jesus Archives - NCC Cartersville

Making Jesus Visible

June 29, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.”
Col. 2:9 KJV

The Lord Jesus Christ came to reveal God to us. (John 1:14). Those who saw Jesus in the 1st Century actually saw God Himself manifested in the flesh. (John 14:9). The amazing thing about that was that He simply looked “ordinary”. (Isaiah 53:2). But that is exactly how the Holy One revealed Himself. He revealed Himself in the ordinary. He looked like an ordinary person. That was what made Him so difficult to recognize. And He still does that today. That is why so many miss seeing Him. It is not that He isn’t there. It is simply that He is overlooked.

God was revealed in the flesh. (1 Tim. 3:16). And that is the way He is still revealed today; in the flesh. Specifically, He is revealed in our flesh. Although we are flawed and imperfect, God still reveals Himself through His people! It is His people who share the gospel. It is His people who pray for the lost. It is His people who love other people. It is His people who minister to other people. It is His people who care for other people.

We (His people) are called to be the visible revelation of God (through Christ) to a world that has never seen God. We don’t always do the best job of that, but the wonderful thing is that His Grace enables us to do far more than we could ever possibly imagine (Eph. 3:20).

That is our chief purpose for being on the earth. We are called to be the visible revelation of God to a world that has never seen Him before. And every once in a while, someone who is truly looking for Him will get a glimpse of Him through one of us; just everyday “ordinary” us. That is amazing and overwhelming to even think about! And that in itself makes life worth living!

Rev. James W. Black

The Lord is Risen Indeed!

March 30, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“And they rose up the same hour and returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and them that were with them, saying, ‘The Lord is risen indeed…”
Luke 24: 33-34 KJV

What a day it had been! There was the shock and horror of the brutal crucifixion and death of Jesus just three days before. Then the burial and the sealing of the tomb. And now, on this day, just three days after all of these events there were reports that Jesus was alive! That He had risen from the dead!

Most who heard these reports were skeptical. Why wouldn’t they be? No one who had ever been crucified and buried had ever risen from the dead! Everyone knew that when a man was dead that was the end! There was no coming back from that! After all, the only man who had ever, in their lifetime, raised anyone from the dead was now dead himself!

But as these two men journeyed home from Jerusalem to Emmaus (a small village 7 1/2 miles from Jerusalem) they were joined by a stranger. They had been discussing the confusing events of the past few days and were amazed to hear this stranger’s thoughts about those events (Luke 24: 25-27). They were so intrigued by his insight they insisted he stay overnight in their home.

As they began to share the evening meal together, this stranger took the bread, gave thanks to God, broke it, and passed it unto them. Suddenly, at that moment, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him! It was Jesus! Jesus was seated with them at their table! And as soon as they recognized Him, He vanished from their sight!
They were startled! They were amazed! They were filled with awe and wonder! Their heart overflowed with excitement and joy! Jesus was alive! They immediately forgot their meal and rushed back to Jerusalem, at 2-hour journey on foot. They burst into the room where the disciples and others were still gathered and joyfully declared: The Lord is risen indeed!

The realization that Jesus is alive, that He is risen from the dead, changes everything! It changed everything for them. And it changes everything for us. The truth that Jesus is alive comes by revelation. That revelation may come to us in different ways, but the outcome is the same. The Lord is risen! He is risen indeed! That changes everything! And we are never be the same again!

Rev. James W. Black

The Bread of Life

March 2, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
John 6:35 NKJV

To me, there is nothing better than freshly baked bread! In the abundance of our culture, we often take bread for granted. But to those in the 1st Century, especially to the common everyday people, bread was essential for life. For many, it was a struggle each day just to provide enough bread for their family. When Jesus declared that He was the Bread of Life it was a term that got everyone’s attention. There was a reason that Jesus compared Himself to bread!

Bread is good! Bread feeds us. Bread sustains us. Bread nourishes us. Bread strengthens us. And bread satisfies us! Jesus is the revelation and the embodiment of all these things.

