Jesus Our Risen Savior

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

In continuing this year’s messages about Jesus, I want to suggest you regularly teach that He is a RISEN SAVIOR for believers. If you would like my recommendation on what to teach inmates about His resurrection, probably the Chaplain’s Corner from April, 2001 covers it the most extensively. You can read it from the text archive section on this web site. In Revelation 1:18, Jesus said: "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. " I want you to preach and teach that!

For unrepentant, unbelievers according to Acts 17:30-31, Jesus’ resurrection only means one thing, JUDGMENT. These verses read:

30 Truly these (former – before Christ’s death and resurrection) times of ignorance God overlooked (He did not move in final judgment), BUT NOW (meaning after Jesus’ resurrection) commands all men everywhere to repent,

31 because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness BY THE MAN whom He has ordained, He has given assurance (or, a guarantee) of this (day of judgment) to all BY RAISING HIM FROM THE DEAD."

By way of contrast, for true believers Jesus’ resurrection has real POWER and TREMENDOUS BLESSINGS both now and in the future. In His physical resurrection from the dead, which believers really should celebrate every Sunday (the day of the week He rose from the dead) all Christians should be encouraged BY THE VICTORY HE WON FOR BELIEVERS.

This month we do extra celebrating and call April 24, 2011 "Easter Sunday." I like the term "Resurrection Sunday" better. That term is cleaner and forces the issue without conjuring up mental ideas of egg hunts and chocolate rabbits.

The FIRST thing I want to remind you to tell your inmates and residents about Jesus’ resurrection is that IT IS THE DISPLAY AND GUARANTEE OF GOD’S POWER. A power that relates directly to the ultimate salvation of INDIVIDUAL sinners when they truly believe.

1 Peter 1:3-5 says:

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope THROUGH THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST FROM THE DEAD,

4 to an inheritance (this looks forward, to the future) incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 who are kept by the power of God THROUGH FAITH for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.(again - in the future)

Verse 3 links the new birth to the future final stage of salvation through the RISEN SAVIOR. The final stage of salvation, often referred to as the believer’s final glorification is referred to as the "living hope." Salvation and the new birth would not be possible IF JESUS HAD NOT RISEN FROM THE DEAD. God can save and begin new spiritual life in a believer because Jesus rose from the dead after paying for the believers sins in full by dying on the cross.

In verse 4, the final stage of salvation is stressed by the compiling of wonderful words. It is INCORRUPTIBLE, which means it cannot die or decay. It is also UNDEFILED, meaning totally clean and unsoiled. It does NOT FADE AWAY, which is to say it is always blossoming! And - it is RESERVED or GUARDED in heaven - for true believers.

The POWER of the Risen Savior’s resurrection will accomplish these wonderful promises. Tell inmates that. Help them with all that is in you (from the Holy Spirit) to grasp hold of this salvation guaranteed by the power of the risen Savior for those that repent and believe.

Jesus IS the true believer’s Savior. The word "savior" means deliverer. But Jesus does more than save believers from the eternal judgment of their sins in hell fire, HE ALSO delivers them from the practices of sin daily, while they remain on earth awaiting perfect union with Him in heaven some day in the future.

Now SECONDLY, I want to urge you to teach inmates and residents something else about the biblical, Risen Savior. When they think about Jesus (which for believers, should be daily,) they should be motivated towards thankfulness and praise and to LIVING A LIFE OF PRACTICAL PROGRESSIVE SANCTIFICATION.

I bring this up now BECAUSE the POWER of Jesus’ resurrection in the life of believers born of His Spirit, ALSO HELPS deliver them from the practices of sin in their daily living. There are many verses that teach this. To begin teaching this, I would suggest you explain to your inmates and residents Romans 5:10. It says:

10 ...if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more (certain) now that we shall be saved (or daily delivered from sins dominion) through His resurrection life. (this is from The Amplified Bible)

That is saying the POWER of the risen Savior IN the believer here and now, before their ultimate glorification, DELIVERS them from the practices of sin.

Next, teach them daily progressive sanctification from Romans 6:4-14, which says:

4 …just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.

5 For if we have been united together in the likeness of His death, certainly we also shall be in the likeness of His resurrection,

6 knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin might be done away with, that we SHOULD NO LONGER BE SLAVES OF SIN.

7 For he who has died has been freed from sin. (a dead slave no longer has to serve their master)

8 Now if WE DIED WITH CHRIST, we believe that we shall ALSO LIVE with Him,

There it is, true believers have a true union with Jesus in his DEATH and RESURRECTION. This theme is also touched upon in Galatians 2:20.

20 I have BEEN CRUCIFIED WITH CHRIST, it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.

And again in Colossians 2:20 and 3:1

20 Therefore, if YOU DIED WITH CHRIST, …

1 If then YOU WERE RAISED WITH CHRIST, seek those things which are above …

I will end with the passage in Colossians 3, but for now look back to Romans 6 –

8 Now if WE DIED WITH CHRIST, we believe that we shall ALSO LIVE with Him,

9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him.

10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.

11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts.

13 And do not present (this is a command to stop constantly offering) your members (your bodily parts) as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God (another command at specific points in time) as being ALIVE FROM THE DEAD, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.

The same command to present or offer at specific points of time your members (or bodily parts) as instruments for righteousness TO GOD, comes across the word "and," here in verse 13. Verse 14 tells believers WHY.

14 For sin shall not have dominion over you, …

That’s practical and progressive sanctification. Professing Christian inmates need to be constantly urged on in the pursuit of it. This should be where true biblical Christianity in the facility stands out and STANDS APART from all other religious systems. Man-made religions have no power to live a holy life. Only in Christ, by the power He gives can it happen. That power is His resurrection power.

Lastly, consider and teach them, Colossians 3:1-5.

1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek (a command to keep on seeking) those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

2 Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. (this is also a command to continue to practice – keep setting your mind on the things of God in heaven)

3 For you died, (at a specific point in time, when by faith you were united with Christ in His death and subsequent resurrection) and your life is (now) hidden with Christ in God.

4 When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.

5 Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: …"

What follows in verse 5 and verses 8, 9 is a long, but not exhaustive list of 12 sinful acts and attitudes. These are things which your Christian inmates have in most cases, been slaves to in the past. The command at the beginning of verse 5 is for the specific times of temptation to sin that a true Christian (inmate or free) faces.

