Jesus... God forever





As God incarnate, Jesus Christ is omnipotent. His power is seen in the miracles He performed—His numerous healings, the feeding of the five thousand (Mark 6:30-44), calming the storm (Mark 4:37-41), and the ultimate display of power, raising Lazarus and Jairus’s daughter from the dead (John 11:38-44; Mark 5:35-43), an example of His control over life and death. Death is the ultimate reason that Jesus came—to destroy it (1 Corinthians 15:22; Hebrews 2:14) and to bring sinners into a right relationship with God. The Lord Jesus stated clearly that He had power to lay down His life and power to take it up again, a fact that He allegorized when speaking about the temple (John 2:19). He had power to call upon twelve legions of angels to rescue Him during His trial, if needed (Matthew 26:53), yet He offered Himself in humility in place of others (Philippians 2:1-11).

Jesus is God and we are not. Most of us get that. But what we dont always understand is that God loves us just as much as He does His son. Many times in the Old Testament, God refers to human beings as His beloved. But when God called Jesus "my Beloved", Jesus did something truly remarkable: He believed Him.

Let us examine:

What Old Testament Prophecies Did Jesus Fulfill?

The Old Testament, though often thought of as filled with dry history, contains important tests concerning Christ's claims to be the Son of God and the Messiah. These tests, or prophecies, have and could only be fulfilled by

Jesus:
       As the Son of God
Psalms 2:7
Fulfilled
Luke 1:32, Luke 1:35
·         As the descendant of Abraham
Genesis 17:7 ; 22:18
Fulfilled
Galatians 3:16
·         As the descendant of Isaac
Genesis 21:12
Fulfilled
Hebrews 11:17-19
·         As the descendant of David
Psalms 132:11; Jeremiah 23:5
Fulfilled
Acts 13:23; Romans 1:3
·         His coming at a set time
Genesis 49:10; Daniel 9:24, Daniel 9:25
Fulfilled
Luke 2:1
·         His being born a virgin
Isaiah 7:14
Fulfilled
Matthew 1:22, Matthew 1:23; Luke 2:7
·         His being called Immanuel
Isaiah 7:14
Fulfilled
Matthew 1:22, Matthew 1:23
·         His being born in Bethlehem of Judea
Micah 5:2
Fulfilled
Matthew 2:1; Luke 2:4-6
·         His miracles
Isaiah 35:5, Isaiah 35:6
Fulfilled
Matthew 11 4-6: John 11:47
·         His rejection by his brethren
Psalms 69:8; Isaiah 63:3
Fulfilled
John 1:11,  7:3
·         His being a stone of stumbling to the Jews
Isaiah 8:14
Fulfilled
Romans 9:32; 1 Peter 2:8
         His being sold for thirty pieces silver
Zechariah 11:12
Fulfilled
Matthew 26:15
·         His price being given for the potters field
Zechariah 11:13
Fulfilled
Matthew 27:7

The great mystery is that this power can be shared by believers who are united to God in Jesus Christ. Paul says, "Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me" (2 Corinthians 12:9b). God’s power is exalted in us most when our weaknesses are greatest because He “is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us” (Ephesians 3:20). It is God’s power that continues to hold us in a state of grace despite our sin (2 Timothy 1:12), and by His power we are kept from falling (Jude 24). His power will be proclaimed by all the host of heaven for all eternity (Revelation 19:1). May that be our endless prayer!

Blessings,

Raj Kosaraju

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