Category: Devotions

TUESDAY April 30^th

 

1 Corinthians 1:17-31

 

V18 ‘For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God’.

 

Let’s add here as well the verse I used yesterday from Romans 1:16 ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes’.

 

Recently we have remembered again the events of that weekend a little over two-thousand years ago when Jesus of Nazareth was taken and crucified, and after breathing out his last breath, crying out ‘it is finished’, was buried.

 

Now wouldn’t it have been a tragic waste of a life if the burial of Jesus had been the end of the story. All the predictions of the Old Testament and the promises that he had made himself while preaching and teaching about eternal life would have been just utter nonsense, because a dead man can offer absolutely nothing.

 

But thank God the burial and the sealing of the tomb with a stone was not the end, because on the third day, as some of them went to the tomb they were greeted with what is one of the most incredible statements that have ever been made ‘Why do you seek the living among the dead, he is not here he is risen’.

 

Imagine the conversation:

 

‘What do you mean he is risen’, ‘Well, do you not remember what it was that he told you when he was with you in Galilee?’ ‘No, remind us.’ ‘The son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise’. (Luke 24)

 

I am sure we have all heard news reports and stories of what we can only describe as incredible, some of them almost sounding unbelievable, but the evidence has been overwhelming. As an example, is it not strange that despite all the evidence that has been given, many will not accept that man has stepped on the moon, they will do all they can to discredit the story. When it comes to the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus, despite all the evidence of those who witnessed and testified about it, Paul says a few years after the event that it was considered as foolishness to so many, they just would not believe. In fact, at first the disciples thought it was all just an idle tale (Luke 24:11 nonsense NIV). But Paul goes all out to demonstrate that the resurrection of Jesus was a fact, there were too many witnesses to write it off as fake news, and he himself, although a little later than all the other witnesses had encountered Jesus himself while travelling from Jerusalem to Damascus. Yet, despite the testimony of many, despite the evidence of those whose lives have been transformed by the power of the gospel over the last two-thousand years, most of the world’s population still consider it all to be foolishness, nonsense, an idle tale.

 

Where do you stand today as you read this devotion, for, how you respond and what you believe will decide your eternal destination, for as Paul defends the resurrection in 1 Corinthians 15:22, he says, ‘For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive’. Want to know more? I will continue with this same verse, 1 Corinthians 1:18 in the next devotion.

MONDAY April 29^th

 

1 Corinthians 1:17-31

 

V17 ‘For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power’.

 

I am going to call this next series of devotions, Paul and his writings, a sequel to the previous set of devotions! So, however many devotions it will be it will be!

 

This selection of verses has been particularly special to me for as long as I can remember, at least going right back to my early teenage years, which well, is a long time ago!

 

I think that the older I have got, the more I have appreciated the word of God, not that I have never appreciated it, but over the years I have come to understand it more deeply and realise the importance of allowing it to be an essential part of my life.

 

Psalm 119:105 springs to mind, ‘Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’. I can remember how this verse was impressed upon me as a youngster, and I look back and say, ‘Thank you Lord for your word, which truly has been a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’. I don’t know how many of the younger ones in our fellowship read the devotions,  but if you do, can I encourage you to take hold of the word of God and allow it to be your lamp and light as you navigate through life, allow the word of God to be your daily guide as you make choices that will impact you both for the present, the future, and also for eternity.

 

Now I have selected v17 today, I can recall a pastor in my teen-age years preaching from this section, and even though I cannot recall the substance of his sermon, I do know that it had a deep impact on me, in particular verse 18 and verses 30-31 which we will arrive at over the next few days.

 

But for today’s devotion, verse 17 is a good reminder to us of the simplicity of the gospel message. We do not have to pack it up in religious jargon or in words that are eloquent and need an expert to unpack, we simply need to preach the gospel as it is, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, that is to save each one of us, and that he gave his life as a sacrifice for our sins, so that as we come to believe on him and to place our trust in him, we are forgiven and receive eternal life. Now of course, once we have shared the basics we can enlarge further, but first people need to hear that they are sinners, whether they like to hear it or not, and that we are heading for eternal destruction in Hell, unless we repent and believe.

 

As we will see in the next verse, (v18) many consider it all to be foolishness, that is why those of us who have come to faith, and have understood something of the wonder of the message need to pray that as we share the good news, that the Holy Spirit will begin to work in the hearts of the hearers, bringing both conviction and light to shine so that they will eventually respond by faith.

