THE TOPIC OR QUESTION OF JESUS VS GOD IS FUNDAMENTALLY WRONG. A WRONG QUESTION CAN NEVER HAVE THE RIGHT ANSWER. THOSE WHO RAISE THE QUESTION DO NOT HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD AND DO NOT HAVE THE KNOWLEDGE OF THE SON OF GOD, AND WHO DO NOT UNDERSTAND WHAT JESUS SAYS AND WHO JESUS IS.
God Vs Satan or God Vs the devil — is not necessary. For long ago, the devil lost the war in Heaven and was cast down to the earth. The devil is present the ruler of the world, many world leaders and politicians are actually agents of the devil. However, God had sentenced the devil and demons and evil spirits to Hell for eternal suffering. The effective execution date is the Day of Jesus second coming.
I agree with Ignatius of Loyola who said, “But some most worthless persons are in the habit of carrying about the name of Jesus Christ in wicked guile, while yet they practice things unworthy of God, and hold opinions contrary to the doctrine of Christ, to their own destruction, and that of those who give credit to them, whom you must avoid as ye would wild beasts.”
There are many who claim to be Christians are actually the children of the devil.
Horatius Bonar knew about Jesus when he said, “It is not opinions that man needs: it is TRUTH. It is not theology; it is God. It is not religion: it is Christ. It is not literature and science; but the knowledge of the free love of God in the gift of His only-begotten Son.”
I agree with Billy Graham when he said, “Be assured that there is no sin you have ever committed that the blood of Jesus Christ cannot cleanse.”
I also agree with Ignatius of Antioch who said, “Do not have Jesus Christ on your lips, and the world in your heart.”
That is the problem with Western leaders and politicians who have Jesus Christ on their lips, and the domination of the world in their hearts.
Oswald Chambers said something true, “The center of salvation is the Cross of Jesus, and the reason it is so easy to obtain salvation is because it cost God so much.”
What cost God so much is called the grace of God. You are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not anything you can do or deserve salvation.
INTRODUCTION
There are so many misconceptions about Jesus:
This man did not know what the cross means, or what is the work of Christ. Jesus Christ died for all sinners once, if you insist to go to Hell, that is without remedy. Jesus came from above and returned to the Father with or without you. Why made yourself so important, little worm?
Someone was so wrong to say, “When Satan knocks, I just send Christ to the door.”
When the devil knocks at the door of my heart, I tremble and kneel down to pray, “My God and Savior, deliver me from evil.” Jesus Christ is not your servant that you can send around.
Some unbeliever was so evil to say that if Jesus Christ had lived to his age, he would have repudiated his doctrine. On the contrary, Jesus Christ says,
Jhn 14:15, “If you love Me, you will keep My
commandments.”
Jhn 14:21, “The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”
Jhn 15:10, “If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s
commandments and remain in His love.”
The following Scriptures condemns anyone who rejects the Words of Jesus as a liar and had evil spirit.
1Jo 2:3-4, “By this we know that we have come to know Him, if we keep His commandments. The one
who says, “I have come to know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.”
1Jo 3:22, “and whatever we ask, we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.”
Do not call yourselves Christians if you do what God hates. God hates warmongers, liars, killers and robbers.
1Jo 3:24, “The one who keeps His commandments
remains in Him, and He in him. We know by this that He remains in us, by the Spirit whom He has given
us.”
1Jo 5:2, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and follow His commandments.”
1Jo 5:3, “For this is the love of God, that we keep His
commandments; and His commandments are not burdensome.”
2Jo 1:6, “And this is love, that we walk according to His commandments. This is the commandment, just as you have heard from the beginning, that you are to walk in it.”
Jesus says:
Mat 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
Mar 13:31, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
Luk 21:33, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will not pass away.”
You see the Words of Jesus are eternal.
John Bunyan always had sound words, “In prayer, it is better to have heart without words, than words without heart. Prayer will make a man cease from sin, or sin entice a man to cease from prayer. The spirit of prayer is more precious than treasures of gold and silver. Pray often, for prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan.”
A false theologian said, “On the basis of the eternal will of God we have to think of EVERY HUMAN BEING, even the oddest, most villainous or miserable, as one to whom Jesus Christ is Brother and God is Father; and we have to deal with him on this assumption.”
Not every human being to whom Jesus Christ is Brother and God is Father; the assumption is false.
Jesus says, Jhn 8:44, “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own
nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.”
Anyones who tell a lie and kill and rob are children of the devil.
1Jo 3:10, “By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother and sister.”
1Jo 5:1-2, “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone
who loves the Father loves the child born of Him. By this we know that we love the children of God, when
we love God and follow His commandments.”
Eph 5:6, “See that no one deceives you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.”
Do not be fooled, the sons of disobedience to whom Jesus Christ is not their Brother and God is not their Father.
Someone was so wrong to have said, “Since God intends to make you like Jesus, he will take you through the same experiences Jesus went through. That includes loneliness, temptation, stress, criticism, rejection, and many other problems.”
No where in the Scripture that says God intends to make you like Jesus. Can you be like Jesus to turn water into wine? Can you be like Jesus to walk on water? Can you be like Jesus to feed the 5,000 men with five loaves of bread and two fish? Can you raise a man who had been dead for 4 days like Jesus did?
The Scripture says:
Col 3:4-10, “When Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory. Therefore, treat the parts of your earthly body as dead to sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry. For it is because of these things that the wrath of God is coming upon the sons of disobedience, and in them you also once walked, when you were living in them.
But now you also, rid yourselves of all of them: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene speech from your mouth. Do not lie to one another, since you stripped off the old self with its evil practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed to a true knowledge according to the image of the One who created it—.”
3Jo 1:11, “Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. The one who does what is good is of God; the one who does what is evil has not seen God.”
Whether you are a Christian or not can be proven by your deeds.
Eph 4:12-16, “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the Body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of people, by craftiness in deceitful
scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, that is, Christ, from whom the whole Body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual
part, causes the growth of the Body for the building
up of itself in love.”
R. A. Torrey was right in saying, “We must always bear in mind that the primary purpose of our work is not to get people to join a church, to give up their bad habits, or to do anything other than to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior.”
An unbeliever was so mad in saying, “You shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you mad.”
It is lie that makes the world mad. The world is mad because world leaders and politicians tell lies and kill and rob and at the same time call themselves Christians.
A politician was so wrong in saying, “Jesus was the first socialist, the first to seek a better life for mankind.”
Jesus Christ did not come to make a better life for mankind; He came to save sinners.
Jesus Himself says, Jhn 18:37, “Therefore
Pilate said to Him, “So You are a king?” Jesus
answered, “You say correctly that I am a King. For this purpose I have been born, and for this I have
come into the world: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice.”
The ungodly world has many lies to mispresent Jesus Christ, Jesus Vs God – is one of them. Everyone who is of the truth listens to the Voice of Jesus.
Someone put Jesus Christ on the same par with Shakespeare does not know who Jesus Christ is.
Anyone who puts Jesus Christ at the same level with any other man or woman, does not know the Lord. No mankind is worthy to compare with Jesus.
