The Christmas story reveals many things about God and His plan for man. The story of the birth of Jesus has become a nice story to tell. If we look at it, stopping to ask, "What does that mean?", and really understanding what took place, we may find it more than just a nice story.
The first hint of the birth of Jesus and who He is, was revealed by the prophet Isaiah in his 7th Chapter, verse 14;
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child
and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
Immanuel means, "God with us". That would be something to ponder. This child being called, "God with us, what might that mean? A virgin being with a child, how is that possible and what might that mean? To make it even more to ponder, Isaiah made another revelation of this child in his 9th Chapter, verse 6;
"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest
on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."
This is a very popular scripture on some Christmas cards, but if we are looking at what it is saying, we have to ask ourselves, "What does this mean? "His", being capitalized, refers to the child as being God. This is backed up by the fact that one of His names is Mighty God. To make it even more interesting, this child's name will be called Eternal Father. How could this child be a God and Father?
If we look at the story of Jesus birth, as revealed in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, we can learn how this is possible. Luke writes this in his 1st Chapter, verses 26 - 38;
(26)"Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in Galilee,
called Nazareth,(27) to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the
descendants of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.(28) And coming in, he said
to her, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you.(29) But she was greatly troubled
at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be.(30) And
the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; For you have found favor with God.
(31) And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and you shall name
Him Jesus.(32) He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High; and the
Lord God will give Him the throne of His Father David;(33) and He will reign over
the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end."
There are a few things to look at here in these verses. First, it is a great honor to be told that you have found favor with God. Isaiah wrote in his 64th Chapter, verse 6, that all man's righteous deeds are as filthy rags. So how did Mary find favor with God? What was it about Mary, that God would find favor with her? I don't think that it was because God was just looking for a virgin, for I am sure that she was not the only virgin in Galilee. There had to be something else about Mary that God felt favorable towards. Maybe she was a girl who read the old testament writings and understood what God really required of man. The burnt offerings that the High priest would perform, once a year, for the cleansing of sin, I am sure that Mary participated in the Passover Feasts to receive this temporary forgiveness. I am sure that Mary probably also fasted. Both these acts are good, but these things are for a persons benefit, it is not that they are benefiting anyone else by practicing such things. I am sure that other virgins in that day in Galilee also practices such things. Maybe Mary, in her readings in the old testament, understood the heart of God and what He really liked.
These verses from the Old Testament writings might be what caught Mary's attention;
The prophet Micah wrote this in his 6th Chapter, verse 8;
"He has told you, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of you, but
to do justice, to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?"
The prophet Isaiah wrote this in his 58th Chapter, verses 3-11 about what God's fast means;
(3)"Why have we fasted and Thou dost not see? Why have we humbled ourselves
and Thou dost not notice? Behold, on the day of your fast you find your desire, And
drive hard all your workers.(4) Behold, you fast for contention and strife and to strike
with a wicked fist. You do not fast like you do today to make your voice heard on high.
(5) Is it a fast like this that I chose, a day for a man to humble himself? Is it for bowing
one's head like a reed, And for spreading out sackcloth and ashes as a bed? Will you
call this a fast, even a acceptable day to the Lord?
(6) Is this not the fast which I choose, to loosen the bonds of wickedness, to undo the
bonds of the yoke, And to let the oppressed go free, And break every yoke?(7) Is it
not to divide your bread with the hungry, And bring the homeless poor into the house;
When you see the naked, to cover him; And not to hide yourself from your own flesh?
(8) Then your light will break out like the dawn, And your recovery will speedily spring
forth; And your righteousness will go before you; The glory of the Lord will be your
rear guard.(9) Then you will call and I will answer; You will cry, and He will say,
'Here I am'. If you remove the yoke from your mist, The pointing of the finger, and
speaking wickedness,(10) And if you give yourself to the hungry, And satisfy the desire
of the afflicted, Then your light will rise in darkness, And your gloom will become as
midday.(11) And the Lord will continually guide you, And satisfy your desire in
scorched places, And give strength to your bones; And you will be like a watered
garden, and like a spring of water whose waters do not fail."
If you notice here, it is not what we do in ourselves to please God, but what we do to benefit others that pleases the heart of God and brings His blessings upon us. Mary must have understood and practiced such things, because she loved God enough to want to do what was pleasing in His sight.
In return Mary found favor with God and would be found as blessed by God. The writings of Isaiah were probably a common read by Mary, for when Jesus would teach in the synagogues, He would read from the prophet Isaiah. When He would read about the parts in Isaiah that told about Himself, Jesus would tell them that today in your hearing this is being fulfilled.
And in Psalm 51, verses 16 and 17, David wrote this in regards to burnt offerings;
(16)"For Thou dost not delight in sacrifice, other wise I would give it; Thou art not
pleased with burnt offering.(17) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; A broken and
contrite heart, O God , Thou wilt not despise.
So God chose Mary for this very special event. Here we have Mary a virgin, who can not be very old, told by the angel Gabriel that she would give birth to a Son that she shall call Jesus(Yeshua).
Mary understood what the name Jesus meant, for it was a Hebrew name meaning, "The Lord our Salvation". Mary may have known also, from the writings of the prophet Isaiah, that her God that she worshiped was the only Savior. For Isaiah wrote this in his 45th Chapter, verses 21-23;
(21)" Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult together. Who has
long since declared it? Is it not I, the Lord? And there is no other God besides Me, A
righteous God and a Savior; There is none except Me.(22) Turn to Me, and be saved,
all the ends of the earth; For I am God, and there is no other.(23) I have sworn by
Myself, The word has gone forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn
back, That to Me every Knee will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance."
Where we have come to learn that this is Jesus, the Lord our Salvation, from what the apostle Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians in his 2nd Chapter, verses 5-11:
(5)" Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,(6) who, although
He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
(7) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the
likeness of men.(8) And being found in appearance as a man, He humble Himself by
becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.(9) Therefore God
Highly exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,(10)
That at the name of Jesus every name shall bow, of those who are in heaven, and on the
earth, and under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is
Lord, to the glory of God the Father."
How is this possible though and what does it mean? How can God come to the earth, being born to a virgin, desiring to be called Jesus, and why? The story of Christmas, Jesus birth, answers these questions. We know after the fact, but Mary was experiencing what we now know. She knew that she was going to give birth to the Lord our Salvation, but how?
In Luke Chapter 1, verses 34-38, Mary asked the question to Gabriel and he gives her the answer;
(34) And Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be, since I am a virgin?'(35) And the
Angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power
of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy offspring shall be
called the Son of God."
Do you really think that this answered her question, or at this point do you think that she was living by faith, trusting God?
(36) And behold, even your relative Elizabeth has also conceived a son in her old age;
she who is called barren is now in her sixth month.(37) For nothing is impossible with
God.(38) And Mary said, 'Behold the bond slave of the Lord; be it done to me according
to your word.' And the angel departed her."
What the angel Gabriel said to Mary in verse 35 is the clue to how this child will be God. Mary becomes pregnant by the Holy Spirit of God. This makes the Holy Spirit the Father of this child. Back in verse 32 Gabriel told Mary that the child would be called the Son of the Most High.
This is how this child Jesus is both the Mighty God and Eternal Father. You have to look at it from God's plan. He wants to come into this earthly realm, so He puts a very part of His presence in an egg of Mary. What is growing is not like a man making a women pregnant, for the mans child is different than the man. In this case this child that grows in Mary is from the very essence of God. It is actually a piece, if we might say, of God Himself growing in Mary. He is an actual piece of the Father, the Holy Spirit, growing in Mary. God at this point is existing as both Spirit and Man. You can look at it as if Jesus is more God's body than a son as we would perceive Him to be. Jesus did not come into this world under the sin curse of Adam as we have all descended from, for Jesus comes forth from the very seed of God Himself. This is how Jesus was sinless and the only one, according to the law, who could qualified for entrance into heaven at His death.
A lot to ponder. Part 3 will view this event from Joseph's perspective. Could you imagine?
Jesus peace be with all of you.
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Monday, February 3, 2014
Jesus and Christmas -- What's It All About?(Part 1) This Gospel is The Power of God Unto Salvation and Eternal Life.
Many people have many different views as to what Christmas is all about. For some it is a religious Holiday. For others it is about Santa Claus and the exchange of gifts. Many view it as a time to spend with family. There are those who look at it as some or all of the above. Some despise it for many different reasons. Most everyone would know that it has to do with the birth of Jesus. What about the birth of Jesus? What is it really all about? How has this story, of the birth of Jesus, survived over two thousand years now? What is it's significance?
To understand the real meaning of Christmas and why it has survived as long at it has, we have to look at what Christmas is all about from God's eyes. First of all, God did not name it Christmas. Man named it Christmas as a celebration of Jesus birth. Many celebrate Christmas and still do not understand the importance of Jesus birth to them. If we look at it from God's eyes, we will see the beauty and wonder of it all.
The idea of birth of Jesus was conceived even before the earth was created. God, known as the Holy Spirit, for He had no form, had a plan to create a new existence. Not only a new existence for Himself, but also the new existence of a new living being. At this time, when God was planning to do a new thing, He was Spirit. All the other created beings who existed with Him were spiritual beings known as angels. One third of the angels had become fallen angels because they rebelled against God and followed after Lucifer's uprising to rise above God. These angels God renamed Demons and Lucifer was renamed Satan, which means, "the adversary".
I know, so far it doesn't sound like much of a Christmas story, but just stick with me. If we can see it from God's eyes, Christmas, or the birth of Jesus, reveals much about God and much about you. When God was planning the birth of Jesus, He had you in mind. God wanted to create a new living being. He did not want to do it as He had done before and just speak into existence beings like the angels who had no choice whether they wanted to be created or not. The angels are beautiful creatures and a marvelous creation. Because they had no choice in there coming into existence, one third of the angels misunderstood the Love of God and His character. They could not see God, for He existed as a Spirit, a Holy Spirit. The third of the angels that fell and followed after Lucifer, were probably captivated by the beauty of Lucifer who they could see. Lucifer was the anointed cherub who covered and was one of God's most beautiful creations. His beauty made him arrogant and proud to the point that he attempted to overtake the throne of God. This is when God cast Lucifer and the angels, that followed Satan, as fallen. Their eternal life existence was now gone. Their new fallen existence rendered them in a state that would later result in eternal death.
