MY JESUS! The bravest man who STILL lives!

Is this a picture of the bravest man who ever lived?

Is this how we see Him?  The 'gentle' man, humble, soft, perhaps even weak. 


Last Sunday Pastor Scott preached on Peter's denial of Christ.  He titled his sermon, Three Strikes but not Out, read what he says here if you missed it.    That sermon along with his previous sermon got me thinking.  What was it REALLY like that night, when Jesus was betrayed into the hands of sinful men.  This is the time of year, Good Friday and Resurrection Sunday, that I really focus on what it must have been like for my Savior to face death.


As a kid, and even into adulthood, I pictured Jesus like we see Him above.  This gentle man, meek and mild.  Sure I knew He was whipped, beaten, mocked, and hung on a cross.  But NEVER really thought about what that must have been like.  We were taught growing up not to focus on His death, but rather His RESURRECTION.  Which is good, but I think when we do that, kind of eliminate the Crucifixion and the events that lead up to it, we miss something, something VERY vital in our walk.


God used Mel Gibson's  movie, The Passion of Christ to change my perception, and perhaps that of many others, of what Jesus went through on His journey to the Cross.  While I have not seen The Passion of Christ in its entirety,  I have seen clips of some of the more graphic scenes.  The scene of Jesus in the garden praying is very powerful. That along with the account in Matthew, gives a a pretty clear picture of the agony He was facing.

Another thing that has changed my view of my Savior is this song by Todd Agnew, tilted MY JESUS.  Here are just several verses form the song.  Click the link to listen to it.  Click here for the rest of the lyrics.

Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part
Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him

Do we really think the Romans and the Jews killed Him because he was such a sweet and nice guy?  I know it was God's plan that He should suffer and die, carrying the weight of my sin, and every sin ever in history.  But what was the motivation of those who hung Him on the Cross? He was killed because He stood up and called those in authority out.  Sure he was meek, humble and mild, when the situation warranted that.   But He was also brave, confident, passionate and dangerous. 

How did the Jesus of the Bible became the Jesus of American culture?

Jesus is a true picture of a true man. He is called the SECOND Adam for a reason. The first Adam was the emasculated man, he FAILED to stand up and be the man he was created to be.  Jesus not only stands up and sets the example of the man God created us to be, He pays dearly for it, with His life.  Jesus stands at the door and knocks.  Are we ready to give up our lives for Him?  Will we literally 'die' for Him? Some of us may be required to do that.  But ALL of us who claim His name, should at the very least die to self, our false self and LIVE for Him.

Look at how Jesus is pictured in the book of Revelation, He is not only the Lamb led to slaughter, He is later the one doing the slaughtering.

Then I saw heaven opened, and a white horse was standing there. And the one sitting on the horse was named Faithful and True. For he judges fairly and then goes to war. 12 His eyes were bright like flames of fire, and on his head were many crowns. A name was written on him, and only he knew what it meant. 13 He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and his title was the Word of God. 14 The armies of heaven, dressed in pure white linen, followed him on white horses. 15 From his mouth came a sharp sword, and with it he struck down the nations. He ruled them with an iron rod, and he trod the winepress of the fierce wrath of almighty God. 16 On his robe and thigh was written this title: King of kings and Lord of lords -  Revelation 19:11-16

This is MY JESUS!  The bravest man who STILL lives!  He faced not only the worst possible death, a death on a cross, but He faced the agony of separation from God.  That was MY punishment, it is what I deserved.  Thank you Jesus for being a REAL  man.  Thank you for being my friend and laying down your life.  May I look to you for what it means to be a REAL man.  A man who sacrifices his life for that of others. That takes real courage.

Jesus is the original Time LORD!

Alright, for some of you, this will just go right over your heads.  Or perhaps it will get lost somewhere between time and space........

I have always loved science fiction.  At a very early age I fell in love with Star Trek, no not TNG, DS9, Voyager, or Enterprise.  The ORIGINAL with James Tiberius Kirk, Mr Spock and the rest.  I don't remember seeing it in first run, after all I was born in 1966 and the show aired from 1966-1969.  I did however see it shortly there after in what used to be called 're-runs'.  I will say I do like all the sequels, with the exception of DS9.  Enterprise left a little to be desired, and I couldn't ever get past Scott Bakula, I kept seeing him as Dr Sam Beckett from Quantum Leap.  Ah, yes Quantum Leap, although not a big fan, I like the idea of time travel.  Another work that had a huge impact on me was HG WELLS, The Time Machine, the one with Rod Taylor, not the one from 2002 with Guy Pierce.  Even the one with Malcolm McDowell as Herbert Wells and David Warner as Jack the Ripper, tilted Time After Time, was pretty good.


