Why Did Jesus Come?

John 1:11-13 {Jesus Christ} came unto His own, and His own received Him not. 12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

What Is The Main Objective?

If you ask a follower of Islam, “What is the main reason Muhammad came?”, they will quote the Quran, saying: “to call people from idolatry to worship Allah alone” (Quran 112:1).

If you ask a follower of Hinduism, “What is the main objective of Hinduism?”, they will quote their sacred texts. “The Bhagavad Gita teaches that attaining God frees a person from repeated birth and death (8:15-16) by bringing you into union with the ultimate reality” (Brahman/god. See Brihadaranyaka Upanishad 1.4.10).

If you ask a follower of Buddhism, “What is the primary purpose of Buddhism?”, they will tell you “To attain nirvana, which liberates you from suffering, desire, ignorance, and the cycle of rebirth” (Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, Dhammapada 203).

But if you ask a follower of Jesus Christ, “Why did Jesus come to this earth? What is the primary purpose of the Christian?”, many of the people you ask will answer from a standpoint of self-centeredness. When I ask, “Why are you a Christian?” many will say one of these two statements:

1. So I can go to Heaven and not hell. (Future blessing)
2. So that God can heal me and make my life better. (Temporary blessing)

It’s certain that the Christian will not go to hell. Jesus said:

(John 5:24 NKJV) Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and BELIEVES IN HIM WHO SENT ME HAS EVERLASTING LIFE, and shall not come into judgment, but has PASSED FROM DEATH INTO LIFE.

Those who leave this life without having received Jesus will abide in a state of spiritual death. The spiritually dead go to an eternal place of condemnation – first, to Hell, and after the Great White Throne to a Lake of Fire. But those who receive Jesus are destined not to that place of death, but to a place where life is celebrated, and rejoicing is forever more. So yes, the Christian has a future blessing coming. But this is not the main reason Jesus came from Heaven to this earth.

And I believe that those who receive Jesus will receive temporary blessings. But being a Christian does not free you from temporary suffering. Jesus said:

John 16:33 in the world YOU SHALL HAVE TRIBULATION

2 Timothy 3:12 … ALL THAT LIVE GODLY IN CHRIST JESUS SHALL SUFFER PERSECUTION

(Philippians 1:29 NKJV) For TO YOU IT HAS BEEN GRANTED on behalf of Christ, NOT ONLY TO BELIEVE IN HIM, but ALSO TO SUFFER FOR HIS SAKE

Christians suffer, just as unbelievers suffer. So that’s not the reason Jesus came. So WHY did Jesus come?

Jesus Came To This Earth To Make Sons Of God

John 1:11-12 {Jesus Christ} came unto His own, and His own received Him not. 12 But as many as received Him, to them gave He power TO BECOME THE SONS OF GOD

When Jesus came as the Christ, the Messiah, the Pharisees were constantly attacking Him. The Pharisees thought that they could bring about the Kingdom of God by spreading the Law and requiring people strictly adhere to it. One day ten lepers came to Jesus to be healed. The Bible says they stood far off and cried out to Jesus,

(Luke 17:13-14 NKJV) “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” [14] So when He saw [them], {Jesus} said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And so it was that AS THEY WENT, THEY WERE CLEANSED.

Jesus commanded them. The ten lepers believed His command, and went to the priests. But notice what happens next:

(Luke 17:15-16 NKJV) And ONE OF THEM, when he saw that he was healed, RETURNED, and WITH A LOUD VOICE GLORIFIED GOD, [16] and FELL DOWN ON HIS FACE AT JESUS’ FEET, giving Him thanks. And HE WAS A SAMARITAN.

Did you see that? Jesus healed all ten lepers. All ten lepers believed Jesus could heal them, but only ONE came back. Who was the ONE who came back? A Samaritan. A Gentile. The Gentile returned to Jesus. The Gentile glorified God with a LOUD VOICE. The Gentile humbled himself, and worshiped his Savior. The Gentile thanked Jesus for what He did. Our focal text today said:

John 1:11 {Jesus Christ} came unto His own, and HIS OWN RECEIVED HIM NOT.

Jesus came to fulfill the promises that God made to Israel. He came to fulfill the promises God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus healed NINE Jewish lepers and ONE Gentile leper. When this one comes back, Jesus says:

(Luke 17:17-18 NKJV) Were there not ten cleansed? But where [are] the nine? [18] Were there not any found who RETURNED TO GIVE GLORY TO GOD EXCEPT THIS FOREIGNER?

