And He Shall be Called…

Advocate – Lamb of God – the Resurrection and the Life – Shepherd and Bishop of Souls – Judge – Lord of Lords – Man of Sorrows – Head of the Church – Master – Faithful and True Witness – Rock – High Priest – the Door – Living Water – Bread of Life – Alpha & Omega – True Vine – Messiah – Teacher – Holy One – Mediator – the Beloved – Branch – Carpenter – Good Shepherd – Light of the World – Image of the Invisible God – the Word – Chief Cornerstone – Savior – Servant – Author & Finisher of our Faith – The Almighty – Everlasting Father – Shiloh – Lion of the Tribe of Judah – I AM – King of Kings- Prince of Peace – Bridegroom – Only Begotten Son – Wonderful Counselor – Immanuel – Son of Man – Dayspring – the Amen – King of the Jews – Prophet – Redeemer – Anchor – Bright Morning Star – the Way, the Truth & the Life

Jesus Christ

 

 

“But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

             -Romans 5:8

If you want to be amazed, then stop and think for a few moments on the incredible love of God. Few things are as unbelievable, and yet even fewer things more real. Though the Scriptures tell us He was “despised and rejected of men” (Isaiah 53:3), He nevertheless endured the cross on our behalf  that we might be reconciled to God through His blood and enjoy everlasting life with Him (Hebrews 2:17; John 17:2, 3). He demonstrated the greatest kind of love one can possess despite our obvious inability to ever earn grace or forgiveness, and promises that many more blessings will follow to those who put their trust in Him.

What makes this kind of love so amazing? The simple fact that we don’t deserve it. As humans, we are all members of a fallen race (Romans 5:12-14) and the thought that an infinite, holy, and eternal God would even take the time to notice – let alone die for – us should baffle our minds completely. We have nothing to offer Him that He doesn’t already possess, because, as Matthew 5:48 so plainly states, He is perfect. We don’t complete Him, but are in desperate need of His grace and mercy to complete us (Colossians 2:10).

“In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.”

                         -I John 4:9

On this Good Friday, when people around the world are commemorating Christ’s death on the cross, let each of us be reminded of the amazing and undeserved love that was demonstrated by God the Son on that day some 2,000 years ago. He did what no one else could do and what few others would do: He died for us (Romans 5:7). God, in all of His power and glory, stooped to our level so that we could be raised up to His (Ephesians 2:6). That, my friend, is amazing love.

 

 

“Wherefore in all things it behoved Him to be made like unto His brethren, that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”

             -Hebrews 2:17

Last night I lay in bed meditating on this passage of Scripture and, just as I was about to fall asleep, an amazing thought occurred to me: we serve a God Who is both mercifully faithful and faithfully merciful. It is because of His mercy that He loves us, and yet because of His love that we are shown mercy. Though none of us could ever deserve forgiveness, the price for our redemption has been fully paid by Jesus Christ, our High Priest, and all we must do is repent and believe the Gospel in order to obtain it (Luke 13:3; Romans 10:9).

Though critics of our faith often say they won’t believe in God until He comes down from heaven and appears to them physically, they fail to realize that, for 33 years, that’s exactly what He did. The Word was made flesh, we beheld His glory, and then crucified it (John 1:5, 14). It’s never been about us lacking good reason to believe, but rather that people often reject the evidence God has already given and then blame Him for their own doubts. Like the Jews who wanted a sign of Christ’s deity after they’d just watched Him miraculously feed 5,000 people (John 6:30), it’s foolish of us to look any further than the cross in our search for God’s love. 

“But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”

           -Romans 5:8

Unlike the brand of love we see at work in today’s world, love in its purest form cannot be expressed in words; it can only be proven by our actions. This is the type of love that filled the heart of our Heavenly Father, moving Him to demonstrate His undying affection for us by dying a sinner’s death on a cross at the hands of those He created. Such a love could never begin to be understood if all we had was the verbal promise of its existence. Of course some would probably still believe in it, but could we ever truly comprehend it? Now that we have such clear evidence that it does indeed exist, we are finally able to“comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height;  And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge.” (Ephesians 3:18-19)

 

 

 

 

“For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.”