The character and nature of Jesus is good. The Psalmist declared: “Oh taste and see that the Lord is good!” (Psalm 34:8). Jesus is the revelation of all of the goodness of God! In order to discover this reality, we must receive Him and take Him into our lives. It is Jesus who feeds the longing of our soul to find value, meaning, and purpose in life. It is Jesus who sustains us daily, moment by moment. Our very next heartbeat is dependent upon Him! It is Jesus who strengthens us in our weakness and enables us to do what we could never do on our own. (John 15:5). It is Jesus who satisfies us and brings contentment in life. It is Jesus who reveals to us just how valuable we are to Him by sacrificing His very own life for us! And It is Jesus who sent the Holy Spirit to indwell us, teach us, guide us, and enable us to hear and understand the Word of God.

Unlike the natural bread which must be received again and again, Jesus continually, constantly, and forever satisfies us once and for all! We never have to be spiritually empty or hungry again!

Rev. James Black

The Work of God

January 6, 2024 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“Then said they unto him, ‘What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?’
Jesus answered and said unto them, ‘This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.’
John 6: 28-29 KJV

So often we think that it is in the doing of particular works that demonstrates the Work of God. While it is certainly true that the Lord Jesus has redeemed us “unto good works” (Eph. 2:10 KJV), and it is equally true that our faith is demonstrated by “good works” (James 2: 17-18), the work of God is far greater than that!

Jesus stated emphatically that the true work of God is believing in Him (totally and completely with all that we are and all that we have. Mark 12:30) . In other words, it is our complete faith and trust in Him that brings genuine and lasting transformation. The work must be done In Us before it can be done Through Us! Everything begins and ends therefore with our believing in Him!

It is our belief in Christ and what He has accomplished for us that brings about salvation. It is our belief in Christ that brings forgiveness. It is our belief in Christ that brings peace with God, with others, and with ourselves. It is our belief in Christ that unleashes the power of the Word of God in us. It is our belief in Christ that releases the gifts and ministries of the Holy Spirit in our lives and our fellowship. It is our belief in Christ that brings hope. It is our belief in Christ that brings joy. It is our belief in Christ that brings deliverance from the powers of darkness. It is our belief in Christ that brings healing to our bodies, to our lives, to broken relationships, and broken families. It is our belief in Christ that brings purpose and meaning in life. It is our belief in Christ that gives value and meaning to our work and all that we do (1 Cor. 10:31, Col. 3:23). It is our belief in Christ that motivates us to honor Him and serve Him!

Indeed, everything rests upon the fact that we truly believe in Him! This means that we believe that Jesus is Who He says that He is and that He does what He says He will do! Everything that flows into and out of the Christian life rests upon that foundation! (1 Cor. 3:11). This is truly the Work of God!

Rev. James W. Black

The Word Became Flesh

December 24, 2023 by James Black in Pastor's Corner

“In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
…And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…”.
John 1:1,14 KJV

Through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, John makes a declaration that is beyond human comprehension. The Word was with God! The Word was God! And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us! It stretches the human mind beyond its capacity to fully comprehend it. It bankrupts the human language to try and describe it! The only explanation for it is God! It can only be understood in God!

The Word is eternal! Before anything came into existence, there was the Word! (John 1:1). Before there was ever ink and paper, which we call the Bible, there was the Word! The Word is a Person! He has always existed and always will exist. The Word is God! The Word created all things! (Gen. 1 & 2; Psalm 33:6, John 1:3). The Word is the Lord Jesus Christ; the Second Person of the Godhead! The Word became clothed in sinless human flesh! The Word became one of us! He stepped into our world and lived in the midst of fallen, sinful humanity! Yet he never sinned! There is no greater passage in scripture that captures both the Deity of Jesus and the wonder and mystery of His incarnation in humanity!

He who dwells in eternity became restricted, to time and space while on earth. He who is self existent , experienced every need and emotion of humanity! And though He was clothed in humanity, His Deity was not diminished! He was (as the theologians say) “Very God of Very God!”

Who can explain this wonder and this mystery? Who can fully grasp the majesty of the incarnation of God in human flesh? The only thing anyone can do in light of this revelation and truth is to bow before Him in worship and adoration! What an awesome God we serve!

Rev. James W. Black

Gratitude Is An Expression of Salvation

November 11, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“Enter into his gates with thanksgiving and into his courts with praise; be thankful unto him, and bless his name. (5). For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.”
Psalm 100:4-5 KJV

One of the hallmarks of being truly “born again” is a heart that is full of gratitude! When we consider where we once were, (blinded to the Truth, walking in darkness, totally separated from God and on our way to an eternity in hell, which we justly deserved) and then to be redeemed, washed, and cleansed by His Precious blood; forgiven and made totally righteous in His sight and transferred by the power of the Holy Spirit into His eternal Kingdom, we should be forever filled with heartfelt gratitude for what He has done for us! The awe and wonder of that reality should cause us to be eternally grateful to Him!

