Tag: ascended

14.z. “So must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.”

John 3:13  No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Proverbs 30:4     Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!

Ephesians 4:9     (In saying, “He ascended,” what does it mean but that he had also descended into the lower regions, the earth?

Numbers 21:7-9    And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.  And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”  So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

2 Kings 18:4   He removed the high places and broke the pillars and cut down the Asherah. And he broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it (it was called Nehushtan).

John 8:28     So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.

John 12:32-34    And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

Jesus “makes it clear that He can speak authoritatively about things in heaven, though no one else can.” Jesus made a remarkable statement, explaining that the serpent of Numbers 21:4-9 was a picture of the Messiah and His work. The people were saved not by doing anything, but by simply looking to the bronze serpent. They had to trust that something as seemingly foolish as looking at such a thing would be sufficient to save them, and surely, some perished because they thought it too foolish to do such a thing. As it says in Isaiah 45:22: Look to Me, and be saved, all you ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other. We might be willing to do a hundred things to earn our salvation, but God commands us to only trust in Him – to look to Him. “Nicodemus had failed to grasp the teaching about the new birth when it was presented to him in terms drawn from Ezekiel’s prophecy; now it is presented to him by means of an object-lesson, from a story with which he had been familiar since childhood.” Belief consists of accepting something, not doing something.  When the disciples asked Jesus what work of God they must do, He replied; “Believe in the one He has sent”.  When  Paul was asked by the jailer “What must I do to be saved?”, Paul replied, “Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ”.   

To those who know they are perishing, they seek help and redemption from that which is causing it.  Like a breath of air to the drowning.  Like a physician’s healing to the sick. Like water to those on fire.  Like food to the starving. Like the Israelites bitten by fiery serpents.  Like Jesus Christ to the sinner.  Unless the person realizes they are in need or realizes there is a need, they will not be seeking help and redemption from that which is causing it.  The drowning man can’t breathe, the sick person is feeling bad, the person on fire feels the pain of burning, the starving are hungry, and the Israelites were dying from snake bites, these all felt the physical pain and realized the need for help and redemption.  The pain of sin, when realized, is more than physical pain, it is soul-deep and affects the entire body, heart, mind, and soul.  When is sin pain realized?  When the heart, mind, and soul are exposed to the Word of God and His Holiness. Many are walking around with their soul drowning in their sin but do not seek the breath of air found in Jesus Christ.  Many are walking around with their soul-sick in the sin but do not seek the Great Physician, Jesus Christ.  Many are walking around with their soul burning from sin but do not seek the living water of Jesus Christ.  Many are walking around with their soul starving in sin but do no seek the bread of life found in Jesus Christ.  The need for Jesus Christ is more urgent than anything in this world.  Just because others do not believe you are drawing, on fire, sick, and starving does not make it true.  Seek God’s Word and allow it to lead and guide your heart and mind and soul.

The rock of my salvation

Psalms 89:26  He shall cry to me, ‘You are my Father, my God, and the Rock of my salvation.’  And I will make him the firstborn, the highest of the kings of the earth.  My steadfast love I will keep for him forever, and my covenant will stand firm for him.  I will establish his offspring forever and his throne as the days of the heavens.  If his children forsake my law and do not walk according to my rules,  if they violate my statutes and do not keep my commandments,  then I will punish their transgression with the rod and their iniquity with stripes,  but I will not remove from him my steadfast love or be false to my faithfulness.  I will not violate my covenant or alter the word that went forth from my lips.

Matthew 26:39     And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.”

Luke 23:46     Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

John 11:41     So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me.

John 20:17     Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”

Hebrews 1:5     For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my Son, today I have begotten you”? Or again, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son”?

Psalms 18:46     The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be the God of my salvation—

Psalms 62:2     He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be greatly shaken. He only is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall not be shaken.  On God rests my salvation and my glory; my mighty rock, my refuge is God.

