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Christian Home Bible Course
Lesson 4 |
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DISCOVER THE BIBLE
LONG AGO IN ETERNITY PAST . . .
Before there was space,
Before there was matter,
Before there was a universe,
ÄGod has always existed. He is
eternal: "...from everlasting to everlasting, thou
art God." PSALM 90:2
ÄHe is dependent on nothing other than
Himself: "And God said...I AM THAT I AM:"
EXODUS 3:14
ÄHe is perfect, never changing: "For I am the LORD, I change not..." MALACHI 3:6
ÄHe is forever existing as a triune (3
in 1) God. He is a Trinity - one God manifested in three Persons:
the Father, the Word [Jesus Christ], and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." I JOHN 5:7
"...created the heaven and the earth." GENESIS 1:1
Upon the earth, God placed various creatures (Genesis 1:1-31) including one with the ability to have a personal relationship with Him. This unique creature was man, the crowning act of creation, conceived in the mind of a TRIUNE God. For on the sixth day the TRINITY said:
With that command, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost . . .
and man became a living soul." GENESIS 2:7
Therefore man, made in the image and likeness of his Creator, became a living SOUL with the ability to think, feel and choose. However, a soul by itself cannot interact with the world. That is why God gave him a BODY with five senses that act as "windows" to the soul, enabling him to know the world around him. But even a soul inside a body cannot have a complete personal relationship with God because . . .
Thus, man was also given a SPIRIT to enable him to know God: to perceive the spiritual realm in much the same way that his body enabled him to perceive the physical world. Man was a complete being, consisting of body, soul, and spirit (I Thessalonians 5:23). Now everything was in place for a perfect relationship between a triune God and His creation . . . man.
The first man Adam and his wife Eve rebelled against God
and "died" spiritually, therefore losing their
"spiritual connection" with God (Genesis 3:1-24). This
spiritual death has been passed down to every generation (Genesis 5:3;
Romans 5:12), causing mankind to "grope around"
in spiritual blindness searching for God. Men have started many
religions attempting to find their way back to God. Men have worshipped
statues, idols, ceremonies, and even human intellect (Humanism and Rationalism).
Despite all these "religious efforts", man is
still a soul trapped in the physical realm in need of a "spiritual
reconnection" with his Creator.
Fortunately God, wishing to restore His relationship with man (II Peter 3:9; I Timothy 2:3-6), promised Adam and Eve He would provide a Saviour (Genesis 3:15). Consequently, He had a plan that involved the second member of the Trinity - THE WORD:
God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made..." JOHN 1:1-3
The plan required THE WORD to leave His heavenly throne and embark upon a mission to . . .
Therefore, the "...the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us...." JOHN 1:14
Thus begins the story of the greatest life ever lived by the greatest person ever to walk upon the Earth: a man who became the central figure of all history, the most significant individual of all time. He was a man greatly loved yet greatly hated, powerful yet meek, great yet humble. Never has there been a man for whom so many have lived, and for whom so many have died. Never has there been a man that has changed the face of the earth like this man . . .
JOURNEY THROUGH THE BIBLE
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THE SETTING: A missionary is in a
small obscure European town where most of the inhabitants practice
a certain non-mainstream religion. He has just knocked on
somebody's door when . . .
Hello sir. We've started a new church in town and I'd
like to invite you to one of our . . . |
GOD'S PROMISE that He would provide a Saviour,
was originally given to Adam and Eve shortly after they had sinned (Genesis
3:15). Throughout Jewish history "the promise"
was passed down from generation to generation. Prophet after prophet
reminded the Jews of the coming Saviour, the Messiah.
He would be the One who would save them from their sins and set up an
earthly kingdom, a kingdom ruled by God Himself. Isaiah was one
of those prophets who predicted the BIRTH of the Messiah:
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." ISAIAH 9:6
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son,
and shall call his name Immanuel [God with us]." ISAIAH 7:14
The prophecies continued for thousands of years, until one day there were no more prophets, and . . .
During those 400 years, the world saw one empire after another. Alexander the Great conquered the world and gave it his contribution; a one world language called Koine Greek.
