WHO IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST?

WHAT IS HE DOING TODAY?

WHAT DID HE DO FOR US?

Hebrews 1:1-4   "God,  who at sundry times  and in divers manners  spoke in time past unto the fathers  by the prophets.  Hath in these last days  spoken unto us  by His Son,  whom He hath appointed heir of all things,  by whom also  He made the worlds:  

Who being the brightness of His glory,  and  the express image of His Person;  and upholding all things by the Word of His power;  when He had by Himself  purged our sins,  sat down  on the right hand of the Majesty on high;  

Being made so much better than the angels,  as He hath by inheritance  obtained a more excellent name  than they"  

IF ANY PERSON IS GOING TO COME TO GOD, THAT PERSON  MUST BELIEVE THAT GOD IS.

Hebrews 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."

THE PERSON WHO COMES TO GOD MUST  REALIZE  THAT   GOD HAS  SPOKEN,   THAT GOD  IS  AN INTELLIGENT PERSON   AND  THAT HE  HAS  GIVEN TO MAN  A  CERTAIN DEGREE OF INTELLIGENCE.

GOD HAS COMMUNICATED WITH US AND THE REVELATION THAT WE HAVE IS THE INSPIRED WORD OF GOD.

This first verse of the Book of Hebrews assumes,  that the Scriptures we have,  are  divinely inspired.   

GOD USED DIFFERENT PROCESSES IN COMMUNICATING THE SCRIPTURES TO US.

At one time God would give a promise;  and then at another time,  He gave the law.  Sometimes,  He would give a dream.  

Then at another time,  He would give history,  or  a ritual,  or poetry.  

God spoke in time past through the prophets,  He gave us the marvelous prophecy that we have of 

His coming to this earth to redeem sinful man.

We recognize,   when we look back  over  the Old Testament,  that  God spoke.  

God did not give the Old Testament all at once,  but  He gave it over a period of nearly fifteen hundred years.

THEN GOD STOPPED ALL OF THAT.

AFTER ABOUT 400 YEARS OF SILENCE WE ARE TOLD THAT

"He hath in these last days spoken unto us by His Son."

GOD HAS SPOKEN TO US IN HIS SON. 

GOD HAS SAID  EVERYTHING  THAT  HE HAS TO SAY  IN CHRIST AND THERE  IS  NOTHING MORE TO FOLLOW.EVERYTHING  THAT  HE HAS TO SAY IN CHRIST AND THERE  IS  ABSOLUTELY NOTHING MORE TO FOLLOW.  

HE HAS SPOKEN  FULLY AND COMPLETELY  IN  CHRIST JESUS  OUR LORD.  AMEN. 

God no longer speaks to us in dreams and visions.  

Today,  God is speaking to us in His Word and He is speaking to us through Christ. 

The Lord Jesus Christ is God's  final  Word  to  this  world.  

The writer to the Hebrews is placing the emphasis on the character of Christ.

There are  7  wonderful statements concerning the Lord Jesus Christ in these verses.

1)  "Whom He has appointed  heir  of all things."

 In this,  we have the program  of  the future. 

Do you want to know who is ultimately going to control China or South Africa or America?  

Well,  Jesus Christ is appointed heir of all things.

All will be coming to Him. 

The predestined end of this little world in which we live is that it is  going to come under the rule of the Lord Jesus Christ.  

The Lord God omnipotent,  will rule for ever.

HE IS THE HEIR.

This really makes me feel like shouting  HALLELUJAH!

2)  "Through whom He made the worlds." 

The Lord Jesus is the creator of this universe  and there is  a purpose to it. 

The Lord Jesus  gives it  purpose. 

Everything that is in this universe is there because God wants it to be there.  It is His universe.  He has the right to place a star where He wants it to be. 

EVERYTHING IS RESOLVED IN THE PERSON OF CHRIST.

3)    "Who being the brightness of His glory." 

We could never know the glory of the sun by looking at it.  

It would blind us if we were to look at the sun directly.  

But we get heat and light from it and this is how we  know  about the sun.  

