JESUS IS GOD

Proclamation:

"In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God." John 1:1

Explanation:

These words were written under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God by the Apostle John, the youngest of the twelve disciples and the one who refers to himself as the disciple whom Jesus loved. (John 13:23)  The Book of The Bible entitled “John”, or “The Gospel According to John”, was written to believers so that they would know that Jesus is God. (John 20:31)  Here John states that in the beginning of everything was The Word.  The Word was there at the beginning with God, and in fact he states that The Word was God.  To make sure that the people understood that he was referring to Jesus, he later said that The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. (John 1:14)  This verse refers to The Son of God and His human birth via the virgin Mary.  Some Bible scholars believe that The Son of God is called “The Word” because we use our words explain our minds to others and He was sent to us to reveal the mind of God, The Father, to the world.

Application:

God is.  He exists, He is real, and He is alive.  God was, God is, and God always will be.  He existed before time began and He will exist after time ends.  He created time. (Genesis 1:14)  Everything that was made He created by speaking it into existence. (Genesis 1:3 and John 1:3)  Jesus was there with God at the very beginning.  “The Word” refers to Jesus, The Christ, The Son of God.  Jesus is God.  "For there are three that bear witness in heaven, The Father, The Word, and The Holy Ghost; and these three are one." (1 John 5:7)  Jesus said, “I and My Father are one.” (Matthew 10:30)  There exists God, The Father, The Word of God, and The Spirit of God, three attributes of one God.  As human beings we have only a limited capacity for understanding and some things about God we just don’t understand.  However, we are blessed for believing without seeing for ourselves. (John 20:29)  Jesus is God.  The Bible says it, I believe it, and that settles it!

Christ Has Compassion For Us

"Who is He that condemns?  Christ Jesus, who died, more than that, who was raised to life, is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us."  Romans 8:34 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul, the author of thirteen of the twenty-seven Books of The New Testament, in his letter to the believers in Rome said that it is Jesus Christ, who was crucified and died and rose from the dead, who judges us and who makes intercession for us. 

Christ has compassion for us, He understands what it is that we go through.  He was not received by His own people (John 1:11); He endured rejection, (Isaiah 53:3); He was tempted (Matthew 4:1 and Mark 1:13); He hungered (Luke 4:2); He wept (John 11:35);  He had compassion for suffering people. (Matthew 9:36, 14:14, 15:32, and 20:34)    He was lied on (Matthew 26:60); During His three and one half year earthly ministry, Jesus suffered the same plight as we suffer. (Hebrews 2:18)  In fact, He had it worse than most of us, He was also homeless. (Matthew 8:20 and Luke 9:8)  He was spat upon (Matthew 27:30);  He was scourged with barbed whips (Mark 15:15)  He knows what it is like to be human, to be tempted, and to be done wrong.  He who was without sin, became sin for our sake. (Galatians 1:4 and 1 John 2:2)  He now is making intercession for us.  He is pleading our case because He knows us, He loves us, He died for us, and He has compassion for us. 

The Church Is The Body Of Christ And We Are The Church

"And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills everything in every way."  Ephesians 1:22-23 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul told the believers in the local church at Ephesus that as part of the group of baptized believers in Jesus Christ, they were a part of The Church, which is the body of Christ, and that Christ is The Head of The Church.

When Jesus, The Christ, established The New Testament Church, the body of baptized believers, based upon Peter's statement of faith and belief, He said upon this rock I will build My church. (Matthew 16:18)  In the early days of The Church, The Lord God added to The Church daily as He deemed appropriate. (Acts 2:47)  As The Church grew in numbers, they were persecuted by the Romans, and the believers were scattered. (Acts 8:1)  However, those who were scattered preached The Word of God wherever they went and The Church continued to grow. (Acts 8:4)  Today we seem to have lost sight of the fact that God is in The Church and The Church is within us, just as it was within those early believers. (1 Thessalonians 1:1)  We are The Church of God.  We tend to think of the church as the building where we worship, and not as the group of local believers who are being fed by a local leader.  That leader, by whatever title, leader, elder, overseer, bishop, apostle, prophet, evangelist, teacher, pastor, or under-shepherd, is also called the angel of that local church in that city. (Acts 14:23, 20:28, 1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11, Revelation 2:1, 2:8, 2:12, 2:18, 3:1, 3:7, and 3:14)  That leader has the responsibility preach the gospel to The Church and to feed the flock The Word of God. (Jeremiah 23:2, John 21:16-17, Acts 20:28, and 1 Peter 5:2)  We need to understand that Christ is The Head of The Church.  He wants us, His Church, to be holy, washed in The Word, without spot or wrinkle or blemish. (Ephesians 5:26:27)  We need His help to clean up our act, and to be The Church that He wants us to be.