Gratitude toward God the Father for His goodness and grace is the normal response of those who follow Christ. Paul the Apostle was forever in awe at the grace of God which would transform him from being one of the greatest enemies of Christ (Acts 9:1-2; Gal. 1:13) to becoming one of His greatest defenders (2 Cor. 11: 23-28). Paul was overwhelmed by the depths of such love! He was eternally grateful for God’s goodness and grace that had been poured out upon him.

Gratitude is expressed through our worship! Genuine worship flows from a heart that is grateful for being redeemed. Such gratitude is spontaneous, genuine, and ongoing. And gratitude is expressed through service

Paul’s unwavering and unselfish service to the Lord Jesus was an expression of his deep gratitude! The Scripture says that those “who have been forgiven much, love much.” (Luke 7:44-48). All that we do for the Lord flows out of our love for Him and is an expression of our gratitude toward Him! Could it be that one of the reasons that so few are willing to serve the Lord in any capacity is that they have forgotten what it means to be grateful? When God’s people live in conscious gratitude, there is never a shortage of servants.

Rev. James W. Black

The Power of the New Covenant

November 4, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“For this reason, Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance —now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from the sins committed under the first covenant.” (Heb. 9:15 NIV 1984 Edition).

The Old Covenant which gave us the Law of God (revealed in the 10 Commandments in Exodus 20) was weak in that it could not make anyone righteous in the sight of God (Heb. 7:19). It is not that the Law is bad. No, it is very good. The Law reveals the Holy, just, and righteous nature of God. The problem was the weakness of our humanity. Because of our sinful nature, we were unable to keep the Law consistently and continually. In other words, the Law was unable to deliver us from the power of sin. No matter how hard one tries, everyone inevitably fails in their effort to keep the Law. (Rom. 3:23). Thus, the weakness of the Old Covenant was not in the Law itself but in us.

In Christ, God gave us a “better covenant”. In this Covenant, the Law was not done away with, but was fully kept by Christ (Heb. 10:10). He was sinless in every possible way. When He became our substitute on the cross, our sin was vicariously placed upon Him! At that moment He became our substitute and was subject unto death because death is the result of sin (Rom. 6:23). It is not that He sinned, but the fact that He took our sin upon Himself. And there God the Father judged Him just as if He were judging us! (Col. 2:13).

After His resurrection, His blood that was offered once and for all for our sin was placed upon the Mercy Seat before the Throne of God (Heb. 10: 16-18). And now all who put their trust in that Blood and personally accept the sacrifice that He made by surrendering their life to Jesus are made absolutely holy and righteous in the sight of God (2 Cor. 5:21)! It is no longer the keeping of the Law that makes one acceptable in the sight of God. It is the surrender to the finished work of Christ and receiving from Him what was impossible for us to do ourselves! (Rom. 6:23, Eph. 2:8-9).

Our life afterward is simply a daily acknowledgment and surrendering to the Power of the cross (Gal. 2:20). What follows is a heart full of gratitude and love which motivates us to follow Him. Our service for Him is now born out of love and gratitude rather than obligation! And the best part of this New Covenant is that He gives us the Holy Spirit to live within us Who empowers us to do what we could never do on our own (John 14:20, 25; John 15:26; John 16:13)! This New Covenant is truly better than the old!

James W. Black

How Can You Tell If You Love Jesus?

February 19, 2023 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (John 14:15 NKJV)

It is very easy for someone to say: “I love Jesus.” But how can you tell if that really is true? Jesus made it simple and clear. He said in essence, “If you love me, you will do what I ask you to do.” Genuine obedience to the Lord is born out of love for Him! If we love Him, obedience is not hard because we know that whatever He asks us to do is because of His great love for us! He always has our best interest in mind.

