Pastor Daniel Bramlett

We just crossed the threshold of another resurrection weekend. What we mean by that is this is the weekend we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the grave. Let’s take a few minutes and just look at Him.

One of my favorite descriptions of Jesus was written by John. He says Jesus is the Word made flesh; the One was was from the beginning. Every time I look at my Bible, I think this is the written form of Jesus! I love that Jesus embodies every facet of the Law and every piece of rhythm in the poetry. He is apart of every character in the history books (and in some cases, He is His own character!) and His birth and ministry are talked about all through the Prophets. The Gospels fix their story on Him from start to finish and the Epistles can’t say enough about the way His Spirit is carrying on His work in the Churches. And John’s vision in Revelation is all about His return! The days He walked on this earth are in total agreement with the written revelation of Him in the Word. 

Since the very beginning there has been One in the plan whose purpose was to redeem…and He loves His work! We see Him working out the details in creation with Adam at the very start. We hear of Him when Adam’s son is plotting the death of his brother. They knew blood had to be spilled for the sacrifice to be right and they knew human blood was not enough. His name is rumored on the Ark when Noah’s family is wondering when the rain will stop. They brought animals for no other purpose than to sacrifice. We hear about Jesus when Abraham meets the priest Melchizadek in the valley of Salem and offers him a tenth of everything he’s fought for and again when the ram is provided in the place of his own son as a sacrifice. We get a taste of His work in Egypt when the blood of the Passover Lamb is required to protect the family from the Death Angel. We see Jesus standing between the living and the dead, stopping the plague after Korah’s rebellion. His name is rumored when the angel of the Lord shows up and speaks to Joshua on the eve of battle in Jericho. We know Jesus is present in the actions of the Kinsman Redeemer in Ruth and throughout the rest of the OT. David sees Him work when the angel meets him on Arunah’s threshing floor. This powerful figure is available when Elijah calls on Him on top of Mount Carmel and when his successor, Elisha, asks for the Shunamite’s son to be raised. He’s present in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego and in the valley of dead bones with Ezekiel. He shuts the mouths of lions for Daniel and opens the heart of Hosea. Jesus didn’t just appear out of nowhere in Bethlehem. Angels had been announcing His presence for centuries! The special thing about His birth was this appearance was for one specific purpose: His death and our complete redemption.

It was no surprise for any in Israel when Isaiah prophesied that a Savior would be born to a virgin. They’d been hearing about this Redeemer for generations! They also knew that blood sacrifice was 100% necessary for the forgiveness or covering of our sins. They just couldn’t bring themselves to connect the dots between their waiting Savior and the death required for our complete forgiveness. Every generation before and since has struggled to jump this hurdle. “Why did Jesus have to die?” 

We don’t have any new information about Jesus today. We are working with the same Bible, the same revealed truth about Him that every generation has held for the last 2000 years. Every group of people has had to come to grips with this truth. If Jesus is God, then His death represents exactly what He says it does: freedom for all who trust Him. He is the same One who made Jericho’s walls fall, the same One who accepted Abraham’s sacrifice in Salem and the same One who protected the three from Nebuchadnezzar’s fire. His work is no different today. He is still rescuing, still protecting, still saving people from the work of a formidable enemy in our midst. From the beginning the cross was designed to set God’s beloved free. We have an open door with God today because Jesus chose to obey the Father and face the cross. Jesus had to die because it was God’s purpose for Him to do so. If Jesus had not faced death and been raised our faith would be in vain. His death and resurrection are proof of God’s promise and ability to rescue us. Jesus had to die so we could live. 

I pray these truths leave you with a fresh sense of God’s love and work on your behalf. He has not abandoned you! He has opened the door for you to know Him and spend the rest of eternity with Him. I pray as you look at Jesus today you are reminded of these facts and choose to step closer to Him as a result of them. Jesus is enough.