Musick-al note # 67
Do we misunderstand Jesus as we consider his life in the world? Do we look upon his life as a person who just wandered about the Judean hills telling stories, parables and healing people? Was he just a wandering preacher who did good deeds but died on a cross in Jerusalem? NO! He came into the world to complete the eternal purpose of God. He read the prophecy of Isaiah 61:1-2, then said, “This scripture is fulfilled in me” (Luke 4:21). He declared that he was the ‘Anointed One’, the Messiah and his work was to: (1) proclaim the good news to the poor, (2) proclaim liberty to the captives, (3) recover the sight of the blind, (4) free those who are oppressed and (5) proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. His teaching, parables and healing established the fact that God’s eternal purpose was to save humanity through His Son, Jesus. He came to seek and save the lost (Matthew 18:11). Our greatest loss is to be separated from God because of sin (Isaiah 59:2). We know that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23), but we have forgotten that God has declared that ‘the soul that sins shall die’ (Ezekiel 18:4). Knowing that he was soon to die, Jesus said, “for this cause I came” (John 12:27), then considering the outcome with joy, he endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2) and now sits at God’s right hand giving eternal salvation to all who obey him (Hebrews 5:9). Thus he completed the eternal purpose of God for which he came into the world. We continually thank God that Jesus provided for everyone who would live in this world that through believing and obeying His Gospel they might be saved (Matthew 28:18-20). Paul wrote (that the eternal purpose of God is salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord (Ephesians 3:11). Paul also wrote that we are made children of God in being baptized into Christ (Galatians 3:26-27) and forgiven of sin (Acts 22:16). God’s eternal work is completed in every person who obeys the Gospel of Christ (Romans 6:3-18) and continues to live in Him until death (1 Timothy 4:16, Revelation 2:10).
Gordon Musick
Musick-al Notes 