The Study has been dedicated in loving memory to our pastor, Rev. Joe K. Ballard and his beloved wife Jewell Ballard. Here you will find a collection of Rev. Ballard's books, writings and teachings. Permission was graciously granted by Jewell Ballard to reprint and use the books, pamphlets and other writings of Rev. Ballard.

Both Rev. Ballard and Jewell Ballard served the Lord all their days of their life.

Directory

Christmas Greetings

Jonah and the Great Fish

Much More

Resurrection

..Christmas Greetings

"And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus;
for he shall save his people from their sins."
Matthew 1:21

Jesus was not born like all other children by natural generation. Joseph was not his physical father. Whatever modern criticism may say, the record of the birth of Jesus as stated in the Gospels presents the Eternal Word who "was with God" and "was God". (John 1:1), becoming flesh (John 1:14) in a Virgin's womb by the Holy Spirit and under the overshadowing "power of the highest" (Luke 1:35) The Word of God gave a chaste exalted story of the nativity. The Gospels present Jesus as Divine. If God was actually becoming incarnate, conception would have to be in a virgin's womb, it could not be otherwise. The immaculate conception, the virgin birth, the angelic choir and the wise men's star present a blending of the simple and the sublime.

He is presented in the Gospels as sinless in life. He is shown as a sinless Savior against a backdrop of a sinful world. We see him as a Savior who came to save sinners and was only able to do so because, He himself was sinless. He was never conscious of sin in himself - never did He confess sin. John declares, "In him is no sin." Peter says, "He did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth." Paul said, "He knew no sin." Pilate declared, "I find in him no fault at all." Judas had to own that he had "betrayed innocent blood."

Jesus's death was vicarious, redemptive and substitutionary. We must not put the death of Jesus Christ on a general par with other great and good men. He took our sins and our guilt upon himself and died as a sacrifice in our stead. The sufferings of Christ were different from those of any other as presented in the Gospels. The agony of the garden and the bloody sweat were not the result of extreme mental and physical anguish but caused by the sinless soul of the Son Of God coming in contact with the world's sin. It was not the crucifixion and the awful thirst, others have suffered as much and more. The cross was a travesty unless He who hung there knew no sin but was a sacrifice for our sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. This is the only sensible explanation of His unique suffering. Without a sinless life and a virgin birth as antecedents such a death is impossible and meaningless.

His resurrection is very important to the believers. This aspect of his person and work is inseparable from his supernatural birth, life and death. Jesus was all that He himself claimed and all the Gospels portray him to be. His resurrection was the vindication of his sinless life and a redemptive death. More than this, it was an absolute necessity. Those who evaluate the resurrection see its inseparable connection with the person and work of Christ. This truth like any other spiritual truth becomes real on the basis of faith.

Happy Holidays
Joe K. and Jewell E. Ballard

"Christmas Greetings" was part of a long-ago holiday greeting sent to each family at Christmas time. Please forgive any typing errors. They are a result of this typist and not in the original pieces of work.

Permission to reprint received from Jewel Ballard.

Back to the Resource Center

Web clip art is clip art created for use on Web pages. This clip art has been created with pixels in GIF format for use as Web clip art. This Web clip art can, in some cases, be used for other purposes, such as scrapbooking, newsletters, or greeting cards, but changing the size of graphics created with pixels can cause image distortion. Shadowed images are for use on light or white backgrounds, while unshadowed images are for use on both light and dark background pages.

Visit an affiliate site for more clip art.

ABKL Designs
Clip art of holidays, animals, cactus, food and beverages, wine, grapes, cats, dogs, pet responsibility, children, military vehicles, military personnel, trains, famous landmarks and cities, buildings, penguins, holidays, pride graphics, and much, much more.

The Web Site GEM Award
Does your clip art site deserve to be recognized? Apply for the Clipart Mountain Award!