Jesus = Emmanuel and Second Adam

Christmas time stirs up consideration of the One Christians call Jesus the Christ, the Son of God. The reasons for this are many. One of the main ones centres upon the Biblical claim that within the person of this Man dwelt two natures. This is expressed in the titles 'Emmanuel' (God with us) and the Second Adam (highlighting His humanity.) Controversy has waged over the centuries with  protagonists emphasising one aspect of Christ's nature of the other.

The Bible allows the tension of these two to abide without trying to solve the mystery. It is a faith matter similar to accepting the mystery of the One God who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three in One. From out of the  discussion about Jesus and His humanity arises the question, was Jesus a man of His time? What then would be the implications of, ‘Any understanding of Jesus must be based on the fact that Jesus was a man of His own time’ and also the statement, ‘His knowledge was but the knowledge of His time.’

I understand that Jesus did not know all that the Father had in mind for Him or the future. This is evident from Mark 13:32 where Jesus admitted that He as the Son didn’t know when the ‘fig tree’ would blossom. I understand this limitation of and on Jesus was part of His living the life of dependence on and faith in His Father’s will. He lived out what He calls us to do. What are the implications of Jesus being a man of His time and having His knowledge limited to that time? Does this mean He is fallible in some of His statements? If so what? Does it mean we in this 21^st A.D. century can know more that Jesus did whilst on earth? To accept that is to undermine His authority and the credibility of Genesis to Revelation. Jesus upheld creation, Adam and Eve, marriage, Noah’s flood (amongst other matters) all of which today are considered either unscientific or outdated.

May I suggest we gain a clue to Christ’s apparent lack of knowledge on certain matters from John 5:19,20,30. John 17:8.  John 8:28 is a good summary: ‘Jesus said, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will realise that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own, but speak these things as the Father instructs me.”’ (NRSV) He was in tune with the Father and shared what the Father revealed to Him at that time. He wasn’t doing His own bidding. Was this also an expression of Jesus being the prophet also? Now this puts us into a difficult position if we dismiss aspects of what Jesus taught as simply being due to the knowledge of the time. It makes the Father also fallible. It makes 21^st century man wiser than the Father and the Son as well as the Scriptures. Such a thing is not only impossible, it is ridiculous!

The mystery of Jesus as Emmanuel and the second Adam at the same time remains. His testimony as to His teaching must be two fold. A diligent study of His Bible and a dependence upon listening to His Father must undergird what He taught and did. I believe we can build our lives, faith, and hope upon Jesus as being the infallible teacher , the one we call Lord and Saviour.

 

Copyright Ray Hawkins 7.12.2014.

Noah's Ark and God's grace.

Noah, portrayed by Russell Crowe, is a film released in 2014. It will be met with mixed reviews as it raises again the question of a world wide flood. Was it as the bible says a catastrophic overthrow of the world as an act of God's judgement by water? Did it really happen? Can the Biblical account be trusted? There is plenty of evidence to support the Bible's claim for it. However for my 'money' its reality is endorsed by Jesus as He told about a future worldwide judgement.'For as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.'Matthew 24:37

Very little is given about the times of Noah. What we have must be put together and when we do we have a glimpse of a terribly wicked time. When Jesus said ‘In those days before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage… until the flood came.’ The term ‘eating and drinking’ is very important when placed alongside other such references. Exodus 32 is the account of the Golden Calf idolatry and it says ‘They (Israel) rose early the next day and brought sacrifices of well – being; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to revel.’ (Compare 1 Corinthians 10:6-8)

The days of Noah would have been tough going for those in the lineage leading up to this man. It will be similar in the time Jesus refers to also. How did they stand tall, strong, resolute and separate from the corruption of faith, family and future? Their example is our guide as to the way to overcome the anti-Christ forces. This is even in the ever present reality of martyrdom.

