Why Did Jesus Come?

Jesus came to remove our sin.
Luke 1:68-79

The events of Luke 1:5-67 demonstrate that God had already visited and provided redemption for his people. Redemption is a synonym for salvation and emphasizes an action initiated by a third party.  Think "paid your fine" or "posted your bail."

Thanks to the Internet, we have a fast and easy way to fix many of our problems. There is, however, one problem we can't fix on our own – the sin problem.  Our greatest problem is a broken relationship with God because of our sin – our choice(s). 

The enemies being referenced in these passages are sin, death, and judgment.  We can serve God without fear from enemies and those who seek to harm or hinder us.  We can enter into the presence of God because the Holy Spirit lives in us.  We cannot be separated from him.

Why Can't We Fix it?

Deuteronomy 5:32-33; Galatians 3:10-12, 19, 24-25

We are unable to live up to God's holy standard.

God clearly wanted humans to enjoy his blessings, so he established a standard for how they should live in relationship to God.  The Bible shows us how we can live and operate according to his standards:  "Follow the whole instruction that your Lord your God has commanded you."  Staying on this narrow path leads to blessing and salvation (protection and preservation) through a relationship with God.

What is this "whole instruction"? More than just the 10 Commandments, it includes ALL of God's laws, commands, statutes, ordinances, and instructions found in the Books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.  Want to see all of them?   Here is a listing of the seven Noahide Laws, the Ten Commandments, and the 613 Laws of Torah.  Make sure that you adhere to the spirit and the intent of all 630+ rules found in the Bible and never violate them, ever.  See what an impossible task this is?

Why Are We In This Mess?

Genesis 3:1-7; 14-19

When playing any game you must first know the rules.  Those who are not up on the rules are doomed to fail at the game.

God laid out the rules for Adam, "the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

God then created a corresponding helper for man.  Apparently, man communicated the rules to woman, but something went awry.  The woman quoted the rule as "“We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’”

The serpent, of course, raised a doubt in the woman's mind.  The woman saw that the fruit was pretty AND good for food, and imparted wisdom, she ate some, and gave some to her husband who was with her.  

Why Are We Even Here?

Genesis 1:1-5;26-31

God created us to live in fellowship with God.  Each element of creation was deemed to be "good" or "helpful" to the purposes of God.

Humans were created on day 6 and all of creation was ranked very good,  very helpful, to God's purposes.

Creation, that which was deemed very helpful to God's purposes, was given to humans in which to live in fellowship with God.

Next session will demonstrate what we did with it and "Why are we in this mess?"

Why Are We Here?

The next six lessons begin a study on the most basic question of all  "Why are we here?"

Lessons this session look at:

• Why Are We Even Here?
• Why Are We in This Mess?
• Why Can't we Fix it?
• Why Did Jesus Come?
• What Should We Do Now?
• What Happens Next?