We Need Jesus

[The following is a manuscript of my message delivered on Sunday morning the 26th of January, 2020 at Pilgrim Reformed Church.  Look for the video of our services on our Vimeo channel:  http://vimeo.com/pilgrimreformedchurch.]

We can read in Luke’s Book of the Acts of the Apostles about all that Paul did in service to our Lord after Jesus showed him the truth.  He traveled throughout the known world, and especially the Gentile lands, spreading the Good News of Jesus and starting churches along the way.  And through Luke’s eyes, we can also get a glimpse of Paul, the man.  But the letters Paul wrote show us much more.

Of the 27 books of the New Testament, 13 or 14 are traditionally attributed to Paul, though some are debatable as to authorship.  His letter to the church in Rome, which he hoped to visit on his way to Spain, paints a good portrait of Paul.  While it was likely intended as an introductory letter prior to his visit, this is actually more of a theological treatise than a personal correspondence.

In this book Paul acknowledges the unique religious heritage of the Jews, but then asserts that righteousness no longer comes through the law handed down by Moses, but instead comes through Jesus.  Paul also spent a good bit of time telling those early Christians how they should live, as new creations and followers of Jesus.  And it all applies to us today, as well.

Please listen and follow along to what Paul wrote in chapter 6 of his letter to the Romans, and I’ll be reading from the New Living Translation of our Holy Bible…

1 Well then, should we keep on sinning so that God can show us more and more of His wonderful grace? 2 Of course not! Since we have died to sin, how can we continue to live in it? 3 Or have you forgotten that when we were joined with Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined Him in His death? 4 For we died and were buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.

5 Since we have been united with Him in His death, we will also be raised to life as He was. 6 We know that our old sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. 7 For when we died with Christ we were set free from the power of sin. 8 And since we died with Christ, we know we will also live with Him. 9 We are sure of this because Christ was raised from the dead, and He will never die again. Death no longer has any power over Him. 10 When He died, He died once to break the power of sin. But now that He lives, He lives for the glory of God. 11 So you also should consider yourselves to be dead to the power of sin and alive to God through Christ Jesus.

12 Do not let sin control the way you live; do not give in to sinful desires. 13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God. 14 Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace.

15 Well then, since God’s grace has set us free from the law, does that mean we can go on sinning? Of course not! 16 Don’t you realize that you become the slave of whatever you choose to obey? You can be a slave to sin, which leads to death, or you can choose to obey God, which leads to righteous living. 17 Thank God! Once you were slaves of sin, but now you wholeheartedly obey this teaching we have given you. 18 Now you are free from your slavery to sin, and you have become slaves to righteous living.

19 Because of the weakness of your human nature, I am using the illustration of slavery to help you understand all this. Previously, you let yourselves be slaves to impurity and lawlessness, which led ever deeper into sin. Now you must give yourselves to be slaves to righteous living so that you will become holy.

20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the obligation to do right. 21 And what was the result? You are now ashamed of the things you used to do, things that end in eternal doom. 22 But now you are free from the power of sin and have become slaves of God. Now you do those things that lead to holiness and result in eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.

--Romans 6 (NLT)

Let us pray…  Father God, after Jesus showed him the truth, Paul lived only to serve the Lord.  He started churches whose heritage we enjoy today.  He wrote letters that still serve to instruct us as they did those early Christians.  Father, thank You giving Paul another chance to serve our Lord and for the wisdom You gave him.  Please help us to better understand what Paul knew and what he tried to share with us.  Please help us always remember just why we need Your Son Jesus.

Speak to us now, Father, through Your Spirit, with the message we need to hear this morning.  Show us how we can better serve You and Jesus.  This we pray in the precious name of Your Son, Christ Jesus our Lord.   Amen.


In the year 381 AD, Gregory of Nazianzus, the Archbishop of Constantinople, wrote:

Jesus began His ministry by being hungry, yet He is the Bread of Life.  Jesus ended His earthly ministry by being thirsty, yet He is the Living Water.  Jesus was weary, yet He is our rest. Jesus paid tribute, yet He is the King.  Jesus was accused of having a demon, yet He cast out demons.  Jesus wept, yet He wipes away our tears.  Jesus was sold for thirty pieces of silver, yet He redeemed the world.  Jesus was brought as a lamb to the slaughter, yet He is the Good Shepherd.  Jesus died, yet by His death He destroyed the power of death.


