Scripture: Luke 3:7-14
John said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not begin to say to yourselves, `We have Abraham as our father.’ For I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.”
“What should we do then?” the crowd asked.
John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has one, and the one who has food should do the same.”
Tax collectors also came to be baptized. “Teacher,” they asked,”what should we do?”
“Don’t collect any more than you are required to,” he told them.
Then some soldiers asked him, “And what should we do?”
He replied, “Don’t extort money and don’t accuse people falsely– be content with your pay.”

The language of John the Baptist is strong, as was that of the Old Testament prophets who preceded him. The language is picturesque. Two images are presented. First, a tree that does not produce fruit should be chopped down and removed to make way for one that will. Mere physical descent from Abraham is not important; God can create his own children out of stones, just as he can cause inanimate stones to praise his Son if humans remain silent. The threat of judgment is heightened through the imagery of fire. John the Baptist came preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. The crowd is told to share clothing and food with the needy as evidence of repentance. As John preached repentance, he dealt with each person’s problem. In these verses each individual’s symptoms were different. The man with two tunics needed to share with those that had none, the tax collectors needed to stop collecting more taxes than was required and the soldiers needed to stop their extortion and be content with their pay.

There’s an old Indian fable about a mouse who, like all mice, was afraid of cats. A wizard felt sorry from him and offered to help him lose his fear. So with the mouse’s approval, the wizard turned him into a cat. The cat, however, was afraid of dogs. So the wizard turned the cat into a dog. But the dog was afraid of tigers. So, the wizard turned the dog into a tiger. When the wizard discovered that the tiger was afraid of hunters, he exclaimed in disgust, “You’re hopeless. What you needed was a change of heart! And that I cannot give you.”

People too need a new heart. Rather than merely being fixed up on the outside, they must be completely changed on the inside. The word of God is designed to root out the bad plants. God’s word is designed to root out the evil. James says, “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Any one who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it– he will be blessed in what he does” (James 1:21-25).

The moral filth and the evil that are so abundant must be stripped off like dirty clothes in preparation for accepting the word. It is not enough merely to listen to the word or, by the same token, merely to read it. Those who congratulate themselves on being hearers of the truth are deceiving themselves. If they do not combine doing with hearing, they put themselves in a most vulnerable position. The call to “do what it says” lies at the center of all that James teaches and sums up the whole book: Put into practice what you profess to believe.

Those who listen to the Word do so attentively and at length, so that they understand what they hear. They know what God expects them to do. Any failure to respond cannot be blamed on lack of understanding. The purpose of listening to truth is to act upon it. You cannot make a bad tree bear good fruit. A tree is either good or bad and if it is bad it must be cut down and a good one must be replanted in its place. Another thing you can’t do is produce artificial fruit on a bad tree. God is not interested in artificial fruit, or renovating our hearts or remodeling our lives. Christianity is more than a change of habits and a change of behavior; it is a change of heart.

“An atheist is a man who looks through a telescope and tries to explain all that he can’t see.” – Anonymous

Does God exist?

This question continues to baffle many minds. The answer to the question never seems to be enough. That’s understandable because God is not a physical ordinary being. We know some of His attributes. He is love. He is faithful to His promises. He is merciful. He is patient. He is slow to anger. He is just. He is spirit. He is eternal. He is holy. He is omnipotent. He is omnipresent. He is omniscient. Yet He is mysterious too. But the very fact that some attempt so aggressively to disprove His existence is actually an argument for His existence.

The Bible– written because God exists:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The Bible begins with a majestic statement. The Bible does not seek to prove that God exists. Rather, its authors wrote the Scriptures with the knowledge that He does exist. They have no doubt or uncertainty about the existence of God. The very first verse of the Bible…

1. denies atheism (the doctrine that there is no deity),
2. disclaims polytheism (the belief in or worship of more than one god) and
3. rejects pantheism (a doctrine that equates God with the forces and laws of the universe).

It proclaims the one eternal Creator. It proclaims the existence of God before and apart from all else. God does not exist in created or man-made things. Difference between the word ‘made’ (asah in Hebrew) and the word ‘created’ (bara in Hebrew)… ‘Made’ means only transformation of existing substances. But the Hebrew word for ‘create’ expresses the origin of something new, as only God can. The Creation is an absolute beginning, a creating of something out of nothing.

The atheist– the fool:

Atheism is not a new phenomenon nor is it the result of advancement in science or human knowledge. People who deny the existence of God can be traced back to ancient times.

Psalm 14:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

The “fool” is neither ignorant nor an atheist. The word is synonymous with the wicked, who aggressively and intentionally flouts his independence from God and his commandments. The “fool” in his heart denies the practical import of God’s existence. He shuts off the affairs of this world from divine intervention and denies any personal accountability to God for his actions.

The problem of human suffering:

The world is ravaged by problems and difficulties of all sorts. The question we often hear is, “If there is a God, why is He not doing anything about them?” Our worldly problems, trials and difficulties do not mean there is no God. There is action and reaction. To every effect there is a cause. Through the disobedience of Adam, sin entered man. Our relation with God was severed. Besides this we commit sins too. We are sinners living in a fallen world. Hunger and poverty, personal and social problems, wars and strife, sickness and death, natural disasters and calamities will always be there with us. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to know that something is wrong. We have so many problems. But sin is our greatest problem. And because of sin physical death is inevitable and it will come sooner or later. But worse than physical death is spiritual death, which means separation from God. But Jesus died to pay the penalty of our sins. And by grace through faith in Him we can have eternal life…. reunited with God.

A way to evade accountability:

People claim to reject God’s existence because it is “not scientific” or “because there is no proof.” The true reason is that once they admit that there is a God, they also must realize that they are responsible to God. If God exists, then we are accountable to Him for our actions. If God does not exist, then we can do whatever we want without having to worry about God judging us. That is why many of those who deny the existence of God cling strongly to the theory of naturalistic evolution– it gives them an alternative to believing in a Creator God. God exists and ultimately everyone knows that He exists.

Faith is the real key:

Hebrews 11:3 “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

Faith is a present reality, not exclusively the property of past heroes. Faith gives us convictions about creation. Belief in the existence of the world is not faith, nor is it faith when people hold that the world was made out of some preexisting “stuff.” But when we understand that it was the Word of God that produced all things, that is faith.

The visible universe is not sufficient to account for itself. But it is faith, not something material, that assures us that it originated with God. This world is God’s world, and faith assures us that God originated it.

Man’s attempt to find God:

The existence of God is to be accepted by faith. But this does not meant that there is no proof of His existence. In addition to the biblical arguments for God’s existence, there are other arguments.

