Kiss the Son

“Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.” (Isaiah 44::6)

It seems we have heard this concept before… I AM the first, and I AM the last. In Revelation 1:8 (and repeated for emphasis in verse 11) Jesus spoke to John the Revelator these words: “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.” Hallelujah to Jesus! As Christians we say we believe this. We say it to each other, we hear it quoted from the pulpit in sermons, we may even say it ourselves during our times of prayer. But sometimes we forget. Especially during times of trial.

I recently did a devotional in which I went into a little bit of teaching about how all things came out of God and through Him all things continue to exist. In Acts 17:28 we read that “For in him we live, and move, and have our being…”. In fact, during the ‘80’s we even had a chorus we sang in church that quoted these words. In our quest for ever inspiring new music we often leave behind these songs that were instrumental in burying these truths into our spirits. Perhaps I’m a bit nostalgic, but I love songs like “How Great Is Our God” and “How Great Thou Art” because they remind me as I sing of the hugeness and matchlessness of Him. I need reminded daily.

While I’m chasing this rabbit let me share another Jewish teaching with you. We read in Psalm 2:12, “Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.” Kiss the Son… lest ye perish from the way. What an interesting comment from the pen of (later) King David. It seems he understood the intimacy that Jesus would want from us. Jesus identified Himself in John 14:6 by saying, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” Jesus called Himself The Way. In fact, early Christians weren’t called Christians for awhile; instead, they were simply called people of The Way. They remained Jewish but believed in the ministry and the Being of Christ as the Messiah.

The Messianic Jews (and the old Orthodox Jews believe) that God wants us to kiss Him, to exchange breath with Him. After all, it came from Him in the beginning. Remember how God created Adam out of the earth, then breathed life into Him? All earth-bound, living animals have the breath of life in them, but they never became living spirits that were fashioned after God’s own likeness and being. Only man has that privilge. Adam and Eve were created to be eternal beings, to forever walk and live in the Presence of God. But when they sinned, God said they died. Deep Jewish teaching tells us that God removed His breath from them and replaced it with an earthly breath – much like the animals. They became finite beings, limited in their lifespan and their survival. But as early as Genesis 3:15-16 God gave the promise of a coming Seed that would bruise the head of Satan, would crush him underfoot.

Along comes Jesus, identifying Himself as that Seed and showing us His power over the destructive works of Satan. He openly and boldly displayed His power over sickness, disease, death, and even the natural phenomenon of weather. He identified Himself as God (I AM), The Way, The Door, The Life. On and on Jesus declared His Oneness with God, backing it up with the proof of His miraculous power. He reminded us of powerful and beautiful truths that were revealed throughout the Old Testament and gave us hope for a greater life and manifestations in this new Life we were given. But only as we kiss the Son.

Jewish teaching tells us that when we come to Jesus for salvation and offer Him our lives, He comes down and kisses us on the mouth, thus restoring the First Breath – the breath God gave Adam. At that point, the number of our days no longer matters because we, at that moment, become eternal once again. We have the Breath of Heaven flowing through our lives. We are eternal. We are restored. We are One with Him. And so, as long as we continue to share our intimacy with Him, as long as we share our days, our hours, our minutes with Him, we continue moving forward into the life of fulness, the life of blessedness, the life God has planned for us that we can neither hear nor see. He has planned for us blessings and goodness that we cannot even fathom. 2 Corinthians 2:9, coming from the Holy Spirit’s inspiration through the pen of David: “But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” This isn’t a get-rich-quick, name-it-and-claim-it message like you hear from so many. This is biblical truth being spoken over you and proclaimed to manifest in your life, my friend, as long as you kiss the Son.

Sure we will have trouble in our lives. Satan even tried to give Jesus grief; however, Satan is NO MATCH for the Son of God. And as long as we remain in Him, Satan is no match for you and me, either. We may have to pass through the fire, but it won’t settle upon us and destroy us. We may have to pass through the waters, but they shall not overcome us. We may walk through the valley of the shadow of death, but we fear no evil, for HE is with us. I love the words Jesus spoke to Peter right before Jesus was arrested: “...when you art converted (when you are saved through this trial), strengthen your brethren.” (Luke 22:32). Not IF you survive this trial, but after you have survived. Jesus gave Him hope, then He gave Him a mission – to strengthen, to encourage, to build up his brothers and sisters who, perhaps have seen the fight and may themselves have to go through it themselves. That, my friend, is why I have chosen this verse as my life-verse, my guiding beacon, my reason for living.

Perhaps you have claimed the title of Christian for years. You may not even be a Christian as you are listening this morning. Some of you I know personally; others, only through this exchange we share. In whatever condition you find yourself this morning, I beg of you to draw close to God through His Son, Jesus Christ. God wants to share with you the life He planned for you – one of open and transparent sharing, of walking with you daily, of talking to you constantly, of watching over you, protecting you, saving you (often from yourself), of healing you, and of one day sharing eternity in heaven (and on the new earth) with you. He created you for His pleasure. Come near, dear one, and kiss the Son. Let Him breathe new life into you today.

Be blessed.