Category: Jesus

Why Jesus Came…And why He didn’t.

,If you spend much time with people who are not Christians you will start noticing the lies they believe regarding the things of God. Today reread John 3:16-17. John 3:16 tells why Jesus came into this world, to SAVE, rescue people from judgement.

So many believe that Jesus is about judging them…condemning them. It is just another lie. John 3:17 clearly says He came NOT to condemn. Sinners are already condemned and subject to judgment.

When we hear people calling evil good and calling good evil we again see Satan’s influence. Believing lies destroys relationships, communities, nations and the people themselves. The lies started in the garden. But the TRUTH was there before ever was a lie.

Do not be surprised if sinners believe lies. Speak truth. A great place to start is in John 3:16-17. Challenge the lies. Teach the truth. Be like Jesus.

Jesus, the Loving Lord

We often think of Jesus as Savior, Healer, Deliverer, And so we should. But let us not forget that He is to be Lord (in 21st century English, “boss”).

We have a lot of people we answer to in our lives. Our bosses at work, the state and federal inspectors in our businesses, our teachers at school, etc. As independent minded Americans we often feel we have reason to dislike people who tell us what to do and sometimes how to do it. Sometimes we shift that attitude to God. We were born into liberty and freedom in the Lord, Weren’t we?

Paul reminds us not to misuse our liberty. Remember, doing things our way before Christ’s intervention got us into the messes, the bondage we were in. Though we are created to be free, (and God is the ultimate supporter of human freedom) we are not equipped to be God. God, unlike worldly bosses ALWAYS has what is best for us in mind.

Jesus, the Loving Lord tells you to do things that will edify you, strengthen you, and keep you free from bondage that always accompanies sin. His lordship and leading result in love, peace, joy, and other good results. Doing your own thing instead of the Lords results in frustration, anger, hatred, etc.

ANYTHING the Lord tells us to do will improve our lives, if we will not only hear it but do it. It may be something simple or small. (Don’t forsake the gathering together of the saints. Spend time in the Word and prayer.) Or it may be something about your lifestyle or thought patterns. Whatever He wants us to do will make us and our lives better. He is a Good and Loving Lord.

Jesus: His Life in You

When we come to Jesus and are born-again much seems the same as the day before. We see the same person in the mirror. We still have the same tastes in food, in sports. But much of great importance has happened to us.

We have been made righteous before God. Righteousness has been imputed to us. It is a legal term and because of that imputation we stand before God righteous, as if we had never sinned.

In us a new spiritual life is born. And because of that life we can commune with a Holy God. Because of that new life we can experience the benefits of God’s spiritual gifts for us. In Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4 Paul discusses these. They include Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Pastors, Miracles, Discernment of Spirits, Words of Knowledge, Words of Wisdom,Faith, Healing, Tongues, interpretation, Serving, Administration, Mercy, Giving and more.

Besides all of those benefits in our lives there is Christ nature in us. There is a new nature which, if we walk accordingly, can transform our everyday lives. The new nature is made up of what scripture calls the Fruit of the Spirit. (Galatians 5) Included in our new nature is Love, Joy, Peace, Long Suffering, Gentleness, Gentleness, Goodness, Faith, Meekness, and Temperance.

If you are not walking in your newness of life or experiencing the these gifts of God don’t feel down or discouraged. Read the Bible. Ask your ministers about this. Rejoice for you have SO MUCH good yet to experience.

Jesus, His Love and Sacrifice

Introduction to Relationships Theology

We often approach theology as if it were about static truths and not about dynamic relationships. If we read again Jesus’ teachings and the teachings of the apostles we will see much of what is taught is about relationships: with God, with Satan, and with each other. Let us look at theology with that in mind.

Any relationship theology for Christians must start with Jesus. Jesus’ love and sacrifice as an overview is where we begin. (Later lessons will be more specific.)

We are to be in relationship and fellowship with God. What is His nature? He is Love. He is a generous giver. The greatest gift was his gift of Jesus. God was the giver. He made the Word to become flesh, literally giving part of Himself. It is important to know how generous God is and how much He loves us. If we understand these things it is easier for us to obey Him; it is easier for us to believe Him.

We all have heard John 3:16. God’s generosity and motive for Jesus’ coming is made plain. He gave His only begotten son so we could be saved. John 3:17 is also important. It tells us that Jesus did not come to judge but to save. This is not just a theological fact but a glimpse into the grace and mercy of God.

All through Jesus’ ministry He was moved with compassion. He healed. He raised the dead back to life. He fed the hungry. He was not a dry crusty theologian but the incarnation of a compassionate God. His compassion always caused action which always caused positive change.

He was so much a giver, so much a lover: that He gave His life for sinful humankind.

God in the flesh submitted to abuse, beating, whipping and crucifixion. This is the person with whom we are to be in fellowship. How hard can it be to be in relationship with such a person?

