers of the truth; some were faint glimpses of reality; some were will o' the
wisps which when followed led people out into the dark and left them there. It
is still the case. There are still the partial lights and there are still the false
lights; some people still follow them. Jesus is the only genuine light, the real
light to guide us on our way.

John says that Jesus, by his coming into the world, brought the real light to
everyone. His coming was like a blaze of light. It was like the coming of the
dawn. A traveller tells how once in Italy he was standing on a hill overlooking
the Bay of Naples. It was so dark that nothing could be seen; then all of a
sudden there came a lightning flash and everything, in every detail, was lit up.
When Jesus came into this world he came like a light in the dark.

(1) His coming dissipated the shadows of doubt. Until he came, it was possible
only to guess about God. "It is difficult to find out about God" said one of the
Greeks "and when you have found out about him it is impossible to tell anyone
else about him". To pagans God dwelt either in the shadows which no one can
penetrate or in the light which no one can approach. When Jesus came,
however, people saw fully displayed what God is like. The shadows and the
mists were gone, the days of guessing were at an end; there was no more need
for a wistful agnosticism. The light had come.

22
(2) His coming dissipated the shadows of despair. Jesus came to a world which
was in despair. People, as the philosopher Seneca said, are conscious of their
helplessness in necessary things. They were longing for a hand let down to
help them up. They hate their sins but cannot leave them. They despaired of
ever making themselves or the world any better. With the coming of Jesus,
however, a new power came into life. He came not only with knowledge but
with power. He came not only to show people the right way but to enable them
to walk in it. He gave them not only instruction but a presence in which all the
impossible things had become possible. The darkness of pessimism and
despair was gone forever.

(3) His coming dissipated the darkness of death. The ancient world feared
death. At best, death was annihilation and the human soul shuddered at the
thought. At worst, it was torture by the gods and the human soul was afraid.
But Jesus by his coming, by his life, his death and his resurrection showed that
death was only the way to a larger life. The darkness was dispelled. Robert
Louis Stevenson has a scene in one of his stories in which he draws the picture
of a young man who has almost miraculously escaped in a duel in which he
was certain he would be killed. As he walks away, his heart is singing: "The
bitterness of death is past". Because of Jesus, the bitterness of death is past for
every one of us.

Further, Jesus is the light who lights everyone who comes into the world. The
ancient world was exclusive. The Jews hated the Gentiles and held that they
were created for no other purpose than to be fuel for the fires of hell. True,
there was a lonely prophet who saw that Israel's destiny was to be a light to
the Gentiles (Isaiah 42:6, 49:6) but that was a destiny which Israel had always
definitely refused. The Greek world never dreamed that knowledge was for
everyone. The Roman world looked down on the barbarians, the uncultured
peoples without the law. But Jesus came to be a light to all people. Only the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ has a heart big enough to hold all the
world.

23
 THE GOOD NEWS THAT JESUS BRINGS
Mark 1:14-15
After John had been committed to prison, Jesus came into Galilee, announcing
the good news about God, and saying, ‘The time that was appointed has come;
and the kingdom of God is here. Repent and believe the good news.’ There are
in this summary of the message of Jesus three great dominant words of the
Christian faith.

(1) There is the GOOD NEWS. It was pre-eminently good news that Jesus came
to bring to all. If we follow the word evangelion, good news, gospel through
the New Testament, we can see at least something of its content.

(a) It is good news of truth (Galatians 2:5, Colossians 1:5). Until Jesus came,
it was possible only to guess and search after God. ‘O that I knew where I might
find him,’ cried Job (Job 23:3). Marcus Aurelius said that the soul can see but
dimly, and the word he uses is the Greek word for seeing things through water.
But with the coming of Jesus we see clearly what God is like. No longer do we
need to guess and search; we know.

(b) It is good news of hope (Colossians 1:23). The ancient world was a
pessimistic world. Seneca talked of ‘our helplessness in necessary things’. In
the struggle for goodness, humanity was defeated. The coming of Jesus brings
hope to the hopeless heart.

