The Lamb of God

 Jesus Was Presented as a King

Book of Matthew Chapter 3

We should understand that the Gospels are not intended to give us a day by day, account of the life of Jesus.

The intent of the Gospels are to teach us how the Church was to begin.

The intent of the Gospels are to teach us God's plan of salvation.

The intent of the Gospels are to teach the Jews the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies.

We will find a thirty year gap between chapter 2 and chapter 3 of Matthew's Gospel.

This chapter begins with the forerunner, John the Baptist.

A fulfillment of prophecy.

Isa 40:3  The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 

Isa 40:4  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 

Isa 40:5  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 

Chapter 3 Verse 1

*****Mat 3:1  In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, 

Mat 3:2  And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. 

"In those days" means the days the Lord Jesus Christ walked upon this earth.

This wilderness was a true wilderness. It was a wild, barren and desolate place and it was in this same area where we will find that the Lord was tempted of Satan.

In general, when the Bible speaks of a wilderness in the New Testament it means a less cultivated place opposed to pastureland that is plowed regularly.

John lived in the true wilderness.

John was the forerunner for Jesus Christ, and he had begun his own ministry.

Mal 3:1  Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.  

God had sent many prophets and many true priests and many messengers to the Jews and yet they had rebelled against them all, killing many of them.

We know that John the Baptist would also be murdered for taking a stand against a wicked government but not before his ministry was complete and the ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ had begun.

What was his message?

Repent, for the kingdom of God was at hand.

To repent is not just to feel sorrow and regret but it is a complete change in lifestyle, a complete change in your heart, and a complete change in your way of thinking!

Daniel best describes the kingdom of God:

Dan 7:13  I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. 

Dan 7:14  And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed. 

The Lord's kingdom is not of this earth.

Joh 18:36  Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. 

Joh 18:37  Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice. 

Though the Lord will rule this earth as King for 1000 years, His true Kingdom will be in the New Jerusalem where all the saints of God will join Him to be with Him forever and forever.

*****Mat 3:3  For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 

We already have seen this prophecy but let us see it again.

Isa 40:3  The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 

Isa 40:4  Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: 

Isa 40:5  And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. 

What is "make His paths straight"?

The image of making His paths straight is as building a highway leveling the mountains, filling in the valleys making a sure path to God's future kingdom, even though that road would be a narrow one.

Mat 7:13  Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: 

Mat 7:14  Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it. 

The Lord Jesus Christ provides that only pathway to God's rebuilt Heaven. Not many ways but one way and that way by the Lord Jesus Christ!

It is the job of every Christian to prepare the way of the Lord to the lost!

The ways of John remind us of that Old Testament prophet Elijah.

*****Mat 3:4  And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

You cannot be a prophet of God without spending a lot of time alone with God!

John chose the wilderness of Judah.

2Ki 1:7  And he said unto them, What manner of man was he which came up to meet you, and told you these words? 

2Ki 1:8  And they answered him, He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, It is Elijah the Tishbite. 

The raiment of Elijah was made of camel's hair or the skin of a hairy animal.

That raiment sounds like it would be rough but in fact camel's hair was a good material for clothing, keeping out the heat, the cold, and the rain.

A prophet of God would never wear clothing that could deceive a person.

The Christian is told to wear modest clothing:

1Ti_2:9  In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array;

Jesus asked the religious leaders this question:

Mat 11:7  And as they departed, Jesus began to say unto the multitudes concerning John, What went ye out into the wilderness to see? A reed shaken with the wind? 

Mat 11:8  But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing are in kings' houses. 

Mat 11:9  But what went ye out for to see? A prophet? yea, I say unto you, and more than a prophet. 

Mat 11:10  For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee. 

Jesus loves and respects all those who prepare the way before Him:

Mat 11:11  Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. 

John the Baptist brought baptism by immersion to a reality.

*****Mat 3:5  Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judaea, and all the region round about Jordan, 

Mat 3:6  And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. 

The preaching of John was real.

The preaching of John was about the truth.

The preaching of John was about repentance.

John had the same message to the poor, the rich, to the religious elders, and to the government!

There was no baptism without first confessing your sins and confessing repentance.

What is our first confession? We must confess we are a sinner.

1Jn 1:9  If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

1Jn 1:10  If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 

Our next confession is the need of a Savior, and there is only One Savior.

2Jn 1:9  Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 

1Jn 2:22  Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 

1Jn 2:23  Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also. 

Next comes baptism:

Baptism was not new because baptism was practiced in all ancient religions.

For John, baptism was an outward sign or repentance and a changed life. To be baptized was also to promise the Lord we would have that faith in His cleansing of our sins.

The full immersion baptism must represent the death the burial and the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The full immersion baptism must be done in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Ghost!

Mat 28:18  And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 

Mat 28:19  Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: 

Mat 28:20  Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen. 

