God Gave Us His Word - New Testament

Believing the New Testament is very logical and reasonable.

1 John 1:1-2 We proclaim to you the one who existed from the beginning, whom we have heard and seen. We saw him with our own eyes and touched him with our own hands. He is the Word of life. 

2 This one who is life itself was revealed to us, and we have seen him. And now we testify and proclaim to you that he is the one who is eternal life. He was with the Father, and then he was revealed to us.

In the previous post we saw that God gave us his word through the Old Testament so that when Jesus came into our world to be "God with us," we would be sure that he is really the promised Messiah. When someone makes a promise and then they come through, it helps you believe them even more when they make another promise to you, that's the main reason we can trust the Old Testament.

When you analyze the incredible amount of detail in the prophecies about who Jesus is, how he would come to be with us and what he came to do for us, it is easy to see that the Old Testament was telling us the truth.

Today we will see that God gave us his word in the writing of the books that would become the New Testament. The writers were so excited about Jesus life, death and resurrection that they wanted to share their experiences with everyone. But how could they possibly remember the events and the teaching of Jesus?

God's Word Inspired

John 14:25-26 I am telling you these things now while I am still with you. 26 But when the Father sends the Advocate as my representative-that is, the Holy Spirit-he will teach you everything and will remind you of everything I have told you.

John 16:13-14 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me.

Jesus told his disciples that when his ministry is finished and he returns to Heaven, the Father would send the third person of the trinity, the Holy Spirit, to represent him. Jesus wanted the disciples to know that the Holy Spirit was going to come to be their helper for a task that they wouldn't be able to do. 

The Holy Spirit would help the disciples:

• Remember vividly the events that happened over the past 3 years
• Recall and quote relevant Old Testament scripture to explain their teaching
• Reveal the truth found in Jesus teaching that they didn't understand before

So much of what Jesus taught these guys didn't make any sense until after Jesus left them and God sent the Holy Spirit. Suddenly their wisdom and insight increased greatly as they seemed to have the mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:10-16)

God's Word Verified

John 19:35 This report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks the truth so that you also may continue to believe. 

John 20:30-31 The disciples saw Jesus do many other miraculous signs in addition to the ones recorded in this book. 31 But these are written so that you may continue to believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing in him you will have life by the power of his name.

We need truth to make informed choices about God, eyewitness accounts and John’s experiences support belief in God's word, making disbelief even harder. Since it was written while the eyewitnesses were still living to verify the content, we can be sure that the information is accurate and can be trusted.

Trusting God requires faith but God also provides reasoning to support belief in Jesus for eternal life. Thankfully God protected his written word so it can be analyzed and studied as part of verifying it. Imagine how devastating it would be if we only had a verbal record of what God wants us to know.

2 Peter 1:16-17 For we were not making up clever stories when we told you about the powerful coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. We saw his majestic splendor with our own eyes 17 when he received honor and glory from God the Father. The voice from the majestic glory of God said to him, "This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy."

Peter agrees with John and firmly supports the compelling case for Christ. He brings up his profound experience with Jesus during the remarkable event of the transfiguration, a significant moment when he, along with John and James, had the unique opportunity to witness this extraordinary occurrence in which Jesus' divine glory was momentarily revealed to them.

It is likely that Jesus selected these three witnesses to fulfill the legal requirement for credible testimony. In the future, they would come to fully comprehend and appreciate this revelation of Jesus' glory only after Jesus' departure and only after the arrival of the Holy Spirit to guide and enlighten them.

2 Peter 3:15 And remember, our Lord's patience gives people time to be saved. This is what our beloved brother Paul also wrote to you with the wisdom God gave him.

Peter confirmed Paul’s writings by saying Paul received wisdom from God. Their agreement in theology supported their message as well as the message of at least seven men that wrote the New Testament.

The original Bible manuscript is lost, but many copies exist that show the scribes copied it accurately. Thousands of copies in various languages keep being discovered, and they are nearly identical. This should help us take the Bible seriously as God's word. (1 Thessalonians 2:13)

Thank you God for revealing yourself to your people, allowing us to know where we came from, why we need a Savior and what you did to save us. Help me to see your glory through your written word just as vividly as it is seen in Jesus. (John 1:14)

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God Gave Us His Word - Old Testament

The Bible confirms that Jesus is our Savior.

Luke 24:21  We had hoped he was the Messiah who had come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.

Luke 24:27  Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

Just before Jesus leaves us behind here on Earth he encourages his followers to examine the Bible. He did not actually tell them to examine the scripture, instead he personally led them through the writings of Moses and the prophets to encourage his followers to find their hope again in the Messiah. 

They needed to look back at the Old Testament to understand that these things happened just as God promised. So many people that like to read the Bible do not consider the importance of the Old Testament but today I want to help us see why God gave it to us.

The Bible is mostly a book about predictions, there are over 1,800 prophecies in the Bible, the fact that almost half of them have already come true helps us to be reasonable, and logical with our faith in God and his message he preserved for us. 

The Bible is a necessary part of God's plan for his followers, without it we wouldn't be able to trust the teachings about God that are passed down orally, it would all just be rumors passed down through the ages that would have been altered each time the message was passed to the next generation.

God made it clear before Jesus came so that we can be certain and not miss his arrival.

The Messiah Will Come:

Genesis 3:15  And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.”

God created perfection, man corrupted and brought about catastrophe and confusion. God's perfect creation included a perfect plan to redeem us and as soon as the need for redemption came the plan was revealed to the first sinners. But God's promise to Adam and Eve was just the beginning. Just look at how many times he affirmed the promise over hundreds of years.

Genesis 22:17-18  I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies.  18  And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

The scriptures continue to speak of Jesus in the life of Abraham and his descendants. God promised to bless Abraham and then he renewed his commitment by restating the promises to Abraham's son and his grandson (Isaac and Jacob) which then passed the promise down to Abraham's great grandson (Judah). (Genesis 26:1-5, 28:13-15, 49:9-12)

Exodus 12:23  For the LORD will pass through the land to strike down the Egyptians. But when he sees the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe, the LORD will pass over your home. He will not permit his death angel to enter your house and strike you down.

The Old Testament continues to teach us about the Messiah as we remember the original Passover lambs that saved the children of God from the angel of death. They could only save their sons through their obedience to God's word and their exodus from Egypt would occur as a result of the death of the first born sons of Egypt.

Why Is The Messiah Coming

Deuteronomy 4:13 He proclaimed his covenant-the Ten Commandments-which he commanded you to keep, and which he wrote on two stone tablets.

The law of God shows us why the Messiah is needed. We are too stubborn and insist on doing things the way the world does them instead of living God's way. That's why we need the Messiah to come and give us forgiveness from sins and the power to live for God.

