Episode 2 - Who is the Master

It is logical that if we are to walk with our Master, we should know who He is and what He teaches.

In this episode I introduce a bit about Jesus.  This is just a summary.   The study of Jesus and His teachings, especially how to apply them in our life is a life-time study.  He teachings don't change, but we change as we grow older and have more life experiences.  The application of His teachings may be applied in different ways to our life.

I encourage you to join us in this wonderful journey of learning about and following our Master, Jesus Christ.

I invite you to follow our podcast and share it with others as together we walk with our Master.

The Prattville family meets at 344 East Main Street, Prattville, AL. Our web site is: https://prattvillechurch.org.

And please, leave feedback using the link above.

Transcript

Hello friends, I'm your host Dave Laton and welcome to Walking With Our Master, an outreach of the Prattville Church of Christ designed to inform, encourage, and teach as we walk with the King. 

 In this episode I want to discuss just a bit about our Master.  

 First, our Master, Lord, King, and Savior is Jesus the Christ.  

 As the Apostle Paul was writing to his protegee Timothy, he referred to Jesus as the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings, and Lord of lords. (1 Timothy 6:15).  

 That is only one verse expressing who Jesus is as our Lord and King.  There are many others that state who He is, what he did and does, and why He is worthy of our loyalty and praise.

 We also read where the Apostle John makes a statement in his gospel about all that Jesus did during His time on earth.  In John 21:25 John says,

 "And there are also many other things which Jesus did, the which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that even the world itself could not contain the books that should be written. Amen."

 Given what we do have in scripture, we can't possibly cover all of the life and teachings of Jesus in this episode, so I want to provide a summary of who He is.  My intent is that you will be interested in taking the lifetime journey of learning who our King is, what He teaches, and how to apply it to your life.  As part of later episodes, we will look more about Jesus and his specific teachings. 

 First, being a Christian is about living a life that is completely focused on following the teachings of Jesus.  We do so because salvation from our sins is found only in Jesus Christ.  Jesus himself stated this in John 14:6,

 Jesus was speaking with his apostles just prior to His arrest.  He says,

 "Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

 Paul later described Jesus as a cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).  A corner stone is the main part of a foundation upon which a structure is built.  So, Jesus as our corner stone is the foundation in whom we put our faith.  

 Peter also stated this in 1 Peter 2:7-8.  He says, "The stone which the builders rejected, this became the very cornerstone."

 The writer of the book of Hebrews describes Jesus as the Author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2 - KJV).   The English standard version describes this as the founder and perfector of our faith.  

 We learn from these passages and other ones, both in the Old Testament and New Testament, that Jesus is the only source upon which we are saved from our sin and reconciled back to God.

 The name of Jesus is one of the most well-known names throughout the world.  Even people who do not believe that Jesus is the Son of God recognize the name.  Some today call Jesus a prophet along with many other prophets from the Bible and history.  During his time on earth some thought Jesus was John the Baptist come back to life or the prophet Elijah reborn, or other well-known prophets and spiritual people.  But to those that follow Jesus and believe in the Bible, Jesus is the Son of God.  And he is also the savior of mankind first promised by God in Genesis 3:15.

 Jesus is known by a variety of names or titles.  For example, other than his name, he is also known as the Christ.  The word Christ means the Messiah, or savior.  Sometimes he is referred to as Jesus, sometimes Christ, and sometimes, Jesus Christ.  All are acceptable names for the same person.  But Christ is a title that describes his role in saving mankind.

 Other names include Emmanuel which means God with us.  He is known as teacher, rabbi, and Lord.  The surrounding verses in scripture and the events in which he is talked about give us insights into how and why a specific name or title is being used.

 Just a point of interest, Although His name Jesus was used frequently, the only time in scripture where someone directly addresses Jesus by only his first name Jesus was when one of the criminals that was crucified with him spoke to him.  Remember what he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.  That was a remarkable moment during the final period of Jesus' life and ministry.  It was one more chance for Jesus to act in His role as both man and God.  And we know His response to the criminal.  He granted his wish telling him that today he would be with him in paradise.  I find that as one of the most remarkable events in the life of Christ.

Scripture and history show us that Jesus was born in Bethlehem, a small town south of Jerusalem.  The land at the time of his birth was under the control of the Roman government.  He was raised by his mother, Mary and his earthly father, Joseph.  Because King Herod wanted to kill Jesus, the family moved to Egypt shortly after Jesus was born.  Later His parents moved back and settled in the town of Nazareth, where Jesus grew up.  That is why He is sometimes called “Jesus of Nazareth.”  

 We only know two things about Jesus as he was growing up.  First, we know Jesus also worked as a carpenter like his father (Mark 6:3).  It was common for a son to continue in the family business.  

