217. KISS THE SON

(The Information & Edification Series – Batch 4)

In Mark 8:27-29, it reads:

“And Jesus went out, and his disciples, into the towns of Caesarea Philippi: and by the way he asked his disciples, saying unto them, Whom do men say that I am? And they answered, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others, One of the prophets. And he saith unto them, But whom say ye that I am? And Peter answereth and saith unto him, Thou art the Christ.”

WHO MEN SAY THAT JESUS IS

Throughout time, people have held many an opinion in relation to Jesus Christ and still do today. Some people believe that he is a figment of the imagination of crazy, delusional, religious fanatics, while some believe that he was a good man that once lived, did kind things, set a good example which is beneficial for mankind to follow and then died, like the average human being, never to rise again.

Some believe that he is a non-issue, not quite understanding why people keep talking about him and wishing that they would stop, while others believe that he was relevant to times gone by but that in our modern world, he and all that he represented are now outdated and have been rendered completely redundant.

Some believe that there is something magical in the use of his name, which can be manipulated and exploited to acquire good things like money, a house, a car, a spouse, a good job and other things for one’s self. Others believe that he was a great Prophet that once lived, maybe one of the greatest but alas, like all of mankind, he died and went the way of the grave, never to be heard of again.

Some believe that he was a teacher that came from God or else he could have never done the miracles he did, as stated in scripture but who he is exactly, they’re not sure.

In John 3:2 for example, it states of a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, that: “The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him.“

Muslims (I have been told) believe that he was a good Prophet that once lived on this earth but that as a mere mortal, he then died. They do not see him as having been anything greater than a Prophet therefore, which means that he was a man that spoke on God’s behalf.

The people who operate their religion under the banner of ‘Jehovah Witness’, also have an opinion of Jesus. From what I understand of what they teach, they apparently believe that Jesus was God’s servant and was on earth to do God’s bidding but they do not believe that he Jesus was deity and equal to God. In other words, they deny that he, the Son of God was and is God the Son, part of the threefold Godhead and therefore, when he came to earth was God in human form.

They therefore claim to direct all of their so-called ‘worship’ to God, while refusing to acknowledge Jesus Christ, his Son. They think that too much time and attention and focus has been given to the name of Jesus Christ, that his name is not to be exalted, that he should not be worshipped and so, they seek to suppress his name, teaching people that they should focus exclusively on what they regard as worshipping God. They therefore claim to be witnesses not for Jesus but Jehovah.

WHO THE WORD OF GOD SAYS THAT JESUS IS

Despite the many opinions of Jesus Christ, both in the past and in the present, the Word of God makes two (2) things abundantly clear about him.

Firstly, it tells us that Jesus Christ is the SON OF GOD and GOD THE SON. He is therefore deity.

In Luke 1:35, an angel of the Lord appeared to Mary to inform her that she would become pregnant and told her, when she questioned how she could conceive when she had not had sex with any man:“…The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called THE SON OF GOD.”

Then, later on, after Mary, a virgin, had conceived and it became evident to her fiance Joseph that she was pregnant, in Matthew 1:20-23, it states that the angel of Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, explaining to him what had transpired. The Word of God states:

“…the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for HE SHALL SAVE HIS PEOPLE from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, GOD WITH US.”

Secondly, the Word of God makes it abundantly clear that you can’t worship God without ACKNOWLEDGING the Son, COMING to the Son, BELIEVING on the Son, CONFESSING the Lordship of the Son, ASKING FORGIVENESS of the Son, TRUSTING by faith alone in the Son, SUBMITTING in obedience to the Son and SURRENDERING your whole life to the leading of the Son. In short, you can’t worship God without worshipping the Son.

Even Mary, the vessel that God used to bring Jesus into the world, knew this. As an imperfect human being and a sinner in need of salvation, when she learned that she was pregnant with God the Son, she declared to Elisabeth her cousin in Luke 1:46-47, “My soul doth magnify the Lord,And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.”

ACKNOWLEDGING THE SON

On the importance of acknowledging the Son, 1 John 2:23 states, “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also.”

Acknowledging the Son requires us to accept that Jesus Christ is indeed the Son of the true and living God, the messiah or promised one alluded to in the Old Testament (John 4:25-26; John 1:41; Acts 13:23) and the Saviour of the world.

COMING TO THE SON

Of the need of all of mankind to COME to the Son, in John 14:6, Jesus himself stated, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” In Matthew 11:28-30, he also sent out the invitation, beckoning all of mankind to “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

COMING to Jesus requires the exercise of faith, taking God’s testimony as given in the scriptures as true because God cannot lie and humbly coming to Jesus in repentance, to be forgiven by him of all our sins. In so doing, and in so doing, we are reconciled in relationship with the Father, through that one route provided, which is through Jesus Christ.

