Has anything changed in 2000 years? Here is a comment in Pontius Pilate’s letter to Tiberius Caesar’s describing the Crucifixion of Jesus that happened under his provincial authority: “The rich Jews hated Him and curse him behind his back and call him an Egyptian necromancer! The poor people love him and claim him as their King and deliverer from Roman authority!” Comment: In America today it is the rich atheistic Jews in Hollywood, Media, commerce and Political positions who are trying to stomp Jesus name out of American culture! However not the orthodox Jews as they support conservative values! The same spiritual battle carries on in 21st Century America as it did in 1st Century Palestine! The poor love him and the rich hate him? Why? The rich trust in their wealth and the poor trust in their Savior! I saw the same thing in India the 3 years we lived there! However there are some rich people who do not love money but Christ as Joseph of Armithea did! We find some Pastor’s who compromise the Gospel for money and book sales! Do we need another Book beside the Bible? I think not! If the millions of dollars spent on books about Jesus would be spent on missions I think the world would be better evangelized and faster! However I would rather see this money spent on books about Jesus that spent on stuff we do not need! The important point here to know your Bible otherwise a book about Jesus could deceive you unless you know the Bible! If you spend all your time reading books about the Bible and not the Bible you are ripe for deception! The discernment you need only comes from the Word of God! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Tag: caesar
What Color is Jesus Hair? Revelation 1:14-15
This is a non-Biblical source but supports the scriptures with a first hand observation of Jesus. This is an excerpt from a letter written by Pontius Pilate to Tiberius Caesar explaining what happened in his province under his jurisdiction with the Crucifixion of Jesus of Nazareth. Quote. “His golden colored hair and beard gave to His appearance a celestial aspect! He appeared to be about 30 years of age. Never have I seen a sweeter or more serene countenance. What a contrast between Him and his hearers with their black beards and tanned complexions!”
Pilate’s Report to Caesar!
Go to YouTube search box and type in, “Pilate’s Report to Caesar of the Crucifixion of Jesus” This is an interesting historical record that has some fascinating details of the on scene account of Jesus execution and surrounding reports including Jesus description and resurrection! This audio and written record runs for 28:47 minutes and is really worth listening to! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Mary’s Song! Luke 1:52
“He hath overthrown with violence the ruler’s from their seats and exalted them of low degree!” Comment: By events in the earth God makes it clear to the Ruler’s on the earth that He is in charge! What happened to Caesar, Herod and Caiaphas the High Priest? Caesar and Herod came to a bad end! Caiaphas the High Priest was deposed! What about Mary? God took her and exalted her to a high degree then and now 2000 years later! Mary’s song expresses the hope we have today through Christ that we are not a forgotten people and God has us in remembrance! What is the Christmas story really about? It is about you! Merry Christmas! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Christmas Tax! Luke 2:1
“And it came to pass in those days that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that the whole world should be taxed!” Comment: Did you get that? That the whole world should be taxed! Caesar was surely a member of the Democratic Party! He must have been their poster boy! This decree did get Joseph and Mary to Bethlehem! Caesar did not know he was fulfilling Bible prophecy with his tax decree! Remember years later Jesus said render unto Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s! So the very first Christmas benefited everyone including the politicians! Everyone wins with Christ! Merry Christmas! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Righteous Rule versus Wicked Rule!