 The second event is found in Luke 2:41-52.  This happened when Jesus was 12 years old.  Each year the family traveled to Jerusalem to observe the Passover Feast.  This event commemorated the Jews freedom from Egyptian slavery.  When the family left, Jesus remained in the temple discussing scripture with the Jewish teachers.  That is where his parents found him after three days.  Scripture states that the teachers were amazed at the level of understanding Jesus had of scripture at such an early age.

 So, these two events are all we have in scripture about the early life of Jesus.  We might wonder why there is so little about his boyhood.  But remember, what was important was what He taught and how He lived during His ministry years.

 When Jesus was about thirty years old, He began to teach and to do miracles that proved he was who he claimed to be, the Son of God.  This period is sometimes called his “earthly ministry.”  During his earthly ministry he had many people that believed he was the messiah, the promised deliverer.  These people became what we know as disciples.  A disciple is someone who follows the teachings of someone.  We too become His disciples when we begin to study our Lord and obey what He teaches.    From these early disciples he chose 12 men to be his apostles.  An apostle is a messenger and speaks on behalf of the one they follow.  The apostles, except Judas Iscariot, would later take the message of Jesus to all the world.  Today we learn about Jesus from the writings of some of these apostles and some of the early disciples.

 During his earthly ministry, Jesus taught many things that were different than what the people of that time had been taught.  They knew the words from scripture, but He brought true meaning to them.  One famous event known as the Sermon on the Mount found in chapters 5, 6, and 7 of the gospel of Matthew.  In this sermon; Jesus said several times that they had heard something but that He said something quite differently.  It wasn't that he stated it differently, but that he showed the true meaning behind what was taught.

 Because of his teachings many people followed him.  He also performed many miracles to heal people, feed people, and to show his love and compassion.  But most of all He did these things to show that he was who he claimed to be.  

 Even with His incredible knowledge and insights, as well as His miracles, some of the people did not believe who Jesus was.  Some of these were many of the leaders of the Jewish faith.  These men were teachers and other officials called by different titles.  Some were called Pharisees.  Others were called Scribes.  And others were called Priests and synagogue leaders.  Because of His popularity and success these Jewish leaders became jealous and resented Jesus.  They soon looked for ways to discredit him and to have him killed.  We don’t truly know why but one of Jesus’ apostles, Judas Iscariot, eventually betrayed him to the Jewish leaders.  They had Jesus arrested, put on trial, and executed by crucifying him on a cross.  Crucifixion is an incredibly brutal Roman form of punishment where a person is nailed to a cross shaped structure and tortured until they die.  

 One thing that is important to note about the death of Jesus is that it was more than the physical pain he suffered on the cross.  He also suffered separation from God for the first and only time in eternity.  As He was dying on the cross, one of the last statements he made was, "My God, My God, why have you forsaken me."  

 And finally, he cried out, "It is finished."

 We generally think that death is the end of a person's story.  And to those who falsely accused Him and had him put to death, that was what they thought.  But for Jesus, this is not so.  Jesus told his disciples that after three days following his death, he would come back to life.  Sure enough, as He said would happen, three days after he was buried Jesus rose from the dead.  And for the next 40 days he was seen by many people, sometimes by individuals, sometimes by small groups, and sometimes by large groups.  He continued to teach and prepare his apostles and disciples for their role after he returned to God in heaven.  After that 40-day period, he went to the Mount of Olives outside of Jerusalem with only his remaining apostles and gave them his final instructions.  Part of these final instructions is found in Matthew 28:18-20.  It says,

 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.  And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

 More insights about this is given in Acts 1:8. It says,

 "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

 After giving them this final instruction he rose into heaven.  While the apostles were looking up to try to see him and angel appeared to them and told them that one day Jesus would come back just as they saw him leaving. 

 So the life of Jesus spanned a period of approximately 33 years.  During that time, we learned who he was, his purpose, and his teachings.  

 But even his return to heaven is not the end of the story.  He will return someday as he promised.  And when he returns, those that are faithful to His teachings will be taken to heaven with Him.  In the meantime, we continue to learn from Jesus how to become His disciple and how to live as citizens in His kingdom.  We study scripture and put into practice His teachings.  We also teach others so they too can become a part of Jesus and walk with him as their Lord, King, and Master.

 I hope you will continue to learn about Jesus and obey His teachings.  That is our mission as we faithfully walk with our master. 

 Well friends, I'm your host Dave Laton.  Thank you for joining us in this podcast.  I hope you will continue to do so. If you wish to share with me something from your walk with our Master or you want to learn more, please email me at: walkingwithourmaster@gmail.com.

 I invite you to follow our podcast and share it with others as together we walk with our Master.  And until next time, remember, we give all glory to God the Father.