2 Samuel 22:47    “The LORD lives, and blessed be my rock, and exalted be my God, the rock of my salvation,

Isaiah 50:7     But the Lord GOD helps me; therefore I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall not be put to shame.  He who vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who is my adversary? Let him come near to me.  Behold, the Lord GOD helps me; who will declare me guilty? Behold, all of them will wear out like a garment; the moth will eat them up.

Isaiah 59:21     “And as for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the LORD: “My Spirit that is upon you, and my words that I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, or out of the mouth of your offspring, or out of the mouth of your children’s offspring,” says the LORD, “from this time forth and forevermore.”

The rock of my salvation.  We have times we seem to experience being broken and unable to see blessings, joy, peace, and hope. Life happens and is going along fine and then out of the blue it is upside down.  The rock of my salvation, my refuge, my strength, my hope, my joy, my peace, my defender, my power, my help, and my guidance are all words used by men who looked to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit in times of trouble.  These men chose to keep in the presence of God at all times.   Keeping close to God and seeking His help is easy in broken and confusing times of our life.      Shouldn’t we want to desire to be close to God at all times living to humbly serve, honor, follow and obey Him?   Holding on to God’s hand through life is so much easier than running off into things alone.  Listening to His whispers of guidance each day and staying in communion with Him will keep our heart, mind, and soul focused with hope, joy, and peace.

Living for Jesus

“To him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name.”

John 20:11  But Mary stood weeping outside the tomb, and as she wept she stooped to look into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had lain, one at the head and one at the feet.  They said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid him.”  Having said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing, but she did not know that it was Jesus.  Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”  Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned and said to him in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” (which means Teacher).  Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father; but go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”  Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord”—and that he had said these things to her. On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”  When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.  Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.”  And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit.   If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you withhold forgiveness from any, it is withheld.”

Matthew 10:16     “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

Matthew 28:18    And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

Luke 24:46  and said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ should suffer and on the third day rise from the dead,  and that repentance for the forgiveness of sins should be proclaimed in his name to all nations, beginning from Jerusalem.  You are witnesses of these things.  And behold, I am sending the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Acts 2:38     And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Acts 13:38     Let it be known to you therefore, brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you,  and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from which you could not be freed by the law of Moses.

Forgiveness of sin comes to all who believe and are called.  Our lives are no longer without purpose.  We are to proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ.  We are to make disciples.  We are to receive the Holy Spirit.  We are to walk in humbleness.  We are to follow and obey.  We are to honor God.  We are to be thankful in all circumstances.  We are to seek and desire Him.  We are to be different from those who do not know or live for Jesus Christ.  We are to be the light to those in darkness.  We are to study His word.  We are to keep our focus on Him and eternity.  We are to pray. We are to be kind.  We are to communicate hope, peace, love, and joy.  We are to find our purpose in humbly serving, honoring, following, and obeying God for His glory. Our life is no longer ours to live but His to live through us.

Mocked, flogged, nailed to the cross

“And taking the twelve, he said to them, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise.”

John 3:13  No one has ascended into heaven except he who descended from heaven, the Son of Man.  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.

Proverbs 30:4    Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is his name, and what is his son’s name? Surely you know!

Numbers 21:4  From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way.   And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.”   Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died.  And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.  And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”  So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.

How do we feel when we are mistreated or treated unfairly?  We want to retaliate or have it made right.  Yet Christ knew what was waiting for him and willing went.  He had done nothing wrong worthy of any form of punishment.  What He did do was heal the sick, bring dead back to life, feed five thousand, open the eyes of blind and the ears of deaf, He gave hope, joy, love.  He cast demons out of those possessed and taught the word of God with authority.  And for this He willing went to be mocked, flogged and nailed to a cross to die.  Why???? Because He was sent from heaven to redeem man from sin, to be the sacrifice once and for all making a way for man to be right with God.  What manner of lives ought we live knowing the price that was paid for our personal sin?