____________________________________________________ THE GOSPEL OBSERVER ____________________________________________________ "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations...teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age" (Matthew 28:19,20). ____________________________________________________ June 29, 2003 ____________________________________________________ Focusing on Jesus by Tom Edwards As we considered last week, Jesus is the only one to whom we can turn to have eternal life. For no other direction (regardless of how esteemed the philosophy, how cherished the religion, or how strongly embraced the other systems of beliefs) can lead to the forgiveness of sins, the true hope of eternal life, and to the endless glory of heaven itself (cf. Jn. 14:6). We must, therefore, focus on Jesus. The Hebrew writer expresses this as follows: "Therefore since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance, and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider Him who has endured such hostility by sinners against Himself, so that you may not grow weary and lose heart" (Heb. 12:1-3). Let us, therefore, use this article to help fix our eyes on Jesus. All of this, of course, was part of God's plan before the world began: that Jesus would have to suffer and die for us (1 Pet. 1:18-20; Acts 2:22,23), and that we should allow our lives to be governed by Him (2 Cor. 5:14,15). Preaching on the day that the church was established, Peter declares that Jesus was "delivered up by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God" -- though the murdering of His Son was carried out by "godless men," and of their own accord (Acts 2:23). And concerning the Christian, Paul states, "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them" (Eph. 2:10). So just as the Lord's suffering was foreknown, prior to the foundation of the world, so also was the way that God's child should live. We need to, therefore, exalt Jesus in our lives every day, so that His suffering won't become merely a vain or powerless thing in our lives (1 Cor. 15:1,2) -- and so the Lord won't become to us, as one child stated (in misquoting John 3:16), God's "only forgotten Son." Peter also shows in Acts 2 that Jesus was "...a man attested to you by God with miracles and wonders and signs which God performed through Him in your midst..." (v. 22). Christ proved Himself in many ways. One of those ways, as this verse shows, was through the miracles. During His earthly ministry, Jesus did numerous miraculous signs of which the Bible records about 35. John states that "Many other signs therefore Jesus also performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name" (Jn. 20:30,31). So though we don't have a record of all the miracles, we do have those God wants us to have. And how many does it really take to serve the purpose of instilling faith? The Bible shows that Jesus walked on the water (Matt 14:25), healed the "lame, crippled, blind, dumb, and many others" (Matt. 15:30), cast out demons (Mark 1:34), healed the lepers (Luke 17:12-14), miraculously multiplied a few loaves and a couple fish to feed about 5,000 men, and raised the dead (Matt. 14:17-21), etc. He healed all the sick that were brought to Him (Luke 4:40). When John the Baptist was in prison, and questioned Jesus as to whether He was "the Expected One" or not, the Lord sent the following answer to him: "...'Go and report to John what you hear and see: the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them"' (Matt. 11:4,5). As we noted above, Christ performed these miracles that we might believe. How re-assuring it must have been for John to hear the Lord cite His miracles as the answer to John's question -- and a comfort he could take with him even when facing his decapitation (Jn. 14:1-12). Christ in Prophecy and Fulfillment The numerous prophetic revelations of Jesus in the Old Testament and their fulfillments in the New Testament serve as incontrovertible evidence of the divine inspiration of the word of God and confirm the Deity of Jesus Christ. For out of all the prophecies of the Old Testament, it is said that 332 of them pertain to Jesus Himself; and which only He could -- and did -- fulfill! He was the Messiah who was to come (Zech. 6:12,13) -- and who did come (Jn. 1:41) -- and who is coming again (1 Thess. 