God's law showed us that we could never save ourselves, it taught us that God's standards are much higher than we can ever achieve, it shows us that we don't deserve to be a child of God without a Savior.

Who Will Be The Messiah

2 Samuel 7:12, 16 For when you die and are buried with your ancestors, I will raise up one of your descendants, your own offspring, and I will make his kingdom strong. 16 Your house and your kingdom will continue before me for all time, and your throne will be secure forever.'"

We already know that he will be a descendant of the family of Abraham (Isaac, Jacob, Judah) but as their family line continues throughout the ages we will see that King David is also a descendant of Abraham.

The promise was revealed to David through the prophet Nathan during a time when David's kingdom was prospering and peaceful, just as God had promised. He was living in a beautiful palace but his heart was unsettled because the Ark of God was still in the tent that was used to transport it to the Promised Land.

God's promise to David stated that the lineage of his family that started with Abraham will continue and it will become a dynasty of kings that the world has never seen before. Other kingdoms have come and gone but this one will be eternal.

Isaiah 53:5 But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

The Messiah would be a king but not just any king. This king would leave the splendor of Heaven to live on earth in an unexpected lifestyle and to be treated in an unexpected manner. This isn't what a king does, kings collect taxes, make the rules and live in luxury, but not this king.

This king lived in poverty and allowed himself to be mistreated, instead of demanding his rights as king he submitted himself to the needs of his people. This king loved his people to the point of death so that he could save his people.

The Messiah Has Come

Matthew 1:1This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham.

After Jesus was dead and gone, Matthew connects the dots in his book, to show God's people that their Savior had arrived. Matthew helps us connect the Torah and the prophets with the life and death of Jesus. 

Matthew primarily wrote to a Jewish community close to Jerusalem, a community of Christ followers that would have to deal with the influence of the Jewish traditions in their daily life. He wants to prove to the Jews that the promises have come to pass, the fulfilment of their traditions and the promise of salvation had come.

Hebrews 1:3 The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and he sustains everything by the mighty power of his command. When he had cleansed us from our sins, he sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

The "god of this world" has made his word more popular than God's word, Satan doesn't care what your theology is just as long as it isn't based on God's word, just as long as it doesn't acknowledge that Jesus is God and that he came to cleanse us from our sin.

The original followers of Jesus were so confused, it was probably more difficult for them to understand that Jesus was "God with us." We can analyze the incredible amount of detail that the Old Testament gives us about who Jesus is and figure it out easily.

The Old Testament told us:

• Jesus Birth - How he would come to be with us
• Jesus Life - What he came to do for us
• Jesus Resurrection - Why he wouldn't stay dead

Very smart, logical people have studied God's word in the Old Testament and determined that there is no other way to explain the fulfilled prophecy, this must be God's promises. He gave us the promise and then he came through and made them happen.

We have the luxury of looking back at the big picture, we have God's word in our homes and on our phones, we can study it and learn for ourselves so that we can determine to build our life on God's word or on man's word.

Even today it is easy to lose our hope and get discouraged while we wait for the next arrival of Jesus. It is helpful for all of us to get into God's word and remember what he predicted in the past and that it came true. That's a great indicator that we can trust his promises for our future.

Exalted By God

God's favorite people to use are usually the most unlikely.

Genesis 41:37-40 Joseph’s suggestions were well received by Pharaoh and his officials. 38 So Pharaoh asked his officials, “Can we find anyone else like this man so obviously filled with the spirit of God?”

39 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has revealed the meaning of the dreams to you, clearly no one else is as intelligent or wise as you are. 40 You will be in charge of my court, and all my people will take orders from you. Only I, sitting on my throne, will have a rank higher than yours.”

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Most of us can relate to the story of Joseph, we have all been loved and yet also hated and just like Joseph it seems like hate is winning most of the time. When Joseph's story begins he is the favorite son and he has prophecies from God predicting his great destiny but then his brothers hatred for him begins a long downward spiral.

Everything looks good until he is betrayed by his brothers, first they want to kill him but then they decide to sell him for the price of a slave, it is the first of three times that Joseph is betrayed, after his brothers it would be Potiphar's wife and then the cup bearer.  They all seemed to have their own agenda and Joseph wasn't included. 

This story bothers us but it is a great lesson for us to remember in our life story. We like to think that good things happen to good people but from the very first book of the Bible God shows us that it doesn't work that way. The Bible proves to us that when things don't go as easy as we want them too, that is a good thing that God has sent your way, the school of faith has opened and you have been enrolled. 

Joseph is just as blind as Job was to the reasons for his miserable suffering, the Book of Job tells us that Job is "blameless— a man of complete integrity. He feared God and stayed away from evil" but that isn't enough to ensure that Job would live without trouble and as good as Joseph is he also had his share of problems.

Just like Job, Joseph probably wasn't aware that God was using him to bring him glory even when it looked like he didn't even have the favor of God. Joseph was down and out without any explanation from God for 22 years, he could have assumed by his circumstances that God didn't like him and his visions of greatness were just crazy dreams. (Genesis 37:1-11)

God brings his own promise to the brink of failure, only to show that he has been in charge all along.

-John Piper

It is easy to forget that God's favorite people to use are the ones that seem to be the least likely. The world will tear you down and remind you of why you can't be used by God but his normal way of doing things is usually to allow things to look impossible so that when he steps in we are reminded that he is in control. God is looking past your hurts, habits and hang-ups to surprise everybody for his glory.

Genesis 50:19-20 But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people.

Joseph gives us a glimpse of Jesus thousands of years before the prophecy of his birth was fulfilled. They both forgave those that wronged them, they were exalted after suffering and their suffering was the vehicle that God used to save his people.

God was not surprised by the evil that happened in Joseph's life, God wasn't caught off guard and think to himself "how can I use that for good," God is in control of everything and it is all being used by God for his purpose. 

God may leave me in the dark about what he is doing but that's okay. I know that he can be trusted with every detail of my life knowing that it will all be used for his glory and for my good. Part of him receiving glory is found in the work of making me into a new, exalted creation that looks more like him as I study his word and apply it to my life. (Romans 8:29-30)

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Betrayed By Man

Through Joseph's story we get a glimpse of Jesus.

Genesis 37:2-4 This is the account of Jacob and his family. When Joseph was seventeen years old, he often tended his father’s flocks. He worked for his half brothers, the sons of his father’s wives Bilhah and Zilpah. But Joseph reported to his father some of the bad things his brothers were doing. 

3 Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other children because Joseph had been born to him in his old age. So one day Jacob had a special gift made for Joseph— a beautiful robe. 4 But his brothers hated Joseph because their father loved him more than the rest of them. They couldn’t say a kind word to him.

One night Joseph had a dream, and when he told his brothers about it, they hated him more than ever. 

