Kemuliaan, Kedaulatan & Supremasi Yesus Kristus (Ibrani 1:1-3)

Penulis Surat Ibrani tidak membuang masa memperkenalkan dirinya sendiri tetapi terus masuk ke subjek utama, iaitu, keperibadian Tuhan Yesus Kristus: "Allah telah berfirman pada pelbagai zaman dan dengan aneka cara kepada nenek moyang kita melalui nabi-nabi. Tetapi pada akhir zaman ini Allah telah berfirman kepada kita melalui Anak-Nya..." (Ibrani 1:1-2).

Yesus ialah antara watak atau karakter yang sangat popular dari dulu sampai sekarang. Ramai orang mempunyai idea mereka masing-masing tentang-Nya. Dia menjadi titik kontroversi, debat, dan sejarah. Agama-agama utama di dunia seperti Islam, Agama Yahudi moden, Hindu dan Buddha - malah cults, mitos, lagenda, New Age, dunia hiburan - mempunyai pendapat dan kepercayaan mereka yang tersendiri. Tetapi menurut Alkitab Firman TUHAN yang hidup, siapakah Yesus yang sebenarnya? ⚡ #ServeToLead #PreachTheWord #SuratIbrani

Untuk mendengar Lapan (8) Hal yang menunjukkan Supremasi Yesus diantara segala-galanya, PERGI KE http://spoti.fi/3MAzXuW (Spotify) atau http://apple.co/3MEZjYO (Apple Podcast)

    
LEGASI.tv Media: https://linktr.ee/LEGASI.tv 

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Young Men, Consider Jesus

“…consider Jesus…” (Hebrews 3:1, ESV)

“Consider him who endured…” (Hebrews 12:3, ESV)

Two different Greek words are rendered “consider” in these verses in Hebrews. The first carries the idea of the prolonged, concentrated gaze of the astronomer. The second means to reckon up, to compare, or to weigh. Taken together and in their context, these words are an exhortation to fix our minds consciously on Christ, comparing and weighting His sorrows and sufferings and testing with our own. What was the secret of His serenity? This contemplation of Christ is here presented as a panacea for our spiritual maladies.

It will cure our self-satisfaction. Do we compare ourselves favourably with others? Do we criticize their actions and attitudes? Criticism is always made from a position of superiority. But instead of comparing ourselves with others, we should be comparing ourselves with Him who did no sin. Self-satisfaction withers in the presence of the selfless Christ.

It will deliver us from self-pity. This is a spiritual disease to which we all are too prone. Too many are vocally sorry for themselves and feel that life has given them a raw deal. They feel misunderstood and neglected. “Consider him who endured” (12:3). Was He misunderstood, badly treated, unappreciated, misjudged? He knew what it was to be misjudged by His family. Compare with His, our trials are trivial.

It is the antidote for discouragement. “Consider him… so that you will not grow weary and lose heart” (Hebrews 12:3, NIV). Aristotle used the word wearied to describe an athlete who throws himself down utterly exhausted after winning the race. Discouragement is one of Satan’s most debilitating weapons. If we withstand his other wiles, he will attack us here. “Consider him who endured.” He was despised, rejected, and maligned. His ministry was not conspicuously successful. His own intimates doubted, denied, forsook Him. Yet He endured. Consider Him, and take heart again.

It will prove a stimulant for lethargy (means a lack of energy and enthusiasm). “In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood” (Hebrews 12:4, ESV). Have we grown lethargic in the battle against sin in our own lives and in the lives of others? Never for one moment did Christ relax in His warfare with Satan until He dismissed His Spirit on the cross.

It is a remedy for forgetfulness. “[Have] you forgotten the encouraging words God spoke to you as his children?” (12:5). Have we forgotten the purpose of our Father’s chastening? Let us neither despise nor faint under it, but embrace it in the confidence that afterwards it will produce a rich harvest (see Hebrews 12:11).