The Way The Truth And The Life

"Jesus answered, 'I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to The Father except through Me.' "  John 14:6 (NIV)

This verse is the sixth of the seven great "I AM" statements which was spoken by Christ, and recorded by the Apostle John.  Here Jesus was answering a question posed by the Apostle Thomas.  Although He was speaking directly to Thomas, He was in the process of speaking comfort to His disciples regarding His impending departure, and also speaking indirectly to us, and all who read and hear The Word of God.  Jesus said, "I AM The Way and The Truth and The Life."  He is "the only way" to salvation.  He is "the whole truth" and nothing but the truth.  His is life and "the giver of life".

We need to believe, understand, and tell people that Jesus, The Christ, is The Way.  He is the way to God (John 10:9), the way to escape temptation (1 Corinthian 10:13), the way to holiness (Hebrews 9:12), the way to a new and living way (Hebrews 10:19-20), the way of truth (2 Peter 2:2), the way to the right way (2 Peter 10:15), and the way of righteousness (2 Peter 2:21).  Jesus, The Christ is The Truth.  He is the truth of God. (John 1:14)  Jesus, The Christ is The Life.  He is the life of God. (John 1:4 & 11:25)  Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life.  He is the only way to salvation and eternal life with God in heaven. (Acts 4:12)  Only by believing, seeking, and following Him can we find the way, the truth, and the life.

Christ Will Reward Us For Our Efforts

"For The Son of Man is going to come in His Father's glory with His angels, and then He will reward each person according to what he has done."  Matthew 16:27 (NIV)

After predicting His death to the twelve disciples, Jesus said that He was going away, but that He was going to return, and when He returned He was going to reward each person according to their works.

Jesus is coming back to reward us for our works.  This statement was repeated by the Apostle Paul in his letter to the Christians in Ephesus.  (Ephesians 6:8)  It was also repeated by the Apostle John in his New Testament book of prophesy.  (Revelation 22:12)  We need to understand that our salvation is based solely upon our belief in Jesus, The Christ, and not on our works.  However, the rewards which we will receive from Him on judgement day, will depend upon what we have done for Him with respect to our kingdom building efforts, and with respect to giving Him glory.  Every Christian will not receive the same amount of rewards.  As the song says: "Remember, only what we do for Him will be counted in the end."

The Spirit Of God Is In You

"Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with The Spirit have their minds set on what The Spirit desires.  The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by The Spirit is life and peace ... And if The Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit, who lives in you."  Romans 8:5-11 (NIV)

The Apostle Paul said, in his letter to the Christians in Rome, that The Holy Spirit lives within each believer. 

Once we accept Christ as our personal Savior, the Holy Spirit indwells us.  Because The Spirit of God is within us, we can manifest righteousness and produce good fruit.  It is the Spirit who gives us the power to do the will of God, and it is The Spirit that convicts us when we choose to do wrong.  Our spiritual nature is constantly fighting with our physical nature for the control of our mind.  It is The Spirit that brings to our remembrance The Word of God and the teachings of Jesus.

MERRY CHRISTMAS Jesus Is The Reason For The Season

"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." ... "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us."  John 1:1-3 & 14 (NIV)
The Apostle John testified that Jesus was there from the beginning.  He made the heavens and the earth and everything therein.  Jesus Christ was, is, and always will be God.  He put on human flesh and dwelt among men.  This was made possible by the immaculate conception. (Luke 1:30-35)

We celebrate Christmas to commemorate the day that The Son of God was born of a virgin, after being conceived by an act of The Holy Spirit.  We celebrate the day that Jesus Christ clothed Himself in human flesh and lived among mankind.  The heavenly plan was for Him to be born, to live, to teach, to die, and to be raised up from the dead in order to provide us with a chance for salvation.  If we confess our sins and believe in Him, we will be saved. (Romans 10:9-10)  We thank God for making all of this possible.

