Who is Jesus?
Jesus claimed to be the unique Son of God. He said he entered our world on a rescue
mission so that we can be friends with God. Jesus came to fix things and make them
right. He came to offer us a way back to God so that we can live fulfilling lives that honour
God and express God’s love and care for other people and for our world. Jesus died on a
cross to deal with our guilt and take away every barrier that stands between us and God.
His death was not the end. Jesus is alive now - he offers real life to all who turn back to
God and trust Jesus.
Check out the big theme of Jesus’ message in Mark chapter 1 verses 14-15:
After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God.
“The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good
news!” Mark 1:14, 15, NIV.
Check out what Jesus said about his rescue mission in Mark chapter 10 verse 45:
“... the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom
for many.” Mark 10:45, NIV.
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Did Jesus really exist?
YES! There is plenty of good evidence for his existence.
Jesus lived in the middle east in the first decades of the first century AD (CE). He died
around the year 33AD - sentenced to death by the Roman Governor of Judea.
Secular and Jewish historians from the first century refer to Jesus and his followers.
Most importantly, there are the eye-witness accounts in the biographies of Jesus we call
the “Gospels” - Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. These were written by people who either
knew Jesus personally or had first hand information. They are remarkable and accurate
records of Jesus’ life, teaching, death and his resurrection to life. References to times and
places “match up” well with information available from other sources.
The impressive impact Jesus has made on the world and the changed lives of his
followers also point to his existence. Many millions of Christians down through the
centuries have claims to know and love Jesus - their lives have been changed by him.
Check out what one writer says about how he wrote his biography of Jesus
“Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it
seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you ...” Luke 1:3, NIV.
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Why believe in Jesus?
To believe Jesus means to trust him. You should only trust someone who is worthy of your
trust. Read the eye-witness accounts of Jesus’ life and you will find that he is ultimately
trustworthy. Jesus deals openly and honestly with people. He genuinely cares for people
in trouble and for people who are rejected or marginalised by society. Jesus understands
the difficulties of life and he never treats people as failures. Instead he treats everyone
with dignity and respect.
Jesus is a superb teacher and his teaching rings true to our experience of life. He is not
promoting a religion or a religious system. He is issuing God’s generous offer of
forgiveness and restored friendship. Jesus has time for anyone except religious
hypocrites who look down on other people who don’t follow their religious rules.
These qualities make Jesus worthy of our trust. We should trust Jesus because he alone
is ultimately trustworthy. He has our best interests at heart. His death on a cross
demonstrates his absolute love for us. We should trust Jesus because he loves us
unconditionally - he chose to die for us rather than live without us.
The final reason we should trust Jesus is that God says we should. As we trust Jesus we
honour him and obey God. This is how we should respond to God.
Check out how Jesus sums up God’s requirements i Mark chapter 12 verses 29-31:
“The most important (commandment),” answered Jesus, “is this: ʻHear, O Israel, the Lord
our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul
and with all your mind and with all your strength.ʼ The second is this: ʻLove your neighbour
as yourself.ʼ There is no commandment greater than these.” Mark 12:29-31, NIV.
Check out how Jesus deals with a disabled man whose friends bring him to Jesus for help
in Mark chapter 2 verses 1 - 12
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How is Jesus relevant to my life?
Jesus is the one who gives us life in the first place. Every breath we take and every
heartbeat is a gift from God. Jesus knows us from the inside, he understands us. He
knows our fears, our sorrows, our joys and our hopes. Jesus knows our motives and he
understands our temptation. He was tempted in every way we are.
As we trust Jesus he gives our life the significance and purpose that we are searching for.
There are many alternatives we try, but they are like drinking a glass of salty water - you
just end up more thirsty. Only Jesus offers us the real thing - life as God’s friends now and
for eternity.
Along with significance and purpose in life, Jesus offers us values to live by and his help to
put them into practice. He promises to be with everyone who trusts him and he gives his
Spirit to us so that we are never alone. Jesus offers us a chance for a fresh start and
ongoing forgiveness when we fail. He restores and deepens our relationship with other
people as he helps us to serve their needs rather than insist that our own needs are met.
Jesus helps us to be better people, better family members, better marriage partners, better
friends, better carers for God’s world ....
The relevance of Jesus to our life isn’t undermined by death. Jesus offers us life beyond
death. His resurrection from death guarantees our future is secure with him. Death will
not separate us from God’s love or the relationships we enjoy with other people who trust
Jesus.