Someone said he was from the devil. This is not a joking matter. The man who is from the devil is the son of perdition. Another was so wrong to say, “If power made one evil, then God would be the Devil.” Devil is always devil, devil can never become God. God would never be the devil. Another was also so wrong to say, “Better the devil you know than the angel you don’t.” Those who think they really know the devil, they fool themselves. Aside the fallen angel, all angels of God are good. You do not have to doubt an angel. Except the angel of death who comes after you, angels usually do not do harm.
Some woman was so wrong to say, “Anyone who tells you to deny yourself is from Satan.” Apparently, the woman was from Satan.
Jesus says, Mat 16:24-27, “Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life for My sake will find it.
For what good will it do a person if he gains the whole world, but forfeits his soul? Or what will a person give in exchange for his soul? For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and WILL THEN REPAY EVERY PERSON
ACCORDING TO HIS DEEDS.”
I agree with Oswald Chambers, “The Holy Ghost is the only One who can detect the temptations of Satan, neither our common sense nor our human wisdom can detect them as temptations.”
The greatest temptation is what and when and where you do not realize it is a temptation.
I also agree with William Cowper who said, “Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon their knees.”
On the other hand, Satan rejoices when a man or woman boasts and brags about himself/herself.
Charles Spurgeon was right in saying, “There is nothing so deluded as feelings. Christians cannot live by feelings. Let me further tell you that many feelings are the work of Satan, for they are not right feelings. What right have you to set up your feelings against the Word of Christ?”
Christians never live by feelings; Christians live by faith, faith in the Word of God.
Charles Spurgeon had sharp spiritual insight when he said, “Satan can make men dance upon the brink of hell as though they were on the verge of heaven.”
That is why the leaders and politicians of US, EU, UK, NATO, GANG-7, CANADA, AUSTRALIA, Japan dance upon the brink of Hell as though they were on the verge of Heaven.
Christians have nothing to be proud of except the grace and glory of Jesus Christ.
The great Martin Luther was right in saying, “Lord Jesus, You are my righteousness, I am your sin. You took on you what was mine; yet set on me what was yours. You became what you were not, that I might become what I was not.”
I agree with George Washington who prayed, “Almighty and eternal Lord God, the great Creator of heaven and earth, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; look down from heaven in pity and compassion upon me thy servant, who humbly prostrate myself before thee.”
There is not one American leader or politician today who is like George Washington. You do not know how much troubles American is in.
Oswald Chambers was right in saying, “Christianity is not consistency to conscience or to convictions; Christianity is being true to Jesus Christ.”
Christianity does not need any genuine scientist or philosopher to say that he believes in the Resurrection, or indeed in any other cardinal dogma of the Christian Faith.
Every Christian is being true to Jesus Christ.
I agree with Dietrich Bonhoeffer who said, “There are only two places where the powerful and great in this world lose their courage, tremble in the depths of their souls, and become truly afraid. These are the manger and the cross of Jesus Christ….No priest, no theologian stood at the cradle of Bethlehem. And yet, all Christian theology finds its beginnings in the miracle of miracles, that God became human.”
God became Man in the person of Jesus Christ is the greatest mystery of the universe.
John Nelson Darby was right in saying, “The Lord Jesus died for the ungodly. He was obedient at all costs: He bore everything, and went down into the dust of death, man’s hatred, God’s desertion, and Satan’s power; we find Him there at the cost of everything. Everything that was against us was done away. By one man’s obedience many are made righteous.”
Jesus Christ has accomplished so great a salvation.
An immoral preacher distorted and misrepresented Jesus Christ said something very wrong about Jesus, “Jesus Christ was an extremist.” For Jesus says about Himself, Mat 11:27-30, “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son determines to reveal Him. Come to Me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. For My yoke is comfortable, and My burden is light.”
Sinners, come to Jesus.
I. THE INCOMPARABLE JESUS
1. Moses prophesied about Jesus.
Deu 18:15, “The LORD your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among you, from your countrymen; to him you shall listen.”
2. Isaiah prophesied the virgin birth of Jesus.
Isa 7:14, “Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, the virgin will conceive and give birth
to a Son, and she will name Him Immanuel.”
3. Micah prophesied the birthplace of Jesus.
Mic 5:2, “But as for you, Bethlehem Ephrathah,
too little to be among the clans of Judah, from you
One will come forth for Me to be Ruler in Israel. His times of coming forth are from long ago, from the
days of eternity.”
You and I are different from Jesus. The day we are born, the day we begin, we do not have prior existence. But Jesus was from the days of eternity before He came to the world.
The Old Testament prophesies that the Messiah will come. The New Testament presents the Messiah is here. Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
4. The wise men from the East saw the Star of Jesus.
Mat 2:1-2, “Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is He who has been born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east and have come to worship Him.”
Magi in Greek is magos which means wise men; the oriental wise men (astrologers) who, having discovered by the rising of a remarkable star that the Messiah had just been born, came to Jerusalem to worship him (Strong’s Concordance); – which occurs 6 times in the New Testament.
5. The announcement of angels.
Luk 2:8-15, “In the same region there were some
shepherds staying out in the fields and keeping
watch over their flock at night. And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened. And so the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people; for today in the city of David there has been born for you the Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”
And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army of angels praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom He is pleased.” When the angels had departed from them into Heaven, the shepherds
began saying to one another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem, then, and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
6. Jesus’ claims.
Mat 26:63-64, “But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I place You under oath by the living God, to tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of Heaven.”
Mat 27:43, “HE HAS TRUSTED IN GOD; LET GOD
RESCUE Him now, IF HE TAKES PLEASURE IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.‘”
Luk 22:70, “And they all said, “So You are the Son of God?” And He said to them, “You say correctly that I AM.”
Jhn 3:18, “The one who believes in Him is not judged; the one who does not believe has been JUDGED already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”
Jhn 5:25, “Truly, truly, I say to you, the time is coming and even now has arrived, when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God, and those who hear will live.”
Jhn 8:23-24, “And He was saying to them, “You are from below, I AM from above; you are of this world, I AM not of this world. Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I AM, you will die in your sins.”
Jhn 8:56-58, “Your father Abraham was overjoyed that he would see My day, and he saw it and rejoiced.” So the Jews said to Him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and You have seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly I say to you, before Abraham was born, I AM.”
Jhn 10:36, “are you saying of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God‘?”
Jhn 10:37-38, “If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”
Note: The divinity of Jesus Christ does not depend on the opinions of any man. Jesus is who He is from eternity to eternity. The Father is in the Son, and the Son is in the Father.
7. Jesus’ declarations.
Jhn 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Jhn 10:27-30, “My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are ONE.”
Jesus and the Father are ONE. No one can explain it. I do not need to wonder or yield to the opinions of anyone. I do not even know myself fully. How can I know my God fully? I believe whatever Jesus says is true with all my heart and mind.
Jhn 14:7-13, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.”
Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been
with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The Words that I say to you I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He remains in Me, does His works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise
believe because of the works themselves. Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater works
than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”
Mat 28:18, “And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me.”
Jhn 8:12, “Then Jesus again spoke to them, saying, “I AM the Light of the world; the one who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life.”
