Overcoming in Love

I John 5:3-5

   All month we have been considering the “Church” due to the teaching of Jesus recorded in Matthew 16:18.  Yet an interesting fact: the word “church” is only mentioned in the Bible on rare occasions.  One exception is in the book of Revelation, chapters two and three.  Chapters one, two, and three involve seven messages from Jesus, which were written down by the apostle John, to seven churches, all seven having been in the region which is the modern day country of Turkey.  Local churches are the focus.

   Then in chapter four, the word “church” ceases to be used until stated one final time in Revelation 22:16 when Jesus is back to speaking of the present time.  Starting in chapter four, the narrative takes a completely different focus, a focus on heaven and the spiritual realm, where you have the consummation of Jesus’s Church.

   Many students of the Bible think the “rapture” will take place between chapter three and chapter four, since there is such a complete shift.  I agree the “rapture” takes place before the period of chapter four, yet the rapture is a whole other subject.

   Regarding one of those seven messages to one of those seven churches, in the message from Jesus to the church in Ephesus, Jesus states: “….You have forsaken your first love” (Revelation 2:4).

   That first love was Jesus.  And by forsaking the love of God, they failed to be loving people.

   Sin blocks love.

   Yet God did not leave the people of that church to be doomed.  They had the opportunity to overcome.

   How?  By saying sorry to God.

   God is Love, and He forgives.

   How about today?

   Since I was called to vocational ministry more than twenty-five years ago, I have seen consistent sin in churches.  And sometimes sincere repentance seems absent.  Sometimes it all seems hopeless to me.

   The beautiful message in the midst of all the church problems in chapters two and three of the book of Revelation is that followers of Jesus can overcome.

   John, the apostle who wrote the book of Revelation on the island of Patmos, wrote in his first epistle how people can overcome.

   John states: “This is love for God: to obey his commands.  And his commands are not burdensome, for everyone born of God overcomes the world.  This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.  Who is it that overcomes the world?  Only she or he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (I John 5:3-5).

   For a person who is a genuine believer in Jesus, he or she will overcome!

   The result of believing in Jesus: He or she is loving.

   Wow!

   Jesus was the One who made atonement on the cross which resulted in the opportunity for you and I to have our sins forgiven, and to gain the righteousness of God.

   And for those of us who genuinely believe in Jesus, He is even able to soften our hearts so that we can say “sorry.”

   Saying sorry from the heart is a gift of true love.

   Jesus is the One who enables a believer to live a life of holiness since the Spirit of Christ lives in the heart of a believer, so that a person can truly love God and truly love people.  Reliance on Jesus is our privilege.

   Going back to the seven messages to the seven churches, there is an amazing fact.  Each one ends with an eternal blessing for the person who “overcomes.”  They are truly incredible, and can be found in the following verses:

Revelation 2:7

Revelation 2:11

Revelation 2:17

Revelation 2:26

Revelation 3:5

Revelation 3:12

Revelation 3:21

   Here, I will simply address the message for those in the church of Ephesus who desired to overcome near the end of the first century, which really is a promise for all overcomers: “…To he or she who overcomes, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God” (Revelation 2:7).

   God offered Adam and Eve an opportunity to eat from the tree of life in the Garden of Eden (see Genesis 2:16-17).

   Thus a person who believes in Jesus as his or her Savior and Lord has the opportunity which Adam and Eve lost due to their disobedience to God.  Since Jesus was obedient on the cross, dying for anyone, paradise is available for you and me.

   In the meantime, we continue to live in this fallen world full of hurt and suffering.  Jesus was straight forward about our journey in this world.

   Jesus said: “…In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart!  I have overcome the world” (John 16:33).

   If you and I rely on Jesus, who is One with the Father and the Holy Spirit, and who is “Love” (I John 4:16), then you and I can overcome with the true love of God.

   Now it is a process.  One reality is that we “overcomers” still mess up in this rough world.  However, Jesus remains with us, thus we will continue to be “sanctified.”  Keeping growing in the love of Jesus by relying daily on Jesus.

Hunter Irvine

Loving relationships in church

Matthew 16:18

   Before I was a Christian, I was influenced by a loving singles group within in a large church in northern Virginia.  Most of the folks in “Salt and Light” had been Christians for much of their lives.  I had not.  For the first few months I sporadically attended, I might have been the only one there who was not a Christian.  Yet less than one year later, I gave my heart to Jesus!  For several years after that, the community of Salt and Light became an important community of “nurture” for me as a new Christian.