Baptism cannot save, it is only an admission that Jesus Christ is the only way to be saved from a Devil's Hell!

If you cannot believe all these things, then you are only taking a bath and a hundred baptisms will never get you closer to the Lord and a sprinkling can only get you wet!

John preached hard against religious deceivers:

Mat 3:7  But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees come to his baptism, he said unto them, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come? 

Mat 3:8  Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: 

Mat 3:9  And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. 

Mat 3:10  And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. 

If we refuse to repent, then we cannot receive the Holy Spirit.

If we do not show the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives, then we are not saved.

What is the fruit of the Holy Spirit?

Gal 5:22  But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 

Gal 5:23  Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 

Gal 5:24  And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 

Gal 5:25  If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. 

Eph 5:9  (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;) 

Eph 5:10  Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord. 

These Pharisee and Sadducee were not going to repent, and they did not bear the fruit of the Spirit.

We should understand the meaning of being called a "viper".

A viper is full of deadly poison and venom. The doctrine of false religion is full of malice against the truth and is deadly in that it will separate you from the love and the presence of God!

We live in a world today where the truth is rejected, and the poison is received.

Notice John was a true preacher and not afraid of organize religion.

Both John and the Lord Jesus Christ would not be welcome in the Church of today!

It is not baptism with water that saves!

It is being washed in the blood of Jesus and then baptized with the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit will not live in a false house.

*****Mat 3:11  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: 

Mat 3:12  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire. 

You see until you accept that the Lord Jesus Christ is the one and the only way to remain in the presence of God, then you cannot be a home for the Holy Spirit.

1Co_3:16  Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

1Co_6:19  What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

You cannot be a Living Temple of God until you are washed in the blood of Jesus Christ.

1Co_6:11  And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Heb_9:14  How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?

1Pe 1:18  Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 

1Pe 1:19  But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 

Do not be fooled by organized religion!

Jesus will thoroughly cleanse this earth from all sin, and none will be allowed in Heaven!

We are not as worthy as John and though he was the forerunner, a great prophet, who even made Herod tremble, said he was unworthy to be even a slave to the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must be washed with the water of the Holy Spirit which means surrounded, immersed, inside and outside by and with the Holy Spirit.

It means a new birth!

Joh_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.

Joh_3:7  Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again.

The fan of Christ Jesus is the "Gospel"!

His floor is the "Church" which is covered in a mixture of wheat and chaff.

Jesus will gather the wheat, those who are washed in the Spirit, to take to Heaven, and He will purge all who reject Him for a lifetime of torment!

Even Jesus was baptized to show us all that repentance is real even though He had no sin to repent of.

*****Mat 3:13  Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be baptized of him. 

Mat 3:14  But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me? 

Mat 3:15  And Jesus answering said unto him, Suffer it to be so now: for thus it becometh us to fulfil all righteousness. Then he suffered him. 

Jesus teaches us that we must set our life apart unto our Heavenly Father in a renewed spirit of dedication.

Jesus always did the will of our Heavenly Father and we must do our best to do the same!

Joh_5:30  I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.

The One and Only Living Example we have is the Lord Jesus Christ who teaches us by example.

Being 100% man but truly 100% God, Jesus made sure his human side did never exalt Himself above other humans.

He was and is higher than the highest but showed himself as a humble human being who lived in the will of His Heavenly Father.

Jesus needed to be baptized but he needed to be baptized by John specifically.

Jesus had traveled by foot from Nazareth of Galilee to where John was on the River Jordan which was a long walk.

It is on this day of His baptism that the Lord Jesus Christ began His earthly ministry!

It was John who had been preparing the way for Him.

The Lord Jesus identified Himself with the ministry of John the Baptist.

What was John's message? "Repent and be baptized for the Kingdom of God was at hand".

The Lord Jesus Christ is the door, not the doorway, but the door to the Kingdom of Heaven!

He is the founder of Christianity.

He is the Head of the Church, which is the Body of Christ.

He is the purchaser of all Righteousness, which He did on the Cross.

He is the Ideal Man our true Example!

John already had stated that the Messiah was much greater than he and said to the Lord "I need to be baptized of thee".

John was not one to humble himself before anyone. He boldly preached the truth of God, but we must all humble ourselves before our righteous God!

All manner of people had come to John to be baptized but John knew he was nothing compared to the Lord Jesus Christ.

Neither are any of us!

There is no disgrace in humbling yourself before the Master!

**Jesus came to fulfill every law written by Moses and He did, He was the perfect man, to become the perfect High Priest.

Exo 29:4  And Aaron and his sons thou shalt bring unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, and shalt wash them with water. 

Exo 29:5  And thou shalt take the garments, and put upon Aaron the coat, and the robe of the ephod, and the ephod, and the breastplate, and gird him with the curious girdle of the ephod: 

Exo 29:6  And thou shalt put the mitre upon his head, and put the holy crown upon the mitre. 