After drinking himself to death at the age of 33, Alexander's empire divided, preparing the way for Antiochus Epiphanes, the Syrian king. To the Jews, Antiochus was the Devil himself.
Like those before him, he too made his "contribution": persecution. Antiochus Epiphanes persecuted the Jews to no end, going as far as to defile God's Temple by sacrificing swine upon its Holy Altar. These were hard, silent years for the Jews with no hope of Messiah in sight. Eventually, the mighty Roman empire displaced Antiochus, only to place the Jews under Rome's occupation. By now Rome owned the world. Their contributions were the famous "Roman roads," and an infamous method of execution called crucifixion.
| SIDE NOTE: While there were no new revelations from
God during these 400 years, the events which took place were actually predicted years before by the prophet Daniel (Daniel 11). |
fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS:
for he shall save his people from their sins." MATTHEW 1:20-21
GOD had chosen the vessel through which He would come into the world, and nine months later the Messiah arrived!
world should be taxed. ... And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea,
unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.
And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
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 2:1-7
| It is not every day that God takes on flesh
and is born into the very world that He created. You would
expect His birth to be a very special event, and it certainly was.
He was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born of a virgin.
His birth was announced and anticipated thousands of years before
it took place. Angels proclaimed the actual birth to shepherds.
A special star led the wise men to Him. To this day
His birthday is acknowledged every time someone dates a check. What other birth can claim to be "the event" which the world's calendar system revolves around (B.C.=before Christ). In fact, the central message of the whole BIBLE |
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(Bethlehem was approximately the size of a football field in the days of Christ). Only God could produce such irony. The world finally had its Saviour, and those who knew of His arrival wanted to see Him.
Among them:
THE WISE MEN "Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him." MATTHEW 2:1-2
THE SHEPHERDS "...the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us. And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger." LUKE 2:15-16
KING HEROD also wanted to see Him, but unfortunately for a different reason:
when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them
where Christ should be born. And they said unto him, In Bethlehem of Judaea: for thus it is
written by the prophet, And thou Bethlehem...art not the least among the princes of Juda:
for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule my people Israel." MATTHEW 2:3-6
Like any evil king, King Herod was not about to give up his throne to anyone: not even to the Messiah. So, he commanded the wise men to come back with the child's identity. However, God, in a dream, told the wise men not to return to Herod (Matthew 2:7-15). This did not sit well with the king:
sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem,
and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under,
according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men." MATTHEW 2:16
Herod thought that by killing all the male children in Bethlehem,
he would eliminate the Messiah.
But God was already one step ahead of him because . . .
Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt,
and be thou there until I bring thee word:
for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him." MATTHEW 2:13
The child Jesus had escaped Herod's sword. Now all his parents had to do was wait in Egypt and. . .
Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for
they are dead which sought the young child's life. ... And he came and dwelt in a city called
Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets,
He shall be called a Nazarene." MATTHEW 2:19-20,23
While living in Nazareth, "...the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him." LUKE 2:40
| Q. DID JESUS HAVE OTHER BROTHERS AND SISTERS? A. Jesus Christ was clearly virgin born of the young Jewish woman named Mary. Did Mary remain a virgin for the rest of her life after the birth of Christ? Definitely not, according to Matthew 1:18, 25. The BIBLE always refers to Jesus as Mary's "firstborn son". She had other sons whose names were James, Joses, Jude, and Simon, as well as daughters (Matthew 12:47; 13:55; 27:56; Mark 6:3; I Corinthians 9:5). James and Jude even wrote two epistles of the New Testament. Some would try to argue that the brothers mentioned in the BIBLE are actually cousins. In the above verses, the Greek word for brother is "adelphos", and according to Young's Greek Concordance it means "brother or of the same womb." The fact that Mary had a normal marriage with children after the birth of Jesus, in no way minimizes the virgin birth of Christ. |
SEVERAL YEARS LATER . . .
When Jesus was twelve years old, His parents went to Jerusalem
to participate in the feast of the PASSOVER. On the way home, His
parents lost track of Him and went back to Jerusalem to try find Him.