The universe is the whole of space– time containing matter, energy, and forces. It is the summation of all physical laws and constants. It contains everything from the smallest subatomic particles to the largest galaxies. It also includes all biological entities as well as humankind. We live in a tiny globe surrounded by an endless universe. Over the last few thousands of years we are trying to learn, to discover and to understand the ultimate force behind everything we see. This is man’s attempt to find God.

The cosmological argument:

The cosmological argument states that an effect must have a cause. There is a reaction to every action. To every effect there is a cause. This universe and everything in it is an effect. There must be something that caused everything to come into existence. Ultimately, there must be something “un-caused” in order to cause everything else to come into existence. That “un-caused” cause is God.

The moral argument:

Another argument is known as the moral argument. Every culture throughout history has had some form of law. Everyone has a sense of right and wrong. Murder, lying, stealing, and immorality are almost universally rejected. Where did this sense of right and wrong come from if not from a holy God?

The teleological argument:

The teleological argument states that since the universe displays such an amazing design, there must have been a divine Designer. Nothing is random; there is an intricate and complex design in everything… from the smallest particles to the largest galaxies. Hence we cannot deny the existence of God who designed and placed everything in its proper place.

“I know this world is ruled by infinite intelligence. Everything that surrounds us- everything that exists – proves that there are infinite laws behind it. There can be no denying this fact. It is mathematical in its precision.” — Thomas Alva Edison

The universe testifies God’s glory:

Psalm 19:1-4 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

The glory and wisdom of God are evident in the vastness of space. The universe is a revelation of God’s creation of the magnificent heavenly bodies, which are characterized by radiance and regularity. The verbs “declare” and “proclaim” express the continuous revelation of the heavens. God alone is the Creator; the heavenly bodies are “the work of his hands.”
The cycle of day and night contribute to the regularity of the seasons and thus to the regularity of the agricultural calendar. They reveal “knowledge” in their own distinct “speech.” The “knowledge” is not only knowledge about God but also a special kind, best understood as God’s wisdom, revealed in his creation. Being unrestricted by the division of languages, natural revelation transcends human communication without the use of speech, words, and sounds. To those who are inclined to hear, revelation comes with no regard for linguistic or geographical barriers.

“When a load of bricks, dumped on a corner lot, can arrange themselves into a house; when a handful of springs and screws and wheels, emptied on a desk, can gather themselves into a watch, then and not until then will it seem sensible, to some of us at least, to believe that all these thousands or millions of worlds could have been created, balanced and set to revolving in their separate orbits – all without any directing intelligence at all.” — Bruce Barton

Jesus, the living revelation of God:

The universe (the whole cosmic system of matter and energy of which the Earth is a part) reveals the works of God. This is natural revelation. Than we have the special revelation in the Bible, the Word of God. Jesus is part of that special, a living, walking and talking Word of God.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus did not claim merely to know the way, the truth, and the life. He actually claimed to be the only answer to human problems. Jesus’ solution to perplexity is not a recipe; it is a relationship with him.

He is the way to the Father because only he has an intimate knowledge of God, unmarred by sin. He is the truth because he has the perfect power of making life one coherent experience irrespective of its ups and downs. He is the life because he was not subject to death but made it subject to him. He died to demonstrate the power and continuity of his life. Because he is the way, the truth, and the life, he is the only means of reaching the Father.

Jesus is the only authorized revelation of God in human form, and he is the only authorized representative of humanity to God.

Denying God is without excuse:

Despite all of this, the Bible tells us that people will reject the clear and undeniable knowledge of God and believe a lie instead. Romans 1:25 declares, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator– who is forever praised. Amen.” The Bible also proclaims that people are without excuse for not believing in God: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities– His eternal power and divine nature– have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

A relationship with God:

Besides these we know God exist because of the ways He had touched and so miraculously changed our personal lives with His wondrous love and grace. We sense His presence, we feel His leading, we know His love, and we desire His grace. God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end”. Our lives will feel meaningless and our hearts empty until we get to know God. You can’t fill this spiritual void by denying the existence of God and holding to the theory of evolution (which only makes you a shaved monkey) or anything else. The void in your heart can only be filled by the One who made it.

The Holy Bible:
In some respects, as Jesus Christ is the Son of God in the flesh, so the Bible is the word of God in the words of men. Although the words of the Bible are truly human, they are not merely human. The Bible is the word of God through the mouths and pens of men. The church has always accepted Scripture as having come from God. The words of the Bible are divine words that were spoken by men who were carried along by the Holy Spirit in their thinking, speaking, and writing.

The English word Bible comes from the Greek word ‘biblia’, meaning books. So the Bible is in fact a library, a collection of sacred books. The Bible is also referred as ‘graphia’, the writings. The Bible contains many different types of literature: history, poetry, genealogy, prophecy, biography, letter, wisdom and official records. The writers includes kings, prophets, priests, soldiers, song writers, judges and even a tax collector, a shepherd, a prime minister and a doctor. God prefers to use human writers as His mouthpiece. The Bible is a communication in which God makes himself known to humanity. Just as Jesus is true man and true God and was in the world with a task to perform, so the Bible is God’s infallible (unfailing) Word to us. The Bible is God’s message to us. Like God, then, the Bible is trustworthy and true. Everything the Bible teaches, affirms, commands, and says concerning God’s kingdom is trustworthy and true.

It is a book of wonders:
The Bible is the best documented book, the best preserved book and the bestselling book of the world. The way in which it grew is one of the mysteries of time. It is the only book in the world read by all classes. It was written largely by uneducated people, yet the best from a literary standpoint. Another wonder of the Bible is its preservation. It is the most hated of all books, yet it continues to exist. “The word of the Lord stands forever” (1 Peter 1:25).

It is a special revelation:
The Bible is not just a handbook written by man, it has an eternal dimension. Speech is a good means of communication and words are the most precise way of expressing our thoughts. Although God speaks through nature, he also explains himself in words. We call what God says through nature “general revelation”. He also reveals himself through dreams, visions and sometimes even face to face. The revelation of God that we find in the Bible is a “special revelation”. Jesus is another part of the “special revelation”. Jesus is God’s Word; a walking, talking, living Word.

The Bible has been translated into so many languages and dialects. People tend to argue about which version the correct one is. But the Bible has staying power. The main message or theme of the Bible is salvation. No matter how many languages or dialects it has been translated into, the message of salvation which God wants us to hear through his word is never lost.

It either commends or condemns:
The word of God is powerful. It either commends us or it condemns us. The word of God acclaims us if we live a holy life, but it condemns us when we live an unholy life. John 3:16-18 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because he has not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.”

So you see, the Word can either commend you for believing it or it will condemn you for rejecting it. The word of God commends us when we pray, but it condemns us when we don’t. The word of God commends us if we witness; but it condemns us if we don’t.

It is the source of faith:
Romans 10:17 says, “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.”

