The Lord's Christ/the Christ of God

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen The Lord's Christ.Luke 2:26

He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter answered and said, "The Christ of God." Luke 9:20

These two slightly different titles are actually one in the same. Jesus is the Lord's Christ/the Christ of God. Many Christians like to think that Jesus belongs to them. He came to save them; He died on the cross for them and God gave His Son as a gift to them. No one can take that present away from them. He is their personal Savior.

Although these statements may be true, the direction that this line of thinking is going is also missing a major truth. Jesus was the Lord's Christ and He was under orders of the Godhead to save Adam's sinful race. The Savior saves sinners, because its in His job description; it is not because people are worthy of salvation or deserving of God's grace; they're not.

Redemption, justification, and sanctification are all God-things and it's Jesus who does it, because He is the Christ of God. Christ is the God-Man but it is not His humanity that saves mankind, it's His deity.

Simeon was a devout and righteous man who waited for the "Consolation of Israel." His faith and faithfulness set Him apart for the thousands of other Temple goers around him, so God gave him a special promise; he was to see the Lord's Christ. When baby Jesus was eight days old, God directed the old man to the newborn, and Simeon held God's Messiah in his hands.

One time the Lord Jesus was alone with His disciples and He asked them who they thought He was. Peter answered without hesitation; the Christ of God.

Every man, woman, and child must search out for themselves who Jesus is. The right answer leads to eternal life. The wrong answers mean hell.

Prophet from Nazareth

So the multitudes said, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee." 
Matthew 21:11

Never had a title so much irony. It would have been funny, if it wasn't so sad. The setting of this verse was at Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Thousands were cheering, others shouting "Hosanna" (literally, "save now"). People were cutting down palm branches or throwing down articles of clothing so the donkey He rode on could touch them and they could walk away with a souvenir. It was a very big deal.

Some in the group were late arrivers and didn't know what was going on so they asked "Who is this?" (Matthew 21:10).

"This is Jesus , the prophet from Nazareth," they replied. At this point in His career, everyone had heard about Jesus of Nazareth. Before Jesus was famous, everyone looked down on the insignificant town in the rural hill country of Galilee. Now, He put the obscure, northeastern outpost on everyone's map. He was the healer, the preacher, the feeder of thousands. He should have made his hometown folks all proud.

Yet, Jesus' neighbors and boyhood companions had rejected Him and even tried to kill Him, because He wouldn't perform miracles for them (Luke 4:21-30). Christ was acknowledged as a prophet everywhere, except with those who grew up with Him.

When Nathaniel (i.e. Bartholomew) was first told of Jesus of Nazareth, his first reaction was "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). When he finally did come and see the Savior, he was changed by Him. He was ready to leave everything he had to follow this prophet from Nazareth.

Light of the World

Then Jesus spoke to them again, saying, "I am the light of the world. He who follows Me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life."
John 8:12

On the first day of creation, God (Elohim) said "'Let there be light'; and there was light” (Genesis 1:3). Before God invented it, light didn't exist. After He made it, God's bright creation was obvious to anyone with eyes. Actually, He also had to create eyes and the brain software that converts light into images, so that others could enjoy what He made.

When Christ came into the world, God began a whole new act of creation. The Savior offered a wonderful, new upgrade for the human race to change people into sons and daughters of God. The best part of it was that it cost them nothing at all. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The difference between the new and old person is as clear as night and day (or light and darkness). However, not everyone can see the difference because eyes of faith are necessary to see it. To transformed people, Jesus is the Light of the World. Those who are unchanged are blind as bats. They actually see enough to know they want to get away from His presence.

Most creatures of the night try to flee or hide from light. Cockroaches, mice, and sinners don't want to be seen. Actually, the first two run away because they don't want to be eaten by another animal. The last group are ashamed of thier deeds.

Jesus not only reveals what people do at their darkest moments, He shows them who they are. The majority of sinners don't want to see that they have fallen short of the glory of God, so they close their eyes to the light. But as many as receive Him become sons and daughters of light, because He is the Light of the World. 

Light to the Gentiles

"I, the Lord, have called You in righteousness, and will hold Your hand; I will keep You and give You as a covenant to the people, as a light to the Gentiles”
Isaiah 42:6*

God promised Israel that He would send His Anointed to them. Many details were given about the Messiah, so God's people knew what to expect. Born of a virgin, He would be Immanuel, "God with us" who would reign forever on the throne of David in Jerusalem. One additional fact was repeated a number of times; He would be a Light to the Gentiles.

