He Gave Himself For Us

“and from Jesus Christ. He is the faithful witness to these things, the first to rise from the dead, and the ruler of all the kings of the world. All glory to him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by shedding his blood for us.”
‭‭Revelation‬ ‭1:5‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus is the physical, visible, presentation of the unseen Spirit God. Jesus is the Faithful Witness to us of the person and program of Almighty God! Through Jesus Christ we have the knowledge of God. Listen to what Paul said to the church of Colosse about Jesus.  “I want you to know how much I have agonized for you and for the church at Laodicea, and for many other believers who have never met me personally. I want them to be encouraged and knit together by strong ties of love. I want them to have complete confidence that they understand God’s mysterious plan, which is Christ himself. In him lie hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I am telling you this so no one will deceive you with well-crafted arguments. For though I am far away from you, my heart is with you. And I rejoice that you are living as you should and that your faith in Christ is strong. And now, just as you accepted Christ Jesus as your Lord, you must continue to follow him. Let your roots grow down into him, and let your lives be built on him. Then your faith will grow strong in the truth you were taught, and you will overflow with thankfulness. Don’t let anyone capture you with empty philosophies and high-sounding nonsense that come from human thinking and from the spiritual powers of this world, rather than from Christ. For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2:1-9‬ ‭NLT‬‬ This declaration concerning Christ is emphatic (expressing something forcibly and clearly).  Jesus is the Revelation of God Himself!!! The only way to truly understand God is in Christ! There is no other way! Jesus is the faithful proclamation of God to man. Through Jesus Christ we can see, hear, and understand God and His will.  One day soon, Jesus will reveal Himself to the world and everyone will recognize Him for WHO HE IS!!!!!!! Once, and for all, He will demonstrate His absolute authority to all of humanity (past, present, and future).  “So you also are complete through your union with Christ, who is the head over every ruler and authority.” ‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2:10‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth.” ‭‭Matthew‬ ‭28:18‬ ‭NLT‬‬ “Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” ‭‭Philippians‬ ‭2:9-11‬ ‭NLT‬‬ 

​Notice the emphasis of today's scripture - Revelation 1:5. In this verse, we see four things:
1. Jesus is the Faithful Witness of God!!! 
2. He is the first to rise from the dead!!! (That is, after all, supernatural evidence of His Divinity).  
3. He is the ruler of all the kings of the world - King of kings!!! 
4. He is the One who loves us and shed his life's blood for our redemption!!!  

When we read John 3:16 we often have the idea that God loved us so much that He gave His biological son to die for us. God's love is so much deeper than our shallow understanding of this concept. It would be so much easier to give someone else as a sacrifice than to give ones self. The reality of John 3:16 is this: God loved us so much that He became one of us. He conceived Himself, by His Holy Spirit, in the womb of Mary (Son of God - conceived by God, Son of Man - born as a man). He is Immanuel - God with us - see Isaiah 7:14 and Matthew 1:23). Jesus is the physical representation of the unseen Spirit God. God did not have a sexual relationship with a woman, have a baby, and then give His biological child as a sacrifice for the sins of man. I beg of you to understand this. God, Himself, who is Spirit (see John 4:24) loved us so much that He, personally, became one of us in order to live the sinless life that was required to pay sins debt. He, then, gave Himself as the perfect sacrifice for our sins by shedding His blood on the cross and then triumphantly resurrected from the dead. Who else, but God incarnate, could be qualified as an ALL SUFFICIENT SAVIOR?  JESUS LOVES ME, THIS I KNOW, FOR THE BIBLE TELLS ME SO!!!