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We have learned a lot about God in the recent post in the book of Genesis, we have seen through the life of Jacob that God is in control and that he takes care of his people. We have seen God promise, prepare, prosper and provide for his people despite the mistakes that they make.

The blessings of the birthright were taken from Reuben because he sinned against his father but instead of the next oldest, the son that received the rights was the second to the last born son. Maybe Joseph was chosen because he is the first born son of Rachel, the wife that Jacob thought that he married at his first wedding, or maybe it was just because Jacob liked him more.

You may come to the conclusion that Joseph is a spoiled brat because of the favoritism, it seems that the fancy coat may have been a symbol of Jacob's decision to give the birthright to Joseph, Jacob has put his son in a situation that is very similar to the situation in his parents home. 

Favoritism destroyed Jacob's family and he was forced to run away from home because of it. Jacob was forced to run from Esau but Joseph would have to leave by force because his brothers were ruthless. It seems that his brothers were as immoral as the Canaanites that were around them. (Genesis 37:1-4) Joseph's willingness to inform his father about his brothers may have been the motivation for sending him to check on them while they were away from home. (Genesis 37:12-14)

It seems that Joseph is headed for greatness, he has the birthright, instead of the clothing of a shepherd he has the fancy coat that a ruler would wear and to top it all off he has God given dreams predicting his rise to a powerful position. What could go wrong?

Betrayed By His Family

Genesis 37:18-36

Joseph’s older brothers are a bunch of rowdy guys who slaughtered a whole village because one guy raped their sister. The Canaanite moms in the household, the maids of Rachel and Leah, may have had a very negative influence on all of the brothers. The family tree can be seem here.

God's people have always had a difficult time being in this world but not of it. You could speculate that the slavery in Egypt was God's way of separating his people from the Canaanites until the day of judgment when the Canaanites would be destroyed. 

How could God use his people to judge the Canaanites if his people looked just like them?

Betrayed By The World

Genesis 39:1-23

What looks like the obvious conclusion may be the furthest from the truth. In this situation, Potiphar thought that he had been betrayed by Joseph when in fact it was his wife that betrayed both of them.

Joseph was about eleven years old when his sister was raped. This may have been part of the reason that he had such an intense reaction to the advances of Potiphar's wife. Joseph knew the devastating effects that sexual sin could have and he didn't want any part of it.

Betrayed By A Friend

Genesis 40:1-23

The only thing that Joseph asked the cupbearer to do when his dream came true was to put in a good word for him. This guys life was spared and he couldn't remember the guy that predicted that it would happen.

Joseph was always the favorite, it make me think that he really wasn't a spoiled brat, he went from being a favorite in his father's house to being a favorite in Potiphar's house and then he became a favorite with the prison warden. Spoiled brats don't usually have that much success at making friends and influencing people. 

But having man's favor doesn't last when you are living for God. If Joseph had shared the values of his brothers or Potiphar's wife things would have gone much better for him from man's perspective.

Genesis 39:2, 21 The Lord was with Joseph

But even if man turned against him, Joseph knew that he was in the presence of God which resulted in receiving the blessings of God. Living for God proves to be the best way even if it means living in a situation that looks like you are being punished. The difficulty we encounter may make us question God's presence and we may forget that his presence is always accompanied with his blessings.

2 Timothy 3:12  Yes, and everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.

Through Joseph's story we get a glimpse of Jesus. The dearly loved son was a shepherd of his fathers flocks, he was sent to his brothers that hated him, they took his robe and sold him for the price of a slave. The father suffered the loss of his favorite son because the son was wrongly accused. The son was placed with two other prisoners which included one that was saved and the other one lost.

I know you may be disappointed where you are. I know you may be unhappy where you are, but I want you to look beyond where you are and thank God for where He's going to take you.

-Tony Evans

Joseph would overcome it all to become God's man that was prepared for God's purpose but for now he is still in prison. This story bothers us because we want good things to happen to good people but the reality is that God is using the good and the bad to shape us and most importantly to accomplish his purpose.

Thank you Lord for your interest in me and allowing me to be a part of your plans. Help me to realize that you are working all thing for my good and for your glory.

The Great Doctor

The only requirement for this healing is belief in the healer.

Isaiah 53:4-5  Yet it was our weaknesses he carried; it was our sorrows that weighed him down. And we thought his troubles were a punishment from God, a punishment for his own sins!

5  But he was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed.

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A pandemic of epic proportions has been raging throughout the ages. There are a lot of different reactions to it, most of us will deny the seriousness of it, a lot of people will attempt to use protective equipment, and others will claim that they have found some medicine that will make it all go away but the problem continues to get worse.

The fake news tries to give us hope but because the disease is hereditary, we are all suffering under this condition, so a mask and gown and social distancing isn't useful. This sickness isn't a virus or bacteria so man made medicine will never give you relief.

The healing that we need requires greater wisdom and power than the best trained doctors can provide. Their schooling and textbooks aren't adequate for this world wide condition that threatens civilization.

The world is desperate for a cure but they are prejudiced against the only source of hope that we have. There isn't any reason to allow the infection to continue, the suffering and death needs to stop, but the bias against this doctor is incredibly strong.

1 Peter 2:24  He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By his wounds you are healed.

Jesus is the great physician that can heal our greatest sickness and stop the devastating effects that sin has on our world. Doctor Jesus doesn't discriminate, he loves to make house calls to any neighborhood, he is willing to touch anybody and he works after hours.

He doesn't ask you to make promises to him or offer to change yourself, there isn't even a copay, it cost him everything but he takes great pleasure in giving it away.

Do you know the great doctor?

John 1:10-12 He came into the very world he created, but the world didn’t recognize him. 11 He came to his own people, and even they rejected him. 12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.

The only requirement for this healing is belief in the healer, but you don't need to believe without any evidence, his credentials are available in his best selling book. It is sad that so many people refuse to read his book and learn about him so they don't really know him.

Knowing about Jesus is very common but do you know Jesus? Has he healed you from the greatest sickness that you can possibly have? Find out more about Jesus.

Helpless sinners without hope have been given the ultimate hope, the powerful contagion called sin has lost its power, everyone that is healed will spend eternity with the healer.

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Quit Making The Bible About You

His name isn't mentioned in the Old Testament but it is all about Jesus.

Video: What The Bible Is Basically About

Hebrews 1:1-3 Long ago God spoke many times and in many ways to our ancestors through the prophets. 2 And now in these final days, He has spoken to us through His Son.

God promised everything to the Son as an inheritance, and through the Son He created the universe. 3 The Son radiates God's own glory and expresses the very character of God, and He sustains everything by the mighty power of His command.

When He had cleansed us from our sins, He sat down in the place of honor at the right hand of the majestic God in heaven.

