Tag Archives: 40 Days

Jesus 40 – The New Commandment

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There are 2 basics to being a Christian. First, you have to love Christ.  That has been what today and the previous 39 days of blogs have been about.  I wanted to show Jesus off in many different ways for people to see a portion of who Jesus Christ is.  The second thing is what my next blog series will be about and it was one of the last things that Jesus commanded His disciples.  He wanted them to understand and be obvious to others by an attitude.

John 13:33-35

[33] Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ [34] A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. [35] By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.

How We Are To Be Known
Jesus had a plan for how we would be known.  It wasn’t by wearing Christian T-Shirts.  It wasn’t by listening to only Christian Music.  It wasn’t by the things we protest or the things we are against.  Jesus wanted His followers to be known by one particular thing: LOVE.  Specifically, love for each other.

I hate to say it, but this is lacking in most churches.  It’s lacking in most Christians.  Sure we love the people it is easy for us to love.  We love the people who are nice to us and give us things.  We love the people who are our friends and family, but do we really love?  I mean REALLY love all other followers of Jesus Christ.   It’s been well said that the Church is the only army that shoots it’s wounded.  We are supposed to look different from the world, but loving each other, lifting each other up, and standing united.  That’s what my next series will be about.  It’s the last thing I want to leave you with in this series.

Loving Jesus means loving each other.  We’ve got to learn that…

Christ is all,

Jason

Jesus 39 – Take Up Your Cross

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In my office I have a picture of the electric chair hanging.  When people see it they have varying reaction.
  • “Why do you have that?”
  • “What is that all about?”
  • “Jason, you’re a Student Pastor, that’s not very upbeat?”
  • “I thought pictures were supposed to be inspirational, why do you have that?”
They’re right, it isn’t upbeat and on the surface it doesn’t appear inspirational, but it reminds me of these verses and my responsibility as a believer in Jesus Christ.
Luke 9.23-27
[23] And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. [24] For whoever would save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it. [25] For what does it profit a man if he gains the whole world and loses or forfeits himself? [26] For whoever is ashamed of me and of my words, of him will the Son of Man be ashamed when he comes in his glory and the glory of the Father and of the holy angels. [27] But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who will not taste death until they see the kingdom of God.”
An Explanation
Today the cross has become a decoration or a nice piece of jewelry.  My wedding ring has the cross on it.  From where I’m writing in my house I can see our cross wall of decorative and well adorned crosses.  They are beautiful.  That isn’t what Jesus was talking about though.  He also wasn’t talking about a cross as a burden to bear.  It isn’t something you have to deal with that is hard like a learning disability, an elderly loved one, or financial problems.  The cross in Jesus’ understanding and for everyone who would hear him speak wasn’t a decoration or a burden, but a means of execution.  It was a place of pain and degradation that ultimately ends in death.
2 Things In Following Jesus
First, Jesus says if you want to follow Him then you need to deny your selfish, personal desires.  Lately, when explaining this to people, I’ve been calling this the death of our own desires.  We have to lay them down, every one of them that might not be part of our life with Jesus.  Even good ones like great career paths, colleges, financial investments, and the like.  Our desires must die and His desires must overtake us.  Like John the Baptist said “He must increase and I must decrease”.
Second, To follow Him doesn’t just mean letting go of our desires, but being willing to die.  You have to be willing to not only let go of your personal hopes and dreams, but of you…Following Jesus could cost you everything…even your own heartbeat…even your brain function.  That’s how the hearers of Jesus would have taken this teaching and that is how we have to take it as well.
The cross isn’t a decoration, but a means of execution.  In your following of Jesus are you taking up your cross?  Are you ready to let go of your desires?  Are you ready to let go of your life?
Reflection Questions
  • What good desires do you have?  Have they been placed in you by God?
  • How have you viewed the cross up until this point?  How do you view it now?
  • How is your following of Jesus going?  Are you letting go of desires?  Are you walking bravely ready to let go of your life?

Christ is all,

Jason

Jesus 38 – Wipeout

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Have you seen Wipeout on ABC?  I love it.  I love watching people subject themselves to pain and humiliation for the prospect of winning some money.  I love watching people run across the big red balls, I’ve only seen a couple people actually make it.

