His Perfect Precious Person - CHRIST SAVES Ministries

This series was taught at North Christian Church during August of 2023. To watch or listen, please visit nccdighton.org

Part 1

Where do we begin?? 🙂

Originally, I was going to title these lessons “The Spotless One”, emphasizing Jesus’ perfect purity, leading to His worthy sacrifice for sin.

Download Part 1 Here

Download Part 2 Here

Download Part 3 Here

While that idea will still come up in this series, we’re not only going to focus on Jesus’ perfection as a human being, but also the precious nature of His Person.

We’ll count on the Spirit to lead us where He may.

Thus the title of this lesson: His Perfect, Precious Person

Remember, ALL the reading and studying we do to learn the Word of God is always pointing to HIM in some way.

The whole Gospel is about Jesus Christ, Himself.

Here’s a friendly reminder of why we do what we do, and why we read the Word of God daily!

Jn 5:39AMP You search and investigate and pore over the Scriptures diligently, because you suppose and trust that you have eternal life through them. And these [very Scriptures] testify about Me!

We should clearly keep His very Person in our focus at all times!!

We could spend many years learning about the Perfect Person of Jesus Christ, as many have throughout Church history.

The Bible provides a seemingly endless amount of information on who Jesus is and His personal characteristics as the God-man.

But we will be in survey mode for this short series, as time is limited while our dear Pastor is away.

We’ll begin with the Perfection of the Lord as a man; accomplishing something no other man ever has or ever could.

And we’ll then blend into learning about His precious nature as a Person…

… Someone who’s so precious, that when we see why He’s called that in Holy Scripture, we will simply want to treasure Him in our hearts every day, as the One who is truly our Best Friend.

And let’s also set the stage this way, with something that reflects His precious Person:

Being God as well, Jesus put aside His deity as He fulfilled His mission as a human being, and showed us what it’s like to live a godly life as a human being.

Don’t forget, He became 100% human, for our sakes.

Php 2:4 Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. (Php 2:5) Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, (Php 2:6) who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped,

(Php 2:7) but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Php 2:8) And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Php 2:9) Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,

(Php 2:10) so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, (Php 2:11) and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

This is why He is our Great Example; our Prototype, even.

He accomplished all this goodness, giving Himself up for us, FROM HIS HUMANITY.

He became truly human, and we can truly relate to Him because of this!!

He was tempted in every area, as we will see, FROM HIS HUMANITY!

He resisted sinning even one time, FROM HIS HUMANITY.

How do we know He did all this FROM HIS HUMANITY??

Php 2 just told us that quite clearly…. He left heaven and became truly human, putting aside His deity.

And so, we are inspired by this man, albeit He is the God-man,…

… we are inspired by this man who accomplished all this goodness as a human being,… as one of us!

And He even calls us brethren, as Holy Scripture says, because He truly did become human, and become victorious as a human being, for our sakes and to the glory of God the Father.

Now, let’s discuss the righteous requirements of God the Father….

Mt 5:48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

We were given this command, even, which none of us can accomplish on his own…

… but only through Jesus we can fulfill it, but notice this is necessary because God the Father is PERFECT.

He is perfectly holy and pure, thus requiring purity for us to go to Him.

Remember in the OT, the Jews were called to sacrifice spotless animals to the Lord.

This was a temporary covering for man’s sins, and also a picture of the ultimate sacrifice to be accomplished by the ultimate Person one day, once for all.

The promised Messiah had to be perfect, spotless, without fault; thus satisfying the holy, righteous demands for God’s judgment of sin.

Let’s start with the OT picture given to us, given to the Jews as God’s people, in preparation for the final “lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”.

Lev 22:17-22 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 18 “Speak to Aaron and his sons and all the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of the house of Israel or of the sojourners in Israel presents a burnt offering as his offering, for any of their vows or freewill offerings that they offer to the Lord, 19 if it is to be accepted for you it shall be a male without blemish, of the bulls or the sheep or the goats.

20 You shall not offer anything that has a blemish, for it will not be acceptable for you. 21 And when anyone offers a sacrifice of peace offerings to the Lord to fulfill a vow or as a freewill offering from the herd or from the flock, to be accepted it must be perfect; there shall be no blemish in it. 22 Animals blind or disabled or mutilated or having a discharge or an itch or scabs you shall not offer to the Lord or give them to the Lord as a food offering on the altar.

This reveals to us God’s perfect standards, and how they must be met. They are REQUIRED.

