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The Most Important Person Who Has Ever Lived
Jesus Christ is the most important person in human history. His life has had more impact than anyone who has ever lived. Most everyone and most every religion has an opinion about Him. Do you? What is your view based upon...a hunch, a conversation with someone, a college professor's opinion, a person who claims to be His follower, a past experience? Fortunately, we don't have to rely on subjective views of Jesus. The Bible offers us the historical source material to help us understand who Jesus is and what He is all about. You owe it to yourself and your future to read the firsthand witnesses of the life and teachings of Jesus. Read the writings in the Bible known as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Jesus' message is the most hopeful and ambitious of all time. His life will change yours. We've listed some short writings about Jesus Christ on this page below. Please take some time to read through these. May your faith & hope in Christ be strengthened. Grace & Peace!
Pastor Ron
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The Gospel
The word “gospel” means good news. In the ancient world, the word gospel was used to announce the ascension of a new King or to declare a victory in war. the Bible uses this word to declare to us that Jesus is the new King of the world and He has won the war against our most dreadful enemy. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the good news of what Jesus has accomplished through His sinless life, death, burial and resurrection. Remember, this is good news, not just good advice. (Many want to take the teachings of Christ and turn them into good advice. True, His teachings are the most profound ever heard by human ear. But, you cannot fully grasp or understand His teachings without embracing the good news of Who Jesus is and what He came to do.) Here’s the Gospel in it’s most succinct form – 1 Corinthians 15:3-4,
“3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (NKJV)
The Gospel marks the event that changed history. Read the writings of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Read the letters of the New Testament to better understand the Gospel. Read the Old Testament Scriptures and hear promises and prophecies of Messiah and His Kingdom. Embrace the good news by placing your faith in Jesus Christ.
Ron Laney, P.O. Box 465, Williamson, GA 30292 www.TheChurchofJoy.org
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The Door
In John 10:9, Jesus says this, “I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, and will go in and out and find pasture.” (NKJV)
In Bible times, the shepherd would build a corral around the mouth of a cave to ensure the safety and protection of his sheep. He would leave a door in the front of this corral and the shepherd would guard this door by laying in it. The only way you could get into the corral was to go through the Shepherd. Get the picture? In order to get into the sheepfold of God, you must go through Jesus – He is The Door! The Only Door! When you enter, by faith in Jesus, you find more than a sheepfold. You find that you have entered into The Kingdom of God. Jesus is The Door.
Ron Laney, P.O. Box 465, Williamson, GA 30292 www.TheChurchofJoy.org
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The Good Shepherd
In the Biblical narrative, this picture is often painted - people are sheep and God is their shepherd. He leads, we follow, or at least we should. More times than not, we choose to go our own way and refuse the way of our Shepherd. In John 10:11, Jesus refers to Himself as not just a shepherd, but the Good Shepherd:
"I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.” (NKJV)
Sheep are dependent on the shepherd for food, water, care, protection – literally everything. Get the picture? We need to follow Jesus, our Good Shepherd. He will never abandon or neglect us. He is good to the sheep of His flock. His love is evident in that He gave His life for our sakes. Here Jesus speaks of His death and resurrection:
"No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This command I have received from My Father." John 10:18 (NKJV)
Jesus is the Good Shepherd!
Ron Laney, P.O. Box 465, Williamson, GA 30292 www.TheChurchofJoy.org
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The Cross
The Cross is the universal symbol of the Christian faith. It was on a cross that Jesus suffered and died for the sins of the world. By the time of the first century, the Romans had implemented a form of execution known as crucifixion. It was a fearful expression of the power of Rome - the power of life and death. Many who opposed Caesar were nailed to the cross as a political and religious statement. Interesting how God chose to use this form of death for the redemption of mankind. It’s as if God was saying, "Rome and Caesar do NOT have the power of life and death, I do".
Why the brutality of the cross? Perhaps to show us the awfulness of our sin. Galatians 3:13 says,
“Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, "Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree") (NKJV).
Knowing what we know about crucifixion and the sufferings of Jesus, read Deuteronomy 21:23, Psalm 22, Isaiah 53. Get the picture? The cross was God's plan from the beginning. Jesus took our sin upon Himself. Now we can be forgiven by trusting in Him. He broke the power of the curse by becoming accursed for us. Now, all who believe in Him are free to enter into the blessings of God. Because of the cross, we are reconciled to God – Colossians 1. Believers are to remember His death on the cross when they partake of Holy Communion. Thank God, the story doesn’t end here in death - the crucified Christ rises from the dead on the third day.
