Luke 2:15 -16 - When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger." NASU
I send this Pump Up out every year at this time for all my new subscribers. I have made some updates to it this year. If you are near Montpelier, OH I will be preaching this Pump Up's complete version on Sunday Dec. 24th at the Montpelier Church of Christ at 10 am. I would love to see you.
What some may not know is the meaning of Bethlehem. It means "house of bread." Jesus was the Bread of Life or the Bread of God that came from the "house of bread" to give spiritual life to the world. John 6:33 - "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." John 6:35 - Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. John 6:41 - So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” John 6:48 - "I am the bread of life." John 6:51 - "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” Jesus was and is the Bread of Life. If you are spiritually hungry Jesus is the One who can take away all of your hunger pains. If you have been wondering "What is my purpose?" Then look to Jesus for your answers.
The sheep were offered on the altar were special as they were sheep without a blemish. When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said this about Him. John 1:29 - The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John saw Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and this Lamb was born in Bethlehem where a lot of other lambs were born and would sacrifice their blood. But only the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, could totally atone for the sins of mankind. I hope and pray you have allowed the blood of Jesus to wash away your sins.
What greater gift could anyone receive? Truly, Jesus is the Gift that keeps on giving. Think on This: Jesus really is the reason for the season. The Christmas season is only as meaningful as we make it. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word
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Revelation 1:12-15 - “Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me.…I saw one like a son of man, …His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; …and His voice was like the sound of many waters.”
The emperors wanted to be worshipped as if they were gods. The faithful followers of Judaism and Christianity would not worship them and consequently, this led to their executions. The apostle John who had been exiled to the isle of Patmos because of his faith hears a voice behind him and he turns to see who is speaking to him. He "saw one like the son of man." In other words, he is seeing Jesus Christ. His head and hair were white is another way of saying Jesus is the pure one. The one who had never sinned. White is the color used for "purity".
I am not sure how many of you have ever been near a waterfall or an area that is being flooded. I have been near both of them and I can tell you from experience the noise is unbelievably loud. You literally have to yell at the person who is standing next to you for them to hear you. So what did "His voice was like the sound of many waters.” mean when John wrote it? God is telling John to allow the "Word of God" to drown out all other worldly noises. There was a lot of political noise in John's day and God is saying don't listen to the political noise. God is telling John to write to all Christians and inform them not to listen to the political nonsense coming from the Roman Empire. God wants Christians to listen to Him. His Voice is to be heard over all other noises. I would like to say there is a lot of political noise in our world today. God's Word is timeless. He wants us today to not listen to all the political noise. We are to listen to His Voice. The importance of listening to God's Voice over all of the political nonsense in our world is we will not be upset by the nonsense. We must never forget our citizenship is in Heaven (Phil.3:20). One lesson the book of Revelation teaches is human history is not separated from God's awareness or involvement. God is still in control of this world. Not only is He in control He is walking in the midst of His Church. He is the Good Shepherd and He is in the middle of His flock. So take it easy.
Don't listen to all the nonsense this world is throwing at you. Listen to this: Matt 11:28-30 - "Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. "Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and YOU WILL FIND REST FOR YOUR SOULS. "For My yoke is easy and My burden is light." Think On These: God gives us the ingredients for our daily bread but He expects us to do the baking. We may not know what the future holds, but we know Who holds the future. God still speaks to those who take time to listen. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Matt 27:46-47 - About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" NASU
Moses says, "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you. He will not fail you or forsake you." Deut. 31:6 NASU Moses is dead and God speaks to Joshua as the leader of the Israelites. He tells Joshua, "No man will be able to stand before you all the days of your life. Just as I have been with Moses, I will be with you; I will not fail you or forsake you." Joshua 1:5 NASU God also told Jacob and Solomon He would be with them and He would not forsake them either.
"THE LORD IS MY HELPER, I WILL NOT BE AFRAID. WHAT WILL MAN DO TO ME?" Heb 13:5-6 NASU Christians today have the same promise made to us about God and the promise is He will NOT Ever Desert or Forsake us.