Now in somewhat the same way,  we would know very little about God  apart from the revelation that God has given to us in His Son.  

THE LORD JESUS IS THE BRIGHTNESS WE SEE.  

No one has ever seen God but we do  know  about Him  through the Lord Jesus Christ  and just as the rays of the sun give us warmth and light  and tell us about the physical sun,   so    THE LORD JESUS CHRIST REVEALS GOD TO US.

4)   "The express image of His Person."  

The Lord Jesus is the exact copy of God  -  the image of God. 

Remember that He said to His disciples, 

  He who hath seen Me,  hath seen the Father.  

When the Lord Jesus came to this earth He was God.

Dear reader do you see how wonderful He really is?

5)  "And  upholding all things by the Word of His power."  

The Lord Jesus not only created all things bu t He holds all things together.  

Consider the power of one atom if it is split.  

The Lord Jesus has tied them all together.  

This universe would become unglued  without  His constant supervision and power.  

The Lord Jesus is constantly maintaining this universe as we speak. 

THIS IS ONE OF THE TREMENDOUS THINGS THAT HE IS DOING TODAY.

6)  "When He had Himself purged our sins,  sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high." 

THE LORD JESUS  PROVIDED  THE CLEANSING  FOR  OUR SINS. 

This is the only purgatory mentioned in the Scriptures.

The Lord Jesus Christ went through purgatory for us. 

He died on the tree of Calvary in your place and mine.  

We deserve death,  but

HE PAID THE PRICE OF OUR SALVATION. 

HE PURGED OUR SINS.  

How wonderful this is dear reader. When we accept the Lord Jesus as our Saviour we  are  accepted in the Beloved.  

We receive a full redemption and complete forgiveness of sins.  

Oh what a wonderful Saviour He is.  HALLELUJAH!  

The Lord Jesus sat down not because He was tired but because the work of our redemption was complete.  

THERE WAS NOTHING MORE FOR HIM TO DO.

We cannot lift a little finger to add  to  the redemption that He wrought for us on Calvary.  

We stand complete in Him.

Colossians 2:9-10   "For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.  And ye are complete in Him, which is the head of all principality and power:"  

The present ministry of the Lord Jesus is to keep us saved.  

He has a ministry of intercession.  

A ministry of shepherding,  a ministry of disciplining  those who are His own.  

The Lord Jesus is available to us.  

Do you need mercy?  

Do you need help?  

Do you need wisdom?  

Whatever you need why don't you go to Him right now and ask Him to intervene on your behalf?  

He will work it out according to His will  (but maybe not your will).  

Prayer is never to persuade God to do something that He does not intend to do. 

Prayer is to get us in line with His program.  

CHRIST IS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD,   EVER LIVING  TO MAKE INTERCESSION  FOR US.  

We can find grace and mercy to help us in our time of need.  

The Lord Jesus Christ is so real.  

He is so wonderful.  

We can sit at His feet  and  just adore Him  for  WHO HE IS.

7)  "Having become so much better than the angels,  as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they."  

THE LORD JESUS CHRIST  IS  SUPERIOR TO ANGELS.  

Angels were prominent in their ministry to Israel in the Old Testament.

And in the Book of Revelation we find that after the true church is removed,  there is  an angel ministry of judgement that is going to take place.         

In view of the growing prominence of angels in our decadent culture  we need to keep in mind  the warning of the apostle Paul to the Galatians.

Galatians 1:8 "But though we,  or an angel from heaven,  preach any other gospel unto you  than  that which we  have preached unto you,  let him  be accursed.

The apostle Paul speaks out very strongly and declares that if an angel,  even out of heaven,  should appear to us and tell us that there is something that we can  do  to  earn   salvation,  we must chase  that angel away.  

In our day there are many folk who are trying to give us  another  "gospel"  and even though they may look and speak  like  angels  -  remember that  Satan can transform himself into an angel of light and  his ministers are transformed as the ministers of righteousness.  

2 Corinthians 11:14-15  "And no marvel;  for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light.  Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness;  whose end shall be according to their works."