   The leadership team was co-ed, and one man was named Robert.  He and I had rather different personalities.  In fact Robert and I never got close.  Yet I liked Robert.  One morning when we were talking, Robert said: “Christianity is not a religion, rather it is a relationship.”

   All these years later, I agree.  Christianity is a loving relationship with God, made possible by the atonement of Jesus on the cross.

   By certain definitions, “religion” is working to get closer with God, whereas in a relationship, the union is there, and that union simply needs to be fostered.  For a person who believes in Jesus, she or he is forgiven of her or his sins, and she or he enters an eternal loving relationship!  Relationship fits what I have been saying about Jesus’s Church.

   In the past three writings, Jesus’s Church has been the focus.  Now I address the common usage of the term “church,” where it describes a group of people who worship God and fellowship at a certain location.

   And I state the nature of “churches” should be on the same line as Robert’s statement.  In fact you could say Christianity involves relationships, plural, starting with a relationship with Jesus, because you also enter a relationship with members of the family of God.  And local churches are opportunities for people in a loving relationship with Jesus to worship God and to develop loving relationships with one another.  God wants local “churches” to reflect Jesus’s Church.

   Thus the leaders of a church need to keep telling the Gospel of Jesus Christ to continually give all people an invitation to be in a relationship with Jesus.  Secondly, the leaders of a church need to keep teaching about Jesus in order to foster the growth of the worshipers in the love of Jesus, so they can also love others.

   At this time, I am looking for a church.  Having searched for a church one too many times during my Christian journey, I know what I am looking for.  I give five general principles here:

I am looking for a church where Scripture, which reveals Jesus, is trusted and advocated.

I am looking for a church which generally fits my doctrinal convictions.

I am looking for a church where people love Jesus.

I am looking for a church where people love other people.

I am looking for a church where I can be myself.

   If you were, (or are), looking for a church, what would you be looking for?

   Now the core of Christianity is God, not a church.  Times when I have put much hope in a “church,” (or a Christian ministry), or when I have become extremely dependent on a “church,” (or a Christian ministry), disappointment, or even despair, has resulted.  Our hope needs to be in Jesus.  Our dependency needs to be on Jesus.

   Churches are not even the core of worship for me.  Personally, I worship God every morning in my room, seven days a week.  I grow in a loving relationship with God right in my home with the presence of Jesus in my heart and with my Bible before me.  I would not trade that time for anything.

   Yet growth would be quite stifled if I only worshiped in my room all of the time.  And I sure would not be supporting my sisters and brothers-in-Christ.  On the flip side, churches can be a safe place where a Christian can worship, learn, fellowship, and be blessed along with brothers and sisters-in-Christ.  In doing all this, loving relationships develop.

   And churches should be a place where Christians can serve!  My favorite thing to do is preach.

   What is your favorite thing to do in a church?

   Regarding serving in a church, sadly in America, people in leadership of a number of churches suppress the involvement of people by allowing only a few privileged individuals and a few musicians to carry out all the fun stuff.  This is un-biblical.  People in churches should be serving in their local church according to their spiritual gifts and training.  (Yes, I think churches need to do more training.)

   Back to my search for a church, I know from experience there are many problems in a number of churches.  I have learned to rely on God for guidance, encouragement, and patience to find a loving church.  And I have learned to rely on God for guidance and encouragement to know when to move on from worshiping with a particular church. (This is hard for me, yet I know when I leave a particular church, that my love for the people remains!)  Yes, in every church community, and in every “season,” our purpose is the same: Love God, and love people!

   The moment any person believes in Jesus as his or her Savior and Lord, that person is adopted into the family of God.  From that moment, he or she is going to have brothers and sisters for the rest of his or her days.  Jesus wants you and me to love those brothers and sisters, and church communities are a prime place for doing so.

   The more you and I love people as Jesus loves His Church, the more fruit there will be in our families, in our work places, and in our “churches,” even in this day and age.

   We people were created to be in the loving family of God.  Churches, which have the commitment of genuine loving people, have an important role in the loving family of God.

