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This week’s devotions are based on the Week 5 “Explore God” – Is Jesus Really God? (WATCH HERE)

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Does your name have a meaning?  If it does, does it accurately reflect who you are? Or is your name just a whim of your parents made up or a name of a favorite friend, family member, or movie character?

Perhaps names today don’t have the same impact or significance that they have had in the past.  Especially in biblical times, names often portrayed some key aspect or character of the individual.

Abraham – “Father of many” echoes the promise God made to Abraham that he would be the father of many nations.

Jacob – “heal grabber” or “one who seizes” reflects the tricks and activities that Jacob embarked on to obtain a birthright and blessing that were not rightly his.

So when we get to names for Jesus throughout the Bible, they portray key aspects of who Jesus is and what he did.  Yesterday we considered the testimony of the demons and pagan centurion.  These names today are ones that prophets of God were inspired to give to Jesus or ones that the messenger of God, angel, brought from God himself.  If he was not God, he would not be giving this name.

Immanuel:

Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel.

The clear fulfillment to this prophecy of Isaiah is record in Matthew:

Matthew 1:22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel”—which means, “God with us.” 

While there are people today with the name “Immanuel” who are NOT God, the fact that this name was prophesied 700 years before Jesus was born, given by God himself through his prophets and reaffirmed in his interaction with Joseph through a dream and confirmed by the virgin birth connected to it simply confirms there is not mistake this name was identifying God who came in the flesh. This name would be a lie if Jesus was not God.  

Son of Man:

At first read one may scratch their head and say, “How is ‘Son of Man’ a name that confirms Jesus is God.  Jesus often used “The Son of Man” to refer to himself.  The name comes to a head when the enemies of Jesus accuse him of blasphemy and ask him directly, “Are you God?”  Jesus answers by quoting verses from the prophet Daniel that his accusers knew directly referred to God.  Here’s the interaction and the prophecy from Daniel.

Matthew 26:63 But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” 65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy.

Daniel 7:13-14 “I saw in the night visions,

and behold, with the clouds of heaven there came one like a son of man,
and he came to the Ancient of Days and was presented before him.
And to him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom,
that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve him;
his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away,
and his kingdom one that shall not be destroyed.

Without a doubt in every detail of Jesus’ life, including his names, God wanted to proclaim one clear truth: Jesus is God!

Apply: What other names for Jesus imply or state directly that Jesus is God?

Prayer: Lord, thank you for making sure every detail about Jesus made clear the truth to us that he IS God! AMEN

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 5 “Explore God” – Is Jesus Really God? (WATCH HERE)

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Unlikely witnesses.

You would expect Christians to claim that Jesus is God.  But sometimes the unexpected witnesses provide profound confirmation because they are not taught to profess this or have any skin in the game to profess it.

As we consider the question, “Is Jesus God?” the witness of individuals carry weight to affirm or deny the reality.  The more witnesses one has, the validation of the story strengthens.  The same story from people who are not biased…or completely against the plaintiff perhaps carry stronger weight than the testimony of friends and family.

We would find it risky to bring the “Accuser” to the stand to testify to the authenticity of Jesus as God.  The devil and all who follow him have no reason to speak truth about Jesus.  Except they have known and experienced the truth about who Jesus is…the Son of God.

When Jesus encountered individuals possessed by demons, they had to leave at his command and authority.  Demons don’t have to leave at human authority, but when a higher ranking power commands them, they have to obey.  This reality is the first type of testimony that the demons give to Jesus being God.  However, it’s not just their reaction in the presence of Jesus, but their words that speak what they know about him.

Luke 4:40 When the sun was setting, the people brought to Jesus all who had various kinds of sickness, and laying his hands on each one, he healed them. 41 Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But he rebuked them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew he was the Christ. 

They spoke the truth.  They knew Jesus was the Christ, the promised Messiah foretold and promised for centuries in the Old Testament.  

If the demons know Jesus is God, one would think all humanity would also acknowledge Jesus as God.  But they don’t.  Ironic, isn’t it.  The demonic world has a clearer understanding of truth than the human world.

Another unexpected witness was the Roman centurion at the foot of the cross.  The Centurion simply had the responsibility to ensure that Jesus ended up dead on the cross.  To be sure he was around during the trial and heard the accusations against Jesus and the responses Jesus made.  He watched Jesus go without defense or complaint.  He heard Jesus speak forgiveness to him and to all who put him on the cross.  He heard him care for his mother and cry out for his Father in the midst of unexplained darkness.  He felt the earth shake underneath him as Jesus gave up his Spirit and he saw a body that was lifeless without any need for breaking bones.  His innocence became evident.  His love became real. And his identity became clear.  The Roman centurion declared:

Mark 15:38 The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39 And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, “Surely this man was the Son of God!” 