Deu 17:1 “You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.

Can you imagine offering something damaged or scarred to the Lord, to the One who gave you your life itself? And gave you the animals themselves?

Not only does He deserve our best, in gratitude, but it would also be an abomination to His Holiness.

And this was also to picture the need to satisfy God’s perfect righteousness.

Let’s now jump forward to a passage in 1Jn., about the need to satisfy God’s perfect righteousness.

1 Jn 4:9-10 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins.

Many of you have heard of the doctrine of Propitiation in the Bible.

This means God’s righteous standards had to be satisfied!

He will not accept anything other than perfect and pure, being perfect and pure Himself.

The Greek word of propitiation means atonement…

… something or someone has to atone for, or make up for, sin.

There must be a real price paid, because God is just.

He always does the right thing; and that includes the righteous need for Him to judge sin.

But because of Christ, our sin has been judged in HIM.

Now, fast forward many centuries from the OT sacrifices…

… to Jesus fulfilling the call of the Messiah to save His people from their sins.

It had to be in the likeness of the flesh (truly human like us), and He had to be a worthy sacrifice.

The apostle Peter had a lot to say about this.

Peter had such a love and reverence for the Lord Jesus, probably not only because He saw Him and walked with Him, but also because after denying Him 3 times, the Lord forgave Him!

And after reading 1&2 Peter, you will see His awe and reverence for the Holy One, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the precious Person who sacrificed Himself for our sins!!

1 Pe 1:13-21 Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 14 As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, 15 but as he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, 16 since it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” (GULP!)

17 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (do you see it?- the OT sacrifices were a “type” of Jesus Christ coming to be the true and final sacrifice)

20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake, 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

Notice the analogy, or typology, from the OT sacrifices that were required.

They were a picture, for many centuries, of the Messiah who was to come to be the Savior of the world.

And remember when Jesus came on the scene in His public ministry…

… what did John the Baptist refer to Him as??

Here’s an introduction of sorts to the holiness of the Person of Jesus Christ:

Joh 1:19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”

Joh 1:20 He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

Joh 1:21 And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”

Joh 1:22 So they said to him, “Who are you? We need to give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

Joh 1:23 He said, “I am the voice of one crying out in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”

Joh 1:24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)

Joh 1:25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

Joh 1:26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,

Joh 1:27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” (what does that tell us about Jesus?!)

Joh 1:28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Joh 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (what’s implied here is that He’s the Lamb without blemish, spotless and blameless, and acceptable to God)

Joh 1:30 This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’

Joh 1:31 I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Joh 1:32 And John bore witness: “I saw the Spirit descend from heaven like a dove, and it remained on him.

Joh 1:33 I myself did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

Joh 1:34 And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

But notice, John the Baptist first referred to Jesus as the Lamb of God; the One they had all been waiting for, to take away the sin of the world.

And again, He was implying something special, here.

How does one take away the sin of the world if He Himself isn’t worthy??

How does the Lamb of God qualify unless He is holy and perfect and without blemish??

He doesn’t…. so He MUST be, or His sacrifice would not be acceptable to God the Father on our behalf.

Hopefully you’re getting the full picture in your soul, and this is what the Spirit’s going to have us examine in greater detail; the perfect holiness of Jesus Christ; the spotless Lamb of God.

Let’s stick with some of Peter’s discourse as we continue…

1 Pe 1:18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.

1Pe 2:22-24 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. 23 When he was reviled, he did not revile in return; when he suffered, he did not threaten, but continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly. 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness.

1 Pe 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit

This speaks of Jesus’ PERFECT righteousness, pointing again to the fact that He was without sin His entire life.

To Be PERFECTLY Righteous: Think about the fact that Jesus’ words, actions, and even the thoughts and intentions of His heart were all pure. He was truly “without sin”, in every way!

He never faltered or wavered away from His faith in God the Father, either (which also would have been sin and disqualified Him from being a worthy sacrifice).

His perfection was vital to His sacrifice, and He knew it.

He knew His mission on earth from a very young age, and He also knew He was born not only to die, but He was also born to live a perfect and sinless life as the Savior of the world.

He was COMPLETELY RIGHTEOUS!! Chew on that for a minute!

Once again;

To Be PERFECTLY Righteous: Think about the fact that Jesus’ words, actions, and even the thoughts and intentions of His heart were all pure. He was truly “without sin”, in every way!

