Shat terd

Shat terd

Men

The hidden half of domestic violence

Who Do You Say That I AM?

How old are you? Are you married? How many kids do you have? For several months, I could count on being asked those questions every day that I worked. The person asking would not remember asking them tomorrow. Each of us get asked countless questions every day of our life. "What's for supper?" "What's on TV?" (guys if your wife ask you this..do not say...dust) "What time is it?" Most of these questions will not matter next year or even next week. There are however, two questions that WILL matter not only next year, but far into eternity. Our eternal destiny will depend upon the correct answers to these two questions. They will not be graded on the curve and there will be no retake of the exam when you have to give your final answer. Question #1 lays the foundation for question #2 for without the right answer to the first question, you can not have the right answer to the 2nd. The test is an open book exam but the only book needed is the Word of God. We will refer to that often in this message. WE do need to lay a foundation for understanding the Bible correctly and you can find the basic guidelines here: Hermeneutics (how to understand the Bible) http://www.shatterdmen.com/Hermenutics.htm Part of that is this: WHAT DOES OTHER SCRIPTURE SAY? If we find a verse that seems to contradict other verses, we need to go back to the drawn board and find out what this verse does mean. The best commentary on scripture is other scripture. Most often if we find a verse that is not clear, we only need to read further to clarify it. Jesus often explained a parable only a short time after HE told it. Also, many times one part if Scripture will clarify other parts We will be comparing scripture with scripture to answer these questions. Who do you say that I AM? Of course, the first question that comes to mind after hearing this, is does it make any difference? One might argue that we all worship the same God but with different names be it Allah, Jehovah, Buddha and many other names for gods. We will see here that it DOES make a difference. John 8:24 I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins. Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Compare this with: Acts 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved. John 14:6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. Thus we see that it is only through JESUS that we can obtain eternal life...BUT it has to be the same JESUS of the Bible. We are told there will be many antichrist, many often doing signs and wonders: Matthew 24:24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect. Lets take a few moments to see who this man..JESUS really is..or is NOT! Many have declared Jesus to be an angle. Hebrews 1 4 Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they. 5 For unto which of the angels said he at any time, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee? And again, I will be to him a Father, and he shall be to me a Son? 6 And again, when he bringeth in the firstbegotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him. 7 And of the angels he saith, Who maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire. 8 But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom. Many have declared Jesus to just a prophet Hebrews 1 1 God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 2 Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; 3 Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. Many have declared Jesus to be just a man Colossians 1 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; Philippians 2 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. The BIBLE declares JESUS to be....GOD! Actually, we can see that Jesus is indeed God from the above verses but there are so many others. Lets explore a few more of the reasons from God's Word. Jesus is called GOD! Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. To see this clearly, lets look at another translation: Darby Translation Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I [am] the first, and I [am] the last, and beside me there is no God American Standard Version Isaiah 44:6 Thus saith Jehovah, the King of Israel, and his Redeemer, Jehovah of hosts: I am the first, and I am the last; and besides me there is no God The redeemer is none other then Jesus and we can see here that He is called....Jehovah. Thomas declared it: John 20:28 Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. It has been contended that Thomas was using a figure of speech..which in reality would mean that Thomas used God's name in vain but lets look at how Jesus responded to this declaration: 29 Jesus saith unto him, Because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed. Jesus accepted this...but He went on to tell us that it is more blessed to believe without having to see. After all, Hebrews 11:6 tells us "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Lets look at a few other comparisons to see who Jesus is: John 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. Compare to: John 1:41 And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily. (compare to Colossians 1:15-19 above) Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. Zechariah 14:16 And it shall come to pass, that every one that is left of all the nations which came against Jerusalem shall even go up from year to year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts, and to keep the feast of tabernacles. Compare to John 1:49 Nathanael answered and saith unto him, Rabbi, thou art the Son of God; thou art the King of Israel. 1 Timothy 6:15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Zechariah 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. Zechariah 11:12 And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. At this time, I urge each of you to get your Bible and turn to these verse...remember your basic English and look for the SUBJECT of these verses..see Who was priced at 30 pieces of silver...and who was pierced thus showing who shed His blood. GOD'S GLORY: God said HE will not share His glory with any other: Isaiah 42:8 I am the LORD: that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images. Yes we see Isaiah 6:1 In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the LORD sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. referred to in John 12:41: John 12:41 These things said Esaias, when he saw his glory, and spake of him. CREATION: Isaiah 44:24 Thus saith the LORD, thy redeemer, and he that formed thee from the womb, I am the LORD that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; Compare to: John 1:3 All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. Colossians 1 15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: 16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 17 And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. 18 And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence. 19 For it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell; BOTH ARE THE FIRST AND LAST Isaiah 41:4 Who hath wrought and done it, calling the generations from the beginning? I the LORD, the first, and with the last; I am he. Compare with Revelation 1:11 Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea. Revelation 1:17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last: In case we think this is referring to GOD..go on to the next verse: 18 I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. BOTH ARE THE ALPHA AND OMEGA Revelation 1:8 I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty. lets look at the verse before this one..verse 7: Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen. THE PEOPLE UNDERSTOOD WHO JESUS SAID HE WAS: This is another primary way to understand what scripture is saying..what did those who heard it understand it to mean? Remember, these people could hear the tone of voice and see the body language which helps us to understand what is said. Lets look at a few examples of the statements of Jesus Christ and follow that with what the listeners understood: John 10:30 I and my Father are one. results in verse 31: Then the Jews took up stones again to stone him. WHY? verse 33: The Jews answered him, saying, For a good work we stone thee not; but for blasphemy; and because that thou, being a man, makest thyself God. Now some contend that Jesus denied being God in this next statement found in verse 34: Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law, I said, Ye are gods? 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the scripture cannot be broken; However, rather then denying it...HE reaffirmed it as we can see by the listeners reactions in verse 39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand, John 8 58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am. Results: 59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by. Now to understand the above, we need to go back to Exodus 3:14 where God answered Moses when Moses asked who should he say sent him. And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. This is a name reserved for ONLY God, yet Jesus applied it to himself. UNCHANGEABLE: Numbers 23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good? Malachi 3:6 For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed. Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.

