Behold Our God

John 1:1-5, 12-14
1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it
12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God. 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
Behold the divine glory of the Son.Moses(representative of the law) had reflected divine glory.Elijah(representative of the prophets) had proclaimed divine glory.Jesus (the fulfillment of the law and the prophets) now reveals divine glory.Jesus radiates the splendor of God.Jesus unveils the presence of God.Jesus embodies the pleasure of God.Jesus speaks the Word of God.Jesus is the prophet promised by Moses.Father God used Moses to deliver his people from slavery.Father God sent Jesus to deliver his people from sin.
Matt.17:1-1-7 1 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear."
Jesus is the messenger preceded by Elijah.John the Baptist's ministry of restoration was accomplished through his suffering and death.Jesus' ministry of redemption would be accomplished through his suffering and death.The cross of Christ must come before the crown of Christ.Behold the patient power of the son.Jesus endures our unbelief.Jesus meets our need.Jesus enables our ministry.Behold the willing sacrifice of the Son.Behold the certain victory of the Son.Behold the humble authority of the Son.Matt. 17:1-231 And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became white as light. 3 And behold, there appeared to them Moses and Elijah, talking with him. 4 And Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good that we are here. If you wish, I will make three tents here, one for you and one for Moses and one for Elijah." 5 He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him." 6 When the disciples heard this, they fell on their faces and were terrified. 7 But Jesus came and touched them, saying, "Rise, and have no fear." 8 And when they lifted up their eyes, they saw no one but Jesus only. 9 And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, "Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead." 10 And the disciples asked him, "Then why do the scribes say that first Elijah must come?" 11 He answered, "Elijah does come, and he will restore all things. 12 But I tell you that Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him, but did to him whatever they pleased. So also the Son of Man will certainly suffer at their hands." 13 Then the disciples understood that he was speaking to them of John the Baptist. 14 And when they came to the crowd, a man came up to him and, kneeling before him, 15 said, "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and he suffers terribly. For often he falls into the fire, and often into the water. 16 And I brought him to your disciples, and they could not heal him." 17 And Jesus answered, "O faithless and twisted generation, how long am I to be with you? How long am I to bear with you? Bring him here to me." 18 And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him, and the boy was healed instantly. 19 Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, "Why could we not cast it out?" 20 He said to them, "Because of your little faith. For truly, I say to you, if you have faith like a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you." 22 As they were gathering in Galilee, Jesus said to them, "The Son of Man is about to be delivered into the hands of men, 23 and they will kill him, and he will be raised on the third day." And they were greatly distressed. Jesus is greater than the temple, yet He still pays the tax.Jesus is sovereign over the sea, yet He graciously stoops for our salvation.Matt. 17:24-27 24 When they came to Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma tax went up to Peter and said, "Does your teacher not pay the tax?" 25 He said, "Yes." And when he came into the house, Jesus spoke to him first, saying, "What do you think, Simon? From whom do kings of the earth take toll or tax? From their sons or from others?" 26 And when he said, "From others," Jesus said to him, "Then the sons are free. 27 However, not to give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook and take the first fish that comes up, and when you open its mouth you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for me and for yourself." Our response!Let us look to His worth.Let us listen to His word.Let us live for His renown.Let's proclaim the One we praise.Let's embrace suffering as we follow our Savior.Let's live as responsible citizens of this kingdom for the eventual coming of His kingdom.Let us long for His return.Thank you Pastor!Lord, how blessed we are to have and teach Your Word. Open the eyes of the blind to see Your good news!! Amen 

For There Is None Like You

2 Sam.7:22
22 Therefore you are great, O LORD God. For there is none like you, and there is no God besides you, according to all that we have heard with our ears.


God speaks and it comes to pass.

2 Sam. 7:28 And now, O Lord GOD, you are God, and your words are true, and you have promised this good thing to your servant.

God sent His Son to save sinful man.

Luke 19:10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost." 

Before all time and now and forever.

Jude 1:25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.

Judging the nations.

Ps.110:6 He will execute judgment among the nations, filling them with corpses; he will shatter chiefs over the wide earth.

Psalm 96:13 they will sing before the LORD, for he comes, he comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in his truth.

Jesus, the judge.

Acts 17:31 For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead."

We testify of who Christ is.

Acts 10:42 He commanded us to preach to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God appointed as judge of the living and the dead.

God given authority.

John 5:27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

God Be Merciful To Me A Sinner

Luke 18:13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, 'God, be merciful to me, a sinner!'
Now this man was humble before the Lord. He would not even raise his eyes to heaven because he knew he was wicked. He beat his chest in absolute shame of his sin. He did not try to explain why he sinned or that he might not be as bad as some others! He just humbly begged for forgiveness. Have you been at that place? Have you come to the realization that only Christ can save the lost soul from eternal Hell? It is not what you have done or what you will do but what Christ did! You can be moral, you can do good things, you can be as good a person as you can be but you can not make atonement to God for sinful man!! Christ was the atonement provided by God. He was the only acceptable atonement. He was obedient to His call, from God, as a one time sacrifice for all eternity. He is waiting for those who seek Him!