Only the Gentile returned. Only the “foreigner” to the promises of Israel came back. Then Jesus says – and please pay attention to this:

(Luke 17:19 NKJV) {Jesus} said to {the Gentile}, “Arise, go your way. YOUR FAITH HAS MADE YOU WHOLE {sōzō}”

Word Study: Most every version of Scripture I find mistranslates the Greek sōzō. The translators look at the healing of the lepers and translate sōzō as:

Your faith has made you WELL
or Your faith has made you WHOLE
or Your faith has HEALED you

Though sōzō can be translated that way, it’s first use in the New Testament is in

Matthew 1:21 … {Mary} will bring forth a Son, and YOU SHALL CALL HIS NAME JESUS, for HE WILL SAVE {sōzō} HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS

Jesus told this Gentile NOT “your faith has healed you”, for the other nine Jews were healed and DID NOT RETURN TO JESUS. That statement would make no sense. ALL TEN WERE HEALED. But only ONE, the Gentile, returns to Jesus and glorifies God.

Jesus is not telling the Gentile “You faith has HEALED you”, but “Your faith has SAVED you”. This man is not just changed on the outside. He is changed ON THE INSIDE. This is what Jesus came to do, to SAVE us, to CHANGE us from the way the nine behaved, and make us like the Gentile.

Right after Jesus blessed the Gentile ex-leper who returned to glorify God, the Pharisees asked Jesus, “When will the Kingdom of God come?”, Jesus told them:

(Luke 17:20-21 NKJV) … The KINGDOM OF GOD DOES NOT COME WITH OBSERVATION; [21] nor will they say, ‘See here!’ or ‘See there!’ For indeed, THE KINGDOM OF GOD IS WITHIN YOU.

Here is why Jesus Christ came to this earth. He came NOT to give us temporary healing (though He will). But Jesus came to do much more. Jesus came to SAVE US FROM OURSELVES. Every one of us are at heart, born into this world self-centered and me first. Every one of us – from the cradle to the grave if we do not find Jesus – are our own gods. We want what we want when we want it. Jesus Christ came to “SAVE HIS PEOPLE FROM THEIR SINS”. He came to free us from the enslavement of sin. He came to make us “new creations”. The Bible says:

(2 Corinthians 5:17 NKJV) Therefore, IF ANYONE IS IN CHRIST, HE IS A NEW CREATION; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new.

(Galatians 6:15 NKJV) For IN CHRIST JESUS neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, BUT A NEW CREATION.

John 1:12 … as many as RECEIVED {Jesus}, to them gave He power TO BECOME THE SONS OF GOD, even to them that BELIEVE ON HIS NAME:

Jesus Christ came to this earth to make sons of God, to re-create us from our selfish ways and to bring us into the Kingdom of God. Those who are in the Kingdom of God return to Jesus. Those who are in the kingdom of God are changed from the inside out. The Law cannot do that. We cannot fix ourselves. Jesus told the Pharisees:

(Matthew 23:25-28 NKJV) Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For YOU CLEANSE THE OUTSIDE OF THE CUP AND DISH, but INSIDE they are FULL OF EXTORTION AND SELF-INDULGENCE. [26] Blind Pharisee, FIRST CLEANSE THE INSIDE OF THE CUP AND DISH, that the outside of them may be clean also. [27] Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed APPEAR BEAUTIFUL OUTWARDLY, but INSIDE ARE FULL OF DEAD BONES AND ALL UNCLEANNESS [28] “Even so you also OUTWARDLY appear righteous to men, but INSIDE you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

So many people who profess Christianity do not have Christ. Outwardly – like the Pharisees – they look good. But INWARDLY they are without God. Like the followers of Islam, of Buddha, of Hinduism they have a man made self made religion. And God in His Grace heals them. I have known Jesus to heal many who have no concern or care in following Him. That’s the kindness and mercy of God. God often heals and reaches out to those who have no love for Jesus, because …

(2 Peter 3:9 LSB) The Lord is … PATIENT TOWARD YOU, NOT WILLING FOR ANY TO PERISH but for ALL TO COME TO REPENTANCE.

Jesus reaches out to every person, no matter who they are, or what state they are in. Jesus offers salvation to whosoever will. Jesus came to this earth to make sons of God. Jesus came to this earth to change us from sin enslaved self -centered monsters into children of the Most High.

Jesus Christ came to make a family on this earth, to bring the Kingdom of God to whosoever will. He suffered not just to save us from a future hell, but to save us from a present hell and detachment from God.

