under a special agreement with
presents "New Life in Christ" Course 2
under a special agreement with
Lesson 1
"These are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God." (John 20:31)
Dear Friend,
It may come as a surprise to you, but the One who created the universe once lived here on this earth as a man. This One is none other than the Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
God wants us to believe on His Son and to receive Him as our Saviour. In order that we might know who Jesus is and what He did, God has given us four accounts of the life of His Son. These books in the Bible are called "the gospels," and they are named after the four men whom God chose to write them—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John.
At the beginning of his gospel, John speaks of the Lord Jesus as "the Word." John wrote,
"In the beginning was the Word (the Lord Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." John 1:1
From this verse we see that the Lord Jesus has always existed. Before anything was created, He was there with the Father. He is God! But there was a time when the Son of God became a man and lived on this earth. The Bible says,
"And the Word was made flesh, and dwelled among us..." John 1:14
Christ's Coming Was Foretold
Hundreds of years before the Lord Jesus came into the world, His birth was foretold in the Bible. "Foretold" means that men of God told what was going to happen long before it happened.
"the Word was made flesh...."
God told the prophet Isaiah that, one day, a miracle child would be born. Isaiah wrote,
"Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel." Isaiah 7:14
"Immanuel" means "God with us." This Child, who was promised by God, would not be an ordinary child; He would be God coming to be with us.
Also, this Child would be born of a virgin; that is, He would be born of a pure, unmarried woman. He would be conceived by the Holy Spirit.
The Jewish people called this promised Saviour "the Messiah." In the Greek language, He is called "the Christ."
The Bible foretold exactly where the Messiah would be born. The prophet Micah wrote that He would be born in Bethlehem.
For hundreds of years, God's people watched and waited for the Saviour whom God had promised. Then, one day, an angel appeared to a virgin named Mary. She was frightened, but the angel said,
"Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call His name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David: And He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end." Luke 1:30-33
The Lord Jesus was born in Bethlehem just as the prophet had said. The angel of the Lord appeared to the shepherds in nearby fields to tell them the good news:
"Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord." Luke 2:10-11
When Jesus was just a tiny baby, Joseph and Mary took Him to the temple. At the temple there was a holy man of God named Simeon. God had revealed to Simeon that, before he died, he would see the promised Saviour.
When Simeon saw the baby Jesus, he took Him in his arms and said,
"Lord, now let Thou Thy servant depart in peace, according to Thy Word: For mine eyes have seen Thy salvation." Luke 2:29-30
What do these verses tell us? They tell us that our salvation is a person. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself is our salvation.
Jesus is the Christ
When the Lord Jesus was 30 years old, He began to teach and to preach. But when He came to His people, the Jews, most of them did not believe in Him. They did not receive Him as their Saviour. The Bible says,
"He came unto His own, and His own received Him not." John 1:11
Is Jesus really "the Christ," the promised Saviour? Yes, He is! How do we know? We know because the Bible says so.
The Bible declares plainly that Jesus is the Christ. In John chapter 4, we have the account of Jesus talking with the woman at the well. The woman thought that Jesus was a prophet. She said to Him, "I know that Messiah comes, which is called Christ: when He is come, He will tell us all things." Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He."
Later on, when Jesus asked His disciples, "Whom do you say that I am?" Simon Peter said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Jesus was pleased with Peter's statement, and He said,
"Blessed are you, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto you, but My Father which is in heaven" Matthew 16:17
Now let us look at God's Word and see how Jesus has fulfilled the prophecies concerning the promised Saviour. These prophecies were written many hundreds of years before Christ was born.
* Born in Bethlehem
Prophecy:
Micah 5:2 "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall He come forth unto Me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting."
Fulfillment:
Matthew 2:1 "...Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king..."
* Born of a Virgin
Prophecy:
Isaiah 7:14 "Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Immanuel."
Fulfillment:
Matthew 1:18 "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as His mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost."
* Hands and feet pierced
Prophecy:
Psalm 22:16 "...they pierced My hands and My feet."