Knowing Jesus: Lifelong Learning

My previous two blog posts have dealt with getting to know Jesus. This post is simply a resource you can use to jump into your Bible study about Jesus. The scriptures listed here are just a part of what is in God’s Word. It is a good start.

In Isaiah there are many references to the coming Messiah. I will give you chapter and verse and then a short description of Jesus in the text. For instance, 9:2/Illuminator. Here we go. 11:3/Judge, 11:4/Reprover, 42:4/Law-Giver, 42:7/Liberator, 53:4/Burden Bearer, 53:6/Sin Bearer, 53:12/Intercessor, 7:14/Immanuel, 9:6/Mighty God, Prince of Peace, 61:1/Anointed Preacher, 42:1/Divine Servant, 32:1/ Righteous King

John has great pictures of Jesus. 1:1-14/The Son of God, 2:1-10/The Son of Man, 3:2-21/The Divine Teacher, 4:7-29/Soul Winner, 5:1-9/The Great Physician, 6:32-58/Bread of Life, 7:37/The Water of Life, 8:3-11/The Defender of the weak, 9:1-39/ The Light of the World, 10:1-16/The Good Shepherd, 11:11-14/The Prince of Life, 12:12-15/The King, 13:1-10/The Servant, 15:1-16/ The True Vine, 16:1-15/The Giver of the Holy Spirit, 17:1-26/Intercessor, 18:11/The Model Sufferer, 19:16-19/The Uplifted Savior, 20:1-31/The Conqueror of Death, 21:1-17/The Restorer of those who repent

Paul’s portraits of Christ include Romans 5:1/The Peacemaker, 1 Corinthians 2:8/The Lord of Glory, 1 Corinthians 3:11/ The Only Foundation, 1 Corinthians 5:7/The Sacrificial Lamb, 2 Corinthians 4:4/ The Image of God, Galatians 5:1/The Liberator, and others.

There are more you will find as you study scriptures. Even in Revelation we see further descriptions of who our Jesus is: the faithful witness, the alpha and omega, the lion of the tribe of Judah, the lamb, the Word of God, king of kings and lord of lords.

He is the one who saved us. He is the one who loves us. He is the one who paid the price for our sins. He is so much more. Get to know about Him. Get to know Him.

Knowing Jesus: Part 2

There are many ways to get to know our Lord and Savior. One of them is getting to know the Christ in you, the hope of glory. If the new nature of Christ was imparted at salvation, if Jesus came into your heart; you have His nature in you. If so, what does that look like? It looks like Galations 5:22-23.

The result of His presence within us is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We can walk in these realities now, as Christians. When we cooperate in these and walk according the Spirit we are in communion/cooperation with Jesus. We are knowing Him intimately and practicing His nature.

It is important to know cognitively. It is better to know intimately. We are so blessed! We can know our Savior by studying His acts and teachings. We can know about Him by scriptural descriptions of Him. We can know Him by prayer and communing with Him. We can know Jesus by walking in His Life He has given us. He is a great and wonderful Savior who has given us an incredible number of opportunities to get to know Him. GET TO KNOW JESUS.

Knowing Jesus

When we first accept Jesus as our Savior and become “born again” there are differences in us, our life experiences, and our understanding of spiritual things. In spite of these differences we all share the need to know this Jesus who has loved and accepted us.

How do we do that? If we just dive into scripture without the help of the Holy Spirit things can seem confusing. I accepted a personal Jesus but the Bible says He is God, the Word made flesh. It says He is both a Lion and a Lamb. What? He is a door, a vine, a good shepherd all at once? God is NOT in confusion. He does not want you confused.

If we rely on our mind only expecting human reasoning to be enough to explain Jesus we will be disappointed. Our minds need the Holy Spirit to teach us about Jesus. Scripture says that the Spirit witnesses of Jesus. To some extent we are the children of the age of reason which exalted human reason. Even our seminaries and Bible schools emphasize cognitive knowing God over Spiritual knowing God. The human mind cannot explain all there is to know about God. We do not throw away the God given gift of the human mind but we need to acknowledge that which we know of God is because of His self revelation through His Word and Spirit.

It is good to study the acts and I Am saying of Jesus to help us understand. There are so many glimpses of revelation of Jesus in scripture it can and should be a life time study. But knowing cognitively is only part of the way to learn about Jesus. We must learn about Him by having experiences with Him. How can we do that? Here are a few ways.

Prayer

Scriptural study

Scriptural meditation

Sitting under the ministry gifts God has put in the Church to mature the Saints

Fellowship with other members of the Body of Christ

Attending church gatherings to experience among other things a corporate anointing

Praising and Worshiping God

In these things God Himself is involved and will interact with and in you. Knowing things cognitively is important. But knowing, experiencing Him intimately will transform you and your understanding of Him.

This is just a beginning.