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How could Somebody hate Jesus?

hate Jesus

How could anyone hate Jesus? Most people you ask would say they like, love, post about, or talk to Jesus all the time.  Even other religions that don’t believe he’s God will usually acknowledge him as a good man, prophet, or angel.  Most of the majority whether Republican, Democrat, agnostic, Muslim, and even a dash of atheist will say he’s a nice guy…  So why would Jesus make the following statement:

“Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.  Rejoice and be glad, for your reward is great in heaven, for so they persecuted the prophets who were before you.” –Matthew 5:11‭-‬12 ESV

Why would anyone, if the majority is “pro-Jesus”, hate you for promoting Jesus?  What’s the trigger for this kind of hate?

Notice Jesus mentions the prophets…  If you take any time to read about the prophets you will see that God told them to preach a message to people that didn’t want to hear it.  Jeremiah got jumped by the priests and prophets in the temple (Jeremiah 26:7-8), Elijah got death threats (1 Kings 19:2), and God warned Ezekiel that preaching to the rebellious house of Israel would be like sitting in a thorn bush on a scorpions nest (Ezekiel 2:3-7).  Let that sink in for those of you who want to be preachers one day…

They hated the prophets because the prophets burst their bubble.  They wanted to believe that they were good people that were okay with God.  The Lord would send a prophet to tell them that they were far from good and that because of their sin they were destined for the wrath of God.  The prophets warned them that if they didn’t repent…  God would punish them.  Most of the time the prophets got rejected but some people would repent and be saved.  Centuries later people would read about the prophets they would think “Wow, those righteous prophets standing for God, we never would have rejected them like that…”  But that’s not true either, just see Matthew 23:29-36.

Here is what makes people hate Jesus

People want to believe the parts they like about Jesus: the gracious, kind, forgiving Jesus that served others before himself.  This “Jesus at a distance” is easy to like, but what people can’t handle is the Jesus that says “repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand” (Matthew 4:17).  Jesus’s message tells us that we are guilty in our sin before God and that we need to repent and surrender to Jesus Christ as Lord (aka King).  Jesus confronts our sins when we want to pretend that they are not a big deal or ignore them all together.  For someone to tell us that what we are doing is wrong and that we need to change can be very offensive.  Frankly we hate it.

Kingdoms never change hands easily

We don’t like being confronted on our sin ever… and many would prefer that Jesus’ kingdom stay up in the heavens “out of sight, out of mind.”  What bothers people is that Jesus is saying His kingdom is here now and that NOW you must choose to either let God rule your life or you rule your life.  Will you surrender your kingdom to His kingdom?  Instinctively, people will fight this in our fleshly human nature.  We want to be in charge, we want to call the shots, and we want to be in control.  This was the issue Jeremiah ran into with the priests. They wanted to pretend that their brand of secularized worldly nationalistic religion was perfectly fine.  But when God sent a prophet it was precisely because it wasn’t fine.

The hard truth is this:  We can’t punch a clock at church, post Jesus memes and go back to living our lives however we want.  Our way and our sin isn’t okay, it’s killing us.  Our religious games can’t cover it up.   We need a Savior from our sins and ourselves.  Sin racks up a debt we cannot pay and the penalty is death (Romans 6:23).  So we are faced with an offensive truth and a major choice.  The truth is if we are running our lives and not Jesus, it’s because He isn’t really our Lord and that means that we are living in rebellion to the King and storing up wrath with our sin.  If we truly want to be saved, we have to come to the point where we surrender  our throne (repentance) to Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives.  That’s the choice we must make.  Will I remain the ruler of my personal kingdom that’s destined for self-destruction or will I surrender to Jesus Christ as my King.  His kingdom stands forever and He is the Lord of Life who brings salvation to all who come to Him.  Come to His kingdom and have eternal life!  He is the Way, He is the Truth, and He is the Life!  There are many who hate Jesus now that may one day find He is the love of their life.

9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  – Romans 10:9

16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. – John 14:6

 

 

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Why I’m not Worried About This Election

not worried about this election

As people go to the polls today, I’m not worried about this election.  Because I know my candidate will always be in power.  His name is Jesus Christ and He is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.  In the end, He appoints the rulers for blessing or rulers for judging a nation.  If He judges a nation it’s usually to get God’s people to repent and be restored which may be what the church needs.

