Matthew 1:20-21

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We know where babies come from, so we understand why Joseph was considering divorcing Mary. They were engaged, but they hadn’t been sexually intimate. And yet Mary was pregnant.

Joseph knew where babies came from. And so being a righteous man, he was going to divorce Mary quietly. As he was considering this, Matthew, in his first chapter, records that an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and said,

Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:20-21)

When Joseph was considering divorcing Mary, God intervened. God sent an angel to change Joseph’s mind and show him not only Mary’s innocence, but his will for Joseph and Mary. Mary was going to give birth to a son. Joseph was to give him the name Jesus. The angel even revealed why the son had to have the name Jesus, because he would save their people from their sins. God intervened in Joseph and Mary’s life. But there’s a greater intervention going on. It’s an intervention in your life.

Jesus was to be born of the Virgin Mary so that God could intervene and take away your sins.

God became man in the person of Jesus, lived the perfect life, died an innocent death on the cross in full payment for the world’s sins, and rose triumphant on Easter morning. That was God’s undeserved gift to you and to the world.

God didn’t like the direction your life was going because of your sins, so he miraculously intervened. He came in flesh, lived and died for you, so that now the doors of heaven stand open to you. That is God’s gift to you at Christmas. That is the gift that he wants you to possess today, so that you can know that God loves you and is going to do everything he can to get you to heaven.

So this Christmas, as you ponder again the story of Mary and Joseph and Jesus and all of the things around it being born in a manger and so forth.

Remember, the miracle is that God was intervening for you so that you could be with him in heaven forever.

Amen.

Luke 2:11

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In the first parish that I served, there was a retired couple who had gotten married when they were very young, teenagers. They told me that the first Christmas of their married life, they had no money, they couldn’t buy each other gifts. And so the husband bought a jar of maraschino cherries that they could give to each other. Can you imagine that, being so poor that the only thing that you can have to celebrate Christmas is a jar of candied cherries? The couple also told me that from that year on, at every Christmas, they bought a jar of maraschino cherries to remind them of that first Christmas.

That begs the question, though, how much could you strip away from your Christmas traditions and celebrations and still call it a real Christmas? Could you get rid of all that food that the family shares for Christmas dinner? Could you get rid of the Christmas tree and all the ornaments and lights? Could you get rid of all the presents under the tree? How much could you strip away and still call it a real Christmas? On the first Christmas, there were no gifts that were shared except the gift that God gave. We’re reminded of that gift in the words of the angel to the shepherds. We read in Luke chapter two.

Today in the town of David, a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. (Luke 2:11)

The angel said that a Savior was born. That was God’s gift to mankind that first Christmas. That was God’s gift to you. You needed someone to come and rescue you from your sins. And God sent Jesus to do exactly that. Jesus was born to die for you, but God raised him from the dead so that you can know that he is your Savior, that your sins are forgiven, and that you will be with God in heaven one day. If you remember that, if that is the only gift that you have at Christmas time, that’s a real Christmas. That’s the Christmas that God wants you to celebrate. May the birth of the Savior, Jesus the Christ, fill your heart with peace and contentment now and always. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 3:13

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This is definitely the season of preparation. It seems that earlier and earlier, every year, the Christmas lights are coming out in the stores and everyone’s getting ready for Christmas. The church at this time of year also has a season of preparation. But it’s not Christmas. It’s called Advent. Advent means coming and so in this season of the church year, the church prepares for Jesus coming.

They remember how he came in the past, they contemplate how he comes to them in the present, and they look forward to when he comes again at the end of time. The verse that I’ll share with you this morning looks at that third point, the coming of Jesus at the end of time and being ready for it. In First Thessalonians chapter three the 13th verse says

That he may establish your hearts as blameless in holiness before our God and Father, when our Lord Jesus comes with all his saints. (1 Thessalonians 3:13)

Jesus came once as a baby born in Bethlehem, but he is coming again. And when he comes again, he’ll be coming with a very different purpose. When he came the first time, he came to establish a holiness and a blamelessness for all people. He did that by perfectly loving God and perfectly loving his neighbor. And through his perfect life he has won for you a holiness before God. But Jesus also had to deal with your guilt because you have not loved God with your whole heart and you have not loved your neighbor as yourself. So you have guilt before God, and that guilt has to be dealt with. So Jesus took away your guilt. He claimed those sins as his very own, and he suffered and died in payment for them.