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The Bible is God's story revealing himself to us so that he can know him. Thankfully God's desire is to be known, from the beginning in the garden he revealed himself when he could have stayed obscure and mysterious if he had wanted, but that would be incredibly sad for us.

God inspired men to write his story and protect it from evil forces that would love to destroy it. Think about how many thousands of years old the earliest scrolls are and how many opportunities Satan has had to get rid of it, there were evil kings that ruled Israel without any fear of God and there were the kings of other countries that invaded Israel, Satan would have loved for those ancient manuscripts to be gone.

The Bible is God's love story and Jesus is the main focus of the story, from Genesis to Revelation, because he is the greatest display of God's love. I found two extensive list online of the ways that Jesus is revealed in the Old Testament and how Jesus is portrayed in each book of the Old Testament:

It all starts with Adam, God created Adam perfect without sin, just as Jesus is without sin, but Adam sinned, and through him sin entered the world. God tells Adam and Eve someday their great-great-great-great…. grandson will save the world from sin.  He will crush the snake, and death will be conquered.

Abel showed us Jesus because he died blameless for someone else’s sin, just as Jesus died blameless for our sins.  But Abel’s death cannot save us.

God sent Abraham away from a loving father into a dark world to act as a light to the rest of the world.  God sent Jesus to act as a light to a dark and sinful world to show them the way back to God.

Isaac was a willing sacrifice on that altar, fully believing his father that all would be well.  Jesus was a willing sacrifice for us on the cross, knowing His death paid the price once and for all for our sins.

Jacob shows us how far God will go to pursue a lost sheep.  Just like the story of the prodigal son, Jacob was brought home to God.

Because of the sins of his brothers Joseph was handed over into slavery, but because of their actions Joseph was able to save his family in Egypt.  Jesus was handed over to death by lies and half truths, but because of his death and resurrection we are saved from sin.

In Exodus we find the story of the Passover Lamb, and Christ is the sacrificial Lamb given for us.

Moses was called out of 40 years of wilderness to lead his people to freedom from slavery to Egypt.  Jesus was called out of 40 days of wilderness to lead his people into freedom from slavery to sin.

In Leviticus we read of the high priests making sacrifices for the people, and Christ has become our High Priest, making the perfect sacrifice to atone for our sins.

In Deuteronomy Moses prophesied of a prophet who would come that would be greater than Himself. Jesus is that Great Prophet.

In the book of Joshua, Joshua met the Captain of the Lord's host. That man is Jesus Christ.

In Judges, the leaders were judges who delivered God's people, each of them typifying the Lord Jesus.

Ruth was rescued from poverty by her bridegroom Boaz.  The church was rescued from their poverty of sin by its bridegroom Jesus.

Samson shows the folly of trying to do it all yourself.  We can do many of the right things, but without the light of the world we cannot truly follow God.

In 2 Samuel when the king is being enthroned, the entire scene is descriptive of the Lord Jesus.

The books of Kings speak of the glory of God filling the temple and the Chronicles describe the glorious coming king, both referring to Jesus, the King of Kings.

Saul looked like the perfect king.  He was handsome, he was tall, he was strong, but he did not follow God and ultimately was a weak king because of it.  Jesus did not look like a king, he was common, he was a carpenter, but he is the True King.

A true king, one that pursued God and loved him with all his heart, king David pointed his people to God.  Jesus was both man and God and lived a perfect life. Jesus is the perfect king of all.

Solomon shows us the folly of a church not daily relying on God.  He followed God for a while, but his house was built on his own wisdom, not God’s and at the end of his reign it was washed away.

Ezra depicts Jesus as the Lord of our fathers. Job says clearly that the Redeemer is coming! Esther offers a picture of Christ interceding for His people. Christ appears time after time in the Psalms, including when David describes Him as "the Shepherd."

All the kings of Northern Israel show us what life without God is like.  It’s painful, there are lies, murder, blasphemy, and more hurt.  In the end a world without God falls, and the kingdom of Israel fell.

Hezekiah became king after many who had not followed God.  He wanted to bring Israel back to God, and did.  Jesus wanted to bring Israel back to God, and there were many Pharisees telling him it could not be done.  But ultimately Jesus brought the world to God.

Jonah ran from God, which Jesus never did, but then Jonah sat in the belly of a big fish for 3 days, and preached the words of redemption just like Jesus.  Jesus was dead and in a grave for 3 days, and resurrected to preach the words of life to the world.

Isaiah was given a vision of heaven and what Jesus will come to do.  He tells of Jesus birth, and his eventual death and resurrection.

God called Hosea to love and marry a woman who did not love him, he stayed a faithful bridegroom, though his bride was not faithful.  Jesus too has married a faithless wife, the church.  Though we wander far from His love at times, Jesus will always stay faithful.

Josiah became king as a young boy.  He followed God from a young age, just as Jesus showed us in Luke that He followed hard after God from a young age.

In Daniel we see Jesus ruling and triumphant.  We do not see Jesus the sacrificial lamb, we see Jesus coming at the end to punish and to reward.  He rules eternal and forever.

Jeremiah the weeping prophet shows us a Jesus who cries for the world’s sins.  Jeremiah cries for the fate of Jerusalem, a city he loves and knows will be destroyed.  Jesus hundreds of years later cries for Jerusalem as He looks at a city caught in sin and bound for judgment if they do not repent.

Ezekiel gave us Jesus’ favorite title, the Son of Man.  Over and over God calls Ezekiel “Son of Man,” and Jesus called himself “Son of Man.”

Joel describes Him as the Hope of His people. Amos tells us that Jesus is the judge of all nations. Obadiah warns of the coming eternal kingdom.

Jonah offers a picture of Jesus being dead for three days, then coming back to life to preach repentance.

Zephaniah says that He will be the king over Israel. Zachariah is the prophet who speaks of Jesus riding on a colt. Malachi is the one who calls Him the Son of Righteousness.

Without the Bible we would have no hope of really knowing God, he would be a distant and mysterious being, thanks to scripture we have a lot of information about God and his character. Without the Bible we would not know that our lives have meaning and purpose much greater than ourselves. We would not know love or the reality of eternal life.

Now that there are so many copies of the Bible and it has been copied into so many languages, instead of destroying the Bible, Satan's new strategy is to get us to neglect reading it and to doubt it's message when we do read it.

Satan will ask you, "Did God really say that?" We need to be "digging the word" so that we will know for sure what God said.

Thank you Lord for protecting your story and allowing us to read it and learn about you. I don't want to neglect Bible study because it is the best revelation of who you are and why I am here.

RELATED ARTICLES

Jesus In Every Book Of The Old Testament (jesus.org)

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Best Baby Ever

The Christmas story according to kids.

Luke 2:9-18 Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified, 10 but the angel reassured them.

