#24 Jesus can Change Us

A blessed day (".)
I love roses, they are beautiful, and their smell.....it has a lingering effect on olfactory nerves. I think they are beautiful inside and out.
Isn't it great if we can be beautiful all throughout?
Assuredly, we can......Jesus, the One True God, has the power to change us and make us beautiful from within and out.


September 8, Day 8- Chapter 8 in The Book of Mark
Mark 8 (excerpts)
Jesus Feeds the Four Thousand
2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat. 3 If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance.”
5 “How many loaves do you have?” Jesus asked.
 “Seven,” they replied. 7 They had a few small fish as well;
8 The people ate and were satisfied. 
9 About four thousand were present.


The Yeast of the Pharisees and Herod
17...Do you still not see or understand? Are your hearts hardened? 18 Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? 


Jesus Heals a Blind Man at Bethsaida
23 He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village. When he had spit on the man’s eyes and put his hands on him, Jesus asked, “Do you see anything?” 24 He looked up and said, “I see people; they look like trees walking around.”
 25 Once more Jesus put his hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight was restored, and he saw everything clearly.


Peter Declares That Jesus Is the Messiah
 27...“Who do people say I am?” 28 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, one of the prophets.”
 29 “But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you say I am?”
 Peter answered, “You are the Messiah.”


Jesus Predicts His Death
 31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again. 33 ...“Get behind me, Satan!” he said. “You do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”


The Way of the Cross
 34 ...“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. 35 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? 37 Or what can anyone give in exchange for their soul? 38 If anyone is ashamed of me and my words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his Father’s glory with the holy angels.”


Please read the complete text on this link--
http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Mark+8&version=NIV

To the great and wonderful Lord God we have, Glory to You, and thank you for your words!


Have you ever wondered who truly Jesus is? 
My mother, I believe, a true Christian in spirit, is the first person who have led me to know that we have a God, in Trinity- God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. I have never questioned the uniqueness of His triune eversince, and I will never question it now. What I know is, the Holy Spirit let me accept and embrace it with the feeble mind I have through the faith He gave me since I was young and it never change eversince.....and gladly, I am just humbled, I hold on to the unquestionable nature of God- One True God in Three Persons. 


We have read and contemplated 7 chapters of Mark in my previous posts, and learned how Jesus healed many who are sick, preached the good news, drove out evil spirits, raised the dead, performed miracles and displayed some of His powers.


But in this chapter, Jesus has been declared as the Messiah, the anointed one. And to give light to Jesus, His nature and godliness, we will dig in deeper into Him.


"Who is Jesus Christ?"
It is generally accepted that Jesus was truly a man who walked on the earth in Israel 2000 years ago. The debate begins when the subject of Jesus' full identity is discussed. 
Do we believe that Jesus was infinitely more than a prophet, a good teacher, or a godly man?
May the following verses give light on how we should perceive Jesus Christ, the Lord God, the only Saviour of everyone.


“I and the Father are one.”- John 10:30


“‘I tell you the truth,’ Jesus answered, ‘before Abraham was born, I am!’”- John 8:58


John 1:1 says “the Word was God.” John 1:14 says “the Word became flesh.” This clearly indicates that Jesus is God in the flesh. 


Thomas the disciple declared to Jesus, “My Lord and my God” (John 20:28). Jesus does not correct him. 


The apostle Paul describes Him as, “…our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:13). 


The apostle Peter says the same, “…our God and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 1:1). 


God the Father is witness of Jesus’ full identity as well, “But about the Son he says, ‘Your throne, O God, will last forever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.’” (Psalm 45:6) 


Old Testament prophecies of Christ announce His deity, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Why is the question over Jesus’ true identity so important?
Why does it matter whether or not Jesus is God?
The most important reason that Jesus has to be God is that if He is not God, His death would not have been sufficient to pay the penalty for the sins of the whole world- He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2). Only God could pay such an infinite penalty- But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8); God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.(2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus had to be God so that He could pay our debt. Jesus had to be man so He could die. Salvation is available only through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus’ deity is why He is the only way of salvation. Jesus’ deity is why He proclaimed, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6).


