My Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

I want to start at the beginning, before the miraculous birth, before the prophets, before Moses, before everything was created. Jesus was there with His Father and the Holy Spirit in the beginning. They were together from eternal past and will be together for eternal future. God knew that when He created mankind that we would need a savior. Long before mankind ever sinned Jesus knew one day He would die on the cross for us. He loved us and forgave us long before we were ever born. John 1: 1-3 says  ¹ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² He was with God in the beginning. ³ Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. Jesus himself said ⁵⁸ “Very truly I tell you,” “before Abraham was born, I am!”

Jesus showed himself to many during the Old Testament.  He revealed himself to Moses through a burning bush where he says “I am The Great I Am”, before this it was Christ that wrestled with Jacob and changed his name to Israel.  God used many types to show us about the coming Messiah, my personal favorite is the Passover Lamb which shows us the need for a blood sacrifice to cover our sins; it also says a little about how Jesus would die, not one bone on the lamb could be broken and when Jesus died not one bone was broken on His body.

 Our savior started out his life with a miracle when he was born to a virgin and is the only son of God. The greatness  continued from our Lord. When you think of the fact that Jesus was the Son of God you might think that he would be born into a life of luxury, yet he was born in a manger without anyone there to worship this mighty birth. At a distance Angels told some shepherds what was happening than the angels worshiped the Baby Jesus from a far. After He was born and before He was, two wise men came to worship Him this shows the gentiles involvement in our Lord’s life. The  Jewish religious leaders must be too busy with their externals to concern themselves with the baby messiah or maybe Jesus did not fit into their plans at this time.

We do not know much about our Lord’s childhood, we know a little about when he was twelve, but other than that all the information we have is that he grew in wisdom and stature and grew in favor with God and man.

Around the time Jesus turned 30 He started His public ministry, He traveled around Palestine performing many many miracles. As a matter of fact one of His close Disciples John stated that if everything the Lord did was written down the Earth would not be big enough to hold the books. If that is not proof of God’s approval of his son’s ministry I’m not sure what would be, unless it is the simple fact that after Jesus died our death on the cross and God raised him from the dead inviting him to sit at His right hand in paradise.

The Believer's Freedom

²³"Everything is permissible"—but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible"—but not everything is constructive. ²⁴Nobody should seek his own good, but the good of others.  ²⁵Eat anything sold in the meat market without raising questions of conscience, ²⁶for, "The earth is the Lord's, and everything in it."^[c]
 27If some unbeliever invites you to a meal and you want to go, eat whatever is put before you without raising questions of conscience. ²⁸But if anyone says to you, "This has been offered in sacrifice," then do not eat it, both for the sake of the man who told you and for conscience' sake^[d]— ²⁹the other man's conscience, I mean, not yours. For why should my freedom be judged by another's conscience? ³⁰If I take part in the meal with thankfulness, why am I denounced because of something I thank God for?
 ³¹So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. ³²Do not cause anyone to stumble, whether Jews, Greeks or the church of God— ³³even as I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good but the good of many, so that they may be saved.
Footnotes:

