Follow Jesus to Freedom
Purity Through Christ Course....Lesson 01....Who is He?
Welcome to the course! In the lessons we will talk about furnishing you with good tools for fighting temptation. But there is much more. In fact, ''the MORE'' is why we are here. His name is Jesus. And He is the Christ, the Savior, Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. He is our deliverer! He is why we are here. He is why we have this course.
Without Christ, there would be no course. Without Christ, none of us who work here would be free from sexual sin. Without Christ, life has no meaning. I could go on, but you already knew that or most of it, right?
Before we delve into Jesus' identity in more depth, I want to talk to you, for a few moments about this ministry, this course and where it is intended to take you. We did not begin the name the course, "Follow Jesus" just because it sounds good. Although we will deal with your sin in several of the early lessons (because it is necessary to do so), by the time you reach say, Lesson 10, the real theme of the course will begin to appear. Our hope and prayer is that you will learn how to truly follow Jesus and live a Christ-like life in an evil world - being a light to all!
It might not be obvious to you right now, nor in the next few lessons, but eventually we are convinced that you will see how, if you put all of our teachings into practice and make them part of your lifestyle, then our Lord will take away your desire to sin in the ways you have in the past. Be sure to hold onto this thought: the freedom that following Jesus leads to is available to those who are willing and who persevere. It is much like a gift that many Christians never unwrap.
Let us give you an example: "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!" 2 Corinthians 5:17
Are we really? Do we act like it? He can make us even better, and we can live it, and we can shine! There is exciting stuff awaiting you in the course, Christian Brother! Stick with this and see.
So look forward to a different life - a life like Christ taught and exemplified!
Now, back to the question at hand: Who is He?
Let's get personal. We will start, today, asking you to write answers to specific questions. After all, this course is interactive. Here is the first one:
1. Do you know Jesus? Do know Him as God incarnate? Do know Him as the only way to God? Do you know Him as your Savior? Please put and X between the [[[ ]]] brackets below:
]][ ]]] YES ]][ ]]] NO
2. Tell us about you and Jesus? Who is He to you? Or, if you are not sure about Jesus, why not talk about it here, between the brackets? [[[ ]]]
Jesus died for you and me so that we might live forever. And He is the one who will carry you to freedom. It won't be this course, and it won't be your Encourager-Guide. All we E-Gs can do is point to HIM.
And point, we will! The course is going to give you biblical teachings that will ask you to do certain things to prepare yourself for the gift of freedom that only comes through the sacrificial blood of our Lord Jesus. All the while, you will be getting large doses of Christ, the Cross, and Grace through the teachings. After all, we didn't name this ministry ''Follow Christ to Freedom'' just to give you formulas. The victory belongs to Him!
Also during the course, I'll bet....no! I promise! that Jesus will become more real, more important, more a part of your focus and your heart than ever before! We will not be doing that for you...The Holy Spirit will, though! And we trust that the biblical, Christ-centered teachings here will help you on that road.
Since we're on a roll, let's talk a little more about Jesus, the Christ, His work on the cross and what it means to you and to me. To me it means even more than salvation; it means freedom! Here is more about that....
Freedom....
John 1:29 "The next day John saw Jesus coming to him, and said, 'There is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'''
Rev 1:5 "Jesus Christ..... He loves us, and by his sacrificial death he has freed us from our sins "
Jesus quoted this prophesy about Himself:
Luke 4:18-19 ''The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be freed, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord's favor has come.''
On the cross - when He died that horrible death, He set us free! Free from sin! He took them away! He is waiting for each of us to claim that!
3. Do you see how Jesus is the One who sets us free?
[[[ ]]] YES [[[ ]]] NO
And He did not stop at the cross. Here is just one illustration of Christ's ongoing work. Remember when Paul and Silas were in jail in Philippi?
26 "Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone's chains came loose. 27 The jailer woke up, and when he saw the prison doors open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself because he thought the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul shouted, ''Don't harm yourself! We are all here!''
29 The jailer called for lights, rushed in and fell trembling before Paul and Silas.30 He then brought them out and asked, ''Sirs, what must I do to be saved?''
31 They replied, ''Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved....'' Acts 16:26-31 (NIV)
4. Can you see that, because of Christ, their chains were broken and the prison doors fell wide open?
[[[ ]]] YES [[[ ]]] NO
That is freedom wrought by Christ!
But why did I quote the rest of that scripture? Because, much like that jailer, you have come to Follow Jesus to Freedom, crying out, ''What must I do to be set free?''
5. Is that your cry, today? You can answer here:
[[[ ]]] YES [[[ ]]] NO
Would you please expand on that with your thoughts - right here?
[[[ ]]]
Now, obviously, here at Follow Christ to Freedom, we are not Paul. And we're certainly not the Savior. Nor can we save you. But, like Paul, we do know the Savior, and, just as Paul knew the way to salvation, we know the way to freedom through Jesus. So, this course is written to gently urge you in that direction, while we fully acknowledge and constantly proclaim that only Jesus can set you free.
Therefore whatever you do, be sure to keep that in mind and filter everything you learn here through what I am calling ''The Jesus Screen.'' For we want to magnify and lift Him up!...
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.... John 3:14
And just as the Israelites were healed by gazing at the serpent on the pole, by focusing on Christ, you can be set free from your sin!
6. Agreed?
[[[ ]]] YES [[[ ]]] NO
Note: As you progress in the course, you'll be exposed to teachings that are familiar to you already. You might get the idea that we are just reminding you of something you have heard from a Pastor or read in a study book. But please do be assured that these are commonly shared biblical principles - not new at all... for scripture says that there is nothing new under the sun. And scripture, insofar as we Christians are concerned, has the answers. So since our teachings are based on the bible - you can easily see that those truths were written 2,000 years or more ago. I tell you that to get to this: They are no less true today, and they freely there (and here) for all. So even if you have heard these before, we urge you to let them really soak in this time around. Our Lord Jesus wants to do that wonderful work in you!
Homework
Read and meditate on Galatians 5:1 and 5:13
We encourage you to begin right now to pray daily for more of Christ in you.
Earnest Pugh sings this song:
"I need your Glory!" "I want your Glory.
Less of me and more of you is what I need.
Show me your Glory. Show me your Power.
Less of me and more of you
is what I need."