Exo 29:7  Then shalt thou take the anointing oil, and pour it upon his head, and anoint him. 

** Jesus came to pay "every man's" penalty for breaking those same laws, there 613 laws given by Moses.

** Jesus demonstrated to the fullest extent His humiliation in becoming a man.

Php 2:5  Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 

Php 2:6  Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 

Php 2:7  But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 

Php 2:8  And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 

**Jesus identified Himself with all those He came to save!

**Jesus became the pattern for every human being!

**Jesus began His ministry, as the High Priest always entered his ministry in such a ceremony.

When Jesus came up out of the water, our Heavenly Father recognized His Only Begotten Son.

*****Mat 3:16  And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: 

Mat 3:17  And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. 

The Heavens opened. We will get to see this one day soon.

The Holy Spirit descended like a dove.

Remember this was a sign given to John the Baptist to verify the Messiah.

Joh 1:32  And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 

Joh 1:33  And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 

The voice of a Holy God spoke about His Son.

"Noticed God said, "my beloved Son".

One day when we get to Heaven our Heavenly Father will say welcome home son or welcome home daughter.

Amen

The Forerunner, John the Baptist

The Witness of John the Baptist

Book of John Chapter 1:15-36

In last week’s lesson we saw that John introduced the Jews to the Holy Trinity, the Triune God. The Jews laid claim to God. The Jews were familiar with the Spirit of God. The Spirit can be found 224 times in the Old Testament. It was time for the world to meet the Messiah, God the Son.

Last week we saw these words Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Last week we saw these words Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

John the Baptist preached to all who came to hear him that this man named Jesus was indeed the Messiah sent from God.

This is the same job we have today, "to witness that Jesus is "the Christ", "the true Messiah" come from God, the God-Man!

We believe that John was only 6 months older than the Man/Jesus, so we know that John the Baptist preached the coming of the Messiah before Jesus made His presence known to him.

You see it is important for the world to know that God certainly manifested Himself in the flesh and that Jesus was that person.

Jesus' last name is not Christ, He is the Christ, the Messiah!

*****Joh 1:15 John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

There can be no doubt that God had sent His Spirit to dwell in John the Baptist.

God's answer to the sin of Adam was making Himself known to the world. We would have never known Jehovah God if He had not introduced Himself to us!

When John realized by the Holy Spirit that it was this Jesus, the son of Mary his cousin, he could say that Jesus was born of Mary after his own birth.

John also knew by the Holy Spirit that this same Jesus was before Him, in fact so far before him that He was God in the flesh!

Isa 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.

God alone is eternity.

God has always existed.

God is the cause of John's existence and also our own existence.

Jesus the Christ is to be first in importance much more than any human being that has ever lived.

The entire world has changed and is still changing since the First Coming of our Lord to this earth and this cannot be denied.

BUT, We must all be aware of the Second Coming of the Messiah, still in the same flesh He wore at His departure.

Rev 22:12 And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

Rev 22:13 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

There is no human who can lay such a claim to themselves other than Jesus the Messiah.

Christ is not Jesus' last name it is who He is! It is only Jesus Christ who has revealed God the Father to us!

All that we are capable of knowing about God the Father is revealed to us through His Son!

*****Joh 1:16 And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

Joh 1:17 For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.

John the Baptist had a great following, but he had to make sure that the Light of the Messiah did not shine upon him, John was only the "Voice" and not the "Foundation" of the Church.

His job was to lead as many people as he could to the Lord Jesus Christ.

It is only Christ Jesus who can reveal to us the "Grace" of God!

There would be no "Gospel" (Good News) for us if, Jesus was a mere man like so many who lay claim to be of God!

Col 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.

Col 2:10 And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power:

We can be complete in no other but Jesus Christ.

Jesus has given us "Grace" upon "Grace", Grace enough to meet every need we could ever have, no matter the circumstances!

Jesus Christ does not only have the answers but He in His Deity is the answer to all life's problems!

It is a fact that Moses revealed the written Law to the Jews but, is also a fact that "Grace" came by Jesus Christ!

What is "Grace"? Grace is the unmerited favor of God!

The word "Grace" can be found 39 times in the Old Testament and 131 times in the New Testament. God's Grace is very important to us!

Rom_5:21 That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord.

The Law made us realize that we are all sinners.

It is only by the "Grace" of God that we can be saved from our sin!

Righteousness cannot come by the Law for no one can keep all the Law, but Jesus Christ.

Therefore righteousness can come only by Jesus Christ, who in His person is the "Grace" of God!

Moses was no more than a servant just as we are to be. Jesus Christ is the Master!

Tit 2:11 For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,

Tit 2:12 Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;

Tit 2:13 Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;

Tit 2:14 Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.

Again it is only by Jesus Christ that we can know the true God!

