The
NARROW GATE- a Church of
Christ
The
way of Jesus (Yeshua)
LESSON
TWO- Ten Things You Should Know About Jesus (Yeshua)
Lesson
1 took us on a brief exploration of our textbook, the Bible. During that initial
journey we discovered that the Bible is unique among books in many ways - its
authorship, its claims, its prophecies, and its power. We should also understand
that the Bible is the story of a person, and that person is Jesus
(Yeshua).
Not
only is Jesus (Yeshua) the central figure of the Bible, but He is also the
tallest figure of history. Indeed, "all history is His-story." That such a
person as Jesus (Yeshua) really was born and lived among men nearly two
thousand years ago; there can be no reasonable doubt. Agreement is far
from universal, however, on what men think of Jesus
(Yeshua).
"I
am the WAY, the TRUTH, and the LIFE," said Jesus (Yeshua) John 14:6. This
is a sensational claim! Jesus (Yeshua) made other tremendous claims about
His origin, His nature, His mission, and His teaching. Around these claims and
around the personality of Jesus (Yeshua), controversies have raged ever since
His birth.
"What
think ye of Christ? Whose son is he?" Matthew 22:42. This question, asked by
Christ Himself, is one that every person must answer individually. Just who is
this Man called Jesus (Yeshua)? Intellectuals accept Him as a great
teacher. Spiritists call Him a great medium. Youth
adopt Him as their primary candidate. Revolutionaries claim Him as the greatest
revolutionary. UFO followers describe Him as their Senior Pilot. What do you
think of Jesus (Yeshua)? Is He to you the only WAY to God, the absolute
authority for TRUTH, the only source of a richer LIFE in this
world and of an endless LIFE in the world to come? Answering this question is
the most important decision one can ever make.
This
lesson, "Ten Things You Should Know About Jesus
(Yeshua)," will give you information and facts that will help you not only to
decide who Jesus (Yeshua) is to you, but also what relationship you desire to
have with Him.
Enjoy
the study
Sincerely,
Nevil and Janet Butler, Pastors of the
Narrow Gate
*****************************************************************************************************************
TEN
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT JESUS (YESHUA)
SCRIPTURE
READING: JOHN 1:1-4; COLOSSIANS 1:12-22; HEBREWS 1:1-4
(Write
your answers directly onto the dotted lines)
WHO
JESUS (YESHUA) IS
1.
Whom
does the Bible declare Jesus (Yeshua) to be? John 3:16; Matthew
3:17
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
Jesus
(Yeshua) once asked His disciples, "Whom do men say
that I the Son of man am? And they said, Some say that
thou art John the Baptist; some, Elias; and others, Jeremias, or one of the prophets." Matthew 16:13, 14. The
people were willing to believe that Jesus (Yeshua) was some prophet raised from
the dead, or Elijah returned from heaven, but because He came as a humble
teacher, without the pretense and pomp of a ruler, not many people were willing
to accept Him as the Son of God, the Savior of men.
FACT
1
The Scriptures clearly teach that
Jesus (Yeshua) Is the Son of God.
THE
RELATIONSHIP OF JESUS (YESHUA) TO GOD
2.
What relationship did Jesus (Yeshua) claim with His Father? John 10:30
....................................................................
3.
How did the apostle John describe this relationship?
John
1:1, 14 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the
.was...................................................
And
the Word was made.........................
and dwelt among us." (See
also Hebrews 1:8)
The
Greek word translated the Word means the thought of God expressed. Christ is the
visible likeness of the invisible God. (Colossians 1:15). He is not simply "a"
god but "The" God, which is superior to all other created things (Colossians
1:18). "For it was by God's own decision that the Son has in
Himself the full nature of God" (Colossians 1:19,
TEV).
We
need have no anxiety about the Godship of Jesus
(Yeshua) Christ. In reading the Bible you will discover an identity, a oneness, between God and Jesus (Yeshua) Christ throughout.
At times it is difficult to tell whether it is speaking of the Father or the
Son. Christians gladly accept the definition of Moses in Deuteronomy 6:4; "The
Lord our God is one Lord." We cannot completely explain these mysteries, but we
can think of some comparisons: A ship's rope gathers its strength from three
strands wound together to form but one rope. A flower may have three petals, yet
they unite in one plant.
FACT
2 - The Scriptures make plain that Christ
is one with God and is called God.
CHRIST
BEFORE BETHLEHEM
4.
What do the Scriptures say of Christ's existence before He was born in human
flesh?
Micah
5:2 "
..
.. whose goings
forth have been from of
..
from
.
John
17:5 Jesus (Yeshua) stated that He had been with the Father "
. the world
was."
