Jesus Christ Archives - Marissa Henley

Jesus Christ is Your Redeeming Sacrifice {No Matter What Monday}

November 27, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

The week after Thanksgiving, most of us fall into one of three groups: those who are feeling great about our Christmas preparation progress, those who are trying not to panic, and those who are blissfully optimistic that Santa and his elves will make, wrap, and deliver the perfect gifts for their loved ones on Christmas Eve.

When you’re buried neck-deep in shopping lists, tangled tiny lights, and wrapping paper, it’s easy to lose sight of why God the Son came to earth and was born in that Bethlehem stable.

I’ve got good news for you—He didn’t come just to give you more to do every December. For the next four weeks, we’ll dig into why Jesus came to earth and what He accomplished for us.

“The next day [John] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” (John 1:29)

In this verse, John the Baptist proclaims the reason the Son of God walked on earth—to be the Lamb of God who takes away our sin.

The Lamb of God lived the perfect life. God’s justice requires a perfect sacrifice—a spotless lamb without blemish. Jesus Christ perfectly obeyed His Father and met the standard of righteousness that we fail to reach.

The Lamb of God died for you. Romans 8:32 says, “God did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all.” After living the perfect life, Jesus Christ took the punishment for your sin as He suffered and died on the cross.

The Lamb of God rose again. First Corinthians 15:55 reminds us that the Lamb of God defeated death for us: “Oh death, where is your victory?” Jesus Christ rose again, proving His power to give eternal life to His redeemed people.

In His life, death, and resurrection, the Lamb of God accomplished all that was required for your redemption. He came with a mission, and He completed it. Now that’s a reason to rejoice as we prepare to celebrate His birth!

No matter what you face this week, Jesus came to be a redeeming sacrifice for you.

(Photo by Chad Madden on Unsplash)

The Greater One {No Matter What Monday}

October 23, 2017 by Marissa Leave a Comment

Have you ever seen the Who Would Win book series? These children’s books depict a hypothetical battle between two animals and predict the outcome. Could a giant squid defeat a whale? What if a tiger and a lion dueled to the death? What about a tarantula vs. a scorpion? That’s a match I hope I never have to see!

Some days, the world around us might make us wonder, “Who’s gonna win? Will God really come out on top here, or are the forces of evil too great?” It seems like sin, wickedness, and death are winning. We watch violence rage around the world, disease threaten those we love, and sin rips families apart.

The Bible is the ultimate Who Would Win book, and the outcome is not hypothetical. Spoiler alert: Jesus wins. And because we are united to Him by faith, His victory is our victory.

“Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” (1 John 4:4)

He who is in you (God the Spirit) is greater than he who is in the world (the devil and the forces of evil). God’s victory has already taken place. Jesus Christ sits at the Father’s right hand and reigns over all powers and dominions (Eph. 1:19-21). His Spirit dwells in us, reminding us to not lose heart because glory is coming (2 Cor. 4:16-18).

If your heart is discouraged today, remember that the One who loves you and gave Himself for you is the same One who has overcome the world. The middle of your story might be messy and hard, but you know how this one ends.

And as you wade through the muck of sin, evil, and life in this fallen world, the One who is in you – the One who will never leave you or forsake you – is greater than your most threatening enemy. You have overcome, because He has overcome.

No matter what you face this week, He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Loneliness

October 22, 2012 by Marissa Leave a Comment

I have been struggling with loneliness lately. Some if it is the typical baseline loneliness that seems to never leave. Some of it is circumstantial and will lessen as those circumstances change. Some of it is the additional loneliness I experience as a cancer survivor, the feeling that very few people know what it is like to be me.

It seems that most (all?) women experience loneliness in varying degrees. We long for a greater quality or quantity of friendships. We crave the companionship of someone really “gets” us, that feeling that someone understands what our life feels like. I am blessed with a wonderful circle of friends, but loneliness still plagues me sometimes, as it has for the past few weeks.

Last week as I listened to a sermon on the last few verses in Matthew, I was struck by Jesus’ promise in Matthew 28:20b:

“And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

This loneliness that I feel is meant to point me to the One who knows every detail of my life. He knows every fear, every tear, every need.

My Savior enjoyed the most perfect, loneliness-free existence as a member of the Trinity. But Christ “did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself by taking the form of a servant” (Philippians 2:6-7). I cannot imagine the loneliness Christ must have felt as He bore His Father’s wrath on the cross and cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46). He endured this painful separation from His Father so that I can be brought into relationship with Him.

So the very Son of God can say to me, “I am with you always.”

The Resurrection

March 26, 2008 by Marissa Leave a Comment

This post is a little late in getting written, but I’ve been thinking a lot lately about the Resurrection of Christ. I often think about the Cross, but before last week, I hadn’t spent much time thinking about how different my life would be if Christ hadn’t risen from the dead. What if my college professors were right, and the Resurrection is just a metaphor, an encouraging story about the peace and joy God brings to our lives? What if Christ did not literally die, lie in a tomb for three days, and then rise again and appear to the disciples before ascending into Heaven?

If there is no Resurrection, there is no eternal life. There is eternity, for our souls will last forever, but not eternity with God. As my pastor said on Sunday, without the Resurrection, there is only eternal grief.

If there is no Resurrection, this world is all we have. There are no treasures in Heaven, nothing beyond what we can store up for ourselves in this life. So I better focus on making this life as good as it can be.

If there is no Resurrection, this world is a chaotic, depressing, fallen place without any hope that God has won over sin, evil, and death. You live, try to avoid as much pain as possible, and then die.

If there is no Resurrection, then Christians are to be pitied, because we are following a dead guy, a prophet who spoke inspiring words but was powerless at the hand of human soldiers.

Praise God that the Resurrection is a reality! God has conquered sin, evil, and death. As my kids’ Jesus Storybook Bible says, God is making everything sad, even death, untrue. While we still live in a fallen world, we have hope. God is in control, He has already won, and those who are in Christ will spend eternity with Him.

If the Resurrection is true, how should I respond? It proves that Jesus of Nazareth is the Son of God, and therefore deserving of my faith, praise, and devotion. It compels me to have an eternal perspective, knowing that this world is not my true home. It should instill unending gratitude that Christ bore the punishment for all my sin and conquered death and hell for me.

One of my favorite songs from our church in Indianapolis describes the impact of the Resurrection so well. Please spend time reading the words and/or click here to listen (wait for it to load and then click play):

Praise the Savior now and ever; praise him, all beneath the skies;
Prostrate lying suffʹring, dying on the cross, a sacrifice.
Victʹry gaining, life obtaining, now in glory he doth rise.

Manʹs work faileth, Christʹs availeth; he is all our righteousness;
He, our Savior, has forever set us free from dire distress.
Through his merit we inherit light and peace and happiness.

Sinʹs bond severed, weʹre delivered; Christ has bruised the serpentʹs head;

Death no longer is the stronger, hell itself is captive led.
Christ has risen from deathʹs prison; oʹer the tomb he light has shed.

For his favor, praise forever unto God the Father sing;
Praise the Savior, praise him ever, Son of God, our Lord and King.
Praise the Spirit; through Christʹs merit he doth us salvation bring.