*****Joh 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.

Had the Lord Jesus Christ not come to this earth we would have never known the truth of God. He would just have been someone who just moved on after He created us like so many believe.

There is but one God and this is very true!

There is no such thing as a God of Evil and a God of Good who are fighting to see who wins.

There is One God and He is very involved in every action upon this earth.

This does not mean God does bad things because He cannot do such a thing, but He can allow them to happen when He could have certainly stopped them from happening. God will not necessarily stop anything that does not alter His plan of salvation or His plans for this world.

This is why our prayers are so important. God has to power to alter anything that does not change His salvation plan and He is willing to do so. Sometimes He just wants to know if we love those we say we love!

God will never deviate from what He says but God will heal where healing is needed and comfort where comfort is needed if we fall down on our knees and pray!

We must not forget that we are His children and Jesus is working on our Mansions now.

Christianity is in fact the fulfillment of the Old Testament because Jehovah God designed it that way.

If we had seen God in all His Majesty before we have become Christians, we would have perished!

Exo 33:20 And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.

When the Lord does return, this time in all His glory, those who reject Him will be just as this Scripture. They cannot see Him and live!

*****Joh 1:19 And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

Joh 1:20 And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

We must not be fooled, those that were questioning John the Baptist, many of them students of the Scriptures, knew the prophecies of Daniel and he had said when a period of time would come, and the Messiah would appear. Maybe not the exact day but at least in that generation. Just as it is today when the Lord will return.

Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

They understood that Daniel was writing of years.

When will the Lord return?

Luk_17:26 And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.

How was it in the days of Noah?

Gen 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

We cannot deny that we live in a replica of the days of Noah today!

We can just imagine how great a preacher was John the Baptist if the elders of the Scribes and Pharisees thought he might be the Messiah!

But they had not yet heard our Savior preach!

Luk_7:28 For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.

It would have been rather easy for John to say he was the real Messiah, at least for a while but, he confessed he was not the Christ!

John the Baptist knew what he was sent to do, and he concentrated on those things!

John knew he was not the Messiah and John also knew he was not the Prophet Elijah.

Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:

Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.

The Lord Jesus said that John was Elijah in the spirit but not in his person.

Mar 9:12 And he answered and told them, Elias verily cometh first, and restoreth all things; and how it is written of the Son of man, that he must suffer many things, and be set at nought.

Elijah will return from the dead to be the forerunner of the Lord when He returns, at least this is what I believe because there were two, Elijah and Enoch who do not have a recorded death on earth!

Heb_9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

John the Baptist was well aware that he was not the Messiah.

In fact John knew very well that he was only a sinner unworthy to serve the Lord just like the rest of the world!

*****Joh 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

Joh 1:22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

Joh 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

The Scriptures only subtlety show the great impression John the Baptist made on the Jewish elders of that day, including the Sanhedrin Court.

It is obvious that these Bible Scholars had missed the Church Age and the Messiah the Redeemer in their studies.

John was certainly not Elijah even though in many ways he was like Elijah in his boldness.

John was not just another prophet who I believe to be Enoch the two prophets who would show up before the Second Coming of the Lord.

Rev 11:3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Rev 11:4 These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

Rev 11:5 And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed.

Rev 11:6 These have power to shut heaven, that it rain not in the days of their prophecy: and have power over waters to turn them to blood, and to smite the earth with all plagues, as often as they will.

Rev 11:7 And when they shall have finished their testimony, the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome them, and kill them.

Rev 11:8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.

John the Baptist said he was just a poor desert preacher, one who was doing his best to lead people to the Lord.

John said he was nothing more than a voice and really this is the same job we have today. We are God's voice and God's legs to take the "Gospel" of the Lord Jesus Christ to all parts of this world!

Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

It is only Jesus Christ who could meet all the requirements written in the Scriptures of the Messiah the God-Man!

We are never to claim to be the Messiah.

We are never to claim to be some great man or woman.

We are not even to seek recognition.

We are never to assume some power that only the Lord has.

We are never to allow God's Mercy and God's Grace to turn our heads toward "Pride", thinking more of ourselves than we should.

We are simply to obey the Lord Jesus Christ, the God of the Bible, in everything He tells us to do!

These people who were the Bible Scholars of that day when seeking for a Messiah were looking for some man to show up and by His works determine that the Messiah had arrived.

It is the same for many today. Most of this world are ignoring the fact that Jesus was God in the flesh.

The message of John the Baptist was that the Kingdom of God was among them in His person, not in His majesty!

These Jews saw the Messiah as being someone along the line of King David who would set them free from the tyranny of Rome!

These Jews missed the fact that the Messiah came to save them and not them alone but also the Gentiles.

These Jews believed they were the only ones acceptable to the Lord and not the Gentiles.

