Death Is the Debt We Must All Pay

 

Odds that you will eventually die in a car crash: 1 in 25. Odds that you will develop a brain tumour: 1 in 25,000. Odds that you will die in a fire this year: 1 in 400,000. Odds that you will die due to plane crash: 1 in 11 million. And the odds that you will eventually die is 1 in 1. 100% sure!

Blaise Pascal, the 7th-century mathematician, philosopher, and author, wrote: "There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every man which cannot be filled by any created things, but only by God, the Creator, made known through Jesus." You're not ready to die if you're not really live. Jesus, the Son of God, declares: “I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me will live, even after dying" (John 11:25) ⚡📖💪 #ServeToLead #ToDieIsGain #ToLiveIsChrist

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The Good News Is NOT that Jesus Lived and Died, BUT that He Died and Lives

Ron Rider, a leading evangelical advocate for the poor, tells about a conversation he had with German theologian Wolfhart Pannenberg. As they were discussing the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, the theologian emphatically declared, "The evidence for Jesus' resurrection is so strong that nobody would question it except for two things: It is a very unusual event, and second, if you believe it happened, you have to change the way you live."

IF you're a Christ-follower, His resurrection means changing your way of life. Eugene Peterson said, "There are no steroids available for growing up in Christ more quickly." Growing you must, slowly, yes, but surely. If there is no growth, then you got to question your faith. It is real or not.

Now, IF you're not-yet Christ-follower, there is no harm in investigating the resurrection. Read and watch the materials against and for the resurrection. Probably, this is going to be your most amazing journey! Seeking for the truth #ServeToLead #JesusIsRisen #TheResurrection #SpiritualLeader

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I Am The Way: The Amazing Claims of Jesus (Podcast)

This an unofficial reading of Jack Kuharschek's I Am The Way: The Amazing Claims of Jesus (2018, Our Daily Bread Ministries). In this booklet, Kuhatschek examines the words of Jesus about Himself. In Jesus' time, the magnitude of His claims were astonishing to the people around Him, especially the religious leaders of the day. There's no better source for understanding who Jesus is than the statements He made about Himself. Be transformed by some of the most powerful "I am" claims of the Saviour and gain an understanding of how wonderful He truly IS! 😊😉📖 #ServeToLead #JesusIsTheWay

To listen to the 4 (out of 8) I Am' statements of Jesus, CLICK LINKS below:

E.1 Jesus said, "I Am" http://bit.ly/LegasiClaim1

E.2 Jesus said, "I Am the Gate" http://bit.ly/LegasiClaim2

E.3 Jesus said, "I Am the Resurrection and the Life" http://bit.ly/LegasiClaim3

E.4 Jesus said, "I am the Way, the Truth and the Life" http://bit.ly/LegasiClaim4

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Angelus' Quote: Cancer Cannot Kill Friendship!

An enthusiastic believer in Christ, Dan Richardson, lost his battle with cancer. But his life demonstrated that even though the physical body may be destroyed by disease, the spirit can remain triumphant. This poem was distributed at his memorial service:

< Cancer Is So Limited >

It cannot cripple love,

It cannot shatter hope,

It cannot corrode faith,

It cannot eat away peace,

It cannot destroy confidence,

It cannot kill friendship,

It cannot shut out memories,

It cannot silence courage,

It cannot invade the soul,

It cannot reduce eternal life,

It cannot quench the Spirit,

It cannot lessen the power of the Resurrection.

[P.s: I dedicate this post to my late friend, man in red t-shirt, Aderus Helena Ngata. No, cancer cannot kill friendship. The power of Christ's resurrection reign! ⚡⚡⚡]

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Knowing God as My Father Series: He Is and Wants to Be Our Father (Part 2)

God's offer of Fatherhood – through faith in His Son, Jesus Christ – is one of the most basic and fundamental truths of theology. We cannot know God entirely without accepting His Fatherhood. In unconditional love, God has chosen to present Himself to us as our Father. He calls us and indeed makes us His children when we accept His offer of adoption into His family through His Son (read Romans 8:15, Greek "…you received a spirit of Sonship"). This fact is presented with overwhelming clarity in God's Word.