(c) It is good news of peace (Ephesians 6:15). The penalty of being human is
to have a split personality. In human nature, the beast and the angel are
strangely intermingled. It is told that once Schopenhauer, the gloomy
philosopher, was found wandering. He was asked, ‘Who are you?’ ‘I wish you
could tell me,’ he answered. Robert Burns said of himself, ‘My life reminded
me of a ruined temple. What strength, what proportion in some parts! What
unsightly gaps, what prostrate ruins in others!’ The human predicament has
always been that we are haunted both by sin and by goodness. The coming of
Jesus unifies that disintegrated personality into one. We find victory over our
warring selves by being conquered by Jesus Christ.

24
(d) It is good news of God’s promise (Ephesians 3:6). It is true that the
tendency has been to think of a God of threats rather than a God of promises.
Non-Christian religions think of a demanding God; only Christianity tells of a
God who is more ready to give than we are to ask.

(e) It is good news of immortality (2 Timothy 1:10). To the pagan, life was
the road to death; but Jesus came with the good news that we are on the way
to life rather than death.

(f) It is good news of salvation (Ephesians 1:13). That salvation is not merely
a negative thing; it is also positive. It is not simply liberation from penalty and
escape from past sin; it is the power to live life victoriously and to conquer sin.
The message of Jesus is good news indeed.

(2) There is the word REPENT. Now repentance is not as easy as sometimes
we think. The Greek word metanoia literally means a change of mind. We are
very apt to confuse two things – sorrow for the consequences of sin and
sorrow for sin. Many people become desperately sorry because of the mess
that sin has got them into, but they know very well that, if they could be
reasonably sure that they could escape the consequences, they would do the
same thing again. It is not the sin that they hate; it is its consequences.

Real repentance means coming not only to be sorry for the consequences of
sin but to hate sin itself. Repentance means that anyone who was in love with
sin comes to hate sin because of its exceeding sinfulness.

(3) There is the word BELIEVE. ‘Believe’, says Jesus, ‘in the good news.’ To
believe in the good news simply means to take Jesus at his word, to believe
that God is the kind of God that Jesus has told us about, to believe that God so
loves the world that he will make any sacrifice to bring us back to himself, to
believe that what sounds too good to be true is really true.

25
 THE UNIQUENESS OF JESUS

What is it that makes Jesus Christ unique among all the men in history? What
is it that accounts for the influence he has had and still has on the world? The
answer is, of course, that Jesus Christ was not merely a great teacher and
religious leader; he is the Son of God. He is the Redeemer promised by God,
who brought salvation to the human race, who ransomed man by his death on
the cross.

Jesus Christ is a true Man. He is the Mediator between people and God. No
person can come to the Father except through him. Jesus Christ is also God. His
teachings, therefore, are the word of God revealed to the people.

Jesus Christ is “the Way and the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6) It is by union
with him that people receive the life of grace. It is through the acceptance of
his teachings that people find salvation. It is by submission to his rule that
people find the freedom of the sons of God.

Jesus said to his disciples, “Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of
the world.” (Matt: 28:20)

Although he ascended into heaven, and we can no longer see or hear him as
did his mother and his contemporaries, Jesus in his great love for us remains
with us in his Church. He continues to give life and truth and guidance to those
who are joined to him.

Does Jesus Christ promise happiness to those who love him?

Yes. Christ promises eternal happiness to those who love him.

Does Jesus Christ promise us happiness in this life?

Yes. Christ promises us happiness in this life, but not the kind of happiness the
world seeks.
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; nor let it be afraid. (John 14:27)

26
How does the happiness which Christ promises differ from that which
the world seeks?
The kind of happiness which Christ promises in this life comes from loving God
and being loved by God, and from the expectation of eternal happiness in
heaven. Christ does not promise us pleasure or wealth. Rather, he tells us that
it is only through suffering and self-denial that we can attain joy and peace of
the soul in this life.

Lay not up for yourselves treasures on Earth; where the rust and moth consume
and where thieves break through and steal. But lay for yourselves treasures in
heaven; where neither the rust nor moth does consume, and where thieves do not
break through nor steal. For, where your treasure is, there is your heart also.
(Matt. 6: 19-21)

Christ tell us how to attain happiness in this life?