The Witness of His Spirit

1 John 4
2 Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God:
3 And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.

Many people that do not believe in God will state that Jesus did exist. There is secular history to this fact. If they do not believe God exist, how can they know "the Spirit of God"? I contend that this means that it has to be the Holy Spirit that convicts us that Jesus is indeed God in the Flesh.

The Bible declares Jesus is the mighty God.

Isaiah 9:6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.

Compare this with Isaiah 10:21: The remnant shall return, even the remnant of Jacob, unto the mighty God.

and Jeremiah 32:18 Thou shewest lovingkindness unto thousands, and recompensest the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of their children after them: the Great, the Mighty God, the LORD of hosts, is his name,

Now remember, in Isaiah 44:6 Jesus is called the LORD Of Host, or the Jehovah of hosts

ARGUMENTS STATING HE IS NOT GOD: God is omniscient or all knowing...Some contend that Jesus is not all knowing in that He himself said He did not know the day or the hour of the end of the ages: Matthew 24 35 Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. 36 But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only. 37 But as the days of Noah were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. To answer this, we refer to: Philippians 2 5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: 6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: 7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: 8 And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Jesus voluntarily took the form of a human being and HE set aside all of His GODHOOD to become a man just as you and I with only one exception, HE was not born with a sin nature. It was as a man that Jesus did not know the time of the end of the ages. Christ was in subjection to the Father John 5:9 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise Many use this verse to declare that Jesus can not be equal with GOD as HE was subject to GOD. There are a few flaws with this argument. Mary and Joseph took the young Jesus to the temple when He was 12 thus we read in Luke 2:51 "And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart." The question then is..Was Mary and Joseph greater then Jesus? The answer...Jesus was a CHILD so this was a conditional subjection...just as any child is to obey their parents until they grow up and go on their own. JESUS was on Earth as a HUMAN BEING..just as you and I so HIS subjection to the Father at that time was based upon that fact. Read Philippians 2:5-8 again and focus on this part: "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men" He was the first born thus was created Colossians 1:15 Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: Romans 8:29 For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren First born does not always indicate birth order. It is a legal term which shows that Jesus has a legal right to the throne of David. We can see this with David as David was declared to be the first born but according to scripture he was not born first. Psalm 89:27 Also I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth (vs 20 shows this refers to David) 1 Chronicles 2:13 And Jesse begat his firstborn Eliab going on to vs 15 Ozem the sixth, David the seventh: Again the first born indicates the right to the throne, not the order of birth. We have also seen this in Genesis 25:33 When Esau sold his irthright He the beginning of God's creation. Some use Revelation 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; as proof that Jesus was the first thing created. But is this what it means? If we compare Scripture with Scripture we find it can not mean that as Micah 5:2 states: "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting." Psalm 104 24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. 25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. 26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. 27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season.