Old Testament – Father to Israel. Listen to this, Exodus 4:21-23: "[The Lord] told Moses, ‘When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh… tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son. I commanded you, ‘Let my son go, so he can worship me.'" When God announced Israel was His son, He came to Israel's defense. If I were to paraphrase it, it will be like this: "Hey, that's My son! You can't treat him that way. I won't allow it!" That makes me so proud of having a Father like Him, smile deep inside me. I've been with students for about 8 years now, and I can tell you that there are a lot of hurting young people today. I realize how many of those hurt could have been avoided if a dad (or mom) would have stood up and spoken up for his own child. I bet some of you who read this have that anger toward your parent(s) who failed to protect you when you're growing up. Not so with God. When He claimed Israel as His son, He went immediately to Israel's defense.

When God talked to Moses, He did not tell Moses to announce His Fatherhood to the Israelites. Instead, He told Pharaoh, an outsider, through Moses, "Let my son go." Why? Why not? Because God is the Initiator in the Father-son relationship. If you go through the Book of Exodus, you don't read about how Israelites band together and ask God to be their Father. No! God was the One who makes the choice. Before Israel ever existed, God already chooses him. When Israel was still under slavery in Egypt, God loved him. "Israel is my firstborn son." It's like adopting a baby at birth. The adoptive parents are the ones who initiate the action, not the baby. God wants to be Israel's Father.

Many years later, God reaffirmed His promise of Fatherhood through David to his son Solomon, saying, "Your son Solomon will build my Temple… for I have chosen him as my son, and I will be his father" (1 Chronicles 28:6). David himself, a man after God's own heart, once blessed God and prayed: "Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever" (1 Chronicles 29:10, NKJV). God continuously reminding the children of Israel of His Fatherhood through His prophets too. Prophet Hosea wrote: "Yet the time will come when Israel's people will be like the sands of the seashore – too many to count! Then, at the place where they were told, ‘You are not my people,' it will be said, ‘You are children of the living God'" (Hosea 1:10). Prophet Jeremiah proclaimed God's Word: "I would love to treat you as my own children... I look forward to your calling me ‘Father,' and I wanted you never to turn from me" (Jeremiah 3:19). These verses and many more from the Old Testament are the proof that God wanted Israel to be His children and Him their Father. But in spite of God's repeated offer (almost ‘begging'), Israel never responded consistently to God.

New Testament – Father to All Who Have Faith In the Son. As God continued to reveal more about Himself and His plan of redemption, I see a significant change in His offer of Fatherhood. The offer first was made just to the Jews, then after Jesus came, God makes it all the more available to all who would accept His Son. For Jesus, "My Father" and "Your Father" meant the same thing (Matthew 18:10, 14). The passages in which Jesus referred to God as our Father are so many that it would be impossible to quote them all. Let me quote one verse that is very familiar to all of us: "Pray like this [Jesus said]: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy…" (Matthew 6:9).

Jesus' teaching of God as our Father was continued as a central theme by the apostles. Paul's letter to the Romans, for example, begins: "May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ give you grace and peace" (Romans 1:7). Perhaps one such greeting would not be enough to state the case. But similar greetings also appear in eight of Paul's other letters (see 1 Corinthians 1:3; Galatians 1:3; Ephesians 1:2; Philippians 1:2; Colossians 1:2; 1 Thessalonians 1:1; 2 Thessalonians 1:2, Titus 1:4). Because of Jesus' life, death and resurrection, we have been reconciled (adopted) to God and "to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God" (John 1:12). God's offer of Fatherhood is now openly available to all who believe in Jesus. "See how much our Father loves us," writes John the Apostle, "for he calls us his children, and that is what we are!" (1 John 3:1). The bottom line is this: God is and wants to be our Father and us to be His children. Would you called Him Father?

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Billy Graham on Who Is An Evangelist

Currently, I'm reading an autobiography by late Billy Graham, Just As I Am (1997). In his preface of this book, he writes about what it means by evangelist and I like to quote at length here:

"The word evangelist comes from a Greek word meaning ‘one who announces Good News.' Its verb form occurs over fifty times in the Greek New Testament. An evangelist, then, is like a newscaster on television or a journalist writing for a newspaper or magazine – except that the evangelist's mission is to tell the good news of the Gospel (The word gospel actually means ‘Good News').

