We have talked about the Birth of Jesus Christ and the reason He was sent to this Earth. Jesus was fully God and fully man. He is the one and only true Son of God that died for our sins on the Cross so we may have everlasting life. We have also asked the question of who do you say Jesus is and what does He mean to you? That is a question that will have many different answers and meanings to many, many people. The most important answer is your own, what is your relationship with Christ and what impact is that having on your life? Have you accepted Him? Do you believe in Him? Have you a relationship already with Him? Do want one? I would encourage you to explore these questions in your life. I would talk to you about it if you so chose too.
Before we get into the Sermon on the Mount lets look at the early history of Christ to build up to this so you understand where we are at in His life. How did Jesus' ministry start? What happened before it started? In the following paragraphs we will follow the what the Bible has to say about it. Remember the Bible is the Word and the Word is truth from God.
Now keep in mind who is writing these things to you. I am just a normal everyday guy with some addiction issues. I work in a factory and am not nationally significant. I am your average Garden variety sinner who wants to do what he was called to do and that is work for God and share the most important message you will ever hear. That is belief in Jesus' birth, life, and crucifixion. That He is the one and only Son of God, that God so loved the world He gave His one and only Son so we may see the light through the darkness and turn from our ways, and that those who repent will have forgiveness of Sins in the name of Jesus Christ. and we will have everlasting life if we believe.
Now up to this point in His life, John the Baptist was preparing the way for Jesus' ministry to start and to inform people that the Messiah has been born and is now here on Earth. John spoke of Him with great regard and affection. Matthew 3:11-12; I baptize with water those who repent of their sins and turn to God. But someone is coming soon who is greater than I am-so much greater that I'm not worthy even to be His slave and carry His sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. He is ready to separate the the chaff from the wheat with His winnowing fork. Then He will clean up the threshing area, gathering wheat into His barn but burning the chaff with never-ending fire."
With this Jesus went to Galilee to the Jordan River to be baptized by John according to the scriptures. John tried talking Jesus out of it Matthew 3:14; "I am the one who needs to be baptized by you, so why are you coming to me?" Matthew 3:15-17; Jesus replied "It should be done, for we must carry out all that God requires" so John agreed to baptize Him. After His baptism, as Jesus came up out of the water, the Heavens were opened and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and settling on him. And a voice from Heaven said, "This is my dearly beloved Son, who brings me great Joy".
Now the stage has been set for Jesus to start preparing for His ministry. After the baptism Jesus was led away by the Spirit into the wilderness. He fasted for forty days and forty nights and became very Hungry. This was also the time where He was to be tempted by the devil. Satan tried many times to get Jesus to go against the scriptures and make one selfish choice. If I understand what I am reading correctly it only needed to be one selfish choice. But Jesus showed great restraint and great love for the Father be sticking to and living what scripture had to say. Satan offered Him food, mocked Him, offered Him a great Earthly Kingdom only if he would bow down and worship him. to which Jesus replied Matthew 4:10; "Get out of here Satan" for the Scriptures say; You must worship the Lord your God and serve only Him".
Satan tempts us in many different ways as well, only he doesn't have to say to us directly bow down and worship me. No he is smart enough to offer us things we will worship that are not of God. Money, sex, status, and so on. By worshipping these things as more important than our relationship with God than we are worshipping him. We all do it, we just have to recognize it. The life of Jesus was set in motion long before time began and this journey of His life that ends on the Cross and the Resurrection protects us from the choices we make if we repent of them and try not to repeat them continually. He knew Satan would tempt us and that we would have to have a way to be worthy enough to enter the Kingdom. A sacrifice of sinless blood was the way to achieve that purpose. Jesus overcame death so that a life we lead that ends in death can be overcame and we can be reborn into everlasting life by choosing Jesus and not the world. We have to live in the world but we don't have to worship and give our lives to the things in it. In three million or 3 trillion years from now is it going to matter who we slept with, how many of them, the kind of car we drove or house we lived in, you get the point. The only thing that will matter is what we believe and what we give to the world not what we take from it. Up or down is the only two ways we are leaving this earth with nothing more than what we came in with, our souls.
In the next few weeks we will be getting into the teachings of Jesus and I will share how it relates to my life and what it could mean for our lives.
Who do you say Jesus is? and what does that mean to you?
