"WHO IS THIS MAN CALLED JESUS AND WHY SHOULD WE WORSHIP HIM"
FORWARD
Someone might ask why is a book such as this necessary? The answer is that we have humanized JESUS, the Creator God of the universe. He (Jesus) was the Word of God in heaven in the beginning. John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:2 “The same was in the beginning with God.” John 1:3 “All things were made by him and without him was not anything made that was made” John 1:10 “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.” Read all of chapter 1 of John to get the entire impact of what this is saying.
We know about Him, but we do not know Him in full truth. It is difficult for mankind to look with spiritual eyes. We are too familiar with looking with our physical eyes. He is the Truth He (Jesus) is not a man and never was a man. Jesus took on the form and flesh of man when He came to earth to save His creation. The Word of the Living God took on the form of man and the name of Jesus (which means Saviour) when He came to this earth to save us from sin, Satan, and ourselves. He rose from the grave to destroy death. You and I have eternal life given to us by Jesus when we are saved. He gave us a visual of that eternal life when He rose from the grave on the third day. We take on His righteousness and eternal life when we accept Him as our Savior. He (Jesus) was Emmanuel (God with us). I will attempt in this book to acquaint you with the true JESUS the Saviour of this world.
Remember that this is why there is an attack on the name of JESUS. The attack is not on the name God or the Holy Spirit. The name God is used in such a generic way that many religions use it as the name of their deity. They are not attacking the Holy Spirit, because there again they also use this term casually.
Let me put in Scripture here that will help us understand what we are dealing with. All Scriptures I quote are from the KJV Bible.
Philippians 2:5 “Let this mind be in you, which was in Christ Jesus:” Philippians 2:6 “Who being in the form of God thought it not robbery to be equal with God:”
Philippians 2:7 “But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in likeness of men:” Philippians 2:8 “and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” Philippians 2 :9 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:” Philippians 2:10 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;” Philippians 2:11 “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” We must understand there is a move in our world to bring Jesus down to the level of mankind. This attack is focused on the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ. These same people would agree that a man named Jesus lived. Most of them will even agree that He was a great teacher, healer and prophet. Some believe that other prophets were equal with Jesus. That could not and can not be because Jesus was Creator and these other prophets were part of His creation.
Focusing on Jesus in this book does not in any way diminish the Father God or the Holy Ghost.. The Bible says in John 4:24 “God is a spirit and they that worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. “ This is printed in red in the Bible which means that Jesus spoke these words.
In 1 John 5:7 speaks of the Father, Word, and Holy Ghost separately and then says they are one. 1 John 5:7 “For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.” I believe they are One in the Spirit. Each has a separate function. On a down to earth explanation we might say Father God had the plan, Jesus carried the plan out, and the Holy Ghost is our Comforter, Teacher, and Guide.
This is explained and covered fully in Colossians 2:8 “Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” In verse 9 we see Father, Word and Holy Ghost operating in Jesus. Colossians 2:9 “For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.” Notice Jesus represented all three in His body. Jesus’ stay on the earth to save mankind was a collective decision of Father, Son and Holy Ghost. His Spirit was housed in a body for His stay on earth. The Spirit within that body was Emmanuel (God with us). Matthew 1:23 “Behold a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
If you were to open a chronological Bible, the very first verses would be John 1 verses 1 & 2 not Genesis chapter 1. John1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:2 “The same was in the beginning with God.”
You see, before the earth was, the One you and I call Jesus was in fact the Word of God. He was Creator God as we read in John1:3 “All things were made by Him; and without him was not anything made that was made.”
We can easily see from this why Jesus (Creator God) would come to this earth to save His creation.
Someone might ask, how do we know the Word is speaking of Jesus? The answer is in John 1:14 “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.”
This Word is the same as the One we call Jesus. The Word became Jesus for His stay on the earth. Jesus means Savior. Jesus is called by 123 different names in the Bible. Each name He was called by was for the purpose of telling what He was doing at that time.
He (Jesus) was the Word at the beginning and at the ending as we read in Revelation19:13 “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called the Word of God.
In Revelation 22;13 we read of Jesus’ eternal life. Revelation 22:13 “I am alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
There is absolutely no denying that the One you and I call Jesus was there at the planning of the universe and especially the earth. No one or nothing existed before the beginning , and Jesus says He is the beginning.
One of the names He is called by is I Am. I Am means the One who
eternally exists in the present tense. At the burning bush, Moses asked the
voice from the fire in the bush what his name was. The voice answered, I AM that
I AM. When Jesus was on the mount of
In Revelation 22:13 we read of Jesus’ eternal life. Revelation 22:13 “I am alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”
There is absolutely no denying that the One you and I call Jesus was there at the planning of the universe and especially the earth. No one or nothing existed before the beginning , and Jesus says He is the beginning.
OLD TESTAMENT SCRIPTURES
FULFILLED IN JESUS
One of the reasons for the writing of this book is to remind everyone that Jesus is the answer to all of our problems. In the world around us we do not have any role models that we can look up to. If we do not have Jesus Christ as an example to live the kind of life He did, then you and I are going to fall into all the pitfalls and do all things that are not of God.
You see the religious world of our day would have us believe that Jesus was nothing more than a teacher or prophet. Some even believe Him to be a healer. Many religions of today say that Jesus was not born of a virgin, but my Bible says He was. The sad thing is that some “Christians?” are being swayed and beginning to doubt the virgin birth.
Some of the Oriental religions in
The thing that we have to decide is, what are we going to do with Jesus? Are we going to be like the world and bring Jesus down to the level of mankind?
Are we going to say that He was just a great Teacher? If He was just a Teacher and not God in the flesh of man, then you and I and everyone else are headed for hell. Jesus could not have been the perfect sacrifice for our sin, if He was not God in the flesh. The blood of an animal or of a natural man could not do away with sin. Only the spotless blood of God (the Lamb of God) the only begotten Son of the Father could do away with sin.
The very first promise of a Saviour to this world lets us know Jesus was born of a virgin. This verse tells us that Jesus did not have an earthly father, His Father was the God of heaven. In this verse God is speaking to the serpent. Genesis 3:15 “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.” (Jesus was born of the Spirit of God and the flesh of the woman.)
The fulfillment of this Scripture is in Matthew 1:18”Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph , before they came together, she was found of child of the Holy Ghost.” You see, Jesus was the very Son of God, Himself.
Another prophecy on this hundreds of years before the birth is found in Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” In the New Testament we read the same thing. In Matthew 1:22 we read that this is to fulfill the prophecy in Isaiah. Matthew 1:22 “Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,” Matthew 1:23 “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel which being interpreted is God with us.”
In Isaiah 9:6 we see a prophecy of not only His birth, but of the mighty tasks Jesus will accomplish. Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.” (This is Jesus)
Revelation 19:16 “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.” Revelation 21:6 “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.”
Isaiah 61:1 “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the broken hearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound;” Isaiah 61:2 “To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;”
The above 2 Scriptures are what Jesus turned to and read in the synagogue. The fulfillment of this is found in Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives , and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,” Luke 4:19 “To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” If we skip down to verse 21 we see in Jesus’ own Words that this fulfills prophecy. Luke 4:21 “And he began to say unto them, This day is this Scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
In chapter 53 of Isaiah we see just what Jesus did for us being
prophesied hundreds of years before the actual fulfillment of this. Isaiah 53:1 “Who hath believed our report? and to
whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?” Isaiah 53:2 “For he shall grow up before
him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground: he hath no form nor
comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire
him.” Isaiah 53:3 “He is despised and rejected of men, a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was
despised, and we esteemed him not.” Isaiah 53:4 “ Surely he hath borne our
griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God,
and afflicted.” Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was
bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with
his stripes we are healed.” Isaiah 53:6 “All we like sheep have gone astray; we
have turned every one to his own
way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.” Isaiah 53:7 “He was
oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a
lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his
mouth.” Isaiah 53:8 “He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall
declare his generation? For he was cut off out of the land of the living: for
the transgression of my people was he stricken.” Isaiah 53:9 “And he made his grave with
the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his
mouth.” Isaiah 53:10 “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him, he hath put him to
grief: when thou shalt make his
soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days and
the pleasure of the Lord shall
prosper in his hand.” Isaiah 53:11 “He shall see the travail of his soul, and
shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many;
for he shall bear their iniquities.”
Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and
he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul
unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of
many, and made intercession for the transgressors.” This entire chapter 53 of Isaiah is
explaining ahead of time what Jesus would do for the believers. He did it all at
We read of Jesus triumphal entry into
The fulfillment is found in Matthew 21:5 “Tell ye the daughter of
There is even a prophecy in Zechariah that tells of the price Jesus was betrayed by Judas for. Zechariah 11:12 “And I said unto them, if ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver.”
The fulfillment is in Matthew 26:15 “And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.”
Silver means redemption. Thirty is three times ten. The spiritual meaning of the price that was paid, means God (3) paid the world (10) for our redemption (silver).
The number three means God spiritually, The number 10 is dealing
with the world government (that is why there were 10 plagues in
Let us summarize what we have said with these last few Scriptures.
Matthew:16:13 “When Jesus came into
the coast of
What were other people saying about Jesus when He was born? The wise men came from afar to worship Him. The shepherds from the hillside came because the angels told them the Saviour of the world had been born. Even the gifts the wise men brought revealed this Jesus to be the Saviour. The gold they brought recognized Him as God in the flesh of man. The frankincense recognized Him as the perfect Lamb sacrifice and the myrrh recognized Him as the groom of the bride of Christ. (gold’s symbolic meaning is God), Frankincense accompanied the sacrifice for sin. (myrrh is sweet aloes for the wedding bed).
When Joseph and Mary, following the laws of the Jews, took Jesus to the temple when He was 40 days old to present Him to God Simeon and Anna recognized Him as the promised Savior. This all is found in Luke 2:25-32. Read it all In Leviticus chapter 12 verses 1-4 tell us Jesus’ mother could not go to the temple until 40 days after His birth. He was named and circumcised on the 8th day and carried to the temple on the 40th day.
