JESUS THE LIGHT OF HUMAN BEINGS

Many people are troubled by the apparent remoteness of God. He seems to them distant, aloof , and unreal. They cry out with Job, 'If only I knew where to find him' (Job 23 :3)

It is this image of an absentee God that John smashes to smithereens. In the prologue of his Gospel he writes of three comings of God into the world in Christ.

Firstly, he was coming into the world. It is a great mistake to suppose that the first time God came into the world was when he was born into it. No, He made the world and has never left it. 'He is the true light that gives light to every man' who, ' was coming into the world' (John 1:9) Thus long before he came he was coming, giving to all both light and life. So that everything beautiful, good, and true in the world we claim for Jesus Christ. People may not know this, for usually he retains his incognito, but he is 'the light of men' (v4) No human being is plunged into total darkness.

Secondly he came into the world 'He came to that which was his own' (v11) He who had been coming to all people now came to his particular people He who had been coming ingognito now came in person, openly and publicly. The eternal Word became a human being. The tragedy is the world did not recognize him.

Thirdly he still comes. He He comes now by his Spirit, and to thos who receive him he gives the right to become God's children, born of God (v12)

A fourth coming could be added, although John does not mention it here. But later records Jesus's promise.' I will come back and take you to be with me (John 14 :3)

So here are God's four comings .He was continuously coming as the light and life of all human beings. He came on the first Christmas Day. He conme still,waiting for us to receive Him and He will come on the last Day.

Yours Aye

Roy

JESUS THE SAVIOUR OF THE WORLD

Last time we considered Luke as a historian this week we will see him as a theologian and evangelist. What is his message? It is that Jesus is the Saviour of the world, the reaching out to everybody, irrespective of race, nationality, rank, age or sex. So Luke deliberately places near the beginning of each of his volumes a statement of universality. Quoting OT prophets he says.

Luke 3:6 'And all mankind will see God's Salvation'

Acts 2:17 'I will pour out my Spirit on all people'

And throughout his Gospel he goes out of his way to show Jesus including those whom society often excludes.

Being a doctor it is understandable that Luke should emphasize Jesus's compassion for the sick and suffering. But he also cared for women and children, the poor and the needy, tax collectors and sinneres, and especially Samaritans and Gentiles. In each case Luke's emphasis is stronger than that of the other evangelists.

Being a Gentile himself Luke was a man of wide horizons. He never calls the water of Galilee a sea, for he himself has sailed on the Great Sea ( the Mediterranean) and by comparison he calls Galilee only a lake.

In the Acts Luke chronicles the three pioneer missionary journeys undertaken by his hero Paul, indicating the occasions when he himself was present as Paul's companion. The Acts records a triumphal progression from Jerusalem, the capital of Jewry, to Rome the capital of the world .
Wherever they went they proclaimed salvation (comprising forgiveness and the Spirit) as available in Christ to all people. And Luke records the apostle Peter's affirmation.

'Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved'. Acts 4:12

Yours Aye

Roy

Luke part 1 - Jesus the Historical Figure

Luke wrote the two volume work on the origins of Christianity, namely his Gospel and the Acts.
In his preface which covers both Books, he emphasises the reliability of what he is writing. For he is absolutely clear that Jesus was no myth but a historical figure. So he sets out his case in five logical stages. (vv 1-4)
First certain "things ....have been fulfilled among us "(v 1) These were the events of Jesus's ministry
Secondly; these events were seen by eyewitnesses who "handed down"what they had seen,to others. (v 2)
Thirdly, Luke who was one of these,"carefully investigated everything from the beginning" (v 3)
Fourthly Luke wrote down the result of his research, giving an orderly account" of it. (v3)
Fifthly, there would be readers,including Theophilus,his distinguished patron, who would find in Luke's Gospel solid grounds for his faith.

But when did Luke pursue his investigations ? For he was not one of the Twelve or an eyewitness. He later enjoyed a two year residence in Palestine while Paul was imprisoned in Caeserea (Acts 24 ;27). How did he occupy his time ? We can only guess. Surely he travelled the length and breadth of the, gathering material for his Gospel and for the early Jesusalem-based story of the Acts,visiting the sites associated with Jesus's ministry, familiarising himself (as a Gentile) with Jewish culture, and interviewing eyewitnesses. These must have included the Virgin Mary by now an elderly lady. For Luke tells Mary's story including the intimacies surrounding Jeus"s birth.These can have come only from Mary herself. All this establishes our confidence in the historical reliability of Luke's writings. (Through the Bible Through the Year )
John Stott.

Yours Aye

Roy

JESUS THE SUFFERING SERVANT

The centre of Mark's Gospel is the Cross of Christ. Once the twelve grasped who Jesus was and had confessed him as the Messiah, he began to teach them about the Cross.It was a turning point in Jesus' ministry and so also in Mark's Gospel. Before this time Jesus had been made much of as a preacher and healer. But he had not come to be that kind of Messiah. So from now on he taught his disciples openly about the necessity of his sufferings and death Mark 8:31. Mark records on three more separate occasions Jesus solemnly predicted his death. Indeed one third of Mark's Gospel is devoted to his passion (suffering).

