What do you believe about Jesus Christ? Your ideas might be captured in the following letter written by a third grader.
One of God’s main jobs is making people. He makes them to replace the ones that die so there will be enough people to take care of things on earth. He doesn’t make grown-ups, just babies. I think because they are smaller and easier to make. That way, He doesn’t have to take up His valuable time teaching them to talk and walk. He can just leave that to mothers and fathers.
God’s second most important job is listening to prayers. An awful lot of this goes on, since some people, like preachers and things, pray at times besides bedtime. God doesn’t have time to listen to the radio or TV because of this. Because He hears everything there must be a terrible lot of noise in His ears, unless He has thought of a way to turn it off. God sees everything and hears everything and is everywhere which keeps Him pretty busy. So you shouldn’t go wasting His time by going over your mom and dad’s head asking for something they said you couldn’t have.
Jesus is God’s Son. He used to do all the hard work like walking on water and performing miracles and trying to teach the people who didn’t want to learn about God. They finally got tired of Him preaching to them and they crucified Him. But He was good and kind like His Father and He told His Father that they didn’t know what they were doing and to forgive them and God said OK.
His Dad (God) appreciated everything that He had done and all His hard work on earth so He told Him He didn’t have to go out on the road anymore, He could stay in heaven. So He did. And now He helps His Dad out by listening to prayers and seeing things which are important for God to take care of and which ones He can take care of Himself without having to bother God. Like a secretary only more important. You can pray anytime you want and they are sure to hear you because they got it worked out so one of them is on duty all the time.
Your parents can’t go everywhere with you, like to camp, but God can. It is good to know He’s around you when you’re scared in the dark or when you can’t swim very good and you get thrown into real deep water by big kids. But you shouldn’t just always think of what God can do for you. I figure God put me here and He can take me back anytime He pleases. And that’s why I believe in God." (A THIRD GRADERS EXPLANATION OF GOD
Written by Danny Dutton, age 8, from Chula Vista, California, for his third grade homework assignment to "Explain God.")
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Brian Mavis)
What do you believe about God? The message of Christmas is God’s way of clarifying the truth about Himself. Jesus Christ gave a clearer understanding of God. Last week we began a four week series. We are looking at one verse of scripture, Isaiah 9:6. In this verse Jesus is identified by four titles. These titles help us more fully understand the person of Jesus Christ. However, they also help us more fully understand God. Last week we looked at the first of those titles, Wonderful Counselor. Today we look at the second, Mighty God.
For 150 years, before Isaiah, the Assyrian Empire had been expanding. Isaiah’s life was spent under the shadow of the threatening Assyrian power. Isaiah witnessed the fall of his nation at the hands of the Assyrians. In spite of the doom and darkness Isaiah was given a vision. He saw hope for the future. In this context Isaiah had visions of Jesus, the coming Savior. Isaiah called Jesus the “Mighty God.” Those people needed to know that God is mighty. They needed to know that God had not moved off and forgot about them. They needed to know that Jesus is sufficient.
If Jesus is the Mighty God what will this do for you? Notice the deeper meanings behind the text.
1. If He is the “mighty God” this truth should affect our concept of Him. The phrase “mighty God” teaches two truths about Jesus that we need to know.
First, Jesus is “mighty.” Bible scholars tell us the phrase “mighty” could be translated “warrior” or “champion.” A champion is supreme, in first place or most powerful. We are familiar with the concept of a champion. We see this played out in athletics. LSU is the SEC champion. Ha! Ha! The champions of any event are applauded and treated with respect.
There was an occasion when Satan argued with Jesus as to who had the greater power! Satan said, ’I can do anything you can do, only better.’ Jesus replied, ’Ok, prove it, go ahead and try creating a man.’ Satan said, ’No problem.’ As they spoke Satan reached reached down and picked up a handful of dirt and began to mold and shape it into a man. With that, Jesus slapped his hand and said, ’Make your own dirt!’
(Contributed to Sermon Central by Kevin Taylor)
Jesus is above all others. Listen to what one person said about Him. “Socrates taught for 40 years, Plato for 50, Aristotle for 40 and Jesus for only 3. Yet the influence of Christ’s 3-year ministry infinitely transcends the impact left by the combined 130 years of teaching from these men who were among the greatest philosophers of all antiquity. Jesus painted no pictures; yet, some of the finest paintings of Raphael, Michelangelo and Leonardo da Vinci received their inspiration from Him.
Jesus wrote no poetry; but Dante, Milton and scores of the world’s greatest poets were inspired by Him. Jesus composed no music; still Haydn, Handel, Beethoven, Bach, and Mendelssohn reached their highest perfection of melody in the hymns, symphonies and oratories they composed in His praise. Every sphere of human greatness has been enriched by this humble Carpenter of Nazareth.
(Henry G. Bosch in 7700 Illustrations. # 2679)
Second, Jesus is “God.” He is a teacher but more than a teacher. He is a prophet but more than a prophet. He is a religious leader but more than a religious leader. He is a miracle worker but more than a miracle worker. HE IS GOD!
