Who is Jesus?

 Who is Jesus ?

In the Gospel of John we read,

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  

He was with God in the beginning. 

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  

In him was life, and that life was the light of men....

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. ” John 1:1-4,14

Jesus speaking to his disciples said,

Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  John 14:6.

These are two statements Christians make and ask the listener to believe by faith. The writer of Hebrews stating, 

“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” Hebrews 11:6.

God will never force himself on anyone. He leaves it in the listeners hands.

Many men over the centuries have tried to dispute who Jesus was all ultimately have failed.

Roman Emperor Julian the Apostate, (361-363 A.D.)  an ancient adversary of Christianity. Said in his work against Christianity:

"Jesus…has now been celebrated about three hundred years having done nothing in his lifetime worthy of fame, unless anyone thinks it is a very great work to heal lame and blind people and exorcise demoniacs in the villages of Bethsaida and Bethany."

At the end of his life Julian was forced to say:

"Thou has conquered, O Galilean!"

  What do you think about Jesus? 

Please think about it.

True Treasure

 True Treasure

Jesus said,

“The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field. 

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls.  

When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.” Matthew 13:44-46.

Unfortunately people today are seeing true treasure in all the wrong places. They are quite literally seeking in fields and elsewhere hoping to find material wealth.

They are not looking for true wealth. Which is in heaven. 

Jesus said,

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.  

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.  

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 16:19-21.

What kind of wealth are you seeking?

Please think about it.

Jesus Lunatic or Saviour

 Jesus Lunatic or Saviour?

John’s gospel records this interaction between Jesus and his disciples,

“Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” 

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.  

If you really knew me, you would know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” 

Philip said, “Lord, show us the Father and that will be enough for us.” 

Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?  

Don’t you believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own. Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work.  

Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me; or at least believe on the evidence of the miracles themselves.  John 14:5-11.

This if you think about it is quite the extraordinary statement. Jesus makes two statements that if not true makes him a lunatic. He states,

1. “I am the way the truth and the life. No one come to the Father except through me.”

2.  “I am in the Father, and the Father is in me.”

What Jesus is saying is He is divine. He is God incarnate. The way to Heaven. 

C. S. Lewis said it best in his book Mere Christianity when he wrote,

“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.” C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

This is the choice the writers of the New Testament lay out before the whole world. Either Jesus is God incarnate, the Saviour of mankind, or he is not. The choice is yours.

Please think about it.

A self admitted sinner

 A self admitted sinner

A self admitted sinner the apostle Paul wrote these words,

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst.  

      ‘But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.” 1 Timothy 1:15,16

C. S. Lewis states,

“The Christian does not think God will love us because we are good, but that God will make us good because He loves us.” C.S. Lewis

I firmly believe that we as individuals must search our heart of hearts and in all humility admit that there is sin in our life.

Then we must turn to Jesus, recognize that he is the One and only Son of God, who died for our sins, ask him to forgive our sins and come into our hearts and lives.

For it is only through Christ that we can truly have our sins forgiven and have our lives changed. 

This is what happened to the apostle Paul.

The same apostle Paul that wrote,

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  

Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8.

Have you confessed your sins to God and accepted His forgiveness?

Please think about it. 

To save the world

 To save the world

The writer of Ecclesiastes gives a bleak description of life writing,

“What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun” Ecclesiastes 1:9

"I have seen all the things that are done under the sun; all of them are meaningless, a chasing after the wind." Ecclesiastes 1:14.

Ultimately he concludes,

“Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole  duty of man. 

For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.” Ecclesiastes12:13,14.

God will judge us. For everything we have done right and wrong. 

That being said we as believers in Christ Jesus don’t believe that if our good deeds out weigh our bad deeds we will get to heaven.

We believe God sent Jesus to pay the price for our sins the apostle Paul writing,

"You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.  Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die.  

But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:6-8.

Later in his letter to the Romans Paul writes,

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  

For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile—the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him,  for, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved" Romans 10:9-13

Jesus speaking of himself said,

"For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.  

For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16,17.

So do you believe in God?

Do you believe Jesus paid the price for your sins?

Please think about it. 

 

A Call

 A Call 

“Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. 

Worship the LORD with gladness; 

come before him with joyful songs. 

Know that the LORD is God. 

It is he who made us, and we are his; 

we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. 

Enter his gates with thanksgiving 

and his courts with praise; 

give thanks to him and praise his name. 

For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;

 his faithfulness continues through all generations.”

                                                                          Psalm 100.

Here is a call to all who believe in God. A call to worship Him with gladness. A call reminding us it is He who made us. That we are the sheep of his pasture.

We are called to enter into his courts with praise giving thanks to his name. We do it because we know his love endures forever and his faithfulness to us endures forever through all generations.

Will you answer this call?

Please think about it.

I will love

I will love

Because...

The Bible says,

"And without faith it is impossible to please God, 

because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists 

and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him." 

Hebrews 11:6

I will...Have faith in God..