So why are those two things important? Why is the holiness that Jesus has won and the blamelessness that Jesus has won, why are they so important? Because when he comes again, he is coming as the judge of the world. To be able to stand in front of Jesus, you need to be holy and you need to be blameless. Anyone there that stands without Jesus stands there with the guilt of all of their sins. But in Jesus you have a perfect life. In Jesus, your guilt is taken away so that your heart can be at rest when he comes again. So trust, trust that Jesus has lived and died for you, and you have nothing to fear about his second coming. Prepare for that day by believing that Jesus is your Savior from sin. To him be the glory now and forever. Amen.

Galatians 3:24-25

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My wife and I were so excited when our eldest child was old enough to babysit. We could leave her at home and she could take care of the younger kids while my wife and I could get out and do some things, not having to drag the kids along was a huge relief.

I’ve noticed that as the younger kids have now become older and they’re doing the babysitting, that the kids often want to know who’s in charge. I can tell you, I want to know who’s in charge too, but probably for a different reason than the kids do. They want to know who do they have to obey? For me, I want to know who’s going to keep them safe.

In our verses today, we’re going to read that God is speaking to us as children and that he has put something over us to supervise us. And as children, we can misunderstand that thing. And not understand God’s purpose for it. So in Galatians chapter three we read.

So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. Now that faith has come, we are no longer under the supervision of the law. (Galatians 3:24-25)

God placed the law over us, to supervise us, to lead us to Christ. The law is very often misunderstood, though. People look at the commandments and what God has required of us, especially in the Old Testament. And thought that is the way to obtain righteousness. People think that as long as they’re doing what God commands in all of the steps of life, then he’s going to be happy with them. But God reveals here that he put us under the law to lead us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. That word justify means to be declared righteous.

We’re not declared righteous by God’s law and commandments. In fact, those laws and commandments, they declare us guilty of sin. We’ve lied. We’ve been hateful. We’ve been greedy. We’ve been unkind. All of those actions are revealed by the law to be sin. If the commandments were the way to receive righteousness before God, none of us would ever get it. But here God reveals that we’re justified, declared righteous by faith in Jesus. Jesus lived the life that the law demands, and Jesus died the death that the law demands, so that we are perfect in God’s eyes. And our sins are forgiven.

When we look at God’s law, we see our guilt. And our need for Jesus. God gave us that law so that we would be led to see our need for the Savior. And hold on to him by faith. So as you live as God’s child, remember the purpose of the law. We cannot obtain righteousness before God by it. Only faith does that. The law, then, is there to guide us as we live in thankfulness to Jesus for the salvation he won for us all.

May God bless you and lead you to Christ your Savior. Amen.

Luke 2:13-14

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Is something robbing you of your peace? Is it financial worries? Concerned about paying the bills? Maybe your investments have turned against you. What’s robbing you of your peace?

Is it a medical diagnosis? You went to the doctor because you’re suffering in some way, concerned about something, and now he’s revealed what it is and you’re scared. What’s robbing you of your peace?

Is it relationship problems? You and your spouse aren’t getting along. Or you kids and you are fighting with each other. Maybe you’ve got a tense work situation where you’re not getting along with your workmates. What’s robbing you of your peace?

Is it something that you’ve done? Is your conscience plaguing you, keeping you awake at night? Is the burden of guilt making you nervous? What’s robbing you of peace?

There are just so many things in this life that can take our peace away. God wants you to have peace. And that’s why he sent Jesus the Savior. On the night that Jesus was born, the angels announced to the shepherds that a Savior had been born to them in the town of Bethlehem. And after that first angel’s announcement, we’re told in In Luke chapter 2.

Suddenly, there was with the angel a multitude from the heavenly army, praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward mankind.” (Luke 2:13-14)

Many of those things that rob our peace connected with the future. We don’t know how these things are going to play out, and so we’re worried and concerned. We don’t know how our finances are going to turn out. We don’t know how that medical treatment is going to turn out. We don’t know how we’re going to patch up our relationships. We don’t know how to deal with our guilt.