Searching diligently, they finally found Him in the Temple sitting among
the Jewish teachers, asking and answering questions about the Jewish religion:
"And all that heard him were astonished at his understanding
and answers" LUKE 2:47. His parents then asked Jesus
why He had strayed away, causing them to search for Him:
I must be about my Father's business?" LUKE 2:49
At the age of twelve Jesus knew His Father's business was to reach a lost world. Did Jesus realize that it required His death on a cross? Perhaps the writer of the Psalms was prophetically referring to Jesus when he said:
| Q. WHY DID JESUS COME IN THE TIME PERIOD IN WHICH HE DID? A. There has been no time period before or since that Christ could have come and still have fulfilled the prophesies foretold of Him. For example, the time of His Triumphant Entry and crucifixion at Jerusalem was foretold 550 years earlier, right down to the year (Daniel 9:24-26). The method of death (crucifixion) used by the Romans at that time was foretold more than one thousand years before (Psalm 22:14-18). Had Christ come earlier, the then known world would not have had the famous "Roman roads" on which to spread the Gospel. Jesus also came at a time when "Koine" Greek was used throughout the known world as a common language and as a precise language in which the New Testament could be written. Jesus also came at a time when the Jews were looking for their long awaited, promised Messiah, and at a time when His genealogy could still be traced (Matthew 1; Luke 3) before the scattering of the Jews throughout the world in 70 A.D. |
The BIBLE gives no information about Jesus Christ
from age twelve (Luke 2:42) through age thirty (Luke 3:23). What
can we assume took place during this 18-year period?
We know that Mary and Joseph, being devout and faithful Jews
would have continued to make the 75-mile journey every year from Nazareth
to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover. There, the young Jesus
would have witnessed the blood shedding and sacrifice of the spotless
male lamb upon the altar in the Temple. The innocent lamb was sacrificed
for the sins of the guilty. What must have gone through the mind
of the young Saviour to be, knowing that the lamb was a picture of Him
("the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the
world" John 1:29)? One day He would shed His blood on
the cross as the innocent dying for the guilty.
During those eighteen years it is believed that Jesus' "stepfather" died. Though Mary is mentioned often later,
her husband never is. He was perhaps much older than Mary.
It was the tradition for the oldest son to learn the trade of his father,
and take over the family business. Joseph was a carpenter (Matthew
13:55) and so was Jesus (Mark 6:3).
Before the days of electricity and power tools, carpentry
was a rugged profession requiring much skill and strength. He who
had simply spoken the world into existence with His mouth, had now humbled
Himself to work with His hands to fashion wooden objects. Jesus
would no doubt have had to support His family, and was known in the community
as the carpenter (Luke 4:16-24). Though He was instructed in the
Scriptures and would have learned the religious law from the local synagogue,
the BIBLE says that He never had the opportunity to attend school
and be formally educated (John 7:15).
AT THE AGE OF 30. . .
Jesus put aside His handsaw, set His wood plane on the shelf,
laid down His carpenter's apron, wiped off the saw dust, and left behind
His earthly trade, never to return to it again. His real ministry,
which would last three years, had now begun. The world would never
be the same. He left Nazareth of Galilee and went on a 60-mile
journey, which took Him to a place near the Jordan river. There
He was baptized by John the Baptist. John had been "the
voice of one crying in the wilderness". His message was
that of the coming Messiah. Upon seeing the Messiah face to face,
John cried out:
He who came to the river as "the carpenter"
ascended the bank as Messiah, and the voice of God from Heaven proclaimed
Him as His beloved Son. He was the Lamb of God, the Word, the Son
of God.
And He came to Earth to do His Father's business:
should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world
to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:16-17)
God the Son had taken on flesh and become a physical representation of God the Father. Jesus said:
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All that was in God the Father: His love
of righteousness, His hatred of sin, His compassion, His justice,
His mercy and every other aspect of His character, could be seen by
simply looking at God the Son - Jesus Christ.