I’m a conservative and I believe that Hillary Clinton will be bad for our country but I know we aren’t the first of the last nation to face the issues we are facing today.  King David addressed these similar fears in the Psalms. Look with me at Psalm 11.

1 In the LORD I take refuge;
how can you say to my soul,
“Flee like a bird to your mountain,
2  for behold, the wicked bend the bow;
they have fitted their arrow to the string
to shoot in the dark at the upright in heart;
3  if the foundations are destroyed,
what can the righteous do?” –Psalm 11:1-3

David here explains that the LORD is his refuge and asks “Why are you worried about the wicked?”  He quotes the other person basically saying “Run for the hills the wicked are coming to destroy us!  The very foundations of our society have been destroyed!  What can the people of God do?!”  Does that not sound familiar to today’s situation?  We are worried that evil has so taken our country that if we lose this election all is lost.  But the key to curing that fear is not in trusting in the constitutional foundations of this country or in our roots as a “Christian” nation.  The answer is not Trump, Hillary, or anyone else.  The key is in trusting in the Lord Jesus Christ who reigns on His throne forever and is still in control.

4  The LORD is in his holy temple;
the LORD’s throne is in heaven;
his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man.
5  The LORD tests the righteous,
but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence.
6  Let him rain coals on the wicked;
fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup.
7  For the LORD is righteous;
he loves righteous deeds;
the upright shall behold his face. –Psalm 11:4-7

David reminds the reader of this truth.  God reigns in heaven and He sees all that man does.  He tests the righteous to live by faith and He will judge the wicked.  In the end, those who walk in His ways will be blessed and in His presence.  So for this election I know: MY GOD IS IN CONTROL!

The persecuted church knows this all too well.  That’s why in the middle of their persecution legally, physically, and in every way; they are still thriving and preaching the Gospel more boldly than the majority of Americans.  If we are to see this country turn to God, may we abandon our easy Christianity and be bold for the Gospel.  Only when God restores the hearts of men will this country see righteous leaders yet again.  Be bold knowing this:

18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” – Matthew 28:18-20

Photo by Lorie Shaull 

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Arguments for the Resurrection

the-empty-tomb

(Dear Atheists who never read to the bottom of this article… Links to Peer Reviewed supporting evidence are at the bottom)

The Resurrection of Jesus Christ is single most critical part of the Christian faith and also the single most important argument for it. I may not have an answer for every single question regarding philosophy, various religions, ethics, creation, and evolution (and neither does the other side). I don’t have to know it all because this much is true: If Jesus Christ really literally rose from the dead then the Bible is true. If the Bible is truly the Word of God then that kind of settles the issue of whether God exists and who He is, regardless of any other unanswered questions.

So to help with this goal I have provided links to a short argument for the resurrection and a long argument for the resurrection.

The Short Argument for the Resurrection

Five Reasons to Believe Jesus Rose from the Dead

This is a slightly longer comic strip that illustrates the logical argument for the resurrection provided by Adam4d.com. It’s good if you are sharing with somebody who may not be interested enough to spend an hour watching a video presentation on the scholarly evidence of the resurrection.

The Long Argument for the Resurrection

Gary Habermas: The Resurrection Evidence that Changed Current Scholarship

This is an hour long presentation by New Testament scholar Gary Habermas laying out the scholarly arguments for the resurrection. This textual argument for the Resurrection has a significant impact on New Testament scholarship and really proves that the Resurrection is not a myth that evolved over time but something that all of the original disciples believed they literally saw. My favorite point is that Paul was born within a few years of Jesus’ birth. This means when he writes 1 Corinthians 15 he is writing in a time period where the witnesses really are still alive and is calling on people to call his bluff and talk to the witnesses. It’s not some text decades removed from the event! This is great evidence.

Updated Lecture by Habermas 2018

A lecture by Gary Habermas at my Alma Mater: New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary as part of Defend the Faith 2018. Start this at 32 minutes and it lasts over 1.5 hours with detailed slides in the last 20 minutes or so.

Habermas’ Papers and Articles in Peer Reviewed Journals

For my atheist friends who demand the paperwork on this Resurrection research here is a good starting point.

Here is the archive of useful articles related to Dr. Habermas’ work much of is in Peer Reviews Journals. Here is one main article in a peer reviewed Journal for the Study of the Historical Jesus. His Original 1976 PhD paper at Michigan State that earned him his PhD and formed the foundation of this argument for the Resurrection.