Because...

according to Romans 5:1,2: 

"...having been justified by faith, we have peace with God

 through our LORD Jesus Christ, 

through whom also we have access by faith into this grace 

which we stand, and rejoice in hope of glory of God."

I will rejoice in the glory of God...

Because... 

Jesus said in Matthew 22:37-40:

"...you shall love the LORD your God 

with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.  

This is the first and greatest commandment.  

And the second is like it: 

"You shall love your neighbour as yourself.  

On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

I will love God, my family, my friends and my foes.

Because...

"He (God) first loved us."

1 John 4:19

I will...love God

Because...

"God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, 

that whoever believes in Him should not perish 

but have everlasting life."  

John 3:16

I will...love God

Because... 

Jesus said, "A new command I give you: 

Love one another. 

As I have loved you, 

so you must love one another.  

By this all men will know that you are my disciples,

 if you love one another." 

John 13:34,35

I will...love my brothers and sisters in Christ.

Because...

Jesus said, "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 

bless those who curse you, 

and pray for those who spitefully use you."   

Luke 6:27,28

I will...love my enemies.

Because...

The Bible says, "Love suffers long and is kind: 

love does not envy; loves does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, 

is not provoked, thinks no evil; 

does not rejoice in iniquity, 

but rejoices in the truth; 

bears all things; believes all things, 

hopes all things, 

endures all things...

"Now abides faith, hope and love, 

these three; 

but the greatest of these is love.   

 I Corinthians 13:4-7 

I will...I will love Gods way. 

Unconditionally.

Bless

 Bless

To all those who have read my blogs throughout the years I would just like to thank you and dedicate this verse from the book of numbers.

"The Lord bless you and keep you;

 the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; 

the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace" 

                                                                            Numbers 6:24-26.

Please in all you do throughout the coming year take time to bless someone. As our Lord and Saviour Christ Jesus said,

"So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets" Matthew 7:12.

Please don’t just think about it. 

Do it.  

The God I serve

 The God I serve

In the book of Isaiah we read,

"Have you not known? Have you not heard?

The Lord is the everlasting God?

The Creator of the ends of the earth.

He does not faint or grow weary;

his understanding is unsearchable." 

                                                   Isaiah 40:28.

This is the God I serve. An almighty God who is everlasting, who never grows faint or weary. Not only that.

In the book of Psalms we read,

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 

I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 

My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be." Psalm 139:13-16.

Which tells me God knows me intimately. 

Is this the God you serve?

Please think about it

A Child of God

 A Child of God

In John’s Gospel we read,

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  

He was with God in the beginning. 

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  

In him was life, and that life was the light of men....

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. " John 1:1-4,14.

Today is Christmas day. The day when we Christians. We who believe in Christ Jesus celebrate his birth.

The time we believe, that God in the form of His One and Only Son Jesus, became flesh.    The one who made the universe and everything in it came into the world to save all who would believe in Him.

The apostle John writes,

"He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him.  

He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him.  

Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God  children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God.” John 1:10-13.

Do you believe this?

Please think about it.

The Lord God

 The Lord God

In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.  

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.  

You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God" Luke 1:26-32.

Here is something I feel is so unbelievable that it has to be true. Mary the mother of Christ encounters an angel that tells her that the baby she is carrying will be called “the Son of the Most High. The Lord God.”

If this were not true why would Luke include it in his gospel, after all it seems outlandish. 

The fact is however, Mary was visited by an angel who told her told her the child she was carrying was the Son of the Most High. Then leaves it up to the reader to believe it or not.

Question: Do you believe Jesus is The Lord God?

Please think about it.

Have you confessed

 Have you confessed?

One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 

But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?  

We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'" 

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:39-43.

Christmas is just a few days away. It is the day we as Christians, as followers of Christ Jesus celebrate the coming of our Saviour Christ Jesus. The suffering Messiah who would give his life for our sins.

That being said we Christians tend to have a formula in order to get to heaven. “Say the sinner prayer.” “Confess your sins to God etc.”.

But in the above scripture one of the criminals didn’t follow a formula. He simply admitted he was deserving of his punishment, believed Jesus was who he said he was. To which Jesus said “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”.

The apostle Paul writing to the Romans wrote,

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame."  Romans 10:9-11.

So do you believe Jesus is the Saviour of all who believe in him. If so have you confessed your sins to Him. 

Please think about it.

Face to Face

 Face to Face

In the book of Psalms we read,

“One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple.” Psalm 27:4.

For me especially if I’ve had a hard day. This verse of scripture gives me hope and rest for my soul.

I am looking forward to the day when I will see the LORD in person. So what about you? If you claim to be a Christian a true follower of Christ Jesus. Are you waiting for the day you will meet God face to face?

Please think about it. 

Not cleverly invented stories

 Not cleverly invented stories

The apostle Peter wrote,

“We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.  

For he received honour and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased."  

We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain." 2 Peter 1:19-18.