Normally they hit two, slip, and bust into the 3rd one and flip into the water below them.  Last week they had a “travel challenge” where the contestants were having to run on a slippery treadmill trying to last the longest.  While the contestants are running there is someone above them throwing full-size suitcases at them.  Hilarious!  I was literally laughing out loud (LOL, for you obsessive texters).  My favorite though is this one where all the contestants are competing at the same time and there is this rotating arm in the center.   They are trying to get to the other side, but the rotating arm keeps knocking them off.  Last night I saw one instance where there were 5 contestants going at once and in one huge swoop knocked off every last one of them.  Every challenger was “wiped out”.  In that moment I knew how to bring out the following Scripture.

Colossians 2.13-15

[13] And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, [14] by canceling the record of debt that stood against us with its legal demands. This he set aside, nailing it to the cross. [15] He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him.

Verse 14 says that God canceled the record of debt that stood against us.  He wiped it out.  He cleared our record forever to never be brought up again.  The way He did it though was at great cost to Himself and His son.  He wiped our records clean by…nailing them to the cross.  He wiped out our record of lust, lies, greed, idolatry, addiction, and more with a simple act: driving nails into a cross.  The nails going into the cross though were going through the wrists and feet of His Son.  Each hammer strike down pushed our sin on top of Jesus.  Isaiah says that He was “pierced for our transgressions”.  That isn’t figurative.  That’s literal.  His body was pierced for our sins.  That’s how our sin debts: past, present and future were wiped out. By nails into a perfect Savior, into a wooden cross, leading to His death.

Your record is clear…if you believe…do you?

Reflection Questions

  1. Have you put your faith and trust in Jesus Christ?  Have your sin debts been canceled?  What would stop you from doing it now?  I’d love to help you you can email me at: jcrandall@fbcpearland.org
  2. What were the sins that you were saved from?  What things did He forgive in you?  What were you before you trusted in Jesus Christ?  (This is an act of remembering for the purpose of worship, not reminiscence; don’t dwell on your former sins; praise Jesus you aren’t subject to them any more)
  3. What sins do you continue to strike nails into Jesus wrists?  What transgressions will you not leave nailed to the cross?  Why don’t you confess, and move on from them?  Get accountability

Christ is all,

Jason

Jesus 37 – ”You…Complete…Me” – BARF!

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Do you remember seeing Jerry Maguire?  I think everyone has been subjected to that movie at one point or another.  I remember the previews for it.  It highlighted football and sports, but it was a bait-and-switch.  It was just a way to get guys to go to a chick-flick without letting us know that was what was going on.  I remember seeing it with a bunch of friends and my girlfriend at the time.  I was in high school and dated this girl on and off for a while.  She had recently made me angry (a whole other story).  You know that part where Tom Cruise comes in the door towards the end of the movie and finds Renee Zellweger and makes this excessively sappy, romantic speech and at the end says “you complete me.”
Right then my girlfriend turned to me and said, “Jason, do I complete you?”
This would have been a great time to get over the thing that she had done to make me angry and bring our relationship to a stronger level.
I had a really simple answer, “No”.  Needless to say that relationship was over, for good, soon thereafter.
I wasn’t a Christian then, but I was pretty accurate in what I said.  I found that out a few years later when I was reading through Colossians…
Colossians 2.8-10
[8] See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. [9] For in him the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, [10] and you have been filled [completed] in him, who is the head of all rule and authority.
I just want to zero in on verse 10.  I wasn’t completed in my girlfriend.  I love Allie, but I’m not completed in her.  I’m not completed by my friends.  I’m not completed by my success.  I’m not completed by money.  I’m not completed by stuff.  I am lacking in so many ways, but in Jesus Christ (and ONLY in Jesus Christ) I have been completed.
I Am Filled Up
I remember growing up with a deep sense of emptiness.  I had a good family, never lacked for anything I needed, but I remember feeling something missing. The hole that I had felt my whole life was filled in my relationship with Jesus Christ.  An ancient theologian, Augustine, once said that every human has a hole, a God-Shaped hole and we try to fill that hole with everything we can come up with.  People throw ambition, sex, power, money, etc. down that hole and it doesn’t do much more than the “Top-Kill Method” or any other thing they’ve tried to do to stop the massive oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico.  Nothing fills that infinite hole inside of me.  Nothing fills it, except my relationship with the infinite.
Let me be clear: NOTHING IN THIS EARTH WILL GIVE YOU SATISFACTION…NOTHING, BUT JESUS CHRIST!  No girl or guy, no job or degree, no amount of success or ability.  Nothing but Jesus Christ.
Reflection Questions