The evidence of Jesus' teaching is found in the statement that "The Son of Man must suffer" Why must he suffer? What is the origin of his sense of compulsion? It is because the Scriptures must be fulfilled. Why then the Son of Man"? By using this Hebraism for a human being, Jesus was referring to Daniel 7. In this vision "one like a son of man" (that is, a human figure) comes on the clouds and approaches the Ancient of Days (GOD). He is given authority and sovereign power so that all people will serve him, and his kingdom will never be destroyed. (Dan 7: 13-14)

Jesus adopted the title (Son of Man) but changed his role. According to Daniel all nations would serve him. According to Jesus he had come to serve, not to be served. In fact Jesus did what
nobody else had done : he fused the two Old Testament images, Isaiah's servant who suffers and Daniel's son of Man who reigns. First Jesus must bear our sins and only then rise and enter his glory from whence he will rule and reign until his Second advent when he will come in power and great glory, to call all Men to account.

Yours Aye

Roy

Jesus the Internationalsit

Last time we saw that Matthew portrays a Jewish Jesus.Indeed he proclaims him as the long expected Messiah.The evidence for this Jewishness is indisputable. Jesus was steeped in the Old Testament. He saw himself as the fulfillment of all Old Testament Prophecy.

More than that, Matthew records two occasions, which are not paralleled in the other Gospels, in which Jesus appears to be guilty of nationalism or ethnic prejudice. Firstly referring to his own ministry, Jesus said, "I was only sent to the lost sheep of Israel" Matt 15:24 Secondly,referring to the ministry of his disciples, he said to them,"Do not go among the Gentiles....go rather to the lost sheep of Israel." Matt10: 5-6.

This however as we see in later scripture is only an historical limitation. Jesus was giving Israel a last chance. But he added immediately that later his disciples would be "witnesses...to the Gentiles" (v18) And the same Matthew who recorded these sayings about Israel's "lost sheep" also recorded that at the beginning of his gospel the visit of the Gentile Magi, and at its end the great commission to "go and make disciples of all nations" (28:19)

So although Matthew's picture of Jesus is the most Jewish of the four pictures, it would be impossible to represent Jesus as guilty in any way of ethnic pride or prejudice. On the contrary, Jesus made it clear that the renewed Israel would be an international nation.

"I say to you that many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven" Matt 8:11

Yours aye

Roy

Through the Year in the Four Gospels-Devotional

As we begin a New Year, that is still full of promise, let us consider Jesus who is the Christ (Messiah)

Matthew the writer of the first Gospel presents Jesus to us as the long expected and awaited Saviour. His favourite formula which occurs eleven times in his Gospels is some variation of this. "Now this took place that what was written in the prophets might be fulfilled."

It is appropriate therefore that Matthew should begin his Gospel with the genealogy of Jesus, in which he traces the royal line and specifically emphasizes Abraham, the founding father of Israel, and David, the ancestor of the Messiah, who would be, "the son of David"

The theme of fulfillment is most clearly seen in Jesus' inauguration of the kingdom of God. All four evangelists write that he proclaimed the kingdom, but Matthew had his special emphasis.

In deference to the Jewish reluctance to pronounce the sacred name of God, Matthew uses instead "the kingdom of heaven" (about fifty times) He also grasps that the kingdom is both a present reality and a future expectation.

One of Jesus' remarkable sayings was recorded by Matthew, and also by Luke.

"Blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous men longed to see what you see, but did not see it and to hear what you hear and did not hear it" Matt 13:16,17

In other worde the Old Testament prophets lived in the time of anticipation; the apostles were living in the time of fulfillment.Their eyes were actually seeing and their ears actually hearing, what their predecessors had longed to see and to hear. So Matthew does not portray Jesus as another prophet, one more seer in a long succession of the centuries, but rather as the fulfillment of prophecy. Matthew also sees Jesus as confronting Israel with a final summons to repent and as already begining to create a New Israel, his twelve apostles complementing the twelve tribes of Israel.

So we see that Matthew portrays a Jewish Jesus. Indeed he proclaims him as the long expected Messiah.The evidence for this Jewishness is indisputable. Jesus was steeped in the Old Testament. He saw Himself as the fulfillmentof all Old Testament prophecy.

More about Jesus soon, keep abreast of the Creationists Corner, Blog

Notes from Through the Bible through the Year by John Stott.

Yours aye Roy (editor)

CREATIONISTS CORNER

Creationists Corner exists to provide accurate historical information that presents to the Christian believer a [platform of certainty],as to how ? why? when and where? God did His Creative work.
There can be no compromise with any of the ideas, philosophies made by Man and passing for Reason or Science which contradict the Holy Scripture. It is always to be understood that if God said it, He also did it and that Moses as the editor of the first five Books of the Bible did so from the records afforded him by previous generations. They are called the "toledoth" and are records from the time of Adam's generation onward

There have been a rash of Charles Darwin films and documentaries exalting this pathetic man who among many others have helped to destroy, delude and desecrate Holy Scripture. We cannot even consider attempting to argue our case against them. What we can do is set the record of God's Word to Man and for Man, as being of precise and accurate history from the day of God's Creative work.

We need to begin by charging those who oppose the Scriptures and conclude them to be myths. Myths are a distortion of real events and are usually crowded with characters part human part divine but always self centred and often seriously mischievous. In this manner the world came to the view that there was no Supreme God and Creator but that all that is was recorded in Scripture came under this mythical form.

From the Beginning God speaks the world in to being and Man into life and living. There is no such thing as Prehistory. God begins all things and will accomplish all things. The world as we know it is but some six thousand years old and the record is above all things accurate and truthful.