EL DEBATE SOBRE EL ORIGEN DE JESUS 

EL GRAN DEBATE SOBRE EL ORIGEN DE JESUS 

Los cuatro relatos del Evangelio fueron dirigidos a audiencias especificas con temas muy bien definidos. Mateo (a Judíos) presenta a Jesús como verdadero Rey. Marcos (A Romanos) presenta a Jesús como siervo de Dios. Lucas(a griegos) presenta a Jesús como hombre pero sin pecado, mientras que Juan (a todos) presenta a Jesús como Dios en naturaleza misma. No existe entonces otro mejor lugar en todo el N.T para estudiar la naturaleza del Señor Jesús que aquí en Juan y en esta ocasión Juan 8. Iniciando desde el v.11 Tenemos el primer contraste entre ley y Gracia. Del 12-20 luz y tinieblas, del 21-30 otro contraste entre vida y muerte, del 31-43 libertad y esclavitud , del 44-47 hijos de Dios versus hijos del Diablo y por último del 47-59 un contraste entre honra y deshonra.

ORIGEN DE JESUS

El origen de Cristo queda más que demostrado, su origen es divino.

El debate esta vez jira en torno al origen mismo de Jesús, pero se usan términos tanto sucios Los opositores plantean sus argumentos y premisas falsas para su origen (1. Nacido de Fornicación( v.41) Eres Samaritano (48) Tienes Demonio (V.48) y el Señor responde de la manera más estupenda como siempre lo hace.

TENIA SEÑORIO SOBRE LA MUERTE(V.51):A travez de sus palabras.

No era algo nuevo. El había dicho esto antes en su sermón en la sinagoga (Juan 6:39–40, 44, 54). De nuevo los dirigentes no tuvieron la perspectiva espiritual para comprender lo que estaba diciendo. V.53 Todos los hombres grandes murieron ¿eres tu mejor que ellos? Jesús no responde a tan absurdo argumento. Ellos están en modo completamente carnal. La perspectiva de Dios es distinta que la del hombre (ellos no estaban muertos). Como fallamos en entender esto nosotros hoy.  Abraham murió, aunque fue justo; y los profetas fieles también habían muerto. Todo lo que hizo esta plática fue convencerles aun más de que Cristo tenía un demonio (Juan 7:20). Al afirmar ser Señor sobre la muerte, Jesús estaba afirmando ser Dios (Juan 5:21–29). Esto no era un honor que se tomó para sí mismo; el Padre se lo dio. No nada más lo enseñó más tarde ellos iban a ser testigos en Juan 11 que a travez de sus palabras él tenía señorío sobre la muerte. Resucitar a alguien como Lazaro requiere con todo y todo, a un elemento extra. Pero la mas grande prueba de su señorío sobre la muerte es la su propia resurrección (Juan 10:18).

CONOCIA A ABRAHAM(V.56). El Señor por un lado estaba afirmando existencia contemporánea con alguien que había vivido casi 2000 años antes que él. Esto puede ser una de las cosas mas interesantes que Jesús haya dicho. Sabemos que Jesús vio a Abraham pero cuando vio Abraham a Jesús partiendo de lo que afirma Hebreos 11:13 ¿Cómo fue que Abraham vio el día de nuestro Señor, o sea su vida y ministerio en la tierra? De la misma manera que vio la ciudad futura; por fe (Hebreos 11:10, 13–16). Dios le dio a Abraham percepción espiritual para ver estos eventos futuros… “vio mi día” (Ministerio). Por cierto que

  1. Abraham pudo ver el nacimiento del Mesías en el nacimiento milagroso de su propio hijo, Isaac.
  2. Seguramente vio el Calvario cuando ofreció a Isaac a Dios (Génesis 22), (Heb.11:19).
  3. En el ministerio sacerdotal de Melquisedec (Génesis 14:17–24) Abraham pudo ver el sacerdocio celestial del Señor (Heb 7).
  4. En el matrimonio de Isaac, Abraham pudo haber visto un cuadro de las bodas del Cordero (Génesis 24).

Mencionar a Abraham y su relación con él traía a la mente y ratifica en completa unidad lo que había dicho anteriormente y que fue el primer punto de esta lección, su señorío sobre la muerte En Mateo 17:1 el había visto a Moisés y Elias cuanto más a Abraham el dijo: “el que guarda mi palabra nunca verá muerte.”  Ahora deja caer la BOMBA.!!!! 