People say, “If I had enough faith, I believe God would save me.” Nobody can give you that faith. The Bible says that if you’ll read the scriptures you can have that faith. Faith comes by hearing and hearing the word of God. If you want more faith, you need to get in the word of God. You need to read it; you need to listen to it. You need to meditate upon it and most of all live it in your life.

It has power to overcome Satan:
“I write to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of God lives in you, and you have overcome the evil one.” (1John 2:14)
When he was tempted, Jesus overcame all the three attempts of Satan by the power and authority of God’s Word. Believers are to see themselves as not only in conflict with the enemy but as having perceived the victory in Christ’s name and by his power. The victory obviously was gained through Christ’s death. This victory does not promise that believers will be removed from the heat and peril of the battlefield. But it does assure them that if they are faithful they will overcome the devil. They are indeed strong as the children of faith, but their strength ultimately depends on one fact alone– the word of God abiding or living in them.

It is living and active:
“For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart. Nothing in all creation is hidden from God’s sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account.” (Hebrews 4:12 & 13)

“The word of God” means anything that God utters–particularly the word that came through Jesus Christ. “Living and active” shows that there is a dynamic quality about God’s revelation. It is not static, it does things. Specifically, it penetrates and, in this capacity, is likened to a double-edged sword.

The word of God is unique. No sword can penetrate as it can. God’s Word can reach to the innermost recesses of our being. We must not think that we can bluff our way out of anything, for no secrets are hidden from God. We cannot keep our thoughts to ourselves. There may also be the thought that the whole of human nature, however we divide it, physical as well as nonmaterial, is open to God.

The use of the word “judges” takes us to legal terminology. The word of God passes judgment on our feelings and thoughts. Nothing evades the scope of this word. What people hold as most secret they find subject to its scrutiny and judgment.

Nothing in all creation (or “no created being”) remains invisible to God. All things are truly laid open before God. Clearly the author is saying that no one can keep anything hidden from God. Nothing is hidden from God, and in the end we must give account of ourselves to him. The combination makes a powerful reason for heeding the exhortation and entering into the rest by our obedience.

It is God-breathed and useful:
“All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (2 Timothy 3:16-17)

“All Scripture is God-breathed.” The adjective used here is theopneustos, which is a combination of two other Greek words: theos (God) and pneo (breathe). This is one of the greatest texts in the New Testament describing the inspiration or the “God-breathed” aspect of the Bible.

Another outstanding passage is 2 Peter 1:21, which describes how divine inspiration took place. “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

• Inspired Scripture is useful or profitable in various areas:
• Teaching us Christian truths;
• Rebuking or convicting us of sin;
• Correcting us where we have gone wrong;
• Training us in how to live both inwardly and outwardly in righteous living.

The purpose of all this is so that Christians will be completely ready to meet the demands of discipleship. “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it” (Luke 11:28)

Attributes of God

God is the Creator of the universe. The whole cosmic system of matter and energy of which the Earth is a part was created by him out of nothing. The cosmos is a systematic whole held to arise by and persist through the direct intervention of divine power. God is the Creator and not a created being nor a part of the creation.

God is omnipotent. He is all-powerful. He is the Almighty God. He has the ultimate power and authority over all things.

God is eternal. God has always existed. There was never a time when He did not exist. He is not bound by the limits of human time. He has neither a beginning nor an ending.

God is holy and perfect. God is righteous and in him there is no sin. God cannot sin for it is not in His nature.

God is omnipresent. He is present everywhere at the same time, observing and watching everything we do.

God is omniscient. God knows everything. He knows and sees our actions. He knows our thoughts and he knows our heart.

God is love. God’s love is unconditional and selfless toward mankind, supremely expressed when he sent his own Son Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for our sins.

God is good. God is good and all that he originally created before the Fall was good.

God is full of mercy. Our sins demand punishment and damnation, but God does not destroy mankind. Instead he offers the gift of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

God is patient. God expressed his patience first with Adam and Eve, for he did not destroy them as he could have done. He even made for them clothing from animal skins to cover their nakedness. As humanity grew extremely wicked, God was angry and regretted that he had even made man. He vowed to destroy mankind, but waited patiently while Noah constructed the ark.

God is truth. God cannot lie. God is truth and is trustworthy in all He says and does. God proclaimed before Moses, “The Lord, The Lord God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth.” (Exodus 34:6 KJV). His Spirit is called the “Spirit of truth” (John 14:17 KJV). His Son called Himself, “The way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6 KJV).

God is just. God is fair, honest and just in His dealings with and treatment of mankind. God hates sin and loves righteousness. He is just in condemning fallen man to death, yet sent his Son to atone for our sin that we may have life. Paul wrote to the Corinthians, “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them… For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Corinthians 5:19, 21 KJV).

God is faithful. God will perform what He has revealed in his Word, and will carry out His promises and warnings. His faithfulness should be of comfort to all believers, and bring fear to those who walk in unrighteousness.

He is Jehovah-Jireh, the Lord who provides. He is El-Shaddai, the all sufficient one. He is Abba, our Heavenly Father.

The Trinity

God is Triune. God is one God who is manifested in three distinct persons, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Each person is fully divine and equal to the other two; yet they are not three Gods, but one, fully and completely united in purpose. They are not three Gods but one. The word used to describe this attribute of God is known as the Trinity (triad, union of three). The doctrine of the Trinity states:

1st: God eternally exists as three persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.
2nd: Each person is fully God.
3rd: There is one God.

Trinity is not a word which Jesus used. It is not even found in the Bible, but it is used to describe what we know about God. The doctrine of the Trinity is a difficult subject to understand even for many Christians. But one must be clear on one fact— Christianity stands or falls by what the doctrine says. The doctrine of the Trinity is not an invention of men, nor is it an addition to the Bible. The Trinity is a crystallization of the teachings of the Bible.

The creation story hints of the trinity with the plural words US and OUR, “Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” (Genesis 1:26 NIV).

“For there are three that testify the Spirit, the water and the blood; and the three are in agreement” (1 John 5:7 & 8 NIV).

“If you really know me, you will know my Father as well. From now on, you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:7 NIV).

Many scriptures mention all three persons of the Godhead.

“But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you..” (John 14:26 NIV).

“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 John 1:3 NIV).

“That all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him” (John 5:23 NIV).

The Son has been entrusted with the power of judgment. He possesses equal dignity with the Father and shares with him judicial as well as executive authority. Conversely, since the Son is equal in authority, He can rightly claim equal honor with God.

For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain (2 Peter 1:17 & 18 NIV).

These verses explain how and when Peter was an eyewitness of the majesty of Jesus Christ. God the Father gave honor and glory to Jesus. The “honor” is the public acknowledgment of his being the Son of God, and the “glory” is the transfiguration of the humiliated Son into his glorious splendor. On the Mount of Transfiguration, Jesus’ face shone like the sun, his clothes became as white as the light, and a unique voice sounded from a bright cloud that covered them and said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.” The scene showed Jesus as Messiah and was a preview of his glory as King.