We have already mentioned in this book that on two separate occasions God spoke from heaven and called Jesus His beloved Son. The references are in Matthew 3:17 and in Luke 9:34-35.
There are many more Scriptures covering this, but I believe this to be sufficient.
JESUS-FOCAL POINT OF THE
BIBLE
In my study of the entire Bible it was very evident to me that every book in the Bible speaks directly or indirectly of the One you and I call Jesus. He used many names, but all of them meant the same as Jesus.
Even the first time God was mentioned in the Bible the root Word was Eloheem. It is a plural word which means Supreme God. It is interesting to me that a singular verb is used with this plural Word. When I see that I think of 1John 5:7 which speaks of God the Father, the Word of God and the Holy
Spirit as being One.
Let me share with you what I discovered in chapter 1 of Ezekiel.
In verse 1 it ends with (I saw visions of God). In verse 5 it speaks of four
living creatures. If we read on we will find that these creatures had the face
of a lion, the face of an ox, the face of a man, and the face of an eagle. These faces symbolize the four
gospels. The lion symbolizes
Matthew. The ox symbolizes Mark. The face of the man symbolizes Luke. The Eagle
symbolizes John. The genealogy in
the book of Matthew shows Jesus as the Lion of the tribe of
I have determined then, that Jesus is the focal point of the
entire Bible. This wheel inside the
wheel is the Spirit of the Living God. The voice that came from the middle of the wheel was
God’s voice.
JESUS IN KING JAMES
VERSION VERSUS NEW TRANSLATION
The King James version of the Bible has been my constant companion for all of my life since I was a small child. It has been a comfort to me in time of trouble. The cause of Christianity has benefited for hundreds of years through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and through the influence this particular translation of the Bible has had on society itself. Every situation we find ourselves in can be solved with the answers we find in its covers.
It has been called the roadmap for life. I would say that it is much more than even that. Without the beauty of this book, we would not have known there was a Saviour let alone how we could communicate with Him and even be saved by Him (Jesus).
In our generation (the age of human intelligence?) we have begun to attack the very source of our being. It started very subtly at first. The questioning if there was not a better way to understand the Scriptures started the problem.
Even though the KJV Bible teaches there is a literal heaven and a literal hell, the (intelligent?) people of our day have said that is untrue. We know this is true about them because they removed Lucifer from the Old Testament of the Bible. The KJV Isaiah 14:12 “How art thy fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How art thy cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations!” The NIV Isaiah 14:12 “How you have fallen from heaven, O morning star, son of the dawn? You have been cast down to the earth, you who once laid low the nations!” This leads us to believe that there is no evil one called the devil or Satan. Most people of our generation believe heaven and hell are a state of mind because of these changes. Much of the moral decay in our land can be traced to the attack on the Bible that led our fathers and grandfathers and even generations before even them to the knowledge of God.
One of the trick ways to stop Christianity is to stop evangelism of the world. In the book of Mark, the penman of the modern Bibles make a statement that suggest we should not read Mark 16 (9 thru 20). This is the great commission in Jesus’ own words that tells us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Satan would love for us to remove that part of our Bible. This could hinder millions of people from hearing about Jesus and the salvation He offers to whosoever will.
In the book of Acts Chapter 8 beginning with the 27th verse (read all of the rest of the chapter) we see an encounter of Philip with the Ethiopian eunuch. In it, Philip teaches him about Jesus. There is a blatant error in the new translations. The Ethiopian is not required to state his faith in Jesus before he is baptized. The plan of salvation is cleverly removed by omitting his confession of faith before he is baptized. Acts 8:36 “And as they went on their way, they came upon a certain water; and the eunuch said, See, here is water, what doth hinder me to be baptized?” Acts 8:37 “And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.” Acts 8:38 “And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him.” This is changed in the NIV to the following: Verse 36: “As they traveled long the road, they came to some water and the eunuch said, “Look, here is water. Why shouldn’t I be baptized?” Verse 37 is completely omitted. Verse 38: “And he ordered the chariot to stop. Then both Philip and the eunuch went down into the water and Philip baptized him.” The plan of salvation is cleverly removed by omitting his confession of faith before he is baptized.
Another very tragic removal of just one word (Jehovah) from the Old Testament in Exodus 6:3, Psalms 83:18, Isaiah12:2, and Isaiah 26:4 is trying to deny that Jesus (Jehovah Saviour) is in the Old Testament.
Another attack on Jesus as Deity is changing what is spoken of Jesus. The new translations speak of Jesus as Holy one of God. The King James Version calls Jesus “thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God”. KJV John 6:69 “And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God.” In the NIV John 6:69 “We believe and know that you are the Holy One of God. At a glance this seems to be a moot point, but Christ (which is left out) means Messiah (the one the Jewish people are awaiting). When you change Son of the living God, you are denying the virgin birth of Jesus.
In many instances the new translations change “the” to “a”. This seems so minor, but is it really? “A” means one of many. “The” is an explicit meaning the only one. This is especially damaging when it is referring to Jesus.
In Matthew 1:25 “first born Son” in the KJV is changed to “a” son
in the NIV. Every Christian is a son by adoption. Jesus is the firstborn, only
begotten Son of God.
In Matthew 8:29 “Jesus thou Son of God” in the KJV
is changed to omit Jesus in the NIV. It just says “Son of God.” The change
denies that Jesus is the Son of God.
In Matthew 13:51 “yea, Lord” in the KJV is just “yes” in the NIV. The word Lord is completely omitted.
In Matthew 16:20 “Jesus the Christ” in the KJV is changed omitting “Jesus” in the NIV. The new translators do not want Jesus to be Christ the Messiah.
In Mark 9:24 “Lord I believe” was changed and left Lord off and says “I do believe” in two of the new translations and in one it is changed to say “I have faith”.
I will give the entire verse in each translation in Mark 11:10 KJV “Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest” The NIV says “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David! Hosanna in the highest” It is obvious to me they are denying that Jesus is that fulfillment.
In Luke 4:41 “Thou art Christ the Son of God” in the KJV is changed in the NIV to “You are the Son of God” We see that Christ (which means Messiah) is omitted.
In Luke 7:31 “And the Lord said” in the KJV is Omitted in the NIV. The very same thing is left out in Luke 22:31.
In Luke 23:42 “And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me” in the KJV was changed to “Jesus, remember me” in the NIV. Jesus and Lord together is a more powerful statement than just Jesus. It is as if the new translators deny Jesus is Lord.
A very blatant change from “And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh” in 1 John 4:3 in the KJV is changed to “but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God” in the NIV. Again this denies Jesus as the Messiah when it leaves out Christ in connection with Jesus.
In Revelation 5:14 in the KJV “And the four beasts said, Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth forever and ever. The NIV changed this to “The four living creatures said, Amen” and the elders fell down and worshipped” leaving out the number 24 for the elders and omitted who they worshipped. These 24 elders many believe to be speaking of the 12 apostles and the 12 major prophets of the Old Testament. Whoever they are, are to be specifically mentioned because God gave a specific number. Twelve is a number which means a representative number of the whole. I believe twelve for the Old Testament and twelve for the New Testament representing all who believe whoever they are. It also left out “him that liveth forever and ever”. That denies His eternal existence.
Revelation 20:9 in the KJV says “and fire came down from God out of heaven, And devoured them” The NIV says “But fire came down from heaven and devoured them” God is left out.
In Revelation 21:24 KJV “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it: and the kings of the earth do bring their glory and honor into it.” The NIV says, “The nations will walk by its light, and the kings of the earth will bring their splendor into it.” This does not speak of those that are saved, as if everyone even without being saved are welcome there, and they are not.
There are direct denials in the NIV that Jesus Christ the Son of God should be together. Jesus means Jehovah Savior. Christ means Messiah or the anointed One. The Son of God means the only begotten Son of God.
Look with me on the attack on Jesus with these following changes. John 6:69 “Christ the Son of the living God” is changed to “Holy One of God” in the NIV. Again this change does not want Jesus to be Messiah-Christ, or God’s Son.
John 9:35 KJV “Dost thou believe on the Son of God” has been changed to “Do you believe in the Son of man” in the NIV.
In Acts 16:31 KJV “Lord Jesus Christ” is changed and leaves out Christ in the NIV. This again denies Jesus is Messiah.
Romans 1:16 KJV “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ” is changed to “I am not ashamed of the gospel” in the NIV leaving out Christ. Here again, this is denying Christ-Messiah.
1 Corinthians 15:47 KJV “The second man is the Lord from heaven” is changed to “the second man from heaven” in the NIV. Where is Lord?
1 Corinthians 16:23 KJV “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you” is changed to “The grace of the Lord Jesus be with you” Once again leaving out Christ- the Messiah.
In 2 Corinthians 4:6 and 5:18 “Jesus Christ” in the KJV is changed to “Christ” in the NIV. It appears the change denies Jesus is Messiah-Christ.
2 Corinthians 11:31 “Lord Jesus Christ” KJV is changed to leave out Christ connected with Lord Jesus in the NIV.
I believe one of the most blatant changes is in Ephesians 3:9 KJV “Who created all things by Jesus Christ” is changed in the NIV to “who created all things”, denying that Jesus Christ is Creator.
In Ephesians 3:14 KJV “For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ” has been changed in the NIV to “For this reason I kneel before the Father.” In this change, they deny Jesus Christ as the only begotten Son of God.
In Colossians 1:2 KJV “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse; Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ” NIV “To the holy and faithful brothers in Christ at Colosse: Grace and peace to you from God our Father.” This leaves out Lord Jesus Christ which denies that Jesus should be worshipped.
On Colossians 1:28 “Christ Jesus” in the KJV is reduced to “Christ” in the NIV. This denies Jesus to be the Messiah.
In 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 3:11 and in 2 Thessalonians 1:8 “Lord Jesus Christ” in the KJV is just “Lord Jesus” in the NIV again leaving out Christ-Messiah connected to Jesus.