 SE HACIA  A SI MISMO DIOS (V.58) “Yo Soy” (Ego EIMI) (Vr.Pre.Act.Ind.1Per,Sing.) El verbo indica YO siempre he sido. El siguiente es una traducción literal de las notas de un erudito llamado Calmet. “Yo soy desde toda la eternidad. Yo he existido antes de todos los tiempos.Ustedes consideran en mi a alguien que ha aparecido en un tiempo en particular, pero más allá de su naturaleza humana que ustedes creen conocer, existe en mi una divina y eterna naturaleza de la que usted no tienen la remota idea.” Las palabras traducidas “fuese” y “soy” son bien distintas. La una quiere decir que “Abrahán fué introducido en la existencia”; la otra, “que yo existo” (“existia, continuaba existiendo y continúo existiendo” todo en la forma del verbo). La afirmación no es pues que Cristo empezara a existir como fué el caso de Abraham (como dicen los arrianos que es el caso. Los testigos Alegan eso, observe lo que dice su versión.) Lo que Jesús hace aquí es mostrar no nada más que tiene señorío sobre la muerte, que conoce a Abraham sino que lo lleva a otro nivel a cual???? Al más Alto. Muchísimo antes que Abraham él ha sido.. está apelando a Ex3:14 e indiscutiblemente (en la mente de los judios) El único mayor a Abraham era Dios.. Este hombre merecía Morir inmediatamente.

 Reacciones al Majestuoso “Yo soy de Cristo”. V.58

  1. Tomaron piedras… NO había margen de error en lo que ellos habían entendido (Los Testigos de Jehová hubieran ayudado a pasar piedras).
  2. Se fue entre medio de ellos del templo. Habiendo tantas personas ahí (8:2) Inclusive guardias y alguaciles que estaban constante en el templo…nadie le prendió. Esa gente seguramente estuvieron al igual que yo lo hubiera estado atónitos y helados de la declaración y la seguridad con la que habló el Señor.

CONCLUSION

El origen de Cristo queda más que demostrado, su origen es divino, el es deidad por todo lo que dice, por todo lo que hace y por todo lo que es. El debate termina con un triunfo de la verdad. Hay varias lecciones que podemos aprender: No podemos dejar de admirar su valor al presentar la verdad e invitar a los religiosos ciegos a confiar en él y ser hechos libres. ¡Qué ejemplo!.

Los lideres estaban contra él, estaba en el templo, los Romanos estaban contra el, el pueblo estaba contra él, mi pecado estaba contra el, aún así Jesús no desistió. El mundo también está contra nosotros pero no estamos solos no importa lo que venga.  Este gran “Yo soy” no está en listado dentro los 7 “Yo  soy “de Jesús en Juan sin embargo es uno de los más grandes. Cada vez que el cristiano observa de cerca la  grandeza de la naturaleza de nuestro Cristo no queda más que caer rendido a sus pies. La cena del Señor cada domingo no es como una eucaristía que hay que golpearse el pecho si tiene pecado primero y luego participe de la cena…no la cena del Señor ese espacio para que Jamás olvidemos el sacrifico intenso de aquel que era Dios en la carne por amor mío. Cuando caemos rendidos ante eso, precisamente estamos adorando.  Este debate nos enseña la naturaleza divina de Cristo. El es Dios. La pregunta crucial es: Es CRISTO ¿Su Dios? ¿Es el Dios que gobierna su vida publica como su vida privada? ¿El es Dios de su dinero? ¿Es el Dios que está incluido en sus planes del futuro? Hagamos el mejor de nuestro fuerzo los 365 días del año para honrar su naturaleza y persona divina.

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We will Glorify The King of Kings

We will Glorify The King of Kings

There is a hymn that is sung, “We will Glorify,” the lyrics of which, begin as follows: “We will glorify the King of Kings, we will glorify the Lamb; we will glorify the Lord of lords, who is the great I am.”

The sentiment of the song is quite appropriate. God is truly deserving of such praise. As the scriptures say, “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.” (Revelation 4:11; NKJV) And our Savior, Jesus Christ is likewise deserving, as we read a little further, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!” (Revelation 5:12; NKJV)

King of Kings

Who is the King of your life? Do you serve Him? Do you glorify Him?

Each individual who truly believes in God as their Creator, and Jesus as the Savior of men, should do all they can to glorify them. Nor should this glory be limited to a few trite platitudes uttered upon occasion. The Psalmist expressed it thusly: “My mouth is filled with your praise, and with your glory all the day.,” (Psalm 71:8; ESV) and elsewhere, “whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

But is this what we are doing? Are we truly glorifying God?

