COME HOME TO JESUS:
He is calling you!
By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.
JESUS CHRIST said: “Come unto Me all ye who labour and are
heavy laden and I will give you rest.” (Matt.11: 28); “All
that the Father giveth to Me shall come to Me; and Him that cometh unto me, I
will in no wise cast out.” (John 6: 37)
Our Lord issued a personal invitation to all who are burdened,
stressed, and overwhelmed by the multiple problems we face in our society. His
offer is still valid today because He is alive and able to answer our prayers
and meet our needs!
YOU
MAY ASK: “How is that possible
since He lived so long ago and was crucified on the ‘cross of shame’ outside
the walls of Jerusalem on Mount Calvary? And what is your answer to all
the atheists, agnostics, Anti-Christian journalists, writers,
film producers and kinky Hollywood actors who continually spew out
blasphemies and outrageous lies about Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord
of lords?”
Christ deniers are much like dogs barking at the heels of the
horses as the caravan moves forward. They could also be likened to
someone constantly releasing flatulence at a gathering. The sounds and the
smells are there for a while to annoy those around them but are soon gone!
GOD’S
WORD FOREVER SETTLED IN HEAVEN!
It is possible because He is ALIVE and the same yesterday, today
and forever! (Heb.13: 8) That is why Jesus Christ could say: “Come unto
Me all ye who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.” And
that is exactly what everyone needs: Rest from guilt and
condemnation; Rest from anxiety, worry and fear; Rest
from sickness, disease and pain; Rest from poverty and
heartache; Rest from Satan’s enslavement and a lost eternity. We
are secure, because Jesus is our REST!
Three days after His vicarious (sacrificial) death for us, God
raised our LORD from the dead and He is alive forevermore and has all power in
Heaven and in earth! Here is the Holy Record about that glorious
event that changed history for time and eternity!
The Bible states: “And, behold, there was a great
earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and
rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like
lightening and his raiment white as snow. And for fear of him the keepers did
shake, and became as dead men.
“And the angel answered and said unto the women; Fear not ye: for
I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for He is risen
as He said. Come and see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly and tell
His disciples that He is risen from the dead; and behold He goeth before you
into Galilee; there shall ye see Him.” (Matt.28: 2-7)
AMAZING
GRACE: NO GREATER LOVE STORY!
No greater love story has ever been told and no greater love song
has ever been sung, than the amazing story of God’s love for His creation,
mankind: “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves;
it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast. (Eph. 2: 8,9)
The Bible says: “For God so loved the world that He gave
His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but
have everlasting life. For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the
world, but that the world through Him might be saved.” (John 3: 16,
17).
“He was in the world and the world was made by Him and
the world knew Him not. He came unto His own and His own received Him not. But
as many as received Him, to them gave He the power to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe on His name.” (John 1: 10-12)
John’s Gospel is about God the Son becoming man through the
INCARNATION (God in human flesh) which is the greatest miracle
this world has ever witnessed. More than 700 years before His Virgin Birth in
Bethlehem, the Prophet Isaiah made this prophetic utterance: “Therefore
the Lord Himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall conceive, and
bear a Son, and shall call His Name Immanuel.” (Isaiah 7:14)
Leading Hebrew
Scholars state that “a virgin” is better
read “the virgin”. The Hebrew definite article ha indicates
that a specific woman is in view. The word virgin used here is the unique
Hebrew term ‘almah. A comparison of the six other
instances where it occurs (Gen.24: 43; Ex. 2: 8; Ps.68: 25; Prov.30: 19; Song
1: 3; 6: 8) shows that it is the most precise term the prophet could have
chosen to indicate that the young woman in view was indeed a virgin. The more
common word betulah is used twice to refer to a married
woman (Deut.22: 19 and Joel 1: 8)
Thus, the Septuagint Translation of ‘almah as parthenos (virgin) is
correct, as is Mathew 1: 23. Shall conceive is a feminine
adjective connected with an active participle (“bearing”) and should be
translated “is pregnant”. Thus the scene is present to
the prophet’s view, and he sees the pregnant virgin about to bear a Son. That
this prophecy must refer to the virgin birth of Christ is obvious since the
virgin is pregnant and is still a virgin. Immanuel is a
symbolic name meaning God is with us. He is the incarnate Son of God who is
further pictured as the Child-Prince in Isaiah 9: 6. – Taken
from Nelson Study Bible.
