Jesus Christ is my God!
Issued 23.11.2003
Humble God
God is concealed from us so that we could seek Him. In what kind of form do you expect to meet Him? In what form should God appear to you that you would believe that he is God? Perhaps He visited you, but you didn't recognize Him.
The Last and the First
God says in the Bible: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Rev.22:13 It is easy to notice that He is the First, but who recognizes Him when He is the Last? It is easy to recognize God in the form of glory and brightness, but who recognizes Him when He appears as weak and mangled? "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him." Isaiah 53:2
In Jesus, God came down as a man to show us how He also is the Last and not only the First.
God says in the Bible: "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End." Rev.22:13 It is easy to notice that He is the First, but who recognizes Him when He is the Last? It is easy to recognize God in the form of glory and brightness, but who recognizes Him when He appears as weak and mangled? "He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to Him, nothing in His appearance that we should desire Him." Isaiah 53:2
In Jesus, God came down as a man to show us how He also is the Last and not only the First.
God humbled Himself
God was so humble that He became a man! He, the LORD of everything stepped down from His glory and took the form of a modest servant. Because Jesus says that "the Father is greater than I" John.14:28 , some consider this as evidence proving that Jesus is not God.
It doesn't speak against the divinity of Jesus if He humbles Himself - except in the minds of the proud. Many say that God cannot have a son. Saying this they actually mean that God cannot be humble. They claim that this is against their sense, although it is actually against their pride.
A proud heart cannot understand the humbleness of God. When Jesus gives all glory to His Father, it actually speaks for Him. His humbleness guarantees His reliability and divinity.
Who is the last one? Is it not he who has no glory at all, he who is despised without any respect?
God was so humble that He became a man! He, the LORD of everything stepped down from His glory and took the form of a modest servant. Because Jesus says that "the Father is greater than I" John.14:28 , some consider this as evidence proving that Jesus is not God.
It doesn't speak against the divinity of Jesus if He humbles Himself - except in the minds of the proud. Many say that God cannot have a son. Saying this they actually mean that God cannot be humble. They claim that this is against their sense, although it is actually against their pride.
A proud heart cannot understand the humbleness of God. When Jesus gives all glory to His Father, it actually speaks for Him. His humbleness guarantees His reliability and divinity.
Who is the last one? Is it not he who has no glory at all, he who is despised without any respect?
Greatest suffering
Death is the punishment for our rebellion against God. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil. Suffering belongs to everybody who has wronged. Woe us, the very last, the most miserable sinners! The greatest sinner would be the Last, the most dishonoured and the most punished, without any glory.
You rejected and the last in everything? You, the most distressed and the most suffering? Not you but God!
Jesus took upon Himself our punishment. In Him God suffered the pains that belong to sinners. Nobody can ever say that he has suffered more than God suffered in Jesus Christ.
He is the Last, not you. He is also the First. He is good. He has never wronged. There is no evil in Him. However He had greater sufferings than anybody else has had or will have.
God's pain is greatest! How extremely expensive is the atoning of our sins! He was in Jesus and suffered the punishment of hell because of our sins. He suffered the fire of God's wrath but it couldn't hold Him in its grip forever, because He was fully pure and innocent.
God punished Himself because of your sins! When He doing this He didn't do like those many who have punished themselves because of their own guilt. His deed came from the pure heart, for He is love.
Only God knows how awful place the lake of the eternal fire is. The way He has prepared the salvation for us tells how serious He considers the eternal punishment.
He spared nothing He had to rescue us from the eternal punishment. He gave His only Son. He sacrificed everything He had to rescue us. He sacrificed 100% for your sake. Only Jesus is worthy to judge to the eternal punishment, because He has experienced it for everybody.
Death is the punishment for our rebellion against God. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil. Suffering belongs to everybody who has wronged. Woe us, the very last, the most miserable sinners! The greatest sinner would be the Last, the most dishonoured and the most punished, without any glory.
You rejected and the last in everything? You, the most distressed and the most suffering? Not you but God!
Jesus took upon Himself our punishment. In Him God suffered the pains that belong to sinners. Nobody can ever say that he has suffered more than God suffered in Jesus Christ.
He is the Last, not you. He is also the First. He is good. He has never wronged. There is no evil in Him. However He had greater sufferings than anybody else has had or will have.
God's pain is greatest! How extremely expensive is the atoning of our sins! He was in Jesus and suffered the punishment of hell because of our sins. He suffered the fire of God's wrath but it couldn't hold Him in its grip forever, because He was fully pure and innocent.
God punished Himself because of your sins! When He doing this He didn't do like those many who have punished themselves because of their own guilt. His deed came from the pure heart, for He is love.