Peter emphatically says, “We [i.e., Peter, James, and John] heard this voice that came from heaven,” while they were with Jesus “on the sacred mountain.” It was the Transfiguration that transformed the mountain from a common one into a sacred one.

“You were shown these things so that you might know that the LORD is God; besides him there is no other” (Deuteronomy 4:35 NIV).

“Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4 NIV).

“The most important one” answered Jesus, “is this: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one” (Mark 12:29 NIV).

That God is one does not deny the doctrine of the Trinity.

“I and the Father are one” (John 10:30 NIV).

“I and the Father” preserves the separate individuality of the two Persons in the Godhead; the word “one” asserts unity of nature or equality. The Jews were quick to apprehend this statement and reacted by preparing to stone Jesus for blasphemy because he, a man, had asserted that he was one with God.

Three significant things took place when Jesus Christ was baptized in the Jordan River by John the Baptist. These three things further validate and authenticate the doctrine of the Trinity.

As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water. At that moment heaven was opened, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and lighting on him. And a voice from heaven said, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased” (Matthew 3:16 & 17 NIV).

Jesus Christ the Son was baptized. When Jesus stepped out of the water the Holy Spirit came down upon him. Then the voice of the Father is heard. In one single episode we find the manifestation of all the three persons of the Trinity.

In conclusion, God’s final revelation of his attributes and his character is found in Jesus Christ. If we want to understand fully who God is and what he is like, then we must look to Jesus, who was God in the flesh.

The writer of Hebrews states, “In the past, God spoke to our forefathers at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word” (Hebrews 1:1-3 NIV).

Scripture passage:
“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.” (Matthew 11:28-29).

Sinners, wearied in the ways of iniquity, are invited to come to Christ, and find speedy relief. Sinners burdened with the guilt of their crimes are invited to come and find instant pardon.

The blood of the sacrificial Lamb of God will cleanse us from all unrighteousness and purify us from all sin. Believers willl find everlasting rest in Jesus Christ, our Lord and our Savior. All are invited to come, and all are promised rest.

I. A Burden:

1. Some are laden with sin.
2. Others groan under the distresses of life.

II. A Relief:

1. Christ offers pardon to the guilty.
2. Christ offers purity to the unholy.
3. Christ offers grace for the needy.

III. The Means:

1. We must go to Christ. To this end we must seek him.
2. We must approach him humbly.
3. We must approach him obediently.
4. We must approach him believingly.

It seems strange that a man already weary and overloaded must take a new weight upon himself in order to find rest. But this promise is similar to Psalm 55:22, “Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous be shaken.”

Jesus is calling us to trust him with our souls and our worldly cares to him. Then he will carry us as well as our heavy loads.

Wherever pride dwells, there is nothing but mental agony. But where the meekness and humility of Christ dwell, all is peaceable. The work of righteousness is peace, and the effect of righteousness are quietness, assurance, and rest for ever.

Jesus is the Bread of Life:
Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty (John 6:35)

To sustain life we need a balanced diet. We all know that bread is necessary for life. In the time of Christ bread was the only staple in most people’s diets. Without bread, men died.

God has provided you with all the essentials for eternal life without price and without cost. Jesus Christ is the bread of life. The food that Jesus gives remains forever and has the effect of producing life forever.

The LORD God who created us is able to satisfy our greatest and most important needs in life. He is able to satisfy, and will always satisfy the deepest longings of the soul.

Since God is truly the source of true heavenly bread, and since God has sent Jesus, therefore the bread of God is the Lord Jesus Christ. You cannot do without Him. You remain spiritually dead without Him. He is the life, and He in truth is all you need.

To what extent are you feeding on Christ? We “eat” His flesh and “drink” His blood by meditating on Him, by dwelling on His Word, and by resting our faith on Him.

Jesus is the light of the world:
When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (John 8:12).

Jesus is the light of God’s holy presence among His people. Jesus stood in the courtyard of the temple at the Feast of the Tabernacles and shouted, “I am the light of the world.” As explained by Lenski, “What that pillar was for Israel in the days gone by Jesus is for the whole world. That pillar was Jehovah, Jesus is God’s own Son.”

God is light. His nature is pure and holy. When Jesus said, “I am the light of the world” He was declaring to the world His absolute deity. The Word who had been with God in the beginning was now incarnate on earth. He, and He alone is the Light of the world. He reveals Himself as no other possibly can. He is the I AM, and it is His light that shines and penetrates the darkness of this world.

Jesus shines brightly in a spiritually dark world. The light conquers the opposing power called “darkness.” Light triumphs over darkness. The Light is our guide. Jesus is the one who gives the believer guidance. When we are in fellowship with Him, He leads.

The world is in spiritual darkness, and Jesus Christ is our only hope. He alone is the “light of life” in a world of spiritual darkness. Jesus is the light, and this light is always linked with life. He is the Light that dispenses life to the person who lives in Him, and partakers of His life become light, walking as light in the dark world. Darkness and death go together; light and eternal resurrected life also go together.

Jesus is the All-Sufficient Savior and God:
“I tell you the truth,” Jesus answered, “before Abraham was born, I am!” (John 8:58)

God has revealed Himself to men. The great names of God in the Old Testament are self-revelations of the LORD God to men and women who were in helpless situations. “Man’s extremity is God’s opportunity.” In each case God saw their need, demonstrated that He alone could perfectly meet the challenge. To Moses He revealed Himself by His personal name, “I AM” or “I AM THAT I AM.”

Jesus is the “I AM.” The LORD God made His greatest and most complete revelation of Himself in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus said He was the same person as the “I AM,” the Self-sufficient One, without beginning and without end.

Have you discovered the all-sufficient Savior? He alone can meet our every need if we will trust Him. But we have to meet Him on His conditions, not ours.

He is a faithful Father He sees and knows, and it is impossible for Him not to provide. Since He sees and knows, He always provides. He is the One who sees your need and will provide what is best for His own. He is everywhere present, surrounding, sustaining and holding us secure in His safe keeping.

Jesus is the Gate:
Therefore Jesus said again, “I tell you the truth, I am the gate for the sheep” (John 10:7)

During the night the sheep are herded inside a stone enclosure. There was no door of any kind in these enclosures. In place of the door there was just an open space. The shepherd himself lay down across the opening and entrance into the sheepfold. The shepherd was the door. No sheep could get out and no enemy could come in except over his body. In a very literal sense, the shepherd was the door or the gate.

Jesus is alone the door. Jesus is saying, “I, and I alone, I and no other is the Door of the sheep.” Jesus is the one and only gate into heaven. Jesus Christ is the sole way to God. Jesus Christ is the only doorway into eternal life.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd:
“I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep” (John 10:11).