   Hunter Irvine

A loving Church

Matthew 16:18

   In review of the past two pieces, the word "church" is a noun, thus it must be a person, place, or thing.  The Bible reveals that Jesus’s Church is not a place or a thing, rather it is people, people who believe in Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

   Now, I want to make a key statement about the nature of Jesus’s Church: Jesus’s Church is loving.

   First, some of you may have this response: “Hunter, how can this be the nature of Jesus’s Church when I have been hurt really bad by a Christian?”  Good question.

   Honestly, I have numerous personal stories about being hurt by Christians.  And I have been told by other people about hurts they experienced from other Christians.

   Just a unique suggestion: Write down on paper the name of a Christian who hurt you, and maybe even write down what that person did.  Then pray to forgive that person, asking for help from Jesus.  Then rip up that paper to shreds.  (I just did this myself.)

(And note I am better about keeping certain boundaries with people who are prone to hurt others on a continuing basis.)

   Back to this serious question: How can the nature of Jesus’s Church be loving when so many of us have been hurt really bad by Christians?

   In order to recognize Jesus’s Church as loving, we need to start with the head of the Church, who is Jesus.  Jesus is always loving.

   Jesus loves you and me so much that Jesus died on a cross as the substitute for our sins.

Let us ponder a few Scripture verses which tell of the nature of Jesus.

“…God is love…” (I John 4:16).

“This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us…” (I John 3:16).

“We love because he first loved us” (I John 4:19).

   To be personal, when it seems like I have been hurt one too many times by a plethora of Christians, I work to focus on the fact that Jesus loves me.  The reason I have salvation is because Jesus died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone.  Jesus was the atoning sacrifice for the consequence of sins, which is spiritual death in h-ll.  I was in need of forgiveness, and Jesus forgave me.

Continuing on with this fact:

“[Jesus] is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world” (I John 2:2).

   This is one of a number of verses which proclaim the fact that anyone has the opportunity to be saved.  There is no elite group of human beings who were predestined to be saved while all other people were predestined to be doomed in h-ll.

   God made all people in His image!  God loves all people!  Jesus died for all people!

   On the other hand, the Bible teaches that not all people will be saved.  (See Matthew 26:28 for example.)  Each person has the opportunity to receive the gift of salvation from Jesus, or reject the gift.  Each of us has a decision to make.

   But what about those people who have received Jesus, and who are grafted into Jesus’s Church?  Should we expect they will keep hurting us?

   Back around the turn of the century, (yes I am getting old), I read several books over a period of a few years by Dwight Moody, and from one of those paperbacks I learned the principle of “justification” and “sanctification.”  Putting those big terms in my own words as a young Christian, I defined justification as “being forgiven by God,” and I defined sanctification as “the process of being made holy by God.”  I add now that justification involves gaining God’s righteousness from Him, and the definition of sanctification which I latched onto when I took two spiritual formation classes at a seminary, is to grow in the love and knowledge of Jesus, to be made more like Jesus in our heart.

   I sometimes still make mistakes which hurt people.  I still need to grow more in the love and knowledge of Jesus.  I still need the help of the Holy Spirit to become more like Jesus in my soul.  I still need the help of the Holy Spirit to be a truly loving person.

   The great news is that after following Jesus for over 32 years, my heart is incredibly more loving than I was 33 years ago.  I have genuinely loved people for years.

   Right now I think of one specific expression of my true love, which is a personal story of which I will refrain from details.  The bottom line is simple: I gave a backpack to a teenager.  Please know, I am convinced the gift was given out of true love.

   Regarding others, I sometimes lament the lack of love in Christian communities I was a part of.  Yet when I start thinking of the true love which was expressed by a number of people in Christian communities I was a part of, I even remember more and more love expressed by brothers and sisters.

   For example, a memory comes to me of a time a woman in my church gave a Christmas gift to a child from an impoverished family.  That woman in my church loved Jesus, and I could tell she was so grateful to have an opportunity to give that big gift to a child who lived in poverty.  It was an expression of true love.

   From a number of sisters and brothers-in-Christ, I have known true love!

   Jesus’s Church is a body full of true love, because Jesus is Love, and as we followers of Jesus live by His love, true love will be known.  May we plead with God for help to be more like Jesus in our hearts.

Hunter Irvine

Scripture Love Blog

What is the Church?

Matthew 16:18

What is the Church?   It is people who believe in Jesus, who is God the Son of our triune God.