God can only create beings that are eternal and have an eternal life existence, because He is the Eternal Life. In Lucifer and the angels rebellion, they chose not to follow God who is the Life, therefore surrendering the part of them that had life and that being God. God could have just destroyed Satan and his demons. I am sure that He didn't want to spend the rest of eternity with the other two-thirds of the angels, having to always wonder if they were staying with Him only out of fear of being cast out like the angels that rebelled were. Looking at what had transpired in the heavenly realm, God wanted to come up with a new plan of creation. Not only was God desiring to create a new type of creation, but also He was desiring to create a visible body for Himself. One that could relate visibly with the new creations that He desired to bring into existence. The only problem here is that God had to come up with a way to create a being that would come into existence by wanting to do so, by choosing Him for His Love and character. These new creations would be beings who understood God's Love for them, and for all eternity never stop appreciating who God is and what He did for them. To achieve this, God had to somehow bring into existence a being with a fallen nature. He cannot speak such a being into existence. In doing His plan this way, I am sure that he wanted to fully express his true nature and Love in such a way that the remaining two-thirds of the angels will know that they had made the right choice in choosing not to rebel against the Most High God. So He comes up with a plan.
Where is Christmas in all this? We are getting closer, so hang in there. God's plan was this. God decided to create a physical realm. A physical realm that could sustain life for a physical being. Therefore, God created the Earth with the universe as we know it, with the sun and moon and planets working together to sustain a physical being that we know as humans. He needed a being that was a physical being that would choose to become an eternal spiritual being. Who wouldn't want that? You'd be surprised. To do this, God took a chance, knowing the deceptiveness of Satan, God would create a man and a women from man, on the earth He created, and just give them one commandment.
Hence, we have Adam and Eve. God gave Adam and Eve just the one commandment, "Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil". The consequence for breaking this command would be, "On the day that you do so, you shall surely die". Here is where God's trust in Satan to slither in and deceive and tempt Adam and Eve to rebel and eat from the tree comes in. Satan got them to eat of the fruit by telling them that if that eat from the tree they will be like God. Such a Satan thing. Adam and Eve did eat from the tree but they did not die. Something about them must have died. Adam and Eve were created beings who had a soul that was filled with the life of God. They where created as an eternal spiritual and physical being that had the eternal life of God in them. When they disobeyed they lost that life that was in their soul. The living spiritual part of them died. God asked Eve, "What is this you have done?" God did not zap them. Instead God's plan was right as He desired.
God now had the mechanism in place to where Adam and Eve could now begin the process of inhabiting the earth with beings who had fallen natures and empty souls. God could not just speak such a being into existence, but now they could come into existence. This empty soul would be the very place that God would use to create a new creation. It would be, as you might say, an egg that could be fertilized by the very Spirit of God, that would become a New Creation. God also had in place the mechanism in which He could create for Himself a body. This is where the Christmas story comes in.
The prophet Isaiah wrote a verse in his writings that has become a very popular saying around Christmas and says something that I have found is seldom realize by the hearer. Isaiah wrote this in his 9th chapter, verse 6;
"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest
on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."
We often under play the reality of who Jesus is. When it refers to His shoulders and His name, the capitalized His refers to God. He is the Mighty God, Eternal Father. Do we realize that this Jesus, who was this baby that is celebrated during Christmas, was God at His birth and not only God but an Eternal Father. Do we not stop to contemplate and understand what this means and how is this possible? Two chapters earlier in Isaiah's writings, Isaiah wrote this in his 7th Chapter, verse14;
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give us a sign: Behold , a virgin will be with child
and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
Immanuel means, God with us. This child, Jesus, born to the virgin will be "God with us". How is this possible? Do we ask ourselves, how does a virgin give birth. The story of Christmas as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke reveal what made this possible and how this baby could be God and why He came. The Christmas story reveals the whole gospel message. So let's look at the Christmas story in my next blog.
May Jesus' peace be with you. 1
To understand the real meaning of Christmas and why it has survived as long at it has, we have to look at what Christmas is all about from God's eyes. First of all, God did not name it Christmas. Man named it Christmas as a celebration of Jesus birth. Many celebrate Christmas and still do not understand the importance of Jesus birth to them. If we look at it from God's eyes, we will see the beauty and wonder of it all.
The idea of birth of Jesus was conceived even before the earth was created. God, known as the Holy Spirit, for He had no form, had a plan to create a new existence. Not only a new existence for Himself, but also the new existence of a new living being. At this time, when God was planning to do a new thing, He was Spirit. All the other created beings who existed with Him were spiritual beings known as angels. One third of the angels had become fallen angels because they rebelled against God and followed after Lucifer's uprising to rise above God. These angels God renamed Demons and Lucifer was renamed Satan, which means, "the adversary".
I know, so far it doesn't sound like much of a Christmas story, but just stick with me. If we can see it from God's eyes, Christmas, or the birth of Jesus, reveals much about God and much about you. When God was planning the birth of Jesus, He had you in mind. God wanted to create a new living being. He did not want to do it as He had done before and just speak into existence beings like the angels who had no choice whether they wanted to be created or not. The angels are beautiful creatures and a marvelous creation. Because they had no choice in there coming into existence, one third of the angels misunderstood the Love of God and His character. They could not see God, for He existed as a Spirit, a Holy Spirit. The third of the angels that fell and followed after Lucifer, were probably captivated by the beauty of Lucifer who they could see. Lucifer was the anointed cherub who covered and was one of God's most beautiful creations. His beauty made him arrogant and proud to the point that he attempted to overtake the throne of God. This is when God cast Lucifer and the angels, that followed Satan, as fallen. Their eternal life existence was now gone. Their new fallen existence rendered them in a state that would later result in eternal death.
God can only create beings that are eternal and have an eternal life existence, because He is the Eternal Life. In Lucifer and the angels rebellion, they chose not to follow God who is the Life, therefore surrendering the part of them that had life and that being God. God could have just destroyed Satan and his demons. I am sure that He didn't want to spend the rest of eternity with the other two-thirds of the angels, having to always wonder if they were staying with Him only out of fear of being cast out like the angels that rebelled were. Looking at what had transpired in the heavenly realm, God wanted to come up with a new plan of creation. Not only was God desiring to create a new type of creation, but also He was desiring to create a visible body for Himself. One that could relate visibly with the new creations that He desired to bring into existence. The only problem here is that God had to come up with a way to create a being that would come into existence by wanting to do so, by choosing Him for His Love and character. These new creations would be beings who understood God's Love for them, and for all eternity never stop appreciating who God is and what He did for them. To achieve this, God had to somehow bring into existence a being with a fallen nature. He cannot speak such a being into existence. In doing His plan this way, I am sure that he wanted to fully express his true nature and Love in such a way that the remaining two-thirds of the angels will know that they had made the right choice in choosing not to rebel against the Most High God. So He comes up with a plan.
Where is Christmas in all this? We are getting closer, so hang in there. God's plan was this. God decided to create a physical realm. A physical realm that could sustain life for a physical being. Therefore, God created the Earth with the universe as we know it, with the sun and moon and planets working together to sustain a physical being that we know as humans. He needed a being that was a physical being that would choose to become an eternal spiritual being. Who wouldn't want that? You'd be surprised. To do this, God took a chance, knowing the deceptiveness of Satan, God would create a man and a women from man, on the earth He created, and just give them one commandment.
Hence, we have Adam and Eve. God gave Adam and Eve just the one commandment, "Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil". The consequence for breaking this command would be, "On the day that you do so, you shall surely die". Here is where God's trust in Satan to slither in and deceive and tempt Adam and Eve to rebel and eat from the tree comes in. Satan got them to eat of the fruit by telling them that if that eat from the tree they will be like God. Such a Satan thing. Adam and Eve did eat from the tree but they did not die. Something about them must have died. Adam and Eve were created beings who had a soul that was filled with the life of God. They where created as an eternal spiritual and physical being that had the eternal life of God in them. When they disobeyed they lost that life that was in their soul. The living spiritual part of them died. God asked Eve, "What is this you have done?" God did not zap them. Instead God's plan was right as He desired.
God now had the mechanism in place to where Adam and Eve could now begin the process of inhabiting the earth with beings who had fallen natures and empty souls. God could not just speak such a being into existence, but now they could come into existence. This empty soul would be the very place that God would use to create a new creation. It would be, as you might say, an egg that could be fertilized by the very Spirit of God, that would become a New Creation. God also had in place the mechanism in which He could create for Himself a body. This is where the Christmas story comes in.
The prophet Isaiah wrote a verse in his writings that has become a very popular saying around Christmas and says something that I have found is seldom realize by the hearer. Isaiah wrote this in his 9th chapter, verse 6;
"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; and the government will rest
on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."
We often under play the reality of who Jesus is. When it refers to His shoulders and His name, the capitalized His refers to God. He is the Mighty God, Eternal Father. Do we realize that this Jesus, who was this baby that is celebrated during Christmas, was God at His birth and not only God but an Eternal Father. Do we not stop to contemplate and understand what this means and how is this possible? Two chapters earlier in Isaiah's writings, Isaiah wrote this in his 7th Chapter, verse14;
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give us a sign: Behold , a virgin will be with child
and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
Immanuel means, God with us. This child, Jesus, born to the virgin will be "God with us". How is this possible? Do we ask ourselves, how does a virgin give birth. The story of Christmas as recorded in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke reveal what made this possible and how this baby could be God and why He came. The Christmas story reveals the whole gospel message. So let's look at the Christmas story in my next blog.
