The statement from the Jews condemning Jesus, actually was a statement of truth, which they did not believe. Jesus was the one true God in human form. This is a core doctrine of the Christian faith – the Deity of Christ. Yet the claim of His Deity, by Himself and His followers, was rejected by the Jews of His day and led to His crucifixion. Since the time of Christ until our modern times, this truth has been continually fought against. Many religions of the world acknowledge Jesus in their holy books, but only one, just one, states the truth that He is Almighty God. And this is good news for modern times. Here are four reasons why.
1) The Deity of Jesus shows us there is a God and what He is like up close and personal. Jesus reveals that God is a not a myth, legend or lie, but is real and that all other gods are false. So not only is God real, but in Jesus, there is only one God and no other.
2) The Deity of Jesus shows us there is a Savior for mankind and how it is Him. Mankind inherently looks for a savior, someone or something to save him from the things he has done wrong, his weaknesses, his failures, his sicknesses. He will look within himself, to other gods, religions or philosophies. Yet, the good news is that because Jesus is God, He is the Savior mankind desperately needs and truly seeks for.
3) The Deity of Jesus shows forgiveness is possible. As people go to and fro trying to find something to ease their conscience for doing wrong, Jesus stands with arms open wide, letting men and women know that complete and total forgiveness can be found in Him and nowhere else.
4) The Deity of Jesus shows He is someone we should fear. Since He is the physical embodiment of the one true living God, who is King of Kings and Supreme ruler of the universe, possessing all power, then every human being should humbly stand in fear and trembling before Him. And this should show itself in reverence, honor and the ultimate worship of Jesus.
The Deity of Jesus is good news for all people. Call upon Him to save you right now that you might know Him today and forever.
A prayer for you - “Lord God, I pray you will bring people to truly believe in your one and only Son. That He truly was more than a man, but divine. Open our human eyes to see your greatness, and the glory of your Son. Then after people see the truth of who He truly is, may they turn to you with all their heart. In Jesus name. Amen.”
Little boys may have their fathers at home to show them what a man is. They also may have other men in their household, extended family, neighborhood, church and others like teachers and coaches. And culturally they are additionally impacted by their favorite athletes, actors and musicians. In some cases, the examples might be good, in other cases, not so much.
Is there a singular standard that describes what a man is and how he should live? Yes. God has provided that standard because He created man. The story of man’s origin is found in the Bible in its opening pages, in the book of Genesis. Read the first two chapters and you will find these eight descriptions about what it means to be a man.
1. A man (if the Lord will’s) receives the woman God has provided to be his wife (Gen. 2:18-25).
2. A man serves and cherishes his wife. (Gen. 2:24)
3. A man and his wife raise children. (Gen. 1:28)
4. A man works and provides for himself and his family. (Gen. 2:15)
5. A man leads. (Gen. 2:15)
6. A man protects and takes care of what he has been given by God. (Gen. 2:15)
7. A man exercises self-control. (Gen. 2:17)
8. A man walks with God. (Gen. 1:7-8)
The majority of men do not live this way though. Why? Because of this . . . “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened . . .” (Genesis 3:6-7).
This account lays out how the first disease entered our world and affected the human race, which was the disease of sin. It totally altered men causing them to reject God, act on selfish impulses, destroy what God has given, become passive followers, become absent in helping to raise their children, become unemployed and not provide for their family, serve their own interests and only remain with his wife until he chooses to divorce. Sin completely corrupted God’s original purpose for men, flipping upside down everything God intended him to be.
How can a man live differently, like he was created to do? How can he redeem what sin is destroying? To live as God wants is impossible. We cannot do it on our own. We need help outside ourselves to change us into the men we must be. That help comes from Jesus. He alone is our hope. Jesus died and rose again to save us from ourselves. He came to rescue us. Call out to Jesus to make you the man you were created to be.
A prayer for you - “Lord God, I pray you will deliver men from the sin within them. Lift their eyes toward you Jesus. May they call upon you to change them into the men you destine them to be. In Jesus name. Amen.”
In these situations, have you ever asked yourself, “What do I really want from them?” Honestly speaking, is there anything they could realistically do to make things right? I am going to guess that in most cases, probably not. Especially if they have died, have nothing to do with you anymore or are uncooperative. Most likely, whatever you could think up for the person to do, would either never happen or end up not being enough.
There is only one sure way of handling situations like this. Forgiveness. It is written, “. . . as the Lord [Jesus] has forgiven you, so you also must forgive” (Colossian 3:13).Forgiveness is an often-used term in financial sectors, referring to the forgiveness of a loan or another type of financial debt. It is also used in relationships with the same idea. When someone has offended you, they have accrued an offense debt. They would pay it off by voluntarily coming and admitting what they have done, making no excuses, and apologizing. Then in response you forgive the offense debt and peace is restored in the relationship.
However, it normally does not work that way. Typically, the person who hurt you never comes to make things right. Let me ask this tough question. Will you forgive the one who has hurt you without them admitting any wrong? It is easy to forgive when the person genuinely apologizes, but hard when someone arrogantly refuses. In situations like these this is where forgiveness is desperately needed, but can only be done by the power of God.
In our natural humanness we will only forgive if someone meets our conditions for it. And when someone does not meet our conditions, we refuse forgiveness. According to God’s standards though, He requires it. No matter the gravity of the offense. No matter the attitude of the offender. No excuses. God commands us to forgive.
Why? Because the eternal destiny of our unseen soul depends on it.
Jesus provided an example. He suffered, died and rose again to provide the forgiveness you and I need for our offenses against Him. He chose to do it despite our selfish attitude and rejection of Him. He made away for the ungrateful to be forgiven. In the same way, we must forgive others. Because through the cross Jesus forgave, so must we.
If we refuse, the consequences are dire. God will not forgive us. Think about it logically. How can He forgive us, if we refuse to forgive others? How can He allow an unforgiving person into His forgiving eternal home?
In our natural state, it is nearly impossible to forgive, but with the power of God, it is possible. By faith call out to Him for help. Admit your weakness, but also your willingness to do it.
A prayer for you - “Lord God, I pray you will help the reader to see if there is anyone they need to forgive. Surface a name and face, and nature of the offense. Bring them to submit to your command to forgive no matter how hard it is. Then empower them through the Holy Spirit to actually forgive, releasing the person from any offense debt they owe. Enable them to forgive like Jesus and experience your grace. In Jesus name. Amen.”
