Jesus Messiah

There is much disparity today among people who claim to believe that Jesus is the Messiah and those who claim He was nothing more than a good man, teacher or heretic. However, there is more evidence to prove the reality of the fact that He is our Messiah than there is to prove He is not. Any one of the following points is enough to verify this claim.

There are over 60 similar prophecies, which the Old Testament prophets recorded, which were fulfilled by Jesus’ life, crucifixion, death, resurrection and ascension. In the seventh century Micah prophesied that Jesus would be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2). This occurred over 600 years before Jesus was even born.

Although Jesus’ parents lived in Nazareth, the Roman census forced them to make the trip to Bethlehem to pay their taxes just in time for His birth. Matthew records the fulfillment of this prophecy (Micah 5:2; Matthew 2:1). Jesus was also born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:18). Jesus came from the lineage of Abraham (Genesis 12:3, 22:18; Matthew 1:1, Romans 9:5). Our Messiah is heir to King David’s throne (2 Samuel 7:12-13, Isaiah 9:7; Julie 1:32-33, Romans 1:3).

He healed the sick (Isaiah 35:5–6; Matthew 11:5). The soldiers beat and spat upon Jesus (Isaiah 50:6; Mark 14:65). He hung crucified on the cross next to sinners (Isaiah 53:12; Mark 14:65). A rich friend allowed his family and disciples to bury Jesus in his tomb (Isaiah 53:9; Matthew 27:57–60). The money paid to Judas for betraying Jesus ended up being used to by a potter’s field (Zechariah 11:12-13; Matthew 27:9-10).

Jesus resurrected from the dead (Psalm 16:10; Mark 16:6). He ascended into heaven (Psalm 68:18; Mark 16:19). God exalted Him at His right hand (Psalm 110:1; 1 Peter 3:22). These are just some of the prophecies, which prove that Jesus is our Messiah, and which validate the authenticity of the Bible. These facts certainly strengthen our faith, fulfill our life and promise us a fantastic future.

Prayer:

Father God, we pray for those people who are blinded by pride and rebellion from seeing the wonderful truths of Your Word. We ask You to meet them face-to-face on their road in life and to remove the scales from their eyes as You did for Paul. Draw them ever closer to Your wounded heart and humble them, as you did those who already Believe, by allowing them to feel the pain their sin caused You. Thank You for becoming a man, Emmanuel, for our sakes and for dying on Calvary’s cross to set us free from the bondage and degradation of sin.

Thought for the Day:

With forty authors writing from three continents over a span of nearly two thousand years, the Bible maintains that Christ’s work on the cross was ordained by God to bring Salvation to anyone willing to repent and believe.

 

 

 

For more prophecy fulfilled by Jesus:

http://christianity.about.com/od/biblefactsandlists/a/Prophecies-Jesus.htm

 

 

 

Surprise Revelation

In writing to the Romans, Paul laments over his unsuccessful attempts to overcome the flesh in his own strength and to put on the mind of Christ. He realized the wretchedness of his humanity. He struggled with our need to be holy, and his inability to reach this level of consecration (Romans 7:19-24). Then, God surprised Paul with a revelation (Romans 7:25). He was thrilled to realize that we do not have to suffer under the weight of condemnation any longer, because Christ already set us all free from the law of sin and death on Calvary’s Cross (Romans 8:1-2). 

As authentic Christians we now live by the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:2). Our transformation rests firmly on the rock of the gospel of Christ (Romans 12:2; Psalm 18:2). We live by His faith in love, filled with the fruit of, and following the leading of God’s Spirit on a moment-by-moment basis (Galatians 5:1; 5:22-23; Ephesians 5:18). We no longer strive to earn God’s love or to live a holy life. We simply walk in obedience. We live on earth to glorify our Father, not by our own efforts, but only by the power of Christ within us.

Jesus loves us so much, that for our benefit he gave Himself up to the horrific death on Calvary’s cross. Through His sacrifice, we are now acceptable to God in Christ (1 Peter 2:5; Romans 15:7). We have been crucified with Christ. Therefore, it is no longer we who live our life, but Christ, the Messiah, who lives in us. The life that we now live in our body on this earth, we live by faith in, devotion to, dependence on and complete confidence in the Son of God (Galatians 2:20, Amplified Bible).