But here we see that the God who knows the future, wants us to have peace. He sent Jesus to take away our guilt so that our sins would not cause us to lose peace. That we could have a joy and peace inside, knowing that Christ has suffered and died in our place so that we are forgiven. Through Christ, God is not angry with us. And we have the bright hope, the peaceful hope, of life in heaven forever.

With regards to our relationships, Jesus enables us to forgive one another to humbly accept where we have done wrong, apologize and to make amends in our earthly relationships. When it comes to our medical problems. We know that one day we’re going to die. But because of Jesus, that doesn’t have to be a concern. Through Jesus, we can know that after death, we will have the perfect peace of life in heaven. And our finances, if God is for us who can be against us? If we have heaven, that’s eternal treasure that no one can take away from us. So if we have Jesus, we are rich.

So what’s robbing you of your peace? Maybe the solution is Jesus. This Christmas, may you find the peace that God intends for you to have the knowledge that he loves you and sent Jesus to be your Savior. Amen.

Matthew 1:20-21

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Are you worried about Christmas being disrupted? You may have heard that there are some concerns about the supply chain, whether we’ll have all the things that we want to get for Christmas. Maybe your presents will be stuck on some big ship off the coast of California. What would disrupt your Christmas?

Christmas really disrupted Joseph’s life. He was engaged to a young lady, Mary. And he was told that she was now pregnant. Joseph didn’t like that. Joseph’s life was turned upside down by that news. So he decided that he wasn’t going to marry Mary. But he received another disruption. One night while he was sleeping, an angel appeared to him and said

“Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because the child conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:20-21 EHV)

Joseph didn’t like the news of Mary being pregnant, but the news that he received from the angel was a good disruption. It meant that he could take Mary home, that she had been faithful to him in the engagement vows. And that a special child was to be given to her and to him. He would have the privilege of raising the Savior.

Though it may be not how he expected his life to go, it was a great blessing. And notice what the angels said of this son born of Mary, this great disruption in Joseph’s life.

He will save his people from their sins. (Matthew 1:21 EHV)

Joseph was looking for the Savior. He maybe didn’t expect him to come the way that he did to be born of his fiancee. But he knew what he needed. He needed his sins to be forgiven. He needed to be saved. So as unsettling as this disruption first was, it must have given Joseph tremendous peace. What a wonderful gift God had given him and all people.

Jesus came to live a perfect life in our place from the moment of conception till his last breath. He was perfect in every way. And Jesus died the death that our sins deserve. God sent him as a gift, not just for Joseph, but for you. Jesus has lived and died for you so that your sins are forgiven.

Your Christmas may be disrupted. You maybe can’t get all the stuff that you want to get. But you can have the greatest gift anyone can receive. The gift that Joseph received: a Savior from sin. May your Christmas then be full of this great gift. And the joy and peace that only Jesus can bring. Amen.

Matthew 3:2

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How prepared are you for Christmas? Are the lights on the house yet? Have you got your shopping list done? Do you know what you’re getting your spouse? How prepared are you to celebrate Christmas?

Sometimes I know in the rush of Christmas, I can just feel like I’m never going to be ready. Sometimes I’ve even thought a little bit of help would be nice. Someone could do the shopping for me or make some other preparation, that’d be real nice. God, sent John, the Baptiser, to help the people prepare for Christmas. That is the coming of the Savior. God sent John with a special message in Matthew chapter 3, we read

“Repent, because the kingdom of heaven is near!” (Matthew 3:2 EHV)

Repent. That word means to change your mind or turn around to go in a different direction. To prepare for Jesus the Savior, God says we need to repent. If you think about that meaning to turn around, we definitely know that there are times our life is going in a direction that’s not good for us. We’ll be partway down it and realize, man, this isn’t working. I got to turn around. I got to change my mind. I got to go back the other way. That’s true in our earthly lives and it’s definitely true spiritually.

We can be headed in the wrong direction spiritually. Maybe living with our girlfriend or boyfriend outside of marriage, maybe we’ve been caught up with the wrong people. Taking drugs, drinking. Your life can be spiritually headed in the wrong direction. So God calls you to repent, to prepare for the Savior.