While Gregory was describing Jesus and what He went through in His life, I think he also tells why we need Jesus.  He is our Bread of Life and Living Water, providing for our needs not only in this life but especially in our life to come.  He is our Lord and King who can rid us of any demons in our life.  He is our Good Shepherd who leads us with compassion, even wiping away our tears.  He is our Redeemer who conquered death itself so that we might have life eternal, freed from our sin.

We need Jesus.


In our scripture reading, Paul is also quite clear in explaining our need, and it mostly centers around the forgiveness of our sins.  He relates our relationship to sin as being one of slavery.  Without Jesus, we are slaves to sin.  We are owned by sin, and that means owned by Satan.  We don’t even know how to do what is right; all we know is how to sin.

Jesus came to us in our slavery to free us from the chains of sin.  But we must truly be His now.  We must fully commit to Jesus, to obeying His voice, to follow the path He set for us.

Let me quickly give you a few more reasons why we need Jesus, in addition to the grace and mercy He offers.  He is the truth, and without Him we could never know the truth.  Our life on this earth is destined to end, none of us can escape death, but Jesus conquered death through His resurrection and now offers us life eternal in paradise.

Through Jesus we are at peace with God, not peace from the turmoil of the world but that deep, inner peace that only God can give.  Without Jesus we would have no hope at all - no hope for salvation, no hope for anything but eternal torment.  He gives us strength when we are weak, joy when we are saddened by this world.

Now all of that involves what the resurrected Jesus offers us, and some may think this is simply wishful thinking or pipe dreams.  But we only have to look at what Jesus did while He walked this earth to see why our trust in His promises is well founded.  Listen to what the Apostle Matthew said in chapter 9 of his Gospel Account, verses 35 and 36…

35 Then Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. 36 But when He saw the multitudes, He was moved with compassion for them, because they were weary and scattered, like sheep having no shepherd.

--Matthew 9:35-36 (NKJV)

Jesus visited all the villages, teaching people and sharing the truth of God’s kingdom with them, healing them of any and all afflictions.  And He had compassion for them, because they had lost their way.  They were wearied from this life, scattered about, going in all different directions, like sheep without a shepherd.

So many of us today are in this condition.  Even some who claim to be followers of Christ Jesus, who call themselves Christian.  There are far too many just like those who Paul spoke of in his letter to the Philippians, chapter 2 verse 21 when he said…

21 For all seek their own, not the things which are of Christ Jesus. 

--Philippians 2:21 (NKJV)

They seek their own way, doing the things they want to do rather than what Christ would have us do.  They act like they don’t need Jesus, not really.  They think, “He was a nice, compassionate man, able to do all sorts of great things, maybe even sent from God, but He’s not here anymore and He can’t really do anything for me”.

This is not why Jesus came to us.  This is not why God sent His only Son into the world.  King David understood this when he wrote the following in verse 20 of Psalm 107…

20 He sent His Word and healed them. And He saved them from the grave.

--Psalm 107:20 (NLV)

God sent His Word, His Son, His Christ into this world to heal us of our sin and to save us from the eternal grave.  Without Jesus, we get none of this.  Without Jesus there is no truth, no hope, no redemption, no healing, no salvation, no life everlasting with God in heaven.  Without Jesus we are lost.

Family, we need Jesus.  The world needs Jesus, whether they believe it or not.  Let’s do what we can to help them see this.  Let’s show them Jesus still lives and is at work in us, through us.  Let’s show them Jesus in our love.  In the blessed name of Christ Jesus our Lord and only hope.  Amen.


Let us pray…  Father God, You sent Your own Son into the world to heal us and offer us salvation from eternal death and torment.  You knew how He would be treated.  Your prophet Isaiah even told that He would be hated and despised.  Yet You sent Him anyway because we were lost and slaves to sin.  Thank You, Father, for sacrificing Your only Son so that we might be forgiven, redeemed, and saved.  Please help us to fully understand our need of this wonderful gift, our need for Jesus and for what He brings us.

Please hear us now, Father, as we come to You in the silence, speaking from our hearts, promising to turn from our disobedient ways, seeking Your forgiveness and Your help…

Lord Jesus, we need You.  Without You we would have no hope whatsoever.  Without Your guidance, we are lost like sheep with no shepherd.  Without Your love, compassion, and mercy, we would still be slaves to sin, bound in chains by Satan.  Help us, please Lord, to understand our need.  Help us to realize just how limited we are without You.  And please help us to show others that they need You, too.  Help us show them You in our lives, in our love.  This we pray in Your blessed name, Christ Jesus our Lord and our Savior.  Amen.