April
2, 2003
JESUS,
THE CHRIST, THE SON OF GOD!
"Truly
Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples,
which are not written in this book; but these are written
that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of
God, and that believing you may have life in His name"
(John 20:30, 31, NKJV).
The book
of John, written by the disciple of Jesus, was not intended
to be a detailed biography of the life of Jesus. One of John's
purposes was to show that Jesus, who the disciples followed,
was indeed the Christ, the Messiah, that was expected by the
Jewish nation, and literally the Son of God in human flesh.
John,
the disciple, heard John the Baptist proclaim regarding Jesus,
"Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world... I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove,
and He remained upon Him. I did not know Him, but He who sent
me to baptize with water said to me, 'Upon whom you see the
Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes
with the Holy Spirit.' And I have seen and testify that this
is the Son of God" (John !:29, 32-34).
The following
day, John was one of two of the Baptist's disciples who again
heard the Baptist proclaim, "Behold, the Lamb of God!"
And that day John and Andrew, Peter's brother spent the day
with Jesus getting acquainted with Him (John 1:35-40). From
that time forward, John spent the next three and a half years
with Jesus, and the rest of his life following Him and ministering
for Him.
John
and the other disciples were intimately associated with Jesus.
They observed His "signs" of healing people of all
manner of disease, His feeding thousands of people with just
a few fish and loaves of bread, His walking on water and calming
a severe storm on the Sea of Galilee. They witnessed His bringing
back to life three people who had died; Jairus' daughter (Mark
5:22-42), the widow of Nain's son (Luke 7:11-15), and Lazarus
(John 11:1-44). They not only observed, they also assisted
Christ in His ministry.
Since
the beginning of creation, no one on earth has witnessed the
power of God more fully, consistently and dramatically than
the associates of Christ during His sojourn on earth. Their
testimonies and the testimonies of the followers of God and
Jesus through the ages may give us confidence that God loves
us and is there for all who put their faith and trust in Him
and chose His protection.
And He
will confirm to you, My brother and sister, the reality of
His love and care for you. He is Jesus, our Brother in the
flesh, and our Representative at the Father's side at the
throne of the universe, He is the Christ, our Redeemer and
Saviour, and He is the Son of God!
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