Jesus King of the Jews

In John 19:19, Pilate had these words written on a title or piece of wood on the cross above where Jesus hung, "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews."  We know that Pilate had these written to annoy the Jewish leaders but reality God was using this sign to announce to all who viewed it that this person was Jesus who came from Nazareth and He was the King of the Jews.  His title was not given to Him by man but by God.  Jesus coming to the earth was God's idea.  He knew that mankind could not save himself and needed a Savior.  Sin was a manmade creation and it had eternal consequences.  The only one who could solve this manmade and eternal problem was an eternal man.  So God Himself provided the solution.  Jesus who is the eternal man came to die and redeem man.  Jesus was 100% God and a 100% man.  He was God with a face.  The perfect union of the divine and the natural.  The Bible says that He who knew no sin became sin for us.  Jesus lived a perfectly sinless life and then offered His broken Body and shed blood on the cross for our sins.  Jesus knew the price that had to be paid for our sins and He paid for us.  The results of that sacrifice are that we have both eternal and abundant life.  So today take full advantage of this and live your life for the Lord.  Follow Him with every fibre of your being and make a difference in your world.  Introduce as many of friends, relatives and acquaintances to Jesus.  Tell everyone you know.  Be His ambassador in your world.  The world needs to know that they can have eternal and abundant life and He wants to use you to spread the good news of salvation.  Let us do for God's glory and praise.   

Jesus weeps over Jerusalem

Sept 7 – Jesus cries over Jerusalem –  Matt 23:37-39

        This account is one of the most powerful in the New Testament because it portrays how God views cities and people in general.  Jesus says:

1.       Jerusalem killed the prophets and Christ wanted to gather them in as a hen gathers in its chicks.

2.       Jerusalem was not willing to repent so it would be left desolate.

3.       They would not see Him again until they were ready to say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” 

4.       A time is coming for the city of Jerusalem for another visitation.  Is it ready and are you?

Imitate Christ

In 1 Cor 11:1, Paul states that we are to imitate Christ in all aspects of our lives.  When Jesus was on the earth He was love personified.  He talked and walked love.  Jesus showed this love by the way that He dealt with people.  When a woman was brought to Jesus caught the act of adultery Jesus did not condemn her.  He did not condone or approve of what she had done but He did not condemn her.  Love does not over look or wink at sin.  It confronts sin and wrong in love.  It states what God's standards are and then enforces them in love.  When one cries acceptance in the name of love they do not understand that love stands for truth and righteousness.  God is love, acceptance and forgiveness.  Yet He also is righteousness, holiness and justice.  To satisfy His justice side God sent Jesus Christ to die on the cross in our place.  Love was extended and forgiveness was able to flow.  So to imitate Christ we are to love with no conditions but also to live the standards.  When we imitate Christ people will see moral purity and behavioral truth.  They will see love and holiness.  They will see a hatred of sin but a love for ther sinner.  Jesus never once let down His standard for the sake of popularity, fame or greasy grace.  That is why people loved Him.  They saw His love but they knew He was the one who could lift them to a new height of moral purity.  When Jesus came into Matthew's life for example, he left his life of tax collection and became a man of God.  When Jesus came into the life of Mary Magalene, the demons left her and she became a new woman full of purity and power.  Jesus can make us into what God wants us to be.  So today imitate Christ and be His light and reality in your world and others will want to be like you as you follow Christ.  They will say, "now there goes a real Christian."

Friend with God.

