My Son, My Saviour

Post date: Dec 22, 2016 8:05:58 PM

Acts 17: 23-31

“For as I walked through your city and looked at the places where you worship, I found an alter on which is written, “To the Unknown God.” That which you worship, then, even though you do not know it, is what I now proclaim to you. God, who made the world and everything in it, is Lord of Heaven and earth and does not live in temples made with human hands.  Nor does he need anything that we can supply by working for him, since it is he himself who gives life and breath and everything else to everyone. From one human being he created all races of people and made them live throughout the whole earth. He himself fixed beforehand the exact times and the limits of the places where they would live. He did this so that they would look for him, and perhaps find him as they felt around for him. Yet God is actually not far from any of us; as someone has said, “In him we live and move and exist,”

It is as some of your poets have said, “We too are children.”

Since we are his children, we should not suppose that his nature is anything like an image of gold or silver or stone, shaped by human art and skill. God has overlooked the times when people did not know him, (the times of ignorance KJV) but now he commands all of them everywhere to turn away (repent KJV) from their evil ways. For he has fixed a day in which he will judge the whole world with justice (righteousness KJV) by means of a man he has chosen. He has given proof of this to everyone by raising that man from death.”

Isaiah 7:14 “Therefore the Lord will give you a sign: Behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel”

In the predawn hours of the first century the bible records that there was a young Hebrew teenager named Mary who had an unexpected angelic visitation. Humbled by this event, she listened intently to the angel’s message as he spoke of God’s plan of redemption. After some clarification she eagerly accepted Gods’ invitation to bare His only begotten Son. A series of subsequent prophecies made by some unknown prophets concerning the child’s future caused Mary to wonder within herself of his uniqueness. Luke 2:19 states “…but Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart”. In another instance Mary was at home with her young child where she was greeted by three wise men from the east that were bearing gifts for her child. “When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And when they were come into the house they saw the young child with Mary his mother, and fell down, and worshipped him: and when they had opened their gifts; gold, frankincense and myrrh. (Matthew 2: 9-10) When the child was 12 years of age Jesus and his parents travelled with their extended family to Jerusalem where they celebrated the feast of the Passover but at its conclusion Jesus remained while his parents returned home. When his absence was discovered by his parents they returned to Jerusalem where he was found conversing effectively amongst the Jewish elders. To Mary’s surprise Jesus stated; “... “Why do you seek me? Did you not know that I must be about my Fathers’ business? (Luke 2:49) This was the first time Mary had heard Jesus refer to God as His Father. Again the scripture states; “...but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.”(Luke 2:51)Mary believed God’s word before she understood HOW! The HOW of the angel’s proclamation would be learned by her at a later time!

Luke 2: 10-11 …And the angel said unto them, Fear not for behold, I bring good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

The word “gospel” is defined in the bible as glad tidings or good news. God preached the gospel (good news) to Abraham (Galatians 3:8); Moses preached the gospel (good news) to the Israelites (Hebrews 3:8); the shepherds heard the gospel (good news) by an angel of God (Luke 2: 10); Mary believed the gospel and Jesus preached the good news (gospel) of the Kingdom of God. (Acts 10:38) When Nicodemus, a Jewish religious leader, heard the gospel he asked, “But how can these things be?” Jesus answering him said, “If I told you earthly things, and ye believed not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you heavenly things?”(John 3:12)

Let’s not shortchange God as the angel declared unto Mary; “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1:37)