Hundreds of years went by without the prophesies being fulfilled. Many of the Jewish people gave up waiting and re-explained the scriptures to mean other things., Gentile nations occupied and controlled Jerusalem without allowing a descendant of David to reign there. The prophesy seemed impossible to fulfill.

However, one curious bit of ancient history was playing out that no one expected. Ptolemy I, a general under Alexander the Great, ruled North Africa and commanded a Great Library be built in Alexandria, Egypt. He wanted a Greek translation of every book that existed in the world. Seventy Hebrew scholars translated the Old Testament. It was called the "Septuagint" which means "seventy". After that, this translation made its way into every synagogue of the Ancient Greek-speaking world.

Curious Gentiles read the prophesies of the Jewish Messiah, but the word that was used in Greek was "Christos" or "the Christ." Educated Greeks knew that this Christ was to come and huge numbers responded when they heard the message of the gospel, recognizing that Jesus of Nazareth was the promised one of God.

Paul and Barnabas saw this supernatural response of the Gentiles and paraphrased Isaiah's prophesy when they preached in Antioch of Psidia: "For so the Lord has commanded us: ‘I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, that you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.’”(Acts 13:47).

The Jewish people had rejected their Messiah as king, so He'll come at a later time to reign. The part of the prophesy that has been clearly demonstrated already was that the Lord's Anointed became a Light to the Gentiles.

*Isaiah 9:1-2; 49:6; Luke 2:32, Acts 26:23.

True Light

That was the true Light which gives light to every man coming into the world.
John 1:9

If there is true light, there must also be false light. What is that like?

False light is light that is used to deceive. It is found in optical illusions and the tricks magicians do with smoke and mirrors. However, perhaps the greatest false light comes from the flash and sparkle of Hollywood.

Hundreds of thousands of young people have been attracted by the allure of their name in lights on a theater marquee. Being in the spotlight and having name recognition seem so desirable and important that they sacrifice everything to attain it. The sad thing is that few even do get it, and even sadder is that most who acquire the fame are unsatisfied by it.

Recently I googled "actors that committed suicide" and found a list of 227 men and 145 women who ended their own lives in despair. The sheer numbers of "successful" entertainers that had nothing to live for speaks volumes to the fatal attraction of false light.

Contrast all this to Jesus Christ, the True Light who gives light to everyone in this world. That light reveals truth - the good, the bad, and the ugly. That's a problem, because people prefer delusion over inconvenient truths. Men and women love darkness rather than light, because their deeds are evil (John 3:19). They don't want to hear about sin, righteousness, or judgment and would rather that the god of this age blind them to the "light of the gospel of the glory of Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:4).

If a candle and a 100 watt light bulb are both burning 10 feet from each other, the candle casts the shadow. Although the world seems to glitter and glow, people need to get out of the shadows and into the True Light.

Fearful in Praises

"Who is like You, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like You, glorious in holiness, Fearful in praises, doing wonders?
Exodus 15:11

The scene of the parting of the Red Sea in Ceal B. DeMille's epic film The Ten Commandments is one of the most famous and memorable special effects shots of classic cinematography. However, standing on the beach with the children of Israel 3,500 years ago would have been so much more impressive.

The emotional swing from the terror of fleeing from a huge Egyptian army to the elation of seeing all ones enemies totally destroyed would have been intense. Being eye witnesses of God's awesome power invoked a sense of gratitude that was spontaneously released in song: "I will sing to the LORD, For He has triumphed gloriously! The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea!” (Exodus 15:1). There must have been great joy, but also a little timidity in their voices while singing to the One who is Fearful in Praises.

If God's triumph over Egypt was awe inspiring, Christ's victory over sin, death, and hell at the cross of Calvary was even more so. Satan and his demon army were defeated forever and they never saw it coming. The awesomeness of this victory makes Christians of all centuries want to sing: 

                           When He rolls up His sleeves
                          He ain't just putting on the Ritz
                          (Our God is an awesome God)
                          There's thunder in His footsteps
                          And lightning in His fists
                         (Our God is an awesome God)
                          And the Lord wasn't joking when He kicked 'em out of Eden
                          It wasn't for no reason that He shed His blood
                          His return is very close and so you better be believing that
                          Our God is ...“Fearful in Praises”

                                                 adapted from Rich Mullings (1955-1997)

Righteous Servant

He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.
Isaiah 53:11

The Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 is perhaps the clearest description of the Messiah found in the Old Testament scripture. Here, the Man of Sorrows is clearly portrayed as Rejected by men and as the Lamb led to slaughter. The prophesy says He made His grave with the wicked (the thieves crucified with Jesus) and with the rich at His death (Christ was buried in a wealthy man's tomb). Finally, it is noted that God was well pleased with the job done by His anointed.

