Jesus: The Same Yesterday, Today, and Forever.

Jesus: Always the Same

"Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Hebrews 13:8

What comforting words! In our ever-changing world, Jesus is our one constant. He is the great "I Am", without any limits, completely unchanging, always and forever. Let's look at Jesus yesterday, today, and forever.

Yesterday

• Yesterday speaks of the eternity of Jesus. Jesus has existed forever and He is totally self-existent. We can look into eternity past and Jesus has always been there. Jesus is God. They are one and the same.
• "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made." John 1:1-3
• Jesus also became a man. He was 100% God and 100% man. This verse tells us that Jesus has completed His job. He came, as a man, to die for our sins. He is our Redeemer and our Friend. He has accomplished all He set out to do.
• "In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe. The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven." Hebrews 1:1-3

Today

• After Jesus completed His task, He ascended into Heaven and left disciples to spread His Word. Today, Jesus is Master and Ruler of everything.
• Now, Jesus mediates between us and God. He connects us to God and prays for us at the right hand of God.
• "For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,..." 1 Timothy 2:5
• "Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them." Hebrews 7:25
• Jesus is also preparing a place for us in Heaven.
• "In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you." John 14:2
• Jesus is now ruling. But does He rule your heart? Jesus has a right to rule every aspect of our lives. We need to resemble Christ. It is our resemblance to Christ that makes our relationship with Christ credible. We need to put Him in our present life because He is the today Jesus.

Forever

• What's to come in the future with Jesus? Most importantly, the second coming and the revelation of Christ. Jesus is the Victor.
• "I saw Heaven standing open and there before me was a white horse, whose ride is called Faithful and True. With justice he judges and makes war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and on his head are many crowns. He has a name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and his name is the Word of God. The armies of heaven were following him, riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations. 'He will rule them with an iron scepter.' He treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name written KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS." Revelation 19:11-16
• Jesus is coming in glory and victory. He is our Savior and our Warrior. We will see Him in all his glory and He is worthy of our worship. Jesus is forever God and forever King. As believers, we will share in the glory that Christ brings.
• What we can provide for ourselves will never be enough, but Jesus has more than enough to share. Share in the glory and grace with Him and be with Jesus forever!

This sermon was preached by Dr. Jack Graham on 7.10.2010 at Prestonwood Baptist Church. It is part of the series "Life Messages". Speakers are asked if they could only preach one message which would it be? For more information, go to www.prestonwood.org.

Meatball Subs

Meatball Subs. Delicious, but not quite the healthiest meal around. I have had the biggest craving lately for one of these subs from Subway. Let's face it though, how many of us really know what goes into those meatballs? Mine are made from venison meat, which has less fat than beef. You could also use ground chicken or turkey. They were tender and juicy and very, very tasty. Remember the seasoning amounts are just a guideline. Use what you've got and however much you desire of them. Putting the sandwiches together was easy. Just simmer your baked meatballs in your favorite pasta sauce until warm. Toast your bread with some olive oil and sprinkle with garlic powder. Don't forget the mozzarella! You can make them as big or as small as you like. We were almost out of bread so we just had a small sandwich. But there's good news! I still have plenty of meatballs left for spaghetti tomorrow!

Meatballs

1 lb ground meat (beef, turkey, chicken, venison all work)

1/2 t salt

1/2 t garlic powder

3/4 t dried oregano

3/4 t dried basil

1/2 t pepper

1 1/2 T Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 c milk

1/2 c bread crumbs

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Mix all ingredients until evenly blended and form into 1 1/2 inch balls. Place on baking sheet (line with foil for easy clean up), and bake for 20-25 minutes or until no longer pink inside. Enjoy!

Happy 4th of July!

Hello! Long lost blog! I have neglected you. Sorry. Forgive me. This post will be somewhat random as I attempt to bring you up to date on all of my adventures in the past month.

I hope your fourth of July was awesome. Justin and I had a great day yesterday. I cooked some bbq ribs (nothing is more American than bbq, right?). We hit up a couple of fireworks shows in the past couple of days. We've been getting a lot of rain here in Texas, so it was nice and cool at night. Here is a shot from the fireworks show last night. I might need some more practice taking pictures of fireworks though. They are a tricky subject. Anyway, once again hope your Independence Day was great!

Next on the agenda...I turned 25 in June! I have mixed feelings about birthdays these days. Presents are great! I love the texts, calls, and facebook messages from people I don't hear from frequently. But getting older? Not quite as fun. I know 25 isn't old at all, but I think it's more the promise of what is sure to come after 25. You know, 30, 35, 40, 50!! Those crazy years. Oh well, I guess a new year is here and I'll make the best of it! (Note to self: plan fun things to happen in your 25th year.)

On to the cooking portion of this super long post. I made some caramel apples and they were delicious. I haven't really been in the baking mood for the past 2 months. It's about 1000 degrees here everyday, and I don't want to add to the heat with my oven cranked up to 350. We have been eating quite a few ham sandwiches for dinner. Poor Justin. Luckily, caramel apples are his favorite, so I redeemed myself as a good wife! These were really simple. Just take 3 cups of sugar, 3/4 c of light corn syrup, and 1/2 c of evaporated milk and stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil. Add in 1 1/2 cups of evaporated milk and 2 tablespoons of butter and boil that all together until it gets to the soft ball stage (or 240 degrees F). Dip in your apples and let them cool. This amount will cover between 10-12 apples. Enjoy!

Final stop...crafts! I had some fun with some baby blankets this past month. There are 3 girls in my Bible Fellowship class that are pregnant and we had a baby shower for them recently. I decided to use my newly discovered sewing skills to whip something up and I found a great, simple baby blanket. The babies are all due to arrive in the fall, so I figured it would be perfect for them to cuddle up with on those fall and winter nights! I had a lot of fun picking out the fabric and making these. Justin was pretty impressed, then he asked me if I wanted to make our clothes. Um...no thanks, honey! Here are a few pictures of my baby blankets.

So that, in a nutshell, was my June. I am hoping and aspiring to be a better July blogger.