JESUS IS THE BREAD OF LIFE

 THE BREAD OF LIFE

TEXT; “Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall never hunger and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.”   John 6:35

My wife is a maker of homemade bread and it is absolutely delicious! It is far better than the bread you can buy at the supermarket. Not even close. I am not sure exactly how she does it but I do know that she has a “little friend” who is the starter jar and she calls him Henry. She takes ole Henry, adds some bread flour and yeast and mixes it all up and eureka > the best bread you will ever put in your mouth.

I know another Bread Maker whose name is Jesus. His bread is better than my wife’s bread. His bread is satisfying and filling and eternally gratifying. If you eat that bread --- which is necessary for spiritual birth and growth --- you never never hunger and you will never thirst! 

Humans need bread for sustenance of physical life. You will not live long without some kind of food. It is also true --- spiritually speaking. We need the bread that Christ offers. That bread will save and satisfy your soul forever and ever. Jesus makes this statement the day after He had fed the 5,000 with the five loaves and two little fish. And with food left over. Lots of food left over.

Have you ever tasted that bread? Jesus is the bread of life --- spiritual and eternal life and can only be found in Him! Only Jesus can truly satisfy your soul!

"Only Jesus Can Satisfy Your Soul" cover Lanny Wolfe - Curtis Fuller Jr 

JESUS IS THE ETERNAL GOD

 JESUS IS THE ETERNAL GOD

TEXT: “but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith, to God alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.”  Romans 16:26-27

Jesus Christ is not just God --- He is the eternal God. As the Nicene Creed states He is”very God of very God.” Let’s take a moment and look at His eternality. He is the eternal God. That means simply the absence of beginning, end and temporal succession in God. Eternity, by definition, has no beginning and has no end. God’s eternity is as endless as it is boundless.

If He has no beginning, He certainly has no end. (Revelation 4:9-10). Because He has no needs, He cannot pass out of existence due to a lack of anything. With Him, there is no present, past and future because He sees all things at once. He doesn't wear an Apple or Rolex wrist watch because He is a non-time dimensional God. He transcends time as we know it. 

He does not ever become something He was not before.

He was perfect before all the ages and will be perfect for all ages to come.

He is self-existent.

He is self sufficient.

He has no needs of any kind!

He is what he always was and He will be what He will always is.

He inhabits billions of years in a moment!

The only thing you can do with a God like that is to bow down before Him and acknowledge Him as the eternal God!

Lynda Randle - Something Beautiful (Live) 

JESUS CHRIST IS GOD

 JESUS CHRIST IS GOD

TEXT: “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

When you want to discover who Jesus Christ really is --- your go-to source is not the news media or the television or the world of academia. You must go to the Bible, which is God’s revelation and testimony of who He is! I believe what I do about the person and character of God because of the Biblical revelation and its composite body of truth. And the Holy Scriptures proclaim that Jesus Christ is God!

The world today doesn’t mind you saying that Jesus was a wonderful man. It doesn't mind you saying that he was a great teacher and educator. It doesn’t even mind you saying that he was a miracle worker and a healer. Furthermore, it is ok, according to the secular world, to say that Jesus loved people of all ethnic backgrounds. But what the world hates is the great truth and testimony of Roman 9:5.

The world shrieks and closes its ears when we Christians say that JESUS CHRIST IS GOD!

That is the one truth they literally despise and yet it is found all over the Bible. You do not have to believe that truth but away with the nonsense that the Bible doesn’t teach it because it is emphatic and clear and simple!

Read John 1:1-3, 14; 8:58

John 20:28

Titus 2:13

Hebrews 1:8

II Peter 1:1

Revelation 1:17 and 22:13

Let me say it again: Jesus Christ IS God!

Jesus Is The Sweetest Name I Know 

JESUS CHRIST IS MAN

 JESUS CHRIST IS MAN

TEXT: For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, to be testified in due time …”  I Timothy 2:5-6

Jesus Christ is fully God is one affirmation of who Jesus is. The Biblical testimony is that Jesus  Christ is also fully man. He is God and He is man. Hence, the term in verse 5, the God Man. He was not two people but one person with two natures. He had a divine nature and He had a human nature. He demonstrated attributes of deity and he demonstrated attributes of humanity!

Jesus was born of a virgin woman. Luke 2:7

A descendant of David according to the flesh. Acts 2:30

He experienced physical needs such as hunger, thirst and fatigue. Matthew 4:12; John 19:20 and John 4:6

He wept and sighed and groaned. John 11:35; Mark 7:34 and Mark 8:12

He was like us in every respect, except for one thing. He was sinless and perfectly holy!