The LORD is our Good Shepherd, and He has assumed the responsibility of the care for His sheep. As a Good Shepherd the Lord Jesus Christ keeps His sheep. He is so good that He gave His life for His sheep and rose from the dead.

Sheep lack a sense of direction, so they tend to wander off, and are forever getting lost. As the Good Shepherd, He knows what He must do to protect dumb and foolish sheep. They are helpless and weak. His omnipotent strength and omniscient wisdom is sufficient for every need of His sheep. The only thing that will keep the Good Shepherd from tending His sheep is if they will not trust Him and refuse to let Him be their shepherd.

Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life:
Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?” (John 11:25 & 26).

Martha’s response to Jesus is a settled and firm conviction. She replied, “Yes, Lord, I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world.”

The resurrection and the life radiate from the one center “I AM.” Jesus is the “I AM” and therefore He is the resurrection and life. The “I AM” is self-existence. He has life in Himself even as the Father has life in Himself. He that was alive and was dead is alive forevermore. He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. “I am the resurrection and the life,” only God can say that and it make any sense whatsoever.

When Jesus is with His people none of them shall die forever because He is the Resurrection and the Life. The Resurrection and the Life was standing there talking to Martha. The Resurrection and the Life stands before us and speaks to us if we will but listen and trust Him.

Jesus is the Way and the Truth and the Life:
Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).

Jesus Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God. He is not one of an infinite number of ways to God; He is the way, the truth and the life. Jesus said that He is the way and the truth and the life. Jesus made this statement with a sense of supreme authority on the night before His death. He answers to our greatest needs in life, and He can do that because He is the “I AM.” With the “I am” there is the emphatic emphasis, “I and I alone, I and no other” am the way, and the truth, and the life. The “way” is the means to God the Father. He is the only Way that takes us to the Father.

We are in the desperate need in our day for “the truth” in the place of religious ignorance and error. Jesus gives us a perfect revelation of the LORD God.

We are alienated from God because of our sin, and we need the perfect way into His holy presence. However, there is a way to God through the person of Jesus Christ. We are dead in our trespasses and sins, and He alone gives us eternal life instead of death.

Jesus is the life in the Vine:
“I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:5).

Christians live their lives with the attitude that God will help us win and gain everything we want on our own terms. It is a cheapened, commercialized version of Christianity, and it will never produce the fruit of righteousness that is pleasing to God. Some people imagine they can have the person of Christ without doctrinal responsibility. They like the idea of a sympathizing and loving Jesus, but they do not want to accept His teaching.

The result of such an attitude toward God and His purposes is always disillusionment, disappointment, doubt and despair. We approach Him with our agendas and expect abundant spiritual life. It doesn’t work that way. God will bless only that which will bring Him glory through an abundant life. The truth is God never blesses us on our terms or conditions. He will have nothing to do with it. However, He wants to bless each one of us abundantly according to His purposes.

Are we who are joined to Christ fruitful? Are we useful to the kingdom of God? Are we no more than dead wood, or at best just beautiful leaves?

A. W. Pink lucidly said, “The Vine and its branches express oneness, a common life, shared by all, with the complete dependency of the branches upon the Vine, resulting in fruit-bearing.”

The true, authentic vine is Jesus Christ. The value of the vine lies in its fruit. Jesus came to bear fruit for the kingdom of God. His fruit always has the sweet, authentic fragrance of righteousness. If it is not characterized by righteousness it did not come from His vine. God expects every believer to produce “fruit,” and “more fruit,” even “much fruit” for His glory.

Without the harsh north wind:
There is a legend which originated in a small town in Germany. For a number of years the town experienced poor harvests. The townspeople prayed at the beginning of a New Year saying, “God, our harvests have been so poor and so scarce, for one year will you let us plan everything?”

God said, “All right, for one year.”

They immediately set their plans for abundance into motion, and God complied with their every request. Whenever they asked for rain, God sent rain. Whenever they asked for sun, God sent sun. The corn never grew higher, and the wheat had never been thicker. But when the harvest came, they discovered that the tall corn had no ears, and the thick wheat had no heads of grain.

“God, you have failed us!” they cried out. “We asked for sun, and you sent sun. We asked for rain, and you sent rain. But there is no crop.”

“You never asked for the harsh north winds,” answered God. “Without the harsh north winds, there is no pollination, and with no pollination, there is no crop.”

Why rejoice in suffering?
“Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” (Romans 5:3-5 NIV)

To rejoice in suffering is a paradox. But for Christians suffering can be the reason for genuine joy because of what it can produce in us. Trials of life produce perseverance (i.e. determination and diligence), good Christian personality and reliable hope.

The actual conditions of life, especially for believers in the midst of a hostile society, are not easy or pleasant, but the knowledge of acceptance with God, of grace constantly supplied, and of the prospect of future glory enables believers to revel in the face of sufferings.

Suffering has value in that it produces perseverance or steadfast endurance. Believers do not take the pressure of tribulation passively by abjectly giving in to it; rather, they resist it, like Christ who endured the cross and thus triumphed over suffering. The Christian faith consists of glorying and rejoicing in the midst of suffering rather than to submit to it as an inevitable evil.

Just as our present access to God gives hope of sharing the divine glory, sufferings too produce character, and approved Christian character finds its ultimate resting place in the presence of God, not in a grave. By the teaching of suffering the Lord is fitting us for his eternal fellowship.

Human love may bring disappointment and frustration, but not the love of God. By the Holy Spirit the love of God poured out in our hearts. This speaks of the inexhaustible abundance of the supply of God’s love through the Spirit. All the blessings found in Christ are mediated to God’s people by the Spirit. In this passage we see the thought advanced from faith to hope and from hope to love.

God’s grace is all-sufficient:
“To keep me from becoming conceited because of these surpassingly great revelations, there was given me a thorn in my flesh, a messenger of Satan, to torment me. Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:7-10 NIV)

The paradox of finding strength in weakness is seen in the life of Paul too. To keep him from becoming conceited there was given him a thorn in his flesh. God had given the “thorn” to Paul to achieve a beneficial purpose– the prevention of spiritual arrogance.

The efforts to identify Paul’s “thorn” are legion. But paucity of information and the obscurity of Paul’s language have frustrated all attempts to solve this problem. As it is, countless believers have been helped by this reference to his “thorn” to cope with “thorns” of their own.

It is remarkable that Paul could regard his affliction as given by God and yet be “a messenger of Satan.” This may support the view that the affliction was some type of physical malady, for a recurrent and tormenting illness could be considered “a messenger of Satan”. Furthermore, a severe illness could bring Paul within the shadow of death or hinder the advance of the Gospel. Be that as it may, behind all machinations of Satan, Paul discerned the all-encompassing providence of a God who perpetually created good out of evil.

