Yes, He loves you! (2)
Jesus is very interested in our knowledge of him, and how we perceive him. See an important question he asked his disciples;
Matthew 16:13-17;
13 When Jesus came into the coasts of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, saying, Whom do men say that I the Son of man am?
14 And they said, Some say that thou art John the Baptist: some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets.
15 He saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am?
16 And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.
17 And Jesus answered and said unto him, Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven.
By saying ‘flesh and blood’, Jesus is talking about experiences. This means that our varied experiences cannot reveal who God is to us. Christ reveals to us the true nature of the Father.
Col. 1:13-15;
13 Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
14 In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:
15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature:
Jesus is the image of the invisible God. In Christ, we see the true image of the Father.
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.
What gives eternal life is not giving to the poor, but believing in Jesus – believing in his death, burial, and resurrection. The believer is justified because he believes. God loved the world by giving us his son. Thus, in learning about God, we will look at his son – God’s expression of his love is in the giving of his son.
John 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.
God showed himself to men in Christ, this shows that he wants to be known. The disciples saw God, and they saw that he is ‘full of grace and truth’ – grace describes the personality of God; he is a gracious God. His reality is that he is full of Grace. We must learn to trust the word of God beyond our experiences and what we think.
Our God is a giving God, not one of us asked him to die before he died for sins, not even the disciples who saw him. God gives – he doesn’t withhold blessings.
Daily Bible Reading Plan:
Bible Reading – Ezekiel 33-36
TEACHING OF THE DAY
Responding to the move of the Spirit (2)