NO
ONE ACCEPTED LUTHER’S CHALLENGE!
MARTIN LUTHER threw out this challenge: “If a Jew or a
Christian or a Mohammedan can prove to me that in any other passage of
Scripture ‘almah means a married woman, I
will give him a hundred florins, although God only knows where I may find
them.” No-one took him up on his challenge!
Never in the history of mankind has a virgin given birth to a baby
without a man’s seed through sexual intercourse or artificial insemination! Of
such importance was the sign that God gave concerning the birth of His Son that
the prophet emphasized, “The Lord Himself shall give you a sign.”
The Holy Scripture says: “Behold while he (Joseph) thought
on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him
in a dream saying, Joseph thou son of David, fear not to take unto
thee Mary thy wife; for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost.
“And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His
name JESUS: for He shall
save His people from their sins. Now, all this was done, that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken of the LORD by the prophet, saying,
Behold a VIRGIN shall be with child, and shall bring forth
a SON, and they shall call His name Emmanuel, which being
interpreted is, GOD with us.” (Matt.1: 20-25)
JESUS WAS BORN TO DIE!
Jesus of Nazareth was born to die. He was born crucified! Facing
the humiliation of the cross, He said: “Now is My soul troubled’ and
what shall I say, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this
hour.” (John 12: 27)
Answering Pontius Pilate, Jesus said: “Thou sayest I am a
king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I
should bear witness unto the Truth. Everyone that is of the Truth heareth My
voice.” (John 18: 37)
St. John stated: “… For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” (1 John 3:
18). And Jesus declared: “The thief (Satan) cometh not
but for to steal, and to kill and to destroy. I am come that that they might
have life and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10: 10)
Our LORD warned: “And ye have not His Word abiding in you;
for Whom He hath sent, Him ye believe not. Search the Scriptures; for in them
ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of Me. And ye
will not come to Me that ye might have Life.” (John 5: 38-40)
“And He said unto them, Ye are from beneath: I am from ABOVE, ye are of this
world; I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in
your sins: For if ye believe not that I AM HE, ye shall die in your
sins.” (John 8: 23, 24)
Again He stated: “I am the Vine, ye are the branches. He that
abideth in Me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit, for without Me
ye can do nothing. If ye abide in Me and My words abide in you, ye shall ask
what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15: 5, 7)
ADVICE TO AGNOSTICS & ATHEISTS!
My
advice to agnostics, atheists, infidels, and Christ haters is: “Stop
looking to men and women who have rejected the Truth! Stop reading the trash
that has been written by losers who have closed their minds to Jesus Christ and
His Gospel. And then, read the final words of leaders of the Religion of
Atheism and Agnosticism and their sad obituaries!”
Clarence Darrow, famed atheist, criminal lawyer, and
winner in the Scopes Monkey Trial in 1925 stated at the end of
his life: “My colleagues say that I am a success. Many honors have
come my way, but in the Bible is a sentence which expresses the way I feel
about my life: We have toiled all night and taken nothing.”
The Holy Bible is
the greatest and grandest of all books because it is the inerrant, infallible,
and holy Word of the Living God to mankind! This is a classic example: Clarence
Darrow who didn’t believe the Bible, ultimately had to use a passage
from the Bible to express his emptiness and the futility of a life without God!
Here are comments by
these men during the trial: “The confrontation between Bryan and Darrow lasted
approximately two hours on the afternoon of the seventh day of the trial. It is
likely that it would have continued the following morning but for Judge
Raulston's announcement that he considered the whole examination
irrelevant to the case and his decision that it should be "expunged"
from the record.