  • What are you trying to throw down your God-shaped hole?  What things in your life are you trying to force into completing you?
  • Have you been completed in Jesus Christ?  When?  Have you drifted from allowing Him to be your all-in-all?
  • What can you do in your context to allow yourself to be filled up with Christ?

Christ is all,

Jason

Jesus 36 – Branches

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My wife and I have a nice, small house.  We have manageable payments that don’t stress us out month to month. Our backyard isn’t huge, but gives us a place for my son to run around and play in the sprinkler.  I grill back there on a cheap charcoal grill, some experiences are better than others in my grilling world.  My front yard isn’t big, but we do have 2 trees.  Recently, I noticed my trees were looking more like bushes then trees because I’d never trimmed or pruned them for which I was chastised by our Homeowners Association.  In trimming my trees I noticed branches growing up high (where they should grow) and a weird branch growing not 2 feet off the ground.  The branches up high were producing leaves and some berries, the branch down low looked kind of weird and had some leaves on it, but the part of the tree where that branch was looked almost rotten.  I explored that branch a little closer and found that it had a separate root system and had grown up and kind of attached itself to my tree.  It wasn’t really part of my tree, but through the 4 years of us living there and me never trimming my tree this branch was making my tree sick and wasn’t even part of the tree.

John 15.1-5

[15:1] “I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. [2] Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. [3] Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. [4] Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. [5] I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
(John 15:1-5 ESV)

A Little Explanation

Jesus is talking here and comparing Himself to the vine.  He’s calling God the Father the vinedresser or gardener. And He’s calling people branches.  Branches that don’t bear fruit the Gardener takes away.  Branches that do bear fruit get pruned by the Gardener for the purpose of bearing more fruit.  There are only two options for branches (aka people) who have some sort of affinity for this vine (Jesus).  Branches should realize that their strength and ability to grow and do meaningful things doesn’t come from them, but comes from the vine.

Application Time

  • REMOVED BRANCHES – So there are branches that are taken away.  These branches or people are people who really have not real attachment to Jesus.  They are people who have liked something about church, they’ve enjoyed some good talks about Jesus, and He sounds good to them.  The problem is they have never put themselves IN Jesus.  They have never really been part of the vine.  They look good like they are part of the tree they will even act like they are part of the tree, but under close examination they are actually trying to do their own thing, worshiping something different (themselves, other people’s opinions, money, etc), and are just a pretend part of the vine.  Just like my tree.
  • PRUNED BRANCHES – There are only two options, either branches are removed or they are pruned so that they can do more.  Guess what this means…sometimes we have to go through some very serious stuff.  Sometimes we have to go through some very painful times.  Sometimes the Lord puts us through things that don’t seem like they are right or fair, but He does it for a purpose.  He puts us in circumstances, takes things, jobs (and sometimes people), and allows big hurts and bloody wounds in our lives.  He does it to grow us more.  He does it to make us accomplish more.  He lets these things happen so that the branch will grow more fruit and make this vine more amazing.

I don’t know what you are dealing with right now.  I don’t know if you are in a time of fruit growing and so there isn’t much pruning going on or if you are in the throws of something big and bad.  I know this that if you are in Jesus you will bear fruit and you will be pruned.  Realize it, understand it, and…LOVE IT!  It means you are part of the vine.

Reflection Questions

  • Have you ever had to deal with a time of pruning? What was it like?
  • What kind of fruit are you bearing (Galatians 5.22-24)?
  • Is God pruning you right now?  How?  What is he removing from you?  Is it painful

Christ is all,

Jason


Jesus 35 – Light

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When I was a child and my family and I would go out to eat we’d often come home to a dark house.  For whatever reason I was terrified.  I hated that.  I always felt like there was someone in our house trying to hurt us.  I’m also not one to run away from something, so I’d take my baseball bat and go from room to room turning on every light in the house.

