2018 Jesus-3 An Invitation to Abundant Life

An Invitation to Abundant Life

Isaiah 55:1 “Ho! Everyone who thirsts, Come to the waters; And you who have no money, Come, buy and eat. Yes, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price.
2 Why do you spend money for what is not bread, And your wages for what does not satisfy? Listen carefully to Me, and eat what is good, And let your soul delight itself in abundance.
3 Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live;

Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, and your soul shall live; can you hear Him calling your name? Why don't you answer Him and see what He wants?

He wants to share the Gospel with you, listen here.

Did Jesus really come and walk among men? Did He lay down His life for you and rise from the dead three days later? Look at the Eye witness accounts here.

But I'm a good person why do I need Jesus?

Romans 3:22 even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all and on all who believe. For there is no difference; 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, (Bold text my emphasis)  

The Philippian Jailer shouts what must I do to be saved? Acts 16

Acts 16:29 Then he called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. 30 And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

31 So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”

The invitation

2018 Jesus-2 His first activities as recorded in the Biblical account

Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

Jesus

Genesis 1:3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 

Genesis 1:6 Then God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters

Genesis 1:9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear”

Genesis 1:11 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so.

Genesis 1:14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and seasons, and for days and years;

Genesis 1:20 Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.”

Genesis 1:24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so.

Genesis 1:26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. The whole chapter can be read here.

When you think about Jesus how do you picture Him?

• as a baby in the manger?
• as our Savior?
• as a King coming in glory
• as the Lion of Judah?

Do you think of Jesus as being:

• I AM - John 8:58
• Alpha and Omega - Revelation 1:8
• Captain of our Salvation - Hebrews 2:10
• Immanuel - Isaiah 7:14, Matthew 1:23

Other names that reference Jesus can be found here.

Jesus is God and He is the Creator of all things and in Him all things consist.

The Eternal Word

John 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Jesus is the Word beginning at Genesis 1:1 through the Revelation of Jesus Christ. His activities fill the Bible from beginning to end. It is the greatest love story ever written, have you read it? Do you really know Him well enough not be deceived? 

2018 Jesus-1 - His Identity

One God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit is a Tribune God. 

God the Father is Spirit and must be worshiped in the Spirit

God the Son is the exact representation of the Father (He is the Eternal Word, Jesus the Christ, our Creator, and Savior) in Him all life exists!

God the Holy Spirit is God in us

image credit

The Eternal Word

John 1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. 4 In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.

God’s Supreme Revelation

Hebrews 1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, 2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; 3 who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.

Colossians:

Preeminence of Christ

Colossians 1:9 For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; 10 that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God; 11 strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, for all patience and longsuffering with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. 13 He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, 14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. 17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. 18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Reconciled in Christ

19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell, 20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

2.42 billion people in our world call themselves Christian but when you observe the world there is a noticeable lack of love of one another.  During Jesus's First Advent He gave us a new commandment which is:

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

It is this love that makes Christians stand apart from the world and it is how the world knows who we are and will ask us what is the secret to our joy; hopefully our answer will lead the questioners to salvation.

The obvious lack of love in our world leads me to question whether all those claiming to be Christian have an understanding of the basis of their proclaimed faith.

Dark times of deception are coming in 2018 and if you do not understand who you are in Christ you will be deceived and possibly lost during the forthcoming events.

It is my prayer and hope that this series of posts beginning with Jesus-1 will enable all to avoid the deception coming on the world.

2 Thessalonians 2:9 The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders,

Mark 13:22 For false christs and false prophets will rise and show signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.

2 Peter 1:10 Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble;

2018 Where has love gone?

The Revelation 12 sign in the heavens on September 23, 2017 was a huge heads up from our Lord as to what time it is; have we entered the time of the end?

As I look around going here and there in the business of life what I see is alarming.

Matthew 24:12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.

Has your love waxed cold? During our Lord's first advent He taught us a new commandment; as I go about my daily routines it appears to be absent from our society and many churches.

John 13:34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

John 13:35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

Has the church miss-placed it's first love? 'Jesus', did He get lost in the various doctrines? According to Wiki there are 2.42 billion Christians listed by Christian denomination along with the number of members in each. The list can be seen here. We should be seeing a whole lot of love instead of wars and rumors of wars. Even online we see many Christian groups pointing fingers and calling out other groups with claimed false teachings. 

Is any among us perfect? None of us have all the right answers because our Lord tells us that as humans we only see in part through a glass darkly.

1 Corinthians 13:12 For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

2018 will be a year of favor for the remnant and a year of judgment for the wicked. I think it will also be a year of deception for those who are without a strong foundation. 

In the days ahead I will attempt to get back to Bible basics setting doctrine aside and discovering through Scripture who Christ really is and why you need to be absolutely sure of your relationship with Him. 

Psalm 146 The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord

146 Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2 While I live I will praise the Lord; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3 Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help.
4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish.
5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6 Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever,
7 Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; The Lord raises those who are bowed down; The Lord loves the righteous.
9 The Lord watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down.
10 The Lord shall reign forever—Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!

Amen

A short video about LOVE