Category Archives: Bible Study

Topics and Themes from the Bible

Passages of Scripture that Point to Jesus Christ

Passages of Scripture that Point to Jesus Christ

We are going to comment on some passages of Scripture that point to Jesus Christ.  If we read and study the Bible without coming to know Christ in a real way then we have missed the whole point of the Bible. The entire Bible talks about Jesus Christ.  I don’t know if you remember the story recorded in Luke 24.  After Christ died on the cross, there were rumors that He had risen from the dead. Two of His disciples were so sad because the One who had been with them for three years and had ministered in so many amazing ways was gone.  As they were walking and discussing these things, Jesus joined them, but they didn’t even recognize Him!  They poured out their hearts to Him, telling Him about this awful thing that happened.  And Jesus asked them, “What happened?” They told Him how this Jesus had died and how some said He had risen from the dead.   Jesus replied to them, “Don’t you realize that all the Scriptures talk about Christ?” He was rebuking them in a way.  He began with Moses (the first 5 books of the Old Testament, and then went to the prophets and the Psalms, teaching them about all the things written in the Bible concerning Himself.  I don’t know if you remember the story of when He went to the temple and read from the Old Testament book of Isaiah. The passage He read from said, “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek.” (Isaiah 61:1). Jesus was reading a passage from Isaiah that pointed people to Christ Himself!

Let’s talk about another place in the Bible where Jesus gave a clear indication that the Scriptures should point people to Christ.  In John 5 Jesus was talking to the religious people and He rebuked them saying, basically, “You guys search, study, and research the Bible that talks about Me, but you won’t come to Me!”  He indicated that those people knew the Bible, knew about the Bible, and could even quote Bible passages that clearly presented Jesus Christ as the Son of God, but they wouldn’t come to Him for eternal life.  A lot of times that happens with us as well.  We may have heard Bible stories or even read them ourselves.  The Bible should lead people to Christ, to know and to experience Him.  If your reading, Bible study and Scripture memorization doesn’t lead you to Jesus Christ then the whole purpose of those activities has been defeated.  When we read the Bible, when we read the Scriptures, it should lead us to know Christ in a real and living way.

There is another place in the Bible that points to Christ.  It is a story I think you’ve probably heard about, especially around Christmas time, and it is the story about the birth of the Lord Jesus.   Perhaps you remember the story of the Magi, or the Wise Men from the East.  They followed a star as far as Jerusalem and inquired about this King who had been born of the Jews because they wanted to go and worship Him.  Herod learned of their inquiries and summoned them to himself.  Herod, of course, was threatened by the thought of another king who might compete with Him.  He called together all his religious experts and demanded of them where this King was to be born because he secretly wanted to kill Him. These religious experts knew from Micah, a book in the Old Testament, that this King was to be born in Bethlehem and informed Herod of that fact.  You would expect these people of Israel to go and see the King, but they didn’t go. The Magi or Wise Men, on the other hand, had hearts that were seeking after Christ, seeking after the Messiah, or the King. They went to see Him and gave Him gifts, but the people who knew the Bible, understood the Bible, and could even quote from the Bible didn’t go to see Him. Their understanding of the Bible should have brought them closer to Christ, but it did not.

The Book of Revelation is about Jesus Christ

The Book of Revelation is about Jesus Christ 

In the Bible, the Book of Revelation starts out with the phrase, “The revelation of Jesus Christ”.  The central point of this book is a about a person, and that person is Jesus Christ.  Now as I was preparing this lesson and the outlines I really wanted to find out about John.  John wrote the book of Revelation, but he also wrote the gospel of John the epistles of I, II, and III John as well.  What kind of person was John? What type of relationship did John have with Jesus Christ? Did John just know Him in an objective way?

“Oh my, this is quite a book!”  So many things are mentioned in the twenty-two chapters of Revelation.  Christ is portrayed in a rather mysterious way and there is also a discussion of the Antichrist. You’ve got the Tribulation and God’s judgment on the world.  Babylon is discussed in detail and then you have this city at the end of the book referred to as the New Jerusalem. There are a lot of mysterious things in this book.  I began to prayerfully read through it just to get an idea of what it all boils down to.  I noted that the first three words in the Greek text of Revelation are:  revelation, Jesus, and Christ.  What is this book really about? Is it about prophecy? Yes, there is prophecy in it.  Is it about the Antichrist? Yes, it talks about the Antichrist and the mark of the beast and all these things.  I came to realize that this book talks about one person and that one person is Jesus Christ.  In order to understand the book of Revelation properly we need to see Jesus Christ.