Hebrews 1: 8-9 "But unto the Son He saith,  Thy throne O God,  is for ever:  a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom.  Thou hast loved righteousness,  and hated iniquity:  therefore God,  even Thy God,  hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above Thy fellows." 

"Thy throne O God"  -  this is God the Father,  calling God the Son,  God.  

Any one who denies that Christ is God is contradicting God Himself. 

GOD CALLED THE LORD JESUS,  GOD.

What are you going to call Him?

The Lord Jesus is God manifest in the flesh.

He is superior to angels. 

He is going to rule over this world. 

He is Messiah. 

He is the King of kings and the Lord of lords.  

Another portion of Scripture that sets before us the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ is found in

Philippians 2:9-11 "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."   

HALLELUJAH!

GOD LOVES US!

John 3:16 "For God so loved the world,  that He gave His only begotten Son,  that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish,  but have everlasting life." 

The emphasis is upon the  love  of God.  

The Lord Jesus just prior to this told Nicodemus that He would be lifted up. He would be lifted up to die because  God  so  loved  the world.  

Agapao  (Greek)  love is an attribute of God.  

It is divine love,  not human love. 

IT IS LOVE LIFTED TO A HIGH,  NOBLE,  SUPERNATURAL PLAIN,  

GOD LOVED!  

God says that He loves  all  of the human family. 

No one is excluded. 

God's love was revealed in that He  gave  His only Son.  

He came into the world through virgin birth and He died on the cross.

On the third day He rose from the dead and later He ascended into heaven where right now He is busy with His present ministry.  

He will come again to the earth in the future.

THIS GLORIOUS SAVIOUR IS GOD'S GIFT TO US.  

How can mere man measure the love of God?  

God's arms encompass the entire world.  

He loves each individual person and that means that He loves you and He loves me.  

He loves the meanest person on this earth.  

God made a level place at the cross,  which is the  only place where you have real integration.   

There,  all have sinned,  there are none righteous,  all have fallen short  of the glory of God. 

GOD DECLARES ALL  TO  BE  SINNERS THAT HE MIGHT HAVE GRACE UPON  ALL.   

1 John 2:2  "And He is the propitiation for our sins:  and not for ours only,  but also for the sins of the whole world."

God has His arms outstretched  to a lost, rebellious world.   

When He was here on earth  they spat in His face  and  they are still spitting in His face today.  

Yet God says,  "I love them."   

Dear reader there is no exception.  

Oh the breadth of  the love of God!  

It is beyond  our understanding.

HYMN.       

Verse 1.                                                        

On that same night,   Lord Jesus,
In which Thou wast betrayed,
When without cause mans hatred
Against Thee was displayed,
We hear Thy gracious accents  -
This do;  Remember Me;
With joyful hearts responding
We would remember Thee.

Verse 2.

Verse 3.

Verse 4.

AMEN!

Verse 1.

O the deep,  deep love of Jesus!
Vast,  unmeasured,  boundless,  free;
Rolling like a mighty ocean
In its fullness over me:
Underneath me all around me,
Is the current of Thy love,
Leading onward,  leading homeward
To my glorious rest above.

Verse 2.

O the deep,  deep love of Jesus!
Spread His praise from shore to shore;
How He loveth,  ever loveth,
Changeth never,  nevermore,
How He watches o'er His loved ones,
Died to call them all His own;
How for them He intercedeth 
Watcheth o'er them from the throne.

Verse 3.      

O the deep,  deep love of Jesus!
Love of every love the best:
Tis an ocean vast of blessing,
Tis a haven sweet of rest:
O such love!  The love of Jesus,
Tis a heaven of heavens to me;
And it lifts me up to glory,
For it lifts me up to Thee.

Verse 4.

GOD IS  NOT  ASKING  MAN FOR A SINGLE THING.

GOD IS NOT  ASKING THIS WORLD FOR ANYTHING.

God said,

If  God desired gold,   do you think that He would ask for the puny amount of gold that the world has?  Why,  all the gold  and all the silver in the universe belongs to Him.

Chorus.

He owns all the cattle on a thousand hills.  

