THE ENCOUNTER


THE ENCOUNTER

                When I first met Jesus He took me by surprise. His manliness, his strong build, His purposeful gait, His presence was nothing like the artist’s rendition. They had painted Him sensitive, effeminate… sorrowful. HE was none of those things. He was kingly, royal, exuding power and innate authority.

                It was His bearing that had made me suddenly aware. HE had not been afraid of the Pharisees, they had been afraid of Him. Their false humility, their mumbled apologetics, their posturing over carefully turned phrases… truth always treated as theory… Jesus wasn’t like that at all.

                 He used nature to demonstrate His truth. For Him truth was reality. Truth and reality were one and the same. Reality cannot be bargained with. It is what it is. Truth is simply the way things are.

                Truth cannot be settled at the negotiating table. It allows for no political middle ground. So when Jesus said “I am the Way, the Truth and the Life” He spoke of a foundational reality. He wasn’t bragging or posturing, HE wasn’t offering a subject for debate. He was simply stating the way things are. Nothing is more foundational than the Creator. Nothing can exist without Him. There is no other place to go, no claims that can compete on the same level. He is the Way, the Truth and the Life by rite of creation.

                So Jesus carries His authority not as One who is blessed, but as One who can bless others. And because the Father is in Him, He is not only the Source, but He is by nature our only access to the Father.

                To change His nature in the slightest degree is to have created a manmade god for ourselves. AS such we then worship ourselves and not Him. And in worshipping such a low thing as ourselves, our self- worship will lead us progressively downward until we have nested in hell itself. Such a negative progression is inevitable simply because we are neither the Way, the Truth nor the Life.

                To walk and to talk with Jesus is to be transformed. To accept Him is to accept reality. To reject Him is to embrace a lie… a Matrix of lies… an alternative existence… a bridge to nowhere.

                Jesus’ humility is not manifest as weakness. Even in His death He was in control. He laid it down. HE took it back up again. And in doing so HE laid a foundation so deep that even the devil could not dig deeper. But in taking it up again He carried it higher than the devil can fly.

                When we walk and talk with Jesus then, we can never be buddies. We must either reject Him or reign with Him… and to reign with Him is to live by His power and not our own.

                How low did Jesus go? Low enough to enter into the willing heart of the lowest sinner. How high did He go? High enough to carry us all the way to the Father. At either end of the spectrum Satan loses. In His death Jesus preached to the spirits now in prison who were killed in the flood. (1Peter 3:18-22.)  In His resurrection He ascended to the right hand of the Father far above all principalities and powers. (Eph. 4:8-10)

                Nothing in heaven or on earth can outstrip Him or outrank Him. So when you came to Him and asked Him to be your Savior and Lord you must realize that as your Savior, HE stooped to the lowest hell and as your Lord HE rose to the highest heaven. HE then sent His Holy Spirit to breathe new life into your spirit and then to walk you from your hell and into His heaven.

                Think of these things when you worship Him today. He is much more than a manly man with a strong build and a purposeful gait. He is the King of all kings and the Lord of all lords.

                When He returns, a single word from His mouth will destroy all of the works of Satan’s global network. All of his imposing power will melt into nothing. So don’t think for a moment that He cannot walk you through your problems today and always

                `Don’t let His death on Calvary fool you. He was not a victim. He was on a rescue mission. It is we who are the victims and it is He who came to save us. You can trust Him with your life.

               

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