In verse 5, these sins include: FORNICATION – which covers all forms of sex outside of male-female marriage. UNCLEANNESS - meaning impure thoughts, PASSION, which is strong vile urges. EVIL DESIRE – which means lustful craving.

COVETEOUSNESS – greediness, desire for what another has. And IDOLATRY which is the ultimate fruit of coveting, also includes anything put in the place of the true God, either mentally or as a physical object of worship.

Verse 8 adds ANGER – this word means a settled seething as in hatred. WRATH - which is outbursts of rage, and MALICE – a desire to hurt or injure others. BLASPHEMY – speech intended to defame another’s character. FILTHY LANGUAGE – dirty words. The list ends in verse 9, with LYING.

You see all of these things and more in a jail or prison facility. But the power of the risen Savior of believers helps men and women puts these things to death with Christ.

The power of the RISEN SAVIOR also helps them put on practical progressive works of true righteousness. Some of these are listed in Col. 3:12-16. They include: tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering; bearing with one another, and forgiving others. Added to those righteous acts and attitudes believers are commanded to love, to let God’s peace rule in their heart, to be thankful, to worship and to immerse themselves in the word of God.

In closing, I want to go back to where we began this month’s message. Saving faith in the Risen Jesus brings a salvation that will conquer all sin and death. The crisis of physical death is always related to sin. People die because sin in God’s world brought death into reality. BUT the One who died for the believers sin, said to a grieving woman whose brother had just died the following words in John 11:25-26.

25 Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.

26 And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. DO YOU BELIEVE THIS?

That is what you need to constantly challenge your residents about. Do they really believe in a Risen Savior, Jesus? Do they believe that through His death and resurrection all their sins and even their death problem is conquered?

Ask them, “Do YOU BELIEVE, ‘…the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us (that believe) and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in CHRIST JESUS before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, WHO HAS ABOLISHED DEATH AND BROUGHT LIFE AND IMMORTALITY (eternal life) to light through the gospel,’ ?” (2 Timothy 1:8-10)

Rich Hines

Minister to Chaplains, Aurora Ministries’ Chaplain Help Ministry

Jesus Our Redeemer

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

Continuing our series on Jesus in this year of our Lord, 2011, I want to remind you and by extension call you to teach about Jesus OUR Redeemer.

When I began this endeavor to refocus on Jesus in January, I said, “mostly they (the coming messages) only apply to those that are truly born of God’s Spirit. They will help you in discipling Christian inmates. Only two of the twelve messages, January’s and February’s, hold current truth even for the unsaved.”

As I now continue with the subject of the redemption of sinners and the One who redeemed them, I want to say that Jesus has ALREADY completely and fully paid for, and in that sense REDEEMED, all those that WILL EVER BE SAVED.

In other words, the unsaved, un-regenerated people that will one day in the future be saved - because God planned and willed their true salvation, from His eternal perspective already have their sins paid for. BUT, that does not mean they are the beneficiaries of salvation’s blessings in their life experience right now. Those blessings, will NOT BE EXPERIENCED by them - UNTIL they truly repent and believe the gospel.

As I bring you this message I want to speak of Jesus the Redeemer in THREE WAYS. 1. What it COST Him to redeem His people. 2. What THE BENEFITS of the redemption He provided to His people are, and 3. JESUS’ HEART as the Redeemer.

1. The COST to the Redeemer:

In 1 Peter 1:17-21, the Apostle was directed by God to write these wonderful words FROM HIM - to true believers, to those in the habit of calling on God as their Father.

17 … if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;

18 knowing that you WERE not REDEEMED with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers,

19 but (you WERE REDEEMED) with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.

20 He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you

21 who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.

The basic biblical meaning of all the words translated “redeem” is: to deliver by the payment of a price. The word for “redeemed” in verse 18, means to release or to set free by the payment of a ransom. The grammar means this actually has happened to the subjects (here, the ones that have called on the Father in faith) at a point in time in the past. That is a wonderful truth. One to praise and continually thank God for, as Psalm 107:2 says: “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy,”

The heart of this 1 Peter 1 passage focuses not so much on the benefits of redemption but rather on Jesus, the Eternal Redeemer, and THE PRICE He paid to ransom believers. According to verse 19, it was with HIS PRECIOUS BLOOD. The preciousness is His blood’s exceedingly great value.

When the Bible so speaks of blood, it is another way of saying violent death though bloodshed. The actual physical human blood of the God-Man did not pay the ransom, it is His death that paid for it. Truly, the value of Jesus’ violent death is much, much higher than silver or gold, or all the valuable things on earth.

The second part of verse 19 heightens the idea of preciousness and value by stating Jesus’ unsurpassed moral quality as “a lamb without blemish and without spot.” To the Jewish minds of the original recipients of what we call 1 Peter, a slaughtered “lamb” always conjured up the idea of a substitutionary sacrifice. Jesus’ human life was so excellent that once He paid with it, there was absolutely no more balance to be paid.

In comparing the animal sacrifices that symbolically purified the places of worship on earth with God’s throne in heaven, Hebrews 9:23-26 (English Standard Version) says:

“… it was necessary that the copies of the things in the heavens should be purified with these (animal sacrifices) but the heavenly things themselves (are purified) with BETTER sacrifices than these. For Christ has entered, not into holy places made with hands, which are copies of the true things, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. Nor was it to offer himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy places every year with blood not his own, for then he would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is, he (a reference to Christ, Jesus) has appeared (or ‘has been manifested’) ONCE FOR ALL at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

The words of the Keith Green song “There Is A Redeemer,” remind us of the great price Jesus paid. They help believers worship their Redeemer.

“There is a Redeemer, Jesus, God's own Son, Precious Lamb of God, Messiah,
Holy One, Jesus my Redeemer, Name above all names, Precious Lamb of God, Messiah, Oh, for sinners slain.”

I strongly urge you to exegete and teach and then have your group sing that song in worship of Jesus! The words of 1 Pet.1:18-19, must have been on Keith’s mind when he wrote that song.

Verses 20 and 21 again focus on Jesus. He was “foreordained (or predestinated)” to pay for the redemption of the sinners He would save before the foundation of the world, but His coming to earth as a human being – His “manifestation” in the first century, was to die and rise again so that His people could believe, and truly be saved.

Now I want to go a little further with the definition of redemption by focusing on Galatians 3:10-14.