Jesus came so that he could take away all of those things that you’ve done wrong. All of those choices that you’ve made that you’ve really changed your mind about now. I thought that was a good idea, but it was terrible. That’s what God wants you to do spiritually to change your mind, to turn around. Jesus came so he can take away all of those mistakes. So no matter what the bad choices that you’ve made. Jesus has borne the spiritual, the eternal, consequences of those decisions. It’s true you may have to bear some of the earthly consequences. But when it comes to the spiritual, Jesus has taken them all away.

None of those bad choices need to affect you in eternity. God, the Father now loves and forgives you because his Son, Jesus, lived and died in your place. Do you need to change your mind, to turn around, concerning Jesus? Many view him as just a great teacher, maybe a prophet. Maybe someone that we should listen to like one of the other philosophers. But they don’t acknowledge Jesus as the Savior. How do you see him? Do you see him as just another man? Or do you see him as he really is? The God man who came to be your sins?

May you prepare for Jesus by repenting, changing your heart and mind about the direction, the spiritual direction of your life, and changing your heart and mind about what you think about Jesus. He is your save you from sin. He was born so that you can live. May God bless your, Christmas, with this new understanding of Jesus, your Savior. Peace be with you. Amen.

Matthew 24:43-44

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If you knew your house was going to be broken into, what would you do? If you knew where they were going to break in, maybe you would reinforce that area. Make sure the door is extra strong or the window barred. If you couldn’t make your house secure, I daresay you would at least be waiting up for the person. Maybe you would even call the police so that the police could be there waiting to arrest the burglar. All of those things though, mean that you would be prepared. If you knew that your house was going to be broken into, you would make preparations. You would be ready.

Jesus used that illustration in Matthew, 24, verse 43 and following, he said,

But understand this: If the master of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and would not have let his house be broken into. You also need to be ready for this reason: The Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not expect him. (Matthew 24:43-44)

We’ll often speak of death being that unknown end to our life. But that’s not the only unexpected end to life here on Earth. The Bible is very clear that Jesus is going to come again, and when he comes again, it won’t be to save the world. No, he did that in his first coming. At his first coming he humbly came to bear man’s sins, to live a perfect life, and die on the cross in their place so that God, through his life and death, could forgive the sins of all mankind. Jesus successfully completed his first mission. God raised him from the dead, as proof that he had won the forgiveness of everyone’s sins.

And now Jesus has ascended into heaven and is ruling all things for the good of his church of those who believe in him. The time is coming, though, when Jesus will return to this Earth. When he comes again, it won’t be in humility. It will be in glory. It won’t be to rescue. It will be to judge. Jesus has told us that this is going to happen. So that we can be ready. In the same way that you would prepare if you knew your house was going to be broken into, Jesus says, get ready, be prepared, because I’m coming back. And when I come back. I’m going to judge all of mankind.

Now, that may be a little terrifying for you thinking of Jesus returning to judge. Can you know today how that judgment would go for you? The answer is yes. For all who believe in Jesus, the forgiveness that Jesus won with his first coming, is theirs. Jesus has already revealed the verdict for those who believe in him: not guilty. So you can look forward by faith to the day that Jesus returns with great joy. Because you know that your sins are forgiven. You can know that when he comes again, he’s going to take you to be with him forever in heaven.

So that day, it’s a day of joy. But the reality is that if you do not believe that Jesus is your Savior, you forfeit the benefit of his first coming. And then that second coming is going to be a terrifying experience because he will judge you according to your sins. And punish you accordingly. Today, today is the time to prepare. Today is the day to learn of Jesus the Savior. And see what he has done for you in his first coming. To believe that your sins are forgiven through his life, death and resurrection. May God grant you his Spirit so that you believe in Jesus the Savior, and then you can wait with joy for him to come again. Peace be with you. Amen.

Mark 10:21

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What must I do to get inherit eternal life? That was the question that a man had for Jesus. He ran up to Jesus, fell down in front of him. What must do to get eternal life? Jesus could see that this man thought that he could earn eternal life. And so Jesus told him, obey the commandments. The man ended up saying that he’d kept all of the commandments since he was a child. Mark tells us that Jesus looked at that man. And he loved him. He could see what the man was lacking. And wanted to provide it. He told him in Mark chapter 10.