[Edited, modified and modernized from Consider Him (1976) by J. Oswald Sanders]

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus Wants to Hear You Pray: We Have Freedom of Speech with God (1 John 5:13-15)

“I have written this to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know you have eternal life. And we are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him. And since we know he hears us when we make our requests, we also know that he will give us what we ask for”

(1 John 5:13-15, NLT).

The Apostle John begins by mentioning that this letter is written especially for people who are already believers: “to you who believe in the name of the Son of God” (although anybody else is welcome to read it as well, I’m sure). Why? So that we know for sure that we “have eternal life.” John is concerned that we must have the confidence and toughness we need as we are confronted by false teachers and other pressures. Some false beliefs in John’s day as well as today, were probably attractive and promised all kinds of things. So, in moments of weakness, some people would give in to the pressure and leave their faith in Jesus. Friends, in tough times, we need to be confident in the “Son of God” that we will receive “eternal life”! No ifs, ands, or buts. Our futures are in God’s faithful hands.

There are other sources of confidence besides knowing that we have eternal life: We can live with the confidence that God cares for us so much that we can speak boldly with God through prayer. “We are confident that he hears us whenever we ask for anything that pleases him.” We can share with God what is on our minds without being afraid of how He will respond. We have a freedom of speech with God. We can share our frustrations and anger as well as our praise, love, and concerns with God. God can take whatever we need to share. We don’t have to force our way into God’s presence to make an appointment months in advance as if He were the CEO of a large company or government. God is always available. There is no answering service, no busy signal, and no forwarding e-mail address. God is ready to talk with us, 24-7 a day.

God wants what is best for us. Pray for “anything.” But we are taught to pray for “anything that pleases him” or more accurately – pray “according to His will” (NIV). This is a balanced prayer. In other words, we should share our concerns with God and ask that we will want what God wants for us. This can help us get beyond presenting God with a grocery list of “our requests” for which we expect certain answers. As we tell God about our concerns, we can say that we may not be sure what the best answer is – but God knows the best for us.

Remember: Prayer involves both talking and listening. Maybe you are wondering how we can listen to God. I never have heard an audible “voice” from God. I know that some people claim to hear God on a daily basis. But that hasn’t been true for me (Am I or you less ‘spiritual’ than others if we don’t? Maybe not so). I find that Lord Jesus most often speaks to me through my own common sense and conscious, through circumstances and other people, and especially – the written Word of God, the Bible. However God speaks to you – I hope mainly from God’s Word – you can be sure and confident that He wants to hear you and wants the very best for you as well. Amen.

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus will Give Us a New Heart and Put a New Spirit in Us

“And then Jesus added, ‘It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person’s heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, wickedness, deceit, lustful desires, envy, slander, pride, and foolishness. All these vile things come from within; they are what defile you’” (Mark 7:20-23, NLT).

In this confrontation with the Pharisees and his discussion with the disciples (Mark 7:1-19), Jesus clearly stated the problem – sin in a person’s heart. That’s where sin begins, and what is inside a person comes out in words and actions. Jesus’ list of these sins (sexual immorality, theft, murder, etc.) is representative of common human conflicts and struggles. Daily we hear reports of these sinful acts on Facebook pages and TV3 news bulletin. The Good News of the Gospel offers the only cure, solution for humanity’s natural defilement. Cleansing can only come by the blood of Jesus Christ offered on our behalf. Only then can we become pure before God.

Believers aren’t immune to sinful actions, however. We also struggle with heart issues – but we have the power to resist, to change, and to choose to do right, through the Holy Spirit who lives in us. Paul explained how this happens (please, please read Romans chapter 6, 7 and 8). Unless the Holy Spirit controls our sinful nature, we will experience continual outbursts of the “flesh.” We need to guard our hearts.