2. Here I will also focus on the BENEFITS of the redemption to believers.

10 For as many as are of the works of the law are under THE CURSE; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.”

11 But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.”

12 Yet the law is not of faith, but “the man who does them shall live by them.”
13 Christ has redeemed us from THE CURSE of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

14 that THE BLESSING of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

The heart of this redemptive passage is on the benefits, or BLESSINGS, of being redeemed to those that have truly believed. Verses 10-12 focus on the curse brought by trying to save yourself through perfect and complete obedience to the law of God. Nobody can do it! Therefore to be in that system or that kind of religion, is to be CURSED.

BUT, the Redeemer, Christ Jesus came to redeem His people. That’s where the BLESSINGS all begin. Hear it again in Gal. 3:13.

13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”),

The word for “redeemed” in verse 13, is actually a different word from the one used in 1 Peter 1:18. Although in meaning the two words are somewhat synonymous, the word in Galatians 3:13 really focuses on BUYING something OUT OF THE MARKET.

Actually, this word pictures BUYING A SLAVE OUT OF THE MARKET BY PAYING FOR THEIR LEGAL FREEDOM. In other words, the price paid was so much that it bought the one redeemed out of slavery, and legally removed them from the threat of EVER BEING SOLD AS A SLAVE AGAIN!

Furthermore, the grammar of this verb means Jesus has actually completed that kind of purchase at a point in time. That point was when He became cursed and died in the believer’s place ON THE CROSS (made from a TREE). I will come back to this later.

Please teach the benefits of being redeemed by Jesus to your inmates or residents. In Christ Jesus, they are no longer the slaves of sin. They no longer have to serve their old slave master, Satan. By the power and price of His redemption, they will never again be owned by the devil to do his will in sinning! They are set free from a lifestyle of sinning! This truth is real for those that have repented and believed the gospel.

Now, I want to point to JESUS’ HEART as our Redeemer.

I think a great place to see this is from the dramatic story found in the book of Ruth. There we learn about two women, Naomi and her daughter-in-law, Ruth. Because of sin, they had fallen on hard times. They were both widowed. Sin had led Naomi and her husband Elimelech, to leave the land they were not supposed to leave, and move to a place that was forbidden by God.

In the foreign pagan land of Moab, Naomi’s son Mahlon, against God’s directions, married a pagan unbeliever, Ruth.

After being bereft of their husbands and financial support, Naomi and Ruth decided to go back to Judah. There, under Old Testament law, a rescue might be provided for these widows. There were laws that allowed a kinsman to redeem their relative from slavery or debt, another to buy back their lost land for them, and yet another to marry the widow and raise up children, who would bear the name of the deceased husband.

Ruth 2:1 says, “There was a relative of Naomi’s husband, A MAN OF GREAT WEALTH, … His name was Boaz” Another Old Testament law provided food for the poor by allowing them to follow grain reapers and pick up what was dropped. By God’s design, Ruth just “happened” to end up in a field of grain belonging to Boaz! There he took notice of her.

When Ruth came to Naomi with the food she had gathered, she told her about the man named Boaz. Then in Ruth 2:20 we read: “… Naomi said to her daughter-in-law, ‘Blessed be he of the LORD, who has not forsaken His kindness to the living and the dead!’ (the meaning is God’s lovingkindness to them as widows and to Ruth’s deceased husband). And Naomi said to her (to Ruth) ‘This man is a relative of ours, one of our close relatives.’ ”

Here is where you can evangelize the yet unsaved. Tell them, the one that needed redemption had to ask the potential redeemer to do it. In Ruth 3::9, Ruth asked Boaz to be her redeemer. In faith, the unsaved must ASK Jesus to save them.

From the tradition and practice of being the kinsman redeemer – as Boaz became in the book of Ruth. The redeemer had to:

1. Be a CLOSE KIN.

2. Be ABLE to pay the full cost.

3. Be WILLING to pay.

Many good Bible teachers therefore see Boaz, who became Ruth’s kinsman-redeemer as A TYPE (or foreshadow) of Jesus Christ. In the story of Ruth, God’s providential care for Naomi and Ruth through the kinsman, Boaz is truly dramatic. You see, the right to buy and redeem the land that had belonged to Naomi’s deceased husband was firstly reserved for the nearest of kin.

Boaz was able financially (cf. 2:1) to rescue Naomi and Ruth. He was even willing to marry Ruth so that the name of her deceased husband Mahlon, would not be cut off and forgotten. BUT, Boaz WAS NOT THE NEAREST kin. There was another that was a closer relative who had as it were, “first dibs.”

Boaz said to Ruth, “Now it is true that I am a close relative: HOWEVER, there is a relative closer than I.” (Ruth 3:12).

As the drama unfolds, the nearer kinsman was financially able to redeem, BUT he was not WILLING to take Ruth as his bride. We read about the conversation that took place between Boaz and the nearer kinsman, in Ruth 4:3-6.

3 Then he (Boaz) said to the close relative, “Naomi, who has come back from the country of Moab, sold the piece of land which belonged to our brother Elimelech.

4 And I thought to inform you, saying, ‘Buy it back (redeem it) in the presence of the inhabitants and the elders of my people. If you will redeem it, redeem it; but if you will not redeem it, then tell me, that I may know; for there is no one but you to redeem it, and I am next after you.’” And he said, “I will redeem it.”

5 Then Boaz said, “On the day you buy the field from the hand of Naomi, you must also buy it from Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of the dead, to perpetuate the name of the dead through his inheritance.”

6 And the close relative said, “I CANNOT redeem it for myself, LEST I RUIN my own inheritance. You redeem my right of redemption for yourself, for I cannot redeem it.”

The Second Person of the Godhead became one of us – totally HUMAN. His name was and is, Jesus. As such, He is our Brother. He became our NEAR-KINSMAN.

He is ABLE to redeem us because He lived a perfect holy human life.

But unlike the closer kin in the drama of Naomi and Ruth, and LIKE Boaz, JESUS WAS WILLING to actually redeem us at an incredibly HIGH PRICE. In redeeming us, He had to bear all our sins in His own body on the cross!

That’s it! Jesus’ heart really WANTED TO redeem us, even at so high a price!