Jason
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Sunday, March 20, 2011
Our Warning
Heaven or Hell? Where will we go? Is it real? Oh yes it is, Heaven is just a breath away and so is Hell. I was warned by way of a book (A Divine Revelation of Hell, by Mary K. Baxter) of what is waiting for me when I die. Each page contained a part of my life in it. The premise of the book is Mrs. Baxter was visited by Jesus for the purpose of writing this book. Over a period of 30 days Jesus took her soul into all the different parts of Hell so she could hear stories of the people sent there and be witness to conversations Jesus had with its residents. She was able to see, hear, smell and feel all that Hell had to offer. The agony described within it pages was more than I could bear and I believe all these things she witnessed to be true. I was all those people for the most part except the wealthy aspect, but other than that those people were me. Jesus repeated many times the way he tried to contact each person and they just didn't follow or they became to self absorbed in money and sex to even hear the truth anymore even if they were believers, but those that were believers committed one of the big unforgivable sins which is to know Christ then turn your back on Him for the things the world has to offer. Churches and religious leaders support her ministry and have not disproved a single word of Her accounts. I believe and stories support that Jesus tries to contact and get into our hearts many times but the only way that will happen is if we ask Him to be there. It is like someone standing at the door holding many gifts for us. We know they are out there but the only way that person will get into our House is if we open the door and invite them in. Otherwise if we don't the person may remain out there wanting in but is stuck because we don't want them in the House. Eventually we will lose the chance to have that person in our house and will miss out on the gifts that person wanted to give us. If you think Christ is knocking at your door than let Him in and receive the Gifts He has too offer. Otherwise when we die it is too late to open the door and then we are where we will never escape from. The stench, the loneliness, the pain, the heartbreak, the flames, the heat, the darkness, and worst of all the knowledge of a God that we did not follow or did not want to believe in. We will then feel that separation from a God who loves us for an eternity. This is what Hell has to offer all of us who chose to not believe in Jesus or turn their back on Him for what the world has to offer. Just imagine the horrors that are occurring right this very second and the tortures that are being inflicted and will be for an eternity to millions of souls. There is a way out and that is a belief in Jesus Christ and repenting of our sins then living a new way that is Christ centered. The price tag is too great and I would of ended up there if I died sooner than two years ago. Two years that's it and I am 40 now. I am not preaching at you but I am a guy who has been close to receiving that sentence and just want to help others just like me not receive what I deserved. Hell is too big of risk for anyone and the sad part is at any given moment we could die that is certain. Today maybe your very last chance at Salvation literally.
I watched some videos on U tube the other night about near death experiences of Heaven and Hell. Some people may not believe in near death but I do. I believe it only makes sense that God would allow someone to die to grab their attention to turn to Him or to tell others the spiritual realm is real for the purposes of letting all know that their is something after this life. He loves us that much that He could literally love us to death to share or to turn. Why not? He is God and He can do that if someone needs it or if someone has the capability of spreading the Good news to many that need to hear Heaven is real and tell of their experiences or that Hell is real and tell of their experiences.It only makes sense.
One of the videos showed a young man who was involved in the Gang life and died in a car accident. He was speaking to a group of youths at a local church and told of his experience. He descended into a hole that just didn't end, he could hear but could not see because it was just so dark. He eventually came to a stop and was surrounded by moans, unbearable hollering, horrifying screams, and a smell unlike anything he had ever experienced. He said you wanted to throw up and plug your ears but could not, you had to experience all of it. He said he had believed all of his life but wasn't living it, he chose what the gang had too offer and did the things they wanted. He cried out and pledged his life and would make a difference to others if he could get out. That moment he was forced back into his body and woke up at a hospital. He has since opened a youth ministry and talks to young gang kids and kids that have yet to join gangs.
Another man was an Atheist all of his life and had a heart attack, he remembers being taken out of his body and forced downward where he could see at the bottom of this hole fire that just raged, he remembers feeling the heat and the screams of millions of souls all at once. God chose to save him from this for a purpose he had to complete. He woke up in a hospital with his wife at his side and asked where he was at and told her he was in a much different place. She told him he has been right here the whole time but he again said no I was somewhere and told her of the horrors he had seen. He since has opened his own ministry and is a writer. This mans earlier life was filled with jails, addictions, fights and divorces. He was saved I believe to be a living example that you can turn from that life and follow Christ. He was lucky, millions more are not I would venture to guess. I would say most only get one shot than it is said and done, scripture supports that statement. I would tell you where but I think opening the bible to find it yourself would do you more good than harm because you can never tell what else you will find.
