Why Do I Believe What I Believe?

These are facts about Jesus of Nazareth that no one would argue with:

  • About 2000 years ago a man named Jesus lived, traveled, and ministered in Samaria, Galilee, and Judea.
  • His teachings were controversial:  they drew people to follow Him, made others respect Him, and angered those who opposed Him.
  • He was baptized in the Jordan river by a man named John The Baptist.
  • He was crucified by the order of the Roman Prefect Pontius Pilate.

 

I might be crazy…….but I think this Jesus is the Son of God….

That He is the Savior of the world…..

That He is the hope of nations and the hope of individuals…..

 

He has saved me in every area of my life—not just from others—but He has saved me from myself….

 

In my eyes….He is the Answer…..

To ALL IDEAS….

To ALL THINGS….

To ALL PEOPLE….

 

Matthew 27 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” –which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

 

Okay…..as I read this I concluded:  The moment of weakness for Jesus. He wasn’t as perfect as He claimed.  He cried out and asked God where He was as Jesus was suffering.

 

Not so.

 

And what I discovered made me even more convicted of Jesus, of this Bible, of this word.

 

He was quoting scripture!  He was quoting Psalm 22…..and I just thought:  As He hung there….as He was being mocked…..after He endured an unfair trial…..after being abandoned by all the disciples……He was hanging on that cross FULFILLING His mission….for me.

 

As you read the 22nd Psalm it is shocking……David paints a picture of Jesus on the cross…….and I can’t imagine what he must have been thinking as he was writing it……

But he was obeying God and predicting the future.

 

As I ran into this incredible scripture, I began to find more predictions about Jesus imbedded into the Old Testament.

 

Here are just a few:

Micah 5:2 said he would be born in Bethlehem

Zechariah 9:9 said that He would declare Himself King on a donkey

Isaiah 53 said that He would be pierced for our transgressions

And then there is the 22nd Psalm….which talks about His betrayal, His being mocked, His clothes being gambled over.

 

And these are just a few…..after reading these I started reading the Old Testament and saying:  That’s about Jesus. So is that. And so is that.

 

Pretty soon, I ceased to be amazed and just started telling God…….”Look—I am so sorry that I did not see this before.”

 

And I began to be in awe of what He had done.

 

He had written me a love letter from before I came to be…….and I had treated it with none of the respect that it deserved….nor Him.

 

So here I am…..and I am here today…..and as I write these words I ask the Lord to show me…..Here I Am!  Lord…..

 

Matt Redman’s song sums it up.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0646vaI45dA

Set me on fire….

Here I am, God, arms wide open

Pouring out my life….gracefully broken

 

In The Name of the Father and the

Son and the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

 

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Coach J