Posts Tagged ‘Jesus’
The Almighty
by Terry Wane Benton John describes Jesus as “the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). Isaiah predicted the “child” who would be born and later called “Mighty God” (Isaiah 9:6-7). The Hebrew of the Old Testament refers to “El Shaddai” (God Almighty). The term emphasizes God’s ability to handle any situation that confronts God’s people. It is first…
Read MoreThe Alpha and the Omega
by Terry Wane Benton John describes Jesus as “the Alpha and the Omega” (Revelation 1:8). Alpha is the starting letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the final letter of that alphabet. Even our English word “alphabet” comes from the Greek letters alpha and beta. What does John mean by calling Jesus the alpha…
Read MoreThe Firstborn from the Dead
by Terry Wane Benton John’s readers were facing trials, persecutions, and possibly death. John knew that Christians needed to know Jesus as “the Firstborn from the dead.”(Rev.1:5). This is not saying that Jesus was the first person to ever be raised from the dead, but that He is the firstborn (the first in position of…
Read MoreSix Great Truths About Jesus Christ
by David Gibson Distilled truth “By common confession, great is the mystery of godliness: He who was revealed in the flesh, Was vindicated in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Proclaimed among the nations, Believed on in the world, Taken up to glory” (I Timothy 3:16 NASB). This passage is a concise, one-verse summary of the…
Read MoreWhen was Jesus first referred to as the Son of God in the Old Testament?
Question: When was Jesus first referred to as the Son of God in the Old Testament? Answer: “I will surely tell of the decree of the LORD: He said to Me, ‘You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance, and the…
Read MoreThe Word
by Terry Wane Benton Why does John speak of Jesus as “the Word”? See John 1:1-14. Consider that Jesus is the fulfillment and substance of all that God had been promising and prophesying all through the years from the beginning of all communication. Jesus was who God had spoken about and was providing what God…
Read MoreThis Is Marvelous in Our Eyes
by Terry Wane Benton “This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Mark 12:11 ESV). Watch closely what Jesus is saying and why. He is talking to the Jews who were rejecting Him and reminding them that they were fulfilling the scripture statement of Psalms 118:22 that said, “The stone which…
Read MoreFrom the Womb of the Morning
by Terry Wane Benton “The LORD said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.’ The LORD shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! Your people shall be volunteers in the day of Your power; In the beauties…
Read MoreWas Jesus “Retrofitted” onto the Prophecies of the Old Testament?
by Terry Wane Benton If the gospel writers just made the story of Jesus fit the Old Testament, what were the secular historical accounts doing? Tacitus (c. 56–120 CE), the Roman historian, in his final work Annals (written around 115 CE), wrote about Emperor Nero’s persecution of Christians following the Great Fire of Rome in…
Read MoreNot My Will
by Doy Moyer Jesus prayed in the garden, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). Jesus had no desire to suffer. He desired to save humanity from sin, and this was the necessary path to do so, but He was not enjoying…
Read MorePhilippians 1:2-11
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Philippians-1-2-11.mp3 by Raymond Warfel Download Audio
Read MoreJohn’s Proposition and Proof
by Terry Wane Benton The gospel of John is very unique in that it sets forth a proposition as in a debate, and then seeks to present evidence to prove the proposition is true. The proposition is stated in the first 18 verses that Jesus was actually God with God from the beginning of creation,…
Read MoreLike Father
by David Gibson My finite mind soon reaches the end of its tether when I try to comprehend God, the eternal, invisible, all-powerful, all-knowing Maker of all things. By observing the wonders of His handiwork in nature, we get glimpses into His wisdom and power (Romans 1:18-20), To learn more, we turn to the Old…
Read MoreThe Temptations of Jesus
The Temptations of Jesus: Changing Stones into BreadThe Temptations of Jesus (Part 2)The Temptations of Jesus (3) The Pinnacle of the Temple by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Luke 4:1-13 I. We all face temptations – I Corinthians 10:13 A. But Satan’s power to tempt is limited. He only has so many tricks to use. B. Consider the…
Read MoreStrike the Rock?