Jhn 10:7-10, “So Jesus said to them again, “Truly, truly I say to you, I AM the Door of the Sheep. All those who came before Me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them. I AM the door; if anyone enters through Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came so that they would have life, and have it
abundantly.”
Jhn 10:14-15, “I AM the Good Shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me, just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep.”
The relationship of a Christian to Jesus Christ is like the relationship of a sheep to the Good Shepherd.
Jhn 15:1-8, “I AM the True Vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.
“You are already clean because of the Word which I have spoken to you. Remain in Me, and I in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself but must remain in the vine, so neither can you unless you remain in Me. I AM the Vine, you are the branches; the one who remains in Me, and I in him bears much
fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing. If anyone
does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch and dries up; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
If you remain in Me, and My Words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much
fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.”
The relationship of Jesus Christ and His disciples is like the Vine and the Branches. Jesus is the Vine, disciples are the Branches.
7. The testimony of John the Baptist.
Jhn 1:19-34, “This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
And he confessed and did not deny; and this is what he confessed: “I am not the Christ.”
And so they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us, so
that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”
He said, “I am THE VOICE OF ONE CALLING OUT IN THE WILDERNESS, ‘MAKE THE WAY OF THE LORD STRAIGHT,’ as Isaiah the prophet said.”
And the messengers had been sent from the Pharisees. They asked him, and said to him, “Why then are you baptizing, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?” John answered them, saying, “I baptize in water, but among you stands
One whom you do not know. “It is He who comes
after me, of whom I am not worthy even to untie the strap of His sandal.” These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing people.
(Mat 3:13–17; Mar 1:9–11; Luk 3:21, 22 )
The next day he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!
“This is He in behalf of whom I said, ‘After me is coming a Man who has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’ And I did not recognize Him, but so that He would be revealed to Israel, I came baptizing in water.” And John testified, saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of Heaven, and He remained upon Him.
And I did not recognize Him, but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descending and remaining upon Him, this is the One who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’ “And I myself have seen, and have testified that this is the Son of God.”
John the Baptist had seen and testified that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.
8. Jesus has done all things well.
Mar 7:32-37, “And they brought to Him one who was deaf and had difficulty speaking, and they begged Him to lay His hand on him. And Jesus took him aside from the crowd, by himself, and put His fingers in his ears, and after spitting, He touched his tongue with the saliva; and looking up to Heaven with a deep sigh, He said to him, “Ephphatha!” that is, “Be opened!” And his ears were opened, and the impediment of his tongue was removed, and he began speaking plainly. And He gave them orders not to tell anyone; but the more He ordered them, the more widely they continued to proclaim it. And they were utterly astonished, saying, “He has done all things well; He makes even those who are deaf hear, and those who are unable to talk, speak.”
Jesus Christ had done all things well; He can make even your earthly life well.
Luk 7:18-22, “The disciples of John also reported to him about all these things. And after summoning two
of his disciples, John sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for another?” When the men came to Him, they said, “John the Baptist has sent us to You, to ask, ‘Are You the Coming One, or are we to look for another?’”
At that very time He cured many people of diseases
and afflictions and evil spirits; and He gave sight to many who were blind. And He answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you have seen and heard: people who were blind receive sight, people who limped walk, people with leprosy are cleansed and people who were deaf hear, dead people are raised up, and people who are poor
have the Gospel preached to them.”
Mat 4:23-25, “Jesus was going about in all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and every sickness among the people. And the news about Him spread throughout Syria; and they brought to Him all who were ill, those suffering with various diseases and severe pain, demon-possessed, people with epilepsy, and people who were paralyzed; and He healed them. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis, and Jerusalem, and Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.”
It is duty of Christians to proclaim to the world what Jesus Christ has done in their lives. Let me give my humble testimony, without Jesus I would have perished. Thanks be to God who has led me from my dangerous childhood to my struggling manhood in America and to my old age.
10. No one spoke like Jesus.
Jhn 7:40-46, “Some of the people therefore, after they heard these words, were saying, “This truly is the Prophet.”
Others were saying, “This is the Christ.” But others were saying, “Surely the Christ is not coming from Galilee, is He? “Has the Scripture not said that the Christ comes from the descendants of David, and from Bethlehem, the village where David was?” So a dissension occurred in the crowd
because of Him. And some of them wanted to arrest Him, but no one laid hands on Him. The officers then came to the chief priests and Pharisees, and they said to them, “Why did you not bring Him?” The
officers answered, “Never has a man spoken in this way!”
Note: Jesus Christ was not coming from Galilee. Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem. So not a few misconceived about Jesus because they were misinformed about the fact. People made mistakes because they did not know the Scripture, just as those who misconceived Jesus Vs God.
Luk 4:16-30, “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read. And the scroll of Isaiah the prophet was handed to Him. And He unrolled the scroll and found the place where it was written:
“THE SPIRIT OF THE LORD IS UPON ME,
BECAUSE HE ANOINTED ME TO BRING GOOD NEWS TO THE POOR.
HE HAS SENT ME TO PROCLAIM RELEASE TO CAPTIVES, AND RECOVERY OF SIGHT TO THE BLIND, TO SET FREE THOSE WHO ARE OPPRESSED, TO PROCLAIM THE FAVORABLE YEAR OF THE LORD.”
And He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant, and sat down; and the eyes of all the people in the synagogue were intently directed at Him. Now He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.”
And all the people were speaking well of Him, and admiring the gracious Words which were coming from His lips; and yet they were saying, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”
And He said to them, “No doubt you will quote this
proverb to Me: ‘Physician, heal yourself! All the miracles that we heard were done in Capernaum, do here in your hometown as well.’”
But He said, “Truly I say to you, no prophet is welcome in his hometown.
But I say to you in truth, there were many widows in Israel in the days of Elijah, when the sky was shut up for three years and six months, when a
severe famine came over all the land; and yet Elijah
was sent to none of them, but only to Zarephath, in the land of Sidon, to a woman who was a widow. And there were many with leprosy in Israel in the time of Elisha the prophet; and none of them was cleansed, but only Naaman the Syrian.” And all the people in the synagogue were filled with rage as they heard these things; and they got up and drove Him
out of the city, and brought Him to the crest of the
hill on which their city had been built, so that they could throw Him down from the cliff. But He passed through their midst and went on His way.”
Jesus could pass through any obstacle.
Mat 13:54-58, “And He came to His hometown and began teaching them in their synagogue, with the result that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man acquire this wisdom and these miraculous powers?”
“Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is His mother not called Mary, and His brothers, James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did this man acquire all these things?”
And they took offense at Him. But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not dishonored except in his hometown and in his own household.” And He did not do many miracles there because of their unbelief.”
Unbelief can hinder the power of God.
Mat 7:28-29, “When Jesus had finished these words, the crowds were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one who had authority, and not as their scribes.”
The crowds were amazed at the teaching Christ because the teaching Christ is the teaching of God.
Mat 22:29-30, “But Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, since you do not understand the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in Heaven.”
Mankind errs most often because we do not understand the Scriptures nor the power of God. People are mistaken because they do not understand the Scriptures nor the power of God.
Mar 1:21-28, “They went into Capernaum; and immediately on the Sabbath Jesus entered the synagogue and began to teach. And they were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as One having authority, and not as the scribes.
