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The Magnificent Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ
By Harold S. Martin
Unfolding the wonders of Jesus is an almost impossible job. Eternity itself cannot suffice completely to unfold Him. John the Baptist pointed out Jesus as the Lamb of God, baptized Him with the approval of heaven, and then said of Jesus, “He that cometh from above is above all” (John 3:31). Paul says to the Philippians, “Wherefore God also hath highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow…and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God…” (2:9-11).
Jesus is the central subject of the Bible. Anyone who reads the Old Testament must surely see the many Scriptures that prophesy of Jesus to come, and as for the New Testament, Jesus Christ is everywhere on its pages. The very first verse of Matthew says, “The book of the generation of Jesus Christ,” and the very last verse of the Revelation says, “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.”
The first name in the first verse of the first book of the New Testament is Jesus, and the last name in the last chapter of the last book of the Bible is Jesus. What is it about Jesus that makes Him different from an ordinary man? What is it that makes Him unique and magnificent? Why is Jesus given such a prominent place in the Bible?
Jesus Is Magnificent as to His Eternal Source
Jesus did not begin to exist when He was born of Mary. John 17:5 says that Jesus had glory with the Father “before the world was,” and verse 24 says that He was loved by the Father before the foundation of the world. Jesus had been present with God in the eternal ages before the world began. The birth of Jesus in Bethlehem did not mark the beginning of a new person, but rather it marked the incarnation of the eternal Son of God who had been present with the Father and “was made flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14).
Jesus did not begin to exist when He was born of Mary, for the Bible says, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God” (John 1:1-2). And so we see that Jesus was the Son of God long before He became the son of Mary.
Jesus was not just another man. He lived way back in the beginning when everything was started. In fact, before the beginning began, Jesus was. And because Jesus has always been with God, He knows all about us. He knows how we are made. He knows the secrets of our hearts; He knows our needs; and what’s more, being God, He is able to supply them all.
Jesus Is Magnificent as to His Miraculous Birth
The Bible declares that our Lord’s mother was a virgin, that His conception was miraculous, and that the agent of conception was the Holy Spirit. The Bible says, “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth His Son, made of a woman…” (Gal. 4:4). The birth of Jesus was no ordinary birth. When the Jewish virgin Mary went down into that mysterious land of motherhood, she came back holding in her arms the only baby in all the world who had never had an earthly father. No birth like this had ever occurred before; no birth like this will ever occur again. Jesus (who made man) was born in the likeness of men.
If the birth of Jesus was not supernatural, then He cannot be our Savior, for then He was born a sinner like all the rest of us, and then He needs salvation Himself. But God was not limited to the ordinary. God is not bound by the laws of nature which we have discovered. One who takes away the supernatural conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit (and puts Joseph there instead) takes away our only hope of a perfectly pure, sinless Savior. We cannot understand it, but we can believe it.
Jesus Is Magnificent as to His Perfect Life
Jesus was perfect God, and yet at the same time He was perfect man. As man, He hungered; as God, He is the Bread of Life. As man, He said, “I thirst” (John 19:28); as God, He says, “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink” (John 7:37). As man, He was weary; as God, He gives rest to all who come to Him. As man, He prayed; as God, He hears and answers our prayers. As man, He wept; as God, He wipes away our tears. As man, He was tempted; as God, He did not sin (1 Pet. 2:22).
The life of no other man has been so carefully and so critically examined as the life of Jesus, yet men of all generations have confessed that Jesus was the only perfect Man who ever lived. Not a single time did He ever make a mistake. Not a single time did He ever utter a word that He had to take back. Not even His bitterest enemies, though they hounded His footsteps day and night to trap Him, could ever find anything for which to accuse Him.
His own challenge in John 8:46 was this: “Which of you convinceth Me of sin?” The thief on the cross was compelled to admit, “This Man hath done nothing amiss” (Luke 23:41). Judas, the one who betrayed Him, came with the blood money and threw it at the feet of the Sanhedrin, saying, “I have betrayed the innocent blood” (Matt. 27:4). And Pilate, the one who sat in the judgment seat and passed sentence on Him, three times over declared, “I find no fault in Him” (John 18, 19). Every man has some good points but Jesus has them all!
Jesus Is Magnificent as to His Supernatural Power
Jesus has such mighty power that when Peter drew the sword and slashed off the ear of the high priest’s servant, Jesus immediately touched the ear, and it was healed. And no marvel, for actually He created the ear in the first place. John says in 1:3, “All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made.” Who conceived the grace of the young deer? Who devised the majesty of the mountains? Who put the song in the throat of the mockingbird? One name answers all these questions, the precious name of Jesus.
