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Tag: New creation in Christ

Professional Speaking :: Jesus The Inventor

Merriam-Webster’s dictionary defines the word ‘Inventor’ as someone who produces something (useful) for the first time. In other words, an inventor is someone who makes something new that is useful. Can we consider Jesus Christ to be an inventor then? Absolutely.

Jesus is The Inventor of all times. The LIGHT of the world, not only created (made new) the world out of darkness (Genesis 1; Colossians 1:16-18) but he also makes his light to shine the darkness of sin out of our lives when we believe in him (2 Corinthians 4:6). When one believes and abides in Christ Jesus, he/she is a new creature (an invention); the old has passed are passed away; behold all things are made (invented to be) new (2 Corinthians 5:17). Not only is the person made new, but the person is made useful (or profitable) unto God, just as we see in the transformation of the runaway slave Philemon, who in times past was useless to Onesimus his master, but is made useful to both Onesimus and to Paul in the work of God (Philemon 1:11).

Points to ponder:
Are you an invention of Jesus? In other words, have you been made new and useful by and for Jesus Christ, The Inventor (of all things). If not, believe in him today, because now is the day to be invented (made new) (2 Corinthians 6:2). Tarry no further. And for those have been made new for having believed in Jesus, are you/I useful (profitable) unto God as his invention?

2 Corinthians 4:6 (KJV)
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (KJV)
17 Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

Philemon 1:11 (KJV)
11 Which in time past was to thee unprofitable, but now profitable to thee and to me:

The Representative and The Re-presenter

1 John 2:1-2 states “My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.” Jesus Christ is our advocate, meaning He is our representative. A representative is one who represents, i.e., the one who stands in the place of another. Guilty, we stand before God the Judge, but when Jesus our representative, presents the case that our penalty has been paid by His death on the Cross for our sins, and when we walk in the newness of life, in the Spirit, there is nothing left to condemn us (Romans 8:1). Jesus represents us i.e., Jesus stands for us.

Jude 1:24 states that Jesus is “able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy“. This means that Jesus not only represents us but He is able to re-presents us, i.e., present us again. We are stained by sin and guilty of our selfish internal desires that rebel against a loving God, but He presents us not as we are, but re-presents (presents us again) as faultless, when we believe in Him. For everyone who is in Christ is a new Creation, the old has passed away, the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17).

The lyrics of the song, “Before the throne of God above” beautifully illustrates this fact.

Before the throne of God above, I have a strong and perfect plea,
A great High Priest whose name is Love, who ever lives and pleads for me.
My name is written in his hands, my name is graven in his heart
And while I know in heaven He stands, no tongue can bid me thence depart.

When satan tempts me to despair, and tells me of my guilt within;
Upward I look to see Him there, who made an end to all my sin.
Because a sinless Savior died, my guilty soul is counted free,

For God the Just is satisfied, to look on Him and pardon me.

Jesus is not only our representative, but He is our re-presenter as well.

1 John 2:1-2 (KJV)
1 My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
2
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.

Jude 1:24 (KJV)
24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,

Why seek ye the living among the dead?

When visiting the Holy Land Experience in Orlando, I took a picture of what was recreated as the tomb in which Jesus was laid, and what was interesting is that within this tomb, there was a plaque which read “He is not here, He is risen.” We just celebrated Easter in the year of the Lord 2010, and remembered his power over death and the grave (1 Corinthians 15:55-57), and his resurrection from the dead according to the scriptures (1 Corinthians 15:3-4), but did you realize that on the first Easter, there was a question that was posed, right in the tomb where Jesus was laid.

The first question that was asked in the tomb where Jesus Christ was laid after his resurrection by angels of God (Luke 24:23) was “Why seek ye the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5-6). They further went on to affirm that “He (Jesus) is not here (in the tomb), but is risen”.

The answer to this question is of paramount significance. Within a tomb is dead men’s bones and uncleanliness (Matthew 23:27). When Jesus arose, He arose in His physical body (bones and flesh). This He affirms when He tells the disciples “that a spirit has neither bones nor flesh, as you see me have” (Luke 24:39). Acts 2:27,32 refers to Christ Jesus as the Holy One who was raised by God and He who is Holy is not unclean.

Jesus proclaimed verily that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:6); He is the Resurrection and he that believes in Him shall have eternal life, even though he was dead (John 11:25). Jesus is Life!

“Why seek ye the living among the dead?” is akin to asking “What communion can Light have with darkness?” Think about it, when you shine a light in a dark room, that room is no longer dark. The shining light takes over the darkness. So is the case, when Life encounters death, death is consumed. The sting of death is vanquished by the victory of Jesus’ resurrection ( 1 Corinthians 15:55-57) . Just as light and darkness cannot co-exist, Life and death cannot co-exist. You are either dead (not knowing Jesus Christ and God the Father who sent Him) or you are alive (knowing Jesus Christ and God the Father who sent Him) (John 17:3)

And of this we are to be witnesses (Luke 24:48), proclaiming that we don’t have to seek the living (Resurrected Jesus) among the dead (in the tomb), because Jesus is the Holy One of God, resurrected in his body (bones and flesh) and those who believe in Him; the Resurrection; shall have eternal life, i.e., be themselves resurrected from death unto life; unto newness of life. (2 Corinthians 5:17)

Revelation 20:6 (KJV)
Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.

For a related article, see “Living among the dead

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