Tag: Lord Jesus Christ

Categories
Bible Teaching

Love & Humility

Apostolic Life Cathedral | Sept. 22, 2024 | 10:00 AM

Text: John 13:33-35

(33) Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.

(34) A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

(35) By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

God prepares you for what you will face in life by teaching you how to serve others with Love & Humility.

The Passover – The Last Supper (John 13:1–38)[1]

The disciples crowded through the door into the large upper room, eager to eat the Passover supper with Jesus.

Peter and John had arrived early to make everything ready, and the room was filled with the scent of roasted lamb, fresh-baked unleavened bread, vegetables, and vinegar. No one had eaten since noon, and now it was late evening. Everyone was hungry.

They all hurried to take their places, reclining on mats and cushions around a low table. No doubt many of them tried to sit as close to Jesus as possible. John had taken advantage of his role as organizer of the meal to ensure he was right next to Jesus.

Judas sat on the other side of Jesus. Both sat in places of honor…

However, No one made use of the large ceremonial jars full of water and the towels by the door they had just entered. Their feet were soiled with the dust, debris, and filth from the roads and streets they just walked.

There was no servant present and not one of the disciples was willing or thoughtful enough to take on that lowly role and wash the other’s feet.

When they had all gathered, Jesus said, “With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer: for I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be fulfilled in the kingdom of God” (Luke 22:15–16).

Jesus broke the bread and passed it around the table, telling them this bread was His body, which was broken for them. He passed around the cup of wine, saying, “This cup is the New Testament in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19–20).

The moment was solemn and holy.

Yet a low, muttered argument started up among the disciples. Perhaps those relegated to the far end of the table were casting envious glances at John, Judas and the others who had positioned themselves closest to Jesus.

The old argument was flaring up again…

Somehow, despite following the humble Jesus, there developed a debate and a point of contention among the disciples. In their pride they began to argue among themselves:

“And there was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest” (Luke 22:24).

Jesus took one last opportunity and turned it into a teachable moment.

At other times, Jesus had stopped them and taught them the greatest of them should be the servant of all, but His words had not reached them.

Jesus decided to send a much stronger message and without whispering a word, Jesus rose from supper, wrapped a towel around His waist, poured a basin full of water, and approached the table. He knelt at the feet of the first disciple, placed his foot into the basin, washed it clean, and then dried it with the towel around His waist.

A hush settled over the room.

Embarrassment. Confusion. Conviction.

Jesus was preaching a message more powerful than any other—one that would change the disciples’ lives forever. Actions speak louder than words.

Jesus Served His Disciples Because He Loved Them

Jesus loved His disciples enough to humble Himself and wash their feet. Jesus did not just tell His disciples He loved them; love moved Him to action.

Many people are happy to be served, but few are happy to serve.

Do you want to know if you have a heart for others?

How do you respond when you are asked to serve others?

In Jesus’ day, the lowliest servant or slave was expected to wash feet. That task was dirty and demeaning, yet Jesus willingly served because it was needed.

He saw a need and loved His disciples enough to meet that need.

Jesus loved His disciples enough to give them a powerful object lesson.

He knows that infighting will tear His church apart.

You will not be who Jesus called you to be as long as you are wrapped up in petty positional politics.

The church has no time to be weighed down with popularity contests and posturing.

Jesus loves you too much to let that be your future.

He loved His disciples too much to see them distracted by such selfish ambitions. So, He lovingly humbled Himself and intervened.

This was no surprise; Jesus had already shown humility and was about to example it even further:

Philippians 2:7–8, He “made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.”

Jesus loved His disciples enough to wash their feet, and He loved you enough to die on the cross for you.

Jesus Corrected Peter’s Objections

All the other disciples seem to have submitted without protest, but when Jesus reached Simon Peter, Simon Peter asked in disbelief, “Lord, dost thou wash my feet?” (John 13:6).

The use of the honorific “Lord” is noteworthy here. Clearly, Peter was focused on the disconnect between Jesus’ status as his Lord and Jesus’ humble actions of a servant. Peter could not understand what was happening. In his typical brash way, Peter protested, “Thou shalt never wash my feet” (John 13:8).

Why do you think Peter refused to let Jesus wash his feet?

Peter probably had been thinking he was going to be the greatest in the kingdom of God. Maybe he had even been arguing that exact point with the other disciples. After all, didn’t Jesus give Peter the keys to the kingdom of Heaven? (See Matthew 16:18–19.)

Yet in that moment, Peter was getting a very different picture of what leadership of the church might look like.