In 1 Timothy 2:7 “truth in Christ” in the KJV is changed to just “truth” in the NIV.
In Hebrews 3:1 “Christ Jesus” in the KJV is reduced to “Jesus” in the NIV. 1 Peter 5:10 “Christ Jesus” in the KJV is reduced to Jesus in the NIV. 1 John 1:7 “Jesus Christ” in the KJV is reduced again to “Jesus” in the NIV. It is so obvious that whoever did this is deliberately changing this to deny that Jesus is the Messiah-Christ.
In Colossians 1:14 in the KJV “In whom we have redemption through his blood,
even the forgiveness of sins:” is changed in the NIV to “in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins” It was the shed blood of Jesus that saved us. Why is the blood left out of this Scripture?
Revelation 1:13 NIV “and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet with a golden sash around his chest.” “a son” in the NIV is “the Son” in the KJV. The change takes away the deity of Jesus.
In Micah 5:2 The prophecy of Jesus’ birth “from everlasting” in the KJV is changed in the NIV to “ancient times” denying Jesus’ eternal existence.
In Isaiah 7:14 “virgin” in the KJV is changed in the Revised Standard Version to say “a young woman” which denies that God is the Father of Jesus and denies that Mary was a virgin.
Matthew 6:6 In Jesus’ own words, the KJV says ”But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” In the NIV “openly” is left out. It actually ruins the entire Scripture to remove “openly”.
Redemption by the blood of Jesus is another concern. It is not only downplayed in the new Bibles, but the blood is removed from many Christian song books. If the blood of Jesus was not shed for our sins, we could not be saved. The blood of just any man could not do away with our sins either. It had to be the blood of God the Son-Jesus to abolish our sins. The new Bibles seem to be trying to bring Jesus down to the level of man. Man cannot do away with sin, only God the Son can do that.
We must realize that Satan—Lucifer—the devil does not want us to be saved. The attack on Jesus is also an attack on our salvation.
These Scripture comparisons between the KJV and the NIV Bible versions are only a small portion of those which are throughout the Bible. There are literally hundreds more. We just gave a small sample of them here.
In 2 John we see a warning from John about deceivers in the church trying to persuade Christians that Jesus (Messiah) did not come to this earth in the flesh. This is the very thing I believe is being done with the new Bibles taking the deity of Christ away. Here is a Scripture that states very well what is happening. 2 John 1:7 “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. “
If you are innocently using the watered down Bibles, check these things out for yourself. I am sure you can easily see what I am saying here.
JESUS-
PREACHER
The greatest Sermon any preacher ever preached was the Sermon On
The Mount. It is also called the
Beatitudes. You can read the entire sermon in Matthew chapters 5,6, and 7 in
Jesus’ own Words. Even when Jesus
was 12 years old and went to the temple in
The first public message He gave in the synagogue was covered in the following Scriptures from Luke 4:17 “And there was delivered unto him the book of Esaias, and when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written,” Luke 4:18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised,” Luke 4:19 “To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.“ Everyone who heard him was astonished at his wisdom, and knowledge.
There were so many sermons, but probably the most appreciated sermon was when Jesus went into hell itself and preached and brought out those with him who believed. 1Peter 3:19 “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison.“ We read in the next verse that these were people who had been disobedient in the days of Noah. Another Scripture which gives a little more insight into this is Ephesians 4:8 “Wherefore he saith, when he ascended upon high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Ephesians 4:9 “(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?” Ephesians 4:10 “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)” There is one more thing we can add to this to verify that Jesus brought the captives in hell out with Him. Matthew 27:51 “ And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;” Matthew 27:52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,” Matthew 27:53 “And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city and appeared unto many.” You see, He had preached them out of hell.
The sermons that most impressed me were the parables that He taught.
PARABLES JESUS
PREACHED
A parable is a story that illustrates a moral lesson. Jesus used parables to drive a lesson home without directly accusing the listener. There are over 50 parables Jesus used to cause the person listening to examine himself and see where he has sinned or fallen short. One of my favorites is teaching not to judge others. Matthew Chapter 7 verse 1-5 “Judge not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be Measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and, behold, a beam is in thine own eye?
Thou hypocrite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye;
and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's
eye.” It is also found in Luke
6:37-43. In this instance it leads
to giving and receiving.
In a broad sense, the Bible itself is a parable. The messages in the Bible can be taken literally. The messages are fact. Even though that is true, there is always another message with very good moral lessons that even you and I today can benefit from.
It is so interesting to me that when we are praying for answers we are facing today, God will show us a Scripture that we can glean our answer from.
Some believe the Bible is just ancient writings, but I believe the Bible is more current than the morning newspaper.
It was written for all generations. I believe it is alive. It never gets old. When we read it I believe we are looking into the face of Jesus, because He is the written and the spoken Word of God.
The following is a short list of the parables He taught and a short explanation of what each teaches. Matthew 7:1-6 teaches of the mote and the beam in the eye of the one accusing someone. It teaches not to judge others.
Matthew 7:24-27 teaches about a person without a solid foundation building on shifting sand and a person building on a rock for a foundation which cannot be moved by trials and tribulations or storms of life.
Luke 7:41-43 is about two people who owed a debt. One owed 50 and the other 500. Jesus shows in this that the one who owed the largest amount and was forgiven loved most.
One of the greatest of the parables is about the sower and the seed in Matthew 13:3-23. We see the seed is the Word of God. Jesus is the Sower. It explains that the Word of God is the same. The difference is in the way it is received. In one instance, the person hearing did not understand and the devil took it away. Another (stony ground) received the Word but had no roots in himself when troubles came, he fell away. The one who received the Word among thorns was deceived by riches and fell away. There was one who received the Word and was steadfast in his belief and went out and won others, some 100, some 60, and some 30. There is nothing wrong with the Word of God. The results come from how we receive it.
In Matthew 18:23-25, “Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made.” It tells of a king who is very forgiving. He forgives his servant who asks him, to a debt of 10,000 talents. This same servant does not forgive his fellow servant who owes him a hundred pence. He throws his fellow servant into prison until he can pay it all. The king hears of his unforgiveness and throws him in jail because of his unforgiveness.
You see, if we do not forgive, we cannot be forgiven. In the Lord’s Prayer it says forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.
The parable of the Good Samaritan is found in Luke 10:30-37. It teaches “in as much as ye have done it to the least of thy brethren you have done it to Jesus.” When you help someone you will be blessed of God for it, because it is as if you are helping Jesus.
In Luke 15:4-7 we see the parable of the lost sheep. The Shepherd leaves the 99 to go and search for the one lost sheep. This to me is teaching that our great Shepherd is not willing that even one should be lost.
The Parable of the prodigal son shows that even when we make wrong choices in life, Jesus is still willing to save us if we will come to Him for help. Luke 15:11-32.
The Parable of the rich man and Lazarus shows that great wealth has nothing to do with salvation. God honors the humble heart. Luke 16:19-31
The teaching on the talents each is given and how they produce for the Lord with that talent is in Matthew 25:14-30 and in Luke 19:11-27. God rewards those who are not afraid to use the talent God has given them.
The parable of the ten virgins speaks to all believers. We must be ready when we wait for Jesus. He is coming in an hour when we think not. Matthew 25:1-12. There are so many more, but we have given enough examples to show how Jesus used the parables.
JESUS –LAMB SACRIFICE
–PASSOVER LAMB
The Lamb sacrifice in the Old Testament could not abolish sin. That sacrifice could not clear the conscience of the sinner. The blood of the natural lamb covered the sin for one year. At the end of the year the sinner would have to sacrifice for that same sin again. Hebrews 9:12 “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.” Hebrews 9:13 “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh:” Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God.” Hebrews 9:15 “And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.”
We read exactly how we are freed from our sin in 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.”
The first Passover was established the night in
When Jesus shed His blood for us on the cross, He became our eternal Passover Lamb. John the Baptist called Jesus the Lamb of God in the following Scripture. John 1:29 “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John the Baptist says this again in John 1:36 “And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!”
In Revelation no one can open the book but the Lamb of God (Jesus.) Revelation 5:6 “And I beheld , and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.” Revelation 5:7 “And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne” Revelation 5:8 “And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints.” Revelation 5:9 “And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by the blood out of every kindred and tongue, and people, and nation;” Revelation 5:10 “And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth.”
We see in this next verse how to overcome the devil by Jesus’ blood and the Word. Revelation 12:11 “ And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.”
To end this I will show you what Jesus, the Lamb of God, purchased
for all who dare to believe in Him. It is found in the 21st chapter
of Revelation. You should read the entire chapter. I will give a few verses here
to show what we have awaiting us if we believe in the Lamb of God, Jesus. Revelation 21:1 “And I saw a new heaven
and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and
there was no more sea.” Revelation
21:2 “And I John saw the holy city new
OMNIPRESENCE OF
JESUS
To get a worldly view of the word omnipresence we could look at the definition given by the Webster’s dictionary. It says the meaning is (find some quality of life to pose against-death). The Biblical meaning of omnipresence is (to not be contained in one single place).
One of the most beautiful promises in the Bible spoken by Jesus Himself is found in Matthew 28:20 “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
It is a beautiful thing that happens when a person is saved. Jesus takes up habitation in each of our hearts. Ephesians 2:22 “In whom ye also are builded up together for a habitation of God through the Spirit.”
We see a little clearer explanation in John14:16-20 in Jesus’ own Words. John 14:16 “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, That he may abide with you forever;” John 14:17 “ Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” John 14:18 “I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.” John14:19 “Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” John 14:20 “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.”
Jesus can be in each of us all at the same time and can also be seated at the right hand of the Father in heaven at the same time. He is not controlled by time or space. He controls everything including time and space.
He makes us a promise that where we gather together He is with us. Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” He (Jesus) will never leave us or forsake us.
OMNIPOTENCE OF
JESUS
When we look at the Webster’s dictionary to find the meaning of omnipotence, it gives omnipotent, which means, Almighty. The meaning of omnipotent from the Strong’s concordance translated from the word (pantokrator) means the all ruling God. Another meaning is, God to the absolute. Two more meanings are Universal Sovereign, and Almighty omnipotent.