Therefore, we seek to honor Him, not out of duty or coercion but because of our love for Him. We love Him because of what He has done for us (1 John 4:19). Jesus has redeemed us by His own blood (Col. 1:14). He has forgiven us and made us sons and daughters of His royal family (Gal. 4:6-7). He came to us when were totally bankrupted by sin and gave us the wealth of His mercy, forgiveness, grace and love! He gave us His very own righteousness (Rom. 3: 21-22). And if that were not enough, He gave us eternal life (John 11: 25-26). The power of sin and death was broken by His resurrection and no longer has a claim upon us (Col. 2: 13-15). It is absolutely amazing! And He did all of this out of His great love for us. He did that for us before we even knew Who He was (Rom. 5:8). How could anyone truly know that not love Him?

Therefore if we truly love Jesus , we will want to honor Him! We will not want to do anything to bring a reproach upon His Name. We will not want to live in a way that would cause others to question whether or not we are a follower of Christ (1 Thess. 5:22). If we love Him, there will be a consistency in our life that reflects Christ. The key word is consistency, not perfection! No follower of Christ lives perfectly. But there will be, in spite of our failures at times, the willingness and the ability to get back up and keep following Him. When we love Him, He always empowers us to do that and whatever else He wants us to do.

James W. Black

Who Do You Serve?

May 22, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“…choose you this day whom ye will serve; …but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15 KJV).

Everybody serves somebody, whether they are atheist or agnostic. The atheist serves at the altar of his own intellect and reason. To the atheist there is no God. He believes that through his intellect alone he can understand and explain everything. In essence the atheist is a god unto himself.

The agnostic neither knows nor cares if God exists. He is content to live a life that is completely indifferent and void of God. He and the atheist make good companions. For in their pride and arrogance they often attack and ridicule those who do know the Lord. They consider themselves to be intellectually superior.

The religious fall into two categories; those who simply engage in dead religious activity and those who truly know and follow the One True and living God!
In whatever camp a person aligns themselves with, they do so by choice.

Joshua had seen and followed the Living God from the time he was in Egypt to the time that he and the nation entered into the land that God had promised them some 40 years before. He had experienced hardship and difficulty but through it all he had also witnessed the Mighty Hand of God! To him, there was no other choice. He knew the reality of God. He knew the power and the promises of God. He knew the faithfulness of God. So as he came to the close of his life, he challenged the people of Israel to choose who they would serve. Would they serve the God who had revealed Himself to them in a multitude of ways, or would they choose the dead and powerless gods of the nations whose land they had entered. The God of Israel offered life. The gods of the nations offered death. For Joshua, the choice was clear. He would choose the One True and living God!

The others, like Joshua also had a choice. They could serve the One True and living God, or they could serve a god of their own making. Both life and death rested upon their choice. We too are offered the same choice today. We can choose to follow and serve the only True and living God (the only God who gives eternal life) or we can choose to follow the gods of this world (selfishness, pride, greed, lust, power and entertainment). Both then and now the decision has eternal consequences. Who do you choose to serve?

James W. Black

Gods Way is Perfect

May 15, 2022 by NCC-Admin-1 in Pastor's Corner

“As for God, his way is perfect; the word of the Lord is tried; he is a buckler to all those that trust in him.” (Psalm 18:30 KJV).

The word perfect is a rich word. It means “being entirely without fault or defect; flawless, absolutely pure, and complete.” (Webster). That is how the Word of God describes God’s way. His way is flawless, absolutely pure and complete. There is nothing than can be added to what He says or what He does to make it better.

God’s way is perfect because God Himself is perfect. There is nothing that can be added to Him! He is not outdated. He does not need revising. He is the complete embodiment of the ultimate perfection. He has always been and will always be. He has always been the same and will forever be the same. (Heb. 13:8). Therefore because God is perfect, His Word is perfect, His Salvation is perfect and His Way is perfect! Whatever He says or does is not only flawless, but it is also complete!

That should bring us great comfort because The Holy One is doing a great work in each of our lives as His redeemed! Paul the Apostle reaffirmed this when he said: “he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it (or complete it)” [parenthesis mine] until the day of Jesus Christ.” (Phil. 1:6). So, while none of us are perfect, we are all in the process of being perfected.

The Lord will use a multitude of tools and circumstances to accomplish this task. He knows the “best way” to do it. But make no mistake about it. The Lord always completes whatever He starts. And when He is finished it will be perfect!

That work that He has begun in us will be completed when we see Him in glory; not before. So relax and let God do His work. He is doing a good job in you. And when He is finished, it will be perfect because His way is alway perfect.

James W. Black

Tag: jesus