Jesus In A Nutshell

Reminds me of a programming book "Perl In A Nutshell". :-)

I took a break from reading through kings to skim one of the gospel accounts. I thought it would be interesting to through and see a big overview of what Jesus talked about while he was here on earth. Here are the key points as I saw them in a nutshell:

1) There is good news for the underdog. Jesus came for us. After all, he came to seek, find, and restore the lost. He didn't come so much to seek and find the stubborn hard-hearted people who refuse to believe him no matter what.

2) We have to see our own sin. We have to come before God in humility and repent of our sins. That means agreeing with God and turning away from sinful behavior and turning toward him. That means getting crap out of our lives that cause us to sin against God.

3) God's Word matters. He wants us to keep it. Judgment will come. The righteous who keep it will be rewarded, while the wicked who do not will be punished.

4) God, however, doesn't want anyone to perish. He wants everyone to turn to him, and the invitation is there for all people. Even so, many will not accept it and turn to him.

5) We need to believe in, and we need to believe, Jesus. We need to follow him. We need to trust him. We need to recognize his divinity.

6) Jesus came to suffer and die for us, paying the price for our sins that we cannot pay on our own.

7) We need to love God above all else and love others very much. We need to put him and his kingdom first.

8) The expression of that love is more than a feeling. It's actions. We need to do something tangible to show God's love to others.

9) The motives behind our actions are extremely important. God cares about the heart.

10) Jesus is coming back and we need to be ready. He will reward the righteous and punish the wicked. Until he comes, we need keep his commandments, point others to him, and be wary of those who will pull us away from him.

There is much more to say than that, but that is the overview. If we get these and keep God's Word, we do well.

Grace and Peace friends!