What Jesus Has Done For Us

By Dan C. Bailey       All of us have been assisted by friends in some way and somewhere along the road of life. With gratitude in our hearts we reflect upon that assistance and we usually express it with our lips by saying, "Thank you." Jesus has done so much for us, yet so few thank him by surrendering their lives to His service and submitting to His blessed will. It is good for us to take the time to think about what Jesus has done for us.     Jesus came down from heaven and left the glory that He had with the Father for our sakes. "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was" (John 17:5).     Jesus was rich but He became poor for us. "For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich" (II Corinthians 8:9).     Jesus became flesh in order that He might die for all of mankind. "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man" (Hebrews 2:9). Jesus had no sins but He was reviled and beaten in order that we might be healed. "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" (I Peter 2:22-24).     Jesus was wounded for our transgressions. "But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5).      Jesus was oppressed and afflicted in order to obey the Father and to die for our sins. "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7). "And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt" (Matthew 26:39). "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father" (Galatians 1:4).     Jesus was despised and rejected of men in order that we might be acceptable to God. "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not" (Isaiah 53:3). "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Ephesians 1:7). "And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby" (Ephesians 2:16). "This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved" (Acts 4:11-12).     These are just a few of the things that Jesus has done for us. We need to ask ourselves, "What have we done for Jesus?"

- Dan C. Bailey serves as a minister with the State Street Church of Christ in Bristol, VA. He may be contacted through the congregation's website at https://www.thelordsway.com/statestreetchurchofchrist/framedindex.asp?Group=Home