Welcome Again,
This is a new week and again a new segment along this Path Christ has begun for us. I hope and pray all is well and that you are traveling with Jesus as your guide. As PathSeekers with Jesus we travel just as the first disciples. We listen and hear, watch and see from the greatest teacher of all times. From what He says we apply to ourselves and from what He shows us we are able to increase our Faith.
Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
This particular verse is still the basis of what I am trying to cover in this group of studies. I have gone over and have tried to point out some of the trappings of the way, we as individuals and together as a church are easily deceived into conformation to this world, which is the first part of this line of scripture. As a simple reminder of what I am meaning by this I would like to share:
1 John 1:5 This is the message which we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 6 If we say that we have fellowship with Him, and walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.
A few weeks ago I began on the second part of the main scripture reference. Which is: “but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. I have pointed out before that we need to be transformed to having the Mind of Christ. First I believe we need to get to know Jesus, not just on the basis of Sunday School lessons, or by what we receive as a driver’s license description, but to really get to know Jesus. There is no other way to transform towards His mind or ways of thinking without getting to know Him personally first.
Matthew 16:13 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" 14 So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." 15 He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?"16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." 17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
Jesus asked his disciples first who do "men" say that I am. The reply was that men who did not really Jesus assumed He was just a copy or a return visit of one of the prophets of old. But then Jesus turned asked them "But who do you say that I am?" And the reply was of a higher placement of who He truly was, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." This was the reply of the ones who truly knew Him. The ones who walked and talked and listened to what He had to say on a daily basis. The disciples knew who He was because they knew Him at the very personal level of hearing and seeing all that He had done. Everyday that passed he taught and showed them the miraculous wonders that only the Son of God would be able to do. Their faith was increased as they were PathSeekers walking the Path with Jesus.
A quote from *John MacArthur NKJV Study Bible elaborates on verse 17: “flesh and blood has not revealed this to you. Christ’s messianic claims had always been subtle illusions to OT prophecies combined with miraculous works that substantiated those claims. Never before had He explicitly taught Peter and the apostles the fullness of His identity. God the Father had opened Peter’s eyes to the full significance of those claims, and revealed to who Jesus really was. In other words, God had opened Peter’s heart to this deeper knowledge of Christ by faith. Peter was not merely expressing an academic opinion about the identity of Christ; this was a confession of Peter’s personal faith, made possible by a divinely-regenerated heart.”
It was from an in-depth, personal, daily relationship, in which God was able to show Peter who Jesus truthfully was. It was not anything that someone had taught him but instead it was from being with Him and able to see from the heart as to who and what Jesus was here to do. From within His heart Peter was able to regenerate a faith in which Jesus later had told him;
Matthew 16:18 "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
From having a “divinely-regenerated heart” God enables you the ability transform your mind towards the mind of Christ. Like the word transform defines as “change” so does regenerate also. With a heart willing to grow in faith, the mind is able put this newly transforming faith into action enabling you to be Christ like.
I could go on and on writing an exhaustive list of the aspects of the character of Jesus. Jesus became flesh so we may see for ourselves as to what the Christ should be.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
Jesus is a light to a dark and troubled world. He is as salt, in the way salt adds flavor and is as a preservative. He is as water from a spring that never runs dry and has the ability to quench your thirst no matter how parched or dry you may be. One of the most important aspects for us as being of human nature was the way, He, the “Word” became flesh.
Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
We all know Jesus faced every obstacle we all face as part of our human nature. He faced every desire of the flesh you and I face as well on a daily basis. Even after spending forty days alone in the wilderness fasting and praying, He was tempted face to face with the devil. The faith in action is the weapon Jesus used to defeat the devil in his trickery, faith in the Father and the very word of God as the sword to defeat him. (Ephesians 6:17…and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God ;) Jesus as the Word became flesh so that we too could see with our own eyes the actions of faith. He became flesh so we may able to see what all we are to be imitators of. Just as the reply (at the age of twelve) He gave His parents after they realized they had left Him behind at the temple.
Luke 2:49 And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?"
We too should be about our Fathers business and be as children of God. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus constantly reminded us that He was here to do the Fathers business. He said repeatedly He was here to do the will of the Father and as a last confession to His faith in God, He said “not my will but your will be done”.
Jesus told the religious leaders point blank “you do not know me because you do not know the Father”. Through the life of Jesus we are able to know the Father because of the “Word” we can get to know Jesus. He also said that if you know the Son you will also know the Father. Look at yourself or at family, generally for the most part the son of a family usually resembles the dad, not just in looks but also in his actions. Usually whenever a dad was a good athlete so is the son, if the dad is rocket scientist so is the son. But yet Jesus was the Son of God and even though He was made flesh his hearts desire was to do the will of His Father.
So who is Jesus? Ask God and He will show you. Walk with Jesus and He will teach you, talk with Him and He will tell you, watch Him and He will show you. Just as God enabled Peter with a divinely-regenerated heart to enable him to know Jesus as the Christ. God will do for you. Be like Jesus and do the will of the Father and you like Peter will hear:
Matthew 16:18 "And I also say to you that you are "Your Name" and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. 19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven."
*All scripture quotes are from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible unless otherwise noted
© 2006, 2007, 2008 Tommy Harmon www.thepathseeker.com