In the Sermon on the Mount, Christ said: (Matthew 5: 3-10)

a) Christ here is promising happiness. The word “blessed” means happy.

b) The reward promised in each of these Beatitudes is primarily heaven. But if

we live according to the plan of Christ we shall have a foretaste of the
happiness of heaven in this life.

c) Christ tells us that we must not set our hearts on money, whereas many
people want even more money than they have.

d) Christ tells us that we must forgive our enemies and love them, whereas
many people want to “get even with” or at least avoid those who hurt them.

e) Christ tells us that we must avoid all sin, He tells us that we must be willing
to take a lower place that we must suffer for him, etc. These are things which
are distasteful to us and which we think would make us unhappy. But the Lord
says just the opposite.

27
 JESUS IS THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE LIFE
John 14:6

Jesus is the Way.

The life and words of Jesus have reached far beyond his native country and
people. Followers of Jesus Christ believe his message is for all people and for
all time. To understand this belief we need to look closely at the claims of Jesus
himself who says: “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life.”

“Where do you come from?” is a question we often ask when we meet someone
for the first time. It was the question about Jesus that puzzled
everyone. During his public life Jesus tried to answer that question. To those
who followed him, he gave this answer, “I came from the Father and have come
into the world and now I leave the world to go to the Father” (John 16:28). It
is important to realise that in their teachings Jesus and the Jews had very much
in common. The rift between them developed only gradually, as Jesus’ claims
became clearer. For Jesus was not just laying down a set of laws for entry into
the kingdom of God. Rather, he was claiming that his presence is the kingdom
of God amongst men and women. Jesus came from his Father in heaven, and
his coming creates, quite literally, a heaven on earth.

The condition for sharing in this “heaven on earth” is to believe in the One who
the Father has sent; to believe in his Son and what he tells us. In Christ’s own
words this means, “changing and becoming like a little child” (Matthew
18:3). Christ is the “Way” to the Father because his life taught us how to
become “children” of the Father. This is not a “way” which can be reduced to
rules and regulations. It is a life of love. But of course the closer the intimacy
between the Father and us, his children, the greater our longing to respond to
all that we experience in life in the way of love. The “Way” that Jesus showed
us.

28
Jesus is the Truth.

It’s always useful to have “inside information” about someone who is

unfamiliar. Is that perhaps how we tend to view Jesus, someone who has come
from heaven to tell us about God and what God wants us to do? What do we
mean when we say that Jesus “reveals” God to us? Do we mean that because
Jesus came from God, he can give us the information that we could not
otherwise get? That is not quite the picture that comes over in
the Gospels. That’s not the way Jesus speaks of himself. He says, “I am the
truth”. Not, “I speak the truth” or “I reveal the truth”, but “I am the truth”.

This is not to deny that Jesus had a message to proclaim and went about
Palestine proclaiming it. Of course, he did. But Jesus did not only call upon
men and women to believe in his message; he called upon man and women to
believe in himself!

And that was something completely new. There had been prophets and
teachers in the past with a message to proclaim but none of them had
demanded belief in himself. Jesus, however, slowly and gradually revealed to
his disciples that he was much more than a teacher, much more than
a messenger; much more than a prophet. He had come not merely to tell men
and women about God. He had not come merely as a messenger or as
someone who could give us ‘inside information’. In Jesus, God is actually made
present to men and women. That astounding fact shines through everything
Jesus said and did. In every word and action, Jesus reveals God to us, he shows
us, in human terms, what God is like. It’s as though the Father is pointing to
Jesus and saying, “Look! This is the kind of God I am”. In other words, we
cannot separate the person of Jesus from his teachings. Every action and
gesture of his is full of meaning. He is never ‘off duty’, there is never any
moment in his life when he is not showing God to men and women.

The miracles of Jesus speak for themselves. They are an essential part of his
message. Through the miracles men and women can see that the Kingdom of
God has begun.

29
Sent by his Father, Jesus does not merely tell us about his Father. He shows
us his Father in everything he says and does. “If you know me, you know my
Father too. From this moment, you know him and have seen him.”

Philip one of his followers said, “Lord, let us see the Father and then we shall
be satisfied”.