The detail that appears in this verse that is not found anywhere else in the Bible is that Christ was God's Righteous Servant. Typical adjectives that describe a servant might be loyal, trustworthy, faithful, or hardworking. The term righteous doesn't seem to be appropriate for domestic help and might appear more fitting for someone higher up on the career food chain than a mere servant.

The important point to remember with this title is the Savior was God's servant, not man's. Righteousness is a divine quality and part of this servant's job description. God's Righteous Servant came to this world to justify many and bear their iniquities. For this to happen, the Son of God had to be holy, sinless, and blameless. Without doubt He was righteous.

A servant's job is to do the will of his master. In this case it meant being cursed, rejected, tortured, and killed. The skills required for the task involved blessing the tormentors, rejoicing in suffering, loving the unlovable, and dying in triumph. Anyone less than a Righteous Servant would have failed at the task.

Rod

There shall come forth a Rod from the stem of Jesse, And a Branch shall grow out of his roots.
Isaiah 11:1

What is a rod anyway? A rod is a useful stick that comes in many sizes and styles.

Shepherds rod - A 2-4 ft. stick used as a club to protect sheep from predators	In Psalm 23 the sheep took comfort in the Shepherd's rod Believers can rest in the Savior's protection.
Lightning rod - A metal rod on a tall building that diverts lightening harmlessly to the ground	The wrath of God that was meant for rebellious sinners fell on Christ, saving believers (1 Thessalonians 5:9)
Curtain rod - Held up the Veil of the Temple in Jerusalem	The moment Christ died on the cross an earthquake broke the rod and ripped the veil from the top to the bottom
Axle rod - Keeps the wheels turning and the vehicle moving forward	Christ is the axle and Christians are the wheels. As long as He is in the center the ride is smooth
Fishing rod - A long pole with a line for catching fish	When the Lord called His disciples, He made them fishers of men (Matthew 4:19)
Leveling rod - A surveying instrument used to measure distances in elevation	The Lord Jesus raises up a repentant sinner from the dust of the earth to seat them with Him in the heavenly places (Ephesians 2:6)
Rod of correction - A switch or "spanking stick"	Proverbs 13:24 says, "He who spares his rod hates his son." The new testament says, "For whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives" (Hebrews 12:6).

Thank you Lord Jesus for being such a versatile Rod!

Intercessor

He saw that there was no man, And wondered that there was no intercessor; Therefore His own arm brought salvation for Him; And His own righteousness, it sustained Him.
Isaiah 59:16

Isaiah chapter 59 starts off sad and then ends with great promises for God’s people. The sins of the people had separated Judah from their God and no one was calling out for help. The Lord God saw that there was no justice and no one to act as an intercessor for them. That’s when God promises to do that Himself.

The prophesy began to fulfill itself during Christ’s earthly ministry, but His full role of Intercessor is happening now as the Savior pleads for His followers. “Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them” (Hebrews 7:25).

If the Lord didn’t hold back when He suffered and died to save the human race, He will certainly do other things for us that don’t hurt (Romans 8:32).  The Apostle Paul asks the question, “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us” (Romans 8:34).

What kind of things does Jesus bring before the Father? Christ intercedes on an individual level for each believer, every time they fall short of the glory of God. God the Father talks with the Son about the believer’s secret sins, trust issues, lack of spiritual growth and the use or misuse of spiritual gifts. I’m not sure about everything they discuss, but consequences, discipline and how better each saint can be conformed to the Son must also be on the list.

If I were perfect, I wouldn’t need an Intercessor. But since I’m not, I’m grateful that the Lord Jesus is always there for me. 

King over All the Earth

For the LORD Most High is awesome; He is a great King over all the earth.

Psalm 47:2

Scary! That's what it felt like to grow up in the early 1960's. The Cold War was at it's height; the media focused on nuclear annihilation, and Communism seemed to be an unstoppable force. Cuba exported revolution to every country in South America and Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev vowed to take over the world.

That, of course never happened and sometime in the early 1990's the Soviet Union quietly dried up and blew away. Today, there are whispers about the Illuminati clandestinely taking over the planet and radical Islam would also like to take a stab at world domination. Just like emperors and despots of the past there is no end of candidates who want to attain the status of king over all the Earth.

