Where did Jesus says He is God?

John 8:58 (NIV) - "Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I AM!"

I am here is the reference to how God refers to Himself.

Exodus 3:14 (NIV) - God said to Moses, "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you.'"

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About John the Baptist, Biblical Jewish history says that during his time in 1st century AD, the Jews had been suffering centuries of foreign rule for their willful sins/law-breaking, were repentant and waiting for God to send the Messiah/Christ to save them (from foreign rulers.? - JOHN.6:15), as promised by God in the Old Testament - JOHN.4:25. ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messiah ) John was chosen by God to prepare the way for the coming Messiah/Christ by water-baptizing the Jews in repentance and to expect salvation/deliverance.
....... So, John the Baptist did not save, only the Christ/Messiah saved/saves from hell those who believed/believes in Him.

Problem was, when Jesus the Christ/Messiah came on the scene, He only wanted to save His fellow Jews from hell by gifting them the kingdom of heaven, but the Jews wanted a Messiah/Christ to save them from foreign rulers and gift them the kingdom of earth, ie Judah/Israel. Hence, the Jews rejected Jesus as the Christ/Messiah and killed Him as a false christ and heretic.(cf; MATT.24:24) Ironically, by killing Jesus the Christ on the Cross, the unbelieving Jews accomplished God's plan of salvation of fallen humans living in a rotten earth.

The water-baptism of repentance from willful sins/law-breaking by John the Baptist is just like a true Church teaching its people to be repentant about unintentional sins/law-breaking and not to commit willful sins/law-breaking, which will result in them being cursed/punished by God with earthly calamities and while in suffering they may lose faith = lose salvation. OTOH, the true Church should never teach that law-keeping will save from hell or is a necessity/requirement for salvation because salvation is solely by faith in Jesus Christ/God.
....... Unintentional sins/law-breaking, if repented of through the blood of Jesus Christ, will result in not being cursed/punished by God with calamities. Not so for intentional or willful sins/law-breaking except for rare occasions, eg during the 1st Coming of Jesus Christ to earth = miraculous healings and exorcisms.(see LEV.4) It's like the difference between negligence/mistake/misunderstanding vs murder.

Besides forgiving/atoning for unintentional sins/law-breaking(= suffer no curses), the blood of Jesus Christ crucially also atone/forgive inherited Adam's Original Sin which all humans are born with = saved from hell - ROMANS.5:12. The inborn Adamic sin nature results in involuntary/unintentional sin-in-thoughts that occasionally arise in our hearts and minds from the depths of hell/Satan, eg immoral hate/anger, sexual lust, greed, selfishness, jealousy, fear/worry, doubt, etc. Involuntary/unintentional sin-in-thoughts may culminate in voluntary/intentional sin-in-deeds, eg murder, adultery, stealing, apostasy, blasphemy, cheating/lying, etc which cannot be forgiven/atoned for(= will suffer curses/punishments from God) - MATT.5:17-48, HEB.10:26-31.

We can avoid committing intentional/willful sins and not be cursed by God with earthly calamities but we can't run away from the fact that we have been born with Adam's Original Sin and be cursed by God with being hell-bound = we need to be born-again in Christ/Spirit, in order to be saved from hell.
....... Born in Adam in spiritual death(= hell) but born-again in Christ in Spirit'ual life(= heaven).

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Good day.

This deliberate sinning in Hebrews 10, talks about going back to the Law of Moses and Rejecting Christ offer of Salvation. It's not referring to sexual sins or your act of sinning in the flesh.

The beginning of the book of Hebrews 10 begins with the Law where it talks about the sacrifices of animals and ends on persevering in Faith at the end chapter (people who have accepted Christ..ie: the apostles, the people during Jesus days being persecuted for their faith). The whole chapter of Hebrews 10 talks and Law and Faith, think about it.

Note the phrase "insulted the spirit of GRACE". The new testament is based on God's Grace which is the gospel or good news.

With that being said, it gives reason that this deliberate sinning is pushing away what God gives you freely.

I'm sharing this because for those who are born again believers, every sin condemnation is judged on Christ at the cross. Therefore to say that believers can be cursed by God is something that I don't see being supported by scripture. I believe it's important to understand scripture in it's context because wrong understanding can give door to Satan to attack. ie through deceit. It opens such door but you have to buy that deception first.

God Bless.

