“The Son Of Man”

(John 3:13) "And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven." Just what does Jesus mean by the description "Son of Man." When it comes to the Son of Man, Jesus refers to himself because he is indeed the Son of God that is now born of man. Daniel used this description in (Dan. 7:13) when he spoke of the "Son of Man coming in the clouds" and being given dominion by the "Ancient of Days" to set up his kingdom on earth. The Bible teaches us in John's gospel that, 1) The Son of Man came down from heaven, for he "is in heaven" meaning he was and is from heaven. 2) The Son of Man came to be lifted up, referring to his death on the cross. 3) The Son of Man came to save. God's Son  came to this earth embodied in flesh, determined to pay for the sins of man, but also to give us the truth of his Father. And all God asks of us is to listen, obey, and trust in Jesus Christ as the Son Of God from heaven. Oh, that men would repent of their wickedness and come to the light of this truth. When God says, "whosoever believeth in him should not perish," He means that anyone can believe in Jesus, but they must believe also in his words, just as much as they believe in Jesus as their Savior.

“Ye Must Be Born Again”

(John 3:3) "Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." The above verse is probably the most important verse in all the Bible, because it deals with the fact that unless we come to God His way, we cannot be saved. The word, "Except" means "unless."  Unless a man has been born again by the Spirit of God (v. 5) he is not saved. I find it ironic that so many religions today refuse to accept this truth, or they twist it to include such false teachings as infant baptism, doing good works, or confirmation, etc. If Jesus is the living Word of God (John 1:1-3) should not his words be taken literally. Jesus said in (John 3:6-7) "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." In other words he was talking about a second birth by the Holy Spirit and nothing else. According to Jesus, Man is born once in the flesh, but he needs a second birth by the Spirit, to be saved. The Bible is clear that in order to be born again one must see himself a sinner, repent, and then call upon Jesus to save him (Romans 10:9-13). Unless he does that, "he cannot see God's kingdom."
 
 

Our Call To Discipleship

(John 1:37) "And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus." Discipleship is what Christianity is all about. 1) We are called to be "disciples." Both John the Baptist and Jesus were, and their goal was to train believers to be followers of Jesus Christ. 2) We are called to make disciples.  Disciples or new converts don't just appear out of thin air, no they are gained by the soul winning efforts of the saved. (Matt. 28:18-19) "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:..," therefore we are commanded to seek out disciples and then disciple them. 3) We are commanded to train disciples. Once we lead a soul to the Lord God expects us to bring them into the Church, see them baptized, and then trained. To birth them and not follow up on them would not be in obedience to the Great Commission of Matthew 28. Therefore, it is our calling to go, make, and teach disciples for Christ out of every nation and tongue.
 

A Man Sent From God

(John 1:6-8) "There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light that all men through him might believe." 400 hundred years after the writing of the prophet Malachi came the last of the Old Testament prophets and the first of the New Testament, and his name was John the Baptist. According to scripture he was sent by God himself to a lost and confused Israel, to turn them from their sin and back to God. And so he came 1) Sent as an answer to the prayer of his parents Elizabeth and Zacharias (Luke 1:13). 2) Sent full of the Holy Ghost from birth, (Luke 1:15). 3) Sent to the children of Israel to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, (Luke 1;17). 4) Sent to bear witness of the true light that came into the world, Jesus Christ, (Jn 1:7,8). 5) Sent to Baptize, (Jn 1:33). God had a specific purpose for sending John, but in addition to the above, he came as a  perfect example of faith, diligence, and an uncompromising message, and yet our message today is greater! For we have the complete gospel. John died before the crucifixion, and resurrection, so we have a greater gospel to tell. May the Lord help us to follow such a great example and take it to our generation!
 
 

Jesus Is God In The Flesh

(John 1:1-3) "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that was made." It's hard to believe after reading these verses that some people still struggle with Jesus being God. In fact the scriptures teach us that the closer we see the day of Jesus' return, the more this truth will be under attack. 1) Jesus is the Word. The "Word," in the Greek means that he "was the Logos." A name given only to him who afterward became flesh, or was incarnate (Joh 1:14)--that is, given only to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. "And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God" (Rev.19:13). 2) Jesus is God. He also is the only one that "made everything that is made," as stated clearly in (Gen.1:1). "The same was in the beginning with God." From before the creation of the world Jesus was God the Son. From his pre-incarnate appearances in the OT, to his earthly miracles, to his clear teachings that he had the power on earth to forgive sin, Jesus proved that he was God. For as his Word says He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
 

Faith Is Our Victory Next Year

It's hard to believe that another year is gone and that a new year  lies just ahead. As a Pastor over the years I have learned that it's very important for me to look back on my spiritual walk with God and honestly evaluate what I accomplished last year, where I am spiritually now, and what I'd like to see change in this next year to come. You see, we all need to set goals, and we all need some type of vision to work toward or we are doomed to repeat the same failures of the past. So, for my personal challenge this year, I have chosen the slogan "Living Faithful.”  In (Hebrews 11:6) God tells us that "without faith it is impossible to please Him," meaning that faith is an important ingredient if we are going to live faithful. The reason that so many of us make promises to change, but never finish, is because we try to make the changes in our own strength and not include God, but if we will just commit ourselves to being faithful to Him, and then set our goals, by faith God will help us accomplish those goals. For (Heb. 11:6) also says that God is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, meaning that if we by faith and obedience diligently seek a closer relationship with Him this next year, then that which we hope to accomplish will be our reward

The Power Behind The Ministry Of Jesus Christ

(Isaiah 11:1-2) “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots: And the spirit of the LORD shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD;”  When Jesus came he was indeed baptized and anointed by the Holy Spirit of God, The Spirit of the Lord; JEHOVAH, and His Holy Ghost (Acts 10:38), even by whom his mother was overshadowed. The Spirit by which the prophets of old did minister: for Messiah was to be a Prophet (Isa 61:1). Wherefore, seven gifts of the Holy Spirit were given him to perfect him, and so perfect was his divine calling that God made him to be our example to follow and pattern, “the captain of our salvation” (Heb. 2:10). For like our day Jesus came to a dry and spiritually dead people, yet through the power of the Holy Spirit of God he was able to bring many sons to God, and that same Spirit's power is available to all that receive Jesus Christ today. May we today to avail ourselves to that same Spirit’s power and also