He was either so convicted that he felt unworthy of Jesus’ service, or he was recoiling from the idea that the greatest in the Kingdom might be expected to serve in this way.

Jesus corrected Peter: “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part in me.”

Peter replied: “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head.”

Jesus Modeled Service and Humility

Jesus now had His disciples’ undivided attention.

His words would sink in deep.

He asked them if they knew what He had done to them. Were they self-aware enough to take the lesson to heart?

Jesus drove the lesson home:

“Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.”[2]

They learned a lesson that they never forgot.

I Will Serve Others in Love and Humility as Jesus Directs Me

That lesson is just as much for us today as it was for them then.

Pride and the desire for higher position is just as much an issue in the church today as it was among the disciples in the first century AD.

If we are not careful, we can engage in hero worship, putting leaders on a pedestal only Jesus should occupy.

And if leaders are not careful, they can begin to think they belong there.

Jesus’ example brings us back to the reality He taught His disciples another time when they were disputing about who should be the greatest. “And he sat down, and called the twelve, and saith unto them, If any man desire to be first, the same shall be last of all, and servant of all” (Mark 9:35).

Never forget that the greatest among us is to be the servant of all.

The most important person in the Church is not at the top, but at bottom, humbly serving everyone out of love.

Your greatness in God’s Kingdom is directly related to how many people you love and serve; not how many people love and serve you.

Jesus Prepares Us

Jesus repeatedly warned His disciples of what was coming.

He even tried to brace them for another great shock.

One of those sitting around the table, who had just eaten the Passover supper with Him and whose feet He had just washed was going to betray Him.

Someone in the room—someone in Jesus’ small circle of disciples—was a traitor.

Jesus told them to brace them and to prove His deity and foreknowledge: “Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.”[3]

Here again is one of Jesus’ numerous “I AM” statements sown throughout the Book of John, the Gospel that heavily focuses on Jesus’ deity.

Jesus knew Judas’s betrayal would shake the other disciples, but it may also increase their faith, understanding He had a plan all along.

Finally, Jesus dipped a piece of bread into the wine vinegar and handed it to Judas. Immediately, Satan entered into Judas, and Jesus told him, “That thou doest, do quickly.”

Judas left immediately, and Scripture records it was night. Judas stepped out of light into darkness, literally and figuratively.

Jesus Gave a New Command to Love One Another as He Loved Us

Even as hatred and greed drove Judas into darkness, in the upper room Jesus was talking about love.

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another” (John 13:34).

It seems strange that Jesus mentioned a new commandment, considering how much He had already taught about love.

Love the Lord thy God.

Love your neighbor as yourself.

Love your enemies.

But this was the first time Jesus specifically told the disciples to love one another.

Perhaps, in light of their earlier arguing over position, He felt it was necessary to spell it out.

He did not simply say, “Love one another,” but He added, “as I have loved you.”

The love we are to show one another is a humble, self-sacrificing love. This kind of love would impel Jesus to wash the disciples’ feet and die for them.

The kind of love we are supposed to have for each other is both challenging and inspiring.

Of all the proofs of discipleship, selfless love for one another is the one Jesus points to above all others.

By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another” (John 13:35).

No wonder I Corinthians 13 says no matter how eloquent and spiritually gifted we are, without love we are nothing.

If we give all we have to the poor or even our bodies to be burned, without love we are nothing.

A life of humble, loving, self-sacrifice is the most eloquent proof of discipleship.

Just as Jesus Prepared the Disciples,

He Prepares Us for What We Will Face

Jesus knew He was giving His disciples a seemingly impossible mission.

Soon He would be gone, leaving them with the task of spreading the gospel across the world and establishing God’s kingdom on earth.

But Jesus did not leave them unprepared. He lived His life as an example in front of them. They saw how He was moved with compassion and healed the sick, cleansed the lepers, and raised the dead.

They saw how He pitied the crowds and fed them with bread and fish.

They saw how He took authority over demonic spirits. Even they had gone out two by two, preaching, healing, and casting out demons. They had seen how Jesus humbly ministered to the simplest needs.

Jesus walked in supernatural power and served in menial tasks.

Then Jesus gave them hope by promising that He would rise again on the third day as a convincing testimony to His deity.

He promised them the power of the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost would teach them all things and bring all things He had spoken to them to their remembrance (John 14:26).

The Holy Ghost would give them power to be witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8).

Through the power of the Holy Ghost, the early church would turn their world upside down.

Just as Jesus prepared His disciples, He also prepares us.

We have His life of love as an example through the pages of Scripture. We can experience His authority and also feel the calling to meet the simplest needs of those around us through humble service.