Here is my belief about what Jesus was saying on the cross. First, this is an Old Test. quote and one must return to the original quote and study the context where it is used. Once you do this I believe the answer becomes clear. This quote comes from Psalm 22. Jesus is hanging on the cross when He speaks these words. The only scriptures they had at this time was the Old Testament. The OT was not divided into chapters and verses. Therefore, Jesus couldn't say turn to Psalm 22 and you will find the answer. The first entire Bible in which chapter and verse divisions were used was Robert Stephanus' edition of the Latin Vulgate (A.D. 1555). When Jesus quotes the first words: "My God, My God, Why Have You Forsaken Me?" He was telling His disciples to read the Psalm that begins with those words. When you read that Psalm the truth will be revealed: Ps 22:3-5 Yet You are holy, O You who are enthroned upon the praises of Israel. In You our fathers trusted; They trusted and You delivered them. To You they cried out and were delivered; In You they trusted and were not disappointed. Ps 22:23-24 You who fear the LORD, praise Him; All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him, And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel. For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted; Nor has He hidden His face from him; But when he cried to Him for help, He heard. NASU In verses 3-5 the Psalmist is saying, God is holy, and the Israelite fathers trusted in God and were delivered. In verses 23-24 he is saying God has not hidden His face from this person who is suffering. In fact, this person cries out for help and God heard His cry. This Psalm is considered a Messianic one which means it is about the Messiah and I would agree. Therefore, Jesus is NOT saying God has forsaken Him, but the exact opposite. God had heard His cry for help and helped Him.
Think On This: When we do what we can, God will do what we can't. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word John 21:5-6 - So Jesus said to them, "Children, you do not have any fish, do you?" They answered Him, "No." And He said to them, "Cast the net on the right-hand side of the boat and you will find a catch." So they cast, and then they were not able to haul it in because of the great number of fish. NASU
He used a "fish" as an illustration for Peter to pay the temple tax in Matt. 17:27 -"However, so that we do not offend them, go to the sea and throw in a hook, and take the first fish that comes up; and when you open its mouth, you will find a shekel. Take that and give it to them for you and Me."
I = Iesous when translated means Jesus Ch = Christos when translated means Christ Th = Theos when translated means God U = Hurios when translated means Son S = Soter when translated means Savior The "Fish" symbol means Jesus Christ God's Son is our Savior. The next time you hear the word "fish" you can think about Jesus Christ God's Son is our Savior. We all need a Savior because we all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. Praise be to God who has provided us with our Savior Jesus Christ. If you have not accepted Jesus Christ to be your Lord and Savior today is the perfect day to do this. What you need to do is confess that you believe Jesus is the Christ and be baptized or immersed in what we call the watery grave and be resurrected from that grave to walk in newness of life. Think On This: If you keep God out of your life, something must be wrong in your life. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Luke 2:15 -16 - When the angels had gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds began saying to one another, “Let us go straight to Bethlehem then, and see this thing that has happened which the Lord has made known to us. ”So they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger." NASU
What some may not know is the meaning of Bethlehem. It means "house of bread". Jesus was the Bread of Life or the Bread of God that came from the "house of bread" to give spiritual life to the world. John 6:33 - "For the bread of God is that which comes down out of heaven, and gives life to the world." John 6:35 - Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst. John 6:41 - So the Jews grumbled about him, because he said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” John 6:48 - "I am the bread of life." John 6:51 - "I am the living bread that came down from heaven. If anyone eats of this bread, he will live forever. And the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.”
The sheep that were offered on the altar were special as they were sheep without a blemish. When John the Baptist saw Jesus he said this about Him. John 1:29 - The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! John saw Jesus as the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world and this Lamb was born in Bethlehem where a lot of other lambs were born that would sacrifice their blood. But only the blood of the Lamb of God, Jesus, could totally atone for the sins of mankind.
What greater gift could anyone receive? Truly, Jesus is the Gift that keeps on giving. Think on This: Jesus really is the reason for the season. The greatest gift that could be given has been given. I send this out every year at this time for all my new subscribers. I hope you don't mind reading a repeat. Stay Pumped, Gary A. Serago Minister of God's Word Share this Pump Up with others by Sharing on Your Facebook Page, Twitter or Forwarding to a friend. |
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