HIS MESSAGE was forgiveness of sins
for all those who in repentance wanted to be forgiven (Mark 1:15).
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Simon Peter's brother. He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him,
We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
And he brought him to Jesus." JOHN 1:40-42
SIDE NOTE: Christ means Messiah. Jesus means Saviour. Jesus Christ means Saviour Messiah.
JESUS CONTINUED to gather His disciples and eventually He had twelve that He would personally train for the next three years. These were the twelve apostles that would initially take Jesus' message, the Gospel, and preach it throughout the world (Matthew 10:7).
and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip,
and Bartholomew; Thomas, and Matthew the publican; James the son of Alphaeus,
and Lebbaeus, whose surname was Thaddaeus; Simon the Canaanite,
and Judas Iscariot, who also betrayed him." MATTHEW 10:2-4
AS TIME WENT ON, Jesus taught His apostles. They were amazed at His knowledge and wisdom. . .
Jesus Christ, their teacher, was God. Yet He was also a man, feeling and experiencing everything His apostles did. The BIBLE says He . . .
| Q. WHAT DID JESUS ACTUALLY LOOK LIKE? A. The average person pictures Jesus as thin, with long, straight light colored hair, a beard, and even blue eyes. They confuse Christ with being a Nazarite (one whose vow included long hair) when actually Christ was a Nazarene (from the town of Nazareth). The BIBLE says "if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him" (I Corinthians 11:14). The Jewish Talmud prescribed haircuts every thirty days. Earliest sketches of Christ (as found in the catacombs) all picture Him with short hair. It was custom for men's hair at the time of Christ to be the same length as the Emperor of the Roman Empire. Jesus looked so much like any other man that Judas had to identify Him to the soldiers with a kiss of betrayal. Also, Christ would have had olive skin, dark hair, dark eyes and looked like any Jewish man of His day (John 4:9). He would have been a very rugged and strong individual, being a carpenter in those days. He would have possessed great stamina to be able to fast for forty days, and walk everywhere He went, up and down the mountainous terrain of Israel. |
TO MOST people, compassion is "skin deep", affecting only the emotions. With Jesus, compassion resulted in action. Compassion toward a lost world caused Him to leave His heavenly throne and take on the form of a lowly man. That same compassion had been motivating Him throughout His earthly life, including the day it moved Him to touch, of all things - A LEPER!:
and saying unto him, If thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." MARK 1:40
Leprosy is a highly contagious disease that eats away
at the flesh. Its poor victim would be forced to live alone outside
the city, and cry out "Unclean, unclean[!]" whenever
approaching others (Numbers 5:1-4). No other person was more
despised, rejected or feared than the leper. The bravest man
would cower like a frightened child upon seeing one. So wretched
was the life of a leper that many dreaded the loneliness and rejection
more than the disease itself.
Christ looked past the rotting flesh, ignoring the danger
to Himself. He only knew that trapped within that disease-ridden
body was a soul crying out for help. A soul who had resolved
that Jesus was his last and only hope:
and saith unto him, I will; be thou clean. And as soon as he had spoken,
immediately the leprosy departed from him, and he was cleansed." MARK 1:41-42
Jesus had healed a leper, but His compassion did not stop there. Everyday, multitudes came to see the one-time wood worker now work miracles. And always:
because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd." MATTHEW 9:36
And with the same care that He once fashioned wood, He
now put lives back together. The flow of people toward Jesus
never ended. Everywhere He and His apostles went, there were
the masses.
Everywhere, people in physical and emotional pain were yearning for
a miracle: desiring to be made whole. Many had their desires
fulfilled as they were touched by the human hand of God. Yes,
Jesus was moved with compassion and was sympathetic toward His fellow
human beings. He was "flesh and blood"
and understood the human condition first hand. He was God who
had taken on the form of a man. The BIBLE says that Christ:
and took upon him the form of a servant," PHILIPPIANS 2:6- 7
Jesus Christ, the Word, temporarily emptied Himself of
qualities which He possessed in Heaven in eternity past, before becoming
a man. He laid aside the royal, regal robe which He wore in Heaven,
and came down to this Earth to live as a man, temporarily putting aside
the use of some divine qualities.