The Coming Of Jesus Was Predicted

"A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from His roots a Branch will bear fruit.  The Spirit of The LORD will rest on him; The Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, The Spirit of counsel and of power, The Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of The LORD; and He will delight in the fear of The LORD."  Isaiah 11:1-4 (NIV)

The prophet Isiah predicted the coming of Jesus Christ some 600 to 700 years before the birth of Christ.  He was to be born in the line of Jesse, King David's father.  He was to possess The Spirit of The LORD.  Isaiah said earlier that He would be born of a virgin, (Isaiah 9:6-7) and that He would be the rightful heir to the throne of David.

The Bible contains numerous predictions of the coming of Christ.  This particular Old Testament prediction reveals His blood-line and describes the attributes of God that He would possess.  This holy day that we celebrate, commemorating the birth of Christ, has much more significance than we give it today.  His conception by The Holy Spirit and His birth through a virgin was so that He could save us from our sins. (Matthew 1:20-23)  However, only those who believe will be saved. (John 3:16)

Who Do You Say That Jesus Is?

"But what about you?" He asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are The Christ, The Son of The Living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by My Father in heaven." Matthew 16:15-17 (NIV)

After Jesus asked His disciples who the people say that He is, then He asked them who do you say that I am? Peter gave the correct answer, "You are The Christ, The Son of The Living God." Only someone who has been saved can give this answer to that question. Only God can reveal that to you.

Who do you say that Jesus is? I have heard some people say that Jesus was just a good man. Others have said that He was a prophet, just like Muhammad and all of the others. However, like Peter, I know that Jesus, The Christ, is The Son of The Living God. This statement is a confession of faith by a regenerated heart, that has been saved by the grace of God. The most important question that each of us will have to answer for ourselves is, who do you say that Jesus is? The outcome of our lives depends upon our answer to that question.

The Penalty Of Sin And The Gift Of God

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Romans 6:23

Because we all have sinned, we all deserve the penalty of death. And not just the physical death, but separation from Jesus The Christ. We cannot pay the debt that we owe for our sins. However, Jesus has already paid the debt for us and has given us the opportunity for eternal life with Him, if we believe in him.

Death is both physical and spiritual. The physical death is the separation of the body and the spirit. Spiritual death is the "second death" when the soul is cast into the "lake of fire" for eternal damnation and torment. The only way to escape the second death is acceptance of the gift of eternal life.

Jesus Christ Is God

"In the beginning was The Word, and The Word was with God, and The Word was God." "And The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us." John 1:1 & 1:14 (NIV)

Before there was time, space, and matter, The Word existed. The Word, the second person in The Holy Trinity, God The Son, was with God, the first person in The Holy Trinity, God The Father.

The Word, God The Son, Jesus Christ, was God. This point was made perfectly clear in verse 14. The Word put on flesh and humanity through the immaculate conception and dwelt among us as Jesus, The Christ.

Jesus, The Son of God, was God in the beginning, is God now, and always will be God forever.

Miracles By Jesus Prophesied

Not only die the prophet Isaiah predict the conception and birth of Christ more than 400 years beforehand, he also prophesied that Jesus would perform miracles.

"... He will come and save you. Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then the lame man shall leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing ..." Isaiah 35:4-6

The gospels of Matthew, Luke and John record that Jesus did perform miracles. He gave sight to the blind (Matthew 9:27-30 & Luke 9:1-7), gave hearing to the deaf (Luke 7:21-22), gave speech to the dumb ( Matthew 9:32-33), and made the lame to walk (Matthew 9:1-7, Luke 5:24-25, & John 5:8).

Jesus performed many other miracles, some of which were recorded within the gospels, and many of which were not (John 21:25). The miracles were performed so that the people would know that He was God (Matthew 9:6)

Jesus, The Christ, was, is, and always will be special. His conception and birth were special and so was His life, His teachings, His death, His resurrection, and His ascension.

He is worthy of all glory, honor, and praise everyday, and not just on Christmas, Easter, and on Sundays.