BELIEVING ON THE SON AND CONFESSING THE LORDSHIP OF THE SON

Believing on the Son requires us to believe the testimony of God given of him in the Bible, that he is the Son of God, came to earth in the form of a babe, lived a sinless life, died as a substitute for the sins of the world, rose again on the third day, is deity (part of the Godhead, God the Son and therefore God), has the power to forgive sins, has the power to cleanse, heal, save to the uttermost and will one day judge the world of sin.

On believing on the Son and consequently confessing to his Lordship, the Word of God states in Romans 10:9-13:

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him.For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

ASKING FORGIVENESS OF THE SON

On asking forgiveness of the Son, the Word of God testifies of him and his power to forgive sins in Acts 13:38-39:

“Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

In 1 John 1:9, it states to even Christians that mess up, that, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 2:1-2 also states, “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.“

In Matthew 9:2-6, Jesus, referring to himself as ‘the Son of man’ and making it abundantly clear that he had authority and power to forgive the sins of mankind, it states:

“And, behold, they brought to him a man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy sins be forgiven thee.And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This man blasphemeth.And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts?For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and walk?But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house.And he arose, and departed to his house.”

Similarly, in Luke 7:36-49, it reads of Jesus:

“And one of the Pharisees desired him that he would eat with him. And he went into the Pharisee’s house, and sat down to meat.And, behold, a woman in the city, which was a sinner, when she knew that Jesus sat at meat in the Pharisee’s house, brought an alabaster box of ointment,And stood at his feet behind him weeping, and began to wash his feet with tears, and did wipe them with the hairs of her head, and kissed his feet, and anointed them with the ointment.Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.

And Jesus answering said unto him, Simon, I have somewhat to say unto thee. And he saith, Master, say on.There was a certain creditor which had two debtors: the one owed five hundred pence, and the other fifty.And when they had nothing to pay, he frankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love him most?Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most. And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged.

And he turned to the woman, and said unto Simon, Seest thou this woman? I entered into thine house, thou gavest me no water for my feet: but she hath washed my feet with tears, and wiped them with the hairs of her head.Thou gavest me no kiss: but this woman since the time I came in hath not ceased to kiss my feet.My head with oil thou didst not anoint: but this woman hath anointed my feet with ointment.Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.And he said unto her, Thy sins are forgiven. And they that sat at meat with him began to say within themselves, Who is this that forgiveth sins also?”

TRUSTING (BY FAITH ALONE) IN THE SON

On trusting by faith, in Jesus, the Son, the Word of God testifies that he (Jesus) is Lord to the glory of God the Father. Keeping in mind that he is Lord, the Word of God tells us: “Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:5-6).

SUBMITTING AND SURRENDERING IN OBEDIENCE TO THE SON

On the importance of submitting in obedience to the Son and surrendering your whole life to the Son, Jesus himself stated:

“Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you. Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.”(John 15:14-15)

In Luke 6:46-49 he stated, highlighting the fact that the term ‘Lord’ meant complete obedience:

“And why call ye me, Lord, Lord, and do not the things which I say? Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.”

Also, in John 14:23, it reads, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”

Finally, in John 8:31-32, it reads, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

God the Father is well-pleased when we submit and surrender our lives to the Lordship of his Son by obeying Him and doing whatsoever he tells us to do. This is evident in Matthew 17:1-5, where God spoke out of the cloud, to convey that he was pleased with his Son Jesus and that we should listen to him.

It reads:

“And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him. Then answered Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias.

While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; HEAR YE HIM.“

WORSHIPPING THE SON

Ultimately, to worship God we MUST give due benevolence and worship to God the Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. The Word of God tells us that he (Jesus) is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. He is therefore worthy of our worship, him being God and equal with God.

On worshipping the Son, in Psalm 2:6-12, God the Father, in alluding to the coming of his Son Jesus Christ on earth and his desire that he (Jesus), be worshipped, conveyed:

“Yet have I set my KING upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. KISS THE SON, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. (Psalm 2:6-12)

Very much like the lady in Luke 7:36-49 worshipped Jesus by washing his feet, wiping them with the hairs of her head, kissing his feet and anointing them with the ointment that she brought therefore, God the Father requires us to worship Jesus his Son with humility and in gratitude, bestowing upon him, the one who died to save us from our sins but rose again to our justification (Romans 4:25), the honour that he is due.