Now there was a lady in England that went to Heaven when she died. She told of this amazingly bright light that she was drawn to. The more she walked into it the more she became less aware of herself. She talked of this intense ecstasy she felt and knowledge poured into her. The one piece that really stuck with her was a voice in her head saying "there is a perfect plan being played out in perfection of the plan". She stayed in that unaware ecstasy state till she found herself in a meadow aware she had died and who she was. She was sent back I believe to share her story that there is a Heaven and that is what we could expect.
Afterlife is real, we will never die. We will go on to eternal destinations of Heaven or Horror. Jesus is, "The Truth, the Way and the Life, nobody comes to the Father except through Him." Jesus Himself said so and that is what we must do and believe.
Who do you say Jesus is? and what does it mean to you?
Jason
I watched some videos on U tube the other night about near death experiences of Heaven and Hell. Some people may not believe in near death but I do. I believe it only makes sense that God would allow someone to die to grab their attention to turn to Him or to tell others the spiritual realm is real for the purposes of letting all know that their is something after this life. He loves us that much that He could literally love us to death to share or to turn. Why not? He is God and He can do that if someone needs it or if someone has the capability of spreading the Good news to many that need to hear Heaven is real and tell of their experiences or that Hell is real and tell of their experiences.It only makes sense.
One of the videos showed a young man who was involved in the Gang life and died in a car accident. He was speaking to a group of youths at a local church and told of his experience. He descended into a hole that just didn't end, he could hear but could not see because it was just so dark. He eventually came to a stop and was surrounded by moans, unbearable hollering, horrifying screams, and a smell unlike anything he had ever experienced. He said you wanted to throw up and plug your ears but could not, you had to experience all of it. He said he had believed all of his life but wasn't living it, he chose what the gang had too offer and did the things they wanted. He cried out and pledged his life and would make a difference to others if he could get out. That moment he was forced back into his body and woke up at a hospital. He has since opened a youth ministry and talks to young gang kids and kids that have yet to join gangs.
Another man was an Atheist all of his life and had a heart attack, he remembers being taken out of his body and forced downward where he could see at the bottom of this hole fire that just raged, he remembers feeling the heat and the screams of millions of souls all at once. God chose to save him from this for a purpose he had to complete. He woke up in a hospital with his wife at his side and asked where he was at and told her he was in a much different place. She told him he has been right here the whole time but he again said no I was somewhere and told her of the horrors he had seen. He since has opened his own ministry and is a writer. This mans earlier life was filled with jails, addictions, fights and divorces. He was saved I believe to be a living example that you can turn from that life and follow Christ. He was lucky, millions more are not I would venture to guess. I would say most only get one shot than it is said and done, scripture supports that statement. I would tell you where but I think opening the bible to find it yourself would do you more good than harm because you can never tell what else you will find.
Now there was a lady in England that went to Heaven when she died. She told of this amazingly bright light that she was drawn to. The more she walked into it the more she became less aware of herself. She talked of this intense ecstasy she felt and knowledge poured into her. The one piece that really stuck with her was a voice in her head saying "there is a perfect plan being played out in perfection of the plan". She stayed in that unaware ecstasy state till she found herself in a meadow aware she had died and who she was. She was sent back I believe to share her story that there is a Heaven and that is what we could expect.
Afterlife is real, we will never die. We will go on to eternal destinations of Heaven or Horror. Jesus is, "The Truth, the Way and the Life, nobody comes to the Father except through Him." Jesus Himself said so and that is what we must do and believe.
Who do you say Jesus is? and what does it mean to you?
Jason
Sunday, March 13, 2011
The Birth
Let me begin this series telling all of you I am a sinner of great magnitude and am washed clean by the blood of Jesus. I am a recovering Alcoholic, drug addict and sex addict. I have had many extra marital affairs, engaged in illegal activities and used substances to dull my senses. To those who can relate to that list read on and share your story if so inclined. I say all these things to let you know that I have been far removed from the Kingdom of God and I have been welcomed back when I never thought that was possible..Me, an adulterer, thief, liar, covetor, and murderer (in the biblical sense not real) was accepted by Jesus Christ.