This post has been edited by unknown warrior: Feb 17 2020, 01:29 PM

Isaiah 54 comes after Isaiah 53

Good day fellow believers of Christ Jesus.

Today's devotion's tittle is a bit strange but there's a reason for it but I need you to read those 2 chapters to understand what I'm sharing.

Isaiah 53 talks about our Messiah Jesus Christ. In that chapter it is describe how the messiah will be like and what will happen to him. When this was recorded it was a hidden mystery to which nobody knows who is this person. Yet the all the narrative and description in there fits perfectly of Jesus Christ the Son of God when you read the New Testament.

And there is a reason why it is divine order Isaiah 54 comes after Isaiah 53. Why is that?

It is to let you know what happens when the Messiah comes. It is a covenant to which God cuts with you when Christ has come. If study in detail Isaiah 54, all these promises are only possible because of Christ.

What am I trying to tell you?

There are some of you who has this idea that God is still angry at you for the sins you've committed whether it was long ago or just recently. I want to you read Isaiah 54 verse 9 to 10

Isaiah 54
9 To me this is like the days of Noah,
when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth.
So now I have sworn not to be angry with you,
never to rebuke you again.

10 Though the mountains be shaken
and the hills be removed,
yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken
nor my covenant of peace be removed,”
says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

Am I trying to say God is happy that you are sinning? No. I'm saying you need to understand God is not angry with you in the sense of wrath. Will there be conviction and discipline when you've done wrong? Well yes but from a loving Heavenly Father. That makes the difference.

If today you've been far off, not wanting to come to God because you've been imperfect in your acts, comes home to God. Read verse 9 and 10, let it sink deep into your spirit and have a correct revelation of who God is.

He is the Lord who loves you and have compassion on you, don't buy into the lie of the devil that God is angry with you.

God Bless.

What are we fighting for under the New Covenant?

Philippians 3:9 (NIV) - and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ--the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith.

Abraham, one of the great patriarch in God's people knew this one key revelation in living with God, that is calling things "that are not" as though they were (Romans 4:17). That verse has to do with believing in God for something against a very great odd that is impossible in the natural. In context for people who don't know, this verse has to do with the birth of his son Isaac.

Today under the new covenant, we need to call something that are not as though they were..and you ask what is it?

It has to do with the righteousness of faith. We need to fight daily against our thoughts and to perceive we are righteous through Faith in Christ. There are some of us who don't have it all together and as Christians we need to believe we are righteous because of our Faith in Jesus Christ. Is that warranted? Answer is yes and it's in the Bible.

Problem is..many of us determined ourselves being right with God (Righteous) when we either obey or did not sin. And YET that is not how righteousness under the new covenant before God. This is the greatest mistake we Christians make. I know this to be true and factual and I dare to stake my argument on this.

Many of us Christian live under the new covenant with the old covenant together..... if you know what I mean. They mix the 2. God has made it clear, If it is by Grace it "CANNOT" be by works. (Romans 11:6) The works in the Bible means your deeds...IE your performance. It can be the things that you do to please God. It is not referring to just good works like doing charity, etc. This is so clear, sometime I wonder if people who always argue against this actually bother to think on this passage.

Unless we understand this correctly and practice this revelation correctly, you will always be confused and be at odds why God doesn't respond to you as frequent as He has promised.

What about the verse in the book of James where it says...

James 2:24 (NIV) - You see that a person is considered righteous by what they do and not by faith alone.

First let me ask you this. What is so righteous about taking a person's life and lying? Go read that passage, it's referring to those incidents. By virtue, these 2 deeds are sin...think about it. The justification in the book of James has nothing to do before God but before Man. What the Apostles Jame was painstakingly trying to say is this (I'll rephrase this in the Malaysian lingo): Don't just be a tin kosong, walk your talk. Which is true and correct but understand it is not the New Covenant justification for righteousness before God. It can never else everything that is written in other parts of the Bible cannot stand and God as far as I know never contradicts Himself be it through his Words or in his Character.

Friends, this devotion is for believers who know they don't have it altogether and has flaws and falls here and there. I'm here to encourage you to embrace what God has given you. You have been given this gift of righteousness because Christ has done the work on your part. Unless you know you are righteous before God because you've accept Christ, you will always be afraid to come near to God.

Why?

Because unless you come to God and be close, you can never change because in of yourself is only the power of the flesh which is Anti God. Only in God (Christ) is the power of Life and Redemption. I pray you will have understanding in what I've shared.


God Bless to you.

