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The Meaning of His Name

Matthew 1:18-25

She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” (Matthew 1:21 – NASB)

His name means: Saviour

That is His business – saving people from sin.

You know nothing about Jesus until you know this one essential fact about Him – He is a Saviour. He came to save from sin. What is more, He came to save you from sin. If you think of Jesus in any other way, your thinking is all wrong. You won’t get any real benefit out of your religion if you do not begin first with this basic reality – Jesus came to save you from sin. If you evade this you will end up with a set of rules, and an empty heart.

You have got to see Jesus as the One Who saves from sin, and you as the one who needs saving. Any other idea is a shadow of what Christianity is all about.

It is entirely right to see Jesus as a Comfort in the time of trouble.

It is wonderful to turn to Him as a Friend, closer than a brother.

It is admirable to see Him as your Guide, and as your Shepherd.

First and foremost you need to see Him as Your Saviour, or you do not know Him at all; you have never understood the purpose of His coming. As a result you will find your religious life, if you have any at all, to be dry, inadequate, and without any power at all.

I never understood rreligion;

I knew not anything,

Until I knew that Christ died

To save me from my sin – Christopher Shennan.

 Please check out my books at My website: http://www.christophershennan.ca
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CNShennan
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The Name of Jesus by Art4TheGlryOfGod by Sharon. Copyright. Used under the CC BY-ND 2.0 license; please note the Disclaimer at this final link. No changes were made to the image.

A Slave or Free?

A Slave or Free?

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                For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (Romans 8:2 – NASB)

The 4th of July is the day Americans celebrate when they made a D.I, or Declaration of Independence from the king of England.

Just north of the land of my birth is a land that was known as Rhodesia. In my youth I was able to follow in the news what happened when the Prime Minister of that country, Ian Smith, made a UDI, or Unilateral declaration of Independence.

In the Scriptures we are to stand fast and declare our own independence from bondage under the Law, since Christ has made us free. In other words, we can, in a spiritual sense, make our own UDI, a Unilateral Declaration of Independence. In Christ, we are free from the law of sin and death; we are free from the bondage of the law:

It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery.  (Galatians 5:1 – NASB)

But there is another side to that coin.  From another perspective we can also make a UDD, a Unilateral Declaration of Dependence. For, though we have total freedom in Christ, we are also absolutely dependent upon Father, Son, and Holy Spirit for everything we need to live a Godly life, and for every spiritual blessing in the Heavenly places.  It is a kind of paradox: In order to be independent, we need to be absolutely dependent upon God.

All of this prompts, in my mind at least, the question, “What in the world has happened to us to render us both slaves and freedmen? We can, at the same time, be independent and dependent?

You see, we’re operating in an entirely different realm here, in which opposite realities can be true at one and the same time. Under God’s love and mercy we can absolutely free, so long as we make ourselves slaves to the truth and mercy of God.

Declaration of Independence

© Sunday 2^nd November 2014 – by Christopher Shennan

For the law of the Spirit of life ^[a]in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. (Romans 8:2 – NASB)

The lies of the enemy enslave us;

And declare we can never be set free,

That sin and death will always master us –

But that is just not good enough for me.

In Christ I declare I’m independent,

Of the ravages of sin and of death;

For I’ve made myself ever dependent

Upon the Christ Who has given me breath.

The law of the Spirit of Life is mine,

It has set me free from the law of sin;

God has given me the taste of new wine,

And by trusting Him fully I can win.

Christ did not die so sin could enslave me;

Instead I receive all that He gave me.

Check out my books for sale at: My website: http://www.christophershennan.ca
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“Dunlap broadside copy of the United States Declaration of Independence, LOC” by John Dunlap; text by Thomas Jefferson et al. – http://lcweb2.loc.gov/cgi-bin/ampage?collId=rbc3&fileName=rbc0001_2004pe76546page.db. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia Commons – http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Dunlap_broadside_copy_of_the_United_States_Declaration_of_Independence,_LOC.jpg#mediaviewer/File:Dunlap_broadside_copy_of_the_United_States_Declaration_of_Independence,_LOC.jpg

Crutches – We all need them

Crutches – We all need them 

I can no longer remember how many times I have heard the taunt thrown at believers in Christ, “Your faith (or religion) is just a crutch.”

The implication of such a taunt is that Christians don’t have the courage to face life on their own, so they have to take refuge in religion to get through it. Only the weak need faith in God to bolster them up. On such half-truths these mockers sustain their imaginary independence of divine aid.

The truth is, sin has disabled all of us; we are all spiritual paraplegics.

The question I want to ask these detractors is: “What crutch are you using? If you are not leaning on Jesus Christ for support, what in the world are you leaning on? And don’t tell me you don’t need a crutch. It can be alcohol, drugs, sex, or something as inane a philosophy, a hobby, or a career.  It is the human condition that sin has brought us to. We all need something or someone to lean on to get us through life.

In truth, trusting in Jesus Christ is not exactly a crutch. He is a Friend who sticks closer than a brother; He is a Shepherd and guide; He is our sin-bearer and forgiver of transgressions; He is the Light to lighten our path, and the million other things to sustain us through this world and into the next.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30 – NASB)

You can call Jesus our crutch, if you will, but he is much, much more!

Just Lean on Me!

(© Wednesday 11^th June, 2024 – by Christopher Shennan)

I thought I’d live life on my own

Without the sure help of Heaven;

I had the strength to make it through,

Though it never had been proven.

 

But soon my life went South on me,

And my troubles, they mounted up;

I ran into a dead-end street

And I thought I’d have to give up.

 

Just when I reached the end of my rope,

And a path I could no longer see,

The gentle voice of Jesus called,

“Why don’t you just lean on Me?”

 

I thought I would try other ways,

In a desperate bid for freedom.

I clung to vain philosophy,

But it drove me to my knees then.

 

So I called out in my anguish;

I was blind and I could not see.

Then straight away the answer came,

“Why don’t you just lean on Me?”

 

So, call this a crutch if you will;

I don’t much care if you still do,

But leaning on Jesus is always

The very best option for you.

Check out my published books at My website: http://www.christophershennan.ca
Twitter: https://twitter.com/CNShennan
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