The book of Genesis is a very proper beginning to the Bible and Revelation is a proper conclusion to the Bible.

Who is Jesus?

How do we talk about this Jesus who lived on the earth about 2000 years ago in the land of Israel?

Jesus Christ is perfect God and perfect man in one person.  Jesus,  the Son of God,  was sent by God to deal with the problem of sinful man. Without Jesus, sinful man has no way to approach the holy God.  To the Christian,  Jesus Christ is the Redeemer, Savior, Healer, Comforter, Teacher, and the example of a perfect human life.  He is also the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world.  (John 1:29)   The important highlights are: His birth, human living, 3 year public ministry, death on the cross for sinners, resurrection from the dead, ascension and His still anticipated Second Coming.

The Bible has two great sections that talk about Jesus Christ.
1. the Old Testament – which foretold or prophesied about the coming of Jesus Christ.
2. the New Testament – which talks about His birth, life, teaching, disciples, death, resurrection and the growth of the Christian church.
Both Old and New Testament sections talk about His anticipated Second Coming.

It is a difficult concept to understand that He is both fully perfect God and perfect man, and all in one person.  There are many verses in the Bible to show this.

Jesus Christ is God – Colossians 2:9 For in Him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily,    Revelation 22:13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end.

Jesus Christ is man –  Matthew 1:18 Now the birth of Jesus Christ took place in this way. When his mother Mary…    Luke 24:39 See my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me, and see. For a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.”

Tell Me About God

Let’s talk a little about God.

God has a plan for your life and has made a way through Jesus to make sinners like you and me right with God.

Let us consider several facts about God. First, God is love. Not everyone sees God as the God of love.  This at first may seem a little different than what people think about God.  Some think that God is out to “get” people, but the Bible says God is love. God is also righteous and must judge sin.  To deal with the sin problem, God sent His son Jesus Christ.   Romans 8:3-4. … God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.

Consider these brief eleven points about God:

1. God exists – Romans 1:20 For his invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made.

2. God loves and is love – He loves people. John 3:16  “For God loved the world in that: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.  1 John 4:8 He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love.

3. God Created everything from nothing  – He created the universe, Genesis 1 – In the beginning God created the  heavens and the earth.

4. God can be known – John 17:3 And this is eternal life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.

5. God is eternal – Jude 25 to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever.

6. God is Spirit – John 4:24 God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

7. God is perfect and beautiful – Jesus tells us in Matthew 5: 48, “Your heavenly Father is perfect.”    Psalm 27:4  …to gaze upon the beauty of the Lord

8. God knows and understands all things. 1 John 3:20  For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart, and knoweth all things.

9.  God is good — Luke 18:19   And Jesus said unto him, Why callest thou me good? none is good, save one, that is, God.

10. God is Holy (and man is sinful)  Psalm 99:9 Exalt the Lord our God,  and worship at his holy mountain;  for the Lord our God is holy!

11. God is righteous — Romand 1:32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

There are many, many other aspects of God that could be talked about.  The word “God” is mentioned over 3000 times in the Bible.

So when someone says “Tell me about God“, now you have something to describe this wonderful God.  God is love, He is the creator and He exists.

What is Death?

According to to the Bible, physical death is a transition and not the end.

John 5:24 “ Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”

This verse indicates the confident hope that the person who was believed in Jesus Christ enjoys.

Daniel not only talks about the hope the believer has, but warns the person who rejects Jesus Christ of eternal judgment.
As Daniel 12:2 explains,  ”…those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, Some to everlasting life, Some to shame and everlasting contempt”

I hope this short answer to the question “What is Death” has helped you prepare for this transition.

The Two Great Prayers in Ephesians

The Two Great Prayers in the book of Ephesians

There are two great prayers in the book of Ephesians that Paul prays.

  • Ephesians 1:15-23 – a prayer that God would grant the believers  a spirit of wisdom and revelation.  This prayer is so we believers could see what God sees.  God’s perspective is from heaven and not from earth.  From the heavens God sees Christ far above all the crazy stuff (sin) happening on the earth.
  • Ephesians 3:14-19  – a prayer for spiritual strength so that Christ could dwell in our hearts through love. This prayer is so that the riches of the vision could be practical in the believers lives.  It is Christ living in us that allows the high vision of the book Ephesians to be lived out in us. This practice is described in details in chapters 4 through 6.