The book of Revelation does foresee that this New World Order is coming, but it won't be the utopia that many people are hoping for. A terrible and cruel world leader that the Bible labels as "the Beast" will control the wealth and souls of the planet and witness the death of 3/4ths of the human population in a seven year period.

All opposition to the Beast will be crushed and world religions extinguished, because the Antichrist will become king over all the earth. The good news to this is that the demise of this evil world leader is just as sure as his ascension to power. When all human resistance is gone, and hopelessness grows to record proportions, the Lord of Hosts will descend from heaven with a huge army of warrior angels to defeat forever the Beast.

The real New World Order will begin. King Jesus will reign in Jerusalem and all creation will acknowledge Him as King over All the Earth.

Branch of Righteousness

"Behold, the days are coming," says the LORD, " That I will raise to David a Branch of righteousness; A King shall reign and prosper, And execute judgment and righteousness in the earth.”
Jeremiah 23:5

Branches are supposed to produce fruit, but crab apples are a big disappointment for someone longing for a Red Delicious. However, horticulture has solved this problem with various grafting techniques. Hearty crab apple root stock is used to support various branches from commercial apple varieties that by themselves don't flourish well in certain environments. The top and bottom of the tree have different DNA, but the quality of fruit is what people care about. 

David was a man after God's own heart who did His will (1 Samuel 13:14), so God promised that the Messiah would come through him. Yet, most of the descendants that came from the "root of David" missed the mark concerning holiness. Even David who wrote beautiful psalms of praise to God, tuned out to be a murderer, deceiver, and adulterer.

The anointed of the Lord not only had to be a descendant of David but a Branch of Righteousness that would bring back holiness to the Davidic dynasty. Since Mary, the mother of Christ, was of David's bloodline, connection with the root was established. Being conceived of the Holy Spirit without a human father, the Righteous branch was grafted into the character of the Savior. All the promises given to both the Jewish people and to the Christian church have certainly been fulfilled.  The Lord Jesus is not only David's kin, He is God's Branch of Righteousness.

Physician

When Jesus heard it, He said to them, "Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance."
Mark 2:17*

Cancer, heart disease, and aging are as much a part of the human condition as are sin, suffering, and self-destruction. That certainly wasn't the case for God's original plan for creation, but sin and sickness escalated through the years causing the misery index to soar. Life expectancy dropped from over 900 years before the flood to somewhere between 30-40 years during the first century. It is no wonder that when the Sun of Righteousness finally arose over planet Earth that He had "healing in His wings" (Malachi 4:2). The Lord Jesus was moved with compassion and healed multitudes.

Christ was able to do things that modern medicine can't come close to achieving. Lepers were instantly healed with a touch and high fever disappeared at His command. Muscles that had wasted away through atrophy in the body of paralytics were immediately restored. Even the dead came back to life. Such healings were proof that Christ was the Son of God and had power over the consequences of sin.

Although not officially in scripture, for centuries His people have referred to Him as the "Great Physician." The Lord still heals through answered prayer and it's always exciting to see the modern medical profession hard pressed to give an answer for an unexplained recovery of a terminal patient.

However, this sin cursed world continues to be in rebellion against its Creator and previously unknown diseases seem to appear every year. Sickness and death are the direct result of the human sin nature and the main objective of Christ is and has always been to bring sinners to repentance. His death on the cross enables each believer to have eternal life and dwell forever with Him free from disease and disability. He is both the Christian's Savior and Physician.

*also see Matthew 9:12; Luke 4:23, 5:31-32

Higher than the Heavens

For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens;
Hebrews 7:26

Astronomy as a science has greatly developed since the time the New Testament was written. Back then, nothing was known about galaxies quasars, and black holes, so everything as based on what could be seen with the unaided eye.

First century conventional wisdom divided all that is celestial into three levels. The first heaven included everything within the earth's atmosphere. Clouds, mountain tops, and the realm of birds all fell within this level.

Beyond that was the second heaven and included sun, moon, and stars. Technically, it would have been the visible stars of the night sky, but the category would also include everything else that could be seen with a telescope.

Above the known universe, one could encounter the third heaven which is the throne of God (2 Corinthians 12:2). Both the Apostles John and Paul were elevated to that level, either in a vision or tele-portation (they weren't really sure how they got there). In any case, they were overwhelmed by the reality of its existence.

The Lord Jesus Christ is Higher than the Heavens. The position of Christ is exalted, elevated, and superior to everything else in both the known and unknown universes, in outer space and even the throne of God.