He was without stain or blemish, even to His precious soul.

He was well-pleasing to the Father, always, at every moment of His earthly life!

It’s just a mind-blow when you consider the trials of day-to-day life…

… that Jesus never lost His temper and sinned, that Jesus never fell into the temptations of things like lust or greed…

… that Jesus never even told a little white lie (that’s one reason some people hated Him so much, He wouldn’t give in to people, making any false statements at all, and telling them what they wanted to hear!)

When you stop and consider that He lived for 33 years in this defiled, crooked world with wretched, persuasive sinners all around Him…

… and the fact that He was also tempted by the devil for 40 straight days in the desert,… (see Mt 4)

… tempted in every way imaginable (40 days is a long time!), and He never sinned…. He never gave in to the temptations.

It’s something so astonishing, really, beyond our full appreciation.

But He fulfilled His calling out of love for God the Father and out of love for us.

We sometimes barely manage to resist sin, out of love for God or for others…

… and we know it’s through love and because of love we keep His commands.

But to do so perfectly, and not EVER give in, even when we’re tired or in pain???! (Impossible for us)

This is the perfect, precious Person of Jesus that we’re treasuring in this series.

HE is beyond our imaginations… not only in His sinlessness, but a Person of that kind of love that motivates Him to resist all temptations to save us all.

And remember, He truly did become a human being, just like each one of us, “yet without sin”, as Holy Scripture reveals.

We’ll now get into some of Holy Scripture that describes His wonderful purity; His sinlessness, to be exact.

To Be PERFECTLY Righteous: Jesus was perfect in the sense that He was completely without sin, and therefore “unstained” as a human being!!! Is 53:9, Mt 27:4, Lk 23:41,47, Jn 8:46, 2Co 5:21, Heb 2:17,4:15, 7:26-28, 1Pe 2:22, 1Jn 2:1-2,3:5

Is 53:9 And they made his grave with the wicked

and with a rich man in his death,

although he had done no violence,

and there was no deceit in his mouth.

There’s part of the famous prophecy about the Messiah and the death He would suffer for us.

Now, what’s also very encouraging is how God even uses unbelievers to His glory…. to declare His righteousness, even!

The following unbelievers could not help but admit that Jesus was an innocent and pure Person!

Mt 27:3-4 Then when Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he changed his mind and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.

Lk 23:39-43 One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” 40 But the other rebuked him, saying, “Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? 41 And we indeed justly, for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 And he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” 43 And he said to him, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

Lk 23:47

Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!“

Who knows, maybe at this very moment this Roman soldier became born again and saved. The same with the thief on the cross.

They could not deny the grace that he had just witnessed!

And then, the Lord Himself didn’t hold back from declaring His innocence and worthiness…

Jn 8:46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

2 Co 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Again;

Heb 2:14-18 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Heb 4:14-16 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Heb 7:26-28 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

1 Pe 2:22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

1 Jn 2:1-2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 Jn 3:5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Part 2

This series was taught at North Christian Church during August of 2023. To watch or listen, please visit www.nccdighton.org

One of the songs we’ll be singing after class today is very appropriate to this series; it’s called “More Precious than Silver”.

Is that not what we read from the dear apostle Peter on Thursday??? 🙂

And isn’t that unique word, “precious”, in the very title of our series?? (it’s not used very often throughout the Bible)

Coincidence?! – i think not! (right Brendan?)

God has His ways of bringing everything together for us, doesn’t He?! 🙂

His grace is overwhelming; and His love is faithful. May we never forget it!

Hopefully you listened to Part 1 on Thursday; and if not you still have the opportunity to catch up on the website.

Today we will go forward from there; seeing a few key points from Part 1, as well.

First of all, we were given a very important reminder from the Spirit, about WHY we do our best to learn from the Bible every day.

Why do we gather together and study the Word together??

Who is it all talking about , in the end???

We seek wisdom through the Bible to discover the seemingly endless amount of grace and truth about TLJC, and all of His glory!

May we never lose our focus on His Person.

HE’S the One this is all about, every day we wake up.

And of course, that is NOT a slight to the Father and the Spirit, as they are all one God, one in essence.

In Part 1, the Spirit led us into what the Bible says about the Perfection of the Lord Jesus.

And as we progress, He’s going to show us what it means to call Him “precious”; and to personally know Him as precious in our own souls.

First of all, it’s vital to understand that the Perfection of Jesus was accomplished by Him in His humanity!