May Jesus' peace be with you. 1
Friday, November 29, 2013
God is Jesus - (Part 7) Jesus In You
I had intended on completing the series of 'God Is Jesus' with the 6 parts, but it was incomplete, so Jesus is having me complete it. I am glad He is. A lot of what you will hear, again, will be unconventional like the previous parts, but like I always say, "If I can't show it, don't believe it." I cannot emphasize enough the importance of taking the time to stop and ask yourself, "What does that mean?"
The title of Part 7 is "Jesus In You", because of what the Apostle Paul wrote in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians in Chapter 13, verse 5;
Test yourselves to see if you are the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not
recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you -- unless indeed you
fail the test? (Literally it was written ,"Unless indeed you are unapproved."
If you notice, Paul puts an exclamation point after saying, "Examine yourselves!" Then Paul asks the question intending the hearer to answer the question for themselves, "Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?" Paul goes on to insinuate that you know that you are of the faith and are approved when you realize that Jesus Christ is in you. So, "What does that mean?" Do we fly by that, or do we seek to realize exactly what that means? Most believers should believe that by faith they are born of above and filled with the Spirit of God. These are a few verses that declare this.
Jesus stated in the Gospel of John, 3rd Chapter, verses 3,5 and 6;
(3)"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (of above), he cannot see
the kingdom of God."(5) Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water (our
body) and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.(6) That which is
born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit."
It says, "That which is born of Spirit is spirit." When Spirit is capitalized it always refers to the Spirit of God. So that which is born of the Spirit of God is spirit.
Peter in his 1st letter in his 1st Chapter, verses 3 and 6, tells us how it is that we are born again of the Spirit, when Peter reveals this;
(3)"Blessed be the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His
great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead."
(6) for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable (from man) but
imperishable, that is, from the living and abiding word of God."
We know that when it says, "from the living and abiding word of God", that Peter is referring to Jesus, from what John wrote in his Gospel in the 1st Chapter, verses 1 and 14;
(1) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God."
(14) "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
So the Word was God and the Word became flesh. The flesh is Jesus, meaning God existed in part as Jesus. So we have been born again by the living abiding word of God. You are born again from and of Jesus.
We know that Jesus waked the earth as a man, so how it possible that Jesus could dwell in us? We read earlier that it is from Jesus resurrection that we are born again. So we have to look there to see how it translates that we who are men and mortal beings could now be born again of the Spirit of God and become immortal, having eternal life with Jesus in us.
One of the clearest truth of this was written by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans. In the 6th
Chapter, verses 3 - 11;
(3) "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus
have been baptized into His death?(4) Therefore we have been buried with Him through
baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory
of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.(5) For if we become united
with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of
His resurrection,(6) knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our
body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin;
(7) for he who died is freed from sin.(8) Now if we have died with Christ, we believe
that we shall also live with Him,(9) knowing that Christ, having been raised from
dead, is never to die again; death is no longer master over Him.(10) For the death
that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
(11) Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
When we believe this truth, we have been baptized into Jesus and we are raised with Jesus with the power that raised Jesus from the dead. Paul reveals this in his letter to the Romans in his 8th Chapter,
verses 9 -11;
(9) "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit; if indeed the Spirit of God
dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong
to Him.(10) And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the
spirit is alive because of righteousness.(11) But if the Spirit of Him who raised
Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will
also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you."
We see here something that sounds a little conflicting when it says, "if Christ is in you" and then, "if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you" and then. This only makes sense if God is Jesus. It says that the Spirit of God dwells in you, Christ is in you, and His Spirit indwells us.
Lets confuse it a little more. Lets look at what Paul wrote in his 1st letter to the Corinthians in the 6th Chapter, verse 19;
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
whom you have from God , and that you are not of your own."
When we read all these verses can we just move on and come to understand that though they sound conflicting they are not, if we understand that God is Jesus, and the Spirit of God that dwells in us is Jesus. Also, since the Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and Jesus is in us, then God is Jesus as I tried to show in this 7 part blog entitled "God Is Jesus".
Is there anywhere else in scripture that shows that God as Jesus dwells in us, of course there is or I would not have asked the question. This was revealed right after Jesus stated this in the gospel of John in Chapter 14, verse 9, responding to Philip's request for Jesus to show him the Father;
"Have I been so long with you, and yet you have come not to know Me, Philip?
He who has seen Me has seen the Father; How do you say, 'Show me the Father'?
To understand Jesus in us, we need to read what the apostle John wrote in the 14th chapter of his gospel, verses 16 and 17;
(16)"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you give you another Helper,
that He may be with you forever;(17) that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world
cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him
because He abides with you and will be in you."
So, in these two verses, Jesus is revealing a few things. He is saying that the Father, is sending a Helper. It is capitalized so the Helper is God, who will be with us forever. The Helper is the Spirit of truth. We know that Jesus, in John's gospel Chapter 14, verse 6, stated this;
"I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me."
Jesus is the Spirit of truth. Jesus tells the disciples that they know Him because He is with them, talking about Himself and will abide in them. So in these verses, Jesus is revealing to His disciples that he will come to dwell in them as the Spirit of truth, the Helper.
In verse 18, Jesus tells His disciples this;
(18)"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
In other words, Jesus is telling His disciples that He will come to them and He will not leave them Fatherless as orphans, but He will be their Father."
In verses 19 and 20, Jesus says this;
(19) After a little while the world will behold me no more; but you will behold
Me; because I live, you shall live also.(20) In that day you shall know that I am
in My Father and you in Me, and I in you."
What Jesus is revealing here, is that He was going away and because He will go to be with the Father, all those who put themselves in Him by choosing what Jesus did for them on the cross to forgive their sin, will now be born of the Spirit of God with Jesus now indwelling them in the presence of His Holy Spirit.
Jesus stated this in the Gospel of John's 16th Chapter, verse 7;
"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go
away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you."
If Jesus is not the Helper, then why would Jesus have to go away for the Helper to be sent? Jesus ascended into heaven with all glory. Flesh and blood cannot enter the Kingdom of God. So, Jesus after He ascended was Spirit. Being He is a part of the Father, who is the Holy Spirit by which Jesus was conceived, they exist as one. I wrote about that in earlier blogs. This One, "For the Lord our God is One", has chose to be called by the name which is above all, the name of Jesus (Yeshua), The Lord Our Salvation.
Jesus goes on to say in John Chapter 14, verses 21 and 23;
(21)"He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and
he who loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and I will
disclose Myself to him.(23) If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word; and My
Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode in with him."
What Jesus is revealing here is that this One, the Father (the Holy Spirit) and the risen glorified body of the Father (Jesus) will come and dwell in all who love Him.
In verse 26, Jesus reveals this;
(26)"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He
will teach you all things, and will bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."
If you notice here that it says that the Father will send the Helper and what we read in Chapter 16, verse 7, that Jesus said that Jesus would send the Helper. This is either a contradiction or Jesus and the Father are One and the same.
Jesus said this in 28;
(28)" You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved
Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater
than I."
Jesus is saying that they should rejoice, because when He goes to the Father, He can now return as the Helper in the souls of all who would believe. Jesus could not do this while He was still here as the Holy Spirit's body. For there is just one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus, the body of the Holy spirit. We can only address the Holy Spirit of God through that part of the Holy Spirit that is Jesus, the risen Lamb.
In concluding, I will leave you with this from the gospel of Matthew Chapter28, verses 18-20;
(18)"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given
to Me in heaven and on earth.(19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son, and the Holy Spirit,
(20) teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age.'"
If Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth, that would mean that God would have no authority unless they are One and the same. Jesus said He will be with us, even until the end of the age. He is with us as the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who fills our souls, Jesus Christ in us.
Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Did they misunderstand Him or were they being defiant when they did baptize. Maybe they understood what He meant, for all throughout the book of acts of the apostles, they all baptized in the name of Jesus. They were either being disobedient or understood that the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit is Jesus and that God is Jesus.
Acts Chapter 2, verse 38;
"And Peter said to them, 'Repent as be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"
Acts Chapter 4, verse 12;
"And there is salvation in no one else (talking about Jesus from verse 10); for there
is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must
be saved."
Acts Chapter8, verse 12;
"But when they believed Philip preaching the good news of the kingdom of God
and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike."
Acts Chapter 10, verse 48;
"And he (Peter) ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ......."
Acts Chapter 19, verse 5;
"And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."
And finally I leave you this out of the book of Acts, Chapter 20, verse 28;
"Be on you guard for yourselves and all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased
with His own blood."
As profound and revealing as this is, this verse is the verse that Jesus placed in an obscure part of scripture, fulfilling the encouragement to seek and you shall find. This verse reveals that the Holy Spirit purchased with His own blood the church(His body). This reveals that Jesus was the Holy Spirit's body here on the earth Who shed His very own blood to save man and offer them eternal life.
God is Jesus. Let Jesus' name be exalted in all the earth.
May Jesus' Grace and peace be with all who hear and may the eyes of the blind be opened.
The title of Part 7 is "Jesus In You", because of what the Apostle Paul wrote in his 2nd letter to the Corinthians in Chapter 13, verse 5;
Test yourselves to see if you are the faith; examine yourselves! Or do you not
recognize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you -- unless indeed you
fail the test? (Literally it was written ,"Unless indeed you are unapproved."
If you notice, Paul puts an exclamation point after saying, "Examine yourselves!" Then Paul asks the question intending the hearer to answer the question for themselves, "Do you not realize that Jesus Christ is in you?" Paul goes on to insinuate that you know that you are of the faith and are approved when you realize that Jesus Christ is in you. So, "What does that mean?" Do we fly by that, or do we seek to realize exactly what that means? Most believers should believe that by faith they are born of above and filled with the Spirit of God. These are a few verses that declare this.