The
pre-existence of Christ is a doctrine that was most definitely taught by Jesus
(Yeshua). "I came down from heaven, "He emphatically declared (John 6:38). "From the days of eternity," said one writer, "the Lord
Jesus (Yeshua) Christ was one with the Father; He was 'the image of God, the
image of His greatness and majesty,' 'the outshining of His glory. It was to
manifest this glory that He came to our world."
FACT
3
Christ existed with God
before the creation of our world.
CHRIST
AND CREATION
5.
What part did Christ have in the work of creation? Hebrews 1:1,2 "He made the
"
Colossians
1:16
.......................................................................................................................................................................
John
1:1-3 "
..were made by him; and without him was not that was
made."
This
"Word," who created all things, was none other than Christ, as verses 10 and 14
clearly show, and this mighty Creator is able also to create new life in us.
That is why Paul says, "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature (or
creation)" 2 Corinthians 5:17.
FACT
4
Christ cooperated with God the Father in the
work of creation.
THE
BIRTH OF JESUS (YESHUA)
6. In what way was
the birth of Jesus (Yeshua) supernatural? Isaiah 7:14
................................................................
Matthew
1 :18 "Mary was found with child of
the
.
.. " (See
also verses 22,23.)
This
is known as the incarnation. Christ was not a new being, but He appeared in
human form. What a thrilling thing is this miracle of heaven - the fact that a
humble girl, an ordinary human being, unmindful of her tremendous position in
the history of the world and the plan of salvation, was approached by an angel
with the news that she was to become the mother of God, the mother of Jesus
(Yeshua), who was Emmanuel, God with us! And it is even more wonderful when we
realize that all this was done in order that God could become human and pay the
price of our sin, rescuing us from the pit of destruction and redeeming us for
eternal life. This is beyond our ability to understand, yet not beyond our
ability to believe and accept.
FACT
5 - Jesus (Yeshua) was conceived by the
Holy Spirit and born in the flesh of a virgin - the God -
Man.
JESUS
(YESHUA) IS TEMPTED
7.
Did Jesus (Yeshua) have to struggle with temptation as we
do?
Hebrews
4:15.............
....
With
what results?.....................................
....................................................................................................................................
Because
the Son of God lived a sinless life in the flesh, He accomplished five
things:
(1) He demonstrated that, by the indwelling power of God, the law of God
could be kept by converted man (John 15:10; Romans 8:3,4).
(2)
His righteous life is now available to cover man's past sins (Romans 5:17; 2
Corinthians 5:21).
(3)
He is able to sympathize with man's struggle against sin (Hebrews 4:15).
(4)
He has successfully revealed God to man (John 14:4-8).
(5)
He is in a position to impart overcoming power to all who are tempted
(Philippians 4:13; 2 Corinthians 12:9; 1 Corinthians
10:13).
FACT
6 - Jesus (Yeshua) overcame temptation
and lived a sinless life.
THE
DEATH OF JESUS (YESHUA)
8.
What did Jesus (Yeshua) death accomplish for us? Romans 5:8
...............................................................................
Matthew
26:27,28: "He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave
it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; for this is
my........................
.of the
new testament,
which
is
.
for many
for
the
.. [forgiveness] of sins."
It
was May, 1946. A young scientist, Louis Siotin, was
conducting a daring experiment at Los Alamos, the atomic test center. To
determine the amount of uranium 235 necessary for a chain reaction - scientists
call it the critical mass, he was pushing two
hemispheres of uranium nearer together. Just as the mass became critical, he
would push the spheres apart with his screwdriver, instantly stopping the chain
reaction. He had performed the same experiment many times before, but that day,
just as the material became critical, the screwdriver slipped. Instantly the
room was filled with a dazzling bluish haze. Instead of ducking and thereby
possibly saving himself, Louis tore the two hemispheres apart with his bare
hands, thus stopping the chain reaction. "You'll come through all right," he
later said quietly to his workmates who had been in the room with him, "but I
haven't the faintest chance myself." Nine days later he was
dead.
Nearly
two thousand years ago the Son of God walked into sin's most concentrated
radiation, at a time when the hemispheres of sin had reached a critical mass.
When the countdown of the centuries reached its end (Galatians 4:4) calls it the
"fullness of time"), He who had made the atom permitted Himself to be nailed to
the tower at ground zero, allowed wicked men to trigger the cruel device we call
Calvary. To interrupt the chain reaction of sin, to stop its radiation, He gave
His life.
