Tag Archives: Knowing personally that Jesus is the Son of God

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The Messiah’s Jubilee

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At Christmas, we celebrate Jesus’ coming into the world; it is also a celebration of the Messiah’s Jubilee, Jesus coming into our hearts as our redeemer, Lord and Saviour.

In the Bible the Jewish Jubilee took place every 50 years, under the Law of Moses. It commenced on the Day of Atonement. The fields were left fallow, and the people were to eat from last year’s harvest. Hired servants who had been working off their debt, had their debt cancelled. Inheritances were restored, the land returned to the original owners, and slaves set free.[1] God’s justice and generosity demonstrated under law was a shadow of what was to come in with the Messiah’s Jubilee.

The Messiah’s Jubilee was referred to as the “Year of Liberty”[2] or “The Year of Redemption”[3] or “The year of the Lord’s favour.”[4] Jesus, at the beginning of his ministry, went into the synagogue at Nazareth where he read from the book of Isaiah, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to preach the good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord’s favour.”[5]

During his ministry Jesus was setting people free from all kinds of bondage and bringing them into the glorious liberty of Jubilee.  Jesus’ parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son, were about restoration and celebration. “Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.”[6] And in the parable of the lost coin: “Rejoice with me, for I have found my coin which was lost.” [7] The parable of the (prodigal) lost son: “Bring the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and shoes on his feet and bring the fatted calf and kill it. Let us be merry, for this my son was dead, and is alive again, he was lost and is found, and they began to make merry.” [8]

The Messiah’s Jubilee is also a celebration of Jesus coming into our hearts as our Lord and Saviour.

We celebrate with those across the world who share our faith in Jesus. They, like us, have entered the Messiah’s Jubilee. Having been released, set free from all that used to enslave us. Our debt of sin has been paid for by Jesus on the cross, and we have entered the freedom of God’s forgiveness. We are joint heirs with Christ, sharing Jesus’ complete work of salvation and entering into the ‘Rest of God.”   

[1] Leviticus 25: 39

[2] Ezekiel 46: 17

[3] Isaiah 63:  4

[4] Luke 4: 18, 19

[5] Luke 4: 18, 19. Isaiah 61: 1, 2

[6] Luke 15: 4

[7] Luke 15:  9

[8] Luke 15: 24

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The Messiah’s Secret – RELEASED

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Luke 4: 1-13. John 3: 7-10.   RSV Bible.

Saturday 30th September 2017 I was at the Bridge Church Bolton at a Proclaim Trust ‘Fixed 17’ Conference  Evangelist Barry Woodward

At the conference I heard several testimonies from people whose lives were destroyed by the responding to the devil’s temptations taking drugs and alcohol and it wasn’t until they came to the end of themselves they cried out to God. Then they were open to hear the gospel about Jesus their Saviour and Lord and were released from their bondage. In all of their situations God had prepared a Christian to tell them about Jesus.

In our reading in Luke’s Gospel, God was preparing Jesus for his ministry, he was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, where He spent forty days praying and fasting. His prayers I’m sure reflected how he wanted to glorify His Father and to consecrate himself, to keep focused on his calling and purpose, to proclaim the coming of God’s kingdom and with it the signs: miracles and his healing ministry.

For His ministry to succeed Jesus’ encounter with the devil was a very relevant part of it.

It wasn’t until the end of the 40 days and nights, that the devil seized his moment and challenged Jesus’ identity, “If you are the Son of God”. It’s a small word ‘If’ in this context it was meant to undermine his identity and he challenged Jesus to prove it.

“If you are the Son of God command these stones to become loaves of bread.”

The devil will challenge our spiritual identity; Jesus was born into the world to become one of us, in order for us to have the identity of being a child of God.

At the ‘Fixed 17’ event Trudy Makepeace gave her testimony, she spoke of losing her identity as a result of being under the influence of the devil. Her life style reflected this: lying, stealing, and prostitution. Trudy said that she felt ashamed and was afraid of her family finding out.  Tracy was befriended by a Christian who brought her to faith and released her from the bondage of the devil into being a new creation in Christ. Tracy being aware of the struggle with temptation that every Christian experiences said, “No matter who we are, when we walk away from God, we lose the security of which you belong to.”

From her experience taking drugs starts in a small way and soon becomes an addiction, ‘The same with alcohol they take away the pain, the wounds of rejection, this feeling of nobody loves me, I don’t love me, the way I am, unloved’.

