The FaithOfJesus2 Daily Devotional

Focus:

kjv@Revelation:14:12 @ Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.

( FaithOfJesus thread begun by rRandyP )

Today's Verse:

kjv@Luke:9:18-27

kjv@Luke:9:18 @ And it came to pass, as he was alone praying, his disciples were with him: and he asked them, saying, Whom say the people that I am?

kjv@Luke:9:19 @ They answering said, John the Baptist; but some say, Elias; and others say, that one of the old prophets is risen again.

kjv@Luke:9:20 @ He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

kjv@Luke:9:21 @ And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;

kjv@Luke:9:22 @ Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day.

kjv@Luke:9:23 @ And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.

kjv@Luke:9:24 @ For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it.

kjv@Luke:9:25 @ For what is a man advantaged, if he gain the whole world, and lose himself, or be cast away?

kjv@Luke:9:26 @ For whosoever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, when he shall come in his own glory, and in his Father's, and of the holy angels.

kjv@Luke:9:27 @ But I tell you of a truth, there be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the kingdom of God.

Today's notes:

Context:

Before - Luke:9:10-17 Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand
After - Luke:9:28-36 The Transfiguration

(also recounted kjv@Matthew:16:13-16 kjv@Mark:8:27-30)

Study Resources:

dict:easton John the Baptist

dict:easton Elijah

dict:torrey Christ

dict:easton Son of man

Notes:

What is the use of telling no man? Jesus is not Christ because of what other people say of Him, it will never be because of a title others give to Him, He is Christ because of who He is and what He has been sent to do and the glory that He will come into because of who He is and what He has done; nothing short of that. If you were to tell a man who Jesus is, like the others you would likely have it wrong; you would likely sell Him way short. You don't come to who He is without it being revealed to you by His Spirit. Even when it has been revealed, like Peter you are still yet to understand what all that means. This is not just literary hyperbole, this is literally the truth of the matter; telling any man is not the same as any man being told unto knowing. Besides, there can be no real consideration of Jesus the Christ before the full consideration of His death and ressurrection can be made.

The answers the others give are all evidence of how they are mentally reducing what is happening on the ground into bite size self justifiable chunks. Prophet? What prophet has ever healed hundreds if not thousands per day day after day? John the Baptist? When did John the Baptist ever have the power to forgive sin? When did John ever claim to be Lord of the Sabbath? Elijah? When did Elijah ever give the power that he had to twelve then seventy others and they do much the same thing? When did anything Elijah do even down to his very presence and whereabouts fulfill so much written and well known prophecy with signals and visitations from angels and even the voice of the Father above? The labels of men have more to do with the image of themselves rather than the image of Christ as presented by everything else but man.

So why would we be ashamed of Christ? Because of who He has been revealed to be? What that might mean in having to deny ourselves? Or because of who others say that He is? Are we ashamed because He would have to suffer and die for us? Are we ashamed that we would have to pickup and suffer even die for Him? It is all of the above no doubt, so we manufacture for ourselves an image of a christ or prophet that doesn't require such a bold self denying thing needing to be followed; an image that conforms better to everyone else's justifications rather than His.

Even when those few saw the glory of the kingdom transfigured in Jesus, they were still commanded to tell no man until after He died and was risen. Further proof that He is who He is because of who He is and what He has been shown by the Spirit to have accomplished being sent of His Father to do it and therefore be it.

Today, the question of who Jesus is brings just as many flattened and self contained responses as well. Good teacher? Holy Man (one of many)? Humanitarian? Leader? Name me one other with all of these traits who died for all sin and rose to spiritual and eternal life and ascended to right hand throne of God the Father. Oh and been foretold and expected millennium beforehand! One?

Key Messages:

Declaring Certainty

kjv@Philippians:2:5 @ Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:

kjv@Philippians:2:6 @ Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:

kjv@Philippians:2:7 @ But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

kjv@Philippians:2:8 @ And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.

kjv@Philippians:2:9 @ Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name:

kjv@Philippians:2:10 @ That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth;

kjv@Philippians:2:11 @ And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

kjv@Acts:4:11 @ This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

kjv@Acts:4:12 @ Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

Further Resources:

Comment Board:Luke:9:18-27
index:FAITHOFJESUSDEVOTION - Devotional Index
strkjv@Luke:9:18-27 rwp@Luke:9:18-27 mhcc@Luke:9:18-27
FaithOfJesus2 - Devotion Index