Just then there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, saying, “What business do you have with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have You come to destroy us? I know who You are: the Holy One of God!” And Jesus rebuked him, saying, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” After throwing him into convulsions and crying out
with a loud voice, the unclean spirit came out of him. And they were all amazed, so they debated among themselves, saying, “What is this? A new teaching with authority! He commands even the unclean spirits, and they obey Him.” Immediately the news about Him spread everywhere into all the surrounding region of Galilee.”
There are two important things to remember.
(1). Jesus teaches with authority.
When Jesus speaks, God speaks. That is why demons and unclean spirits are afraid of Jesus to destroy them.
(2). The Gospel is new.
Jhn 1:17, “For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”
The Law of Moses does not and cannot save anyone. That is why Jesus came into the world to save sinners.
Rom 16:25-27, “Now to Him who is able to establish
you according to my Gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages
past, but now has been disclosed, and through the Scriptures of the prophets, in accordance with the commandment of the eternal God, has been made known to all the nations, leading to obedienc of faith; to the only wise God, through Jesus Christ, be the glory forever. Amen.”
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the revelation of the mystery which has been kept secret for long ages past, but now has been disclosed or revealed or made known to all the nations, leading to obedience of faith to our God and Savior Jesus Christ.
Eph 2:8, “For by grace you have been saved through
faith; and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.”
Faith obeys God. Faith accepts and believes in the Word of God. Salvation is the gift of God.
II. God’s testimonies or declarations.
Jesus does not need the testimony of Josephus, etc. because He has the testimonies of God. The testimonies and declarations of God are more important and worthwhile than all opinions of men.
A. During the Baptism of Jesus.
Mat 3:13-17, “Then Jesus arrived from Galilee at the Jordan, coming to John to be baptized by him. But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have the need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming
to me?” But Jesus, answering, said to him, “Allow it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he allowed Him.
After He was baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the Heavens were opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending as a dove and settling on Him, and behold, a Voice
from the Heavens said, “This is My beloved Son, with whom I AM well pleased.”
The Heavens were opened and a Voice from the Heavens testified about the beloved Son of God.
Luk 3:22, “and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from Heaven: “You are My beloved Son, in You I AM well pleased.”
B. During the Transfiguration
Mat 17:1-7, “Six days later, Jesus took with Him Peter and James, and his brother John, and led them up on a high mountain by themselves. And He was transfigured before them; and His face shone like the sun, and His garments became as white as light. And behold, Moses and Elijah appeared to them, talking with Him. Peter responded and said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good that we are here. If You want, I will make three tabernacles here: one for You, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” While he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice from the cloud said,
“This is My beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him!” When the disciples heard this, they fell face down to the ground and were terrified. And Jesus came to them and touched them and said, “Get up, and do not be afraid.” And raising their eyes, they saw no one except Jesus Himself alone.”
Mar 9:7, “Then a cloud formed, overshadowing them, and a voice came out of the cloud: “This is My beloved Son; listen to Him!”
2Pe 1:16-19, “For we did not follow cleverly devised
tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such a
declaration as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory: “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”—and we ourselves heard this
declaration made from Heaven when we were with Him on the Holy Mountain. And so we have the
Prophetic Word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a Lamp shining in a dark place, until the Day dawns and the Morning
Star arises in your hearts.”
Jesus is the Light of the world, like a Lamp shining in a dark place. Jesus Christ is also the Morning Star, may the Day dawns and the Morning Star arises in my heart.
III. THE NATURE OF THE DEVIL
Someone was so pretentious to say, “The devil is more interesting than God.”
Let us see:
Mat 13:38-40, “and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the Kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one.
and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are angels. So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the world.”
The world is comprised of two kinds of people: the sons of the Kingdom (children of God) and the sons of the evil (children of the devil). The enemy who sowed the weeds is the devil. At the end of the world the angels will separate the good from the bad. The wicked will be burned with fire in Hell body and soul forever and ever. When Jesus comes again is the end of the world.
Jhn 8:40-47, “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born as a result of sexual immorality; we have one Father: God.”
Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I came forth from God and am here; for I have not even come on My own, but He sent Me. Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot listen to My Word. You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer
From the beginning, and does not stand in the truth
because there is no truth in him. Whenever he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies. But because I say the truth, you do not believe Me.
Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? The one who is of God hears the Words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.”
There are people who would not believe the truth. This bothers me a lot when I was young, but now I know they are not of God, and so they do not believe in truth.
The person who said that the devil is more interesting than God must be from the devil. How can the desires to lie and kill are interesting? How can a liar and the father of lies, who does not stand in the truth, and who has no truth in him be interesting? How can one by his own nature is a liar and a murderer from the beginning be interesting to anyone? People who reject the truth, who reject the Word of God used to puzzle me. Well, Jesus has the answer: The one who is of God hears the Words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.
Jesus came to destroy the work of the devil:
Mat 13:36-43, “Then He left the crowds and went into the house. And His disciples came to Him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
And He said, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man, and the field is the world; and as for the good seed, these are the sons of the Kingdom; and the weeds are the sons of the evil one;
and the enemy who sowed them is the devil, and the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are angels. “So just as the weeds are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the world.
The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His Kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness, and they will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“Then THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH LIKE
THE SUN in the Kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears, let him hear.”
It is more appropriate to ask: Satan Vs God, or Devil Vs God. Versus means against. It is impossible that Jesus is against God.
IV. JESUS IS GOD AND SAVIOR
Col 2:2-3, “that their hearts may be encouraged, having been knit together in love, and that they would attain to all the wealth that comes from the full assurance of understanding, resulting in a true knowledge of God’s mystery, that is, Christ
Himself, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.”
Here the Holy Scripture says clearly that Christ is God’s mystery. I confess I do not have all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. But I believe in the World of God with all my heart and mind.
1Ti 3:16, Beyond question, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh,
Was vindicated in the Spirit,
Seen by angels,
Proclaimed among the nations,
Believed on in the world,
Taken up in glory.”
Jesus Christ is God’s mystery, great is the mystery of godliness. Jesus Christ is God who manifested in the flesh. No human mind can fully understand mystery, much less this great mystery. Although I have not seen Him and do not see Him now, yet I believe in Jesus Christ in my heart and soul.
Jhn 10:29-42, “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.
“I and the Father are ONE.”
The Jews picked up stones again to stone Him.
Jesus replied to them, “I showed you many good
works from the Father; for which of them are you stoning Me?” The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
Jesus answered them, “Has it not been written in your Law: ‘I SAID, YOU ARE GODS’?
“If he called them gods, to whom the Word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be nullified),
are you saying of Him whom the Father sanctified
and sent into the world, ‘You are blaspheming,’ because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’?
“If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do them, even though you do not believe Me, believe the works, so that you may know and understand that the Father is in Me, and I in the Father.”
Therefore they were seeking again to arrest Him, and He eluded their grasp. And He went away again
beyond the Jordan to the place where John was first baptizing, and He stayed there.
Many came to Him and were saying, “While John
performed no miracle, yet everything John said
about this Man was true. And many believed in Him there.”