Family room (turn the lights on), then the kitchen(turn the lights on), then the dining room (turn the lights on) and be sure to look under the big dining room table.  Then I’d hit the living room (turn the lights on), during Christmas time I’d have to look behind our big tree to make sure no one was hiding there.  Then I go upstairs.  I check my brothers room first (turn the lights on), then the guest room (turn the lights on), then the guys bathroom (turn the lights on), then my room (turn the lights on) and check inside my closet carefully.  Then the final step…my parents room.  I’d turn on their light and look in, then I’d open their closet and turn the lights on, then the final spot my mom’s bathroom.  First, I’d turn on the regular bathroom light, if that checked out (which it always did) then I would flip on the light in her shower.  I was ready to bolt if I saw a shadow.  There was never a problem.  There was never anybody hiding there trying to get my family.  I did this just about every time I would come home.  Recently, I was home visiting and without even realizing it I did the exact same thing…(I’m 29).

I did all of that craziness and literally turning on every light in the house because nothing can be hidden in the light.  No burglar, kidnapper, or other malefactor can hide when the light is there because light shines and light exposes.

Matthew 5.14-16

14“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.15 Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.

Light shines and light exposes and get this…if you claim Jesus as Lord…YOU ARE LIGHT!  If you are a believer in Jesus Christ then you are more than just salt (click here to see yesterday).  You are also light.  Jesus wants us to grasp some realities concerning our “lighthood”:

  1. You should be obvious to your surroundings – In the ancient world cities that were set on hills were stalwarts.  They were strong and difficult to overrun.  They were powerful and obvious.  We need to be powerful and obvious about who we are.
  2. You don’t hide light – Putting a light under a basket is a ridiculous idea.  Thats Jesus’ idea.  If you are light you don’t hide yourself.  You don’t mask yourself with the things of this world and worldly lusts and desires.  Light doesn’t hide.  Instead…
  3. You show light off – Light should standout and when it does it benefits the whole house.  When light is shown off then it let’s the whole house (and even the shower in my mom’s bathroom) be seen clearly.

Light It Up

Be obvious, don’t hide, show off the light inside of you to others.  Let them see who you are.  Let them see what you are.  Let people see who you are in such a way that your Father in Heaven gets credit. This isn’t combatant, but it is permeating.  We don’t bring glory to our Father by being jerks with who we are, we bring glory by lighting up a lost and dying world with the message of the cross, by lighting up our neighborhoods with kindness and love.  Maybe then people would ask us about the hope that you have inside of you and where they can get some of that light.

Reflection Questions

  • Do your friends, neighbors, family members know you are a believer in Jesus?
  • Do you ever try to hide your following of Christ from others?  Why?
  • How can you show off your light to others today?  tomorrow? This week?

Christ is all,

Jason

Jesus 34 – SALT

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When I first got married I noticed something about Allie (click her for a rave about my wife).  She loves Jesus. She was and is beautiful. She is an avid reader.  She’s very sweet and intensely loyal.  I knew those things before we got married, but something else became obvious…she put salt on EVERYTHING!  Vegetables, meat, soup, tacos, cereal (ok, not cereal, that would be weird).  She loves salt.  When she got pregnant with Drew she had to go on a low sodium diet.  That was torture for her (but great for her blood pressure)!  Salt is a key ingredient to just about everything we bake or cook.  It’s one of the most important items to have in a kitchen.  Jesus compared his followers to salt in Matthew 5

[13] “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet.  (Matthew 5.13)

Salt has three main uses.

  1. Flavor – Salt brings flavor to what we eat.  It makes it taste better it seasons and make food more enjoyable
  2. Slowing Decay – Salt is also used to slow the decay of meats and fish.

So when Jesus says that we are the salt of the earth He’s saying that His followers are going to bring flavor here to the Earth.  Followers of Jesus necessarily have to be different than the world surrounding them.  Paul says in Corinthians that when we know Jesus Christ we are a brand new creature (2 Corinthians 5.17).  Sadly, many Christians today are forgetting their saltiness.  They’re forgetting what makes them special or what Peter calls peculiar (1 Peter 2.9).  We see things differently.  We have redeemed eyes and are supposed to bring who we are into this world for the purpose of bringing Christ to people who don’t know Him.  Salt isn’t any good when it’s lost it’s flavor.

