Friday, October 3, 2008

Jesus Is... (Part 1)

Hello, Blog World! I am thinking about starting a little series on the character of Jesus Christ, and how He is revealed in the Scriptures. Sometimes we need to just quiet our hearts, still our minds, and just praise Him for WHO HE IS. Jim Berg (Bob Jones University) says, when you read the Scriptures, ask yourself, "What does this passage reveal about Jesus Christ?" So this is what I am trying to do, and I hope it will be as encouraging to you as it is to me. Try looking for descriptions on the character of Jesus as you read the Bible, and maybe you can keep track of your own findings about the character of Jesus in a journal or notebook. You'll be amazed how encouraging it is!!
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"In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called, The LORD our righteousness. For thus saith the LORD; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel; Neither shall the priests the Levites want a man before me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually" (Jeremiah 33:15-18).

I read this passage in Jeremiah this morning and was very encouraged and blessed by what I found. Here are some thoughts I had on the passage above.
  • Jesus is our Righteous Judge. "He shall execute judgment [justice] and righteousness in the land." Jesus governs righteously. He judges sin and blesses righteousness. He calls people to holiness.
  • Jesus is our Savior. "In those days shall Judah be saved." This could be talking about the earthly salvation of Israel eventually; it also could mean that He is the Savior of our hearts. He saves us not only from the consequences of our sin (death and hell), but, more importantly, He saves us from the power of sin. He unshackles us from sin's power and gives us freedom to live in the Spirit.
  • Jesus is our Security. "Jerusalem shall dwell safely." In Christ we need fear nothing-- whether it be external or internal foes. He delivers us from evil and will keep in perfect peace the one whose mind is stayed on Him. He will not lose us and will cannot lose Him; we are safe in His arms.
  • Jesus is our Righteousness. "The Lord our Righteousness." Jesus takes our sin upon Himself and clothes us with the robes of righteousness. It is through Him that we stand before the Father clean and whole and righteous.
  • Jesus is our King. "David shall never want [lack] a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel." Jesus was in the line of David, and He is the eternal King. He reigns now in our hearts; one day He will rule the world. We live according to His laws, we walk according to His statutes, we look to Him to guide us and to lead us into battle against the enemy, we serve Him wholeheartedly as humble servants.
  • Jesus is our High Priest. "Neither shall the priests the Levites want [lack] a man bfeore me to offer burnt offerings, and to kindle meat offerings, and to do sacrifice continually." The priests' job was to make atonement for the people. Jesus has done this by offering up Himself-- the spotless Lamb, the final sacrifice-- and He daily stands before the Father making intercession for us.

What a wonderful, glorious God we serve!! He truly is worthy of our praise and devotion!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

A series on what the Bible says about Jesus is a good idea, Melanie!