The children of Israel were desperate for water and were crying out to Moses, “Why have you brought us out here to die of thirst?” God told Moses to take his rod and “strike the rock,” and “water will come out of it, that the people may drink” (Exodus 17:3-6). Did God do this just…
Read MoreWithout Me, You Can Do Nothing
by Terry Wane Benton “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Without Jesus, we cannot be saved from a useless and aimless life. With Jesus, we can. Without Jesus, we cannot…
Read MoreRemembering Jesus Daily
by Richard Thetford Those of us who understand the authority of the Bible and are guided by it, because we respect what God has said to us, realize that Christians do not celebrate December 25th as the birth date of Christ. The apostle Paul wrote to the Colossian brethren and said “whatever you do in…
Read MoreJesus, the Greatest
by Terry Wane Benton The greatest blessing of my life is Jesus. Without Him, my heart was dark, and my direction was aimless. I pretended that believers were as irrational about God and Jesus as children were about tooth fairies. I once challenged a preacher, and he sent me material that opened my eyes. I…
Read MoreHe Died for My Sins
by Allen Dvorak via Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015 What would you be willing to do for your enemy? To the Romans, Paul wrote that God demonstrated His love for us “in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). We (men in general) were enemies of God because…
Read MoreJesus, the Perfect Man
Author Unknown From The Commercial Appeal, 22 December 1912 There is no other character in history like that of Jesus. As a preacher, as a doer of things, and as a philosopher, no man ever had the sweep and the vision of Jesus. The human analysis of the human actions of Jesus brings to view a…
Read MoreThe Book of Hebrews on Jesus
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/The-Book-of-Hebrews-on-Jesus.mp3 by Raymond Warfel Download Audio
Read MoreWho Do You Say Jesus Is?
by Terry Wane Benton There were various opinions about who Jesus was to those considering Him in the first century (Matthew 16:13-19). All opinions and beliefs were not equal. Today, various religious beliefs are not equal to the truth. When some held the opinion that Jesus was a prophet but only a prophet, their opinion…
Read MorePaul and Jesus
by Zeke Flores In many ways, Galatians is about Paul and Jesus. One of the things I love about the short book of Galatians is how, although Paul writes on deep theological themes concerning the differentiation between the old and new covenants and their respective purposes, he often refers to how these themes relate to…
Read MoreI am with You Always
by Terry Wane Benton Perhaps no promise is more empowering than the assurance that we can handle anything because God promises to be with us. When the apostles, a rag-tag looking bunch of common men, were told to preach to all the world and start at Jerusalem, it had to be an intimidating sight for…
Read MoreThe Logos of Life
by Dudley Ross Spears via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 17 No. 1, 31 March 1991 The “Logos” is the Christ, the Son of the Most High God. John uses a term ordinarily meaning” a word” and applies it to the timeless and changeless Christ. There are a few cases where “logos” is used to express reason, account,…
Read MoreLiving Bread
by Terry Wane Benton What did Jesus want us to get from His claim to be “the living bread” (John 6:51)? Bread feeds energy into the body and keeps us going a little further in our bodily journey. Yet this body will still die, and bread will not stop our death. Jesus speaks of “living…
Read MoreTake Your Only Son
by Terry Wane Benton The test for Abraham was a type of the test that God Himself would undergo. In Abraham’s case, offering his only son, Isaac, was a test of his love for God. Would he trust and love God above his emotional attachment to his only son? Even though the command made no…
Read MoreJoy in Christ
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Joy-in-Christ.mp3 by Raymond Warfel Download Audio
Read MoreWhy didn’t Jesus know there were no figs on the tree?
