The Shepherds Staff

Chapter 4: Jesus

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This week's scriptures are on Jesus. Before I met Him, I had many thoughts on who Jesus was. From Messiah to a long haired hippy, almost everyone I met had a take on Jesus. Now, to me, it does not matter who thinks what anymore, Jesus is who he is and it is upto you and I to choose where we stand on what He said. My job is partly to make known and pass on information on Jesus as written in the Bible. To illustrate my point, I would like to paste a blog entry I made some years back around the time Pluto got demoted from being a planet. Here is a reproduction of my blog. "My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us... We are all familiar with this mnemonic for planets in the Solar system. Since Pluto's demotion, I recently saw this - "My! Very educated morons just screwed up numerous planetariums. " My take on this is this: Humans, educated morons or not, came up with this classification system in the first place, and therefore inherently have the right to change it as necessary. Sentimentalism is another thing, but that is not my point. Officially a "planet" is a celestial body that: 1) is in orbit around a star or stellar remnants; 2) has sufficient mass for its self-gravity to overcome rigid body forces so that it assumes a hydrostatic equilibrium (nearly round) shape; 3) is not massive enough to initiate thermonuclear fusion of deuterium in its core; and, 4) has cleared the neighborhood around its orbit. Change any of these parameters, and the celestial body ceases to be classified as a planet. God has set down some parameters too. It is all in the Bible. Again, my take on this is that we, in our current state of existence, come to know of him only after we are born (I mean physically) through some medium (books, audio, grandma, TV etc) or the other. When we do, if we choose to live according to God's parameters, then we qualify to receive what he has to give; both now and eternally, and I gladly add that he is only too happy and willing to give to those who comply and ask.
John Kodiyil - gileadrising@gmail.com - +91 90481 24673 - Private circulation only.

The Shepherds Staff

Chapter 4: Jesus

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If we don't, then we get to live with and as others who don't; both now and eternally. The difference here is that God does not need to hold a referendum to adopt a new resolution because he has discovered something new, or because he now has a deeper revelation of something which he did not have before. The point to note here is that we are composed of materials that disintegrate if we choose to change the parameters set by our creator." -- -- -So now the choice is ours. If you do not know Jesus, this chapter will introduce you to him. If you would like to start your walk with him, I have drafted a personal invitation for you at the end of the chapter which you can send to Jesus. All instructions are included :) with love in Jesus, John Kodiyil

John Kodiyil - gileadrising@gmail.com - +91 90481 24673 - Private circulation only.

The Shepherds Staff

Chapter 4: Jesus

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JESUS
A. JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD
Two thousand years ago a man appeared on the scene of history. He was born into the world and grew up into manhood just like every other person, but this man was different to anyone else. He was no ordinary man. A virgin conceived by the Holy Spirit to bring Him to birth. He was God, Himself coming to the earth in human form. He was the "Son of God" (Luke 1:26-35). "In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the word was God... The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1,14).

B. JESUS CAME TO THE WORLD FOR A SPECIAL PURPOSE

1. To Rescue Mankind From Satan's Power
"For the son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost" (Luke 19:10) See also Colossians 1:13.

2. To Give His Life As A Ransom to Buy Us Back

"...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many" (Matt 20:28).

3. To Destroy The Works Of Satan In Our Lives

"He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning. "The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil's work" (1 Jn 3:8).

4. To Give Us Eternal Life

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life" (1 Jn 5:11,12). See also John 3:16,17 and John 10:10

5. To Give Us New "Birth" Into The Family Of God

"Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God - children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God" (John 1:12). See also 1 John 3:1,2.

6. To Restore Our Fellowship With God The Father

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ" (1 Jn 1:3).

John Kodiyil - gileadrising@gmail.com - +91 90481 24673 - Private circulation only.

The Shepherds Staff

Chapter 4: Jesus

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C. JESUS CAME TO SHOW US WHAT GOD IS LIKE

"If you really knew me [Jesus], you would know my Father as well. From Now on, you do know him and have seen him....Any one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father"? "Don't you, believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me ..." (John 14:7-11), see also John 1:18.

1. He Showed Us God's Love

"This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins" (1 Jn 4:9,10). See also romans 5:8.

2. He Showed Us God's Power

I.

He Healed the Sick, The Lame And The Blind. News about him spread all over Syria and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, the epileptics and the paralytics, and he healed them" (Matt 4:24). See also John 9:1-7.

II. He Cast Out Evil Spirits. "And Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was" (Mark 1:34). See also Mark 5:1-17). III. He Performed Miracles. "A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped ...[Jesus] got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, 'Quiet! Be still!' Then the wind died down and it was completely calm ... [His disciples] were terrified and asked each other. ' Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!' (Mark 4:37-41]. See also John 6;1-21. IV. He Raised The Dead ... Jesus called in a loud voice, 'Lazarus, come out!' The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, 'Take off the grave clothes and let him go' (John 11:43,44).

D. JESUS SHARED OUR SUFFERINGS IN HIS LIFE.

During His life on earth Jesus experienced all the troubles of life that we face, and so understands how we feel. "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are - yet was without sin" (Heb 4:15). See also Mathew 8:17.

E. JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS FOR US

Wicked men took the Lord Jesus and executed Him by nailing Him to a wooden cross like a common criminal. He could have save Himself, but He did not, for it

John Kodiyil - gileadrising@gmail.com - +91 90481 24673 - Private circulation only.

The Shepherds Staff

Chapter 4: Jesus

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was through His death on the Cross that God was going to save the world. Jesus died for us! (Read Mark 15:16-39.) "He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (1 Pet 2:24). See also Isaiah 53:5,6.

F. JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD FOR US

After three days in the tomb God raised His Son from the dead! (Read Mathew 28). This, too, was for us! "But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ ... God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus ..." (Eph 2:4-6, see also Romans 6:4

G. JESUS OPENED THE DOOR OF HEAVEN FOR US

When His work on earth was completed, Jesus returned to Heaven to be with God, His Father. But this, too, was for us ... for He opened the way into God's presence for us, where we can live now and forever! "Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body... "Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.." (Heb 10:19-22). See also John 14:1-3.

MY COMMITMENT
It is never too late to be saved and reconciled to God, but we need to choose to give up our rebellion against God and acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came into the world to meet our great need of a Savior. No matter how far or distant God might seem to you, you should know that God Loves You! If you want Jesus in your life, believe and declare this out loud: Father, God in heaven, it is written in Your word that if I say it out with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from the dead, I shall be saved. I need Jesus right now, to come in and take over as my life and set things right, now and eternally. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that you raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with satan and close the door to any of his devices. I thank You for forgiving me all my sin. Jesus is my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new, in Jesus' name. Amen. This is what is generally known as a Prayer of Salvation. If you have prayed this, or if you have any doubts, I would love to hear from you!

John Kodiyil - gileadrising@gmail.com - +91 90481 24673 - Private circulation only.