“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of Him who sent me and to finish His work.” John 4:34
Jesus’ purpose in life was to do the Father’s will (John 4:34, 5:30, 6:38). But what is God’s will? Jesus even instructed His disciples to pray, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:10).
Thankfully there are many Scriptures that show us what God’s overarching will is: salvation for mankind. “And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I should lose none of all that He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day. For My Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day” (John 6:39-40). “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father” (Gal. 1:3-4). “And He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment – to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ” (Eph. 1:9-10). “In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should be lost” (Matt. 18:14). “The Lord... is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance” (2 Pet. 3:9).
God’s will is also that we would be sanctified – the ongoing salvation process, being made holy. “It is God’s will that you should be sanctified” (1 Thess. 4:3). “And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ once for all” (Heb. 10:10).
Jesus has indeed accomplished God’s will, by providing salvation for anyone who wants it. But it doesn’t end there. God wants us to continue to be made holy, to obey Him, to commit our lives to Him every day. Are you doing God’s will?
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Monday, January 9, 2012
I must become less
“He must become greater; I must become less.” John 3:30
In John 3:22-30 we see how some of John’s disciples were getting upset because Jesus was becoming more popular than John, whom they were following. Some of John’s own disciples had gone across and were now following Jesus (see John 1:35-37). But John wasn’t bothered that Jesus was more popular. He knew his place, as the ‘voice crying in the wilderness’, preparing the way for the Messiah. Now that Messiah had come, John knew that it was more important that people follow Jesus, not him.
We should have this same attitude. None of us have made it yet; there are still aspects of our fleshly sin nature that rear their ugly heads from time to time – feelings of jealousy, of not receiving the credit you think you deserve, of being ignored, neglected, or overlooked. It’s been said that it’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit. Jesus conducted Himself in such a way that every miracle He performed, people gave the glory to God – not to Him directly (Matt. 9:8, 15:31, Mark 2:12, Luke 7:16, 18:43, etc.). We should do the same (1 Cor. 10:31). Paul also developed this attitude: “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defence of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice” (Phil. 1:15-18).
We all have some area in which God is still working to make us more like Jesus. The road to Christian maturity is all about setting our own will aside and seeking to do God’s will instead. Make a decision today: to have more of Him showing in your life, and less of yourself.
In John 3:22-30 we see how some of John’s disciples were getting upset because Jesus was becoming more popular than John, whom they were following. Some of John’s own disciples had gone across and were now following Jesus (see John 1:35-37). But John wasn’t bothered that Jesus was more popular. He knew his place, as the ‘voice crying in the wilderness’, preparing the way for the Messiah. Now that Messiah had come, John knew that it was more important that people follow Jesus, not him.
We should have this same attitude. None of us have made it yet; there are still aspects of our fleshly sin nature that rear their ugly heads from time to time – feelings of jealousy, of not receiving the credit you think you deserve, of being ignored, neglected, or overlooked. It’s been said that it’s amazing what you can accomplish if you don’t care who gets the credit. Jesus conducted Himself in such a way that every miracle He performed, people gave the glory to God – not to Him directly (Matt. 9:8, 15:31, Mark 2:12, Luke 7:16, 18:43, etc.). We should do the same (1 Cor. 10:31). Paul also developed this attitude: “It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so in love, knowing that I am put here for the defence of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice” (Phil. 1:15-18).
We all have some area in which God is still working to make us more like Jesus. The road to Christian maturity is all about setting our own will aside and seeking to do God’s will instead. Make a decision today: to have more of Him showing in your life, and less of yourself.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Does God change His mind?
“God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and then not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?” Numbers 23:19
This is an interesting verse. It was uttered by Balaam as part of his second prophecy concerning the nation Israel. Balak, king of Moab, had asked Balaam to curse Israel, but Balaam knew he could say nothing other than what God wanted him to say.