The words of the Southern Gospel song, “He Grew The Tree,” written by Chuck Lawrence in 1982 focus on Jesus as God and as a Man, WILLING to redeem believers at such a great price. It was a price, ONLY HE COULD PAY. Listen to the words of the song.

“He molded and built a small lonely hill that He knew would be called Calvary. Then He made the seed that would grow to be thorns that would make His Son bleed. Then He made a green stem gave it leaves and then gave it sunshine and rain and sheltered it with moss. He grew the tree He knew would be used to make the old rugged cross.”

“… Nothing took His life, with love He gave it. He was crucified on a tree that He created. With great love for man, God stayed with His plan. He grew the tree so that we might go free.” That verse speaks of Jesus truly WANTING to redeem believers and of the benefit of redemption!

Additionally, these God-breathed words from a believer, 4,000 years ago, also focus on the historical Jesus. They are still true for all believers today. Job 19: 25-27 says:

25 … I know that my Redeemer lives, And He shall stand at last on the earth;

26 And after my skin is destroyed, this I know, That in my flesh I shall see God,

27 Whom I shall see for myself, And my eyes shall behold, and not another. How my heart yearns within me!

Another benefit and blessing of being redeemed is having a future resurrection body, as Job affirmed in verses 26-27. That fact connects to where we will go next month as we look at Jesus, our Risen Savior.

Rich Hines

Minister to Chaplains, Aurora Ministries’ Chaplain Help Ministry

Jesus Our Lord

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

Jesus is Lord. One day in the future, ALL WILL SAY SO. The NASB in Philippians 2:10-11 says:

"so that at the name of Jesus EVERY KNEE WILL BOW, of those who are in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and that every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ IS LORD, to the glory of God the Father."

The fact of Jesus’ being Lord is connected with the fact that He is fully God. His Deity suggests His Lordship. Since He is the “over all .... God” (Romans 9:5), or to use jail/prison lingo, "He calls all the shots," eternally. To truly understand and believe that Jesus is God implies that the believer should be willing to submit to His Lordship.

True believers and followers of Jesus the Christ say so AND ACT ACCORDINLY NOW. Jesus is THEIR Lord. But before continuing, I think this is one Bible word you MUST DEFINE.

The New Testament words translated "Lord" mean the owner and controller, the master and ruler over OR, THE SOVEREIGN ONE. Calling Jesus our Lord means we are willing to submit to Him as the decider over everything that applies to us. It means we recognize His power and AUTHORITY over all our life.

There are human lords that are masters over some sphere of influence – but they are never for one split second, supreme Lord. That One is Jesus. He is the King of kings and LORD of lords. He is Lord over all kings, and lords, and masters, and bosses.

The Bible says Jesus is Lord. In fact, Jesus is referred to as Lord in every New Testament book except 1 John and 3 John. The NT calls Him "Lord" about 600 times!

We don’t make Him Lord, HE IS LORD. Whether we actually submit to Him as our Lord, or rebel against His rule in our sin, He – not we, has the final word and way. If we are at odds with His will – we lose. This is true for the unsaved now. If they continue in their unbelief and die in their sin, they LOSE FOREVER. They are losers, because they assume they are the lord of their own life.

On the other hand, for the solid believer and confessor of Jesus the Christ these words of the great new Irish Hymn - by Keith and Kristin Getty, "In Christ Alone" which speak of His Lordship, hold true. Being absolute Lord, He has both supreme authority and the power that accompanies it.

"From life's first cry to final breath, JESUS COMMANDS MY DESTINY. No power of hell, no scheme of man, Can ever pluck me from His hand; Till He returns or calls me home, Here in THE POWER OF CHRIST I'll stand."

Four passages to consider and teach inmates about the Lordship of Jesus from are: Romans 10:6-13; Ephesians 6:23-24; John 14:21-23 and Luke 6:46-49. The words used in each of these passages for "Lord" are definers of Jesus.

1. Romans 10:6-13 – The context is about salvation and the inability to achieve it and righteousness through the law of Moses. Verse 6 begins the alternative and true way of attaining salvation and righteousness – through FAITH in Christ as LORD AND SAVIOR.

6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, "Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’" (that is, to bring Christ down from above)

7 or, "‘Who will descend into the abyss?’" (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). [the quotes in verses 6 and 7 are from Deut. 30:12,13]

Dr. John MacArthur says: "Paul speaks of the righteousness based on faith as if it were a person and puts in its mouth a quotation from Deut. 30:12,13. His point is that the righteousness of faith does not require some impossible odyssey through the universe to find Christ" (ascend... descend).

8 But what does it say? "The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart" (that is, the word of faith which we preach): [the quote is from Deut. 30:14]

According to verse 8, the journey of verses 6 and 7 is unnecessary because God has clearly revealed the way of salvation: it is by faith. The "word of faith" is the message that faith is the way to God. It is spelled out as the theme of the preaching that Paul and others were doing in the 1st Century - in verses 9 and10. You too should always preach faith in Jesus as the only way of salvation.

9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus (more literally, ‘Jesus as Lord’ and so rendered in the ASV, NASB and Darby translation) and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.

10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Commenting on verse 9, MacArthur says: " ‘Jesus as Lord’ - Not a simple acknowledgment that He is God and the Lord of the universe, since even demons acknowledge that to be true (see James 2:19). This is the deep personal conviction, without reservation, that Jesus is that person's own master or sovereign."

This phrase "confess ... Jesus as Lord" includes repenting from sin, trusting in Jesus for salvation, and submitting to Him as Lord. This is the volitional element of faith. (Other referenced note): "the sinner submits his will to Christ and trusts in Him alone as the only hope of salvation. Genuine faith will always produce authentic obedience." (MacArthur)

The words of Jesus (Mark 1:14) "Repent and believe in the gospel," and the words of the Apostles (Acts 20:21) "testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" mean more than just believe who Jesus is and trust in what He did. They mean the moral rebellion against the Sovereign Lord’s will expressed by His law is ended, turned from, repented of.

To confess that Jesus is YOUR OWN LORD implies repentance. In doing so the believer/confessor is saying they are through with running their own life and being their own lord and master. THEY ARE SAYING THEY ARE NOW SUBMITTING TO Another – even Jesus - as their Lord.

The end of verse 9 mentions belief in the resurrection from the dead. "Belief in Christ's resurrection is necessary for salvation because it proved that Christ was God and that the Father had accepted His sacrifice in the place of sinners (See Romans 1:4 and 4:24). Without the resurrection of Christ, there is no salvation." (MacArthur).

