“Choose Well!”: Don’t Let “The Mysteries” Fill You With Doubt!

There’s a lot one could point to in the Bible, or about God, “ultimate questions”, and “the great unknown, by-and-by-in-the-sky” stuff of life, death, and in between. For the sake of brevity, let’s call this cloud of grayish matter, “mystery”.

“Mysteryyyyyy”…Even as I say the word, I heard a strange “Alfred Hitchcock echoing-whisper” in the background. Did you hear it?

Pastor Dwight L. Moody once said, “It’s not what I don’t know about the Bible that scares me; it’s what I do know!” And God has mercifully provided much, much more for His creatures to know… that’s worthy of our attention… than what’s not to know.

And yet I’m aware of many folks who tend to focus on the unknowable’s—maybe, just maybe—as the means to avoid the knowable’s, believable’s, and doable’s of the faith. RC Sproul once said, “I find most (apparently) intellectual objections to God and the Bible to actually be moral objections: We simply want to live our life the way we want to live it!”

Now, I don’t know much, period. But here’s one thing I do know: In the Bible Jesus Christ asked the Apostle Peter a question that is the most important question any human being throughout all the ages, past, present, and future can be asked, “’But what about you?” Jesus asked. ‘Who do you say I am?’” (Matthew 16:15).

Jesus Christ: Liar, Lunatic, or Lord?
The winning answer to the ultimate question of all questions that the Apostle Peter offered can be found in verse 16 of Matthew 16.

But I want to pose the question in another, loving, yet challenging way: “Have all of us given the historicity, widespread impact, and verifiable claims of Jesus Christ enough thought to eliminate all doubt about whether He was/is a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord and Savior He said He was?”

You see, Jesus Christ has to be “one of the above”. And even though there is lots non-contradictory evidence supporting the truth or falsehood of each one of the categories, liar, lunatic, or Lord, I would plead your indulgence to simply take a gander at some of Jesus’ claims of Himself below.

They might give you pause to look into the issue of “The Ultimate Question” deep enough to rest assured of the right answer… for time, and for eternity. The truth will indeed… set us free!!

“Who Do You Say I Am?”
“The seventy-two [disciples sent by Jesus to evangelize] returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” And He (Jesus) said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power ofthe enemy, andnothing shall hurt you. Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven” (Luke 10:17-20; emphasis added).

[Jesus said,] “All things have been handed over to me by my Father; and no one knows who the Son is except the Father, or who the Father is except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him” (Luke 10:22; emphasis added).

[Jesus said,] “I and the Father are one” (John 10:30; emphasis added).

[Jesus said,] “Whoever hates me hates my Father also” (John 15:23; emphasis added).

“Jesus remained silent and gave no answer. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” “I am,” said Jesus. “And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.” The high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we need any more witnesses?” he asked. “You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?”(Mark 14:61-64; emphasis added).

Please consider if these claims were made by any man. They were not made by just any man. But the very same GodMan Who will indeed not have to rehearse this line in anticipation of asking it to EveryMan when each one of us will stand face-to-face in the last day. I was never well-prepared as a student. But this one is one that I’m not going to fail at!

“Simon Peter answered, ‘You are the Christ, the Son of the living God’” (Matthew 16:16).

“Bingo! “LORD” Wins!!!” Only a God of mercy provides the answer before the final exam is given… Please rest assured… “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6).

Until we chew on some chow again real soon, “Run the good race…” (Hebrews 12:1),
JohnDoz