God never says anything He doesn’t mean. He doesn’t say things in jest, saying He will do something with no intention to actually carry it out. Of course, we do come across other passages in the Scripture that seem to imply God did change His mind, for example, on two occasions, telling Moses that He would destroy Israel: with the golden calf, Ex. 32:9-14, and with the rebellion that ensued following the bad report brought by the ten spies, Num. 14:11-25; and with the visions He showed Amos, Amos 7:1-9. These can be reconciled, because God did have the intention to carry it out, if the person He was showing it to did not plead with Him for mercy on the nation.
The same also applies for God’s good promises to us. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). He has promised to be with us always (Matt. 28:20). He has promised to bring us to be with Himself (John 14:2-3). We can be absolutely sure that He will keep these promises!
This is an interesting verse. It was uttered by Balaam as part of his second prophecy concerning the nation Israel. Balak, king of Moab, had asked Balaam to curse Israel, but Balaam knew he could say nothing other than what God wanted him to say.
God never says anything He doesn’t mean. He doesn’t say things in jest, saying He will do something with no intention to actually carry it out. Of course, we do come across other passages in the Scripture that seem to imply God did change His mind, for example, on two occasions, telling Moses that He would destroy Israel: with the golden calf, Ex. 32:9-14, and with the rebellion that ensued following the bad report brought by the ten spies, Num. 14:11-25; and with the visions He showed Amos, Amos 7:1-9. These can be reconciled, because God did have the intention to carry it out, if the person He was showing it to did not plead with Him for mercy on the nation.
The same also applies for God’s good promises to us. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us (Heb. 13:5). He has promised to be with us always (Matt. 28:20). He has promised to bring us to be with Himself (John 14:2-3). We can be absolutely sure that He will keep these promises!
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Balaam's reckless path
“The angel of the Lord asked him, ‘Why have you beaten your donkey these three times? I have come here to oppose you because your path is a reckless one before Me.’” Numbers 22:32
In Numbers 22 we have the account of Balak, the king of Moab, requesting Balaam, a prophet, to come and curse Israel for him. Initially God said ‘No,’ and Balaam refused to go. The second time, God permitted him, but as he went God was angry and sent the angel of the Lord (thought by most Bible scholars to be a reference to Jesus appearing in the Old Testament) to oppose him. Then we have the quite amusing incident of how Balaam’s donkey saw the angel and tried to avoid Him by turning off the path or laying down underneath Balaam. He beat her, and then God enabled her to speak (Num. 22:28).
I used to wonder why God got angry with Balaam after telling him it was ok to go. Apparently, it was Balaam’s attitude in going. The prospect of a great reward awaited him, and he was itching to take it up. Next, we need to look at what God said to him: “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you” (Num. 22:20). The word ‘since’ (NIV) should probably be ‘when’. The men had come to Balaam the day before and he had told them no, but invited them to stay the night in case God changed His mind. What God actually told Balaam was, if they came back to him in the morning and asked him again, then he could go. Apparently Balaam didn’t wait for them to ask, but went to them.
Sometimes we can do exactly the same thing. We have our heart set on something, which might be far from what God desires for us. We keep pressing and pressing, hoping that by our pleading God will eventually give in. Sometimes He will make a concession, but as we learn from the Scriptures, it never turns out to be the best thing for us. We can be sure of this: if our path is reckless, God will oppose us. He doesn’t do this because He hates us, but because He loves us, and He doesn’t want us to get hurt.
In Numbers 22 we have the account of Balak, the king of Moab, requesting Balaam, a prophet, to come and curse Israel for him. Initially God said ‘No,’ and Balaam refused to go. The second time, God permitted him, but as he went God was angry and sent the angel of the Lord (thought by most Bible scholars to be a reference to Jesus appearing in the Old Testament) to oppose him. Then we have the quite amusing incident of how Balaam’s donkey saw the angel and tried to avoid Him by turning off the path or laying down underneath Balaam. He beat her, and then God enabled her to speak (Num. 22:28).