Jesus stated in the Gospel of John, 3rd Chapter, verses 3,5 and 6;
(3)"Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again (of above), he cannot see
the kingdom of God."(5) Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water (our
body) and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.(6) That which is
born of flesh is flesh, and that which is born of Spirit is spirit."
It says, "That which is born of Spirit is spirit." When Spirit is capitalized it always refers to the Spirit of God. So that which is born of the Spirit of God is spirit.
Peter in his 1st letter in his 1st Chapter, verses 3 and 6, tells us how it is that we are born again of the Spirit, when Peter reveals this;
(3)"Blessed be the God and Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His
great mercy has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection
of Jesus Christ from the dead."
(6) for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable (from man) but
imperishable, that is, from the living and abiding word of God."
We know that when it says, "from the living and abiding word of God", that Peter is referring to Jesus, from what John wrote in his Gospel in the 1st Chapter, verses 1 and 14;
(1) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was
God."
(14) "And the Word became flesh, and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory,
glory as the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
So the Word was God and the Word became flesh. The flesh is Jesus, meaning God existed in part as Jesus. So we have been born again by the living abiding word of God. You are born again from and of Jesus.
We know that Jesus waked the earth as a man, so how it possible that Jesus could dwell in us? We read earlier that it is from Jesus resurrection that we are born again. So we have to look there to see how it translates that we who are men and mortal beings could now be born again of the Spirit of God and become immortal, having eternal life with Jesus in us.
One of the clearest truth of this was written by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans. In the 6th
Chapter, verses 3 - 11;
(3) "Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus
have been baptized into His death?(4) Therefore we have been buried with Him through
baptism into death, in order that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory
of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.(5) For if we become united
with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in the likeness of
His resurrection,(6) knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, that our
body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin;
(7) for he who died is freed from sin.(8) Now if we have died with Christ, we believe
that we shall also live with Him,(9) knowing that Christ, having been raised from
dead, is never to die again; death is no longer master over Him.(10) For the death
that He died, He died to sin, once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
(11) Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus."
When we believe this truth, we have been baptized into Jesus and we are raised with Jesus with the power that raised Jesus from the dead. Paul reveals this in his letter to the Romans in his 8th Chapter,
verses 9 -11;
(9) "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit; if indeed the Spirit of God
dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong
to Him.(10) And if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the
spirit is alive because of righteousness.(11) But if the Spirit of Him who raised
Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will
also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you."
We see here something that sounds a little conflicting when it says, "if Christ is in you" and then, "if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you" and then. This only makes sense if God is Jesus. It says that the Spirit of God dwells in you, Christ is in you, and His Spirit indwells us.
Lets confuse it a little more. Lets look at what Paul wrote in his 1st letter to the Corinthians in the 6th Chapter, verse 19;
"Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,
whom you have from God , and that you are not of your own."
When we read all these verses can we just move on and come to understand that though they sound conflicting they are not, if we understand that God is Jesus, and the Spirit of God that dwells in us is Jesus. Also, since the Spirit of God is the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit dwells in us, and Jesus is in us, then God is Jesus as I tried to show in this 7 part blog entitled "God Is Jesus".
Is there anywhere else in scripture that shows that God as Jesus dwells in us, of course there is or I would not have asked the question. This was revealed right after Jesus stated this in the gospel of John in Chapter 14, verse 9, responding to Philip's request for Jesus to show him the Father;
"Have I been so long with you, and yet you have come not to know Me, Philip?
He who has seen Me has seen the Father; How do you say, 'Show me the Father'?
To understand Jesus in us, we need to read what the apostle John wrote in the 14th chapter of his gospel, verses 16 and 17;
(16)"And I will ask the Father, and He will give you give you another Helper,
that He may be with you forever;(17) that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world
cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him
because He abides with you and will be in you."
So, in these two verses, Jesus is revealing a few things. He is saying that the Father, is sending a Helper. It is capitalized so the Helper is God, who will be with us forever. The Helper is the Spirit of truth. We know that Jesus, in John's gospel Chapter 14, verse 6, stated this;
"I am the way, and the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me."
Jesus is the Spirit of truth. Jesus tells the disciples that they know Him because He is with them, talking about Himself and will abide in them. So in these verses, Jesus is revealing to His disciples that he will come to dwell in them as the Spirit of truth, the Helper.
In verse 18, Jesus tells His disciples this;
(18)"I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you."
In other words, Jesus is telling His disciples that He will come to them and He will not leave them Fatherless as orphans, but He will be their Father."
In verses 19 and 20, Jesus says this;
(19) After a little while the world will behold me no more; but you will behold
Me; because I live, you shall live also.(20) In that day you shall know that I am
in My Father and you in Me, and I in you."
What Jesus is revealing here, is that He was going away and because He will go to be with the Father, all those who put themselves in Him by choosing what Jesus did for them on the cross to forgive their sin, will now be born of the Spirit of God with Jesus now indwelling them in the presence of His Holy Spirit.
Jesus stated this in the Gospel of John's 16th Chapter, verse 7;
"But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go
away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you."
If Jesus is not the Helper, then why would Jesus have to go away for the Helper to be sent? Jesus ascended into heaven with all glory. Flesh and blood cannot enter the Kingdom of God. So, Jesus after He ascended was Spirit. Being He is a part of the Father, who is the Holy Spirit by which Jesus was conceived, they exist as one. I wrote about that in earlier blogs. This One, "For the Lord our God is One", has chose to be called by the name which is above all, the name of Jesus (Yeshua), The Lord Our Salvation.
Jesus goes on to say in John Chapter 14, verses 21 and 23;
(21)"He who has my commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me; and
he who loves me shall be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and I will
disclose Myself to him.(23) If anyone loves Me, he will keep my word; and My
Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode in with him."
What Jesus is revealing here is that this One, the Father (the Holy Spirit) and the risen glorified body of the Father (Jesus) will come and dwell in all who love Him.
In verse 26, Jesus reveals this;
(26)"But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He
will teach you all things, and will bring to your remembrance all that I said to you."
If you notice here that it says that the Father will send the Helper and what we read in Chapter 16, verse 7, that Jesus said that Jesus would send the Helper. This is either a contradiction or Jesus and the Father are One and the same.
Jesus said this in 28;
(28)" You heard that I said to you, 'I go away, and I will come to you.' If you loved
Me, you would have rejoiced, because I go to the Father; for the Father is greater
than I."
Jesus is saying that they should rejoice, because when He goes to the Father, He can now return as the Helper in the souls of all who would believe. Jesus could not do this while He was still here as the Holy Spirit's body. For there is just one mediator between God and man and that is Jesus, the body of the Holy spirit. We can only address the Holy Spirit of God through that part of the Holy Spirit that is Jesus, the risen Lamb.
In concluding, I will leave you with this from the gospel of Matthew Chapter28, verses 18-20;
(18)"And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, 'All authority has been given
to Me in heaven and on earth.(19) Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the son, and the Holy Spirit,
(20) teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you
always, even to the end of the age.'"
If Jesus has been given all authority in heaven and on earth, that would mean that God would have no authority unless they are One and the same. Jesus said He will be with us, even until the end of the age. He is with us as the Helper, the Holy Spirit, who fills our souls, Jesus Christ in us.
Jesus commanded His disciples to baptize in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Did they misunderstand Him or were they being defiant when they did baptize. Maybe they understood what He meant, for all throughout the book of acts of the apostles, they all baptized in the name of Jesus. They were either being disobedient or understood that the name of the Father, the Son, and Holy Spirit is Jesus and that God is Jesus.
Acts Chapter 2, verse 38;
"And Peter said to them, 'Repent as be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the
the forgiveness of your sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'"
Acts Chapter 4, verse 12;
"And there is salvation in no one else (talking about Jesus from verse 10); for there
is no other name under heaven that has been given among men, by which we must
be saved."
Acts Chapter8, verse 12;
"But when they believed Philip preaching the good news of the kingdom of God
and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike."
Acts Chapter 10, verse 48;
"And he (Peter) ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ......."
Acts Chapter 19, verse 5;
"And when they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus."
And finally I leave you this out of the book of Acts, Chapter 20, verse 28;
"Be on you guard for yourselves and all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit
has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased
with His own blood."
As profound and revealing as this is, this verse is the verse that Jesus placed in an obscure part of scripture, fulfilling the encouragement to seek and you shall find. This verse reveals that the Holy Spirit purchased with His own blood the church(His body). This reveals that Jesus was the Holy Spirit's body here on the earth Who shed His very own blood to save man and offer them eternal life.
God is Jesus. Let Jesus' name be exalted in all the earth.
May Jesus' Grace and peace be with all who hear and may the eyes of the blind be opened.
Monday, October 7, 2013
God Is Jesus (Part 6) What Did Jesus Reveal About Himself
In the Old Testament and New Testament writings before Jesus was born, the Lord God revealed who He was. He said that He was the only God, the only Lord and the only Savior. The Lord God revealed who he was and who He would become. He said that he would become flesh. He said that when He would come into the world that He would be born to a virgin. He said that He would be Immanuel, meaning, 'God With Us'. He said that He, as this child who would be born to us, would be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. He said that He, the only Savior, would come through Mary and told her to name Him Jesus (Yeshua) the Lord Our Salvation. Did God when He was here as Jesus reveal who He was?
One of the very last words that Jesus spoke in the last book of the Bible, in the Book of Revelations, was spoken by God to the house of Jacob, in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah wrote this in his 48th Chapter, in verses 12 and 18;
(12)" Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first and,
I am also the last. (13) Surely My hand founded the earth. And My right hand spread
out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together."
When we look at what Jesus spoke in the last Chapter of Revelation, we see Him revealing the same thing about Himself that God spoke in Isaiah. Jesus claims to be the first and the last, when He says this in Revelation Chapter 22, verses 12 and 13;
(12)" Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man
according to what he has done.(13) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
the beginning and the end."
