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We Believe...
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. A Most Amazing Man The Bible calls Him King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He called Himself both the Son of God and the Son of Man. He lived on earth around 2000 years ago. Millions believe He lives still. Prophets told of the events of His life hundreds and even thousands of years before they happened, yet though His mission was to His own people He was rejected by them. The religious leaders of His day plotted to have Him killed, and succeeded in their plans. He healed people and even raised them from the dead. He taught people about the Kingdom of God. He showed love, compassion and forgiveness, but also authority and zeal. He rejected the religious hypocrisy of His day and made many enemies. At certain points of His ministry people left Him in droves. At one point they all fled, leaving Him to die completely alone on the cross at Calvary. Unlike every other prophet, He was raised from the dead to live evermore. The angel told the two women at the empty tomb "He is risen"! This phrase reverberates down the centuries and sets Christianity apart from all the philosophies of men and claims of other religions. It vindicates the claims Jesus made about His own divinity - claims for which He was crucified. The claim of His resurrection has been debated for almost 20 centuries, yet is an absolute reality for millions of people today.
He has been paid homage by Kings, argued over by theologians and worshipped by millions. He is revealed in the Bible as the One who by His sinless life and atoning death paid the just consequence of our sins. He is shown to be our Saviour - the one who saves us. He is the One who sends the Holy Spirit.
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Jesus the Son of God
Jesus claimed He was the Son of God. The religious leaders of the time sought to have Him killed because He said it. God raised Him from the dead, vindicating this claim. He performed many miracles and pointed to these as evidence of His claim. Jesus' claim to divinity was direct (He called himself
"Son of God"). At one point in discussion with His accusers
He makes the following startling statement: "Truly, truly,
I say unto you, before Abraham was, I am." They immediately
picked up stones to kill Him. The knew what He meant by these
words - that they were a direct link to the statement God made
to Moses, calling Himself "I AM". Along with "Son of man" (see below), "Son of God" is one of the most common titles used in the Bible to refer to Jesus.
Jesus the Son of Man He was hungry. He was thirsty. He knew what it was like to be in despair with no way around it. He walked the dusty streets of Palestine and at times "slept rough". He wept. At times He was feted and at times He was rejected. He knew pain and sorrow. He was misunderstood and persecuted. He experienced being troubled (anxious). His friends deserted Him at the time of greatest need. He was tempted in every way we are - yet was without sin. Through Mary He inherited our humanity. He has experienced the highs and lows of human existence. He knows and understands our problems. He can truly empathise with all our difficulties.
His Birth and Lineage He was born into a people that were in deep trouble. Both His mother and her husband had kings in their lineage, but that was a long time back, and they themselves were just everyday people in a defeated nation. At the time of His birth his mother, Mary, was a virgin. The Bible records that Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit to bring about the unique conception of Jesus, who was born both human and divine.
Two lineages are shown for Jesus in the Bible. One through his mother Mary; and one "the book of" (or official record of) His lineage through His supposed father, Joseph. Mary's lineage (in Luke) and Joseph's lineage (in Matthew) both trace back to the Old Testament king David. Joseph's line was through David's son, Solomon; and Mary's line was through another of David's sons, Nathan. An interesting point about one of Joseph's ancestors, Jechonias, is that God pronounced a curse on him: "Record this man as if childless... for none of his offspring will prosper, none will sit on the throne of David or rule anymore in Judah". In other words, if Jesus was the natural offspring of Joseph, this curse would have applied to Him, and He could not become a king. The only way around this curse is if Jesus was not Joseph's son. His actual parentage was confirmed by Jesus Himself when, at the age of 12, when scolded by His mother for worrying "your father and I" by being seemingly lost, Jesus replied: "...I must be about my Father's business" (referring to God). In this conversation with Mary, He did not acknowledge Joseph as His father.
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Born to be King
The angel that pronounced that Jesus would be born said to Mary: "And, behold, you shall conceive in your
womb, and bring forth a son, and shall call his name Jesus. He
shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and
the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his
kingdom there shall be no end." The only crown He received on earth was a crown of thorns. He will return to take up the throne of His father (ancestor) David, as promised.
His Mission and Message While on earth He stated that He was sent only to
the "lost sheep of Israel". However, they did not receive
Him, rather the mob screamed: "crucify him". He also
said that whoever believed on Him would live for
ever (more on salvation here). While He said and did many things, His ultimate earthly mission was to die for us, fulfilling His Father's plan, that through Jesus' sinless life He would incur the penalty of sin on our behalf. The Bible tells us that the result of sin is death. Jesus took that penalty on Himself for us. The fact that this was required shows God's righteousness, holiness and justice. The fact that Jesus did this for us shows God's love.
His Death and Resurrection He died alone on the cross at Calvary. Even His Father turned from Him as He bore the sins of the world in His own body. He bore intense physical pain as well as the burden of sin and the separation from His Heavenly Father. Some time after He died on the cross, a soldier pierced His side. A mixture of "blood and water" flowed out (blood that had separated into red and white plasma - a medical indication that Jesus had been truly dead for some time). He was taken down and put into a rich man's tomb - a kind of cave. A large stone was rolled into place sealing the tomb. A guard was set on the tomb. On the third day, two women came to the tomb. The
stone had been rolled away, the guards had fainted and an angel
spoke to the women: " ...I know that you seek Jesus, which
was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come,
see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his
disciples that he is risen from the dead..." (Matthew
28:5-7). Jesus spent the next 40 days speaking with His disciples about the Kingdom of God. More on the Gospel of His death and resurrection here
Jesus sends the Holy Spirit The last thing that Jesus told His disciples to do while He was on earth was to wait in Jerusalem for the "promise of the Father". In the Bible (Acts 2) we read of the coming of the Holy Spirit. Peter told the crowd that gathered that it was Jesus who had poured out the Holy Spirit (more on the Holy Spirit here).
Jesus will Return to the Earth Jesus spoke in detail of His promise to return to earth. This has been ridiculed by many - but then not too many were expecting His first coming either.
The Bible tells us He will come in power and great glory, and that He will gather His chosen. Those that are not His will be grief-stricken. More on the return of Jesus here More on being ready for His return here
Jesus is Alive Peter the Apostle said: This Jesus has God raised
up, whereof we all are witnesses... Paul the Apostle said: Christ was raised up from
the dead by the glory of the Father... Paul the Apostle also said to those in the church:
...the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living
in you... Our church is made up of thousands of people who all know Jesus lives. Jesus said: I am he that lives, and was dead;
and, behold, I am alive for evermore... Jesus lives today.
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