The
deadly radiation of sin had written death on every nerve, every tissue, every
cell of our bodies (Romans 5:12). Sin had built up in intensity until it became
a critical mass at Calvary. But the Son of God threw His own body across the
fury of its chain reaction and forever broke its power. His hands will bear the
mark of the encounter throughout eternity! He was treated as we deserve, that we
might be treated as He deserves. He suffered the death which we were to die that
we might receive the life which was His. Truly, "with his stripes we are healed"
(Isaiah 53:5). The human mind may never fully fathom the atonement, but we can
accept it, and all who will accept the sacrifice of Calvary will experience the
joy of a changed heart.
FACT
7 - The Bible teaches that Jesus (Yeshua)
died to make possible the forgiveness of our sins.
THE
RESURRECTION OF JESUS (YESHUA)
9.
Why does Jesus (Yeshua) have the keys of death? Revelation 1:17, 18
..................................................
The
resurrection of Jesus (Yeshua) is a doctrine that distinguishes Christianity
from all other religions. Buddha, Confucius, Mohammed, and the founders of other
religious movements are still in their tombs. Jesus (Yeshua) alone points to an
empty tomb as evidence of divine power and of His conquest over death. No fact
connected with the life of Christ is so firmly supported as the fact of the
resurrection.
A
group of Infidels in England during the eighteenth century became convinced that
all efforts to overthrow the Christian religion would fail as long as people
believed in the resurrection of Christ and in the conversion of the apostle
Paul. One of their number, Dr. Gilbert West, a
brilliant lawyer, was asked to publish a tract upon the alleged resurrection of
Christ, while another, Lord Lyttelton, was to write a
pamphlet exposing the conversion of Paul as a myth. Some time later these two
men met. West inquired of Lyttelton whether he had
completed his assignment. Lyttelton replied in the
affirmative, but stated that in examining the evidence he had himself become
convinced of the conversion of Paul and was writing to support it. Then Lyttelton asked if West had finished his work on the
resurrection. In reply, West confessed to a similar experience. In weighing all
the facts, according to recognized laws of legal evidence, Dr. West became
satisfied that Jesus (Yeshua) Christ really rose from the dead. The result was
his celebrated book, "Observations on the History and Evidence of the
Resurrection of Jesus (Yeshua) Christ".
10.
If the resurrection of Jesus (Yeshua) were not a fact, how would that affect
us? 1 Corinthians 15:17,
18
............................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................................
The
resurrected Christ is a living Christ. It is only the power of the living
Christ, the power of the resurrection that can change the life of man and save
him. Paul sought to know "the power of his resurrection" as a daily experience,
that he might at last be raised in the resurrection of the just (Philippians
3:10,11). The resurrection of Christ is thus, a sample
and pledge of ours. "Christ the first fruits; afterward they
that are Christ's at his coming". (I Corinthians
15:23).
FACT
8 - Jesus (Yeshua) rose a victor over death, thus providing assurance of our
resurrection from the grave.
WHAT
JESUS (YESHUA) IS DOING NOW
11.
What happened to Jesus (Yeshua) 40 days after His resurrection? Acts 1:9-11
........................................
12.
What position does Jesus (Yeshua) now have? Hebrews 8:1
.................................................................................
13.
As our High Priest, what does He do for us? Hebrews 7:24, 25
..........................................................................................
Christ
ascended to heaven to become our mediator (1 Timothy
2:5) to serve as our advocate (attorney) (1 John 2:1). We need a representative
in heaven who understands our problems. Jesus (Yeshua) does, He was "made like
unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest"
(Hebrews 2:17), that is why we are encouraged to come in reverent boldness to
His throne of mercy for grace and power (Hebrews 4:16).
FACT
9 - Since ascending to heaven, Jesus (Yeshua) has been mediating in our
behalf.
CHRIST'S
PROMISED RETURN
14.
What promise did Jesus (Yeshua) make His disciples the last evening He spent
with them? John 14:1-3
..............................................................................................................................................................................................
15.
Which coming does Paul call this? Hebrews 9:28
..........................................................................................................
The
second coming of Christ is the climax of the gospel. It is the time of reward.
Without it the cross loses its meaning. The cross is the seed sowing of God's
love; the second coming is the harvest. It is home-coming for God's
people.
FACT
10 - The Scriptures testify that Jesus (Yeshua) will come again, Let us be ready
to meet Him.
"For
God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever
believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Such
love on the part of God the Father and God, His Son - Jesus (Yeshua) Christ!
Today Jesus (Yeshua) still holds out those hands, hands marked by His encounter
with sin, to you and to me in a touching invitation to respond: "Come to Me, all
of you who are tired from carrying your heavy loads, and I will give you rest"
(Matthew 11 :28).
What
is your reply?
END
OF LESSON TWO