We have in Genesis 5 the godly line highlighted. It becomes evident how the truth of God was passed down from family to family. Here is our first responsibility. As we know God as Lord and Saviour so our life under–girds our words to our children and to all those in our care. Righteousness empowering prayer can open another’s ear to hear the word of the Lord.

The brief mention of Enoch holds a powerful message. Remember he was living in an increasingly corrupt and violent world. His epithet reveals a brave man. It also is a motivation to us and others in a godless age. The record says ‘Enoch walked with God.’ His very life must have made the depraved and demonic inhabitants hate him. They would have sought ways to bring him down to their level. He stood resolute. His testimony is an indictment on his community. It is such a lifestyle even today which explains why the righteous are assailed by the unrighteous. The ungodly know their wickedness but refuse to seek holiness and want to crush all that disturbs them.

From the brief account in Genesis it is easy for folk to presume God to be callous, even cruel in destroying the civilization through water. Those of us who know the Lord and His word appreciate the fact that He is holy and gracious, just and merciful. How does that come out in this setting? The people had the choice of believing or rejecting the ways of Yahweh. Too often we hear ‘seeing is believing’ which doesn’t work out in practise. The people up to Noah’s day could see the Garden of Eden guarded by the Cherubim; the sad testimony of Adam and Eve’s rebellion, passed down from him over many years; the example of the believers such as Enoch. His being ‘raptured’ (seized up) into God’s presence surely would have been newsworthy. Then there is Noah’s work of building the ark. It took 120years. Not one of those who perished could accuse God of being unfair, unjust or impatient. This remains true for all who leave the Lord out of their lives today.

The culmination of all this is in Noah. How did he find grace in the sight of the Lord? Hebrews 11:6-7: ‘By faith Noah, warned by God about events as yet unseen, respected the warning and built an ark … The testimony of Godly men (and assuredly women) made Noah aware of and sensitive to hearing God’s voice. He was prepared to stand up to and stand out from the unbelief of his day. He wore their mocking in building the boat but he also had the last laugh, which was probably saturated with tears for the lost.

It strikes me that Jesus linked His return to the time of Noah to show us the World is not on a self improvement course. Without the ministry of God’s Word and the transforming power of the Cross it is doomed. Every age and every society is infected with the self destructive ‘viruses’ of unbelief and rebelliousness. Ultimately all that will culminate in ‘as in the days of Noah.’ God in grace provided a safe place. For Noah’s day it was the huge ark. For us it symbolizes the Cross and the risen Lord Jesus. He is our ‘ark of refuge’ accessible by faith. That requires believing in the Lord Jesus Christ as the crucified, buried and risen One. That is the biblical ‘passport’ for entrance into the place of safety called Christ Jesus. It is up to an individual to claim it, possess it and with it enter into a new life and destiny safe from the coming judgement of God..

Marantha!

Beware the Christmas Plague

The Blights of Christmas

Blight according to the World book dictionary ‘is a disease which causes plants to wither and die.’ Used figuratively it points to ‘anything that withers the hope or causes destruction or ruin.’

Christmas is experiencing a plague of such blighters. Their aim is to reduce Christmas and its meaning to ruin in the hope it disappears. Each of the ‘viruses’ attacking this great testimony have a replacement of their own. Before we look at aspects of the Blights be reminded as to the meaning of Christmas.

It was long promised and recorded within the Judeo–Christian Bible. No one with a fair mind will deny that the Old Testament declared someone is coming. It detailed place (Bethlehem) mode of coming (virgin birth) titles (Emmanuel, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Wonderful Counsellor) purpose (Messiah to save His people) Suffering Servant (Isaiah ch.53) to name but a small sample.

The Gospels declared the promised One has come. His name in Greek is Jesus. In Hebrew, Joshua. He is called Lord, Son of Man, Son of God and the Word (Logos) made flesh to dwell among us. People may disagree with such records and Names but such matters cannot be refuted. Nor can the ‘Blighters’ accuse the Apostles and early Church from fabrication. Why? Because the Apostles paid for their hope and convictions with their blood. The governing authorities could not deny Christ Jesus’ existence, teaching, death and resurrection. That is why they resorted to making it a criminal offence to believe in the birth of (Christmas) Jesus and His Calvary and empty tomb testimony. Their attempts to wither and ruin Christmas and Calvary failed. The ‘Blight killer’ was ‘It is written’ according to the Scriptures and verified by Christ’s resurrection.