Salt brings flavor, but also slows decay.  This is an old technique used to preserve food.  We are here to not only be different from the world, but to slow the decay of the world.  The Lord has placed us here for us to slow the degradation of society.  I coined a term for this “be who you are, where you are” sharing yourself with the people around you.  That includes our thoughts (presented lovingly and prayerfully), our politics (ALSO presented lovingly and prayerfully), but most importantly our relationship with Jesus Christ.  We are supposed to be what we are, where we are and in doing that we’ll help our society, our neighbors, and be more like Jesus Christ.

Reflection Questions

  • Are you living a salty life?
  • Who do you resemble more the world or Jesus?
  • How are you flavoring our world for Jesus?
  • How are you slowing decay for the name of Jesus?

Christ is all,

Jason

Jesus 33 – The One We Worship

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Have you ever met a guy completely obsessed with his college football team?

Or the older woman who knows EVERYTHING about the latest in home decorating?

Or maybe the the tween who knows everything about Harry Potter?

The man who is consumed with the next rung of the ladder at work?

The college girl who dates every good guy that comes around?

The college guy obsessed with his grades?

Or the wife who spends all day, everyday spinning after her family?

Maybe you’ve met those people.  Maybe you are those people…

Nothing Wrong With It
There’s nothing wrong with loving your job, loving sports, wanting good grades, dating good guys (unless you are a guy), wanting to take care of your family, or liking home decor.  There’s nothing wrong with those things, but are they exactly the right thing?  Are they where you spend your heart, your toil, you life energy, your emotion primarily?  If they are…

Some other people had the same problem.  First century Christians had the same problem.  They got focused on things other than Jesus.  They started plowing into angels.  They became obsessed with these beings that are majestic, powerful, watching out for us, and sit in God’s presence.  There was nothing wrong with them learning about angels, but when there sincere desire to learn became something took their focus off of Christ the author of Hebrews brings them back.

Hebrews 1.1-4

[1:1] Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, [2] but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. [3] He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, [4] having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

The author brings them back to the one who actually deserves this focus, actually deserves this thought – The Son of God, The Radiance of God’s Glory, The EXACT imprint of His nature.  The writer brings the people back to what really matters.  He brings them back to the Superior one Jesus Christ.

Reflection Questions

  • What are you obsessed with?  What monopolizes your time and energy?
  • In comparison how much time do you spend in devotions everyday?
  • Do you need to refocus?  May I suggest starting with John 1 and just reading it through?  You can check into these blogs from the beginning too (they are all about Jesus).

Additional Reading

  • The rest of Hebrews 1
  • Maybe John

Christ is all,

Jason

Jesus 32 – Leadership

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Leadership is a major topic of discussion in the world today.  What makes a good leader?  What do you need to do to be a successful leader?  What is leadership?
A quick search of Amazon.com on the topic of Leadership returns 62,237 possible entries!  There are many ideas on leadership and a huge number of thoughts available.  Writers like John Maxwell, Rudolph Giuliani, the late John Wooden, and Andy Stanley litter my shelves.  With so many thoughts and ideas how are we supposed to lead those within our sphere of influence.
Let’s take it to Jesus
Mark 10.42-45
[42] And Jesus called them to him and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. [43] But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, [44] and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. [45] For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
Leadership for Jesus didn’t have anything to do with power over others, ambition or advancement.  Leadership for Jesus was service.  Leadership for Jesus was slavery.  Leadership for Jesus meant His life as a ransom for many.  As a result the largest organization (organism might be a better term) the world has ever known has grown exponentially from Him until this very day.
  • Jesus
  • 12 Disciples
  • 120 In the Upper Room in Acts 1
  • 3000 On The Day of Pentecost
  • Over 1 Billion in the world today who claim the name of Jesus

The leadership style of Jesus was servanthood.  He served His disciples and showed it when He washed their feet.  All of them: Peter, John, James…even Judas.  Jesus served everyone, even the one who would betray Him.  This is leadership to Jesus and most of the business books out there are discovering that this is best way to lead as well.