It's hard, if not impossible to go past the limits of human knowledge and imagination, yet that's where believers are called to spend eternity. They and we will enter the third heaven and gaze upward at the Savior who is Higher than the Heavens.

Great Prophet

Then fear came upon all, and they glorified God, saying, "A great prophet has risen up among us"; and, "God has visited His people."
Luke 7:16

When Jesus and His disciples came to the town of Nain, a funeral procession passed by. The dead man was the only son of a poor widow and the Lord had compassion on her. He touched the open coffin and said, "Young man, I say to you, arise" (Luke 7:12-14). Christ then presented him alive and well to his mother.

Impressive? I should say so. A miracle of this magnitude hadn't occurred in Israel for almost 900 years, going back to the time that Elisha raised another young man from the dead. The conclusion of the crowd was that the Jesus of Nazareth was no ordinary rabbi; He was a great prophet.

Clearly Christ was a prophet, because He said the boy would come back to life and it happened exactly as He said it would. The greatness of the miracle put him up with two of the greatest prophets of Israel, but the Savior was much more than that.

Old Testament prophets saw visions of the future of things that they neither recognized nor understood. Often short term prophesies were superimposed on other similar prophesies that would be hundreds of years in the future. It's common to find descriptions of Christ first and second comings in the same passage. Chronological order seems to be lacking with most of the major prophets, so being able to see things in light of the New Testament sorts out the context and makes it understandable.

The Lord Jesus' prophesies are not like that. He who knows the beginning from the end has given clear and understandable explanations of heaven and hell that were incomplete in Old Testament scripture. Christ's predictions of the end times are unmistakably fulfilling themselves in the present. The last book of the Bible calls itself the Revelation of Jesus Christ. Although symbols and types are used as in all prophesy, there is a clarity and order of progression unlike anything in the Old Testament.

Elijah, Isaiah, and Jeremiah were excellent men of God, but only Christ Jesus was the really Great Prophet.

Man Christ Jesus

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus...
1 Timothy 2:5

One classic illustration of the gospel shows two cliffs with a wide canyon separating them. Man is on one side and God is on the other with sin being the gulf between them. Since the distance is too far to jump, a bridge is needed to get from one side to the other. A bridge shaped like a cross is put in the middle and the idea is that only Christ can bring a sinner to God.

Since the Savior is both God and Man, He is able to reconcile the sin problem with fallen Man and the Holy God. In studying the titles of Christ there are dozens I have seen that emphasize His deity. People need to know this. Understanding that God Himself atoned for mankind's sins is an essential truth of the gospel.

The humanity of Jesus is often taken for granted and there aren't a lot of details apart from the obvious. He had a body made of flesh, blood, and bone, was born in Bethlehem, and spent His childhood and early adulthood in the town of Nazareth. Christ was human, but He was also sinless and sin is very much a human characteristic. That raises questions about the Man Christ Jesus.

Did Jesus cry as a baby? Did He ever get sick? Did He have a sense of humor? Did He ever work up a sweat? Did He have body odor? Was Christ ever bitten by mosquitoes? The answer to all of these questions is yes. The Lord Jesus experienced everything that's involved in being human.

"For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin” (Hebrews 4:15). The Man Christ Jesus knows what's happening with us. He's gone through it all Himself.

Consolation of Israel

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
Luke 2:25

It could have been worse, but then again it could have been a whole lot better. The year Jesus was born, most of the Jewish people were living in part of the pagan Roman Empire, and those living Jerusalem were under the control of the wicked King Herod. He was an Edomite, a descendant of Esau whom God had cursed, and not of Jewish ancestry. He had allied Himself with Marc Anthony during the Parthian war, so the Roman Senate declared him king and gave him soldiers to seize the throne. Herod was paranoid of losing his power and executed a number of his sons, which he suspected of plotting against him. The Emperor Augustus once joked, "It is better to be Herod's pig than son."

The glory years of Israel were a millennium in the past and there hadn't been a descendant of David on the throne for six hundred years. The Jewish people felt forsaken and forgotten by God.

But God hadn't forgotten His people and took note of a man named Simeon who was actually actively praying and waiting for the Lord's Christ,the       Consolation of Israel. He wasn't satisfied with the status quo and was ready for God to do something. The Lord was also ready to radically change things so He allowed Simeon to see and hold the baby Jesus, the promised Messiah.