Jesus is:
Chief Cornerstone: (Ephesians 2:20) – Jesus is the cornerstone of the building which is His church. He cements together Jew and Gentile, male and female—all saints from all ages and places into one structure built on faith in Him which is shared by all.

Firstborn over all creation: (Colossians 1:15) – Not the first thing God created, as some incorrectly claim, because verse 16 says all things were created through and for Christ. Rather, the meaning is that Christ occupies the rank and pre-eminence of the first-born over all things, that He sustains the most exalted rank in the universe; He is pre-eminent above all others; He is at the head of all things.

Head of the Church: (Ephesians 1:22; 4:15; 5:23) – Jesus Christ, not a king or a pope, is the only supreme, sovereign ruler of the Church—those for whom He died and who have placed their faith in Him alone for salvation.

Holy One: (Acts 3:14) – Christ is holy, both in his divine and human nature, and the fountain of holiness to His people. By His death, we are made holy and pure before God.

Judge: (Acts 10:42; 2 Timothy 4:8) – The Lord Jesus was appointed by God to judge the world and to dispense the rewards of eternity.

King of kings and Lord of lords: (1 Timothy 6:15; Revelation 19:16) – Jesus has dominion over all authority on the earth, over all kings and rulers, and none can prevent Him from accomplishing His purposes. He directs them as He pleases.

Light of the World: (John 8:12) – Jesus came into a world darkened by sin and shed the light of life and truth through His work and His words. Those who trust in Him have their eyes opened by Him and walk in the light.

Prince of peace: (Isaiah 9:6) – Jesus came not to bring peace to the world as in the absence of war, but peace between God and man who were separated by sin. He died to reconcile sinners to a holy God.

Son of God: (Luke 1:35; John 1:49) – Jesus is the “only begotten of the Father” (John 1:14). Used 42 times in the New Testament, “Son of God” affirms the deity of Christ.

Son of man: (John 5:27) – Used as a contrast to “Son of God” this phrase affirms the humanity of Christ which exists alongside His divinity.

Word: (John 1:1; 1 John 5:7-8) – The Word is the second Person of the triune God, who said it and it was done, who spoke all things out of nothing in the first creation, who was in the beginning with God the Father, and was God, and by whom all things were created.

Word of God: (Revelation 19:12-13) – This is the name given to Christ that is unknown to all but Himself. It denotes the mystery of His divine person.

Word of Life: (1 John 1:1) – Jesus not only spoke words that lead to eternal life, but according to this verse He is the very words of life, referring to the eternal life of joy and fulfillment which He provides.

Alpha and Omega: (Revelation 1:8; 22:13) – Jesus declared Himself to be the beginning and end of all things, a reference to no one but the true God. This statement of eternality could apply only to God.

Emmanuel: (Isaiah 9:6; Matthew 1:23) – Literally “God with us.” Both Isaiah and Matthew affirm that the Christ who would be born in Bethlehem would be God Himself who came to earth in the form of a man to live among His people.

I Am: (John 8:58, with Exodus 3:14) – When Jesus ascribed to Himself this title, the Jews tried to stone Him for blasphemy. They understood that He was declaring Himself to be the eternal God, the unchanging Jehovah of the Old Testament.

Lord of All: (Acts 10:36) – Jesus is the sovereign ruler over the whole world and all things in it, of all the nations of the world, and particularly of the people of God's choosing, Gentiles as well as Jews.

True God: (1 John 5:20) – This is a direct assertion that Jesus, being the true God, is not only divine, but is the Divine. Since the Bible teaches there is only one God, this can only be describing His nature as part of the triune God.

Author and Perfecter of our Faith: (Hebrews 12:2) – Salvation is accomplished through the faith that is the gift of God (Ephesians 2:8-9) and Jesus is the founder of our faith and the finisher of it as well. From first to last, He is the source and sustainer of the faith that saves us.

Bread of Life: (John 6:35; John 6:48) – Just as bread sustains life in the physical sense, Jesus is the Bread that gives and sustains eternal life. God provided manna in the wilderness to feed His people and He provided Jesus to give us eternal life through His body, broken for us.