In chapter 19 of Revelation it is speaking of Jesus as the Omnipotent One. Revelation 19:6 “And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Allelula: For the Lord God Omnipotent reigneth.”
Jesus came as a babe in a manger when He came to the earth to save us. When He comes to rule over the earth for 1000 years, He will come as King of kings and Lord of lords.
To show the magnitude of His authority over His (Jesus’) kingdom I will give some more verses from the 19th chapter of Revelation. We will start at Revelation 19:11 “And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war.” Revelation 19:12 “His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself.” Revelation 19:13 “And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God.” Revelation 19:14 “And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean.” Revelation 19:15 “And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: And he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.” Revelation 19:16 “And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”
At judgment day, He (Jesus) is the Judge of all the earth. Hebrews 10:30 “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.”
We see in the following Scriptures how He separates the people as He judges them. Matthew 25:31 “When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory;” Matthew 25:32 “And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:” Matthew 25:33 “And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.” Matthew 25:34 “Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:” Matthew 25:35 “For I was hungered and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger and ye took me in: “ Matthew 25:36 “Naked and ye clothed me: I was sick and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.” Matthew 25:37 “Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?” Matthew 25:38 “When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?” Matthew 25:39 “Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?” Matthew 25:40 “And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:41 “Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:” Matthew 25:42 “For I was hungered, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:” Matthew 25:43
“ I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.” Matthew 25:44 “Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?” Matthew 25:45 “Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.” Matthew 25:46 “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
We cannot deny Jesus as Creator at the beginning and as Judge at the end. The evidence is overwhelming.
He saved the entire world who will accept Him when He gave His body to die on the cross. He healed the sick, opened blind eyes, raised the dead, calmed the raging sea, walked on the water. He forgave those guilty of sin.
He arose from the dead on the third day after His crucifixion. He established the church the 40 days He walked on the earth after His resurrection.
He promised to prepare us a place in heaven. He promised to come again and set up His kingdom on the earth for 1000 years.
What more proof do we need? At His baptism His Father spoke from heaven and said in Matthew 3:17 “And lo a voice came from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” At the transfiguration the Father spoke again about Jesus. Read Matthew 17 verses 1 through 8 to get the whole impact. I will give one verse here Matthew 17:5 “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.”
JESUS AS
OMNISCIENCE
In Webster’s dictionary it says omniscience means infinite knowledge. From the Bible it means Wisdom to the utmost degree.
Wisdom is not something you study to get. True Wisdom is a gift from God. Knowledge is accumulated learning. Wisdom is received by prayer from God. We can read about this in James 1:5 “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.”
In Matthew 13 verses 53 and 54 we see fantastic Wisdom operating through Jesus. Matthew 13:53 “And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these parables, he departed thence.” Matthew 13:54 “And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works?” Almost the same Scripture is in Mark 6:2. Luke 2:40 speaks of His great Wisdom even as a child. Luke2:40 “And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.”
Some places in the Bible Wisdom is capitalized showing us it is of Jesus. In the book of James we see how wisdom manifests itself James 3:17 “ But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.”
In Matthew 12:42 we see an explanation of Jesus’ Wisdom being far greater than the most wise man who ever lived (Solomon). Matthew 12:42 “The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here”. 2nd Chronicles 1:12 Speaks of the gifts God gives Solomon. 2nd Chronicles 1:12 “Wisdom and knowledge is granted unto thee; and I will give thee riches, and wealth, and honour, such as none of the kings have had that have been before thee, neither shall there any after thee have the like.”
There are numerous Scriptures where Jesus knows the thoughts of people. Matthew 9:4 “And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?” Matthew 12:25 is another example. I will give just the first line of. Matthew 12:25” And Jesus knew their thoughts, and said unto them, … “ Jesus looks into their hearts in Mark 2:8 “And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?” We read how Jesus knew all men in John 2:24 “But Jesus did not commit himself unto them because he knew all men,”
In John 1:48 Jesus tells Nathanael where he was before they told him of Jesus. John 1:48 “Nathanael saith unto him, Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee” In John 4: Jesus tells the woman at the well of her past life. Read all of chapter 4 of John to get the full impact.
You see, Jesus is all Wisdom. He knows everything about everyone past, present and future.
In John 16:30 The apostles finally realize that Jesus knows everything. John 16:30
“Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.” It says it all in Colossians 2:3 “In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Every thing that Jesus spoke on this earth spoke of His Wisdom. The parables are a good example of His vast Wisdom. No other preacher has ever been able to compare their sermons to His. He is Wisdom to the utmost.
THE NAMES JESUS
USED
Bread
Jesus was born in
John 6:32 “Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.” John 6:33 “For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven and giveth life unto the world.” John 6:34 “Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.” John 6:35 “And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.” John 6:48 “I am that bread of life.”
One of the most important feasts the followers of Jesus and the Jews celebrated was the Feast of Unleavened Bread which overlaps the Passover. Mark 14:1 “After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.” Matthew 26:26 “And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.” Jesus says the same thing in Mark 14:22. Jesus was without sin. Leaven speaks of sin. The communion bread must be without leaven to represent the sinless body of Jesus. Luke 22:19 “And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.”
A strange message Jesus gave to His closest followers that caused
many of them to turn away and follow Him no more is found in John 6:48-60. John
6:48 “I am that bread of life.” John 6:49 “Your fathers did eat manna in the
wilderness, and are dead.” John 6:50 “This is the bread which cometh down from
heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.” John 6:51 “I am the living
bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live
for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the
life of the world.” John 6:52 “The Jews therefore strove among themselves,
saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” John 6:53 “Then Jesus said
unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of
man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you.” John 6:54 “Whosoever eateth
my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at
the last day.” John 6:55 “For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink
indeed.” John 6:56 “He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in
me, and I in him.” John 6:57 “As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by
the Father; so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me.” John 6:58 “This is
that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and
are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.” John 6:59 “These
things said he in the synagogue, as he taught in
I believe we have proven with these Scriptures that Jesus is the Unleavened (without sin) Bread. When we take communion, we are symbolically taking of the sinless body of Jesus.
The manna which fell from heaven was symbolic of the body of Jesus. Manna means “what is it”.
ROCK
1 Corinthians 10:3 “And did all eat the same spiritual meat;” 1 Corinthians 10:4 “And did all drink the same spiritual drink; for they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ.”
When the children of
The following is the reference for the smiting of the Rock: Exodus 17:6 “Behold, I will stand before
thee there upon the rock in Horeb; and thou shalt smite the rock, and there
shall come water out of it, that the people may drink. And Moses did so in the sight of the
elders of
The following is the reference to speak to the Rock: Numbers 20:8 “Take the rod, and gather thou the assembly together, thou and Aaron thy brother, and speak ye unto the rock before their eyes; and it shall give forth his water, and thou shalt bring forth to them water out of the rock: so thou shalt give the congregation and their beasts drink.”
Not only does the Rock symbolize Jesus but so does the Water.
LIGHT
Jesus is not “a” Light. He is “the” Light. In Genesis, the Light was applied to the earth first so that the Light of Jesus could give all of the rest of His creation the power to exist. Genesis 1:3 “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.” This Light is the source of all light.
We read in John 8:12 “Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.”
Again in John 9:5 “As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.”
In Matthew 4:16, we read of all believers receiving that Light. “The people which sat in darkness saw great light; and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death light is sprung up.”
In John 1:4, we read: “In him was life; and the life was the light of men.”
We see in the next Scripture a time when we will not need the sun or moon for light. Revelation 21:23 “And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof.” Verse 24 goes on to say “And the nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light of it:”
1 Peter 2:6 “Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold I lay in Zion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded.” This is speaking of Jesus.
1 Peter 2:9 “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light:” 1 Peter 2:10 “Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.”
It is this marvelous Light of Jesus that shows us our errors and causes us to repent. This same Light gives illumination to the path Jesus would have us take which leads to life eternal in heaven with Him.
SHEPHERD
To get the full impact of Jesus as Shepherd, it would be good to
read all of chapter 10 of
In Psalms chapter 23, we read who the Shepherd is. David wrote the 23rd Psalms. It begins: Psalms 23:1 “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” Psalms 23:2 “He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.” Psalms 23:3 “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” Psalms 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.” Psalms 23:5 “Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.” Psalms 23:6 “Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.”
Jesus is the Shepherd and we, Christians, are His sheep. He saves us and secures our place in heaven for us.
SPOKEN AND WRITTEN
WORD
The two great powers in this world are the Spoken and the Written Word, and Jesus is both.
Jesus says in Luke 21:33 “Heaven and earth shall pass away; but my words shall not pass away.”
The Word of God (Jesus) is the secret to life eternal. The Written Word (Bible) is like a road map to show us the road we must take to arrive at our destination (heaven). Jesus is the Way. That is one of the many names He is called. He opened the door to that way when He (Jesus) yielded up the ghost (died on the cross). In Matthew 27:50 “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.” Matthew 27:51 “And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”
The next two verses show the great power that Jesus had even when His body died on the cross for the sins of the whole world.
Matthew 27:52 “And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,” Matthew 27:53 “And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.”
This probably is speaking of the captives He brought out with Him after He preached in hell.
Ephesians 4:8 “Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” Ephesians 4:9 “(Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?” Ephesians 4:10 “He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)”
1 Peter 3:19-20 is speaking of Jesus preaching in hell and bringing those captives out with Him.
1 Peter 3:19 “By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;” 1 Peter 3:20 “Which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water.”
JEHOVAH
Isaiah 40:3 “The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.” Lord in this Scripture, prophetically speaking of Jesus, is from the root word Jehovah.
The same Scripture is in Matthew 3:3 “For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
We read again in Psalms 24:7 “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.” Psalms 24:8 “Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle.” Psalms 24:9 “Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.” Psalms 24:10 “Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.”
Lord again is Jehovah. Selah means think on these things.