Today the plague has mutated and is more virulent because it has an element of fun, commercialism and ideology. Such things appeal to the human heart because they destroy the real meaning of Christmas.

Santa Claus is Christ Jesus great rival at Christmas. His “HO, HO, HO” drowns out the Angels song. Santa is the myth we want to control and promote. He is the character that seduces our cash from our bank accounts. He panders to our greed and blinds us to the emptiness of our lives.More than that Santa Claus doesn't disturb our lifestyle or ungodly thinking nor impose upon us teachings which are worthwhile but unwanted. Jesus Christ however is still active within the Christmas scene but only to those with eyes to see and ears to hear. Sounds familiar doesn’t it.

Doctrine and ideology also want a piece of the withering process. Atheists and Muslims are surprising linked in their opposition to the Person of Christ. Atheists in denying God’s existence cannot handle the simple yet supreme message that the Lord God would care for wayward ‘junk.’ The teaching that the Heavenly Father set a saving process in motion is anathema. Mohammed called the Gospels and the Old and New Testaments a lie by saying Jesus Christ is not the Son of God. Why? Because Mohammed said God had and has no Son. Therefore the mystery of the Godhead, Father Son and Holy Spirit, is arbitrarily dismissed. ‘No god but god’ is a great cliché but such a god is aloof, indifferent to creation, offers no salvation or hope in life or death. There is no Christmas for Atheists or Muslims. To adopt their attack on the Christian Faith and its historical reasons for Christmas is to create a spiritual plague. It affects your heart and hope of ever knowing the Person of whom Christmas reveals.

The way to bust the Blighters is to discover who Jesus is for oneself. Do this by simply reading the gospels and cross referencing between the Old and New Testaments. Then Christmas will take on new, exciting and enjoyable dimensions. You can still give presents. You can still enjoy special and culturally appropriate meals. You can get together and enjoy carols and worship with understanding and gratitude the Lord Christ. You will know Him as Jesus, Son of God, Lord of Glory and your own Saviour.

He is the One who makes it a happy and meaningful Christmas.

He is the One who takes us onwards into a meaningful life.

For those interested you can learn more about Jesus and the Christmas event from my book 'The Bethlehem Warrior Baby'. It is an EBook available from amazon or in print from Christian Bookshops or the publisher Even Before Publishing (division of Wombat books, Queensland Australia.)www.evenbeforepublishing.com

Questions God asks #7. Why seek for a sign

The sign's up

‘‘If there is a God let Him give me a sign of His reality’ is the sceptic’s escape clause for unbelief. Such thinking isn’t new. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day demanded the same from Him. From all accounts this was a persistent jibe at Him. Jesus responded: ‘Why does this generation ask for a sign?’ (Mark 8:12) In Matthew and Luke’s account something is added. ‘No sign will be given it except the sign of Jonah.’ What was He meaning? Matthew 12:40 explains the cryptic statement: “Just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so for three days and three nights the Son of Man will be in the heart of the earth.’



Easter Lily



Jonah is a battle ground for many today. His story seems so unreal, a great piece of fiction with a spiritual application. There is a problem with such a view. The people to whom Jesus spoke accepted it as historical. Jesus endorsed the Biblical account and applied a message to His generation from it. The people of Nineveh repented at Jonah’s message and Jesus claimed that a greater than Jonah was now amongst the people. The trouble was they couldn’t see Him. Therefore one last opportunity would be theirs to have scepticism give way to faith. What would that be? A death, burial and resurrection!