“Have I been with you all this time, Philip,” said Jesus to him, “and you still do
not know me? To have seen me is to have seen the Father…” John 14:7-9

Jesus is the Life.

All of us want to use and enjoy our lives to the full. But we can never forget
that the greatest treasure we have, life itself, is a very fragile possession. The
Jewish psalmist put it this way:

For no man can buy his own ransom or pay a price to God for his own
life. The ransom of his soul is beyond him. “He cannot buy life without
end nor avoid coming to the grave.” Psalm 49:7-9.

In the face of death, men and women are powerless. It was this sense of
powerlessness, this awareness of their own insufficiency, which intensified
the Jewish desire for a saviour. They longed for the gift of everlasting life.

During his public preaching Jesus said, “I have come to give them life that they
might have it to the full” (John 10.10). And as time went on he began to explain
to his followers exactly what he meant when he used the word “life”. He told
them that the only life that matters is the life that does not die - life everlasting,
“I am the resurrection…if anyone believes in me even though he dies he will
live, and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.”

30
The word used in the Russian Orthodox Church for a saint, prepodobnia,
means “very, very like” and is a perfect description of what Jesus meant by the
“true life”. If we want to obtain life everlasting, we must become “very, very
like” Jesus himself. And we can only do this if we receive the gift of the Holy
Spirit - the Lord and Giver of life.

Throughout his time on earth the Holy Spirit worked within Jesus guiding and
inspiring him. As John baptised Jesus “…the Holy Spirit descended on him in
bodily shape, like a dove” (Luke 3:22). And when he was led into the desert to
prepare for his public preaching, it was the Holy Spirit who took him there
(Luke 4:1). When he eventually began to preach in Galilee, it was with the
power of the Holy Spirit (Luke 4:14).

To be really like Jesus then, we must have the Holy Spirit within us too. That
is why when the time came for him to leave his apostles, Jesus promised to
send the Holy Spirit. “It is for your own good that I am going,” he said to them,
“because unless I go, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go I will send
him to you” (John 16:7).

When the Holy Spirit came to the apostles at Pentecost, they were completely
transformed. The Holy Spirit bound them more closely to Jesus by making
them more like him. They were filled with new life, the life of Jesus himself,
and so St Paul exclaimed, “I live now, not I, but Christ lives in me” (Gal. 2:20).

31
 JESUS – THE CORNERSTONE
The picture is that of a great building - a cathedral, a capitol, a temple - rising
from its foundations. The contractor inspects a load of quarried stone which
has just been delivered. Some stones he approves, a few he rejects. Late in the
day the architect arrives on the scene to survey the growing structure and sees
a small heap of discarded stones piled on the edge of the site. One stone catches
his attention and he examines it closely. He has never seen anything so
flawless. It will make the perfect cornerstone. Calling the contractor, he asks
"Why have you rejected this one?" The builder replies "It doesn't fit in with the
others". "Then the others must be chiselled to fit in with this one, says the
architect. So the stone which the builders refused is polished, inscribed and
set in the place of honour; it becomes the head stone of the corner.

This is the figure of speech used by an Old Testament Psalmist to describe the
activity of God in his life. We don't know who wrote the 118th Psalm nor what
were his exact circumstances but we can quickly infer from the Psalm itself
that the author had been tossed aside like an unwanted stone, alone and
rejected. He turned to God, believing it "better to trust in the Lord than to place
confidence in princes". His trust was not ill-founded because, in the end, God
came to his rescue. God vindicated his faithful servant and the Psalmist
describes his personal triumph: "The stone which builders rejected has
become the head of the corner" (Psalm 118:22).

That could be a parable of Jesus and these exact words were quoted by Our
Lord (Matthew 21:42) and also by Peter in the Book of Acts: "This (Jesus) is
the stone which was rejected by you builders, but which has become the head
of the corner" (Acts 4:11). Another stone appears in the Gospel for Easter Day
- the stone that had been taken away from the tomb of Jesus. Not a stone of
construction, as a cornerstone, but a stone of destruction, sealing a tomb, a
place of death and decay. Two symbolic stones: one symbolising life, the other
symbolising death.

