Who is Jesus? 1

When you think of Jesus who comes to mind?

Who He was or who He is? Was He just a man? Or is He GOD?

Do you know Him, personally, intimately, spiritually?

Do you count on Him, trust in Him, seek Him, talk with Him, walk with Him?

Do you call on His name for everything?

How you answer with your life is how important is He to you?

If Jesus to you is just a man, then he is not of importance, if Jesus to you is just a teacher then he is of no importance in eternity.

C.S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity writes the following: “I am trying here to prevent anyone from saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him [Jesus Christ]: '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 a level with a 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 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 up with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that option open to us. He did not intend to.”

Jesus undeniably claimed to be God. If He is not God, then He is a liar, and that would disqualify him from being a prophet, a godly man, or a good teacher.

There are many attempts to explain away the words of Jesus, so called “scholars” claim that the “true historical Jesus” did not say what the Bible attributes to Him. As if they were there listening to Him teach. While those who wrote the gospels had firsthand knowledge, or the accounts of Jesus Life were spoken to them by those who did have firsthand knowledge.

Man’s problem is we think we are smarter than God, that we do not need God, and that Jesus is just someone who if He did exist, (and there is more proof that He did, than most historical figures) was nothing more than a good man.

The real question is who are we a created being, to challenge the authority of God’s word, spoken by the prophets long ago, fulfilled by the power of God alone, who are we to be questioning what Jesus did or did not say?

How can a so-called scholar who did not have any experience with Jesus have greater insight into what Jesus said or did as He lived among men, taught them, healed them, died for them and then resurrected from the grave and walked with them again?

The short answer is they can’t.

Jesus is more than we know, but He is all we need to know.

Jesus is:

God John 10:30, John 8:58

My LORD & GOD John 20:28

My Maker, Isaiah 54:5

My God & Savior 2 Peter 1:1

My Hope 1Timothy 1:1

My Brother Mark 3:35

My Portion Jeremiah 10:16

My Helper Hebrews 13:6

My Physician Jeremiah 8:22

My Healer Luke 9:11

My Refiner Malachi 3:3

My Purifier Malachi 3:3

My Lord, Master John 13:13

My Servant Luke 12:37

My Example John 13:15

My Teacher John 3:2

My Shepherd Psalms 23:1

My Keeper John 17:12

My Freedom Ezekiel 34:23

My Leader Isaiah 40:11

My Restorer Psalms 23:3

My Resting-place Jeremiah 50:6

My Passover 1Corinthinas 5:7

My Peace Ephesians 2:14

My Wisdom, My Righteousness

My Sanctification, My Redemption

My All in All 1Corinthians 1:30

God’s word says:

1 Long ago God spoke to the fathers by the prophets at different times and in different ways. 2 In these last days, he has spoken to us by his Son. God has appointed him heir of all things and made the universe through him. 3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact expression of his nature, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 So he became superior to the angels, just as the name he inherited is more excellent than theirs.  5 For to which of the angels did he ever say, You are my Son; today I have become your Father, or again, I will be his Father, and he will be my Son?  6 Again, when he brings his firstborn into the world, he says, And let all God's angels worship him.  7 And about the angels he says: He makes his angels winds, and his servants a fiery flame, 8 but to the Son: Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and the scepter of your kingdom is a scepter of justice.  9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; this is why God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of joy beyond your companions.  10 And: In the beginning, Lord, you established the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands; 11 they will perish, but you remain. They will all wear out like clothing; 12 you will roll them up like a cloak, and they will be changed like clothing. But you are the same, and your years will never end.  13 Now to which of the angels has he ever said: Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies your footstool?  Hebrews 1:1-13 CSB

