1st
John 3: 5 And ye know that He
(Jesus) was manifested to take away our sins; and in Him is no sin.
Manifest
to appear to the senses; to show itself (Webster)
Before Jesus came to this earth, many prophecies were made about Him and the
purpose of His coming. In fact, the first prophecy of His coming was made in the
Garden of Eden, when God told Adam, Eve and Satan what their fate would be
because of their part in introducing sin into the world. (Read
Genesis 3
- focus
v 15).
Prophecies regarding the first coming of Christ are found throughout the Old
Testament. These prophecies were studied in detail so that when Christ did
manifest or appear, no mistake would be made as to who He truly was. The wise
men from the east knew of the prophecies concerning the birth of Christ and knew
that the rising of a particular star was confirmation that He was born. When
they saw that star, they followed it until they came to the place where He was.(Matthew 2: 1-2)
The purpose of the
manifestation of Jesus Jesus was a normal
child in terms of physical growth and family life, but He was extraordinary when
it came to the word of God. At the age of 12, He was able to astonish the
doctors by the things He said and the questions He asked. (Luke
2: 41-52)
In the midst of His
growing up, Jesus did not sin. In truth, He never sinned at all. Due to this
truth, He was able to be the offering of sin for us. After His baptism at the
age of thirty, John referred to Him as the Lamb of God because His baptism
confirmed Him as the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of the world past,
present and future. He became the final sacrificial lamb of the animal
sacrifices that were offered in the Old Testament for the forgiveness of sins. (See
Leviticus 4 & 5)
The purpose of the manifestation of Jesus was to take away our sins through His
death on the cross and thereby offer us the gift of salvation.
Observation A gift is not
yours unless you accept it. God has offered us the gift of salvation through His
Son, Jesus Christ. If you have not yet accepted His gift,
why not do so right now?
A
Prayer to Receive Salvation
Dear
God, I confess that I am a sinner. I believe that Your Son Jesus Christ died for
my sins. I ask Your forgiveness of my sins and accept Your Son into my life as
my personal Lord and Saviour. I believe that You
raised Him from the dead and because of this, I know that I can live a
victorious new life in Christ. Thank You for my salvation.
Now
complete the process of salvation by being baptized.
Acts
2: 38
...Repent
and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your
sins .