Question: When our Lord cursed the fig tree, did He know that there was no fruit on it, or was knowledge withheld temporarily? Answer: The account is found in Matthew 21:18-19 and Mark 11:12-14. Early in the morning, Jesus left Bethany for Jerusalem. Seeing a leafy fig tree beside the road and being hungry, Jesus…
Read MoreWhy Jesus’ Death Stands Out
by Tommy Peeler In the first century, thousands were crucified. “During the last siege of Jerusalem, hundreds of crosses daily arose, till there seemed not sufficient room nor wood for them” (Alfred Edersheim). Of those thousands crucified, how many of the victims could you name? If crucifixion was such a common but horrible death, what…
Read MoreWhy Did Jesus Die?
by Doy Moyer There are many atonement theories, and not every theory is equal. But one undeniable truth is that Jesus died to show how death is conquered through resurrection. By His death and resurrection, we are led to victory, and because of this, we can work with confidence that what we do is not…
Read MorePick Your Jesus
by Terry Wane Benton Paul said some were preaching “another Jesus” (II Corinthians 11:3-4). That was by picking the things they liked about the real Jesus, mixing in a few of their desires, avoiding the things they did not like about what the real Jesus said, and now we can talk about the Jesus we…
Read MoreJesus and Psalms 110
by Terry Wane Benton Jesus is very definitely the figure described and intended by the Holy Spirit. Hebrews 1 is making the argument that Jesus is “so much better than the angels” (Hebrews 1:4) and has “a more excellent name than they.” The Holy Spirit applied Psalms 2:7, 45:6-7, and 110:1f to Jesus. Psalms 110…
Read MoreWhat Was so Different About His Teaching?
by David Gibson “No one ever spoke like this man!” So said the officers sent by the Pharisees to arrest Jesus, but who came back without Him. After hearing Him teach, they could not bring themselves to take Him into custody. Many people noticed Jesus’ teaching differed because He spoke with authority (Matthew 7:28-29; Mark…
Read MoreEternal Existence
by James Sanders via Sentry Magazine, Vol. 16 No. 4, December 31, 1990 The Words of John 1:1 Nothing shatters—nothing startles like the sound of thunder. Its voice is unmistakable. And nothing seizes our attention like thunder. Whatever we may be doing when the crash of thunder interrupts, we stop immediately and listen. Thunder cannot be…
Read MoreThe Prophet: Who Is He?
by David Gibson Who was Moses pointing toward when he said, “The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like me . . . you shall listen to him” (Deuteronomy 18:15 NASB)? The Jews of the first century were expecting this Prophet (John 1:19-21; 6:14; 7:40). Whoever it is would be remarkable…
Read MoreJesus Is God
Jesus Is GodJesus Is God – Part 2 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: Titus 2:11-14 I. The religious world holds diverse views in regards to Jesus A. Is he a man or God? Or is it possible for him to be both? B. Oneness Pentecostals argue that there is only one God, and his name is Jesus.…
Read MoreWhy Does John Mention that Jesus Wept?
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2015/11/Why-Does-John-Mention-that-Jesus-Wept.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: John 11:17-44 I. Ask someone even slightly familiar with the Bible what the shortest verse is and they can tell you: “Jesus wept.” – John 11:35 A. I was reading an article by Phil Gardner and he asked an interesting question, “Why does John show us a weeping Jesus?” 1. Not,…
Read MoreGod Appeared in the Flesh
https://www.lavistachurchofchrist.org/cms/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/God-Appeared-in-the-Flesh.mp3 by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Timothy 3:14-16 I. Before the first century ended, several varieties of false teachings arose. A. One set has been referred to as the gnostics. The name derives from the Greek word for “knowledge.” – I Timothy 6:20-21 B. These were a diverse group, but they were tied by a belief…
Read MoreThe Human Life of God
by Steve Klein via Guardian of Truth XXXV: 14, pp. 419-420, July 18, 1991 One of the most ticklish of all religious controversies since the time of the apostles has been over the nature of the deity that Jesus possessed as a man. Historian Philip Schaff observed that in the years before 325 A.D., “the…
Read More