There is so much more we can add to this..more comparisons of Scripture with Scripture showing the same name and the same attributes but we will be adding this. For now, let us go to the 2nd most important question you will ever answer through all eternity.

WHAT WILL YOU DO WITH JESUS?

There are only two choices. You can either accept Him, OR Reject Him. A delayed answer today is to reject Him.

2 Corinthians 6:2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)

Do not count on changing your ways after death:

Hebrews 9:27 And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:

Many people know ABOUT God but to have a relationship with Him, we have to KNOW Him. What is the difference?
Knowing about God can include us being aware of all the facts concerning Him. Many people think that knowing that Jesus Christ died for our sin is all that is needed for salvation. It is NOT! In order to have salvation that is to have eternal life there are a few basic steps we need to follow. This is so important I want to go over them,

1: We need to realize we have sinned. Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God This means we have failed to met the goal of being perfect in order to enter heaven. Few of us would question this.

2: The penalty for the sin that we are guilty of is death. Romans 6:23 tells us The wages of sin is death. (Death is separation. When our body dies, our soul is separated from our body. Eternal death is when we die without doing what is being explained here and then our spirit is separated from God for eternity.

Since the only price we can pay for our own sin is to be separated from God forever, it stands to reason that there is no way we can pay for our sin ourselves. We thus come to the 2nd part of Romans 6:23: but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ the Lord.

3: 2nd Corinthians 5:21 informs us: For he hath made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. Jesus Christ, God's only Son became sin for us so that we can be freed from the penalty of sin. What then do we need to do?

4: For GOD so loved the world that HE gave His only begotten Son that whosoever (read YOUR name here) believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. Please note the ONLY condition given is that we believe in Jesus Christ for full payment for our sin.

5: Many times our own past activities or the activities of our ancestors may be a basis for demonic problems based on Exodus 20:5. It is important therefore to Renounce the sins of our ancestors.

Now if we only learn these facts, even though we may understand that they are true and believe them. that is only knowing ABOUT GOD. How do we KNOW HIM then? It is APPLYING that payment to our account.

This would be like having a check to pay a bill and putting the check on a desk. The bill does not get paid because the check was never APPLIED to your account. Once we know and believe the facts pointed out above, the next step is to TALK to God much as you and I would and admit that we have fallen short of what He wants.

We recognize that we deserve to be separated from a Holy God. We then tell Him that we know that He has provided a payment for all our sin and this payment was Jesus Christ when He died on a cross.

It is at this time we ask God to APPLY THIS PAYMENT TO OUR ACCOUNT. We ask God to credit as PAYMENT IN FULL for all our sin the price Jesus paid for us. It is this step that gives us eternal life. If we do all but this step, we know about God.

When we do this step, we will KNOW God and we will have eternal life. Following is a model of a prayer to trust Christ.

Lord God, I now realize I am a sinner. I realize I have fallen short of the goal You have set forth for eternal life and I now repent of this sin. I also understand that according to Your Word, the Bible, that Your Son, Jesus Christ as paid the debt for me and I am now asking You to credit the payment Jesus made on the cross to my sin. Lord God, I also renounce any sin on the part of my ancestors that may have been invitations to curses or demonic activity. Lord God I also now understand that You have now given me eternal life and I thank You for that fact. Amen.

Please come to HIM now....Just as You are. If you have. e-mail us at ken_forthelamb@hotmail.com WE CARE!

If after reading this...you need to talk to someone

call 1 888 need HIM

(1 888 633 3446)

PLEASE note this is only for the purpose of establishing a right relationship with Jesus Christ. This number is not for immediate counseling

ONE SCARED HAND

He is the fountain for a thirsty soul

He is the healer and so much more

When my heart is broken by this world's demands

the pieces are mended with one scared hand.

And when I can't stand I have to lean

and when I can't see, I must believe

The great Physician's touch

is a balm that can mend broken hearts

with one scared hand.

It's the hand that hung this old world in place

the hand that was scared just to give me Grace