Back To Basics - Third In A Series

Weekend Message/Devotion

June 30, 2019

Back to Basics

(third in a series)

Sermon Prayer: “Heavenly Father, I stand before Your people, to deliver Your message. Though the words are mine and I prepared this message, I pray that this message is Your message in its entirety. I pray your blessing and anointing on the message, its delivery, its reception - and most of all, its application in our lives.” Amen

Today, we are continuing a series of messages entitled “Back to Basics”. The series will be to review basic biblical doctrines. In other words, reviewing what our beliefs and practices are based upon. We are utilizing Bible Doctrines (A Pentecostal Perspective) authored by William Menzies, Logion Press 2001; The Great Doctrines of the Bible by William Evans, Moody Press 1974; and of course, God’s Holy Word.

The Doctrine of Jesus Christ

Who is Jesus the Christ to you? This is not a loaded question; it is meant to personalize your individual relationship with Jesus. Yes, we can know what the bible tells us about Jesus; we can know and hopefully understand what preachers tell us about who Jesus is; but, who is Jesus to you?

The following lyrics from Ray Coniff’s Here Today and Gone Tomorrow is the sentiment of many when it comes to the subject of Jesus. Sure enough, Jesus was born flesh and blood albeit incarnate some two thousand plus years ago.

“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. Then Joseph being raised from sleep did as the angel of the Lord had bidden him and took unto him his wife: And knew her not till she had brought forth her firstborn son: and he called his name JESUS.” (Matthew 1:23-25).

Here Today and Gone Tomorrow

Ray Conniff

I came to you in dark despair

I needed someone who would care.

You held me close against your heart

I felt a warmth right from the start.

Then one day he took you away

Why did it happen, who can say?

Now all that there is left for me

Is just a precious memory.

“In this being born of a woman Jesus Christ submitted to the conditions of a human life and a human body, became humanity’s son by a human birth.” The Great Doctrines of the Bible – page 14.

Jesus existed in human form with all human attributes, abilities and “grew and increased in wisdom and stature.”

“And the child grew, and waxed strong inspirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.” (Luke 2:40)

You see, Jesus SUBMITTED to the conditions of human life. Even in his human state and human appearance, Jesus was yet God the Son. In His submission to the conditions of human life, He experienced life of learning and experiencing ALL that man has since the beginning of time.

Even so, God the Father proclaims Jesus as diety:

“And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, and let all the angels of God worship him.

And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire.

But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.” (Hebrews 1:6-8)

If God the Father says so, who would want to question the deity of Jesus?

Who but God (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit) has the authority AND the power to forgive sins and heal dire sickness?

” When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee.

But there was certain of the scribes sitting there, and reasoning in their hearts,

Why doth this man thus speak blasphemies? who can forgive sins but God only?

And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?

Whether is it easier to say to the sick of the palsy, thy sins be forgiven thee; or to say, Arise, and take up thy bed, and walk?

But that ye may know that the Son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (he saith to the sick of the palsy,)

I say unto thee, Arise, and take up thy bed, and go thy way into thine house.” (Mark 2:5-11)

Remember when we started this series, we stated the God ALWAYS was? Just a quick refresher here:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1

“Lastly, we must assert that the incarnation of Jesus is the most consequential event in history, where the eternal God of the universe entered space-time history as the second person of the Trinity, and He took on flesh to dwell among His creation (John 1:14). In the incarnation, the eternal God communicates to His creation through His self-revelation, both in human form (Jesus) and in written form (His word, the Bible). Even after Jesus' resurrection and ascension, God continues to communicate to His followers through His Holy Spirit as the third person of the Trinity. “DAN TSOULOUFIS