One other thing is important here in verse 10. It says:

10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

Saving faith in Jesus must be from the depths of the inner life, from THE HEART. But it also will always express itself outwardly with the mouth. Confession of salvation is made outwardly and publicly in believers’ baptism.

The passage continues on the theme of SALVATION THROUGH AN ACTIVE FAITH IN JESUS AS LORD, in verses 11-13.

11 For the Scripture says, "Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." [quote is from Isa.28:16]

12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.

13 For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved." [quote is from Joel 2:32]

The "whoever" in verses 11 and 13 include everyone from every background IF THEY BELIEVE (not just Jews or those who are first "religious.")

In verse13 to call on the name of the LORD, does not refer to some desperate cry to just any deity but to the one true God as He has revealed Himself - a revelation that now includes recognition of Jesus AS LORD and the One who raised up Jesus from the dead.

2. Now look with me at Ephesians 6:23-24. As the Apostle closes his God-breathed letter, he says:

23 Peace to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (This is a benediction, a prayer for the true Christians)

24 Grace be with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.

This blessing closes with a definition of who true Christians are. They are those that LOVE Jesus AS THEIR LORD in all sincerity, or with undying incorruptible love. The Apostle John said of Christians "We love Him (a reference to Jesus) BECAUSE HE FIRST LOVED US" (I John 4:19). Jesus is a LOVING LORD, not a capricious dictator.

3. In John 14:21-23, Jesus defined how true love for Him is demonstrated. He said:

21 He who has My commandments AND KEEPS THEM (which is to say, obeys them), it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him."

22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, "Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?"

23 Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he WILL KEEP My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.

Jesus’ answer to Judas, the son of James, in verse 23, means that the manifestation, or evidence of His presence (and even the Father’s presence) will be internal rather than external. (Compare "Christ IN YOU, the hope of glory" - Colossians 1:27).

4. But what about people who say Jesus is their Lord and do not EVER obey Him? They never, according to Jesus’ words in John 14, "love" Him. This brings us (and YOU, to teach) Luke 6:46-49

46 "But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and NOT DO the things which I say?

47 Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and DOES THEM, I will show you whom he is like:

48 He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against that house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. (This is an illustration of a truly saved obedient believer.)

49 BUT HE WHO HEARD AND DID NOTHING is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great." (This illustrates the doom of disobedient unbelievers.)

Here are some application points. Inmates often fall into the error of thinking they can make a deal with Jesus. You don’t make a deal with the supreme Lord, you must submit to whatever He wants, not try to get Him to use His power to do what you want. People, especially inmates really need to hear and understand this. So, you need to be regularly reminding them of this truth!

We have a great problem in the realm of what claims to be Christianity in our society today. Many people think you only have to say you believe in Jesus and that is what makes you a Christian – no matter what you do after that public confession. The result is we have a lot of fake, PRETEND CHRISTIANS.

Pretend Christians are people who talk the talk but do not walk the walk (consistently, as the normal direction and bent of their life). This has always been a problem in jail and prison with inmates, BUT NOW it is on a much larger scope of society today. From top to bottom, politicians, entertainers, top athletes, right on down to people that live on the streets and are in and out and in jail again. You need to speak to your inmates and residents about this a lot.

The John MacArthur quote, "the sinner submits his will to Christ and trusts in Him alone as the only hope of salvation. Genuine faith will always produce authentic obedience," has a lot of opponents. They call this "Lordship salvation" and say it is part of a "works salvation" gospel. The AGRM has sponsored teachers with this view. It is not working for salvation but rather the EVIDENCE OF GOD’S GRACE AT WORK in the life of a truly saved person.

In closing, look at Matthew 7:21-27 with me. For many contextual reasons, I side with those scholars that believe Jesus said this at the same time or occasion of Luke 6:46. That means the sermon in Luke 6:20-49, also know as "the Sermon on the Plain," is one and the same with what is called "the Sermon on the Mount," recorded in Matthew 5-7. If so, then Jesus’ question in Luke 6:46, "…why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and NOT DO the things which I say?" most likely comes RIGHT BEFORE Matthew 7:21-27, which says:

21 "Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’

23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Much could be said about these three verses. Jesus our Lord spoke them. Note this: those that were pretend Christians calling Jesus “Lord” did not DO the Father’s will. They were disobedient to the Lord Jesus and PRACTICED, as a general direction of their life, LAWLESSNESS. According to 1 John 3:4, that’s another word for “sin.” I believe the key to not being one of them is mentioned BY JESUS, in verse 23. It is in KNOWING HIM – in having a right relationship with Him as your own personal Lord.

Now notice how verses 24-27 here in Matthew 7, are virtually the same as Luke 6:47-49.

24 "Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock

25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock.

26 "But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand:

27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall."

If we call Jesus our Lord and say that we love Him, it HAS TO BE MORE than just words. We have to want to obey Him, and by the power His Spirit supplies - ACTUALLY OBEY HIM AND DO WHAT HE SAYS, at least as the normal direction of our lives.

Therefore, we must listen to His directives. Then we must obey Him, not only because we love Him, which is the best motive, but also because we have to answer to Him BECAUSE HE IS THE LORD OF ALL. This is why 1 Peter 4:17 says "For it is time for judgment to begin with the household of God; (a title for the saved church) and if it begins with us first, what will be the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God? " (NASB)

Romans 14:10 also says to Christians: "But why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we (Christian believers) shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ."

All true believer’s works will be judged by their Lord, Jesus. Some of us will receive rewards. The key to that is consistent, loving obedience from the depths of our hearts. Apply that to yourself first, then demonstrate it and teach it to the inmates and staff!


Rich Hines - Minister to Chaplains, Aurora Ministries’ Chaplain Help Ministry

Jesus Our God

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

Greetings Christian Chaplains and volunteer gospel ministers. As we begin 2011, I am responding to something that I heard in a Christmas message given last month.

The Christian preacher was saying that we Christians have been bullied by the world. He was saying that in the main we accept taking Christ out of Christmas and go along with the substitution of "Happy Holidays."

He went on to say, "slowly but surely Jesus Christ is being taken out of America’s local churches." He made his point by saying the word and name "Jesus" is being heard less and less every Sunday in most "churches." He went on to say, we need to bring back Jesus as front and center of everything.