Think about this: God promised his people, “I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take our your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart” (Ezekiel 36:26, NLT). The “heart” is the basic core of a person, home to his or her true motives, thoughts, desires, and values. When we trust in Christ, the Holy Spirit begins living in us, changing us to be more like Christ as we yield to him. As Jesus told his disciples, the heart is what matters. Guard your heart. Maybe we should ask ourselves this question: What steps can I take to guard my heart?

Psalm 51:10-13, NKJV

“Create in me a clean heart, O God,

And renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Do not cast me away from Your presence,

And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.

Restore to me the joy of Your salvation,

And uphold me by Your generous Spirit.

Then I will teach transgressors Your ways,

And sinners shall be converted to You.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

The 10 Commandments and You

The 10 Commandments and You

Commandment		Bible Example	Modern Example
RESPECT FOR GOD You shall love the LORD your God	1. You shall have no other Gods before me.	The Exodus Exodus 34:11-14	Put God first! Today a “god” may be anything a person allows to rule his daily life: deities of other religions, superstitions, horoscopes, bad habits or addictions, friends, heroes, desire for money, fame or power.
	2. You shall not make for yourself an idol.	Golden Calf Exodus 32:1-8	Put your faith in God only. Worshipping or serving any man-made thing that is thought to have supernatural power: statues of gods of other religions, crystals, pictures, jewellery, amulets, charms, rabbit’s foot, or objects thought to have power or “good luck.”
	3. You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.	Don’t use God’s name in a false oath. Leviticus 19:12	Treat God’s name with respect. Don’t use God’s name lightly in making promises or in any other way. This is the name that raised people from the dead, caused blind to see, and made the paralyzed to walk. It is a powerful name and needs to be used with the right attitude.
	4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.	God provides enough on the sixth day for the seventh. Exodus 16:23-30	In Jesus’ time, very religious people obeyed this commandment by refusing to do any kind of work – even to the point of not helping people in need. Jesus said that Sabbath was made for man’s benefit. People should rest from their normal work, but also be available to do well to others. Today Christians set aside the day to worship God and meet with other Christians.
RESPECT FOR PEOPLE Love your neighbour as yourself	5. Honour your father and your mother so that you may live long in the land the LORD your God is giving you.	Jesus was obedient to Mary and Joseph. Luke 2:51	Treat your parents with respect no matter what. You parents have made many sacrifices to raise you. They have changed diapers, lost sleep, bought food, toys and clothes, paid doctor bills and changed their schedules to help you. Even if you don’t get along with your parents, they deserve your gratitude. If your parents ask you to do something wrong, respectfully tell them no and suggest a good alternative that they might consider.
	6. You shall not murder.	Each person is made in God’s image. Genesis 9:6	Personal revenge belongs to God. God will make things right in the end. God has set up governments and rules to deal with murders. Life and death are in God’s hands. Examples: no revenge killing, murder, suicide, abortion or euthanasia (mercy killing). Jesus said we should love our enemies and pray for them.
	7. You shall not commit adultery.	Joseph runs from temptation. Genesis 39:1-13	Stay true to your husband or wife. Marriage vows made before God should be kept in spite of difficulties. Sex only within marriage relationship. No rape or incest. Avoid sexual temptation: provocative videos, movies, television, magazines, computer games or programs, pictures and books. Jesus said that even thinking about another person lustfully is wrong.
	8. You shall not steal.	Achan steals. Joshua 6:17-19 Joshua 7:1-5	Respect other’s possessions. Don’t take things that don’t belong to you. Examples: shoplifting (taking candy, toys, or anything from a store), taking money or valuables from others, cheating on tests and taxes, photocopying music or any printed material without permission.
	9. You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour.	Honesty toward neighbours. Leviticus 19:13	Be trustworthy. Don’t falsely accuse or blame someone else. Don’t lie about them or to them. Don’t gossip. Don’t lie to God and to yourself by believing you are perfect. Keep your promises.
	10. You shall not covet… anything that belongs to your neighbour.	Life is more than possessions. Ecclesiastes 5:9-18; 6;12	Be content with what you have. Don’t long for things that belong to others. Examples: their house, car, job, bike, toys, jewellery, clothing, or friends. Ask God to give you what you need. He promises that He will take care of your needs! Seek wisdom and good character, not riches.

