JESUS IS ALIVE!
JESUS IS ALIVE!
The only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. —Matthew 16:4
The only sign I will give them is the sign of the prophet Jonah. For as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. —Matthew 12:39-40
All of Christianity hangs on the resurrection of Jesus and that was what the sign of Jonah was all about—-“as Jonah was in the belly of the great fish for three days and three nights, so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights.” Just as the great fish could not hold Jonah when God released him so the grave could not hold Jesus. It had to release Him. “The Good News is about his Son. In his earthly life he was born into King David’s family line, and he was shown to be the Son of God when he was raised from the dead by the power of the Holy Spirit. He is Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 1:3-4). The resurrection proves who Jesus is! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9QCF_QyQ0x0
Jesus Christ— Why His Name?
WHY DO YOU DO IT?
THINK ABOUT IT!
Why do people punctuate their every- day speech with the name of Jesus Christ, Jesus, Christ etc?
· Why do people, when they get mad, use His name to let off some steam?
· Why do people use His name when they hurt themselves?
(For instance: you hit your thumb with a hammer, and in anger you say “Jesus Christ”)
BE TRUTHFUL WITH YOURSELF
· How often do you hear His name used like this in people’s everyday speech?
· How often do you say His name in vain?
A POINT TO BE MADE
Why is the name of Jesus used just to punctuate people’s speech?
HABIT?
Many people say this is only a habit. They don’t mean anything by using His name like this, they say. But… Jesus died on a Roman cross of execution almost 2,000 years ago!! There have been many great teachers, philosophers and thinkers that have lived on the Earth. When a person gets angry or hurts himself, why not use Aristotle, Buddha, Mohammad or Socrates’ name? Why not the name of Plato or Einstein? Why use the name of Jesus Christ? Can you think of another name that has been used in vain for almost 2,000 years? No, you can’t! There is no other name that has been taken in vain like His name. So why is His name used to punctuate people’s speech? There is more going on behind the scenes than most people realize or care to think about!
THE BOOK OF BOOKS
To find out why people use His name in tHis way we need only to refer to the Bible, God’s Word. Nobody has ever proven His Word wrong, nor will they ever. But people do ignore it or just plain don’t want to believe the Bible. They don’t want to hear what it says. In Exodus chapter 20 and verse 7, we read this, “You will not take the name of the LORD your God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.” In this verse we have a command and a promise….
THE COMMAND: “You will not take the name of the LORD, your God, in vain.” This means that you will not use the Lord’s name in a hollow way; in an empty way; in a meaningless way; in a senseless way– in other words, in an unworshipful way. There are two (and only two) ways to act toward God. Believe what He says in His word, the Bible, and worship Him as all mankind should. Not believe His word and rebel against God like Satan did and continues to do.
THE PROMISE: “… for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that takes his name in vain.” This simply means that those who take the Lord’s name in vain are guilty. Guilty of what? Guilty of sin! Sin is going against (rebellion) God’s commands. Taking or using the Lord’s name in vain is sin! It is rebellion against God! Jesus said in Matthew 12:30, “He that is not with me is against me.”
WHERE DO YOU STAND?
Taking the Lord’s name in vain gives strong evidence that you are not a Christian, that you have not been born-again (John 3:3). That
means you are under the wrath of God (John 3:18) and if you were to die at this moment you would spend eternity in hell! Get right with God now (Romans 6:23).
THE REASON people take the Lord’s name in vain is because they are rebelling against Him. Whether they realize it or not, Satan has them under his control (2 Cor 4:4). Satan was the first to rebel against God and he wants us to do the same. All who follow Satan’s way will be thrown into the Lake of Fire to be tormented day and night … forever! No one should want to go there! (Revelations 20: 1 0-15)
TWO ROADS 1. The wide road leads to hell. 2. The narrow road leads to heaven. Jesus said, “I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father but by Me.” (John 14:6) It is only through Jesus’ name that we can be saved (Acts 4:12). Jesus is the narrow road. All other ways lead to hell.
IT’S YOUR CHOICE… but there isn’t any other option. 1-To be on the wide road to hell, do nothing about your relationship with God. 2-To be on the narrow road to heaven, get right with God!! Admit to God that you are a sinner. (Romans 3:23)—Admit that Jesus died for your sin and rose from the dead. (Romans 5:8; 10:9-11)—Repent (turn from your sin) Acts 3:19—Ask Jesus to come into your life and save you and make you a child of God. (John 1:12)
Nobody would blaspheme a dead man! Jesus is alive and He is coming again. Be ready to meet Him as your Savior, not as your Judge. ” .. .It is appointed unto man to die once, but after this the judgment. “(Hebrews 9:27)
Jesus is the only way, please trust Him Today!
Dear Father, I am so thankful that Jesus was willing to go to the cross to take my punishment for my sin. Now, may I live faithfully for Him by the way I think, speak and act. May this be done out of sincere gratefulness for what He has done for me. So be it!