"In the Bible, an evangelist is a person sent by God to announce the Gospel, the Good News; he or she has a spiritual gift that never been withdrawn from the Church. Methods differ, but the central truth remains: an evangelist is a person who has been called and specially equipped by God to declare the Good News to those who have not yet accepted it, with the goal of challenging them to turn to Christ in repentance and faith and to follow Him in obedience to His will. The evangelist is not called to do everything in the church or in the world that God wants to be done. On the contrary, the calling of the evangelist is very specific.

"Nor is the evangelist free to change the message, any more than a newscaster is free to change the news. The main thrust of our message is centered in Christ and what He has done for us by His death and resurrection, and the need for us to respond by committing our lives to Him. It is the message that Christ came to forgive us and give us new life and hope as we turn to Him."

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Things I Wish My Father Knew #15 Only the Very Best for His Children

A loving father works hard

to provide for his family.

Providing for the present

with an eye toward the future,

he wants for them

only the best.

God also wants

only the very best

for His children.

With a protective hand

on your present

and an eye toward

your eternal future,

God provided

the very best for you.

Acting according to

His Father’s will,

Jesus the Son took upon Himself

the sins of all

who would trust in Him.

The Son of God died on the cross

and then rose from the grave,

so that all who believe

might be provided

with the best!

Forgiveness!

Peace!

Joy!

Eternal life!

Provisions of a loving Father.

“Praise be to

the God and Father

of our Lord Jesus Christ!

In His great mercy

He has given us

new birth

into a living hope

through the resurrection

of Jesus Christ

from the dead”

(1 Peter 1:3)

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Young Men, Consider the Risen Jesus

“Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures…”
(1 Corinthians 15:3-4, NIV).

These verses enshrine the essence of the Christian faith. They contain the essential message of Easter, the most important even in the church year. Three great truths are emphasized. On Friday Jesus died on the cross. On Saturday He lay in Joseph’s tomb. On Sunday He rose from the dead. Deny these fundamental facts and you negate Christianity.

Two other very important things about Christ emerge from these verses. First, He was truly man because He died. Death is characteristic of mankind. In this fact lay the necessity for the incarnation. He was also really God because He rose from the dead. Man cannot rise from the dead. Because Jesus was infinite, His death was of infinite value and made expiation for the sins of the whole world.

Exactly in the manner and for the purposes revealed in the Scriptures, He died for our sins. He was buried, not in a common grave, but in a new tomb. He rose again on the third day under the circumstances recorded on Scriptures. It was a bodily resurrection. When the women and Peter and John looked into the tomb, it was empty except for the grave clothes, still lying in the folds that had encased Him. The butterfly had flown, leaving an empty chrysalis (Muslims glory in a full coffin in Mecca. Christians glory in an empty tomb in Jerusalem. We have a living Christ; they have a dead prophet).

But how can the resurrection be explained? Christ’s body must have been removed either by human or by superhuman hands. If by human hands, it must have been by the hands of friends or foes. His foes would not, because that would look as if He really had risen. His friends could not remove the body for the tomb was sealed, and a guard of sixty soldiers watched to ensure that it was not rifled. The only alternative is that “God the Father… raised him from the dead” (Galatians 1:1).

If Christ did not rise from the dead as His disciples claimed, we cannot account for the complete transformation of these men who had been cowering behind closed doors for fear of the Jews. Their radiant joy and fearless witness is testimony of His transformation.

You ask me how I know He lives?

He lives within my heart.

(A.H. Ackley)

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Jesus' Success Principle: The Way to Up is Down (Mark 8:31-38)

“[After Peter declares that Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus] then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the Law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. He spoke plainly about this, and Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. But when Jesus turned and looked at his disciples, he rebuked Peter, ‘Get behind me, Satan!’ he said. ‘You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns’”
(Mark 8:31-33, NIV, bracket mine).