1 Now I want to make clear for you, brothers and sisters, the gospel I preached to you, which you received, on which you have taken your stand 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold to the message I preached to you unless you believed in vain. 3 For I passed on to you as most important what I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the Twelve. 6 Then he appeared to over five hundred brothers and sisters at one time; most of them are still alive, but some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one born at the wrong time, he also appeared to me.  9 For I am the least of the apostles, not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me. 11 Whether, then, it is I or they, so we proclaim and so you have believed.  12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say, "There is no resurrection of the dead"? 13 If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised; 14 and if Christ has not been raised, then our proclamation is in vain, and so is your faith. 15 Moreover, we are found to be false witnesses about God, because we have testified wrongly about God that he raised up Christ; whom he did not raise up, if in fact the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is worthless; you are still in your sins. 18 Those, then, who have fallen asleep in Christ have also perished. 19 If we have put our hope in Christ for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone.  20 But as it is, Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead also comes through a man. 22 For just as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive.  23 But each in his own order: Christ, the firstfruits; afterward, at his coming, those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father, when he abolishes all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he puts all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be abolished is death. 27 For God has put everything under his feet. Now when it says "everything" is put under him, it is obvious that he who puts everything under him is the exception. 28 When everything is subject to Christ, then the Son himself will also be subject to the one who subjected everything to him, so that God may be all in all.  1Corinthians 15:1-28 CSB

Truth or Consequences

God has called us all to obedience, He does not tolerate disobedience for long, He gives us what we deserve and turns us over to our own deprived hearts.

God has allowed evil men to rule, when His people have turned their backs on Him from the beginning God told His people that they would regret having rulers and still today I believe we do, submitting to God is easier than submitting to man, God's ways are perfect our ways are not.

It is not God's will for our society to take the life of innocent children, it is not God's will that our society be morally bankrupt, it is not God's will that we as a culture be sexually corrupt, it is not God's will will that widows and orphans be trampled on, the poor exploited,or racial divisions these perversions are all the result of the rule of man.

It is time to turn from our ways and back to God our creator, His way is the only way.

Psalms 81, Romans 1:16-32 Isaiah 55:6-11, Exodus 20:1-17,John 14:6

The heart of man

God's word says the “heart” is who we really are at our core. According to God's word living the Christian life, is about loving God with all of our hearts. God is not content to live on the fringes of our lives.

He will settle for nothing short of the center!

This is in stark contrast to the most popular views of the Christian life. But this is what God says, not man.

For most non believers and believers alike, a believers life is a matter of keeping the rules.

While God knows and cares about our behavior, the Bible tells us about redemption , this picture of a believer’s life is based on the work of Jesus Christ not mankind.

The Bible tells us that believers our life is based on a new relationship with God that brings hope and peace and consumes the very core of our daily lives!

A Christian is someone whose life is installed by the Holy Spirit and love of God. And with all we are hearts we need to seek Him first and foremost , we can not harbor in our hearts any other idols , we can not know Him and serve ourselves, we can not know Him and stay the same, the good news is He changes us we must believe, repent and submit in and to Him.

God's word is clear, His name will not be mocked.

“This is what the Lord of Hosts, the God of Israel, says: Correct your ways and your deeds, and I will allow you to live in this place. Do not trust deceitful words, chanting: This is the temple of the Lord , the temple of the Lord , the temple of the Lord . Instead, if you really change your ways and your actions, if you act justly toward one another,   if you no longer oppress the foreigner, the fatherless, and the widow and no longer shed innocent blood in this place or follow other gods, bringing harm on yourselves, I will allow you to live in this place, the land I gave to your ancestors long ago and forever. But look, you keep trusting in deceitful words that cannot help. “Do you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, burn incense to Baal, and follow other gods that you have not known?  Then do you come and stand before Me in this house called by My name and say, ‘We are delivered, so we can continue doing all these detestable acts’? Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your view? Yes, I too have seen it.” This is the Lord ’s declaration.

Jeremiah 7:3-11

I can only imagine

It is hard to imagine at times a world of peace, we all hope and should pray that day comes soon. But as long as there is sin in this world, chaos, death, destruction, anger, hostility all the enemies of peace will have the upper hand. There is coming a day though when Christ shall return, and when He does hope will be fulfilled, peace will be installed, and love will rule our lives.

Jim Daily from focus on the family recently posted this.

"I want every child to grow up in a home with a mom and a dad, with parents who tuck them into warm beds on cold nights with a kiss, a hug and prayers of assurance.

I want the most innocent and vulnerable among us, pre-born children, to be protected under the rule of law.
I want God’s gift of marriage to be celebrated, not redefined.

I want our nation’s schoolchildren to walk in and out of their classrooms with a spirited and excited spring in their step, not looking over their shoulder or wondering if their school is safe.

I want a world where we celebrate not denigrate our pastors, these brave and courageous individuals who extend God’s love to all people and who preach the Gospel with boldness and courage.

