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Understanding Christ:
Our Exceedingly Great Reward
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It is probably fair to say that a great many people in the world today have
little or no understanding of who Christ truly is. Even among professing
Christians there is often little appreciation of his role in our day-to-day
lives or the work that he continues to do on our behalf.

The truth about Christ is so broad that it could never be addressed
satisfactorily in a short summary like this, but we can present some facts
about him that may greatly increase our understanding of who he is.

Christ as Our Creator
Firstly, Christ is our creator. While God the Father made the world and all
that exists, he did so through his Son. We owe our very existence to
Christ.


"All things were made by him; and without
him was not any thing made that was made."

John 1:3


Christ as Our Sustainer
Secondly, Christ is the sustainer of the world. Atheists like to think that
the universe runs all by itself. But they fail to see that the incredible laws
and remarkable order that we see around us every day are themselves
upheld continually by the providential will of God. If the Father did not
bless the world continually through his Son, everything here would shrivel
up and die.

Christ as Our Redeemer
Thirdly, after man rebelled against the sovereign authority of God, the
Father sent his Son to redeem us. During his suffering and death on the
cross, he took upon himself the entire sin debt of the world the full
consequences of our disobedience and made full restitution on our
behalf. In short, he died in our place and thus enabled us to become
reconciled with our heavenly Father. Thus, in addition to being our creator
and sustainer, he is also the redeemer of all who believe in him.


Christ as Our Reward
Fourthly, he is our reward after death. This may seem a little strange since
there is nothing that any of us could ever do to earn eternal fellowship
with Christ. But that is the extraordinary gift which our heavenly Father is
offering each one of us.


"After these things the word of the
LORD came unto Abram in a vision,
saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield,
and thy exceeding great reward."

Genesis 15:1


Christ as Our High Priest
Finally, Christ is the High Priest of all who believe in him. He sits at the
right hand of the Father in heaven and intercedes continually with the
Father on behalf of all born-again Christians. This is an incredible service
to all true believers since it enables them to call upon the grace and mercy
of God and request his blessings in a way that non-believers can never do.

Christ as Our Shepherd
Many people, even some professing Christians, believe that Christ
became known to man only when he walked the earth about two thousand
years ago. But this is not the case. Christ was with man from the
beginning. He walked in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve and
likely spoke with them about the Father. He also appeared many times in
the Old Testament to lead his chosen people along the path of
righteousness and to make the necessary preparations for the momentous
day when he would eventually incarnate among them in human form.
Among those he appeared to and spoke with were Abraham, Sarah,
Hagar, Moses, Joshua, Gideon, Elijah, and the parents of Samson.

Thus we can see that Christ has always kept watch over his flock, even
before he became man. He is the wonderful Shepherd who forever tends to
the well-being of his sheep and protects them from the wolves.

When he came the first time in human form, it was to shed his blood for
the salvation of many. But when he comes the second time, he will destroy
all of his enemies every one of them. He will then reign as King of
Kings over all the earth from his temple in Jerusalem.

Man in his pride believes he is the rightful owner of this world, but hes
not. When Christ returns, he will imprison the great host of fallen angels
who are casting a dark supernatural shadow over the entire earth and
blinding man to the reality of Christ.


Christ is both human and diine
Christ is both fully man and fully God. He is not deficient or diminished in
either respect. As such, he is the great connecting bridge between mankind
and the Father, and without whom no man can ever know the Father. He is
our wonderful Creator, Sustainer, and Redeemer, our High Priest, Eternal
King, and "exceeding great reward."

The fallen angels, through many devious means, have lured millions into
worshipping counterfeits of Christ, known variously as masters, gurus,
godmen, enlightened ones, and other fancy names. But they are part of the
great Satanic deception that has such an appalling hold over our world
today.

The ultimate counterfeit will be the Antichrist, who will seduce all nations
and bring the entire world to the brink of destruction.

!he "oing #inistry o$ Christ
Through his love for mankind, Christ took on a human body, which he
will retain throughout eternity. Through his love he entered the world,
suffered and was crucified so that he could bear in full the consequences
of our sin. Through his love he has watched over the spiritual welfare of
all who believe in him. And through his love he will resurrect each and
every believer at the end of the age to live forever in his presence.

% heart$elt re&uest
If you have not already found him, dear reader, then please do so without
delay.


"If you keep My commandments, you
will abide in My love, just as I have kept
My Fathers commandments and abide
in His love."

John 15:10


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