A Sacrifice for You

The story of humanity is a story of epic failure and unbelievable restoration. God created human beings pure and unique. But the enemy, the Satan, led humans astray.

Our principles were perverted, our minds were corrupted, our thoughts were turned to a wrong channel. The purpose of the Satan was to make the world entirely corrupt. Jesus saw humans in fearful danger, and it was Jesus’ determination to save human beings by sacrificing Himself. He took on our flesh and bone so that He could accomplish His purpose of love for a degenerate race of human beings.

Then through His death, Jesus would destroy the Satan, which had the power of death, and He would deliver humans that were subjects of fear, bondage, and death. It was important to Jesus that He would be made like humans and become our brother so that He can be a merciful and faithful intercessor in the things pertaining to God and could mend the relationship of God and sinful human beings. This way, Jesus would suffer; He would be tempted and then He would be able to help and console those who are tempted.

Through the Holy Spirit, a new principle of mental and spiritual power was now available to humans. If we would partner with Jesus, we would come back into relationship with God. Christ would buy us back from death and sin and restore us to unique purity, and human minds would have the power to rise above degeneracy to relationship with God.

Jesus’ purpose, by the elevating and transforming power of truth, was to give human beings dignity. Jesus desired that God’s children would be like Him that they would exert their influence so that other human beings will be drawn into harmony with Jesus and relationship with God.

Because of our sin, Jesus could have moved far away from us. But instead of moving far away, He came to be among us. Jesus filled with all the fullness of God came to be one with us, and through His unmerited love and power, we might become whole again.

By a death of shame and suffering, Jesus paid the ransom that sin had over us. From the Kingdom of heaven, He came clothing His divinity in humanity. He descended step-by-step to the lowest depths of humiliation. No one can measure the depth of His love.

It’s amazing to see that people that call themselves Christians don’t understand the resource of divinity that we have. It’s amazing that we don’t see the cross more clearly as the means for forgiveness and pardon from sin. The cross brings the proud, selfish heart of human beings into direct contact with the Holy Spirit so that the riches of Jesus Christ may be poured into all our minds.

Hebrews 2:9 says, “What we do see is Jesus, who for a little while was given a position ‘a little lower than the angels’; and because he suffered death for us, he is now ‘crowned with glory and honor.’ Yes, by God’s grace, Jesus tasted death for everyone.”

Today, friends, I want you to see that Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice for us. And that Jesus didn’t come to just sacrifice Himself to appease God’s anger. But Jesus came to buy us back from sin and bring us back into relationship with the God who loves us and sent Jesus. He wants to make us whole again. He wants to restore us back to His intention for us when He created human beings to rule this world in partnership with God as His image-bearers.

This can be your life today. Through Jesus, you can be restored to the place where God wanted you to be. All you must do is say yes to Him. And He will transform your life beyond your wildest dreams.

Pastor Anthony Nix

Anthony serves as the Pastor For Anderson Seventh-day Adventist Church in Anderson, IN. A charismatic communicator with a message that motivates discipleships to Jesus, Anthony teaches on a variety of topics, emphasizing God’s unfailing love and His desire to be in relationship with His creation. He is a graduate of Southern Adventist University. Anthony and his wife Nayeli have three beautiful and loving children.