Bridegroom: (Matthew 9:15) – The picture of Christ as the Bridegroom and the Church as His Bride reveals the special relationship we have with Him. We are bound to each other in a covenant of grace that cannot be broken.

Deliverer: (Romans 11:26) – Just as the Israelites needed God to deliver them from bondage to Egypt, so Christ is our Deliverer from the bondage of sin.

Good Shepherd: (John 10:11,14) – In Bible times, a good shepherd was willing to risk his own life to protect his sheep from predators. Jesus laid down His life for His sheep, and He cares for and nurtures and feeds us.

High Priest: (Hebrews 2:17) – The Jewish high priest entered the Temple once a year to make atonement for the sins of the people. The Lord Jesus performed that function for His people once for all at the cross.

Lamb of God: (John 1:29) – God’s Law called for the sacrifice of a spotless, unblemished Lamb as an atonement for sin. Jesus became that Lamb led meekly to the slaughter, showing His patience in His sufferings and His readiness to die for His own.

Mediator: (1 Timothy 2:5) – A mediator is one who goes between two parties to reconcile them. Christ is the one and only Mediator who reconciles men and God. Praying to Mary or the saints is idolatry because it bypasses this most important role of Christ and ascribes the role of Mediator to another.

Rock: (1 Corinthians 10:4) – As life-giving water flowed from the rock Moses struck in the wilderness, Jesus is the Rock from which flow the living waters of eternal life. He is the Rock upon whom we build our spiritual houses, so that no storm can shake them.

Resurrection and Life: (John 11:25) – Embodied within Jesus is the means to resurrect sinners to eternal life, just as He was resurrected from the grave. Our sin is buried with Him and we are resurrected to walk in newness of life.

Savior: (Matthew 1:21; Luke 2:11) – He saves His people by dying to redeem them, by giving the Holy Spirit to renew them by His power, by enabling them to overcome their spiritual enemies, by sustaining them in trials and in death, and by raising them up at the last day.

True Vine: (John 15:1) – The True Vine supplies all that the branches (believers) need to produce the fruit of the Spirit— the living water of salvation and nourishment from the Word.

Way, Truth, Life: (John 14:6) – Jesus is the only path to God, the only Truth in a world of lies, and the only true source of eternal life. He embodies all three in both a temporal and an eternal sense.

JESUS, He is our One True and Living God; He is the embodiment of love; He is Lord of all and everything; He is the unquestionable reason why we are here on earth-- He made us so we can be with Him and to be with God is immeasurably great.


My we all see that all honor and glory is all for Him and Him alone!


He will never force us to acknowledge Him, He will never burden us to follow Him but when we let Him in and shed the light on our hearts and our whole being, it will be the start of the beautiful change He will make out of us.


Nothing is impossible to Him- He is the Omnipotent (All-powerful), Omniscient (All-knowing) and Omnipresent (everywhere) God that we have.

He will embrace all our brokenness, our sinful nature, our deceitful, conceited hearts and will turn us to be glorified children of God.


But everything starts when we surrender all of us to Him!
May this day bring light too to all those who have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. His promises are true. God never fails! May we all be part of His Kingdom!


Zechariah 13:8-9 

In the whole land,” declares the LORD, 
“two-thirds will be struck down and perish;
yet one-third will be left in it.
 This third I will put into the fire;
I will refine them like silver
and test them like gold.
They will call on my name
and I will answer them;
I will say, ‘They are my people,’
and they will say, ‘The LORD is our God.’”

Revelation 7:9-17
The Great Multitude in White Robes

...“These in white robes—who are they, and where did they come from?”

...“These are they who have come out of the great tribulation; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. 

“they are before the throne of God
and serve him day and night in his temple;
and he who sits on the throne
will shelter them with his presence.
 ‘Never again will they hunger;
never again will they thirst.
The sun will not beat down on them,’
nor any scorching heat.
 For the Lamb at the center of the throne
will be their shepherd;
‘he will lead them to springs of living water.’
‘And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.’”

May we all continue to read our Bible and contemplate on it. The way through Him is through His words (".)

Glory to GOD!

(ref: Got questions- Bible-answered questions)