Fulfillment:
Luke 23:33 "And when they were come to the place, which is called Calvary, there they crucified Him..."
* Bore our sins
Prophecy:
Isaiah 53:6 "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all."
Fulfillment:
1 Peter 2:24 "Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree..."
* Forsaken of God
Prophecy:
Psalm 22:1 "My God, my God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Why art Thou so far from helping me...?"
Fulfillment:
Matthew 27:46 "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying…My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?"
* Soldiers cast lots for His garments
Prophecy:
Psalm 22:18 "They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture."
Fulfillment:
Mark 15:24 "And when they had crucified Him, they parted His garments, casting lots upon them, what every man should take."
* Not a bone broken
Prophecy:
Psalm 34:20 "He keepeth all His bones: not one of them is broken."
Fulfillment:
John 19:33 "But when they came to Jesus, and saw that He was dead already, they brake not His legs."
* Rejected by the Jews
Prophecy:
Isaiah 53:3 "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief..."
Fulfillment:
John 1:11 "He came unto His own, and His own received Him not."
* Betrayed by a friend
Prophecy:
Psalm 41:9 "Yea, Mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which did eat of My bread, hath lifted up his heel against Me."
Fulfillment:
Mark 14:10 "And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray Him unto them." (See also John 13:21-26)
* Sold for 30 pieces of silver
Prophecy:
Zechariah 11:12 "...they weighed for My price thirty pieces of silver."
Fulfillment:
Matthew 26:14-15 "Judas Iscariot...said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver Him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver."
* Crucified with sinners
Prophecy:
Isaiah 53:12 "...He was numbered with the transgressors; and He bare the sin of many..."
Fulfillment:
Matthew 27:38 "Then were there two thieves crucified with Him, one on the right hand, and another on the left."
* Rose from the grave
Prophecy:
Psalm 16:10 "For Thou wilt not leave My soul in hell; neither wilt Thou suffer Thine Holy One to see corruption."
Fulfillment:
Matthew 28:5-6 "And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen, as He said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."
(NOTE: There are many other prophecies in the Bible concerning Christ. Some of them have to do with His Second Coming. These have not been fulfilled as yet, but they will be fulfilled when Jesus comes again.)
What do these scriptures tell us? They tell us that Jesus is the Christ, the promised Saviour. In his gospel, John makes it clear that Jesus is the Christ. He said,
"And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book: But these are written, that you might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you might have life through His name." John 20:30-31
We must BELIEVE on the Lord Jesus Christ
Over and over the Lord Jesus emphasized one thing: that men must believe on Him in order to be saved. Jesus said to the Jews of His day,
"… if you believe not that I am He (the promised Saviour), you shall die in your sins." John 8:24
First, let us see what the name "the Lord Jesus Christ" means. Then we shall see what it means to believe on Him.
"LORD"
This is His kingly name that stands for His rulership over all things. He is God. He has all power in Heaven and in the earth.
"JESUS"
This is His personal, human name. It means "Saviour." Jesus is the Saviour, the One who died for our sins and rose again from the dead. He is a living Saviour.
"CHRIST"
This is His official name. It means "the anointed One." We have already seen that Jesus is "the Christ"—the promised Saviour.
What does it mean to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ?
It means to believe:
1. that He is the Son of God;
2. that He died on the cross for your sins and rose again;
3. that by believing on Him, He becomes your very own Saviour, so that what He has done is really for you.
Jesus Christ is indeed the promised Saviour, but is He your Saviour? If you are not sure that you are saved, study carefully the following Scriptures. Remember, believing God means believing precisely what God says in His Word.
GOD SAYS:
"We have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world." (1 John 4:14)
"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
"God commended [He showed] His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8)
"…as many as received Him [Jesus Christ], to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name." (John 1:12)
"This is the record, that God has given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that has the Son has life; and he that has not the Son of God has not life." (1 John 5:11-12)