Only God knows how awful place the lake of the eternal fire is. The way He has prepared the salvation for us tells how serious He considers the eternal punishment.
He spared nothing He had to rescue us from the eternal punishment. He gave His only Son. He sacrificed everything He had to rescue us. He sacrificed 100% for your sake. Only Jesus is worthy to judge to the eternal punishment, because He has experienced it for everybody.
Hidden from the proud
All people are watching around to recognize God. Unconsciously they wait for God to come out from His hiding place. They observe to recognize Him, when He appears. What do they expect to see? They wait to see a bright shining figure, who behaves mightily.
Where does this image originate from? Everyone of us has eaten forbidden fruit "to be like God". We have adopted Devil's desire to be God instead of God. Pride is rebellion against God. The desire to be something great is pride. Because of this desire we cannot believe in the Bible's Jesus.
For the proud the humble God is a great offence and the Son of God is senseless foolishness. They are offended by the humbleness of God because they themselves want to be boastful gods. They are laughing at the message of God became man, because they themselves would like to become gods.
God came close to us in Jesus, but most people have not recognized God in Him, because they cannot accept that God appeared in this modest way. Jesus didn't draw people's attention to Himself but to His Father. Many don't believe that Jesus is God, because He didn't praise Himself.
So it is easy for God to walk among us as unknown, because it is so difficult for us to recognize Him. There is a cover over the glory of God at the same time when Satan masquerades as an angel of light. The treasure is hidden in jars of clay at the same time when rubbish is spoken in the golden temple.
All people are watching around to recognize God. Unconsciously they wait for God to come out from His hiding place. They observe to recognize Him, when He appears. What do they expect to see? They wait to see a bright shining figure, who behaves mightily.
Where does this image originate from? Everyone of us has eaten forbidden fruit "to be like God". We have adopted Devil's desire to be God instead of God. Pride is rebellion against God. The desire to be something great is pride. Because of this desire we cannot believe in the Bible's Jesus.
For the proud the humble God is a great offence and the Son of God is senseless foolishness. They are offended by the humbleness of God because they themselves want to be boastful gods. They are laughing at the message of God became man, because they themselves would like to become gods.
God came close to us in Jesus, but most people have not recognized God in Him, because they cannot accept that God appeared in this modest way. Jesus didn't draw people's attention to Himself but to His Father. Many don't believe that Jesus is God, because He didn't praise Himself.
So it is easy for God to walk among us as unknown, because it is so difficult for us to recognize Him. There is a cover over the glory of God at the same time when Satan masquerades as an angel of light. The treasure is hidden in jars of clay at the same time when rubbish is spoken in the golden temple.
God witnesses to you
When the Jews didn't believe that Jesus was the Son of God, Jesus said that the Father gives a testimony about Him. The Father testified about Jesus in many ways, but He gave the most remarkable testimony when He rose Jesus up from the dead.
If we accept a man's testimony, it should be easier to accept God's testimony, because it is greater. Every moment He testifies about His Son all over the world. How does He do it to you?
If you read teachings of Jesus from the Bible, you experience in your spirit, how the Spirit of God testifies that Jesus is the Son of God. This testimony refreshes your spirit. It gives you a taste of life. The testimony of the Holy Spirit has met the spirit of everyone who has read the Bible. Even if you only heard the name of the Son of God, "Jesus", then God the Father already whispered to your spirit: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him."
It is natural that you deny this experience of God's testimony, if you didn't obey it. What was your objection to God that you used to nullify His testimony? Whatever it was, with it you made God out to be a liar. If you didn't receive the testimony of God, it is natural that you also don't receive the words of any believer. Would you want God to testify to you again?
Could God finally make you listen to Himself? If a gentle testimony had no effect on you, then also a harsh treatment is love, because this is an effort to save you from the eternal destruction.
When the Jews didn't believe that Jesus was the Son of God, Jesus said that the Father gives a testimony about Him. The Father testified about Jesus in many ways, but He gave the most remarkable testimony when He rose Jesus up from the dead.
If we accept a man's testimony, it should be easier to accept God's testimony, because it is greater. Every moment He testifies about His Son all over the world. How does He do it to you?
If you read teachings of Jesus from the Bible, you experience in your spirit, how the Spirit of God testifies that Jesus is the Son of God. This testimony refreshes your spirit. It gives you a taste of life. The testimony of the Holy Spirit has met the spirit of everyone who has read the Bible. Even if you only heard the name of the Son of God, "Jesus", then God the Father already whispered to your spirit: "This is my Son, whom I love. Listen to Him."