Why the God man? Why did God take upon Himself human flesh? He did so in order to do something for us as a Man that He could never do as God and that is to go to the cross and there --- on the cross of Calvary --- die for our sins. On that cross, He, Himself, paid for our sins, as our sacrifice, as our substitute and became sin for us that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. This was a judicial exchange.

He gave His life as a ransom, a payment, a "lutron" for our freedom.

He reconciled us to a holy God. He redeemed us.

That is WHY He became a man!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6z3Cn5Yj10I&list=PLbJ2NNqPTeAqjKb1RxukHsrYTlNvK7qnS&index=11  

JESUS IS OUR ADVOCATE

 JESUS IS OUR ADVOCATE 

TEXT: “My little children, these things I write to you, so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”   I John 2:1

John the Apostle wrote the epistle of I John when he was an older man and verse1 begins with a term of endearment: “my little children.” He wanted them to know that he loved them and cared for them and wanted them to live for Christ. He also knew that believers do sin and when we do, he wants us to know that we have an Advocate who represents us before God.

Satan is called the accuser of the brethren and we can be certain that he accuses us before God as he did with Job. When Satan brings accusations against us before God, then Jesus steps up as our Advocate. He represents us before God. He pleads our cause and our case. He tells the Father, “I called them, I know them, I died for them, they are mine and belong to me.”

Poof! The accusations vanish because of the Advocate. He is Jesus Christ the righteous. The holy one. The one who kept that law in my stead. On my behalf. In my place. He lived sinlessly and righteously and now sits at the right hand of God and represents us before God!

There is no one who would ever advocate for you like Jesus!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjeYvhjJO_g 

JESUS IS THE AUTHOR

 JESUS IS THE AUTHOR 

TEXT: “Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, despising the shame and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”   Hebrews 12:2

Author = pioneer, trailblazer, one who goes before and who is the first to do it

Jesus Christ is the author, the pioneer of our faith. He has blazed a trail to heaven that we all may follow.

He did it with joy. He joyfully was obedient to the will and mission of His life. His delight was to do the will of the One who sent HIm. He prayed “not my will, but thine be done.”

He did what? Endured the cross. 

What was that endurance like? Excruciating! Awful! Horrible! Inexplicable! He died on a cross for our sins! Not His own for He never sinned! He endured the wrath of God for our sins. He took upon Himself our guilt and condemnation. He endured the wrath of God in our place. He experienced hell for us. He paid sin’s penalty for us. He despised its shame for us.

“Sat down at the right hand of God” - why? Because His work was done. Finished. Accomplished. Complete! The right hand of God is not a gigantic divine hand but the hand of power and authority! There he sits as our author and finisher of our faith! It was His plan. He designed it and He delivered it!

Hallelujah! What A Saviour! (Man of Sorrows, What A Name) 

JESUS IS THE ALPHA AND OMEGA

 JESUS IS THE ALPHA AND OMEGA

TEXT: “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last.”

Revelation 22:13

Names in the Bible were very often reflective of a person’s character, who they were and what they represented. The many names of Jesus refer to His character and who he is. One such name is tucked away on the very last chapter of the Bible. That verse tells us a lot about who Jesus is.

Alpha is the first letter of the Greek alphabet.

Omega is the last letter of the Greek alphabet.

The verse means He is the first and the last.

And everything in between.

There was nothing before Christ. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit dwelling in total and complete Trinitarian sufficiency. Before time. Before creation. Before angels. Before sin. There was Jesus. 

And when history comes to its conclusion and time will be no more, Jesus will still be Jesus!

Kinda hard to totally wrap your mind around all of that isn’t it? It sure is because He is the first and the last. Before Him nothing existed. Nobody created Him. Nobody made Him. He just always was! And always will be. What a God we serve!

This very Jesus loves sinners and died on a cross for His people. He holds them in His hand and He holds all their tomorrows. Take a quick minute and thank Him today for this meaningful name of Jesus.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xWLm3asMiGo 

JESUS IS THE ALMIGHTY

  JESUS IS THE ALMIGHTY!

TEXT: "I am the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End, says the Lord, who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty."    Revelation 1:8

One of the very best ways to continue to grow spiritually is to study the names and meanings of the many different names that speak of the uniqueness of the person and character of the Lord Jesus Christ. One such name is found at the end of verse 8. Note the "Almighty."