Given that worshipping the Son is so important, who exactly is the Son? What do we know about him? Most importantly, what does scripture (the Bible) which is the Word of God, say about him?

Well, I cannot possibly mention all that the Word of God says that Jesus is, in this Article. His name is so excellent, that I may never finish writing. However, some key attributes and truths of Jesus Christ, as stated by the Word of God are as follows:

1 – He is part of the threefold Godhead and equal with God the Father (1 John 5:7; Philippians 2:6-11);

2 – He is one with God the Father. The Father dwells in him and he in the Father (John 10:30; John 14:10);

3 – By heaven’s design, he was sent by God the Father to earth, many years ago, in the form of a babe, born of a woman, to do the Father’s will (John 6:57; John 10:25; John 6:38; Hebrews 10:5-7);

4 – He came voluntarily to fulfill the Father’s mission (Hebrews 10:7);

5 – There being no unrighteousness in him whatsoever, he was completely pure and lived a perfectly sinless life while on earth (1 Peter 2:22; Hebrews 4:15; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 John 3:5; Psalm 92:15);

6 – He was killed by wicked men and voluntarily allowed himself to be captured to this end, so that he could shed his perfect blood which was precious and without spot or blemish, as an atonement and so that he could die as a substitute for the sins of the world (John 10:18; Isaiah 53:7;1 Peter 1:18-19; Hebrews 9:14; 1 John 2:2);

7 – Although he died, he rose up again on the third day from the dead. Given that the Godhead is one, all three, that is, God the Father, Jesus Christ himself as God the Son and God the Holy Spirit were involved in his resurrection (John 2:19; John 10:18; Luke 24:1-7; John 11:25; 1 Peter 1:3; Romans 6:4; Acts 17:30-31; Acts 13:30,37; Romans 8:11);

8 – He appeared to many after he rose from the grave and spent at least 40 days on earth thereafter but then ascended to heaven, in the sight of witnesses (1 Corinthians 15:3-8; Acts 1:3-9);

9 – He has the power to forgive the sins of whosoever believes in his heart by faith, that he rose from the dead and confesses with the mouth that he is Lord, to blot out transgressions, to wash and cleanse sinners in his blood, which is potent and pure, resulting in them being clothed with his perfect righteousness and to redeem mankind to God (Romans 10:8-13; Acts 3:19; Acts 13:38-39; 1 John 1:7; Hebrews 9:14; Hebrews 10:14; Revelation 1:5; Romans 3:24-25; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 4:5; Isaiah 61:10; Philippians 3:9);

10 – God has ordained him, the righteous one, to judge the world and he will therefore return again, even as he promised, at a time that no man knows, to judge the world in righteousness of sin (John 5:27; Matthew 24:3-44; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-3; Acts 17:31);

11 – Whoever believes on him, his resurrection and confesses that he is Lord with his mouth, surrendering his whole life to his Lordship in repentance for past sins, will not be ashamed but will be saved from God’s wrath and eternal damnation to come. Those who don’t believe in Jesus though and that he is who the scripture says he is are condemned already, meaning that they are ripe for God’s judgment and wrath (Romans 5:9; Acts 3:19; John 5:24; John 3:18).

THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF WORSHIPPING GOD WITHOUT WORSHIPPING THE SON

People who claim to know and worship God, without giving due allegiance and worship to his Son, Jesus are merely deluding themselves. To those who doubted his deity and refused to worship him, Jesus had much to say. For example, in Jesus’ conversation with the Pharisees who did not believe that he was God the Son, it states:

“Jesus answered and said unto them…I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me. It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me. Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also…

Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come…I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins...

Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God. Jesus said unto them, If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me… Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it…He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God.

Then answered the Jews, and said unto him, Say we not well that thou art a Samaritan, and hast a devil? Jesus answered, I have not a devil; but I honour my Father, and ye do dishonour me…If I honour myself, my honour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God: Yet YE HAVE NOT KNOWN HIM; but I know him: and if I should say, I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you: but I know him, and keep his saying.” (John 8:14,16-19, 21,24, 41-42, 44,47-49, 54-55).

Given that the Pharisees did not believe on him and of who he said he was, Jesus said that they were of their father the devil. The same holds true today. Any religion or religious group that claims to know God and to be serving God, without believing on Jesus and who the Word of God says he is (which is King of Kings and Lord of Lords, the Saviour of the World and equal with God the Father), is of the devil, no matter how pious or sincere they appear to be.