I could go on and on about the science fiction movies and novels I love. One show I got a small glimpse of when I was younger was Doctor Who.  It aired on PBS in Detroit.  I never really got into much, but was vaguely aware of it.  I did watch one of the movies with Tom Bakker as the Doctor, where he is battling against the Daleks.  For those of you who don't have a clue what I'm talking about here is a synopsis of the series from IMDB:
                             The continuing adventures of The Doctor, an alien time traveler - a Time Lord - from Gallifrey. Together with his companions they travel through time and space in the TARDIS, battling evil where they find it. Written by IMDb Editors  

Our family started watching the ninth Doctor played by.....what was his name, he was on for such a short time.......,  the tenth and my favorite played by David Tennet, and more recently the eleventh, played by Matt Smith.  This has opened a door into checking out some of the older ones.  I particularly like the one who wears the sprig of celery.....what number was he again??  So you could say I am now a fan of the 'new' Doctor Who series.  This is not an attempt to belittle or make fun of anyone.  Remember I am a fan, too!

ANYWAY, moving on.........

I have more than once thought about how science fiction related to science fact and how they both related to Jesus.  Stay with me.........rants and ramblings.........

We know that God is not bound by time, space and dimensions.  He sits outside of them both.  He sees the whole of the space-time continuum, from beginning to end(or end to beginning) laid out in front of Him.   It blows my mind to try to understand that, but I guess that's why He say: "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD - Isaiah 55:8


Take your time to read slowly, what the writer of Hebrews has to say on the subject.   Perhaps even read a few times, let it sink in.  If you're at all like me, it will blow your mind!

[But] in the last of these days He has spoken to us in [the person of a] Son, Whom He appointed Heir and lawful Owner of all things, also by and through Whom He created the worlds and the reaches of space and the ages of time [He made, produced, built, operated, and arranged them in order].    ³He is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature, upholding and maintaining and guiding and propelling the universe by His mighty word of power.   When He had by offering Himself accomplished our cleansing of sins and riddance of guilt, He sat down at the right hand of the divine Majesty on high,

    ⁴[Taking a place and rank by which] He Himself became as much superior to angels as the glorious Name (title) which He has inherited is different from and more excellent than theirs. - Hebrews 1:2-4 Amplified Bible

Alright, are you still with me? 

Here's my take on what the writer of Hebrews is telling us:

1.)  EVERYTHING. including the other planets, stars, galaxies, solar systems, time, space and dimesnions, we created by God through His Son, Jesus Christ.
2.)  Jesus is God and it is His by his shear will power that the universe and all its complex workings are held together........
3.)   His work of redemption has been completed and He sits in the place of honor, at the Father's right hand.
4.)  The writer also declares Jesus to be far above the angles, He is also far above any CREATED MAN who claims to be lord over time, Jesus Christ is truly the original time LORD!

He doesn't drive a spaceship or pilot a TARDIS(Time and relative dimension in space), although He does control all.  Seriously, Jesus is not an alien, He is LORD over all.  He stepped out of eternity and into our realm of time and space, which He created. He did this in order to bring us back to a relationship with Him.


Remember:  Truth is truth, God reveals Himself to us through many ways, even secular books, movies and television.  That does not mean that all roads lead to heaven or that you can find Him while seeking your own satisfaction. If you are truly seeking Him, the one and only true God, the God of the Bible, you WILL find Him.

Do you know this LORD of all?  And does He know you.  

Who ur daddy?

Darth Vader: If you only knew the power of the Dark Side. Obi-Wan never told you what happened to your father.
Luke: He told me enough! He told me you killed him!
Darth Vader: No. I am your father.
Luke: No...no. That's not true. That's impossible!
Darth Vader: Search your feelings, you know it to be true!
[Luke cries in anguish]
Luke: No! No!

Oh man!  I'll never forget where I was when I first heard those lines from Star Wars: The Empire Strikes back.  I can STILL remember AND feel the emotion, the empathy I felt for Luke.  I don't know if that scene effected you the way it impacted me, but I'll bet there are other men, maybe women too, who can relate.  Again, just so we are crystal clear, I'm not endorsing or justifying eastern mysticism of STAR WARS or blending them with my Christian beliefs.  Truth is truth.  Remember,God creates, man perverts.

