Who is Jesus?

Who is Jesus Christ?

Many people have an opinion today on who Jesus Christ is.  I have heard everything from "enlightened being" or "space alien" to just "a good man."  But he is not subject to those opinions.

Reading Luke 9 today.

"Once when Jesus was praying in private and his disciples were with him, he asked them, "Who do the crowds say I am?"

They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, that one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life."

"But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Luke 9:18-19 (NIV)

And there it is, where the rubber meets the road.  Jesus doesn't really respond to what the people think, he asks his disciples what they say.

After Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah (and Jesus tells Peter that God himself revealed this truth to him,) Jesus moves on from there. 

Then he said to them all: "Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.  For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.  What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?" Luke 9:24-25 (NIV)

Saying Jesus was a good man or a space alien doesn't require anything after that.  Because anyone who has come to those conclusions has not had Jesus revealed to them by the Holy Spirit.  And perhaps that is why people are comfortable in that ignorance.  To accept Jesus is to change the path of our lives.  Like the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18-30), those people encounter Christ but do not want to pay the price to know him for who he is.

However, for those of us who know Jesus as the Christ, we must recognize that our life is no longer our own.

"Who do you say that I am?" 

How do we answer that question?  Does our life show that we truly have accepted him for who he really is?

God

Some years back  there was a movie starring John Denver and George Burns called "Oh, God!"

Now although much of the theology of that movie was not scriptural, I remember one thing that rang true to me and left an impression.

After God tells John Denver's character he is going to be his messenger, John asks for a symbol or sign.  God gives him a business card.  John looks it over and there is one word typed on it.

God.

What I love about that is, that really sums it up.  He is God.  Like when Moses asked, "who do I say sent me?" and God answers, "I am". 

Think about that for a moment.  God is God. 

And Jesus Christ is the very image of God himself.  This is the Jesus Christ whom we accepted, who died so that by our faith we are saved, and whom we can trust with our lives.

Reading Colossians today.

"The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.  For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him.  He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy." Colossians 1:15-18 (NIV)

He is able to meet all our needs, calm all our storms, lead our life.

And he is worthy of our full submission, including reigning over our time, talent and treasures.

He is God.

Evil? Who is evil?

Sometimes I get pretty down when I see the amount of evil that is out there.  Sometimes I can even get impatient with God.  I find myself struggling with that age-old question that goes something like, "God, if you are loving, why don't you do something about all the evil that is going on in the world?"

But this morning I thought, what if God answered something like, "Ok David, what would you have me do?"

I'd probably answer, "Do that  'smite thing,' you know, just wipe them out!"

"Who David?  All the people you consider evil?  Or all the people I see as evil?"

And therein lies the problem.  There is the sobering thought.

We assume that God has the same measuring standard that we do.  But he doesn't.  In fact, according to God's standard of good and evil, 

"No one is righteous— not even one. No one is truly wise; no one is seeking God.

All have turned away; all have become useless.

No one does good,  not a single one. Their talk is foul, like the stench from an open grave.Their tongues are filled with lies. Snake venom drips from their lips. Their mouths are full of cursing and bitterness. They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. They don't know where to find peace."

They have no fear of God at all.'" Romans 3:10-18 (NLT)

Fortunately, God is far more patient with the world than we are, fortunately he is providing us all with time to repent. 

"But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.  The Lord isn't really being slow about his promise, as some people think. No, he is being patient for your sake. He does not want anyone to be destroyed, but wants everyone to repent.  But the day of the Lord will come as unexpectedly as a thief. Then the heavens will pass away with a terrible noise, and the very elements themselves will disappear in fire, and the earth and everything on it will be found to deserve judgment. " 2 Peter 3:8-10 (NIV)

God's ways are simply not our ways.  And perhaps that is a very good thing, for you and me.

"My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts," says the Lord.

    "And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine.

For just as the heavens are higher than the earth,

    so my ways are higher than your ways

    and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:8-9 (NLT)

Gift or Giver?