Ron Laney, P.O. Box 465, Williamson, GA 30292 www.TheChurchofJoy.org
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The Resurrection & the Life
Lazarus has been dead four days. His sisters, Mary & Martha, are distraught and extremely disappointed. Distraught over his untimely death and disappointed that Jesus didn’t come during Lazarus’ illness and heal him. Here we pick up the story in John 11:25-26, Jesus speaks to Martha,
“I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live. And whoever lives and believes in Me shall never die. Do you believe this?” (NKJV)
How does Jesus make good on this claim? He goes to the tomb of Lazarus and raises him from the dead. Get the picture?
But this is not the only place He backs up this statement. After His death on the cross, the dead body of Jesus was placed in the tomb of Joseph of Arimathea. On the third day, Jesus miraculously rises from the grave just as He predicted. His Resurrection convinced the early disciples to proclaim that He was the Messiah, at the risk of their own lives. It’s the Resurrection of Jesus that is the watershed issue of the Christian faith. The Resurrection is what establishes Jesus as the rightful Lord of the world and the conqueror of sin and death. Jesus’ Resurrection is the guarantee of our own resurrection. He has promised to return and bring resurrection life to all who believe on Him. At this time He will impart resurrection life back to the bodies of the dead in Christ, uniting their spirit and body again in a glorified state. Jesus will also extend resurrection life to the heavens and the earth by making them new again. Followers of Jesus eagerly anticipate the time of their resurrection, the resurrection of all the saints and the resurrection of creation. Jesus Christ is the Resurrection and the Life. Do you believe this?
Read the New Testament for more insight. 1 Corinthians 15 and Revelation 20-22 are very helpful.
Ron Laney, P.O. Box 465, Williamson, GA 30292 www.TheChurchofJoy.org
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The Father
Jesus came to reveal Father God to us. The word “father” is a family title, a relational word. He wanted us to know God as our Father. He knew this was central to having a right view and right relationship with God. John 1:18 says, “No one has seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him.”
Here are just a few of the revelations Jesus gave us about Father:
1) Father Loves Us. Many view Father God as temperamental, wrathful or aloof. Jesus revealed Father’s heart of love for the people of the world in John 3:16,
“For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Father loves us very deeply. Open yourself to your Heavenly Father's love by accepting Jesus Christ as Lord.
2) The Image of God. What does the invisible God look like? Originally, man was created in the “image and likeness” of God (Genesis 1:26-28). But mankind’s rebellion and sin have distorted this image. Jesus comes and lives in perfect obedience to God to show us what the “image and likeness” of Father looks like. The perfect Son, reflects the perfect Father. John 14:9 “…He who has seen Me has seen the Father…” Get the picture? What does Father look like? Take a good long look at Jesus.
3) The Affirmation of the Father. Jesus verbally received the affirmation of the Father on two occasions – His baptism and on the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus pleased His Father to the fullest - "this is My beloved Son in Whom I am well pleased", Matthew 3:1. When we put our faith in Jesus Christ, we become partakers of our Father’s pleasure in Jesus. Through Christ, the affirmation of our Heavenly Father is restored to us. No longer does God see us as sinful and unrighteous. Through placing our faith in Jesus Christ, we become pleasing to Father.
4) Father’s Will. We are to live for Father’s will. At the age of twelve, Jesus declares “I must be about my Father’s business” (Luke 2:49). In John 5:30, Jesus declares, “…I do not seek My own will but the will of the Father who sent Me." This is best shown while Jesus is in Gethsemane just before His death. He totally surrenders to Father's will. Jesus teaches us that Father really does know best. Life is at it's best when we obey and submit to Father’s will and ways.
5) Communication with Father is restored. Because of Jesus, we are not groping for the attention of a distant deity. We have direct and open access to our Heavenly Father. When believers pray, they can say, “Our Father…” (Matthew 6:9-13). Because of Jesus, Father always hears us when we talk to Him.
6) Father’s Kingdom. Jesus came to restore us to Father’s Kingdom and secure our inheritance in Father’s Kingdom. When we are born-again, we are restored into the Kingdom and we are enabled to see the Kingdom. But it doesn’t end there. Listen to the promise of Luke 12:32, “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” The Kingdom is in us, we are placed in the Kingdom and the Kingdom will soon come to the earth. This will find its ultimate fulfillment in the new heavens, new earth and New Jerusalem (Revelation 20-22).
Ron Laney, P.O. Box 465, Williamson, GA 30292 www.TheChurchofJoy.org
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The Holy Spirit
At His ascension into heaven, 40 days after His resurrection, Jesus promised to send the Holy Spirit to His followers. The Spirit of God was going to come and take up residence within believers. Acts 1:8 records Jesus’ promise,
“But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Acts 2 shows the fulfillment, as the Holy Spirit came and rested upon 120 believers. The Spirit had come to indwell and empower all who believe. Why all the drama – the day, the wind, the fire? The day was the Day of Pentecost – a Jewish worship feast. At this feast, the Hebrew nation came together to celebrate the “Word of God” given to Moses at Sinai. Fitting that the Spirit would be given on a day when the Word of God was honored and respected. The Spirit and the Word always go together.