First of all, the greatest theologian and the greatest Bible scholar cannot fully understand the Scriptures cited above. Godly mysteries are the greatest mysteries beyond human understanding.
2. It is wrong to presume the natural man can fully understand the Divine. Just as no mankind can fully understand a mystery.
3. God is Spirit, I accept and believe Him. Spirit is beyond science and philosophy. It is totally ignorant and stupid to assume mankind is capable to fully understand the spiritual and supernatural things.
Even Apostle Paul who had been to the third Heaven and had direct revelation from Jesus Christ says in the Scriptures, 1Co 13:9-12, ‘For we know in part and prophesy in part; but when the Perfect comes, the partial will be done away with. When I was a child, I used to speak like a child, think like a child, reason
like a child; when I became a man, I did away with
childish things. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face; now I know in part, but then I will know fully, just as I also have been fully known.”
I hold those who raised the question are really children. I could not and do not know myself fully, how can I know my God fully. It is wise to be contended with partial knowledge. Only Jesus Christ is the Perfect ONE; we must do away with childish things. It is not anti-intellectual to admit our ignorance and our knowledge in this world is partial.
4. Jesus and God are ONE. This is too deep and profound for me to understand. But at least it means
that “God is in Jesus, and Jesus is in the Father.” This truth is too wonderful for me, I cannot fully understand it.“ Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is too high, I cannot comprehend it.”
There is nothing wrong with the truth, there is something wrong with my understanding. “Therefore I have declared that which I did not understand, things too wonderful for me, which I do not know.”
Jhn 14:7-31, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; from now on you know Him, and have seen Him.” Philip said to Him, “Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you for so long a time, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? The one who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own, but the Father, as He remains in Me, does His works. “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise
believe because of the works themselves.
“Truly, truly I say to you, the one who believes in Me, the works that I do, he will do also; and greater
works than these he will do; because I am going to the Father. And whatever you ask in My name, this I will do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If you ask Me anything in My name, I will do it.
If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, so that He may be with you forever; the Helper is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot
receive, because it does not see Him or know Him; but you know Him because He remains with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you. After a little while, the world no
longer is going to see Me, but you are going to see Me; because I live, you also will live.
“On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I in you. The one who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and the one who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him.”
Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, what has happened that You are going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will follow My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him. “The one who does not love Me does not follow My Words; and the Word which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.
“These things I have spoken to you while remaining with you.
But the Helper, the Holy Spirit whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and remind you of all that I said to you.
Peace I leave you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled, nor fearful.
You heard that I said to you, ‘I am going away, and I am coming to you.’ If you loved Me, you would have rejoiced because I am going to the Father, for the Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it happens, so that when it happens, you may believe.
I will not speak much more with you, for the ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in regard to Me, but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me. Get up, let’s go from here.”
1. The Scriptures cited are things too wonderful for me to understand fully, but I truly believe with all heart that everything Jesus says is true.
2. I am no Philip. There are people today who think they are better than Philip. I only admit my ignorance.
3. Jesus says, “The one who has seen Me has seen the Father.” I am not like the early Apostles and disciples like Philip who had the privilege of seeing Jesus Christ with their own eyes personally.
The one who has seen Jesus has seen God. This truth is also too wonderful for me to understand, but I believe everything Jesus says is true. God is Spirit who is invisible. The one who has seen Jesus has seen God.
4. Jesus says, Mat 13:16-17, “But blessed are your eyes, because they see; and your ears, because they hear. For truly I say to you that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.”
Blessed were the eyes of Apostles and early disciples because they see; and their ears, because they heard that many prophets and righteous people longed to see what they saw, and did not see it, and to hear what Apostles and disciples heard, and did not hear it.
5. Peter, James and John were eyewitnesses of the majesty of Jesus Christ with power of His second coming on the Holy Mountain, in addition to daily seeing the appearance of Jesus.
6. 2Pe 1:16-19, “For we did not follow cleverly
devised tales when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For when He received honor and glory from God the Father, such a declaration as this was made to Him by the Majestic Glory: “This is My beloved Son with whom I am well pleased”— and we ourselves heard
this declaration made from Heaven when we were with Him on the Holy Mountain. And so we have the Prophetic Word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a Lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the Morning Star arises in your hearts.”
The Prophetic Word is like a Lamp shining in a dark place, and Jesus Christ dawns and arises in my heart is the Morning Star.
Jhn 10:33, “The Jews answered Him, “We are not stoning You for a good work, but for blasphemy; and because You, being a man, make Yourself out to be God.”
I agree with Oswald Chambers in saying, “One of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us when we learn that it is in the everyday things of life that we realize the magnificent deity of Jesus Christ.”
The divinity of Jesus Christ is one of the most amazing revelations of God comes to us through the Gospel.
I also agree with Charles Spurgeon who said, “Morality may keep you out of jail, but it takes the blood of Jesus Christ to keep you out of hell.”
Christians are redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
1Pe 1:18-21, “knowing that you were not redeemed
with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers,
but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished
and spotless, the blood of Christ. For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you who through Him are believers in God, who raised
Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”
Jesus Christ was completely righteous and sinless, the Son of God, the Savior of mankind who offered Himself as a sacrifice for sinners the ungodly, including His enemies, and who gave Himself as a ransom for all so that our faith would not rest on the wisdom of mankind, but on the grace and power of God.
1Co 10:6-12, “Now these things happened as examples for us, so that we would not crave evil things as they indeed craved them. Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “THE PEOPLE SAT DOWN TO EAT AND TO DRINK, AND ROSE UP TO PLAY.” Nor are we to commit sexual immorality, as some of them did, and twenty-three thousand fell in one day. Nor are we to put the Lord to the test, as some of them did, and were killed by the snakes. Nor grumble, as some of them did, and were killed by the destroyer. Now these things happened to them as an example, and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the ends of the ages have come. Therefore let the one who thinks he stands watch out that he does not fall.”
Jesus Christ in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. God manifested in the flesh as Jesus Christ.
Col 1:22-27, “yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death, in order to present you before Him holy and blameless and beyond
reproach–if indeed you continue in the faith firmly
established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the Gospel that you have heard, which was proclaimed in all creation under Heaven, and of which I, Paul, was made a minister. Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I do my share on behalf of His body, which is the Church, in filling up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions. Of this Church I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed on me for your benefit, so that I might fully carry out the preaching of the Word of God, that is, the mystery which has been hidden from the past ages and generations, but has now been manifested to His saints, to whom God willed to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.”
I agree with J. Oswald Sanders who said, “The deity of Christ is the key doctrine of the scriptures. Reject it, and the Bible becomes a jumble of words without any unifying theme. Accept it, and the Bible becomes an intelligible and ordered revelation of God in the person of Jesus Christ.”
Lord, I believe. The revelation of God is that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, my God and Savior. That is the central message of the Holy Bible.
I agree with Blaise Pascal who said, “Jesus is the God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair.”
Jesus Christ is our God and Savior that worse of sinners may come to Him, and no one needs to be in despair because He says, Jhn 6:37, “Everything that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I certainly will not cast out.”
Do you know Jesus Christ will not kick out the poorest, vilest, and the most wicked sinners if only you will come to Him as you are. Jesus Christ will never reject anyone who comes to Him.