I think he was onto something. Therefore, I have determined to make every Chaplain’s Corner message in this year of 2011, ABOUT JESUS CHRIST. I have conferred with some fellow Christian pastors and Bible teachers and asked them to look over my agenda for 2011. As a result, I received their encouragements and support to go ahead with my plan.

As I have planned the next twelve messages, mostly they only apply to those that are truly born of God’s Spirit. They will help you in discipling Christian inmates. Only two of the twelve messages, January’s and February’s, hold current truth even for the unsaved. Even though Jesus, in the mind of the unbeliever - is not their God, He still IS GOD. Next month we will see that even though they do not obey Him now as their Lord and Master, He in fact is LORD OVER ALL. One day - even if they remain unsaved forever, they will confess that He in fact IS LORD (Phil. 2:11).

As in the past, my purpose in giving these Chaplain’s Corner messages is twofold. First, I want to build you, the minister of the gospel, up in the faith. Second, I want to suggest ways in which you might reach inmates with these truths.

When we say that JESUS is God, and that He is the God of true believers or, He is OUR GOD, we are speaking of the Deity of the Man, Jesus. There are too many verses and passages in the Bible, which state this and teach this, to cover in one message. In fact, 19 out of the 27 books of the New Testament state the truth of the Godhood of Jesus Christ.

(Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, Acts, Romans, 1 Cor., 2 Cor., Philippians, Colossians, 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, Titus, Hebrews, James, 2 Peter, 1 John, 2 John, Revelation.)

Here are but a few passages I believe you could teach inmates the Deity of Jesus, from:

Romans 9:5
“… Christ came, WHO IS over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.”

That is so plain. It does not need explanation. The reader either believes it or not.

Titus 2:13 (NASB)
13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,

“Our great God and Savior” is a modifying clause for “Christ Jesus.” That’s WHO He is, our GREAT GOD. Jesus, the Christ - IS GOD.

John 8:23,24, 58,59
23 And He (in the context, Jesus) said to them (Jewish religious leaders), “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world.
24 “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I AM, (He – is a supplied word – not in the text, and best left out ) you will die in your sins.

“I AM” was to the ancient Jewish person, the most holy name of GOD. A bit later in the same historical scene, we have this in verses 58 and following:

58 Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly (or, Truth, truth) I say to you, before Abraham was, I AM.”

Now note and teach the following response by the Jewish religionists that refused to believe the truth. Verse 59 shows they clearly UNDERSTOOD Jesus’ claim to being God.

59 Then they took up stones to throw at Him; but Jesus hid Himself and went out of the temple…

Compare this to John 10:33, “The Jews (religious leaders) answered Him, (in the context, again Jesus) saying, ‘For a good work we do not stone You, BUT FOR BLASPHEMY, and because You, being a Man, MAKE YOURSELF GOD.’ ”

This doctrine of the full Godhood of the Man Jesus, is one of the main things that separates biblical Christianity from all other religions. As you teach this to inmates, don’t be surprised if you get a hateful or emotionally violent response from certain religionists in your group. It usually happened when I taught inmates this during my 20 year chaplaincy.

Go back for a moment to John 8:24. “..If you do not believe that IAM (that Jesus is Jehova-God) you will die in your sins.” That means that the Holy Spirit given belief in the full Deity of Jesus is necessary for – AND COMES WITH salvation from sin.

The Apostle John made this one of the tests of the possession of eternal life, over and over again in his first and second epistles (1 John and 2 John). See, 1 John 2:21-26; 4:1-6; 5:1-5; 5:20-21; and 2 John verse 9.

Having said all of that, I want to make something clear. When a person, let’s say an inmate, is truly saved they may not yet fully understand the full deity of Jesus, BUT the first time they hear and see it explained to them from the Bible, the Holy Spirit within them affirms it. They will love this truth and then fully embrace it.

Even more, they will worship Jesus. If He is fully God, He is in tri-union with the Father and the Spirit and is the only fit object of worship. If on the other hand they reject it, then they were not truly born again or born of God. They show they do not have the Holy Spirit within them and are still IN THEIR SINS.

By the way, another good study is to show inmates how Jesus accepted the worship of men and women in the gospel records. If He were not fully God and only a gifted teacher or a prophet, He would not do this (compare Rev. 19:10 where an holy angel refused worship and said to the Apostle “See that you do not do that! I am your fellow-servant, and of your brethren who have the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!...”.

In John 20, we have the record of Thomas’ full conversion and what immediately followed.

24 Now Thomas, called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came.
25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”
27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.”
28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “MY LORD AND MY GOD!”

Thomas was worshiping Jesus, the God-Man. Note how the Lord responded to him in verse 29a –

29a Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed.”

“Believed” what? According to the preceding verse, Thomas now believed that Jesus WAS LORD AND GOD, even HIS GOD! Jesus continued:

29b “Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

That is what true believers do. They believe in His Deity and worship Jesus as their God.

The letter to the Hebrews was given to straighten out first century Jewish people that were being tempted to turn from Jesus back to the twisted Judaism of their culture. Some of them were yielding to that temptation, proving they had only an intellectual belief that is short of saving faith.

Hebrews 1:1- 13 begins the theme of the superiority and full Godhood of Jesus, by calling for the worship of Jesus. I will show it to you in the text.

1 God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets,
2 has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He (God) has appointed heir of all things, through whom (Jesus, the Son) also He made the worlds;
3 who (Jesus) being the brightness of His (God’s) glory and the express image of His (God’s) person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,

The one referred to as the “Son” is Jesus who by Himself through His death purged the believer’s sins. According to verse 3 He is all-powerful (omnipotent) and is of one substance with God the Father. That is what the words “the brightness of His glory” mean.

Furthermore, as “the express image” of God’s person, He is God with a face on! In John 14:9 Jesus told Philip and the other disciples, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father;…”

Next, the Holy Spirit through the writer says in verses 4-8 that Jesus is superior to angels.

4 having become so much better than the angels, as He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they.
5 For to which of the angels did He ever say: “ You are My Son, Today I have begotten You”? And again: “I will be to Him a Father, and He shall be to Me a Son”?
6 But when He again brings the firstborn (Jesus, the Son) into the world, He says: “ Let all the angels of God WORSHIP HIM.”
7 And of the angels He says: “ Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.”
8 But to the Son He says: “ Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Your kingdom.

