We clearly don’t totally understand the gospel … or God … or Jesus.

If we did, our world would look different.

And (even though I am guilty of this very statement) … To say that “EVEN IF YOU were the last person on earth that  Jesus would have died for you” totally undersells Him.

In seeking Him this week, I am convicted of how much I truly don’t understand His love …

We have a sign that we hang up at Christmas that says:

and they shall call his name ‘Immanuel’ 

which means, God with us

The pursuit of us by God is unthinkable.

It is unthinkable that Jesus would come to earth.

And it is unthinkable that He pursued broken people the way that He did.

When a world leader decides to move on a territory, he infiltrates the territory.  He sends men to politically push his agenda.  He spies and gathers information.  And then, at just the right time, he acts with power in a way that pushes the enemy to the brink of surrender so that he can totally conquer body, mind, and spirit.  

In Jesus time, the Romans were experts at this.  And when they found someone “naysaying”, they stripped that person naked and brutally executed him in front of his family.  Compliance was not optional.  And the Jews had an alliance with them ONLY because it gave the Romans control.

So here comes Jesus.  His plan was to:

Come as an illegitimate child.

To be poor.

To yield no weapon.

To reject political affiliations from everyone.

To never act out in anger to takeover even though He proved at the temple that He VERY WELL COULD HAVE.

What does Immanuel do?

He joins the lowest common denominator and wins them over in such a way that we STILL are more influenced by Him than any other person in world history.

And how does He do it?

With the most mind boggling plan I have ever laid eyes on.

The people who DO SUPPORT Him, He leaves them in utter dismay by doing things so unfathomable that they have to truly check their motives for why they are even following Him.  He breaks the church law, the Jewish law, and what would be considered good common sense to go speak to the most rejected and hideous persons He could find.  In one instance, He goes to speak to a woman who is a total outcast.

At the end of their conversation:

John 4  25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”

26 Then Jesus declared, “I who speak to you am he.”

After she returns to the town:

John 4 39 Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.41 And because of his words many more became believers.

At the result:

42 They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

And that is the gospel.

We live in the year 2023 because at the most hostile time in world history, a man named Jesus changed the hearts of the most broken people on the planet.

And having nothing to lose, they surrendered to Him.

And they spread the story to others.

And the others surrendered to Him.

And those others spread the story to still others.

And the still others surrendered to Him.

They called on Him … and He answered.

And so, in a time where you could be brutally executed for daring to even question an authority, Jesus took over the world.

Our calendar attests to it … we live in 2023.

Our history books attest to it … a new faith started 2000 years ago AFTER a man died.

And your heart will attest to it if you call on Him …

John 4 42 … ”We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”

There is nothing our God would rather do than speak to those He loves.

This Easter Sunday is a very special day.

It is special because Jesus doesn’t just allow you to come to Him.

No.  

He walks 100 miles with no water to have a conversation with you.  

He loves you in your weakness.  

And He will never, ever, ever give up on you or look down on you or bad mouth you.

Ask Him to come into your world this very day.

Ask Him to fix your broken pieces.

Ask Him to revive your heart and to replace your heart of stone with a heart of flesh.

Ezekiel 11 14 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh.

Enjoy your surrender.  And enjoy this song.  I particularly love the line:  

“The One Who Knows Me Best, Is The One Who Loves Me Most”

In The Name of the Father and the 

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

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Coach J