   Jesus calls it “my church” in this verse.  Paul states the church is the body of Christ, and that Christ is the head (Ephesians 5:23).  The church is sustained by Christ.

   So, if you believe in Jesus, you are a member of Jesus’s Church!

   Sadly, there is much disagreement and confusion regarding this simple term church, since it has amassed a number of definitions.  Thus I offer a biblical clarification.

First, Jesus’s Church is not a building.

   There is a “church” in Virginia which I started attending the summer after I graduated from college.  That church had an influence on me for Christ, and less than nine months after I started sporadically worshiping there, I gave my heart to Jesus.

   That church had been in existence since the 1760’s, and the city was even named after that church.  Years later, that church lost their building.  What did they do?  They started worshiping on Sundays in a high school auditorium.  They remained a “church” even though their building was taken.  However….

Second, Jesus’s Church is not an incorporated organization in this world.  That “church” in Virginia will always be special to me.  It was my first church.  Yet that “incorporated” church will not be in heaven, rather the believers of that church will be in heaven.  Earth is full of countless “churches,” yet heaven has one Church, a body of people under Christ, with no other divisions.

   Once I taught at a small Christian school deep in Appalachia.  It was one of the hardest jobs I have ever had, and I was only making $350 a month since I was considered a “missionary.”  Yet I loved the students, and I enjoy teaching about the Bible.

   Now the school had students from many denominations, and even students who did not attend church, yet the school was supported by Brethren “churches.”  There was a super cool teacher there who was the favorite of many students.  He was a member in that denomination.  Once when a few teachers went out to dinner on a Sunday night, we were asking him the specifics about his denomination, since that denomination has several sects.  He stated, “I am Brethren.  I don’t do subtitles.”

   Jesus’s Church ultimately does not have “subtitles,” since all believers have one Savior!  And all believers have one heavenly Father!

   When a person believes in Jesus, he or she is forgiven of sins.  He or she is justified before God.  He or she is baptized with the Holy Spirit.  And she or he is adopted into the family of God.  And she or he is on a path of sanctification as a child of God.

   Thus a believer is saved by Jesus, the head of the Church, and she or he becomes part of Jesus’s Church.

   And being adopted into the family of God, believers in Jesus are brothers and sisters-in-Christ who have been adopted by the heavenly Father.

   Both Jesus’s Church and the family of our triune God are the same body!

   Jesus said, “I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6 NIV).

   You can trust Jesus that He stated the truth!

In conclusion: If you believe in Jesus, you are a part of Jesus’s Church!  The Church is us!

Hunter Irvine

People who follow Jesus

Matthew 16:18

   After hours of cleaning my church one Friday, I stood by the long narrow glass windows next to the front doors of that quaint church building in Wheat Ridge, Colorado.  I had mopped the floor of the fellowship hall.  I had vacuumed the entire sanctuary.  Having passed the half way point of my big job of cleaning, the work I had left involved vacuuming the downstairs and cleaning the bathrooms.  On many Fridays, that point was a period where I would take a few minutes to pray and to rest.  To the right was a large painting of Jesus.  Often I would look at the painting and speak to Jesus.

   It was a period of my life where there were a number of frustrations regarding church, my ministry calling, and regarding my challenging personal circumstances.  Yet that day, looking out the window, past the empty parking lot, and past the tree tops in the little valley below the small ridge the church was on, I stared at the steeple of a little white church in the distance.  Though I knew the area of Wheat Ridge fairly well, I had no idea what church that was.  Yet looking at the top of that church, a Biblical fact which I had learned as a rather new Christian fully bloomed in my heart.  I knew that Jesus’s Church is neither a building, nor a Christian denomination.  I knew it is not even a Christian ministry.  Rather Jesus’s Church is people who follow Jesus, with Jesus as the creator and sustainer of the Church.

   Paul said, “…Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior” (Ephesians 5:23 NIV).

   As stated by me in the last piece which looked at this passage as a whole: “The church of Jesus is on the rock of faith that Jesus is the Anointed One!”

   Thus Jesus’s Church comprises of all people who genuinely believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Messiah.

   All people who believe in Jesus are saved, and they become a part of Jesus’s Church.

   Jesus’s Church is a spiritual body.  Now this body has physical elements, since believers in Jesus are physical beings.  Yet the core is spiritual, just as God is Spirit (see John 4:24).  The salvation Jesus offers every person involves our souls!  Jesus brings up the subject of a “soul” soon after in this chapter, which we will look at in the future.