That scene is charged with emotion.  It strikes a chord with me.  Why?  Because a man must know where he comes from in order to see where he's going.  Think about that, Luke is just told he is the offspring of one of the most evil men in the universe. Luke spends the better part of the next movie, Return of the Jedi, on a quest for his true identity.  As he comes to grips with the fact Darth Vader is in fact the man who USED to be his dad, he discovers something.  He discovers his father's real name, his true identity!  Luke discovers that his dad at one time was a good and caring man.  Anakin, like all boys, wants adventure, he wants to be daring and dangerous.  He yearns for a battle to fight.  And most of all, like all good fairy tales, he has a beauty to win, Padmé Amidala.  If you don't remember, as difficult as it may be, watch The Phantom Menace, all these desires are detailed there. (As painful as that movie is to stomach, sorry Mr Lucas).

You may now see why the name of the blog is 'Eddie's rants and ramblings'.............but stay with me.

We are a lot like Luke.  Our original father, Adam, rebelled against God and we have suffered the weight of that treason ever since.  Adam gave up his true self, choosing to be a coward, instead of a man, and he hid behind a false self.  We have been longing and searching for who were are, are true self.  When Luke responds that Vader killed his father, he's right, metaphorically.  As men we tend to commit a kind of masculine suicide.  We turn to the 'dark side', by burying our true identity, we even wear a mask or multiple mask!  So maybe some of us are more like Darth Vader!

In Wild at Heart by John Elderedge, he outlines the secret to a man's soul.  We have three basic needs, no SEX isn't number one on the list.  He calls them, an adventure to live, a battle to win and a beauty to love.  If you haven't read the book, I HIGHLY recommend it, if you have read it, read it again, and have your spouse read it as well.  Anyway, something has been lost in our modern culture, there is a disconnect between fathers and sons.  The longing and desire to be who God created us to be has become lost.  Elderedge points us to the Bible and how God is described.  His character is much the same as what He desires us to be.  God is WILD AT HEART.  His adventure is us, His creation, He gave us free will.  His battle to fight is for us, His children.  His beauty to win is the Church, that Christ died for.

You may have had a 'perfect' earthly father.  Or perhaps yours was absent, emotionally or physically.  Maybe yours was abusive.  Maybe yours was somewhere in between.  I would like to say it doesn't matter, but it does.  Our earthly fathers have molded us into who we are, for better or worse.  Just so we are clear, this is NOT about placing blame,or beating up our dads, its about healing.  Just like Luke, it may be painful to realize although we are our father's sons, we do not have to follow in there legacy.

We have a PERFECT Father in Heaven.  He will NEVER leave or forsake us.

He is wild at heart.

The LORD is a warrior; yes, the LORD is his name!- Exodus 15:3


Go and be the MAN or WOMAN God created you to be!  Be blessed!

The devil is like theTerminator!

Alright, Pastor Scott's sermon on Sunday was short, but it was sweet, as the saying goes.  But he said some very profound things that got me thinking.  While reading the Wild at Heart Field Manual, the author, John Elderdge, posed a challenge to look at the movies that have moved us as men.  At the time I didn't think much about it, I thought of movies like 300, Star Wars:The Empire Strikes Back, and a few others.  But it hit me this morning.  John speaks about the battle we are in, a REAL battle, for the souls and eternal places of those God has made in His image.  There are so many, even many Christians, who never take into account that this supernatural battle is being fought all around and about them!

Pastor Scott referred to 1 Peter 5:8, "Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour."  It wasn't until this morning that I made a connection.  Just so we are clear, I am not endorsing 'R' rated movies, or ungodly movies.  I am not endorsing blood, gore, violence, fighting, etc..  Also remember, God creates, man perverts.  God also speaks though the ungodly, everyone serves Him, either willingly or unwillingly.  All of creation is subject to Him.  With that said, there is a line in the original Terminator movie, where Kyle Reese, who is from the future turns to Sarah Connor and says ""Listen, and understand. That terminator is out there. It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop, ever, until you are dead."  What Kyle Reese is saying is what Peter warned us about, WE ARE AT WAR.  We can NEVER, EVER let our guard down.  


So what are we to do?  Run and hide?  Pretend it doesn't exist?  Ignore it, it'll go away?  NO, NO, NO!  We dig in, stand our ground and FIGHT.  Fight like our lives depended upon it!  A final word: Be strong with the Lord's mighty power.  Put on all of God's armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the Devil. - Ephesians 6:10, 11 


Just like the Terminator, wasn't flesh and blood so goes for our enemy.  For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. - Ephesians 6:12


One last thing, like Kyle Reese said, "Come with me if you want to live", Jesus extends a similar invitation when He says, " For it is my Father's will that all who see his Son and believe in him should have eternal life -- that I should raise them at the last day" - John 6:40  Come with Jesus if you want to live - FOREVER!  If you are unsure about your relationship with God through His Son, Jesus, contact me via this blog and we can pray together.

That is what we are up against! We aren't battling flesh and blood, but a supernatural enemy! Don't become one of the walking wounded!  Stay strong and be blessed!