I used to wonder why God got angry with Balaam after telling him it was ok to go. Apparently, it was Balaam’s attitude in going. The prospect of a great reward awaited him, and he was itching to take it up. Next, we need to look at what God said to him: “Since these men have come to summon you, go with them, but do only what I tell you” (Num. 22:20). The word ‘since’ (NIV) should probably be ‘when’. The men had come to Balaam the day before and he had told them no, but invited them to stay the night in case God changed His mind. What God actually told Balaam was, if they came back to him in the morning and asked him again, then he could go. Apparently Balaam didn’t wait for them to ask, but went to them.
Sometimes we can do exactly the same thing. We have our heart set on something, which might be far from what God desires for us. We keep pressing and pressing, hoping that by our pleading God will eventually give in. Sometimes He will make a concession, but as we learn from the Scriptures, it never turns out to be the best thing for us. We can be sure of this: if our path is reckless, God will oppose us. He doesn’t do this because He hates us, but because He loves us, and He doesn’t want us to get hurt.
Friday, January 6, 2012
The stairway to heaven
“[Jesus] then added, ‘I tell you the truth, you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.’” John 1:51
In John 1:35ff we see how some of the disciples were initially called by Jesus – Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael. Nathanael was initially skeptical, when Philip told him that Jesus was from Nazareth (John 1:45-46). But Jesus demonstrated His divine knowledge about Nathanael and what he was doing at the time Philip spoke to him (John 1:47-48), and Nathanael knew at once that Jesus was indeed the Messiah (John 1:49).
Jesus says to Nathanael, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Apparently, what Nathanael was doing was reading and meditating on the Scriptures – specifically, the story of Jacob. Jesus’ initial words to him were, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false”, which could also be translated, “Here is a true son of Israel, in whom there is no Jacob” (since the name ‘Jacob’ means deceiver).
Jesus then makes a reference to Nathanael seeing “heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man”. This is not referring to His baptism, where the Holy Spirit descended like a dove upon Him. Rather, it is again a reference to the passage about Jacob that apparently Nathanael was reading: his dream at Bethel of the stairway (or ladder) reaching from heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending it (Gen. 28:10-12). What Jesus is saying here is that He is that stairway. The angels were not ascending and descending ‘onto’ Him, but ‘on’ Him. Thus the picture of Jesus being the stairway is heaven’s way of reaching down to earth. Jesus came down to our level, so that we might be brought up to His level. We cannot reach God by our own merits. We need to use the stairway He has provided – that of Jesus Christ.
In John 1:35ff we see how some of the disciples were initially called by Jesus – Andrew, Peter, Philip, and Nathanael. Nathanael was initially skeptical, when Philip told him that Jesus was from Nazareth (John 1:45-46). But Jesus demonstrated His divine knowledge about Nathanael and what he was doing at the time Philip spoke to him (John 1:47-48), and Nathanael knew at once that Jesus was indeed the Messiah (John 1:49).
Jesus says to Nathanael, “I saw you while you were still under the fig tree before Philip called you.” Apparently, what Nathanael was doing was reading and meditating on the Scriptures – specifically, the story of Jacob. Jesus’ initial words to him were, “Here is a true Israelite, in whom there is nothing false”, which could also be translated, “Here is a true son of Israel, in whom there is no Jacob” (since the name ‘Jacob’ means deceiver).
Jesus then makes a reference to Nathanael seeing “heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man”. This is not referring to His baptism, where the Holy Spirit descended like a dove upon Him. Rather, it is again a reference to the passage about Jacob that apparently Nathanael was reading: his dream at Bethel of the stairway (or ladder) reaching from heaven to earth with angels ascending and descending it (Gen. 28:10-12). What Jesus is saying here is that He is that stairway. The angels were not ascending and descending ‘onto’ Him, but ‘on’ Him. Thus the picture of Jesus being the stairway is heaven’s way of reaching down to earth. Jesus came down to our level, so that we might be brought up to His level. We cannot reach God by our own merits. We need to use the stairway He has provided – that of Jesus Christ.
