Jesus The
Way - Lesson 2
Following Jesus as the Way means following
His example and teaching. He said:
"If you continue in my word, then you
are my disciples indeed." (John 8:31)
Jesus chided the people of His day who
claimed to accept Him as Lord, but disregarded His teaching.
"And why do you call me `Lord, Lord,' and
do not do the things which I say?" (Luke 6:46)
The Bible is the only dependable source of
information about Jesus. Producers of films and authors of
novels take many liberties in dealing with stories about Him.
Many parents and acquaintances who talk to us about Jesus have
never made a serious study of the Bible. Often preachers and
teachers who have studied the Bible for years add so many of
their own opinions and philosophies that we can scarcely know
what is from the Bible and what is not; the fact that they
differ so widely is proof that many are mistaken. It is
essential, therefore, that each of us make his own study of
the original source of truth concerning Jesus.
JESUS
IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
The Bible is divided into two major
divisions: the Old Testament and the New Testament. The
writing of the Old Testament was completed 400 years before
Jesus was born, yet it contains many things about Him.
The Old Testament provides glimpses of
Jesus in a pre-fleshly state. When God was about to make man,
He said to another divine being:
"Let us make man in our image."
(Genesis 1:26)
The New Testament identifies this divine
being as "the Word."
"In the beginning was the Word, and
the word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the
beginning with God. All things were made by Him, and without
Him nothing was made that was made." (John
1:1-3)
The Old Testament predicts His birth of a
virgin.
"Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and
bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel."(Isaiah
7:14)
The name Immanuel means "God
with us" (Matthew 1:23). The Old
Testament even predicts the place of His birth in
Micah 5:2
JESUS
IN THE GOSPELS
The New Testament records the fulfillment
of the Old Testament predictions. John testifies
"The word became flesh and dwelt
among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory of the only
begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."
(John 1:14)
Four writers give accounts of His life.
These accounts are commonly called the Gospels, a
word which means "good news." Each of the writers
seems to emphasize something different about Jesus.
MATTHEW emphasizes His
teaching, especially that concerning the "Kingdom of
heaven."
MARK features the miracles
of Jesus, showing His power.
LUKE seems to stress the
perfect humanity of Jesus without detracting from His
divinity.
JOHN seems to stress the
perfect divinity of Jesus without detracting from His
humanity.
Though different, the gospels give a
perfectly harmonious description of one person, the greatest
of history.
No one can know JESUS, THE WAY who has not
read these records carefully. Reading them, we may well be
surprised to find how far the real Jesus differs from the
imaginary one who has been created in our minds by the
misinformation so commonly circulated among us.
JESUS
IN ACTS AND THE EPISTLES
The gospels do not contain all of the
teaching of Jesus. They report only the teaching which He did
while on earth. This had to be limited to what His disciples
could comprehend in the short time that He was with them.
Before He left them, He told them of the arrangement by which
He would continue to speak to them:
"I still have many things to say to
you, but you cannot bear them now. However, when He, the
spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth;
for he will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He
hears He will speak; and he will tell you things to come. He
will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and
declare it to you." (John 16:12-14)
The Holy Spirit came upon them soon after
Jesus returned to Heaven.
"And they were all filled with the
Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the
Spirit gave them utterance." (Acts 2:4)
This means that the preaching and writing
of the inspired apostles, which we find in the remainder of
the New Testament, are as much the teaching of Jesus as what
we read in the gospels. The apostle Paul wrote:
"If anyone thinks himself to be a
prophet or spiritual, let him acknowledge that the things
which I write to you are the commandments of the Lord."
(1 Corinthians 14:37)
NO
OTHER REVELATIONS
The revelation of Jesus and His teaching in
the New Testament is complete. The writers warned:
"But even if we, or an angel from
heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have
preached to you, let him be accursed."
(Galatians 1:8)
The writer of the last book of the New
Testament gives warning:
"I testify to everyone who hears the
words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to these
things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in
this book." (Revelation22:18)
OLD
OR NEW TESTAMENT?
Though many things about Jesus are foretold
and foreshadowed in the Old Testament, it is in the New that
God speaks to us through Him.
"God, who at various times and in
different ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the
prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son."
(Hebrews 1:1-2)
This means that we must not go back to the
Old Testament to learn how to follow Jesus, the Way. The law
was intended simply to bring men to Jesus.
"Therefore the law was our
schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we might be
justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no
longer under a schoolmaster."
(Galatians3:24-25)
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS ABOUT JESUS?
All answers are taken from the New King
James Version of the Bible...
Once you submit your answers,
they will be graded and your grade will be sent to the email
address that you provided.
EMBRY HILLS CHURCH OF CHRIST
3250 Chamblee Tucker Road - Atlanta, GA 30341
770-455-8412 |
