(a chapter from the section, The Growth Paradigm, of my book, Heaven on Earth)
In the year 24 A.D., a rabble crowd of official Roman soldiers mocked and jeered as they accompanied three nondescript – looking prisoners to a place of execution on top of a hill named Golgotha. Two were common thieves sentenced for execution this same day. The third was a scourged and bedraggled, bruised and beaten up young man. He looked no different from the other two. He, too, carried a cross. He carried a crushing burden for all his efforts. This was the man they called Jesus Christ. This was the man He called the Son of God. He was born in a humble manger. His mother a virgin named Mary. The evening he was born, the heavens and the angels heralded the birth of the Shepherd King. And thus it was written in the annals of history in Heaven and on Earth, that salvation was wrought upon the cross of Calvary, a perfect atonement and peace offering for the sins of humankind, a gift of love from the Creator of the universe to all of humankind.
For to us a child is born,
to us a son is given,
and the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Of the increase of his government and peace
there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
with justice and righteousness
from that time on and forever.
The zeal of the LORD Almighty
will accomplish this.
How does the birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son, Son of God have to do with people growth? The work that was done on the cross paved the way for salvation and eternal life. These are statements and spiritual confessions that we receive by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and we experience through our lives after taking those first baby steps of faith.
- The Lord Jesus Christ took upon His shoulders the government of the people who received Him by faith.
- He exchanges our heavy burdens in exchange for his own, which is light. This removes the unfavorable conditions of growth which is found in the law of sin and death, and imparts to us life, growth, renewal and regeneration through the Spirit.
- He directs our paths, counsels and guides us as our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, and Everlasting Father.
- Of the increase of His government and peace (He is the Prince of Peace) there will be no end. The peace here refers to our inner peace and a restful soul, which leads us into an outer peace that we experience within a community, a nation and globally. “Of the increase of His government and peace, there will be no end” states that there will always be continuous growth in our lives if we keep Jesus as the Lord of our lives. “There will be no end” states that this growth potential is sustained and does not have a limit.
- He will take His rightful place on David’s throne over His kingdom which is eternal. He will establish and uphold it with justice and righteousness. Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne [Psalm 89:14, Psalm 97:2]. The faith evidence of the sovereignty of the Lord Jesus Christ is the presence of righteousness and justice. The light shines into the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it [John 1:5 NLT].
For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.
John 3:16 is a much loved message about the love of God compelling God to pave the way for the salvation of the world – the salvage operations to make communities livable again. A large part of the initial stages of salvation, which happens after we make that initial faith declaration that Jesus Christ is the Lord of our lives and the receiving of the Lord Jesus Christ into our lives, is so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. There are a number of dimensions to the “will not perish” and “eternal life”. “Will not perish” or “will not decay” here applies to first the natural and then the spiritual, and then also in the immediate as well as in eternity. “Eternal life” or “life everlasting” or “a kind of life that seems to go on forever” also applies to first the natural and then the spiritual, and then also in the immediate as well as in eternity.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ.
We know that to live a kind of life that will not decay, we will need all the help we can get. We know that living a life that goes on forever is not humanly possible. It is only possible with God’s personal intervention. We will need this “every spiritual blessing” that was made accessible through salvation because we are united with Christ Jesus.
May the grace and peace of Abba Father the Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
In the Name of Jesus, Amen.
Thank You, Abba Father, Lord Jesus Christ.
Word Sabre, scribe for Abba Father, LORD GOD, Lord Most High, Lord Jesus Christ.