These Jews had allowed their beliefs to be tainted by formality and just a form of godliness denying the Power of God!

John the Baptist would burst their perfect bubble, just like the Lord does every day!

*****Joh 1:24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.

Joh 1:25 And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet?

The truth of the Pharisees in that day is that they had made themselves the interpreters of the Scriptures. They were well aware of the Old Testament prophesies of the Messiah, but they had missed His coming and rejected that Christ was among the people.

1) A Pharisee had to set apart all the sacred tithes of the produce of the land.

2) A Pharisee had to observe the essential laws of purity which affected the eating of food and family affairs.

We know that the Mosaic Laws contained not just 10 laws, but 613 laws and it was impossible for any Jew to keep all those laws all the time, but the Pharisees would argue that they did.

The Pharisee would immerse his whole body in purified water before they partook of holy sacrifices.

The Pharisees had so many laws involving impurity they were in a book named the Mishna, which were only the many interpretations of Scripture and many placed these laws above the Mosaic laws.

It is during this time that the Pharisees and the Sadducees had become corrupt in their thinking on the Word of God and were no more than legalists and liberals, who could not themselves keep the laws that they claimed for everyone else to keep!

These things began with good intentions when the Jews returned from Babylon after their captivity by Nebuchadnezzar.

It’s as if today we placed the words of commentaries above the Word of God.

So they asked John since you are not a Pharisee but only a Levite and you are not the Messiah and you are not Elijah nor any other prophet what right do you have to baptize any person?

They used this same line of thinking upon the Lord Jesus Christ!

Mat 21:23 And when he was come into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came unto him as he was teaching, and said, By what authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority?

Mat 21:24 And Jesus answered and said unto them, I also will ask you one thing, which if ye tell me, I in like wise will tell you by what authority I do these things.

Mat 21:25 The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then believe him?

Mat 21:26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.

Mat 21:27 And they answered Jesus, and said, We cannot tell. And he said unto them, Neither tell I you by what authority I do these things.

How did John answer these corrupt men?

*****Joh 1:26 John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;

Joh 1:27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

We should understand that everything John did was to prepare the people for the Messiah and John's baptism was just an example of the break from Judaism to the coming Christianity who would bring total purity with His blood.

The Lord Jesus Christ was so pure and so trustworthy and so different from the way these people had been taught that those who were corrupt sought to have Him destroyed.

The Jews of that day needed to know this man called Jesus was the One who was mentioned throughout the Old Testament Scriptures who was sent from God.

This was the job of John the Baptist to teach these things!

Act 1:4 And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me.

Act 1:5 For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.

What was the importance of Betha bara?

*****Joh 1:28 These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.

Joh 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.

Betha bara means the house of confidence or the house of crossing or simply ferry house.

It was a place on the River Jordan where you could safely cross over to the other side!

This was the place where we got that wonderful phrase "Behold the Lamb of God".

1Co_5:7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us":

Jesus Christ is our Passover!

And we are Saved because Jesus shed His "Blood" on Mount Calvary!

Heb_9:22 And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission.

Jesus Christ was certainly , God's perfect Lamb who was sacrificed to save all the people of this world and He did so for all that love Him!

Jesus Christ was our own blood Substitute!

1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

By the blood of Jesus Christ, God has paid the debt for all the sin in this world past, present, and future!

If we will pay attention we will see that Christ Jesus willingly gave His life for me and for you and for everyone who would put their trust in Him!

What did John continue to say?

*****Joh 1:30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.

Joh 1:31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

We all know that Jesus was at the most only 6 months in age younger than John the Baptist, yet John says He was before him.

The Messiah was not only before John the Baptist, but He was before us all!

The son of Elizabeth must have known the Son of Mary. John means that he did not know Him as the Messiah.

We can believe that John knew Jesus, but he did not know He was the Messiah, The Christ.

God knew that He would not be recognized as a man of God until He reached the age of 30 in earth years. Up until this time He had been feeling all the emotions of the human body.

Heb_4:15 For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.

We should notice that John the Baptist was a man of strong faith!

Certainly God spoke to John just as He did with other prophets in dreams and visions and God had given him a sign to watch for to know the truth.

*****Joh 1:32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.

Joh 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

Joh 1:34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

John said this is the One that is taught in the Old Testament Scriptures!

Again we see the proof of the Triune God. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit.

A dove was a sacred bird to the Jews and a symbol of purity, innocence, and gentleness.

The dove was often identified with the Spirit of God!

We should understand that the Holy Spirit did not take the shape of a dove but descended from Heaven as a dove flies in to land.

They land like no other bird in a fluttering motion.

In fact a dove can represent the Church sustained by the "Loving Grace of God", justified in the "righteousness" of Jesus Christ.

Psa 68:13 Though ye have lien among the pots, yet shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with silver, and her feathers with yellow gold.