The word for Almighty is "Pantokrator" = the One who rules, the King who possesses all power and authority, unlimited in might, irresistible and strong. Jesus is that person by virtue of being the second member of the Triune Godhead. He is the the eternal Son of the living God. He took upon Himself human flesh and became the God-man in the Incarnation. Read John 1:1-3, 14; Colossians 1:16-20;  Hebrews 1:1-3. This is the Biblical testimony of His almightiness.

Jesus Christ is the Almighty God. He is the Creator and Possessor of all power and strength. In Matthew 28:18, He says "all power is given to me, in heaven and on earth."

Our Creator is Almighty!

Our Savior is Almighty!

Our Judge is Almighty!

Worship Him today as such and thank Him that He is almighty!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ckc79k-PI90 

KNOWING CHRIST (11)

 THE DEPRAVITY OF MAN

TEXT: “And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience …”  Ephesians 2:1-2

There was a time when you could go to church on Sundays and witness the salvation of a lost person. Many would walk an aisle to publicly profess Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. And we would rejoice in that salvation. Today --- that is seldom experienced. People are not being saved because no one thinks they are lost! Plus, very few lost people attend church on any regular basis.

No one thinks they are lost because the doctrine of sin is not being proclaimed. If any reasonable minded person understood the doctrine of the depravity of man and the consequences of that depravity --- they would run to the cross!

To be depraved means that man has been impacted by sin in his mind, his will and his emotions. Sin has influenced the totality of his being. It doesn’t mean that man is as sinful as he possibly can be but that man has been impacted by sin in the totality of his being as a person.

Man’s basic problem is not that he needs propping up; it is not that he is ignorant and needs instruction; it is not that he is sick and needs some medicine. It means that he is lost, without God and without hope. He is spiritually dead, without spiritual life and separated from a holy God. He is exposed to the condemnation, wrath and judgment of God!

We must return to a correct and biblical view of ourselves and our personal vileness and recognize our need for the grace of God! It is practical, illuminating, necessary, beneficial  and transforming!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_xJkwUGFpDk 

KNOWING CHRIST (10)

 THE DIGNITY OF CHRIST

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

Jesus Christ did not become a Man merely because of us. He did not come into this world simply for us; we came into the world for Jesus. Do not gloss over that thought too quickly. The primary reason for God’s redemptive and creative activity is Jesus. The decision of the Triune Godhead for the Son to become flesh was not because God looked into the tunnel of time and saw man’s fall into sin and then decided He must act. To think that way subjects Jesus Christ to us. 

Jesus is not Plan B in the great scheme and purpose of Almighty God. He is not an accidental theory and identity that God concocted because of our sin. The eternal plan and purpose of God is foundational to the truth of Colossians 1:15-20. Who He is …. is greater than our redemption! He is the image of the invisible God. The visible greatness of the invisible God!

Puritan Stephen Charnock said “There is something in Christ that is more excellent and comely than the office of a Savior; the glory and greatness of His person is more wonderful than the salvation procured by his death.” That means that the glory of His person outweighs the glory of His work on our behalf! It is not all about us and our needs. It is more about HIm and His eternal glory! The Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13 also teaches us that the glory of God always comes before the needs of man!

Christ “holds all things together” in Colossians 1:17. He rules over all creation, the angels, the devil, the elect entire humanity, all things come under His governance alone!

How Great Is Our God!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bHAZGXsVF1k

KNOWING CHRIST (9)

 THE GLORY OF CHRIST

TEXT: “Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world.”

John 17:24

What an astonishing statement! Christ possessed great glory before He came to the earth. He had indescribable glory of His own with the Father in heaven BEFORE he ever came to the earth to die on the cursed tree. That verse needs to be etched into our spiritual DNA, firmly stamped upon our minds, treasured in our hearts and daily applied in our lives.

Those words should motivate and excite us to greater love for Christ. They ought to humble us and keep us in our place of humility and submission to Him. They ought to stir all ministers to preach the unsearchable riches of Christ. Those words should create in us a deep and abiding desire to know Christ better.

Have you ever even thought of the glory that Jesus Christ possessed BEFORE He came to the earth? Christ prays that we could not only be where He is but also that we should be able to see His glory that He had with the Father! The glory of creation and rule and reign of the entire universe.

“Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Ghost

As it was in the beginning, Is now and ever shall be

World without end, amen, amen!”