Similarly, any religion or religious group that seeks to undermine the deity of the Lord Jesus Christ by teaching that his blood atonement is not sufficient and that faith in Him alone is not enough to procure salvation and therefore that something else like the law (including the sabbath) or someone, like Mary, needs to be added to the mix in order to be saved and in order to please God IS FALSE. For, they are undermining and downright denying the all-sufficient work of Christ and God’s all-sufficient provision in his Son, when he (Jesus) died for our sins on the cross. Therefore, their so-called ‘religion’ or ‘religious group’ is nothing but a movement founded by the devil.

It is not sufficient to say I know God or believe in God or am serving God, as many people love to state. All that means nothing and are just a bunch of empty words if you don’t believe in, acknowledge and serve (meaning obey) the Son.

Of Jesus, God’s Son, who the scriptures sometimes refer to as ‘the Son of man’, John 3:14-18 and 35-36 states:

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God…

The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him.“

1 John 2:22-24 also states:

“Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father AND the Son. Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: he that ACKNOWLEDGETH the Son hath the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, AND in the Father.“

In John 10:30, 36-38, Jesus stated:

“I and my Father are one…Say ye of him, whom the Father hath sanctified, and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God? If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not. But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.”

In John 14:1,6-11, it reads of Jesus’ conversation with his disciples:

“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me… I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.

Philip saith unto him, Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known ME, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then, Show us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I AM IN THE FATHER, AND THE FATHER IN ME: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.”

Jesus was therefore stating that he was fully God, although in human form. His statement is profound, maybe even more than we realize at first glance. He said: “…I am in the Father, and the Father in me.” In other words, the Father wasn’t just in him but he was also in the Father. In other words, God was at that point in heaven but Jesus was also saying that God, who is omnipresent was also on earth.

Thomas finally grasped this reality when, although he had initially doubted that Jesus, the Resurrection and THE LIFE, had risen from the dead, Jesus in his mercy, appeared to him so that he could see that he was indeed alive.

When he saw the Lord Jesus Christ and he spoke to him, Thomas. gaining an even deeper appreciation for the Lordship and Godship of Jesus, stated in response, “…My Lord AND my God.”

No wonder Colossians 2:9 states of him, “For in him dwelleth ALL THE FULNESS OF THE GODHEAD bodily.”

No wonder, Isaiah 59:16, in prophesying of the salvation that would be offered to mankind through Jesus Christ (God) to enable them to escape his (God’s) own wrath, stated of God: “And he saw that there was no man, and wondered that there was no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and his righteousness, it sustained him.” In other words, God is the JUDGE of mankind and will mete out penalty for sin but he is also SAVIOUR and will forgive and deliver all who put their trust in the name of Jesus.

Finally, of Jesus, the Word of God states:

“Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

SUMMARIZING POINTS

In light of the scriptures outlined above, when it comes to God and people claiming to know him, to have relationship with him and to be worshipping him, while denying or refusing to acknowledge the Son, the following is clear:

POINT 1 – Despite some people’s unbelief, GOD’S WORD (THE BIBLE) TESTIFIES OF HIS SON and without apology.

For example, Jesus himself made statements which are recorded in the Bible, such as “…the Father that sent me beareth witness of me…”(John 8:18).1 Timothy 2:5 states, “For there is one God, AND one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.”

Also, Psalm 2:2-7 and 12 states of God the Father and his Son Jesus Christ:

“The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, AND against his anointed, saying, Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure. YET have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. KISS THE SON, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.”

POINT 2 – IF GOD WERE THEIR FATHER as they claim and they knew him as they claim, then THEY WOULD LOVE HIS SON JESUS AND ACKNOWLEDGE HIS LORDSHIP.

If despite God’s testimony of his Son, people rebel against the truth of who the Lord Jesus is, that he is the only way to salvation and to having relationship with God, IT IS BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT OF GOD. For, there is no being of God without acknowledging and believing on the deity of the Son.

In other words, those who claim that God is their Father and have relationship with him without believing on the Lordship of his Son and refusing to acknowledge him and his deity, don’t really know God or have relationship with him. They are deceived or deluded at best. For, knowing God means to know the Son.

As Jesus rightly told the Jews who claimed to know God while not believing that Jesus was who he said he was: “…ye say, that he is your God: Yet YE HAVE NOT KNOWN HIM.”

Having relationship with God is accessed only through the Son. Hence the reason that Jesus made it clear that, “I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father but by me.” …the Word also states, “For there is no other name given among men, whereby we MUST be saved.”

POINT 3 – ONE CANNOT DISHONOUR THE LORD JESUS AND yet CLAIM TO KNOW GOD, to love him and to have relationship with him.