 

May God help us all to understand the simplicity and the incredible power of the gospel in such a way that as Paul said in Romans 1:16 that we will all be able to say ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone who believes’, and that we will be willing to share the good news so that others will come to know the power of God at work in their lives.

FRIDAY April 26^th

Well, as we come to the devotion today, I have been trying to decide as to when do I draw to a close the thoughts that I have been seeking to share concerning the Apostle and Paul, his life and ministry, I checked back, and we commenced this journey on November 13^th, well, today a quick look back over Romans 8 and then although I will call this the last in this series, I will concentrate further on some more of the great chapters that have come from the pen of Paul.

As I consider him as we first met him called Saul, making his way on the road to Damascus, and then look back over the magnificent letters that he penned or others penned for him to send both to churches and to individuals, it reminds us of how wonderful the grace of God really is. It takes hold of a wretch and transforms him into a trophy of grace.

Despite knowing what the cost was going to be to him personally, he responded with obedience to the call of God, and he fulfilled what was said about him to Ananias, that he would carry the name of Jesus to the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.

Obviously, for those who know me well, I am going to say that 1 Corinthians 15 was his greatest compilation, but I readily admit that Romans 8 comes a very close second!

To remind us from this chapter:

In Christ we are no longer under condemnation!

In Christ we have been set free from the law of sin and death.

In Christ we are found to be in the law of the Spirit of life.

In Christ the law has been fulfilled on our behalf.

In Christ although the body is dead because of sin, we are going to know what it is for the same Spirit that raised Jesus from the dead to give life to our mortal bodies.

In Christ we have been adopted into the family of God, he has become our Abba Father.

In Christ anything we suffer in this life will be outweighed by all that is being prepared for us in glory.

In Christ we have the help of the Holy Spirit as our intercessor.

In Christ, God is for us, therefore nothing can be against us.

In Christ we are more than conquerors.

In Christ we will never be separated from the love of God.

What a wonderful chapter, what wonderful blessings and benefits as we learn to walk by the Spirit and with the Spirit’s help through this world heading to our eternal destination.

‘There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.’

A final word—as you read this, are you in Christ? Do you know what it is to be truly born again by the Spirit of God, have you come to Jesus, confessing your sin, with repentance in your heart, have you accepted him to be your Saviour and Lord, if not may today be the day where you choose life, by choosing Jesus.

THURSDAY April 25^th

Romans 8:37-39

‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

As we come to the end of this chapter, (I will turn to it again tomorrow) today I want to consider the last four words ‘Christ Jesus our Lord’.

This is such a comprehensive title, Christ – reveals that he is the sent one, the anointed one, the promised and long waited for Messiah. Jesus is the earthly name which his parents were instructed to give him at his birth, it is the equivalent to the Old Testament Joshua which means God is salvation and Lord which is self-explanatory, to include that he is the exalted one.

But Paul includes the word ‘our’, signifying that as we have come to faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, we not only see him as the exalted Lord, but we allow him to become Lord in our lives. He is Lord, he is MY Lord. In the great exaltation passage in Philippians 2, we are reminded that God has exalted him and given him the name which is above every other name, so that every knee will bow, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.

The day is coming when EVERY knee will bow and EVERY tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, and it will not be optional. But praise the Lord, that for each of us who have come to know Jesus we willingly confess in the here and now that Jesus Christ is Lord, we often declare it, either in prayer, through the reading of Scripture and the singing of songs, we can think of the little chorus, He is Lord, He is Lord, he is risen from the dead and he is Lord, or perhaps Jesus is Lord, creations voice proclaims it, songs that declare his Lordship, then there is a song that we use where we are personally declaring Jesus to be our Lord, Jesus MY Lord will love me forever.

But there is a vast difference to singing and saying the words than to allowing it to truly be the reality in our lives, Jesus needs to be, he must be Lord of our lives, that is that in coming to faith, we rely on him not just to be our Saviour, but we allow him to be Lord over all things. It is the surrendering of our lives over to that which he has a right to demand from us, it is putting him first in all things, it is giving him priority in our daily lives and in our weekly agenda. He is either Lord of all or not Lord at all, is a phrase that is often quoted, and we need to ensure that if we declare he is Lord that we allow him to be Lord. This should affect every choice and decision we make every day, in our own lives, in our families and homes, in our education and employment, in our relationship towards the family of God and for fellowship.

