Do you know Him? Will you be saved from the eternal separation of the Almighty God, our Creator? God awaits your belief in Him and wants you to repent (seek forgiveness of your sins), believe in His only begotten son Jesus Christ, and offer you salvation by receiving His free gift of eternal life through Christ.
The Jewish people did not recognize their Messiah. A zealous Jewish man, Saul, who was killing all the Christians, had an encounter with Jesus Christ. After Saul’s conversion to Christianity, his “preaching became more and more powerful, and the Jews in Damascus couldn’t refute his proofs that Jesus was indeed the Messiah.” (Acts 9:22)
Saul, whose name was changed to Paul was correct: Jesus, the Christ, was also indeed the Messiah.
In the dictionary (Merriam-Webster’s), Messiah means “the expected king and deliverer of the Jews.” However, the Messiah is not only the expected King and deliverer of the Jews. The Gentiles (all who are not Jews) are also grafted into the family of God after the Jew (see Romans 1:16).
God’s way of doing things is not always easily understood. The Bible tells us that “His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts are Higher than our thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9).
The following scripture displays Jesus as the Christ, the Lord, and the Savior: “The angel said unto them [Mary and Joseph], Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)
Jesus Christ was born a Jew. He came to offer salvation by sacrificing Himself through the forgiveness and redemption of our sins to re-establish the broken relationship that separated us from God.
When Jesus was only 12 years old, He began teaching the leading Jewish teachers of the day; they were astonished and began asking Him questions (see: Luke 2 and also read Luke 20).
During Jesus’ ministry, He questioned His disciples about who He was: “Now Jesus and His disciples went out to the towns of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road He asked His disciples, saying to them, ‘Who do men say that I am?’ So they answered, ‘John the Baptist; but some say, Elijah; and others, one of the prophets.’ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, ‘You are the Christ.’ Then He strictly warned them that they should tell no one about Him.” (Mark 8:27-30)
Peter was correct: Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah. Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world’s inhabitants!
The scriptures explain that the Jewish leaders (the Sadducees and the Pharisees – the two Jewish sects) were strict about the laws, but on the inside (their hearts) were not right with God.
Jesus Christ would suffer and be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes. They never realized that He was the Messiah, the One whose arrival they were waiting on. He knew that His own people – the Jews – would have Him killed. He also knew that He would rise again 3 days later.
Please read chapter 53 in the book of Isaiah after you read this blog entry. This part of the Bible is in the Old Testament and describes Jesus Christ who was yet to be born. This is also described in the New Testament, which is the New Covenant that God made for His people (the Jews), and actually for everyone else, too. Many Jews (unless they have come to accept Jesus as their Messiah) do not believe in the New Testament. Now, more and more Jews are learning the truth, realizing that Christ is their Messiah.