"Don't be afraid!" he said. "I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all people. 11 The Savior--yes, the Messiah, the Lord--has been born today in Bethlehem, the city of David! 12 And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth, lying in a manger."

13 Suddenly, the angel was joined by a vast host of others--the armies of heaven--praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in highest heaven, and peace on earth to those with whom God is pleased."

15 When the angels had returned to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem! Let's see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about." 16 They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.

17 After seeing Him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child. 18 All who heard the shepherds' story were astonished,

Trouble Ahead

The day is coming when God will bring mans rebellion to an end.

Revelation 6:10-11 They shouted to the Lord and said, "O Sovereign Lord, holy and true, how long before You judge the people who belong to this world and avenge our blood for what they have done to us?" 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them. And they were told to rest a little longer until the full number of their brothers and sisters--their fellow servants of Jesus who were to be martyred--had joined them.

Revelation 6:15-17 Then everyone--the kings of the earth, the rulers, the generals, the wealthy, the powerful, and every slave and free person--all hid themselves in the caves and among the rocks of the mountains. 16 And they cried to the mountains and the rocks, "Fall on us and hide us from the face of the One who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb. 17 For the great day of their wrath has come, and who is able to survive?"

Revelation 8:13 Then I looked, and I heard a single eagle crying loudly as it flew through the air, "Terror, terror, terror to all who belong to this world because of what will happen when the last three angels blow their trumpets."

---

So far most people are okay with the Book of Revelation, we have met the glorified Jesus and we have received his instruction on how to do church, then in the next chapter we see the church in Heaven where they meet the Creator and then the Redeemer.

We don't mind talking about meeting Jesus and getting our rewards but we don't like to think about the events that are about to start now that Jesus has called the church home and now he has taken the sealed scroll from God's right hand. It is now time for mans rebellion to be brought to an end.

This information about the end times isn't completely new to John, he has already heard Jesus teach about what will take place, Revelation six looks a lot like what Jesus predicted in Matthew 24 when he was teaching the disciples from the Mount of Olives.

The wrath of God begins with the opening of the seals of God's scroll:

False Christ - Matthew 24:4-5, Revelation 6:1-2
War - Matthew 24:6-8, Revelation 6:3-4
Famine - Matthew 24:7, Revelation 6:5-6
Death - Matthew 24:7-10, Revelation 6:7-8
Martys - Matthew 24:14, Revelation 6:9-11
Cosmic Changes - Matthew 24:29, Revelation 6:12-23

To the people that are subject to God's wrath it looks like complete chaos but John shows us from his perspective in Heaven that everything is in order as each seal is opened and nothing is happening without God's approval.

There are two groups of people that react to the trouble on earth. There are the martyrs that cry out for their blood to be avenged, and even though their prayers are heard in heaven, they do not bring an end to the suffering. The other group is the unbelievers that want to he hidden from all of the calamity. It is interesting to note that they know the reason for their suffering but they love their sin more that they love Jesus. (Revelation 6:9-17)

God will continue to deal with the relentless rebellion on the earth, the seventh seal brings the next round of his wrath via the seven trumpets. Each of these judgments comes with greater intensity than the six seals. (Revelation 8:1-11:19)

Revelation 9:20  But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God.

It is difficult to comprehend that these people will know that their punishment is from God yet they will continue to refuse to turn to him. God is willing to accept them but instead of repentance the vast majority of the world will lash out at God's people and make more martyrs.

God's children throughout all of the ages are like those martyrs that ask "How long?" Even those of us that are not martyrs ask the same question as we long to be in a better place. Maybe the problem is that we live for the next minute, maybe the next day, but to wait for God to move may not come until generations later.

God will relieve his people of this sinful world and fulfill their longing for his righteousness kingdom to be established but until then it is my responsibility to bring his kingdom into my world. When I yield to the reign of Christ and surrender my throne to him then "thy kingdom come" happens in my life and it has an affect on the world around me.

Will you be a part of this new kingdom and escape God's judgement?

RELATED ARTICLES

The Six Seals (bible.org)
The Cross Absorbed The Wrath Of God (billygraham.org)
What Is The Kingdom Of God (desiringgod.org)

Worship The Redeemer

Sooner or later we are all going to do it.

Revelation 5:9-14 And they sang a new song with these words: "You are worthy to take the scroll and break its seals and open it. For You were slaughtered, and Your blood has ransomed people for God from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 And You have caused them to become a Kingdom of priests for our God. And they will reign on the earth."

11 Then I looked again, and I heard the voices of thousands and millions of angels around the throne and of the living beings and the elders. 12 And they sang in a mighty chorus: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered--to receive power and riches and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and blessing."

13 And then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and in the sea. They sang: "Blessing and honor and glory and power belong to the One sitting on the throne and to the Lamb forever and ever." 14 And the four living beings said, "Amen!" And the twenty-four elders fell down and worshiped the Lamb.

---

When Jesus called for John to visit Heaven the entire population of Heaven is worshiping the creator (Revelation 4:1-11) until the worship music suddenly stops. The abrupt silence came as God presents his scroll that has been protected with seven seals. (Revelation 5:1)

There must have been great anticipation as they all pondered the contents of God's book that were known only to him. He was ready to reveal the mysteries contained in his book but it seemed like nobody could possibly meet the qualifications to take such a book from his right hand. (Matthew 13:11)

A "strong angel" knew that he wasn't even qualified as he called out "Who is worthy to break the seals on this scroll and open it?" John was grieved that there seemed to be no way to learn about the contents of God's book. Would we ever know more? (Daniel 12:8-9)

John can stop crying because the all knowing and all powerful Lion has been revealed and he has the right to reveal the contents of God's sealed book because of his submissive and sacrificial death as the Lamb of God. (Matthew 28:18)

The Gospels reveal the Lamb of God to us who came in meekness to be judged as our Savior and the provider of God's grace. God's love story for us continues in the Book of Revelation as it reveals to us the promised Lion who will came in majesty to be the judge that will govern and carry out the return of God's kingdom. (Genesis 49:9-10, Matthew 6:10)

Why did they have to look around for Jesus? In this scene Jesus isn't at God's right hand, the church is in Heaven so there isn't any reason for him to be there in that location interceding for us, Jesus isn't seen until he steps up to take the scroll from God's right hand. (Hebrews 10:12)

As Jesus steps up all of the inhabitants of Heaven break out into song, their song explains why Jesus is the only one that is qualified to take God's scroll. Because he submitted himself as our substitute and died for our sins he is worthy of all praise and honor.

Philippians 2:9-11 Therefore, God elevated Him to the place of highest honor and gave Him the name above all other names, 10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

When we get to Heaven we will finally see the infinite worth of Jesus and the natural reaction will be unhindered, spontaneous praise without anything getting in the way. When we meet him face to face we will know him fully and we won't have our carnal man getting in the way of the worship he deserves.

