The Image of Jesus Christ.

Isaiah 52:14 “As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:”

As Christians and churches, we must be very carful as to our worship of Jesus Christ. The only images we have of Him are only in our minds. Catholicism has created so much idolatry of Jesus and everything else biblical that they have entirely idolized Christianity into a non-truth. Catholicism is so false and fake that you almost must believe that they are satanic at best. When we look at Jesus, we only know a limited amount about Him and almost nothing about His human appearance. To say it honestly, there are absolutely no earthly images of Jesus Christ because the scriptures do not have any real descriptions of Him. I searched the internet and found that images of Jesus dates to maybe the second or third century and Jesus was crucified about 30AD. Therefore, we must believe that there are no true images of Jesus Christ on this earth and that all that exist must be “false graven images” and as we know it is sinful to have false graven images. It is more impossible to have any images of God the Father or the Holy Spirit because they are “a Spirit” and neither has a body form. And again, to have any form of image of anything in heaven is a sin. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: (5) Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the LORD thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;" Exodus 20:4 – 5. Therefore, as a Pastor I must strongly suggest that if you have any images of any sort that violate this law of God that you destroy them immediately. This is any sort of image of anything in heaven, or on the earth, or beneath the earth such as hell – Satan – or any demons. 

So let us look at what we do have, we know that Jesus was born as a man in the likeness of sinful flesh. The word “likeness” means He appeared like us but in a sinless form. We also know He was God as well as a man therefore He had two natures both human and deity. We also know that He had no flaws, not one single flaw inside or out because there was no sin about Him. I believe He could not have had long hair because it is a sin for a man to have long hair. “Doth not even nature itself teach you, that, if a man have long hair, it is a shame unto him?” 1 Corinthians 11:14 We also know that he did have a beard, “I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.” Isaiah 50:6 And last we know that He was about 33 years old when He was crucified. Outside of this we know very little about the bodily features of Jesus Christ.

We also know some about His arrest and crucifixion. However, it is most important that we have a vision in our minds about His suffering. While not much is known, we do have enough information to have a clear understanding that He was severely beaten before He was brutally crucified. Isaiah wrote “his visage was so marred more than any man” the words “more than any man” allows us to understand that His beating was so severe that no other human could have survived it. Isaiah also told us that “many were astonied at thee; his visage” The word “astonied” means people were so stunned they were numb as they looked at Him. Jesus was beaten so badly that He was unrecognizable, “more than any man”.  Mark told us, “And they smote him on the head with a reed, and did spit upon him, and bowing their knees worshipped him.” Mark 15:19 A reed was like a measuring reed or rod or a staff. There is more but I think we get the image of Jesus. But we need to remember that all this often, because He suffering was what the Father required of Him for our redemption. This is what it took to save us, this is what it took to pay in full for our sins. THANK YOU JESUS!   

The world hates the Light and loves darkness.

John 3:19-21 “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.”

In the beginning, when God created the earth there was total darkness, not even a hint of light existed. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Genesis 1:1, 2 Can you imagine total darkness, can you imagine walking outside with not one single light anywhere? This is the way that the world was after God had created it, no light, not even one hint of it. But there was hope because God shined His glory upon the entire earth and there was light everywhere. “And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” Genesis 1:3, 4 It was only after God gave His glory to the world that light was there. Then He created a sun to give the earth light in the day and the moon and stars to give a lesser light to the night, but not until the fourth day. See, God did not need the sun, moon, or stars to give light to the earth, but He did create them for the rotation of the 24-hour day. After all that God created God was pleased and even very pleased. Then one day Satan showed up, Eve ate of the “Forbidden Fruit” causing her husband to eat of it, and for the human soul death darkness ruled them as the darkness on the earth before God gave it light. The human soul was dwelling in total darkness and the human spirit was corpse dead, no light to see at all. God said that Adams sin brought death and darkness to the entire population of the world. Then God sent a Saviour, God sent a Light to this world that would allow a remnant of the world to see God, His Son, and His word. This light was in His Son and only in His Son just as it was in creation when God lite-up the whole earth only by His glory. But the human soul hated the light because their life was already ruled by the darkness and blindness created by Satan. The world’s population loves darkness and hates The Light. Evil things happen in the darkness, sin rules more in darkness than the day. People love not being able to see their sin, not being able to see the evil in their heart. It is this reason people will “neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.”

