A statement under oath
“But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
“Yes, it is as you say,”Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.”
Matthew 26:63-65.
Here is a truth about Jesus. He made the statement under oath before the high priest that He was the Christ, the Son of God. Further more he went on to say,
“In the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Quite a statement. Jesus was an educated man he knew Jewish law. He knew what claiming to be the Christ, the Messiah, the Son of God would bring on him if the high priest did not believe him.
The high priest did not believe him saying,
“He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy.”
At that moment the fate of Jesus was sealed. Under Jewish law of the day Jesus had to be put to death. All they had to do was convince the Roman governor to let them do it. Which for political expediency he did.
Christians believe Jesus is all he said he is. We believe He is the Son of God, we believe he is the suffering Messiah who will one day return to earth. We believe he is the Christ.
C. S. Lewis in his book Mere Christianity makes valid point when he says,
“I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: I’m ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don’t accept his claim to be God. That is the one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic — on the level with the man who says he is a poached egg — or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut him up for a fool, you can spit at him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call him Lord and God, but let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.”
C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity.
I know there are many out there who do not believe Jesus is the Son of God the Christ, the Messiah.
What I would ask them is to study the New Testament particularly the first four books. The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Keep in mind that for Jesus to make the claim he was the Messiah, the Christ, the Son of God. It would get Him the death penalty.
Ask yourself would an intelligent, well educated man say the things he did if he were not the Son of God.
And here’s one more thing to consider. In Acts chapter five we are told the story of two of Jesus’ disciples preaching in his name. They are brought before a Jewish religious court who wanted to put them to death for making the claims that Jesus is the Son of God. A wise man among them however rose and said,
“Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail.
But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.”
Acts 5:38,39.
Over two thousand years have come and gone since then. Christianity is now the largest religion in the world and still growing. Not only that it is growing without the use of force. It is a faith built on love for God, ones fellow man, and even ones enemies.
I contend that Jesus is the Son of God the Saviour of mankind.
I only ask that you think about it.
Post Script to Christians,
There many out there who claim to be Christians but do not believe Jesus is the Son of God. I firmly believe that you cannot be a Christian and not believe Jesus is the Son of God. The entire New Testament makes that clear.
Showing posts with label Jesus the Christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Jesus the Christ. Show all posts
Monday 10 August 2015
Friday 3 April 2015
Good Friday
Good Friday
Jesus in Prospective
The apostle Luke records,
“As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him....
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.
When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”
The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”
Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”“
Luke 23:26,27,32-43.
Here we have the Jesus in prospective. It is the day Christians call good Friday. At the time it happened it was a time of great mourning for the friends, family and disciple of Jesus.
Despite all he had taught them in his three years of ministry they didn’t truly understand who he was.
Those who gathered to watch the spectacle of the crucifixion that day definitely had no concept on who Jesus was.
The Roman soldiers mocked him. While the Jews who we learn from Luke’s account had heard what he had to say about himself wanted proof of who he was by him getting down from the cross and saving himself.
That however was not God’s plan.
As we look at the events of the day we see the same ideas about Jesus that exist today. There are those who would mock Christ. Those who are at the very least sceptical as to who he is. As well as those who do not even think he existed.
The two criminals crucified with Jesus show us the choice we today must make. Luke recording,
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”
Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”“
Luke 23:39-43.
One asked for proof. That proof being Jesus saving himself.
The other criminal showed genuine repentance and belief in Jesus. He noted that he and the other criminal were being punished justly for their crimes.
He showed faith in Jesus by asking him to remember him when he came into his kingdom. To which Jesus replies “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Here in brief is the road I and all Christians believe is the road to heaven.
The apostle Paul writes,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
Romans 3:23.
The apostle John states,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
1 John 1:9,10.
The apostle Paul making clear salvation is an act of faith writing,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8,9.
And the writer of Hebrews noting,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”
Hebrews 11:6
Faith defined as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1.
This is the story of Good Friday.
A dark day for the followers of Jesus but O what a wonderful occurrence would await them three days later.
The Glory of the resurrection and more.
Jesus in Prospective
The apostle Luke records,
“As they led him away, they seized Simon from Cyrene, who was on his way in from the country, and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.
A large number of people followed him, including women who mourned and wailed for him....
Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.
When they came to the place called the Skull, there they crucified him, along with the criminals—one on his right, the other on his left.
Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.
The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, “He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One.”
The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar and said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”
There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”
Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”“
Luke 23:26,27,32-43.
Here we have the Jesus in prospective. It is the day Christians call good Friday. At the time it happened it was a time of great mourning for the friends, family and disciple of Jesus.
Despite all he had taught them in his three years of ministry they didn’t truly understand who he was.
Those who gathered to watch the spectacle of the crucifixion that day definitely had no concept on who Jesus was.
The Roman soldiers mocked him. While the Jews who we learn from Luke’s account had heard what he had to say about himself wanted proof of who he was by him getting down from the cross and saving himself.
That however was not God’s plan.
As we look at the events of the day we see the same ideas about Jesus that exist today. There are those who would mock Christ. Those who are at the very least sceptical as to who he is. As well as those who do not even think he existed.
The two criminals crucified with Jesus show us the choice we today must make. Luke recording,
One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Christ? Save yourself and us!”
But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence?
We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”
Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’”
Jesus answered him, “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”“
Luke 23:39-43.
One asked for proof. That proof being Jesus saving himself.
The other criminal showed genuine repentance and belief in Jesus. He noted that he and the other criminal were being punished justly for their crimes.
He showed faith in Jesus by asking him to remember him when he came into his kingdom. To which Jesus replies “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.”
Here in brief is the road I and all Christians believe is the road to heaven.
The apostle Paul writes,
“for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God”
Romans 3:23.
The apostle John states,
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
1 John 1:9,10.
The apostle Paul making clear salvation is an act of faith writing,
“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast.”
Ephesians 2:8,9.
And the writer of Hebrews noting,
“And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him”
Hebrews 11:6
Faith defined as,
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”
Hebrews 11:1.
This is the story of Good Friday.
A dark day for the followers of Jesus but O what a wonderful occurrence would await them three days later.
The Glory of the resurrection and more.
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