Jesus is either God or He is making a false claim. If we go back one Chapter to Revelation Chapter 21, we see Jesus telling the overcomers that He is God and not just God, but a Father, in verses 6-7;
(6)" And He said to me, 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life
without cost.(7) He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God
and He will be My son.
Jesus did not say here that He was a Father, but He did say that the overcomers would be His sons.
If there is any questions as to if this was Jesus speaking in these passages, we have to make a simple deduction. The One who was talking in Chapter 22, verse 13, said that He was, "the Alpha and the
Omega, the first and the last.' The Alpha and the Omega is the one who said in Chapter 21, verse 7, that He will their God and they His sons. If we go to the first Chapter of Revelation, verse 8, we see this;
" 'I am the Alpha and the Omega', says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and is to
come, the Almighty'."
So we know that the Alpha and the Omega is the first and the last. We saw where God in Isaiah said that He was the first and the last. We see this again if we look at what Jesus said in the 1st Chapter of Revelation in verses 17-18;
(17)" ................'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last.(18) and the living One;
and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and
Hades'."
And again in Revelation Chapter 2, verse 8;
"................'The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this':"
So we see what Jesus spoke here through the apostle John after His resurrection and ascension, but did Jesus ever claim to be the Father while He walked the earth. To if this ever occurred we have to look at the first recorded scripture that would begin to point to Jesus being the Father. We have to note that when Jesus was here, he did not go around saying, "I am the Christ", "I am God", "I am the Father". He wanted His disciples to come to that conclusion who He was by what He did and what He proclaimed apart from just coming right out and saying it. Jesus first hint, that He was God and Father, was given during an exchange He had with a group of Jews who had questioned Him as to who He was. We find this in the gospel of John, in the 10th Chapter, in verses 24-33;
(24)"The Jews therefore gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, 'How long
will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ tell us plainly.' (25) Jesus answered
them, 'I told you, and you do not believe; the works I do in my Father's name, these
bear witness of Me.(26) But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep.(27)
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;(28) and I give eternal
life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.
(29) My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one shall snatch
them out of the Father's hand.(30) I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE.' (31) The Jews
took up stones again to stone Him.(32) Jesus answered them, 'I showed you many
good works from the Father, for which of them are you stoning Me?'(33) The Jews
answered Him, 'For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because
You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God'."
The Jews understood what He was saying to them and for Jesus making the claim He and the Father are One, they wanted to stone Him to death. They understood that He was telling them that He was God. Also, when Jesus said that no one will snatch his sheep out of His hand and then saying that no one will snatch His sheep out of His Father's hand, He was saying that it was His hand and the Father's hand. It was the same hand. When Jesus said the works I do in my Father's name, what was the Father's name? Of course doing the works as Jesus, Jesus is the name that the works are being done in. God chose to be called Jesus.
We can look at these verses and say Jesus did or didn't claim to be the Father here. Although, the Jews knew He was making this claim. Right after Jesus had told His disciples that He was going away and where He was going they could not follow, but that they could follow later, He comforted them and revealed to them who He was, with these words He spoke in John's gospel, Chapter 14, verses 1-9;
(1)" 'Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.(2) In My
Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for
I go to prepare a place for you.(3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.(4) And you
know the way where I am going.'(5) Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know
where you are going, how do we know the way?'(6) Jesus said to him, 'I am the way,
and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. (7) If you had
known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and
have seen Him.'(8) Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for
us.'(9) Jesus said to him, 'Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to
know Me, Philip? HE WHO HAS SEEN ME HAS SEEN THE FATHER; how do you
say, "Show me the Father?' "
The key to Jesus claim to being the Father is even greater than Him saying, "he who has seen Me has seen the Father. The key is in verse 7, "If you had known Me, you would have know My Father also;". Now because of what Jesus said in verse 7 and says next, He has now revealed to them that He is the Father and from now on they will know Him that way and will look at Him knowing that to be so. Jesus completes verse 7 telling them, 'from now on you know Him and have seen Him.
What I have written is not my opinion. It is what is written. I have always said that if I cannot show you then do not believe me. If I have shown you, then it is your choice to either believe or not. The one great thing about Jesus is that He will always reveal who He is to people who really seek to know Him.
May Jesus peace and grace and His revealing of Himself be with you.
One of the very last words that Jesus spoke in the last book of the Bible, in the Book of Revelations, was spoken by God to the house of Jacob, in the book of Isaiah. Isaiah wrote this in his 48th Chapter, in verses 12 and 18;
(12)" Listen to Me, O Jacob, even Israel whom I called; I am He, I am the first and,
I am also the last. (13) Surely My hand founded the earth. And My right hand spread
out the heavens; When I call to them, they stand together."
When we look at what Jesus spoke in the last Chapter of Revelation, we see Him revealing the same thing about Himself that God spoke in Isaiah. Jesus claims to be the first and the last, when He says this in Revelation Chapter 22, verses 12 and 13;
(12)" Behold, I am coming quickly, and My reward is with Me, to render to every man
according to what he has done.(13) I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last,
the beginning and the end."
Jesus is either God or He is making a false claim. If we go back one Chapter to Revelation Chapter 21, we see Jesus telling the overcomers that He is God and not just God, but a Father, in verses 6-7;
(6)" And He said to me, 'It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning
and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life
without cost.(7) He who overcomes shall inherit these things, and I will be his God
and He will be My son.
Jesus did not say here that He was a Father, but He did say that the overcomers would be His sons.
If there is any questions as to if this was Jesus speaking in these passages, we have to make a simple deduction. The One who was talking in Chapter 22, verse 13, said that He was, "the Alpha and the
Omega, the first and the last.' The Alpha and the Omega is the one who said in Chapter 21, verse 7, that He will their God and they His sons. If we go to the first Chapter of Revelation, verse 8, we see this;
" 'I am the Alpha and the Omega', says the Lord God, 'who is and who was and is to
come, the Almighty'."
So we know that the Alpha and the Omega is the first and the last. We saw where God in Isaiah said that He was the first and the last. We see this again if we look at what Jesus said in the 1st Chapter of Revelation in verses 17-18;
(17)" ................'Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last.(18) and the living One;
and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and
Hades'."
And again in Revelation Chapter 2, verse 8;
"................'The first and the last, who was dead, and has come to life, says this':"
So we see what Jesus spoke here through the apostle John after His resurrection and ascension, but did Jesus ever claim to be the Father while He walked the earth. To if this ever occurred we have to look at the first recorded scripture that would begin to point to Jesus being the Father. We have to note that when Jesus was here, he did not go around saying, "I am the Christ", "I am God", "I am the Father". He wanted His disciples to come to that conclusion who He was by what He did and what He proclaimed apart from just coming right out and saying it. Jesus first hint, that He was God and Father, was given during an exchange He had with a group of Jews who had questioned Him as to who He was. We find this in the gospel of John, in the 10th Chapter, in verses 24-33;
(24)"The Jews therefore gathered around Him, and were saying to Him, 'How long
will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Christ tell us plainly.' (25) Jesus answered
them, 'I told you, and you do not believe; the works I do in my Father's name, these
bear witness of Me.(26) But you do not believe, because you are not my sheep.(27)
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me;(28) and I give eternal
life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand.
(29) My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one shall snatch
them out of the Father's hand.(30) I AND THE FATHER ARE ONE.' (31) The Jews
took up stones again to stone Him.(32) Jesus answered them, 'I showed you many
good works from the Father, for which of them are you stoning Me?'(33) The Jews
answered Him, 'For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy; and because
You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God'."
The Jews understood what He was saying to them and for Jesus making the claim He and the Father are One, they wanted to stone Him to death. They understood that He was telling them that He was God. Also, when Jesus said that no one will snatch his sheep out of His hand and then saying that no one will snatch His sheep out of His Father's hand, He was saying that it was His hand and the Father's hand. It was the same hand. When Jesus said the works I do in my Father's name, what was the Father's name? Of course doing the works as Jesus, Jesus is the name that the works are being done in. God chose to be called Jesus.
We can look at these verses and say Jesus did or didn't claim to be the Father here. Although, the Jews knew He was making this claim. Right after Jesus had told His disciples that He was going away and where He was going they could not follow, but that they could follow later, He comforted them and revealed to them who He was, with these words He spoke in John's gospel, Chapter 14, verses 1-9;
(1)" 'Let not your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.(2) In My
Father's house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for
I go to prepare a place for you.(3) And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come
again, and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.(4) And you
know the way where I am going.'(5) Thomas said to Him, 'Lord, we do not know
where you are going, how do we know the way?'(6) Jesus said to him, 'I am the way,
and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me. (7) If you had
known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and
have seen Him.'(8) Philip said to Him, 'Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for
us.'(9) Jesus said to him, 'Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to
know Me, Philip? HE WHO HAS SEEN ME HAS SEEN THE FATHER; how do you
say, "Show me the Father?' "
The key to Jesus claim to being the Father is even greater than Him saying, "he who has seen Me has seen the Father. The key is in verse 7, "If you had known Me, you would have know My Father also;". Now because of what Jesus said in verse 7 and says next, He has now revealed to them that He is the Father and from now on they will know Him that way and will look at Him knowing that to be so. Jesus completes verse 7 telling them, 'from now on you know Him and have seen Him.
What I have written is not my opinion. It is what is written. I have always said that if I cannot show you then do not believe me. If I have shown you, then it is your choice to either believe or not. The one great thing about Jesus is that He will always reveal who He is to people who really seek to know Him.
May Jesus peace and grace and His revealing of Himself be with you.
Thursday, October 3, 2013
God is Jesus (Part 5) God Chose His Name To Be Jesus
The God of the universe chose to be called Jesus (Yeshua). Yeshua in Hebrew means, The Lord Our Salvation. We saw that when the angel of the Lord instructed Joseph as to what name the baby that Mary would deliver should be called, Joseph was told this in the 1st Chapter of Matthew's gospel, in verses 20 and 21;
(20)"Joseph, son od David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which
has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (21) And she will bear a Son; and you
shall call His name Jesus (Yeshua), for it is He who will save His people from their sins."
