"This phrase, “Yet once more,” indicates the removal of things that are shaken—that is, things that have been made—in order that the things that cannot be shaken may remain."
No matter what happens, God will never change. Those who are in Christ are unshakeable because they are being held in the hand of the Eternal One. You who are in Christ are a child of God and nothing in this world can ever change that because it is God who has ordained you for salvation and has adopted you legally to be his child. At the end of the day and everything is falling apart, rejoice! Rejoice because you have a Father in heaven who will never leave you or forsake you.
A time is coming soon when heaven and earth will pass away, but the Word of Christ endures forever. (Mt 24:35, Mk 13:31, Lk 21:33) God's promises to us stand firm forever. They cannot be shaken by anything. They are the firm foundation on which we build (Mt 7:24). They never fade and they never falter and in the end they will be all that remain.
Why wait until heaven to enjoy your salvation when salvation has come unto the world? Everything God creates is made to change. So even when you are robbed of all that you hold dear and life takes its toll you can still say, "God is my gracious Father because Christ is my faithful husband! Why should I worry?"
Showing posts with label promise. Show all posts
Showing posts with label promise. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Matthew 1:1
"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham."
The New Testament and the gospel begin with the most seemingly unremarkable of ways. However, it could not have begun more appropriately. It says three things: Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is the son of David, and Jesus is the son of Abraham.
Jesus is the Christ, the coming Messiah promised to the people of God. The LORD has once again heard the sufferings of his people and their groans of agony under the oppressive reign of the Roman empire and of Herod. The Gospel begins with a declaration which no one has spoken before, that the Christ has come and his name is Jesus, "God saves".
Jesus is the Son of David, the promised and everlasting king in his line. He is the hope of God's everlasting kingdom and the fulfillment of God's covenant with David.
Jesus is also the Son of Abraham, his Seed through which God will bless every nation. In the Old Testament, Abraham and David are the greatest hopes for the Jewish people and are symbols of God's promise. Jesus is the embodied faithfulness of God. Matthew starts his Gospel with a threefold statement of promise and fulfillment. After years of anticipation, the messiah has finally come! God has not forsaken his promises and he has not forgotten us. This sentence points back to the entire Old Testament and you will never fully understand the New Testament until you understand what comes first.
The New Testament and the gospel begin with the most seemingly unremarkable of ways. However, it could not have begun more appropriately. It says three things: Jesus is the Messiah, Jesus is the son of David, and Jesus is the son of Abraham.
Jesus is the Christ, the coming Messiah promised to the people of God. The LORD has once again heard the sufferings of his people and their groans of agony under the oppressive reign of the Roman empire and of Herod. The Gospel begins with a declaration which no one has spoken before, that the Christ has come and his name is Jesus, "God saves".
Jesus is the Son of David, the promised and everlasting king in his line. He is the hope of God's everlasting kingdom and the fulfillment of God's covenant with David.
Jesus is also the Son of Abraham, his Seed through which God will bless every nation. In the Old Testament, Abraham and David are the greatest hopes for the Jewish people and are symbols of God's promise. Jesus is the embodied faithfulness of God. Matthew starts his Gospel with a threefold statement of promise and fulfillment. After years of anticipation, the messiah has finally come! God has not forsaken his promises and he has not forgotten us. This sentence points back to the entire Old Testament and you will never fully understand the New Testament until you understand what comes first.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Romans 8:23
"And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies."
It is an amazing reminder that no matter how good things get in the Christian life and no matter how much joy and celebration we have in Christ there are only the firstfruits of what is to be a much larger crop. What we experience now with the Holy Spirit is only but a tiny fraction of that which is to come.
It is these firstfruits that symbolize the promise of more to come. We have but a taste of the Kingdom of God and of adoption by God. If you believe that Jesus is powerful to act through His Spirit in this present day and age, just wait until you see the Son of Man in all his glory ascended to the right hand of the Father!
Indeed the Holy Spirit is our deposit and guarantee of the salvation and redemption of our bodies that is to come. Though in Christ we have already been made children of the promise and heirs to the kingdom of God, we also eagerly await the fullness of God's glory and harvest. Those who possess it groan with eager expectation and a deep longing for intimacy with our Father in heaven. Do you feel it? That ineffable pull in your gut that longs for more something? My friends, more is out there and it's coming.
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