These quotes and other italicized ones to follow are from the Old Testament Scriptures. In order they are from: Ps. 2:7 and 2 Samuel 7:14; Deut. 32:43 (in a dead sea scroll fragment); Ps.97:7; Ps. 104:4; Ps.45:6-7; Ps. 102:25-27; and Ps.110:1.

Then, in verses 9-13 the Holy Spirit and the writer stress the fact that Jesus possesses the true attributes of God.

9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Your God, has anointed You with the oil of gladness more than Your companions.”
10 And: “ You, LORD, in the beginning laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Your hands. (Jesus, the Son, is the Creator)
11 They will perish, but You remain; and they will all grow old like a garment;
12 Like a cloak You will fold them up, and they will be changed. but You are the same, and Your years will not fail.” (Jesus, the Son, is eternal)
13 But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? (together with verse 8 which speaks of King Jesus, the Son, is Sovereign)

Colossians 1 echoes much of what we see in Hebrews 1

13 … conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love,
14 in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn (this word in the original language means first in rank) over all creation.
16 For by Him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through Him and for Him. (Jesus was begotten, but not a created being, He is the Creator and eternal God)
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,

In addition to the worship of Jesus that Hebrews calls for, Colossians 1 calls believers in His being God - to recognize His authority over all of life. This is the thrust of the application of verses 17 and 18.

17 And He is BEFORE ALL things, and in Him all things consist.
18 And He is the THE HEAD of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the FIRSTBORN (again this word is a reference to number 1 in rank) from the dead, that in all things He may have the PREEMINENCE.

So what do we do? What are the application points to the fact that Jesus is God for ourselves, and for the inmates you teach?

FIRST and foremost, WORSHIP JESUS - like Thomas did, and the man born blind, in John 9:38 and Mary of Bethany, in John 12:3. Do you remember the scene in heaven where everyone there worshiped Jesus? It is in Revelation 5:7-10

7 Then He (Jesus, the Lamb) came and took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne.
8 Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders FELL DOWN BEFORE (in the first century, that was the posture of worship) the Lamb, each having a harp, and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints.
9 And they sang a new song, saying: “You are worthy (to worship is TO ASCRIBE WORTH TO) to take the scroll, and to open its seals; for You were slain, and have redeemed us to God by Your blood (right here, show those you teach that this can only refer to Jesus) out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation,
10 And have made us kings and priests to our God; and we shall reign on the earth.”

THEN, Realize only those cleansed of their sin can offer acceptable worship to God. Since Jesus is God, whenever we as true believers sin, we offend Him. He is the One who loved us to the point of dying for our sins and has given us all we need to live a holy life. This makes sin worse for the believer. The fact of Jesus’ Deity, calls believers to confess and repent as they come to worship.

At the same time, here is where you evangelize the unsaved. You urge them to repent, confess their sins and fully trust in Jesus Christ alone to redeem them through His once for all death at the cross.

LASTLY, Jesus’ Godhood calls all to surrender to Him the authority over their life and future NOW. This connects to where I intend to go with the Chaplain’s Corner next month as we consider “Jesus our Lord.”

In the meantime, continue to prayerfully, “shepherd the church of God which He purchased with HIS OWN BLOOD.” (Acts 20:28).

Rich Hines - Minister to Chaplains, Aurora Ministries’ Chaplain Help Ministry

What the Peace of Christmas Means and To Whom it is Given

This message is primarily for those who call on the name of Jesus Christ as their own Lord and Savior from sin, and serve as a Chaplain or a gospel minister in a jail, prison or a follow-up ministry such as a rescue mission – in the United States.

All Scripture quotes are usually taken from the New King James Version (NKJV) of the Bible, copyright 1979, 1980, 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. When quoting a text, any deviation from the NKJV text is placed within parenthesis signs (). These usually occur as direct translations from the original languages, or as notes from the original setting to help apply the text to today’s culture.

ALL CAPITAL LETTERS are sometimes used to emphasize words in a text, or to make a comment about a biblical text, or emphasize a statement.

As we approach the annual Christmas season, one of the many tasks that fall to facility Chaplains and other Christian volunteers, WHEN THE AUTHORITIES PERMIT IT, is the distribution of “Christmas Cards” to inmates – for the purpose of them sending the cards to their family.

This is good AS LONG AS the cards supplied by the Christian ministers accurately reflect and speak of the truly biblical message of Christmas. We should reject giving cards that celebrate Santa, and other non-biblical Christmas traditions. However, sometimes, even often, the cards classified as “religious” DO NOT reflect God’s true message. These also should NOT be given out by you or your ministry.

You need discernment and a solid understanding of the verses quoted or alluded to, in religious Christmas cards. One area that concerns me is the promotion of Christmas “Peace.” Most of the cards with this message seem to portray the idea that because Jesus was born, NOW GOD IS AT PEACE WITH EVERYONE, and that all the world now has peace with God.

One of the most quoted Christmas texts in the Bible is in Luke 2. There, in verses 13-14, the King James Version and the New King James Version read:

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, ‘Glory to God in the highest, and ON EARTH PEACE, GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN.’ ”

Unfortunately these translations although very accurate and word for word translations, were based on the later manuscript copies. Some as late as about 1000 A.D. This verse taken all by itself, lends some credibility to the idea of a UNIVERSAL ALL INCLUSIVE SALVATION AND PEACE, just because of the arrival of the Christ.

Now we have many translations that are based on the older manuscripts like:

The American Standard (1901)
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,
14 Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace AMONG MEN IN WHOM HE IS WELL PLEASED.

The NASB (1967) in verse 14 says:
14 … “And on earth peace AMONG MEN WITH WHOM HE IS PLEASED.” (the marginal readings say “among men of good pleasure or of good will)

The ESV
14 … “and on earth peace AMONG THOSE WITH WHOM HE IS PLEASED!”

The NIV – which is not a literal word for word translation but is based on the oldest manuscripts reads:
14 … “and on earth peace TO THOSE ON WHOM HIS FAVOR RESTS.”

The Amplified Bible tries to get the most out of the possible translation of the oldest manuscripts and says:
14 … and on earth peace AMONG MEN WITH WHOM HE IS WELL PLEASED [MEN OF GOODWILL, OF HIS FAVOR]

So, all of the best translations based on the oldest manuscript copies of the God given word PUT IN A CONDITIONAL CLAUSE, which ends up meaning His peace is coming to those with whom He is well pleased and decides to show favor towards.

