“You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy… Jesus was known as the son of Joseph… Adam was the son of God.”

Luke 3:22-23, 28 (NLT)

JESUS CAME FOR FLAWED PEOPLE

The beauty of this passage is how personal it becomes. Jesus, loved by the Father, took on a fully human life, stepping into our story to change our eternity. Because of Adam’s sin, we all find ourselves in sin, darkness, and death. But in Jesus, we can all find hope. In Romans 5:18–19 (NLT), we read, “Yes, Adam’s one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ’s one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners, but because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous.”

In 2010, a group of Chilean miners were trapped underground for 69 days. Rescue crews worked around the clock to reach them. When they were finally pulled to the surface, one by one, their families cheered with tears and joy. That is what Jesus does. He came into our darkness, not to shout advice from the surface, but to enter the pit Himself. He did not offer a ladder and tell us to climb. He became the way out. Through His life, death, and resurrection, He brings us up from death to life, from lost to found. His mission was you. His mission was to bring you home. That is real love.

If Jesus went to such great lengths to include you in His mission, how will you live in response? What step of faith is He calling you to take?

Steve Roach serves as the Pastor of Spiritual Growth at NorthStar Church. He and his wife, Amy, live in Acworth and have three girls, Olivia, Sydney, and Hayley and one son, Colton.  He enjoys watching sports and spending time with his family.