That is why, while on this Earth, Jesus admitted to being inferior in
some ways to God the Father (Mark 13:32; John 14:28), while still being
God Himself. He was still GOD THE SON, the visible representative
of the Trinity!
Because He was God, He would not have had to subject Himself
to hunger, thirst, pain and fatigue.
Yet He labored, sweat, and grew weary under the heat of the very sun
which He had created. The BIBLE says:
he is able to succour [help] them that are tempted." HEBREWS 2:18
go through in order to be able to say. . . "I know how it feels".
THERE was no doubt that Jesus was human. His humanity was obvious. His claim to be God, however, was a different matter. It was often met with skepticism and outright hostilities. Such was the case the day He healed one sick of the palsy. Four others had carried their paralyzed friend upon his bed to Jesus (Mark 2:1-4). The bed-ridden man had come for a miracle: to walk again. What he got instead, surprised everyone because:
the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts, Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies?
who can forgive sins but God only?" MARK 2:5-7
It was one thing to heal a body, and make it whole. It was quite another thing to make a soul "right with God". Forgiveness of sins was something reserved only for God. What Jesus had done was "blasphemous", and the scribes were not about to tolerate it. Their problem was that any open opposition to Jesus might bring upon them a riot from His faithful followers. So they carefully hid their hateful accusation of blasphemy within the sanctuary of their hearts, not realizing that nothing is hid from God:
that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)
I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house. And immediately he
arose, took up the bed, and went forth before them all; insomuch that they were all amazed,
and glorified God, saying, We never saw it on this fashion." MARK 2:8-12
Only God had the right to forgive sins and the ability to read minds. Yet here was a carpenter from Nazareth claiming these attributes as His own. To the self-righteous religious leaders He was blasphemous, worthy of stoning. To those whose lives had been changed He was their Saviour: the Messiah, the Son of God who had come down from Heaven. These were titles that Jesus Himself was not denying:
... 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." JOHN 6:38,40
THIS was not the only time Jesus had made a claim that caused those around Him to take notice. On one other occasion, He boldly claimed to have power over His own life and death!
No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.
I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again." JOHN 10:17-18
Statements like these were soon too much for some Jews.
His claims were adding up to one thing:
JESUS WAS CLAIMING TO BE GOD HIMSELF! This was a definite violation
of Jewish law. Unlike the nations around them, the Jews were
monotheistic. They worshipped one God. The law had clearly
stated . . . "Thou shalt have no other gods before me."
EXODUS 20:3
Needless to say, Jesus was becoming more and more controversial as time passed!!
NEVER has there been a man to whom there
has been such an extreme difference of opinion.
Jesus was either an outright lunatic with delusions of grandeur or He
was Almighty God. He was either worthy of stoning or worthy of
worship. Was He who He said He was, or was He a total imposter?
To this day the name Jesus Christ divides the masses into
two groups. There are those who accept Him as Saviour and those
who reject Him. Even the ever popular state of "neutrality," where a person says "I neither
accept Him nor reject Him," places the person in the group that
rejects Him . . .
Sometimes people will say: "Well, I believe Jesus Christ was a good, moral man who taught love and truthfulness, but I do not believe He was God or the Son of God."
Yet Jesus could not have been a good, moral man who taught love and truthfulness while going around lying, claiming to be God. A person simply cannot be both. He was either a liar with poor morals, or He was telling the truth and was genuinely God. Again, there is no "middle ground" when it comes to Jesus, especially since the BIBLE reveals much that proves Jesus Christ was God.
"...behold, I send unto you prophets..."
MATTHEW 23:34
Only God could send prophets, yet Jesus was claiming that He could send
them also.
"...all men should honour the Son, even as they
honour the Father." JOHN 5:23
Jesus was saying that He deserved as much honour as was due God the
Father, making Himself as honourable as God.
"My kingdom is not of this world..."
JOHN 18:36
Jesus was claiming to be ruler over a heavenly kingdom - God's kingdom.