It is natural that you deny this experience of God's testimony, if you didn't obey it. What was your objection to God that you used to nullify His testimony? Whatever it was, with it you made God out to be a liar. If you didn't receive the testimony of God, it is natural that you also don't receive the words of any believer. Would you want God to testify to you again?
Could God finally make you listen to Himself? If a gentle testimony had no effect on you, then also a harsh treatment is love, because this is an effort to save you from the eternal destruction.
In the handling of God
Because you hardened your heart to the testimony of God, He will soften your heart with sufferings. He allows you to experience pain and sufferings so that you would accept the truth about yourself.
Through sufferings He wants to break your pride and open your ears to listening to the gospel. Among your sufferings you are able to see Him who has suffered more than you. He suffered as innocent, but you suffer as guilty. The holy God and a sinful man can meet face to face on Golgotha. Only by identifying with your suffering Redeemer can you experience the love of God.
Confess your pride to be a sin and look at the sufferings of the Son of God! Pride deserves punishment. The attitude you take towards your pride determines your destiny. Many stick to their pride to their end no matter what happens to them. I hope that you will not follow their faith. On Golgotha you can give away your pride.
Because you hardened your heart to the testimony of God, He will soften your heart with sufferings. He allows you to experience pain and sufferings so that you would accept the truth about yourself.
Through sufferings He wants to break your pride and open your ears to listening to the gospel. Among your sufferings you are able to see Him who has suffered more than you. He suffered as innocent, but you suffer as guilty. The holy God and a sinful man can meet face to face on Golgotha. Only by identifying with your suffering Redeemer can you experience the love of God.
Confess your pride to be a sin and look at the sufferings of the Son of God! Pride deserves punishment. The attitude you take towards your pride determines your destiny. Many stick to their pride to their end no matter what happens to them. I hope that you will not follow their faith. On Golgotha you can give away your pride.
Money and pride
The Bible tells that "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." 1Tim.6:10 So is not pride the most evil thing? The desire of money and a desire of honour have a connection. In the same way as a root of a plant sucks nutrients to the plant, the love of money sucks pride to the heart of man. Money represents man's rebellion against God, because with it the link to the origin of all good is being wanted to break away. In fact everything good is a gift from God although it was bought with money.
He who desires to be independent from God, wants an instrument which helps him to forget the origin of all good he has. Using money you buy it to be your own. A bought one is not a gift received and therefore it is so favourable to rebels. In this way the love of money expresses man's rebellion against God. It is easy to boast about something you bought for yourself, but it is easy to be thankful for something received as a present.
When we think we own something good that we have not received as a gift, it is a lie that is kept up by our pride. Remember that you have got your health, your wisdom and your beauty as a gift from God. What you earned with your wisdom is also a gift from God. It is humbleness when you confess your dependence on God. Or - do you want to be independent and get along with your own? So with what?
God bought us with the blood of Jesus to be free from the dependence on sin. With the blood of Jesus the link to the origin of evil is broken away. The saved people are the boasting of Jesus. He is allowed to rejoice in His own! He has earned us with His work. Only the Lamb of God is worthy to get all glory! He is the perfect man and the true God!
However all glory and honour finally goes to Him! This will annoy the proud people eternally, but the saved people will rejoice in His glory eternally in the splendour of the Kingdom of God.
The Bible tells that "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil." 1Tim.6:10 So is not pride the most evil thing? The desire of money and a desire of honour have a connection. In the same way as a root of a plant sucks nutrients to the plant, the love of money sucks pride to the heart of man. Money represents man's rebellion against God, because with it the link to the origin of all good is being wanted to break away. In fact everything good is a gift from God although it was bought with money.
He who desires to be independent from God, wants an instrument which helps him to forget the origin of all good he has. Using money you buy it to be your own. A bought one is not a gift received and therefore it is so favourable to rebels. In this way the love of money expresses man's rebellion against God. It is easy to boast about something you bought for yourself, but it is easy to be thankful for something received as a present.
When we think we own something good that we have not received as a gift, it is a lie that is kept up by our pride. Remember that you have got your health, your wisdom and your beauty as a gift from God. What you earned with your wisdom is also a gift from God. It is humbleness when you confess your dependence on God. Or - do you want to be independent and get along with your own? So with what?
God bought us with the blood of Jesus to be free from the dependence on sin. With the blood of Jesus the link to the origin of evil is broken away. The saved people are the boasting of Jesus. He is allowed to rejoice in His own! He has earned us with His work. Only the Lamb of God is worthy to get all glory! He is the perfect man and the true God!
However all glory and honour finally goes to Him! This will annoy the proud people eternally, but the saved people will rejoice in His glory eternally in the splendour of the Kingdom of God.
The Bible version used in references is NIV