The One who saves is of course a Savior. This was pointed out in the gospel of Luke in his 2nd Chapter, verses 10 and 11, when the angel of the Lord spoke this to the shepherds in the field;
(10) "And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news
of a great joy which shall be for ALL the people;(11) for today in the city of David
there will there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
So Jesus (Yeshua) is The Lord Our Salvation. When we go back to the writings of the prophet Isaiah, we see this written in his 45 Chapter, in verses 5 and 6;
(5)"I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God, I will gird you
though you have not known Me;(6) That men may know from the rising to the setting
of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord and there is no other."
So if the God of Israel is speaking this trough Isaiah that there is only One Lord and there is no other, then how can Jesus be Lord unless they are one and the same? In verse 15 it says this;
"...............................O God of Israel, Savior!"
So if the God of Israel is Savior, then how can Jesus be Savior unless they are one and the same? For there is just one Savior. Isaiah writes this latter is the same Chapter 45, in verses 20-23;
(20) "Gather yourselves and come; Draw near together, you fugitives of the nations;
They have no knowledge, who carry around their wooden idol, and pray to a God
who cannot save.(21) Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult
together. who has announced this from old? Who has long since declared it? Is it
not I the Lord? And there is no other God beside Me, a righteous God and a Savior;
There is none except Me. (22) Turn to Me and be saved, ALL the ends of the earth:
For I am God and there is no other.(23) I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone
forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee
will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance."
So what the only God is saying is that He is the only Lord and the only Savior and there is no other.
If God says this and therefore it must be true, then Jesus cannot be Lord and Savior unless they are one and the same. This means that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the great I Am, became flesh in the person of Jesus, who is Lord and Savior. God is Jesus. Are there writings in the new testament that are in agreement to this? Or course there is or I would not have asked the question. It is actually one of most revealing passages in the new testament as to who Jesus really is. This was written by the apostle Paul, who remember was a former Pharisee well aware of Isaiah's writings, in his letter written to the Philippians in the 2nd Chapter, verses 1-11;
(1)"If therefore there is any encouragement in the Messiah, if there is any consolation
of love, if there is any fellowship in the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,(2) make
my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit,
intent on one purpose.(3) Do nothing out of selfishness or empty deceit, but with
humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;
(4) do not merely look out for your own interests, but also for the interests of others.
(5) Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in the Messiah Jesus,(6) who,
although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be
grasped,(7) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in
the likeness of men.(8) And being found in the appearance as a man, He humble Himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death, on a cross.(9) Therefore also God highly
exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,(10) that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and
under the earth,(11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus the Messiah is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
So we saw earlier in Isaiah's writings that to the only God, Lord and Savior will every knee bow to and swear allegiance to. We just read here in Paul's writings that to the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. There is only one Lord. Jesus is a name above all names because it is the name that God chose for Himself. When all will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord, they are acknowledging that Jesus is Lord of all, which will in turn by giving Jesus glory will also give the Holy Spirit of God, who is the Father, glory. For they are one and the same. The Lord Our God is One.
May Jesus' grace, understanding and peace be with you.
(20)"Joseph, son od David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which
has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. (21) And she will bear a Son; and you
shall call His name Jesus (Yeshua), for it is He who will save His people from their sins."
The One who saves is of course a Savior. This was pointed out in the gospel of Luke in his 2nd Chapter, verses 10 and 11, when the angel of the Lord spoke this to the shepherds in the field;
(10) "And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news
of a great joy which shall be for ALL the people;(11) for today in the city of David
there will there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord."
So Jesus (Yeshua) is The Lord Our Salvation. When we go back to the writings of the prophet Isaiah, we see this written in his 45 Chapter, in verses 5 and 6;
(5)"I am the Lord, and there is no other; Besides Me there is no God, I will gird you
though you have not known Me;(6) That men may know from the rising to the setting
of the sun that there is no one besides Me. I am the Lord and there is no other."
So if the God of Israel is speaking this trough Isaiah that there is only One Lord and there is no other, then how can Jesus be Lord unless they are one and the same? In verse 15 it says this;
"...............................O God of Israel, Savior!"
So if the God of Israel is Savior, then how can Jesus be Savior unless they are one and the same? For there is just one Savior. Isaiah writes this latter is the same Chapter 45, in verses 20-23;
(20) "Gather yourselves and come; Draw near together, you fugitives of the nations;
They have no knowledge, who carry around their wooden idol, and pray to a God
who cannot save.(21) Declare and set forth your case; Indeed, let them consult
together. who has announced this from old? Who has long since declared it? Is it
not I the Lord? And there is no other God beside Me, a righteous God and a Savior;
There is none except Me. (22) Turn to Me and be saved, ALL the ends of the earth:
For I am God and there is no other.(23) I have sworn by Myself, the word has gone
forth from My mouth in righteousness and will not turn back, that to Me every knee
will bow, every tongue will swear allegiance."
So what the only God is saying is that He is the only Lord and the only Savior and there is no other.
If God says this and therefore it must be true, then Jesus cannot be Lord and Savior unless they are one and the same. This means that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the great I Am, became flesh in the person of Jesus, who is Lord and Savior. God is Jesus. Are there writings in the new testament that are in agreement to this? Or course there is or I would not have asked the question. It is actually one of most revealing passages in the new testament as to who Jesus really is. This was written by the apostle Paul, who remember was a former Pharisee well aware of Isaiah's writings, in his letter written to the Philippians in the 2nd Chapter, verses 1-11;
(1)"If therefore there is any encouragement in the Messiah, if there is any consolation
of love, if there is any fellowship in the Spirit, if any affection and compassion,(2) make
my joy complete by being of the same mind, maintaining the same love, united in spirit,
intent on one purpose.(3) Do nothing out of selfishness or empty deceit, but with
humility of mind let each of you regard one another as more important than himself;
(4) do not merely look out for your own interests, but also for the interests of others.
(5) Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in the Messiah Jesus,(6) who,
although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be
grasped,(7) but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in
the likeness of men.(8) And being found in the appearance as a man, He humble Himself
by becoming obedient to the point of death, on a cross.(9) Therefore also God highly
exalted Him, and bestowed on Him the name which is above every name,(10) that at
the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those who are in heaven, and on earth, and
under the earth,(11) and that every tongue should confess that Jesus the Messiah is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father."
So we saw earlier in Isaiah's writings that to the only God, Lord and Savior will every knee bow to and swear allegiance to. We just read here in Paul's writings that to the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. There is only one Lord. Jesus is a name above all names because it is the name that God chose for Himself. When all will bow and confess that Jesus is Lord, they are acknowledging that Jesus is Lord of all, which will in turn by giving Jesus glory will also give the Holy Spirit of God, who is the Father, glory. For they are one and the same. The Lord Our God is One.
May Jesus' grace, understanding and peace be with you.
Monday, September 23, 2013
God Is Jesus (Part 4) The Savior
As we looked at the Christmas story we saw that the Holy Spirit is the One who Fathered Jesus, making Him the Father. So we have to question the idea that the Father and the Holy Spirit are two separate entities. I fathered three children, that doesn't make me two people. If the Holy Spirit is not the Father, then who is the Father. So of course the Holy Spirit is the Father. God is a Spirit. God of course is Holy. "God became flesh and dwelt among us." Does that mean that God was no longer a Spirit? Of course not. God at the time when Jesus was walking upon the earth was existing as both Spirit and the man Jesus. My last blog I made the statement that Jesus was a 100% God and He was. The substance that fertilized the egg in Mary was the 100% essence of the Holy Spirit. You can look at it as Gods very own DNA if He had a DNA. Jesus became the 100% extension of the Holy Spirit as a man. At this time the Holy Spirit was existing as the Spirit and man. The Holy Spirit was both Father and Son. We as humans want to put this on our level and look at it as we would our own sons. We father our sons and we know that they are not us but they are separate beings. The difference is that the seed that we fertilized the egg with was not us, but a seed with a totally different make up than ours. Plus our seed gives birth to a child with a sin nature because we all come from the seed of the Adam. Jesus didn't, He came into the world from the seed of God Himself. Therefore, He existed as the sinless man. The only man ever to be born into this world not having a sin nature. This is how God Himself would become the perfect and flawless Lamb that would be sacrificed for the forgiveness of the sin of man. Jesus would be the Savior of the world for all who would call upon His name.
To understand this Savior and see the correlation between God as Savior and Jesus as Savior, we will look at scripture from both the Old testament and the New testament that will either show this as being the truth or one is a lie. We continue with the Christmas story and this time we will look at what was stated at the birth of Jesus that will bring forth the statement that will later show that Jesus is God.
We saw in the words of the prophet Isaiah that the child Immanuel would be born to the house of David and that the son born, who will be called Eternal Father, will govern on the throne of David forever. As we see that Mary and Joseph had to travel to their city of birth for a censes, they returned home to Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the city that David had been born in. As we continue the Christmas story as written by Luke, we see this in Luke's gospel in the 2nd Chapter, verses 7-14;
"(7) And she (Mary) gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths,
and laid Him in a manger (feeding trough), because there was no room at the inn."
Just a little side note while we are reading this. There are two things here that are very profound. The first is the fact that Jesus was born in an animal stable. Most people wonder why the Son of God would be born in a stable instead of a place with a more comforting and clean environment. The answer is easy. Where could their be a more perfect place for the Lamb of God to be born than an animal stable. The next thing to notice is that the Child is laid in a feeding trough. If is perfect because Jesus later told His disciples this, as recorded in the gospel of John in his 6th Chapter, in verses 53- 58;
"(53) Jesus therefore said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh
of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.(54) He who
eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last
day.(55) For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.(56) He who eats my
flesh and drinks my blood abides in Me, and I in him.(57) As the living Father sent
Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of
Me.(58) This is the true bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate,
and died, he who eats this bread will never die.'"