   Now, we need to ponder the fact that genuine believers, whatever their Christian institutional affiliations, are members of Jesus’s Church.

   My next piece will continue to examine this subject of church, and we will further consider this verse where there is an important revelation from Jesus that the “church” is His church.

Hunter Irvine

Priest, Prophet, and King

Priest, Prophet, and King

John 6: 14-15

Excerpts from a sermon by Hunter Irvine,

guest preacher for Fellowship at Morrison Chapel

on September 18, 2022

   Today I post this sermon from the fall, because it elaborates on the nature of the Anointed One, the subject of the passage examined in the piece this past Sunday where Peter made the bold statement that Jesus is the Anointed One.  As our study of Matthew has continued, teachings by Jesus have pointed to His Messiahship.  My sermon goes back a few steps in Matthew to the first time Jesus did a miracle feeding, starting with only five loaves and two fish.  Afterwards, Jewish people were concluding that Jesus was the Prophet and bubbling up with emotion to make Him the king of Judea.  They were realizing Jesus was sent from God, but they did not completely understand the divine identity of Jesus, and they did not understand His ultimate mission.  Yet Scripture reveals Jesus kept working to fulfill His mission as the Messiah.  In Matthew 5:17, Jesus stated, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (NIV).

John 6: 14-15

After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.”  Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself (NIV).

= Open in prayer!!!

1.) The miraculous sign

The miracle referred to here was the fact that Jesus fed thousands of men, women, and children starting with only five loaves of bread and two fish.

2.) The Prophet

The Israelites were expecting The Prophet, because Moses foretold of a man called The Prophet who would come in the future (in Deuteronomy 18:14-22).

Who was the Prophet?

Let us start from the top!

3.) Olive oil

There were three big positions in the history of Israel!

When someone was starting in his position, he would be anointed!

Before getting to the positions –

If someone was anointed, what was he anointed with?

* Olive oil

Olive oil was used for:

food

for cooking

as fuel for lamps

and other uses

For example, regarding lamp fuel: “Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning” (Exodus 27:20).

Regarding the value of olive oil: “She went and told the man of God, and he said, ‘Go, sell the oil and pay your debts.  You and your sons can live on what is left’” (2 Kings 4:7).

I have attended a number of seminars at my second Alma mater, Colorado Christian University.  Once the speaker was Dr. Eric Welch of the University of Kansas.  He spoke for over an hour on the topic of olive oil in the ancient world.  I thought it was interesting!  He has participated in a number of archaeological digs in areas of ancient Israel.  He explained how great the value of olive oil was in the Ancient Near East.

And in 2019, I spent a day at The Museum of the Bible in Washington, D.C.  They have a display of an ancient olive oil press, which is impressive.

Thus, olive oil was of great value in the Ancient Near East.

4.) Who was anointed?

In the history of Israel, people were anointed for three big positions!

First: Priests

The precise ingredients for the “sacred oil” for priests is spelled out in Scripture:

“Then the LORD said to Moses, ‘Take the following fine spices: 500 shekels of liquid myrrh, half as much (that is 250 shekels) of fragrant cinnamon, 250 shekels of fragrant cane, 500 shekels of cassia – all according to the sanctuary shekel – and a hin of olive oil.  Make these into a sacred anointing oil, a fragrant blend, the work of a perfumer.  It will be the sacred anointing oil’” (Exodus 30: 22-25).

“‘Anoint Aaron and his sons and consecrate them so they may serve me as priests’” (Exodus 30: 30).

As elaborate as the anointing oil was for priests, the base ingredient was olive oil.

And Moses did obey God, thus Moses anointed his brother Aaron!

“He poured some of the anointing oil on Aaron’s head and anointed him to consecrate him” (Leviticus 8:12).

All Israelite priests from then on had to be in the lineage of Aaron!

Second: Prophets

I go out on a limb here, since there is only one reference to a prophet being anointed with oil in the Bible which I have found.

“…and anoint Elisha son of Shaphat from Abel Meholah to succeed you as prophet” (I Kings 19:16).

More may have, since the ministries of prophets were not as detailed in the Bible.  Prophets were unique individuals as men and women who spoke for God.

