* There is only one week left in this series! Next week is the last. Subscribe here if you’d like to be sure to see it. Special thanks to my husband, Joel, who helps me with this series. On some, if not most posts he does all the preliminary writing and researching before I jump in!

Was Jesus God?

If you look among many religions, there is actually a debate about whether or not Jesus was God.
Jehovah’s Witnesses do not believe he was.  Muslims only believe he was a prophet, and not even as good a prophet as Muhammad.  Catholics do not believe he was, although they have no problem saying he was the son of God.

So, does the bible say that he was?

Philippians 2:6 tells us that Jesus thought it not robbery to be equal with God.

The reason Jesus was crucified was because the Jewish Chief Priests said he was blaspheming because they knew he was telling them that he was God.  And they didn’t like it!

“In the beginning was the Word, and  the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” John 1:1
“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.” John 1:14

I John 5:7 is the key verse regarding the trinity:
“For there are three that bear record in heaven, the Father [God], the Word [Jesus], and the Holy Ghost:  and these three are one.”

Did you know that all three are present in Genesis chapter 1?

“In the beginning God [the Father] created the heaven and the earth. And the spirit [the Holy Ghost] of God moved upon the face of the waters. And God said [Jesus], Let there be light: and there was light.” Genesis 1;1-3.   We know vs. 3  is referring to Jesus because Colossians 1:12-18 tells us so. Go look it up for yourself!

This also helps us understand why God said is Genesis 1:26 Let US make man in OUR image, because God is a 3 part being.  See the post on patterns to study this further.

Maybe you wonder why God just doesn’t come out and say that Jesus is God.  Why is it so mysterious?  Well, God does say that this truth is a mystery. And God reveals this mystery through his Word! He reveals the identity of the Word -  in His Word!

I Timothy 3:16  “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh,..”

Here are 2 other nuggets God put in his word to help us find out the truth.

Genesis 22:8  “And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering;”

Abraham could have said God will provide a lamb, but no, he stuck that little word “himself” in the middle of it.  Jesus is called the lamb of God (Revelation 5:6), and he provided himself to die on the cross for us willingly, as an offering.

Acts 20:28  “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

Where in the bible did God shed his blood?  It can only be referring to Jesus!

By the way, Matthew 1:23 also says they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.

The truth is that Jesus was God, but a more important truth is that Jesus had to be God. Because his sacrifice had to be the offering of a spotless lamb. And because Jesus rose again from the dead three days after he died on the cross, he IS God! Hallelujah!

If you’d like to know how you can be assured of a home in heaven when you pass from this Earth take the Good Test here.

*You can find all the previous posts in this series right here.

*This is the 10th week out of 13 Saturdays. Thank you to my dear husband who helps me every week with this series.

The moon, the sun, and the earth…3 simple things we see everyday tell us a lot about God.

A picture in the heavens.

• The Moon… all banged up, craters and all…represents us, dead in our sins with no light of our own.

• The Sun… absolutely necessary for life to survive on our planet, gives us warmth and light… represents Jesus Christ, the ONLY begotten Son of God – the light of the world.

• The Earth  is the World. The World… represents the things of this life that pull us away from a relationship with God, such as…materialism, the pride of life, and lust of the flesh.

When Jesus was crucified, he was no longer on this planet to give his light.  But he told believers this…

Matthew 5:16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Ok, so the Sun goes down, and out comes the moon… or is it us.

We don’t shine on our own.  We reflect the light of Jesus for the world to see.  We are just a dead rock without Jesus, but we are very beautiful in God’s eyes.  But when you take a very close look at us, we can appear to be very ugly.  God says that all of our righteousness is like a filthy rag, which means on our best day, we fall short of God’s glory.  We live in a day where it seems like the world is sleeping when it comes to Christianity.  But we do know one thing, even when night is at its very darkest, the Sun will be appearing soon.

…”Surely I come quickly“...”Even so, come, Lord Jesus.” Revelation 22:20

Are you ready?

You’ll find the previous 9 posts in this series here. Would you like to get HallofFameMoms delivered by email or RSS? Subscribe here, its free.

Really?

God’s Word is not subject to Man’s wisdom or  Man’s ability to understand it. And Man’s wisdom refuses to submit to its authority.

• The Bible says  in Genesis chapter one… “In the beginning God…”.  That he created the world, mankind, animals, etc within 6 days.

