Why Should I Believe?

“Why should I believe in Jesus Christ?”

. . . The reason Jesus is essential to believe in is because there is a holy God who is infinitely just and infinitely loving. And in his justice he is angry at us because we  have sinned against him.
We have rejected him, we haven’t trusted him, we haven’t loved him as we ought, we have broken his commandments.
All we have to do is list out, “Thou shall not steal, thou shall not lie, thou shall not lust or covet and shall love him only above all things, and we’ve broken those and so wrath rests upon us.

Jesus  is the son of God sent into the world as the atonement, the sacrifice that bears our sins and that provides our righteousness.
So that if there were no Christ we would only have guilt and judgment and condemnation and Hell from God.

But because Christ came and God sent him, in his love we can look away from ourselves. This is what faith means: we look away from ourselves, we cast ourselves on Christ for his mercy and we TRUST his death on the cross to be our punishment.

And we TRUST his righteousness to be imputed to us so that now in Christ, that is in relation to Christ, by faith, God looks upon us as having fulfilled his whole law, as having ALL of our sins forgiven, and being acceptable in the beloved Jesus Christ.
So that now we HAVE  eternal joy, eternal glory.

So the practical answer, “Why believe in Jesus” is because it’s the only way:
* to escape Hell,
*to know God,
* to have everlasting joy in the presence of God.
**And we believe it because it’s true.

Psalms 17:15 As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness; I will be
satisfied with Thy likeness when I awake.
What beautiful words, what a beautiful expectation – the expectation
of every true believer, one that extends beyond the end of time and
out into eternity.
David acknowledges that those who reject God do so to get their reward in this life.
The chasing of pleasure is all about the now. And David says to let them have it. *Let them be full on the things they chase.
* Let their gluttony for evil pleasure be so abundant that their close ones can enjoy it.
* Let them have it.
* Let them chase the pleasure. Let them.
But David wants none of it. his only desire is to see the face of God. From the moment he wakes, if he could only see the likeness of God everyday, he would be satisfied.

I just rejoice in that phrase, “I will be satisfied”in Psalms 17:15.  I don’t believe there’s anything else that can fully satisfy the human heart but God Himself.
At this time in this life we have
contact with God.
We know Him, we serve Him, we do His will.
But there are gaps in the revelation, there’s a veil in between, we are still creatures of flesh.
Our ideas and our concepts are so limited and inadequate to apprehend God, but there’s going to be a day
when we awake in His righteousness, not in our own, clothed with His
righteousness, faultless to stand before His throne, to see Him face to face. And then we will be satisfied.
*Nothing else can take the place of that. That’s the end of all living. It all ends in God Himself.

Experiencing God’s Love is the only thing that will give us HOPE for the future, even when we can’t understand the way in which He leads us.
Psalm 23:4″ Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of
death, I fear no evil; for Thou
art with me…”

Matthew 25:37-40:
“Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’
“The King will reply, ‘I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’
*We are told in the OT and NT that we serve God when we serve the oppressed. We can see His face in the face of the poor, helpless, and hurting. We only need but open our eyes!

From experience I can see how God makes us fruitful in the very things that afflicted us. In the land of your affliction, in your battle, is the place where God will make you fruitful.
Consider, even now, the area of greatest affliction in your life. In that area, God will make you fruitful in such a way that your heart will be fully satisfied, and God’s heart fully glorified. God has not promised to keep us from valleys and sufferings, but to make us fruitful in them.

Hebrews 5:8 Although He(Jesus) was a Son, He learned obedience from the things which He suffered. 9 And having been made perfect, He became to all those who obey Him the source of eternal salvation,

Jesus, my Shepherd, open my eyes- may I truly know You such that Your mere presence takes away all my fear. May I feel deep within my heart Your love for me so that Your means of guiding and protecting me are comforting, no matter the pain or inconvenience. May I love You completely, oblivious to the threat around me, knowing that You care for me and will not let me fall in that valley of death. May others see my behavior in dire circumstances and know that You are the cause of my courage and comfort. In Your name. Amen.