32
The significant choice is which stone does one choose for one's life and which
stone is rejected. Choosing Christ as one's cornerstone usually doesn't fit in
with most well-ordered lives. Life, like a building, must be fitted around the
cornerstone.

JESUS IS THE VINE WE ARE THE BRANCHES

Please read John 15:1-15 (Also Leaflets 55, 60 & 160)

There are three ways in which we can be useless branches. We can refuse to
listen to Jesus Christ at all. We can listen to him and then render him a lip
service unsupported by any deeds. We can accept him as master and then, in
face of the difficulties of the way or the desire to do as we like, abandon him.
One thing we must remember - it is the first principle of the New Testament
that uselessness invites disaster. The fruitless branch is on the way to
destruction.

The secret of the life of Jesus was his contact with God; again and again he
withdrew into a solitary place to meet Him. We must keep contact with Jesus.
We cannot do that unless we deliberately take steps to do it. To take but one
example - to pray in the morning, if it be only for a few moments, is to have an
antiseptic for the whole day; for we cannot come out of the presence of Christ
to touch evil things. For abiding in Christ will mean a constant contact with
Him. It will mean arranging life, arranging prayer and arranging silence in such
a way that there is never a day when we give ourselves a chance to forget Him.

There are two things laid down about the good disciple. First, they enrich their
own life; contact makes them a fruitful branch. Second, they bring glory to God;
the sight of their life turns people's thoughts to the God who made them like
that. God is glorified when we bear much fruit and show ourselves to be
disciples of Jesus. The greatest glory of the Christian life is that by our life and
conduct we can bring glory to God.

33
 WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?

He was born in an obscure village the child of a peasant woman. He grew up in

still another village, where he worked in a carpenter’s shop until he was thirty.

Then, for three years he was an itinerant preacher.

He never wrote a book.
He never held an office.
He never had a family or owned a house.
He didn’t go to college.
He never travelled 200 miles from the place where he was born.
He did none of the things one usually associates with greatness.
He had no credentials but himself.
He was only 33 when public opinion turned against him.
His friends ran away.
He was turned over to his enemies and went through mockery of a trial.
He was nailed to a cross between two thieves.
While he was dying, his executioners gambled for his clothing, the only
property he had on earth.
When he was dead, he was laid in a borrowed grave, through the pity of a
friend.
Twenty centuries have come and gone, and today he is a central figure of the
human race, the leader of humankind’s progress.
All the armies that ever marched,
all the navies that ever sailed,
all the parliaments that ever sat.
all the kings that ever reigned, put together,
have not affected the lives of men and women on earth as much as that
One Solitary Life.

Jesus asked his disciples, ‘But who do you say that I am?’
Peter answered him, 'You are the Messiah.’

May our answer be the same.

34
 A VERY IMPORTANT STATEMENT

3 REASONS WHY WE NEED JESUS

Jesus loves us! He desires to have a relationship with us, and to give us a life
full of joy and purpose. Why do we need Him in our lives?

1. Because we have a past.

We can’t go back, but He can. The Bible says, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday,
and today, and for ever” (Hebrews 13:8).
He can walk into those places of sin and failure, wipe the slate clean and give
us all a new beginning.

2. Because we need a friend.

Jesus knows the worst about us, yet He believes the best. Why? Because He
sees us not as we are, but as we will be when He gets through with us. What a
friend!

3. Because He holds the future.

Who else are we going to trust? In His hands we are safe and secure — today,
tomorrow, and for eternity. His Word says, "For I know the plans I have for
you... plans for good and not evil, to give you a future and a hope. In those days
when you pray I will listen" (Jeremiah 29:11—13).

God so loved the world that he gave his only Son,

so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have
eternal life. John 3:16

35
36
 OUR RICHES IN CHRIST

In Christ we have:
A love that can never be fathomed.

A life that can never die.

A peace that can never be understood.

A rest that can never be disturbed.

A joy that can never be diminished.

A hope that can never be disappointed.

A glory that can never be clouded.

A happiness that can never be interrupted.

A light that can never be extinguished.

A strength that can never be overcome.

A beauty that can never be marred.

A purity that can never be defiled.

