Friday, March 28, 2014

Who Is This Jesus?

Who is this Jesus? Before we can define who Jesus is, we must first establish who God is; He is the creator of the universe, the giver of life, the keeper of the peace and the King of kings… Genesis 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth… Deuteronomy 10:17 For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords… Now, without turning this brief description of Jesus into an all-out Bible study, we will establish just who this Jesus is by first discussing who the Bible said He would be… In the Book of Micah chapter two, the Bible stated that He would be born in Bethlehem, which He was according to Matthew 2:1 and Luke 2:4-6. In the Book of Isaiah 7:14 the Bible states that Jesus would be born of a virgin mother, this was confirmed in the Books of Matthew and Luke as well… Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel…

 Matthew 1:22,23 Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us… The Bible also states that Jesus would be a descendant of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David which was confirmed in Matthew chapter one and verse one which reads “Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham” There are many prophecies in the Old Testament concerning Jesus, and once again in an effort to prevent this simple description of Jesus from becoming an all-out Bible study, we will mention only one more very important prophecy before establishing who Jesus is…

Isaiah 61:1,2 The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn… Jesus declared these verses almost word for word in Luke chapter four, verses 18-19; thus, confirming once again that He is the one of whom the prophecies spoke. Jesus Christ was born of a virgin in a small town called Bethlehem, He was born for a purpose, and that purpose is to set the captives free, to heal the broken hearted, and to give us life more abundantly.

Now that we have established who Jesus is Biblically, I want to tell you who He is to me. This Jesus is the man who set me free from a life of bondage, not physical bondage, but of mental and emotional bondage that forced me to believe that I had no future, it forced me to believe that there was no way out of the lifestyle that I was living, and that I would be forced to die in my sin and burn in hell, that is who this Jesus is to me. Jesus Christ quite simply stated was God in the flesh, both man and God, He has experienced every single emotion, pain, and discomfort known to man, and so much more.

Who is this Jesus, He was a man who did not sin, but was ridiculed (Luke 23:35) His clothing was tattered and torn and yet again and again, He sought to pray for His enemies… Luke 23:34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do. And they parted his raiment, and cast lots… He was pierced and hung on the cross amongst common criminals and thieves (Mark 15:27-28, John 19:34 & 20:25-27) and in His deepest anguish, He was forsaken by God Himself in Matthew chapter 27 verse 46, and He did It all for you and I, that is who Jesus is; yet, the story doesn’t end here, in all actuality, this is only the beginning... Matthew 28:1-7 In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men. And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead; and, behold, he goeth before you into Galilee; there shall ye see him: lo, I have told you… In simple terms, Jesus Christ was raised from the dead He was resurrected on the third day, and ascended into Heaven where He sits at the Right Hand of God… Mark 16:19 So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God…

Jesus Christ the Savior gave Himself up as a ransom, to cover our sins, He paid in blood, His own Blood (Romans 5:6-8) So, how do you answer the question, who is this Jesus, that is really up to you, but to me, He is the best thing that ever happened to me, He changed my life, He is my Best Friend… His Grace is Sufficient, and He is the Giver of my Peace, who is this Jesus, He is the Living Word, the Bread of Life, and the Author and Finisher of our Faith… The truth is, I can go on and on, describing to you who Jesus is to me, but the best thing to do is to find out for yourself. How do I do that? Great question, the easiest way to do that is to ask God to come into your life, to reveal Himself to you, and to make your life brand new; however, if you’re not ready to do that just yet, go ahead and look these verses up yourself, there are many free Bible apps available as well on the internet, and if you have any questions at all, feel free to contact me Fred Blackman Jr, and I will be more than happy to assist you on your quest to find out just who this Jesus is…

Feel free to reach me via email: fredblackmanjr@gmail.com

Monday, March 10, 2014

REDEMPTION

Redemption, according to Dictionary.com, is an act of redeeming or atoning for a fault or mistake, or the state of being redeemed. Another definition of redemption is deliverance or rescue. When speaking of Theology, redemption is the deliverance from sin, salvation, or the atonement for guilt. Now, here are some of my favorite definitions of redemption which are the repurchase, as of something sold, paying off, as of a mortgage, bond, financial note, or the recovery by payment, as of something pledged or owed... Psalms 49;7 and 8 tells us that no man, woman, or child can pay a ransom for their own redemption, "for the redemption of their soul is precious". So, we can see that there is nothing that we can do to redeem ourselves, we can only be redeemed by the Love and the Blood of Christ Jesus's sacrifice on the cross... I Corinthians 1:30 But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: Colossians 1:14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins... Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption... "Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" wow, there it goes again, the Holy Spirit! It's by the Spirit that we live and it's by the Holy Spirit that we are Redeemed... no matter the crime, no matter the time, without Christ, there is no redemption... So many people fall into that trap that I've done this, or I've done that, there is no way out, but God has sent His only begotten Son into this world of chaos and sin so that we may have a chance at life, so that instead of condemnation for our sin, we can receive Redemption for our Righteousness through the Holy Spirit who was sent as the comforter after Jesus Christ ascended into heaven and the promise of Acts 1:8 was fulfilled... The gifts of God are Freely Given, all you must do is ask and Grace, Mercy, Redemption, and the Holy Ghost can all be yours... God Bless... Amen...