Proverbs 29:2 “When the righteous are in authority the people rejoice; but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” Who are the righteous? The word righteous in the Hebrew means those who live their lives in accordance with God’s standard! The words, “are in authority”, is translated from the Hebrew to mean those who are in the majority or more in number. The word wicked means those who are enemies of God and His people. Even though the world has always been a battlefield between the righteous and the wicked God still has His people everywhere! At the time of Christ’s birth Caesar and Herod ruled wickedly. Their wicked acts against Christ at His birth and at the Cross victoriously produced a foundation of redemption for man! His star today shines brighter to us than to the shepherds around Bethlehem! His light will always shine brighter and brighter as our world grows darker! As we celebrate Christmas remember the Herod’s of today are trying to stamp out Christmas are in the greatest need of Him! Be patient and remember we were once were on Herod’s team with the wicked! Christ is still pouring His love out on the wicked today and we must do the same! Merry Christmas! James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Gospel Lite! Romans 13:3-6
Much of the preaching today is what I call “Gospel Lite.” It is a reduced calorie Gospel just like Bud Lite beer! You are deprived of nutrients! A cheap substitute! All of our cultural wars going on in America are never discussed? Scripture warnings to gays, lesbians, transsexuals and abortionist are ignored! Sometimes I think our pulpits here in America are located on the moon! Nothing about Islam? Now school children here in America are chanting Praise to Allah! You only lose a war because you will not fight! While Christian’s are being tortured and beheaded in the Middle East much of the church here in America has the mute button on? It is a very strange time for us in history? Remember the Gospel applies to everyone not just church people! It either applies to all or to no one! Preach the Gospel like the whole world is in front of you and also those in Heaven and those in Hell! We have a great cloud of witnesses! The fire and brimstone in our churches is now a flickering candle! In the Book of Romans Paul speaks of the responsibility of the State to punish evil doers. This is the primary responsibility of the federal, state and local governments. Not to punish the good but to punish the evil! We are to pay tribute or taxes to help restore and maintain law and order! We are to remind our government leaders of their obligation to keep the peace! Even though Paul was a supporter and loyal Roman citizen he was still executed by the state! He never preached the overthrow of the government but the support of it! He just could not worship Caesar as God! We may have to pay the same price as Paul to pass the Gospel on to the next generation! When we preach the Gospel we should not fear anything but the truth! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Pray For Our Leaders 1Timothy2:2 2Peter2:17
Did Paul and Peter pray for their leaders? I assume they did yet they were executed by Caesar! Some of their best works were written from prison! The authorities did not like to keep Martin Luther King Jr. in jail too long because he was working on his next speech! During the civil war Pastor’s and their congregations north of the Mason-Dixon line were praying for the north to win while Pastor’s and congregations south of the line were praying for the south to win! They were both praying for their leaders! A famous German theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer was executed by Hitler but I assume he prayed for Hitler. Some of our famous reformation leaders were burned at the stake by their King! I assume they prayed for them! Jesus called his political leader Herod a fox but prayed for him! He called the religious rulers of his day a generation of vipers but prayed for them! Do we pray for ISIS leaders? What would be your prayers to those who were about to behead you! Father forgive them for they know not what they do! Different from prayers of the west? Father give me a big house, big auto, big money and fame and fortune! Jesus taught us how to pray! I love this prayer because it is not a political prayer! I personally have one leader or ruler and Savior and His name is Jesus Christ! I am loyal to one Kingdom and that is the Kingdom of God and His Christ! It is so funny I have a friend in Colorado Springs who was my military boss back in the 1970’s. We are both retired and meet once a month and tell old war stories! I told Kenny we were praying that our house would sell so we could move back to Georgia. Kenny told me he was praying that our house not sell and we stay in Colorado! I told Kenny you are my friend but not my prayer partner! Our prayers should be in agreement with God! We usually pray for an outcome. Do we always get it? God’s will is often different from our will! To deliver us from evil means not to partake in promoting evil! We pray for our leaders but also knowing it is vanity to trust in man! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Just Say, “Caesar is Lord!”
