WHAT IS YOUR REASON?

Behind every choice that I have ever made in life is a reason for making it. Whether it was a little reason or a big reason, a good or a bad reason –there was always a reason.

One of the sayings that I hear most often during Christmas regarding "reason" is,

“Jesus is the reason for the season.”

And while I think this is absolutely true; Jesus is "that" and so much more.

Every aspect of Jesus’ life offers us HOPE.

Hope for the past

Hope for the present

Hope for the future

As the second part of the trinity, every moment of the existence of Jesus offers us a reason to Hope.

THE BIRTH OF JESUS OFFERS HOPE

Jesus is the Word of God in the flesh. He was born fully human and fully God and He was sent by God to be the long-awaited Savior of the world.

John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."

Isaiah 9:6 "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace."

John 3:16  “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life."

THE LIFE AND MINISTRY OF JESUS OFFERS HOPE

Jesus’s life on earth represented love even in the midst of suffering because He knew that the trials were temporary, but eternity is forever. His life on earth was lived as an example for all Christians to follow.

John 14:6 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

2 Corinthians 2:14-16 "But thanks be to God, who in Christ always leads us in triumphal procession, and through us spreads the fragrance of the knowledge of him everywhere.  For we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing, to one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life to life. Who is sufficient for these things?"

John 13:34-35 " A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

THE DEATH OF JESUS

Even though it appeared that all hope was lost as Jesus hung lifeless on a Roman cross... It was not. His death showed us that suffering will come because we live in a broken world, but God still has a perfect plan. Our life here is meant to honor Him in the midst of suffering.

Philippians 1:21 "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."

1 Peter 2:24 "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed."

Romans 5:7-8 " For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us."

THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS

Romans 4:25 "But the words “it was counted to him” were not written for his sake alone, but for ours also. It will be counted to us who believe in him who raised from the dead Jesus our Lord, who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification."

Romans 6:8-9 "Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. We know that Christ, being raised from the dead, will never die again; death no longer has dominion over him."

John 11:25-26: Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. Whoever believes in me, though he die, yet shall he live, and everyone who lives and believes in me shall never die. Do you believe this?”

Jesus is the reason for this season and everyone to follow. He is our HOPE and our SALVATION. For those who have placed their faith in Jesus, we can place our HOPE in Jesus Christ on the best and worst days.

Our reason for being here is to honor and worship God in all of our ways. May we see Jesus throughout all of the moments of our lives, surrender to Him, and trust in His wonderful plan.