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Back to Bootcamp
To take us back Ifm going to be
following
the basic design of the Alpha course. Alpha
was started by Rev. Charles
Marnham,
a curate at Holy Trinity Brompton Church, a Church
of England church in London. It started as a course for church members
on the
basics of the Christian faith, but then began to be used as an
introduction for
those interested in the faith
In 2006, over 33,500
courses were offered in more than 160 countries, and in many Christian
denominations. By 2006
it was reported that over 10 million people worldwide had attended an
Alpha
course.
So the course is designed to introduce or reintroduce Christianity to people. But why would we need to reintroduce Christianity. Well, You might be surprised and amazed at how many people sit in the pews never knew or have forgotten the basic tenets of faith
In this country in particular,
we are
seeing an increase in random irrational violence and general
dysfunction, more
and more children and adults are becoming house-bound refusing to go to
school
or even leave the house because of irrational fear. While experts
discuss these
problems, it seems that the answer is as simple as the fact that living
a
meaningless life or worse off never knowing that there is a purpose for
each
and everyone of us, When there is meaning or even in the search for
meaning, we
have hope and when we realize that each of us, yes the means each of
you, was
put here on this earth for a special reason that hope grows and grows.
So many though,
are living in a void, for they do not even know that there is meaning
to be
obtained by those who seek and so the nothingness invades their hearts
and
minds, blocking out the light of Godfs love. The result despair. I was
reading
about depression the older day and I cant forget, one of the quotes was
by a
woman in
What is the point of life?
Where am I heading?
What is my purpose?
<>Jesus said,
gI have
come to give lifec
and life in
all of itfs fullness.h
Christianity
is more about a person than a religion.
I am the way , rhe truth and the life (John 14:6)
So who was Jesus or more accurately who is JesusMost may think that all we know about Jesus is biased because the information comes from only one source but in fact Jesus is mentioned by many sources that lived in the time of Christ and after. We must also remember that in historical terms the bible in particular the new testament is considered to be a most reliable and verifiable source due to the number of copies of the original transcript and the proximity in which it was written in terms of years after the event actually occurred
Jesus was fully Human
We know that Jesus was fully human because of what the bible tells us. Why is this important. Well because if he wasnft he could not have been a sustitue for our sins.
< style="font-weight: bold;">just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned--
13 for before the law was given, sin was in the world. But sin is not taken into account when there is no law.
14 Nevertheless, death reigned from the time of Adam to the time of Moses, even over those who did not sin by breaking a command, as did Adam, who was a pattern of the one to come.
Jesus became both tired and hungry.
John 4:6
Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
<>After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry.
He had emotions
Anger- Mark 11:15-17
15
On reaching
16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts.
17 And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written: "'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations' ? But you have made it 'a den of robbers.'"
Love
Mark 10:21
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him.
Sadness
John 11:32-36
32 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."
33 When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled.
34 "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied.
35 Jesus wept.
36
Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!"
Temptation
Mark 1:13
he was in the desert forty days, being tempted by Satan.
Learning
Luke 2:46-52
46 After three days they found him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.
47 Everyone who heard him was amazed at his understanding and his answers.
48 When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, "Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you."
49 "Why were you searching for me?" he asked. "Didn't you know I had to be in my Father's house?"
50 But they did not understand what he was saying to them.
51
Then he went down to
Work
Mark 6:3
3 Isn't this the carpenter? Isn't this Mary's son and the brother of James, Joseph, Judas and Simon? Aren't his sisters here with us?" And they took offense at him.
Obedience
Luke 2;51
Then he went down to
gA man who
was merely a man and said the sort of things that Jesus said would not
be a
great moral teacher. He would either be insane or the Devil of Hell.
You must
make your choice, he writes. Either Jesus was and is the Son of God or
else he
was insane or evil butclet us not come up with any
patronising nonsense about his being a great human teacher. He has not
left
that open to us. He did not intend toh
To find out what Lewis was taking about lets look at what Jesus said about himself
I am
John 6:35
I am the bread of Life
John 8:12
<>Iam the Light of the worldJohn 1:25,26
<>Iam the resurrection on the life.John 14:6
Iam the way the truth and the life
He spoke of his kingdom
Luke 22:29,30
29 And I confer on you a kingdom, just as my Father conferred one on me,
30
so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom and sit
on
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
He said
Matthew 11:28,29
"Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
Follow me
Mark 1:17
"Come, follow me," Jesus said, "and I will make you fishers of men."
Receive me
Matthew 10:40
"He who receives you receives me, and he who receives me receives the one who sent me.
Welcome Me- Welcome God
Mark 9:37
"Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me."
To have seen me is to have seen God
John 14:9
Jesus answered: "Don't you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?
Claims Mans supreme love
Matthew 10:37,38
37 "Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me;
38 and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me.
let us not
come up with any patronising nonsense about his being a great human
teacher. He
has not left that open to us. He did not intend toh gWe are faced then
with a
frightening alternative. Either Jesus was (and is) exactly what he said
or else
he was insane or something worsechowever
strange
or terrifying or unlikely it may seem, I have to accept the view that
he was
and is Godh.
To forgive
sins
Mark 2:5
When Jesus saw their faith, he said to the paralytic, "Son, your sins are forgiven."
6 Now some teachers of the law were sitting there, thinking to themselves,
7 "Why does this fellow talk like that? He's blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone?"
8 Immediately Jesus knew in his spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and he said to them, "Why are you thinking these things?
9 Which is easier: to say to the paralytic, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up, take your mat and walk'?
10 But that you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins . . . ."
To judge the World
Matthew 25: 31,32,40,45
31 "When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his throne in heavenly glory.
32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
40 "The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'
45 "He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'
He tells us
plainly and directly
He is the
Messiah
Mark
14:61,62
61
But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.
Again the high priest asked him, "Are you the Christ, the Son of the
Blessed One?"
62
"I am," said Jesus. "And you
will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and
coming
on the clouds of heaven."
He is the
Son of God
"Are
you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?"
He is God
the Son
John 8:58
58
"I
tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I
am!"
John
20:28,29
28
Thomas said to him, "My Lord and my
God!"
29
Then Jesus told him, "Because you have
seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet
have
believed."
John
10:33-28
33
"We are not stoning you for any of
these," replied the Jews, "but for blasphemy, because you, a mere
man, claim to be God."
34
Jesus answered them, "Is it not written
in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'?
35
If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of
God came--and the Scripture cannot be broken--
36
what about the one whom the Father set apart
as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of
blasphemy
because I said, 'I am God's Son'?
37
Do not believe me unless I do what my Father
does.
38
But if I do it, even though you do not
believe me, believe the miracles, that you may know and understand that
the
Father is in me, and I in the Father."
Jesus is
Lord Messiah Savior and God
There is no
doubt
Let us pray