One thing you lack. Go, sell whatever you have, and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” (Mark 10:21)

Jesus, because he is true, God could look straight into the heart of that man. And he saw that he had a big sin. The love of money. And so, Jesus, to cut to the heart, to get to the chief point of the issue, drew that sin out for that man to see. And we’re told that when he saw it, he was very sad. He went away because he had great wealth. Jesus saw that man’s need to see his sin. He thought, that is the man, thought that he was doing a good job of being a good person. He loved his parents. He hadn’t killed anyone. He hadn’t committed adultery or stolen anything. And so he thought he was good with God.

But Jesus could see his desperate situation. That he actually loved something more than he loved God. He loved money. So Jesus showed him his idolatry. So that he could repent. We could go into a long discourse here on the proper use of money, but that’s not really the point. The point was this man had a sin that he didn’t recognize. Jesus, where to look into your heart? What would he reveal to you about what’s in there?

Maybe you love gossiping more than you love God. Maybe you like lying more than you love God. Maybe you’ve got hatred that so easily festers in your heart, causes you to be angry, maybe to hold grudges against others wanting to get even with them. What sin would Jesus reveal to you? Jesus would reveal that because he loves you. Because he wants you to see your sins so that you don’t have any hope of saving yourself because then you realize I need someone to save me.

Jesus offered that to that man that day. But he said, sell everything you have. Then come follow me. Whatever your sin is, that invitation is for you to. You can follow Jesus by trusting that his life and his death have atoned for all of your sins. No matter what sin is dwelling in your heart, no matter what sin your hands have committed in the outside world can see, Jesus is a greater Savior than you are a sinner. Come follow him. Trust that he has died for you. And that because of his death and resurrection. God forgives you and loves you.

May God’s love and forgiveness in Jesus give you a true and lasting peace as you follow Jesus all the way to heaven. Amen.

Numbers 6:24-26

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Is there such a thing as good luck? We wish it to our friends as they run on to the sports field. We might say it when someone is going in for a test. Good luck! Of course, if you’re in the performance arts, you never say, good luck. It’s always “break a leg.” Is there such a thing as good luck?

Well, when we use that term, we’re trying to wish the people well. That they would succeed in whatever they’re about to do. But is it up to luck? What should we say if we truly want to see someone succeed? Maybe Moses and Aaron, give us some insight into that. Moses was instructed by God to tell Aaron to bless the people this way. In Numbers chapter six, we read.

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord look on you with favor and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26)

The Lord bless you. That’s wishing someone well. That’s wishing someone success. That they would have a good life. The Lord, bless you and keep you. The Lord, make his face shine upon you. Luck is this idea of chance that everything’s up to the roll of the dice. That’s actually not how our life works. Everything has been planned out. Everything is under the control of the one who created all things: the Lord.

So the Lord, bless you, the Lord, make his face shine upon you, that’s seeking the Lord’s blessings upon all of your efforts. That he would look on you with favor. And give you peace. To look on you with favor is to act graciously towards you. When we look at our lives and how we’ve performed by our own efforts, there’s certainly no reason why God would want to be kind to us, would want to shower his favor upon us. We’ve failed miserably. We’ve failed to be who God wants us to be. And instead of his favor. We deserve his wrath.

We deserve that he would punish us for the ways that we have sinned against him, the ways that we have failed him. But God looks on us with favor. Because he wants to bless us and his favor is most evident in the work that he has done through Jesus the Christ. He sent Jesus to take away all of our failings. So that we could be forgiven. And he sent Jesus to perform the way that God expected us to. Jesus came and he lived a perfect life. He satisfied every one of God’s commandments. His performance was perfect. Because he was perfect. God now smiles on you.

So if you want the Lord’s blessing, Jesus is where you find it. There you find the forgiveness of all your sins. There you find the righteousness that God demands. There you find the door to heaven. ‘Good luck,’ doesn’t even come close. The Lord bless you. That’s what you need. And may he give you his peace, amen.

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This summer, I spent a couple of weeks at my father-in-law’s cabin. There’s always a boat tied on the dock. This year, I noticed that the ropes that hold the boat are starting to fray from chafing against the dock and the boat. When wind comes up, the waves bash against the boat, pulling on it, trying to tear it away from the dock. Those ropes are constantly being tested.

