Prayer: Father God, Lord Jesus, hallowed is your holy name. As each day goes by, we need your power, love, and guidance. Lord, first and foremost, we thank You for forgiving our sins and dying for us while we were still sinners. Lord, as we approach another holiday season, we thank You for encouraging us to forgive others. Lord, please help us put on Your whole armor as we run this race. Lord, order our steps as we bring the Good News of the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ to anyone who has not heard or does not want to believe that You are the Way, the Truth, and the Life.
It is becoming increasingly apparent that the Gospel Message is being perverted. Lord, help us to speak the truth boldly. “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!” (1 Cor. 15:57). As we encounter hypocrisy in public and religious gatherings, we must be grateful and do good. Lord, anoint us so that our light may reflect Jesus’ light. Lord, we thank you for comforting and healing the sick; thank you for patiently waiting for the lost to come to the knowledge of Your truth; thank you for traveling grace. Lord, thank you for your son, Jesus, who died for our sins and is our living hope for everlasting life. In Jesus' Name, I say Amen.
Message: Let’s Talk About Jesus
Let’s talk about Jesus. He’s a friend of mine. He’s the man at the river, giving sight to the blind. I don’t know about you, but I believe in Jesus, and I bless His holy name! So, I ask, who are you, and what is He to you? If you have doubt, consider the question Joshua asked his people, “If it is evil in your eyes to serve the Lord, choose this day whom you will serve” (Josh. 24:15).
He calls us friends because He has told us everything the Father told Him to say to us (John 15:15). He stands at the door and knocks; He will not ram it. He allows us to exercise our free will and open the door (Rev. 3:20). We need to stop acting like automatons. We are no longer slaves; if we are in Christ, we are free indeed. After all, a slave does not know what His master is doing. We know what Jesus came to do, even though many pretend they do not. We know that He laid down His life for us, and there is no greater love than one who will lay down His life for a friend (John 15:13). For the ultimate sacrifice, He died for us while we were still sinners.
Give thanks for His sacrifice, for it is our duty to give “thanks to God the Father for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Eph. 5:20). By prayer with thanksgiving, we live in a country where, for the moment, the Lord is holding Satan back. Even though the devil is prowling around looking for someone to devour, if we stand firm in our faith, we can resist him (1 Pet. 5:8-9).
In this time and place, we are still free to serve God. Still, we must be sober-minded and watchful “to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Eph. 6:11). In Christ, we are the recipients of divine power, which enables us to demolish strongholds and stand against every argument and presumption brought against the knowledge of God (2 Cor. 10:4-5). Praise the Lord, now, and make a joyful noise for He is good. Let us prepare to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and bless His name” (Psa. 100:4).
There are many people in this world, including church folk, who do not believe that Jesus Christ is who God says He is. Some say He was just a prophet or religious leader. Yet the same people claim they believe in the Bible, which says, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). We cannot believe in the Bible and not believe that Jesus is who God says He is.
My brothers and sisters, these two ideas conflict; they are contradictions. Know this: the contradiction is not in the Bible but in your mind. Therefore, I beseech you to examine what you think you know and allow the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father sent in Jesus’ name, to teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that Jesus said to you (John 14:26).
For those who genuinely believe that God is omnipotent, why is it so difficult to believe that an omnipotent God can be born of a virgin and walk among us in human form? The Bible says plainly, “Christ is the visible image of the invisible God” (Col. 1:15). Again, for those who say they believe God is omnipotent, know this: the Bible says He is also sovereign.
The Gospel Message as told by the Apostle John says that in the beginning, the Word was with God and the Word was God (Jn. 1:1). In that same chapter, John says the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (Jn. 1:14). Through the Apostle John, Jesus proclaims that He is “the way, the truth, and the life” (Jn. 14:6). I urge you, brothers and sisters, to study and show yourself approved unto God so you can be confident in who you say Jesus is.
Many earthly churches are on life support because they do not know who Jesus is. They have strayed from God’s Word and the Gospel Message of Jesus Christ. The day is drawing near, and it is past time for those called by His name to lay aside the deeds of darkness (Rom. 13:12). Pray for the courage to fight the good fight that comes with faith in Jesus Christ. “Beyond question, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, was vindicated in the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory” (1 Tim. 3:16, NASB). My friends, who do you say Jesus is? Those who know Him have seen His glory. Do you know Him? Are you fully convinced in your mind that Jesus Christ is Lord, Savior, Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Son of God, the beginning and the end? I believe that He is the man at the river, giving sight to the blind. Do you?
Benediction: May the Lord fill us with joy and peace so that we may abound in hope (Rom. 15-13). Amen!