Sola Dei Gloria!

Enjoy “To God Be the Glory!’ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-15v9iworAU&t=1s

KNOWING CHRIST (8)

 THE INCARNATION OF CHRIST

TEXT: “And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and we have beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.”  John 1:14

What do you think are the most shocking words in all of Holy Scripture?

Is it the reality of Hell?

The unpardonable sin?

The creation of the world?

The flood?

The wonder and splendor of heaven?

John 1:14 has to rank somewhere in the Top Ten. It certainly would have for a first century Jew. Someone please explain to me, in simple childlike terms, how the great and glorious Creator God of this universe could become a man! It is sometimes referred to as the Miracle of all miracles. It is the “highest pitch of God’s wisdom, goodness, power and glory.” Who could have ever even thought of such a plan? Certainly not angels nor mere man!

Thomas Goodwin, another great old Puritan, said that when the Son became incarnate in human flesh that “Heaven and earth met and kissed one another, namely God and man.”

The Incarnation is a mystery. God is a mystery. Salvation is a mystery. When we look into God’s greatest wonder we immediately recognize that here is a mystery that cannot be explained; it can only be gratefully acknowledged and accepted by faith. God has revealed this mystery to all believers in the person of His Son. And this mystery has sustained the church for two thousand years and will continue to do so into eternity.

I Timothy 3:16 “Great is the mystery of godliness, that God was manifested in the flesh.” Christmas is coming soon so remember this wonderful truth! 

Enjoy this song and make it your prayer today.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jaO5HUX5v4Q

KNOWING CHRIST (7)

 KNOWING CHRIST (7)

TEXT: “Yet for me, I count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ; and be found in Him, not having my own righteous which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of his sufferings, being conformed to His death …” Philippians 3:8-10

The above text was written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison. He had met Christ in a life transforming experience on the Damascus Road. He had served Him in sharing the Gospel with Jews and Gentiles. He had suffered tremendously for the cause of Christ. He knew Him but wanted to know him better. Deeper. More intimately. He gave up everything for the cause and glory of Christ. He was a faithful servant to the very end of his life. And yet, we find him longing and yearning to know Him better and deeper.

Are you content with your present knowledge of Christ?

Do you want to know Him better? More deeply?

Is there a desire in you to give up everything for that knowledge?

Maybe a TV show? Leisure trip? Few hours? Some family time?

Is there a holy dissatisfaction in your soul for Christ?

Do you languish in your soul between the world, flesh, devil and Christ?

Jesus Christ is our salvation.

He is our peace.

He is our righteousness.

He is our wisdom.

He is our strength.

He is our redemption.

Be blessed by watching this young man? Do you know this Jesus of the Scriptures?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nieVIurPSbc&t=26s

How well do you know Christ?

KNOWING CHRIST (6)

 KNOWING CHRIST (6)

TEXT: “Thus says the Lord, Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom; let not the mighty man glory in his might; let not the rich man glory in his riches; but let him who glories, glory in this,

that he understands and knows me, that I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment and righteousness in the earth, for in these things, I delight, says the Lord.” Jeremiah 9:23-24

The above scripture is one of the greatest Scripture passages in all the Bible! With only a few exceptions. I have known the Lord for over 60 years and still feel like I am really just beginning to know Him. I owe a great debt to my parents, my wife, my family, my churches, my friends, and fellow Christians. I fell in love with the Bible a long time ago and it has been my constant companion.

I majored in history in college and got to study about a group of people called the Puritans. Those people knew the Lord and have strongly influenced my life. They were theological giants.

They had a depth and maturity to them that was astounding.

They were prolific writers. Unparalleled in all of human history! Men such as John Owen, Richard Baxter, Richard Sibbes, Thomas Hooker, Jonathan Edwards and many others!

They were a happy and joyful people.

Worship was life’s primary activity.

Their writings stressed a God centeredness that is unequaled.

They insisted on the primacy of the mind, and that truth could enter the heart only through the instrument of the mind.

They practiced the art of self denial and discipline in the Christian life.

They demanded humility, patience and steadiness.

They fully realized that sanctified suffering was an opportunity for growth in grace!

They acknowledged that the Holy Spirit was given to produce Christlike character.

