THE BOOK OF HEBREWS INTRODUCES JESUS

"God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, 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; 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, and sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high; Being made so much better than the angels, as he hath by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they, 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? And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith, And let all the angels of God worship him."
(Hebrews 1:1-6)

The above six verses present 10 facts that demonstrate the deity of the Messiah/Christ

1) The Messiah is called God's "SON".
2) The Messiah is the "Heir of all things".
3) The worlds "were made through Him (Messiah)". (see John 1:1-3)
4) The Messiah shares in God's glory.
5) The Messiah is the very equal of the person of God.
6) The Messiah holds together the vast creation by His omnipotent power. (see Colossians 1;16,17)
7) The Messiah purged us of our sins, an act only God can do.
8) The Messiah shares the throne of God. (see Revelation 22:1)
9) The Messiah is named God's Son by God Himself.
10) The Messiah is to be worshiped by the angels, only God is to be worshiped.

Posted by Mike

COUNTER SPEAKING - POWER OVER THE DEVIL

Jesus said, "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God". Then again Jesus said, "It is written, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God". Then a third time Jesus said, "Get thee hence, Satan: It is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve". In this most amazing event in the life of Christ we see the Son of God doing battle with Satan. Three times Satan tempts Jesus with twisted scripture, and three times Jesus responds with Holy Scripture. Jesus quotes directly from the Holy Scriptures of his day (our Old Testament), using as a sword against Satan he quotes Deuteronomy 8:3, then Deuteronomy 6:16, and thirdly Deuteronomy 6:13. It was in this way Jesus defeats the temptations of the evil one, and thus teaches us how we are to defeat the devil when we are tempted with thoughts contrary to the will of God. We must counter the devils lies with truth. By counter-speaking, speaking against the twisted logic that bombards our minds we will gain victory and the peace that comes with it. (Matthew 4:1-11)

THE HEART OF THE SPIRITUAL LIFE

The heart of "The Spiritual Life" is the teaching of Jesus found in the "Sermon on the Mount". By doing the sayings of Jesus we build our house on the rock which will then be able to withstand the storms of life. Jesus outlines for us His commands: first the "blessed" commands of the kingdom of heaven: to be poor in spirit, to mourn, to be meek, to hunger and thirst for righteousness, to be merciful, to be pure in heart, to be a peacemaker, to rejoice when persecuted, to be the salt of the earth, to be the light of the world; then He instructs us to keep the ten commandments with His deeper, spiritual understanding; Thirdly He commands us to keep the three basic spiritual practices of alms giving, prayer, and fasting; then He commands us to serve God rather than money(mammon), "for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also", the eye of your heart is to be focused on God, we are to "take no thought" for the necessities of this life, but we are to seek first the kingdom of God. Then He commands us to "judge not" our brother, to guard holy things and spiritual pearls, and to ask, seek, and knock repeatedly for the "good things" of God. Jesus commands the golden rule be kept, and that you must enter the kingdom at the narrow gate and follow the narrow way of suffering and difficulty. Then you are commanded to "beware of false prophets", to discern who the ravening wolves are who come to mislead you. Just because these false teachers say "Lord, Lord" and claim to prophesy, cast out demons, and work wonders, does not mean they are true prophets. Do their lives(fruits) reflect genuine spirituality as taught by Jesus? And finally, you are instructed to not just hear the words of Jesus, but to do them.