Happy Resurrection Day!
I hope
you are having a great week. It has been
a while since I last posted.
Remember that this is my 41st blog post, so if you are
wanting to read more, please look through my older writings. If you have read all of them – thank you. Please send any feedback and comments to my
email.
Since this Sunday is “Resurrection Day”, I would like to say a few things about the resurrection of Jesus Christ and how that put a stamp of approval on His incredible life. The resurrection is a powerful truth of the Christian faith. Please remember that our faith is not based on someone else's ideas or conjecture, but it is based on the truth and facts of History! Someone once said that our faith makes our belief real and that is not the case. You may have been told that by someone who is peddling some half-truths. Our faith in the facts of the Bible does not make it real – it makes it real to us. As many have said, Jesus is the only religious leader who died and then brought himself back to life! Everyone knows that if you want to visit His gravesite… it is empty. Jesus walked out of it. That's a fact.
One
of the truths of scripture that make the resurrection so extremely important is
the Deity of Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches
that Jesus was both divine and human at the same time. This might be a little hard to mentally
process, but the resurrection puts the stamp of approval on His deity once and
for all. At the beginning of His life, He
was declared to be God, throughout His life He proved He was God and the resurrection
affirmed that He is God. Let me talk
about that for a little while.
In
Luke 1:35, the Angel Gabriel declared that He was God.
The
angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and God’s power will rest
upon you. For this reason, the holy
child will be called the Son of God.” (Lk. 1:35 GNB)
Throughout His life, Jesus proved that He was God. He had four attributes that only God
has. Only God is Omniscient (He knows
all things), Omnipotent (He has all power), Omnipresent (He can be everywhere
at the same time), and Eternal (He has no beginning, and He will have no end). These are theological terms, but I have
thought of them many times over the years.
Here is a very brief discussion of how Jesus proved He was God by
demonstrating all these attributes.
Omniscient (Knows all things)
1. Jesus knew exactly
what people were thinking before they said it.
(Luke 6:8,9) But
Jesus knew what they were thinking. So, he told the man with the paralyzed
hand, "Get up, and stand in the center of the synagogue!" The man got
up and stood there.
(Matt. 9:4,5) Jesus
knew what they were thinking. He asked them, "Why are you thinking evil
things? Is it easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up
and walk'?
2. Jesus knew exactly
when He would be arrested. He knew the exact
details about His betrayal. He knew the
exact time He would die and that He would bring Himself back to life in 3 days.
(John 18:4-6) Jesus
knew everything that was going to happen to him. So, he went to meet them and
asked, "Who are you looking for?" They answered him, "Jesus
from Nazareth." Jesus told them, "I am he." Judas, who betrayed
him, was standing with the crowd. When Jesus told them, "I am
he," the crowd backed away and fell to the ground. (The power when he
said the words “I AM” knocked them down.”
(Mark 8:31-38) Then
he began to teach them that the Son of Man would have to suffer a lot. He
taught them that he would be rejected by the leaders, the chief priests, and
the scribes. He would be killed, but after three days he would come back to
life. (Jesus is talking to them in the third person method)
(Luke 23:46) Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit." After he said this, he died.
3. He knew exactly how to respond to the Devil’s temptations. He knew the Bible in exact detail. (Matt. 4:1-11)
4. He knew exactly
what would happen in the future. He predicted
things that have happened, are happening, and will happen. Read some of the remarkable details in
Matthew 24 and Mark 13.
5. He knew the
heart of man.
(John 2:25) And (Jesus) didn't need anyone to tell him about human nature. He knew what people were really like.
6. He knew when
people were trying to kill Him, before the cross and He knew exactly how to
avoid their clutches.
(John 7:1) Jesus
later traveled throughout Galilee. He didn't want to travel to Judea because the Jews there wanted to kill him.
(Luke 4:30) Their
city was built on a hill with a cliff. So they got up, forced Jesus out of the
city, and led him to the cliff. They intended to throw him off of it. But
Jesus walked right by them and went away.
(John 8:48-59) Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen, Abraham? Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.
Omnipotent (All power)
1. Jesus had
power over all sicknesses.
(Matt. 8:14,15), (Mark 1:30-31), Luke 4:38,39), (Luke 18:35-43), and many others.
2. Jesus had
power over all demonic forces.
(Luke 4:33-37), (Luke 9:1), (Mark 3:17-19)
3. Jesus had the power over the created world… (you know, since He created it!)
(Matt. 8:24-27) Suddenly a fierce storm hit the lake, and the boat was in danger of sinking. But Jesus was asleep. The disciples went to him and woke him up. "Save us, Lord!" they said. "We are about to die!" "Why are you so frightened?" Jesus answered. "What little faith you have!" Then he got up and ordered the winds and the waves to stop, and there was a great calm. Everyone was amazed. "What kind of man is this?" they said. "Even the winds and the waves obey him!"
4. Jesus had the power to resist being arrested, but He willingly submitted to the Roman guards. (John 18)
Omnipresent (Exists everywhere)
1. Jesus said
to Nathaniel that He saw him under a tree when He was not there. This was so remarkable that he immediately
became His disciple at that very moment.
(John 1:48) Nathanael asked him, "How do
you know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you when you were under the fig
tree before Philip called you." "Teacher," answered Nathanael,
"you are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus said,
"Do you believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the
fig tree? You will see much greater things than this! "Nathanael asked
him, "How do you know me?" Jesus answered, "I saw you when you
were under the fig tree before Philip called you."
(Matt.
18:19,20) "Teacher," answered Nathanael, "you are
the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus said, "Do you
believe just because I told you I saw you when you were under the fig tree? You
will see much greater things than this!"
Eternal (no beginning and no end)
1. Jesus said
that He existed before Abraham. When he
said this, He was using the name of God given to Moses, “I AM”!
(John 8:57,58) The Jews said to Jesus, "You're not even fifty years old. How could you have seen Abraham?" Jesus told them, "I can guarantee this truth: Before Abraham was ever born, I am."
2. The Bible tells
us that He was present when the world was created.
(John 1:1-3) In the beginning, the Word already
existed; the Word was with God, and the Word was God. From the very beginning, the Word was with God. Through him God made all things; not one thing in all
creation was made without him.
(Isa. 9:6) A child is born to us! A son is
given to us! And he will be our ruler. He will be called, "Wonderful
Counselor," "Mighty God," "Eternal Father," and "Prince of Peace."
(Col. 1:17) He not only created the world, but He holds it together. “For through him, God created everything in heaven and on earth, the seen and the unseen things, including spiritual powers, lords, rulers, and authorities. God created the whole universe through Him and for Him. Christ existed before all things, and in union, with him all things have their proper place.”
3. One of His
titles in the Bible is the “Beginning and the End.”
(Rev. 1:17,18) When
I saw him, I fell down at his feet like a dead man. Then he laid his right hand
on me and said, "Don't be afraid! I am the first and the last, the
living one. I was dead, but now I am alive forever. I have the keys of death and
hell.
(Rev. 1:8) Behold,
he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of
the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen.
I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning, and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was,
and which is to come, the Almighty.
Jesus was declared to be God, He proved He was God throughout His life, and His resurrection put the final stamp of approval and affirmation on all that He was and Is. There is a lot more to say about the Deity of Jesus, but here is a great verse to end with. (Phil. 2:6-11)
Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Written by Lee Malden 2022
For more information: email lmalden@hotmail.com
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