"I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall
be saved..." JOHN 10:9
Only God can save a hell bound soul, yet Jesus was claiming to be the
entrance by which a person gets into Heaven.
"...I am the light of the world..." JOHN
8:12
Jesus was claiming to be the light, one of many descriptions of God.
"God is light" (I John 1:5).
"...without me ye can do nothing."
JOHN 15:5
Jesus was claiming to be the source of all power, wisdom, and purpose
in a person's life.
"I and my Father are one." JOHN
10:30
Jesus was claiming that He and God the Father were one and the same,
making Himself equal with God.
"ye believe in God, believe also in me."
JOHN 14:1
Jesus was saying, all men should believe in Him as they do in God.
no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." JOHN 14:6
THE BIBLE shows a parallel between God and Jesus Christ. There are many verses that refer to God as well as Christ. When these verses are placed side by side, a person can see that God and Jesus Christ are one and the same. (Refer also to opposite [below] page)
R E F E R E N C E S T O G O D compared1) "For the LORD most high is...King over all the earth." PSALM 47:2 2) "Thy throne is established of old: thou art from everlasting [eternity past]." PSALM 93:2 3) "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." GENESIS 1:1-27 4) "...I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." ISAIAH 44:6 5) "...I appeared unto Abraham...by the name of God Almighty," EXODUS 6:3 6) "...unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." ISAIAH 45:23 7) "For I know that my redeemer liveth..." JOB 19:25 8) "Yet I am the LORD thy God from the land of Egypt, and thou shalt know no god but me: for there is no saviour beside me." HOSEA 13:4 "I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no saviour." ISAIAH 43:11 9) "The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory." PSALM 24:7,10 10) "...the LORD...cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness..." PSALM 96:13 11) "For I am the LORD, I change not..." MALACHI 3:6 12) "For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them..." JOHN 5:21 13) "And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you." EXODUS 3:14 14) "...ascribe ye greatness unto our God. He is the Rock..." DEUTERONOMY 32:3-4 15) "...far be it from God, that he should do wickedness; and from the Almighty, that he should commit iniquity." JOB 34:10 16) "The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD [God], make straight in the desert a highway for our God." ISAIAH 40:3 |
with R E F E R E N C E S T O J E S U S1) "...Lord of lords, and King of kings..." REVELATION 17:14 2) "...whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." MICAH 5:2 3) "For by him [Jesus] were all things created..." COLOSSIANS 1:16 4) "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last." REVELATION 22:13 5) "...which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty." REVELATION 1:8 6) "...at the name of Jesus every knee should bow...every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord..." PHILIPPIANS 2:9-11 7) "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus:" ROMANS 3:24 8) "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." ACTS 4:12 "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins." MATTHEW 1:21 9) "Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." I CORINTHIANS 2:8 10) "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:" JOHN 5:22 "...shall judge the quick [living] and the dead at his appearing..." II Timothy 4:1 11) "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever." HEBREWS 13:8 12) "...even so the Son quickeneth [makes alive] whom he will." JOHN 5:21 13) "...Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am." JOHN 8:55-58 14) "...they drank of that spiritual Rock that followed them: and that Rock was Christ." I CORINTHIANS 10:4 15) "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:" I PETER 2:22 16) "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord [Jesus], make his paths straight." MATTHEW 3:3 |
THE SCRIPTURES further reveal that Jesus
has abilities that fall under the categories of omni-presence (everywhere
at all times), omnipotence (all powerful), and omniscience (all knowing).
These three "omni's" are strictly attributes
of God (Lesson 2), yet we see Jesus possessing them.