WEDNESDAY April 24^th

Romans 8:37-39

‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

Well, we continue the same theme today, taking the part that says ‘nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

I wonder if Paul uses the words height and depth, to help us to understand how vast the love of God really is, in other words you could get to the highest possible place in our atmosphere (and beyond), we could dig down to the deepest depths possible and yet whether height or depth, we will not be separated from the love of God. God is omni-present, therefore because God is love, his love is also omni-present. Paul would not have had a clue concerning the modern phenomenon of space travel which we have been able to witness over the last 60 years or so, the fact that man has walked on the moon, space craft have been millions of miles into outer space, and yet with all our crazy exploration, man has not and will not ever be able to get to a spot in space where the love of God cannot be found!

No wonder the Psalmist could say ‘The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork’, or ‘Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, you are there!’ (Psalm 24, Psalm 139)

The previously mentioned ‘rulers, (principalities KJV) powers’, can incarcerate us in prison as they did with the apostle Paul, or banish us to some faraway place as they did with John to the Isle of Patmos, but in incarcerating or in banishing they cannot and will not be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord!  Remember Paul and Silas in prison – they sang hymns and prayed, remember John on the Isle of Patmos, he had the most incredible revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ. Considering Romans 8:28, because they were loved by God and in return loved God and lived for God according to that which was his will and purpose for them, we see that God worked everything out for good!

In Psalm 56 we read ‘This I know, that God is for me. In God, whose word I praise, in the LORD, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can man do to me?’ (vv9-11) It is found again in Hebrews 13:6 ‘So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”’ The verse before says ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’

So, who (or what) shall separate us from the love of Christ? Paul has answered it very comprehensively for us, as we remain in him, absolutely nothing, zero, zilch, nought, naught, diddly squat.

‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

Are you a conqueror?

TUESDAY April 23^rd

Romans 8:37-39

‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

We continue with Paul’s thoughts here ‘nor angels nor rulers . . . will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

When it comes to angels, I guess we immediately think of the angels as we see them in Scripture, Gabriel, Michael, the seraphim, but we need to also remind ourselves that there are also those angels who we class as the fallen angels, those who rebelled alongside Lucifer and were cast out of heaven, the demonic realm.

Paul tells us that angels, whether good or bad cannot separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Thankfully, the good angels as we see from Psalm 103:21-22 are God’s messengers who are working for our good, ‘Bless the LORD, O you his angels, you mighty ones who do his word, obeying the voice of his word! Bless the LORD, all his hosts, his ministers, who do his will!’ In fact, such is the mystery of the gospel that Peter reminds us in 1 Peter 1:12 that the angels long to look into, to discover, fathom out the wonder of it all.

But there are also those who we call fallen angels, demons who will try to do all that they can to hinder God’s people, and to frustrate the will or purpose of God, but we need to remind ourselves that they are not a match to the incredible power of God, they are doomed to destruction, while we who are saved are destined for eternal life and we remind ourselves ‘that greater is he who is in us than he who is in the world’ And the One who is in us is the almighty conqueror, the victorious Saviour, therefore not even angels, whether the good or the bad can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But then Paul mentions rulers. The King James Version uses the word ‘principalities’ and it is continued with the words ‘nor powers.’ Well at this point we need to remind ourselves that our wonderful Lord and Saviour has because of his obedience in humbling himself and suffering through death on the Cross has been highly exalted. He has been given a name which is above every other name, we are familiar with the verses from Philippians 2 that one day every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God the Father.  But we need to remind ourselves that as we rejoice concerning that future day when every knee will bow and every tongue will confess, that now in the present, Jesus is already seated in heaven at the right hand of God the Father, and as we see in Ephesians 1:20-21 he is FAR ABOVE all rule and authority, power and dominion, both now in this present age and also in the age which is to come.

JESUS IS LORD, he IS far above all rulers, principalities, powers. Therefore whatever or however these things will seek to throw it hatred towards those of us who are the people of God, those of us as we have been reminded in this chapter (v16) who are the children of God, those who are no longer under condemnation (v1), it may be sticks and stones that will hurt our bones, but it will not, it cannot, it never ever will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

MONDAY April 22^nd

Romans 8:37-39

‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

We are nearly at the end of this magnificent chapter; it starts off in verse 1 by reminding us that we are no longer under condemnation and finishes by remining us that we are more than conquerors through Jesus who loves us.