Look with me at 1 Corinthians 2:8 “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
All of this leaves no doubt that Lord (Jehovah) is Jesus. So the name Jesus means not only Saviour but Jehovah Saviour.
Again in James 2:1 Jesus is spoken of as “the” Lord of glory (Jehovah). James 2:1 “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”
CREATOR
We have already determined that Jesus was the Word of God in heaven.
John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:2 “The same was in the beginning with God.” John 1:3 “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.”
To establish Him to be Creator, I will add more Scriptures by different writers who say the same thing.
Ephesians 3:9 “And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ:”
Colossians 1:16 “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:” Colossians 1:17 “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”
Revelation 4:11 “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”
Hebrews 1:2 “Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds;”
In Isaiah 48:12-13, we read of Jesus being Creator God.
Isaiah 48:12 “Hearken unto me, O Jacob and
THE HIGH
PRIEST
We should first look into the purpose of the office of high priest.
When Moses was ordained of God to build the tabernacle in the wilderness, God took him to heaven and showed him in the heavenly the real tabernacle that the one on earth was to be patterned after. He also showed him the function of worship that was to be done in the tabernacle. (He also gave Moses His laws).
God directed Moses to ordain earthly priests and a high priest to carry out the day to day worship in the temple. God set aside the tribe of Levi or the Levitical tribe to perform the tasks in the tabernacle. The earthly priesthood descended from Aaron to his son and his son on down.
If we were to go back in Genesis where God called Moses to deliver
His people out of
The earthly high priest was a mouthpiece for God to speak to the
people. When the high priest was
representing God to the people, he wore a very elaborate garment. His garment underneath was linen
(righteousness). There was a
breastplate covering this which had twelve stones on it. Each stone was set in an ouch of
gold. These twelve stones were like
a signet for each tribe of
Once a year the high priest put on a linen hat, linen pants, and a plain linen garment (linen—righteousness) and carried the blood of a lamb to put on the mercy seat to cover his sins and the sins of the people. The sad thing was that the forgiveness was for just one year. It did not clear the sins from their conscience or abolish the sins, it just covered them up. Read all of Exodus chapter 28.
We must now look at the contrast of what Jesus our High Priest did
for us. The blood He shed at
The Bible says our sins are cast into the sea. It also says our sins are removed away from us as far as the east is from the west. The point is, you can’t find them. They are gone. Psalms 103:12 “As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us.”
The high priest in the temple on earth represented God to the people and the people to God. The True High Priest (Jesus Christ the Righteous One) does the very same for us. The difference is that Jesus’ priesthood is forever.
There is a very controversial figure in the Old Testament -
Melchizedek. (The Hebrew spelling in the Old Testament is Melchizedek while the
Greek spelling in the New Testament is Melchisedek.) In Genesis chapter 14, we read of
In Genesis 14:18, we read: “And Melchizedek king of
The only person this Melchizedek appears to is Abram (Abraham). He feeds Abram communion bread and wine. Abraham pays tithes to Melchizedek. God says Melchizedek is the priest of the most high God.
Why would He appear to just Abraham? I believe that is covered in Galatians 3:29 “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”
You see Abraham was righteous because he believed. We as Christians have received our righteousness because we believe in Jesus. Abraham had to believe in the One we call Jesus to be our father of faith.
There are wonderful descriptions of Jesus our High Priest and Melchizedek in the book of Hebrews. This Melchizedek has to be an appearance of the one you and I call Jesus. Remember, the one you and I call Jesus was called by many names in the Bible.
Hebrews 2:16 “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.” Hebrews 2:17 “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”
Hebrews 3:1 “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus;”
Hebrews 4:14 “ Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.”
Hebrews 5:1 shows the work of the high priest as offering gifts and sacrifices for sins. Hebrews 5:1 “For every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God, that he may offer both gifts and sacrifices for sins:”
Hebrews 5:5 shows that Jesus was made High Priest by His Father. Hebrews 5:5 “So also Christ glorified not himself to be made a high priest; but he that said unto him, Thou art my Son, today have I begotten thee.”
In Hebrews 5:10, we see the connection between Jesus and
Melchizedek. Hebrews 5:10 “Called of God an high priest after the order of
Melchisedek.
We read approximately the same in Hebrews 6:20.
Hebrews 7:1 “For this Melchisedek, king of Salem, priest of the most high God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings, and blessed him;” Hebrews 7:2 “To whom also Abraham gave a tenth part of all; first being by interpretation King of righteousness, and after that also King of Salem, which is, King of peace;” Hebrews 7:3 “Without father, without mother, without descent, having neither beginning of days, nor end of life; but made like unto the Son of God; abideth a priest continually.” Hebrews 7:4 “Now consider how great this man was, unto whom even the patriarch Abraham gave the tenth of the spoils.” Hebrews 7:5 “And verily they that are of the sons of Levi, who receive the office of the priesthood, have a commandment to take tithes of the people according to the law, that is, of their brethren, though they come out of the loins of Abraham:”
Hebrews 7:6 “But he whose descent is not counted from them
received tithes of Abraham, and blessed him that had the promises.” Hebrews 7:7 “And without all
contradiction the less is blessed of the better.” Hebrews 7:8 “And here men that die
receive tithes; but there he receiveth them, of whom it is witnessed that he
liveth.” Hebrews 7:9 “And as I may
so say, Levi also, who receiveth tithes, paid tithes in Abraham.” Hebrews 7:10 “For he was yet in the
loins of his father, when Melchisedek met him.” Hebrews 7:11 “If therefore
perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received
the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the
order of Melchisedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?” Hebrews 7:12
“For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of
the law.” Hebrews 7:13 “For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to
another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.” Hebrews 7:14 “For it is evident that our
Lord sprang out of
Hebrews 7:15 “And it is yet far more evident: for that after the similitude of Melchisedek there ariseth another priest,” Hebrews 7:16 “Who is made, not after the law of a carnal commandment, but after the power of an endless life.” Hebrews 7:17 “For he testifieth, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek.” Hebrews 7:18 “For there is verily a disannulling of the commandment going before for the weakness and unprofitableness thereof.” Hebrews 7:19 “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God.” Hebrews 7:20 “And inasmuch as not without an oath he was made priest:” Hebrews 7:21 “(For those priests were made without an oath; but this with an oath by him that said unto him, The Lord sware and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek:)” Hebrews 7:22 “By so much was Jesus made a surety of a better testament.” Hebrews 7:23 “And they truly were many priests, because they were not suffered to continue by reason of death:”
Hebrews 7:24 “But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood.” Hebrews 7:25 “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.” Hebrews 7:26 “For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;” Hebrews 7:27 “Who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people’s: for this he did once, when he offered up himself.” Hebrews 7:28 “For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore.”
Let us look at similarities of Jesus and Melchisadek. Both were the King of Salem, King of Peace. Both were the Priest of the Most High God. Both had no beginning and no end. In many instances Jesus is spoken of being like unto Melchisedek. In Hebrews 7:3, Melchisedek is spoken of as being made like unto the Son of God. They both were High Priest forever. Melchisedek had no earthly father or mother. Jesus had no earthly father. He was born of Mary and God.
In Hebrews 8:1 “Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens;” Hebrews 8:2 “A minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.”
The earthly high priest beginning with Aaron was a temporary position to administer the law. Jesus came to administer grace to all who will believe. His priesthood is forever.
Read chapter 9 of Hebrews beginning with verse 24 through 28 to see that Jesus paid the price once for all of us.
A wonderful Scripture that explains so well what Jesus did for us is in Hebrews 10:16 through verse 22. Hebrews 10:16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them;” Hebrews 10:17 “And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more.” Hebrews 10:18 “Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin.” Hebrews 10:19 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,” Hebrews 10:20 “By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh;” Hebrews 10:21 “And having an high priest over the house of God;” Hebrews 10:22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”
I will show just one more Scripture to show that Jesus fulfilled all of the sacrifices in His one offering on the cross. Hebrew 13:8 “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and today, and for ever.”
Hebrews 13:11 “For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp.” Look in verse 12 where Jesus covers even this minute part of the sacrifice.
Hebrews 13:12 “Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate.”
We have a High Priest (Jesus Christ) that is eternal.
In Hebrews 7:11-12 we see that the priesthood of Jesus was of the Spirit and not of the law. Law was changed to grace in this Spirit priesthood. Hebrews 7:11 “If therefore perfection were by the Levitical priesthood, (for under it the people received the law,) what further need was there that another priest should rise after the order of Melchisedek, and not be called after the order of Aaron?” Hebrews 7:12 “For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity a change also of the law.”
Jesus fulfilled the
law at
THE WAY
John 14:6 “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
There are two ways (paths) we may take in this life. The broad way leads to total destruction. The narrow way (by Jesus) leads to everlasting life. The Scripture for this is in Matthew 7:13-14.
Matthew 7:13 “Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat:” Matthew 7:14 “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
Jesus is not only the way but He is the door (gate) we enter in through. He opened the way for us when the veil of the temple was torn in the temple opening the way for us to enter heaven. Reference for this is found in Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, and Luke 23:45.
Matthew 27:51 “And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;”
You see we really had no part in the temple veil being opened so that we might go boldly to the throne of God. Jesus made the way for us through the veil (symbolic of His flesh) when His flesh died on the cross.
In Matthew 3:3, John the Baptist tells us to “Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.”
In Acts chapter 26, Paul was on his way to
THE
TRUTH
There is a correct way to worship and we are commanded by Jesus how that is in John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
You see, there are those who worship who are not careful enough of the way they worship. We must not believe everything we hear. We must worship the Truth (Jesus Christ). We must search diligently for the Truth and then believe on that Truth.
We are instructed to think on good things that are the true value in this world in Philippians 4:8---“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things”.
In Colossians chapter one, we read that the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ brings hope to those who have faith and believe.