I ask you again: do you know the LORD? He delights in your knowing Him!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=joJ0IjxZm6g 

KNOWING CHRIST (5)

 KNOWING CHRIST (5) 

TEXT: “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”  John 17:3

On one occasion in His life Jesus was approached by a man who asked Him what is the greatest commandment of all? And Jesus answered and said that “you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength and with all your mind.” Luke 10:27

That is a pretty inclusive answer:

With all your heart --- 

With all your soul ---

With all your strength --- and 

With all your mind!

Not with a little bit. Not with just a smidgen. Not just some special part. But ALL of it!

With the totality of your being you are to love your Savior!

That means praying when you don’t feel like it.

That means attending church when other opportunities abound.

That means making a commitment to be a student of the Word.

That means honoring God with your finances.

That means serving and loving other people.

That means using your spiritual gift in ministry

That means forgiving people who offend you.

That means denying self to give priority to Christ!

You may say that you love the Lord but your actions speak so loudly that I cannot hear what you say!

John 14:15 says “if you love me, you will keep my commandments!”

Do you really love him?

KNOWING CHRIST (4)

 KNOWING CHRIST (4)

TEXT: “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”  John 17:3

Knowing Christ includes loving Christ! You cannot love someone if you do not know them. It is impossible! But the more you get to know someone, the more you are able to love them. And this is especially true with Christ.

In John 14:23-24 we find these stunning words of Jesus, “if anyone loves me, he will keep my word (or commandments) and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our home with him. Whoever does not love me does not keep my words. And the word that you hear is not mine but the father’s, who sent me.”

Do you find those words of Jesus challenging? Convicting?

If you say you love Christ --- you must first know Him.

If you say you know Him --- then you will obey Him.

The question before us today is simply this: how much value do you place on the commandments of Jesus Christ?

Are we living in obedience to His word?  

Are we ignorant and neglectful of His word?

Maybe you simply don’t care.

I John  5:3 “For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments, and His commandments are not burdensome.”

Knowing and loving and obeying are triplet truths! And each should be a critical part of every believer’s life!

KNOWING CHRIST (3)

 KNOWING CHRIST (3)

TEXT: “And this is eternal life, that they may know you, the only true God and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”  John 17:3

There are many things in life that many of us simply cannot afford. Many of us cannot afford a $10,000 Rolex wrist watch. We cannot afford an extra home at the lake or beach. We cannot afford a luxury car or very expensive name brand clothes. We cannot afford a trip to an exotic island in the Pacific Ocean. We cannot afford a $500,000 home in a gated community. We would like to have those things but we cannot afford them.

There is, however, only one eternally significant thing that we cannot afford and that is we cannot afford to remain ignorant of our Lord and Savior. We must know; we must possess an individual and personal relationship with Him. Failure to do so will result in eternal damnation and eternal destruction. And the uniqueness of this truth is that EVERYBODY can know Him. No one is shunned. No one is forbidden to come. “The testimony of the entire Bible is “whosoever will, let him come.”

Have you ever come to Christ?

Have you ever believed in Him?

Have you ever repented of your sins?

Have you ever professed Him publicly?

There is no excuse for failure to know Christ!

None can be offered.

None will be accepted!

Thank you Lord for the tremendous blessing of knowing you! It is a privilege and an honor!

KNOWING CHRIST (2)

 KNOWING CHRIST (2)

TEXT: “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.”  I John 5:13 (ESV)

The basic source of our information about the person and work of Jesus Christ is found in the Bible. Ignorance of the Bible translates into ignorance of Jesus Christ. If you do not know your Bible well, then you cannot know Jesus Christ very well. And we live in a society that has become increasingly biblically illiterate. People have Bibles in their homes but they do not know what is in them. And therefore, they know very little about the Lord Jesus Christ!

Paul counted EVERYTHING as “dung” in comparison with knowing Jesus. Read Philippians 3:7-11. His desire was a direct answer to the prayer Jesus prayed in John 17. An old Puritan by the name of Samuel Rutherford wrote in the 1600s:

“Put the beauty of ten thousand worlds of paradises, like the Garden of Eden,

in one. Put all the trees, all the flowers, all the smells, all the colors, all the 

tastes, all the joys, all sweetness, all loveliness, into one. Oh, what a wonderful thing            

that would be! And yet it would be less to that fair and dearest, well beloved Christ, 

than one drop of rain to the earth’s seas, rivers, lakes and fountains.”

Mr. Rutherford was a man who knew Christ very well!

What about you?

Could you say that of Christ today?

Does He really mean that much to you?

Content with settling your eternal destiny but do not really know Him?

Only you can answer those questions!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXa_sS02Swg