Resources that can never be exhausted.

AN INVITATION

Behold I stand at the door and knock;

If any man hear my voice and open the door,
I will come unto him,
And will sup with him and he with Me

(Revelation: Chapter 3: 20)

37
 CELEBRATING GOD’S LOVE TO US
Please can I invite you to look at these Booklets on Opportunities for God.
These resources have already proved helpful to many people.

These resources are now freely available to access on a computer at:

http://wewanttheworldtoknowjesus.weebly.com/.

My prayer is that these resources will help us and thousands of people to

celebrate God’s love and keep us focused in our mission to tell through words
and actions that God wants the world to know and respond to Jesus.

** Also Part 7 Now Available **

38
These Booklets (below) have been, and are, helpful to very many people. It is
hoped that you too will enjoy reading these resources and gaining a wealth of
knowledge about the Christian Faith. They are freely downloadable on:
http://wewanttheworldtoknowjesus.weebly.com/

Booklet 1 More than Just ‘Food for Thought’ Part 1

Booklet 2 Prayers/Psalms and Hymns
Booklet 3 The Old Testament Part 1
Booklet 4 The Holy Eucharist
Booklet 5 Lord teach me to Pray
Booklet 6 The Good News of Jesus Part 1
Booklet 7 The Good News of Jesus Part 2
Booklet 8 Christians believe in the Reality of God, Sin and Forgiveness etc.
Booklet 9 Christians believe in the Bible, Confirmation, The Sacraments etc.
Booklet 10 The Church Grows Part 1
Booklet 11 The Church Grows Part 2
Booklet 12 An Introduction to the Four Gospels
Booklet 13 More than Just ‘Food for Thought’ Part 2
Booklet 14 Some Saints / Festivals to Celebrate Part 1 (Jan-June)
Booklet 15 Some Saints / Festivals to Celebrate Part 2 (July-Dec)
Booklet 16 How Not to Visit the Sick at home or in hospital
Booklet 17 How to spread The Gospel
Booklet 18 Helpful to know when Reading the Bible
Booklet 19 Old Testament Part 2
Booklet 20 Old Testament Part 3
Booklet 21 Bible Teaching for Today
Booklet 22 The Ten Commandments for Today
Booklet 23 More ‘Just Food for Thought’ Part 3
Booklet 24 More Prayers, Canticles and Hymns
Booklet 25 How Not to Witness and some suggested alternatives
Booklet 26 Praying The Lord’s Prayer (Our Father)
Booklet 27 An Introduction to the Bible
Booklet 28 The Beatitudes – The Teachings of Jesus
Booklet 29 The Thoughts of Jesus

39
Booklet 30 Silver Service: Ideas for sharing the Gospel
Booklet 31 More than Just ‘Food for Thought’ Part 4
Booklet 32 An Introduction to The Old Testament Books Part 1
Booklet 33 An Introduction to The Old Testament Books Part 2
Booklet 34 An Introduction to The New Testament Books
Booklet 35 An Introduction to St Paul and The Early Church
Booklet 36 Even More Food for Thought Part 5

CHRISTIAN RESOURCES – BOOKLETS AND LEAFLETS

I have for over 40 years as a priest in the Church of England collected some
sound helpful resources on many Christian themes/topics. I have given out
Booklets/Leaflets to attending congregations in the hope that they will be read
at home to pass on to family, friends and neighbours, and many did!

These resources are freely available online at:

https://wewanttheworldtoknowjesus.weebly.com/

Hopefully your congregation would like to avail this free resource too. Please
do give them an opportunity!

 Over 50 Booklets on Christian themes/topics

 7 Booklets on the theme of Opportunities for God (practical ideas)
 More than 360 Leaflets/Handouts on Christian themes/topics.

AND MORE TO COME!

COPYRIGHT DISCLOSURE: The booklets/leaflets are produced with the intention of spreading the Word of
the Gospel and sharing it with others. The compiler has not been able to trace the authors or publishers of
some extracts and illustrations. He hopes that no copyright has been infringed. If it has, he apologies and
will ensure that a correction is made once he has been informed of the correct owner of any said
extract/illustration.

40