Talk of JESUS . com

Tag: Gospel

The Gospel is Good News to all who will humbly accept Jesus and listen to His teaching.

We refer to the four books of the Bible which tell the story of Jesus Christ as the Gospels. These books are named for their authors: Matthew, a Jewish Apostle; Mark, a disciple of the first generation who recorded accounts of Peter and the Twelve; Luke, a gentile Physician and disciple of the first century; and John, one of the Twelve Jewish Apostles chosen by Jesus.

  • This is my son

    This is my son

     “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

    I am well pleased in some things: like how hard he has worked and what he has achieved as part of his football team. In other things: I am not so well pleased.

    We know that this quote is not mine alone and that the original speaks of another Son.

    Yet I would like you to think of God our Father in a more Personal way.  I would like you to have a more personal picture of God’s only son Jesus.

    Imagine that Jesus grew up doing other things (like football) that boys and young men do as part of their preparation for what God, our Father has planned for their life.

    Can you picture our Heavenly Father saying, “I am well pleased,” when He watches every play of that football game? 

    Of course, God our Father witnessed this of his only Son: Jesus.

    You probably haven’t thought much about Luke 2 past the familiar Christmas pageant scriptures.

    Jesus of Nazareth, as he was known, was born of a virgin… And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. – Luke 2:40

    You know the story that follows: Jesus was twelve and remained in Jerusalem after His parent’s left for Nazareth without Him. We don’t know every detail of Jesus’ youth.

    God did not reveal much about this young man; but the Father watched over every game and all the challenges of His growing up in obedience to His Father and His step-father, Joseph.  Turn the page in Luke’s Gospel and Jesus’ story now continues in about his thirtieth year.  

    This is one source of our familiar quote when Jesus was baptized AND born again in the Holy Spirit (as we say; but that is a different conversation).

    Luke 3:22 And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”

    Returning to our personal picture:

    Just like I am far from the example of a Perfect Father, our son is not the Perfect Son, either.  I am not so pleased in other things with my son; but I love him and pray for him that he will look to the Perfect example of Jesus, with whom our heavenly Father is well-pleased with all things.

    We’re thankful that David is not a ‘prodigal son.’ (We know Jesus’ story is a parable about our Heavenly Father.) Our son is not a rebellious prodigal anymore than King David was a prodigal when he sinned against God with Bathsheba.

    Our David is not the resentful son who would not rejoice with the father when the prodigal son was welcomed back to the family.  I don’t think my son resents anyone, but loves his family and friends.

    While I’m at it, David is my step-son. I am no more his father than Joseph, husband of Mary and father to Jesus’ brothers, was father of Jesus, born to Mary when she was a virgin.

    Jesus’ parable of the prodigal son (you may remember) was about adoption.

    The resentful son is Israel, chosen sons of God. The prodigal son is the gentiles, nations rebellious to God before Abraham; and their descendants include most of us.

    When Jesus was born of Mary, God our Father was not pleased with the Jews.

    God was not pleased with the Gentiles (or Nations).

    Yet God through his mercy and grace, gave Jew and Gentile alike the welcome of a loving Father to the rebellious sons of the Nations AND of his Chosen family.

    “The means of grace is Christ Jesus, in whom God our Father is well-pleased.

    So why my picture of David?

    Two reasons:

    1. The Jews had become comfortable in the nostalgia of their past and worshiped King David more as the Son and the Temple as their heritage.  Jesus IS the Son AND our heritage. The Father has adopted followers of Jesus.
    2. We often fail to think of God in the way that Jesus taught – as a Personal Father to a Personal Son.  Picture our David and think of me sending my only son to the cross. This is how personal God’s love is for us.

    David is my beloved son.  His soul is a personal concern of mine.

    The Apostle Paul had adopted or mentored a son of the faith, Timothy, who followed his earthly example of righteous leadership of the church, people he loved personally like a father.  Paul writes: 

     Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief. 

    16 However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

    Imagine: Christ Jesus came into the world to save you and me. How Personal.

    Imagine: The Father condemning His only Son to the suffering and Sacrifice of the Cross for you and me. How personal.

    And imagine the confidence we have knowing that the Father will send the Third Person to His obedient children in the HOLY Spirit who follow His Son our Savior.

    (Imagine Paul writing to Timothy about his Personal God… imagine me, a step-father to David writing about our Personal God… Imagine God your Father sending the Holy Spirit to you.

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    Our Father will always be Personally with you IF you will call on His Son Personally.  Christ Jesus.

    God will do much more than just watch over you, as He watches your every game (mine too).

    Remember, our Heavenly Father, His Heavenly Son and His Holy Spirit all want to hold us very near.

    “God’s love for us is Very Personal.

    1 Tim. 1:17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

  • Put Your Armor On

    Put Your Armor On

    15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear… [more from 1 Peter]

    Are you ready for Christ Jesus?

    O church, arise and put your armor on.

    What is your Christian Social Witness?

    DO YOU TALK OF JESUS ONLINE?

    Most Christians who spend any time online (facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and other Social networking sites) RARELY mention Jesus.

    Oh sure, some of us pin a poster with a nice verse.  (Maybe a “Friend” might just happen to see it an get converted.) Do you really think this qualifies as talk of Jesus?

    Jesus IS and will return on the clouds… perhaps any day now.

    Certainly in terms of 2000 years since our Lord’s promise to return AFTER the Gospel is spread throughout the world, this 21st century must qualify as last days.

    “Is there any oil in your lamp of social witness?

    Put our your armor, church, my dear brothers & sisters in our Lord.