The eternal love is can I put it this way, embedded into our lives as we have come to accept Jesus as our Saviour, therefore, we are more than conquerors, that is we can live victoriously knowing that there is nothing in all of creation that can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.

In verse 38 Paul lists those things that humanly speaking we may consider as having the power to come between us and the love of God, he mentions first death and life, well, we know without any shadow of doubt that Jesus has shown us how to live victoriously in life, and he has demonstrated that he has given us victory over death, the closing verses of the great resurrection chapter, 1 Corinthians 15 says ‘But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through the Lord Jesus Christ’, so the moment we who have put our faith and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ breath our very last breathe here on planet earth, because of the amazing victory that Christ has gained, death will not cut us off or separate us from the love of God, we can say that we will actually begin to experience it more powerfully than ever, for we shall be in his presence.

The reality of this was so powerful in Paul’s life and testimony that in Philippians he could say ‘For me to live is Christ, and to die is gain’, Philippians 1:21. As the sons and daughters of the living God we are in a win win situation, he blesses us in life, and we are blessed in death, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

So, nothing, absolutely nothing whether in life or in death shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

I am reminded of the words of the psalmist in Psalm 23, ‘Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me . . . Surely goodness and mercy (steadfast love) shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever.’

God so loved, he sent his Son, as we have come to respond and to receive this incredible love through surrendering our lives to Jesus at the Cross, his love surrounds us, fills us and his love is with us in life and through death, so we need not fear death, for it is but the glorious entrance into the eternal presence of God.

FRIDAY April 19^th

Romans 8:37-39

‘No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.’

Well, following on from yesterday, Paul could make this conclusion for himself, ‘No, in all these things I AM more than a conqueror’. Can we say the same? As I mentioned in the previous devotion, I can imagine Paul thinking back to the time when the Lord sent Ananias to him, and hearing the message concerning how he MUST suffer for the sake of the name of Jesus. He would recall how he had been towards those who followed in the Way, he would have known what the cost was to follow Jesus, he would then have suddenly realised, ‘now it’s going to happen to me’. Not it may happen, but it will happen for the Lord had said ‘how much he MUST suffer for the sake of my name’.

And Paul immediately proclaimed the name of Jesus, for Acts 9:20 says ‘And immediately he proclaimed Jesus in the synagogues, saying “He is the Son of God.”’

There is absolutely no doubt that Paul was going to count the cost, follow Jesus and no turning back. As we saw in the previous devotion from 2 Corinthians 6, he did suffer for the sake of the name of Jesus, in 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 Paul gives another comprehensive list of the many ways in which he had suffered, ‘Are they servants of Christ? I am a better one—I am talking like a madman—with far greater labours, far more imprisonments, with countless beatings, and often near death. Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea; on frequent journeys, in danger from rivers, danger from robbers, danger from my own people, danger from Gentiles, danger in the city, danger in the wilderness, danger at sea, danger from false brothers; in toil and hardship, through many a sleepless night, in hunger and thirst, often without food, in cold and exposure. And, apart from other things, there is the daily pressure on me of my anxiety for all the churches.’

How on earth did he cope, how on earth would we? As I have mentioned previously, we actually understand very little of what it truly means to suffer for the sake of the gospel, or for the sake of the name of Jesus, I actually feel ashamed when I stop and consider the silly little things that I may have got uptight over, or upset about, or frustrated about, they are insignificant in comparison to how Paul suffered and of how many of our brothers and sisters have suffered over the years and many are suffering today in many parts of the world.

Well to answer the question as to how did Paul cope, one answer follows on in the next chapter in 2 Corinthians, it follows on from when Paul had what we call a thorn in his flesh, he had pleaded with the Lord to take it away, and this was the response in verses 9-10 ‘But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.’

The grace that SAVES us is also SUFFICIENT for us in times of trial. The amazing, abounding, astonishing grace, the grace of God.

THURSDAY April 18^th

Romans 8:35-36

‘Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.”’

When we started looking at the life and the ministry of Paul in these devotions you may recall that immediately after his conversion while heading for Damascus, that Ananias was sent to tell him that he was going to be used to take the gospel to the Gentiles, to kings and to the children of Israel. The narrative continued with these words ‘I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name’, Acts 9:16.