Jesus is our only hope of experiencing God’s glory (Colossians 1:27). We could never be good enough in our human effort to earn a place in Heaven (Ephesians 2:8-10). Jesus gave up His glory in Heaven to take the form of a man, and He humbled Himself and willingly died in our place (Philippians 2:8).  Now, we can put on the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). We renew our mind by reading God’s Word, and we walk in the Spirit. Therefore, we will no longer succumb to the negative suggestions of our carnal nature (Romans 12:2; Galatians 5:16).

We completely surrender our will to God’s will for our life and we live in perfect union with Christ. Our old sinful nature is crucified with Christ, and sin has no more power over our choices. Just as the Son could do nothing of Himself, we too are nothing without Christ in us. The only effort we need to make in order to walk in the reality of this victory is to totally surrendering control of our life to God. In doing this, we successfully enter His rest (Hebrews 4:3).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, our Father exalted You with a name above all other names. One day every knee will bow and every tongue will confess that You, Jesus Christ, are Lord (Philippians 2:9-10). We were buried with You through baptism into Your death.  In the same way in which You were raised from the dead through the glory of our Father, we too are raised to live a new life through You. We are no longer slaves to sin, because You set us free from sin’s power when we died with You on Calvary’s cross (Romans 6:4-7).

Thought for the Day:

Just as God the Father, Son and Spirit are united as one, Jesus died so we can share in this same unity of oneness with our triune God. - 1 Corinthians 6:17

 

 

 

 

 

 

God Turns Mourning into Dancing

Read: Psalm 52:8-9

“But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation.” – Psalm 13:5

God will turn our mourning into dancing. He will remove our burden and pour out His joy upon us. Although our heart may fail us for fear about the future or grief over the past, as we look to God, our heart will sing joyfully to Him and not be silent, because of all the wondrous things He does for us every day. We will give thanks to our God forever, and in turn help others with the wisdom He imparts to us during this time of recovery (Psalm 30:11-12). However, it often takes planning on our part to open our heart to His healing love.

If we wait until the week before Christmas or some other holiday or anniversary, our negative emotions may overwhelm and debilitate us. It is wise to come up with a plan of action prior to special days and holidays, and not to wait until they trigger our feelings of grief and loss. Plan a party and set a place for your loved one. A friend of mine put a rose on an empty place setting for his deceased mother during his wedding reception. Or you can get together with others who experienced loss in their life and find comfort talking about your loved ones, sharing photos and stories and praying with one another.

God gives rest to those who are weary and heavy-laden (Matthew 11:28). He is our rock and fortress, our deliverer. We can take refuge in Him. He is a shield, which protects us from the darts of depression, and He is our stronghold and salvation (Psalm 18:2). He comforts us in our affliction and revives us when we can barely breathe, or hold our head up or even get out of bed (Psalm 119:50). As we follow a routine of daily Bible reading, devotion and prayer, we can bless our God and Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, for the mercies and comfort they give us during our affliction.

Our confidence in God does not disappoint us, because He pours out His love in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who lives within us (Romans 5:5). We rest our faith, knowledge and eternal hope on God who cannot lie (Titus 1:2; Hebrews 7:19; Acts 26:6). God knows exactly how we feel and He cares even if people do not. When our soul is sad, downcast and disturbed within us, we can put our hope in God and praise our Lord and Savior, even in the negative circumstances of our life (Psalm 42:11, 43:5). We wait expectantly for our blessed hope, the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus, the Messiah (Titus 2:13; Acts 24:15).

Prayer:

Dear Heavenly Father, great is Your mercy and grace. You gave us a new birth with a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. You are our future and our inheritance, which can never perish, spoil or fade away (1 Peter 1:3-4). You know and care about what we have lost (2 Corinthians 5:11). We place our faith and hope in You, because You raised Christ from the dead and gave Him great glory (1 Peter 1:21). We share in His inheritance with all the Saints of God (Romans 8:15-17). Dear God of Hope, fill us with all joy and peace, as we trust in You.

Thought for the Day:

We will overflow with hope by the power of God’s Holy Spirit within us. - Romans 15:13