Who Was or Who is This Jesus? – Purity 1539
Purity 1539 12/26/2024 Purity 1539 Audio Podcast
Purity 1539 on YouTube:
Good morning,
Today’s photo of a long, clear boardwalk pathway that appears to lead to a distant coastline comes to us from an unknown FB friend who shared this view on social media on September 2nd, 2021. If this memory is yours, let us know, and we will photo credit you on the blog after the fact.
Well, it is the day after Christmas, Boxing Day, or just plain old Thursday, in case you lost track of the days of the week because of the hustle and bustle of the big holiday, and I share today’s pathway photo as a visual encouragement or reminder to get on or to stay on the path of Christian discipleship. It’s one thing to say that you believe in Jesus on Christmas, but I think the real proof of our faith is established by how we follow Jesus when there isn’t a big Christian holiday on the calendar that compels us to “go to church”. The gift of Christmas is Jesus after all and just like any other gift given on Christmas, the gift of our faith doesn’t mean much unless we use it.
Yesterday, I was pleased to receive several books but if I don’t read them my praise for said gifts won’t mean as much. If I really like the gifts I receive at Christmas, I will use them. I am happy to say that just this morning I finished reading one of the books that was given to me! Albeit it is a children’s book called “Who was Jesus?” by Ellen Morgan and even though I finished it, because it was a short read, I can’t really recommend it because even though it shares many facts about Jesus drawn from scripture, it chooses to only share some of the truth about Jesus and leaves the door open to disbelief. While Ellen Morgan’s book is states that Christians believe that Jesus was God’s Son, it never once states that Jesus is God the Son. Although it shares many truths about Jesus, it also shares the Hindu lie that Jesus is the human form of their god, Vishnu, the Jewish lie that Jesus is not God’s Son or the Messiah, and the Muslim lie that Jesus told of the coming of Mohammed.
Morgan’s attempt at a balanced and politically correct rendering of Jesus ends us being slanted and inadequate to be of any value. The title of the book – Who was Jesus – should clue us into the fact that unbelief plays a part in this children’s biography (and no I didn’t ask for this book) because when we know the Real Biblical Jesus – we know that He is still alive – the question can’t be Who was Jesus – because HE lives the question should be who is Jesus?
Speaking of the question “Who is Jesus?” – today’s In Touch with Dr. Charles Stanley devotion asks the question and I am sharing it on the blog today because I like the way it encourages us to do something with our answers. Dr. Charles Stanley writes:
“Who Is This Jesus?
What we believe about the Savior impacts life now—and forever.No one has made a greater impact on this world than Jesus, yet many don’t understand who He is. Some believe His life began in a manger in Bethlehem, but in reality, He existed long before that (John 8:58). As a member of the Trinity, Jesus is the eternal Son of God, which means He has no beginning or end (John 1:1). His birth in Bethlehem was merely His physical entrance into the world He created.
Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah, who came to earth to carry out the mission given to Him by His Father. At one point, He asked His disciples, “Who do you yourselves say that I am?” (Matt. 16:15). This is the question each of us must answer. There is no middle ground when it comes to deciding who Jesus is, because He claimed that He was the only way to the Father (John 14:6). In today’s passage (Matthew 16:13-16), when Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” Jesus told the apostle the Father had revealed this truth to him (Matthew 16:17). We, too, need God’s help to comprehend who Jesus is. The best way to understand Him is to examine His birth, life, and ministry as recorded in the Scriptures.
Once you’ve heard who He is and what He came to do, it’s time to respond. What will you do with Jesus?” – Charles Stanley.
Amen. What will you do with Jesus? Will you pay Him lip service as some great moral teacher? Will you reject Him as a fraud or a myth? Or will you put your trust in Him as your Lord and Savior?
The question of Jesus demands an answer, and the answer demands a response.
If you say no to Jesus as Lord, you can do whatever you please with what’s left of your life, but you will be held accountable for your rejection of God’s gift of grace when you go into eternity or when Jesus comes back. And there will be hell to pay.
If you say yes to Jesus as Lord, you are expected to follow Him as His disciple and go into the world sharing the good news about Him. Our lives as Christ’s disciples may cause others to hate us but our trust in Jesus will lead to a life of meaning and purpose here on earth and a life spent forever in His presence in eternity. A life as a disciple of Jesus brings us the fruit of the spirit as we walk with the Lord here on earth and it will one day give us the rewards of heaven and eternal life with God forevermore.
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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/.
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Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.
(While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )
This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Humility (Pride).
Proverbs 16:18–19 (ESV) Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. It is better to be of a lowly spirit with the poor than to divide the spoil with the proud.
Today’s verses are the third of five passages of scripture that fall under the first point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Humility (Pride).
1. Humility is a virtue most pleasing to God. Pride is a grievous sin in his sight.
Today’s Bible verses warn us of that pride goes before destruction and that it is better to be of a lowly spirit than to divide the spoil of the proud. Jesus taught that it would be difficult for the rich to enter into God’s kingdom and so scripture warns of wealth’s dangers and how pride in what we have or in what we have accomplished can precede our destruction. We are to be humbly follow Jesus and lead others to believe in Him and not to boast in ourselves.
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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.com where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.
Today we continue sharing from “Day by Day Along the Way” By Jay E. Adams.
As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase Adams’ books for your own private study and to support the late author’s work. This resource is available online for less than $20 at many sites.
Day 38
If we say that we don’t have any sin, we deceive ourselves … -1 John 1:8
It is self-deception (perhaps the worst sort of deception) to think that you are perfect. Moreover, to boast that you are not sinning when you are walking in darkness is deception in its grossest—an attempt to deceive others. In either case, you can be sure that God is not deceived. The self-deceiver is bereft of truth: it “isn’t in him.” The one who attempts to deceive others makes God a liar because His Word teaches that all do sin (v. 10). Both forms of deception are dangerous, because they may indicate that you are not of the Light, and thus cause you to continue to walk in darkness. To walk in the light is to have the cleansing of Christ’s blood applied to your life (v. 7). If there is only darkness in you, you have not been cleansed by the death of Christ. A love for light is kindled by love for the Savior’s fellowship. By doing those things that are characterized by light you fellowship with the Savior who also walks the path of the righteous. Fellowship isn’t felt; it is known by faith in God’s Word. Don’t look for mysterious feelings. Walk in the light and you may be sure of His presence along the road.[1]
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Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship
[1] Jay E. Adams, Day by Day along the Way (Cordova, TN: Institute for Nouthetic Studies, 2020), 46.
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