The Savior came to His own, but He became a rejected king. Another two thousand years have gone by without the promises of God to the Jewish people being fulfilled. It is true that the nation of Israel has been reborn, but there is no peace in Jerusalem. Terrorism and the threat of nuclear annihilation make many still long for the Consolation of Israel.

The Jewish people cannot really be consoled or comforted until they acknowledge Jeshua (Jesus) as their Mashiach (Messiah). Christians need to be continually in prayer for the peace of Jerusalem and the salvation of the Jewish people.

Him who Spoke on Earth

See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. For if they did not escape who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall we not escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven,
Hebrews 12:25

This verse comes across as a stern warning: "Listen to what God says." In one way this is the theme of Hebrews. The book opens with, "God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son” (Hebrews 1:1-2). It goes on to say, "For if the word spoken through angels proved steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just reward, how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him" (Hebrews 2:2-3).

The whole idea is that God held people accountable to listen to and obey Him in the Old Testament, whether His message came through prophets or angels. Now the stakes are much higher. God has given a new covenant, a much better deal, to the human race. Eternal life and death are at stake, so God Incarnate came Himself to present the offer. Not to listen would be a terrible mistake.

Yet millions of people rejected the message and refused Him who spoke on earth. The writer to the Hebrews was concerned about those who heard and ignored the Living Word of God while He taught on earth. Their fate was already sealed and it was too late for most of them. How much worse the judgment on those who refused the conviction of the Holy Spirit at a time when He was turning the world upside-down.

God spoke and there was the Word. To reject Him is to reject eternal life. To believe on Him is to listen to and obey Him who spoke on earth.

Son of the Living God

Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
Matthew 16:16

"Denotation" and "Connotation" - two words that are throwbacks to high school English class. The first is the dictionary meaning of a word and the second is what it means to the people who hear it.

Technically, the word "Christ" means "anointed one." It could refer to any prophet, priest, or king that had oil poured on him, but it especially referred to the Jewish Messiah who held all three of these positions.

When Jesus asked His disciples who they thought He was, Simon Peter just blurted it out, "You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God." Peter wasn't giving the theoretical or politically correct definition of Christ, he was calling it as he saw it.

The Lord Jesus is the one and only Son of the living God, yet He adopts people into His family to make them children of God. It is hard to understand why, but faith accepts it as a miracle of love and grace.

C.S. Lewis once said, "The Son of God became a man to enable men to become sons of God." What does that mean exactly? Each word can be defined and analyzed, but that is no guarantee that someone will really understand what a new relationship with God is all about.

When I was a boy, I heard a Scottish preacher explain the salvation experience this way, "It's better felt than telt." That nails it! Knowing Christ through an encounter with Him, by far surpasses knowing about Him in theory.

Christ came into this world to save sinners and this only happens when people meet Christ and experience Him to be the Son of the Living God.

Cover from the Tempest

A man will be as a hiding place from the wind, and a cover from the tempest, ....
Isaiah 32:2

They call it a rainforest for a reason. By definition, a jungle receives over 100 inches of rain a year. Where we lived in Ecuador, S.A. we got 200. Down there we had a rainy season and a rainier season. Actually, it rained every day. During rainy season it would rain 15-30 minutes per day and during January and February it might rain all day long for days at a time.

The jungle people went barefoot or wore plastic boots. They often used Elephant Ear leaves as umbrellas or covered themselves with a six foot square piece of plastic sheeting. Nobody likes staying out in the rain, so even native South Americans sought cover from the tempest. They generally stayed in their thatched huts while it rained and wove baskets or made hammocks.

We had sheets of galvanized roofing on our house which didn't have to be replaced as often as the woven palm branches of the Indians' houses, but the metal roof was much noisier in a storm. The sound would keep visitors from the United States awake at night, but I found it to be relaxing. The steady pouring of the rain drowned out the harsher noises of life and it was a great calming effect to realize that I was dry and warm inside while the wind, rain, and cold were on the other side of the wall. Many, many nights, I fell asleep listening to the falling rain.

Jesus is like that. There is the feeling of safety and security while abiding in Him. The storms of life and winds of time wear a body down, but enjoying fellowship with Christ dissolves the stress and calms the soul. He is the believer's hiding place from the wind, and Cover from the Tempest.

He Who is Over All

...of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Romans 9:5

The person who tells you what to do at work is your boss. Whoever that person answers to is your bosses boss. And whoever the CEO is accountable to is he/she who is over all.

All authority is traced back to God. Everybody is told what to do by someone else, even presidents and kings. If they don't listen to the higher ups, the same thing happens as to any incompetent employee, they get fired.

