Blog

Blog

Displaying 26 - 30 of 305

Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 59 60 61


Jesus is the Mighty God

Saturday, August 17, 2024

Jesus is the Mighty God

David Sproule

It is amazing how some people have tried to depict Jesus over the years to be a weak, ineffectual man who could not save His own life.  Endless efforts have been made to mischaracterize Jesus, in order to prevent people from truly getting to know Him and follow Him.

The prophet Isaiah got a glimpse of Jesus as the promised Messiah, and he was overwhelmed with what he saw.  The coming Messiah would reign as King “upon the throne of David and over His kingdom” (Isa. 9:7).  We saw in last week’s article that Jesus is the “Wonderful Counselor” (9:6).  Isaiah also described Jesus as the “Mighty God.”

The Hebrew word for “mighty” carries the idea of being a “mighty warrior” as a “strong, valiant man,” and interestingly is often defined as “hero” or “champion” (cf. 1 Sam. 17:51).  When Isaiah saw Jesus, he saw deity, for Jesus is God (John 1:1-2), possessing “all the fullness of Deity” (Col. 2:9).  As God, He is the “Heroic God,” the one possessing all power and ready to engage on behalf of His people.  Let us think about the “might” of Jesus Christ.

As the Mighty God, Jesus did many “mighty works” while He walked this earth.  Both believers and unbelievers recognized this.  Nicodemus, who became a faithful disciple, exclaimed, “No one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him” (John 3:2).  Even His enemies “were astonished” at His “mighty works” (Matt. 13:54).  Peter could tell the crowd on Pentecost that “you yourselves also know” of the great might demonstrated by Jesus (Acts 2:22).

As the Mighty God, Jesus overcame sin and the world.  Hours before His death, He told His disciples, “Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).  He did that by living a sinless life (1 Pet. 2:22; Heb. 4:15), so that He Himself could (and did) “put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself” (Heb. 9:26).

As the Mighty God, Jesus conquered death.  Paul told Timothy that Christ had “abolished death” (2 Tim. 1:10), for having been raised from the dead (1 Cor. 15:20-26), He is “alive forevermore” and has “the keys of Hades and of Death” (Rev. 1:18).

As the Mighty God, Jesus triumphed over Satan.  He came “that He might destroy the works of the devil” (1 John 3:8), and “through [His] death,” He did “destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb. 2:14).

Jesus, the Mighty God, has done so much in demonstrating Himself to be our Heroic God, and even today, He is still “upholding all things by the word of His power” (Heb. 1:3).  Best of all, He has and continues to use His might for the good of His people (Rom. 8:31; Heb. 13:6).

Serve – Part 2

Saturday, August 10, 2024

Serve – Part 2

Wade Wester

Jesus is at the heart of true Christianity. He was a servant, and if we as Christians are going to be like Him, then we are going to have to be servants too.  In the first part of this study, we noticed the mind and the mission of Jesus were all about service.  In this installment, we are going to notice two more things that show that Jesus to be a servant. 

The Message of Jesus

The message of Christ was also a message of service. The disciples often argued about who would be the greatest. On one such occasion (Mark 9:30- 35), Jesus asked them what they were disputing, and they remain silent out of embarrassment. Jesus then said, “If anyone wants to be first, he must be the very last, and the servant of all.” This is the message of Christ: to be great, one must serve. James and John asked Jesus to grant them the seats at His right and left in His glory (Mark 10:35-45). Jesus responded by teaching them about true greatness. He says, “Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all.” Jesus exemplifies this by stating, “Even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Jesus’ message was clear: greatness in the kingdom of God is measured by service. This is counter to the world’s view of greatness, which often involves being served and lording power over others. Jesus flips this notion on its head, teaching that true greatness is found in humility and service.

The Model of Jesus

Finally, the model of Jesus was one of service. In John 13, we find Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. This act, performed on the night before His crucifixion, exemplified His teaching on service. Jesus, knowing that His hour had come, rose from supper, laid aside His garments, took a towel, and began to wash His disciples’ feet. Peter, initially resistant, ultimately submits to Jesus’ act of service. Jesus explains, “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:15-16).Peter never forgot this lesson. Years later he wrote, “All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because ‘God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.’ Humble yourselves, therefore, under God’s mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time” (1 Peter 5:5-6). Peter understood that to follow Jesus is to be a servant, clothed with humility. Jesus’ act of washing the disciples’ feet contrasted starkly with Pilate’s act of washing his hands to absolve himself of responsibility for Jesus’ crucifixion. While Pilate sought to evade service and responsibility, Jesus embraced it fully.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the word “serve” encapsulates the mind, mission, message, and model of Jesus Christ. To be a Christian is to be a servant, following in the footsteps of Jesus. As we strive to embody this key word of Christianity, let us remember that true greatness is found in humility and service. May we, like Jesus, be willing to serve others, putting their needs above our own, and thus fulfill the desire for us as His disciples.

