Jesus Christ Archives – Sonshine's Journal

February 20, 2023February 20, 2023

Commemorating and Remembering

Lev 22, 1 Cor 11:26 God loved his people so much that he established memorial days that they might focus on who He is and His provision for their every need. The seven feasts all pointed to Christ, who was yet to come. When He came, he established communion, or what we call the Lord’s Supper, to point to God’s eternal plan to be completed. As NT believers, we are not responsible for keeping the OT memorials but for studying them as a way of enhancing our faith. Only in the NT are we commanded to keep the Lord’s Supper as a way of remembering Jesus Christ as our perfect sacrifice.

The Hebrew word for “feasts” is (moadim) and means “appointed times.” They reveal God’s story of the plan of redemption of the Son of God’s death and resurrection and the promise of his future coming. The one requirement for all is seeing them as a sacred observance. We are to honor the Lord as his called sanctified saints, and it should be done in holiness and reverence. With that comes the reminder that they were not to profane or treat what is sacred with irreverence.

The principle in this chapter is a reminder of what we are not to do with the Lord’s Supper. When we observe the Lord’s Supper, we are to be reverent as it reminds us of the price paid for our redemption.

December 26, 2019

Finishing out 2019

Revlation Jesus It is fitting as we draw to a close this year to finish our daily reading in the Book of the Revelation. As we leave this year may we consider that the focus is always the word of God and the testimony of Jesus Christ. As John fittingly wrote: Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy aloud, and blessed are those who hear and obey the things written in it, because the time is near!

John’s message is again “grace and peace” from the faithful witness, the firstborn from among the dead, the ruler over the kings of the earth; from the one who loved and loves us and has set us free from our sins at the cost of his own blood.

When we began in January of 2019 we began at the beginning and now we are here at the end and yet it is the beginning once again. God revealed His plan in Genesis and now we see that the plan was always about His Son, Jesus Christ and His work as Redeemer for the sin that started us down that path drawing us to the redemption for our sin. He stands in the midst of the golden lampstands dressed in his royal kingly garments and one day “we will be like him because we will see him just as he is.”[ 1John 3] as he returns in the clouds. He is the Alpha and Omega, the one who is, and who was and who is still to come. He was revealed to take away sins so that we who accept him may have confidence and not shrink away from in shame when he comes back.

Are you prepared to meet him and hear the voice of the archangel with the trump of God? Encourage one another with these words.

February 14, 2016

“Changing Lives One at a Time”

acts 9 holy spirit powera We lovingly remember Peter from the gospels with all of his faults, but God is in the changing business with each of us as Peter will learn.

As Peter has learned to encourage, lift up and challenge believers outside of Jerusalem, it seems he is pilgrimage alone. Along the way, he will learn what men call unclean God will clean and use for his glory. In Lydda he meets a man whose body is dead due to paralysis and Peter says “Jesus Christ heals you, get up and walk.” A few miles away in Joppa another death occurs; this one is a death of the body/soul. Men come to ask Peter’s assistance. What did they think he could do now that Tabitha was dead? But God knows that a life will be restored to show the power over even death. Peter, like Jesus, in raising Jairus’ daughter, sends the mourners out. Also like Jesus, Peter says “Tabitha, get up.”

It was after this that Peter faced his most difficult of tests: a death of prejudice. God graciously gave him a taste of it when Peter elected to stay with Simon the tanner—considered unclean by the rabbi’s. But, like us, Peter is slow to get it; it takes God three tries for him to realize that men like Simon the Tanner and the Gentile Cornelius might be considered unclean by the rabbi’s, but not by God.

All three show us the power of the Holy Spirit to change us and others. Where is God in the changing business with you?

April 7, 2014

“What will your R.S.V.P. Say?”

As Jesus ended his earthly time with his disciples he had them prepare the Passover, his last meal with them before the cross. He emphasized that as they partook of the bread and wine that it represented his body and his blood shed for them. Although they did not totally understand the significance of this night until after the Resurrection, they quickly instituted what we know as Communion. In this way they obeyed his command to remember his death until he returns and when we may all celebrate it with him in heaven.

In Proverbs 9, Solomon used an analogy of two banquets prepared by Lady Wisdom and Dame Folly. Lady Wisdom is busy preparing a dinner for the guests, the naïve who lack understanding, sending out the dinner invitations to come and feast at her table. The invitation reads: “Blessed is everyone who will feast in the kingdom of God!” She sends her slaves to gather those invited to come. In contrast Dame Folly, who is naïve and does not know anything, sits at the door of her house calling to the passersby, come and taste of the “stolen waters which are sweet.” This reminds us of the parable Jesus taught in the NT of a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son and invited many guests. However, those who were invited offered excuses and would not come. Thus he said ‘the ones who had been invited were not worthy.” Why were they not worthy? They did not come when called.

Our King is busy preparing a sumptuous banquet for us and invites us to come. Will we offer excuses or be ready? God’s banquet leads to life eternal but Dame Folly’s only offers separation and death.

March 14, 2014

Who is Jesus to You?

1Tim 3 “Six Signs Jesus Christ is Who He said He was”

I am sure you have, as I have, encountered two camps of people: (1) those who deny the divinity of Jesus Christ and (2) those who accept Jesus Christ as one who left his divine nature to indwell the human nature. Paul’s one heart desire was that you and I to know Him as he did and to share that truth succinctly with those who are seeking as well as to those who deny. We know for a fact that the scriptures tell us that all will one day bow the knee to Him. In 1Tim 1 Paul essentially provided us clear direction as to who God is. Now in chapter 3 Paul clarifies who Jesus is and thus in turn gives us reasons why we should worship Him and how and why we should be transformed. Over and over through Paul’s epistles to the church he reminds his readers that the purpose of our being “in Christ” is so that we are transformed into His image.

Paul gives us six reasons Jesus is who he said he was from 1Tim 3:

Jesus Christ was revealed in the flesh! He was born in Bethlehem, was carried to Egypt to be protected from the hand of Herod, raised in Nazareth, walked the wilderness and was tested by Satan himself. The scriptures reveal that the “Son who was a descendant of David with reference to the flesh,” [Rom 1:3]
Jesus Christ was vindicated by the Spirit! God opened the windows of heaven and said “This is my Beloved Son, listen to Him.” The Spirit vindicated Him by raising Him from the dead on Resurrection Day.
Jesus Christ was seen by angels! The night he was born the angelic choir sang forth “Peace on Earth.” On Resurrection Morning He was seen and proclaimed by the angelic beings.
Jesus Christ was proclaimed among the Gentiles. Jesus walked, taught and healed both Jew and Gentile. He said about the Gentile Centurion “I tell you the truth, I have not found such faith in anyone in Israel” [Matt 8]
Jesus Christ was believed on in the world. As He walked and taught many came to acknowledge Him as the Christ. Jesus asked Peter “Who do men say I am and Who do you say I am” “Simon Peter answered, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” [Mat 16:16]
Jesus Christ was taken up in to glory. After Jesus told his disciples that they were to be His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the farthest part of the earth, “he was lifted up and a cloud hid him from their sight.” [Acts 1:9]

If we believe all of these six signs as Paul delineated them, it should then transform us both at the outset and continuing on throughout our lives: “And we all, with unveiled faces reflecting the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another, which is from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” [2Co 3:18] Thus our mandate should be: “Do not be conformed to this present world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what is the will of God – what is good and well-pleasing and perfect.” [Rom 12:2]

Beloved do you know Him? Have you been with Jesus today and experienced His transforming power?