Jesus, the Son of God gave up His life in order to save the world. To some, Jesus’ death on the cross looks like an unnecessary surrender, a ‘loser’. But we now realize that without His death and subsequent resurrection we would be “unredeemed” and the daily personal guidance of His Spirit would not be available to us (see John 16:7). That’s why it is necessary for Jesus to take up His cross…

Now, Jesus began to tell His disciples of His coming death. But these men, particularly Peter, refused to hear of it. They have misconceptions and misunderstanding of what the Messiah first came to do. “You’re the Saviour, you’re great,” they were thinking. “You’re going to smash our enemies and we’re all going to ride to glory with you.” They were rightly concerned, but they were wrongly concluded Jesus’ mission. That’s where Jesus had to cut Peter short and introduce one of the most important principles Christians must learn: the way to up is down. In other words, the way to success in God’s plan is not to rely upon our own intelligence or strength to push to the top. That’s the pattern of the Satan-influenced human nature – “Get behind me, Satan!” “…merely human concerns” – smash and grab, look out for yourself first, do unto others before they get a chance to do unto you.

But Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Mark 8:34). Roughly translated, that means to set aside the primary goal of pleasing yourself first, to accept willingly the unpleasant or uncomfortable situation that may result from denying yourself, and then leave the outcome to God. That’s Jesus’ pattern for success in the Kingdom of God. I love Jesus’ honestly; it hurts, but it is sweet and necessary. Jesus doesn’t promise any easy way. True discipleship is costly, but worth it. David Hewitt writes, “Jesus is very honest about things; he does not hide the unwelcome demands in small print. Neither does he ask anything of us that he is not prepared to give himself. He has the right to ask us to take up our cross because he has carried his own. The call to follow Jesus is not a call to give up certain things, but to die. In this way, Jesus sifts out the true disciples from those who are merely camp followers.”

On the surface, Peter’s way of success looks like more fun and happier, but remember: after Jesus’ cross came His resurrection. After His resurrection Jesus was more glorious and victorious than before. But it would not have been so without the Crucifixion. If we follow Jesus through the Crucifixion (deny self, take up the cross) we are also privileged to “follow” Him in the glory of Resurrection. In the early Book of Acts, Peter eventually experienced Jesus’ style of success. After received the power of the resurrected Christ, Peter committed to deny self, take up his cross and follow Jesus wholeheartedly. According to tradition, Peter was crucified upside-down for his faith.

“For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul?” (Mark 8:35-37). Jesus challenges our values. Do we want to follow Him or not? If we cling on to life selfishly, worry too much on our rights and privileges, we lose out in the end. That kind of life is not worth having. It is foolish to sacrifice eternity for a moment. Jim Elliot, a Christian martyr, says, “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.” Think about it.

“If anyone is ashamed of me and my words… the Son of Man will be ashamed of them

when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels” (Mark 8:38).

Have you been ashamed to identify with a ‘loser’?

When Jesus returns, who will be the loser?

Take your stand for Jesus now – deny yourself, take up the cross and follow me.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Is the Son of God: Nobody Can both Accept God and Deny His Son (1 John 5:9-10)

The Question: What is the Truth?

“Since we believe human testimony, surely we can believe the greater testimony that comes from God. And God has testified about his Son. All who believe in the Son of God know in their hearts that this testimony is true. Those who don’t believe this are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son”

(1 John 5:9-10, NLT).

What has been hinted at is now stated clearly: God is the One behind all of these witnesses. Through the events we see in history (“the water” Jesus’ birth and baptism; “the blood” Jesus’ death and resurrection), and the coming of “the (Holy) Spirit” into our lives, we can know beyond a doubt that our beliefs are really true (1 John 5:6-8). We know that Jesus Christ, “the Son of God” became a man to take away our sins; we know that we have passed from death to life; we know that we are God’s children and have received victory over this evil world. “True Christianity,” writes Dr. Henrietta C. Mears, “is more than a creed – it is something that can be known and felt.”

If “we believe human testimony” in court when two or three give evidence, how much more we should accept the testimony of God – “We can believe the greater testimony that comes from God.” God’s Word is greater than human’s words. Notice that John writes “believe in” the Son of God. He makes an important distinction here. There is a great difference between believing about someone (knowing lots of details about that person) and believing in someone (accepting the whole person, believing and appreciating all that he stands for). The second kind of belief is the kind that God wants us to have. God does not just want us to believe everything about Him (though it is very important); instead first and foremost, God wants us to “believe in the Son of God,” Jesus Christ – making a wholehearted commitment to Him.