Here we have the apostle Peter one of Christ’s closest followers. He had followed Jesus for the entirety of his ministry. He had seen the miracles, and the healings. He knew Jesus intimately.  That’s why he could say he did not follow “cleverly invented stories”. As could all of Christs apostles.

Peter wrote these words within the lifetime of people who knew Jesus. So him propagating such a lie would raise alarm bells.

In fact if any of the apostles said things that were not true it would push people away from Christ. The exact opposite to what they wanted to do. 

Further more it would be the biggest lie of all time as over two billion people today believe Jesus is the Son of God, God in the flesh. The saviour of all who would believe in Him.

Do you believe in God and the Salvation that comes from Jesus?

Please think about it. 

On Which Cross are you?

 On Which Cross are You?

In Luke’s gospel we read this about Christ’s crucifixion,

"One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!" 

But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence?  

We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." 

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.'" 

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." Luke 23:39-43.

The first criminal wanted Jesus to do things his way, perform a miracle and get them off the cross. 

The second recognized Jesus for who is was (the Saviour of all who would believe in him). He then went on to confess his sin. To which Jesus said “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise”.

This is the way the apostles John and Paul tells us we get to heaven. John writing,

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.”1John 1:9

The apostle Paul writing,

"That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  

For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved.

As the Scripture says, "Anyone who trusts in him will never be put to shame." Romans 10:9-11.

So my question to you dear reader is, On which cross are you?

Please think about it.

Chariots horses or God

 Chariots horses or God?

The Psalmist writes,

"I love you, O LORD, my strength. 

The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; 

my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. 

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, 

my stronghold." 

                             Psalm 18:1,2

In Psalm 20 we read,

“Some trust in chariots and some in horses, 

but we trust in the name of the LORD our God” 

                                                              Psalm 20:7.

Where I your trust? Do you trust in your own power or in God’s power? It is a question we must all answer.

So I ask you whom do you truly trust in the good times and in the bad times, is it in God or something else?

Please think about it.

 The light of the world

Jesus said,

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  

Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.  

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven." Matthew 5:14-16.

Notice here Jesus says “you are the light of the world”. It is the Christian, the true believer in Christ Jesus that is the light of the world. It is the individual believer who is responsible for taking the light of the gospel to the world. Francis of Assisi wrote,

"Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.

Where there is hatred, let me sow love,

Where there is injury, pardon;

Where there is doubt, faith;

Where there is despair, hope;

Where there is darkness, light;

And where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek

to be consoled as to console,

to be understood as to understand,

to be loved, as to love.

For it is in giving that we receive,

It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,

and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life." 

                                                                          Francis of Assisi

Are you a true instrument of God?

Please think about it.

Madman or God Incarnate

 Madman or God Incarnate?

"In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth."

                                                                                   Genesis 1:1.

The Bible doesn’t debate the existence of God. It was written to believers and believers in God accept the fact that God does exist.

In the New Testament the apostle John tells us,

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  

He was with God in the beginning. 

Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.  

In him was life, and that life was the light of men....

The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth. " John 1:1-4,14.

Here John refers to Jesus as “the word”. 

        He tells us that “...the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” 

that,...“He was with God in the beginning.” 

That “Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.”

That, “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.”

And lastly and most importantly, “We (John the other disciples and believers)  have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

John truly believed, Jesus is God incarnate.

I like what C. S. Lewis in the book Mere Christianity says about Jesus,

"I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to." C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.

So who do you think Jesus is?

Please think about it.

Hope in all situations

Hope in all situations

The apostle Paul writes,

“Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God.  

Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.  

  And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:1-5.

God dose not promise us a life without problems, but He dose offer us hope in all situations. As someone has said “Hope is not that everything will work out well but that God has everything under control.”

As believers in Christ Jesus we have peace knowing that Christ is with us in our journey through this life no matter how easy of tough that journey may be. 

At the same time should we for whatever reason die we have peace in the knowledge that we will pass from this life into the arms of God.

Thus the question remain; 

Is your hope in Christ Jesus? 

Do you have peace in your heart?

Please think about it.

Why the Crucifixion?

 Why the Crucifixion?

In the Gospel of Luke we read,

“In the sixth month, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin's name was Mary.  

The angel went to her and said, "Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you." 

Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be.  

But the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, you have found favour with God.  

You will be with child and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus.  

He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God" Luke 1:26-32.

This portion of scripture is fulfilled at the end of Luke’s gospel and approximately 33 years later Luke stating,

“On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb.  

They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.  

While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them.  

In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, "Why do you look for the living among the dead?  

He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee:  

‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.' "  

Then they remembered his words. 

When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others.  

It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles.” Luke 24:1-10.

The one thing that differentiates Christianity and other faiths is the fact we believe Jesus was crucified for our sins, died, then rose from the grave. That he walked the earth and was seen by many people and eventually rose into heaven.

The apostle Paul telling us,

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8.

In the suffering of Jesus we see just how far in human terms that God would go to show you the way to heaven and eternal life.

The apostle John writing,

"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."1John 1:9. 

If you were to die tonight where would you spend eternity.

Please think about it.