However the anointing with oil may not have been standard for prophets.  Yet all of them likely had a temporary anointing of the Holy Spirit!  (The Bible shows that happened to King David.)

Third: Kings

Kings being anointed is well documented in the Bible.

For examples, see I Samuel 16:13, which involved David, or note 2 Kings 9:1-6, which involved a man named Jehu.

(I add under the Mosaic Covenant, the Israelites were required to have judges as leaders, however the Israelites at one point rejected God’s plan, and even God Himself.  But God allowed them to have kings, after a stern warning.  Thus they started having kings like all other countries.  Tragically this led to the demise of Israel.)

5.) Our Message: Jesus was all three!

Scripture reveals that Jesus fit all three big positions:

1 - Jesus is the Great High Priest.

The incredible book of Hebrews explains that Jesus is the Great High Priest whose sacrifice was Himself!!!

Only Immanuel, God with us, could serve both at the Great High Priest and as the Lamb of God.

2 - Jesus is The Prophet

Key: Jesus gave the ultimate prophecy that He would suffer, die, and then be resurrected!

see Matthew 16:21 and Matthew 26:2

see Mark 9: 30-32

see Luke 18: 31-33

3 - Jesus is the King of heaven

One key regarding Jesus as King: When Jesus was here in the world, He told Pontius Pilate that His kingdom was of another world.

***And it was not His mission to be king in this world at that time.

The mission of Jesus was to be the Lamb of God.

One day, as is detailed in the book of Zechariah, Jesus will return again, and He will be “…king over the whole earth…”

6.) Who was Jesus anointed with?

Jesus was not anointed with olive oil.

Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit!!!

Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit at His baptism!

see Matthew 3: 16-17

see Mark 1:9-10

see Luke 3:21-22

7.) Jesus is the Messiah

Messiah & Christ both mean the same thing: Anointed One!

Christ is the Greek word, and Messiah is the Hebrew word for:

Anointed One!

And the Christ encompasses being the great high Priest, the Prophet, and the King of kings.

Jesus is the Messiah, the Christ!

The Gospel:

Going back to the mission of the Messiah as both the Great High Priest, and as the Lamb of God, Jesus was the sacrificial atonement for sins.

Jesus Christ died on a cross for the forgiveness of sins of anyone!

Jesus was the substitutional atonement for the consequence of sins, which is spiritual death.

Then He was resurrected.

If you believe in Jesus, you will have eternal life in heaven.

Invitation:

If there is any anyone here who does not know

Jesus as your Savior and Lord,

you can receive Him right now.

To receive Jesus, you simply need to

believe in Jesus!

Hunter

Jesus is the Anointed One!

Matthew 16: 13-20

   Jesus had been using the term “the Son of Man” a number of times as recorded by Matthew.  I think the reason was because the term emphasized His humanity as He ministered to people in a relational way, and I think He used the term since it had a more gentle tone as He dealt with mounting opposition by religious leaders.

   Once when engaged in a study from the book of the prophet Ezekiel, I noticed the term “son of man” was frequently used as God addressed Ezekiel.  Yet Jesus referred to Himself as “the Son of Man.”

   Here in this passage, in the wake of being confronted by Pharisees and teachers of the law a number of times, ministering in a port town away from the home of many religious leaders, Jesus asks His disciples a pinnacle question regarding His identity: “Who do you say I am?”

   Peter answered correctly.

   Jesus is the Christ!

   Jesus is the Christ, which is the Greek word for Anointed One.

   Jesus is the Messiah, which is the Hebrew word for Anointed One.

   The church of Jesus is on the rock of faith that Jesus is the Anointed One!

   Peter did not become a vicar of Christ in the world.  After Jesus ascended into heaven, Peter remained an apostle, and he remained the leader of the apostles.  A vicar was not necessary since Jesus gave all believers the gift of the Holy Spirit.  We can even garner this from his own writings which are Scripture.  For example, Peter himself wrote of Jesus being “the living Stone” (I Peter 2:4).

   We should give heed to Peter’s words: “But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  To him be glory both now and forever!  Amen” (2 Peter 3:18) (NIV).

   This week I am going to post a sermon I offered in September for Fellowship at Morrison Chapel which elaborates on the nature of the Messiah.

   Here I conclude with the fundamental fact that Jesus is the Messiah.

   The Christ has come!!!   We need to tell everyone!

Hunter Irvine