Christ As Lord, 1of3

~ 7 Relationships To Our Lord ~

Recognized As Lord  ~  “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ” (Acts 2:36).

Confessed As Lord  ~  “That if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9).

Owned As Lord  ~  “So he, trembling and astonished, said, ‘Lord, what do You want me to do?’” (Acts 9:6).

Praised As Lord  ~  “Sing praises to the Lord, who dwells in Zion!  Declare His deeds among the people” (Psalm 9:11).

Obeyed As Lord  ~  “And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him” (Colossians 3:17).

Served As Lord  ~  “Knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ” (Colossians 3:24).

Reigning As Lord  ~  “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, ‘Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints’” (Jude 14).

the key question: “Who do you say that I am?” (Matthew 16:15). This is the most important question you will ever answer. If you do not answer it, or answer it incorrectly, you have made the biggest mistake anyone can make!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).

Messiah, 182

~ Messiah Would Be Rejected By The Majority ~

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

“The Lord, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, says to the One who is despised and rejected by the nations…” (Isaiah 49:7a, NLT).

The Messiah  

Jesus said, “He who hates Me hates My Father also.  If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would have no sin; but now they have seen and also hated both Me and My Father.  But this happened that the word might be fulfilled which is written in their law, ‘They hated Me without a cause’” (John 15:23-25).   “On the next Sabbath almost the whole city came together to hear the Word of God.  But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul.  Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, ‘It was necessary that the Word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles’” (Acts 13:44-46).

~~~ EXPLANATORY “MESSIAH” NOTES ~~~   

(1)  Each Saturday ALN posts an example of a Hebrew Scriptures prophecy (or foreshadowing) related to the coming Messiah which was fulfilled in the birth, life, death, or resurrection of Jesus Christ.

(2)  While extensive it will not be a complete list—there are hundreds of prophecies of the coming Messiah which have been fulfilled by one man—Jesus Christ at His First Coming.

(3)  It is important that there are many more prophecies of the Messiah, yet unfulfilled, which Christians believe will be fulfilled at the time of His Second Coming.  A particularly relevant Scripture verse in this regard is: “Do not despise prophesies” (1 Thessalonians 5:20).

(4)  These posts will typically consist only of Scripture—which speaks for itself.  Sometimes italicized or bold font will be used by ALN for emphasis.

(5)  The numbering of these fulfilled prophecies of the Messiah is used to differentiate individual posts. It is not chronological (either by time of the prophecy or by sequence in the life of the Messiah).  The posting sequence will, for the most part, be in the order that the prophecies appear in Scripture.

(6)  Because of the chosen methodology (#5 above) we will find many specific prophecies repeated multiple times throughout the Scriptures.

(7)  These serial posts are in addition to our regular Tuesday ALN postings on random topics.

(8)  Subscription to ABUNDANT LIFE NOW blog is simple—just use the link on the left sidebar.  Once subscribed you will not miss future posts.

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).

Myth: God’s Children

~ “Well done” or “Depart from Me” ~        

It is popular today in many circles to say things like “we are all God’s children.” In one sense this is a true statement—however the way it is said often implies that we all have an equal standing before God or that all are headed to an eternal heaven. This is not what the Bible teaches. The Word of God clearly paints a very different picture.

The Kernel of Truth  ~  We are all God’s children in the sense that we are all His creation and that we have all received a natural birth—which itself is a gift of grace. 

The Bushel of Error  ~  We are not all God’s children with regard to spiritual birth—which comes from being “born again” from above—through the process of eternal salvation which is only possible only through putting trust in God’s Son Jesus Christ. 

The Word of God  ~  “For now we are all children of God through faith in Jesus Christ” (Galatians 3:26 TLB). We can only become God’s spiritual child by accepting the payment of our sin at the Cross of Calvary. In other words, there is only one way, one method, or one approach to eternal salvation.  “Jesus said to him, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me’” (John 14:6). 

The Divine Process  ~  Since we are not divine beings by natural birth the only way into God’s family is through adoption.  The Apostle Paul summarized our adoption in the Book of Galatians. “Now I say that the heir, as long as he is a child, does not differ at all from a slave, though he is master of all, but is under guardians and stewards until the time appointed by the father. Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world. But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out,  ‘Abba, Father!’ Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ” (Galatians 4:1-7).  

“But now you have arrived at your destination: By faith in Christ you are in direct relationship with God. Your baptism in Christ was not just washing you up for a fresh start. It also involved dressing you in an adult faith wardrobe—Christ's life, the fulfillment of God's original promise” (Galatians 3:25-27 The Message).

The Bottom Line  ~  There are two destinations for human beings—heaven and hell. Only those who have put their trust exclusively in the hands of Jesus Christ will be in heaven. 

The Choice  ~  Those who know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior will one day hear Jesus Himself say, “Well done good and faithful servant” (Matthew 25,21, 23).

On the other hand Jesus warned, “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven… I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me’” (Matthew 7:21,23).

How about you? Are you positively sure of your eternal destination?

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).

Groans

~ 3 Distinct Groans in Romans 8 ~     

The Groan Of Creation  ~  What a strange statement! Does creation “groan”? When we look at the wildfires, hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and tsunamis we would have to agree that creation is presently groaning—and waiting for deliverance. “For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” (vs. 18-22). Not only is creation waiting for deliverance but so is the Christian groaning as we see in the next verses. 

The Christian’s Groan  ~  “Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance” (vs. 23-25).  Not only does the creation and Christians groan but so does God Himself as we see in the next verses.

The Creator / God Groans  ~  “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God” (vs. 26-27).  We have God on our side! The really neat aspect of all this is that one day there will be a resolution as we see in the next verses.

From Groaning To Glory  ~  “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified” (vs. 28-30). One day our salvation will be complete—we will have new glorified bodies for eternity!

~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW

If you found this post personally interesting or helpful, you are welcome to add a link to it on your own blog or website. 

If you would prefer to copy this post, please credit ALN as the source by prominently displaying the following statement:  Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid Biblical insight (http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/).