When He stood before the disciples on the Mount of Olives (just before He ascended into heaven), Jesus said, “All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth” (Matt. 28:18). Jesus walked on the waves, stilled the storms, healed the lepers, raised the dead, and opened the eyes of the blind.
Jesus meets every need. He satisfies every desire. He hushes every fear. He calms every trouble. He is the Rose of Sharon, the Lily of the Valley, the Balm of Gilead, the Fairest of ten thousand to the soul. He created the worlds. He changes the destiny of nations. He has the power over death and disease. The Bible says that even the wind and the sea obey Him!
Jesus Is Magnificent as to Authoritative Teaching
Matthew says at the close of the Sermon on the Mount, “And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at His doctrine; for He taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes” (7:28-29). The scribes were the learned men and teachers of the Jewish nation. They were largely Pharisees who taught chiefly the sentiments of the rabbis and the traditions which had been handed down from the fathers. They spent much of their time in vain disputes and in quoting authorities.
But Jesus of Nazareth spoke so differently. There was an air of complete and final authority about all that He said. He never said, “It is probably this way,” or “Consult the experts on the subject.” Jesus Christ is the authority on every subject! Jesus over and over again said, “But I say unto you,” not, “So-and-so said.”
Jesus Is Magnificent as to His Sacrificial Suffering
Great men of this world may be valued for their lives, but Jesus is known above all for His death. The atonement of Jesus is the scarlet cord running through every part of the Bible. His death was prophesied in the Garden of Eden. His death was pictured in the sacrifices of Israel. Jesus spoke of His death when He said, “For this cause came I into the world” (John 18:37).
There are 255 verses in the New Testament that refer directly to the death of Christ. One fifth of the Gospel according to Matthew, and almost one half of John’s Gospel record the last week leading up to the Cross. The death of Jesus Christ is of supreme value. On that afternoon when the sky was darkened and the sun hid its face and the veil of the temple was rent in twain and the Son of God cried out, “It is finished” – on that great day, the price of our redemption was paid.
And now, because of His magnificent suffering, Jesus can reach down into the pit of corruption and lift the sinner up from the miry clay and wash him white in the fountain filled with blood drawn from Emmanuel’s veins.
It was no ordinary death that Jesus died – that was God Almighty taking upon Himself the sin of a fallen race. “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities…the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isa. 53:5-6). Jesus bore my sins in His own body on the tree. Jesus stood where I should have stood. The pains of hell that were my portion were heaped upon Him.
Jesus Is Magnificent as to His Promised Return
As surely as Jesus came the first time, so certain is it that He will come again. One of these days this magnificent, wonderful, incomparable Jesus will come in all His glory, and all His holy angels with Him. In the 260 chapters of the New Testament the Second Coming of Jesus is mentioned 318 times. Jesus Himself said, “Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not” (Luke 12:40).
When Jesus comes again in power and great glory, He will be the judge from heaven who will “bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil” (Eccl. 12:14). The books will be opened; the secrets of all hearts will be brought to light. Those who have been faithful servants will be taken home to the Father’s house (John 14:1-3).
Jesus is the Light of the world, the Bread of Life, the True Vine, the Good Shepherd, the Door to heaven. This Jesus whom we love and serve is peerless, matchless, incomparable, magnificent. He has no equal! He is above all! There is no other that can be compared with Him!
The question we must honestly face right now is the one concerning His supremacy in our lives. Where have you placed this magnificent Jesus whom God has highly exalted? Are you giving Him the highest place? Jesus is supreme in every other realm; how can we forbid Him complete reign over the little empire of our hearts?
And if you have never accepted Him, if you have been saying, “I want to run my own life, I want to paddle my own canoe, I want to be king of my own castle,” remember this: There is a day coming when every knee shall bow and every tongue shall confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God.
During the trial of Jesus, Pilate raised the question, “What shall I do then with Jesus who is called Christ?” (Matt. 27:22). That is the question you need to answer today. What will you do with Jesus? Your answer will determine your eternal destiny. You are either going to be forever with Him or forever without Him. If you reject Him all your life and die without Him, the question someday will be not, “What shall I do with Jesus?” but “What will He do with me?” Believe the Gospel, repent and be baptized today!
– From Bible Helps ( Herald of His Coming)
The Fires of Trials Set Free
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You must ‘be still and now that I am God.’
You must be strong and be not afraid nor be dismayed,
because I am with you wherever you go.
Even when you walk through
the valley of the shadow of death,
fear no evil because I am with you.
You must know, that you know,
that you know, that those who
know their God shall be strong
and they shall do great exploits.