4:13-18)! He is seen in Genesis 3:15 as being the woman's "seed" that would "bruise" the serpent's head -- or, in other words, take away "the power of death" that the devil had (cf. Heb. 2:14). Christ would be the fulfillment of that "seed"-promise that God had given to Abraham (Gen. 22:18), as Paul also clarifies (Gal. 3:16,19); and the Lord's lineage would not only come through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, but also through the family of David who looked forward to Him as being the One who would "build a house" for the Lord and rule as King in God's kingdom (1 Sam. 7:12-16; Acts 2:29-36). Jesus would be born in that little town of Bethlehem, as prophesied several hundred years prior (Micah 5:2), and which Matthew 2:1-6 shows the fulfillment of. Isaiah, who wrote about seven hundred years before the Lord's incarnation, also includes that the Christ would be born of a virgin (Isa. 7:16; fulfilled: Matt. 1:22-25); and Paul shows that this occurred "when the fullness of time was come" (Gal. 4:4) -- or, as it can also be stated, "when God's `proper or destined time' had arrived." Yes, this was all well-planned by God and was to take place at the exact moment that He had so willed, before the world even began. Numerous other prophecies concerning Christ could be cited, such as His betrayal for 30 pieces of silver (Zech. 11:12,13; fulfilled: Matt. 26:14-16; 27:3-10), the piercing of His hands and feet (Psa. 22:16; fulfilled: Matt. 27:26), the dividing up of His garments and casting lots for His clothing (Psa. 22:18; fulfilled: Jn. 19:23,24), being with a rich man in His death (Isa. 53:9; fulfilled: Matt. 27:57-60), and more. The odds of Biblical prophecy finding fulfillment through mere chance or coincidence would be so astronomical that, undoubtedly, the probability of chance is ruled out. As Peter Stoner has pointed out, with the odds of just 8 prophecies being fulfilled by mere coincidence, it would be 1 in 10 to the 17th power, or the equivalent of finding one specially marked coin, blind-folded and on the first try, out of a mass that is covering the entire state of Texas, two-feet deep. The odds, however, of 332 prophecies coming about by mere chance would be 1 in 84 times 10 to the 123rd power. This is one of the reasons why we can believe in the divine inspiration of God's word and accept what it teaches. As Peter also shows, "...no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God" (2 Pet. 1:21). The Miracles of Christ So Bible prophecy also backs up the validity of the gospel and the life of Christ. In addition, however, as mentioned above, the Lord's miracles also had attested to His Deity; and, therefore, he refers to these miraculous signs as having been an even "greater witness than that of John" -- for they "bear witness of Me, that the Father has sent Me" (Jn. 5:36). Master of Change and of Quality In considering these miracles, they also teach some additional truths about Christ. For example, in John 2, the Lord performed His first miracle (while on earth) in Cana of Galilee, where He turned the water into wine. The headwaiter, who had the responsibility of tasting the wine to make sure it would be fit for serving to the guests, marveled at how good the wine Jesus made was (though the headwaiter didn't realize, at that time, that Jesus had made it), and seems surprised that it was being used last -- since the best is to be served first. In this miracle, Christ manifests His power over physical elements. He is the Master of Change and the Master of Quality. It assures the believer that just as Christ can turn the water into the best wine, He also has the power to turn a sinner into a saint -- and to change a mortal, corruptible body into an immortal, glorified one (1 Cor. 15:51-53). Master of Distance In John 4, Christ healed the nobleman's son. The nobleman had come from Capernaum (where his son was sick) to Cana in order to beseech Jesus. Though Capernaum was several miles away, Jesus was able to heal the son with a word -- and without even having to go there -- for Christ is the Master of Distance. The Psalmist also realized this amazing characteristic of the Lord: Distance cannot hamper God in His caring for someone, for the Lord is omnipresent. So, whether one could "ascend to heaven," make his "bed in Sheol," or "dwell in the remotest part of the sea," even there, one could not flee from God's Spirit and presence (Psa. 139:7-10) -- for the Lord is the Master of Distance. Master of Time In John 5, Jesus heals a man who had been lame for 38 years. Not only are we again reminded of the Lord's power over physical infirmities, but also that He is not hindered by time. Whether this man had been lame for 38 years or 38 seconds would make no difference to the Lord, when it comes to His ability to heal. For Christ is the Master of Time. He Himself, of course, dwells in eternity where there is no time, as we know it. For His creation, however, He made the sun, the moon, and the stars to help regulate time for humanity (Gen. 1:14-19). Jesus, though, is "the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end" (Rev. 22:13). He fills all time. To some dissenting Jews, Jesus said, "before Abraham was born, I am" (Jn. 8:58). Though unusual to our ears (due to our familiarity with past, present, and future), yet what an interesting and powerful statement the Lord made. He did not say, "Before Abraham was born, I was," which would have been incredible enough; but, rather, "before Abraham was born, I am." It is easy, however, for Jesus to say that because He is from "the days of eternity" (Micah 5:2) and is "the same yesterday and today...and forever" (Heb. 13:8); so He appears to be expressing in John 8:58 His eternal nature. Time doesn't effect God like it does our mortal bodies. For with Him, in a manner of