Sweet Sisters,
Last week we looked at Bible Scriptures that showed us who the Holy Spirit is and what He does. We talked about how God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are all part of what we call “The Trinity” but yet are all separate as well. I compared the concept to a rope with three strands. One rope, three parts. They operate as one.
Today I want to look at Bible scriptures that show us the deity of Jesus and emphasizing His “Oneness” with God. My goal is not to explain these verses to you or to give you a clear understanding of what they mean. I am a tour guide. My goal is to show you “snapshots”, if you will, of the power and might of our Jesus, who so much wanted an intimate relationship with you that He gave up, for a season the glories of heaven to come to our world and live among us. He came to physically show us how much He loved us and the extent He was willing to go through by dying on the cross so that we could not only call Him our God, but our brother and friend.
The first “snapshot” we will look at is in John 1:1-5:
1 In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God,
and the Word was God.
2 He was with God in the beginning.
3 Through him all things were made;
without him nothing was made that has been made.
4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind.
5 The light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.
I want you to particularly notice verse two. He was with God in the beginning and without Him was nothing made. We will see this concept again.
Let’s go to John 1:14:
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.
We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son,
who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
John tells us here who “The Word” is. Sweet Sisters, this verse should give you goose bumps. John is telling his readers, “God’s Son is here!”
It is not unusual for those of us who live in the Coachella Valley area to walk into a restaurant or shop and see some well-known person. We get all excited. We may, or may not, actually approach them, but we certainly tell our friends, “You’ll never believe who I saw!”
John tells us that the God of the universe is here! He came to our world to live among us!!!
John 8:58 gives us another snapshot of who Jesus said He was:
58 “Very truly I tell you,” Jesus answered,
“before Abraham was born, I am!”
In John 10:30 we see a snapshot that Jesus’ opponents had a lot of trouble with:
30 I and the Father are one.”
Paul gives us an amazing snapshot of what Jesus was willing to do for us and who He is in Philippians 2:6-11:
Who, being in very nature God,
did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage;
7 rather, he made himself nothing
by taking the very nature of a servant,
being made in human likeness.
8 And being found in appearance as a man,
he humbled himself
by becoming obedient to death—
even death on a cross!
9 Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
and gave him the name that is above every name,
10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11 and every tongue acknowledge
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Pay special attention to verse 8.
Colossians 1:15-20 is more than a snapshot. It is a whole album of snapshots of who Jesus is. As you read these verses, write down each description of who Jesus is and what He does.
15 The Son is the image of the invisible God,
the firstborn over all creation.
16 For in him all things were created:
things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible,
whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;
all things have been created through him and for him.
17 He is before all things,
and in him all things hold together.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church;
he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead,
so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness
dwell in him,
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things,
whether things on earth or things in heaven,
by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.
Our last snapshot today comes from Hebrews 1:1-4:
1 In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets at many times and in various ways,
2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son,
whom he appointed heir of all things,
and through whom also he made the universe.
3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory
and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by his powerful word.
After he had provided purification for sins,
he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
4 So he became as much superior to the angels
as the name he has inherited is superior to theirs.
Again, we see the concept of “through Him He made the universe.” We saw this concept in a previous snapshot after John 1:2. Did you catch it?
Yesterday, Paul preached a sermon from Mark 15:31. The Chief Priests and the teachers of the law are mocking Jesus. They say “You saved others, but you cannot save yourself.” They were correct that Jesus saved others. They were not correct that He could not save Himself. Jesus absolutely had the power to save Himself, but He chose not to.
Jesus, the exact representation of God who was with God in the beginning, who through everything was made, chose to come to our world and live among us. He chose to be intimately involved in the lives of those He came in contact with who would let Him. He taught. He healed. He gave us a visual of how much He loved us and then He chose to die on a cross as a sacrifice for us. He chose to go to battle with Satan and conquer death by being raised from the dead three days later, all so that we could be in an intimate relationship with Him.
Sweet Sisters, close your eyes and try to picture this snapshot in your mind’s eye:
Jesus, who was and is and always will be.
Jesus who is God.
Jesus, who came to earth
lived and died and rose again
is standing beside you.
He has His arms wrapped around you.
He is grinning and His eyes are full of love
because He adores you
and is thrilled to call you, His daughter.
He loves you more than you can ever imagine
and He promises to always be with you for all eternity.
Debbie