The Bible says:

(Hebrews 2:9-17 LSB) But we do see {Jesus} who was made for a little while lower than the angels—JESUS, BECAUSE OF THE SUFFERING OF DEATH, crowned with glory and honor, so that BY THE GRACE OF GOD HE MIGHT TASTE DEATH FOR EVERYONE. [10] For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in BRINGING MANY SONS TO GLORY, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings. [11] For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of One; for which reason HE IS NOT ASHAMED TO CALL THEM BROTHERS, [12] saying, “I WILL RECOUNT YOUR NAME TO MY BROTHERS, IN THE MIDST OF THE ASSEMBLY I WILL SING YOUR PRAISE.” [13] And again, “I WILL PUT MY TRUST IN HIM.” And again, “BEHOLD, I AND THE CHILDREN WHOM GOD HAS GIVEN ME.” [14] Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, [15] and might free those who through fear of death were SUBJECT TO SLAVERY ALL THEIR LIVES. [16] For assuredly He does not give help to angels, but JESUS GIVES HELP TO THE SEED OF ABRAHAM. [17] Therefore, He had to be made like His brothers in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people.

Jesus didn’t just die to bring us to Heaven. He died to bring the kingdom of Heaven to us, to change us internally, to make us new creations, children of God.

What Must WE Do To Become Sons Of God?

John 1:12 … as many as RECEIVED {Jesus}, to them gave He power TO BECOME THE SONS OF GOD, even to them that BELIEVE ON HIS NAME:

To become a new creature, a child of God, we “RECEIVE” Jesus. We do not receive what we think Jesus is. We receive Jesus as He actually is. The Gentile Leper that came back to Jesus was declared saved by our Lord. What did that Leper do? He returned to Jesus. He glorified God unashamedly and loudly. He humbled himself before Jesus, worshiping Him. He tanked Jesus and was grateful for what the Lord did for Him.

Who is the Jesus YOU believe in? Is it the Jesus of the Bible, or the Jesus of your imagination? The Bible tells us Who Jesus is in this very chapter.

(John 1:1 KJV) In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was WITH God, and the Word WAS God.

Jesus is called “THE Word of God”. Not A Word of God, but THE Word of God. When God speaks to man, He speaks to us through Jesus. God does not speak to us through Muhammad. God does not speak to us through Hinduism, nor Buddhism. God does not speak to us through Joseph Smith, or Mary Baker Eddy. God does not speak to us through some Papal Bull. God speaks to us THROUGH JESUS.

(John 1:18 KJV) No man hath seen God at any time; the ONLY BEGOTTEN SON, which IS IN THE BOSOM OF THE FATHER, HE HATH DECLARED {THE FATHER}.

Jesus Christ is the Only Begotten Son. He was in the beginning with God. He was there at the creation of this earth. The Father planned creation. The Son spoke creation. The Holy Spirit moved on creation.

(John 1:3 KJV) All things were made by {Jesus}; and WITHOUT HIM WAS NOT ANYTHING MADE THAT WAS MADE.

The Father planned, and Jesus made it happen. Jesus is The Word of God. When God said “Let there be Light”, it was Jesus speaking – and “there was light” (Genesis 1:3). When God said “let there be a division in the midst of the waters” (Genesis 1:6), it was Jesus speaking. At every step of creation, when God spoke, the WORD WAS GOD. As creatures were formed, it was Jesus Who made them by the Voice of His mouth. The Bible is clear:

Colossians 1:16-17 (ESV) For BY {JESUS} ALL THINGS WERE CREATED, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—ALL THINGS WERE CREATED THROUGH HIM AND FOR HIM. And HE IS BEFORE ALL THINGS, and IN HIM ALL THINGS HOLD TOGETHER.

To receive Jesus is to receive Him as He is. The Leper on seeing Jesus upon his return fell on his face and worshiped Him. Jesus Christ is the One and Only God the Son, God in the flesh. He was there at creation. It was Jesus that walked in the Garden every evening with Adam and Eve. It was Jesus Who commanded, “You may eat of every tree BUT THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL – for in the day you do it, YOU WILL DIE”. Adam heard Jesus, disobeyed Jesus, and plunged humanity into a sea of sin. The Bible says:

(Hebrews 1:1-2 NKJV) God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, [2] has in these last days SPOKEN TO US BY HIS SON, whom He has appointed heir of all things, THROUGH WHOM HE ALSO MADE THE WORLDS

The Prophets heard the Voice of God, the Word of God, and shared that Word with the Old Testament Saints. When Jesus came He spoke the Word of God DIRECTLY to us. Jesus is Lord.