Have a Merry Day-After-Christmas and be blessed.

The Birth of Christ Predicted # 6

"... And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace." Isaiah 9:6

One of the reasons that He came to earth was to procure for His people a perfect peace. Jesus, The Christ, is the benevolent ruler of His people and His kingdom. Without Him we cannot have peace in our lives or in this world. And without Him we would not have access to the perpetual perfect peace throughout eternity.

Only through Christ are we able to wish for peace on earth and goodwill towards all men. Jesus is God incarnate. He was born to die for His people. His conception, birth, life, death, burial, resurrection, and ascension were all unique and very special.

Without Christ in Christmas, it is not special.

Let us keep Christ in our celebration of His birth this Christmas.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a blessed day!!!

The Birth of Christ Predicted # 5

"... And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father ..." Isaiah 9:6

The birth of Jesus was predicted by the prophet Isaiah more than 400 years beforehand. He even predicted what He would be called. 'The Everlasting Father' is a term that is difficult for me to completely understand.

I understand the word 'Everlasting'. God is unending. He had no beginning and He has no end. Before the beginning of time, He already was. And when this world comes to an end, He will continue to exist. I know that God is, God was, and God forever will be. While the concept of infinity is difficult to grasp, I understand it.

My problem is understanding what the prophet Isaiah meant when he applied the word 'Father' to God The Son. The Rev. Dr. John MacArthur suggests that "The Messiah will be a Father to His people eternally ... He will compassionately care for and discipline them." The Rev. Dr. Thomas Nelson suggests that it "literally means 'Father of Eternity'. He alone is the source of eternal life." The Rev. Dr. Matthew Henry states "He is God, one with The Father, who is from everlasting to everlasting ... He is The Father of the world to come."

In keeping with these true Bible scholars let me say, Jesus, The Christ, 'The Everlasting Father', is a benevolent protector of His people past, present, and future throughout eternity.

Jesus Christ is special. Everything about Him is special, including His conception and birth which was predicted by the prophet Isaiah more than 400 years earlier.

Have a Merry Christmas. Please remember why we celebrate Christmas and let us keep Christ in our celebration of Christmas.

The Birth of Christ Predicted # 4

"... And His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, The Mighty God ..." Isaiah 9:6

In a time when pagans worshipped a number of things that they called gods, the prophet Isaiah predicted the conception and birth of The Christ, 'The Mighty God', some 400 years before the event was to happen.

As opposed to the single focused, ineffectual, pagan gods, Isaiah prophesied about an all-powerful, all-knowing 'Mighty God'. Not only was He a powerful warrior, as mentioned in Ezekiel 38 & 39, but He could protect you, lead you, help you, keep you safe, provide for you, and fight your battles.

This 'Mighty God' can supply all of your needs and He is gracious enough to give some of your wants. Why would you worship, be a fanatic for, or get excited about something or someone who cannot do a thing for you.

Jesus, The Christ, is God. He is special and everything about Him is special, including His birth, which was predicted more than 400 years beforehand.

Have a Merry Christmas and remember to keep Christ in your Christmas celebrations.

The Birth of Christ Predicted # 3

"... And His name shall be called Wonderful Counselor ..." Isaiah 9:6

When the prophet Isaiah predicted the birth of Jesus, The Christ, more than 400 years beforehand, he also predicted what He would be called. The first name he predicted that they would call Him was 'Immanuel', which I discussed yesterday.

The second name that He shall be called is 'Wonderful Counselor'. To appreciate why He is called 'Wonderful Counselor', you must understand that a counselor listens to you as you describe your situation or problem, then gives you advise. He is called 'Wonderful Counselor' because He not only listen to you, without interrupting, He gives you the best possible advise, guidance and directions, and He does things to help you out that you could not do for yourself.

Maybe you cannot appreciate this if you have never called upon Him. If you have never had to
call upon Him when you didn't know what to do, and all that you could say was, "Lord, have mercy." In the midnight hour, when things look their darkest, you can call upon Him. He is a Wonderful Counselor.

He is special. We celebrate everything about Him because He is special, including His birthday, which the prophet Isaiah predicted more than 400 years beforehand.

Have a Merry Christmas, but remember to keep Christ in you Christmas celebration.