speaking, "one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day" (2 Pet. 3:8). So God isn't controlled by time -- rather, He is the Master of it. Master of Quantity and of Creation In John 6, Jesus performs a miracle by multiplying five barley loaves and two fish so that they would feed about 5,000 men. Prior, the circumstances for food had looked bleak. This, however, wasn't a problem to the Lord. For He is the Master of Quantity. He took the few loaves and the couple fish and miraculously multiplied them -- and ended up with more than enough! Furthermore, does this not also substantiate Christ's role as the Divine Creator? As the Bible says, "All things came into being by Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being" (Jn. 1:3). This miracle of the bread and fish shows that Christ can bring things into existence that weren't there before. Can we even begin to name all the stars that the Lord has made? Christ is the Creator and the Master of Quantity -- and in the case of the heavens, a quantity that is innumerable. Master Over Natural Laws Also in John 6, Jesus walks on the water. According to natural laws, Jesus did something that was impossible. Of course, that's what a miracle is. Christ, therefore, is the Master over Natural Laws. As also seen in His exit from this world, He merely ascended into the sky until a cloud had received Him out of the apostles' sight (Acts 1:9-11). That wasn't a hotair balloon the Lord used -- nor any other aircraft. Though the law of gravity kept the feet of the onlookers firmly on the ground, the Lord, who is the Maker of natural laws, had (and has) power over it -- So, when it was time for Him to return to the Father, up He went! Master Over Death and Of Life In John 11, Jesus raised his friend Lazarus from the dead, who had been four days in that state. It is in this same chapter in which Jesus declares, "I am the resurrection and the life; he who believes in Me shall live even if he dies" (Jn. 11:25). Just as in the other claims that the Lord had made about Himself, directly or indirectly, He is able to backup this claim as well: Jesus states that He is the resurrection and the life and then proves it by raising Lazarus from the dead, by giving him life again. One day everyone will be raised from the dead -- the righteous and the wicked (Jn. 5:28,29). It makes no difference how long that person has been deceased, for Christ is the Master of Time, the Master of Change, the Master of Quality, the Master over death, and the Master of Life. And because He arose from the dead, we, too, can have hope in a glorious resurrection, if we will trust and obey (1 Cor. 15:12-20; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). The Greatness of His Sacrifice Jesus performed many great works while upon our planet; but, by far, one of the greatest was the sacrifice He willingly made by being tortured to death at Calvary to make an atonement for the sins of the world (Jn. 15:13; Jn. 10:11-18). The Christian is "bought with a price" (1 Cor. 6:20), and what a costly price that is! (cf. 1 Pet. 1:18,19.) The problem of sin is the biggest problem this world has ever had -- or ever shall have -- and no one but Jesus can provide the solution (Rom. 5:6-8; 1 Tim. 4:15; Jn. 14:6). The Greatness of Himself So great Jesus is. And in every area of His life -- whether thinking of His eternal existence (Jn. 8:58), His omniscience: He knew what was in the heart of man (Mark 2:8), and Peter confessed, "...Lord, thou knowest all things..." (Jn. 21:17); His superior love (Jn. 15:13); His undying devotion: "...I do always those things that please Him" (Jn. 8:29); or His superb teaching, which astonished the people and caused them to realize His authority over that of the scribes and Pharisees (Matt. 7:28,29), and the list goes on. For us to think of how we can best love our neighbor, forgive those who have done us wrong, be merciful and benevolent toward the destitute, be kind toward all, who better can demonstrate all of that than Jesus Himself? Jesus is the only Savior of the world. He is the Son of God. The Messianic prophecies pointed to Him, which He fulfilled. His godly and miracle-performing life confirms His Deity. If you have not allowed Christ to be the Savior of your life, then won't you begin this day? As they say, "Some things are too good to pass up"; but what could be more good then the Savior Himself and that which He has to freely offer, if we will humbly submit our lives to Him? So instead of ignoring Jesus and looking the other way, let us each learn how to best focus on Him with our spiritual eyes of faith and to do that which He commands us -- for there is no other way to heaven, but to trust and obey the Savior. ____________________________________________________ MYRTLE STREET CHURCH OF CHRIST 1022 Myrtle Street Denham Springs, LA 70726 (225) 664-8208 Sunday: 9:15 AM, 10:00 AM, 4:00 PM Wednesday: 7:00 PM evangelist/editor: Tom Edwards (225) 667-4520 e-mail: tedwards@onemain.com web site: http://home.onemain.com/~tedwards/go ____________________________________________________