I chose the title "Who do you say I am" because I want people to think about who Jesus is and who He is in their life, as well as examine what true beliefs they have about Him. He asked that same question of Peter and Peter was the first Human being to utter the words "You are the Messiah the Son of God" and mean it and Jesus said "you are the corner stone and from here I will build my church".
So who is Jesus and where did His story begin in our lives? Jesus is the Son of God; John 3:16 for God so loved the world He gave His one and only Son. Luke 2:10-12; but the Angel reassured them "Don't be afraid for I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all the people. The Savior-yes the Messiah, the Lord-has been born today in Bethlehem, the City of David! And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth , lying in a manger"
That is the day that offered hope unlike the world has ever known before. Jesus left His rightful place in Heaven to take on the role of a servant to be with His people and teach us what we needed to know to receive a place with Him through all of eternity. Simply we must believe in Him and who He truly is (the son of God), that He paid the ultimate price for our sins which was a blood sacrifice on the Cross, and that we must honor that sacrifice and treat it as Holy by repenting of our sins (which means to turn away from them and not repeat the same offenses over and over again)-that requires us to die to ourselves and old ways of living and accept Christ into our heart to lead and guide our decisions. Some may read this and think "He sounds like a thumper what does he know?" I know I am a sinner, I know God warned me of my destination when I die and I know He gave me another chance. Perfection is so far removed from me that I couldn't see it with a satellite if I tried. That is who I am and this is what the Bible tells you and me about what I just said:
Mark 8:34-38; Then , calling to the crowd to join His disciples, He said,"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your own soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when He returns in the Glory of His Father with the Holy Angels"
Take heart though, we will all fall short of being worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven, it is just a given that throughout any given day we will sin. I sin everyday in my interactions at work, the way I treat my wife, thoughts I will have in my head, judgements or criticisms I will make... the list can go on and on, but the difference is I must realize they are sin, ask for forgiveness through repentance and try not to repeat those by trying to try everyday. I pray throughout the day; prayers which are short and sweet nothing major, I admit fault to God when I do sin and apologize to Him for offending Him and I just try even harder for that day not to repeat that sin. God offers forgiveness through His Son Jesus if we ask and try to improve through a daily conscious effort to portray and practice Christ like behavior. That doesn't mean perfect, only Jesus is and will ever achieve perfection.
It is not rocket science. It is an acceptance of Christ into our heart and minds. By following Him and dying to our old ways (or ourselves and the world) and being reborn to a new Christ like life through belief and repentance we will have everlasting life through His sacrifice and belief in that sacrifice. Therefore, DO NOT THINK YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF BEING ACCEPTED BACK AND LOVED BY GOD BECAUSE NO MATTER WHAT WE HAVE DONE, IT HAS ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR AND PUNISHED BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST WHO WILLINGLY PUT HIMSELF ON THE CROSS AND DIED A HORRIBLE DEATH, WAS BURIED AND ROSE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD ON THE THIRD DAY AND ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER TO ACT AS OUR ADVOCATE ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT BECAUSE HE LOVED US AND KNEW US BEFORE WE WERE EVEN BORN! That is the GOOD NEWS that is what the Birth and the Crucifixion did for us. That moment in time 2011 years ago is the most important birth the world has ever known. It was the birth that split BC and AD and gave us a choice between Heaven and Hell because of what He did and what He is asking us to do which is believe, repent and live well, and love each other.
The birth of Jesus really happened, He really lived, and He really loves you.
Who do you say He is and what does that mean to you?
Jason.
I chose the title "Who do you say I am" because I want people to think about who Jesus is and who He is in their life, as well as examine what true beliefs they have about Him. He asked that same question of Peter and Peter was the first Human being to utter the words "You are the Messiah the Son of God" and mean it and Jesus said "you are the corner stone and from here I will build my church".