The “thorn” proved so tormenting to Paul that on three separate occasions he begged the Lord to remove it. The answer to Paul’s prayer did not take the form he had expected. The thorn remained, but so did his recollection of the divine reply. In the distress inflicted at various times by his ailment, God promised that Paul would never lack sufficient grace to overcome it. This grace of Christ was adequate for him precisely because divine power finds its full scope and strength only in human weakness– the greater the Christian’s acknowledged weakness, the more evident Christ’s enabling strength. The cross of Christ forms the supreme example of “power-in-weakness.”

With this spiritual lesson well learned, Paul affirms that he would prefer to boast about the sorts of things that exposed his weakness rather than to pray for the removal of the thorn. It was not, however, in the weaknesses themselves that Paul took delight but in the opportunity that such sufferings endured for Christ’s sake afforded him for Christ’s power to be effective in his life.

Weakness and Power:
“For to be sure, he was crucified in weakness, yet he lives by God’s power. Likewise, we are weak in him, yet by God’s power we will live with him to serve you.” (2 Corinthians 13:4 NIV)

The relationship between Christ and Paul with regard to the paradox of weakness and power is clarified. Jesus Christ was crucified because of weakness; this weakness was not physical frailty or moral impotence, but the weakness of non-retaliation and the weakness of obedience to God. Christ’s weakness in assuming the poverty of earthly existence and in humbling himself and becoming obedient even to death on a cross was, however, the most perfect evidence of strength. But that weakness of Christ is past. Now he lives a resurrection life sustained by God’s power, the Spirit of holiness.

Weakness evidenced God’s power:
“If I must boast, I will boast of the things that show my weakness” (2 Corinthians 11:30 NIV).

Both Paul and his opponents might boast. But Paul’s boasting was distinctive, since, paradoxically, he prided himself on evidences of his weakness that became evidences of God’s surpassing power in supporting and delivering him

The Spirit helps us:
“In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express” (Romans 8:26 NIV).

The word “weakness” is a general expression for the Christian’s limitations while still in the human body. Paul had long before discovered his weakness and along with it the compensating factor of the power of God. He admits that we often do not know our real needs as God sees them, nor do we know the needs of others. Going deeper, we do not know the will of God respecting these things. In the last analysis, it is God’s will that determines how our prayers will be answered.

Standing over against this severe limitation is the gladdening information that the Spirit helps us. The culmination of the Spirit’s activity on our behalf is the declaration that he intercedes (intercessory prayer means prayer for others). Prayer activity on the part of believers goes on in the background and is overshadowed by the part played by the Spirit of God.

Hope in the Lord’s Love:
“In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” (Psalm 33:21 & 22 NIV)

Regardless of circumstances, each generation of God’s people witnesses the new acts of his love. He is their help and their shield. They trust in his holy name, with which they associate past acts of deliverance. Trust requires submission, a willingness to let God be God. The believing community looks expectantly to the Lord, who will work out his plans for the establishment of his kingdom and the renewal of the earth.

Sorrowful, yet always rejoicing:
“Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV).

Paul states the paradox of sorrowful, yet always rejoicing. The challenge is for this joyful outlook to be constant. From a human perspective there may be every reason not to be joyful in many circumstances, yet in Christ they are to be more and more joyful.

“An atheist is a man who looks through a telescope and tries to explain all that he can’t see.” – Anonymous

Does God exist?

This question continues to baffle many minds. The answer to the question never seems to be enough. That’s understandable because God is not a physical ordinary being. We know some of His attributes. He is love. He is faithful to His promises. He is merciful. He is patient. He is slow to anger. He is just. He is spirit. He is eternal. He is holy. He is omnipotent. He is omnipresent. He is omniscient. Yet He is mysterious too. But the very fact that some attempt so aggressively to disprove His existence is actually an argument for His existence.

The Bible– written because God exists:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” The Bible begins with a majestic statement. The Bible does not seek to prove that God exists. Rather, its authors wrote the Scriptures with the knowledge that He does exist. They have no doubt or uncertainty about the existence of God. The very first verse of the Bible…

1. denies atheism (the doctrine that there is no deity),
2. disclaims polytheism (the belief in or worship of more than one god) and
3. rejects pantheism (a doctrine that equates God with the forces and laws of the universe).

It proclaims the one eternal Creator. It proclaims the existence of God before and apart from all else. God does not exist in created or man-made things. Difference between the word ‘made’ (asah in Hebrew) and the word ‘created’ (bara in Hebrew)… ‘Made’ means only transformation of existing substances. But the Hebrew word for ‘create’ expresses the origin of something new, as only God can. The Creation is an absolute beginning, a creating of something out of nothing.

The atheist– the fool:

Atheism is not a new phenomenon nor is it the result of advancement in science or human knowledge. People who deny the existence of God can be traced back to ancient times.

Psalm 14:1 The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile; there is no one who does good.

The “fool” is neither ignorant nor an atheist. The word is synonymous with the wicked, who aggressively and intentionally flouts his independence from God and his commandments. The “fool” in his heart denies the practical import of God’s existence. He shuts off the affairs of this world from divine intervention and denies any personal accountability to God for his actions.

The problem of human suffering:

The world is ravaged by problems and difficulties of all sorts. The question we often hear is, “If there is a God, why is He not doing anything about them?” Our worldly problems, trials and difficulties do not mean there is no God. There is action and reaction. To every effect there is a cause. Through the disobedience of Adam, sin entered man. Our relation with God was severed. Besides this we commit sins too. We are sinners living in a fallen world. Hunger and poverty, personal and social problems, wars and strife, sickness and death, natural disasters and calamities will always be there with us. You don’t have to be a Bible scholar to know that something is wrong. We have so many problems. But sin is our greatest problem. And because of sin physical death is inevitable and it will come sooner or later. But worse than physical death is spiritual death, which means separation from God. But Jesus died to pay the penalty of our sins. And by grace through faith in Him we can have eternal life…. reunited with God.

A way to evade accountability:

People claim to reject God’s existence because it is “not scientific” or “because there is no proof.” The true reason is that once they admit that there is a God, they also must realize that they are responsible to God. If God exists, then we are accountable to Him for our actions. If God does not exist, then we can do whatever we want without having to worry about God judging us. That is why many of those who deny the existence of God cling strongly to the theory of naturalistic evolution– it gives them an alternative to believing in a Creator God. God exists and ultimately everyone knows that He exists.

Faith is the key:

Hebrews 11:3 “By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.”

Faith is a present reality, not exclusively the property of past heroes. Faith gives us convictions about creation. Belief in the existence of the world is not faith, nor is it faith when people hold that the world was made out of some preexisting “stuff.” But when we understand that it was the Word of God that produced all things, that is faith.

