Who do you say that I am ?

I would like to discuss our perception of who Jesus Christ really is. Most contemporary Christians these days still see Him as a man with long flowing hair, neatly trimmed beard who is gentle and loving ; and so He is gentle and loving , but there is so much more we need to consider. It is very common to hear things like ; the Jesus I know and love is not judgmental and would never condemn anyone to hell . Many people base their opinions on what they see in Hollywood movies and how He is depicted in the press and other sources apart from what the Bible actually says about Him. The Roman Catholics still have Him on the cross and in practice re-crucify Him with every mass conducted . Many of us even in our prayers treat Him as though He is some kind of cosmic waiter who is taking our order about the things we want instead of as we should be seeking first His will for our lives.The Bible has many verses that describe Jesus's identity and purpose, including His role as the Son of God , His humanity, and His suffering and death. In John 3:16 He is described as the Son of God. In Tim 3:16 Jesus is both the Son of God and God Himself , fully God and fully man. In Isaiah 9:6 He is our Councilor, Mighty God , Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. Acts 4:12 the stone the builders rejected. Micah 5:2-5 He is the King, the eternal God, the ruler of Israel. Job 19-25 Jesus is our living redeemer. Proverbs 30:4 The Son of God who descended from heaven to save us and ascended to be our advocate. These are all wonderful verses concerning who and what our Lord and Savior is. I must say that our perception of Him can be a little off base when we still view Him as the lamb led to slaughter. It is most certainly true that He is the sacrifice that gives us the opportunity for salvation. That being said ; it is absolutely necessary for us to recognize that He is now the glorified Christ , the King of the universe. The apostle John gives us a visual description of the glorified Christ in chapter 1 of the Book of Revelations. In this first chapter John used vivid imagery to try his best to describe what is so beyond his comprehension but gives a picture of our glorified Savior and King. A voice like thunder, eyes like flames of fire, feet like burnished bronze as from a furnace, two edged sword proceeding from His mouth, and an appearance radiant as the sun. His appearance so overwhelming he fell as dead at His feet. As John continues on through the book of revelations we find that the Jesus who was persecuted, beaten, crucified and buried, has now after being resurrected from death is now the glorified Christ, the King of the universe, a warrior King coming to defeat and put all His enemies to shame. After reading what John has to say about Him, it should bring us to a place of intense reverence and fear of God. We should realize that ever breath we take is only through the grace and love of our God. We must understand that the God that we worship is a fierce warrior and conqueror but loving and kind and ready to receive us. So maybe the next time we pray or read Gods word, or just think of Him, we will maybe be a little more reverent and intimidated when we draw near to Him. This may help us in our prayers when we realize just who we are praying to. David wondered why the all powerful, all knowing God of the universe was even mindful of us. But he loved us so much that He sacrificed His only begotten son on the cross so that we might have the opportunity to be with Him for all eternity!

May we all humble ourselves and seek His mercy and forgiveness.

I love you all and may God bless you and keep you safe.