The conviction factor for a criminal was the agreement of two witnesses.  Could we apply this to the question, “Is Jesus God?”  Yes.  The irony is the unexpected source of these witnesses: demons and a pagan soldier.

Why did they speak this truth?  Because the evidence was overwhelming and clear: Jesus is God.

Apply: What do you think of using the demons and centurion to build your answer to the question, “Is Jesus God?”

Prayer: Lord Jesus, the evidence is so great that even the demons and pagans proclaim, “You are the Son of God!” Help us to declare with the same boldness and conviction. AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 5 “Explore God” – Is Jesus Really God? (WATCH HERE)

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Who is Jesus?

This question has been around since Jesus walked the earth.  People saw his miracles, heard his teaching, and saw his interactions with outcasts.  They wondered, “Who is this?”  The question has been asked by every generation since and theologians have spent much time wrestling with the question.  Is he human?  Is he God? Is he both?

Ironically most major world religions will acknowledge that Jesus was a prophet or great teacher.  Most are hesitant to equate him with God.

In many people’s mind at Jesus’ day this was blasphemous.  In people’s mind today, they aren’t sure at best and don’t care at least.

But the question of “Who is Jesus?” is not just of historical significance, it is of eternal significance.  If Jesus is who he claims to be and the Bible says he is, one must then contend with his claims and his teachings and seriously consider their eternal impact.  Perhaps the significance of this question leads individuals to just answer, “He was a great teacher.”  But even at that, most have not seriously considered his teaching, let alone incorporated all of it into their lives.

So how will we answer this question?

Let’s start with what the Bible says about Jesus.

Perhaps a great statement of clarity was inspired to the Apostle John in the opening verses of his Gospel.  As he wrote late in the first century, the challenge that faced many Christians was gnosticism.  Many of this belief “adamantly denied that the supreme being came in the flesh, claiming Jesus to be merely a human who attained enlightenment through gnosis and taught his disciples to do the same” (wikipedia.com on gnosticism).

So John opens his Gospel with clear teaching on who Jesus is.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.

So that there is no mistake, John continues in verse 14:

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

The Word is Jesus.

The Word is God.

The Word is Creator.

The Word is Light

The Word became flesh.

The Word is Jesus, therefore Jesus is all of these things.

The amazing reality of the “Word” being a name for Jesus is it puts a flavor on all of the Word of God, the Bible.  Every passage and paragraph is a reflection of the second person of the Trinity, Jesus Christ.  It makes sense as not only was the word that God spoke at creation the work of preincarnate Jesus, but the words of Moses, the Prophets, and all are pointing to and centering on the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

No human being of himself, no matter how many books they may have written or how powerful of an orator he or she is, has the impact and power that God has in his Word…That Jesus, THE Word, has in the lives of people.

There is no question left in John’s mind.  Jesus is God.  He writes so his first century reader and his 21st century readers will come to the same conviction and conclusion.  Jesus is God!

 

Apply: What makes you certain Jesus is God?  What makes you question this claim?

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we praise you as God who manifests in the power of the Word of God and in the work of God you came in human flesh to accomplish.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 4 “Explore God” – Is Christianity too narrow? (WATCH HERE)

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First, a happy birthday to my dad who regularly reads these devotions.  82 years of God’s blessings!

Over the past week the brutal and evil attacks by Hamas in Israel which sparked Israel’s military response has the attention of us and our country.  Not only does the conflict create a level of uneasiness as to what will happen next, but also creates a sense of fear as to the instability of the world in which we live.  Could this happen in our streets?  In our homes? To our families? To our friends?

Perhaps. Every day we live in the realities that Jesus told us about. The events that occur around us and at times to us disrupt our lives and unsettle our souls.  However, Jesus in his love warned us these type of things would happen:

Matthew 24:4-14 Jesus answered: “Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. 7 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains. 

9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come. 

In Jesus’ words I hear his love that a) stand firm and b) everyone needs the Gospel…everyone needs Jesus.

The events of this past week are not unique.  The headlines every week indicate to us how much the world needs the forgiving power of God’s grace in Jesus and the transforming work of God’s Spirit in one’s heart.

