Tag: God’s Son
Jesus is Lord!
Scripture reading for February 24th: Leviticus 15-18, Psalm 31, Hebrews 6
Key Scriptures: Hebrews 6:17-20 “So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of His purpose, He guaranteed it with an oath, so that by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner place behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.”
God testified of Jesus “You are My Son,” and “You are a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedek.” (Hebrews 5:5-6) Believers can take refuge in God’s Word and truth. Jesus rose from the dead and entered God’s Presence in Heaven offering His own blood on our behalf as our High Priest. This gives us strong confidence and firm assurance!
Faith Confession and Prayer: Jesus, I trust in You and say “Jesus is my Lord!” Thank You for offering Your blood on my behalf on the Mercy Seat in heaven. Help me to proclaim Your Lordship!
Leviticus 16:15-16 “Then he shall kill the goat of the sin offering that is for the people and bring its blood inside the veil and do with its blood as he did with the blood of the bull, sprinkling it over the mercy seat and in front of the mercy seat. Thus he shall make atonement for the Holy Place, because of the uncleannesses of the people and because of their transgressions and all their sins.”
Psalm 31:14 “But I trust in You, O Lord; I say, “Your are my God.”
God’s Only Son!
Scripture reading for February 8th: Mark 1, Psalm 29, Proverbs 29
Key Scriptures: Mark 1:7-11 “And he (John the Baptist) preached, saying, ‘After me comes He who is mightier than I, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. I have baptized you with water, but He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’ In those days Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in the Jordan. And when He came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on Him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are My Beloved son; with You I am well pleased.””
Mark, a first-generation believer, was a church leader in the church in Rome. He wrote this gospel account of the life of Jesus Christ to tell the love story of Jesus to Gentiles. He wrote this as an action account. Here he lays the foundation of our faith understanding about who Jesus Christ is: God’s beloved Son. He relays how John the Baptist prepared the way by preaching repentance and pointing to the coming Messiah.
Faith Confession: I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God the Father, and that Jesus Christ baptizes me in the Holy Spirit. (The testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophesy.)
Proverbs 29:18 “Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law.”
Rejoicing in Christ’s House!
Scripture reading for April 19th: 1st Chronicles 14-17
Key Scriptures: 1st Chronicles 17:10-13 “‘I declare to you that the Lord will build a house for you; When your days are over and you go to be with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring to succeed you, one of your own sons, and I will establish his kingdom. He is the one who will build a house for Me, and I will establish His throne forever. I will be His Father, and He will be My Son. I will never take My love away from Him. . .”
King David wanted to build a house for God. But God turned the tables and declared that He would build a house for him through One of his offspring that God would raise up. This One would be established on God’s throne forever! He would be “God’s Son” and God would be His Father!
Rejoice today in God’s House: “”But what about you?” He asked. “Who do you say that I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by My Father in heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.”” (Matthew 16:15-18)
Identity from the Father!
Scripture reading for March 7th: Luke 3
Key scriptures for over-comers: Luke 3:21-23. “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as He was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in bodily form like a dove. And a Voice came from heaven: “You are My Son, whom I love, with You I am well-pleased.” Now Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry, He was the son, so it was thought of Joseph, . .”
Who is your father here on earth? Jesus had an earthly adoptive ‘father’ named Joseph who was descended from a famous ‘father’ in Israel, King David. David, in turn, was a descendant of Abraham. Abraham’s lineage went all the way back to Adam! Luke was showing the Gentiles that Jesus was the ‘Son of Man’. But Luke also showed that Jesus had a real Father in heaven. At Jesus’ baptism, the voice of the Father clearly declared “You are My Son, Whom I love, with You I am well-pleased!” Jesus may have been known as ‘the carpenter’s son’, but He was also God’s Son!
Observations for over-comers: We may have an earthly father, or maybe not one we know. But when we are born again in Christ Jesus, we have a Father in heaven who says to us at our baptism, ‘You are My Son (Daughter), Whom I love, with You I am well-pleased.” “When I consider Your heavens, the work of Your fingers, the moon and the stars, which You have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, the son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8:3-4)
Jesus: A Priest forever!
Scripture reading for October 20th: Hebrews 5
High priests in Old Testament Israel came from Aaron, Moses’s brother, appointed by God to that position. He was a sinful man, and could identify with the people and offered sacrifices for their sins as well as his own. But Aaron and his offspring were limited in their ability to serve the people, in that death took them away. Although this priesthood was still helpful, God had something better in mind for his people.
