Friday, 8 February 2013

The REAL Jesus

Next Step Devotion

 Who do you think Jesus is? Is He a good teacher, a prophet, a healer? How about a revolutionary or a condemner of hypocritical religious ideals? Was He God, as He claimed to be, or just a man? It seems that everyone has their own opinion of who the REAL Jesus was and is. This opinion can be influenced by national heritage or government, education or community.

I would endeavor to say that deep within every human stands a yearning to know the truth about Jesus Christ. Main-stream cultural media reveals this desire as movies such as The DaVinci Code, theatrical productions like Jesus Christ Superstar, and headlines revealing the latest "discovery" about Jesus grace the front pages of our newspapers and websites. Even Christian-produced media rises to popular demand, with The Jesus Film enduring as the most globally circulated film of all time.

Our world is obsessed with discovering the truth about Jesus, but many are forgetting one key component to their search; the Bible! The Bible reveals to us all we could ever need to know about the God and person of Jesus Christ. From page one of Genesis to the "Amen" of Revelation, Jesus' character, authority, and love is interwoven within the fabrics of every page.

So what are some of the things we can discover through the Bible about the REAL Jesus? This week on New Day Cafe our interviews focused in on the person and characteristics of Jesus Christ and how the knowledge of Jesus can help us as we seek to live in Christ and as Christ. Let's review four of these "discoveries" together:

Jesus is Controversial 

 OK, so perhaps this is not "new" news! There is no doubt that Jesus stands as perhaps the most controversial of all human beings through the entirety of history. Jesus walked the earth claiming the title and authority of God Himself, He condemned the leading religious rulers of the day, and He foretold His own death and resurrection. He was controversial then, and He divides households, workplaces, and even communities today as some choose to accept His salvation and others reject Him. Jesus knew He would incite conflict. In Matthew 10 Jesus shared that He came "not to bring peace, but a sword....to turn man against his father, and daughter against her mother (Matthew 10:34-35)." Another way Jesus described Himself was as "the stone the builders rejected (Matthew 21:42)." However, this rejected stone is now the cornerstone! While Jesus may divide, He also holds all things together (Colossians 1:17). Those that are do not reject Him are now a part of His temple, bound together with His blood as living stones (1 Peter 2:5).

 Jesus Understands our Sorrow 

It is often argued that if Jesus was fully God, then there is no possible way that He faced the same intensity of pain or sorrow that we seem to experience throughout our own lives. However, Scripture assures us that Jesus faced the same temptations (Hebrews 4:15), the same betrayal, the same sorrow, and thus, He can sympathize with us on every level. It is because He understands our pain that He can perfectly intercede on our behalf before the throne of grace (Romans 8:34). In our interview with Jill Savage, author of Real Moms, Real Jesus, we discussed the parallels between the often over-whelming issues moms face daily with those that Jesus Himself faced. Just as moms may feel like "everyone wants a piece of me!", Jesus also encountered crowds at every turn desiring a touch of His healing power or a word of His divine wisdom. Jesus rarely had a moment to Himself, and Scripture tells us that He was often tired (you'd have to be to sleep on the floor of a boat through a storm!). We also looked at the agony and grief that Christ suffered during our interview with Carolyn and Robert McNutt of the GriefShare Ministry. At the death of His close companion Lazarus, Jesus joined in mourning. Jesus felt the heart-ache of betrayal by a man who had walked by His side throughout His entire ministry. Jesus also cried out to God in agonizing anguish before facing His gruesome death on a cross. Jesus knows our pain!

 Jesus Loved Children

 When you think about Jesus, what visual image comes to your mind? Is He breaking the bread and fish to feed the hungry, kneeling in prayer in the garden, or maybe turning the tables over in the temple? How many of us first picture Jesus sitting on a stone with a little child in His lap, laughing, playing games? Probably not too many of us! However, Jesus continually modeled a love and acceptance of children unlike that which was known to the culture. Children were often viewed as a nuisance, unsuited to mingle with adults. However, Jesus rebuked even His own disciples for this attitude asserting, "Let the little children come to me." (Matthew 19:14). Jesus took special care to include children as He taught the Kingdom, modeling for us that we too should accept and intentionally disciple children from a young age, not just once they reach teen years. Jesus took it a step further, revealing that anyone who welcomes a child actually welcomes Him. Moreover, He proclaimed a virtual death sentence for those that would turn a child away from His love (Matthew 18:5-7). The real Jesus took loving and welcoming children seriously. He promised His Kingdom to them. How are we living as Christ when it comes to our own understanding of loving and leading children?

Jesus is Coming Again 
Our interview with Allen Atkins of The Amen Ministry focused on one of the greatest truths about Jesus of all: Jesus is coming again! While there are varying beliefs about the timing and circumstances surrounding Jesus' second coming, there is no argument against Jesus' own proclamation that He will return and establish His Kingdom (Matt 16:27, Matt 24:27, John 14:1-4). As Christians, we believe the prophecies about Jesus' first coming, for if we didn't we would deny our own faith. So why do we often struggle with believing prophecies about Christ's second coming? Perhaps it is fear or mistrust of the unknown of that which we cannot yet prove? Some discount prophecy as having no practical application for today, as simply a foretelling of future promises. But this is not the case! Paul often couples a practical instruction when speaking of Christ's coming. 1 Corinthians 1:7 exhorts us to exercise our spiritual gifts as we wait on Christ's return (1 Corinthians 1:7), and 1 Timothy 6 charges us to keep God's commands and fight the good fight as we wait on Christ (1 Timothy 6:11-15). So let's live as Christ so that we may be found holy and blameless at His promised return! (1 Thess 5:23)
In a world that now not only doubts the reality and authority of Jesus Christ, but actively attacks it, it is more important than ever to know the REAL Jesus. We must stand on the solid rock of Scripture and the truths it reveals about Christ's lordship, Christ's sovereignty  His authority, His blessings for us as believers, and His future return to establish an eternal Kingdom. If you have questions about Jesus Christ, look first to God's infallible Word. Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal more to you day by day about the person and character of Jesus Christ so that we can more fully live as Christ. Our world is hungry for truth. Jesus is the truth!! In John 14:6 Jesus declared Himself "the way, the truth, and the life." If those searching for the real Jesus in our world come to know the truth of Jesus, that truth will set them eternally free (John 8:32).

 Interview Recap


Key Scriptures

 John 1:1 - In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John 14:6 - "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

Matthew 18:5-6 - And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Romans 8:34 - Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died - more than than, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.

Philippians 2:5-8 - Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of  a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!

Revelation 1:18 - I am the Living One; I was dead and behold I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades!

Blessings,
Melissa Rogers
Moody Radio South
www.moodyradiosouth.fm 
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