OMNIPRESENCE
ØChrist was in Heaven while He was
bodily present on the Earth. John 3:13
Ø Christ is on the Earth while He is
presently in Heaven. Matthew 18:20
Ø Christ fills all. Ephesians
1:23
| OMNIPOTENCE
Christ declared He was "the Almighty." Revelation 1:8 |
Q. HAS JESUS
CHRIST ALWAYS EXISTED? A. Was the manger in the stable at Bethlehem the beginning of the existence of Jesus Christ? No, it was simply when Jesus took on flesh as a human being. Jesus once made reference to ascending back to Heaven, where He was before (John 6:62). Christ even made brief appearances in the Old Testament, before His birth in Bethlehem (Daniel 3:19-25). Jesus claimed He existed before Abraham (the first Jew) who lived 2000 years earlier (John 8:58). Jesus also claimed that God the Father loved Him before the world was created (John 17:24). He said in John 17:5; "...O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was." |
Ø Christ knew all things. John
16:30
Ø He knew what was in man. John
2:24-25
Ø He saw Nathanael under the fig tree.
John 1:47-49
Ø He knew the history of the Samaritan
woman. John 4:29
Ø He knew the thoughts of men.
Matthew 9:4; 27:18; Mark 2:6-8; Luke 6:8
Ø He knew the time and the manner of
His departure from this world. Matthew 16:21; John 12:33; 13:1
Ø He knew who would betray Him.
John 6:64,70,71
Ø He knew the course of this present
age. Matthew 24:25
MANY incidents in the BIBLE prove Christ's deity and power, among them the following three:
V His disciples worshipped Him:
And they came and held him by the feet, and worshipped him." MATTHEW 28:9
V Angels worshipped Him:
he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him." HEBREWS 1:6
V A leper worshipped Him:
saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean." MATTHEW 8:2
V A ruler worshipped Him:
there came a certain ruler, and worshipped him," MATTHEW 9:18
V A blind man worshipped Him:
V His apostles worshipped Him:
And the wind ceased...And they [apostles] feared exceedingly, and said one to another,
What manner of man is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?" MARK 4:39-41
And he that was dead came forth...Then many of the Jews which came to Mary,
and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on him." JOHN 11:43-45
And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway:" LUKE 8:54-55
the only son of his mother, and she was a widow...And he said, Young man, I say unto thee, Arise.
And he that was dead sat up, and began to speak." LUKE 7:12-15
(As a minister, Jesus never officiated at a funeral. He always broke up every funeral He came across.J)
JESUS was the God-Man. He was all man and all God. As a man, Jesus Christ knew first hand about the problems facing mankind. As God, He knew the solutions. Such was the case with the Samaritan woman at the well:
being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the
sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water..." JOHN 4:5-7
The woman had come to the well because it provided a source of water. Water is essential for washing, bathing, and most importantly; sustaining life while satisfying one's thirst. So, referring to the well water, Jesus said:
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him
shall never thirst..." JOHN 4:13-14
The woman, being intrigued, said:
She was "THIRSTY." Her life had included five husbands and one immoral relationship. Yet she was not content. Something was missing. Apparently she was going from one relationship to another, searching for a permanent state of happiness, but never finding it (John 4:15-18).
| Man's spiritual death (see introduction) left him with a spiritual
"void" that he tries to fill with the
things of the world. He will constantly change relationships, careers, and religion, always searching for happiness, joy, and peace of mind, but never finding it. Many will try fame, money, drugs, alcohol, materialism, or whatever it takes to fill that empty "void". Yet the result is always the same: they remain "thirsty". The only thing that will fill the "void" and permanently quench that "thirst" is a real, working, personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ. That is why nothing this world offers can give true meaning and purpose to a person's life. Man's problem is spiritual in nature; therefore, it requires a spiritual solution. |
Jesus said: "...I am the bread of life: he
that cometh to me shall never hunger;
and he that believeth on me shall never thirst."
JOHN 6:35
Once Christ fills that "void" and permanently quenches a person's "thirst", his search for fulfillment is over. He can finally rest and be at peace. Jesus said:
and I will give you rest." MATTHEW 11:28
JESUS SPENT THREE YEARS WITH HIS APOSTLES while teaching and preaching to the masses. . .
repent ye, and believe the gospel." MARK 1:15
His message was one of hope and restoration. He had come to. . .
Jesus further revealed His intentions when He proclaimed . . .
This included everyone, because in God's sight . . .