This post has been edited by unknown warrior: Feb 20 2020, 09:28 AM

Hi Guys,

Just for sharing..bump into this song when listening to spotify...

Indonesia worship songs are quote melodramatic.

The famous worship leader there sidney mohede, I think he's a like celebrity kind of Christian artist.

Humble guy..he frequent to malaysia as well.

good to know...but i never attended any of it..
just notice they are very good...
do they have worship conference here often?

Yeah he comes to DUMC or Glad tidings I think.

I only went once and it's really awesome.

Before the 10 commandments, is a period of God's Grace

Exodus 19:12-13 (NIV) - 12 And you are to set up a boundary for the people around the mountain and tell them, ‘Be careful not to go up on the mountain or touch its base. Whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death. 13 No hand shall touch him, but he shall surely be stoned or shot with arrows—whether man or beast, he must not live.’

Before the 10 commandments was given, when God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt is a period of God's Grace. When the Israelite complain and murmured against God after the red sea, nobody died. We can all agree murmuring against God is a sin, yes? When they complain there was no water to drink, God made the water of Marah sweet. Nobody died. They were okay for awhile then between the journey from Elim and Sinai, they complain there's no food and God send Quail from Heaven for food. Yet nobody died. They were okay for awhile then when they came to Rephidim, they complain there is no water and God brought forth water from a rock at Horeb, yet nobody died.

After the 10 commandments was given at mount Sinai. And the same sin repeated....the Israelite complained, they died. Whenever anyone complained/murmured, they died. You can read this in the book of Numbers 11 onward. Every complain there is, there was death.

What am I trying to share?

The New Testament is about God's Grace where it showcase the goodness of God. Everything that happens, Salvation that was offered, the miracles given is because God is the one exhibiting good and it is based on God's goodness. In fact The Gospel is based on the Grace of God. The Gospel IS about God's goodness, not about Man. If it was based on Man, I always say, before the day is over, we are over. Nobody can measure up to God's standard of what is good.

It is a very serious thing, a matter of life and death to ask God to assess and to judge based on Man's own goodness (performance/works).

I noticed there was a change of God's tone at Mount Sinai. You can read this in exodus 19. Before the 10 commandments was given, it seems that God was exhibiting grace with his people, He was with them in Pillars of fire at night (to warm them when there's cold) and pillar of cloud by day (To shield them from scorching heat of the sun).

Yet when the Big Ten was given at mount Sinai, God seems to be saying "do not come near". There was a boundary that wasn't there before the 10 was given. This boundary, if anyone touch or even animals..they all will die. There was dense cloud with thunder and lightning so much so, there was fear among the people. They couldn't take it and asked Moses to speak to them instead of God. You can read this in the verse of today's devotion. It's recorded in the book of exodus 19 onward.

What is the conclusion then?

Judge for yourself, which covenant you want to be under? The covenant that is assessed based on your own goodness or God's? You cannot say you want God's grace and yet you want God to gauge yourself being right with God based on what you do.

This is a very critical importance I personally feel many Christians have missed out in trying to understand and I pray that God's Holy Spirit will reveal this to you.

God Bless.

please pray for hopeless malaysia.
and also pray that christians don't shift their support in DAP to other parties.

God is not aligned to any particular political party but is sovereign over all.

You can intercede along with your other friends.

We all should pray for God to intervene to disallow prejudice and extremism.

I'll be praying for sure.

* I urge fellow Christians to remain calm and not be triggered by unconfirmed news. A lot of rumors, speculations and assumptions are flying around, we should learn to ignore what is not confirm fact.

This post has been edited by unknown warrior: Feb 24 2020, 10:34 AM

The correct perspective is to look to God and not to anyone or any organization be it political or non political.

God is always the "Right" focus for Hope for the future because He is God after all, the one with real powers no Man can defy. In God we can dare to dream and to hope for our lives and for our families or friends.

Doesn't matter what political party rules the country.

We are not suppose to put our hopes or trust in Man, this goes with saying anything that has to do with "Man".

Man can scheme all they want...through deceit or by force but our life, our breath and our destiny is in the hands of the Almighty.

Strengthen your resilient Faith in God the Father.

God Bless Ya'll.

This guy is a practicing Scientist.

So the father is the only true god now?

Your question ah? Why so weird one?


You want ”Strengthen your resilient Faith in God the Father in Christ as the Spirit.” ?

😂

thanks PK