The visible universe is not sufficient to account for itself. But it is faith, not something material, that assures us that it originated with God. This world is God’s world, and faith assures us that God originated it.

Man’s attempt to find God:

The existence of God is to be accepted by faith. But this does not meant that there is no proof of His existence. In addition to the biblical arguments for God’s existence, there are other arguments.

The universe is the whole of space– time containing matter, energy, and forces. It is the summation of all physical laws and constants. It contains everything from the smallest subatomic particles to the largest galaxies. It also includes all biological entities as well as humankind. We live in a tiny globe surrounded by an endless universe. Over the last few thousands of years we are trying to learn, to discover and to understand the ultimate force behind everything we see. This is man’s attempt to find God.

The cosmological argument:

The cosmological argument states that an effect must have a cause. There is a reaction to every action. To every effect there is a cause. This universe and everything in it is an effect. There must be something that caused everything to come into existence. Ultimately, there must be something “un-caused” in order to cause everything else to come into existence. That “un-caused” cause is God.

The moral argument:

Another argument is known as the moral argument. Every culture throughout history has had some form of law. Everyone has a sense of right and wrong. Murder, lying, stealing, and immorality are almost universally rejected. Where did this sense of right and wrong come from if not from a holy God?

The teleological argument:

The teleological argument states that since the universe displays such an amazing design, there must have been a divine Designer. Nothing is random; there is an intricate and complex design in everything… from the smallest particles to the largest galaxies. Hence we cannot deny the existence of God who designed and placed everything in its proper place.

“I know this world is ruled by infinite intelligence. Everything that surrounds us- everything that exists – proves that there are infinite laws behind it. There can be no denying this fact. It is mathematical in its precision.” — Thomas Alva Edison

The universe testifies God’s glory:

Psalm 19:1-4 “The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world.”

The glory and wisdom of God are evident in the vastness of space. The universe is a revelation of God’s creation of the magnificent heavenly bodies, which are characterized by radiance and regularity. The verbs “declare” and “proclaim” express the continuous revelation of the heavens. God alone is the Creator; the heavenly bodies are “the work of his hands.”
The cycle of day and night contribute to the regularity of the seasons and thus to the regularity of the agricultural calendar. They reveal “knowledge” in their own distinct “speech.” The “knowledge” is not only knowledge about God but also a special kind, best understood as God’s wisdom, revealed in his creation. Being unrestricted by the division of languages, natural revelation transcends human communication without the use of speech, words, and sounds. To those who are inclined to hear, revelation comes with no regard for linguistic or geographical barriers.

“When a load of bricks, dumped on a corner lot, can arrange themselves into a house; when a handful of springs and screws and wheels, emptied on a desk, can gather themselves into a watch, then and not until then will it seem sensible, to some of us at least, to believe that all these thousands or millions of worlds could have been created, balanced and set to revolving in their separate orbits – all without any directing intelligence at all.” — Bruce Barton

Jesus, the living revelation of God:

The universe (the whole cosmic system of matter and energy of which the Earth is a part) reveals the works of God. This is natural revelation. Than we have the special revelation in the Bible, the Word of God. Jesus is part of that special, a living, walking and talking Word of God.

John 14:6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”

Jesus did not claim merely to know the way, the truth, and the life. He actually claimed to be the only answer to human problems. Jesus’ solution to perplexity is not a recipe; it is a relationship with him.

He is the way to the Father because only he has an intimate knowledge of God, unmarred by sin. He is the truth because he has the perfect power of making life one coherent experience irrespective of its ups and downs. He is the life because he was not subject to death but made it subject to him. He died to demonstrate the power and continuity of his life. Because he is the way, the truth, and the life, he is the only means of reaching the Father.

Jesus is the only authorized revelation of God in human form, and he is the only authorized representative of humanity to God.

Denying God is without excuse:

Despite all of this, the Bible tells us that people will reject the clear and undeniable knowledge of God and believe a lie instead. Romans 1:25 declares, “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator– who is forever praised. Amen.” The Bible also proclaims that people are without excuse for not believing in God: “For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities– His eternal power and divine nature– have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse” (Romans 1:20).

A relationship with God:

Besides these we know God exist because of the ways He had touched and so miraculously changed our personal lives with His wondrous love and grace. We sense His presence, we feel His leading, we know His love, and we desire His grace. God has set eternity in our hearts (Ecclesiastes 3:11 “He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men; yet they cannot fathom what God has done from beginning to end”). Our lives will feel meaningless and our hearts empty until we get to know God. You can’t fill this spiritual void by denying the existence of God and holding to the theory of evolution (which only makes you a shaved monkey) or anything else.

Scripture passage:

2 Timothy 3:16-17

All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

“All Scripture is God-breathed.” The adjective used here is theopneustos, which is a combination of two other Greek words: theos (God) and pneo (breathe). This is one of the greatest texts in the New Testament describing the inspiration or the “God-breathed” aspect of the Bible.

Another outstanding passage is 2 Peter 1:21, which describes how divine inspiration took place. “For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

“The word of God” means anything that God utters… particularly the word that came through Jesus Christ. There is a dynamic quality about God’s revelation. It is alive and does things. “For the word of God is living and active” Hebrews 4:12(a).

Inspired Scripture is useful or profitable in various areas:

1. To teach the will of God, and to point out Jesus Christ till he should come.
2. For reproof – To convince men of the truth; and to confound those who should deny it.
3. For correction – For restoring things to their proper uses and places, correcting false notions and mistaken views. Correcting us where we have gone wrong.
4. Instruction in righteousness – For communicating all initiatory religious knowledge; for schooling mankind. Training us in how to live both inwardly and outwardly in righteous living.

The purpose of all this is so that Christians will be completely ready to meet the demands of discipleship. A preacher of the Gospel should be a man of the soundest sense, the most cultivated mind, the most extensive experience, one who is deeply taught of God, and who has deeply studied man; one who has prayed much, read much, and studied much; one who takes up his work as from God, does it as before God, and refers all to the glory of God; one who abides under the inspiration of the Almighty, and who has hidden the word of God in his heart, that he might not sin against him. No minister formed by man can ever be such as is required here. The school of Christ alone can ever form such a preacher.

i) The best known but least understood:

The Book of Jonah is probably the best known yet the least understood book of the Bible. The story is taken merely as an entertaining big fish story. But the Book of Jonah is much more than a story of a man and a great fish. This book is a profound illustration of the mercy and grace of God. The Book of Jonah illustrates God’s love and concern for gentiles as well as for Jews.

ii) Is it a fable or a true story?