The bread that the fathers ate was the manna that came down out of heaven as the Israelites wandered through the desert for the forty years. That manna was a shadow of the Living Bread that would come out of heaven and be the food for eternal life. Many of Jesus followers at that time fell away from Him because they thought that He was actually talking about His own body. So Jesus had to tell those who remained this in John's 6th Chapter, verses 61-63;
"(61) But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, 'Does
this cause you to stumble?(62) What then if you should behold the Son of Man
ascending where He was before?(63) It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh prophets
nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.'"
Remember, that when Jesus was in the wilderness fasting for forty days, Satan tempted Jesus with food and Jesus told him, " Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." So the Word (God)became flesh (Jesus) and what Jesus was telling them is that the words that proceed from His mouth and the things that He had spoken and will speak, is real food.
He was telling them that His words are spirit and give life. Jesus words are the food for the spiritual man, the New Creation, that come into existence through His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus' words give life to those who are dead in their sin. This comes by receiving the words of truth that lead to eternal life. At the last supper and Passover Feast, Jesus told His disciples that the bread that He was breaking was His body that will broken for them. He told them to do that in remembrance of Him and what he did for them, to be their Savior. Then Jesus poured the wine and told them that the cup represents His blood that is poured out for them to establish a new covenant. The new covenant that will be established for all, through the pouring out of God's very own blood, for the forgiveness of the sins of all who would call on Jesus to be their Savior. Jesus shed blood is the very blood that will defeat death. This will cause death to have to Passover those who choose Jesus which allows them to have eternal life
I hope you enjoyed that side note. I write where Jesus takes me. Now , getting back to the Christmas story in Luke. We see this back in Chapter 2, starting in verse 8;
"(8) And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields,
and keeping watch over their flocks by night.(9) And the angel of the Lord suddenly
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were
terribly frightened.(10) And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I
bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people;(11) for today
in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
(12) And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and
lying in a manger."(13) And suddenly there appeared with the angels a multitude
of the heavenly hosts praising God, and saying,(14) "Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
Notice it does not say "peace on earth". This is one of the most misquoted scriptures in the who Bible and that being for Satan's future deception. It says, " peace among men with whom He is pleased". There is only one way to please God and that is to receive what He did in Jesus to be your Savior. Then Jesus becomes you Prince of Peace.
You also see in this passage, that what is born, is a Savior and the Lord. This is what we will look at in Isaiah's writings that will show us that Jesus is the Only God. These are the words that God declared in the Old Testament before Jesus was born. We will look at some verses I Isaiah's 43th Chapter;
"(3) For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
The God of Israel is declaring that is He the Lord and Savior. If there is only one Lord and One Savior, then God is foretelling what He will do as Jesus.
"(11) I, even I, am the Lord; and there is no savior besides Me.(12) It is I who
declared and saved and proclaimed, and there is no strange god among you; so you
are my witnesses, declares the Lord , and I am God. (13) even from eternity I am He;
And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?"
If this is the only Savior then how can Jesus be the Savior unless they are the same.
"(15) I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.
In Revelations, Jesus is the King of Kings. If this God is not foretelling what He would do as Jesus, then how could Jesus be King over this King.
"(25) I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; and
I will not remember your sins."
God is foretelling what He would do as Jesus when He sheds His own blood..
This was big bite because Jesus lead were I was not intending on going. So we will digest this and continue in my next blog.
Jesus' grace, peace and understanding be with you.
To understand this Savior and see the correlation between God as Savior and Jesus as Savior, we will look at scripture from both the Old testament and the New testament that will either show this as being the truth or one is a lie. We continue with the Christmas story and this time we will look at what was stated at the birth of Jesus that will bring forth the statement that will later show that Jesus is God.
We saw in the words of the prophet Isaiah that the child Immanuel would be born to the house of David and that the son born, who will be called Eternal Father, will govern on the throne of David forever. As we see that Mary and Joseph had to travel to their city of birth for a censes, they returned home to Bethlehem. Bethlehem was the city that David had been born in. As we continue the Christmas story as written by Luke, we see this in Luke's gospel in the 2nd Chapter, verses 7-14;
"(7) And she (Mary) gave birth to her first-born son; and she wrapped Him in cloths,
and laid Him in a manger (feeding trough), because there was no room at the inn."
Just a little side note while we are reading this. There are two things here that are very profound. The first is the fact that Jesus was born in an animal stable. Most people wonder why the Son of God would be born in a stable instead of a place with a more comforting and clean environment. The answer is easy. Where could their be a more perfect place for the Lamb of God to be born than an animal stable. The next thing to notice is that the Child is laid in a feeding trough. If is perfect because Jesus later told His disciples this, as recorded in the gospel of John in his 6th Chapter, in verses 53- 58;
"(53) Jesus therefore said to them, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh
of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in yourselves.(54) He who
eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last
day.(55) For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink.(56) He who eats my
flesh and drinks my blood abides in Me, and I in him.(57) As the living Father sent
Me, and I live because of the Father, so he who eats Me, he also shall live because of
Me.(58) This is the true bread which came down out of heaven; not as the fathers ate,
and died, he who eats this bread will never die.'"
The bread that the fathers ate was the manna that came down out of heaven as the Israelites wandered through the desert for the forty years. That manna was a shadow of the Living Bread that would come out of heaven and be the food for eternal life. Many of Jesus followers at that time fell away from Him because they thought that He was actually talking about His own body. So Jesus had to tell those who remained this in John's 6th Chapter, verses 61-63;
"(61) But Jesus, conscious that His disciples grumbled at this, said to them, 'Does
this cause you to stumble?(62) What then if you should behold the Son of Man
ascending where He was before?(63) It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh prophets
nothing; the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.'"
Remember, that when Jesus was in the wilderness fasting for forty days, Satan tempted Jesus with food and Jesus told him, " Man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." So the Word (God)became flesh (Jesus) and what Jesus was telling them is that the words that proceed from His mouth and the things that He had spoken and will speak, is real food.
He was telling them that His words are spirit and give life. Jesus words are the food for the spiritual man, the New Creation, that come into existence through His death, burial, and resurrection. Jesus' words give life to those who are dead in their sin. This comes by receiving the words of truth that lead to eternal life. At the last supper and Passover Feast, Jesus told His disciples that the bread that He was breaking was His body that will broken for them. He told them to do that in remembrance of Him and what he did for them, to be their Savior. Then Jesus poured the wine and told them that the cup represents His blood that is poured out for them to establish a new covenant. The new covenant that will be established for all, through the pouring out of God's very own blood, for the forgiveness of the sins of all who would call on Jesus to be their Savior. Jesus shed blood is the very blood that will defeat death. This will cause death to have to Passover those who choose Jesus which allows them to have eternal life
I hope you enjoyed that side note. I write where Jesus takes me. Now , getting back to the Christmas story in Luke. We see this back in Chapter 2, starting in verse 8;
"(8) And in the same region there were some shepherds staying out in the fields,
and keeping watch over their flocks by night.(9) And the angel of the Lord suddenly
stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were
terribly frightened.(10) And the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I
bring you good news of a great joy which shall be for all the people;(11) for today
in the city of David there has been born for you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.
(12) And this will be a sign for you; you will find a baby wrapped in cloths, and
lying in a manger."(13) And suddenly there appeared with the angels a multitude
of the heavenly hosts praising God, and saying,(14) "Glory to God in the highest,
And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."
Notice it does not say "peace on earth". This is one of the most misquoted scriptures in the who Bible and that being for Satan's future deception. It says, " peace among men with whom He is pleased". There is only one way to please God and that is to receive what He did in Jesus to be your Savior. Then Jesus becomes you Prince of Peace.
You also see in this passage, that what is born, is a Savior and the Lord. This is what we will look at in Isaiah's writings that will show us that Jesus is the Only God. These are the words that God declared in the Old Testament before Jesus was born. We will look at some verses I Isaiah's 43th Chapter;
"(3) For I am the Lord your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior."
The God of Israel is declaring that is He the Lord and Savior. If there is only one Lord and One Savior, then God is foretelling what He will do as Jesus.
"(11) I, even I, am the Lord; and there is no savior besides Me.(12) It is I who
declared and saved and proclaimed, and there is no strange god among you; so you
are my witnesses, declares the Lord , and I am God. (13) even from eternity I am He;
And there is none who can deliver out of My hand; I act and who can reverse it?"
If this is the only Savior then how can Jesus be the Savior unless they are the same.
"(15) I am the Lord, your Holy One, the Creator of Israel, your King.
In Revelations, Jesus is the King of Kings. If this God is not foretelling what He would do as Jesus, then how could Jesus be King over this King.
"(25) I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake; and
I will not remember your sins."
God is foretelling what He would do as Jesus when He sheds His own blood..
This was big bite because Jesus lead were I was not intending on going. So we will digest this and continue in my next blog.
Jesus' grace, peace and understanding be with you.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
God Is Jesus (Part 3) Jesus The Father
We tend to overlook things we do not understand and move beyond it. We then try to categorize what we do not understand into what we believe to be a rational way of thinking. What does Isaiah's writings mean when he wrote that the Child that will be born to us will be called Mighty God and Everlasting Father. Do we drive by the sign that says "Stop and Ponder", or just roll by and proceed towards something we understand. Being we might not understand what that means, do we just grab onto what someone interprets that for us. The Bible says that God's ways are not man's ways. We always try to understand the things of God in human terms. To be able to understand how Jesus could be the Father, we have to look at it in God's terms.