And we too can receive the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit living in us, speaking through us, and empowering us to change our world.

Amy Carmichael, “One can give without loving but cannot love without giving.”

Bishop Edwin S. Harper, “Jesus didn’t give His apostles scepters, but He gave them towels because He commissioned them to serve, not to be a Lord over God’s heritage.”

[1] SOURCE: UPCI Quarterly. Fall 2024. Lesson 1.4

[2] John 13:13–15

[3] John 13:19

Categories
Bible Preaching

The Battle for the House

Apostolic Life Cathedral | Aug. 18, 2024 | 10:00 AM

Psalms 127:1, “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.”

God desires to dwell in the midst of His people.

David – “…when kings go to battle…”

  • 2 Samuel 11:1-18
    • Put the Ammonite king’s crown on his head
    • Pride of life
    • Ammonite king, numbered the people not the fighting men
    • Human spirit
    • 70,000 people dead
  • 1 Chronicles 20:1
    • Uriah
    • Bathsheba
    • Lust of the flesh
    • 2 people die
    • Sword never leaves the house of David
    • Amnon
    • Civil war

1 Corinthians 15:58, “Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

  • Stedfast – firm, settled
  • Unmoveable – not to be moved from its place. Firmly persistent.
  • Always abounding – at all times, to be in excess, exceed, excel.

“…In the work of the Lord…” – “Except the Lord build the house”

Categories
Bible Preaching

The Joyful Sound

Apostolic Life Cathedral | July 28, 2024 | 6:30 PM

Text: Psalms 89:15-17, “(15)  Blessed is the people that know the joyful sound: they shall walk, O LORD, in the light of thy countenance. (16)  In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. (17)  For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn shall be exalted.”

Psalms 1:1-6, “(1) Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.  (2)  But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.  (3)  And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.  (4)  The ungodly are not so: but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away.  (5)  Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.  (6)  For the LORD knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.”

Blessed = “Happy”[1] is the condition.[2]

Go deeper = “to be straight, level, right, to go forward, be honest, prosper.”[3]

The joyful sound is the call to celebrate, to rejoice, to continually delight in:

  1. The Name of the Lord
  2. The Righteousness of the Lord

Tonight, the Holy Ghost is calling you to respond with a joyful sound for all that Jesus did for you and all that His name brings to bear in your life.

Rejoice in all that God did for you to walk a straight, level, righteousness path of prosperity and purpose.

The Samaritans knew about that joy: “(5) Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them. (6)  And the people with one accord gave heed unto those things which Philip spake, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. (7)  For unclean spirits, crying with loud voice, came out of many that were possessed with them: and many taken with palsies, and that were lame, were healed. (8)  And there was great joy in that city.”

“There was great joy in that city.”

How many here tonight want to see that same great joy in Huntington and the Tri-State Region?

It is God’s Will for the The Joyful Sound to echo along the riverbanks, valleys, and hillsides of our community:

We have heard the joyful sound:

Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Spread the tidings all around:

Jesus saves! Jesus saves!

Bear the news to ev’ry land,

Climb the steeps and cross the waves;

Onward! ’tis our Lord’s command;

Jesus saves! Jesus saves![4]

The Joyful Sound – Jesus Saves!

Every day, Jesus Saves!

God is calling for repentance…to be part of the joyful sound.

Paul was in Athens on Mars’ hill when he saw the altar written TO THE UNKNOWN GOD and he began to tell them of the one that they, in their superstition, were ignorantly worshipping.

Saying, “that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him, though he be not far from every one of us: For in him we live, and move, and have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also his offspring. Forasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man’s device. And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent:”

Repentance, led by true godly sorrow, will bring the joyful sound.

The fruit of mercy is restoration. The fruit of grace is maturity.

Unfortunately, life has a way of causing you to lose sight of what originally created the happy condition…the joyful sound.

What was once exciting and revealing, full of life and rewarding, has now become mundane and lost its vitality.

The daily life is at war with the joyful sound: “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Selah” (Psalms 68:19).

We should come daily to His storehouse of blessing.

The problem is we have become so busy doing the work we forget the relationship with the God of the work.

Oftentimes, people fail because they have their spiritual life, their prayer life, their relationship with Jesus on autopilot.

Like a pilot in a plane, or a driver in a car, you are content to sit disengaged and apathetic.

What once drove your passion has now become drudgery.

The work that inspired is now nothing more than perspiration.

The hope that enlarged your heart and gave you faith is now a vague memory, like the beauty of nature you miss will cruising by unbothered by what is just outside your window.