                  -Romans 5:10

If you’ve been in more than a few church services and listened to more than a couple Christian songs throughout the course of your life, then you’ve probably heard it said that Jesus Christ is a “friend of sinners.” This is a very common misconception that has its root in Matthew 11:19 where the Lord quoted His enemies who, in an attempt to discredit Him before the people, proclaimed, “Behold a man gluttonous, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners.”  Yet if this verse indicates that Christ is indeed a friend of sinners, then it would also indicate that He is a gluttonous winebibber and thus in violation of Old Testament teaching (Proverbs 23:21).

“Ye are My friends if ye do whatsoever I command you.” 

                                                        -John 15:14

Not only did Christ intentionally cast a negative light on the insults He received by the modern-day religious leaders, but completely contradicted their claim by describing His true friends as those Who keep His commandments. Since 1 John 3:4 defines sin as the breaking of God’s law and a sinner is one who does this habitually (3 John 1:11), it is utterly impossible for a nonbeliever to be meet God’s requirement for friendship. Just like the great patriarch Abraham, being called God’s friend requires us first to be justified and cleansed of the sin which serves as a divider between us and the Most High (James 2:23; Isaiah 59:2). It is only then that we can be saved from eternal destruction and enjoy personal and intimate fellowship with the Lord Himself (Revelation 3:20, 21).

Despite the sobering truth that all sinners are under the wrath of God (Ephesians 2:3), our Lord is One Who practices His Own teaching. That is, just as He instructed us to love our enemies (Matthew 5:44), He also loves His, and desires above all that we be reconciled by the blood of His Son (Colossians 1:21; II Peter 3:9). Unfortunately, this does not always happen and many choose instead to always pursue a life of sin and rebellion without ever acknowledging the grace and forgiveness of God. Don’t let yourself be numbered among those who rejected the offer of God’s salvation; those who stand against the Lord will never prosper (2 Chronicles 13:12; Proverbs 28:13).

 

I don’t know about you, but John 10:10 rates among the most frequently quoted verses I hear from fellow Christians. This is justifiable since it truly is a great passages that gives us clear insight into the intentions of the most influential beings ever to exist: Christ’s desire is to give us a more abundant life, while Satan’s is to steal, kill, and destroy us in any way possible. Unfortunately, I think that  many times we focus solely on Satan’s intentions while forgetting the fact that Christ, too, has an agenda worth mentioning.

Unlike the devil who goes about seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8), “…the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward Him.” (2 Chronicles 16:9) With such an amazing contrast between our two options, it is obviously important to make the decision of who we serve very, very carefully since, based on these verses, it will either destroy or fulfill us. Oftentimes the path that leads to destruction (Matthew 7:13) seems to be the most fulfilling, and the path of righteousness (Psalm 2:3) full of destruction; yet we must be careful to look past the brevity of this life and it’s hardships, and focus on the eternal fruit of the the decisions we make. In reality, 1,000 years from now whatever joy or sadness we are now experiencing will be long since forgotten as we finally begin to understand the concept of eternity.

Whether big or small, we make countless decisions on a day-to-day basis that we rarely take the time to notice. Even though we generally consider big decisions to be the ones that permanently alter our life in a matter of minutes, those seemingly insignificant choices we make each day are the ones that impact us the most. The decision to serve God falls into both categories: we are saved at a specific moment in time as we make the decision to repent of our sins and believe the Gospel (Luke 13:3; Romans 10:9), but the decision to serve Him is one we must continue to make on a daily – even and hourly – basis in the little things we do. When we learn to make Christ part of every aspect of our lives, we will finally attain what He promised us in John 10:10. We will have life, and we will have it more abundantly.

 

Call me Charlie Brown, but every Christmas season I attempt to discover true meaning in a holiday that has become quite shallow by modern definition. Over the past few years especially, it seems the holiday season has become nothing more than a full-scale assault on our bank accounts, and a time when businesses all over the country try to balance out their annual figures with sales that have people turning violent just to save a few dollars. A time originally intended to celebrate family, generosity and, above all, Christ, has now turned into a time of greed and materialism for many people across the world.

Now don’t get me wrong. I already know the true meaning of Christmas, but, at least for me, that meaning is something you must rediscover on a yearly basis in order to fully appreciate it. It’s easy to fool ourselves into believing that we “understand Christmas” just because we have a nativity set in our living room, yet still miss out on the blessings God has for His children during this special time of year.