Resisting temptation applies to every Christian it’s a slippery slope.

Jesus’ response to his temptation, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”

We believe that Jesus is the living bread, his words are life and they are acted upon by the Holy Spirit.

In John’s gospel Jesus spoke to Nicodemus about being born again, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit being like the wind; we can hear the sound of the wind and feel it, but we are not able to see it.  Nicodemus said,”How can this be?” so Jesus in response said, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?”                  Nicodemus without the Holy Spirit giving him understanding, he hadn’t related  to what Jesus was referring to found in scripture. Ezekiel’s prophecy;  “Prophesy to these bones and say to them, O dry bones, hear the word of the Lord. behold, I will cause breath to enter you and you shall live.” Born again from the deadness of a life without God, to being raised up a new creation in Christ and receiving eternal life.

The Holy Spirit is constantly prompting people to seek the Lord and receive his word into their heart.

I heard some amazing testimonies two weeks ago at the Christians Against Poverty’s event ‘The Gathering’ at the Harrogate Conference Centre.

Stef’s testimony revealed how she came to know Jesus as her Saviour. Growing up she was rejected by her father, who declared to her and to others, that he no longer had a daughter, that his daughter was dead.

Stef left home and later on she was in serious debt and was helped by Christians Against Poverty who sorted out her debt problem for her, not by paying the debt off, but by their expertise in negotiating with the creditors and putting in a place a budget for her to follow. Also they introduced Stef to Jesus, she came to know her heavenly Father’s love for her through Jesus dying for her sin on the cross. Stef’s life has been released and her life transformed through Jesus breathing his words of love into her heart.

The devil lied when he offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world

Again the word ‘if’ is said by the devil. “If he would serve him and worship him.”

Jesus was being tempted to come under the devil’s authority which would have broken his relationship with His Father and for the devil to be ‘Lord over his soul’. Jesus responded, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only shall you serve.”

Yesterday at ‘Fixed 17’, a testimony from a man who described himself like the man who lived among the tombs, breaking the chains and fetters that bound him and cutting himself with stones. Luke 8: 26-39

John said that he had no control over his violent behaviour, He was sent to prison on an attempted murder charge, and there in prison he was so violent, literally broke the handcuffs, he attacked people, as a result he was kept in solitary confinement for long periods.

Through a Christian’s witness and a succession of God co-incidences: one day his friend was assaulted and stabbed in his cell, John bandaged his head wound and was about to take revenge on the man who perpetrated the assault, when he turned and looked at his friend his bandage on his head covered in blood and his hands stretched out pierced from the stab wounds, he said,” I saw Jesus in his appearance” and as a result it stopped him taking revenge. John surrendered his life to Jesus and Jesus became Lord over his soul.

The third temptation took Jesus to the edge of a pinnacle of the temple this time the devil used scripture, he tried to pressurise him to commit suicide, to jump from the highest pinnacle of the temple. Jesus said, “You shall not tempt the Lord your God.” God the Father does not tempt people to take their life.

Christians Against Poverty’s guest speaker at Harrogate was Malcolm Duncan he told us about his nephew’s suicide. His nephew took out a Wonga loan for £400 pounds; he kept it a secret from his family. The debt increased and his nephew killed himself. Afterwards, they found on his phone that during one day Wonga had rung him 33 times about his loan. He said the effect on the rest of the family is still being felt.

Increasingly many people are being pressured by the thoughts coming from the devil to take their own life; it’s presented to them as the only way to resolve their problem.

From this series of temptations Jesus had with the devil, the devil had discerned who Jesus was, the Son of God. We know this because the first encounter in Jesus’ healing ministry in Mark’s Gospel was to a man with an unclean spirit; the spirit being in the man knew who Jesus was.”What have you to do with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us, I know who you are, you are the Holy One of God.” Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit and it left the man. Mark 1: 24

John the disciple wrote that “The reason Jesus the Son of God appeared was to destroy the works of the devil,” and in doing so he made his kingdom known. Matthew 12: 26 recorded Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisees and were Jesus spoke of the devil’s kingdom, and God’s kingdom.1 John 3: 8. Matthew 12: 26, 28.

Today we celebrate the Harvest; Christians Against Poverty announced that 7,000 people have come to faith in Jesus since their ministry began 21 years ago. (65,000 people helped to become debt free)

Yesterday at ‘Fixed 17’ over 90 people gave their lives to Jesus.