Some people have a limited view of Him. There are two cults that are very popular in our society. On the surface they look good but when you analyze their teachings about Jesus Christ you understand they have a limited view of Him.
The scripture translation used by one of these cults reveals a very interesting insight. This is found in John 1:1. In traditional translations you find that verse translated “In the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God.” In the cult Bible it is translated “In the beginning was the word and the word was “a god.” He is not a god. HE IS GOD! Jesus is not a little God. He is the mighty God!
The other cult has a phrase in their literature that says “as man now is, god once was; as God now is, man may become.” In other words, according to them Jesus is not supremely God and we may become equal with Him.
If Jesus is not totally and 100% God, what reason do we have for following Him? If Jesus is not “Mighty” and “God” what reason is there in following Him? If God is not supreme, sovereign and divine, what value is faith? We have a statement of faith that clarifies our beliefs. It is called the Baptist Faith and Message. In the statement about Jesus it states “Christ is the eternal Son of God.” We need a right view of Him!
2. If Jesus is the “mighty God” this should affect our conduct toward Him. He is not a man. He is not a politician. Sometimes I hear people say “I talked to the man up-stairs.” He is not a man. He is God? Because He is God He deserves our worship.
The Bible says “God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth.” (Phil. 2:9-10 NKJV)
Illustration: A friend of Queen Victoria’s told the story of the Queen’s faith. This friend said on the first anniversary of the accession of Edward VII to the throne of England, during the service in Canterbury Cathedral, the Queen was moved to make an inspiring statement. She said “Oh, how I wish that the Lord would come during my lifetime, because I should so love to lay my crown at his feet.”
C.S. Lewis in “Mere Christianity” said about Jesus, “A man who was merely a man and said the sort of things Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic---on the level with a man who says he is a poached egg---or he would be the devil of hell. You must take your choice. Either this was, and is, the Son of God, or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool or you can fall at His feet and call Him Lord and God.”
We should worship Him but we should also give Him first place in our lives. There is a very subtle message surrounding the word “God” in the Bible. The word God is always capitalized. That emphasis points to His authority, supernatural character, and sovereignty. He deserves pre-eminence in our lives. The first of the ten commandments points to this teaching. God must be pre-eminent. If He is not first, the other commandments are null and void. We can create other gods in our hearts. We can create idols in our personal lives. Whenever we put anything before Him we have broken this command.
Joke: Typical of last minute Christmas shoppers, a mother was running furiously from store to store. Suddenly she became aware that the pudgy little hand of her three year old son was no longer clutched in hers. In a panic she retraced her steps and found him standing with his little nose pressed flatly against a frosty window. He was gazing at a manger scene. Hearing his mother’s near hysterical call, he turned and shouted with innocent glee: "look mommy! it’s Jesus - baby Jesus in the hay". With obvious indifference to his joy and wonder, she impatiently jerked him away saying, "we don’t have time for that!"
(SOURCE: From "THE WONDER OF CHRISTMAS" by Glenn Pease. http://www.intohisword.net/luke/luke17.
shtml...Contributed by SermonCentral PRO) Have we made God and Jesus pre-eminent in our lives.
• He desires to be first in our relationships.
• He desires to be first in our use of our time.
• He desires to be first in our use of our money.
• He desires to be first in our friendships.
3. If Jesus is the “mighty God” this truth should affect our confidence. The people of Isaiah’s day were living under oppression. They were discouraged. They needed a word to lift their spirits. They lacked confidence.
I like the prayer a little boy prayed.
"Dear God, please take care of my daddy and my mommy and my sister and my brother and my doggy and me. Oh, please take care of yourself, God. If anything happens to you, we’re gonna be in a big mess." (Christianstoreies.com…contributed by Sermon Central)
The people of Isaiah’s day were in a “big mess.” The prophesy, which Isaiah shared, was intended to give the people confidence and hope. The people were looking down the smoking barrel of the Assyrian guns. They were living in a day of political anarchy. They were living in a day of pain and heart-ache. Isaiah wrote to give them hope. Those people needed confidence that there was hope.
Illustration: I love the story I heard about a little girl who was afraid of tunnels. She frequently traveled on trains with her family. Every time they approached a tunnel, she would press her face against her mother the moment the train entered the tunnel and would look up only when assured they were out in the sunshine. A few years passed and her fear completely disappeared. She could pass through a tunnel and was not affected. Her mother, remembering her former fear, asked what made the difference. The little girl replied, “mother, I like the tunnel because it has light at both ends.”
You can have hope and confidence even though your situation may not be ideal. You can have hope and confidence and be living in darkness. Look at Isaiah 9:2. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined.” The message of Christmas is, no matter how dark the night there is hope. This will be my first Christmas without my dad. We are living in hope with the full confidence that he is in Heaven with Jesus.
Jesus, the mighty God, will give confidence and victory. You have heard me quote the saying “I do not know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.” The hope of Jesus Christ guarantees victory, no matter the situation. Listen to what Paul said ““For your sake we are being killed all day long; we are accounted as sheep to be slaughtered.”
No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom. 8:35-38 NRSV).