The wind spoke of God’s breath and life entering the faithful in a new and living way. Just as God had breathed life into Adam and made him alive, God now breathes into His followers and gives them a new dimension of life in the Spirit.
Supernatural fire was the signature of the presence of God – the burning bush, the pillar of fire in the desert, the fire over the Tabernacle and the fire over the Temple. This event in Acts 2, witnessed that the abode of God had shifted from the Temple in Jerusalem to the New Temple, the Body of Christ. Paul refers to this revelation several times in his letters. Jesus gives the gift of the Holy Spirit to all who believe in Him. God now lives in His people.
The Spirit is given to guide us, teach us, convict us and empower us to be all that God has called us to be. He produces the fruit of Christ's character (Galatians 5:22-23) in and through the life of the believer. He releases supernatural gifts through believers. One of the great joys of the believer’s life is to flow in the supernatural life of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 12). These rivers of living water (fruit and gifts) are what people around us need. Believers are commanded to be baptized and filled with the Spirit. We are to come under His influence and authority, willingly and daily. Jesus is our baptizer in the Holy Spirit.
Ron Laney, P.O. Box 465, Williamson, GA 30292 www.TheChurchofJoy.org
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Our Healer
Jesus is our Healer. Throughout the Gospels we see Jesus going about doing good and healing all who are oppressed by the devil. The primary way this healing is extended to us is in the forgiveness of sin. This brings healing to our relationship with Father and our inner man. Healing is also extended to our physical body. This is not a far stretch for us to believe. When God created our bodies, He placed within it healing properties. In the Scriptures, we see Jesus healing lepers, the blind, the lame, the sick, the deaf, and all sorts of physical ailments. This was an important part of His declaration of the Kingdom of God. In the family of God believers are instructed to call the elders of the Church and have them anoint with oil and pray the prayer of faith for healing (James 5:14-15). 1 Corinthians 12:9, says the Holy Spirit imparts “gifts of healings” through some members in the Body of Christ. Healing in our spirit, soul and body are blessings extended to us.
Does everybody get physical healing when they ask? No. Some are required to die in faith, asking and believing to the very end. If God doesn’t give you instant healing, He will give you something better. Only as we walk by faith with Christ, will we understand what this “better answer” is. Thank God for supernatural, miraculous healing. Thank God for grace to persevere with patience.
Does God sometimes use sickness and problems for our good? Yes. He did with Paul on 2 occasions – blindness and the thorn in the flesh. One of these times, Paul received a miraculous healing. The other time he received grace to persevere his “thorn in the flesh.” In this case, God gave him something better than relief. Father works all things out for the good of His saints. (Romans 8:28)
Here’s where our faith has to live. – Always ask the Father for healing or whatever you need. Know that God will either give miraculous healing and deliverance or He will give grace and strength to endure the situation. All are miracles. We should be grateful for all of these things. Granted, one outcome is usually more desirable than the other. But one may not be better than the other. Father’s wisdom and goodness can always be trusted. We serve the God Who promises to give us more than what we ask for. He hears us when we pray and He answers us in ways that are always better than what we wanted.
Ephesians 3:20-21
“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
Our Lord not only can do more, He will do more. He always does what’s right for us. His everlasting love can and must be trusted. Jesus is our healer!
Ron Laney, P.O. Box 465, Williamson, GA 30292 www.TheChurchofJoy.org
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The Gospel of the Kingdom
The first recorded message Jesus preached was “repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand” (Matthew 3:2). The Kingdom was coming because the King had come. Jesus spoke frequently about the Kingdom. Much of His teachings were revelations about this Kingdom. He even prophesied that at the end of the age, the Gospel of the Kingdom would be preached in all the world.
So what is this “Gospel of the Kingdom”? Most of God’s people are acquainted with the gospel of salvation, which is the forgiveness of sin and being born-again. While this is extremely important to our life and eternity, this is not the entire message of the Gospel. Jesus taught that salvation, being born-again, was just the beginning. When we are born-again, we enter into the Kingdom and we are empowered to see the Kingdom of God (John 3). Salvation is our entry point into the Gospel of the Kingdom. This is what Jesus taught Nicodemus in John 3.