Serve – Part 1

Saturday, August 03, 2024

Serve – Part 1

Wade Wester

When we think about Christianity, we think about the religion that is based on who Jesus was and what Jesus taught. At the heart of both of these concepts is Christ. If you take Christ out of the word Christian, what do you have? The letters I-A-N. You know what that spells and what it means? It means “I am nothing” without Christ. Jesus says, “Without me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Without Him, we are nothing. He is our everything. We want to be like Him in every way that we can. He is what makes us who we are. Take Him out of Christianity, and you do not have Christianity. You lose both the person He was and what He taught. You are missing the key element of what Christianity is supposed to be about.

When we understand who Jesus was and what Jesus taught, we understand that “serve” has to be one of the key words of Christianity because it is at the heart of who He was. Since He is at the heart of who we are, serving must also be central to our identity. We sometimes sing a song in youth devotionals: “Make me a servant, make me like You, for You were a servant. Make me one too. Lord, do what You must do, but make me a servant. Make me like You.” This song reflects our understanding that Jesus was a servant, and if we are to be like Him, we must be servants as well.

The Mind of Jesus

First, we find that the mind of Jesus was tied to the word “serve.” Paul wrote, “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 2:5-8). We are to have the mind of Jesus. What was in the mind of Jesus? What did Jesus think about? At His core, Jesus thought about serving. Booker T. Washington was one of the greatest men to ever live in our country. Despite facing significant obstacles due to his race, he rose to great heights because he was a servant. Washington once had tea with the Queen of England. He was the first black man to have dinner with a president at the White House. He was a very important man. One day, after delivering several lectures in Iowa, he returned to his hotel. A guest mistook him for hotel staff and asked for a glass of water. Washington did not protest or flaunt his credentials. Instead, he fetched the water and asked if there was anything else she needed. This humility and dignity earned him the admiration of many, including President Teddy Roosevelt. Jesus, the greatest man who ever lived (Colossians 1:18), was also a servant. Paul tells us that Jesus did not consider equality with God something to be used to His own advantage. Instead, He took on the nature of a servant and became obedient to death—even death on a cross (Philippians 2:4-8). This mindset of service is what we are called to emulate. Paul said, “You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh; rather, serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13). Love serves. Jesus embodied love and therefore embodied service. First Corinthians 13:4-5 shows that love “is not proud . . . it does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking.” Jesus, in love, did not seek His own good but ours. Though He was rich, He became poor for our sakes, so that through His poverty we might become rich (2 Corinthians 8:9). He died so that we might live. Jesus, even in His most agonizing moments in the Garden of Gethsemane, prayed, “Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42). This is the mind of a servant, and it is the mindset we are commanded to have.

The Mission of Jesus

The mission of Jesus was also based on the concept of service. Jesus said, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:28). Jesus’ mission was not to be served, but to serve others. He came to serve as our Passover lamb (John 1:29), taking our place on the cross so that by the grace of God, we could be saved. Jesus declared, “The Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost” (Luke 19:10). His mission was to seek and save the lost, and He accomplished this mission by serving. The Old Testament refers to the Messiah as God’s servant. Isaiah wrote, “By his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many” (Isaiah 53:11). Jesus came with the mission to be God’s servant. Is that our mission? Is our mission to make God’s will known and to make His name great? The psalmist sang, “Let the name of the Lord be praised, both now and forevermore. From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised” (Psalm 113:2-4). Our goal is to lift up the name of God, not to seek our own glory. Jesus’ mission was a mission of service, and it must be ours as well.

The Apostles’ Doctrine

Friday, July 26, 2024

The Apostles’ Doctrine

David Sproule

We should never elevate anyone above where God does.  Nor should we demote anyone below where God does.  Just as we are humans, so were the apostles, as they were not perfect or infallible on their own.  We see examples of their imperfection as humans periodically (in Peter’s impetuous behavior, in the apostles arguing over greatness, in their forsaking of Jesus in His moment of greatest need, etc.).  However, when it came to their doctrine, it was infallible in every way.

The doctrine preached by the apostles was not their own.  Peter said that “no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man” (2 Pet. 1:20-21).  In fact, Jesus told them, “Do not worry beforehand, or premeditate what you will speak” (Mark 13:11).  Truly, the apostles’ doctrine was “not…the word of men” (1 Thess. 2:13).

The doctrine preached by the apostles was given to them directly from God.  Peter affirmed, “holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Pet. 1:21).  Jesus told the apostles, “But whatever is given you in that hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but the Holy Spirit” (Mark 13:11).  The Holy Spirit would “teach” the apostles, “bring to [their] remembrance all things” that Jesus told them, “guide [them] into all truth” and “tell [them] things to come” (John 14:26; 16:13).

The doctrine preached by the apostles carried the very authority of its origin—God Himself.  Paul delighted to pronounce the word that he spoke and wrote was “in truth, the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13), for it had “been freely given” to him “by God” (1 Cor. 2:10-13).  Thus, the authority inherent in “the things which I write to you,” said Paul to his Corinthian brethren, “are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Cor. 14:37).