Man’s Wisdom  says … “in the beginning there was nothing, and then it exploded.” Evolution.

• God’s Word says God is Holy (I Peter 1:16).  Holy means that he always does right, and never does wrong.
  

• The Bible says God transcends time (Genesis 1:1 and John 1:1).  Before anything existed, God was there.  Jesus/God is the Alpha & Omega (meaning He’s the beginning and the end).  He’s always been around.
  

• God’s Word says God is a Trinity: three yet one (I John 5:7).  He is God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ) and God the Holy Spirit.  John 1:1 again says that the Word of God was with God and the Word was God.

Man’s wisdom says Jesus is/was NOT God.

• The Bible says God is omniscient (all-knowing), he is omnipotent (all-powerful), and he is omniprescent (he is everywhere all the time).

Man’s wisdom says he is not accountable to God, his creator. So why should I care.

• God’s Word says God became a man and died (John 1:14 and Mark 15:39)…and he rose again! Because he’s God!

Man’s religion says God is dead, or God does not exist.

• The Bible says Man is sinful because he is born under the curse of Adam’s sin AND because he chooses to sin (Romans 3:23 & 3:10).

Man thinks …”At least I’m not as bad as he/she is”.

• God’s Word says there is an enemy called the Devil or Satan (Revelation 12:9).

Man’s excuse for his own wrong-doing is to say… The Devil made me do it!

• The Bible says there is a literal hell (Matthew 25:41).  Man does not want to accept this.
  

Man thinks there is nothing after death. Just, the grave.

• God’s Word says there is Salvation by Grace (Eph. 2:8-9).  This verse clearly shows that nothing we can do will get us to heaven.

Man’s wisdom teaches that there is some way he can possibly be good enough or do enough good deeds to earn his way to heaven.

The point this week is that it is highly unlikely that man would sit down and write the Bible if he was able to. However, II Peter 2:21 says, …”For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but Holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.”

Would a man write a book filled with prophecies saying that God would become a man, and would die for sinful people. He died for sinners, that would be all of us, friend.  And everyone has the option of submitting their will to him and being saved/forgiven from their sins and having eternal life through Christ.

Faith in Christ’s work on the cross is necessary. I Corinthians 2:5 says, “That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.”

Good deeds, perfection on your part, impossible. This gift is for all, even fornicators, adulterers, liars, dime-store thieves…murderers.

Its called…grace!  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.  Ephesians 2:8-9

Truly, the list could go on, but the point is that The Bible could only be the product of God (Isaiah 55:8-11).

Why?

{because}

But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, … Ephesians 2:4

What’s keeping you from receiving His FREE gift? Take the Good Test now and see where you stand.

To see the previous 8 weeks in this series, click here. To subscribe for my updates by email or RSS, click here. *Special Thanks to my wonderful husband who helps me a great deal with this series!! xoxox

This is week 8 out of 13…5 more to go!

“I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.” Psalm 138:2

In last week’s post hopefully you saw how important God and Jesus’ names are yet the above verse says God put his word (The Bible) above his name!

Why would he do that?

Scripture tells us to “compare spiritual things with spiritual” I Corinthians 2, so lets find the answer in the bible.

• “And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book:  But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” John 20:30-31.
  

• “Every word of God is pure:” Proverbs 30:5
  

• “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth“ John 17:17
  

• “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.”Psalm 119:105  {If you read the book, it will show you what to do- the answers are there.}

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;”  II Timothy 4:3

We see this happening today as people choose to go to churches that tell them what they want to hear instead of the truth from God’s Word.

The importance of the Word: It is necessary for salvation!

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6

• “Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?”… I John 2:22 and “Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father:” I John 2:23 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17

• The Word of God tells us where we stand before him and how he sees us. It tells us that we are sinners (and tells us why), it tells us the truth about what Christ did for us when he died on that cross. He paid the penalty for our sins, died, was buried and rose again.
  

• Romans 10:9-10 says…”That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.” The Philippian Jailor asked Paul & Barnabus how could he be saved. Their reply, “believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved…” Acts 16:31. This is not just “believing” that God exists. The bible tells us that even the devils believe there is one God AND they TREMBLE (James 2:19).
  