Some scholars believe that the Book of Jonah is nothing more than an allegory. They believe that the book contains some spiritual lessons; however they do not believe that the story actually happened. In other words, they feel that it is not a true story. Because of these superficial attitudes, the true message and power of this book have been obscured. Nevertheless everything written in the Book of Jonah is a true historical fact. Jesus Christ himself referred to the story of Jonah as something that actually took place. As a picture of his death and resurrection on the third day Jesus cited Jonah in Matthew 12:39-40. Jonah is also mentioned by our Lord in Luke 11:29-32. If Jesus believed Jonah was a true event, then you and I should do too! We can trust that everything written about Jonah is a true and accurate story.

iii) On a ship bound for Tarshish:

Jonah (meaning dove) the son of Amittai, became a prophet in 793 BC and ministered in Israel during the reign of King Jeroboam II. God commanded Jonah to go to the city of Nineveh and warn the Assyrians of imminent judgment because of their wickedness. But Jonah was reluctant to see Nineveh spared knowing full well how wicked the people there are. So he makes his way to Joppa (meaning beautiful), a seaport, and took a ship bound for Tarshish. Joppa was an ancient city situated about 35 miles NW of Jerusalem. Because it possessed a natural harbor, it was for centuries the seaport of Jerusalem.Nineveh was toward the East. Jonah decided to go in the opposite direction– as far West as he could.

iv) Cast into the sea:

But on the way came the great storm. Jonah’s disobedience endangered the lives of the crew of the ship. We must always remember that we have a great responsibility to obey God’s commands because our sins and disobedience can hurt others around us. While the storm raged, Jonah was sound asleep below deck. Running away from God apparently did not bother his conscience. But the absence of guilt does not always mean we are doing the right thing. Relying on their superstition the crew cast lots to find out who is responsible. Their system worked because God intervened to let Jonah know that he couldn’t runaway. Jonah knew that the storm was his fault, but he didn’t say anything until the lot fell on him. By trying to save Jonah’s life, the pagan sailors showed more compassion than Jonah. After Jonah was cast into the sea, the ship’s crew saw the storm calm down. The pagan sailors prayed to God and vowed to serve him. It may be painful, but admitting our sins can be a powerful example to those who don’t know the true God.

v) Not a whale but a great fish:

Jonah was cast into the sea because the terrifying storm was his fault. A great fish which the Lord had prepared came and swallowed Jonah. It is wrongly said that a whale swallowed Jonah. It was not a whale but a big fish sent my God. The event is portrayed as a miracle and should be understood that way. In fact, the whale is not a fish, it is a mammal.

vi) A prayer of thanksgiving not deliverance:

Misreading the text of the second chapter of Jonah occurs frequently because of the readers’ failure to pay attention to details. This chapter is not about Jonah asking God to deliver him from the belly of the fish. This chapter is a prayer of thanksgiving and not deliverance. Obviously Jonah was not in a position to bargain with God. Instead he thanked God for all he has done for him. We too can praise and thank God for what he has done for us, for his love and mercy both in the good times and the bad times. Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights before it disgorged him on the sea shore.

vii) A wicked city repented:

God re-commissioned Jonah to go to Nineveh. Jonah went, reluctantly. From Jonah’s or human point of view, there are good reasons why Jonah thought the people of Nineveh deserved to be punished. As a prophet Jonah might have also known that the Assyrians would eventually conquer the Northern Kingdom known as Israel and his people would suffer at their hands. Nineveh was the capital city of the vast Assyria Empire. It is located about 500 miles north east of Israel. For a period of 300 years (911-609 BC) Assyria was the greatest political power in the Near East. They worshiped many gods and goddesses but their kings were their favorite deities. Archaeological discoveries indicate that warfare was an essential aspect of the Assyrian way of life. They waged wars on other nations not so much as to extend their dominion but to destroy and plunder. They built huge monuments to commemorate their victories. Drunkenness was a severe social problem. Prostitution flourished openly in the streets as well as brothels called “houses of pleasure”. Medically they relied heavily on magic and incantations. The daily life of the ordinary and common citizens was devoid of meaning. Jonah came at last to Nineveh, calling out that in forty days God would destroy the city. Ordinarily prophets with this kind of messages don’t get much of a reception. They are laughed out of town or worse. But the unexpected happened. The city repented, from the king to the last person, and the judgment of God was stayed.

viii) Jonah knew God too well:

It is incorrect to assume that Jonah had a very primitive idea of God and that he thought if he could get out of the land, he would get away from God. Jonah knew God too well and that is why he tried to flee. Jonah 4:2 He prayed to the LORD, “O LORD, is this not what I said when I was still at home? That is why I was so quick to flee to Tarshish. I knew that you are a gracious and compassionate God, slow to anger and abounding in love, a God who relents from sending calamity.”

ix) Into the very heart of God:

The Book of Jonah ended abruptly. We are not told whether Jonah changed his attitude toward the Ninevites or not. But the book takes us right into the very heart of God. His attributes of holiness, justice, patience and love are revealed. “But Nineveh has more than a hundred and twenty thousand people who cannot tell their right hand from their left, and many cattle as well. Should I not be concerned about that great city?” Jonah 4:11

x) Our own Ninevehs today:

Jonah hated the Ninevites, but God loved them and want them to change their evil ways of life. Jonah hated the wicked people of Nineveh and was unhappy with God because God spared them. There is a Jonah in me. There is a Jonah in you. Take a moment to reflect upon your own Ninevites. There are people who you cannot love. Just like Jonah you would rather see them punished by God for their sinful ways or for hurting you in some way. But those very people are the image of God like you and I and who God loved. Christ died for them too. 1 John 4:21 clearly states that love for God and love for our neighbors are inseparable. The one is not possible apart from the other. Those who love God cannot refuse love to the image of God that meets them in their fellow human beings. There are many Ninevehs around us, some not even far away. God sent Jonah to Nineveh; we too are called to go to our modern day Ninevehs.

1. Those who have not heard the gospel of salvation.
2. People dying of hunger and poverty.
3. Those suffering from HIV and AIDS or terminal diseases.
4. Orphans and those ignored by society.
5. Enemies you need to make peace with.
6. People living in drunkenness and leading immoral lives.
7. The scorned widows.
8. Victims of road mishaps and accidents.
9. Women and young girls in the flesh trade due to compelling circumstances or by force.
10. Those unfairly being treated by other people or agencies or by their own national government.
11. People mourning over the lost of a loved one.
12. Unmarried pregnant teenagers.
13. The old and aged people who don’t have anyone to care or support them.
14. The sick who cannot afford medical care.
15. Victims of unfair discrimination.
16. Those stricken by natural disasters and calamities.

Note:

Where is Nineveh today? What happened to the city? The repentance of Nineveh saved it from destruction for nearly 100 years. But apparently they returned to their evil ways. Nineveh was completely sacked by the combined forces of the Babylonians and the Medes in 612 BC, and has lain in ruins to this day.