You have become trapped with the thought that you just need to get the job done.

You have stopped hearing the joyful sound.

This is why you are to become renewed daily in the spirit of your mind.

Turn off the of auto pilot, disengage the cruise control,

Look around you and see all the beauty, blessing, and opportunity!

The need and possibility around you

Paul wrote, “I have fought a good fight…I have kept the faith,” but he did not stop fighting.

It is time to recapture that joy that originally caught you:

  • Is. 12:3, “Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation.”
  • Is. 55:12, “For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.”
  • 1 Peter 1:7-9, “(7)  That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: (8)  Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: (9)  Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.”
  • Is. 9:3, “…they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.”
  • Acts2:1-4

You are going to have to press into it. To reach for it. To recapture the joyful sound: “Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 3:13-14).

To press means you will have to disengage the cruise control.

Revelation 19:6-7, “(6)  And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. (7)  Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready.”

[1] Strong’s. H835.

[2] Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible. Psalm 89:15.

[3] Strong’s. H833.

[4]  Priscilla J. Owens. (1882). We Have Heard the Joyful Sound.

Categories
Bible Preaching

Your Season of Refreshing

Apostolic Life Cathedral| July 21, 2024 | 10:00 AM

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, “(1)  To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven: (2)  A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted; (3)  A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up; (4)  A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance; (5)  A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing; (6)  A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away; (7)  A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak; (8)  A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.”

The Invitation: Matthew 11:28-30

(28)  Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29)  Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. (30)  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

A Refreshing Invitation:[1]

  1. Come to Me.
    • Attach yourself to Jesus
    • A call to intimacy
      • Experience His
        • Tender love for us
        • Delight in us
        • Longing to be with us
      • The “with Jesus” principle – they took note of them that they had been with Jesus (Acts 4:13).
  2. Take My yoke.
    • Transformational learning-by-example
    • Two oxen harnessed togetherEnter the yoke = submission to the Master
    • It’s not about your brilliance, but willingness to submit to the yoke
  3. Learn from Me.
    • Training a new young ox  =  custom fitted yoke
    • Emphasis on learning from someone, not independent study
    • Study, prayer, solitude, fasting, service
    • Grace is a teacher, and it is not cheap:
      • “Grace is the treasure hidden in the field…a man will go and sell all that he has. It is the pearl of great price…a man will sell all his goods to obtain it. It is the call of Jesus Christ at which the disciple leaves his nets and follows him. Grace calls us us to follow Jesus Christ, and to willingly yoke ourselves to Him. It is costly because it costs a man his life, and it is grace because it gives a man the only true life. It is costly because it condemns sin, and grace because it justifies the sinner.”[2]
    • You were bought with a price
  4. You will find rest.
    • First time “rest” is mentioned is in Genesis 2:1-3, “(1)  Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. (2)  And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.” God rested because He delighted in the goodness of His creation: “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day” (Gen. 1:31).
    • Our rest today is not about our weariness, tiredness and exhaustion, but to delight in His goodness and provision.
    • The rest of the Holy Ghost – “For with stammering lips and another tongue will he speak to this people. To whom he said, This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest; and this is the refreshing: yet they would not hear” (Isa 28:11-12)”
    • “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;” (Act 3:19).

Today, right now, is Your Season of Refreshing

[1] Tom Nelson. (2021). The Flourishing Pastor. Paraphrased

[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Paraphrased.

Categories
Bible Preaching

Two Gardens -Melvin Kuntzman

Apostolic Life Cathedral | Sept. 29, 2024 | 6:30 PM
Categories
Bible Preaching

It Is Finished – Dr. Gardner C. Taylor

Truly Educated
Back in my student days we were taught that a truly educated person is not one who knows all the answers. We were taught that a truly educated person is one who knows where to find the answers. Well, I for one lay bold claim to being a religiously educated person; better still, I lay strong claim to being educated as a Christian. I know not, I confess, the answers, but thank God, I do know One who knows the answers, who knows the end from the beginning and who does promise to answer if we call upon him.
Taylor, Gardner C., from the sermon “A Cry for Guidance.”
The Words of Gardner Taylor Volume 2.
Ed. Edward Taylor. Valley Forge: Judson Press, 2000. p. 25
Categories
Bible Teaching

The Fisherman’s Delight

Apostolic Life Cathedral | May 14, 2024 | 7 pm

Text: Ezekiel 47:9-10

(9)  And it shall come to pass, that every thing that liveth, which moveth, whithersoever the rivers shall come, shall live: and there shall be a very great multitude of fish, because these waters shall come thither: for they shall be healed; and every thing shall live whither the river cometh.

