DRAWN TO JESUS BY LOVE

 

          The Bible reveals many facts about Jesus that should cause us to love and appreciate Him. We are literally drawn to Jesus by love. Jesus was in the beginning with God. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) He came to earth to make our salvation possible. "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me." (John 6:38) Jesus was born “To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.” (Luke 1:26-27) This child that was born to her is Jesus, the Son of the Highest. (Luke 1:30-33) We are drawn to Him by love! Jesus was born in Bethlehem as the prophet had predicted. (Micah 5:2) As a small child Jesus was protected from Herod's wrath by being taken to Egypt. (Matthew 2:13) We do not know the date of Jesus’ birth. But we do know that “When the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law.” (Galatians 4:4)

         

          The fact that Jesus is the one spoken of by the prophets draws us to Him by love. Micah predicted the exact place of Jesus’ birth. “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.” (Micah 5:2) It was also prophesied that Jesus would be born of a virgin. (Isaiah 7:14) In Matthew 1:21-23 we read, “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.” We are drawn to Him by love.

 

          The fact that Jesus is eternal draws us to Him by love. The prophet Micah foretold that Jesus would be born at Bethlehem Ephratah. In that same verse he said that His, "goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." (Micah 5:2) God, referred to His eternal nature when He said, "I AM THAT I AM." (Exodus 3:14) Jesus made a similar statement concerning Himself in John 8:57-59. "Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." The Hebrew writer wrote, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) The Father said to the Son, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom." (Hebrews 1:8) We are drawn to Him by love.

 

          The fact that Jesus is God draws us to Him by love. In the Bible Jesus is called God. Jesus was asked, "Which is the first commandment of all?" He quoted from Deuteronomy 6:4-5 to answer their question. He said, "The first of all the commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment." In John 1:1 the Bible says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." Jesus is the one that was called "the Word." Thomas called Jesus "My Lord and my God." (John 20:28) In Titus 2:13 Paul referred to Jesus as "the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ." We are drawn to Him by love.

 

          The fact that Jesus is the only Savior draws us to Him by love. The gospel is the good News that Christ suffered sin's penalty in man's place. "Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you -- unless you believed in vain. For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures." (I Corinthians 15:1-4) The announcement of the angels was true, "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord." (Luke 2:11) Jesus is more than just some religious tradition. He is our Savior. He knows our needs, feels our pain, and sympathizes with our weakness. If we will trust and obey Him He will forgive our sins, intercede for us and bring us to His Father in Heaven. He died for us and rose from the dead to save us from our sins. Because of Jesus man can have hope of eternal life. We are drawn to Him by love.

 

          The fact that Jesus is the Prince of peace draws us to Him by love. Isaiah wrote, "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." (Isaiah 9:6) "We have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ." (Romans 5:1) Jesus took upon Himself the punishment for our sins so we might receive peace from God. In Peter's second sermon He said, "But you denied the Holy One and the Just, and asked for a murderer to be granted to you, and killed the Prince of life, whom God raised from the dead, of which we are witnesses." (Acts 3:14-15) With the coming of Jesus Christ the way was opened for the restoration of the lost peace among humankind. Outside of Jesus there is no true peace. We are drawn to Him by love.

 

          The heart and substance of our preaching must be Jesus Christ and Him crucified. "We preach Christ crucified." I want to always remember who Jesus is, what He has done for me and what He can mean in my life. To become a Christian you must hear the gospel of Christ (John 6:44-45), believe in Jesus (Mark 16:16), repent of sins (2 Peter 3:9), confess Christ before others (Matthew 10:32), and be baptized for remission of sins. (Acts 2:38) What does Jesus mean to you? As for me He is, "My all and in all." We are drawn to Him by love.

 

 

By Charles Box, Walnut Street Church of Christ, P.O. Box 551,

Greenville, Alabama 36037 USA.