Greetings to all:
I have remained in solitude for the past month in prayer and deciphering exactly what God has in store for my life. Many of you have been extremely faithful in following my blog and keeping up with my spiritual life, and my hopes are that you also have grown along the way. I am pleased to let you know that God has greater things in store for me, as I will be attending seminary at Liberty University for my Masters degree, beginning in the Fall.
Today, rather than doing a Bible study or ‘fruit for thought’, I felt it was necessary take time to let people learn who Jesus truly is. Not the fake Jesus, but the real one who spent time on Earth and died for our freedom.
What is it that you know about Jesus, exactly? That He was some guy in Israel and He died on a cross for something another? Precisely, those are true in some shape, but there’s much more to this ‘Jesus’ guy.
As a matter of fact, this ‘Jesus’ guy was created by God, a son of God, and born of a virgin woman (Mary). This ‘Jesus’ was the one who all the old testament books spoke in prophecy about. Jesus was 100% man, while also being 100% God. Okay, you are already a little confused aren’t you? The point to take away and to reference, is that Jesus was equally God as He was man. Now let’s take it from the birth and do this chronologically, because I know how you people are, you’re logical and only believe in cause and effect, if there is tangible evidence.
Jesus was born:
We really know absolutely nothing about His childhood until He is the age of twelve. When Jesus was twelve, notably He sort of sneaked away from His parents to go to the temple. I’ll give you the exact scripture from Luke 2, so that you can take a gander to fully meditate on it:
41 Every year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the Festival of the Passover. 42 When he was twelve years old, they went up to the festival, according to the custom. 43 After the festival was over, while his parents were returning home, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but they were unaware of it. 44 Thinking he was in their company, they traveled on for a day. Then they began looking for him among their relatives and friends. 45 When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. 46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. 47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers. 48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”
49 “Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?”[a] 50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
51 Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart. 52 And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
So not to get too detailed, because there is so much more to write, but I really want to key on verse 52 here, “…Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man”. This is Jesus’ moment where He had to intellectually grow up and His maturation really began to start. So realize that Jesus didn’t magically have these majestic powers that made Him superior to other people, but rather actually had to grow up and mature just as we do! Jesus was just like US, in this regard, a part of His human life!
We hear very little about Jesus until He begins His ministry, but we do know that Jesus was a carpenter of some kind growing up, as He did with His human father (Joseph). Once His ministry begins, obviously I can’t explain every single situation that occurred in His life, because it’s so detailed; however, I can clue you in on exactly how Jesus is a lot more like us than we choose to realize or explain. We all have the thorn in our side, I wrote a blog recently explaining where Paul really goes in depth about what that means, (blog is titled: God is here to help)
The one major difference between Jesus and ourselves is that Jesus never sinned. Jesus, was perfect, and ‘good’ (meaning faithful) in God’s eyes. Jesus was and is the only one whom is worthy of such righteousness. To be clear and redundant, Jesus was perfect and didn’t fall short to sin, but Jesus did not go through life without struggles. I’ll show you a few examples, please take the time to view the passages for context, I am simply using verses for illustration.
John 11:35 – Jesus wept (self-explanatory)
Luke 22:42 – saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” (Jesus is actually questioning God and asking Him to alter His mind; however, Jesus remains obedient as He know what’s about to happen).
Luke 22:44 – And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (Jesus was obviously dealing with serious anxiety)
Matthew 21:12-13 – Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 13 “It is written,” he said to them, “‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’[a] but you are making it ‘a den of robbers. (Jesus is obviously angry here, because of the abuse of His temple, so yes Jesus got angry)
Here’s a passage in Scripture where Jesus, Himself was even temped by Satan: (Matthew 4:1-11)
Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted[a] by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”
4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. 6 “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you,
and they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’[c]”
7 Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”
10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”
11 Then the devil left him, and angels came and attended him.
There are other instances where Jesus shows His humanity indwell within Himself. But here is what you have GOT to understand about Jesus, He never fell into sin. Jesus was perfect, the fact He had anxiety, anger, temptation, doubt, etc. doesn’t make Him a sinner, the sin occurs when we act against the ways of God. It’s not the feeling or something intangible, it’s actually us willingly going against God, and Jesus never does that. It is Absolutely astonishing to think of someone being able to perfectly go about this world, meanwhile knowing the entire time; He would die for the people who ruined His own life. Jesus wasn’t just a good man, Jesus was a great man. He was and is the greatest role model to ever exist, so even if you don’t believe in Him dying for our sins, so that we can have eternal life, you cannot argue against that He is by far the greatest morally responsible person to ever exist. Ever wonder why that is? I am sure it has something to do with the fact His father, God, created the world. The real Jesus suffered more than you and I could ever imagine, but throughout it all He was faithful to God, YOU MUST understand that God’s ultimate plan for this man was to die for us. To die for humanity, the same people who mocked Him, beat Him, all because He had done what is GOOD.
Christ was beaten and died for OUR sins, so that we may have eternal life, if we so choose. Jesus was the Messiah. This guy ‘Jesus’ took a beating that we could not handle, all so that you and I could live our reckless sinning lives. That type of gift is unfathomable and miraculous. But here’s what else you must understand, if you do not understand anything else, understand this: Jesus defeated death when He arose from the grave three days later!
Jesus, himself, was persecuted and died on a cross, only to come back to life three days later! By defeating death, you and I can have eternal life!
With eternal life, we are given a gift; the gift of Heaven. But first, we must place all of our faith, spirit, mind, and soul within Jesus so that we can have everlasting life. Life that we may never thirst again and be made full. In order to do this, we must repent of our sins, (repent means to turn away or flee from) and completely stand for Jesus Christ. If we are saved by God’s grace, Heaven is a part of the gift of eternal life. Now let’s put the puzzle together, Jesus died for our freedom, so that we can have eternal life even though we as humanity screw up, we can be forgiven through Him.
I want end by showing You the passage in Revelations where it is intricately described:
Revelations 21:
Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place[a] of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people,[b] and God himself will be with them as their God.[c] 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”
5 And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.” 6 And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment. 7 The one who conquers will have this heritage, and I will be his God and he will be my son. 8 But as for the cowardly, the faithless, the detestable, as for murderers, the sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars, their portion will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”
The New Jerusalem
9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” 10 And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, 11 having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. 12 It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— 13 on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. 14 And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
15 And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. 16 The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia.[d] Its length and width and height are equal. 17 He also measured its wall, 144 cubits[e] by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. 18 The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. 19 The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, 20 the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. 21 And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
22 And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. 23 And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. 24 By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, 25 and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. 26 They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. 27 But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
Dim Christianity 