Deity: October 2, 2013

TODAY’S WORD FOR WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 2, 2013.

DEITY

DEFINITION:  

God; Divine nature.

SCRIPTURE:

For since the creation of the world, God's invisible qualities, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen. Romans 1:20

Jesus said: Fill the water pots with water. And they filled them up to the brim. And He said to them, draw some out now and take it to the master of the feast.  John 2:7-8

And Jesus took the loaves, and when He had given thanks, He distributed them to the disciples, and the disciples distributed to those sitting down; and likewise of the fish, as much as they wanted. John 6:11

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE:

In the past we have written several devotionals discussing the Deity of Christ. Many wonderful friends have responded to this “WORD” and some of you are searching as to how to be sure that Jesus is God. Many of you are searching just for peace in your life hoping we can help you find peace. We hear from some of you that you are facing a conflict between what your culture has taught you and what the Bible teaches.

It is important that you understand what we are talking about when we refer to Christ's Deity. As you see above, Webster defines deity as divine nature. The world worships many different gods that are referred to as deity, but there is only one Deity that has divine nature: He is the God of the Bible.

God's divine nature is that He is holy and eternal. God Himself declared Jesus to be His beloved Son. In Matthew 3:17 we read that when John the Baptist baptized Christ Jesus, there came a voice from heaven saying, "This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." As the Son of God, Christ is deity. If Christ is not deity, He would be powerless to save us. Understanding and acknowledging Jesus' divine nature is the essential foundation for our faith. Please read this last sentence again and make sure you understand its meaning.

Paul gives us one of the best descriptions of Jesus divine nature in Colossians 1:15-16. "He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. For by Him all things were created; things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or rulers or authorities, all things were created by Him." He is the exact image of God and not only equal with God, He is God and the creator of all things.

It is important that you read and understand what Paul said, but also that you fully accept it and make it part of your everyday life. When you understand the Deity of Christ and accept Him as your Savior, your life will change. To help you we will give you several more examples from the scripture.

The gospel of John gives us numerous signs or miracles that prove the deity and power of Jesus while He was on this earth. Jesus had the power to CREATE!

Jesus chose a wedding in Cana of Galilee to present and to prove His deity and power to create when He created wine from water. Wine is made from grapes, not water. The grapes must be gathered from a vineyard and pressed to extract the juice and then placed into containers and allowed to age and ferment. This is a very lengthy process.

At a marriage feast in Jesus time, it was the custom to serve the best wine at the beginning of the feast and then the poorest of the wine when all the guests were filled. When Jesus turned the water into wine at this marriage feast, the master of the house called the bridegroom and said: "You have kept the good wine until now." The wine that Jesus created was better than the good wine served at the beginning of the feast. Jesus not only created wine but the best and did not take the normal months and years to get the best.

This was Jesus' first miracle and performed at the beginning of His ministry on earth. Jesus never performed a miracle without a purpose. He performed this miracle to show His deity and to show His disciples and you and me that He is God and has power to create. Jesus’ miracles were superhuman events that could only be done by divine power and authority.

The miracle that we call "the feeding of the five thousand" is the only one recorded in all four gospels. This miracle was unique because it was public. Jesus usually performed His miracles just before a few people. It was also unique because the 5000 people not only saw it happening but participated in it.

Jesus did this miracle with what we would call insignificant materials. The fish were small and the bread was barley. Only the poor people ate barley bread. This was also the only recorded time in the scriptures that Jesus asked anyone's advice. He asked Philip where to get the bread. Jesus already knew what Philip would say but He wanted to test his faith. Philip failed the test because he lacked the faith in Jesus' Deity.

As Christians we need to sit back and look with awe at all that God has created. Just look at the beauty of the mountains and valleys. Look at the seashore and even the deserts and you will see the beauty of His handiwork.

In our travels we have seen so much poverty, hunger and despair. But what we have noticed in so many places, God's handiwork can be seen even in the midst of extreme poverty. Whether we are rich or poor, we can enjoy the beauty of His creation. Take time today to thank God for His creations. They bear testimony to His deity and divine nature and His eternal power.

LEARNING:

Our memory verse for this week is found in Proverbs 21:13.

He who shuts his ear to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be answered.

PRAYER:

How grateful I am to see every day the miracles of Your creation all around me. I praise You for the things that we seem to take for granted each day. Thank You for the many miracles that we read about in Your Word that testifies that You are God and the creator and giver of all good things.