“Thus Bryan was
denied the chance to cross-examine the defense lawyers in return, although
after the trial Bryan would distribute nine questions to the press to bring out
Darrow's "religious attitude". The questions
and Darrow's short answers were published in newspapers the day after the trial
ended, with the New York Times characterizing Darrow as
answering Bryan's questions "with his agnostic's creed, 'I
don't know,' except where he could deny them with his belief in natural,
immutable law".[28]
Stewart objected, demanding to know the
legal purpose of Darrow's questioning. Bryan, gauging the effect the session
was having, snapped that its purpose was "to cast ridicule on
everybody who believes in the Bible". Darrow, with equal
vehemence, retorted, "We have the purpose of preventing bigots
and ignoramuses from controlling the education of the United States." (299)
William Jennings Bryan was a passionate
Christian, orator and 3-time Democratic presidential candidate who was blocked
by a technicality from cross examining Clarence Darrow. Bryant had a heart
attack and died shortly after the court case. His name appears on Universities
and other places in Tennessee. Darrow’s comments, however, show us how
his life ended! The Clarence
Darrow Octagon House, which was his childhood home in the small town
of Kinsman, Ohio, contains a memorial to him. That’s about all
that remains!
THERE IS HOPE FOR THOSE
WHO REPENT!
There is hope, however, for those who truly repent and ask for
God’s forgiveness and receive the grace and mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ,
like Saul of Tarsus who was responsible for a reign of terror,
imprisonment and martyrdom of large numbers of Jesus Christ’s followers shortly
after our Lord’s crucifixion and resurrection from the dead!
The two greatest headaches for Agnostics and Atheists are,
number one: The Resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, and number
two: The conversion and ministry of Saul of Tarsus!
Any rational person with even a less than
average IQ, if they have done any research at all on the Roman Empire's
reach and power in the time of Jesus' crucifixion, would
know that precise records were kept of all executions. And the same was true of
the religious scribes of the Jews, who kept meticulous records, and
Jewish Historians like Josephus and Pliny the Roman and many others.
The Holy Bible records that the Chief Priests and Jewish religious
leaders demanded of the Roman Governor - both privately and publicly - that
Jesus be crucified. The crowd which was pressured by the religious
leaders, were given a choice to have Jesus released, but they chose
Barabbas, a murderer. (Mark 15:1-39; Matt.27:16-26)
“Pilate therefore, willing to release Jesus, spake again unto
them. But they cried, saying, Crucify Him, Crucify Him. And
he said unto them the third time, Why? What evil
hath He done? I have found no cause of death in Him: I will therefore chastise
Him and let Him go. And they were instant with loud voices, requiring that He
might be crucified. And their voices of them and the Chief Priests
prevailed.” (Luke 23: 13-37)
And when Pontius Pilate sought to release Jesus, the crowd
which was persuaded by the Chief Priests and the Elders, shouted: "If
thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar`s friend: whosoever maketh himself a
king is not Caesar`s friend.” (John 19: 12)
After His crucifixion the Chief Priests went to
Governor Pilate with this request: "Sir, we remember that that
deceiver said, while He was yet alive; After three days I will rise
again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure
unto the third day, lest His disciples come by night, and steal Him away, and
say unto the people, He is risen from the dead; so the last error shall be
worse than the first.
“Pilate said unto them, Ye have a
watch: Go your way, make it as sure as you can. So they went, and made the
sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.” (Matt. 27
63-66)
THE MAN WHO STILL LIVES!
After his much-publicized conversion to our Lord
Jesus Christ, Malcolm Muggeridge - former Marxist, celebrated writer,
broadcaster, and actor - poured his time and talents into writing Christian
apologetics which portray a Living Saviour!
