So what would I say about Jesus?

1 John 2:2 ESV / 

He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world.

 I have met a new friend here in Florida who mentioned to me that he likes the preaching
at his church because it is about," Jesus and me." That got me to thinking.... what would he say about this Jesus and his relationship with our Savior.

Well he hasn't responded yet, but it brought to mind the question...What would I say about Jesus? Until a few years ago, I would have had very little to say, and that's very
sad and frightening at the same time. I would have mentioned Christmas and probably
done what many lost folks do... called Him a great teacher and moral man.

Well, thanks be to God, I know a bit more now. So here goes, briefly.

He, Jesus, is God. That can be a bit confusing, right? I mean isn't God the Father and
Jesus the Son of God? Yes, and no. Without even trying to explain the Trinity, I'll just
say that Jesus is fully God. The relationship between He and  His Father has existed for
eternity, is never changing and as strong as ever. Jesus was God on Earth. God incarnate.
His glorious attributes are the essence of God.

He, Jesus, is Lord of Salvation! There is simply no other path to forgiveness and
acceptance by God. The actions of Jesus provided the culmination of a plan that began
before time to bring God's creation into acceptance. Jesus is the propitiation for our sins,
He has paid the debt in full, He is the Great High Priest that can walk with us into the
very presence of our God. Without our accepting Him as our Lord and Savior, we are
eternally lost and separate from God. That's simply not a good place to be!!!!

He, Jesus, is our shepherd! Without Him, we, like all sheep, will tend to wander
and get lost. He cares for us and protects us when there is no way we can contuinue to
safely exist without Him. He gathers us to Him and uses His staff and rod in the
process of bringing us to safe keeping. He is strength, gentleness, compassion and
the truth. He is our friend with a capital F. Our lives should be full of the desire to
follow Him, cherish Him, glorify Him and Trust Him!

He, Jesus, is the light of the world! He has defeated darkness. He has defeated
even death. He has dealt a death-blow to Satan. He is the final judge of this world
and, upon His return, will make all things right and just! He is warmth and hope.
He is King and Lord.

HE IS JESUS!

The Most Terrible and Necessary Separation

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” Matt 27: 46

John 19:30
... he said, "It is finished!" 

It's painful, isn't it, to read about the last hours of our beloved Savior, Jesus. I still
haven't gathered the nerve to watch Mel Gibson's film, "The Passion of Christ."
There were so many things about those moments on the cross the scream 'horrible!'
Yet, the single most gruesome fact of it all was the separation of Jesus, God's son, from
the father, a relationship that had existed before creation.

I believe that, being God, Jesus was well aware of the aspects He faced as he knelt
and prayed in the garden. He had spoken to His disciples, plainly, about the things that
must happen to Him when he was handed over. Despite their difficulty in understanding
the ramifications of those things, Jesus knew clearly what he was to face. This
foreknowledge focuses our understanding that this God/man was the only one who
could possibly have come to these moments with the potential of carrying out the
fullness of His earthly mission: atonement, fulfillment of the law and prophecy,
the final and complete sacrifice necessary for salvation and the ability to withstand
the full brunt of sin and this separation from the Father.

In the things I have read and heard from teachers, many suggest that it was this
separation which was the most devastating to withstand. God turned His back upon
His beloved son, unable to look upon the fullness of sin heaped upon His son. The light
of the relationship, like the sky over Golgotha, turned to darkness. That which meant
the most to Jesus, the acceptance and love of His Father, was withdrawn for what must
have seemed an interminable time. 

Yet, in the end, Jesus became aware that His reason for becoming flesh on this earth
had been completed. The debt had been fully paid. Sin had been defeated forever..
no more sacrifices that could not fulfill their purpose. Take a moment and think
about these accomplishments and the price He paid for achieving them... then speak
to Him and praise and glorify Him for what He has done for us.

Our savior. Our Lord. Our King. Our shepherd... Our reason for living...Christ Jesus.

Lost sheep without a shepherd

 “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." John 10-9

¹⁸ Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. ¹⁹ Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ²⁰ and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”  Matthew 28: 18-21

Evangelism. It's a tough topic; yet, it is clear that this is supposed to be something we do
actively as part of a Christian life. I would rate myself "poor" at best in this aspect! There
are a couple of folks that I care very deeply about that I have been clumsily working on
in a rather subtle way. I'm sure that the Spirit is working within me to help but it is
slow going, at best.

There are many lost sheep out there that need to be find their shepherd. I believe that God
seeks all people, taps them on the shoulder, makes His glory openly clear to them and then
waits for their response or lack thereof. So it is God, certainly, that reaches out to these lost
souls. Our job is to be willing, when we are placed in situations where we can communicate
our own knowledge of the gospel and our love of Jesus Christ, to share ourselves and our
love of Christ Jesus.

The responses to my own efforts have been weird and, probably, common. "I have a lot on my plate right now, do not have time for this!" I have gotten the "humorous" responses
given to deflect any serious discussion of Jesus. Sometimes that humor can be blasphemous
and that is very scary! I haven't really run into any especially rude situations, but I tend to
limit myself to "safe" situations. Ravi Zacharius I am not! 

I tend to convince myself that I don't know enough, yet, to carry on a successful conversation, to answer questions clearly and correctly...the fact is that it is the Spirit 
speaking within us that allows for the "right things" to say. "Preach the gospel at all
times, when necessary, speak," is a rough approximation of a quote by St. Francis of
Assisi that really captures a means of sharing God and Jesus. 

We need to relax and approach the need to share with confidence that God is within us
and working to gather His sheep. What a blessing it is to be placed in situations where we
can praise Him and share His life-saving gospel of salvation through the sacrifice of His
son upon the cross. Thank you, Father God!