That's His favorite song of all, Is the song of the redeemed
When lost sinners now made clean, Lift their voices loud and strong
When those purchased by His blood, Lift to Him a song of love
There's nothin' more He'd rather hear, Nor so pleasin' to His ear
As His favorite song of all
- Phillips, Craig & Dean "Favorite Song Of All"

Since we are all going to bow the only question is when. Will you choose to practice worshiping now or wait and do it when it is too late? If we bow before Him now we will receive salvation but if you wait to bow before Him at the final judgment then condemnation is your eternal destiny.

Destroy The Devil's Plan

Easter means the Devils plan is finished.  

Genesis 3:1- 6 Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. "Really?" he asked the woman. "Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?"

2 "Of course we may eat it," the woman told him. 3 "It's only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die." 4 "You won't die!" the serpent hissed. 5 "God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil."

6 The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too.

---

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth and as He finished each day God said that His work was good. God made it all in an orderly fashion and it all worked together perfectly, that includes everything, even snakes, and yes even Satan. (Genesis 1:31 / 1 Timothy 4:4)

Satan must have been a part of God’s good creation but that didn’t last, Satan rebelled and he suffered the consequences but he isn’t content to suffer alone, he wants to get us to rebel against God as well. Satan put revenge on the top of his to do list.

The work of Satan is to tempt us to reject the authority of God and become like God ourselves. Satan works to nurture and cultivate the pride that puts its own desires above the law of God. Satan decided to go after the part of creation that was the most dear to God.

The man and woman that God enjoyed being with each day in the garden, the part of creation that was made just below the angels, the part of creation that God allowed to rule the other parts of his creation. And to top it all off, what Satan really doesn’t like about us, God made us in his image.

Satan knows that God is holy and cannot tolerate sin. He must have thought that he could make man detestable and undesirable to God. How could a holy God overlook these rebellious people since he didn’t overlook Satan and the angels that followed him?

At this point Satan must have thought that God would have to destroy mankind for their rebellion but he didn’t know that God has always had a plan to make us right with Him as if we had never sinned.

1 John 3:8 But when people keep on sinning, it shows that they belong to the devil, who has been sinning since the beginning. But the Son of God came to destroy the works of the devil.

Destruction was on the way but it wasn’t what Satan had planned, instead of man being destroyed, the plans that Satan made were going to be destroyed. Satan didn’t realize how much God loves us and that he would pay the price for our sin.

God loved us all so much that he gave his only Son, the only entry point back to God, the only one given by God so he is the only one acceptable to God. God’s love and mercy extended unearned favor to us through the death of Jesus as our substitute.

The vast majority of people rightly have a negative view of Satan but they don’t realize that they are doomed to share his fate unless they turn to the only Son of God that came to change our destiny.

Thank you Lord for destroying the Devils plans, he wanted you to destroy us but you had something else in mind, your love for us is truly amazing!

The Living One

The "Living One" gave me life so that I can give it back to him.

Revelation 1:17-18 When I saw Him, I fell at His feet as if I were dead. But He laid His right hand on me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the living One. I died, but look--I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

John 1:1-4 In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He existed in the beginning with God. 3 God created everything through Him, and nothing was created except through Him. 4 The Word gave life to everything that was created, and His life brought light to everyone.

---

We live in an age that is consumed with avoiding the inevitable fact that we will all stop living someday. We look for better ways to eat and exercise and we look to advances in medical technology to help keep us alive longer.

Still we are not the master of our destiny and we cannot change the fact that we are going to stop living in this world. It is really an unnecessary worry because living eternally is what we are all going to do. The only thing that you need to be concerned with is where you will be for all of that time.

The "Living One" is the reason I should not be afraid

The main story of the Bible that you need to understand is that Jesus has made it possible to change your eternal destination. The work of the "Living One" on the cross has made it possible to spend eternity with him if you accept the free gift.

Jesus is the source of all life, he can take it or give it, the Bible has plenty of examples of Jesus giving physical life back to people that have died. Remember The widow of Nain’s son, Jairus’ daughter and Jesus' dear friend Lazarus. (Luke 7:11–17, 8:52–56, John 11)

John 5:24, 26 I tell you the truth, those who listen to My message and believe in God who sent Me have eternal life. They will never be condemned for their sins, but they have already passed from death into life. 26 The Father has life in Himself, and He has granted that same life-giving power to His Son.

Have you listened to Jesus message? Have you honestly checked out who he is for yourself? He has the power to give life in this temporary existence and he can also give you an eternity with him in the place he is preparing.

The "Living One" is the High Priest that I desperately needed.

The law of God that was passed down to the Jews through Moses stated that a substitute sacrifice had to be given in your place so that you didn't have to die for your sins. In order to be made right with God you had to go to the high priest and follow the steps that the law of God required.

Hebrews 7:16, 23-25 Jesus became a priest, not by meeting the physical requirement of belonging to the tribe of Levi, but by the power of a life that cannot be destroyed. 23 There were many priests under the old system, for death prevented them from remaining in office. 24 But because Jesus lives forever, His priesthood lasts forever. 25 Therefore He is able, once and forever, to save those who come to God through Him. He lives forever to intercede with God on their behalf.

Jesus is my high priest and he has declared me righteous! But before he became my perfect high priest he was the perfect sacrifice for my sins. The old system of sacrifices is gone because the perfect sacrifice is the final sacrifice and the new high priest is the "Living One" that will never die.

The "Living One" is the one I live for

Romans 14:7-9 For we don't live for ourselves or die for ourselves. 8 If we live, it's to honor the Lord. And if we die, it's to honor the Lord. So whether we live or die, we belong to the Lord. 9 Christ died and rose again for this very purpose--to be Lord both of the living and of the dead. 2 Corinthians 5:14-15 Either way, Christ's love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 15 He died for everyone so that those who receive His new life will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was raised for them. Galatians 2:20 My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

Before I accepted the great sacrifice that was given for my sins, it didn't matter how I lived, I could not do anything to change my eternal destination so it was up to me to enjoy this life while it lasted.

But now that I have been bought out of the slavery to sin, I don't belong to myself anymore, a high price was paid to give me eternal life, the one that purchased my freedom deserves to be Lord and ruler of my life.

I don't live under the restraints of the old law and I do not obey it to please the people around me. The Pharisees are not around anymore checking out my behavior to see how spiritual I am. Well they are not supposed to be but there may still be a few of them around.

My motivation to live a holy life that sacrifices self and glorifies God is out of love and gratitude for what the "Living One" has done for me. (Romans 7:4-6)

Seeing My Savior

The Jesus that was here on earth is not the Jesus that we will see someday.