Many people see having authority as having great privilege, since those in charge seem to have higher salaries, more power, and what seems to be easier jobs. However, what is usually the case is that being the boss requires more responsibility, longer hours, and greater risks. Everybody would want the job of Chief Executive, if there were only the perks and none of the effort.

Jesus Christ is He Who is Over All. In other places, the Lord is called "Head of Every Man" (1 Corinthians 11:3) and "Head Over all Things" (Ephesians 1:22). These, of course, are impressive titles, but the are pretty much meaningless if He can't give His people consequences for their actions or rewards for a job well done,

Everyone gets called into the Big Boss' Office at the end of their shift on earth. Those who never respected, obeyed, or acknowledged their Creator must stand before Christ at the Great White Throne of Judgment. All those who never had the Spirit of Christ in them are let go - into the lake of fire.

"Believer of the month awards", crowns of righteousness, and company-owned mansions are awarded at the judgment seat of Christ to all those who have done well and were faithful. Some servants won't get much, because they never did much for Him who is Over All.

The Lord from Heaven

The first man was of the earth, made of dust; the second Man is the Lord from heaven.

1 Corinthians 15:47

Adam was a home-grown hero. First man on planet Earth and was even made of earth. The Father of every human being was one for the record books, but his failures were also world-class and caused every human being after him to grow up to be a loser. 

God's Man project seemed to be going very poorly. After only ten generations, the Creator wiped the slate clean and began with a new forefather to be the root of mankind's new family tree. People after Noah were almost as bad and human history was once again filled with sin, rebellion, and violence. it was time to start over with a new business plan. Human DNA, whether it traced back to Adam or even righteous Noah, wasn't equipping people to return mankind back to fellowship with God. The new model, the Second Man, would have a definite spiritual element to Him. He wouldn't be from around here or made with local materials. He would be the Lord from heaven.

The typical stereotype of someone that is born in raised in Texas is that she or he boasts of the greatness of his or her state. If another person talks about something very nice from where they're from, the Texan interrupts to say whatever it is is bigger and better in Texas. Actually, this is not a stereotype: they are all obnoxious like that.

Anyhow,  to be from heaven, how neat is that? The Lord Jesus never made a big deal about his ethnic origin, but rather emphasized His humanity, choosing to call Himself the Son of Man. But being both God and Man, He was able to take Man's sinfulness on Himself and give mankind His righteousness. Those who came to Christ are conformed to the image of the Son of God (Romans 8:29), adopted into the family of God (Ephesians 1:5), and are given citizenship in heaven (Philippians 3:20). Jesus is able to do this because, after all, He is the Lord from heaven.

Man Attested by God

"Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know”
Acts 2:22

Fifty days after Christ was crucified, the Apostle Peter preached a powerful sermon to a huge crowd right on the temple grounds. On the Jewish religious calendar, Pentecost was the next holiday after the Passover where attendance was required. So basically, all the same people were there for both. Certainly most were witnesses to the life, ministry, and death of Jesus of Nazareth.

The Old fisherman made it clear that everyone knew who Jesus of Nazareth was, because He was a Man attested by God. The Father put Christ to the test and Jesus aced the exam. Peter brought out the three major ways that Christ clearly demonstrated the power of God that declared the divine approval: miracles, wonders, and signs.

Thousands of people experienced Christ's miracles of healing. The lame walked, the blind could see, the dead were raised to life, and the demon possessed were set free. Many waited for hours to touch the hem of His garment or to be touched by Him. No one had ever done the miracles that this man had done.

But Christ's power went to a much higher level than mere miracles. He altered the laws of physics and routinely defied nature. Jesus could feed 5,000 men with a small boy's lunch and have a dozen baskets of leftovers for later. He walked on water, calmed the waves of the sea, and made a tree dry up and wither in a matter of minutes. When people saw these, they were filled with wonder.

Supernatural signs go beyond just planet Earth. When Christ was born at Bethlehem, the sky shown bright at midnight. The last hours of the Savior's life, the blackness of midnight filled the early afternoon and the exact moment of Christ's death triggered an earthquake. On top of this, that very night there was a blood moon. The Roman centurion, seeing these signs, admitted that He was the Son of God. Coincidences? Nobody thought so. Christ Jesus was the Man attested by God.

Hope of Glory

To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:27

Millions of people today hope they're going to heaven, but they want nothing to do with the Lord Jesus, so it's sad to say that they really have no hope. Biblical hope is waited for and expected, and there is no guesswork to it; the contract has been signed; it's a done deal.