For most in the world, the answer must be, “No!” Life is not lived to the glory of God, but to the glory of some other. All too many live so as to bring glory to themselves. When they boast, they boast about their deeds, their wisdom, their ideas, their riches, their property, and their own accomplishments. They do not have the attitude of the one who wrote, “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.” (Galatians 6:14)

Many others live for the glory of some institution or association, such as their family or their country. Consider those who may not brag about themselves all that often, but they are more than happy to tell you all the wonderful things their children, grandchildren, or other kin have done exceptional. Or consider the politician, soldier, or nationalist who is all too happy to tell you why their country is the best on earth and are eager to fight and sweat and work to make it even better.

Are we glorifying God, or are we living for another?

Again, heed the words of Scripture: “Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.” Therein is the expectation of God for His people. He is our Creator, the mighty King, the great I am; and if we consider ourselves the people of His pasture, then He alone is worthy to receive the glory, honor and blessing due Him.

If we wish to truly honor God, then we need to give some careful thought to how to go about doing this.

Most obviously, we should spend time in worship to God, both privately and collectively with the Lord’s church. Glorifying God is intrinsically linked to the worship of God. “Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” (Psalm 29:2) Why would we claim to want to glorify God, but refuse to worship Him?

But glorifying God cannot be limited to the actions of a worship service. Again, as the Psalmist said, “my mouth is filled with your praise,” and as the apostle reminded us, our boasting, if we are to boast, should be boasts about what God through Christ has done for us. Can we be said to glorify God if we refuse to speak to others about how great God is.

Then too, Jesus taught His followers: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16; NKJV) We bring no glory to God if we claim to be His follower but our lives do not reflect positively on Him. It is through our loving deeds that others may know we are indeed true followers of Christ (cf. John 13:35) Can we be said to be glorifying God if we are living selfish lives of sin? The answer is clearly, No.

So let us be serious about glorifying God, and think seriously about who our lives are actually bringing glory to. Let us glory God in worship, in word, but most especially in deed, letting our light shine brightly in His holy name!

 

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Without Warning

Without Warning

Less than 72 short hours before His arrest, crucifixion, and subsequent death and burial for the sins of the world, our Lord gave crucial answers to critical questions which are vital to the understanding of anyone hoping to go heaven. One of those questions was, “What would be the sign of [His] coming, and of the end of the age?” (Matt. 24:4). Later on, in answering that question as to when “heaven and earth [would] pass away” (vs. 35), Jesus’ response was that only God knew when that would happen (vs. 36), but that when it did come, it would strike suddenly, without warning, and would therefore occur so quickly and unexpectedly that for those who had simply gone about their normal, daily, earthly lives without getting properly prepared, there would be no time left to get ready (See vss. 37-41). Both the Apostles Peter and John (who were two of those who posed the original question and heard Jesus’ response that day – Mk. 13:3ff), as well as the Apostle Paul, all similarly wrote later on of this same event’s incredible suddenness (See: 1 Ptr. 3:10-14; Rev. 3:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:16-5:10; and 1 Cor. 15:51-58).

No Warning

No Warning. No Sign. Be Prepared at all times.

Jesus thus continued on in Matthew 24:42-44:Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming. But know this, that if the master of the house had known what hour the thief would come, he would have watched and not allowed his house to be broken into. Therefore, you also be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.” “Be ready!” That was clearly the clarion cry of the Christ and the crucial life and death conclusion which He would continue to drive home throughout the remainder of chapter 24 and all of chapter 25: “Be ready!”

“Be ready!” according to the Scriptures! “Be ready!” in the eyes of God! “Be ready!” before it’s too late! Get prepared, be prepared, stay prepared, and BE READY at all times – because you do not know the time of His return! Nor do you know when your momentary earthly life, which is but a vapor (Jms. 4:13-14), will come to an end – as we have been so relentlessly reminded by recent news stories regarding such sudden, fatal, and unexpected tragedies. Therefore, we must all, “Be ready!” Thus resounded one of the last, major, life and death messages of the Messiah!

You see, getting ready, being ready, staying ready, and helping others to get and stay ready and prepared for His return is one of the major reasons why the Lord’s church exists (Matt. 28:18-20; Acts 8:5-12). That is why we do not waste our precious Bible study and worship time (Eph. 5:8-17) with such vain, useless, and soul-destroying frivolities as man-made doctrines, philosophies, entertainment, or other worldly pursuits (Mk. 7:5-13; Col. 2:8; 1 Jn. 2:15-17). Instead, we spend our Bible study time… well, studying the Bible! Studying the “black and white,” “book, chapter, and verse,” divinely-inspired word, will, and truth of the living God (2 Ptr. 1:20-21; Jn. 17:17), which is able to prepare and make us complete to stand before Him (2 Tim. 3:16-4:4). This is why we continually study (1 Tim. 2:15), abide in (Jn. 8:31-32), grow in (2 Ptr. 1:2-11), and obey it (Jn. 14:15-21). Similarly, we refuse to waste our precious worship time with anything less than absolute Biblical adherence to exactly how God said He wanted to be worshipped in His word, thus seeking to be only the kind of worshippers which He is clearly, continually, and exclusively seeking (Jn. 4:23-24).