God says in effect,  I do not want anything from you,   but  

Can you think of anything more that God could do for us?

He gave His own,  One and Only Dear Son  to die  in  our deserved   place that  He might  save us from a lost eternity?  

Do you really want to  ask Him  to  do  something more? 

Once we  accept  the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Saviour,  nothing can ever pluck us out of His hand.  

Nothing can ever separate us from His love. 

Many of the preachers that we have in our pulpits today like to make the people who so faithfully listen to them,   feel guilty,  as though they are on trial and God wants to see if they will do better. 

THIS IS NOT SO AT ALL.

Listen to these verses that follow

The person who believes in the Lord Jesus Christ  -  IS NOT CONDEMNED.  

That person has received a full pardon  -  they have been justified. 

But the person who does  not  believe in the Lord Jesus Christ   -  IS  ALREADY CONDEMNED.

That is,  that person is  already  lost  -  that person is not a prisoner at the bar awaiting trial,  that person  has already  been  found guilty  and is now,  right now as we speak,  a prisoner  inside  the prison of this world.  

God is  asking  that person  if  they will  accept  a free pardon  -  the Lord Jesus Christ.  

It does not matter how good,  or  how nice,  or  how sweet  or  how dear  anyone is,  that nice,  dear,  sweet person,  is lost.  

That person is  a hell bound sinner  and  has  no capacity  for God.   

Every single person topside of this earth,  needs to be delivered from their sins before they can ever enter heavens glory.  

The Lord Jesus Himself said, "YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN." 

The Lord Jesus Christ is the  only  Saviour of this world.  

He left heavens glory to come into this world to die in your place and mine.  

He is not willing  that  any  should perish.  

He  gave  His own life  so that He could  offer  a pardon  to all  who  accept     HIS GIFT OF ETERNAL LIFE.     

Today,  it is heartbreaking to hear  how so many teachers  present  a  false  gospel.  

A false  gospel,   that  intimidates  people   to  try  harder  and  to  do  better.  

That tells  people that  they  need to  change  their attitude,   or they need to adjust  their lives  to accommodate God.

If only folk would just  read  God's Word  and  allow  the Holy Spirit to reveal  the truth about the real Lord Jesus Christ to them.  

The real true Lord Jesus Christ  is  not  like  the "Jesus superstar"  that   many preachers   are presenting  to this world today. 

Please dear reader,   turn  to the  real,  true  Living Christ Jesus  who is Lord.  

The One who  shed  His own precious blood for you and for me  on the cruel tree of Calvary when He  willingly  died in our place  to show us just how much He  loves us.  

The Lord Jesus Christ  is calling you to right now  COME TO HIM,

Why not come to Him?

That is,  if you are  weary  and  heavy laden. 

HE WILL REST YOU.

I  learned this song  when I used to attend the Youth group  many years ago at the Crawford Gospel Hall.

Verse 1.

It was His love for me

That nailed Him to the tree
To die in agony
For all my sin.

For my own guilt and blame
The Great Redeemer came,
Willing to bear the shame
Of all my sin.

Chorus.

Oh, what a Savior is mine!
In Him God's mercies combine;
His love can never decline,
And He loves me.

Verse 2

To Calvary's hill one day
The Lord was led away;
None else the price could pay
For all my sin.

He on the cross was slain,
Yielding His life in pain,
He felt the bitter strain
For all my sin.

Chorus.

Oh, what a Savior is mine!
In Him God's mercies combine;
His love can never decline,
And He loves me.

Verse 3.

Was ever love so strong?
Was ever crime so wrong
When Jesus suffered long
For all my sin?

He saw my greatest need,
Became my Friend indeed;
Through Him I have been freed
Of all my sin.

Chorus.

Oh, what a Savior is mine!
In Him God's mercies combine;
His love can never decline,
And He loves me.

AMEN.

GOD  LOVES YOU  DEAR READER AND  HIS LOVE  IS REVEALED  TO YOU  IN THE DEATH AND RESURRECTION OF HIS ONLY SON THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. 

That is the only place that you will find God's love.  

It is not on the mountain tops or in the surging sea.  