Revelation 1:9-16 I, John, am your brother and your partner in suffering and in God's Kingdom and in the patient endurance to which Jesus calls us. I was exiled to the island of Patmos for preaching the word of God and for my testimony about Jesus.

10 It was the Lord's Day, and I was worshiping in the Spirit. Suddenly, I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet blast. 11 It said, "Write in a book everything you see, and send it to the seven churches in the cities of Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia, and Laodicea."

12 When I turned to see who was speaking to me, I saw seven gold lamp stands. 13 And standing in the middle of the lamp stands was someone like the Son of Man. He was wearing a long robe with a gold sash across His chest.

14 His head and His hair were white like wool, as white as snow. And His eyes were like flames of fire. 15 His feet were like polished bronze refined in a furnace, and His voice thundered like mighty ocean waves. 16 He held seven stars in His right hand, and a sharp two-edged sword came from His mouth. And His face was like the sun in all its brilliance.

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Without a doubt The Alpha and Omega is coming back, he is all knowing, he is everywhere and he is all powerful, so I know that there isn't anything that can happen to make this fact not come true. That is the message that the early churches desperately needed to hear to encourage them as they endured persecution and they wrestled with the idea of how soon it would come to pass.

John was a very close friend to Jesus, he was in the inner circle of disciples and he was chosen by Jesus to care for Mary, but even John wasn't ready to see Jesus. The Jesus that John knew back then is not the same Jesus that he was about to see in his vision.

There is a lot of symbolism in the way that John describes the things that he saw in the Book of Revelation. John gets to see the risen and exalted Lord and try to find adjectives to help us know what we saw. What an incredibly difficult task that John was told to do, how do you describe such an amazing experience of sights and sounds?

The first sound that he hears is a loud voice that he didn't recognize, it was clear and loud like a trumpet sound, this isn't the voice of Jesus that John knew. John turned to see Jesus and the work that he is doing for the church.

Jesus is now full of glory, the glory that he has always shared with God, he is no longer the humble carpenter that could be ridiculed and rejected. This is the Jesus that everybody will immediately bow down and worship just like John did.

Jesus is coming and He's coming not in humiliation, to be scoffed at and mocked and killed again, He's coming in full glory. And when He comes He will deliver the world, He will deliver the universe from the wicked, from sin, from demons, from Satan and from death.

-John MacArthur

The details of Jesus' features describe him as having snow white head and hair, flaming eyes, a powerful voice and feet that are like refined brass. By this description we know that Jesus is pure, he has laser like eyes that see everything and he has feet that symbolize the elements of the temple that were related to the sin sacrifice. (Daniel 7:9-14)

John got to see the work that Jesus is doing right now while we wait for his return. Jesus is wearing the robe of the high priest and he is working in the midst of the churches (the seven stars according to Revelation 1:20). Our high priest is busy interceding for the church and empowering us for the work that he has given us.

2 Corinthians 3:18 So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord--who is the Spirit--makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.

Jesus told us that when he goes away he is going to prepare a place for us but he is also preparing us for the place that we are going. He is preparing his bride and helping her be the light of the world. What an amazing sight that we will behold! (John 14:3)

I need to radiate his glory as I become more like him so that the world around me will be drawn to the light.

RELATED ARTICLES

A Year End Look At Jesus (desiringgod.org)
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Christ Is Born!

Lord most holy we worship and adore you!

 Video: Christ Is Born - University of Mobile

Lord most holy

Lord most holy

We worship and adore You

O Holy Child of Heaven

O God incarnate One with the Holy Spirit

And with the Father

We lift our songs of praise to Thee

Redeeming love has set us free

For Christ has been victorious
and he will reign eternally

The Son of God, our Hope,
Our Great Redeemer, The Prince of Glory

We lift our songs of praise to Thee

Redeeming love has set us free

We long for heaven and for his return
and we will praise him eternally

Magnify

I don't need to see everything just more of Jesus.

 Video: Magnify by We Are Messengers

I've been trying to make sense of the sorrow that I feel

Holding on for life to the only thing that's real

I've only scratched the surface, I've barely had a taste

But just a glimpse draws my heart to change

And one sight of you lays my sin to waste

I don't need to see everything, just more of you

Take it all, take it all away

Magnify no other name

Open up, open up my eyes

To you

Take it all, take it all away

Magnify no other name

Open up, open up my eyes

To you

My sight is incomplete and I've made you look small

I've been staring at my problems for way too long

Re-align where my hope is set, until you're all that's left

But just a glimpse draws my heart to change

And one sight of you lays my sin to waste

I don't need to see everything, just more of you

Oh God, be greater, than the worries in my life

Be stronger, than the weakness in my mind

Be louder, let your Glory come alive

Be magnified

The sorrow that we all carry because of our sin can only be relieved when our hearts are changed by the gospel. When my eyes really saw Jesus for the first time I could agree with the lyrics "just a glimpse draws my heart to change."

Psalm 34:3  Oh, magnify the LORD with me, and let us exalt his name together! 

Now my sorrows are lifted, my sins are forgiven and my problems in life are not as big as they seemed before I saw how big my Jesus is. This song reminds me of the old hymn "Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus." The things of life will grow strangely dim next to his glory and grace!

Is your focus is in the right place? Is he magnified? Are you trying to get all of the answers to why you are struggling or can you say "I don't need to see everything, just more of you?"

Do You Really Know Jesus?

Church membership, small groups and even faith doesn't mean you really know Jesus.

 

John 14:7-11  If you had really known Me, you would know who My Father is. From now on, you do know Him and have seen Him!"  8  Philip said, "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied."

9  Jesus replied, "Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don't know who I am? Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father! So why are you asking Me to show Him to you?

10  Don't you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me? The words I speak are not My own, but My Father who lives in Me does His work through Me.  11  Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me. Or at least believe because of the work you have seen Me do.

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Do you know Jesus? I mean really know him? It isn't a strange question. There was a time in the United States when just about everybody knew who Jesus is but those numbers have slowly declined. But just because they knew who he is doesn't mean that they really knew him as a close personal friend.

The Bible tells us that in Jesus' small group they didn't all know him and some of them knew him better than others. We saw recently that Judas didn't get it at all and he wasted three years of his life living a lie. The other disciples didn't really know him fully or they wouldn't react to situations the way they did.

Philip proved that he didn't really know when he asks Jesus "Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied." Jesus has been with them for all this time telling them that he is God (John 10:30-33) and yet they are still confused.

Philip is the same guy that Jesus asked “Where can we buy bread to feed all these people?” (John 6:5) If he really knew Jesus he wouldn't have any doubt that Jesus could feed them even if there wasn't a basket of bread and fish.

I cannot criticize Philip for what he didn't know, I have to ask myself if I really know Jesus, does the average church attender or small group participant really know Jesus? What level of intimacy is my relationship to Jesus?

