Christ As Lord, 3of3

~ 7 Aspects of Jesus Christ as Lord ~

He Has All Authority & Power (Creator) ~  “And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, ‘All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth’” (Matthew 28:18).  Jesus also said, “As You have given Him authority over all flesh, that He should give eternal life to as many as You have given Him” (John 17:2).

He Is To Be Exalted (King of kings & Lord of lords) ~  “Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out this which you now see and hear” (Acts 2:33).  “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).  “Him God has exalted to His right hand to be Prince and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins” (Acts 5:31).  “Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” (Philippians 2:9-10).

He Is To Be Confessed (Savior) ~  “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).

He Is To Be Sanctified (worship & follow Him at all times)  ~  “But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear” (1 Peter 3:15). 

He Is To Be Put In Charge (Manager of your affairs)  ~  “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).

He Is To Be Acknowledged As The Head Of The Church (Ruler & Great High Priest) ~  “If anyone thinks himself to be a prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 14:37).

He Is To Be Honored (The Only Worthy One)  ~  “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth” (Philippians 2:10). 

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, 184

~ Messiah Would Be Beaten ~

“Search the Scriptures—they testify of Me.”

— Jesus Christ (John 5:39)

The Scripture

“I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.  For the Lord God will help Me; therefore I will not be disgraced; therefore I have set My face like a flint, and I know that I will not be ashamed” (Isaiah 50:6-7). 

The Messiah  

“And the high priest arose and said to Him, ‘Do You answer nothing?  What is it these men testify against You?’  But Jesus kept silent.  And the high priest answered and said to Him, ‘I put You under oath by the living God: Tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God!’  Jesus said to him, ‘It is as you said.  Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.’  Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, ‘He has spoken blasphemy!  What further need do we have of witnesses?  Look, now you have heard His blasphemy!  What do you think?’  They answered and said, ‘He is deserving of death.’ Then they spat in His face and beat Him; and others struck Him with the palms of their hands, saying, ‘Prophesy to us, Christ!  Who is the one who struck You?’” (Matthew 26:62-68).  “Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.  And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.  When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand.  And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’  Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.  And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified’” (Matthew 27:27-31). 

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps: ‘Who committed no sin, nor was deceit found in His mouth;” who, when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but committed Himself to Him who judges righteously; who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed’” (1 Peter 2:21-24). 

~~~ 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/).

Generalist or Specialist?

~ Did Jesus Speak in Generalities or Specifics? ~

This post was prompted after reading a post on another Christian website (a site which I generally respect and appreciate) which made two interesting statements:  (1) Christians love to speak in generalities.  (2) Did you ever notice how Jesus only dealt in specifics?  This post caused me to think—which is a key value of a good post.

Two of the immediate thoughts which flashed across my mind were definitions that I learned many years ago.  (1) A specialist is a person who learns more and more about less and less until he eventually knows absolutely everything about nothing.  (2) A generalist is a person who has interests in more and more until he eventually knows absolutely nothing about everything. 

Here are my thoughts regarding Jesus and whether Christians should be a generalists or specialists.  Keep in mind that a key principle is that Christians should strive to be more and more like their Savior. 

Jesus Spoke In Generalities  ~  For example, consider the Beatitudes which presents general truths which are not always true in every circumstance—similar to the Book of Proverbs in the Old Testament.  Actually a significant portion of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7), of which the beatitudes are a part (5:3-10), include generalities. 

Jesus Spoke With Specifics  ~  When Jesus met and talked with a Samaritan woman at the well He knew the specifics of her life (John 4:1-26).  He talked with her about specifics.  Another example is the time he interacted with some Pharisees about taxes.  The Pharisees tried to trick Him but He knew the specifics of not only their question but their motives and He replied with such specificity as to astonish and silence them (Matthew 22:15-22). 

Jesus Christ knew not only the specifics of man’s motives but the  specifics of nature.  In another event dealing with taxes He told Peter how he could pay his taxes with money from a fish (Matthew 17:24-27).  Our Lord and Savior also has specific plans tailored to each of us as we seek to do His will on earth (for example see John 21:20-23).

Summary  ~  In the examples provided we see Jesus using generalities when speaking to groups and using specifics when talking to individuals.  In general we are to apply basic principles to life.  However, basic principles are of no value unless we apply them to specific situations—which is similar to the difference between knowledge and wisdom.  

~ 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/).