(10)  And it shall come to pass, that the fishers shall stand upon it from Engedi even unto Eneglaim; they shall be a place to spread forth nets; their fish shall be according to their kinds, as the fish of the great sea, exceeding many.

Matthew 4:18-20

(18)  And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

(19)  And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

(20)  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

“Ray Blankenship looked out of his window one morning to see a little girl being swept along in a rain-flooded drainage ditch beside his home. He knew that further downstream the ditch disappeared underneath the road and emptied into the main culvert. Nobody could survive that! He raced along the side of the ditch trying to get ahead of the child. Finally, he hurled himself into the water. When he surfaced he was able to grab her. The two tumbled head-over-heels, and then, within three feet of the culvert, Ray’s free hand felt something protruding from the bank – a tree limb! He clung to it desperately while the force of the water kept trying to tear him and the child away. Amazingly by the time the fire department arrived, Ray had pulled her to safety. As both were being treated for shock it was discovered just how much of a hero Ray was: Ray Blankenship couldn’t swim!”[1]

This world is full of lost souls swept along a drainage ditch of sin heading to their eternal demise in the lake of fire.

The church needs people who are willing to hurl themselves selflessly into the raging waters, grab hold of the drowning and bring them safely to shore.

Ray Blankenship didn’t know how to swim and while he was courageous for what he did, it could have very well ended in tragedy for the little girl and himself.

There could have been a double funeral.

I want to talk to you tonight about the Church and our responsibility to Jesus and People.

We need to be soulwinners and soulkeepers.

To make converts and to then make them disciples.

Often, when we speak of soulwinning, discipleship or outreach to today’s Apostolic Church their response is one of panic, fear, timidity.

It’s as if we are asking them to jump into a raging river without and swimming lessons.

As a movement, we are now entering our 3rd, 4th, 5th and sometimes even 6th or 7th generation of the Renewed Apostolic Church.

And while we are reaping in this era of blessing, as we share in the sure mercies of David, we find that this generation of Apostolics are exactly what we have made them.

They are not people of the world.[2]

They have become products of our pulpits.

They are people who have been trained for three or four generations to stay away from the world.

AND, they were faithful and obedient to the teaching of their pastor.

For the most part, neither they, their parents or grandparents have issues with alcohol, illegal drugs, illicit lifestyles, immoral behavior, or immodesty.

They have been trained to have little or no tolerance for sin — and that has often resulted into an intolerance of sinners.

Then we tell them, “Wade out into the middle of a world that practices all these things and somehow find a way to reach them for Jesus.”

People we’ve been unintentionally training you to avoid.

How can they possibly relate to the world, when we have not taught them to love the world as God loves them?

John 3:16-17, “(16) For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.  (17)  For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.”

  • The inhabitants of the world:

1 John 2:15-16  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  (16)  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

  • The world system: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, pride of life.

Parable of the Fishless Fishermen

By: John M. Drescher

Now it came to pass that a group existed who called themselves fishermen. And lo, there were many fish in the waters all around. In fact, the whole area was surrounded by streams and lakes filled with fish. And the fish were hungry.

Year after year these who called themselves fishermen met in meetings and talked about their call to fish, the abundance of fish, and how they might go about fishing.

Continually they searched for new and better definitions of fishing. They sponsored costly nationwide and worldwide congresses to discuss fishing and to promote fishing and hear about all the ways of fishing.

These fishermen built large, beautiful buildings called “Fishing Headquarters.” The plea was that everyone should be a fisherman and every fisherman should fish. One thing they didn’t do, however; they didn’t fish.

They organized a board to send out fishermen to where there were many fish. The board was formed by those who had the great vision and courage to speak about fishing, to define fishing, and to promote the idea of fishing in far-away streams and lakes where many other fish of different colors lived.

Also the board hired staffs and appointed committees and held many meetings to define fishing, to defend fishing, and to decide what new streams should be thought about. But the staff and committee members did not fish.

Expensive training centers were built to teach fishermen how to fish. Those who taught had doctorates in fishology, but the teachers did not fish. They only taught fishing. Year after year, graduates were sent to do full-time fishing, some to distant waters filled with fish.

Further, the fishermen built large printing houses to publish fishing guides. A speaker’s bureau was also provided to schedule special speakers on the subject of fishing.

Many who felt the call to be fishermen responded, and were sent to fish. But like the fishermen back home, they never fished.