Colossians 1:2 “To the saints and faithful brethren in Christ which are at Colosse: Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.” Colossians 1:3 “We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you,” Colossians 1:4 “Since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have to all the saints,” Colossians 1:5 “For the hope which is laid up for you in heaven, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel;” Colossians 1:6 “Which is come unto you, as it is in all the world; and bringeth forth fruit, as it doth also in you, since the day ye heard of it, and knew the grace of God in truth:”
1 Thessalonians 2:13 “For this cause also thank we God without ceasing, because, when ye received the word of God which ye heard of us, ye received it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which effectually worketh also in you that believe.” The Word of God and Truth is speaking of Jesus.
We read in 2 Thessalonians 2:9-12 what happens to those who follow Satan and not Jesus (who is the Truth).
2 Thessalonians 2:9 “Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,” 2 Thessalonians 2:10 “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.” 2 Thessalonians 2:11 “And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:” 2 Thessalonians 2:12 “That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.”
1 Timothy 2:3 “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior;” 1 Timothy 2:4 “Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” You see, Truth and Jesus are the same. It takes both to be saved. The next verses settle it. 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;” 1 Timothy 2:6 “Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” 1 Timothy 2:7 “Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not,) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity.”
In James we read that our Creator and our Savior reached us with His Truth. James 1:18 “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures.”
We must be careful in saying we are a Christian. A Christian is a “follower of” and a “believer in” the Lord Jesus Christ. If we are not walking in His Truth, we are lying if we say we are a Christian. 1 John 1:5 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 1 John 1:6 “If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:” 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” 1 John 1:8 “If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”
It gets a little stronger statement in 1 John 2:4 “He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
Here we see a direct connection between Jesus, the Spirit, and the Truth. 1 John 5:6 “This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.”
It cannot be denied that Jesus is the Truth.
THE
LIFE
If we believe that the Word of God (Jesus) created all things, we have to believe that He is Life. The reference to Him being Life and being Creator is found in John chapter 1. The next Scriptures to read would be found in Genesis chapter 1. You can easily see the Spoken Word (Jesus) was Creator.
The breath of life that was breathed into Adam and Eve gave them life. They were just forms made from clay until the breath of life from Creator God (Jesus) gave them life. You and I really had no worthwhile life until Jesus took up residence in us. Our life eternal life came from Jesus.
The following Scriptures leave no doubt that the life we receive from Jesus is greater than all of this earthly life. Matthew 6:25 “Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?” Matthew 7:14 “Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.”
We find interesting Scriptures in Jesus’ own words in Matthew 10:38 “And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.” Matthew 10:39 “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.”
Two more similar Scriptures also in Matthew extend the meaning a little further. Matthew 16:25 “For whosever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.” Matthew 16:26 “For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?”
One of the most used Scriptures in all the Bible pertaining to salvation is in John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
We are all familiar with the rich young ruler coming to Jesus for salvation. He asks Jesus what he must do to be saved. We read Jesus’ answer in Matthew 19:17 “And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? There is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments.” You see, Jesus and life eternal cannot be separated.
Matthew 25:46 “And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.”
In John we read of Jesus giving spiritual water that leads to eternal life. John 4:14 “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”
In the fifth chapter of John in Jesus’ own words He says He not only is Life but shares that Life with the believers.
John 5:25 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” John 5:26 “For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;”
We see that it is up to us to receive the life Jesus offers us to have eternal life. John 5:39 “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.” John 5:40 “And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.”
When Lazarus died, Jesus went with Martha to the tomb and He told her the following in His own words: John 11:25 “Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live:” John 11:26 “And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?”
John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” John 10:28 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.”
We read two very powerful Scriptures on Jesus being our Everlasting Life in Romans. Romans 6:22 “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
There are hundreds more Scriptures on Jesus as Life, but I believe we have made the point sufficiently here.
THE
SAVIOUR
We will find out in this very first verse why He was named Jesus. Matthew 1:21 “And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”
We see in the next Scripture why Jesus came to this earth. Matthew 18:11 “For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.”
In the following Scripture there is no doubt at all who the Saviour is. Luke 2:11”For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.”
In John 3:16 we see love so great it is hard to comprehend. John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
In Acts 15:11 we read: “But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, even as they.”
We read that even our house will be saved in Acts 16:31 “And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house”.
Many a mother and dad have stood on this Scripture believing their children will be saved.
In Romans 5:1 we see the word justified. It means just as if I had never sinned. Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
We read exactly what we must do to be saved in Romans 10:9-10. Romans 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” Romans 10:10 “For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Colossians 1:13 “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:” Colossians 1:14 “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:”
1 Thessalonians 5:9 lets us know that Jesus purchased our salvation for us. All we must do is believe. 1 Thessalonians 5:9 “For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,”
1 Timothy 1:15 “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
In the next Scripture, we see that Jesus not only saved us, but gave us immortality.
2 Timothy 1:10 “But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:”
Here are some more Scriptures that leave no doubt that Jesus is our Saviour.
Titus 1:4 “To Titus, mine own son after the common faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ our Savior.” Titus 2:13 “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ;” 1 John 5:11 “And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.” 1 John 5:12 “He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.” 1 John 5:13 “These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.” 1 John 5:20 “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.”
OUR
SUBSTITUTE
When I get into this, I realize God has always provided a substitute so that He does not have to sacrifice us for our own sins.
One of the most heart wrenching requests of God to Abraham is when
He tells Abraham to take Isaac and sacrifice him on
Leviticus 4 tells of an offering for sin. The person who has sinned would bring the animal to the temple to be slain. The sinner would place his or her hands upon the head of the animal to be slain, symbolically transferring their sin to the animal. The animal’s blood symbolically would take away the sin for one year. The blood was sprinkled by the high priest on the mercy seat. This all is a type and a shadow of Jesus being our substitute on the cross and His precious blood abolished sin for all time for those who believe in Him. Let me give you some strong Scriptures showing just exactly what Jesus’ sacrifice did for all believers in Him. 1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:” 1 John 2:2 “And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”
Advocate is translated from the word parakietos which also means intercessor and comforter. In other words, He pleads our case before the Father. The word propitiation in this verse and in Romans 3:25 means atonement, atoning victim, the lid of the Ark of the Covenant, and the mercy seat. We see from this Jesus took our place on the cross. Our sins were put “on” His body on the cross. Our sins died on the cross when Jesus paid the full price of His shed blood for us.
About thirty years ago God miraculously gave me a song while I was praying that says this very well.
Thank you Jesus for dying for me.
Thank you Jesus for hanging on that tree.
I know dear Jesus that it should have been me.
Thank you Jesus for dying for me.
You came from your home up in heaven above.
You came to show your undying love.
You shed your blood to set me free.
Thank you Jesus for dying for me.
When the cares of this world seem too heavy to bear,
I’ll look up and see Jesus and know that He cares.
He has built us a home for eternity.
Thank you Jesus for dying for me.
When the trump of the Lord shall sound from on high,
I will go to meet my Lord in the sky
And I will reign with Him eternally.
Thank you Jesus for dying for me.
It was not the nails that kept Him on the cross. It was His love for you and me. Let me bring several Scriptures in Romans chapter 3 that explains it much better that I can. Romans 3:23 “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” Romans 3:24 “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:” Romans 3:25 “Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;” Romans 3:26 “To declare, I say, at this time his righteousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus.”
Praise God Jesus took our sin punishment and gave us His righteousness.
What more can I say. I should have died on that cross for my sins. Jesus, God’s Son, took my place. He is our Substitute.
QUICKENING
SPIRIT
In 1 Corinthians 15:45, Jesus, the last Adam, was made a quickening spirit. 1 Corinthians 15:45 “And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.”
John 5:21 “For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will.”
In verse 63 of John 6, we see a separation of flesh and spirit. John 6:63 “It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”
We see in the following Scripture that Jesus not only saves us and forgives our sins, but also quickens us to life everlasting. Colossians 2:13 “And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;”
Another good Scripture on this is Ephesians 2:5. “Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)”
We read the Word (Jesus) quickened us in Psalms ll9:50. “This is my comfort in my affliction: for thy word hath quickened me.”
You see, it is Jesus who calls our spirit again. 1 Peter 3:18 separates the death of the flesh of Jesus from the quickening of Jesus’ Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:”
OUR
INTERCESSOR
It is so very interesting to me that Jesus prayed specifically for His followers in John chapter 17. John 17:1 “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:” John 17:2 “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:4 “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” John 17:5 “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” John 17:6 “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.” John 17:7 “Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.” John 17:8 “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou dist send me.” John 17:9 “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” John 17:10 “And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.” John 17:11 “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” John 17:12 “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.” John 17:13 “And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” John 17:14 “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:15 “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” John 17:16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth; thy word is truth.” John 17:18 “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.” John 17:19 “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” John 17:20 “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” John 17:21 “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” John 17:22 “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them: that they may be one, even as we are one:” John 17:23 “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” John 17:24 “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:25 “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.” John 17:26 “And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Luke 23:34 “Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots.”
In 1 John 2:1, we read how He is continually pleading our case to the Father. 1 John 2:1 “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:”
Isaiah 53:12 is speaking prophetically of Jesus interceding for the believers. Isaiah 53:12 “Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the transgressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.”
Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” Romans 8:27 “And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”
Romans 8:34 specifically mentions Jesus Christ as our intercessor. Romans 8:34 “Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.”
One of my favorite Scriptures on this is in Hebrews 7:25, “Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.”
Thank God I am included in “them”.
PEACE
In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said: “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God” (Matthew 5:9).
In Psalms 29:11, we find it is God that brings Peace. Psalms 29:11 “The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.
In Isaiah chapter nine, the one you and I call Jesus is spoken of as Prince of Peace. Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”
We read who receive peace in Isaiah 26:3; “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.”
Ezekiel 34:25 “And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods.” Knowing that God has an unbreakable agreement with us brings peace.
In Haggai 2:9, the latter house is speaking of Christians who put their trust in Jesus. Haggai 2:9 “The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith the Lord of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith the Lord of hosts.” This Lord of hosts is Jesus.