“So this is the situation: Most of the people of Israel have not found the favor of God they are looking for so earnestly. A few have – the ones God has chosen – but the hearts of the rest were hardened.” (Romans 11:8)
“Did God’s people stumble and fall beyond recovery? Of course not! They were disobedient, so God made salvation available to the Gentiles. But he wanted His own people to become jealous and claim it for themselves. Now if the Gentiles were enriched because the people of Israel turned down God’s offer of salvation, think how much greater a blessing the world will share when they finally accept it. I am saying all this especially for you Gentiles. God has appointed me as the apostle to the Gentiles. I stress this. For since their rejection meant that God offered salvation to the rest of the world, their acceptance will be even more wonderful. It will be life for those who were dead! And since Abraham and the other patriarchs were holy, their descendants will also be holy – just as the entire batch of dough is holy because the portion given as an offering is holy. For if the roots of the tree are holy, the branches will be, too. But some of these branches from Abraham’s tree – some of the people of Israel – have been broken off. And you Gentiles, who were branches from a wild olive tree, have been grafted in. So now you also receive the blessing God has promised Abraham and his children, sharing in the rich nourishment from the root of God’s special olive tree. But you must not brag about being grafted in to replace the branches that were broken off. You are just a branch, not the root. ‘Well,’ you may say, ‘those branches were broken off because they didn’t believe in Christ, and you are there because you do believe. So don’t think highly of yourself, but fear what could happen. For if God did not spare the original branches, he won’t spare you either. Notice how God is both kind and severe. He is severe toward those who disobeyed, but kind to you if you continue to trust in his kindness. But if you stop trusting, you also will be cut off. And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be granted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. You, by nature, were a branch cut from a wild olive tree. So if God was willing to do something contrary to nature by grafting you into his cultivated tree, He will be far more eager to graft the original branches back into the tree where they belong. I want you to understand this mystery, dear brother and sister, so that you will not feel proud about yourselves. Some of the people of Israel have hard hearts, but this will last only until the full number of Gentiles comes to Christ. And so all Israel will be saved. As the Scriptures say, ‘The one who rescues will come from Jerusalem, and He will turn Israel away from ungodliness. And this is my covenant with them, that I will take away their sins.’ Many of the people of Israel are now enemies of the Good News, and this benefits you Gentiles. Yet they are still the people He loves because He chose their ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” (Romans 11:11-28)
The Jews are God’s chosen people. Sometimes in the Bible, Israel describes the land and sometimes Israel refers to His people.
Jesus is and always will be King of the Jews and King of Kings. He was described in scripture as the One who was to come into the House of David, that is, the lineage of King David.
For everyone who is not a Jew, praise God: “Once, you Gentiles were rebels against God, but when the people of Israel rebelled against Him, God was merciful to you instead.” (Romans 11:30)
Originally, in the Bible, in the book of Acts, the first Christians were referred to as followers of “The Way.” I would say they may also be referred to as “followers of Christ.” They didn’t actually refer to them as Christians at that time, according to scripture. I believe that “the way” is simply quite important. Why? Because Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.” (John 14:6)
I have an old Bible called “The Way.” I used to wonder why it had this title until I finally read the Bible and began to get to know the Savior, Jesus Christ, and the Father, God. I pray you will read the Bible and accept the free gift of salvation. As people are giving gifts to one another this Christmas season, God offers the best gift of all!
In order to be saved: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by confessing you’re your mouth that you are saved.”(Romans 10:9-10, my emphasis in bold)
God also expects our obedience. The scriptures tell us that we show that we love God by obeying Him. Are you? I have met many people who call themselves Christians, but they don’t know God’s Word or know how to obey Him. I know many Christians who know the Bible and apply it, too. Praise God!
Do you know Him? Do you know Jesus, the Christ, the Jew, the Messiah, the Savior, the King of Kings? Have you read God’s Word? If you have read it, will you read it again?
Someday, and I believe this day will come very soon, there will be someone who comes into Jerusalem claiming to be God, but he will not be God! He will be the anti-christ who will fool the nations. You need to know the Christ so that you are not fooled. Then, when Jesus Christ comes back again, you will be ready.
Merry Christmas to you and your families and friends! Enjoy the holiday and remember who it is your celebrating.
We are celebrating the birth of our Savior and if we are saved, we are celebrating our future eternal life. We have been given the best free gift of all time forever. Have you received His gift yet? It’s the gift of eternal life with Him!
Thank you, my Lord, and my God! We would be eternally separated and lost without you!
Until we virtually meet again, may God call you to Himself.
God’s Word for Today: One day, there will be 10 kings who “wage war” with the beast “against the Lamb [Jesus Christ], but the Lamb will conquer them because He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.” (Revelation 17:14)
“God promised this Good News long ago through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures. The Good News is about His Son. In His earthly life, He was born into King David’s family line, and He was shown to be the Son of God when He was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord.” (Romans 1:2-4)
Copyright © 2016 by Patricia Shehan
All scripture is quoted from various translations of the Holy Bible (God’s Word) and is set it italics