Saving faith believes Jesus is Lord, that He is God. The Nine Lepers believed Jesus could heal, but the Tenth Leper believed and received Jesus as God in the flesh. He is the Word of God. Jesus is:

God’s self expression
The One Who manifests God
The One through Whom all things are created, and
God’s will made flesh.

A Centurion came to Jesus one day and asked that Jesus heal his servant (Matthew 8:6). Jesus told this Gentile General, “I will come and heal him”. But the Centurion said:

(Matthew 8:8-10, 13 NKJV) … Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But ONLY SPEAK A WORD, and MY SERVANT WILL BE HEALED. [9] For I also am a man under authority, having soldiers under me. And I say to this [one], ‘Go,’ and he goes; and to another, ‘Come,’ and he comes; and to my servant, ‘Do this,’ and he does [it].” [10] When Jesus heard [it], He marveled, and said to those who followed, “Assuredly, I say to you, I HAVE NOT FOUND SUCH GREAT FAITH, not even in Israel! … [13] Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and AS YOU HAVE BELIEVED, SO LET IT BE DONE FOR YOU.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

The Centurion saw Jesus as the Word of God. Not just a teacher, not just a rabbi, but the Living Word of God. The Centurion RECEIVED Jesus as He is. He is Lord.

John 1:12 as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that BELIEVE ON HIS NAME:

Only God can make a Christian. Only God can change us from the inside out. Our part in salvation is to “BELIEVE ON HIS NAME”. To believe that Jesus is the One and Only Son of God. To believe that, as God, Jesus can re-create us. Jesus is the Living Word of God, the Scripture the written Word of God.

Beloved, You Must Be Born Again

John 1:12-13 But as many as received {Jesus}, to them gave He POWER TO BECOME SONS OF GOD, even to them that believe on His name: 13 Which were born, NOT OF BLOOD, NOR OF THE WILL OF THE FLESH, NOR OF THE WILL OF MAN, but of God.

Dear ones, we cannot make ourselves Christians. God must make us Christians. And God will, if you believe and receive Jesus Christ as He is. He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In our first birth we were born spiritually dead and disconnected from God. But Jesus came to change that. God became man so He could take the penalty of man’s sin on Himself.

(1 Peter 2:22-24 NKJV) Who committed no sin, Nor was deceit found in His mouth”; [23] who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed [Himself] to Him who judges righteously; [24] who Himself BORE OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BODY ON THE TREE, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness–by whose stripes you were healed.

Sinless God died for us. When we repent, turning away from our sins and selfishness, and turn toward Jesus receiving Him as He is, He gives us POWER TO BECOME SONS OF GOD. Jesus sends the Holy Spirit of God to us. He causes us to be “BORN AGAIN”. We are born again “NOT OF BLOOD”. It has nothing to do with your earthly family. It has nothing to do with your color, your race, your tribe. It doesn’t matter whether you are from riches or from poverty. Jesus died for whosoever will. Your new birth is “NOR OF THE WILL OF THE FLESH”. You cannot will yourself born again. You cannot do a DIY type of Christianity, like the Pharisees do. You must admit and acknowledge your brokenness, your leprosy of sin, and cry out to Jesus. Your new birth is also “NOT OF THE WILL OF MAN”.

As much as I would like to save you, I cannot.
No Catholic priest can save you.
No Church of Christ water baptism will save you.
No good thing you would do can save you.
If you save yourself, you are no more than a Pharisee.
And Pharisees are hypocrites.

Jesus told us in …

(Matthew 5:20 NKJV) For I say to you, that unless your righteousness EXCEEDS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE SCRIBES AND PHARISEES, you will by NO MEANS ENTER THE KINGDOM OF HEAVEN.

The only thing that will get you into the Kingdom of Heaven, the Kingdom of God, is a flawless righteousness. You must have the righteousness that you receive by receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. When you do, Jesus will send the Holy Spirit to your life. You will receive “POWER TO BECOME SONS OF GOD”.

Jesus came to make sons of God. He came to not just bring us to an eventual Heaven, but to bring the kingdom of God into our hearts. Do you know Him? Oh, how I pray you do! If the Holy Spirit has opened your eyes to your inability and your brokenness, I pray you will receive Jesus – the Word of God – as He is. He is Lord. He is Savior. And He came to bring you into the Family of God. Amen.