Luke 1:79 (which is part of a prophetic statement about Jesus through the mouth of Zechariah) is speaking of Jesus (Dayspring). Luke 1:79 “To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
We read in Jesus’ own words about the peace available to all Christians. John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” Fear is the opposite of faith.
John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” THERE IS VICTORY IN JESUS. He defeated sin and Satan on the cross and defeated death when He rose from the tomb.
After the resurrection of Jesus, He speaks peace to His followers in John chapter 20 verses 19 and 21. John 20:19 “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you.” John 20:21 “Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you.”
We read that Peace comes by Jesus Christ in Acts 10:36 “The word
which God sent unto the children of
One of my favorite Scriptures about the Peace that God brings to us is in Romans.
Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:” Notice with me in the next verse what peace brings toward the hope that we have. Romans 5:2 “By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
Notice in these two verses above what Jesus has provided for us that brings peace. The word justified means just as if I had never sinned. To be assured that the shed blood of Jesus abolished our sin and gave us His righteousness takes a heavy load of guilt away from us. The idea that our mind has been changed from a carnal mind to a spiritual mind also brings peace. Romans 8:6 “For to be carnally minded is death: but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.”
Before I had that peace of mind that only Jesus can give you, I was afraid at night to be alone. Now, after Jesus took my fear, I am at peace all the time.
In so many of Paul’s writings he starts with the following blessing spoken: Galatians 1:3 “Grace be to you, and peace, from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,”
Grace we know means unmerited favor. We do not and did not deserve to be saved. When Jesus gave His body to die on the cross, He died for sinners like you and me. It should bring overwhelming peace and gratitude from us. Why be worried and upset? Jesus bought our salvation with His blood to bring His Peace into our lives.
We should read all of Ephesians chapter two. It shows where we were before and where we came to.
Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.” Philippians 4:9 “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”
We are commanded to let the peace of Christ Jesus rule our lives in the following Scriptures: Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.” 2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.”
Jesus is THE KING OF PEACE. To sum this up, I would say that to have this peace we are talking about we must trust God. Trust is going a little further than faith. It means whatever God is doing in our lives we are assured that it is for good and we rely on Him and do not fret about it.
Romans 5:1 “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ:”
Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
MIRACLE
WORKER--HEALER
There is no way we could list all of the miracles Jesus did. John 21:25 “And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen.”
His first recorded miracle is when He turned the water into wine
at the wedding in
He just spoke to the sea and it calmed down in Matthew 8:23, Mark 4:35, and Luke 8:22.
He cast out the devils (about 2000) out of the man possessed with devils at the tombs where they kept the insane. In Matthew 8:28, there were two men possessed. Mark 5:2-3 speaks of the man with the unclean spirit (one man). In Luke 8:26-33, we are also told that the devil spirits went into the hogs and the hogs drown themselves.
In Luke 5:18, we read of a man with palsy being carried on a bed by his friends to Jesus. He was healed and walked away carrying his bed. It is also in Matthew 9:1 and Mark 2:1.
In Matthew 9:20, Mark 5:25, and Luke 8:43 , we read of the woman with the issue of blood being healed when she touched the hem of His garment.
In Matthew 9:18-25, Mark 5: 22-23 and 35-43, and Luke 8:41-42 and 49-56 we read of a ruler of the synagogue (named Jairus) asking Jesus to heal his twelve year old daughter. Before Jesus gets to her, she had died. He (Jesus) raised her from the dead.
We know that one reason for the rulers in the temple fighting Jesus was because they could not produce the wonderful gifts of healing that Jesus did.
Healing blind eyes of two men in Matthew 9:26-30 is an example of some of the miracles that Jesus did that those in authority in the temple could not do. In Matthew 20:30-34 we see two more men receive their sight. In Mark 8:22-25, Jesus touched and prayed twice for the blind man and he received his sight. This encourages us to pray more than once if necessary to get our prayer answered.
Mark 10:46-52 teaches the restoring of the sight of Bartimaeus but also adds that it is the activation of our faith that brings healing.
In John 9:1-30, this blind man was blind from birth. I believe Jesus created new eyeballs for him. This is a creative miracle. In this healing, Jesus explains that he or his parents did not sin to cause this blindness. This blindness was to glorify God. This does away with some people’s teaching that all illness and deformity is caused by sin. Some illnesses are, but not all.
On many occasions, Jesus raised someone from the dead. In Luke 7:12-15, Jesus raised the widow’s son from the dead. Probably one of the most dramatic one was when Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead after he had been in the tomb for four days and his body was stinking from decay. Not only did Jesus raise him from the tomb, but He made it clear to all that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life.
He can restore anyone he desires to. Read all of chapter eleven of John to get the full impact.
In Matthew 9:32-33, Jesus cast the demon out of the deaf and dumb man, and he speaks.
One of the beautiful things in all of these healings and miracles is that Jesus helps everyone no matter what their need is. He always leaves them better than when they met Him.
Jesus healed the man with the withered hand in the synagogue on the Sabbath (Matthew 12:10-13).
All four gospels tell us about Jesus feeding the 5,000 men with five loaves and 2 fishes. This is found in Matthew 14:14-20, Mark 6:35-43, Luke 9:12-17, and John 6:1-13.
Can you believe the apostles had forgotten this and Jesus feeds 4,000 men beside women and children? Matthew 15:32 “Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fasting, lest they faint in the way.” Matthew 15:33 “And his disciples say unto him, Whence should we have so much bread in the wilderness, as to fill so great a multitude?” Matthew 15:34 “And Jesus saith unto them, How many loaves have ye? And they said, Seven, and a few little fishes.” Matthew 15:35 “And he commanded the multitude to sit down on the ground.” Matthew 15:36 “And he took the seven loaves and the fishes, and gave thanks, and brake them, and gave to his disciples, and the disciples to the multitude.” Matthew 15:37 “And they did all eat, and were filled: and they took up of the broken meat that was left seven baskets full.” Matthew 15:38 “And they that did eat were four thousand men, beside women and children.” This is also in Mark 8:1-9.
Jesus walking on the sea is mentioned in Matthew 14:25, Mark 6:49, and John 6:18-20. Jesus is not controlled by any element. He is the controller of everything.
We see in the story of the woman of
Matthew 15:24 “But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto
the lost sheep of the house of
We read in Matthew 17:14-21 where Jesus heals the lunatic son. There are several lessons in this event. The apostles could not deliver the boy from this serious problem. In verse twenty-one, we read how this had to be handled. Matthew 17:21 “Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.” This deliverance of the boy separates Jesus out because He can heal and deliver in every situation.
Jesus healed ten lepers in Luke 17:11-14. Only one came back to thank Jesus. We see in this also that these ten lepers had to do exactly what Jesus told them to do to be freed. This act of obedience on their part showed that they had faith to receive their healing.
There are two that stand out from all the others. Peter cuts off the ear of Malchus when
they come to take Jesus at
The other very dramatic miracle was the catch of fishes in Luke 5:3-8. Read this to see what an impact this has on Peter. A separate but even more dramatic miracle of fishes is found in John 21:1-11. This was after the resurrection of Jesus.
All of these miracles and many more that He did brings me to His own statement about this in John 14:11 “Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.”
We know that no other man who ever lived could do the miracles Jesus did when He was on the earth. This does not compare with Jesus empowering those who believe in Him to do miracles in His name (Jesus) even now. It is not the one praying for the person doing these miracles. It is Jesus carrying these miracles out when we use His powerful name “Jesus”.
I will give several of these verses from chapter 14 of John in Jesus’ own words to show this to be fact.
John 14:12 “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.” John 14:13 “And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” John 14:14 “If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.”
1 John 5:14 “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:” 1 John 5:15 “And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”
James 5:14 ”Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:” James 5:15 “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”
It is Jesus’ power. He has just given us power of attorney to use His name.
OUR PROBLEM
SOLVER
In this life there is tremendous stress. The only way we can successfully deal with this stress is to cast our cares over on Jesus and allow Him to take care of it for us. In 1 Peter 5:6-7, we learn how to handle this. 1 Peter 5:6 “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time:” 1 Peter 5:7 “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”
So many people of our day are so troubled and depressed. The world says go to the doctor and he will give you some pills that will calm you down. To me this is like a Band Aid that covers up the problem. It does not take the problem away. There has to be a better answer. My answer to these problems is to go to the Problem Solver who can take the problem away, not cover it up. Jesus came to this world to do just that. He is the only one who can remove the problem. He showed this to be true when He took our sins upon His body on the cross. If we are a Christian (a believer in and a follower of the Lord Jesus), we no longer have those sins. They died on the body of Jesus. In the 14th chapter of John, Jesus speaks to all believers in Him and tells us not to be troubled. John 14:1 “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me,” John 14:2 “In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.” John 14:3,”And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”
You see, not only can Jesus take care of our day to day problems now, but He has made arrangements to care for us for all of eternity.
In John 16:33 in Jesus’ own words we read about just how He takes care of us now. John 16:33 “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”
Our security and confidence is in Jesus not in earthly things when we accept Him as our Saviour. My favorite Scripture that brings peace and comfort to me is found in Romans 8:37-39. Romans 8:37 “Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Romans 8:38 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,” Romans 8:39 “Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
We are instructed not to worry again in Philippians 4:6-7. Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” Philippians 4:7 “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
PRAYER
Jesus was no stranger to prayer. We know so many times He went aside by Himself and prayed. Many times it was on the Mount of Gethsemane. Luke 6:12 “And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” Luke 6:13 “And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles;”
There were many disciples (possibly 120). Out of this group after praying earnestly, He chose twelve to be the closest to Him in His ministry and separated them as apostles.