Some also said they wanted to be part of the fishing party, but they felt called to furnish fishing equipment. Others felt their job was to relate to the fish in a good way so the fish would know the difference between good and bad fishermen.

After one stirring meeting on “The Necessity for Fishing,” a young fellow left the meeting and went fishing. The next day he reported he had caught two outstanding fish. He was honored for his excellent catch and scheduled to visit all the big meetings possible to tell how he did it.

So he quit his fishing in order to have time to tell about the experience to the other fishermen. He was also placed on the Fishermen’s General Board as a person having considerable experience.

Now it’s true that many of the fishermen sacrificed and put up with all kinds of difficulties. Some lived near the water and bore the smell of dead fish every day. They received the ridicule of some who made fun of their fishermen’s clubs and the fact that they claimed to be fishermen yet never fished.

They wondered about those who felt it was of little use to attend the weekly meetings to talk about fishing. After all, were they not following the Master who said, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men?”

Imagine how hurt some were when one day a person suggested that those who didn’t catch fish were really not fishermen, no matter how much they claimed to be. Yet it did sound correct. Is a person a fisherman if year after year he never catches a fish?

Drescher went on to write:

  • Insulation has turned into isolation.
  • Separation has become segregation.
  • Outreach looks more like inreach.
  •  Preaching the word sounds like preaching to the choir.
  •  Sharing the gospel consists of joining hands with the person across the aisle to give them a word of cheer or encouragement instead of reaching the lost with truth.
  • Our beacon of light has been confined to sanctuary chandeliers rather than placed in lighthouses along the shore. Our worship seeks for applause from the church when it should be looking for its affect on the unchurched.[3]

Fishing trip to Missouri with Dad & Ben.

God, in His love and wisdom has given The Church the same thing He has always given to those who sincerely want to serve and please Him:

  • Mercy = time to repent
  • Grace = space to grow

There is a heaviness in the world today, but there is also an answer to that burden

The burden of the lost.

When was the last time you lost sleep over the lost: the lost in your family, on your job, in the market, or at the park?

To cast off that feeling of heaviness we must learn to do and pursue what it is that brings joy to the Lord:

  • Luke 15:6, “And when he cometh home, he calleth together his friends and neighbours, saying unto them, Rejoice with me; for I have found my sheep which was lost.”
  • Luke 15:10, “Likewise, I say unto you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner that repenteth.”
  • Luke 15:21-24, “(21) And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.  (22)  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet:  (23)  And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry:  (24)  For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry.

When the Church is actively pursuing, as a body, lost sheep, sinners and wayward children, then it will find its fulfillment in the joy of the Lord.

Sometimes joy is observed in the favor of God. The grace of God. But grace isn’t always what you expect it to be.

Sometimes the fisherman has a long day with no fish caught, hooks in fingers, lines get crossed, lures lost, rain pours, and there’s always “the one that got away.” Not every fishing trip is a success.

If grace is simply unmerited favor then explain the experiences that are not favorable (sickness, death, poverty, persecution).

Paul wrote that Grace has with it the element of instruction:

Titus 2:11-14, “(11) For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  (12)  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  (13)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  (14)  Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

The trial of your faith, rejection of those you love, and betrayal of those you trust are working in you God’s Grace and His Divine Love in those weary moments of fishing.

Romans 5:3-5, “(3) And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience;  (4)  And patience, experience; and experience, hope:  (5)  And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.

  • Grace and Love work together

2 Peter 1:1-11, Peter spoke of taking on the Divine Nature and it ends in Divine Love (agape):

(1)  Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: (2)  Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, (3)  According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue: (4)  Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. (5)  And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; (6)  And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; (7)  And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. (8)  For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. (9)  But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. (10)  Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: (11)  For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

When God’s Grace and His Divine Love are active in your life then you experience The Fisherman’s Delight.

It won’t matter how many years you’ve been in the Church, or how many generations of apostolics you have in your family tree.

When you have His Grace and His Divine Love you will not forget where the Lord found you, and that will make you a skilled fisherman.

The Fisherman’s Delight occurs when the Church is actively catching hungry souls and seeing their lives change.

It is a powerful reminder of how lost we really were when Jesus saved us, and that brings joy to our heart.

[1] Story Source: Paul Harvey. (1989). Los Angeles Times Syndicate.

[2] All italicized lettering written by John M. Drescher. https://www.missionmindedfamilies.org/blog/Drescher, or Mark Jordan

[3] End italicized lettering written by John M. Drescher, or Mark Jordan.

