Please read John 10:2-4, John 10:27
Wednesday, May 10, 2017
Jesus in the Old Testament – “In the Beginning, …”???
Please read Genesis 1:1-3, 1:26, and John 1:1-3
Apostles Paul and John make it clear that Jesus is the creator of all creation (John1: 3, John 1:10, 1 Corinthians 8:16, Colossians 1:16). However, in the creation narrative of Genesis 1:1-2:3, we see that Jesus’ name is not mentioned!
In Genesis 1:1-3, we encounter the word(s) God three times and the Spirit (of God) once. In the rest of the creation narrative, only God is mentioned. Where then is creator Jesus? While the word God is used in our English Bibles, the Hebrew text uses the word Elohim. Elohim is the plural word for God and the plural explains why Elohim spoke phrases such as “Let us..” and “our Image after our likeness ” (Genesis 1:26). So the second person of the Trinity, God the Son, is present and active in/at the creation in the beginning. John makes that clear when he writes, “the Word was with God”. And not just that, Jesus is also present in all of the creation narrative, whenever we encounter the phrase, “And God said”. So whenever “God said”, the word, “said” teaches us that Jesus, the logos (John 1:1), is creating in the beginning.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, while the Old Testament prepares us for Jesus (more on that later), we see that from the beginning of God’s Word, we encounter our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.
Dear Jesus, my creator, thank you for creating me and creating me for you and your glory. Please help me to understand that all of ‘His-tory’ is your story and open my eyes and my mind to learn more from you. Amen.
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Today being National Day of Prayer .......(Video)
Dear
brothers and sisters, I hope you will watch this National Prayer Breakfast
video and be blessed by it.
JESUS’ HARD SAYINGS – ‘Rejoice and be glad’ in suffering
Please read Matthew 5:1-12
Apostle Matthew, in chapter 5, writes that Jesus’ teaching- i.e., the Sermon on the Mount- are for His disciples (Matthew 5:1-2). (In the NKJV verses 1 & 2 go “… when He was seated His disciples came to Him. 2 Then He opened His mouth and taught them”.) Then in verses 3 to 10, He speaks in a general way - ex. “those who” - and now in verses 11 and 12 he uses the word “you” teaching His disciples. The disciples will be subject to insults, persecution and evil uttered against them because they are following Jesus. This is a continuation of what the Israelites had done to God’s servants (Matthew 23:29-31) during the Old Testament times. Jesus is preparing His disciples for the coming persecution, and he gives them comfort and hope that their reward is waiting for them, i.e., not on earth but in heaven.
And then Jesus says “Rejoice and be glad”(V.12) – he is saying you and I, as His disciples, should not only expect insults, evil words, and persecution but also accept such treatment from the world. As you know, Jesus’ values are in contrast to those of this world. Yet, Jesus teachings here are hard to accept and His expectations seem too much. While other religions promise freedom, happiness, independence, self-reliance and self-actualization, Jesus wants us to depend on him (John 15:5), serve Him (John 12:26), learn, act and serve humbly (Matthew 20:27-28; James 4:10; John 13:12-17) and surrender completely (Matthew 16:24-25). And after all of that, he tells us that we are to expect nothing on this earth (Luke 17:7-10).
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, many - including many Christians - adopt worldly standards and desire popularity. On the other hand, Jesus teaches us to humbly set ourselves apart from the same world and its standards. This is hard to accept but in our walk of faith, He will provide us the necessary strength and guidance.
Dear Jesus, while the world entices me with its glitz and grandeur, help me to understand and walk in your ways, because You have the words of eternal life. I thank you for the rich and true reward you have for me in heaven. Amen.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Jesus in the Old Testament – Introduction
Bill O’Reilly, the former Fox News television host, has stated that ‘the Old Testament stories are made-up fiction’ and ‘a lot of the Bible is allegorical’. I have a friend who, while confessing he is born-again, believes that the Old Testament is a bunch of fables. Also, quite a few Christians have told me that, other than a few psalms, they have never read the Old Testament.
But the truth is, the word of God, the entire Bible, is Christocentric. What does Christocentric mean? It means Christ is the center and is at the center of the entire Bible, both Old Testament and New. In order to understand and appreciate every book of the Bible, you and I have to read each book with a Christocentric approach. For those of you who find this implausible, I present Jesus’ own words from John 5:39 and Luke 24:25-27.
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, this post is a rather brief introduction to the topic I have chosen- Jesus in the Old Testament - from next Tuesday onwards. Please pray that God will make me faithful in my endeavor. God Bless us all.
Dear Jesus, my Lord and my God open my eyes and teach me to see and appreciate you in every Bible verse, paragraph, chapter and book. Amen.
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