Now is a time when we are all frantically Christmas shopping.  There is a lot of emphasis on gift giving.

When God gives you something, do you pay more attention to the gift or the giver?

In John chapter six, Jesus had just fed 5,000 people, meeting their physical need for food with a miraculous sign.  The crowd's response was they wanted to force him to be their king.  Why not?  A king who could simply make food appear where there was none, that's a good trick!

Jesus withdraws from them.  We pick up the story in verse 22.

"The next day the crowd that had stayed on the opposite shore of the lake realized that only one boat had been there, and that Jesus had not entered it with his disciples, but that they had gone away alone.  Then some boats from Tiberias landed near the place where the people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks.  Once the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor his disciples were there, they got into the boats and went to Capernaum in search of Jesus.

When they found him on the other side of the lake, they asked him, "Rabbi, when did you get here?"

Jesus answered, "Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.  Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on him God the Father has placed his seal of approval." John 6:22-26 (NIV emphasis mine)

Clearly they were only looking for their next meal.  They ate the fish and bread, but had missed the point of the sign.  A sign points to something, and this sign had pointed to Jesus himself.  He was teaching them something about himself by meeting their physical need.

Let's continue.

Then they asked him, "What must we do to do the works God requires?"

Jesus answered, "The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent."

So they asked him, "What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do? Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: 'He gave them bread from heaven to eat.'" vv 28-31 (NIV)

Aren't we just like that?  Jesus' last miracle wasn't enough for them, and often times it is not enough for us.  That was yesterday Jesus, what will you do for me today?  You want me to believe in you, what will you do for me now in exchange for my belief?

Jesus said to them, "Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world."

"Sir," they said, "always give us this bread."

Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty." vv 32-35 (NIV)

The blessings in our life are always meant to teach us something about our Father in Heaven, to draw us into a closer relationship with Him. 

Are you looking at the gifts or the giver today?

The lesson is clear, the giver is all we need. 

Sent from my iPad

Psalm 43

The weekend is here, what kind of week did you have?

If it was anything like mine, it was full of challenges and trials.  There were some where I won the battle, and some I'd just rather forget and move on.

Reading Psalm 43 today; I love the honesty in this.

Psalm 43

1 Vindicate me, my God,

    and plead my cause

    against an unfaithful nation.

Rescue me from those who are

    deceitful and wicked.

2 You are God my stronghold.

    Why have you rejected me?

Why must I go about mourning,

    oppressed by the enemy?

Have you ever felt like this?  Rejected by God and alone?  Let's read on...

3 Send me your light and your faithful care,

    let them lead me;

let them bring me to your holy mountain,

    to the place where you dwell.

4 Then I will go to the altar of God,

    to God, my joy and my delight.

I will praise you with the lyre,

    O God, my God.

Here the Psalmist prays to the Lord.  Many of us can stay at this point, we pray and think, "Ok God, do your thing!

But he goes one more step, he actually speaks to himself! 

5 Why, my soul, are you downcast?

    Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

    for I will yet praise him,

    my Savior and my God.

Sometimes prayer is not enough, we need to encourage, even challenge ourselves to put our hope in God!  And then, actually do just that.

Opinion or Truth?

Have you ever heard it said, "everyone is entitled to their opinion"?

Well, that is true.  The Lord has given us the freedom to think whatever we want to think.  However, that does not mean we are correct.

And, an opinion doesn't always match up with the truth.

I can be of the opinion that traffic should stop for me when I pull out into a crowded intersection, that doesn't mean I won't get hit.

That's why we need the Word of God in our lives.  When we struggle to see whose opinion is correct or even matters, it's best to see if those words line up with the Bible.

"For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." Heb 4:12 (NIV)

What a blessing to have, at our fingertips, words we can rely on to be true.

Same Yesterday, Today and Forever

With all that is in the news of late, I cannot help but think of these verses where Jesus said, 

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect." - Matthew 5:43-48( NIV)

You know what I think Jesus would say today?

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.'  But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,  that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.  If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that? Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect."

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Heb 13:8