Isaiah wrote in his 7th Chapter, in verses 17;
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child
and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
Immanuel means, "God with us". So we know that the sign from God will be a son that will be born to a virgin that will be God with us. This child will be God. We start to think, "How could this be possible, for we know that God is a Spirit?" We don't understand, so do we just drive by the statement, or do we search to understand how this could be possible. Why a virgin and how is that possible.? How could a virgin be with a child? If we ask those things, we are trying to rationalize in human terms. What about in God's reality? To begin to understand this, we have to look at what is written about the virgin girl, Mary, and what she was told. We often just look at this as just the Christmas Story, but in this story are the keys of understanding how Jesus is God.
First we are going to look at what Mary was told. This was recorded in Luke's gospel in the 1st Chapter, verses 26-38;
"(26) Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in
Galilee, called Nazareth, (27) to a virgin engaged to a man whose name is Joseph,
of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name is Mary. (28) And coming in,
he said to her, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." (29) But she was greatly
troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be.
(30) And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor
with God. (31) "And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and
you shall name Him Jesus. (32) He will be great, and will be called the son of the
Most High; and the Lord God will give Him throne of His father David; (33) and
He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end."
(34) And Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be since I am a virgin?' (35) And
the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy
offspring shall be called the Son of God. (36) And behold, even your relative
Elizabeth has conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now
in her sixth month. (37) for nothing is impossible with God.' (38) And Mary said,
'Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.' And
the angel departed from her."
There are a few things to point out from this passage of scripture. We read earlier, in the gospel of John, that God would become flesh. This is how He was going to do it. He was going to come into this world through the virgin woman, Mary. The reason why God had to come into this world through a virgin, was because it had to be a Holy place. Mary's womb would prove to be a Holy place because not only was Mary a virgin, but she was a woman who accepted the atonement for the forgiveness of her sins during the Passover and the sacrifice that was made in the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies was beyond the veil, in the temple in Jerusalem, that separated God from man. Mary's womb would become that holy place where God could dwell. A virgin has a veil that is broken when a man comes into her. Mary's veil was not broken. It was still unbroken when Jesus was conceived. In Mary's womb would be the very presence of God that would form to be a child.
We look at things on human terms and we know that from a man comes a seed that enters the egg of a woman and from that point is bought forth a child. Even we know now that every human being has a different DNA. No two humans have the same DNA makeup. Every seed of man has its own DNA makeup. When we hear that Jesus was the Son of God, we most likely look at it relative to human terms. We tend to look at is God having a Son that has a different DNA as His. This absolutely is not the case. It said that Holy Spirit would come upon Mary and the power of the Most High would overshadow her. Now I am about to turn conventional wisdom on its head. I will ask this question and the answer is obvious but overlooked. If Jesus was conceived when the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, then who is the Father? Of course the answer is the Holy Spirit. So it is logical to assume that the One who caused the conception would be the Father. Therefore, we have the Holy Spirit being the One who Fathered Jesus. I didn't say it. It is what is written.
So if the Holy Spirit is the One who caused Jesus to be conceived, then what was the seed that caused the conception, since God is a Spirit. I'll answer it. It was the very Spirit of God that fertilized, as you might say, the egg in Mary's womb. It was the very essence of God Almighty Himself. It was a essence of the Holy Spirit that makes up who God is, that was planted into Mary and grew to be a Child that was 100% God as a human being. God became flesh. Immanuel, God with us. The Mighty God and the full extension of the Holy Spirit.
If we look at what Matthew wrote in his gospel about the birth of Jesus from Joseph's experience, we see that it confirms what we just learn. Matthew wrote this in his 1st Chapter, verses 18-25;
"(18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been
betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with a child by
the Holy Spirit. (19) And Joseph her husband, being found a righteous man, and not
wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. (20) But when he had
considered this, the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her
is of the Holy Spirit.(21) And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus,
for it is He who will save His people from their sins."(22) Now all this took place that
what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,(23)
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name
Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us."(24) And Joseph arose from his
sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife,(25)
and kept her as a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus."
Again, we see that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Both Joseph and Mary were instructed to name the child Jesus, which means, 'The Lord our Salvation.' This is why Joseph was instructed by God Himself to call the child Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins. This is why He is called Savior. God Himself would come into this world in the form of a man, to be the very sacrifice that would be offered up for the forgiveness of the sins of all who would desire to be His people. God chose for Himself this name, which we will see is a name above all names. Also, we see at the end this passage, that Joseph kept Mary as a virgin until she gave birth to Jesus. The womb of Mary remained the Holy of Holies until Jesus came forth in his birth and tore down the veil in the virgin that separated God from man. God was now with man, Immanuel.
Small pieces and still some good things to see.
May Jesus peace, grace and understanding be with you.
Isaiah wrote in his 7th Chapter, in verses 17;
"Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child
and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel."
Immanuel means, "God with us". So we know that the sign from God will be a son that will be born to a virgin that will be God with us. This child will be God. We start to think, "How could this be possible, for we know that God is a Spirit?" We don't understand, so do we just drive by the statement, or do we search to understand how this could be possible. Why a virgin and how is that possible.? How could a virgin be with a child? If we ask those things, we are trying to rationalize in human terms. What about in God's reality? To begin to understand this, we have to look at what is written about the virgin girl, Mary, and what she was told. We often just look at this as just the Christmas Story, but in this story are the keys of understanding how Jesus is God.
First we are going to look at what Mary was told. This was recorded in Luke's gospel in the 1st Chapter, verses 26-38;
"(26) Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city in
Galilee, called Nazareth, (27) to a virgin engaged to a man whose name is Joseph,
of the descendants of David; and the virgin's name is Mary. (28) And coming in,
he said to her, "Hail, favored one! The Lord is with you." (29) But she was greatly
troubled at this statement, and kept pondering what kind of salutation this might be.
(30) And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary; for you have found favor
with God. (31) "And behold, you will conceive in your womb, and bear a son, and
you shall name Him Jesus. (32) He will be great, and will be called the son of the
Most High; and the Lord God will give Him throne of His father David; (33) and
He will reign over the house of Jacob forever; and His kingdom will have no end."
(34) And Mary said to the angel, 'How can this be since I am a virgin?' (35) And
the angel answered and said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the
power of the Most High will overshadow you; and for that reason the holy
offspring shall be called the Son of God. (36) And behold, even your relative
Elizabeth has conceived a son in her old age; and she who was called barren is now
in her sixth month. (37) for nothing is impossible with God.' (38) And Mary said,
'Behold, the bondslave of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word.' And
the angel departed from her."
There are a few things to point out from this passage of scripture. We read earlier, in the gospel of John, that God would become flesh. This is how He was going to do it. He was going to come into this world through the virgin woman, Mary. The reason why God had to come into this world through a virgin, was because it had to be a Holy place. Mary's womb would prove to be a Holy place because not only was Mary a virgin, but she was a woman who accepted the atonement for the forgiveness of her sins during the Passover and the sacrifice that was made in the Holy of Holies. The Holy of Holies was beyond the veil, in the temple in Jerusalem, that separated God from man. Mary's womb would become that holy place where God could dwell. A virgin has a veil that is broken when a man comes into her. Mary's veil was not broken. It was still unbroken when Jesus was conceived. In Mary's womb would be the very presence of God that would form to be a child.
We look at things on human terms and we know that from a man comes a seed that enters the egg of a woman and from that point is bought forth a child. Even we know now that every human being has a different DNA. No two humans have the same DNA makeup. Every seed of man has its own DNA makeup. When we hear that Jesus was the Son of God, we most likely look at it relative to human terms. We tend to look at is God having a Son that has a different DNA as His. This absolutely is not the case. It said that Holy Spirit would come upon Mary and the power of the Most High would overshadow her. Now I am about to turn conventional wisdom on its head. I will ask this question and the answer is obvious but overlooked. If Jesus was conceived when the Holy Spirit came upon Mary, then who is the Father? Of course the answer is the Holy Spirit. So it is logical to assume that the One who caused the conception would be the Father. Therefore, we have the Holy Spirit being the One who Fathered Jesus. I didn't say it. It is what is written.
So if the Holy Spirit is the One who caused Jesus to be conceived, then what was the seed that caused the conception, since God is a Spirit. I'll answer it. It was the very Spirit of God that fertilized, as you might say, the egg in Mary's womb. It was the very essence of God Almighty Himself. It was a essence of the Holy Spirit that makes up who God is, that was planted into Mary and grew to be a Child that was 100% God as a human being. God became flesh. Immanuel, God with us. The Mighty God and the full extension of the Holy Spirit.
If we look at what Matthew wrote in his gospel about the birth of Jesus from Joseph's experience, we see that it confirms what we just learn. Matthew wrote this in his 1st Chapter, verses 18-25;
"(18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was as follows. When His mother Mary had been
betrothed to Joseph, before they came together she was found to be with a child by
the Holy Spirit. (19) And Joseph her husband, being found a righteous man, and not
wanting to disgrace her, desired to put her away secretly. (20) But when he had
considered this, the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, "Joseph, son of David,
do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife; for that which has been conceived in her
is of the Holy Spirit.(21) And she will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus,
for it is He who will save His people from their sins."(22) Now all this took place that
what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet might be fulfilled, saying,(23)
"Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name
Immanuel," which translated means, "God with us."(24) And Joseph arose from his
sleep, and did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took her as his wife,(25)
and kept her as a virgin until she gave birth to a Son; and he called His name Jesus."
Again, we see that the child was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Both Joseph and Mary were instructed to name the child Jesus, which means, 'The Lord our Salvation.' This is why Joseph was instructed by God Himself to call the child Jesus, because He would save His people from their sins. This is why He is called Savior. God Himself would come into this world in the form of a man, to be the very sacrifice that would be offered up for the forgiveness of the sins of all who would desire to be His people. God chose for Himself this name, which we will see is a name above all names. Also, we see at the end this passage, that Joseph kept Mary as a virgin until she gave birth to Jesus. The womb of Mary remained the Holy of Holies until Jesus came forth in his birth and tore down the veil in the virgin that separated God from man. God was now with man, Immanuel.
Small pieces and still some good things to see.
May Jesus peace, grace and understanding be with you.
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