The dove of Palestine is white with gold upon it's wings!

Tit 3:3 For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.

Tit 3:4 But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared,

Tit 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;

Tit 3:6 Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour;

John saw as the Holy Spirit descended from Heaven and remained on God's Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ!

This became the message of John the rest of his days!

What is the evidence of the Holy Spirit on the life of those who have accepted the Lord as their Savior?

There will be a change in that life!

What are Baptisms mentioned in the Scriptures?

The Baptism of water, in the name of the Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost(Spirit). As an introduction into the Church.

The Baptism of repentance. Turning away from the world and toward Jesus Christ.

The Baptism of the Holy Ghost(Spirit). At salvation and asked for continually all our days.

The Baptism by fire. We should know that God revealed himself to Moses in the burning bush and God lead the Jews through the wilderness by fire so to be Baptized by fire to me seems to be baptized by the presence of the Lord! Fire is one the physical manifestations of God's presence! Fire can also represent "Judgment" and "Purification"!

Turn to Jesus and know the truth of God.

Amen

Let's Pray!

The Word was God

The Word Became Flesh

Book of John 1:1-14

Some things we know about John the Apostle of Jesus Christ:

1) John was one of the very first disciples.

2) John was a fisherman along with his brother James.

3) John left everything he had behind to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

4) John was called the "beloved disciple".

5) John was the disciple that Jesus committed the care of His mother.

6) John was said by Paul to be one of the 3 pillars of the church. Paul considered James the brother of the Lord Jesus, Peter, and John to be the 3 pillars of the early church. We cannot dispute the Apostle Paul, but I believe he was also a pillar of the early church, at least for the Gentiles.

7) John was the only apostle that died of natural causes.

When John was old and feeble his only sermon was "Little children love one another".

When asked why he would continue with this sermon he replied, "It is the Lord's command".

We sometimes forget that we are certainly commanded to love one another, and it is not a request, it is a command given to us by the Lord our Christ, our Messiah.

John shows throughout all his writings that the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah find their fulfillment in the Lord Jesus Christ!

*****Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

John states that "before", there was even one thing created by God, God had a plan of salvation and this plan would be followed until the very end!

We know that all the Word of God has been brought to us by specific men chosen and tutored by the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit will always lead us to the Lord Jesus Christ.

John said the Old Testament is so full of words that describe the birth, the life, and the death of the Messiah, He could actually be called the Word!

It should be obvious that the Word was distinct from God, so we can see the beginning of our understanding of the Triune God.

The Godhead was clearly revealed in the Old Testament.

Psa 23:1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.

God the Deity and God the Shepherd in the flesh, are two parts of the Triune God. We know the Holy Spirit is the third!

The Messiah is to be a Shepherd and when we acknowledge this truth, the Lord who came in the flesh, is truly our Shepherd.

Our Shepherd existed before creation had begun!

The Book of John was certainly written to the lost and to the Jews but, until the Word of God came along, the Gentiles knew nothing of a Messiah.

The Messiah, God in the flesh, is the very center of Christianity and the Book of John will lead us to this truth.

The Jews saw words as not just a sound, but something alive and existing and John begins with this statement, the "Word was God" so the Jews could easily understand the truth of the Messiah.

We will see that God has given us much more than the Holy Scriptures, God has given us Himself in the flesh, the Lord Jesus Christ!

When we read the Word of God we can see the ultimate character of God and this same character was in Jesus Christ

The Lord Jesus Christ lived the words that were written of Him!

Jesus Christ was not created of God because He is God in the flesh, one third of the Holy Trinity!

Psa 90:1 Lord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.

Psa 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God.

Since Jesus Christ is the God of the Bible, then we must clearly understand, "that sin is far more abominable in the sight of God", than most of us see it to be.

We have made sin to just be bad behavior, but sin is an abomination in the eyes of the Lord!

Therefore the Scriptures teach us to hate sin, but we are never to hate the sinner.

We should understand that when God speaks, things happen and "we can be made new", if we will listen to what God has to say and apply it to our lives!

Faith does not mean much unless it brings with it action!

*****Joh 1:2 The same was in the beginning with God.

There are many times that God repeats Himself to show the importance in what He had just said.

God wants to point out to us the importance of His character as the Triune God, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Not three Gods but One God in three persons.

John wants us to clearly understand that the Word, the Messiah (Jesus Christ) and the Father in Heaven are one and the same person!

1Jn_5:7 For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.

It must be clear to all the world that we have an "Amazing God" who loves us enough to make us His home until we can get to His heavenly home!

Most of this world see Jesus Christ only as some man and it is true that He took on the fashion of a man, but each believer sees Christ for who He is, the very substance of God in all His perfect being!

Php 2:4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all the Word of God and therefore self-existent and eternal, the Son of the "Living" God!

The Word is the way God chose to introduce Himself to mankind, His greatest creation. Why?