When Jesus ended his prayer in the garden of Gethsemane he said; “…it is enough, the hour is come; behold the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. “ (Mark 14:41) This statement signaled the beginning of a torturous encounter with a vengeance seeking opponent. The devil began his quest to destroy Jesus by first stoking Judas’ anger until he initiated his betrayal of Christ. Then the jealous religious council members unjustly interrogated Jesus until they unanimously agreed to a sentence of death. The devil continued to stir the pot of jealousy in them until they became enraged tormenting Jesus mercilessly.  The scripture reveals; “… they spit in his face and buffeted him; and others smote him with the palm of their hands, saying prophesy unto us, thou Christ, who is he that smote thee?” (Matthew 26: 67-68)After Jesus was delivered unto the Roman authorities for crucifixion the palace guards were even more vicious than the religious council. It was Pilate’s disdain for the Jewish leadership that the devil used to target Jesus.  This was evidenced by both the governor and his soldier’s display of religious intolerance and the barbaric mistreatment of Jesus. Mark 15: 15-20 “So Pilate, willing to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them, and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged him, to be crucified. Then the soldiers led him away into the hall, called Praetorium, and called together the whole garrison.  And they clothed him with purple, and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and began to salute him, Hail, King of the Jews! Then they struck him on the head, with a reed, and spat on him; and bowing the knees they worshipped him. And when they had mocked him, they took the purple off him, put his own clothes, and led Him out to crucify him.

In the final hours preceding Jesus’ death His mother Mary witnessed firsthand what we have only read about.  The book of Isaiah prophetically describes the severity of Jesus’ injuries: “…as many were astonished at you, so His visage was marred more than any man and His form more than the sons of men…” (Isaiah 52:14) Mary stood staring upward toward her son and with tears streaming down her face saw His complete surrender, His outstretched arms, His nail punctured hands and feet while feeling every painful breath that He drew while negotiating the cross. Mary’s mind was racing though, as it was caught between two schools of thought.  On one hand Jesus’ brothers were of the opinion that the promised Messiah would soon come to deliver their Jewish nation from its Roman oppression but on the other hand Jesus was sent by God to deliver all of mankind from its satanic oppression. “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil: for God was with him.” (Acts 10:38) Jesus’ brothers did not believe Jesus’ claim of being God's Son according to the scripture which reveals: “For neither did his brethren believe in him” (John 7: 5) and yet the angel’s declaration “For with God nothing shall be impossible” (Luke 1: 37) continued to echo in Mary's mind. Before Jesus took his final few breaths he looked downward toward his mother with a heart overflowing with compassion and with tears in his eyes he committed her care to his beloved friend during his absence. (John 19: 26-27)

Luke 23: 44-46 "And it was about the sixth hour, and there was a darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour.  And the sun was darkened, and the veil in the temple was rent in the midst. And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.”                                                                                                                                                                    

In order to facilitate the councils wish to celebrate the Passover the Governor ordered his soldiers attending the crucifixion to hasten Jesus’ death. The bible describes it in this way; “But when they came to Jesus, and saw that he was dead already, they break not his legs: But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and for with came there out blood and water.” (John 19: 33-34)     

John 14: 27-29 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come again to you. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I. And now I have told you before it is come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe. “

What just happened! In only a few hours Jesus was dead, his followers were scattered and both the council and the Roman governor were fully satisfied that the movement was dead! After the uproar Jesus’ mother Mary took up residence with Jesus’ beloved friend John. Three days later John learned of the strange disappearance of Jesus’ body and raced to the tomb to see whether it was true. When he saw for himself “…the linen clothes lie, and the napkin, that was about his head not lying with the linen clothes, but wrapped together in a place by itself. (John 20:6-8) he believed that Jesus had truly been resurrected as it had been prophesied.  (John 20:8) Mary had also stopped pondering her thoughts after she saw the proof of the resurrection she accepted Jesus as her Savior and so fulfilled, as all of us should, the scriptural requirement in John 3: 3 which states: “Jesus answered and said unto him:, Verily, verily I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” (John 3:3)The book of Acts confirms Mary’s conversion when it references her and her sons’ being among the 120 believers who had gathered together to worship after Jesus had ascended into Heaven. “These all continued in one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and his brethren.”(Acts 1:14) In just 3 days the movement known as “The WAY” which was thought to have been destroyed had actually been resurrected as had Jesus.

Isaiah 53: 3-10 “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and yet we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely He has born our grief’s, and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted, but He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. And we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not his mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgement, and who will declare His generation? For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people He was stricken. And they made His grave with the wicked- But with the rich at his death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him; he has put Him to grief. When You make His soul an offering for sin...”