Jesus Christ is God

“He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God” (1 Peter 1:20-21). 

This is speaking of Jesus Christ, who was with God in the beginning, and who is God, the second person of our triune God – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Although he is God, he humbled himself and came to earth and was born as a human baby to a human mother, conceived of the Holy Spirit of God. So God the Father was his birth father, not man. So he was not born with a sin nature in the image of Adam as the rest of all mankind is. 

[John 1:1-36; John 8:24,58; John 10:30-33; John 20:28-29; Romans 9:5; Philippians 2:5-11; Colossians 2:9; Titus 2:13; Hebrews 1:8-9; 2 Peter 1:1]

Jesus Christ lived on the earth for about 33 years. At the age of 30 he began his earthly ministry, at which time he called 12 men to be his disciples and to follow him and to work alongside him in feeding the hungry, comforting the sorrowful, raising the dead, delivering people from demons, healing their diseases and their infirmities, and preaching the good news of the gospel. And his gospel message was not like what many are preaching today.

For Jesus said if anyone would come after him, he must deny self, take up his cross daily (die daily to sin) and follow (obey) him. For if we hold on to our old lives of living in sin and for self, we will lose them for eternity. But if for Jesus’ sake we deny self, die daily to sin, and follow him in obedience to his ways and to his commands, then we have eternal life. For if we deny him on this earth he will deny us when he returns for his bride (Luke 9:23-26). 

See also: [Matthew 10:32-33; Matthew 15:7-9; Luke 9:26; 2 Timothy 2:11-13; 2 Timothy 3:1-5; Titus 1:15-16; 2 Peter 2:1-3; Jude 1:3-4]

He also taught that not everyone who says to him, “Lord, Lord,” will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one DOING the will of God the Father who is in heaven. For many will stand before him one day and will profess him as Lord and will claim many things they believed they did in his name, but he will say to them, “I never knew you. Depart from me you workers of lawlessness,” for they refused to obey the Lord (see Matthew 7:21-23).

[Matt 7:21-23; Lu 9:23-26; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 15:1-11; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-24; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-11; Titus 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-10; 1 Jn 2:3-6; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 10:23-31; 1 Co 10:1-22; Heb 3:1-19; Heb 4:1-13; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15]

Now Jesus did gain some popularity, for a time, because of all the miracles that he performed, and because of him feeding the hungry, and because he raised the dead and delivered people from demons and because he healed their diseases and their infirmities. But his gospel message was not this light and fluffy stuff that is being offered up as his gospel message in today’s world here in America. For he taught death to sin and to self, and obedience.

And the stronger his message became in relation to the cost of following him as our Lord and Savior, the less popular he became, and the more rejection that he faced. And this will be the same with us. If we teach and preach the gospel he taught, we are going to be hated and rejected and mistreated like he was, and we will not have huge followings and lots of “likes” on our internet posts. But if it saves people’s lives from hell, it is worth it all!

Jesus also was not a friend of the religious leaders in the temple of God. They did not like him, and so they continually hounded him and persecuted him and falsely accused him of what he did not do, and they plotted evil against him, and tried to trick him into saying something to where they could accuse him of wrongdoing. And we may experience the same from pastors in “churches” where they don’t like the gospel Jesus taught.

So, those leaders who hated him plotted his murder, and they incited the people into joining in with them in calling for Jesus’ crucifixion. And so they falsely arrested Jesus, and gave him a mock trial, and they beat him beyond recognition, and they spat on him and mocked him, and they put a crown of thorns on his head to mock him. And then they hung him on a cross to die as though he was a common criminal worthy of death as punishment.

But this was God’s will for him. For in his death he took up himself the sins of the entire world. He who knew no sin became sin for us on that cross so that when he died our sins died with him. But he didn’t stay dead. God the Father raised him from the dead on the third day. So by faith in Jesus Christ we are crucified and buried with Christ in death to sin, and we are raised with Christ to walk in newness of life in him, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness, no longer to walk in slavery to sin. Amen!

[Isaiah 53:1-12; Matt 26:26-29; Lu 9:23-26; Lu 17:25; Jn 1:1-36; Jn 6:35-58; Jn 8:24,58; Jn 10:30-33; Jn 20:28-29; Rom 5:8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14; Rom 9:5; 1 Co 6:19-20; 1 Co 11:23-32; 1 Co 15:1-8; 2 Co 5:15,21; Eph 4:17-24; Php 2:5-11; Col 2:9; Tit 2:11-14; Heb 1:8-9; Heb 2:14-15; Heb 4:15; 1 Pet 2:24; 2 Pet 1:1]  

I Stand in Awe

By Mark Altrogge

You are beautiful beyond description

Too marvelous for words

Too wonderful for comprehension

Like nothing ever seen or heard

Who can grasp Your infinite wisdom?

Who can fathom the depth of Your love?

You are beautiful beyond description

Majesty, enthroned above

And I stand, I stand in awe of You

I stand, I stand in awe of You

Holy God, to whom all praise is due

I stand in awe of You

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BmZTz5H49zw

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