Yes, Jesus is God in the flesh, but He humbly put aside His deity as He fulfilled His mission as a human being,…

… and showed us what it’s like to live a godly life as a human being, even conquering sin itself.

Don’t ever forget, He became 100% human, for our sakes.

(Php 2:7) but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. (Php 2:8) And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.

A point the Spirit emphasized for us is that Jesus accomplished all this goodness, being obedient to the Father’s plan all the way to death, FROM HIS HUMANITY.

He became truly human, and we can truly relate to Him because of this!!

He was tempted in every area, as we will see, FROM HIS HUMANITY!

He resisted sinning even one time, FROM HIS HUMANITY.

How do we know He did all this FROM HIS HUMANITY??

Php 2 just told us that quite clearly…. He came down from heaven and became truly human, putting aside His deity.

And so, we are inspired by this man, Jesus Christ, who did all this for us, and even became like one of us so He could call us brothers.

And the vital thing is that He became victorious as a human being, for our sakes and to the glory of God the Father.

Then we were reminded of the righteous requirements of God the Father…. which should give us a healthy fear of God, by the way.

Mt 5:48 You therefore must be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.

Not only are we told to be perfect, which is scary for us on our own, without Christ…

… but notice this is necessary because your heavenly Father is PERFECT.

“Be Perfect”: Our Heavenly Father is perfectly holy and pure, thus requiring purity for us to go to Him. Mt 5:48

Of course, Jesus is the One who makes us pure, by grace.

It’s through faith in Him that we are transformed into His righteousness, thanks be to God. (2Co 5:21, Php 3:9)

Remember in the OT, the Jews were called to sacrifice spotless animals to the Lord.

This was a temporary covering for man’s sins, …

…. but pointed to a once-for-all sacrifice one day by the promised Messiah.

This was a picture of the fact that the promised Messiah had to be perfect, spotless, without fault; this satisfying the holy, righteous demands of God for the judgment of sin.

This reveals to us God’s perfect requirements, and how they must be met.

Deu 17:1 “You shall not sacrifice to the Lord your God an ox or a sheep in which is a blemish, any defect whatever, for that is an abomination to the Lord your God.

Think of the audacity we humans have to offer something to God that we know is flawed…

… to offer the One who gave us life, and life’s gifts as well,…

… to offer Him something that’s not our best! (think of the call for our “first fruits” when giving to Him)

Not only does He deserve our best, in gratitude, but it would also be an abomination to His Holiness to give Him back something flawed.

Let’s now jump forward to a passage in 1Jn., about the need to satisfy God’s perfect righteousness.

Many of you have heard of the doctrine of Propitiation in the Bible.

This means God’s righteous standards had to be satisfied!

The Righteous One in heaven requires a just payment for sin.

The Greek word of propitiation means atonement…

… something or someone has to atone for, or pay for, sin.

So, we’ve jumped forward many centuries from the OT sacrifices… to Jesus fulfilling the call of the Messiah to save His people from their sins.

And 2 things had to be true to satisfy God’s judgment of our sins… the sacrifice had to be in the likeness of the flesh (truly human like us), and He had to be a worthy sacrifice.

The apostle Peter had a lot to say about this, in a very reverential way!

He truly revered the Lord Jesus as His precious Lord and Savior, and hopefully this will help us all have a deeper love and appreciation for Him, by the time we’re done with this series.

I know that’s my great desire; to not take Him for granted, and to fully appreciate His Person, and all He went through for me.

1 Pe 1:17-21 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (do you see it?- the OT sacrifices were a “type” of Jesus Christ coming to be the true and final sacrifice)

Notice the analogy, or typology, from the OT sacrifices that were required.

They were a picture, for many centuries, of the Messiah who was to come to be the Savior of the world…

… giving Himself up as the perfect, spotless Lamb of God!

And also remember when Jesus came on the scene in His public ministry…

… what did John the Baptist refer to Him as??

Here’s an introduction of sorts to the holiness of the Person of Jesus Christ:

Joh 1:24 (Now they had been sent from the Pharisees.)

Joh 1:25 They asked him, “Then why are you baptizing, if you are neither the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

Joh 1:26 John answered them, “I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,

Joh 1:27 even he who comes after me, the strap of whose sandal I am not worthy to untie.” (some might say “come on, John, isn’t that a little over the top?! Aren’t you being dramatic, exaggerating a little??”…. UNLESS Jesus is someone truly HOLY)

Joh 1:28 These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Joh 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (what’s implied here is He is the Lamb without blemish, spotless and blameless, and acceptable to God)

We can ask ourselves these questions:

How does one take away the sin of the world if He Himself isn’t completely worthy to do so??