“Those who don’t believe [that Jesus is the Son of God] are actually calling God a liar because they don’t believe what God has testified about his Son.” We might not directly say that God is a liar, but by our unbelieving, we in fact believe that God’s testimony is not true. God has said all over the Scripture that Jesus is the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed One). He also said that Jesus is the Son of God. Some people do not believe this. They deny Jesus. They do not agree with God’s testimony. So they behave as if God tells lies. They act as if God’s words are untrue. They have refused to believe in God and Christ. “No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also” (1 John 2:23, NIV) and “No one truly knows the Son except the Father, and no one truly knows the Father except the Son” (Matthew 11:27). To receive the Son is to receive the Father. To deny the Son is to deny the Father. Nobody can both accept God and deny his Son.

Again, nobody can both accept God and deny his Son. This is a serious matter. Here is God’s verdict: “He has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have God’s Son does not have life” (1 John 5:11-12). Do you have Jesus in your life? Don’t sleep until you settle this question.

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Jesus Freaks: Dominggus Kenjam of Indonesia, "It is Not Time For You Yet..."

Dominggus Kenjam - watch YouTube for testimony.

1999

“Allah-u-Ahkar!” (Allah is Almighty!) “Allah-u-Ahkar!”

Dominggus awoke with a start out of his bed as someone grabbed him and dragged him to the ground. His screams were muffled as they continued to shout and rain blows down on his body. He couldn’t see anyone of them, and he could see no means of escape. “We will allow the women to live, but the men must die!” someone shouted.

            As Dominggus struggled to escape, a sickle came down on the back of his neck, cutting deeply. He went nearly unconscious but sensed that his assailants had left the room, leaving him for dead. He felt ill as the growing pool of his own blood began soaking through his t-shirt.

            Rather than lapsing all the way into unconsciousness, though, Dominggus reported that his spirit left his body and was escorted up by two angels. As he rose, he could look back down on where his body lay huddled on the floor in the dark room. He was sure that he had died.

            Every feeling of fear and pain left him immediately as an indescribable peace flooded his being. I am going to be with Jesus, he thought.

            Then Dominggus heard the words, “It is not time for you to serve me here.” Then he felt himself floating back toward his body.

            Suddenly Dominggus could feel that someone else was in the room with him. They were discussing which morgue to take his body to, because they didn’t know if he was a Muslim or a Christian.

            “I am a Christian,” he was able to say weakly. The two emergency medical workers must have had quite a start when the “corpse” they were discussing answered their question for itself!

            Dominggus was back. His work on the earth was not through.

……………………………………………………

Today, Dominggus has fully recovered. He still bears the scar of the attack on his flesh, but not in his spirit. He has forgiven his attackers and has a deeper commitment to pray for Muslims in Indonesia than ever before. Not only that, he now knows he has a purpose to fulfil on the earth or Jesus would not have sent him back. His faith is now stronger than ever, and he is eager to follow God’s will daily as it is revealed to him.  

            And Indonesia gravely needs people with hearts like that if Dominggus. The government has promoted a belief called Pancasila – meaning that all may freely choose to follow Christianity, Islam, Buddism, or Hinduism – but in reality Muslims receive preferential treatment. The political strength of Islam has been used to limit evangelism and reduce Christian influence on public life. Islamists’ stated aim is the complete elimination of Christianity in the country. In recent years there has been an orchestrated jihad, or “holy war,” against Christians – with over six hundred churches destroyed by mobs. Some areas have been subjected to outright military attacks and killings.

            Over the last forty years, evangelicals have grown from 1.3 million to 11.5 million. The increase of Christian persecution has brought about a greater unity among the Body, the growth of a national prayer movement, and a commitment to outreach in Indonesia and beyond. The vision for the evangelization of Indonesia has grown despite the tremendous persecution.

[Taken from Jesus Freaks: Revolutionaries (2002) by dc Talk. Title mine]

“[Be] truly glad! There is wonderful joy ahead, even though it is necessary for you to endure many trials for a while. These trials are only to test your faith, to show that it is strong and pure. It is being tested as fire tests and purified gold – and your faith is far more precious to God than mere gold. So if your faith remains strong after being tried by fiery trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honour on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world”
(1 Peter 1:6-7, NLT).