The very essence of Christianity depends upon this truth. The Christian faith is rooted and grounded in Jewish history. That history is bound up with world powers such as Egypt, Babylon, Greek and Roman. The bible is the most researched and investigated book ever, by friend and foe. It has stood tall and unbowed against the fiercest of critics and the wildest of misrepresentations. How? Because, in a great measure, of the sign of Jonah. Christ Jesus’ birth, life and death on the cross are well known. How come? Because of the sign of Jonah!

Without this fact there would be no Gospel stories. Without this sign there would be no Christian faith. The disciples were not fools to suffer and die for a deluded Rabbi. Who would follow such a man unless the evidence stacked up that He was who He claimed to be; He fulfilled the predictions of the Bible from Genesis to Malachi; He experienced the typology of Jonah.

Okay, what then is the sign of Jonah? He experienced a resurrection. This is symbolised by his being vomited out of the sea monster after three days and nights in its belly onto dry ground. Jesus by associating Himself with Jonah but on a grander scale was preparing His hearers, sceptics, followers for the most crucial test. I find it fascinating that it was His most virulent opponents who had some sense that Jesus spoke the truth. That why they arranged a squad of soldiers and a Government seal placed around and on the tomb. Three days and nights after the crucifixion and entombment Jesus rose triumphant from the grave. The sign of Jonah was fulfilled.

Why then didn’t the leaders embrace the risen Lord? The same reasons why people won’t accept the testimony of Jesus and his death burial and resurrection today! Self–righteousness, pride, fear of others, consequences of belief to name a few reasons. Eating ‘humble pie’ and admitting you were wrong, especially about Jesus, is hard to swallow at first. However when a person chews and swallows such a ‘pie’ it becomes the most delicious meal of all time. People still want God to do a circus act or a talent show for them to believe in Him. He is not their clown nor their pantomime act. He is their Lord whether they believe Him or not. There are more than enough proofs about the promise of the Messiah, the revelation of Him as Jesus of Nazareth, the historical and spiritual significance of the cross. All their credibility rests upon the sign of Jonah. The very emergence, endurance and energy of the Christian faith also flows from that sign.

Paul’s masterpiece on this matter is 1 Corinthians 15. He made the journey from scepticism and hostility to ‘eating humble pie’ and faith and unbounded enthusiasm for the risen Christ Jesus. Have you made that journey yet?

(This completes the series on Questions God asks)

Consider the Clouds #2.

The Coming of the Clouds #2.

When did the clouds appear over the earth? That started me thinking. In the Creation account of Genesis we are told that there was water above the earth and water on the earth.  Bible believing scientists  consider that the water around the earth in the sky protected earth from radiation. This could explain in part people’s longevity as stated in Genesis 5.

How was the earth watered? The King James translation Genesis 2:6: ‘There went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.’ The reason is given in verse 5: ‘The Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth.’ No rain assumes no clouds.

In the account of God’s judgement by the worldwide flood on Noah’s day we have the mention of rain. The water canopy around the earth was shattered. We suffer its loss today with U.V. health related problems. I admit to wondering if as Noah was entering the ark whether the clouds were forming. They would be a sign in the heavens to the people of the day. Signs of impending judgement which they either ignored, explained away or held philosophical debates about. There are signs screaming out to be seen and to be taken seriously today. However in the immediate period before the Lord’s return there will be awesome, indeed awful signs in the heavens. The people then as today will brush them aside as something other than what the bible has prophesied. As in the days of Noah…!

Matthew 24:37: ‘As the days of Noah were so shall also the coming of the Son of Man be.’ Now there a number of features to this day not being considered here. However Jesus is quoted in Matthew 24: ‘They shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.’ We will look further into the teaching of the clouds and Christ’s return in future blogs. Let it be noted here that Christ’s return has to deal with judgement. He has provided the spiritual ark of Salvation, faith in His death, burial and resurrection. If Jesus is your Lord and Saviour you are safe from Judgement. If not watch out for the clouds.

Ray (unafraid of those clouds) Hawkins.