I also agree with Alfred Lord Tennyson who said,
Remember, Apostles and early disciples all have seen and heard what Jesus said and did. Christians today believe where we cannot prove.
I know Jesus Christ is alive for evermore because He lives in me. My Redeemer lives for ever, and I will live.
Desmond Tutu was right in saying, “The final and full revelation of God is not a book, it is a person. Jesus Christ.”
The final and full revelations of God are in the person of Jesus Christ.
I do not know who Dieter F. Uchtdorf was but I agree with what he said, “The one help we all need is given to us freely through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. Having faith in Jesus Christ and in His Atonement means relying completely on Him-trusting in His infinite power, intelligence, and love.”
I completely support Charles Spurgeon who said,
The work of salvation is supernatural and can be done only by the Savior who is Christ the Lord. Jesus Christ is able to save the worst of sinners to the end.
Apparently no one outside the Bible knows more about the righteousness of God than Martin Luther who said,
Rom 3:21-26, “But now apart from the Law the
righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, but it is the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus
Christ for all those who believe; for there is no
distinction, for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness, because in God’s merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed go unpunished; for the demonstration, that is, of His righteousness
at the present time, so that He would be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
The one thing that unconditionally links sinners to the righteousness of God is faith in Jesus Christ.
George Whitefield preached the Gospel truth in saying,
Blaise Pascal was right in saying, “Not only do we know God through Jesus Christ, we only know ourselves through Jesus Christ.”
Mar 14:72, “And immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had made the remark to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he hurried on and began to weep.”
Luk 5:8, “When Simon Peter saw it, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, saying, Depart from me; for I am a sinful man, O Lord.”
When Peter saw what Jesus did, he fell down at Jesus’ knees, realizing he was a sinful man.
When anyone comes to contact with Jesus, he will realize he is a sinful man.
Apostle Paul said, Phl 3:7-8, “But whatever things
were gain to me, these things I have counted as loss because of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value
of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ.”
No one has known Jesus Christ too much, we often come short of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. Clearly, the more you suffer for the Lord, the more you know Him.
I agree with Johann Wolfgang von Goether who said,
“If ever the Divine appeared on earth, it was in the person of Christ.”
To believe in Christianity is not to believe in a formula. Christianity is the person of Jesus Christ. Christianity is to have personal relationship with Jesus Christ.
Jesus and God are ONE. I bow and worship Jesus.
No, Jesus Christ did not die like God. For God cannot die. Jesus Christ died like the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.
I do not know who Charles Stanley was, but he nicely summarizes the Holy Bible, “From Genesis to Revelation, here’s the central message: God Almighty, the Lord Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God, the Triune God is in control of all things, period.”
V. VARIOUS PEOPLE WORSHIPPED JESUS
1. The wise men from the East worshipped Jesus.
Mat 2:11, “And they came into the house and saw the young child with Mary his mother; and they fell down and worshipped Him; and opening their treasures they offered unto Him gifts, gold and frankincense and myrrh.”
The wise men from the East worshipped Jesus and offered to Him gifts. You can come to worship Jesus without offering any gifts, but with all your heart.
2. A leper worshipped Jesus and be cleansed.
Mat 8:2-3, “And a man with leprosy came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Jesus reached out with His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
3. A synagogue official worshipped Jesus and his daughter became alive again.
Mat 9:18, “While He was saying these things to them, behold, a synagogue official came and bowed down
before Him, and said, “My daughter has just died; but come and lay Your hand on her, and she will become
alive again.”
Mat 9:25, “But when the crowd had been sent out, He entered and took her by the hand, and the girl got
up.”
4. The disciples saw Jesus walking on the sea and worshipped Him.
Mat 14:22-33, “Immediately afterward He compelled
the disciples to get into the boat and to go ahead of Him to the other side, while He sent the crowds away.
After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone. But the boat was already a long distance from the land, battered by the waves; for the wind was contrary. And in the fourth watch of the night He came to them, walking on the sea. When the disciples saw Him walking on the sea, they were terrified, and said, “It is a ghost!” And they cried out in fear. But immediately Jesus spoke to them, saying, “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Peter responded and said to Him, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.”
And He said, “Come!” And Peter got out of the boat
and walked on the water, and came toward Jesus.
But seeing the wind, he became frightened, and when he began to sink, he cried out, saying, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus reached out with His hand and took hold of him, and said to him, “You of little faith, why did you doubt?” When they got into the boat, the wind stopped. And those who were in the boat worshiped Him, saying, “You are truly God’s Son!”
It must be God’s Son, even the wind and wave obeyed Him who walked on the sea.
5. A Canaanite woman whose daughter severely demon-possessed worshipped Jesus and her daughter was healed at once.
Mat 15:22-28, “And a Canaanite woman from that region came out and began to cry out, saying, “Have mercy on me, Lord, Son of David; my daughter is severely demon-possessed.”
But He did not answer her with even a word. And His disciples came up and urged Him, saying, “Send her away, because she keeps shouting at us!”
But He answered and said, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of the House of Israel.”
But she came and began to bow down before Him, saying, “Lord, help me!”
Yet He answered and said, “It is not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.”
And she said, “Yes, Lord; but please help, for even the dogs feed on the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.” Then Jesus said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; it shall be done for you as you desire.” And her daughter was healed at once.”
6. The holy women when Jesus was risen from the dead worshipped Him.
Mat 28:1-9, “Now after the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the tomb. And behold, a severe earthquake had occurred, for an angel of the Lord descended from Heaven and came and rolled away the stone, and sat upon it.
And his appearance was like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow. The guards shook from fear of him and became like dead men. And the
angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has rise from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” And they left the tomb quickly with fear
and great joy, and ran to report to His disciples. And behold, Jesus met them and said, “Rejoice!” And they came up and took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him.”
The right position of disciples is at the feet of Jesus.
7. During the Great Commission the eleven disciples saw and worshipped Jesus.
Mat 28:16-20, “But the eleven disciples proceeded to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated to them. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some were doubtful. And Jesus came up
and spoke to them, saying, “All authority in Heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to follow all that I commanded you; and behold, I AM with you always, to the end of the world.”
The end of the world is near, and Jesus is coming again soon.
8. An unclean spirit from the tombs worshipped Jesus.
Mar 5:2-6, “When He got out of the boat, immediately a man from the tombs with an unclean spirit met Him. He lived among the tombs; and no one was able to bind him anymore, not even with a chain, because he had often been bound with shackles and chains, and the chains had been torn apart by him and the shackles broken in pieces; and no one was strong enough to subdue him.
Constantly, night and day, he was screaming among
the tombs and in the mountains, and cutting himself
with stones. Seeing Jesus from a distance, he ran up and bowed down before Him.”
9. During the Ascension the disciples worshipped Jesus.
Luk 24:50-53, “And He led them out as far as Bethany, and He lifted up His hands and blessed them.
While He was blessing them, He parted from them and was carried up into Heaven. And they, after worshiping Him, returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and were continually in the temple praising God.”