The average person in Jerusalem may have had physical or factual knowledge of who Jesus is but it didn't have an affect on their life. Even the people that were against Jesus had this much knowledge of him but because they stopped there and didn't go any further in their relationship with him, out of ignorance they came to the wrong conclusion about him.

We need to know Jesus deeper through a relationship built on faith or else we will be in danger of forming the wrong opinion about him. This is the depth of knowing that scripture refers to between Adam and Eve in Genesis 4:1 and this is the depth of relationship that Jesus uses in John 17:3.

John 17:3 And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

The apostle Paul mentions a deeper knowing of Jesus in his letter to the Philippians. This deeper knowledge of Jesus causes your perspective of worldly things to change.

Philippians 3:8-10  Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For His sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ  9  and become one with Him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with Himself depends on faith.  10  I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised Him from the dead. I want to suffer with Him, sharing in His death,

The value of knowing Christ and holding him above any other love in this world is pretty radical. Paul was educated, he had position in the religious system and he was known for being a devout Jew that obeyed the law but none of this was important to him after he received a deeper knowledge of Jesus.

We can be too much like Paul, we know enough about Jesus to make us dangerous, we can come to some radical opinions about him and do some stupid things. We can value our own ability and our social status above the value of knowing Jesus better and allowing him to be in control.

Perfect Unity

John 14:19-21  Soon the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me. Since I live, you also will live.  20  When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you. 21  Those who accept My commandments and obey them are the ones who love Me. And because they love Me, My Father will love them. And I will love them and reveal Myself to each of them."

The Holy Spirit, the Son, and the Father takes up residence in the life of a believer!  This is such an incredible thought! Jesus will send the Holy Spirit to be our Advocate, he will live within us and help us know the truth so that we can live in unity with the three persons of the trinity. (John 14:16-17)

John 17:23 I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.

I need to go beyond just knowing Jesus and take it to a deeper level. The burning desire of every believer ought to be to know God better, to know Jesus and the Holy Spirit. I mean really KNOW them and be a real follower of Christ.

I should be diligent to be "Digging the Word" so that I might know and I should allow what I know to affect the way that I live. Once I began to cultivate this deeper communion with Christ it made me hungry for more, I have no desire to return to my previous shallow life being a careless Christian.

I need to remember Jesus words at the beginning of John 14 and realize that I can live with a heart that isn't troubled if I have faith and if I live it out my faith in obedience to his commands. (John 14:1)

RELATED ARTICLES

Knowing Christ More Intimately (bible.org)

Sacrifice And Serve

At the Lord's Supper we are challenged to sacrifice and serve.

 

Luke 22:17-27 Then He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. Then He said, "Take this and share it among yourselves.  18  For I will not drink wine again until the Kingdom of God has come."  19  He took some bread and gave thanks to God for it. Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, "This is My body, which is given for you. Do this to remember Me."

20  After supper He took another cup of wine and said, "This cup is the new covenant between God and His people--an agreement confirmed with My blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.  21  "But here at this table, sitting among us as a friend, is the man who will betray Me.  22  For it has been determined that the Son of Man must die. But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays Him."  23  The disciples began to ask each other which of them would ever do such a thing.

24  Then they began to argue among themselves about who would be the greatest among them.  25  Jesus told them, "In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called 'friends of the people.'  26  But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant.  27  Who is more important, the one who sits at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course. But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.

John 13:4-5  So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist,  5  and poured water into a basin. Then He began to wash the disciples' feet, drying them with the towel He had around Him.

John 13:12-15  After washing their feet, He put on His robe again and sat down and asked, "Do you understand what I was doing?

13  You call Me 'Teacher' and 'Lord,' and you are right, because that's what I am.  14  And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each others feet.  15  I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.

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At the stroke of midnight God sent the final plague down on Egypt because of Pharaoh's refusal to let God's people leave his country so that they could move to a better place that God had prepared for them. God's people received instructions so that they would be covered with the sacrificial blood but all of Egypt was in mourning and finally they were allowed to go.

For hundreds of years the Jews have celebrated and now Jesus prepares to observe his third and final Passover. He knew that this Passover would be different, he knew that the symbolic Passover lamb would be replaced with the real and final sacrificial lamb.

At Jesus final Passover we see his example to us to be a sacrifice and a servant:

The Greatest Sacrifice

Hebrews 10:13 Our High Priest offered himself to God as a single sacrifice for sins, good for all time. Then he sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.

The Savior is soon going to be killed, no longer living on earth and not yet glorified in heaven, Christ sacrifice was the beginning of a new covenant between God and man, an eternal covenant and the only sacrifice for our sins that would last forever. Jesus made His sacrifice our sacrifice, His life became our life, and His Father became our Father.

The blood of the new covenant was shed for all, the final payment for sin was achieved, the door to the Gentiles was opened and the temple veil was torn in two giving us direct access to God. (Hebrews 10:20-22)

Romans 12:1  And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all He has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice--the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.

Now it is our turn to be a sacrifice, it is our turn to be offered up completely, we should give up any rights that we try to claim and give it all to Jesus. A sacrifice doesn't die partially, it is submitted to God, to be disposed of at his will. I should be devoted to God in the same way, I should be given over to his will for my life even if it means suffering, I need to be a living sacrifice.

The Greatest Servant

Isaiah 53:11-12  When He sees all that is accomplished by His anguish, He will be satisfied. And because of His experience, My righteous Servant will make it possible for many to be counted righteous, for He will bear all their sins.  12  I will give Him the honors of a victorious soldier, because He exposed Himself to death. He was counted among the rebels. He bore the sins of many and interceded for rebels.

The suffering servant displayed the greatness of his love for us at Calvary but before he died he gave us another example of his love in action. Our Lord became our foot washer, the King of Kings became our servant, he was never too good to do anything that would benefit us. Because of his incredible love he was completely sold out to his mission.

As God, He owned everything; as the servant, He had to borrow everything: a place to be born, a boat in which to cross the Sea of Galilee and preach from, a donkey (itself a symbol of humility and servitude) to ride into Jerusalem for His triumphal entry, a room to celebrate His final Passover in, and a grave to be buried in.

-John MacArthur

Meanwhile we are busy trying to accumulate everything that we can acquire while we are here on earth. We built bigger barns and rent out storage facilities to hold our stuff. We forget that slaves do not own property, they do not have anything of value, and they cannot control what happens to themselves.

Jesus made it clear that he came to live on this planet to be a sacrifice and to serve. How can I think that my life in this world should be any different? Why are we so busy looking out for ourselves?

I need to sacrifice and serve, look out for the interest of others and have the same attitude that Jesus had. I don't have the right to serve when I feel like it. I don't have the right to give an offering that doesn't seem like a sacrifice. (Philippians 2:2-5)