• You must put your faith /trust in his word that it is true and obey him by accepting his payment for your sins, this is how God forgives us! It won’t happen for you unless you make the decision to believe it and apply it to your life.  Take the GoodTest here to learn more.
  

• “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.” II Timothy 2:15

• “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.  And he said unto the woman (Eve), Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Genesis 3:1 This is Satan questioning the Word of God and causing Eve to doubt as well!
  

“For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted,….” II Corinthians 11:4

Don’t be deceived. Many churches preach “Jesus” …but it is NOT the Jesus of the bible. It IS “another” Jesus.

If you do not spend time getting to know the True Jesus {God who came in the flesh}, how will you know if someone introduces you to a false one?

Just check out the Laodicean church {which is an example of the world we live in right now} in Revelation 3:20 – there is a Jesus party going on and Jesus isn’t even invited.

Keep this in mind, where ever it is you stand on the issue of faith and the bible…

“But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.” Galatians 1:8

In what do you put your final authority upon? Would you know if you were in a cult?  Do you know what you believe and why? Its something you should really think about.

Subscribe here to get posts by email or RSS. Click here to see the previous 7 posts.

* And a big thank you to my husband Joel who helps me ALOT with this series!

This is the 6th week out of 13 in this Summer Series… 13 Saturdays to a Sharper Focus- Romans 1:20. *Special thanks to my husband, Joel, who helps me with this series!

Move over Sylvia Brown,  John Edwards…Nostradamus, God takes prophecy very seriously. How seriously?

In Deuteronomy chapters 13 and 18, God says two things.  First he says that if a prophet makes a prediction and it comes to pass, but it is against what God says – that False prophet shall be put to death.  Second, he says that if the prediction does not come to pass that that is a sign that the  prophet is a false one.  Put him to death too.

Are you a psychic, fortune teller, tarot card reader, etc? You are not serving the One True God, you are serving the god of this world, Satan. Fortunately, we live in an age of “grace”. Anyone can be saved from their sins by repenting and putting their trust in Christ! But if you lived during the Old Testament time, before Christ…well…you could expect the death sentence.

Christian. You, me…we are to NOT consult such who deal in these satanic practices. Period. The devil is the father of lies. And the best lies are a mix of truth and falsehood. We are to put our faith in God and His Word.

He’s never let me down. You?

So how would Sylvia and Nostradamus fair on the truth & prophecy scale? Read about Sylvia Browne, and you’ll see, that even she herself claims to be only 85% accurate.  And regarding Nostradamus, his are so generic, it is basically up for any interpretation. {uh-oh}.

You know, God even says that His Word is to be trusted over an “audible” voice!  Do you hear voices? Do they tell you things that go against scripture? Its not God.  In II Peter 1: 19 he calls His written Word a “More Sure Word of prophecy“.

Why is this so important?  For hundreds of years  the Jews were waiting for their Messiah and the way they would recognize him would be through the fulfillment of the Word of God  about “his coming”.  If Jesus just missed fulfilling one prophecy  he couldn’t be the Messiah.  Here are a few prophecies Jesus fulfilled in just the way he came to Earth, being born of Mary.

1. He had to be born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2) … he was (Luke 2:1-7)
2. Born of a virgin (Isaiah 7:14 ) … he was (Matthew 1:18)
3. Entered Jerusalem on a donkey (Zechariah 9:9) … he did (Matthew 21:7)
4. Betrayed by a friend (Psalm 41:9) … he was (Matthew 26:50)
5. Betrayed for 30 pieces of silver (Zechariah 11:12) … he was (Matthew 26:15)
6. Opened not his mouth (Isaiah 53:7) … he didn’t (Mark 15:5)
7. Crucified with thieves (Isaiah 53:12) .. he was (Mark 15:27)
8. His hands and feet were pierced (Psalm 22:16) … they were (John 20:27)
9. People cast lots for his garments (Psalm 22:18) … they did (Luke 23:34)
10.  He would be given vinegar to drink (Psalm 69:21) … he was (Mark 15:36)
11. No bones were to be broken (Psalm 34:20) … they weren’t (John 19:33)
12. He was buried with the rich (Isaiah 53:9) … he was (Matthew 27:60)

A regular man attempting to fulfill these could not have because he would have had to rely on a lot of outside sources.  The only conclusion is that Jesus was/is God, because he ultimately controlled those sources. Another conclusion you can make is that the Bible is from God as well, because it made many predictions and all of them have come true.

