September 30, 2012 … And Here Is The One!

Chronological Bible Reading Plan - Day 274

Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: Luke, Chapter 1 To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Passage of the Day: Reference of Today’s Chronological Bible Study: John, Chapter 1 To study these chapters, go to this link - 
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Highlight Passage: Luke 1: 1-4; 80 : [NLT] … {The account of The Christ from a Gentile Physician, writing an accurate and detailed historical account about the extraordinary man, Jesus, Who was God in the flesh, and this account was primarily written to/for the Gentiles of the day.} … 1 Most honorable Theophilus: {The person of Theophilis may have been a Greek patron of Luke’s; or he may represent all gentiles of the day – about 60 BC – to whom Luke wanted to share the gospel truth about Jesus.} … Many people have written accounts about the events that took place among us. 2 They used as their source material the reports circulating among us from the early disciples and other eyewitnesses of what God has done in fulfillment of his promises. 3 Having carefully investigated all of these accounts from the beginning, I have decided to write a careful summary for you, 4 to reassure you of the truth of all you were taught. …  
{Then, after Luke accounts the wondrous birth and early life of Jesus, he introduces the last in the line of God-anointed Prophets, John the Baptist, who helped to launch Jesus’ public ministry.} … 80 John grew up and became strong in spirit. Then he lived out in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel. 
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Highlight Passage: John 1: 1-5; 29-30; 40-42 : [NLT] … {John, one of the original chosen/anointed 12 disciples, wrote his version – in about 85-90 AD – to give a first hand witness account of the God-man, Jesus, about whom John wanted all in his day, Jews and Gentiles, to know was everything He, Jesus, claimed to be. Hence we read from John of many of the miracles Jesus performed during his adult ministry and times with His disciples.} … 1 In the beginning the Word already existed. He was with God, and he was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 He created everything there is. Nothing exists that he didn’t make. 4 Life itself was in him, and this life gives light to everyone. 5 The light shines through the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it. … {And somewhat like Luke, the physician biographer of Jesus, John introduces and describes, in more detail than Luke, about the forerunner of The Messiah, John, The Baptist, the last of God’s Prophets and Jesus’ first cousin, whom God used to proclaim the reality of Jesus in his day, … God in the flesh.} … 29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look! There is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30 He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘soon a man is coming who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before I did.’ … {Jesus, called out men on a beach near Capernaum to be His Disciples. Note how Jesus changed Peter’s name, an indicator in those times that Jesus saw something in Peter of a changed character, something that Peter couldn’t even see.} … 40 Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, was one of these men who had heard what John said and then followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother, Simon, and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (which means the Christ). 42 Then Andrew brought Simon to meet Jesus. Looking intently at Simon, Jesus said, “You are Simon, the son of John—but you will be called Cephas” (which means Peter). 

My Journal for Today: And here we are in this year-long chronological trek through my Bible, finally arriving in the New Testament; and, as I’ve titled my journal entry today, we are finally introduced to the ONE Whom all those Old Testament Prophets I’ve been reading in the past weeks had been foretelling; and He is the One Who would save the world.

These two books, one more historical, written by the Gentile Physician, Luke; and the other, authored by Jesus’ beloved friend and inner Disciple, John, are vastly different in their author-intent. Luke was writing to provide a carefully crafted and accurate biographical portrait of Jesus, THE CHRIST, … the One Whose life, teaching, and death would save the world. John was writing more for all peoples of His day whom he wanted to see Jesus’ wondrous life in the context of being THE MESSIAH, the Lamb of God, the prophesied One, … the One Who would save any who believed that this man, Jesus, was or is truly The Christ.

Do you know Jesus? No, I’m not asking if you know OF Jesus. Do you really KNOW Him … believing that He is Whom He said He was … and IS. And that is where the authorship of Luke and John come together. Using the character of John the Baptist in their Chapter One introductions, these two authors show that this last anointed and chosen Prophet, and one who really knew Jesus, being His first cousin, clearly told all who were following John, as disciples, should turn their attention and allegiance to Jesus, because this One was the Lamb of God, Who would take away the sins of the world.

So, ... I ask again, … do you know this man, … the God-man, Jesus, as THE Messiah, … Your personal Savior? Is He the Lamb of God to/for you? Because if you know Him as Luke and John knew Him, He is your Redeemer; and because of your faith in the God-man, you will spend eternity following the One Who called out those men on the beach near Capernaum to be His disciples. If you now, really KNOW, Jesus as Your Messiah, as I do, we’ll be reading for the rest of year in the New Testament, reading of the reality of the Lordship of Christ and the witness of Him being our Messiah.

My Prayer Today: … Lord, You’ve led me, in Your truth, to Yourself; and now I read of the wonder of how You lived, died, and arose to be my Savior. Praise Your Holy Name!! Amen