Heaven is actually a small part of a believer's hope. Adoption into the family of God, sins forgiven, being accepted in the Beloved, rewards for service, and eternal life are all part and parcel of what disciples look forward to in Christ; it is their hope.

Many of the promises that accompany the fellowship believers have with the Savior are fulfilled here on earth. True faith results in a transformed life, temporal blessings, answered prayer, the fruit of the Spirit, and the mind of Christ. Once these are experienced, a Christian has no doubt that God does miracles and completes His promises, so Christians are assured that He is also in charge of the future.

The Holy Spirit is the "signing bonus" that God gives to believers when they receive Christ as their Lord and Savior. It is the guarantee of good things to come and the security of their Hope of Christ.

Throughout the centuries, Christians have suffered and died for their faith, but no matter how bad it got, Jesus was there all the way. This is what is known as the "fellowship of His sufferings" (Philippians 3:10). When the faithful suffer for their Lord they can sense His presence in a way unlike anything they would have known when things went well. The realization that Christ is in them and with them even at the point of death is their comfort in adversity; He is their Hope of Glory.

Faithful Witness

...And from Jesus Christ, the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler over the kings of the earth. To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood,
Revelation 1:5

The book of Revelation is a gold mine for names of Christ. Not only are there many unique titles found nowhere else in scripture, but verses often contain many of them in a row. Often these titles are very different from each other and focus on distinct aspects of the Lord. To understand them, each should be studied separately.

The last book of the Bible was written roughly 100 years after the birth of Christ and reveals not only a view of church history that has been completed, but presents a detailed account of events that are still to come. Verse one of the book states “The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave Him to show His servants --- things which must shortly take place. And He sent and signified it by His angel to His servant John.” The Lord Himself is taking the time to explain this.

It’s obvious that the Apostle John wrote the book, but it's not his revelation. If we were getting this information from John, it would be unreliable since the former first century fisherman would be describing the digital age with a pre-analog brain. The bias of his culture and limited worldview would misinterpret much of what still has to take place. For this reason, Jesus took charge and took over. So then, John didn’t just describe what he saw, he wrote down what his Messiah told Him to write.

The very first descriptive phrase of Christ in the book is Faithful Witness. In Revelation 3:14 He’s called the “Faithful and True Witness” and in Revelation 19:11 He’s called simply “Faithful and True.”

So why the repetition and emphasis in Christ’s veracity? Everyone knows that the Lord doesn’t lie, right? Yes, but people for centuries have been explaining away all the prophesies in Revelation into a gobbledygook of double speak and figurative language. They tell us none of this means what it says. Wait a minute, I believe exactly what it says. After all, Jesus said it and He is the     Faithful Witness. 

Prince

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.
Daniel 9:25

The verse today comes from the famous 70 weeks prophesy in Daniel. The short explanations of this portion is that 69 weeks of years (i.e. 483 years) after King Cyrus' declaration to rebuild Jerusalem, the Messiah would be cut off. After Christ's resurrection, early Christians did the math and discovered that it came out to the very week the Savior was crucified. The detail and precision of this Old Testament prophesy convinced many that Jesus was in fact the Son of God in the early centuries of the Christian church.

By adding Prince to the Messianic title, the emphasis is on the Lord's nobility. Christ came from the seed of David and the root of Jesse. Being born in to that family made Him a Prince. Jesus' genealogy in the Gospel of Matthew proved that He would have been in line to the throne of David if Romans were not in power. A king in waiting by definition is a prince.

Kings without kingdoms have no palace, army, or right of decree. As time and generations go by, those would-be kings need day jobs to survive until the political pendulum swings back in their direction. Joseph, Christ's adoptive dad, could trace his birthright back to David, but did carpentry work to pay the bills. He and his wife Mary were so poor when they started out that their little Prince was born in a stable.

Jesus preached of His kingdom, but few bowed the knee before Him. Pilate brought him before the mob and declared, “Behold your king,” but the crowd shouted Him down screaming, “Away with Him! Crucify Him!” (John 19:14,15). The rejected king was still a Prince.

Peter reminded the chief priests of their rejection when he addressed the Sanhedrin: “The God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom you murdered by hanging on a tree. Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior (Acts 5:30,31).

Very soon, Christ will return to Earth with an army of mighty angels to claim His throne and kingdom. He will be hailed as the King of Glory and will lay aside the title of Prince.