What are the chances of biblical prophecy being fulfilled as it has been? See what one writer shares here.  If you want to know more about how you can be sure you are going to heaven when you die, click here.

I hope you will subscribe here to get my updates by email or RSS. Don’t miss the rest of this summer series! The topics differ week to week.

*To see the previous posts in this series click here.

This is week 5 out of  13. Eight more to go! *Thanks to my wonderful husband who assists me.

Can evolution and God coexist? Well, not if you believe Genesis 1 which gives an account of 6 (literal) days of Creation…and on the seventh God rested from his work.

The theory of evolution involves  a “time” when there was nothing and then a Big Bang and then somewhere along the line we have an amoeba that slowly over millions (or is it billions?) transformed into anything (or everything) including you and I {Long story short}. I mean, okay, so somewhere in there monkeys became man, right?

When you get right down to it there are a couple problems with the theory of evolution. First, its just a theory, not a proven fact and yet is it the standard (last I knew)  accepted- scientific teaching for public schools.  There have also been evolutionary claims that have been proven false and last I heard those were still being taught as “fact”. I’m not up to date on what the schools are teaching but thats the last thing I heard on on it.

Second, there are no transitional forms to prove evolution.  Where are the birds with a half a right wing and no left wing, where are…just fill in the blank. Whatever “was” between this and that…there ain’t none! There are creatures, including us, who cannot survive without certain things we have right now in our physical completeness.

Charles Darwin gave the description of what would falsify his own theory when he made the comment I have shown below in the box.  Oh and the discovery of the “cell”  is what proved Charles wrong.

“If it could be demonstrated that any complex organ existed which could not possibly have been formed by numerous, successive slight modifications my theory would absolutely break down.” ~ Charles Darwin

I really believe that what it all boils down to for many folks is their unwillingness to admit that God exists, that God created them because they don’t want to think they are accountable to him. Read Romans chapter one. Its a blow to those who refuse to acknowledge the truth. God has some serious things to say to them.

Joel and I watched a 3 dvd series recently called “Incredible Creatures that Defy Evolution” (I found one of the dvds in our church video library but then Joel found them at our local library too). These dvd’s are enjoyable to watch and very scientific. I highly recommend looking for them at your local library too.

“Such simple instincts as bees making a beehive could be sufficient to overthrow my whole theory.” ~ Charles Darwin

Science is suppose to be about finding out the truth. Not running from it. Not making up silly theories (Darwin’s Tree) and calling them facts.

Are you afraid of the truth? I’m sure many folks are. I’m quite sure of it.

Dr. Jobe Martin, a former agnostic, evolutionist, dentist, and professor was challenged by two of his students years ago to investigate the “evolution of the tooth” and to look at the “assumptions” that were made. The results rocked Dr. Martin’s world and it took him 5 years to grapple with the truth of what he was seeing. Dr. Martin shares incredible scientific details about creature after creature that “defys evolution”. Some of those creatures are…

• Whales and how there could be no “transitional” form for them that would have allowed them to survive. They had to have all their faculties or they couldn’t have lived long enough to eventually “evolve” them.
• Plovers and how they “just know” to lay their eggs in Alaska and leave their baby chicks behind while they fly to Hawaii. They don’t come back for their chicks and yet their chicks “know” to fly to Hawaii themselves.
• Fire flies and glow worms use “cold light” and this is something scientists haven’t figured out how to duplicate.
• The Bombardier Beetle is a wonderful example. He mixes chemicals and shoots them at his predators. He produces a way to do this without blowing himself up. I don’t do this example justice here, get the dvds and see for yourself. He could not have survived “evolution”. He would have blown himself up long before he couldn’t evolved all his parts necessary to be as he is today.
• The Giraffe and his long neck. Bending  over for a drink at the water hole would have meant blowing out his brains.

Doesn’t it just make sense that it took a Designer…a Creator to put us and these incredible creatures together?
There’s so much much more. I’ve really have  just touched on the topic. I know why I believe what I believe.  Why do you believe what you believe?

‎“Often a cold shudder has run through me, and I have asked myself whether I may have not devoted myself to a phantasy.” Charles Darwin, Life and Letters, 1887, Vol.2 page 229

*To see the other posts in this series CLICK HERE.

Subscribe here to get my updates in your email or by RSS feed.