God in Heaven Above

Joshua 2:11
 our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, because of you: for the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath.

America has become the land of all religions. The freedoms granted to this country has allowed many from other countries to migrate to this great country, but with this migration comes beliefs that proclaim other gods that are contrary to the One true living God. It is true that Christians are intolerant of accepting other religions as acceptable ways to truth. The leader of the Christian faith made it clear that He and He alone is the Truth, the Way, and Life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him. Jesus, fully man and God, He is the God of heaven above, and in the earth beneath. “For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him”- Col. 1:16. Apologetic books have been written in defense of these claims throughout history. It is good to know how to defend God’s word, but it is more urgent that we share God's grace and power to forgive through Christ. Let people see the power of God in our lives. Others will say. “For the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above, and in earth beneath. He is a God that gives peace and joy, and everlasting Life.

More Than A Religion

 Matthew 16:16

 “You are the Christ (the Messiah, the Anointed), the Son of the living God.”

 

Christianity is more than a doctrinal religion. The fact that it is a belief system and one that is a faith base makes it a religion. Many will say that it is not a religion, but a relationship. I believe it is both. The doctrine of believing that Jesus is the Son of God, Deity in the flesh is grounded in historical religion taught in the Holy Scriptures from the day that Jesus walked this earth. What makes it more than a religion is personally knowing this Christ, Jesus the Son of the living God. Who is He to you? Not what the church says, or what you were taught at home. Who is He to you personally? Jesus has the power to forgive sins, He desires to forgive the sins of anyone who confesses and believes that He is more than just a doctrinal statement. He sent the Holy Spirit to us that He may abide in our hearts and purify our souls. Jesus, yes He is a religion, but it is a religion that can live in your heart. He is the Christ, the Son of the living God!

He Gave His Life

Luke 23:46 And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.

His blood was shed, He took His last breath, and He died. The Son of God, Jesus who was perfect and blameless allowed sinful man to put Him on the cross and put Him to Death. Why? Because He loved us so much that He was willing to be the supreme sacrifice to atone for my sin and yours. His blood that was shed on Calvary rent the vail in two giving us access to the Father. Hanging on the cross, He spilled out His blood that we may have fellowship with the Father and have a relationship with the Triune God. The history books have recorded it, and millions have availed themselves to the cleansing blood that continues to flow from Calvary.

The Tomb is Sealed

Matt. 61:66 So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.

All day Saturday after Jesus was taken off the cross, He laid in the tomb. He was pronounce dead on the cross when the spear pierces His side. Now behind the sealed sepulcher laid the Son of God, His heart no longer beating, but His Spirit descended the depth of hell to retrieved the keys of life and death. In the hearts of those that followed Him, all hope was gone. He who they thought would be their Savior, and deliver them from the bondage of Rome wept with sorrow. They heard Him say that in 3 days He would rise from the dead, but they believed not. We are not much different. When things go wrong and hope fades away we despair for the day and tomorrow will just bring more sorrow. The tomb has been sealed and God is gone. Where is He when life is hard and there seems to be no where to turn. He might as well be sealed away in the sepulcher. It’s Saturday, and Sunday seems so far away. 

Greater Witness

John 5:37  And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.

In the court of law, truth is validated by witnesses. People who can testify to what they saw or heard. They give a first hand account of what happen. Without witnesses to bare the testimony, it is just one person’s word against another. There is no greater witness of the person of Jesus than to be validated by the Father. He is the true witness that confirms that Jesus is who He says He is. He is the Son of God, the Alpha and Omega, the Beginning and the End. He is God in the flesh come to earth to be the sacrificial lamb for the sins of the world. In Him, dwells the eternal truth. His truth is a two edge sword. The truth that reveals sin, and the truth that is able to save us from sin. The truth of His love, grace and mercy.  We need no greater witness.

Seeking The Lost

Luke 19:10 For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

We all are lost. We entered this world not knowing that sin is rooted in the heart of all that are born to this life. Our personality may be formed and taught to be pleasant, good natured, and even kind, but the nature of sin still lives within each one of us. Like sheep without a shepherd, we wondered about life trying to find our way. The great shepherd of our soul, the Son of God came to earth as a man to seek and save us who are lost. The problem with most people is that they don’t think they are lost. They don’t accept that they need a God, for they are a God unto themselves. God sent His Son to give His life for the world. His coming was not just for a selected few who He choose to save. Being saved is to believe that we are lost and to believe that we can be found by believing in the only begotten Son of God, Jesus.

We Believe with all our Hearts

Act 8: 37 If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

Believing with all your heart holds back no reservations of your motives and intentions. To believe intellectually that Jesus in the Son of God is a good start, but it will not be enough to have eternal life. The devil believe that Jesus is the Son of God and tremble in His presence. Our belief in Jesus must go to the heart of our affections. It is the passion of our life to know that Jesus is who He says He is. He is the Son of God, the 2nd person of the triune God. We believe that He came to earth to take on the sins of the world by dying on the cross, we believe that we must accept this gift for us by confessing our sins and believe that the power of Christ can forgive us of our transgressions. We believe that Jesus not only came to take away our sins, but provided a way for us to live a life without sin. Not human perfection, but heart perfection. Christian perfection is made possible because we believe that Jesus died without the gate to sanctify us. Sending the Holy Spirit to guide us into all truth. When we believe with all our hearts, there is a transformation in our lives that changes the way we think, the way we act, and the things we love. I believe this with all my heart!

To Know The Father

John 8:19 “Then they said unto Him, “Where is thy father?” Jesus answered, “Ye neither know Me, nor My Father. If ye had known Me, ye should have known My Father also.”

To know the Father, one must know the Son. For the two are the same in One. He who came from heaven was sent from the Father. To know the Father is to know that Jesus came to earth born of a virgin, fully human, yet the conception of this new born was quicken by the Holy Spirit that brought life. Jesus, the God-Man, perfect and without sin. He came to reveal the Love of the Father that we may also know God as our Father. Sin separated us from the Father, but to those who believe in the salvation of Christ have become sons of God and now have access to the Father’s throne. To know the Father, is to know love, grace and mercy. He is a good Father, and every blessing we receive comes from Him. May we find rest in knowing the Father from above. 

God's Love

1 John 4:19 “ We love Him, because He first loved us.”

God is love. The central message to man given by Jesus is that the Father loves sinners. Jesus, the Son of God, God in flesh demonstrated His love to us by giving His life on the cross, dying so that we no longer have to live in the darkness of sin. His love reached down to fallen man and brought him out of the miry clay of sin, restoring him back into the image of God. Because God loved us first, we now know how love works, and Jesus being our prime example came to show us how to love others. God is love, and He wants us to live each day with love in mind. Keeping His commandments is not grievous, for the love of God motivates and inspires us to please the one we love. “He loves me, He loves me, this I know for the Bible tells me so”. And, the greatest of these is love.