Now they will count it all joy when they are tempted as they apply their victory in Jesus Christ.

Footnote Trudy Makepeace

In 2006 Trudy met with Jesus, who radically transformed her life. Since then, Trudy has managed a rehab centre, ministered in prisons and travelled. Trudy recently graduated from Elim Bible College and is a member of the team at E5 Bristol City Church.

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Christians Together Haslingden – Jesus is the Son of God

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Jesus is the Son of God

2 Samuel 7: 11 – 18

From this reading God showed me that Jesus is God’s Son. Today many religions reject Jesus being the Son of God. They regard him just being a prophet.

The people of Jesus’ day had assumed that the prophecy given to Nathan for David meant that the Christ would be a direct descendant of King David, the son of David, a man. “I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come forth from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. 13 He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever. 14 I will be his father, and he shall be my son.” 2 Samuel 7: 12-14.

Solomon the son of David was made a King; his kingship was passed on down the hereditary line from his father King David. The lineage of the ‘House of David.’ Solomon built God’s house, the Temple at Jerusalem, but it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar in 586BC . 1 Kings 4: 1, 6: 14.

In the gospels some of the people addressed Jesus as Christ, ‘the son of David.’

Matthew 9: 27, “Have mercy on us, son of David.”

12: 23 “Can this be the son of David?”

John the disciple recorded the people’s confusion over Jesus.

 “When they heard these words, some of the people said, “This is really the prophet.”  Others said, “This is the Christ.” But some said, “Is the Christ to come from Galilee?  Has not the scripture said that the Christ is descended from David, and comes from Bethlehem, the village where David was?”  So there was a division among the people over him.  Some of them wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.”   John 7: 40-44.

Jesus answered their questioning with a question.

In Mark’s Gospel  he recorded where Jesus  questioned the teaching of the scribes, “How can the scribes say that the Christ is the son of David?  Mark 12: 35, 36.

Luke tells us that his quotation came from the book of Psalms.

“For David himself says in the Book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand, till I make thy enemies a stool for thy feet.’           David thus calls him Lord; so how is he his son?” Luke 20: 41 – 44       

Jesus had quoted from Psalm 110: 1                                                   

David had discerned two persons: The Lord said to my Lord,’ Just in a few words he had spiritually discerned that both were superior to him. By Jesus quoting these words from the Psalmist he was separating the Lordship of the Christ from being David’s son, a man.

Thomas the disciple who after Jesus’ resurrection spiritually discerned that Jesus was both his Lord and his God, ‘My Lord and my God.’ John 20: 28. This was following Jesus saying to his disciples, “In that day you will know that I am in the Father, and you in me, and I in you.” John 14: 20.

Nathan’s prophecy to David about his throne and kingdom being eternal referred to the Christ/Messiah.

The link between the prophecy and Jesus, Mary was a descendant of King David and God was His Father, ”I will be his father, and he shall be my son.” Jesus is ‘Christ the Lord,’ the Son of God.

 Isaiah prophesied that a virgin would conceive and bear a son, and he would be called Emmanuel’ (God with us.) Isaiah 7: 14. 9: 6, 7.

Archangels’ words, “He will be great, and will be called the son of the Most High; and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1: 32, 33.

The gospels record Jesus’ birth at Bethlehem. Matthew 1: 18-25. Luke 2: 7.

God called Jesus His Son    

“A voice came from heaven, “Thou art my beloved Son; with thee I am well pleased.” Mark 1: 11

The crowd gathered at the cross shouted up to Jesus “. . . If you are the Son of God come down from the cross and we will believe in you.” Matthew 27: 40

The crowd shouting out these words confirms the association between the Jesus the Christ, and the Son of God.

In the first century, the writer of Hebrews also confirms that Jesus is the Son of God from the Hebrew Scriptures. He makes the distinction between the rank of angels and that of the Son of God. (We find Nathan’s prophecy the eternal throne and Psalm 110:1)

“In many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs.

5 For to what angel did God ever say,

“Thou art my Son,
today I have begotten thee”?

Or again, “I will be to him a father,
and he shall be to me a son”?

