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
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1 comment:

  1. Adam PastorJanuary 10, 2009 at 6:58 AM

    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

    ReplyDelete

What an honor it is to meet you!
My background is a life time of worship, but seriously following Jesus came with age. Spiritual maturity is a leap of faith. Sometimes we don’t know what we’re missing until living on the edge of God’s leading. My life of self sufficiency ended abruptly when losing my job as an analytical chemist after being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Now living on the edge of God’s leading has become a way of life that I wouldn’t trade for anything else.
Surrendering one’s will to the Lord can be scary. Why did I wait so long to do it? Diving into an intimate relation with the sovereign God of creation is the most secure position in the universe. Will you share your experience with me? Will you let me give you my testimony? May I introduce you to the Jesus I know?