Taken from: Rose Book of Bible Charts, Maps & Time Lines (Torrance, California: Rose Publishing, Inc., 2005) pg. 57
Reproduce online for free by: Richard Angelus, blogger, Wordspeakstoday.blogspot.com

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Jesus' Birth went Unnoticed by the World (Is this How the Saviour Arrived?)

“[Joseph] took with him Mary, his fiancée, who was now obviously pregnant. And while they were there, the time came for her baby to be born. She gave birth to her first child, a son. She wrapped him snugly in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no lodging available for them” (Luke 2:5-7, NLT).

Those who have lived with or been a woman in the final stages of pregnancy will shake their heads in wonder over Mary and Joseph’s journey from Nazareth to Bethlehem if they ever studied the map (Obviously I never experienced either one, so I just use my imaginations). Neither walking nor riding a donkey for several days could be described as anything but uncomfortable. Apparently the Romans had no provision in the taxation laws for filing a late return – Joseph and Mary were required to report, extenuating circumstances notwithstanding. “All [people throughout the Roman Empire] returned to their own ancestral towns to register for census” (Luke 2:3). A must.

Countless telling of the Christmas story have compressed the time between the couple’s journey and Jesus’ arrival. We usually picture the weary soon-to-be-parents wandering into Bethlehem in the evening, with Mary already feeling contractions, and the “No Vacancy” signs posted in the inn. Actually, Jesus was born in a little town, perhaps only large enough to have one inn. Necessity forced the couple to take shelter in some kind of alternative housing that had a manger. Since the “manger” indicates a place where animals were housed, it is likely that Jesus was born in a cave. This ironically means that Jesus spent both his arrival night (his birth) and his departure night (his burial and resurrection) in a cave.

Regardless the exact location, Jesus’ birth went largely unnoticed by the world. The scant details point to the simplicity and commonness of his birth. God, taking on flesh, entered life in the same messy, painful, and wonder-filled way that every human does. The King of kings didn’t get royal treatment at birth. Right from the start, only a few really understood and welcomed the Saviour.

Think about this: Familiarity with the story sometimes causes us to relive the events of Jesus’ birth with mild indifference. But what would be our fate if the Saviour had never been born? The wonder doesn’t come from trying to imagine all the ways God might have arranged to rescue us; the wonder comes in realizing that this was, in fact, the way God fulfilled his promises. I am amazed by God and how Jesus the Saviour of the world coming to us.

One response is necessary: Worship!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Reference:

Life Application Study Bible Devotional: Daily Wisdom from the Life of Jesus (Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., 2011)

The Central Nature of the Being of God

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” (Isaiah 6:3, NIV)

“As I read the Bible, I seem to find holiness to be His supreme attribute”

(Billy Graham, in Till Armageddon)

“It does not seem proper to speak of one attribute of God as being more central and fundamental than another; but if this were permissible, the scriptural emphasis on the holiness of God would seem to justify its selection” (Louis Berkhof, in Systematic Theology)

“Holiness is the central nature of the being of God from which such attributes

as love, justice, and mercy emanate”

(George Allen Turner)

As in Jim Killion’s Set Apart he writes about one man described his observations of the concept of holiness like this:

“There is a simple yet profound word which occurs nine hundred times in the Bible. You see it first in Genesis, as we are told how God created heaven and earth. You see it last in the closing chapter of Revelation where we are told about God’s creation of a new heaven and a new earth. But except for a few grand old hymns of the faith, you do not see this word much today… This word is ‘Holy.’ We get our words ‘saint,’ ‘sanctify,’ and ‘sanctification’ from the same root words. All these term carry the idea of being ‘set apart’…. Just as all the colour of the spectrum come together to form the pure white light which illuminates our world, so all the attributes of God come together into His holiness.”