In his book, The Man Who Lives, Muggeridge
wrote: “That the resurrection happened, and that in the consequence
of it Jesus’ followers who had scattered drew together again, and resolved to
go about their Master’s business, seems to me indubitably true.
“Likewise Jesus’ claims to be the Light of the
World and His related promise that through Him we may be reborn into new men,
liberated from servitude to the ego and our appetites into the glorious liberty
of the children of God…
“If the story of Jesus ended on Golgotha, it
would indeed be of a Man Who Died, but as two thousand years later the Man’s
promise that ‘where two or three are gathered in My Name, there I am in the
midst of them’ manifestly still holds, it is actually the story of a Man Who
Lives.”
Muggeridge’s counsel to a troubled world is worth listening to. He
writes: “Christ is the only answer to an insane world…they will not understand
that the trouble with the western civilization is not economics, but more –
good and evil! They are thinking they can make things work by policies,
inventions, but man will never live on this planet without God.”
SATAN LIED TO HIM!
It is surreal that a 7th Century
Caravan Driver - who couldn’t read or write - received a
revelation while lying on the ground under an epileptic seizure, that JESUS of
Nazareth who was delivered to Pontius Pilate by the Jewish High Priest
and Elders, crucified by Roman soldiers and confirmed dead by the Roman
Centurion and by His enemies in the Jewish Sanhedrin, didn’t really
die!
And more than a billion people believe that satanically
inspired fairy tale today! That is a travesty, extra-ordinaire. And
then, money hungry author and blasphemer Dan Brown and his
Hollywood lap dogs - film maker and actor Ron Howard and Tom
Hanks - produced a lying movie called Da Divinchy Code,
that perpetrated that preposterous and damnable LIE!
What are the two most
powerful arguments that atheists and agnostics cannot overcome and that rattles
their chain? The resurrection of Jesus Christ and the conversion of Saul of
Tarsus!
If Jesus did not rise from the dead, what happened to His body?
Any normal person would understand that because the Jews kept meticulous
records of His crucifixion and with the chief priests witnessing JESUS’ death
and asking Governor Pontius Pilate to guard His tomb, that He was crucified,
dead and buried!
When St. Paul arrived in Rome to preach the Gospel, he found many
had already been converted to Christ. How did that happen, being so far away
from Jerusalem? Who had preached the Gospel in Rome?
They called him Centurion Longinus. He was probably the soldier
who pierced JESUS’ side with his long spear. He was the man who witnessed the
darkness at noon and the earthquake that opened the earth that collected JESUS’
blood and ripped open the veil in the Holy of holies and shook the temple. It
was Centurion Longinus who cried out with his soldiers, “Surely, this was the
Son of God!” (Mark
15:39)
SAUL MET THE RESURRECTED JESUS!
SAUL OF TARSUS was one of the most learned and brilliant young men in
Palestine who had become a Zealot for Judaism causing havoc and great harm to
believers in Jesus. He hated and despised the very name of Jesus of Nazareth
and travelled far and wide, visiting every synagogue in every town
and village, even going as far away as Damascus to track down, beat, imprison
and force Christ’s followers to blaspheme His Worthy and Holy Name.
While on such an unholy vendetta, he was apprehended by the
resurrected CHRIST in a blinding light on the Damascus Road. And Saul cried
out: “Who art Thou Lord?” Jesus identified Himself by
saying: “I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick
against the pricks (goads)”. Then, trembling and
astonished, Saul the persecutor who earlier had been “breathing out
threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord” cried
out; “What wilt Thou have me to do?” (Acts 9: 6)
That proud Pharisee humbled himself before the Lord Jesus Christ
and spent the rest of his life fasting, praying, writing, travelling and
preaching the Word of God, while building the Kingdom of God on earth. He
was consumed with the Gospel of Jesus Christ and never stopped
declaring the unsearchable riches of the cross and the shed blood of Jesus for
the forgiveness of sins and eternal Life! And in the end, he gladly gave his
life as a martyr for our Saviour!