So who is Jesus and where did His story begin in our lives? Jesus is the Son of God; John 3:16 for God so loved the world He gave His one and only Son. Luke 2:10-12; but the Angel reassured them "Don't be afraid for I bring you good news that will bring great joy to all the people. The Savior-yes the Messiah, the Lord-has been born today in Bethlehem, the City of David! And you will recognize Him by this sign: You will find a baby wrapped snugly in strips of cloth , lying in a manger"
That is the day that offered hope unlike the world has ever known before. Jesus left His rightful place in Heaven to take on the role of a servant to be with His people and teach us what we needed to know to receive a place with Him through all of eternity. Simply we must believe in Him and who He truly is (the son of God), that He paid the ultimate price for our sins which was a blood sacrifice on the Cross, and that we must honor that sacrifice and treat it as Holy by repenting of our sins (which means to turn away from them and not repeat the same offenses over and over again)-that requires us to die to ourselves and old ways of living and accept Christ into our heart to lead and guide our decisions. Some may read this and think "He sounds like a thumper what does he know?" I know I am a sinner, I know God warned me of my destination when I die and I know He gave me another chance. Perfection is so far removed from me that I couldn't see it with a satellite if I tried. That is who I am and this is what the Bible tells you and me about what I just said:
Mark 8:34-38; Then , calling to the crowd to join His disciples, He said,"If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it. And what do you benefit if you gain the whole world but lose your own soul? Is anything worth more than your own soul? If anyone is ashamed of me and my message in these adulterous and sinful days, the Son of Man will be ashamed of that person when He returns in the Glory of His Father with the Holy Angels"
Take heart though, we will all fall short of being worthy of the Kingdom of Heaven, it is just a given that throughout any given day we will sin. I sin everyday in my interactions at work, the way I treat my wife, thoughts I will have in my head, judgements or criticisms I will make... the list can go on and on, but the difference is I must realize they are sin, ask for forgiveness through repentance and try not to repeat those by trying to try everyday. I pray throughout the day; prayers which are short and sweet nothing major, I admit fault to God when I do sin and apologize to Him for offending Him and I just try even harder for that day not to repeat that sin. God offers forgiveness through His Son Jesus if we ask and try to improve through a daily conscious effort to portray and practice Christ like behavior. That doesn't mean perfect, only Jesus is and will ever achieve perfection.
It is not rocket science. It is an acceptance of Christ into our heart and minds. By following Him and dying to our old ways (or ourselves and the world) and being reborn to a new Christ like life through belief and repentance we will have everlasting life through His sacrifice and belief in that sacrifice. Therefore, DO NOT THINK YOU ARE UNWORTHY OF BEING ACCEPTED BACK AND LOVED BY GOD BECAUSE NO MATTER WHAT WE HAVE DONE, IT HAS ALREADY BEEN PAID FOR AND PUNISHED BY THE BLOOD OF CHRIST WHO WILLINGLY PUT HIMSELF ON THE CROSS AND DIED A HORRIBLE DEATH, WAS BURIED AND ROSE AGAIN FROM THE DEAD ON THE THIRD DAY AND ASCENDED INTO HEAVEN AND IS SEATED AT THE RIGHT HAND OF THE FATHER TO ACT AS OUR ADVOCATE ON THE DAY OF JUDGEMENT BECAUSE HE LOVED US AND KNEW US BEFORE WE WERE EVEN BORN! That is the GOOD NEWS that is what the Birth and the Crucifixion did for us. That moment in time 2011 years ago is the most important birth the world has ever known. It was the birth that split BC and AD and gave us a choice between Heaven and Hell because of what He did and what He is asking us to do which is believe, repent and live well, and love each other.
The birth of Jesus really happened, He really lived, and He really loves you.
Who do you say He is and what does that mean to you?
Jason.
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
Jesus
This blog has been created to inspire and inform. I will soon be starting a blog series on the teachings of Jesus, near death experiences of Heaven and Hell, as well as glorify the crucifiction and the meaning it has to our lives.
It is my hope that those who happen upon this blog will share stories and witness's of their own life to encourage others and expand the Kingdom of God. Athiest, Agnostic, and Satanist's are encouraged to share in this because Jesus talked to and loved everyone the same as we are His Children.
For those who don't know who Jesus is lets begin by simply saying, "Jesus is the Son of God, He is ruler of the universe and is given control of all things in Heaven, on Earth and under the Earth. He died for our sins and for all who believe and repent (meaning to turn away from sin and try to live better) will have everlasting life.
It is my hope that those who happen upon this blog will share stories and witness's of their own life to encourage others and expand the Kingdom of God. Athiest, Agnostic, and Satanist's are encouraged to share in this because Jesus talked to and loved everyone the same as we are His Children.
For those who don't know who Jesus is lets begin by simply saying, "Jesus is the Son of God, He is ruler of the universe and is given control of all things in Heaven, on Earth and under the Earth. He died for our sins and for all who believe and repent (meaning to turn away from sin and try to live better) will have everlasting life.
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