How does Jesus qualify as the Lamb of God unless He is perfectly holy and without blemish??

He doesn’t…. so He MUST BE, or His sacrifice would not be acceptable to God the Father on our behalf.

Hopefully you’re getting the full picture in your soul, and this brings us to study the perfect holiness of Jesus Christ; the spotless Lamb of God.

Let’s continue with some of Peter’s insight from his eyewitness account of the Person of Jesus:

1 Pe 3:18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit

This speaks of Jesus’ PERFECT righteousness, pointing again to the fact that He was without sin His entire life.

To Be PERFECTLY Righteous: Think about the fact that Jesus’ words, actions, and even the thoughts and intentions of His heart were all pure. He was truly “without sin”, in every way!

He was COMPLETELY, 100% RIGHTEOUS!! – Dwell on that for a minute!

In His humanity, He also never faltered or wavered away from His faith in God the Father, (which also would have been sin , because anything not of faith is sin (Ro 14:23).

His perfection was vital to His sacrifice, and He knew it.

The Holy One: Jesus knew His mission on earth from a very young age, and He also knew He was born not only to die, but He was also born to live a perfect and sinless life as the Savior of the world.

Think about it…. He had to be qualified to become our Savior!

Someone can’t save someone else if they themselves are in prison too!

It takes a FREE man to rescue the captives, right?!

Jesus was well-pleasing to the Father, always, at every moment of His earthly life.

It’s just a mind-blow when you consider the trials of day-to-day life!!

As we talked about; Jesus never lost His temper and sinned, and Jesus never fell into the temptations of things like lust or greed…

… and Jesus never even told a little white lie (that’s one reason some people hated Him so much, He was graciously but 100% honest!)

When you consider on top of that that He was personally tempted by the devil for 40 straight days in the desert,… (see Mt 4)

… it’s something beyond our full appreciation, what He accomplished.

This is the perfect, precious Person of Jesus that we’re treasuring in this series.

We’ll now get into some of Holy Scripture that describes His wonderful purity; that He was truly human, “yet without sin”.

Is 53:9 And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in his mouth.

There’s a small part of the famous prophecy in Is 53 about the Messiah and the death He would suffer for us.

Notice His innocence was predicted, as well.

Now, what’s also very encouraging is how God even uses unbelievers to His glory…. to declare His righteousness, even!

The following unbelievers could not help but admit that Jesus was an innocent and pure Person!

Judas clearly knew he had made a big mistake because he knew Jesus was completely innocent of any wrongdoing.

This type of conclusion in the heart of the 2nd thief must have come from the Holy Spirit (after all, He only knew Jesus for a few hours!)

Lk 23:47 Now when the centurion saw what had taken place, he praised God, saying, “Certainly this man was innocent!“

Who knows, maybe at this very moment this Roman soldier became born again and saved.

He could not deny the grace that he had just witnessed (i.e.-Jesus taking care of His mother even though hanging on a cross, and Jesus asking forgiveness for His enemies, and Jesus handling the agony without drinking the wine for his pain, just to name a few!)

And then, the Lord Himself didn’t hold back from declaring His innocence and worthiness… speaking to the Pharisees…

Jn 8:46 Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me?

2 Co 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Again;

Heb 2:14-18 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things, that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. 17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

Heb 7:26-28 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

1 Pe 2:22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

1 Jn 3:5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Now, as a sort of teaser trailer for Thursday, Jesus not only remained Perfect in His humanity, but He was also so very Precious in His soul, and Precious to God the Father.

His love separated Him from any other human being who ever lived.

And love is what motivated Him to keep Himself pure, and even to follow through on the Father’s plan to go to the Cross for us all.

Think about it; He could have remained perfect and holy and righteous His whole life, and then decided NOT to go to the Cross!

After all, He was the only Person ever who was truly NOT deserving of judgment!!

And yet, His perfect, precious heart decided to go forward with the ultimate sacrifice.

I’ll leave you with this before we go on and celebrate Communion…

Peter has already talked about His precious blood in 1Pe 1.

1 Pe 2:4-6 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

We’ll learn more about His Precious Person in Part 3…

Let’s now celebrate Communion, and feel free to leave your Bibles open if you like, as we’ll be reading a couple passages.