Categories
Bible Teaching

The Last First Meal

Apostolic Life Cathedral | May 5, 2024 | 10:00 AM

Categories
Bible Teaching

What is it?

Apostolic Life Cathedral | April 28, 2024 | 10:00 AM

Text: Exodus 16:13-16

(13)  And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host.

(14)  And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground.

(15)  And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat.

(16)  This is the thing which the LORD hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents.

What is it?

John 6:28-50

(28)  Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?

(29)  Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.

(30)  They said therefore unto him, What sign shewest thou then, that we may see, and believe thee? what dost thou work?

(31)  Our fathers did eat manna in the desert; as it is written, He gave them bread from heaven to eat.

(32)  Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.

(33)  For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.

(34)  Then said they unto him, Lord, evermore give us this bread.

(35)  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.

(36)  But I said unto you, That ye also have seen me, and believe not.

(37)  All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out.

(38)  For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

(39)  And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

(40)  And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.

(41)  The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven.

(42)  And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? how is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven?

(43)  Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves.

(44)  No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

(45)  It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me.

(46)  Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father.

(47)  Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life.

(48)  I am that bread of life.

(49)  Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead.

(50)  This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die.

Manna= a whatness

Give us this day our Daily bread

Life’s inexplicable blessings wrapped in mystery

In the wilderness, About 10 cups of manna a day per house for 39 years, 11 months

1 Corinthians 13:1-13

(1)  Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not charity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.

(2)  And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.

(3)  And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth me nothing.

(4)  Charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,

(5)  Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil;

(6)  Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;

(7)  Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

(8)  Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.

(9)  For we know in part, and we prophesy in part.

(10)  But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.

(11)  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

(12)  For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

(13)  And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity.

What is this?

What in the world?

Grandpa Kuntzman – stroke, debilitated, needed care, fed by family,

What is going on?

But in that difficult time the family were closer than before, to each other and to their father.

Blessings in disguise

Hebrews 12:11, “Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.”

Psalms 78:25, “Man did eat angels’ food: he sent them meat to the full.”

What is this?

Just because you can’t put a name on it don’t discount it.

You might just be eating angel’s food.

Job 1:20-22, “(20)  Then Job arose, and rent his mantle, and shaved his head, and fell down upon the ground, and worshipped, (21)  And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD. (22)  In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.”

What is this?

foolish charges – curse God and die?

No way.

Isaiah 55:6-13

(6)  Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

(7)  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

(8)  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

(9)  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

(10)  For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:

(11)  So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

(12)  For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands.

(13)  Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.

Jesus duplicated the miracle of the quail and manna when He fed the 5,000 with 5 loaves and 2 fishes.

What are they among so many?

God provided the manna, but they had to pass it out and later collect it.

Obedience is the key

Categories
Bible Teaching

Jesus is Jehovah

Apostolic Life Cathedral | April 16, 2024 | 7:00 PM

Text: Ephesians 2:19-22, “(19) Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;  (20)  And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;  (21)  In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:  (22)  In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”

“When the Word of the Lord is properly delivered, the sinner gets evangelized, the saint gets edified, and the Lord is glorified. Because, when the name of Jesus is preached it establishes the house of the Lord.”

-Harold Hoffman

I have been revisiting the topic of the oneness of God recently in my studies and in my research I read a two-part article printed in 1926 in The Christian Outlook, and written by E. N. Bell, which is entitled: “A Glorious Tribute to Jesus Christ.”

Tonight’s study borrows from elements in that article that I think accomplishes what Harold Hoffman said preaching the name of Jesus does for the house of the Lord…establishes it.

Since you are the house of the Lord…I hope this lesson tonight creates a construction zone for you as you “are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit” (Ephesians 2:20-22).

And that “the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 5:10-11).

To be apostolic is to have a full apostolic vision of who Jesus is, and Jesus Christ is Jehovah.

Jehovah of the Old Testament is Jesus Christ of the New Testament.

Jesus Is Jehovah

Isaiah 40:3-5

(3)  The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

  • LORD in the Old Testament (KJV) is Jehovah
  • Same rule applies with “Spirit” in the New Testament: “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit” (1 Corinthians 12:13).

(4)  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

(5)  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

  • 2 Corinthians 4:3-6, “(3) But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:  (4)  In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.  (5)  For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.  (6)  For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
  • Jesus to Philip: “…he that hath seen me hath seen the Father” (Jn. 14:9).

Malachi 3:1, “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”

  • In Matthew 3:3, John the baptist is revealed to be “The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.”
  • Jesus is the Lord or Jehovah whose way was being prepared for by John.
  • Lord here in Malachi is referring specifically to the Messiah.