You must remember that weeping
may endure but joy is coming
in the morning. You must remember
that I am your shield and
your exceeding great reward.
You must not cast away your confidence,
knowing that there is a great reward
for walking by faith and not by sight.
You must know that I have engraved you
on the palm of My hand and will never forget you.
When you are hard-pressed
know that you will not be crushed
because your life is hidden in Christ in God.
And no weapon fashioned against you
shall prosper and every tongue that rises
against you in judgement
you shall show to be in the wrong.
Fear not at such times
because I am your Refuge
and your ever-present help in trouble.
Call upon Me in the day of trouble
and I will deliver you and you will glorify Me.
Be not anxious about anything but in everything
by prayer and petition let your request be made known to Me.
And my peace which transcends all understanding
will mount guard over your heart
and your mind in Christ Jesus.
Through our God we shall do valiantly.
Not by might nor by power but by my Spirit.
If God be for you, who can be against you?
You can do all things through Christ
who strengthen you. He who began a good work
in you will continue to work
at it until He brings it to a glorious finale.
All things are possible to those who believe.
God is working in you both to will
and to do according to His good pleasure.
Know that the Lord is your light
and your salvation and salvation belongs
to Him. He will fight for you and you will hold your peace.
Winners Never Quit, Winners Never Win
Cast Down but Unconquered
7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.
8 We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;
9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed — Seeing the Invisible
16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.
17 For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 18 while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.
2Cor4:7-9,16-18
9 But as it is written: ” Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, Nor have entered into the heart of man The things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”
1Cor2:94
31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?
33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.
34 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.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written: ” For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.”
37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come,
39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. Rom.8:28,31-39
©Fenny West2013
Bob Gas
Word for Today
MATTHEW 4:9
Word for Today
Bob Gas
“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold.” (1 Peter 1:7a NLT)The Bible repeatedly says that God has promised to meet your needs: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV).But the Bible also tells us that with every promise there is a condition. One of the conditions for this promise is that you have to trust him. The more you trust God, the more God is able to meet needs in your life.So, how can you learn to trust God more so he can meet all of your needs? How can you learn to have greater faith?You don’t get faith by sitting in a Bible study group or just talking about it. Faith is like a muscle; it develops by being used. The more you use your faith, the more it gets stretched. And the more it gets stretched, the more God is able to bless your life.We call the circumstances that God creates to stretch our faith “trials”: “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold” (1 Peter 1:7a NLT).There are four common trials that God uses to test our faith, and, chances are, you’re in one of these tests right now. When you go through them, you can know that it is an opportunity for you to develop your faith so you can trust God more. I’ll talk about the first two today and the next two tomorrow.
Your problem is not the people in your life. Your problem is your response to the people in your life. People are not the problem, and they’re not the answer to the problem, either. The answer is God. When you expect other people to be your savior, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.Jeremiah 17:7 says, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence” (NLT). What happens if you trust in the Lord? Look at God’s promise in Isaiah 49:23: “Those who hope in me will not be disappointed” (NIV).Talk It Over
The ChurchPrepared for a Prepared place |
Zechariah 6:13
“These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold.” (1 Peter 1:7a NLT)The Bible repeatedly says that God has promised to meet your needs: “And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19 NIV).But the Bible also tells us that with every promise there is a condition. One of the conditions for this promise is that you have to trust him. The more you trust God, the more God is able to meet needs in your life.So, how can you learn to trust God more so he can meet all of your needs? How can you learn to have greater faith?You don’t get faith by sitting in a Bible study group or just talking about it. Faith is like a muscle; it develops by being used. The more you use your faith, the more it gets stretched. And the more it gets stretched, the more God is able to bless your life.We call the circumstances that God creates to stretch our faith “trials”: “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold” (1 Peter 1:7a NLT).There are four common trials that God uses to test our faith, and, chances are, you’re in one of these tests right now. When you go through them, you can know that it is an opportunity for you to develop your faith so you can trust God more. I’ll talk about the first two today and the next two tomorrow.
Your problem is not the people in your life. Your problem is your response to the people in your life. People are not the problem, and they’re not the answer to the problem, either. The answer is God. When you expect other people to be your savior, you’re setting yourself up for disappointment.Jeremiah 17:7 says, “Blessed are those who trust in the Lord and have made the Lord their hope and confidence” (NLT). What happens if you trust in the Lord? Look at God’s promise in Isaiah 49:23: “Those who hope in me will not be disappointed” (NIV).Talk It Over
The ChurchPrepared for a Prepared place |
Zechariah 6:13
inspiration4generations 