10. The man born blind was cured and he worshipped Jesus.
Jhn 9:1-38, “As Jesus passed by, He saw a man who had been blind from birth. And His disciples asked Him, “Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he would be born blind?” Jesus answered, “It was neither that this man sinned, nor his parents; but it was so that the works of God might be displayed in him. “We must carry out the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. “While I am in the world, I AM the Light of the world.” When He had said this, He spit on the ground, and made mud from the saliva, and applied the mud to his eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which is translated, Sent). So he left and washed, and came back seeing.
So the neighbors, and those who previously saw him as a beggar, were saying, “Is this not the one who used to sit and beg?” Others were saying, “This is he,” still others were saying, “No, but he is like him.” The man himself kept saying, “I am the one.” So they were saying to him, “How then were your eyes opened?” He answered, “The Man who is called Jesus made mud, and spread it on my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to Siloam and wash’; so I went away and washed, and I received sight.” And they said to him, “Where is He?” He said, “I do not know.” They brought the man who was previously blind to the Pharisees. Now it was a Sabbath on the day that Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also were asking him again how he received his sight. And he said to them, “He applied mud to my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Therefore some of the Pharisees were saying, “This man is not from God, because He does not keep the Sabbath.” But others were saying, “How can a man who is a sinner perform such miracles?” And there was dissension among them. So they said again to the man who was blind, “What do you say about Him, since He opened your eyes?” And he said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews then did not believe it about him, that he had been blind and had received sight, until they called the parents of the very one who had received his sight, and they questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? Then how does he now see?” His parents then answered and said, “We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees, we do not know; or who opened his eyes, we do not know. Ask him; he is of age, he will speak for himself.” His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already reached the decision that if anyone confessed Him to be Christ, he was to be excommunicated from the synagogue. It was for this reason that his parents said, “He is of age; ask him.” So for a second time they summoned the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God; we know that this man is a sinner.” He then answered, “Whether He is a sinner, I do not know; one thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.” So they said to him, “What did He do to you? How did He open your eyes?” He answered them, “I told you already and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? You do not want to become His disciples too, do you?” They spoke abusively to him and said, “You are His disciple, but we are disciples of Moses.
“We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where He is from.”
The man answered and said to them, “Well, here is the amazing thing, that you do not know where He is from, and yet He opened my eyes! “We know that God does not listen to sinners; but if someone is God-fearing and does His will, He listens to him.
Since the beginning of time it has never been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, He could do
nothing.” They answered him, “You were born entirely in sins, and yet you are teaching us?” So they put him out. Jesus heard that they had put him out, and upon finding him, He said, “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” He answered by saying, “And who is He, Sir, that I may believe in Him?” Jesus said to him, “You have both seen Him, and He is the one who is talking with you.” And he said, “I believe, Lord.” And he worshiped Him.”
It is my hope you do not assume mud with saliva can cure a man born blind. It is my hope like the man born blind, you will worship Jesus, too.
11. All the angels of God worship Jesus.
Heb 1:6, “And when He again brings the Firstborn
into the world, He says, “AND LET ALL THE ANGELS OF GOD WORSHIP HIM.”
All the angels obey and worship Jesus Christ.
12. The four living creatures worship Jesus.
Rev 4:8-11, “And the four living creatures, each one of them having six wings, are full of eyes around and within; and day and night they do not cease to say,
“HOLY, HOLY, HOLY IS THE LORD GOD, THE ALMIGHTY,
who was and who is and who is to come.”
And when the living creatures give glory, honor, and thanks to Him who sits on the throne, to Him who lives forever and ever, the twenty-four elders will fall down before Him who sits on the throne, and they will worship Him who lives forever and ever, and will cast their crowns before the throne, saying,
“Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created.”
Western leaders are in mortal danger because they seek glory and honor and power in the world. Only the Lord Jesus is worthy to receive glory and honor and power.
13. The twenty-four elders worship Jesus.
Rev 5:8, “When He had taken the scroll, the four
living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell
down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.”
Rev 11:16, “And the twenty-four elders, who sit on their thrones before God, fell on their faces and worshiped God.”
Rev 19:4, “And the twenty-four elders and the four
living creatures fell down and worshiped God who
sits on the throne, saying, “Amen. Hallelujah!”
Some people got the wrong idea that it is profitable to worship God. This is the highest form of worship,
“Though He slay me, yet will I trust Him.
Even so, I will defend my own ways before Him.”
This is the wonder of faith.
God might kill me, yet I will trust Him.
God does not kill His children.
Remember what God said to Abraham, Gen 22:12,
“And He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against
the boy, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only one, from Me.”
NOTE:
If I meet Abraham, I shall salute him. If I meet Moses, I shall salute him. If I meet Elijah, I shall salute him. If I meet Daniel, I shall salute him too. If I meet Ruth, I shall kiss her hand.
If I meet John the Baptist, I shall shake his hand. If I meet Apostle Paul, I shall shake his hand. If I meet Apostle John, I shall shake his hand. If I meet Stephen, I shall shake his hand too. If I meet Mary of Bethany, I shall kiss her hand. If I meet Mary Magdalene, I shall kiss her hand.
Come and think about it, it is worthy and worthwhile for me to shake hands with everyone in the Kingdom of God. The people I want to salute or shake hands are too many to list them.
I want especially to meet the archangels Gabriel and Michael. In fact I shall be glad to meet all angels.
If I meet Martin Luther, I shall shake his hand. If I meet John Bunyan, I shall shake his hand, too.
Whenever and wherever, I see Jesus Christ, my God and Savior, I shall bow down, kneel down, and worship my Lord.
I agree with Charles Spurgeon who said, “Depend on it, my hearer, you never will go to heaven unless you are prepared to worship Jesus Christ as God.”
I do not know who John Stott was, but I agree with what he said, “Nobody can call himself a Christian who does not worship Jesus.”
I want everyone to know that I worship Jesus Christ my God and Savior.
VI. FOLLOWING JESUS
Someone was so mixed up in saying, until one deliberately signing away one’s own right and becoming a bondservant of Jesus Christ, one will not begin to be a saint.
In fact, no matter what you do, a sinner cannot begin to be a saint.
To be a saint you first of all,
Jhn 10:27-28, “My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand.”
To be a saint you need first to become a Christian.
Act 26:18, “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who have been
sanctified by faith in Me.”
1Co 1:2, “To the church of God which is in Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus,
saints by calling, with all who in every place call on
the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours.”
Once you have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, now you are saints, not until you are dead. There are living saints right now in the world.
1Co 6:11, “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”
Heb 10:9-10, “then He said, “BEHOLD, I HAVE COME
TO DO YOUR WILL.” He takes away the first in order
to establish the second. By this will, we have been
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus
Christ once for all time.”
By offering the body of Jesus Christ, believers are sanctified through the precious blood of Jesus and made saints once for all time.
Heb 10:14-18, “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.
And the Holy Spirit also testifies to us; for after
saying, “THIS IS THE COVENANT WHICH I WILL MAKE WITH THEM AFTER THOSE DAYS, DECLARES
THE LORD:
I WILL PUT MY LAWS UPON THEIR HEARTS, AND WRITE THEM ON THEIR MIND, AND THEIR SINS AND THEIR LAWLESS DEEDS I WILL NO LONGER
REMEMBER.” Now where there is forgiveness of these things, an offering for sin is no longer required.”