God is holy,

Our God is holy.

My God is holy.

“Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.”

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

A.W. Tozer on The Fear of the Lord

“The fear of the LORD is a fountain of life…” (Proverbs 14:27, ESV)

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,

and the knowledge of the Holy One is insight” (Proverbs 9:10, ESV).

“The fear of God is… astonished reverence. I believe that the reverential fear of God mixed with love and fascination and astonishment and admiration and devotion is the most enjoyable state and the most satisfying emotion the human soul can know.” (A.W. Tozer, Whatever Happened to Worship)



In his quite difficult to read (for me) but profound book, Knowledge of the Holy, A.W. Tozer writes about the fear of God:



Isaiah cried out 'Woe is me!'
He fear God. He saw the Holy One,
he realized his sinfulness.



“In olden days men of faith were said to ‘walk in the fear of God’ and to ‘serve the Lord with fear’. However intimate their communion with God, however bold their prayers, at the base of their religious life was the conception of God as awesome and dreadful. This idea of God transcendent runs through the whole Bible and gives color and tone to the character of the saints. This fear of God was more than a natural apprehension of danger; it was a nonrational dread, an acute feeling of personal insufficiency in the presence of God the Almighty.

Wherever God appeared to men in Bible times the results were the same – an overwhelming sense of terror and dismay, a wrenching sensation of sinfulness and guilt. When God spoke, Abraham stretched himself upon the ground to listen. When Moses saw the Lord in the burning bush, he hid his face in fear to look upon God. Isaiah’s vision of God wrung from him the cry, ‘Woe is me!’ Daniel’s encounter with God was probably the most dreadful and wonderful of them all.

Conversely, the self-assurance of modern Christians, the basic levity present in so many of our religious gatherings, the shocking disrespect shown for the Person of God, are evidence enough of deep blindness of heart. Many call themselves by the name of Christ, talk much about God, and pray to Him sometimes, but evidently do not know who He is. ‘The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life,’ but this healing fear is today hardly found among Christian men.”

[Quote from A.W. Tozer, The Knowledge of the Holy (New York: Harper & Row, 1961), Page 78]

Walk in the fear of God

Serve the Lord with fear

Do you fear God?

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

Muhammad Ali is Not the Greatest, Jesus is The Greatest!

“We look at [Jesus] and see the God who cannot be seen. We look at this Son and see God’s original purpose in everything created. For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible, rank after rank of angels – everything got started in him and finds it purpose in him. He was there before any of it came into existence and holds it all together right up to this moment” (Colossians 1:15-17, The Message)

Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40, and Jesus for only 3 years. Yet the influence of Christ’s three years ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers of all antiquity.

[Just a picture]

Jesus painted no pictures; yet, some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo, and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him.

Jesus wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton, and scores of the world’s greatest poets were inspired by Him.

Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies, and oratorios they composed in His praise. Every sphere of human greatness had been enriched by this humble carpenter of Nazareth, Jesus Christ.

His unique contribution to the race of men is the salvation of the soul. Philosophy could not accomplish that .Nor art. Nor literature. Nor music. Only Jesus Christ can break the enslaving chains of sin and Satan. He alone can speak peace to the human heart, strengthen the weak, and give life to those who are spiritually dead*. Charles H. Spurgeon writes, “Christ is the great central fact in the world’s history. To Him everything looks forward or backward. All the lines of history converge upon Him.” To all of these, I say – amen. Muhammad Ali is not the greatest, Jesus is the greatest. Christ is supreme!

THINK BIG. START SMALL. GO DEEP.

*Mostly quote from Roy B. Zuck, The Speaker’s Quote Book. Kregel Publications: Grand Rapids, 1997, 2009. Pg 70.