DAY 1-2

Last week we have start the study that shows that Jesus is 100% God and
100% man.  Many teachings in this century are influenced by the new age
religions that tries to make Jesus more of a man and less than a God.
Most of these teachings are trying to make people to be able to relate
or identify with Jesus by showing that he is more one of us, and less than a God.

Are these teachings correct?  Of course not!  But, what does it mean to
be both God and man?  When Jesus, a God, chooses to come to earth and
take a form of a man, does it mean during that time, He is not God?
No.  Even during the time when Jesus (the Word) became flesh and dwells
among us (man), He is still God.  Now, let us look at this illustration.  
There is a man that works for a Company A.  He is married to a beautiful wife.  
After several years of marriage, they  finally have a child.  
Now, when this man becomes a father, he is  still a husband and an employee.  
Becoming a father does not mean that he is not a husband or an employee anymore.  
Just like this  illustration, when Jesus takes on the form of a human being, 
he became a man, but that does not mean that He is not God anymore.  He is just  
as much of a God as He is before He incarnated and during his life  time as 
a human being and after He is back to heaven.

Friends, it is important to have an accurate understanding of our Lord,
Jesus.  There is an Indonesian saying, "Tak kenal maka tak  sayang."
(i.e., if you don't know a person that you can not love a person).  This
is the main reason why we need to know our Lord, for  this will deepen
our relationship and love for Him.

DAY 3  Description of Jesus
What is Jesus like?  Many arts picture Jesus as this blond hair man with
blue eyes.  He even has nails and fingers that are almost
like those of females:  long, soft and as if they were never used for
anything rough.  Is this the correct description of Jesus?

Actually the Bible gives very little description about His physical
characteristics.  Jesus is just an ordinary Jew that comes from
an ordinary (actually, rather poor) family.  There is nothing physically
about him that distinguishes him from any other Jews.  Being an
ordinary Jews, most probably he has black hair with black eyes.  Being a
son of a carpenter, most probably he has rather rough hands, instead
of long and soft hands.  He is just an ordinary man.

His beauty and distinguishing characteristic is not in His physical
appearance, but in his presence.  Anytime he is present, the people
around Him feels the difference.  This is what is called "glory".
"Glory" means "majestic presence."  Yes, this is His distinguishing
characteristic.  Whenever he is there, the people around him feels the
"majestic presence."

His majestic presence is especially displayed during his baptism,
during his death on the cross and during the transfiguration.  Even
the Roman soldier, an unbeliever, that watches his death on the cross
said, "Truly, He is the Son of God."  Even unbelievers can not deny
his glory, his majestic presence.

This is a more accurate description of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. Have you ever picture Jesus through his presence instead of his
physical characteristics?  We hope that through this lesson, we will
learn to know Him more.

The first reason is to fulfill the hunger in every man to know God.  We can go to the deepest
part of Africa, or to the remotest part of China, or to the most advance city in United States, we
see people wanting to worship a god.  Man is a worshipping being. Jesus took a form of a man so
that He can reveal God to man.

The second reason is so that He can perfectly identify with man.  Hebrew 2:18, "For in that He
Himself has suffered, being tempted, He is able to aid those who are tempted."  God in His infinite love,
however, has allowed Himself to suffer the full burnt of temptation.
The very Son of God humbled Himself, taking on all the limitations of  frail human flesh, and was
tempted in every way that we are.   Jesus knew what it was like to grow tired, to be hungry, to experience
the same limitations we have; yet He was without sin.  It is to this One that we turn when we are facing temptation.
Ours is not an  unsymphathetic God who is unconcerned with our struggle to live righteously, but we follow a
God who knows how difficult it is to resist sin and withstand temptation.  We can approach Christ
with confidence, knowing that He understands our plight.  He knows how to aid us when we are tempted.

Do you sometimes feel like God is distant and far away and does not understand what we are going through?
Don't feel this way!
Remember that God purposely want to become man, so that He can identify with us.

DAY 5
Why does Jesus chooses to become man? Yesterday we have seen that the
first reason is to fulfill man's
hunger to know God.  The second reason is to identify with man.  The
third reason is to fulfill God's judgement.

In 2 Cor 5:21, "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin fo us,  that
we might become the righteousness of God in Him."  This verse
should startle us can cause us to tremble.  It is not a verse to be
read quickly and passed over.  As Christians we are grateful to be
forgiven of our sins.  We are thankful we have been adopted as God's
children.  Yet we will never comprehend the awesome price that Jesus
paid to cleanse us of our sin and to give us His righteousness.  How
abhorrent was it for the sinless Son of God to have every sin
of humaniry placed upon Him?  What love was required for the Father to
watch His only Son bear the excruciating pain of our sin upon
the cross?

In this awesome exhcnage, God placed the sin of humanity upon His
righteous Son.  Jesus became so identified with our sin that
Scripture says God made Him to be sin on our behalf.  The Holy Son  of
God could not possible do more for s that this!  Experiencing the
Father's wrath upon the sin He carried would have bene more painful to
endure than any human rejection or physical suffering.

Never take the righteousness God has given you for granted.  Never take
the forgiveness of your sin lightly.  It cost God a terrible
price in order to forgive you and make you righteous.  Walk in a manner
worthy of the righteousness He has given you.

Disclaimer
This material is a summary of the message that was preached by Pastor
Jack Graham at Prestonwood Baptist Church.  The writer of this EBS
(Electronic Bible Study) made some changes and added some personal notes
that is necessary to customize this material into an electronic media, a
daily reading material and to better fit the audience.  The Prestonwood
Baptist Church is not affiliated in anyway with the Indonesian Christian
Fellowship of Fort Worth.

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