That boat in the waves, being tied to the dock, is a picture of you as a Christian. The waves of life, the waves of Satan and sin, are trying to tear you away from Jesus. Jesus wants you to remain connected to him. In John, Chapter 15, he says,

I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him is the one who bears much fruit because without me, you can do nothing. (John 15:5)

Jesus spoke of remaining in him because there is that constant pull on the Christian to be separated from Jesus. Like that boat on the water, the branches of a vine often are buffeted by the wind. Sometimes they break off. Other times there are pests, insects that come along and snip at the branch and try and cut it off from the vine. There are those forces in your life trying to separate you from Jesus. It may be a direct assault from Satan, a gale of sin blowing against you, tempting you to do something that you know is against God’s will. Jesus says remain in me.

Or maybe there’s an insect inside of you, your sinful nature is just nibbling away at the branch, trying to separate you from Jesus. Maybe it’s your reluctance to study his Word. Maybe it’s your laziness causing you not to gather, for worship, to hear his Word. Whatever that insect is, Jesus says, remain in me. We remain in Jesus by remaining in his Word when we read God’s Word and we see our sin, when we read the commandments and see where we’ve fallen short, yes, it does show us our sin, but it also shows us where we’re being attacked.

Jesus says repent of your sins and turn back to him. Remain in him. Then flowing from him comes the forgiveness of all your sins. Just as the vine feeds the branch, Jesus feeds you. He comes to you through his Word and points to his cross and says there’s the payment for the forgiveness of all of your sins. Points to his Word and the promise that he has given that he will watch over you, guard and defend you until you safely with him in heaven. Through that Word Jesus strengthens our faith in him so that we can remain in the vine.

So how frayed are your ropes? How stressed are you as a branch? How is Satan blowing against you? How is your sinful nature rising up to nibble away at you? Whatever ways they are, cling to Jesus. Remain in his Word, and he will remain in you. Then you will have the peace that he gives. Amen.

Jesus said some crazy things. Here’s one example in John chapter 6, verse 51, he said,

I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life, the world is my flesh. (John 6:51)

What would you think if you saw someone standing on the street corner proclaiming, “I am the bread that came down from heaven, eat me and you’ll live forever?” You’d probably think that guy was a lunatic. Is Jesus a lunatic? Very few people will say that. Often Jesus is spoken of as a good moral teacher. C.S. Lewis, in his book Mere Christianity, addressed that issue of calling Jesus a good moral teacher. He said,

I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about him. [That is Christ.] I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who is merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic, on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg, or else he would be the devil of hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was and is the Son of God or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool. You can spit at him and kill him as a demon. Or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God. But let us not come up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.

So is Jesus a lunatic? Obviously, Lewis concludes, he is not. I wonder what caused Lewis to conclude that? Jesus’ resurrection is the proof that everything he said was true. Again, in that crazy verse, he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. Jesus was God in the flesh or more properly, is God in the flesh. He became man so that he could live a perfect life under God’s law, fulfilling it in our place. And he became man so that he could suffer and die in our place on the cross, making the necessary payment for our sins.

So Jesus came down from heaven to be our Savior. He then said,

If anyone eats this bread, he will live forever. The bread that I will give for the life, the world is my flesh. (John 6:51)

In John chapter 6 here, it’s clear that eating Jesus’ flesh was being equated with believing. If you believe that Jesus came down from heaven to live a perfect life in your place and to die the death that your sins demand, then you have eternal life. You will live forever. How can we know this is true? How can we know that Jesus isn’t just a crazy man? It’s because he rose from the dead. Yes, Jesus lived and died, that is well-established, but he rose from the dead as God’s seal of approval on all that he did. Because Jesus rose again. You can know he’s not crazy. He’s telling you the truth.

Through his life, death and resurrection. All of your sins are paid for. Because of Jesus, God now loves you and has made you an heir of heaven. So it may sound crazy at surface value, but when you look at what Jesus said and what Jesus did, you can know he’s not crazy. He’s not a lunatic. He’s the world’s Savior from sin. May God grant you His Spirit so that you believe what Jesus said and can have the life that only he gives you. Peace be with you. Amen.