Life is a mountain you only climb once. 
Take the best guide with you!

 

Why I believe Jesus is God and my Savior!

For much of my life I gave only lip-service to God and religion.  I went to church, but only when I was at home with my parents.  God was just a name in a book.  I tended to make my own way.  And there did come a time when I could no longer see that way ahead of me.  The future looked bleak.  Try as I would, I just could not see a future for me.

Then I met someone who invited me to a Bible Study.  For some reason or other I went.  I now know that this was God’s Holy Spirit stalking me!  I had been baptized years before, true.  My parents and sponsors had made promises.  But I wasn’t aware or at least willing to acknowledge any of those promises.  But the way before me was becoming increasingly unclear.

During that Bible study, the leader quoted from the Bible, Acts 1:8; words Jesus spoke just before He left this earth physically.  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth."

I began to consider what kind of witness I had been giving to others. 

In those days I wore cowboy boots.  One day as I was using the loops to pull on my boots, a thought struck me.  “How high can I lift myself?”  And I realized that I could not lift myself even one inch.  Oh, I could jump up, but like always before I came right back down in the same place. 

I re-discovered one of God’s familiar promises to me in John 3:16.  Try reading this verse over, as I did, placing own name into each of the blanks.  This is God’s promise to you!

"For God so loved( the world) _____ that he gave his one and only Son, for _____, that if (whoever) _______, believes in him, _______ shall not perish but _____ shall have eternal life!

I loved the truth of that verse.  I suddenly felt warm all over.  I knew Jesus was by friend, and God didn’t want me to burn in hell.  He wanted me to join Him in heaven, forever.

Being an analytic person, I couldn’t help wondering how I could be sure.  How can someone who is invisible be so important?  Never mind that while invisible, the air we breathe is vital to life.  How could I really know if there is a God, and if He cares for me?

I discovered another Bible verse which offered me certainty.  Talking about the words he wrote, and the whole Bible, really, Saint John said, I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:13).

He says “that you may know that you have eternal life.”  I’d often wondered how anyone could be so proud, arrogant, or foolish to assume that you could know you were going to heaven – before you actually got there.

From that moment on I have trusted God’s promises, that I will go to heaven.  I’m not saying I don’t still have some cloudy days.  But God’s promises follow me.  Whenever I read His word His “Son,” Jesus, breaks through. 

But I still had questions about the person of Jesus.  Is Jesus really God?  My inquiry led me to an incident I couldn't explain.  Long ago, another man was also going his own way, when he encountered God and His Word, just as I had.  A Voice came to Moses from out of a bush that burned but didn't burn up!  This Voice claimed to have seen Moses' people, the Jews, oppressed under slavery in Egypt.  This strange Voice charged Moses to go and deliver them out of slavery and away from Egypt.

Moses first question was similar to mine, "Who am I that I should go help these people?"  But the Voice persisted, and insisted, promising to be with Moses in his journey.  "But who are you," Moses demanded.  "What is your name?  Who shall I tell them has sent me?"  In other words, "May I see some identification please?"

Now the answer which the Voice gave is both confusing and beautiful.  God identified Himself in the most simple way possible:  "I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: 'I AM has sent me to you."  God also said to Moses, "Say to the Israelites, 'The LORD, the God of your fathers--the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob--has sent me to you.' This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation."  (Exodus 3:14-15)

 I quickly learned two things about this strange and beautiful name of God.

God simply is!  From that moment on, for fear of misusing God's name, faithful Jews never spoke or wrote that name.  Rather they substituted the word "The Anointed One" wherever it occurred in their reading, writing and speaking.  This is where the strange name "Yahweh," which is "I am," comes from.

It is helpful to fast-forward to the New Testament.  The miracle-working man, Jesus, encountered opposition from Jewish Leaders. They were both suspicious and afraid of Him, suggesting that He was really the Devil, or at least got His power from the Devil.  Jesus appealed to their favorite ancestor, Abraham.  He said, "Abraham rejoiced at the hope of seeing Me and My day!" 

"But how can you know anything about Abraham?  You aren't even 50 years old.  And He lived long, long ago." 

Listen carefully to Jesus reply.  It is very simple and to the point.  These Jews knew exactly what Jesus' answer meant.  Jesus said, "Before Abraham was, I am!" 

And immediately they picked up stones to kill him.  Why?

Clearly they understood that Jesus claimed to be equal to God.  He did the things God promises the Messiah would do.  He healed the sick, raised the dead and preached Good News to the poor.  But Jesus also claimed the same, revered, sacred, and never spoken name of God, "I am!"

I believe that Jesus IS true God.  If these religious doubters, who could see Jesus face to face, who could talk to and listen to Him personally, if they believed that Jesus was claiming to be God, why can't I? 

Without the fear they had.  I simply stand in awe of a man who claims to be equal to God, and then goes on to prove it beyond all my doubts!  And I answered the question that had haunted me for years.  "Either Jesus is or is not God!"  I believe Jesus is God, that He died on a cross for my sins, and that He rose again on the third day to prove, beyond a shadow of doubt, that I am forgiven, and one day will share eternity in heaven with Him! 

In the meantime, if you would like to learn or talk further about Jesus, join us for worship at Messiah,Or get in touch with me and we'll talk further. 

    May God bless your day. And, have a great forever!

Pastor Bruce Frederickson

I believe that Jesus is true God, Son of the Father, and that He died on the cross to pay the price for my sins.  My faults and misdeeds no longer block me from eternal life.  Jesus is waiting for me, and He’s waiting for you, too!

                                           Bruce Frederickson, Pastor, Messiah Lutheran

 

You can find other information about trusting Jesus, learning about a church, and becoming a Disciple of Jesus, by looking at our FAQ. If you have been considering your eternal relationship to Jesus Christ, and have considered becoming a Christian here is a brief outline of God’s saving truth as revealed in the Bible. If you wish to talk about this and any other issues please feel free to contact a pastor or staff of Messiah Lutheran by e-mail at Messiah@Messiah-Lutheran.org or by phoning the church office, 763-784-1786.

 

Why believe the Bible?

1. Consider the Number of New Testament Manuscripts that exists compared to other ancient works.  And few people doubt the existence of the authors or main characters of those! 

2. Consider the length of time it has been since many of these words were first written, compared with the comparatively recent Holy Scriptures.  Which are you more inclined to accept?

(YEARS is the time between when the document was first written, and the year of the earliest copies used for today's version(s) of the same document.  So the earliest copies that we have of Plato's writings were penned 1250 years after the original.)

 

You can find other information about trusting Jesus, learning about a church, and becoming a Disciple of Jesus, by looking at our FAQ. If you have been considering your eternal relationship to Jesus Christ, and have considered becoming a Christian here is a brief outline of God’s saving truth as revealed in the Bible. If you wish to talk about this and any other issues please feel free to contact a pastor or staff of Messiah Lutheran by e-mail at Messiah@Messiah-Lutheran.org or phoning the church office, 763-784-1786.

You can find other information about trusting Jesus, learning about a church, and becoming a Disciple of Jesus, by looking at our FAQ.