The reason that such an all-out effort at informed preparation is so infinitely important, is because the Bible clearly depicts the eternal tragedy of even some very highly and devout religious people; devout religious people who had called Jesus “Lord,” done incredible things in His name, and who obviously believed with all their heart and soul that they were saved, but alas, were not. They truly appear to have believed they were fully ready – and in their own hearts and minds surely they were, one hundred percent – but in God’s eyes, they obviously were not; for although they had done some good things, they had not done God’s will (See Matt. 7:21-23).

We don’t want to be them, nor forced to share in their eternal departure from the Lord (2 Thess. 1:7-10). Hence, we plan to be getting further, better, and more Biblically prepared this coming Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10), in the Lord’s church (Rom. 16:16), so that when He, our Lord returns, we, His people (Acts 11:26; Gal. 3:26-27) will be ready.

What about you? Are you ready? Not in your own eyes, but in His? According to His word (Jn. 14:15-23)? If not – or if there’s any question whatsoever – then please come join us and let’s all get more Biblically prepared and truly ready for the Lord’s return together this coming Sunday, shall we?

 

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God Knows Fathers

God Knows Fathers

It is easy for us think of our omniscient God in a general sense. God knows the actual weight of the earth and measured the entire universe with the span of His hand (Isa. 40:12). We know that the heavens show this wisdom and glory to all men. However, sometimes it is not easy to think about what God knows about us individually. Let’s take time to look at what God knows about fathers, but each of us can make our own application to our lives even if we are not fathers.

Father God

Who owns your life? Who is father to your children?

God knows so much about fathers. He knew about Abraham as a father. “For I have known him in order that he may command his children and his household after him that the keep the way of the Lord” (Gen. 18:19). In His wisdom, God could see Isaac and Jacob having been taught by Abraham and their responsibility to God. Fathers, have you ever considered that God knows how you are teaching your children?

God gave Isaac to Abraham even at his old age. Abraham could look at Isaac and know that this son was truly a gift from God. God “owned” Isaac first and that is why he was a gift from God. This truth extends far beyond this father and reaches down to all fathers, even to those who are reading this right this moment.

As the Jews were being taken to Babylon, God reminded them of their neglect of their children in a remarkable way. “Moreover you took your sons and your daughters, whom you bore to Me, and these you sacrificed to them to be devoured.  Were your acts of harlotry a small matter, that you have slain My children and offered them up to them by causing them to pass through the fire?” (Ezek. 16:20-21). They took their sons and daughters and burned them as infant sacrifices to pagan gods. Read these verses again. It was not their children—God says that those children were His children. Fathers, your children are God’s gift to you, but they, in reality, are His children given to you.

God knew Abraham and that He would instruct his children. Have you considered that God knows you just as well? Does God know you and knows you will not instruct your children? The Jews were not simply neutral in failing to teach God’s children He had given to them, they actively taught their children, His children, to do wrong. Fathers, your failure to actively teach your children may actually be teaching them by your example to not put God first in their lives!

Fathers, God put one verse in the Bible especially for you. “Fathers…bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord” (Eph. 6:4). Remember they are not your children, God says, “They are Mine!”

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Church of God or Church of Christ

Church of God or Church of Christ

Why does Paul address the church as “the church of God” rather than “the church of Christ”?  (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1)  In these passages he is speaking to all the saints.  Aren’t the saints the church of Christ?

Christ IS God (John 1:1, 14).  Therefore, the terms “church of Christ” and “church of God” mean the same thing.  The church which belongs to Christ belongs to God.

Church of God

Matthew 16:18 makes it clear that God would build His Church.

The term “church of Christ” is not the only biblical name given to the New Testament church (cf. 1 Cor. 1:2; Acts 9:2; Heb. 12:23; 1 Thess. 1:1; etc.)

The term “saints” comes from the Greek word hagios, which literally means “most holy thing” or “one sanctified.”  One is sanctified through baptism into the church of Christ (1 Cor. 6:11; 12:13; cf. Eph. 1:22-23).  Therefore saints make up the church/assembly/ekklesia of Christ, the church of God, the Lord’s church.

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