In John 16:14, Jesus says that you are my friends if you do whatever I command you.  Recently, I started a study in the Book of Romans at the church I pastor and one of the things of Romans is the Lordship of Jesus Christ.  Jesus states to be a friend of God you must be willing to submit to the authority of Jesus Christ.  Jesus had in the previous verses talked about loving one another as an expression of our love for Him.  The commandment Jesus was giving here was to walk in love.  We are true friends of Jesus Christ when we love one another as He has commanded us.  That expression of love happens when we are willing to lay down our lives for one another.  Love is not love until it has been shown in some tangible way.  Love is action.  James the brother of Jesus said that when you submit to God, you can resist the devil and he will flee from you.  The devil hates when someone walks in true unselfish love.  Jesus demonstrated true love when He gave His life for mankind on the cross.  Jesus literally laid down His life for us.  He showed us the path of love and so in like manner we are to love one another.  This is one commandment He has left for us to follow.  He says if we love one another we truly are His friends.  So today follow His command by going and expressing in a tangible way your love for Him and others.  It will beautifully illustrate God's Lordship in your life and it will change those you come into contact with.     

Bear much fruit

In John 15:16, Jesus told His disciples that He chose them to bear much fruit and whatever fruit they bore would remain.  God has called all of us to bear much fruit.  We have been called to touch others for Christ.  Whenever we tell someone about Jesus Christ we are sowing seed and in time that seed will bear fruit.  That is why Paul could say as He did in Galatians that we must not grow weary in well doing because in time we will bear a harvest.  As Christians our job is to sow seed and tell others about Jesus.  We do this by the way we think, talk and how we live our lives.  We are the Bibles that most people read.  I always ask myself this question, "Lord am I good letter for you or have I miss something?"  I love this saying, "Live your life so well that the town gossip will vouch for you."  The most important fruit that we should bear is love.  People will know that we are Christ's disciples by the way we love each other.  Love is the foundation for faith and hope.  Love will break down opposition and draw people to Christ.  The last phrase of this verse says that we can ask Father anything in His name and we will have it.  When you realize that you are chosen to bear fruit, that this fruit will remain, then you have confidence in prayer.  So today ask the Lord to make you fruitful, that whatever you do it will remain for His glory and pray until you have it in Jesus name.  Those in your world are waiting to see a real Christian and you can be that person.   

Sit here

In Mark 14:32, Jesus while in the Garden of Gethsame told His disciples to sit while He prayed.  What followed is the greatest battle in prayer in history.  Jesus deciding whether or not He was going to go to the cross and die for our sins or let mankind continue in their state of sin.  He of course decided to do the will of God and die in our place.  As He was praying the Bible says, He sweat drops of blood.  His intercession for mankind and the will of God was so intense that His physical body was deeply affected.  Jesus went through this battle in three sessions.  Each time returning and finding His disciples asleep.  This is a commentary of what is going on in the church in the Western world today.  Jesus is praying and most of us are asleep.  Today there is a rallying cry of the Holy Spirit for the Church of Jesus Christ to rise from our slumber and sleep and hear what the Spirit is saying to the church.  The question I have for you today is are you awake?  Are you ready to rise up, pray and get to work for the glory of God?  You say to yourself.  O.K. what must I do?  I will leave with you this today three short thoughts.  First, do the great commandment.  Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and love your neighbor as yourself.  Secondly, do the great commission.  Go into your world and preach the gospel with you mouth and your life.  Be part of discipling and church life.  Lastly choose to love.  This is the mark of being a disciple of Jesus Christ.  If we do these things then we will not just touch our world's for Jesus Christ but shake them to their very core.  Jesus fought for us in the Garden of Gethsame.  He did the will of God.  We must do the same as well.  Our world is waiting.

Jesus and religious leaders

Jesus Confronts the religious Leaders – Matt 21:42-46

                Jesus has been in conversation with the chief leaders of the temple.  He has given them, parables and truth on whose authority He speaks on behalf.  He closes off this discussion with a last groups of facts and truth.

1.       The stone the builders rejected is the cornerstone.   The Lord did this and it is wonderful in our eyes.

2.       The Kingdom will be taken away from the Pharisees and given to those who will produce fruit.  Those who fall on this cornerstone will be crushed,

3.       The Pharisees knew that Jesus was talking about them and they were going to arrest Him but they were afraid of the crowds. 

4.       There is a reality and that is that we can be spiritually aware but miss the simplest of truths.  Let us not reject the cornerstone but embrace it.