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Tag: The work of God

Professional Speaking :: Jesus The Rescue Worker

Rescue workers are professionals who go into harms way (in many cases voluntarily) to aid and assist in the rescue of people who are impacted by natural or man-made disasters.

Jesus came to do the will of God who sent him and to finish the work of God (John 4:34) which was to save mankind from the man-made disaster that resulted from the disobedience of Adam, the man (1 Corinthians 15:21-22). He is a God who rescues and does wonders (Daniel 6:27). And all who believe in him are rescued from the clutches of the devil who had the power of death (Hebrews 2:14). Jesus is The Ultimate Rescue Worker.

Points to ponder:
Have you been rescued by Jesus, The Rescue Worker?

Daniel 6:27 (KJV)
27 He delivereth and rescueth, and he worketh signs and wonders in heaven and in earth, who hath delivered Daniel from the power of the lions.

John 6:29 (KJV)
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

1 Corinthians 15:21-22 (KJV)
21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead.
22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Hebrews 2:14 (KJV)
14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

The first man Adam and the last Adam

The first man Adam refers to the one who was fashioned from the dust of the earth by the very hands of God and into whom the breath of life was breathed by God (Genesis 2:7). The last Adam is Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten (not created) son (John 3:16; 1 Corinthians 15:45) who was made a quickening spirit.

There are similarities and differences between the first Adam and the last Adam.

Similarities:
The first Adam was given a will to obey (not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; Genesis 2:17). The last Adam (Jesus) was given a will to obey (and it was the will of God the Father, that he should be the lamb of God to take away the sins of the world;  Isaiah 53:10)
The first Adam was given a work to do (to be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth and subdue it; Genesis 1:28). The last Adam (Jesus) was given a work to do (which was to lay down his life for the salvation of all mankind and on the Cross he affirmed that his work was completed, when he cried “It is finished.”; John 19:30)
The first Adam was given a woman to love (Eve was her name; Genesis 2:20-25). The last Adam (Jesus) is given a woman to love (The Church is her name; Revelation 19).

Differences:
The first Adam was shameful when he sinned and he needed to be clothed (Genesis 3:10). The last Adam (Jesus) was shamed (Hebrews 12:2) when he was made sin (2 Corinthians 5:21) and they stripped him of his clothes (John 19:23)
The first Adam lost the presence of God as flaming swords were placed to prevent him from re-entering the garden and have access to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24), where he communed with God. The last Adam (Jesus) restored the presence of God to all men as the veil that separated the Holy of holies was torn into two, from top to bottom, and access to commune with God was now made possible (Mark 15:38).
The first Adam had to labor on the land which was cursed to bring forth thorns and thistles (Genesis 3:18). The last Adam took the curse upon himself, and thorns were place on his head (John 19:2).

Points to ponder:
The first Adam brought death. The last Adam (Jesus) brings life and all who believe in Jesus Christ, shall have life, eternal and abundant. Have you believed?

1 Corinthians 15:45-47 (KJV)
45 And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.
46 Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual.
47 The first man is of the earth, earthy; the second man is the Lord from heaven.

It is finished

The sixth saying of Jesus as He hung on the Cross, living up to His Name, which was to save His people from their sins was a word of accomplishment and completion. His saying was ‘It is finished’. The scripture records “When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” (John 19:30).

What was it that Jesus said is finished? Did He say this anytime else? Once earlier, Jesus identifies that it was He who was the finisher. In John 5:17, Jesus answered those who sought to slay him saying “My Father has been working hitherto, and I work” and in John 5:36 he expresses that His witness is greater than that of John; for the works which the Father had given him to finish is the very works he did which was to bear witness of Himself and that the Father sent Him. Soon after, in John 17:4 he tells God the Father “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.”

What was the work that Jesus finished? Rather than speculating, we need to look at the scripture for the answer. Jesus answered those who sought him and asked as to what the works of God was, that the work of God is that we believe on Him (Jesus) whom God had sent (John 6:28-29). Jesus’ work was to give life (eternal life) to those who had been overcome by death (all of us) which resulted from sin finishing its course (James 1:15). Knowing God and believing in Jesus whom God had sent is the definition of eternal life (John 17:3). Jesus was named ‘Jesus’ because He will save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). When Jesus started his work on earth, his name was affirmed by John the Baptist, that Jesus is the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world (John 1:29) and since without the shedding of blood, there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22), when Jesus’ blood was shed on the Cross of Calvary, his purpose was accomplished and the work He came to finish was finished. Jesus in his death finished the work of living up to his name and there is no other name given under heaven or earth, whereby we can be saved (Acts 4:12).

So why does this matter? Genesis 2:2 records that God finished the work of creation after which He rested. But man sinned against God and death entered into the world through the sin of one man (Romans 5:12). God could not rest any longer, until His redemptive work was finished by the act of His Only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, so that all who believe in Him will also be able to rest (Hebrews 4:3), have eternal life. On the Cross, Jesus said it is finished. The act of God reconciling man to himself was finished. However, he entrusted to those who believe in Him, a ministry of reconciliation and apostleship so that no one may perish (2 Peter 3:9) without knowing the completed work of Christ Jesus. So our work is still not done. Paul writes, I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith (2 Timothy 4:7). Can this be said of us as well? We need to keep the faith until the very end and He who endures till the end, not waxing our Love for God and man, and wanning sin and self,  the same shall be saved (Matthew 24:12-13). In Revelation we read “And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.” (Revelation 11:7) but at the great battle of God Almighty in the place called Armageddon, we hear from the throne of heaven, the same words “It is done (or finished)” (Revelation 16:17).

In Genesis, the work of God is finished (Genesis 2:2);
In the Cross, the work of God is finished (John 19:30);
In Revelation, the work of God is finished (Revelation 16:17).

From Genesis to Revelation, it is finished and we need to finish our testimony as well and that testimony is “It is finished”.

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