Only Christianity provides both.  There is no other world religion that preaches grace than biblical Christianity.  There is no other message other than grace that can transform the heart to produce the fruit of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires.

There is one more reality that no other world religion offers: a living Savior who promises eternal life to all who believe.

Atrocities, evil, and death are not fun to live through or accept the reality of.  However, Christianity is the only faith that offers life in heaven secured by one who overcame death and promises us eternal life. The resurrection of Jesus is truly the crux of the Christian faith that validates every aspect of it and gives hope that no other belief system can offer.  Jesus said, 

John 16:22 So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy…. 33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” 

The heart of Christianity is realized at its best when evil is around us.  Here’s what comfort we can have.  First, our biggest problem in life has been taken care of for us by the perfect life, death and resurrection of Jesus.  Second, while evil can disrupt our lives, we have a peace that surpasses all understanding to keep our minds at rest and our hearts a peace.  And third, we have a Savior who overcame death and is preparing a room in heaven for us so that even if evil would take our lives on this earth, our home in heaven will be ready.

This truth is what we need.  The truth is what the world needs.  This is the narrow truth of Christianity which brings the width of grace to all people.

 

Apply: How can the message of grace bring peace to your heart when times around you are evil and disconcerting.

Prayer: Lord God, thankyou for overcoming the world and assuring us that this world is not our home, heaven is.  Your resurrection to life is a key assurance that we too will live.  Thankyou for your love, grace and promises of hope.  AMEN.

This week’s devotions are based on the Week 4 “Explore God” – Is Christianity too narrow? (WATCH HERE)

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Truth is narrow.  Grace is wide.

This morning’s devotion I share a portion of the transcript from the “Explore God” video for this week.  The words are spoken by Propaganda, a hip hop artist and Alan Hirsch, a philosopher and author (Their words give food for thought.  By quoting them, the author is not endorsing them). Their perspectives share the tension and blessing between truth that is narrow and grace that is wide.

We think that “narrow” means “intolerant,” right? And intolerance somehow is the, is the cardinal sin of our world, right?

If you’re playing a guitar, I mean, how many “G”s are there? How many notes? How many ways can you play a “G”? No, there’s, there’s one way to play a “G.” You’re either on-key or off-key. Is that intolerant? Is that narrow? Is that unfair? No, it’s beautiful, ’cause there’s a way to play this note. It’s beautiful. 

The step back is like, “Well, what’s, what’s wrong with that?” Right? And narrow in what way, right? Narrow in the way of being clear, in being concise, in being decisive, in being attainable, right? Right? Yeah, in, in that sense, absolutely. But that, isn’t that a good narrow? Like, isn’t that— aren’t these good things? That, like— It’s not like I’m just…throwing spaghetti at the wall and hoping that one of ’em sticks, you know what I’m saying? Like, that’s broad, right? But that’s— I mean, come on now, like, who’s trying to live like that, that you just toss up stuff and hope that something stays on there? 

Like, nah, man, like, tell me the bull’s-eye, you know? Tell me the target. How do I fix this? How is man made right with God? Don’t be like, “Well, you know, you’ll figure it out.” Oh, no. No, I won’t! Who has? Nobody’s figured it out, right? No, I need you to tell me. What’s, what’s— how do we get this? So in my mind, I’m like “Man, why is narrow bad?” Narrow’s, in a lot of contexts, good, right? Doesn’t mean it lacks grace. Doesn’t mean it lacks love. As a matter of fact, it’s the opposite. (Propaganda)

I like the phrase that, “Truth is narrow.” Um, it narrows your options, but grace is as wide, so you’ve got to hold to the narrowness of truth and the width of grace, and it’s a tension you play between the two. That’s how, kind of, Jesus looked. He was full of grace and truth, and he holds that paradox in himself. He says that, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except by means of me.” Well, that’s pretty narrow of you, Jesus. You’re not being very embracing of other people’s opinions. Well, I say, well, he’s also extremely gracious, and he’s provided for us, in a profound way. I mean, he saves us through his own life and death and resurrection and his return. (Alan Hirsch)

John 18:37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.  Jesus answered, “You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”

Jesus revealing to us the narrow truth that his love, grace and forgiveness is for all is the most loving and gracious thing he could ever do.

 

Apply: When is narrow loving?

Prayer: Lord God, thank you for revealing to us the narrow truth that Jesus is the Way to you.  We rejoice that the width of your grace is enough to encompass each one of us.  AMEN.

 

(NOTE: For the full video, CLICK HERE: Session 4: Is Christianity Too Narrow? (exploregod.com)