God knew that many would look at His creations and call them accidents that just happen to have happened. Even a fruitcake can see the that our world is in too much order to have happened by accident.

The Lord Jesus Christ is indeed God in visible action!

After all if Jesus Christ is then God then He would also be our Creator!

*****Joh 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

We should understand that all things, but God were created. Our world had to have a Creator and to believe otherwise is foolishness!

Verse one and two describe things the way they were before any act of creation took place!

We must all understand that "all things" were made of God and without God there would be no creation and we would not exist.

God created everything we see and that we cannot see in the first six days of our beginning because we know God rested on the seventh day.

Not because God was tired but because he had completed what He had set out to do!

There are no creations by man because if man makes anything then he must use something that God has already made.

If our Savior and our Creator creates anything new today, it would be that "Born Again" child of God that only He can make new!

The Word of God is a reality, it is truly the Word of God.

Col 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him:

Col 1:17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the glue that binds this world together!

Jesus Christ's greatest creation is life, the living things there is nothing on this earth made that is not teeming with life.

A man once wrote "the basic difference between man and beast is speech. Animals cannot speak to man as they speak to themselves"!

We should understand that this world belongs to God and He does with it "as He pleases"!

We should understand that God is not far off removed from His creation but is very near showing great concern for the welfare of His created beings.

We should also understand that the problems in this world do not come from God, but they come because of sin!

The answer to these problems cannot come from man because only Christ Jesus has the answer to all our problems.

God is all about life and life eternal.

*****Joh 1:4 In him was life; and the life was the light of men.

We cannot know true life without the Lord Jesus Christ!

Jesus Christ led a life of perfection to show us that it is possible for us to yearn for perfection in our own lives!

From the beginning in the days of Adam, God has proved He wanted to be up close and personal with His creation.

The knowledge of Jesus Christ is to be our light in this world that belongs to Him.

Joh 8:12 Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

1Jn 1:5 This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.

1Jn 1:6 If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:

1Jn 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

The message of God is really very simple. He says come let us walk together and I will be the light of your path!

*****Joh 1:5 And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

We live in a dark world made darker by our own sin. When Satan was booted out of Heaven he came to this earth and he brought darkness with him!

Much of world wants to remain in darkness forever but God is not going to allow that to continue much longer.

Jesus Christ has shown us the way to escape this darkness because He has no darkness within Him!

2Co 4:6 For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

When the Light of Christ shined on this world then darkness fled and Satan hides in his darkness because he does not want us to see the "nobody" that he is!

Turn on your light in a dark room and you will see darkness flee to hide until the light goes back off.

When we walk with the Lord we become a light ourselves and then we can shed that light on our families, our neighborhood and then our cities.

Mat_5:14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid.

Without Jesus Christ there would be no life and then there would be no light.

It is Jesus Christ who gives us purpose.

It is Jesus Christ shows us the meaning of life.

It is Jesus Christ who shows us the significance of our life.

After John has made us aware and the understanding of the Triune God, He then begins to tell us about the life of our Savior, from a man(John) that spent much time with Him and loved Him while He was upon this earth and he will begin with the forerunner, John the Baptist.

Our life improves when we fall in love with Jesus the Messiah!

We are cautioned not to forget what we have just learned.

*****Joh 1:6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.

The Old Testament will lead everyone to Jesus the Messiah, when we take the time to study the Scriptures as God commanded and it is these same Scriptures that tell us about a forerunner paving the way for our Master.

Mal 3:1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

That man was John the Baptist.

There is also this Scripture in the Book of Isaiah:

Isa 40:3 The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.

Isa 40:4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:

Isa 40:5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.

Did the Lord need someone to go before Him, I don't think so, but the Scriptures must be fulfilled according to the way God intended them?

There is a purpose for every Word, every dot, and every tittle, in God's written Scriptures

There will be a complete fulfillment of the Word of God!

Mat_5:18 For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled.

Jesus the Messiah was before the beginning of creation, John was just a man, called of God with a special calling.

This was a part of John's sermon:

Joh 3:28 Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.

Joh 3:29 He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.

Joh 3:30 He must increase, but I must decrease.

John the Baptist as the forerunner of the Messiah, also had to live his life as close as he could to perfection!

Luk 1:15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.

John was to bear witness of the truth of God.

*****Joh 1:7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.

The Old Testament teaches that the Messiah was coming.

John the Baptist job was to tell the world that the Messiah was now here.

It is the Church's job not only to a witness of the Gospel but to also tell the world that the Lord will return to fulfill all the Scriptures.

Rev 22:18 For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

Rev 22:19 And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

Rev 22:20 He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

Rev 22:21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

John the Baptist was the first ambassador for Jesus Christ!

2Co 5:18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation;

2Co 5:19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

2Co 5:20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.