Yesterday evening, as I was trudging through the Christmas snow, I found myself singing the song “How Many Kings” by Downhere. It’s a song I’ve sung many times, but it doesn’t always sink in. Yesterday was different, though, and I was overwhelmed with a sense of joy as I sung out, “How many kings stepped down from their thrones? How many Lords have abandoned their homes? How many greats have become the least for me? How many gods have poured on their heart to romance a world that is torn all apart? How many fathers gave up their son for me?”

Only One has ever given of himself so completely and so freely as Christ did. He didn’t just sacrifice Himself one time while dying on a cross;  He gave His life away every day of those 33 years He walked this earth. He did what no one else had ever, would ever, or could ever do: He saved us. That, my friend, is the true meaning of Christmas.

“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:
Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”

                            -Matthew 7:13-14

Many months ago, I listened to a radio sermon by Pastor Alistair Begg. During his message he shared the story of a critic asking him if he thought Christianity was the only way to heaven, alluding to the millions who have not so much as heard of Christ, let alone had the opportunity to accept Him. He was live on the air at the time, so he knew it was especially important that he didn’t mess this one up. He certainly didn’t, and his response to this man has stuck in my mind all these months. He said, “I have no choice but to affirm that Christ is the only Saviour, because He is the only One qualified to save.”

Though there are many religions in the world today, there is only one Savior. I say this, not because I’m narrow-minded or judgmental, but because it is impossible for there to be more than one Savior. After all, the redemption of mankind required the sacrifice of One that was completely innocent of sin: a requirement that only Christ Himself could fulfill. All humans have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23); if we died on a cross, we’d simply be getting what we deserved.

The Way to heaven is clearly marked, but scarcely traveled. It’s a narrow, often difficult, road to walk that has many hills and valleys, but no turns; it is straight, and will remain straight. The pavement might have a few cracks in it, but don’t worry. It turns to gold toward the end.

As we all know, taking God’s name in vain is a terrible sin. And as with every sin, “the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain.” (Exodus 20:7) But while we generally associate taking God’s name in vain with cursing and swearing by it, the Lord’s definition is much further-reaching.

“Remove far from me vanity and lies: give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me:
Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the LORD? or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in vain.”

                        -Proverbs 30:8, 9

You see, I don’t think that Agur, the one who authored this particular proverb (see verse 1), was fearful that he might curse with God’s name if he went hungry. The fact is, he was afraid that his lifestyle would then contradict his professed Godliness – thus bringing shame to God Himself. While using God’s name as a filth word is taking His name in vain, so is professing the name of Christ while denying it with your actions (see Titus 1:16). This is what I’m afraid has happened in the American church in their use of the cross.

While the cross may bring comfort to weary Christians today (and it should), it is still a symbol of death – Christ’s death. That means we should not treat it lightly. People often tattoo the cross on their arm and wear it around their neck without giving a second thought to the significance of their actions. In many ways, it has become more of a decoration than anything else.

Please don’t think that I’m discouraging you from having a cross anywhere besides your church. That’s not the point. As you can see from the photo above, I have one in my yard where I often spend time praying. It’s not a sin to hang a cross in your house, or to wear a t-shirt that portrays it's image. My hope is simply that we would treat the cross with the utmost respect, seeing as it is a symbol of Christ Himself. If we take the cross in vain, we take the very name of Christ in vain.

"And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt."

                            -Exodus 12:13 

Because Pharaoh had refused to let the Israelites go free after 9 plagues, God had to use extreme measures and take the lives of all the first-born. It didn't matter if it was Pharaoh's son, or the first-born of a prisoner in the dungeon; they all had to die (v. 29). However, God made a provision for the Israelites to be saved: through the blood of a spotless lamb. Each family was required to take a lamb, slay it, and then use its blood to mark their door post. When God saw that the blood was applied to that families home, he would not allow the death angel to enter into it and they would be saved (v. 23).

Just like the Egyptians failed to heed God's command, mankind has rejected the Word of God and instead has followed after a sinful lifestyle. As a result, "the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men..." (Romans 1:18) But because He is longsuffering toward us and desires that all might be saved (II Peter 3:9), God has provided a way for us to escape the coming "day of wrath" (Romans 2:5), in which judgment will be poured out upon mankind: through His Son Jesus Christ. Through His blood, we can have forgiveness of sins, and when God sees that blood applied to our hearts, He will know that we are forgiven. Instead of being objects of His wrath, we can now be the objects of His grace and mercy. Not because of our good works; but because of the blood.