Check out the values Jesus promotes and the promises he makes to people who trust him
( he calls them “blessed”) in Matthew chapter 5 verses 3 - 12 (Note this is taken from
Jesus well known “sermon on the mount”):
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds oevil against you because of me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:3-12, NIV.
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What is prayer?
Quite simply, Prayer is talking to God. Prayer is a natural expression of our relationship
with God. We depend on God for everything, even life itself. Prayer expresses this
dependence as we ask God for what we need. Jesus says that people who trust him know
God as their loving Father. God is not like our human fathers, who are flawed and
sometimes treat their children badly. God as our perfect Father loves and cares for his
children perfectly.
Jesus teaches his followers to pray to God as our Father - simply and directly, trusting God
to answer our prayers in the way that is best for us. We do not need anyone to stand
between us and God - we have direct access to God as we pray. Jesus warns against
hypocrisy in prayer - when we try to impress others with our prayers. We don’t pray to put
pressure on God to give us what we want. The more we read the Bible, the more we
understand about God’s values, plans and purposes. So the more our prayer will be
shaped and informed by the will of God. All our prayer comes under the simple request
taken from the “Lord’s Prayer” - “Your will be done” .
Jesus teaches us to pray by giving us the prayer we call “The Lord’s Prayer”. Check it out
in Matthew 6 chapter 6 verses 9-13:
“This, then, is how you should pray:
'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.ʼ”
Matthew 6:9-13, NIV.
Note some of the features of the prayer: 1. We talk directly to God our Father. 2. The
prayer has six requests. 3. The requests range from the big picture issues like the coming
of God’s kingdom to small day to day issues like food to eat. 4. We ask for forgiveness -
Jesus goes on to say that if we pray this prayer for forgiveness from God we must be
willing to forgive others (See Matthew chapter 6 verse14-15)
This prayer can be used as a model for our own prayers - we can take its individual
requests and expand these in our own words and make them relevant to our own lives.
We can also use the actual prayer itself.
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How should I pray?
God promises that he will hear and answer the prayers of everyone who trusts Jesus. If
you have not yet turned back to God and trusted Jesus then this would be a great “first
prayer” that you could pray (you might like to put it into your own words):
Dear God,
I know I am not worthy to be called a child of God. I donʼt deserve your gift of eternallife. I am guilty of rebelling against you and ignoring you. I need your forgiveness.
I want to turn from living my life in my own way. I believe that Jesus died for me androse again to give me new life. I trust Jesus as my rescuer and ruler of my life.
Please make me a member of your family. Please help me to love and serve you always.
There are no “rules” for prayer. Here are some guidelines taken from Jesus teaching:
1. Pray confidently to God as your loving Father2. Pray naturally - expressing your dependence on God
3. Pray simply, trusting Jesus and remember that God will answer our prayers in ways that are best for us
4. Read the Bible and inform your prayers by what God says
5. Remember, no issue is too big or too small to pray about
6. Pray with good motives
7. If you are confused and don’t know how to pray, just tell God that you don’t knowhow to pray. God’s Spirit will understand your situation and help you.
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What about the bad stuff?
Why does bad stuff happen?
Our world is not perfect - bad things happen. In the beginning the world was exactly the
way God wanted it to be. When people made the free choice to ignore God and do their
own thing, profound consequences followed. Fear and domination distorted our
relationships with each other. Human pride and disobedience lead to guilt before God and
punishment followed. Suffering and death enter our world. The world itself is no longer the
perfect place it was.
The Bible doesn’t say much about where bad things come from, but it is very clear that the
fundamental cause of the bad things is human rebellion against God. God calls this “sin”.
The choice to reject God and go our own way is made in each generation by every person
on the planet, except Jesus. Sadly, people often take the good things God gives us, like
our sexuality, and misuse them so that they become part of our experience of suffering.
Check out Jesus’ diagnosis of the problems in our world in Mark chapter 7 verses 20-23:
“... What comes out of a man is what makes him ʻuncleanʼ. For from within, out of menʼs
hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice,
deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and
make a man ʻuncleanʼ.” Mark 7:20-23, NIV.
Does God care about the mess the world is in?
Yes, he does! God has not created our world and then left us to our own devices. In our
day to day lives God helps us to make our world a better place. Human generosity,
compassion and service offered to people in need is impressive evidence for God’s
ongoing care. While the Sun burns us we have the ability to make sunscreen. We don’t
always use it!
