2 things before I begin brothers and sisters. 1. I prayed about this Christmas. I prayed that God would provide all that we needed. And He did! Praise the Lord! God forgive me for worrying. 2. If any of you went out and brought extra water, generators, guns, dry foods, in case the end was near, please repent. Jesus is clear. No man knows the day. Therefore the only thing we can expect is that whichever day is predicted as the end, it will not be that day; because God is not a liar. Some of you will catch that later.
In our previous post, we looked at the Gospel in a nutshell. However, it is much deeper than it appears. It is the most beautiful tale of sacrifice and love ever told. But, in my haste to present the gospel, I neglected to discuss two other very important pillars of our faith. Again, before one can truly understand and believe in the Gospel, they must believe in the infallibility of scripture (next post) and the deity of Jesus Christ.
I'm not here to pick a fight. Some will feel as if I'm doing just that, and they will feel that way for a reason. Here is the the statement that draws the line in the dirt. Jesus Christ is God. Either people are going to believe that, or they are not. If they do not believe that, then there is not a whole lot we can do except pray for them. We must pray that God reveals Himself to them, and that Christian sowers continue to plant seeds.
Otherwise, if one denies the deity of Christ, then they cannot enter into his kingdom (Heaven). How would it look if I went to live in someones home, and I refused to acknowledge that person as the owner?
If you ask anyone who Jesus was, you will get many different answers. However, the historical record of Jesus is the Bible. Regardless of what people believe about Jesus; we have to examine what Jesus said about himself. Jesus said the following things concerning his deity:
John 8:24
New King James Version (NKJV)
24 Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”
John 10:30-33
New King James Version (NKJV)
30 I and My Father are one.
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”
33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”
31 Then the Jews took up stones again to stone Him. 32 Jesus answered them, “Many good works I have shown you from My Father. For which of those works do you stone Me?”
33 The Jews answered Him, saying, “For a good work we do not stone You, but for blasphemy, and because You, being a Man, make Yourself God.”
John 14:9-11
New King James Version (NKJV)
9 Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. 11 Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.
Matthew 1:23
New King James Version (NKJV)
23 “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”
John 20:28
New King James Version (NKJV)
28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
Acts 20:28
New King James Version (NKJV)
28 Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God[a] which He purchased with His own blood.
Those are just a few. There are many more. We see here that Jesus was more than a mere prophet. He was more than just a teacher of the law. He was much more than just a moral leader. In fact, many of his teachings went against the morals and cultural norms of his day. But in his own words Jesus has said that He is God.
Either is Jesus is God, or he was just plain crazy. The way he presented Himself was as a complete package. There was no option to break it up and buy just the pieces we like. Either we believe it all or we don't.
Those are just a few. There are many more. We see here that Jesus was more than a mere prophet. He was more than just a teacher of the law. He was much more than just a moral leader. In fact, many of his teachings went against the morals and cultural norms of his day. But in his own words Jesus has said that He is God.
Either is Jesus is God, or he was just plain crazy. The way he presented Himself was as a complete package. There was no option to break it up and buy just the pieces we like. Either we believe it all or we don't.
Watch/Listen to C.S. Lewis as he explains the deity of Christ:
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