The doctrine preached by the apostles was singular in nature.  The definite article “the” is used in Acts 2:42 of “the apostles’ doctrine,” and it is used repeatedly in the New Testament of “the doctrine” of Christ (1 Tim. 4:16; 6:3; 2 John 9).  Truly, there is “one faith” (Eph. 4:5), which is “the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 3).  There is “no other doctrine” (1 Tim. 1:3) given by and acceptable to the God of heaven than the apostles’ doctrine.

That is why the doctrine preached by the apostles is that in which we must “continue steadfastly” (Acts 2:42), which we must preach in love (Eph. 4:15), and for which we must “contend earnestly” (Jude 3).  We must not “receive…nor greet” anyone who does “not bring this doctrine” (2 John 9).  The apostles were imperfect, but their doctrine is perfect!

The Sin of Silence

Friday, July 19, 2024

The Sin of Silence

Allen Webster

Citizens under arrest are given their Miranda rights, which include “the right to remain silent.” Citizens of God’s kingdom have no Miranda rights. With so much at stake, Christians do not have “the right to remain silent” (cf. 2 Kings 7:9). T. B. Larimore used to say, “I would be afraid to be ashamed and ashamed to be afraid.”[1] One said, “Silence is sometimes golden, but it can be just plain yellow.”

SILENCE IS A SIN WHEN A BROTHER HAS GONE ASTRAY (GALATIANS 6:1).

How many have been converted or placed membership with a congregation, attended for a time, but then began to attend sporadically? Finally, they quit coming altogether. Jesus gave a parable about a shepherd that applies in such instances. The shepherd went out to find the wandering sheep and brought it safely home (Luke 15:4–7). As God’s shepherds, elders should seek lost sheep (Hebrews 13:17), but they are not alone in this responsibility. The rule should be that those who are most likely to be successful in winning them back should be most active in seeking them. This will usually be their friends and Bible teachers. Paul wrote, “Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted” (Galatians 6:1).

SILENCE IS A SIN WHEN THE DEFENSELESS NEED A VOICE (JAMES 1:27).

Pure religion involves caring about the vulnerable in society (James 1:27). The church “ought to support the weak” (Acts 20:35; Romans 14:1) and “plead for the widow” (Isaiah 1:17). “Defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy. Deliver the poor and needy: rid them out of the hand of the wicked” (Psalm 82:3–4). “Cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet” (Isaiah 58:1). “Speak, and exhort, and rebuke” (Titus 2:15).

Edmund Burke observed, “All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.” In WWII Germany, there were two kinds of churches: “Silent Churches” that said nothing against the atrocities of the Third Reich; and “Praying, Confessing Churches.” As part of the second group, Martin Niemöller (1892–1984) emerged as an outspoken foe of Adolf Hitler. He was eventually arrested and spent the last seven years of Nazi rule in concentration camps. Niemöller is best remembered for the quotation:

  • First they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Socialist. 
  • Then they came for the Trade Unionists,and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Trade Unionist.
  • Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—Because I was not a Jew.
  • Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak for me.

Congregations today also can be silent churches or “praying, confessing” churches. Since “we were allowed of God to be put in trust with the gospel,” “we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth our hearts” (1 Thessalonians 2:4). It takes courage to be politically incorrect on pressing social issues such as abortion, homosexuality, fornication, adultery, divorce, drinking, and gambling.

Abortion, for instance, is a travesty of unspeakable proportion, yet many churches are completely silent on it. Pharaoh, Herod the Great, and Hitler, combined murdered only a few compared to the 58.5 million American babies killed since 1973. One can be fined up to $100,000 and spend one year in prison for tampering with a turtle’s egg, or $250,000 or two years of in prison for crushing an eagle’s egg, but one can get rich performing abortions (about $97,920/year).

Paul preached, “Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God” (Acts 20:26–27). To be free from the bloodshed in our day, we must speak against violence, greed, and abuse.

As premier of the Soviet Union, Nikita Khrushchev denounced the atrocities of Joseph Stalin. Once, as he censured Stalin in a public meeting, a heckler interrupted him, saying, “You were one of Stalin’s colleagues. Why didn’t you stop him?”

“Who said that?” roared Khrushchev. An agonizing silence followed. Nobody in the crowd dared move a muscle. Then Khrushchev replied, “Now you know why.”[2]

SILENCE IS A SIN WHEN A SINNER NEEDS THE GOSPEL (MARK 16:15).

A thought-provoking old hymn says,

When in the better land before the bar we stand,How deeply grieved our souls will be;If any lost one there should cry in deep despair,“You never mentioned Him to me.”  

CHORUS: You never mentioned Him to me,You helped me not the way to see;You met me day by day and knew I was astray,Yet never mentioned Him to me. O let us spread the word where’er it may be heard,Help groping souls the light to see;That yonder none may say, “You showed me not the way.”“You never mentioned Him to me.” A few sweet words may guide a lost one to His side,Or turn sad eyes on Calvary;So work as days go by, that yonder none may cry,“You never mentioned Him to me.”

 

[1] Letters and Sermons of T.B. Larimore. http://www.stillvoices.org/SharedFiles/Download.aspx?pageid=19&mid=28&fileid=239.

[2] Today in the Word, July 13, 1993.

Displaying 26 - 30 of 305

Page 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 59 60 61