Reply; “Eighty six years I have served Christ, and He never did me any wrong! How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” Polycarp who was a disciple of the Apostle John was burned at the stake in 156 A.D. in Smyrna Turkey. Remember the message Jesus gave to the church in Smyrna some 60 years earlier? Revelation 2:9– “I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, but thou art rich and I know the blasphemy of them that say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.” Another Caesar Constantine about 150 years after Polycarp bowed his knee and confessed Jesus Christ as Lord! Christianity then became the official religion of the Roman Empire! Recently thousands of Christians have been martyred across the world before being asked, “Just say Mohammad is Lord!” Who is your Lord? My Bible says, “One day every knee must bow and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!” For you make that one day today! Thankyou. James and Hamsa Sasse. GodWhoisGod.com
Church In The City
How would the city of Corinth compare today with a modern city? Corinth was the first frontier outpost. It was a prosperous city. Caesar’s Roman army retirement community live there. It was located on a key east-west trade route. The poor got rich in Corinth! You might say all the lotto winners lived there. The displaced Jews lived there because Caesar kicked them out of Rome. Sexual perversion was rampant in Corinth. Somehow money and sex are always linked together? The Temple of Aprodita had 1000 temple prostitutes as part of their worship. The Temple of Apollos had nude statues of male prostitutes. Corinth was much like American culture today with sexual brokenness. When Paul walked into Corinth people were celebrating the Isthmian games which was the ancient Olympics. Corinth had athletic training centers much like Colorado Springs does today. The people of Corinth celebrated strength, independence, intellectualism, materialism and public debate. The Greek orator’s debated constantly. They all figured it out they did not need God! 1 Corinthians 2:3-5. Paul says I was not with you with enticing words of man’s wisdom but in demonstration of the spirit and of power. That our Faith should not stand in the wisdom of men but in the power of God! Can God raise up people in a corrupt culture? America is becoming more secular. Heathenistic cultures trump pleasure over purpose. The message of the Crucified Christ is not popular in America just as it was not in Corinth 2000 years ago! But it is still really good news! Polite people did not talk about the Cross in the 1st. century. The worst criminals were crucified. How do you message people about the Cross? The cross was cruel and ugly punishment. Jesus was tortured, beaten, bloodied and murdered! He died the lowest kind of death. It goes to say the Cross is foolishness to the perishing. Why did God choose death to redeem? The wages of sin is death! To the saved the Cross is the power of God! Are you grateful for the Cross? The Cross is central to belief. The Cross is entry to everything. The Cross destroys the wisdom of the wise! Intelligent people say that if God cannot answer all my questions then I will not follow him! My adopted son Abram is a very intelligent little boy. His grandfather was a nuclear physics engineer! Sometimes Abram will ask me questions that are deep and thoughtful. Sometimes I do not know the answer to his question. God came to save us and not answer all our questions. Corinth had some of the best minds of that era. They were intellectuals, philosophers, Romans, Greeks and Jews. Preaching Christ was foolish to the gentiles. The Jews expected a military Messiah. What do you want to hear? I want to be skinny and rich! American and Corinth cultures say “Blessed are the smart and the strong, Blessed are the ambitious, God helps those who help themselves!” Superman has arrived! It is me! Jesus said,”Blessed are the poor in spirit,meek,merciful and kind.” The Roman government of Corinth ruled by fear and intimidation like many governments do today. Why did Jesus submit to the tyranny of the Roman government and the Jews and go to the Cross? To show the world a new way to use power! The world uses power to rule over people. Watch an NFL game. Hundreds of millions of dollars spent to try to dominate one another! Competition is to fight for power! Dominate others! Get power to defend yourself! Buy armies and men and women to rule over others. When Pilate had Jesus on trial he told Jesus he had power to condemn Him to death or release Him. Jesus told Pilate I lay my life down and unless my Father gives you power you cannot touch me. Christ goes to the Cross to use power in a new way. Christ gave His life for people and not to rule over people! God has given us power for people in service to people and care for them. Jesus became a nobody to save everybody. Jesus is calling the marginalized and the down and out. Not to manipulate them but release them from the bondages of sin. The nobodies are being invited in. Discover a new way of being powerful. Everyone can belong! No disenfranchised! The Cross is where you start and finish. No substitute for the Cross! All must come to the Cross and believe! Source; Sermon notes taken from message given by Pastor Brady Boyd at New Life Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Message given on Sunday January 5, 2014.