Neither is it in the babbling brooks or the very majestic redwood trees.  

You will not find it anywhere in nature. 

"FOR,  GOD,  SO LOVED THE WORLD,  THAT HE GAVE HIS ONLY BEGOTTEN SON,  THAT WHOSOEVER BELIEVES IN HIM,  SHOULD NOT PERISH BUT HAVE EVERLASTING LIFE."

God so loved the world that He gave, and He gave His only begotten Son. He gave Him not only at Bethlehem, not only in a perfect life, not only to teach, not only to reveal God,  but He gave Him to die upon the cross for the sins of the world.  

What else can you ask Him to do for you dear reader? 

Can you think of anything more that God could do for you, a sinner, than to give His Son to die for you that He might save you?

May I plead with you to  ask  the Lord Jesus to be your Saviour,  ask  Him  to give you  a brand new heart.   

A heart that will seek to learn about Him?

The Lord Jesus gives us a personal  invitation to come to Him,  and to receive His gift of salvation. 

The Lord Jesus Christ says,   

"I will rest you."

UP TO THIS POINT,  THE LORD JESUS HAD TAUGHT,   "REPENT,

FOR THE  KINGDOM OF HEAVEN  IS  AT  HAND."  

HE  HAD PRESENTED HIS CREDENTIALS AND HE HAD BEEN  REJECTED AS THE MESSIAH. 

THESE CITIES,   AS WELL AS JERUSALEM,   HAD TURNED THEIR BACKS UPON HIM.  

NOW HE,  TURNS HIS BACK UPON THE NATION ISRAEL.   

HE NO LONGER PRESENTS TO THEM  THE KINGDOM. 

HE IS ON HIS WAY TO THE CROSS.

IT IS NO LONGER A NATIONAL ANNOUNCEMENT ABOUT A KINGDOM.

IT IS A PERSONAL  INVITATION  FOR ANYONE TO COME TO HIM  AND  FIND  THE TRUE REST  OF SALVATION.

Read these verses prayerfully in your Bible and ask the Holy Spirit to  reveal  them to you.

Most Gracious God,  I  have wondered away  and gone my own way  this past week  and  I  am weary,  worn  and  sad.  I  want to thank You  for the Lord Jesus Christ.  Thank You that through Him  I  am able to come home and find  rest  and  peace.  Thank you  for keeping me  while I was in the far country  and  thank you most of all   for coming after me  and  carrying me home upon Your shoulders  and drawing me even closer to Yourself  Lord Jesus.  Please help me to put into practice all that You have taught me Lord Jesus.  I ask this in Your precious name. 

Verse 1.

I've wondered far away from God,

When the Lord Jesus went to a funeral,  these amazing words are recorded,  "Jesus wept"  (John 11:35). 

Because He had our humanity  and  was touched with the feeling of our infirmity,  when  He went to the cemetery,  He wept  -  in spite of the fact  that  He intended to restore life.

There is a story of sweetness and beauty which enlightens the heart of every parent who has perhaps lost a child,  a little one. 

It concerns a custom among the shepherd folk of the Alps. 

In the summertime when the grass in the lower valleys withers and dries up, the shepherds seek to lead their sheep up a winding, thorny, and stony pathway to the high grazing lands. 

The sheep are reluctant to take the difficult pathway infested with dangers and hardships,  and  they turn back and will not follow. 

The shepherds make repeated attempts, but the timid sheep will not follow. 

Finally a shepherd reaches into the flock  and takes a little lamb  and places it  under his arm,  then reaches in again and takes another lamb,   placing it under the other arm. 

Then he starts up the precipitous pathway. 

Soon the mother sheep start to follow and afterward the entire flock. 

At last they ascend the torturous trail to green pastures.

The Great Shepherd of the sheep,  the Lord Jesus Christ,  our Savior,  reaches into the flock  and  He has picked up one of the frail lambs,   perhaps your lamb. 

He did not do it to rob you  but to lead you  out and upward. 

He has richer and greener pastures for you,  and He wants you to follow Him.

Will you follow Him? 

You will, if you catch a glimpse