For, when you dishonour the Son, by rejecting him, refusing to believe on him, refusing to surrender your life to his Lordship and to obey him and think that you can access God directly without going through him (Jesus), you automatically dishonour God almighty as well, who stated of his Son, “This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased; HEAR YE HIM.”(Matthew 17:5)

Jesus did not come to earth to do his own will but the will of God the Father. Having completed his work on earth therefore, if as human beings, we refuse to accept the forgiveness and salvation made available through him, it means that we are scoffing at God and rejecting his will, for which we will incur his wrath.

That Jesus came to do the Father’s will and that it is the Father’s will that he (Jesus) be believed on and worshipped is clear in the following statements that Jesus made:

“All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father’s will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day.

And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day…No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day.

It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me. Not that any man hath seen the Father, save he which is of God, he hath seen the Father. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am that bread of life…I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world…

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever (John 6:37-40,44-48, 51,53-58).

CONCLUSION

In closing, if you believe the testimony of Jesus, that he is the only way to God the Father, that he is Lord, the Saviour of the world and deity, the Word of God states:

“As ye have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him: Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power” (Colossians 2:6-10).

If on the other hand, you have frowned at this entire Article because you do not believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, you refuse to worship him and refuse to confess that he is Lord and the only one that can save your soul, Acts 17:30-31 states:

“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men every where to repent: Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will JUDGE the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.”

That man whom God hath ordained to one day judge the world is Jesus. He came to earth as a submissive lamb, to die sacrificially for the sins of the world as SAVIOUR, so that those who believe on him, could be saved from the wrath of God to come. However, when he returns, he will come as a lion, as JUDGE, at which point, all found to be outside of his righteous covering because they did not believe on him while alive and therefore, died in their sins, will suffer the wrath of God.

In John 12:47, while upon earth as SAVIOUR of the world and en route to die on the cross as a sacrificial lamb, Jesus stated, “And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world.”

John rightly stated when he saw him in John 1:29, “…Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” Of Jesus’ crucifixion, Isaiah 53:7 also prophesied, “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.”

However, although as SAVIOUR, Jesus did not come to judge the world but to redeem it to God by his blood and therefore, he submitted as a lamb to the slaughter, Revelation 5:5 refers to the glorified Jesus who will one day return, as,“The lion of the tribe of Judah”. Revelation 19:11-16 also prophesies of that time when Jesus will return as JUDGE. It states:

“And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth JUDGE and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he TREADETH the winepress of the FIERCENESS and WRATH of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.”

(Written on 13th, 16th and 18th February, 2022)

Dear Reader, if you found the above Article to be interesting, informative, edifying or beneficial, you may also be interested in reading the following:

Note 23 – ‘Jesus – The Source Of Success’
Note 31 – ‘The Blood Of Jesus Gives Spiritual Life’
Note 43 – ‘Beyond A Doubt, Jesus Is God’
Note 154 – Ephesus, Smyrna and Pergamos – My Humble View Of The Letters Of The Glorified Jesus To The Seven Churches – (Part 1)
Note 155 – Thyatira – My Humble View Of The Letters Of The Glorified Jesus To The Seven Churches – (Part 2)
Note 156 – Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea – My Humble View Of The Letters Of The Glorified Jesus To The Seven Churches – (Part 3)
Note 197 – ‘For His Name Alone Is Excellent’
Note 204 – ‘Jesus – Is There Anything That He Cannot Do?’
Note 208 – ‘The Revenger And The City Of Refuge’
Note 216 – ‘Two Pathways – Darkness And Light – Where Are You At?’

Additionally, under the ‘SINGLE Daughters’ Page:

Note 80 – ‘Becoming More Like Jesus – Practices To Incorporate Into Your Every Day Life
Note 82 – ‘Trying To Be The Best You Can Is Not Enough – Jesus Is The Answer’
Note 166 – ‘Are You Serving The Real Jesus?’
Note 193 – ‘Woe, If We Preach Not The Gospel’
Note 239 – ‘Jesus – Who Is He?’
Note 241 – ‘Come Away…To Jesus’
Note 278 – ‘His Grace Is Sufficient And His Blood Is Enough’
Note 281 – ‘The Sufferings Of Christ – He Did It For You!’
Note 282 – ‘Knowing Jesus – I Just Can’t Stop!’
Note 294 – ‘Jesus – Do You Know Him?’
Note 302 – ‘God Has Said It, So That Settles It’
Note 305 – ‘The Lady With The Issue Of Blood’