Why is Christ Called The Lion of Judah?

Non Christians certainly don't understand the metaphors we use to express gospel truths. Having explained about the Lamb of God, I now want to write about the Lion of Judah.

The last book of the Bible holds the answer. In the vision of the future which Jesus' disciple saw, nobody was worthy to open a scroll in heaven. Revelation 5:5 (BBE) tells how an angel named Christ as the only one who could break the seals and open the scroll. "And one of the rulers said to me, 'Do not be sad: see, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome, and has power to undo the book and its seven stamps.'"

Another title Christ has is the Son of David. Though King David died long before the birth of Jesus, he descended from him. That's why we read what we read in Matthew 9:27 (BBE) about him. "And when Jesus went on from there, two blind men came after him, crying out, 'Have mercy on us, you Son of David.'"

Of course the temple rulers didn't believe for a minute that Jesus was heir to David's throne. Matthew 21:15 (BBE) relates, "But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the works of power which he did, and the children crying out in the Temple, 'Glory to the son of David,' they were angry and said to him, 'Have you any idea what these are saying?' And Jesus said to them, 'Yes: have you not seen in the Writings, "From the lips of children and babies at the breast you have made your praise complete?"'"

Jesus himself knew that he was of royal blood and God-given power. Revelation 22:16 (BBE)says, "I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give witness to you of these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and morning star."

Furthermore, Muslims wonder how we could call Christ the Son of God when the Quran teaches that Allah has no partners. They don't understand that "son" means that he has the top rank and is chief over all creation.

God, the real one, said of Christ at his baptism in Luke 3:21 and 22 (BBE), "Now it came about that when all the people had been given baptism, Jesus, having had baptism with them, was in prayer, when, the heaven being open, The Holy Spirit came down in the form of a dove, and a voice came from heaven, saying, 'You are my dearly loved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'"

I could point out other scriptures which use metaphors but I'll save that for my next book, You Think You're Going to Heaven? We Christians need to realize that these terms we use sound like nonsense to today's unchurched masses.

On Thursday, unless Christ returns first, I hope to post about why Christianity and western culture matter. What a cruel world it would be without both of them.

Do We Build the Church?

It seems that every congregation hears messages about how we need to make the church more seeker friendly. The music needs to be updated and the awkward passages in scripture regarding judgement must be kept out of the sermons. This, so many church elders think, will build the church and make unsaved people feel more comfortable. Is that really what we're supposed to do?

According to Jesus Christ, he's the one who will build his church. We merely go out and tell others about him and if they come, they come.

Look at what Christ said in Matthew 16:18 (KJV). "And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

Jesus had just asked who people said he, the Son of Man, was. Then he asked who they said he was. Peter answered that he was the Son of God. Jesus named him Peter, a little rock, and on the rock that he was the Christ, he would build his church.

But what are we to do? Christ told his disciples in Mark 16:15 (KJV), "And he said unto them, 'Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.'" While we are to baptize and teach new disciples, it's up to Jesus, through the Holy Spirit, to bring people in to fill his church.

There was a time when I believed the fallacy that we needed to accommodate our church to the world rather than the world to the church. Now I know better.

I wrote about my growth in the Lord in a book called How I Was Razed. Visit Amazon to find out more about the wondrous work wrought in my life by Christ.

My thanks to John MacArthur for inspiring this blog post.

Why Care About Christ's Birth?

What a mad rush everybody is in today. An observer from another world would be astonished at the huge deal we make of Christmas. "All this fuss for one day?" our imaginary visitor would exclaim upon seeing all the cooking, baking, shopping, decorating, and so many other frenzied activities we insist upon doing.

Lost in the rush each year is the birth of Christ. Apart from an hour-long service at churches this evening, Christians seem to act just like the rest of the world. Our traveler would be most amazed at the way we celebrate the birth of the Son of God.

There was a time when I turned my back on the Lord for nine miserable years. Two years into my rebellion, I quit celebrating Christmas the traditional way. It seemed pointless, and I still feel that way today, to decorate and buy gifts for those who would just return the favour.

What re ignited my fascination for Christ's birth once I returned to my senses was the myriad of Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by his birth. Read the gospels of Matthew and Luke. You'll see so many references to Old Testament prophecies mentioned there. And if you study other passages, you'll find more predictions regarding the life, death, and resurrection of the Messiah.

God willing, I hope to write a new book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? My hope is to deal with many objections people make to the truth about God's criteria for entry into eternal life. Contact me regarding this and previous books which I've written.

Have a blessed Christmas.