John – Andy Wrasman

The Internet decided to recommend a Tim Tebow video for me last night… I know since many of my friends are from GA and TN, you might highly despise Tebow due to his college football career in FL, but this video has nothing to do with football. I was not aware of his work in stopping child trafficking/slavery until watching this video. Due to this topic, you may not want to watch the video, but just read the following devotional I wrote in response to the video.

Tim Tebow’s testimony of the darkness of child slavery made me think of Advent. Many of the Advent hymns of the Christian Church speak to the darkness of the world that God’s people face and experience daily with the cry for Emmanuel to come to us. John 1:1-18 speaks to Jesus being equal to the Father in divinity. He is called the Word. He is called the light of men. In him is life! The Word, the Light, came into our world of darkness. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us; he is Jesus of Nazareth. Through Jesus of Nazareth, John and the other disciples who received saw Jesus’ glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus then speaks of his Church being the light of the world – a city on a hill in the darkness – a beacon of light drawing people to the life that is in him. Tim’s testimony and work are demonstrations of God’s light and the triumph of good over evil.

In the video, Tim Tebow wrestles with why God allows the evil that he has allowed. And yet… he gives a great proclamation of God’s sovereignty in all situations and of his amazing love for sinners. God knows your name. God knows all your hurts.

He’s coming again soon for his children to gather us all together to be with him face to face forever.

Come, Lord Jesus, come! Amen.

Here’s the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uB-UMEwuy7I

Muslims say that Jesus never claimed to be God. Some religious pluralists might say this too. Some humanists will likely say this also. And many people will not care.

I believe that we can trust the Gospels to be Historically reliable. With that being said, I believe Jesus actually claimed to be God and that he backed up such claims by living the perfect life that none of us can live, dying the death that none of us can die, and rising from the grave, something that we all will do, however, some to everlasting life, and others to everlasting condemnation (Daniel 12:1-3).

People struggle to admit that Jesus claimed to be God, because they really like his teachings of universal love and compassion towards others. They like his don’t pay back evil with evil mentality, because although we all break his commands, we recognize that they are the highest road of morality, and the path that most be followed for world peace.

People who want to embrace the Jesus of pacifism, but reject the Jesus who is the Messiah, will sometimes say, “Well, he never said the exact words, ‘I am God,’ so what Christians interpret to be claims to be God, must somehow be misunderstood.” So, I’ll change the lyrics of the Animals song slightly to fit this situation, “Oh Lord, please don’t let him be misunderstood.” Make no mistake, Jesus claimed to be God. Here is how he claimed to be God as recorded in his biographies, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John:

Divine Titles Proclaimed by or attributed to Jesus Christ:

God (John 1:1, John 20:28, Romans 9:5, Titus 2:13, Hebrews 1:8, 2 Peter 1:1)
Lord (Mark 12:35-37, John 20:28, Romans 10:9-13, 1 Cor. 8:5-6, 12:3, Philippians 2:11)
Messiah (Matthew 16:16, Mark 14:61, John 20:31)
Son of God (Matt. 11:27, Mark 15:39, John 1:18, Romans 1:4, Galatians 4:4, Hebrews 1:2)
Son of Man (Matt. 16:28, Matt. 24:30, Mark 8:38, Mark 14:62-64, Acts 7:56, Dan. 7:13-14)

Divine Names, actions, or roles proclaimed by or attributed to Jesus Christ:

Creator (John 1:3, Col. 1:16, Hebrews 1:2,10-12)
Sustainer (1 Cor. 8:6, Col. 1:17, Hebrews 1:3)
Forgiver of sins (Mark 2:5-7, Luke 24:47, Acts 5:31, Col. 3:13)
Object of prayer (John 14:4, Acts 1:24, 1 Cor. 1:2)
Object of worship (Matt. 28:16-17, Phil. 2:10-11, Hebrews 1:6)
Object of saving faith (John 14:1, Acts 10:43, Romans 10:8-13)

Divine Attributes or Qualities proclaimed by or attributed to Jesus Christ

Eternal Existence (John 1:1, John 8:58, John 17:5, Hebrews 13:8)
Self-existence (John 1:3, John 5:26, Col. 1:16)
Omnipresence (Matthew 18:20, Ephesians 1:23, Ephesians 4:10, Col. 3:11)
Omniscience (Mark 2:8, Luke 9:47, John 2:25, John 4:18, Col. 2:3)
Omnipotence (John 2:19, Col. 1:16-17)

Jesus equated himself with the Father

To know Jesus is to know God – John 14:7
To see Jesus is to see God – John 14:9
To encounter Jesus is to encounter God – John 14:11
To welcome Jesus is to welcome God – John 5:23
To hate Jesus is to hate God – John 15:23
To obey Jesus is to obey God – John 14:23

Jesus made direct claims that many Jewish religious leaders considered to blasphemous – John 5:17-18, John 8:58-59, John 10:30-33, and Mark 14:61-64.

Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber ... — Jesus is considered by scholars such as Weber to be an example of a charismatic religious leader. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

So based on these claims…

Who do you say Jesus is?

Tag: John

An Advent Devotional from The Tim Tebow Foundation