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Is the Son of God: Three Witnesses, Come Forth! (1 John 5:6-8)

“[Jesus] Christ was revealed as God’s Son by his baptism in water and by shedding his blood on the cross – not by water only, but by water and blood. And the Spirit, who is truth, confirms it with his testimony. So we have these three witnesses – the Spirit, the water, and the blood – and all three agree”

(1 John 5:6-8, NLT)

Not only we can “achieve victory through our faith” (1 John 5:4), but we can know for sure that our faith is correct and based on facts! The Apostle John has mentioned that we need to believe that Jesus “is the Son of God” (5:5), God became flesh and lived among us (John 1:14). But how can we know for sure that this is true? You know how important it is to have more than one witness when there has been an accident or a crime. This has been true in courts for many centuries. As in Deuteronomy 19:15, “…The facts of the case must be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses”. Well, John realizes that we would be surer about our faith if there was more than one witness to verify these faith-beliefs. So he mentions three key witnesses to our beliefs about Jesus:

Witness #1: The (Holy) Spirit. Again and again, in the New Testament, we read that “the Spirit” opens our eyes to the truth, that the Spirit will help us realize that Jesus is “God’s Son”. The Spirit is an inner witness to what we hear and see. For example, in John 15:26, Lord Jesus says that the Spirit “will come to you from the Father and will testify all about me”; the Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:3, “I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit” (see also John 16:13-14; Romans 8:14-16). In other words, we do not just come to the conclusion in our heads that Jesus is God’s Son; we also have an inner witness, a divine Person that helps us know that this is true.

Witness #2: The water. There is some disagreement over what John meant here. Since John says that Jesus came “not by water only,” some people, in fact I think that he is referring to the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist (read Matthew 3:13-17). A voice came from heaven as Jesus was being baptized by water at the Jordan River and said, “This is my dearly loved Son, who brings me great joy” (Matthew 3:17). That experience certainly would have been a witness to the fact that Jesus is the Son of God. Soon after this event Jesus began His ministry. Others suggest that the reference to “water” is really to Christians being baptized, which is also a witness to the work of Jesus in our lives. This again would be a witness that we make as we are baptized. Some others suggest that “water” refers to Jesus’ birth, but I doubt it.

Note: You could probably build a case for either position. But it seems to me that the first interpretation – that the baptism of Jesus was a witness to His being God’s Son – makes the most sense, for this was an outward, obvious witness to all who saw Jesus being baptized. They saw Him baptized; they saw the Spirit come in the form of a dove; and they heard God’s voice announcing that Jesus was truly “God’s Son.” This idea, in the context of this passage, makes the most sense to me.

Witness #3: The blood. This witness was the death of Jesus Christ as a sacrifice for our sins [In theological terms this is called substitutionary atonement]. Jesus not only told us that He loved us; He showed that He meant what He said by giving His very life for us (see His love actions in Matthew 27:50-54). A phony or liar would stop short of that action, saying, “Uhhh… I really love you, but dying is just too much…” No, Jesus went to His death, and later even came back to life – resurrection – so that we would know that what He had said and promised was really true!

We have these three witnesses:

The Spirit, the water, and the blood – and all three agree.

Agree about what? That Jesus is really the Son of God. Amen!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus' Top 10 Reasons He Came to the World (a.k.a. Birthday Sure-Happened Wishes)

Jesus Warned Us: Don't Guide or Advice Him, Just Follow Him

“But Peter took [Jesus] aside and began to reprimand him for saying such things, ‘Heaven forbid, Lord,’ he said. ‘This will never happen to you!’ Jesus turned to Peter and said, ‘Get away from me, Satan! You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God’s’”

(Matthew 16:22-23, NLT).