——————-

COMMUNION

Last Sunday, our dear Pastor asked us to remember certain things when we celebrate Communion today.

A summary from his message last week, at least from my perspective:

Don’t come to the throne of grace for your own needs, even to something so special as Communion, when you aren’t being gracious towards others, possibly holding some resentment in your heart towards another believer.

Mt 5:21-24 “You have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not murder; and whoever murders will be liable to judgment.’ 22 But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council; and whoever says, ‘You fool!’ will be liable to the hell of fire. 23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.

1 Co 11:17-34 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord’s supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.

JUMP TO VS. 27…

27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of profaning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.

33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment.

Hopefully we all can now celebrate the Lord’s Supper with a clear conscience, forgiving one another in our hearts, dropping any resentment that’s against His forgiveness of ourselves, even.

23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.

Part 3

Rev 5:6-10 And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne. 8 And when he had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.

9 And they sang a new song, saying, “Worthy are you to take the scroll and to open its seals, for you were slain, and by your blood you ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation, 10 and you have made them a kingdom and priests to our God, and they shall reign on the earth.”

As we know, His precious blood, the blood of the worthy One, our Lord Jesus Christ, purchased the freedom of His children by giving Himself up on the Cross.

Again, I ask you to think about the fact that, to be our Savior, Jesus had to be QUALIFIED.

Someone can’t save someone else if they themselves are in prison too!

And as the qualified Savior of the world, Jesus was well-pleasing to the Father, at every moment of His earthly life.

Mt 17:1-5 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah.” 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.“

Then Peter, as an older man, just a few decades later, recounts this event that he witnessed in his letter to the churches…

As we’ve learned from our dear Pastor over the years, nothing is disjoint in the Bible.

And in fact, the letters to the churches are filled with the apostles expounding on what they learned from their time walking and talking with Jesus!

2 Pe 1:16-18 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

The point is that God the Father was well-pleased with His Son because He was always perfectly obedient…

… and obedience comes from love, as our Lord said throughout the Gospels (if you love Me, you will keep My commands, right?!)

What a precious Son to a Father!

There’s nothing more precious to a father than when his son humbly listens to him and follows his instructions in life.

And again, in Jesus’ case, we’re talking about perfection!!

Heb 2:14-18 Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same things (flesh and blood) that through death he might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, 15 and deliver all those who through fear of death were subject to lifelong slavery. 16 For surely it is not angels that he helps, but he helps the offspring of Abraham. (man)

17 Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest in the service of God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. 18 For because he himself has suffered when tempted, he is able to help those who are being tempted.

This is possible for us because we have the perfect and holy High Priest representing us!

Heb 7:26-28 For it was indeed fitting that we should have such a high priest, holy, innocent, unstained, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens. 27 He has no need, like those high priests, to offer sacrifices daily, first for his own sins and then for those of the people, since he did this once for all when he offered up himself. 28 For the law appoints men in their weakness as high priests, but the word of the oath, which came later than the law, appoints a Son who has been made perfect forever.

This perfect Son, the only perfect man who ever lived, was qualified to offer Himself up for us.

1 Pe 2:22 He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth.

1 Jn 2:1-2 My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

1 Jn 3:5 You know that he appeared to take away sins, and in him there is no sin.

Jesus not only remained Perfect in His humanity, but He was also so very Precious in His soul, and Precious to God the Father.

It was His love that separated Him from any other human being who ever lived.

In other words, He didn’t remain perfect because He was a robot, just blindly obeying the Father, on automatic pilot, if you will.

No!!! – He never chose to sin because God’s perfect love motivated Him to obey His dear heavenly Father…

… just as His love motivated Him to sacrifice Himself for us.

His Precious Person: God’s perfect love is what motivated Jesus to go all the way to, and through, the Cross. THIS is what makes Him not only perfect, but precious. 1Pe 1:19, 2:4, Heb 12:2

His perfect, precious heart decided to go forward with the ultimate sacrifice, despite His complete innocence.

One more time, let’s read these precious passages in Peter’s 1st letter…

1 Pe 1:17-21 And if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for your sake, 21 who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

1 Pe 2:4-6 As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, 5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For it stands in Scripture:

“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,

a cornerstone chosen and precious,

and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”

From another perspective…

Is there anything more precious than innocence??

I mean, TRUE innocence.

