DT Reading VIII: Jesus Christ: His Life, His Works, and His Teachings

  "If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for

Him," C. T. Studd 

Greetings everyone! 

This week’s lesson/reading is something about the person who changed the course of human history and turned the world upside. The person is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ! We will briefly look at some of the powerful and unique aspects of Jesus’ life, works, and teaching.

Week VIII learning objectives:

- The life of Jesus
- The work of Jesus
- The teaching of teaching

NO ROOM FOR THE BOOKS

Apostle John wrote the Gospel of Jesus and concluded with a statement, “Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (John 21:25). This of course is one of the ways of writing to make a point that the works of Jesus are indeed are innumerable.

I like visiting libraries and Christian books stores even if I don’t get time to sit and read in libraries or buy books at times, and I have been to several. As I reflect, I am thinking of those huge libraries and book stores having thousands upon thousands of books on various subjects that center on Jesus.

Jesus didn’t write a single book or a letter with His own hands, but millions of books have been written about Him. His life, works, and teachings have been studied and written by countless people throughout history and it will continue till the end of this world.

HIS LIFE

The birth of Jesus was foretold 1000s of years ahead by prophets. His birth was announced by the angles, and upon His birth, the hearts of many were stirred. At His birth some rejoiced and celebrated that the savior was born, some feared and their hearts shook that a new king was born (Matthew 2), and still others wondered who the child was (Luke 1).

The life of Jesus revealed a mystery that God took the form of a man. No one has seen God but Jesus and He revealed who God is, thus seeing Him, people saw God (John 14:9). Jesus is the exact representation of God (Colossians 1:15). He is the Word that was in the beginning and that Word became flesh (John 1).  

His life represents perfection. There was not a single action, word, attitude, or behavior that was sinful in Jesus. He was blameless and he committed no sin. Before the laws of Moses, he was guiltless, and when judged by the teachers of laws, they could not find him a fault (John 18).  

Jesus is the son of God, and yet He chooses to live a life of humility, servitude, and complete obedience to His Father, even to the point of death on the Cross (Philippians 2). He is the perfect example of truthfulness, holiness, righteousness, love, etc. He is the one and only perfect model for us.

HIS WORKS

The works of Christ are innumerable. His works center on truth, grace, and sacrifice base on agape, the love of God. He gave himself to His Father’s Will, in the mission of redeeming the fallen creation. His works on earth were for the redemption of humanity; to reconcile the broken fellowship between God and his creation. The recreation of what was lost and broken. In Him, we receive life, and we become New Creations (2 Cor. 5:17).

Marked by love and selflessness, yet fulfilled the justice of God. He died that we may live. He paid the price to free us from sins and condemnation.

“Surely He took on our infirmities and carried our sorrows; yet we considered Him stricken by God, struck down and afflicted. But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds, we are healed” (Isaiah 53:4,5).

He came to serve, to save, to love, to guide, to heal, to forgive, and all his works were demonstrations of God’s great love.

 HIS TEACHING

Someone rightly said, upon reading the Gospel if a person is not astonished at the teaching of Jesus, he or she hasn’t really understood the Gospel. As Jesus began his earthly ministry, his first sermon, his teaching, the beatitudes (Matthew 6, 7) shocked people. He said,

-       “Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you and say all kinds of evil things about you falsely on the account of me.”

-       “And whoever insults a brother will be brought before the council, and whoever says, “Fool” will be sent to fiery hell.”

-       “But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to desire her has already committed adultery with her in his heart.”

-       “But I say to you, love your enemy and pray for those who persecute you.”

-       “But if you don’t forgive others, your Father will not forgive you your sins”

The teachings of Jesus were counter-culture in many ways and His teachings were beyond the traditions of humans. He spoke and taught the truth with love, authority, and perfect courage. He feared no threats from the human agency; no pressure, rejection, and persecution from people could hold Him. And to his last breath, he taught the truth and he died for the truth (John 18, 19).

He taught about His heavenly Father and told his disciples to call God our Father; He taught about heaven, a dwelling place of God; He taught about hell, a place of torment, a place prepared for the devil, demons, and all those who reject God. Someone said, Jesus taught about Hell or mentioned Hell more than any other subject. “And if your eye causes you to stumble, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye than to have two eyes and be thrown into hell, where ‘their worm never dies, and the fire is never quenched.” (Mark 9:47-48). This warning of Jesus shows the severity of hell.

Jesus thought about several other things that are needed for us on this journey of life, love, sins, forgiveness, demons, money, salvation, mission, his second coming, and so on.

WHAT NOW?

As disciples of Jesus, or students of Jesus, we follow his life meaning we live as he lived. We live in humility and we live a life of obedience to God. As disciples of Jesus, we do the works he did. He came not to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28) and so shall we be. And we teach what he taught.

Someone has rightly said, salvation is a free gift of God and we receive it by faith, but discipleship will cost our life. At this point perhaps some may be thinking, well to be a disciple of Jesus is difficult and perhaps I am not ready or fit to be a disciple. I will also tell you that such thinking is true as well because the truth is none of us on our own merit can become disciples of Jesus.

The call to become a disciple of Jesus is a call of God’s grace. It is upon the realization of our inability; we will also know what the grace of God is. We are only qualified to be His disciple because of the grace of God and upon trusting in Him. By grace, we are called. By grace, we are saved. And by grace, we can and are his disciples.

“And yet one understands that to contemplate, write and learn His life, His works, and His teaching will require thousands upon thousands years, and to live as He had lived is only possible through the grace of God.”