Never was a more selfless life lived than by Jesus Christ. His entire ministry revolved around helping people spiritually and physically. Not only did He live for others but He also died for others. He was the only sinless person to ever exist, and yet He had to die to pay for sin itself. The closer He got to the cross, the thinner the crowds became and the more He was "rejected of men" (Isaiah 53:3). The more abundantly He loved others, the less He was loved (II Corinthians 12:15).
Every where Jesus preached the Gospel, the result was
the same: some trusted Him as Saviour and some did not, choosing instead
to trust in their own self-righteousness or religion. Many rejected
Him.
None with more hostility than the scribes and the Pharisees (the religious
leaders). Their hatred toward Jesus was so intense they began
to formulate a plan by which He could be falsely accused and eventually
crucified, even if it meant violating Jewish law.
After much scheming the plan was finally in place. But it still required one key element; finding someone willing to betray Him into their hands. So with eyes and ears wide open they patiently waited.
In this lesson we have looked at the greatest man ever
born, and the greatest life ever lived. In our next lesson, we
will deal with the greatest event in all history! Having dealt
with the main person of the BIBLE, it is only fitting that we
now examine the "main event" of the BIBLE. To fully understand
the significance behind everything God incorporated into His Word, we
must completely understand the meaning of Calvary! Our next lesson
promises to be the best yet, and will reveal answers to such questions
as . . .
HE WAS BORN IN
AN OBSCURE VILLAGE, THE CHILD OF A PEASANT WOMAN.
Move to Lesson #4's worksheet
««««««««««
A Sneak Preview ««««««««««««
* Why couldn't Jesus have been strangled, drowned or suffocated?
* Can Mount Calvary still be located today?
* Why did the curtain in the Temple tear when Jesus died?
* Who actually killed Jesus?
* What does Moses and the Passover lamb have to do with Calvary?
* Why did Jesus die at age 33?
* Why couldn't God the Father even look at His Son on the cross?
* Why did Jesus have to die?
THROUGH THE BIBLE
HE GREW UP IN STILL ANOTHER VILLAGE,
WHERE HE WORKED IN A CARPENTER SHOP UNTIL HE WAS THIRTY.
THEN FOR THREE YEARS HE WAS AN ITINERANT PREACHER.
HE NEVER WROTE A BOOK.
HE NEVER HELD AN OFFICE.
HE NEVER HAD A FAMILY OR OWNED A HOUSE.
HE DIDN'T GO TO COLLEGE.
HE NEVER VISITED A BIG CITY.
HE NEVER TRAVELED TWO HUNDRED MILES
FROM THE PLACE WHERE HE WAS BORN.
HE DID NONE OF THE THINGS ONE USUALLY ASSOCIATES WITH
GREATNESS.
HE HAD NO CREDENTIALS BUT HIMSELF.
HE WAS ONLY THIRTY-THREE
WHEN THE TIDE OF PUBLIC OPINION TURNED AGAINST HIM.
HIS FRIENDS RAN AWAY.
HE WAS TURNED OVER TO HIS ENEMIES
AND WENT THROUGH THE MOCKERY OF A TRIAL.
HE WAS NAILED TO A CROSS BETWEEN TWO THIEVES.
WHILE HE WAS DYING, HIS EXECUTIONERS GAMBLED FOR HIS
CLOTHING,
THE ONLY PROPERTY HE HAD ON EARTH.
WHEN HE WAS DEAD,
HE WAS LAID IN A BORROWED GRAVE THROUGH THE PITY OF
A FRIEND.
NINETEEN CENTURIES HAVE COME AND GONE,
AND TODAY HE IS THE CENTRAL FIGURE OF THE HUMAN RACE
AND THE LEADER OF MANKIND'S PROGRESS.
ALL THE ARMIES THAT EVER MARCHED,
ALL THE NAVIES THAT EVER SAILED,
ALL THE PARLIAMENTS THAT EVER SAT,
ALL THE KINGS THAT EVER REIGNED,
PUT TOGETHER,
HAVE NOT AFFECTED THE LIFE OF MAN
ON THIS EARTH AS MUCH AS THAT
ONE SOLITARY LIFE.