Hebrews 11:6 is very clear. It states, “without FAITH it is impossible to PLEASE Him (in context, God).” God is pleased with men and women who BELIEVE Him. His PEACE is reserved for those that have saving FAITH in the gospel His word presents.

So in all truth the Christmas peace promised from God that came through His messenger angels is to those who believe His gospel. That believing includes a true turning from sinful attitudes and actions, or REPENTANCE. The ability to do this is a gift from God to those who want it.

This brings me to remind you what the nature of the PEACE THAT GOD ALONE GIVES is. Just what was the meaning of the heavenly angels’ announcement “on earth PEACE AMONG MEN IN WHOM HE IS WELL PLEASED.” ( Luke 2:14 - 1901 ASV)?

It was Jesus Himself who said to His disciples: “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” And then a little later “These things I have spoken to you, that IN ME you may have PEACE. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 14:27 and 16:33)

Therefore, the peace Christ was speaking about has nothing to do with the world’s thoughts on peace. The PEACE He spoke about was HIS PEACE, which means it is the peace He alone brings.

Romans 4:23 through 5:1 helps us understand further what HIS PEACE is all about.

23 Now IT (a reference to Genesis 15:6 which says: ‘he [Abram in the text] believed in the LORD, and He [the LORD] accounted it [his faith] to him for righteousness’) WAS NOT WRITTEN for his (that is Abram’s) sake alone that it (righteousness) was imputed (meaning credited) to him,
24 but also for us, it shall be imputed TO US WHO BELIEVE in Him who raised up Jesus OUR Lord from the dead,
25 who was delivered up (to death) because of our offenses (our sins), and was raised because of our justification. (literally : ‘raised up on account of the justification of us.)
1 THEREFORE, having been justified BY FAITH we have PEACE WITH GOD through our Lord Jesus Christ.

The very word translated as “peace” in both Luke 2:14 and Romans 5:1 means the tranquil state of a soul in security and safety. It is the opposite of the fear of the just judgment of God.

Why do we need peace with God? Because all humans are from conception in the womb at war with God, having inherited a sin nature from their parents. Their sinful rebellion against God is also shown by their direct acts of disobedience to Him.

This is why JUSTIFICATION or being declared righteous by God on account of our faith in His provision for our sin, which is the death and resurrection of Jesus, RESULTS IN TOTAL PERSONAL PEACE WITH GOD!

Look again at the text of Luke 2:14 IN IT’S CONTEXT: (American Standard Version - 1901) which is in verses 8-18.

8 And there were shepherds in the same country abiding in the field, and keeping watch over their flock.
9 And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore (exceedingly) afraid.

They were terrified because holy angels and the very glory of God are not cute, as some Christmas cards depict, but powerful HOLY things! Show inmates verses like Matt.28:2-4, Ex. 2:16-18 and Isaiah 6:1-5; which describe fear of God’s holiness..

10 And the angel said unto them, “Be not afraid; for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all THE people (a definite group of people):
11 for there is born TO YOU this day in the city of David (Bethlehem was David’s home town) A SAVIOUR, who is Christ the Lord.
12 And this is the sign unto you: Ye (a plural ‘you’) shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and lying in a manger (an animal feeding trough).
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host (angels) praising God, and saying,
14 ‘Glory to God in the highest, And on earth PEACE AMONG MEN IN WHOM HE IS WELL PLEASED.’
15 And it came to pass, when the angels went away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, ‘Let us NOW GO even unto Bethlehem, and SEE this thing that is come to pass, which the Lord hath MADE KNOWN UNTO US.’
16 And they came WITH HASTE, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the babe lying in the manger.
17 And when they saw it, THEY MADE KNOWN concerning the saying which was spoken to them about this child
18 And all that heard it wondered at the things which were spoken unto them by the shepherds.

The good news made known to the shepherds in verse 11, was that FOR THEM a Savior from sin had been born. Obviously, the angel knew these shepherds were chosen of God to be part of THE people who would be believers.

The succeeding verses show us these shepherds were BELIEVERS. Note their faith shown by their enthusiasm to GO and SEE what they believed from the angelic messengers in verse 15. Verse 16 states they did this WITH HASTE! That word “haste” means with all speed and even suggests reckless abandon.

Their faith in God’s revealed message was further demonstrated by the fact that they MADE KNOWN the truths about the child whom they believed was THEIR SAVIOR FROM SIN and therefore, THE BRINGER OF PEACE WITH GOD.

So - you as the messenger of the biblical gospel, should be announcing the terms of peace with God at all times. Especially as the words of the angels to the Bethlehem shepherds are considered. Those terms include repentance and faith as a believer in His sent Savior, Jesus Christ.

Some may ask, “But what about peace among nations and peace between individual human beings?” Once God’s peace invades and transforms a soul that soul is equipped to be at peace with others that are also at peace with God.

Internationally, that condition will not happen until Jesus comes back and reigns on earth for 1000 years. Then, the majority of those alive on earth will be believers and their governments will not sponsor open acts of hatred and war.

The Holy Spirit’s power within individual believers makes peace possible between individuals. They can experience this peace as they yield their lives to Him. The power for this peace is the God given ability to love others in His family. Note these themes in the following verses from 1 John 3:23-24,

23 And this is His commandment: that we should believe on the name of His Son Jesus Christ and love one another, as He gave us commandment.
24 Now he who keeps His commandments abides in Him, and He in him. And by this we know that He abides in us, by the Spirit whom He has given us.

People have assurance of salvation through the power the Holy Spirit within them gives them to obey God’s commands and especially to love one another.

And from 1 John 5:1-4,
1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is (lit. has been) born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is (has been) begotten of Him.
2 By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments.
3 For this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome.
4 For whatever is (has been) born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith.

In closing let me urge you to stress the fact that peace with God over the forgiveness of our sin IS MORE IMPORTANT than peace with others human beings. After all, without making peace with God, true peace with others is not possible.

This is yet another reason for getting inmates in correctional facilities the biblical gospel of Jesus Christ. He alone is the Prince that brings peace – with God and others.

Have a Peace Filled Christmas – with Jesus Christ at the Center of it All,

Rev. Rich Hines
Aurora Ministries – Minister to Chaplains
Chaplain Help Ministry