2Co 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

It is sin not to look forward to the Second Coming of Christ!

It is sin, to ask Jesus into your heart and fail to repent!

It is all our job to be ambassadors for Jesus Christ and not just be pew sitters!

Our ministry is the ministry of reconciliation!

The same as John the Baptist.

John the Baptist did his job so well that many thought that he might be the Messiah.

*****Joh 1:8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.

Joh 1:9 That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the world.

We can say the John the Baptist was the first Christian!

John's purpose was to lead mankind to the Light of the Lord Jesus Christ!

Say what you will but these things are to be true of every Christian. (Forgive me Lord for my failure to be more like Christ)

John could have allowed the people to make him great, but he said:

Joh 1:27 He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose.

A man once wrote that "at the point that we quit testifying for Jesus Christ we have chosen to betray Him".

We are not that Light, we are sent to bear witness of the Light of the Lord!

It seems that this is the world we live in today.

All those sitting in the pews motionless and emotionless "are actually betraying the Lord".

This is a hard saying but it is the truth!

Light reveals.

Light opens up the truth of darkness and reveals a brand-new world, a brand-new life!

Joh 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

The truth is "Our Creator stepped out of Heaven and came down to spend some time with His creation".

*****Joh 1:10 He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not.

Joh 1:11 He came unto his own, and his own received him not.

1) Our world is so dark that when the Lord came, people closed their eyes to the truth.

2) Christ Jesus came as a Jew in the line of King David and He was rejected by His own nation.

God cares deeply for His creation especially mankind!

God is actively working to help this world throw off the burden of sin.

God made man in his own trinity, the flesh, the spirit, and the soul.

It is an unforgiving sin to those who reject the Living God.

Gal 4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

Gal 4:4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law,

Gal 4:5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons.

Gal 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father.

Gal 4:7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

This world we live would rather recognize the works of Satan, so that the world does not have to change its evil ways!

*****Joh 1:12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:

Joh 1:13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.

What is the will of God?

2Pe_3:9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, "not willing that any should perish", but that all should come to repentance.

God has done and continues to do all He can, (besides force) to persuade the world of the truth of Jesus Christ.

To reject these things is to bring damnation upon yourself!

The new birth is of God and God only!

Yes, we are washed in the blood of Jesus and are made clean, but it is not the blood that saves us in that sense!

It is only by the Mercy and the Grace of God through His Son Jesus Christ that we can be saved and be part of this New Birth!

This New Birth is not a natural birth it is a Spiritual Birth!

This New Birth is necessary to become a child of God!

This New Birth is a true experience!

This New Birth is a radical change in our lives that can only be brought about by the Love of God, and His power to save!

It is not our own flesh that brings us to salvation, it is Holy Ghost conviction.

There is no man on the face of this earth that has the power to make us a child of God!

It is only by God's power that the new birth can take place and we are welcomed into the family of God!

We must understand it is also our Holy God who has broken the barrier of race! There are only believers and non-believers!

There is only one truth of those who reject the Lord Jesus Christ!

Joh 8:33 They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?

Joh 8:34 Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin.

Joh 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

Joh 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

Joh 8:38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.

Joh 8:39 They answered and said unto him, Abraham is our father. Jesus saith unto them, If ye were Abraham's children, ye would do the works of Abraham.

Joh 8:40 But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham.

Joh 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.

Joh 8:42 Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me.

Joh 8:43 Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word.

Joh 8:44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

Joh 8:45 And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not.

What is the complete truth of our Savior, The Lord Jesus Christ, God the Son?

*****Joh 1:14 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

The incarnation of Jesus Christ is a reality!

Those that believe in God:

Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

Those that believe in God must also believe that Jesus Christ (the Messiah) is God in the flesh!

1Jn 2:21 I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.

1Jn 2:22 Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son.

1Jn 2:23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.

1Jn 2:24 Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father.

1Jn 2:25 And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life.

The flesh of mankind today is not what God created it to be!

Our flesh no longer exists in the image of God because of sin. The same sin that began with Adam! Disobedience.

Jesus Christ had to come in the flesh to give us that example of what God intended for us all.

1Co 15:47 The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven.

Joh_15:22 If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin: but now they have no cloke for their sin.

Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

Php 2:6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

Php 2:7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Php 2:8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

Jesus Christ became flesh to correct and then counteract the corruption of sin, which mankind did not understand until God revealed Himself in the Scriptures!

It is by the "Grace" of God that He took the time to give us the truth of His creation when He did not have to.

We are a foolish people if we ignore what God has to say!

It is the will of God that we should believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, so God's "Grace" can come to its fulfillment and we can be saved.

There is no other way period, for anyone to be adopted into the family of God!

We must understand what God is saying!

If Spiritual life comes by receiving the truth of Jesus the Messiah, then there must be death in rejecting Him!

Amen

Let's Pray!