6 And again, when he brings the first-born into the world, he says, “Let all God’s angels worship him.”

7 Of the angels he says, “Who makes his angels winds,
and his servants flames of fire.”      

8 But of the Son he says, “Thy throne, O God,[a] is for ever and ever,
the righteous sceptre is the sceptre of thy[b] kingdom.
9 Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness;
therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee
with the oil of gladness beyond thy comrades.”

10 And, “Thou, Lord, didst found the earth in the beginning,
and the heavens are the work of thy hands;
11 they will perish, but thou remains;
they will all grow old like a garment,
12 like a mantle thou wilt roll them up,
and they will be changed.[c]
But thou art the same,
and thy years will never end.”
13 But to what angel has he ever said,
“Sit at my right hand
till I make thy enemies
a stool for thy feet”?

Hebrews 1: 2, 5, 6, 8, 13. these verses confirm that Jesus is the Son of God born of a woman to become one of us to enable us to be the body, the eternal House of Christ in our humanity, Christ-like.

Hebrews 2: 14 reveals why he was born as one of us in order to defeat the devil’s power over death.

 “Since therefore the children share in flesh and blood, he himself likewise partook of the same nature, that through death he might destroy him who has the power of death, that is, the devil.”

Jesus is the Son of God faithful over God’s House

“Yet Jesus has been counted worthy of as much more glory than Moses as the builder of a house has more honour than the house. 4 (For every house is built by someone, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ was faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if we hold fast our confidence and pride in our hope.” Hebrews 3: 3-6

He makes the distinction between ranks: Moses the servant and Jesus the Son of God.

Nathan’s prophecy point to the Christ’s suffering.

 “When he commits iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, with the stripes of the sons of men;” Jesus suffering insults, mocked and being flogged by men and finally suffered death.

 “But I will not take[a] my steadfast love from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away from before you. 16 And your house and your kingdom shall be made sure for ever before me; your throne shall be established for ever.’” 

We know the history, Saul was disobedient towards God and the kingship was taken from him. David the shepherd had a heart for the things of God and he was anointed King by Samuel and later succeeded Saul as King. Solomon had a continuous reign even though he worshipped Canaanite gods at one point. 1 Kings 11: 5, 8.

God the Father raised Jesus His Son from the dead, His eternal love poured out on the day of Jesus’ death in forgiveness of sin, the magnitude of God’s love to forgive the sins from the fall of man to the cross, from the cross to now and from now till there is a new heaven and a new earth.

Jesus has fulfilled Nathan’s prophecy

God has allowed him to suffer at the hands of men when he bore the sin of the world. And God in his steadfast love raised him up to sit at His right hand in His eternal kingdom. Till he makes his enemies a stool for his feet.

We Christians are in the ‘House of Jesus’

We do not become Christians through our parent’s faith. Jesus is the seed sown into our hearts through our faith in him; the seed comes direct from Jesus that is why it’s personal salvation. We are joint heirs with Jesus all that belongs to Jesus belongs to us. We are a heavenly people, blessed by God our Father.

Knowing personally that Jesus is the Son of God

For Christians it’s about our relationship with God as our Father. David the shepherd boy had a good relationship with his father Jesse. In his relationship with God he asked for God to create in him a clean heart and a new and right spirit within him.  David was blessed by walking in the anointing of God’s Spirit, but the creating of a clean heart was brought about through the death and resurrection of Jesus, being born again. Psalm 51: 10 John 3:6-8

Jesus’ relationship with his Father was close in that he heard and did as he saw his Father doing, he was willing to do His Father’s will and he responded like His Father to the need to love one another, to honour and respect and to forgive others.

In our relationship with God our Father we revere and talk to Him as Jesus did. We grow closer to God our Father during times of suffering, as we become more dependent upon Him. We concede when we have fallen short in thought, word or actions. We pray believing that God our Father always hears us when we come to Him in faith.

There are many people who for one reason or another have never met their father or who have a bad relationship with their father, so the thought of having a relationship with Father God a perfect father who loves with an everlasting love, must mean a lot to them.

Prayer

Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God for being willing to be made like us and to feel how we feel, to experience at first hand the fallen humanity and our longing to find God and to know Him as Father, our dad. Thank you for suffering and taking my place on the cross, bearing my sin and thank you Father for raising Jesus in forgiveness of all sin  and the causes of sin. Thank you for forgiving my sins and raising me up into newness of life, a life transformed to know that Jesus is the Son of God. Thank you, Lord Jesus, Amen.