In Dull Disciples we notice how much Jesus' disciples missed and how little they understood of his teaching and who he was. We also look at how much we are like them. |
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Is the Church of Christ the Only One and Growing the Church God's Way - Step 2b - Exalt Jesus' Deity3/25/2019
Have you ever stood on unstable ground? Maybe the sand that washes away from your feet in the ocean, or mud that you sink down into, or maybe slippery ice or gravel on the side of a hill, or maybe you have been in an earthquake where the solid ground wasn’t solid anymore. In any of those cases people wish they had something solid and safe on which to put their feet. The Psalmist felt this way spiritually. He says in Psalm 73:2 “But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped.” A solid spiritual foundation is even more important that a physical one, because our eternity depends on it.
If we tried to make our own foundation it wouldn’t be very trustworthy, so it’s a good thing for us that God didn’t leave it to chance or to us. He provided the best foundation that we could have. Now when we talk about our foundation, sometimes we are talking about the truths that are spoken in the scriptures and how believing and knowing them gives us something to build our lives on. We see this kind of idea when we are told to add to our faith, virtue and then knowledge, etc. But most important is what those scriptures tell us our faith is to be built upon and the church is to be built upon. Peter confessed that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of God and Jesus praised him for that statement of truth and explained that this fact was the rock on which he would build his church, Matthew 16:16-18. Paul drives this point home in 1 Corinthians 3:11 where he says, “For no one can lay a foundation other than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Our foundation for life, faith, the church, salvation, and eternal life in Heaven must be built on this solid foundation of Jesus or it will crumble. Is your foundation Jesus? Is he the one that is holding up everything you are building in this life and for the life to come? No other foundation will hold up, build on the only eternal foundation, Jesus.
No audio for Jesus and Personal Evangelism, but the main points from John 4 are in the slideshow below. In Hebrews 12:2 we are told to look to Jesus. We are also told that he is the author (some translations say leader, head, or founder) of our faith. (We have already looked at this description of Christ.) In addition to this we are told that he is the finisher or perfecter or completer of our faith. Notice how this easy to read version puts it: “We must never stop looking to Jesus. He is the leader of our faith, and he is the one who makes our faith complete. He suffered death on a cross. But he accepted the shame of the cross as if it were nothing because of the joy he could see waiting for him. And now he is sitting at the right side of God's throne.” He makes our faith complete. He finishes what he started.
I don’t know about you, but I have not finished everything I have started in my life. I try to with the important things, but there are many unfinished projects on my computer and in my garage and more in my mind that I started there but never moved out of my thoughts into reality. Chances are you can empathize. What condition would we be in if Jesus had started but never finished when it came to the faith that we need to know to be saved? What if he was a quitter like I have been on so many projects? Of course we know exactly where we would be, lost, but praise be to the Lord he was not a quitter. When Jesus found obstacles in his way he continued pushing through and he pushed through all the way to the cross. Then when he faced the cross the stress of it nearly killed him. His sweat was mixed with blood, but he prayed and he was heard and angels strengthened him. Then as he hung on the cross he didn’t say, “I quit!” No, on the contrary, he said, “It is finished!” He finished it and he did it perfectly! He wants that faith to be perfected in your life, too. Won’t you let him finish what he has started in you? Philippians 1:6 And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ. In Matthew He is the Christ the Son of the Living God. In Mark He is the Miracle Worker. In Luke He's the Son of Man And in John He is the Door by which everyone of us must enter. In Acts He is the Shining Light that appears to Saul on the road to Damascus.
In Romans He is our Justifier. In 1st Corinthians our Resurrection. In 2nd Corinthians our Sin Bearer. In Galatians He redeems us from the law. In Ephesians He is our Unsearchable Riches. In Philippians He supplies our every need. And in Colossians He's the Fullness of the Godhead Bodily. In 1st Thessalonians He is our Soon Coming King. In 2nd Thessalonians He is the coming Judge of the world. In 1st Timothy He is the Mediator between God and man. In 2nd Timothy He is the one who stands by us when no one else will. In Titus He is our Blessed Hope. And in Philemon He makes master and slave, brothers. In Hebrews He's the Blood of the everlasting covenant. In James it is the Lord that heals the sick. In 1st Peter He is the Chief Shepherd. In 2nd Peter He is bringer of the end to this world and maker of the new heaven and new earth. In 1st John He is our defender before God. In 2nd John He is our God who came in the flesh. In 3rd John He resists those who domineer over his sheep. In Jude He is the Lord coming with 10,000 saints. And in Revelation.....Lift up your eyes, Church, for your redemption draws nigh. He is King of kings and Lord of lords. Jesus is all of these things and so much more in the pages of the New Testament. As we continue getting to know him better we will have a better relationship with him and a better understanding of how he impacts our lives. |
AuthorArticles from our bulletin. Mostly written by James Pasley, our preacher and Sunday's Sermons. Archives
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