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Oh, precious is that flow,
That makes me white as snow!
No other fount I know, 
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.*

*Nothing But the Blood - Rev. Robert Lowery

"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;"

                            -Matthew 5:44 

Loving your enemies is probably one of the hardest things Christ has asked told us to do, but at the same time I'm not sure there is any way to be a better witness for Christ than to "do good to them that hate us." When somebody does us wrong, oftentimes it is hard for us to keep from blowing up and doing something to "get them back", let alone trying to love them and do good to them. But, regardless of how hard it may be, it is a must if we are going to call ourselves followers of Christ.

Something we should keep in mind is that Christ rarely calls us to do something that He has not already done Himself. Jesus showed us the ultimate example of loving our enemies when He prayed for those that Had just crucified Him (Luke 23:34), and when He washed the feet of Judas Iscariot, even though He knew this was the same man that would soon betray Him (see John 13:2-5). Though He had the ability, and the right, to send those people to hell right then and there, He loved them too much to do so. He gave them opportunity to repent of their evil deeds, and apparently it paid off because the Bible says that one of the centurions who took part in the crucifixion finally came to the knowledge that Jesus was the Son of God (Matthew 27:54).

Let us learn to love our friends, as well as our enemies,  "for this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour." (I Timothy 2:3) God be with you as you endeavor to do so.

"I love the LORD, because he hath heard my voice and my supplications.
Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live."

                            -Psalm 116:1-2 

Those of you who have been following me for a while know that one thing I post about quite often is the importance of loving God. I hope that the Lord has used those posts to ignite, or else rekindle, a love for Him in your hearts, because today I want to examine the reasons why we love God.

In this passage of Scripture in Psalm 116, David is speaking of the reasoning behind his own personal love for the Lord. He said that he loved God because He had heard his "voice and...supplications" and had "inclined his ear" unto him. In other words, David loved the Lord because He had shown Himself  to be worthy of love. But what reason did the Lord have to love us? We had never shown ourselves to be worthy of love in any way whatsoever; nor had we answered His prayers, delivered His soul from the hand of the enemy, and prepared for Him a place in heaven, which are all things He has done for us.

Do you see where I am going with this? We love God because He gave us good reason to; yet He loved us even when we were in our sins being anything but lovable. By no means did we deserve His love, yet He poured it out freely upon each one of us. That, my friend, is true love.

"We love him, because he first loved us."

   -I John 4:19

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."

                            -Romans 5:8

I have recently been doing a study on man's disobedience to God and his consequential need for a Savior. Six verses that I have been looking at especially closely are Romans 5:12-14, Romans 8:7-8, and I John 3:4. (Click the verse references to read them.) Throughout this study, I have seen more clearly than ever before that the simple fact we are all human places us in need of redemption.

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
(For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come."

                            -Romans 5:12-14

Death (the result of sin) passed upon all men due to the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. This means that each one of us was born with a need to be reconciled to God. While many people do not consider it fair that "...by one man's disobedience many were made sinners" (Romans 5:19), we must also bear in mind that "...by the obedience of One [i.e. Christ] shall many be made righteous." (same verse) (See also Ezekiel 18:25)

As N.A. Woychuck so accurately put it, "God's estimate of humanity is summed up in one frightful word, 'lost.' It means that man is estranged from God by his sin and is lost to God. Although this frightening state of affairs arouses little concern upon earth, it moved all of heaven from whence came the Savior 'to seek and to save that which was lost' (Luke 19:10)"*

"Amazing grace, how sweet the sound
That saved a wretch like me,
I once was lost, but now I'm found
Was blind, but now I see"

                                 -John Newton



*The Incomparable Salvation - N.A. Woychuck

"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me through their word;"

                            -John 17:20 

Robert McCheyne once said, "If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me." To know that Christ is constantly before the throne of God, intercessing on our behalf, is one of the greatest consolations that a Christian will ever know. That is why I love this passage in John 17:20. I remember the first time that I read this verse thinking to myself, "Wow! Jesus was praying for me!" Realizing that Christ is pleading my case before our heavenly Father gives me a greater confidence to live my life from day to day.