Jesus is the King of glory…the Jehovah of glory:

  1. Psalms 24:7-10, “(7) Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  (8)  Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle.  (9)  Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in.  (10)  Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.”
  2. 1 Corinthians 2:8, “Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory.”
  3. James 2:1, “My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons.”
  4. James is identifying the Lord Jesus Christ as the Lord of glory.

Jesus is Jehovah our righteousness:

  1. Jeremiah 23:5-6, “(5) Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.  (6)  In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.”
  2. 1 Cor. 1:30, “But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:”

Jesus is Jehovah above all:

  1. Psalms 97:9, “For thou, LORD, art high above all the earth: thou art exalted far above all gods.”
  2. John 3:30-31, “(30) He must increase, but I must decrease.  (31)  He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all.”
  3. John speaking of Jesus Christ

Jesus is Jehovah, the first and the last:

  1. “Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God” (Isaiah 44:6).
  2. Jesus speaking, “Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death” (Revelation 1:17-18).
  3. Isaiah 48:12 & 16, “(12) Hearken unto me, O Jacob and Israel, my called; I am he; I am the first, I also am the last….Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord GOD, and his Spirit, hath sent me. 
  4.  Revelation 22:13, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.”

Jesus Is the Eternal God and Creator

Psalms 102:24-27, “(24) I said, O my God, take me not away in the midst of my days: thy years are throughout all generations.  (25)  Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hands.  (26)  They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed:  (27)  But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end.”

The writer of Hebrews, in chapter 1, quotes this passage and applies it to Jesus:

(8) But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom….(10)  And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands:  (11)  They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment;  (12)  And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail.

Jesus Is the Mighty God

Isaiah 9:6, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Jesus is Wonderful in His person, in His glory, in His Beauty, in His mystery:

“And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory” (1 Timothy 3:16).

 He is the Counselor in whom is hid all the wisdom and counsel of God.

He is Mighty God, One True God, God the Mighty One.

He is the everlasting Father, the Father of the everlasting age, the Father of eternity.

Jesus is the Prince of Peace: The word “peace” here is more than just being made whole, safe, prosperous, well or complete.

It also has to do with recompense, or payment given to make an action or transaction complete.

So, the atonement is the payment made by the Prince of Peace.

Revelation 1:7-8, “(7) Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.  (8)  I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.

Jesus Is the True God

Jehovah is called “the true God”

Jeremiah 10:10, “But the LORD is the true God, he is the living God…”

Jesus is called “the true God”

1 John 5:20, “And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.

He Is Emmanuel, God with Us.

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.

  • Immanuel = with us (is) God[1]

Matthew 1:18-23, “(18) Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.  (19)  Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily.  (20)  But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.  (21)  And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.  (22)  Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying,  (23)  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.

  • Emmanuel = God with us[2]

He Is Lord of lords

Deut. 10:17, “For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible…”

Revelation 17:14, “These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful.”

1 Timothy 6:14-16, “(14) …keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ:  (15)  Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords;  (16)  Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.”

Jesus is the Lord from Heaven: “The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven” (1 Corinthians 15:47).

Jesus is Lord of all:

  • Acts 10:36, “The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:)”
  • Romans 10:11-13, “(11) For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.  (12)  For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.  (13)  For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
  • The name of the Lord is Jesus.

Jesus of Nazareth

The Christ – the Anointed One – Messiah

Jesus Christ

Lord Jesus Christ

If you have the Name tonight you have life.

John 20:31, “But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.”

If you have life in your body, then you have blood.

Leviticus 17:11, “For the life of the flesh is in the blood: and I have given it to you upon the altar to make an atonement for your souls: for it is the blood that maketh an atonement for the soul.”

If you have the blood of Jesus you have remission (pardon, freedom, deliverance, forgiveness, liberty)[3].

Hebrews 9:22-28, “(22) And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.  (23)  It was therefore necessary that the patterns of things in the heavens should be purified with these; but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these.  (24)  For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us:  (25)  Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others;  (26)  For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.  (27)  And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:  (28)  So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

Jesus is our Prince of Preace – our atoning agent

He paid the price to complete the transaction that would redeem us from our sins and reconcile us to the Father.

That is why when we speak of Jesus being Jehovah, God manifest in the flesh, we also speak of His Name.

Philippians 2:5-11

(5)  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

(6)  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

(7)  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

(8)  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

(9)  Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

(10)  That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

(11)  And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Jesus is Jehovah

[1] Strong’s. H6005.

[2] Strong’s. G1694.

[3] Strong’s. G859.