Well, as Paul penned these words here in Romans 8, he knew exactly what he was talking about, as he listed the various things, tribulation, distress, persecution, etc. he himself had experienced these things, just as the Lord had said he would when he was converted. He really had known what it was to suffer for the sake of the name of Jesus, and however many years later it was that he considered these things as he pondered back over his life, he concluded that not one of these things had succeeded in separating him from the love of Christ.

It is in 2 Corinthians 6 that Paul says the following ‘. . . but as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: by great endurance, in afflictions, hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonments, riots, labours, sleepless nights, hunger . . . We are treated as impostors, and yet are true; as unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold, we live; as punished, and yet not killed; as sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, yet possessing everything.’

Wow, as a pastor, I have it so easy, but also as a local church we all have it so easy, and yet I wonder how quick we are to moan or groan about the simplest, and smallest of things, we have to sacrifice a little time here and there, imagine having to go through hardships, calamities, beatings, imprisonment etc. for the sake of the gospel and on account of the fact that we hold to the name of Jesus.

A word of warning—we may not have it as easy as we move forward, the world around us is changing quicker than I am sure that any of us ever expected it to change, the world is becoming increasingly more hostile towards those who hold onto the name of Jesus, it is becoming  more anti-God and anti-Christ almost on a daily basis, none of us know what lies ahead, should the Lord tarry, therefore we need to ensure that we position ourselves into the place where we will be found under the protection of Almighty God, we need to let go of the world and it’s ideologies that are anti-bible and anti-God and anti his righteous ways and position ourselves into the safest place available which is the incredible everlasting love of Christ. We cannot flirt with the world, it is a far too dangerous position to be found in, for the enemy, the devil, is prowling around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. We MUST RESIST him, we MUST be FIRM in our faith remembering that ‘after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you.’ (1 Peter 5)

I end with a challenge to each one of us, as we review the week, maybe this week we are going through or the week that has just passed, and consider how we spent our time, how much of it was spent on that which really offers us absolutely nothing in regard to the safe keeping of our soul compared to that which was helpful and beneficial to building us up spiritually, ensuring that we are being kept safe in the love of Christ. ‘Nothing shall separate us’ means that we must, we need to be in the position of being found in the love of Christ.

WEDNESDAY April 17^th

Romans 8:34

‘Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us.’

I have returned to verse 34 as it is a great verse to remind us that there is only one who can stand in the presence of God on our behalf, and his name is Jesus.

In 1 Timothy 2:5 we read: ‘For there is only one God, and there is only one mediator between God and men’, Paul then continues to immediately tell us who this mediator is, it is ‘the man Christ Jesus’ and then continues to tell us how Jesus qualifies to be the mediator, ‘who gave himself as a ransom for all.’

A mediator is one who acts as an intermediary between two people or two parties of people, and the man Christ Jesus stands in the presence of God on our behalf as our mediator, as our intercessor. On the one hand we are sinners, on the other we have the holy God. In and of ourselves we cannot even begin to dream of standing in the presence of God, we can try to be as good as we can be, we can try to earn our way, but we will never succeed, but Jesus came and ‘gave himself as a ransom’, he stood in our place, he died in our place, he has done everything that needed to be done and after his resurrection and ascension, he was exalted to the highest place, and an aspect of his exaltation is that he has become the ONLY mediator between man and God.

It is important to note the many times when we are talking about Jesus that we use the word ‘only’.

He is as we see in John 3:16, God’s only Son, he is the only one who has been sent from God to become the propitiation for our sin, he is the only one of whom it is said is the way, the truth and the life, he is the only one who has conquered death, rising as he did victoriously on the third day. He is the only one who has ascended to the Father and the only one who has been given the name which is above every other name, he is the only one who is declared as Lord to the glory of God the Father, he is the only one who is standing in the presence of God as the mediator and great high priest, he is the only one who is going to come again.

This is Jesus our Saviour, and as such he is the only one whom men and women can come to for eternal salvation, it is only through him that we can come to the mercy seat, there is no saint that can help, there is no other individual, no other means, not even through Mary, the mother of Jesus, or some earthly priest, it is through Jesus only.

Hebrews 7:25 ‘Consequently, he is able to save to the uttermost those who draw near to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them.’