Article 16 – March 8, 2018
Jesus Christ…The Only Way
John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
In John 14:6 we read, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”
When reading these two verses, one should see the importance in the name of Jesus Christ and in what he accomplished by his life and ministry. Jesus Christ is the centerpiece of human history, with a name that has prevailed through the ages and he was God’s problem solver and mankind’s hope until this present time. God’s Word tells us in Genesis 3 that the world was in dire need of saving. By the middle of that chapter, man had lost his communication with God, which was spirit. Jesus Christ was the answer to that problem.
We see in John 3:17: “For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” The importance of Jesus Christ’s ministry, his works and all that he did to accomplish mankind’s complete redemption and salvation is almost unbelievable. And yet what is unbelievable is that the Christian world, to this day, still does not know what to do with Jesus Christ. The devil has so confused the truths’ of our wonderful lord and savior’s responsibility, that the Christian world has even gone so far as to allow his wonderful name to be dragged through the mud and become one of the primary derogatory words used in our culture. They have no idea what they’ve allowed to happen.
Philippians 2:10 tells us, “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth.” Does that sound like a name that should be used in vain? It’s a lack of knowledge that leads to a lack of respect that brings things like that to pass. Hosea 4:6 tells us, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge…” I might even go so far as to say that even when people do have accurate knowledge they often allow themselves to get tricked into becoming indifferent or bored with it, and therefore lose the blessings that God has in store for them.
Jesus said in Luke 4:18, 19: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the acceptable year of the Lord.” As it was Jesus Christ’s responsibility to preach the acceptable year of the Lord, it is also the responsibility for each born again man and woman to preach Christ and the new birth that he came to bring with the Day of Pentecost.
Why has it been so difficult for the Christian world through the centuries to recognize and understand the realities behind Christ’s accomplishments? The scriptures have been available. God’s Word was first written in the stars, then it was spoken and then it was written down. The prophets of old declared it boldly and so often came up against tremendous resistance to God’s Word. The answer is very simple. The devil, who the Scriptures tell us in Corinthians is “…the god of this world,” desires worship and since he was given the dominion, for the time being, over this world, it has been his primary goal to intercept the worship which should be intended for the true God. He does this with subtlety and with his devices.
1 Peter 5:8 tells us: “Be sober, be viligant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.”
2 Corinthians 2:11 tells us, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” And one of his great devices is in the form of distractions, quite often in the form of things that interest us, that divert us from giving our full attention to the things of God.
One of the things of God is praying in the name of Jesus Christ. Jesus said in John 14:14: “If ye shall ask anything in my name, I will do it.” This is a great key to prayer. Paul used the name of Jesus Christ in a different situation in Acts 16:18: “And this did she many days. [ a devil spirit was harassing Paul] But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.”
We see from these two uses of the name of Jesus Christ that there is power in that name when it is believed. We can use it in prayer and we can use it to handle difficult situations. As we have discussed, the devil does not want us to understand and use these truths in our lives. In John 4:4, we see, “Ye are God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” The “he that is in you” is referring to the Christ in you, which is in every born again believer. The “he that is in the world” is referring to the devil and the dominion that he has. In Luke 4:6, the devil tells Jesus Christ, “And the devil said unto him, All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will I give it.” We have brought attention to the passages in John 4:4 and Luke 4:6 to show why it is so important to the devil to spread distractions throughout our lives if he can.
He knows the importance of the name of Jesus Christ. He knows it is more powerful than he is and he knows if we use that name, with believing, that we can do “…exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,” it tells us in Ephesians 3:20. Let’s try to rely on the Christ in us. Let’s glorify God by speaking in tongues more and by doing these things we should be encouraged that we can work the Christ in us in all the things that we do.
Funglimpses and much more. Thanks for reading. Respectfully submitted! Will Grove