1Pe 1:2, “according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, by the sanctifying work of the Spirit, to obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood: May grace and peace be multiplied to you.”
It is the work of the Holy Spirit to sanctify all believers who obey Jesus Christ and be sprinkled with His blood,
Following Jesus means obeying Jesus.
1Ti 4:4-7, “For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the Word of God and prayer. In pointing out these things to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the Words of the faith and of the good doctrine which you have been following. But stay away from worthless
stories that are typical of old women. Rather,
discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness.”
Following Jesus is fulfilling discipleship.
Jesus says of the requirements of being disciples:
Mat 10:37-39, “The one who loves father or mother
more than Me is not worthy of Me; and the one who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And the one who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. The one who has found his life will lose it, and the one who has lost his life on My account will find it.”
To be a disciple of Jesus you must love Jesus above all and take up your cross and follow Jesus.
Mat 16:24, “Then Jesus said to His disciples,
“If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me.”
To follow Jesus means to deny oneself.
Luk 11:28, “But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the Word of God and follow it.”
Jhn 14:23, “Jesus answered and said to him,
“If anyone loves Me, he will follow My Word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him.”
Luk 9:62, “But Jesus said to him, “No one, after putting his hand to the plow and looking back, is fit for the Kingdom of God.”
To follow Jesus there is no looking back.
Rom 8:18, “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with
the glory that is to be revealed to us.”
I think no one had suffered more for Jesus Christ than Apostle Paul. Paul said the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
Heb 11:38, “(people of whom the world was not
worthy), wandering in deserts, on mountains, and sheltering in caves and holes in the ground.”
In history, many suffering saints of whom the world was not worthy, wandering in deserts, on mountain, and sheltering in caves and holes in the ground.
It was David Livingston who said, “All that I am I owe to Jesus Christ, revealed to me in His divine Book.”
Without Jesus Christ I am nothing, without God and without hope. Jesus Christ is everything to me.
Queen Victoria was very wrong in saying, “That Book, the Bible, accounts for the supremacy of England. England has become great & happy by the knowledge of the true God through Jesus Christ.”
No, the Bible does not account for the supremacy of England. The British empire was built by brutal force, military power, killing and robbing of its vast colonies. There is no denying that the King James Bible had a great influence on England. But in the last 500 hundred years or more England had discredited Christianity and dishonored the Lord Jesus. The infamous Opium Wars were one of the historical evidence. England should lead in returning all the national treasures looted and robbed from China and starts paying compensations and reparations to its former victims. By the way UK should inform its former colony India that the British empire wanted to make its colony India look bigger by taking large areas of China incorporated into the Indian Map. This will put an end to India-China border conflict. Europe and America have practiced a false version of Christianity for a long time. Europe and America must repent or perish.
I do not know who Richard Stearns was, but I agree with what he said: “If I have learned anything about the purpose, meaning, and significance of life over the years, I have learned that, for a Christian, it is not found in any job, even a job like mine. It is not found in any human relationship, no matter how important. Nor is it found in any accomplishment, no matter how significant. Meaning, purpose, and significance are found only by aligning our lives with God’s purposes in lives committed to following Jesus Christ.”
Someone was so wrong about Jesus Christ in saying, “If it is true that if you believe in something, you manifest it, there are many Jesus Christs in the universe, because there are many different cultural interpretations of Jesus.”
Absolutely false! Black culture does not make a Black Jesus. White culture does not make a White Jesus. Yellow culture does not make a Yellow Jesus. Red culture does not make a Red Jesus. Jesus is not what you make out of Him; Jesus is always what He is. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, our God and Savior.
Mar 9:8, “And suddenly they looked around and saw no one with them anymore, except Jesus alone.
Mar 10:18, “But Jesus said to him, “Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone.”
Jhn 14:6, “Jesus said to him, “I AM the Way, and the Truth, and the Life; no one comes to the Father
except through Me.”
1Co 12:3, “Therefore I make known to you that no
one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.”
Mat 10:24, “A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a slave above his master.”
Jhn 13:16, “Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent
greater than the one who sent him.”
“No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, because all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.”
Jhn 15:20, “Remember the Word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.‘ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they followed My word, they will follow yours also.”
2Ti 2:21, “Therefore, if anyone cleanses himself from these things, he will be an implement for honor, sanctified, useful to the Master, prepared for every good work.”
Not a few people become Christians because of the benefits to them, true Christians are sanctified and useful to the Master.
In following Jesus Christ, ask yourself a question, Am I useful to the Master?
Someone was so wrong to say, “Of course we’re Christian. The very name of the church declares that.“
No one becomes a Christian because he/she joins or belongs to a church. Just like many Americans think they are Christians because they are white.
What is the Church? The body of Christ.
Eph 3:6, “to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the Body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”
Jesus says, Jhn 10:14-16, “I AM the Good Shepherd, and I know My own, and My own know Me,
just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And I have other
sheep that are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will listen to My voice; and they will become
one flock, with one Shepherd.”
Jewish and Gentile Christians will become one flock, with Jesus Christ being the Great Shepherd.
Jhn 10:25-30, “Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe; the works that I do in My Father’s name, these testify of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep. My sheep listen to My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give them eternal life, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. I and the Father are ONE.”
J .C. Ryle brilliantly sums up what is the meaning of following Christ, “Let us serve Him faithfully as our Master. Let us obey Him loyally as our King. Let us study His teachings as our Prophet. Let us work diligently after Him as our Example. Let us look anxiously for Him as our coming redeemer of body as well as soul. But above all let us prize Him as our Sacrifice, and rest our whole weight on His death as atonement for sin. Let His blood be more precious in our eyes every year we live. Whatever else we glory in about Christ, let us glory above all things in His cross.“
I can only say, Amen. Amen. And Amen.
I can also say the same prayer with George Washington:
I wish there is one American leader or politician today like George Washington. Too bad there is not one.
John Bunyan said something to remind Christians:
Although I do not know Paul Washer, but I think he said something interesting and true, “If following
Jesus Christ doesn’t cost you anything, it’s because you’ve bought into ‘American Christianity.’“
America and Europe have practiced false Christianity for a long long time.
J. C. Ryle had a point which is much needed today,
Something is wrong with the church if it becomes popular. Something is wrong with the preacher if he becomes popular. Something is wrong with a Christian who is popular in the world.
IN CONCLUSION
You have learned to say or question Jesus Vs God is all wrong. Jesus Christ is never against God. It is the devil or Satan who is against God. Jesus Christ is the Son of God whom the Father sent down from Heaven to come to the world to save sinners. Jesus died for the ungodly, Jesus died on the cross for you and me, a redemption by His blood so that all who have faith in Him might have the forgiveness of sins, and to receive the eternal life and inherit the Kingdom of God.
This is the day of salvation, do not miss the opportunity. You can repent of your sins and now believe in Jesus Christ as your God and Savior. Tomorrow may be too late, you can do it now.
COME NOW AND ACCEPT THE SAVIOR.
To receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior is to receive the eternal life.
Willie Wong Thought
Willie Wong
August 11, 2025
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