In most Bible translations the words of Christ are printed or displayed in RED. In this series we will focus on who Jesus is, what He didn’t say (that people think He did), and what He did say (that people wish He didn’t).
Who Is JESUS?
- Jesus is born to a virgin teenage girl in a barn most likely surrounded by animals. #Humility
- Raised by a carpenter named Joseph. (Genealogy = Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah >>> Joseph, Jesus)
- Began His public ministry at age 30.
- The 3 years of his ministry were spent feeding the hungry, healing the sick (deaf, blind, lame) and demonstrating that he was the Sonf of God…in the flesh.
- He never traveled more than a few hundred miles from his home.
- He was tempted as we are, but never sinned.
- His words were filled with authority, power, truth, grace, mercy, love, and compassion.
- His death, burial and resurrection are still remembered & celebrated.
- More songs and books have been written about Him than anyone else in history.
- Our calendar rotates around his birth and death. (BC = Before Christ // AD = the Year of our Lord)
What prepped Him for His ministry? Fasting 40 days.
Matthew 4:3-11 (NLT)
3 During that time the devil came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city, Jerusalem, to the highest point of the Temple, 6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.’” 7 Jesus responded, “The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’” 8 Next the devil took him to the peak of a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 “I will give it all to you,” he said, “if you will kneel down and worship me. 10 “Get out of here, Satan,” Jesus told him. “For the Scriptures say, ‘You must worship the Lord your God and serve only him.’” 11 Then the devil went away, and angels came and took care of Jesus.
1. Read the Red.
2. Know the Red.
3. Live the Red.
2 Corinthians 11:3-4 (NLT)
3 But I fear that somehow your pure and undivided devotion to Christ will be corrupted, just as Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent. 4 You happily put up with whatever anyone tells you, even if they preach a different Jesus than the one we preach, or a different kind of Spirit than the one you received, or a different kind of gospel than the one you believed.
The most important words in RED:
“I am the way, Truth, and life…” —John 14:6
Comparing JESUS to other World Religions
- Baha’i Faith – Jesus is a manifestation of God, perhaps a prophet of God, but inferior to Mohammed.
- Buddhism – Jesus is not God, but a great teacher and enlightened man, much like Buddha.
- Hinduism – Jesus is an enlightened man like Krishna, but if he is God, he is one of more than a million gods.
- Islam – Prophet who is lesser than Muhammed
Acknowledged JESUS Was the Son of God
- Angel – Before His birth, the angel (Gabriel) said to Mary, the Holy One to be born will be called the Son of God.
- Satan – “If you are the Son of God…”
- GOD – “This is my Son.”
- Demons – “What do you want with us Son of God?”
- Disciple – Peter: ”You are the Christ, son of the living God.”
- Soldier – After He died on the cross: “Surely he was the son of God.”
What happens if the words in RED don’t matter?
- Without Jesus the Bible is irrelevant
- Without Jesus there is no more forgiveness of sins
- Without Jesus there is no more hope
- Without Jesus there is no salvation
- Without Jesus there is only hell
1 Corinthians 15:14 (NLT)
And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless.
The BIBLE is not propaganda. There have been more archaeological discoveries to validate Scripture than any book in history. If you take an objective look at these discoveries, along with documents of antiquity, historical evidence, scientific evidence, circumstantial evidence, fulfilled prophecies, and personal testimonies from millions of believers around the world…then it truly requires more faith NOT to believe.
Luke 19:36-40 (NLT)
36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out their garments on the road ahead of him. 37 When he reached the place where the road started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had seen. 38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!” 39 But some of the Pharisees among the crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!” 40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
#ReadTheRed #KnowTheRed #LiveTheRed
Thank you
Sent from my iPad