I want to live in a colorblind society, among people who see the character of a person, not the pigment of their skin or their place on the social class ladder.

I want our leaders to respect our religious freedoms and not force us to choose between violating our conscience and following the laws of the land.

I want peace, not war – militarily, politically, physically, socially and emotionally."

Jeremiah 23:5-6 HCSB

“The days are coming”  — this is the Lord ’s declaration — “when I will raise up a Righteous Branch of David. He will reign wisely as king and administer justice and righteousness in the land. In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. This is what He will be named: Yahweh Our Righteousness.

Philippians 2:1-11 HCSB

If then there is any encouragement in Christ, if any consolation of love,  if any fellowship with the Spirit,  if any affection and mercy,   fulfill my joy by thinking the same way,  having the same love,  sharing the same feelings, focusing on one  goal. Do nothing out of rivalry  or conceit,  but in humility  consider others as more important  than yourselves. Everyone should look out not only for his own interests,  but also for the interests of others. Make your own attitude that of Christ Jesus, who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God as something to be used for His own advantage. Instead He emptied Himself by assuming the form of a slave, taking on the likeness of men. And when He had come as a man in His external form, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death — even to death on a cross. For this reason God highly exalted Him and gave Him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee will bow  — of those who are in heaven  and on earth and under the earth  — and every tongue  should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory  of God the Father.

Revelation 21:1-8 HCSB

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth,  for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away,  and the sea no longer existed.   I also saw the Holy City,  new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,  prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. Then I heard a loud voice  from the throne:   Look! God’s dwelling  is with humanity, and He will live with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will no longer exist; grief, crying, and pain will exist no longer, because the previous things  have passed away. Then the One seated on the throne said, “Look! I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words  are faithful and true.”   And He said to me, “It is done!  I am the Alpha and the Omega,  the Beginning and the End.  I will give water as a gift to the thirsty  from the spring of life.   The victor  will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be My son.   But the cowards, unbelievers,  vile, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars  — their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur,  which is the second death.”

Even so come quickly Lord Jesus, Merry Christmas, may there be peace on earth and goodwill towards all men.

A year of Jubilee

The year our Lord Jesus Christ was born was a year of Jubilee, the year of Jubilee is quite special in Jewish heritage.

"The Jubilee year is the completion of the sabbatical years. Every 7 years God commanded Israel to take an entire Sabbath year. A full year of rest. Enjoy His presence. But every 7th cycle of 7 years (so every 49 years) Israel threw an incredible party that entailed a few things like large scale debt getting cancelled, slaves would be set free, and God’s presence would be particularly manifest in the year of Jubilee. And during Jubilee they were commanded to celebrate, party, sign, dance, and shout". ( from Jefferson Bethke )

When you read the genealogy of Matthew 1 you can see the importance of the list of names because it is pointing to the celebration of Jubilee that we still celebrate today. Every word, every name is written in the word of God for a reason, not by chance, not random thought's, but for a reason. We might not understand them at first, but with guidance from the Holy Spirit, and a little research you can see the wonder of God's word.

Christ came in the year of Jubilee to cancel our spiritual debts. All who where slaves to sin are set free through Him. All who still are slaves to sin can only be set free through Him. This is one of the reasons we celebrate the work God has done, and is doing through the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. When Christ came He brought with Him an entire way of living, loving, and knowing God.

This Christmas season celebrate the year of jubilee, if your free today from the chains of sin in you're life thank Jesus Christ, and if you're not then seek Him out today, and He will reveal the truths,the scriptures tell us to seek and you will find.