Not in the same sense as when we look at a helpless baby…

… they may be vulnerable and cute, but they are not innocent, as we know from the sin nature that quickly reveals itself ! 🙂

We’re talking innocence in the sense of total purity.

And why was His blood “precious”?? – because He was “without blemish or spot”, right?

This was, and is, the Son of God.

He is the perfect Son of our God and Father, who was so well-pleased with Him that He declared it from the heavens at His baptism, and on the holy mountain…

… but this same perfect Son is our perfect brother, in whom we rejoice, in whom we have a PERFECT HOPE.

He is so precious to us because His love motivated Him to be so faithful to us, even while we were His enemies!! (Ro 5:6-10)

He’s so precious to us because He’s completely reliable and trustworthy!

And we know when He says He’s going to do something, He does it, or will do it, without fail!!

We love because He first loved us, right?

So, we can take His Word as gold, like no other human being’s words, because He is perfectly faithful.

Jn 14:1-3 “Let not your hearts be troubled. Believe in God; believe also in me. 2 In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.

Jn 14:18 “I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you.

Jn 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.

Very simply, He is our precious cornerstone, on whom we can stand, forever!!

Eph 2:17-22 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Think about this, my friends…

… because of our Lord’s precious Person, we have perfect hope…

… and it’s a hope that carries us every day without end, and all the way to the end.

We believers ALWAYS have hope, and we should never despair in this life, because in Him we have the victory!

Even if one day we face a martyr’s death, which some believers get the privilege of doing…

… even then, hope in Christ Jesus will sustain us, because we know He’s the perfect One to hope in, and what He has said is GOING TO HAPPEN.

Mt 12:18-21 “Behold, my servant whom I have chosen, my beloved with whom my soul is well pleased. I will put my Spirit upon him,and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.19 He will not quarrel or cry aloud,nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets;20 a bruised reed he will not break,and a smoldering wick he will not quench,until he brings justice to victory;21 and in his name the Gentiles will hope.”

Hope in Christ sustains us believers…

… we have this overcoming, transcendent hope through His Spirit, through all things,…

… and we know we will all see Him soon, and face to face.

1 Co 13:12 For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known.

When you can rely on someone 100%, then you have no worries or doubts, right?

If you know anyone in your life that you hold that opinion of, then you just KNOW in your heart that you can count on them, right??

You just know it!!

How much more the perfect Son of God, who loved us and gave His life for us??

Gal 2:16 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

HE is why we can walk around with this boldness, a confidence the world does not know about. (Heb 4:16)

It’s because of HIM; His perfect, loving, faithful, precious Person.

Let’s finish up our series with a few more passages about this perfect hope we have in God and Christ.

Our Perfect Hope: We can have perfect hope in our Lord Jesus Christ because He is perfect in every way; always, and forevermore! Jer 17:5-8, Ro 5:1-5, 2Th 2:16-17, 2Ti 1:8-14, Heb 6:13-20

Jer 17:5-8 Thus says the Lord:

“Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength, whose heart turns away from the Lord.6 He is like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see any good come. He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness in an uninhabited salt land.
7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord.8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”

Ro 5:1-5 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Through him we have also obtained access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. 3 More than that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance,

4 and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5 and hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

2 Th 2:16-17 Now may our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God our Father, who loved us and gave us eternal comfort and good hope through grace, 17 comfort your hearts and establish them in every good work and word.

2 Ti 1:8-14 Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony about our Lord, nor of me his prisoner, but share in suffering for the gospel by the power of God, 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began, 10 and which now has been manifested through the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel,

11 for which I was appointed a preacher and apostle and teacher, 12 which is why I suffer as I do. But I am not ashamed, for I know whom I have believed, and I am convinced that he is able to guard until that Day what has been entrusted to me. 13 Follow the pattern of the sound words that you have heard from me, in the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 14 By the Holy Spirit who dwells within us, guard the good deposit entrusted to you.

There’s a perspective to grab onto!

Heb 6:13-20 For when God made a promise to Abraham, since he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, 14 saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” 15 And thus Abraham, having patiently waited (there’s hope!), obtained the promise. 16 For people swear by something greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation.

17 So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it with an oath, 18 so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. 19 We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, 20 where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.

His Precious Person: God’s perfect love is what motivated Jesus to go all the way to, and through, the Cross. THIS is what makes Him not only perfect, but precious. 1Pe 1:19, 2:4, Heb 12:2