Why Did Jesus Come?

John the Baptist was the only man sent by God to manifest Jesus to Israel, and thus he had the message that told what Jesus was coming for: “There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost" (Mk. 1:7,8). It’s noteworthy also to see Johns’ testimony of what God actually said to him about Jesus: "And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost" (Jn. 1:33). I believe that we can rest assured with those two witnesses. When Jesus came on the scene, he also had a message: "From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mat. 4:17). We have one scripture that definitively says what the kingdom of heaven, or the kingdom of God is: "For the kingdom of God [heaven] is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the holy Ghost" (Rom. 4:17). So John and Jesus were in unison about the mission of Jesus here on this earth, namely to make a way for him to baptize with the holy Ghost. So what did Jesus instruct his apostles to preach when he sent them out? "And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand”(Mat. 10:7). So it is evident that Jesus was diligent to keep the message of his mission simplistic in truth, and consistent. He knew what his followers needed, meaning obviously the holy Ghost, and he told them that they could not receive the Spirit until he left this world (Jn. 16:7).

Finally, after Jesus had been with his disciples for three years, and had laid down his life, and taken it up again; what final instructions did he deem necessary to leave his followers with? “And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence" (Acts 1:4,5). There was also another interesting thing he told them just before they watched him ascend into heaven on a cloud: "But ye shall receive power, after that the holy Ghost is come upon you" (Acts 1:8). Now that is an interesting statement because of the following statement of the apostle Paul, defining for us what the Gospel is: "For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth" (Rom. 1:16). And to be certain that this power comes through the baptism that Jesus baptizes with, we have Colossians 2:12: "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation [power] of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” After he went away, all those who followed the final instructions of Jesus were baptized with the holy Ghost, and they all spoke with other tongues as God’s Spirit confirmed their experience with this heaven sent sign (Acts 2:4). I must tell you friend, that this Gospel that the Son of God gave his life for has never changed. Men have taken away from, and added to it to their own spiritual hurt and demise, but the God who never changes has not done so (Mal. 4:6; Jas. 1:17). Neither has the Son, who also is unchangeable, ever changed anything about this new birth experience that he came to establish (Heb. 13:8; I Cor. 12:13; Eph. 4:5). Amen.