“Therefore the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel. Butter and honey shall He eat, that He may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good.” (Isaiah 7: 14-15) “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, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isaiah 9: 6-7) “And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a Son, and shalt call His name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David.” (Luke 1: 31-32) “And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, and laid Him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.“ (Luke 2: 7) What a marvelous day indeed it was for God to send down His Son in human flesh to come and save His people from their sins. From the holy prophets prophesying, the angels and the multitude of the heavenly host praising God, the shepherds glorifying and praising God to a little Jewish Mother who was blessed and highly favored as she pondered the wonderful things in her heart. God has now put into action the glorious things that He said would happen years ago. He has provided the only solution to sin and that is Jesus Christ and Him crucified. His mission was to seek and save the lost, redeem us back to God and to glorify His Father. Man is now responsible for his/her own sins through the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Man can communicate with God directly by going through His Son. The wonderful adventures of Jesus as He taught His disciples, preached in the synagogues and did many signs and wonders would go down through the ages to this present time. His Word is just as powerful now as it was back then. He still walks and talks to us through the power of the Holy Ghost. Wise men still seek Him and praise, honor and glory is always being rendered to Him by His holy people. He deserves to be glorified with all the energy we are capable of. He is all- sufficient for us, all that we need in every situation and for all circumstances. He is more than enough. We trust in the Lord, His timing, His ways, His answers, because He is completely trustworthy. When our trials are overwhelming, our trust/faith should never be optional or debatable, but strong and unmovable knowing that what God promises He will fulfill in us always. Trials are to refine you, the test is maturing you, the valley is preparing you and delay is disciplining you to exercise your faith and build your trust. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11: 6) John the Baptist was prophesied in the Old Testament and fulfilled in the New Testament as the forerunner and paving the way for Jesus. Through his ministry God introduced Jesus as the promised and long-awaited Messiah. “In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make His paths straight. Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but He that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire. Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of Thee, and comest Thou to me? And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfill all righteousness. Then he suffered Him. And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3: 1-3, 8, 11 & 13-17) Jesus didn’t get baptized to wash away any sins of His own, but to be an example of obeying God’s command. And the command is this, “Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.” (Acts 2: 38) As John came in the spirit and the power of Elijah, his preaching was not only a warning of impending judgement, it was a call to action. His proclamation of the truth and the need for repentance should never be omitted or minimized when it comes to salvation. Once your sins are forgiven baptism is in order, even as Jesus showed us. And as John was the forerunner to Jesus’ arrival, we are the forerunners to Jesus’ return. We must proclaim the good news that Jesus came to forgive sinners and to warn men that the day of judgement draws near for those who have rejected Christ. And for the saved, it shall be a joyous occasion. As Jesus began to fulfill His ministry He was faced with temptations of the devil. “Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungred. And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4: 1-4) Even with Satan’s relentless pursuit to tempt Jesus, He never gave in. “Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him. From that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, Repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 4: 4, 7, 10, 11 & 17) Being Christian is more than an instantaneous conversion. It is a process whereby we grow to be more like Jesus with the characteristic ways of His divine nature to endure any trial. The Lord delivers us from the hands of our enemies, shelters us in the storms and strengthens us when we’re hanging on by a thread. He provides peace where disturbances attempt to consume us and He is our beacon of light on our darkest days as we fight to stay the course. He is mighty to save when our doubts see obstacles but our faith in Him sees opportunity. Jesus in all of His power and authority began to call His disciples and to fulfill His ministry by showing many signs, wonders and miracles. “And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people. And His fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto Him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatick, and those that had the palsy; and He healed them. And there followed Him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judaea, and from beyond Jordan.” (Matthew 4: 23-25) “The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. And blessed is he, whosoever shall not be offended in Me.” (Matthew 11: 5-6) This same power was given to His disciples. “And when He had called unto Him His twelve disciples, He gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” (Matthew 10: 1) He taught them the Sermon on the Mount beginning with the words “blessed” in Matthew 5: 3-12. We are a blessed people indeed. Blessed in everything! Especially to be in the presence of the King of kings. God balances our lives by giving us enough blessings to keep us happy and thankful, enough burdens to keep us humble and enough hardships to keep us strong. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad for great is your reward in heaven. Jesus’ teachings included marriage, divorce, adultery, fornication, forgiveness, loving your enemies, praying, fasting, faith, fear, sin, hatred, healing, unbelief, unclean spirits, swearing, compassion, hypocrites, false prophets and end times among other things, including blasphemy. “Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.” (Matthew 12: 31-32) The power and divinity of our Lord was shown in raising Lazarus from the dead, walking on water, calming the sea, healing all manner of sickness, feeding thousands and knowing man’s thoughts. His disciples had the awesome privilege of witnessing first-hand the wonderful works of God. “And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, and was transfigured before them: and His face did shine as the sun, and His raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with Him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if Thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for Thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias. While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye Him. And when the disciples heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, and said, Arise, and be not afraid. And when they had lifted up their eyes, they saw no man, save Jesus only. And as they came down from the mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son of man be risen again from the dead.” (Matthew 17: 1-9) Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior, Friend, Healer, Mediator, Comforter and King of the Jews. People loved Him, they believed Him, they followed Him and they obeyed Him. He was, and still is, special. His triumphal entry into Jerusalem was fit for a king. Just like a presidential motorcade, Jesus’ followers went before and after Him. “Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them, And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set Him thereon. And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. And when He was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.” (Matthew 21: 5-11) Jesus knew that upon His departure that Satan would be raging war, especially upon His children. He taught His disciples that He was going to send another Comforter, the Holy Ghost, to teach them and to bring the things that He taught them back to their remembrance. The Holy Ghost is a gift. He is most precious to God who expects us to purify our temples at all times in order for the gift to abide there forever. “If ye love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever; But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in My name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.” (John 14: 15-16 & 26) “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me.” (John 15: 26) “Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send Him unto you. Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come.” (John 16: 7 & 13) Religious folks were threatened by His teachings and influence on the people and wanted to kill Him many times. And when that time was fully come He began to feel sorrowful and downhearted in the presence of His disciples. “Then saith He unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with Me. And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” (Matthew 26: 38-39)
Jesus was arrested, tried and sentenced to death by crucifixion as a sacrifice for all humanity’s sin. The torment and suffering of our Savior was much more gruesome than anything that we can imagine. Deity in the form of human flesh has now experienced what mortal man has to endure. He tasted it all. Being tired, hungry, lonely, sleepy, lied upon, betrayed, abandoned, anxious, apprehensive and now feeling forsaken by His Father as He took on sin for us. They beat Him, slapped Him, spit on Him and crucified my Lord, the King. “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me? Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.” (Matthew 27: 46 & 50-54)
But in three days He rose victoriously, more than a conqueror with all power and glory to be seated at the right hand of God. Death, hell and the grave could not contain Him. No matter how large Satan gets in these last days there is still a King that is going to take him down one final time. “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: 18) After the death and resurrection of Jesus, He still taught His disciples the great commission. “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.” (Matthew 28: 18-20) “Then opened He their understanding, that they might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And ye are witnesses of these things. And, behold, I send the promise of My Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high. And He led them out as far as to Bethany, and He lifted up His hands, and blessed them. And it came to pass, while He blessed them, He was parted from them, and carried up into heaven. And they worshipped Him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy: And were continually in the temple, praising and blessing God. Amen.” (Luke 24: 45-53) Imagine yourself being there as Jesus lifted up His hands to bless you as He’s being taken up to a cloud that was ready to receive Him. His destination: Heaven. They believed in His Word, they were obedient to it and returned to Jerusalem with great joy where they gathered together and were on one accord in that upper room praising and blessing God when suddenly there was a sound from heaven and it filled the house where they were. “And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” (Acts 2: 2 & 4) They now have the Spirit and power to do what the Master instructed them to do. “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles.” (Acts 2: 42-43)
The apostles taught the word of God with all boldness. The same message is still being delivered today. The preaching of the cross is far from obsolete. Its message is still proclaiming a risen Savior and He’s coming back a second time to judge the world. He condemns sin and hypocrisy right in the face of the ones who were against Him. Jesus: born as a baby, preached as a child, killed as a man, arose as a victor and coming back as a King. Creation still obeys Him and devils still believe and tremble.
Jesus is the only remedy for sin. There will be no pleasures in hell of any kind or degree. Only torment day and night, forever and ever. No friendships, no fellowship, no comfort, no time outs and no second chances. “And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.” (Revelation 14: 11)
Saints of God, follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience and meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, keep the commandments without spot until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. “Which in His times He shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords.” (1 Timothy 6: 15)
Behold the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world! Make His praise glorious.
“For the Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father with His angels; and then He shall reward every man according to his works.” (Matthew 16: 27)
“Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.” (1 Timothy 1: 17)
“Who is this King of glory? The LORD strong and mighty, the LORD mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, He is the King of glory. Selah.” (Psalm 24: 8-10)
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