Jump Start # 145
John 7:19 “So they were saying to Him, ‘Where is Your Father?’ Jesus answered, ‘You know neither Me nor My Father; if you knew Me, you would know My Father also.’”
We have been looking at God this week through the Scriptures. We’ve seen Isaiah’s vision and John’s vision of the glorious God on the throne. We’ve taken a look at Moses’ request to see the glory of God. The prophet Isaiah declared that there is no one like God. Now we come to Jesus. To see Jesus was to see God.
Paul declared that Jesus was equal to God (Phil. 2). John opened his gospel with the proclamation that Jesus was not only with God, but that He was God. The Colossians were told that Jesus is the fullness of the godhead in bodily form. To see Jesus was to see God.
What does that mean? God is a spirit, yet Jesus had a human form to Him. Jesus was so tall. Jesus had a tone to His voice. Jesus had a certain hair color and eye color. Is that God? No. That was Jesus in a human form.
What did Jesus show? He revealed that God loves all. Jesus was in Samaria. Jesus went to the homes of tax collectors. He revealed that God’s word is absolute. Jesus submitted Himself to the will of the Father. In the garden He prayed, “Not my will, but thy will be done.” Jesus showed that God is holy. Jesus never had to apologize. Jesus never spoke out of turn. Jesus never lost his cool and did things he later regretted. Jesus never sinned. Jesus showed that God is interested in our spiritual well being. He wants us to be righteous and holy. God is more concerned about what happens in us rather than what happens to us.
The simple carpenter from Galilee was God. This is how Heaven chose to display God. He didn’t use loud thunderous voices that would scare us. He didn’t overpower us. But through words and lessons like no one ever taught, He showed that He was God. Through compassion of healing what could not be healed, He showed that He was God. Through righteous living when no one could be righteous, He showed He was God.
God wants you to come to Him. He wants you to love Him and obey Him. He wants you not to run from Him in fear, but run to Him. He wants to forgive you. He wants to help you. But understand, He is God. It is His way, not yours. It is about Him, not about you. We are the ones who sinned, not God. He has every right to be through with us. He could walk away and we be on our own. But He doesn’t. He loves you too much for that. He wants you to spend forever with Him in Heaven. So much He wants that, He was compelled to send Jesus, to come as a man, and suffer and die to pay the price to justify and appease your sins. What an enormous cost. Why? And for who? You and I.
God wants you to know Him. God wants you to know His will. God wants you to talk to Him through prayer often. This is God. Through His Son He calls you to repent of your sins and be baptized for the remission of your sins. Through His Son He left an example for you to follow. Through His Son He wants to change your life.
This is God. Amazing! Powerful! Just! Merciful! Loving! Holy! Awesome is our God!
Roger