The Branch From Jesse

    ¹ A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse;
       from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
    ² The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him—
       the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding,
       the Spirit of counsel and of power,
       the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD -
    ³ and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
       He will not judge by what he sees with his eyes,
       or decide by what he hears with his ears;
    ⁴ but with righteousness he will judge the needy,
       with justice he will give decisions for the poor of the earth.
       He will strike the earth with the rod of his mouth;
       with the breath of his lips he will slay the wicked.
    ⁵ Righteousness will be his belt
       and faithfulness the sash around his waist.
    ⁶ The wolf will live with the lamb,
       the leopard will lie down with the goat,
       the calf and the lion and the yearling ^[a] together;
       and a little child will lead them.
    ⁷ The cow will feed with the bear,
       their young will lie down together,
       and the lion will eat straw like the ox.
    ⁸ The infant will play near the hole of the cobra,
       and the young child put his hand into the viper's nest.
    ⁹ They will neither harm nor destroy
       on all my holy mountain,
       for the earth will be full of the knowledge of the LORD
       as the waters cover the sea.
    ¹⁰ In that day the Root of Jesse will stand as a banner for the peoples; the nations will rally to him, and his place of rest will be glorious. ¹¹ In that day the Lord will reach out his hand a second time to reclaim the remnant that is left of his people from Assyria, from Lower Egypt, from Upper Egypt, ^[b] from Cush, ^[c] from Elam, from Babylonia, ^[d] from Hamath and from the islands of the sea.
    ¹² He will raise a banner for the nations
       and gather the exiles of Israel;
       he will assemble the scattered people of Judah
       from the four quarters of the earth.
    ¹³ Ephraim's jealousy will vanish,
       and Judah's enemies ^[e] will be cut off;
       Ephraim will not be jealous of Judah,
       nor Judah hostile toward Ephraim.
    ¹⁴ They will swoop down on the slopes of Philistia to the west;
       together they will plunder the people to the east.
       They will lay hands on Edom and Moab,
       and the Ammonites will be subject to them.
    ¹⁵ The LORD will dry up
       the gulf of the Egyptian sea;
       with a scorching wind he will sweep his hand
       over the Euphrates River. ^[f]
       He will break it up into seven streams
       so that men can cross over in sandals.
    ¹⁶ There will be a highway for the remnant of his people
       that is left from Assyria,
       as there was for Israel
       when they came up from Egypt

Eloi Eloi lema sabachthani

My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
       Why are you so far from saving me,
       so far from the words of my groaning?
 ² O my God, I cry out by day, but you do not answer,
       by night, and am not silent.
 ³ Yet you are enthroned as the Holy One;
       you are the praise of Israel. ^[a]
 4 In you our fathers put their trust;
       they trusted and you delivered them.
 ⁵ They cried to you and were saved;
       in you they trusted and were not disappointed.
 ⁶ But I am a worm and not a man,
       scorned by men and despised by the people.
 ⁷ All who see me mock me;
       they hurl insults, shaking their heads:
 ⁸ "He trusts in the LORD;
       let the LORD rescue him.
       Let him deliver him,
       since he delights in him."
 ⁹ Yet you brought me out of the womb;
       you made me trust in you
       even at my mother's breast.
 ¹⁰ From birth I was cast upon you;
       from my mother's womb you have been my God.
 ¹¹ Do not be far from me,
       for trouble is near
       and there is no one to help.
 ¹² Many bulls surround me;
       strong bulls of Bashan encircle me.
 ¹³ Roaring lions tearing their prey
       open their mouths wide against me.
 ¹⁴ I am poured out like water,
       and all my bones are out of joint.
       My heart has turned to wax;
       it has melted away within me.
 ¹⁵ My strength is dried up like a potsherd,
       and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth;
       you lay me ^[b] in the dust of death.
 ¹⁶ Dogs have surrounded me;
       a band of evil men has encircled me,
       they have pierced ^[c] my hands and my feet.
 ¹⁷ I can count all my bones;
       people stare and gloat over me.
 ¹⁸ They divide my garments among them
       and cast lots for my clothing.
 ¹⁹ But you, O LORD, be not far off;
       O my Strength, come quickly to help me.
 ²⁰ Deliver my life from the sword,
       my precious life from the power of the dogs.
 ²¹ Rescue me from the mouth of the lions;
       save ^[d] me from the horns of the wild oxen.
 ²² I will declare your name to my brothers;
       in the congregation I will praise you.
 ²³ You who fear the LORD, praise him!
       All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
       Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
 ²⁴ For he has not despised or disdained
       the suffering of the afflicted one;
       he has not hidden his face from him
       but has listened to his cry for help.
 ²⁵ From you comes the theme of my praise in the great assembly;
       before those who fear you ^[e] will I fulfill my vows.
 ²⁶ The poor will eat and be satisfied;
       they who seek the LORD will praise him—
       may your hearts live forever!
 ²⁷ All the ends of the earth
       will remember and turn to the LORD,
       and all the families of the nations
       will bow down before him,
 ²⁸ for dominion belongs to the LORD
       and he rules over the nations.
 ²⁹ All the rich of the earth will feast and worship;
       all who go down to the dust will kneel before him—
       those who cannot keep themselves alive.
 ³⁰ Posterity will serve him;
       future generations will be told about the Lord.
 ³¹ They will proclaim his righteousness
       to a people yet unborn—
       for he has done it.