St. Paul wrote: “For when we were yet without strength (hopeless),
in due time Christ died for the ungodly. But God commendeth His love
toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much
more then, being now justified by His Blood, we shall be saved from wrath
through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the
death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” (Rom.
5: 6-10)
No other human being was privy to the great mysteries of God and
the secrets of the Almighty like St. Paul. To him was revealed the great hidden
secret and purpose of the INCARNATION.
He wrote: “Even the MYSTERY which hath been hid from ages and generations, but now is
made manifest to His saints: To whom God would make known, what is the riches of the
glory of this MYSTERY among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the
Hope of Glory. “Whom we preach, warning every man,
and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we
may present every man perfect (mature) in Christ
Jesus.” (Col.1: 26-28)
WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?
He is the Sin Bearer. He is the Heart Healer.
He is the Mind Restorer. He is the Great Physician. He is the Demon Expeller.
He is the Holy Ghost Baptizer. He is the Joy Bringer. He is the Fear Remover!
He is the Prince of Peace. He is the Liberator of mankind and the only Saviour
of the
world!
The Holy Scriptures declare: “How God
anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and power who went about doing
good and healing all who were oppressed of the Devil, for God was with Him.” (Acts
10:38)
Everywhere our Lord went spreading
the Good News He did GOOD by healing the
sick and forgiving sinners. He was filled with the Holy Spirit at His baptism
and after 40 days of fasting and prayer won a decisive victory over the devil
in His wilderness temptation. (Luke 4: 1-14)
“And Jesus returned in the power
of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of Him through all the
region round about. And He taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all.
And they were astonished at His doctrine: for His Word was with power.” (Luke
4:14,15,32)
THE EVIL SPIRITS RECOGNIZED WHO HE WAS!
“And
in the synagogue there was a man, which had a spirit of an unclean devil, and
cried out with a loud voice, saying, ‘Let us alone; what have we to do with
thee, Thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art Thou come to destroy us? I know Thee who Thou
art; the Holy One of God.
“And Jesus rebuked him, saying, Hold
thy peace, and come out of him, and hurt him not. And they were all amazed, and
spake among themselves, saying, What a Word is this! For with authority and
power He commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out. And the fame of Him
went out into every place of the country round about.” (Luke 4: 33-37)
Great multitudes followed Jesus
everywhere He went, because “the people were astonished at His
doctrine” and He healed the sick and suffering among them. He met
their spiritual, psychological and physical needs. Lepers were cleansed, the
blind saw, the deaf heard and the lame walked after hearing His message of
forgiveness, hope, deliverance and salvation! He liberated Satan’s captives
with His Word and Holy Spirit.
JESUS CHRIST IS ALIVE TODAY &
ALWAYS!
He is still the same compassionate, kind,
loving, merciful and powerful Lord who “came to seek and to save the lost” and
was “wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, chastised for
our peace and scourged for our diseases”. (Isaiah 53:4-6) He is even
now waiting for an opportunity to bless those who truly put their trust in Him!
(Rev. 3:20)
Jesus Christ stated: “Ye
shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free. If the Son therefore
shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” (John 8:32, 36); “Peace
I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth give I unto
thee. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John
14:27)
And He wants to be your Lord and
Saviour. Open your heart to Him and He will come into your heart
and life. He will forgive all your sins and take away the condemnation in your
conscience. He will heal the hurts in your spirit soul and body because He is
the Great Physician!
Here is His call to you, my Friend: “Behold
I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My voice, and open the door (of
his heart) I will come in to him and will sup (fellowship) with him and
he with Me.” (Rev.3: 20) Amen.
Max Solbrekken World Mission, Box 44220 RPO
Garside, Edmonton, AB T5V 1N6; E-mail: [email protected]; comehometojesus.ca;
YouTube, Facebook; Donations can be made by e-Transfer. Make your donation to [email protected]. Thank you and God
richly bless you.
