Friday, January 9, 2009

Getting to Know Jesus Part 1 of 3

GETTING TO KNOW JESUS Part 1 of 3
Micah 5:2, Colossians 1:15-20, John 10:30, 14:9
John 10:30: “I and the Father are one.” 14:9b: “Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

Do people really talk like that? Well, WE don’t, but Jesus isn’t like you or me. He was serious when He said this, and meant every word. Jesus, the Son, and God, the Father, are ONE. One heart, one mind.

“But” I hear your protest, “Jesus is God’s SON! He was born on Christmas day.”

“Well yes,” I’d reply. “This is how the Father achieved His redemptive plan for us, His children. God required a perfect sacrifice, and that means both God and man. Jesus was conceived of the Holy Spirit in a virgin woman. (Matthew 1:18). Jesus’ shift from heaven to her womb happened in an instant, and without human intervention. This preserved Jesus’ divinity.”

Here we find the Trinity at work. The Holy Trinity, or Triune God, consists of three persons: God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit are the three distinct persons who comprise the Triune God. One God—three persons.

Each person is literally, God.

Our salvation depends on Jesus’ flawless divinity. Jesus—clothed in flesh, lived sinlessly, and was crucified for our sins as the sacrificial lamb. (Leviticus 22:19-21, John 1:29-30).

But that’s not all. The God/man Jesus is also the Word made flesh. (John 1:1-4). Who else would KNOW the entire Bible by heart? Jesus IS the living WORD. These are thoughts to wrap around your head in meditation.

Honestly, this is a challenge for me, too. But I do get how important it is to God that we believe it—and we’re discovering that belief is impossible without help from the Holy Spirit. While we believe by faith, the world believes only what it can see.

That’s why we’re to come as little children before God’s throne. We’re to leave cynicism (sarcasm, suspicion) behind and simply believe that what God says in the Bible is true. Believing by faith is our conviction.

But the coolest part is that Jesus was God from the beginning. Micah tells of His ancient origins. In Colossians 1:16, Paul names Jesus creator.

Jesus existed before His own birth!

Take Home Nugget

A popular comedian calls the Bible a fairy tale. He doesn’t get what Jesus meant in Mark 10:14-15, about he who does not receive the kingdom of God as a child will not enter in.

So, check your cynicism at the door so God can welcome you into His Kingdom with open arms.

We make many mistakes and it’s easy to fail—
Life’s challenges are as high as the sky.
But we know that the Bible is no fairy tale—
It’s God’s Word of truth, and that’s no lie!

J.D. Griffith

1 comment:

Adam Pastor said...

Greetings Jolene Griffith

On the subject of the Trinity,
I recommend this video:
The Human Jesus

Take a couple of hours to watch it; and prayerfully it will aid you to reconsider "The Trinity"

Yours In Messiah
Adam Pastor