Jesus the Alpha

Jesus is the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end (Rev 22:13). John tells us that in the beginning was the word and the word was with God and the word was God. The word became flesh and lived with us! (John 1:1 and 14). John continues to tell us that Jesus is the one and the only who came from the Father full of grace and truth. Clearly the bible is telling us that Jesus has always and will always exist.

Seed of David

The genealogy of Jesus Christ confuses many people. The misconception is that Jesus was prophesied to be born a descendant of King David and that descendant is Joseph, so how can Jesus be an offspring of Joseph if he does not carry his blood since He was born of a virgin? Joseph was a descendant of Coniah. We learn in Jeremiah 22:28-30 that any descendant of Coniah would not inherit the throne of David. Actually, Mary is the descendant of King David that ties Jesus to the family. We learn this in Luke 1:27 and 31-32. Not only does Jesus come from the bloodline of Mary but also by union of Marriage which ties both the ancestors of Joseph and Mary back to King David thus fulfilling the prophecy without a shadow of doubt.

Man or God

We discover throughout scripture the human side of Jesus. He experienced hunger, thirst, exhaustion, anger and just about every other human experience, well except one; sin (All through out the 4 gospels). So Jesus was a man... Wait! We also discover in several verses that Jesus is God. Among others, Titus 2:13 says that Jesus is our great God and savior!

Does Jesus Understand US?

If Jesus is God, then how can an all powerful huge deity understand the trials, temptations and heartaches I go through? We learned earlier that Jesus experienced the emotions we face and in Matthew 4:1-11 we see that Jesus faced a barrage of temptations not only while He was at his weakest time after fasting for over a month but by Satan himself! While Jesus did not give in to temptation as we all have and do, Jesus understands our temptations because he has been there.

Why did God forsake Jesus?

The humanity of Jesus is shown best in His death. Matthew, Mark, Luke and John all write of the death of Jesus. Have you ever seen the movie "The Crow"? Do you remember the part where Eric Draven places his hands on Top Dollar and shows him all the horrible things that were trapped in his mind? The movie makes it look like a serious torture session.
Because God is Holy and pure, to be around sin would compromise His own nature therefore God cannot be in the presence of Sin. When Jesus was on the cross He cried out: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" (Matt 27:46). In the text Forsaken means "leave" not abandon. Since God cannot be in the presence of sin in that moment of time Jesus took on every single sin of the world on his shoulders even yours and mine! In that moment for the first time Jesus lost a signal on his connection to God. Oh how His cry must have sounded!

Jesus comes back to life

After Jesus died he appeared to both Mary's, the disciples and more than 500 other eye witnesses (Gospels and 1 Cor 15:6). Jesus appeared to the disciples for 40 days more (Acts 1:3) and then ascended into heaven (Acts 1:6-12, Mark 16:19, and Luke 24:50-51).

The return of the King

Jesus will return in all his Glory (Matt 24:30, Rev 19). He will come to judge Satan and his demons, the dead will be judged and a New Jerusalem will be established where he will reign.

Matthew
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Mark
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Luke
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
John
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Acts
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Romans
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1 Corinthians
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
2 Corinthians
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Galatians
1 2 3 4 5 6
Ephesians
1 2 3 4 5 6
Philippians
1 2 3 4
Colossians
1 2 3 4
1 Thessalonians
1 2 3 4 5
2 Thessalonians
1 2 3
1 Timothy
1 2 3 4 5 6
2 Timothy
1 2 3 4
Titus
1 2 3
Philemon
1
Hebrews
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
James
1 2 3 4 5
1 Peter
1 2 3 4 5
2 Peter
1 2 3
1 John
1 2 3 4 5
2 John
1
3 John
1
Jude
1
Revelation
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22

You are sad: John 14
You have sinned: Psalm 51
You are facing danger: Psalm 91
People have failed you: Psalm 27
It feels as though God is far from you: Psalm 139
Your faith needs stimulation: Hebrews 11
You are alone and scared: Psalm 23
You are worried: Matthew 8:19-34
You are hurt and critical: 1 Corinthians 13
You wonder about Christianity: 2 Corinthians 5:15-18
You feel like an outcast: Romans 8:31-39
You are seeking peace: Matthew 11:25-30
It feels as if the world is bigger than God: Psalm 90
You need Christ like insurance: Romans 8:1-30
You are leaving home for a trip: Psalm 121
You are praying for yourself: Psalm 87
You require courage for a task: Joshua 1
Inflation's and investments are hogging your thoughts: Mark 10:17-31
You are depressive: Psalm 27
Your bank account is empty: Psalm 37
You lose faith in mankind: 1 Corinthians 13
It looks like people are unfriendly: John 15
You are losing hope: Psalm 126
You feel the world is small compared to you: Psalm 19
You want to carry fruit: John 15

A Few More
Paul's secret for happiness: Colossians 3:12-17
With big opportunity/discovery: Isaiah 55
To get along with other people: Romans 12
For dealing with fear: Psalm 47
For security: Psalm 121:3
For assurance: Mark 8:35
For reassurance: Psalm 145:18

My cordless phone battery keeps going dead. I have one of those manual labor phones. I don't know if everyone has seen them. You know that one that you must stand up to answer the phone. That may be why the cordless phone keeps going dead; I am too lazy to put it on the base...