The “big picture” story of the Bible focusses on what God has done to fix our universe and
put things right. Jesus enters our world on a rescue mission. This is no “band-aid”
solution. He came to deal with the cause of the problem in our world - human sin. He died
on a cross to take our guilt and punishment. God raised him to life and Jesus offers
forgiveness and new life to all who trust him. The day will come when Jesus will return
and get rid of all the bad stuff. The world will be put right. Jesus commands us to be part
of the solution - not part of the problem. He commands his followers to express God’s love
and compassion in practical ways. We seek to relieve suffering, meet the needs of other
people and to do what we can to make the world a better place. Jesus is our model in our
dealings with other people - he gave his life as a sacrifice for us.
Check out what Jesus says about getting our priorities right in the light of his return in Mark
8 chapter 34 - 38:
“Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said: “If anyone would come
after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to
save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me and for the gospel will save it.
What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, yet forfeit his soul? Or what can a man
give in exchange for his soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this
adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of him when he comes
in his Fatherʼs glory with the holy angels.” Mark 8:34-38, NIV.
Check out Jesus’ standard for living in our world where there is suffering and pain in the so
called “golden rule” from the sermon on the mount - Matthew chapter 7 verse 12:
“ So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the
Law and the Prophets.” Matthew 7:12, NIV.
Check out Jesus’ parable of the good Samaritan - a story Jesus uses to show that each
person has an obligation to meet the needs of others. You can read it in Luke chapter 10
verses 25 - 37
Does God only take credit for the good things?
The Bible shows us clearly that God is good, loving and compassionate. He is involved in
our lives and he is not distant. He cares for us and supports us through good times and
bad. If you would like evidence for these claims you only have to read a biography of
Jesus who shows us what God is like because Jesus is God in the flesh. When we look
at Jesus we are looking at God.
God’s kindness and mercy are shown in the way Jesus deals with us. God doesn’t “take
credit” for things - but he clearly shows us that he is in control of our world. The good
qualities we admire in others are evidence of the Bible’s claim that men and women are
created in God’s image. We reflect God’s goodness. We should thank God for the good
things he provides
When we choose to harm others we rebel against God, and there are consequences for
our choices. These are some of the “bad things” that result from our actions. They are our
responsibility. Yet God can even bring good things out of bad things. He rescued the
world through the unjust trial and death penalty that Jesus endured.
Some bad things happen to us simply because we live in a world that is not right. These
can remind us that God has a better future in store for those who love him. Christian faith
doesn’t take us out of the world. Jesus promises to be with us and to support us in the
hard times.
Our answer to the question “What about bad stuff?” shows us that God has a rescue plan
to put things right. This plan involves a great cost - Jesus willingly gave his life to fix the
world.
In a world where bad things happen as well as Good things we can thank God for the
good things, and thank God for Jesus who is God’s solution to the problems of our world.
Check out what Jesus says about his rescue mission as he comes to bring light to a world
where people choose darkness to hide from him in John chapter 3 verses 16 - 21:
“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in
him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to
condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not
condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not
believed in the name of Godʼs one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come
into the world, but men loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20
Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that his
deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it
may be seen plainly that what he has done has been done through God.” John 3:16-21,
NIV.
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Is it right to “market” Jesus?
The Jesus All About Life campaign is spending $1.5million on advertising. Although we
are using the tools of marketing like television ads, this is not a marketing exercise. We
are not “selling” a product and Jesus is not a commodity to be bought, sold and
possessed. We are simply saying “Let us introduce you to Jesus.”
The Bible Society and Christian Churches involved in this campaign are doing what
Christians have done since Jesus told his first disciples to “go and make disciples of all
nations” (See Matthew chapter 28 verse 16-20). We believe that Jesus is the only one
who offers true life in all its fullness. We want to tell people about Jesus so that they can
take a fresh look at his teaching, his actions and his claims. To remain silent would be to
fail to show God’s love.
The Jesus all about life campaign is not “marketing” Jesus. It is aimed at providing a
chance for you to have a conversation or other interaction focussed on Jesus. Why not
take the challenge? Talk to a friend you know who trusts Jesus. Respond via the All About
Life website and order your free copy of Mark’s Gospel, or check out the events organised
by participating churches near you.
Most Australians have not seriously considered Jesus. The Jesus All About Life campaign
is giving people a chance to take the next steps that are appropriate for them as they
check out Jesus‘ offer of life. Jesus is all about life. Listen to his claims and work out your
response:
“...I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” John 10:10, NIV.
“... I am the way and the truth and the life. No-one comes to the Father except
through me.” John 14:6, NIV.
“... God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes
in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:16, NIV.
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Have you got a question?
Email us at aal@jesusallaboutlife.com.au
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