Ephesians Overview – Vision and Practice

Quick Overview of Ephesians

The book of Ephesian was written by Paul the apostle. The six chapters can be divided into two parts.
1.  Chapter 1-3 Vision as God sees it from the heavens (not from earth)
2. Chapter 4-6 Living the Christian Life – Application and Practice

Top Keywords in Ephesians:  Jesus Christ, God, purpose, glory, church, inheritance, economy.

God’s goal for the Church 

  • Christ has broken down walls between Jews & Gentiles, making peace and removing hostility (2:14ff)
  • Jews & Gentiles fellow citizens of heaven & members of household of God (2:19)
  • Jews & Gentiles are fellow heirs in Christ  (3:6)
  • Edify itself in love (4:16)

The Two Great Prayers in Ephesians

  • Ephesians 1:15-23 – a prayer that God would grant the believers  a spirit of wisdom and revelation (so we believers could see what God sees)
  • Ephesians 3:14-19  – a prayer for spiritual strength so that Christ could dwell in our hearts through love (so that the riches of the vision could be practical in the believers lives)

Relationships among Christians in the early Church

  • Members together of the family of God (brothers and sisters in Christ)
  • Body of Christ
  • Marriage being a type of Christ and the Church (chapter 5)
  • Faithful service, exemplified by Tychicus (6:21)
  • Comfort and encourage one another (6:22)
  • Peace between brothers (6:23)
  • Recipients of God’s grace (6:24)
  • Mutual love resting on their mutual faith
  • Top “Church” keywords:  church, Body of Christ, family, household, brother, marriage, husband and wife, members,

Who you are in Christ

  • Blessed with every spiritual blessing in Jesus Christ (1:3)
  • God has had a plan (purpose) for me since eternity past (1:4)
  • Adopted son of God (1:5)
  • Accepted in the Beloved (1:6)
  • Redeemed from slavery to sin (1:7)
  • Forgiven (1:7)
  • Recipient of His rich grace (1:7)
  • Can understand the mystery of His will (1:9)
  • An heir of God (inheritance)
  • Sealed in Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit, therefore eternally secure (1:14)
  • I am the beneficiary of His great power (1:19)
  • Because He was raised from dead, I will be too (1:20)
  • Made alive together with Christ (2:1; 2:5)
  • I am in Christ positionally—security (2:6)
  • Saved from wrath of God by grace through faith (2:8)
  • Have boldness of access to God with confidence (3:12)

The believer’s mission 

  • Gospel presentation (bold ambassador for Christ) (6:20)

How you should behave in light of your identity 

  • I should live to the praise of His glory (1:13)
  • Have love for all the saints (1:15)
  • I should do the works God has prepared for me to do (2:10)
  • Walk worthy of the calling I have in Christ (4:1ff)
    • Lowliness
    • Gentleness
    • Longsuffering
    • Bearing with one another in love
    • Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace
  • Speaking the truth in love (4:15)
  • Exercise the spiritual gift God has given me to edify the Church (4:12ff)
  • Do my share to help edify the body in love (4:16)

 How you become able to live as God wants

  • Strengthened with might through His Spirit in inner man (3:16)
  • Through Christ dwelling (being at home) in my heart through faith (3:17)
  • By being  rooted and grounded in love (3:17)
  • He does the work according to the power in us (Holy Spirit) (3:20)
  • Know God’s Word so I am not tossed about by every wind of doctrine , and subject to the trickery of men (4:13ff)
  • Put on whole armor of God (6:10ff) – warfare
    • Truth (6:14)
    • Practical righteousness (6:14)
    • Gospel of peace (6:15)
    • Shield of faith (6:16)
    • Helmet of salvation (6:17)
    • Sword of the Spirit (Word of God) (6:17)
    • Praying in the Spirit (6:18)

Prayer – lots is needed

  • Praying always in the Spirit (6:18)
  • Watchful in prayer (6:18)
  • Perseverance in prayer (6:18)
  • Make supplications for all saints (6:19)
  • Pray for open doors for the gospel (6:19)
  • Pray for boldness for those who are ambassadors of Christ (6:20)

The Spirit said to Philip

In the desert, the Spirit is speaking. He spoke to Philip in Acts chapter 8. Verse 26,  Now an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Rise and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” This is a desert place…..8:29 And the Spirit said to Philip, “Go over and join this chariot.” The result of this glorious sovereign circumstance is that Christ is preached, taught and exalted. The person riding on the ancient vehicle learned about and was brought to Christ. The passage in Isaiah was used by the Spirit to exalt Christ. We should always trust the Spirit to bring circumstances for Christ to be made known.