The word “reproved” means that Jesus as the Light shows people their sins, but they love their sins more than the Light. God said, “And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. People do not want to see their sins therefore they hate the light. It reminds me of a person in a deep sleep and waking up to the sunshine and just wanting it to go away. It is only those who, God gives through the power of the Holy Spirit can see and accept the light that is given in His own Son Jesus the Christ who also gives us spiritual life. Lost people and even backslidden Christians hate the light and will avoid the word of God. They will avoid the Son of God and His word. If a Christian doesn't live a godly separated life, than the world and the devil will treat him as one of their own and they will not walk in fellowship with God who is light. Christians will hate darkness, unless they choose to return to the sewage that God rescued them from. As Christians we need to always remember, Satan will convince you that everything is fine because he impersonates the light. This is the same Satan that lied to Eve to get her to eat of the forbidden fruit that caused darkness and death. But the backslidden Christian needs to be reminded that this is the same false light that appeals to the flesh, and not to the Spirit within the believer is nothing short of anti-God. Satan is behind it all, God gave us light, He gave us life, but somehow some Christians still desire to roll in sin like a pig does the mud and fellowship with darkness and Satan rather than light and God.         

Being made free from sin, is the gift of God through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 6:22 - 23 “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. (23) For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”  

What does it mean to be “free from sin”? Is it possible for any human being to be free from sin? The true answer is that there was only one living soul to ever without sin, the Lord Jesus Christ who was also God’s own Son. So, the question must be asked “how can God tell us, sinners by nature that we are “made free from sin”? God does not mean that we will not sin but that we are no longer bound to sin, that is we are no longer are under sins power which is the power of Satan. But it does not end there, God also meant that we are no longer chargeable for sin. As Christians the blood of Jesus cleanses us from all sin. When Jesus told the adulterous woman in John 8:11 “go and sin no more” He was saying go and stop doing the sin you were doing. As Christians we have been blessed to have the chains of sin released, its hold on us has been broken. And because of this we can “become servants to God,”. Lost people are not servants of God and cannot be, because they are at enmity with God and God gets no glory from them. People who are chargeable for their sins are dead to God, therefore there is no good in them. However, we that are saved, washed in the blood of Jesus, and are holy through His Holiness are indeed God’s servants. It is only through our salvation that we have “have your fruit unto holiness”.  It is implied here that our fruits are holy because of Jesus Christ and that makes our service to the Lord holy. In other words, as children of God we walk in righteousness, live in righteousness, and serve God in righteousness like unto Jesus. God ended verse 22 with these words, “and the end everlasting life.” Not only is this a blessing but it is also the Truth, this is our end because God no longer condemns us for the sin that Jesus shed His blood for. God will not accept sin that is unpaid for because “the wages of sin is death”. Death is the results of sin and hell will be its eternal home. God promised that without the forgiveness of sin you are already condemned. “He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” John 3:18 Therefore, God in His mercy and grace has given us “the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” It is only possible to have our sins forgiven through the blood of the “…Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” Rev. 13:8 As Christians we owe God much for electing us as His own children and electing our path of eternal life through Jesus Christ His Son and our Lord and Saviour. Since sin no longer holds us prisoner, chained and bound, we ought to use our freedom in Jesus Christ to follow Him, as our desire is to serve the Lord whom saved us from eternal damnation. And to do this with all our heart.    

We fear no evil because God is with us.