Lord, I humbly ask for the souls of men. Awaken them to the good news of Your inspired Word. Amen

The Kingdom of God is in the Midst of You

Luke 17:21 nor will they say, ‘Look, here it is!’ or ‘There!’ for behold, the kingdom of God is in the midst of you.”

Do you know what the implications of these words are? Our body is the residing place of the Spirit of God. When you received salvation from Christ, His Spirit came!

Oh Lord, this grips my soul! Create in me a clean heart, show me how to be like You. Amen

We must, at all cost, proclaim the redeeming gospel of Christ. Lord, give us tongues on fire with Your word. Let us show the lost world they are headed for eternity without You. Help me to hold my anger, my judging of others, my disobedience, and all things evil. Teach me to seek You with a whole heart.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you?

Only You Lord have the power to save through the blood of the cross. Teach me to speak Your Word so the lost may hear and repent. Amen

Don't be like the ones who are waiting for the promised Messiah, He has come!!

Blinded

2 Cor.4:4 In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

It is hard to know some people will not see the truth of who Christ is! They have hard hearts, so deeply have they entrusted their souls to Satan, they are blinded to the truth. They are completely wicked and follow Satan in his willful rebellion against the supreme God of all things. We all started out this way, being under the bondage of sin, but God in his mercy delivered us. We are the ones who fall before Christ for mercy and salvation, who believe He died and rose again and eagerly wait for His return. We heard the Holy Spirit as we were told the truth of who Christ is!

John 1:18 No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father's side, has made him known.


Acts 26:18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.'


2 Corinthians 3:14 But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away.


2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.


2 Corinthians 4:6 For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.


Galatians 1:4 who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father


Colossians 1:15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.


Hebrews 1:3 The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven


Our call is to share the gospel!


Luke 24:47 and repentance and forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.


Lord God, give us peace in You. Amen

Neither Will They Be Convinced

Luke 16:30-31 

30 And he said, 'No, father Abraham, but if someone goes to them from the dead, they will repent.' 

31 He said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the Prophets, neither will they be convinced if someone should rise from the dead.'"

What would compel you to know that Christ is king, that He alone saves the souls of lost men?  This evil generation ask for a sign, when all around creation testifies of God Almighty! The bible gives knowledge to all who seek to know the Lord, but does this nation seek the Lord and His wisdom?



John 5:47 But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say?"

Acts 18:28 for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.

John 5:39 You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me

John 10:10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Romans 4:21 fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised

The One and Only Way

Today would have been my Mom's birthday! She and my Dad died in 1998, just a few months apart. I and my brothers had been blessed with a loving home. My parents taught us right from wrong and that the choices we would make would have good or bad consequences. I had the awesome privilege of seeing my Dad saved while he was in his sixties. My Mom and Dad took us to church where our foundations were laid for later decisions we would make about being Christ followers. I know that I caused my parents a lot of grief because of my stubbornness! I hope they forgave me when I grew up and changed. I was not saved until I was in my twenties. I had the privilege of  hearing fine preaching from my old pastors, Dr. Arendall and Brother Dean. I knew that I was lost and needed Christ when I would hear these two men of God preach. I began to read my bible and study. I really did not go deep enough into bible study until I started attending Brook Hills. We had a pastor who was very good at presenting the gospel but not living it. He left in disgrace because of unrepentant sin with a woman. God is good in that when man fails, He does not! All of us who put our trust in man will be disappointed. God alone is worthy of all our praise and honor. Our present pastor is the most humble man you will ever meet! He makes no excuses about the gospel! The bible is real, it is God's authority and there is only one way to be reconciled to holy God. Through His Son Jesus, is the one and only acceptable way! If I could tell you only one thing about Christ, it would be, He saves your soul from Hell! He will take the most self centered heart and turn it toward compassion for others! You will be a new creation in Christ! I did not say you would be perfect! You will surely fail. You will yield to sin. You will not remain in sin. You will suffer when you sin. Your bible knowledge will show you, your heart and mind will have no peace and you will repent!

Salvation and the new man:
Acts 4:12 And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." 
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus

Romans 6:4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Ezekiel 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh
2 Cor.5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

Lord, how can we ignore so great a salvation? Open hearts to Your salvation! Amen

Wisdom:

Proverbs 2:10-11  for wisdom will come into your heart, and knowledge will be pleasant to your soul; discretion will watch over you, understanding will guard you

Fear of the Lord:

Proverbs 1:7  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction.

Job 28:28  And he said to man,’Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom,  and to turn away from evil is understanding.’”

Pray for wisdom:

James 1:5  If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God,who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.

Discernment:

Daniel 2:21  He changes times and seasons;  he removes kings and sets up kings;he gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding;

Psalm 119:66 Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.

Proverbs 16:22 Good sense is a fountain of life to him who has it, but the instruction of fools is folly