“No one takes this honor upon himself; he must be called by God, just as Aaron was. So Christ also did not take upon Himself the glory of becoming a high priest. But God said to Him, “You are My Son; Today I have become Your Father.” And He says in another place, “You are a Priest forever, in the order of Melchizedek.”” (Hebrews 5:4-6) Jesus was called by His own Father to become a Priest forever! Melchizedek was an Old Testament figure that has some mystery about him. (See Genesis 14:17-20) He was ‘king of Salem’ and ‘priest of God Most High’ in the time of Abram. Abram was met by Melchizedek as he returned after rescuing Lot from King Kedorlaomer. He brought Abram bread and wine and gave Abram a blessing from God Most High, Creator of heaven and earth. Abram, in response, gave Melchizedek a tithe of all the spoils! There was no record of Melchizedek’s birth or death, it was like he just appeared and disappeared.
Jesus Christ was appointed to the order of Melchizedek! He meets His brethren and offers a meal of bread and wine, His own body and blood! He is a Priest forever–with eternal existence, past, present and future! He came to bless His brothers and deliver them from their enemies and make known Father God to them. He is our great High Priest who blesses us with eternal life!
God’s Amazing Son!
Scripture reading for December 11th: Hebrews 1-2
God is a spirit and we are not equipped to see or understand a spirit-being. God sent His first-born Son, Jesus Christ to fully reveal His character. As we look at Jesus and His completely humble and obedient character, we can begin to know and understand God.
“In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things and through whom He made the universe. The Son is the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.” Hebrews 1:1-3
Jesus Christ is God’s last word for us. In the Old Testament times God spoke the language of “prophet” at various times and in various places. In New Testament times, God speaks “Son”. His Son is His exact representation. If you really want to know about God, then look to Jesus and listen to His word.
Not only is Jesus Christ the creator of all things, He also made purification for sins. His life of total obedience made Him the only one capable of being a sacrifice for our sins. He willingly and obediently obeyed His Father and offered His body and blood to atone for sin. His sacrifice was sufficient and provides the only way to be cleansed from sin.
“Since the children have flesh and blood, He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.” Hebrews 2:14-15
This is the last word from heaven for us! He shared our humanity, that we might know God’s character and love and live in freedom from fear of death! May God have the “last word” in your life today and every day!
This Is My Son, Whom I Love!
Scripture reading for October 6th: Matthew 1-4
Wow! We are finally in the New Testament! Four hundred years of silence have passed and God is speaking again! He is fulfilling a number of prophesies that He gave over the years concerning His Son. A virgin, named Mary, gives birth to a son. (Matthew 1:22-23) This virgin and her betrothed husband, Joseph, are descendants of King David and their genealogy is traced back to Abraham. (Matthew 1:1-16) This “Son” was born in Bethlehem, fulfilling what the prophet Micah had predicted nearly 700 years earlier. (Matthew 2:6)
Gentile wise men came to worship Him who was born “king of the Jews.” Gentiles would also be blessed and come to this “king of the Jews” for salvation! They came to Judea and visited King Herod. Herod became jealous and ordered the destruction of all boys 2 years and younger. God had already intervened and warned Joseph and Mary to depart for Egypt. This fulfilled two other prophesies about Rachel weeping for her children and God calling His Son out of Egypt. (Matthew 2:15-18) When Joseph and Mary returned to Israel after Herod’s threat had passed, they settled in Nazareth. Jesus was called a “Nazarene” in fulfillment of prophetic word!
The Book of Malachi had ended with a promise from God that He would send Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord. (Malachi 4:5-6) Elijah’s message would seek to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the hearts of the children to their fathers. Matthew records the ministry of John the Baptist preaching in the Desert of Judea and calling God’s people to repentance and water baptism. John was Jesus’ cousin and had a special call from God to prepare the way for His Son in ministry. Repentance was and is a basic requirement to prepare a heart to receive the truth in Jesus. (Matthew 3:1-3) This also fulfilled a prophesy given by Isaiah!
John the Baptist spoke plainly to the religious leaders who came to ridicule him. He warned them that one was coming who would not just baptize with water, but with the Holy Spirit and fire! (Matthew 3:7-11) When Jesus came to the Jordan River to be baptized by John, John tried to reverse the situation. Jesus insisted on his need to be baptized to fulfill “all righteousness.” (Matthew 3:15) Jesus was baptized by John and John, along with the crowd, witnessed an amazing confirmation of Jesus Christ the Son of God! Father, Son, and Holy Spirit together with joy and hope and salvation for the world!
“As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went out of the water. At that moment heaven opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on Him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased.” Matthew 3:16-17