All of this talk about the Kingdom may be new to us. But the people of Jesus’ time were well acquainted with this language and idea. The Prophets had long foretold of the coming King and His Kingdom. Messiah was destined to be the Savior and Ruler of God’s people. Messiah was to be the King who would free Israel from her enemies and establish them as a nation. His righteous rule would establish shalom (peace), prosperity, righteousness and justice in Israel and throughout the earth. This Kingdom language and prophecy are scattered all over the Bible, Old & New Testament. In fact, the word “kingdom” is found 321 times in the Scriptures. It was a dominant theme in Jesus’ teaching. For the people of Israel, salvation was much more than a personal experience. In its fullness, salvation was to be a national, even a global event. It was about the King and His Kingdom coming to earth - The Gospel of the Kingdom.
Here was the big surprise with Jesus and the Kingdom. He claimed to be the Messiah, but then He got Himself killed by Israel’s enemies. If He was Messiah, He would have conquered the Romans and the religious corruption within the nation. This attitude is exemplified by the conversation of the two men on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24:13-35. The resurrected Jesus appears to them and explains the plan of God as revealed in the Scriptures. He begins with Moses and the Prophets and explained how Messiah would first suffer before He entered His glory. Jesus was indeed the Messiah. He had destroyed Israel and the world’s greatest enemies, sin and death, by way of the cross and resurrection. He would later ascend back into heaven to sit at the right hand of the throne of God until His enemies would be made His footstool. His promise is that He will soon return to establish His Kingdom over the whole earth. No wonder Haggai 2:7 calls Messiah the Desire of All Nations. The King will fulfill the deepest desire of the human heart – peace, love, joy, righteousness, justice.
What will the new Kingdom look like? Revelation 20-22, gives us some impressive glimpses into the coming Kingdom. First and foremost, Jesus will be seen as the “King of kings and Lord of lords.” Every knee will bow and every tongue will confess this Truth. The antichrist, the false prophet, death and satan will be cast into the lake of fire. Jesus will judge from His righteous throne and set all things right. He will extend resurrection to the heavens and the earth - He will make them new, reversing the curse. All of creation is groaning and waiting for this moment (Romans 8:22-23). The New Jerusalem, the holy city, will descend from heaven and rest on the earth. God will dwell among His people without any hindrance or veil. In this moment, the prayer we have prayed for many years will be fulfilled – Your Kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. There will be no more tears, no more death, no sorrow, no crying, no pain, for the former way of doing things has passed away. The rightful King has come to establish righteousness and justice and peace. The River of Life will flow from the throne of God. The tree of life will be there. It will bear twelve different kinds of fruit. It’s leaves will be for the healing of the nations. We will see the Lord face-to-face and serve Him. Believers will rule and reign with Christ forever and ever. This is our hope, The Gospel of the Kingdom!
Revelation 22:20-21
“ He who testifies to these things says, "Surely I am coming quickly." Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus! The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen. (NKJV)
Ron Laney, P.O. Box 465, Williamson, GA 30292 www.TheChurchofJoy.org
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The "I Am" Claims of Jesus
The I Am’s of Jesus connect Him with the God revealed in the Old Testament - the Creator, the Almighty. In John 8:37-59, Jesus claims to be the God called “I Am.”
The Seven "I Am's" in John
I Am the Bread of Life (John 6:31-51)
I Am the Light of the World (John 8:12)
I Am the Door (John 10:7-9)
I Am the Good Shepherd (John 10:11-18)
I Am the Resurrection and the Life (John 11:21-27)
I Am the Way, the Truth and the Life (John 14:1-6)
I Am the True Vine (John 15:1-8)
Other "I Am" Statements
I Am with you always (Matthew 28:18-20)
I Am the Christ, the Son of Man (Mark 14:61-62)
I Am from above (John 8:23-24)
I Am the Son of God (John 10:33-39)
Ron Laney, P.O. Box 465, Williamson, GA 30292 www.TheChurchofJoy.org
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Who is Jesus Christ?
(2 page – Pamphlet, Click here for PDF)
Meditations on the names of Jesus Christ revealed in the Scriptures.
Ron Laney, P.O. Box 465, Williamson, GA 30292 www.TheChurchofJoy.org
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The Chief Cornerstone (17 Messages)
Below are a list of message notes (pdfs) from a series of teachings Pastor Ron gave at Joy entitled,
The Chief Cornerstone.
#1 - Who is Jesus Christ?
#2 - The God Man
#3 - The Incarnation of Christ
#4 - The Humanity of Jesus
#5 - The Deity of Jesus
#6 - The Sinless, Perfect One
#7 - The I AMs of Jesus
#8 - Our Great High Priest Pt 1 of 2
#9 - Our Great High Priest Pt 2 of 2
#10 - Our Need for Reconciliation
#11 - God's Plan Fulfilled in Jesus
#12 - His Atoning Life
#13 - Scriptural Viewpoints
#14 - Benefits of Christ's Atonement
#15 - The Resurrection of Jesus
#16 - His Ascension & the Sending of the Spirit
#17 - His Return & Judgments
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