The Wednesday Word ~ 05 October, 2022 A.D.

 Jesus Himself

by D.G. Miles McKee     

               

The Bible is a book about Jesus.
He is everywhere in the Scriptures.
He is;
The Alpha and Omega (Revelation 1:8)
The Anointed One (Psalm 2:2)
The Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:16)
The Author of Life (Acts 3:15)
The Mighty God (Isaiah 9:6)
The Branch (Zechariah 6:12)
The Bright and Morning Star (Revelation 22:16)
The Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6)
The Christ (Matthew 1:16)
The Teacher (John 13:13)
Everlasting Father (Isaiah 9:6)
The Door (John 10:9)
The Good Shepherd (John 10:14)
Holy and Righteous One (Acts 3:14)
The I Am (John 8:58)
The True Vine (John 15:1)
Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14)
The King of Kings (Revelation 19:16)
The Eternal Word (John 1:1)
The Word of God (Revelation 19:13)
The Lamb of God (John 1:29).
 
Jesus by Himself created everything. We read, 

“For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him, all things consist.” -Colossians 1:16
 
 
Not only did He create everything, but Jesus upholds everything by "the Word of His power.” (Hebrews 1:3).  Sometimes, I confess, I find it difficult to stomach the ignorance of some of the God-haters whom I’ve talked to. They arrogantly deny Christ and disparage His work. Pompous to the last, little do they realize they are dependent upon the Christ they hate for their next breath.  But, thankfully for them, He is God and I’m not. He is infinitely more gracious and merciful than I could ever be.
 
Not only did Jesus create and sustain all, Jesus Himself is all our salvation.  We read, “Neither is there salvation in any other:  for there is no other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).  
 
The Gospel begins and ends with Christ Jesus.  It is a declaration of who He is and His saving work for us.  The Gospel itself is not an offer or even a free offer nor indeed a well-meant offer. The Gospel itself is not any kind of offer. It is instead a declaration of the doing, dying and rising again of the Lord Jesus.  It is the declaration of who Christ is and of what He has done, in history, in His accomplished redemption for us.  His work is Finished!
 
As believers, we enjoy the benefits of the gospel. We discover, for example, that we are graced with eternal life, redeemed, reconciled, adopted, ransomed, bought with blood, justified, seated in glory and sanctified in Christ. However, these are gospel benefits.  They are the result of the gospel and not the gospel itself.
 
 
In light of the Lord‘s finished work, it is stunning to read of just how many people have claimed or are claiming to be Christ.  There’s A.J. Miller, for example, a former Jehovah's Witness elder and current leader of the Australia-based Divine Truth movement.  Miller claims to be Jesus reincarnated
 
There’s David Shaylor (1965–) a former MI5 agent and whistleblower who, in the summer of 2007, proclaimed himself to be the Messiah.
 
Then there’s Shoko Asahara (1955–2018), the founder of the Japanese doomsday-cult group Aum Shinrikyo. In 1992 Asahara published Declaring Myself the Christ, within which he declared himself Christ, Japan's only fully enlightened master, and identified with the Lamb of God.
 
There’s Apollo Quiboly, the founder and leader of a Philippines-based Restorationist church, the Kingdom of Jesus Christ, The Name Above Every Name, Inc. He has made claims that he is the "Appointed Son of God"
 
We have but few words for our self-appointed deities.  We must ask, “If they are in fact Jesus, can they do what Jesus did?”

Can they create universes?
Can they sustain all things by the word of their power?
Can they forgive sins?
Can they walk on water?
Can they raise the dead?
Can they raise themselves from the dead?
Can they grant eternal life?
Can they give life to whom they will?
 
Absolutely not! 
They are fakes!
The Gospel is finished.
 
And that’s the Gospel Truth!