Reflection Questions:

  • Who do you lead?  Who do you have some influence over?
  • How is your leadership of them going?  How could it improve?
  • Are you practicing servant leadership in that context?

Christ is all,

Jason


Jesus 31 – Warrior Jesus

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There is a lot going on right in our country’s military concerning the war in Afghanistan.  Recently, four star general Stanley McChrystal recently resigned his command in Afghanistan.  I don’t know your feelings on the subject, but from what I’ve heard about his troops they aren’t very happy about it.  From what I’ve read General McChrystal was a warrior general.  He didn’t hang out in the air-conditioned areas of their command outpost unless it was absolutely necessary.  General McChrystal was on the ground with his troops.  It wasn’t uncommon to find him in the trenches right next to his soldiers who fought so hard for our country.

That’s the kind of Savior we have.  That’s the kind of Warrior King we have in Jesus Christ.  I hate the portrayals of Jesus with glassy eyes, long brown dirty blonde hair, and a shepherd’s staff.  I think those pictures don’t capture who Jesus really was.  I want to see a picture hanging in a church that looks like Revelation 19 – Warrior Jesus.

Revelation 19 – Warrior Jesus (Bold Italics are my emphasis)

[11] Then I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse! – He’s the good guy

The one sitting on it is called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he judges and makes war. – He’s not coming for a tea party

[12] His eyes are like a flame of fire, – I remember when I would get in trouble the look in my dad’s eyes.  Do you remember that?  Jesus’ eyes aren’t just intense looking.  They resemble fire.  His eyes are ferocious.

and on his head are many diadems, – diadems are crowns.  So Jesus is wearing many crowns on His head.  I don’t know if these are stacked, spread around his head or what, but it’s showing that He is the King of every kingdom and the ruler of EVERY domain.

and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. – Jesus has a codename.  He has this name and nobody knows it but Him.

[13] He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, – A robe dipped in blood isn’t like the tip of the robe is dipped in blood.  This is the ENTIRE robe is dipped in blood.  He’s serious and scary.

STOP – so are you getting the picture.  He’s on a white horse, He’s intense, His eyes are raging, He’s ruler of everything, He’s got a codename and the robe He’s wearing is drenched in blood.  That’s a pretty intimidating figure, huh?  Doesn’t seem glassy-eyed and weak, does he?  Let’s go on.

and the name by which he is called is The Word of God. [14] And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. – In Isaiah 6 one of these angels calls from one end of Heaven to the other and when this angel calls the entire threshold of Heaven shakes.  That’s just one angel.  Jesus isn’t coming by himself.  He’s coming with an army of enormous angels behind Him.  He’s leading the charge.  He isn’t just loved by his troops, He stands in front of His troops taking them to battle.

[15] From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, – He’s coming with a weapon.  The weapon is in His mouth.  The weapon is there to destroy those nations that rage against Him.  He is a warrior with power and might.

and he will rule them with a rod of iron. – Jesus is going to rule over the nations with a rod of power.  He’s the one in control.  Nobody else gets His power.

He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. – This is a way of saying that Jesus is going to exact the revenge due.

[16] On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.  - Jesus has a name written on his blood soaked robe and on His thigh.  The word for thigh there is the actual anatomical thigh.  So, that’s right, Jesus has a tattoo on his thigh.

Pretty Amazing
He doesn’t really look like those weird pictures does He?  He doesn’t really look like a weak guy.  He looks powerful and scary.  There’s something else though.  He’s a warrior, but He’s a warrior for those who would trust in Him.

[11] But the LORD is with me as a dread warrior;
therefore my persecutors will stumble;
they will not overcome me.
They will be greatly shamed,
for they will not succeed.
Their eternal dishonor
will never be forgotten.
(Jeremiah 20:11 ESV)

Warrior Jesus is fighting for those who trust in Him.  He is fighting to setup His Kingdom where we have a part.  Warrior Jesus is a dread warrior for you.  He can overcome.  He can fight.  He can win!  Through Him, you can win.

Reflection Questions

  • What was your perception of Jesus before reading Revelation 19?  What is it now?
  • When you think of Jesus now, how should you think of Him?
  • Where do you need a warrior in your life?  What battles need to be won?

Christ is all,

Jason