[And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He will save His people from their sins](Matt. 1:21).
[He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest,][who is to be born will be called the Son of God,][Jesus Christ: He is Lord of all](Luke 1:32,35,Acts 10:36).
[Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace good will toward men](Luke 2:14).
The Son of God is called [the Messiah] in Hebrew (John 1:41),and in Greek, [the Christ](John 4:25), which is translated into our language [The Anointed](Acts 4:27) or The Commissioned. Therefore the Bible writes of Him, [Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed](Acts 4:27). [The Son of God][whom the Father sanctified, and sent into the world](John 10:36).
The precious meaning of the prayer, "In the name of Jesus Christ I pray" implies "My heavenly Father I pray to You, trusting in the name of Your holy Son Jesus, my God and Savior, whom You have sent with a commission to save a sinner like me."
Jesus said, [You will ask in my name](John 16:26).
God our Father bestows upon us the salvation of the world and [every good and perfect gift] only through the name of Jesus Christ His Son whom He has commissioned and sent to us(James 1:17).
He also said,[I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me](John 14:6). Therefore, [whoever calls on the name of the Lord (Jesus Christ) shall be saved,][for there is no other name under heaven given among men, by which we be saved](Joel 2:32, Acts 4:12).
[But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God](John 1:12) [For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life ... that the world through Him might be saved](John 3:16,17).
[In Him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness and the darkness and the did not comprehend it ... That was the true Light which gives light to every man who comes into the world.][in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge](John 1:4,5,9, Col. 2:3).
Jesus again said, [I am the light of world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life](John 8:2).
[I am the bread of life ... which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever](John 6:48,50,51).
[I will give ... the water of life;][whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life](Rev. 21:6, John 4:14).
[I am the way, the truth, and the life,] whoever you may be, [without Me you can do nothing](John 14:6, 15:5).
[You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me](John 5:39).
[This is eternal life that they might know ... Jesus Christ] whom the only true God has sent to the world(John 17:3).
When man knows Jesus Christ aright and accepts whom God has chosen in order to commit the work of redemption for the world, he obtains eternal life. Only in Jesus Christ is found the precious blood to cleanse the sinner, the true light to enlighten this world of darkness, immortal life, and the only way that leads to heaven. All the treasures of truth, knowledge and wisdom of the universe are found only in Him, only through Him are they imparted. He is the center of all power and might of the universe; He is the Chief Superintendent of the universe. None but He has the power to perfectly transform sinners and to bring all children who follow Him to the Father's kingdom on the last day.
We are powerless and helpless in freeing ourselves from the pit of sin where we have fallen by our own transgressions. Only by putting our whole trust into the mighty arms of Jesus our Savior can we be freed from this deep pit of death. He is the one and only "Crane" that our heavenly Father has provided for this earth into its original orbit.
Only His hands can perfectly repair and restore the broken, impaired lost and twisted parts and various breakdowns in the heart of man.
[Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? No one!](John 14:4).
[Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, no indeed can be](Rom. 8:7). Yes, education, culture, the exercise of the will, human effort, all have their proper sphere, but they are powerless in changing the heart from within. They may produce an outward correctness of behavior, but they cannot change the heart nor purify the springs of life.
There must be a power working from within, a new life from above before men can be changed from sin to holiness. This power is Christ. His grace alone can quicken the lifeless faculties of the soul, attract it to God and to holiness of Apostle Paul, though he was a man of the highest worth, education and culture, exclaimed in the bitterness of his anguished soul and despair,[I am carnal, sold under sin](Rom. 7:14). He longed for the purity and the righteousness to which he himself was powerless to attain, crying, [O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?](Rom. 7:24). Such is the cry that has up from burdened hearts in all lands and in all ages. To all there is but one answer, [Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world!](John 1:29). In this way, a sinner comes to Christ and is freed from all the burdens of sin which are heavy and toilsome. He is freed from his burdens of life and begins to live a life of union with Christ, a life of rest with heavenly peace and joy in his soul(Matt. 11:28,29).
Upon deceiving Esau and his father Isaac, Jacob fled from his father's home weighed down with a sense of guilt. Lonely and outcast as he was, the one thought above all others that pressed down his soul was the fear that his sin had cut him off from God. In sadness he lay down to rest on the bare earth with the lonely hills surrounding him and above the heavens bright with stars. As he slept, a strange light broke upon his vision, and lo, from the plain on which he lay, vast shadowy stairs seemed to lead upward to the very gates of heaven, and upon them angels of God were passing up and down(Gen. 28:2). And from the glory above, a divine voice was heard in a message of comfort and hope. Thus was made known to Jacob that which met the need and longing of his soul - a Savior. With joy and gratitude he saw revealed a way by which he, a sinner, could be restored to communion with God. The mystical ladder of his dream represented Jesus, the only medium of communication between God and man.
This is the same figure to which Christ referred to in His conversation with Nathanael when He said, [You shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man](John 1:51).
Earth was cut off from heaven by sin. There could be no communion across the gulf that lay between the two, But by His merits, Christ has bridged the gulf which sin had made so that the ministering angels can hold communion with man. Christ connects fallen man in his weakness and helplessness to the Father who is the Source of infinite power - with His humanity holding man, and with His divinity the throne of God. The only way to God is Christ. He is the one and only Savior to man. He says,[I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.][Come to Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest] and lead you to heaven(John 14:6, Matt. 11:28).
Behold. the cross of Calvary standing between heaven and earth! It is the ladder of our holy Lord Jesus strongly connecting earthly sinners with God forever. Through it, heaven and earth are brought into perfect reunion and restoration.
Glory and praise, thanks and reverence to our only Savior and Lord Jesus Christ forever and ever! Praise the Lord!
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