 Found in Psalm Chapter 22

Love

 ⁹Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. ¹⁰Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. ¹¹Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. ¹²Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. ¹³Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.  ¹⁴Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. ¹⁵Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. ¹⁶Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position.^[c] Do not be conceited.
 ¹⁷Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do what is right in the eyes of everybody. ¹⁸If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. ¹⁹Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay,"^[d]says the Lord. ²⁰On the contrary:
   "If your enemy is hungry, feed him;
      if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
   In doing this, you will heap burning coals on his head."^{[e] 21}Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.

Found in Romans Chapter 12

Imitating Christ's Humility

 ¹If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, ²then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose. ³Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. ⁴Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
 ⁵Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:
 ⁶Who, being in very nature^[a] God,
      did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,
 ⁷but made himself nothing,
      taking the very nature^[b] of a servant,
      being made in human likeness.
 ⁸And being found in appearance as a man,
      he humbled himself
      and became obedient to death—
         even death on a cross!
 ⁹Therefore God exalted him to the highest place
      and gave him the name that is above every name,
 ¹⁰that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
      in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
 ¹¹and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord,
      to the glory of God the Father.

Found In Chapter Philippians 2

By Faith

¹Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. ²This is what the ancients were commended for.

 ³By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. ⁴By faith Abel offered God a better sacrifice than Cain did. By faith he was commended as a righteous man, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith he still speaks, even though he is dead.

 ⁵By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death; he could not be found, because God had taken him away. For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. ⁶And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.

 ⁷By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith.

 ⁸By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. ⁹By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. ¹⁰For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.

 ¹¹By faith Abraham, even though he was past age—and Sarah herself was barren—was enabled to become a father because he^[a]considered him faithful who had made the promise. ¹²And so from this one man, and he as good as dead, came descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as countless as the sand on the seashore.

 ¹³All these people were still living by faith when they died. They did not receive the things promised; they only saw them and welcomed them from a distance. And they admitted that they were aliens and strangers on earth. ¹⁴People who say such things show that they are looking for a country of their own. ¹⁵If they had been thinking of the country they had left, they would have had opportunity to return. ¹⁶Instead, they were longing for a better country—a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

 ¹⁷By faith Abraham, when God tested him, offered Isaac as a sacrifice. He who had received the promises was about to sacrifice his one and only son, ¹⁸even though God had said to him, "It is through Isaac that your offspring^[b] will be reckoned."^{[c] 19}Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead, and figuratively speaking, he did receive Isaac back from death.

 ²⁰By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau in regard to their future.

 ²¹By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of Joseph's sons, and worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff.

 ²²By faith Joseph, when his end was near, spoke about the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave instructions about his bones.

 ²³By faith Moses' parents hid him for three months after he was born, because they saw he was no ordinary child, and they were not afraid of the king's edict.

 ²⁴By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh's daughter. ²⁵He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. ²⁶He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward. ²⁷By faith he left Egypt, not fearing the king's anger; he persevered because he saw him who is invisible. ²⁸By faith he kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel.

 ²⁹By faith the people passed through the Red Sea^[d] as on dry land; but when the Egyptians tried to do so, they were drowned.

 ³⁰By faith the walls of Jericho fell, after the people had marched around them for seven days.

 ³¹By faith the prostitute Rahab, because she welcomed the spies, was not killed with those who were disobedient.^[e]

 ³²And what more shall I say? I do not have time to tell about Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel and the prophets, ³³who through faith conquered kingdoms, administered justice, and gained what was promised; who shut the mouths of lions, ³⁴quenched the fury of the flames, and escaped the edge of the sword; whose weakness was turned to strength; and who became powerful in battle and routed foreign armies. ³⁵Women received back their dead, raised to life again. Others were tortured and refused to be released, so that they might gain a better resurrection. ³⁶Some faced jeers and flogging, while still others were chained and put in prison. ³⁷They were stoned^[f]; they were sawed in two; they were put to death by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, persecuted and mistreated— ³⁸the world was not worthy of them. They wandered in deserts and mountains, and in caves and holes in the ground.

 ³⁹These were all commended for their faith, yet none of them received what had been promised. ⁴⁰God had planned something better for us so that only together with us would they be made perfect.