In Old Testament times (and even now on Yom Kippur), the high priest was allowed to enter the holy of holies only once per year to, in essence, make intercession for the children of Israel. This was the only time God's people had a "representative" to go directly into the presence of the Lord on their behalf. But now, for all New Testament saints, Christ "...ever liveth to make intercession..." (Hebrews 7:25) No longer do we have to wait for that one day out of the year when the high priest would make intercession, but we have One Who is in God's presence unceasingly entreating the Lord to grant us mercy, grace, and forgiveness when we fall.

Praise the Lord for Jesus Christ - our Great Intercessor!

"Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us."

                            -Romans 8:34

"In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre.
And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it.
His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow:
And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.
And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.
He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay."

                            -Matthew 28:1-6 

As we all know, Easter is a day to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Sadly though, for many people, Easter is the only day in which the resurrection of Christ is even considered, let alone celebrated.

The apostle Paul plainly stated, "...if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain." (I Corinthians 15:14) Why? Because if Christ is not risen, then we are serving a dead god - and a dead god is really no god at all. The resurrection of our Lord not only gives us hope for future victory over death personally when the dead in Christ shall rise (I Thessalonians 4:16), but it also affirmed His sinlessness, for "...the wages of sin is death." (Romans 6:23) The Lord's power over death proved that He did indeed live a perfect life on earth (II Corinthians 5:21).

Jesus Christ raising from the dead effects more than just one day out of the year, so we should therefore celebrate it more than just one day out of the year. Without the resurrection, the Gospel is of none effect. Praise God that the story didn't end with the crucifixion!

Yesterday at church, after service was over, we were rehearsing a skit that we are going to be performing on Easter Sunday. Like most Easter Sunday programs, it is about the crucifixion/resurrection. Anyway, as we were going over our lines, my cousin read Matthew 27:28 where it says, "And they...put on him a scarlet robe." It's a verse that I'd never really payed close attention to, but then somebody asked, "Wait. I thought it was a purple robe?"

Something that I had never even given a second thought to began to eat at my mind throughout the rest of the day. I looked up the parallel accounts in the other Gospels, and sure enough, Mark says that it was purple (Mark 15:16-17), as does John in 19:1-2. I understand that the Bible is without contradiction, but surely there was an explanation for this seeming discrepancy, I thought to myself. While it didn't seem like a big deal to me, I knew that there are some people out there who would reject the whole Bible over something as frivolous as the color of Jesus' robe. So I did some research, and I came to the following conclusion:

I'm sure we could all agree that each person sees colors a little differently. There have been many instances in which I have considered somebody to have red hair, while someone else might call it strawberry-blonde. In fact, there's been a handful of times that I have made mention of pulling up to an intersection and slowing down because the light turned orange (to which I am always reminded that it is yellow). Surely nobody would call me a liar simply because I have a different opinion as to the color of a person's hair! Likewise, what Matthew considered to be scarlet, Mark and John considered purple. Nobody was lying; they just each saw Jesus' life from different angles (something we need to remember when comparing the Gospel accounts).

Also, it is rather difficult to imagine Pontius Pilate putting a new robe on Christ's bloodied body. It was likely worn and faded, making it even more difficult to distinguish its color. According to A.T. Robertson, there were even various shades of purple and scarlet in the first century and it was not easy to distinguish the colors or tints.

It is obvious that no discrepancy exists in the Gospel accounts concerning the color of Christ's robe. The Gospel writers simply used the terms scarlet and purple interchangeably.

A few days ago, we received a Christmas card that had the words, "Jesus knows me, this I love..." written on the inside. At first we made light of it, thinking that the individual who sent it just didn't remember the words to the song, but then we realized that what she was saying made perfect sense. Not only does Jesus know me, but He knows me better than I know myself. After all, I haven't the slightest clue how many hairs are on my head, but according to the Bible God even knows that (Matthew 10:30).

"Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you."

                             -I Peter 5:7

This Christmas season, I challenge you to, for just one minute, forget about the Christmas shopping you've got to finish up; forget about the presents yet to wrap and the food left to buy, and reflect on the true meaning of the Holiday. Don't let the lights, the music, and the gifts steal all your attention as they have in years past, but instead give your attention to the One who gave the greatest Christmas gift of all: Himself.