"When Jesus came to the region of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, 'Who do people say the Son of Man is?' They replied, 'Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.' 'But what about you?' he asked. 'Who do you say 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.'" -Matthew 16: 13-17
Jesus is nearing the time of his arrest and death. As these much prophesied events get closer, Jesus is starting to reveal himself and his purpose for coming to earth. Though there are numerous Old Testament scriptures predicting that the Messiah would suffer and die, the disciples did not know that Jesus was going to die. They though that when they got to Jerusalem, Jesus was going to overthrow the Romans, reclaim the land, and set up his kingdom. In earlier verses, the disciples are even arguing over who is the greatest of the 12 and who was going to get to sit next to Jesus' throne.
As Jesus is revealing his purpose for coming to earth, he asks his disciples "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" Many people at that time, similar to today, did not believe that Jesus was the Messiah. People rejected him as the Savior of the world even though the event of his birth alone fulfilled enough Old Testament prophecies to make it statistically impossible for it to be anyone else. So Jesus wanted to hear from his disciples who they thought he was. The disciples begin to mention names that other people had said Jesus was: some thought he was John the Baptist who had come back from the dead, some thought he was one of the Old Testament prophets Elijah or Jeremiah. But then Jesus clarifies himself to the disciples saying, "But who do you say that I am?" Peter, perhaps the most bold of the disciples, says, "You are the Christ, the Son of God." Essentially, Peter was confessing that Jesus was who he said he was: the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Son of God incarnate.
At some point in ALL of our lives, we will have to answer Jesus' question, "Who do YOU say that I am?" Most people will reject Jesus, arguing that either he was just a great moral teacher or he was not God in human form. However, the Bible gives a tremendous promise and hope for those who will confess that Jesus is the Savior of the world: the promise and hope of everlasting life. Many people will say that Jesus is not the right way to heaven or my personal favorite, "all roads lead to God." I heard a pastor say that "All roads do lead to God, but from there it splits into two paths." If you really learn about the beliefs of other religions, you will quickly realize that they can't all be right.
It is important to remember that Christianity is not a religion. It is a personal relationship with Jesus. In Matthew 7:23, Jesus says that he will tell people on judgment day "Depart from me evil doer. I never knew you." Jesus is saying that your works or your style of worship does not matter. He wants to KNOW you. He wants you to learn about Him (read the Bible), talk to Him (prayer), and live like Him (love others).
So the question becomes, who do you say that Jesus is? Is he a good moral teacher? Is he a liar? Did he never even live? Or is he the Savior of the world? Jesus is my Lord and my Savior. And because of that, I have a hope that there is a life beyond this world. My life was not some random accident or the result of evolving from monkeys. My life was a gift given to me by the creator of the universe. And His Son died for me on the cross so that when I stand before God to be judged, Jesus' perfect life will be seen instead of my imperfect one. Do you have this hope? Do you want this hope? Then accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior. It is the best decision you will ever make.
Saturday, March 26, 2011
Friday, March 11, 2011
End of the World?
"Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places, and fearful events and great signs from heaven." - Luke 21: 10-11
"Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near." - Luke 21: 31
The end of the world has sparked interest and controversy for most of human history. Countless number of people have tried to come up with predictions as to when the end of the world would come. All predictions have failed except one: those that are found in the Bible. The passage above is Jesus answering a question posed by his disciples, who wanted to know what the signs of the end would be. It should be known that Jesus' disciples thought that the end of the world would happen in their lifetime, that is why they were asking. Jesus mentions that nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. This is an obvious indication that wars are going to be almost the norm when the end of time is near. Jesus also says there will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places. Now people will say that there have always been earthquakes and famines but there is one fact that they cannot deny: for the last five years, not only has the frequency of earthquakes increased every decade but the number "deadly" earthquakes have increased. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says that the signs of the end would be like birth pains. When a woman is about to give birth, her pain and contractions become more intense and more frequent until the ultimate birth. Jesus is saying that the signs of the end would be the same: more frequent and more intense.
Now, this is not meant to scare or put fear into anyone. This is simply to educate. For believers of Jesus Christ, though all these things are tragic, don't see these events as random. We see them as signs from God that Jesus is coming again. Later in his answer, Jesus says, "Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near." It may seem like the world is out of control, but Christians know that God is in complete control. These earthquakes and unrest in the Middle East are signs that Jesus told us to watch out for.
Again, this is not meant to scare anyone but rather to be an explanation for why the world seems to be in chaos. Jesus said it would be. But it is important to remember that this is all part of God's perfect plan for the world. Every day, hour, and minute that goes by, we are that much closer to seeing our Savior face to face.
"Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near." - Luke 21: 31
The end of the world has sparked interest and controversy for most of human history. Countless number of people have tried to come up with predictions as to when the end of the world would come. All predictions have failed except one: those that are found in the Bible. The passage above is Jesus answering a question posed by his disciples, who wanted to know what the signs of the end would be. It should be known that Jesus' disciples thought that the end of the world would happen in their lifetime, that is why they were asking. Jesus mentions that nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. This is an obvious indication that wars are going to be almost the norm when the end of time is near. Jesus also says there will be great earthquakes, famines and pestilences in various places. Now people will say that there have always been earthquakes and famines but there is one fact that they cannot deny: for the last five years, not only has the frequency of earthquakes increased every decade but the number "deadly" earthquakes have increased. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus says that the signs of the end would be like birth pains. When a woman is about to give birth, her pain and contractions become more intense and more frequent until the ultimate birth. Jesus is saying that the signs of the end would be the same: more frequent and more intense.
Now, this is not meant to scare or put fear into anyone. This is simply to educate. For believers of Jesus Christ, though all these things are tragic, don't see these events as random. We see them as signs from God that Jesus is coming again. Later in his answer, Jesus says, "Even so, when you see these things happening, you know that the kingdom of God is near." It may seem like the world is out of control, but Christians know that God is in complete control. These earthquakes and unrest in the Middle East are signs that Jesus told us to watch out for.
Again, this is not meant to scare anyone but rather to be an explanation for why the world seems to be in chaos. Jesus said it would be. But it is important to remember that this is all part of God's perfect plan for the world. Every day, hour, and minute that goes by, we are that much closer to seeing our Savior face to face.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Becoming Like A Child
"Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." - Mark 10: 14-15
In this passage, Jesus has just answered to tough question asked by some Pharisees, who were attempting to catch him in a contradiction (they couldn't). After this, men starting bringing the children to Jesus for a blessing but his disciples are trying to stop the children from getting to Jesus. Jesus' response is the above passage. It is made perfectly clear that God loves children and He does not want anything or anyone to stop a child from coming to Him. Jesus says something very interesting in verse 15 though. He says, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." What is Jesus saying here? He is saying that in order for anyone to enter the kingdom of heaven, they have to become like a child. This doesn't mean become immature and throw tantrums. Rather, God wants us to become like children in the fact that he wants us to stop being so prideful and become as innocent as child. When a child is young, they rely very heavily on their parents. God want's us to become as dependent on Him as a child is to his/her parents. When we fall, God wants to pick us up. When we don't have the strength to carry on, God wants us to lean on Him. When we cry, God wants to wipe our tears.
Part of being a Christian is learning to forget the wants and desires of your own life and submit to the plan that God has for your life. It's not easy and everyone struggles. But God would rather you have the right intent and stumble than to not even try.
God loves you for who you are. It doesn't matter what you have done, no mistake is too big for God to forgive. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, one of the criminals who was crucified alongside him said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." At almost the very last moment of his life, the criminal realized who Jesus was and accepted him as the Savior of the world. If Jesus can forgive a man who was crucified right next to him, he can forgive you. All you have to do is ask.
In this passage, Jesus has just answered to tough question asked by some Pharisees, who were attempting to catch him in a contradiction (they couldn't). After this, men starting bringing the children to Jesus for a blessing but his disciples are trying to stop the children from getting to Jesus. Jesus' response is the above passage. It is made perfectly clear that God loves children and He does not want anything or anyone to stop a child from coming to Him. Jesus says something very interesting in verse 15 though. He says, "I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." What is Jesus saying here? He is saying that in order for anyone to enter the kingdom of heaven, they have to become like a child. This doesn't mean become immature and throw tantrums. Rather, God wants us to become like children in the fact that he wants us to stop being so prideful and become as innocent as child. When a child is young, they rely very heavily on their parents. God want's us to become as dependent on Him as a child is to his/her parents. When we fall, God wants to pick us up. When we don't have the strength to carry on, God wants us to lean on Him. When we cry, God wants to wipe our tears.
Part of being a Christian is learning to forget the wants and desires of your own life and submit to the plan that God has for your life. It's not easy and everyone struggles. But God would rather you have the right intent and stumble than to not even try.
God loves you for who you are. It doesn't matter what you have done, no mistake is too big for God to forgive. When Jesus was hanging on the cross, one of the criminals who was crucified alongside him said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." Jesus replied, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." At almost the very last moment of his life, the criminal realized who Jesus was and accepted him as the Savior of the world. If Jesus can forgive a man who was crucified right next to him, he can forgive you. All you have to do is ask.
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