Psalms 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

This must be one of the most encouraging scriptures in the bible, “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”. As God’s children we need never fear because no matter what happens in this life, even through the path of death, God is with us. Our comfort must be the very fact that no matter what, God will never leave us alone. “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Heb. 13:5c When God makes us a promise it is made for our comfort and assurance. Moses wrote these words, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6 As Christians we must always be reminded of God’s blessings to us, but more so in the fact that we never walk alone. We are God’s children, elected to be His children before the world was created. God has a plan for us, and God will execute that plan during our earthly life. Our greatest blessing of God is that He chose us to be His children therefore we are the most blessed of God’s creation. Jesus assured us in John 10:28 - 29 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” No matter what happens in this earthly life, God truly does have us protected in His hand and nothing happens without God allowing it. Paul wrote in Romans 8:38 - 39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” More encouraging words from God that we have nothing to fear. This is why God was so bold to point out we need to be of great courage because “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Rom. 8:37. Everything in this life is temporary and no matter what happens and the pains that come with it, they are short lived. When the Lord assured us that “…we are more than conquerors through him…” this means our gain in this life is a decisive victory, no matter what it is. We will never be defeated, just as Jesus was not defeated in death, but that moment was His most shinning victory as it was ours. Jesus suffered the darkest moment at His death because He died all alone, “…My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matt. 27:46 However, this is the moment we as Christians had our victory over Satan, this world, and death. This is why the Psalmist wrote, “…though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…” What a true blessing because God has given us every blessing we could ever ask for. Yes, it is true, life hurts, the stings are there, but the victory is ours because Jesus suffered it all alone for you and me. Countless Christians suffer death as martyrs through history for the Lord, the church, and to preserve God’s word of Truth, and not one of them walk to their death alone. Beloved, we have no reason to fear anyone or anything, because we are in God’s hand of grace! While life has so many trials, persecution, and even death, Jesus Christ will carry us through them. “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 Even though sometimes it may not look or seem like it, God has without question blessed us beyond what we could thing or ask. “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” 2 Corinthians 9:15 Therefore, as Christians we need not fear what road we travel in life and even in death, fear is not something the believer in Jesus Christ needs to have.  

We fear no evil because God is with us.

Psalms 23:4 “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.”

This must be one of the most comforting and assuring scriptures in the bible, “though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death”. As God’s children we need never fear because no matter what happens in this life, even though the path of death, God is with us. Our comfort must be the very fact that no matter what, God will never leave us alone. “…for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Heb. 13:5c When God make us a promise it is made for our comfort and assurance. Moses wrote these words, “Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the LORD thy God, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee.” Deuteronomy 31:6 As Christians we must always be reminded of God’s blessings to us, but more so in the fact that we never walk alone. We are God’s children, elected to be His children before the world was ever created. God has a plan for us, and God will execute that plan during our earthly life. Our greatest blessing of God is that He chose us to be His children therefore we are the most blessed of God’s creation. Jesus assured us in John 10:28 - 29 “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand.” No matter what happens in this earthly life God truly does have us protected in all evil, even in death. Paul wrote in Romans 8:38 - 39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” More encouraging words from God that we have nothing to fear. This is why God was so bold to point out we need to be of great courage because “we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.” Rom. 8:37. Everything in this life is temporary and no matter what happens and the pains that come with it, they are short lived. When the Lord assured us that “…we are more than conquerors through him…” this means our gain in this life is a decisive victory. We will never be defeated, just as Jesus was not defeated in death but that moment was His most shinning victory as it was ours. Jesus suffered the darkest moment at His death because He died all alone, “…My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Matt. 27:46 However, this is a moment we as Christians had our victory over Satan, this world, and death. This is why the Psalmist wrote, “…though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil…” What a true blessing because God has given us every blessing we could ever ask for. Yes, it is true, life hurts, the stings are there, but the victory is ours because Jesus suffered it all alone for you and me. Countless Christians suffer death as martyrs through history for the Lord, the church, and to preserve God’s word of Truth, and not one of them walk to their death alone. Beloved, we have no reason to fear anyone or anything, because we are in God’s hand of grace! While life has so many trials, persecution, and even death, Jesus Christ will carry us through them. “But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 Even though sometimes it may not look or seem like it, God has without question blessed us beyond what we could thing or ask. “Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.” 2 Corinthians 9:15 Therefore, as Christians we need not fear what road we travel in life and even in death, fear is not something the believer in Jesus Christ needs to have.