    When everyone in our ‘SOCIAL’ networks is talking about every thing else, WHY are Christians so unwilling to talk of Jesus?

    While we spend hour after hour in our ‘SOCIAL’ circles with hardly a mention of Jesus Christ, the Ephesians 6 armor of Christians has become rusty as Dorothy’s Tin Man. (Link provided, in case you forgot where you left your armor.)

    Jesus is NOT going to take up everyone when He returns.  Don’t you want your Christian Social Witness to help SAVE your ‘FRIENDS from hell?’

    A definition may help 21st c. Christians get our ideas of armor out of the middle ages.

    any tool or implement for preparing a thing
    arms used in warfare, weapons

    Another reference to this armor (from the same Greek word) provides additional encouragement for our witness.

    – 2 Corinthians 6:  We then, as workers together with Him also plead with you not to receive the grace of God in vain. 2 For He says:

    “In an acceptable time I have heard you,
    And in the day of salvation I have helped you.”

    Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.

    But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God… By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armor of righteousness on the right hand and on the left…

    Please SHARE your talk of Jesus with all of us and with your friends.  ADD a Comment.

    Our Christian Social Witness matters; but above all… before the battle…

    O church, arise and put your armor on. *

    * “O Church, Arise”
    Words and Music by Keith Getty & Stuart Townend
    Copyright © 2005 Thankyou Music

  • As for me and my house – God’s family?

    As for me and my house – God’s family?

    As Christians we no doubt know Joshua’s quote:

    “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” – Joshua 24:15

     If you are old enough to remember the Saturday Evening Post you likely recognize the Norman Rockwell painting depicting family prayer at the dinner table.  It is a picture of many faithful Christian families in the mid-twentieth century.

    Take a look at the dinner table in your house, for example (and witness).

    What do you see in your own 21st c. christian house?

    • Prayer?  Probably not.
    • The whole family seated together? Probably not.
    • Thoughtful family communion with each other? “Communion” would be actually communicating with each other while enjoying our meals together.  Definitely not.

    Even in rare moments when all are present at the dinner table, all of us are NOT fully present.

    “Family relationships and family time together is most important (second only to our personal relationships with God?)

    • Is that your Christian social witness to your own family? Probably not.

    Why do cell phones, internet distractions, video games and TV rob your house of serving the Lord?  

    “Are 21st century Christian houses incapable of serving the Lord even at their own dinner table? 

    Joshua and Caleb were two faithful followers of God and Moses who wanted to serve the Lord in the Promised Land.  So many of the Hebrews wanted to go back to their slavery.

    After Moses died and Joshua became leader of these people who yearned for the comforts of their slavery, once more all came down to a choice to choose to follow God OR be a rebellious household.  When Joshua’s time was near he gathered the people of the Lord together and spoke.

    Joshua begins his call to God’s chosen family with those word to which we must always listen with fear and trembling:

    Thus says THE LORD:

    The challenge:

    24:2  ‘Long ago, your fathers…  served other gods… 5 And I sent Moses and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt with what I did in the midst of it, and afterward I brought you out… And you lived in the wilderness a long time. 8 Then I brought you to the land of the Amorites…

    11 And you went over the Jordan and came to Jericho, and the leaders of Jericho fought against you, and also the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. And I gave them into your hand…

    13 I gave you a land on which you had not labored and cities that you had not built, and you dwell in them. You eat the fruit of vineyards and olive orchards that you did not plant.’

     

    Joshua then: on behalf of the people of God – the house of God – renews the covenant of their forefathers.

    14 “Now therefore fear the Lord and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness. Put away the gods that your fathers served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the Lord.

    THE ALTERNATIVE appears prior to our well-known quote from Joshua 24:15. Joshua outlines choices:

    15 And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord,

    choose this day whom you will serve,

    whether the gods your fathers served in the region beyond the River,

    or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you dwell.

    But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

    Joshua 24:15 is the call of a faithful leader to the people of his house to faithfulness.

    The people, under Joshua’s leadership respond appropriately… before the witness of God, of his appointed leader of His House and His People… and before the God-appointed leaders who would follow after Joshua’s death.

    The covenant of promise and blessing between God and his People is once more confirmed.

    The promise is NOT YET fulfilled.  The promised land must now be taken.

    The book of Judges records how once more, the people of God break their covenant with God… a familiar and ever-repeating historical disobedience from Eden… through this 21st century day… until the Last Day.

    After the time of the Judges, David eventually becomes King.  After the fall of the Kingdom of David, the Prophets tell of a coming King.  After the Sacrifice of Christ Jesus the True King… after the Resurrection of Jesus our true hope and New Covenant…

    The promise is NOT YET fulfilled.  Our King’s promised land must now be taken

    … filled with the faithful who will not break OUR Covenant of baptism in His Holy Blood.

    “Go into all the world,‘ is His Command.

    ‘and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.’  – Mark 16:15

        Thus says THE LORD 

    What is OUR response? What is our witness?

    When the Apostles sought to replace the traitor Judas they chose another witness.  They had a choice between two faithful witnesses.

    Peter, chosen leader of the House of the King spoke:

    Acts 1: 21 “So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, 22 beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us—one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.”

    NOW, even two thousand years later…

    the promise of the Kingdom NOT YET will soon be fulfilled.

    And if it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, 

    choose this day whom you will serve…

     

    whether the gods your fathers served…

    or the gods of the age in this land where you dwell. 

    But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”

    Jesus IS Lord and King.

    And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord… forever.

    Choose this day whom you will serve:

    What is your Christian Social Witness?