O What a Savior!

The true test of any word or deed is the motive and intention.  The motive, not the deed, is the root of all we do.  The spirit behind an action is everything.  Jesus' bleeding love should inspire us to love Him more dearly.  He did everything for us; so we should do everything we can for Him.  Religious selfishness and pride are the very worst forms of evil.  Christ Jesus was never self-seeking.  He lived and died for others.  For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though He was rich, yet for your sakes He become poor, that ye through His poverty might be rich.  We must deny ourselves and live like and for Him, living and acting for His sake, humbly following in His steps.

If we do not live and do for Jesus' sake, we will soon grow weary in well-doing.  The true way to live is for Christ Himself, and seek to save the lost.  People will fail us, we will be discouraged at times by circumstances, but we must continue to live on for Jesus' sake.  Jesus gave Himself to service, toil, going about doing good, and then agony, and even a bloody death.  Our chief need is Jesus Himself, His presence and help.  Jesus loved me, and gave Himself for me; there is nothing I can do that is too much for Him.  His love for me ignites my love for Him.  We love Him, because He first loved us.  I can't wait to meet the Savior who saved my life and soul.

The Lord of glory humbled Himself and became a poor, suffering, dying man for sinners.  Jesus' love moved Him to come down to Earth to rescue us from sin.  Jesus was God manifest in the flesh.  He thought it not robbery to be equal with God. He who made the heavens, the earth, and the sea, and all things that are therein loved me to death. Without Him was not anything made that was made.  The host of heaven worshipped Jesus.  The entire universe was under His control.

But He came to the manger of Bethlehem as a Jewish baby, the Infinite one became an infant, our Maker became a Jewish man.  He lived down here as a poor peasant, laboring and suffering, but He was also the God who made the heavens and the earth. In the person of Jesus of Nazareth, there was perfect deity and perfect humanity.  Let this precious truth sink down into your ears and heart - it was your Creator who came from heaven to bleed and die in your place.  Condescending love, unequalled kindness and matchless mercy brought Jesus down from heaven to rescue His enemies.

When a man truly knows himself, he has a low opinion of himself when compared to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Humility is a correct estimate of yourself.  The average lifespan of a housefly is around 23 days.  We think that is a very short time, but our life expectancy of 60-80 years is even shorter when compared to Eternity.  We are so insignificant and sinful, but Jesus loved us anyway.  As a sinner, I deserve nothing but God's wrath, but I have trusted to His dear Son, and now I can receive nothing but God's mercy.  I have desperately sinned against God, and intentionally broken His commandments, and deserve to perish as divine justice requires, but because of Jesus' blood, I am accepted and forgiven by God forever.  Jesus died that I may not die eternally, and through His bloody death, and I can now live forever with God.

The wounded Savior is my Lord and my God.  The atoning blood of God manifest in the flesh is a sinner's only hope of heaven.  My sins cost Jesus His life, and His bloody death is my life.  Vital gospel truth is so simple:  to know yourself a sinner, and that Christ Jesus is the Savior; to quit yourself and your accomplishments, and trust implicitly to the person and finished work of God in human flesh.  The safest truth is simple, scriptural Gospel truth.

Mercy has been brought to my soul through the atoning blood of God's own Son.  Nothing less than His bloody death could save my sinful soul.  I had to be saved by Blood, and not just any blood, it had to be God's Blood. I thank Jesus for He has done such wonderful things for my life and soul.  When a man sins against light and knowledge, violates his conscience, and despots such a forgiving Savior, his sins are even more heinous.  Jesus Himself is pure, solid Truth.

Here are the Glad Tidings of the Gospel - The Creator became a creature; the Invisible God became incarnated, so He could suffer, bleed and die as a man for my sake.  Being found in fashion as a man, He humbled Himself.  He wept, He hungered, He thirsted, He was poor and weary, He had no place to lay His head at times, all of His disciples forsook Him and fled, He was a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief - all for my sake.  The King of glory became a pauper.  The LORD of hosts became the Lamb of God. The Christ of God, the King of kings, the LORDS OF LORDS became Sin for me, He was deserted by His friends, and left alone to suffer as a criminal on Calvary's tree.

The bloody sweat of Gethsemane, betrayed and sold out by cruel treachery, the unjust judgment of Gabbatha, He was hounded through the streets of Jerusalem on His way to the Cross, Led away to be crucified between two thieves, His back bore the stripes of the Roman scourge, He gave His back to the smiters, His cheeks to them that plucked off the hair, He was abused but never uttered a sharp response, He did no sin, neither was guile found in His mouth; when He was reviled, He reviled not again; when He suffered, He threatened not; He hid not His face from the shame and spitting, He faced cruel and cutting scorn, He was blindfolded and slapped and ridiculed, He was obedient unto death, His innocent hands and feet were extended and cruelly nailed because of my sins, the nails tore through His flesh as the weight of His body enlarges the wounds, He is thirsty and cries for help, His forehead was scarred with thorns, He was lifted up between heaven and earth enduring the cross for my sake, despising the shame.