Matthew 1:1-25 HCSB

The  historical record   of Jesus Christ, the Son of David,  the Son of Abraham: Abraham fathered  Isaac, Isaac fathered Jacob, Jacob fathered Judah and his brothers, Judah fathered Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez fathered Hezron, Hezron fathered Aram, Aram fathered Amminadab, Amminadab fathered Nahshon, Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz by Rahab, Boaz fathered Obed by Ruth, Obed fathered Jesse, and Jesse fathered King David. Then  David fathered Solomon by Uriah’s wife, Solomon fathered Rehoboam, Rehoboam fathered Abijah, Abijah fathered Asa, Asa  fathered Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat fathered Joram, Joram fathered Uzziah, Uzziah fathered Jotham, Jotham fathered Ahaz, Ahaz fathered Hezekiah, Hezekiah fathered Manasseh, Manasseh fathered Amon, Amon fathered Josiah, and Josiah fathered Jechoniah and his brothers at the time of the exile to Babylon. Then after the exile to Babylon Jechoniah fathered Shealtiel, Shealtiel fathered Zerubbabel, Zerubbabel fathered Abiud, Abiud fathered Eliakim, Eliakim fathered Azor, Azor fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Achim, Achim fathered Eliud, Eliud fathered Eleazar, Eleazar fathered Matthan, Matthan fathered Jacob, and Jacob fathered Joseph the husband of Mary, who gave birth to  Jesus who is called the Messiah. So all the generations from Abraham to David were 14 generations; and from David until the exile to Babylon, 14 generations; and from the exile to Babylon until the Messiah, 14 generations. The birth of Jesus Christ came about this way: After His mother Mary had been engaged to Joseph, it was discovered before they came together that she was pregnant by the Holy Spirit.   So her husband Joseph, being a righteous man,  and not wanting to disgrace her publicly, decided to divorce her secretly. But after he had considered these things, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, son of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife, because what has been conceived in her is by the Holy Spirit.   She will give birth to a son, and you are to name Him Jesus,   because He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: See, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and they will name Him Immanuel, which is translated “God is with us.” When Joseph got up from sleeping, he did as the Lord’s angel had commanded him. He married her   but did not know her intimately until she gave birth to a son.  And he named Him Jesus.

John 8:34:36 Jesus answered them, "Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. "And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

The perfect Gift.

When the magi came we see that they followed the star, the Bible says it was Christ star, the Heavens announced the birth of the King, and the astronomers new this. Then they come to Jesus and notice they find Him on Mary's lap probably between 6 months and 2 years, we know this only because of the wickedness of Herod later in Matthew. But notice they're worship Him alone, not Mary, not Joseph, while they play a part in history, they are vessels not idols to he worshipped.

Then the gifts, three gifts many magi, each of great significance.

Gold a precious metal and a very valuable commodity. Its value financed Joseph and Mary’s trip to Egypt. Gold represents divinity and is mentioned throughout the Bible, the Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with gold (Exodus 25:10-17). The gift of gold to the Christ child was symbolic of His divinity—God in flesh.

Frankincense is a white resin or gum. It is highly fragrant when burned and was therefore used in worship, where it was burned as a pleasant offering to God (Exodus 30:34). Frankincense is a symbol of holiness and righteousness. The gift of frankincense to the Christ child was symbolic of His willingness to become a sacrifice, wholly giving Himself up, analogous to a burnt offering.

Myrrh was a spice and was used in embalming. It was also sometimes mingled with wine to form an article of drink. Such a drink was given to our Savior when He was about to be crucified, as a stupefying potion (Mark 15:23). Matthew 27:34 refers to it as “gall.” Myrrh symbolizes bitterness, suffering, and affliction. The baby Jesus would grow to suffer greatly as a man and would pay the ultimate price when He gave His life on the cross for all who would believe in Him.

Each gift had a meaning, but the greatest gift of all is Jesus Christ, God the Father's wonderful, gracious,perfect gift of love.

I wonder do you know Him?

Matthew 2:1-4, 9-12 HCSB

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the east arrived unexpectedly in Jerusalem,   saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews?  For we saw His star in the east   and have come to worship Him.” When King Herod heard this, he was deeply disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. So he assembled all the chief priests and scribes  of the people and asked them where the Messiah would be born. After hearing the king, they went on their way. And there it was — the star they had seen in the east!  It led them until it came and stopped above the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed beyond measure. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary His mother, and falling to their knees, they worshiped Him.  Then they opened their treasures and presented Him with gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.   And being warned  in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their own country by another route.

Luke 2:8-14 HCSB

In the same region, shepherds were staying out in the fields and keeping watch at night over their flock. Then an angel of the Lord  stood before  them,  and the glory of the Lord  shone around them, and they were terrified.   But the angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid,  for look, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people:   Today a Savior,  who is Messiah  the Lord,  was born for you in the city of David. This will be the sign for you:  You will find a baby wrapped snugly in cloth and lying in a feeding trough.” Suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth  to people He favors!