“Jesus Christ is exceedingly precious to all the faithful. The majesty and grandeur of his person, the dignity of his office, his near relation, his wonderful works, his immense love—every thing engages the faithful to the highest esteem and respect for Jesus Christ.”
Matthew Henry
The birth of a child can be an exciting event in the life of family. My wife and I were blessed with five healthy children and have not experienced the pain of losing an infant at birth (though we did have one miscarriage).
Each of our children had a special component to their birth that made it unique from the others and treasured dearly by dad and mom. However, as special as the birth of our children was and is to us, they were just ordinary births and ordinary babies to the rest of the world. Other than friends and relatives, no one stood up and took notice of the births of our children. But during this time of the year we celebrate the birth of a child whose entry into this world had and still has infinite implications.
Let’s read about it. Continue reading
“Jesus did all that is included in the great word ‘save.’ He did not come to induce us to save ourselves, or to help us to save ourselves, or to enable us to save ourselves. He came to SAVE us. And it is, therefore, that His name was called Jesus—because He should save His people from their sins. . . . Nothing that we are and nothing that we can do enters in the slightest measure into the ground of our acceptance with God. Jesus did it all. And by doing it all He has become in the fullest and widest and deepest sense the word can bear—our Saviour. For this end did He come into the world—to SAVE sinners; and nothing short of the actual and complete SAVING of sinners will satisfy the account of His work given from His own lips and repeated from them by His apostles.”
B.B. Warfield
Jesus answered, “My kingdom is not of this world. If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would have been fighting, that I might not be delivered over to the Jews. But my kingdom is not from the world.” John 18:36 (ESV)
The Jews were looking for a Messiah who would establish a political kingdom (John 6:15). Their hopes were that this Messiah would institute a kingdom free of Roman rule. Even after preaching and demonstrating the kingdom for years with his disciples looking on, they still asked him just before his ascension, Lord, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” To which Jesus replied, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. (Acts 1:6-7) Jesus knew that his kingdom did not originate on earth (John 18:36). Continue reading
Then will appear in heaven the sign of the Son of Man, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. (Matthew 24:30 ESV)
Jesus told his disciples that he was going away, but he made them a promise to come again. He said, In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also. (John 14:2-3 ESV) At Jesus’ ascension two men in white apparel made this announcement, Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven. (Acts 1:11 ESV) Many New Testament epistles affirm the return of Christ (1 Corinthians 1:7; 15:23; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 2 Thessalonians 2:8; James 5:7-8; 2 Peter 3:12; 1 John 2:28). Continue reading
I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. (Revelation 22:13 ESV)
Alpha and Omega are the first and last letters of the Greek alphabet in which the New Testament is written. In referring to himself as the first and last, Jesus is once again revealing himself as God. Early in the Revelation John quotes God as saying, I am the Alpha and the Omega, says the Lord God, who is and who was and who is to come, the Almighty. (Revelation 1:8 ESV) And in Revelation 22:13 Jesus reveals to John that he too is the Alpha and Omega. Continue reading
“And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. And he went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who was seated on the throne.” (Revelation 5:6-7 ESV)
Once Israel had conquered the enemies of the Promised Land each tribe was given a portion of the land as an inheritance. Occasionally a family would fall on hard times and would be forced to sell their land and serve the new owners as slaves. When the property was sold two documents were used as proof of the transaction; a sealed scroll and an open scroll. The open or unsealed scroll stated the purchaser as the new owner of the land. It was the public transaction of the purchase. The sealed scroll contained the details of the sell and the terms of redemption. This scroll had the signatures of witnesses on the back. Continue reading
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.” (John 15:1 ESV)
Branches that are not connected to the vine, die. They may look good for a while, but they soon wither for lack of nourishment making it impossible for them to bear fruit. Jesus made it clear that the only way to bear fruit was to be connected to him. He said that he was the “true” vine, leaving us to believe that there are other vines that may claim to be true but are false. And to be connected to them would not bear the fruit of righteousness. Continue reading