*Hebrews 12:3* The man Christ Jesus tasted death for every man, He gave up the ghost, His eyes closed in death, His mangled body was then taken down from the Cross; He was buried in a borrowed tomb, and on the third day He rose from the dead; The stone was rolled away from the sepulcher, Jesus lives forevermore, for forty days He lived here on earth after His resurrection, and then from Mount Olivet He ascended into heaven to His Father's right hand; He now sits on the throne of glory, and rules the universe, interceding for His saints - these things prove Jesus' great love for sinners.  Come and rest now by faith on what Jesus did for sinners.

When we remember what Jesus did for us, love and gratitude should lead us to love Jesus even more.  Jesus whom I have mistreated and offended died for me.  Jesus suffered for me, took my place, bore my sins, and endured the consequences and punishment due to my sins.  Men on earth go to great efforts to listen for aliens out in outer space, but they need to listen more closely for the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost here on earth.  It is our highest privilege to live and do and bear anything for Jesus.  We should live for "righteousness' sake" *Matthew 5:9*, cheerfully and willingly bearing persecution for doing that which is right.  The born-again saint cannot enjoy sin as the worldling does.  The Christian will suffer at times for speaking and living the truth.  It would be better to be poor or even die, than to be dishonest and do wrong.  We will have to face suffering for the "gospel's sake"  *I Corinthians 9:20*; and for the word's sake *Mark 4:17*.

If you desire to spread the Gospel and publish glad tidings concerning the Lamb of God, you will suffer reproach and persecution. The Gospel, the words of God, and Christ Himself are so intertwined that whatsoever is done for the Gospel's sake is done for Jesus.  We must also labor for "His body's sake" *Colossians 1:24*; when we are helping believers, we are doing things for Jesus.  Lay down your life, your talents and strengths, for the brethren's sake *I John 3:16*.  Labor on as well for the "elect's sake" *I Timothy 2:10; for those who will be saved in the future.  Strive to spread the Gospel for "the kingdom of God's sake" *Luke 18:29*.

We should do things for the "truth's sake" *II John 1:2*.  The truth here is the living seed which is within us, which keeps us from yielding to sin, and leads us in the way everlasting, and compels us to serve and please the Lord in all things.  The new divine nature within us, the living incorruptible seed constrains me to be a good witness for Jesus. When sin is taken lightly, so is Christ. Oh, what can I do today to praise my Savior who died for me.

Let your life be lived all for Jesus' sake.  Christ liveth in me.  Yield to the Holy Spirit, be taught about holiness, be patient with others, walk in the fear of the Lord.  I am bought by the Blood of Jesus, so there must be justice in all my dealings with others, I must be generous and just, I must live and act so that all men would know that I am Jesus' disciple.  I must do some something in return for Jesus, not to help save my soul, but to show my adoring gratitude to Him for saving my soul through His kindness and precious blood.

I must not forget my kind Savior, and try to do Him some humble service.  I will be in His presence soon, I must be faithful to Him, I must strive to do something for Him who loved me so.  I should give my substance, time, and abilities to Jesus.  I can never do too much for my Savior.  I will spend and be spent for His kingdom.  I want to live a useful and pure life for Jesus.  If need be, I will put up with shame, poverty, and suffering for Him.  I will live in toil, obscurity, and affliction for His sake.  His atoning sacrifice must revive my service.  Be not weary in well-doing for Jesus' sake.

Christ Jesus, God Incarnate, died in the place of sinners.  I deserved to be punished for my sins, but Jesus became my Substitute.  There could be no pardon for my sins but by a blood sacrifice, so Jesus became my sinless blood Sacrifice on Calvary's tree.  He is the one Sacrifice for sins forever.  I have trusted to the bloody death of the Lamb of God to save my sinful soul.  Jesus was punished in my place, so that God can be just, and yet forgive the ungodly.  No man can know God the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal Him.  You can only know the true and living God through simple faith in Jesus Christ.

God can now freely remit and pardon my sins only because of Jesus' atoning blood, and without violating His strict justice, because the perfect sinless Substitute volunteered to take the wrath my sins deserved.  Jesus' death was of infinite value because of the Sufferer's divine nature.  He bore all our iniquities in His body on the tree, and now whosoever believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life. Simply take Jesus at His word.  Don't be too clever to come to Christ; don't be too good to be saved freely; don't be too proud to be guided. Come unto Jesus, all ye that labor and are heavy leaden, and He will give you rest. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world!  Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved from the love of sin and the wrath to come.