Right after confessed his heartfelt belief in Jesus as “the Messiah, the Son of the living God” (16:16) and having been given great authority in the Kingdom of Heaven (16:18-19), Peter was shaken to hear Jesus predict these terrible events. He must have wondered what Jesus’ death would mean for the disciples, specifically for him. So Peter began to “reprimand” or rebuke Jesus. The word translated “reprimand” is a strong term meaning that Peter was, in fact, rejecting Jesus’ interpretation of the Messiah as a suffering figure. He was against Jesus’ plan. He disagreed. Peter, in effect, was trying to talk Jesus out of going to the Cross. But if Jesus hadn’t suffered and died, Peter would have died in his sins. And do all of us.

Shortly before this interaction, Jesus had told Peter, “You are blessed, Simon son of John” (16:17). But at this point Jesus told him, “Get away from me, Satan!” What happened? Peter had quickly turned from God’s perspective to evaluating the situation from a “human point of view.” (Jesus doesn’t mean, Peter = Satan). In the process, Peter was either being used by Satan or using one of Satan’s tactics in trying to protect his beloved Master or both. Notice this: Peter and other disciples were motivated by love and admiration for Jesus, nevertheless, their job was not to guide or advice and protect him but to follow him. Unknowingly, the disciples were trying to prevent Jesus from going to the Cross and fulfilling his grand mission. Only after Jesus’ death and resurrection would they understand why he had to die.

Think about this: When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness (see Matthew 4), he tried to get him to look at his life and the world from a human point of view. But Jesus dismissed Satan’s plan by the Word of God. Jesus remain in God’s perspective. Why endure a cross when you can have an earthly crown? But God’s perspective changes everything. Way more important than any earthly fame, fortune, relationships, or power is doing what God wants. This life is but a prelude to eternal life with Him. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Predicted His Own Resurrection (What the Great Good News for Sinners!)

Jesus talked about his death and resurrection. 

“’The Son of Man must suffer many terrible things,’ Jesus said. ‘He will be rejected by the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law. He will be killed, but on the third day he will be raised from the dead’” (Luke 9:22, NLT).

Jesus told his disciples “not to tell anyone” that he was the Messiah (Luke 9:21), not because it is wrong, but because it was a premature declaration or that Jesus was not fully revealed himself to them his messiahship due to the absent of resurrection and ascension, and all of them were clearly hadn’t understood Peter’s confession of faith that Jesus is “the Messiah” (9:20). The Father “revealed” to Peter but not due to his understanding which was a different kind of messiah than what Jesus have in mind but because of God’s Holy Spirit who love to revealed the truth about the Son of God. So Jesus began to spell it out for them (Well, after Jesus’ resurrection, he said to them, “Go tell!”).

Jesus started by saying he would have to suffer greatly at the hands of “the elders, the leading priests, and the teachers of religious law” – in effect, the Jewish supreme court – and that would lead to his death (As a note: Jesus is the only Person who choose to come to the world, choose his parents, choose to live among us, choose who’s going to persecute him, choose how to die and time to raised back to life again. We, including the enemies, absolutely have no choice in any of these!). Those plain statements much have shocked the disciples, especially the part about his dying. And evidently they couldn’t comprehend the next part, the Good News, that “on the third day” he would “be raised from the dead.”

I think, if they had actually heard what Jesus (really) said about coming back to life, they probably would have pressed him on that issue, saying something like, “Wait a minute! How is that possible?” Instead, the Gospel stories report that Peter “began to reprimand him for saying such things” (see Mark 8:32). I tell you, Peter thought of a different version of messiah; not the Scripture’s Messiah. Jesus predicted his resurrection at least two more times beside in the Bible passages above in Matthew 17:23 and 20:19, yet the disciples were shocked when it actually occurred.

Think about this: We live on the other side of these predicted events and know the story of Jesus’ being rejected, accused, and convicted by the religious authorities and tortured and crucified by the Romans. Thanks God for the written Word, the Bible. We also know the truth of the Resurrection – that on “the third day” Jesus was “raised from the dead.” Centuries after those facts, people still have misconceptions about Jesus’ real identity and they are still surprised that Jesus arose from the dead. All religious and great men’s tombs are occupied, but Jesus’ tomb is empty! The Good News is that instead of struggling under the weight of sin, guilt, and worldly issues and conflicts, we can live in the joy of Resurrection. Because Jesus rose, we know he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. And because he lives, we too shall live. Amen!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.