John 17:1 “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:” John 17:2 “As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” John 17:3 “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:4 “I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” John 17:5 “And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” John 17:6 “I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.” John 17:7 “Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast give me are of thee.” John 17:8 “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.” John 17:9 “I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” John 17:10 “And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.” John 17:11 “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast give me, that they may be one, as we are.” John 17:12 “While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.” John 17:13 “And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.” John 17:14 “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:15 “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” John 17:16 “They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” John 17:17 “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.” John 17:18 “As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.” John 17:19 “And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.” John 17:20 “Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;” John 17:21 “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” John 17:22 “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them: that they may be one, even as we are one:” John 17:23 “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” John 17:24 “Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.” John 17:25 “O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.” John 17:26 “And I have declared unto them thy name, and declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
To me, this is the most unselfish prayer that I have ever heard. Jesus prayed for all who would believe in Him and trust in Him. I call this the Lord’s prayer for His believers. The prayer that is commonly spoken of as the Lord’s prayer is actually the prayer He gave to the apostles (and all followers of Jesus) as an example of how they were to pray. Read Matthew 6:1-13. I will give just the prayer here.
Matthew 6:9 “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.” Matthew 6:10 “ Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:11 “Give us this day our daily bread.” Matthew 6:12 “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.” Matthew 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
To begin the prayer, pray to the Father. Notice He calls God “which art in heaven”. God is a Spirit (which). John 4:23 “But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.” John 4:24 “God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.”
Both of these Scriptures were spoken by Jesus. They are printed in red in the Bible to indicate a direct quote from Jesus.
ETERNAL
EXISTANCE
Jesus is the beginning and the end.
Revelation 1:8 “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Revelation 1:11 “Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.” Revelation 21:6 “And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.” Revelation 22:13” I am Alpha Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.” This again is in Jesus’ own words.
In Hebrews 9:14, Jesus is spoken of as Eternal Spirit. Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
In Hebrews 5:9, Jesus is spoken of as the eternal author. Hebrews 5:9 “And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him;”
In 2 Timothy 2:10, Jesus is spoken of as eternal glory. 2 Timothy 2:10 “Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sakes, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.”
Ephesians 3:11 speaks of His eternal purpose. Ephesians 3:11 “According to the eternal purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:”
Romans 1:20 “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:” Romans 1:21 “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.” Romans 1:22 “Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,”
In John 10:27-28, we see Jesus giving eternal life to His sheep. John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” John 10:28 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand
LOVE
John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This is spoken by Jesus (written in red) about himself when He gave His life for all who seek salvation.
Matthew 8:17 “That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying, Himself took our infirmities, and bare our sicknesses.” This is a fulfillment of the Scripture in Isaiah 53:4. Our parents might want to do some of these things for their children, but they do not have the power or authority to accomplish this with human love.
The greatest love gift of all that Jesus gave us was when He swapped us His righteousness for our sins when He was crucified in our place. This is love to the utmost.
When we speak of the kind of love that Jesus gave us, it is from the word “Agape”. This love is unconditional (Jesus loves us in spite of our sins). We read of this in Romans 5:8 “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
He fulfilled all the Old Testament law when He shed His blood to abolish all sin for those who would believe in Him. Just believing in Him will get us saved.
I love what He said when He was asked what were the greatest commandments. Matthew 22:37 “Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.” Matthew 22:38 “This is the first and great commandment.” Matthew 22:39 “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” Matthew 22:40 “On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.”
We read this very special statement in 1 John 4:16 “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.”
Notice in the next Scripture why Jesus came to the earth. Titus 3:4 “But after that the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared,”
Faith and love originates in Jesus. 2 Timothy 1:13 “Hold fast the form of sound words, which thou hast heard of me, in faith and love which is in Christ Jesus.”
We read in 2 Thessalonians 2:10 “And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.”
Salvation is offered to everyone through the sacrifice that Jesus offered all of us. It is our responsibility to believe and receive His love offering for us. We read in the following Scripture why the return of the Lord Jesus for the Christians has been delayed.
2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
Love is the opposite of hate. It is probably the answer to so many illnesses today. Loneliness, heartbreak, and feeling useless can all fade away in the Love of Jesus.
LORD---Lord---lord
These three titles for the same word have different meanings.
In Genesis (speaking of the creation) LORD is used. Genesis 2:4 “These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,”
LORD is defined in the Strong’s Concordance Yehovah which means the self Existent or Eternal, Jehovah, Jewish national name of God-Jehovah the Lord. It also refers to Yahh—Jah the sacred name. It is very interesting to me that the extended meaning of the name Jesus is Jehovah Savior. This spelling could also indicate all the fullness of the Godhead.
Capital “L” little letters “ord” comes from a different root word Adonay meaning to rule, sovereign, controller, lord, master, and owner. This spelling is used as a proper name of God only—my Lord. Genesis 15:2 “And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?” This is possibly speaking of the Father God or at least Father, Son, or Holy Ghost one at a time.
Spelled “lord” it means the followers of Jesus such as you and I are. It could also speak of a secular ruler such as a king. Strong’s Concordance speaks of those who rule over others.
SON OF GOD-SON OF
MAN
We will look at the Scriptures just on the Son of man and see what the meaning of the word is that man is translated from. In the New Testament (Son of man), man is from the root word “anthropos” which means countenance or human being. Another comes from the root word “oudeis” which means includes feminine. Mary provided the flesh for Jesus and in this sense His flesh is man.
Son of man in the Old Testament is translated from “enash” which means man and whosoever.
You see the use of man speaking as Son of man in all of these cases means son of a human being.
Joseph was not the father of Jesus. Mary was the mother of Jesus for His flesh stay on the earth. Son of man in these expressions means Son of a human. It could be male or female. Mary and God the Father had a son called Jesus.
Here are some of the Scriptures where Son of man is used: Daniel 7:13, Matthew 16:27, Matthew 18:11, Matthew 20:28, Matthew 26:22, Mark 14:41, Mark 2:28, Mark 9:9, Mark 14:21, Mark 10:33, Luke 5:24, Luke 17:22, Luke 18:31, Luke 19:10, Luke 2l:36, Luke 22:48, Luke 22:69, John 5:27, John 12:34, John 13:31, Acts 7:56, Revelation 1:13, and Revelation 14:14.
I will put in 1 Timothy 2:5 which is a good example of speaking of Jesus as a man. 1 Timothy 2:5 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;”
Son of God speaks of His (Jesus) virgin birth.
Psalms 2:7 “I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.” Psalms 89:26 “He shall cry unto me, Thou art my father, my God, and the rock of my salvation.” Psalms 89:27 “Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.”
In Matthew 3:17 “And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased.” This is also in Mark 1:11 and Luke 3:22.
In Matthew 1:23, Jesus is called Emmanuel (God with us). The Word “God” in this verse is taken from the word “Theos” meaning deity, Supreme Divinity, exceeding God, and reverent of God.
In Matthew 4:3 and 6, the tempter was questioning Jesus whether He is the Son of God. (Again God is from the root Theos).
In Matthew 14:33, Jesus was walking on the water and Peter came out to meet Him on the water. This is what the apostles said in Matthew 14:33 “Then they that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of a truth thou art the Son of God.” When Jesus asked Peter who He was, Peter’s answer is in Matthew 16:15-17. Matthew 16:15 “He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?” Matthew 16:16 “And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:17 “And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.”
One of the most significant mentions of Jesus being the Son of God is at the transfiguration when God the Father spoke from the cloud. Matthew 17:5 “While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well-pleased; hear ye him.” This is mentioned in Mark 9:7, Luke 9:35, and 2 Peter 1:17.
Mark 1:1 “The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;”
We know Jesus was from heaven when the unclean spirits recognize Jesus (they had been in heaven with Jesus before they were thrown out with Lucifer). Mark 3:11 “And unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him, and cried, saying, Thou art the Son of God.”
Even those who crucified Jesus at the last knew who He was. Mark 15:39 “And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.”
In Luke 4:41, even the devil spirits recognized Jesus as the Son of God. Luke 4:41 “And devils also came out of many, crying out, and saying, Thou art Christ the Son of God. And he rebuking them suffered them not to speak: for they knew that he was Christ.” Again these devils had been in heaven before they and Lucifer were thrown out. They recognized Jesus because they had seen Him in heaven.
In John 3:18, Jesus is spoken of as the only begotten Son of God. All Christians are adopted sons of God. Just Jesus is the only begotten Son of God. In John 20:31, Jesus calls Himself Son of God. John 20:31 “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”
Christ means Messiah or the Anointed One.
Acts 13:33 “God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee.”
I guess the best way to sum this up is by giving Scriptures from Romans 1:3-4. Romans 1:3 “Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh;” Romans 1:4 “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” Notice the Spirit within that flesh is of God.
Here are a few more verses that show Jesus as THE SON OF GOD. 1 Corinthians 1:9 “God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.”
1 Corinthians 1:19 “For the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who was preached among you by us, even by me and Silvanus and Timotheus, was not yea and nay, but in him was yea.”
In 2 John we see a warning from John about deceivers in the church trying to persuade Christians that Jesus (The Messiah) did not come to this earth in the flesh. This is the very thing I believe is being done with the new Bibles taking the deity of Christ away. Here is a Scripture that states very well what is happening.
2 John 1:7 “For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.”
SUMMARY
To say this work is completed would be incorrect. There are 123 different names in the Bible for the One you and I call Jesus. In this small book I have just touched on a few of those names.
It is very evident to me and many others that the Bible we should be using is the KING JAMES VERSION. I have written a Bible study (available on the internet at Love the Lord Christian resource page.) In the last few years (since 1999), there are millions of people around the world using these lessons because they use the KJV Bible as resource.
It is very evident that there is an element of our society that does not believe in Jesus and they are trying to water down JESUS and the blood that He shed for our salvation. The true name of Jesus is Jesus the Christ the Son of the Living God. To believe anything less than that would take us out of the category of Christianity.
The power of Christianity is in the name JESUS and in His Blood. Check every Scripture with the blood in KJV and see the removal of that word in the new translations. Without the shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. Jesus’ shed, not spilled, blood cleanses us from all of our unrighteousness. The name JESUS is respected by God Himself. Philippians 2:9 “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name;” Philippians 2:10 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;” Philippians 2:11 “And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
God bless you for taking the time to read this little book. I pray that something in here will stir your heart to be careful about the version of the Bible that you use.
Your friend in Jesus, Louise