After digging out that old manual labor phone that I need a crash course on using and coming to the understanding that I can't just leave it off the hook sitting next to my recliner or it will start barking something really loud until you put it back on it's base... Wow I am being trained to put a phone back up! Maybe next I will take the trash out!

Any who.. I figured what I need is one of those phone splitter thingies that let you plug two phones into one jack that way I can have a sort of lazy phone redundancy.

I am a little on the tight end of the spectrum. You know, squeeze a dollar out of a dime! I know I have one of those phone splitters somewhere and where is the first place you look? Right; that junk drawer in the kitchen! Yep, the one that you have to slam a few times and break a few pencils and wedge something in on top that makes it so hard to open again.

I opened that drawer up finally and what I realized was that I got lured into checking out all that stuff, you know the junk. I scattered it all out on the counter top. I was amazed I still had all those dead AA batteries! You better believe those went in the freezer! Ok, maybe not he-he. Anyway, back on track. After rummaging through all this junk I realized something. I forgot what I was looking for. I got so involved in "What's in my junk drawer" that I even forgot about the phone all together.

I want to share something with you that is not that easy for me to share. I am one of those that grew up without a lot of hugs from my Daddy. I was instilled to believe that showing emotion at all was a sign of weakness.

I have had a few of those "this is life" bombs dropped on me. You know, I thought I really had it together. I thought that I was putting all my hope and trust in God's hands but in all honesty I was too proud of a manly man to realize that I have no control over my life or of the lives around me. It was not until I lost ALL control that I could truly give the Lord my trust and devotion. Finally after 35 years of being in the swine business I came back home to my father's open arms. Read this to see what I mean: Luke 15: 11-32

I was hurting really badly after one of those life bombs hit me. I went to my heavenly father for comfort and of course I received it. But it took yet one more of those life bombs to make me truly understand how to receive his tender touch and loving arms around me.

After getting yet another call with the worst news could I get by telephone; I broke down. Finally after all these years I broke! Me the man who does not cry, me the man who breaks his foot and can't remember how! Me the man who (thinks) is in control of his life and the lives of his family... I broke.

The first feeling I had was to find someone to comfort me. I was crying in the pharmacy while paying for my medicine and almost talked to the girl taking my money. I thought to myself; if only she will ask me if I am ok. I ran umm... I mean I hobbled out to the car and no sooner than I sat down I explode into a fit of tears. I could not breathe, I could not see. I thought I was going to die. I finally got enough composure to drive away from the person sitting next to me whom I thought; I kind of wish they would ask me am I ok.

I drove to my pastor's house and he was not home. So I thought; he is a preacher, he must be at church. So I got it together again and drove to the church. No one was there, I thought if only someone would drive up and ask me if I am ok. So then I called his cell and guess what? He was not there. So, after hanging up and crying some more I called again and left him a message. I don't think it was very understandable. I bet my pastor was really worried about me when he got out of his meeting and listened to or umm tried to decipher my message.

Upon leaving this message I hung up the phone and finally; I was a broken child who only needed a father's arms around me. So I dialed the prayer phone to God. You know what? I got through with out any effort. Just as I can hear any of your voices He told me. "Come to me first my child" as I poured out my heart to Him and begged Him to take away this pain I heard again "A little while longer my child". Then I don't know how to put it to words but I felt Him hold me. I cried my heart out to Him and he ran down the street to meet me! Luke 15: 11-32

After pulling all that junk out of the junk drawer I realized something that is life changing that I had heard before from Dr. Stanley.

• 1. Tell God what your burden is.
  
  
• 2. Give your burden to him.
  
  
• 3. Move your focus from your burden to the burden bearer. Matthew 11:28-30

It is so easy to loose focus of the burden bearer and be consumed with the junk in the drawer. It is not until we put ALL our focus, ALL our love, ALL our illusion of control into his hands that we can truly know what our father can and will freely give to anyone who asks and believes in the Son and savior Jesus the Christ.

If I could do anything to prevent anyone from going through the pain I have went through in order for your eyes to be opened I would, but I know that some of you may be doing step 1. and 2. but maybe too preoccupied with what's in your junk drawer to really focus on step 3. It is my prayer that if you are one of those like me that you would close that drawer and answer the phone. Our Father is waiting by it with an open ear and then with open arms.