Thursday, January 5, 2012
The Lamb of God
“The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!’” John 1:29
This title of Jesus, ‘the Lamb of God’, is only used by John: twice in his gospel, and thirty times in the book of Revelation. It causes us to look back to the first time the word ‘lamb’ appears in the Bible, in Genesis 22, where Abraham is told by God to take his son Isaac to the top of Mount Moriah and offer him. Isaac asks Abraham where the lamb is, and Abraham replies, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering” (Gen. 22:8). This statement, and the location of the event, are prophetic of Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross at that very same spot.
The sacrifice of a lamb also featured prominently at the first Passover in Egypt, where the Israelites were instructed to take a lamp, keep it with them as a pet for a period of time, then slaughter it and put its blood aroud the doorways of their houses. The death angel would pass over those houses with the blood. It doesn’t take much to see the symbolism that would become reality in Christ: inncoent blood being shed, no bones to be broken, etc. (see 1 Cor. 5:7, John 19:36).
The use of the title in the book of Revelation is telling. In the midst of the events of the Tribulation, and Christ’s triumphal return to earth as the reigning King of kings and Lord of lords, John does not use the title ‘Lion of the tribe of Judah’ (except by one of the 24 elders in Rev. 5:5). Instead, thirty times, we see the reference to the Lamb. Jesus still bears the marks of His sacrifice (Rev. 5:6). But they are not marks of shame and disgrace, but a trophy, because by those scars He provided salvation for all of us.
This title of Jesus, ‘the Lamb of God’, is only used by John: twice in his gospel, and thirty times in the book of Revelation. It causes us to look back to the first time the word ‘lamb’ appears in the Bible, in Genesis 22, where Abraham is told by God to take his son Isaac to the top of Mount Moriah and offer him. Isaac asks Abraham where the lamb is, and Abraham replies, “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering” (Gen. 22:8). This statement, and the location of the event, are prophetic of Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross at that very same spot.
The sacrifice of a lamb also featured prominently at the first Passover in Egypt, where the Israelites were instructed to take a lamp, keep it with them as a pet for a period of time, then slaughter it and put its blood aroud the doorways of their houses. The death angel would pass over those houses with the blood. It doesn’t take much to see the symbolism that would become reality in Christ: inncoent blood being shed, no bones to be broken, etc. (see 1 Cor. 5:7, John 19:36).
The use of the title in the book of Revelation is telling. In the midst of the events of the Tribulation, and Christ’s triumphal return to earth as the reigning King of kings and Lord of lords, John does not use the title ‘Lion of the tribe of Judah’ (except by one of the 24 elders in Rev. 5:5). Instead, thirty times, we see the reference to the Lamb. Jesus still bears the marks of His sacrifice (Rev. 5:6). But they are not marks of shame and disgrace, but a trophy, because by those scars He provided salvation for all of us.
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Making God known
“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.” John 1:17-18
The contrast is made over and over in the Scriptures between the law, given through Moses, and grace that comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are not in competition to one another – the law was given as a ‘guardian’ until Christ came (see Gal. 3:19-25, 4:1-5). The law was never intended to make anyone righteous by their keeping it, but to show us that we are all incapable of keeping it. The law gave us a glimpse of one aspect of God’s character: His holiness. But only Jesus can show us another aspect: His grace.
Similarly, when we look back at the life of Moses, we see that his perspective of God was incomplete. In Ex. 33:18-23 Moses asked God is he could see His glory, to which God replied, “You cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.” Instead, God allowed Moses to see His back as He passed by. This is echoed here in John 1:18. But now God’s face has been seen, in the face of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ life, we see God, revealed to us in a way that goes far beyond anything found in the Old Testament. We see His heart of compassion for hurting people, His righteous anger at those who think they are good enough without Him. We see the utter hatred He has for sin. We see the lengths He goes to in order to reach out to us and provide a way for us to be saved.
The contrast is made over and over in the Scriptures between the law, given through Moses, and grace that comes through the gospel of Jesus Christ. They are not in competition to one another – the law was given as a ‘guardian’ until Christ came (see Gal. 3:19-25, 4:1-5). The law was never intended to make anyone righteous by their keeping it, but to show us that we are all incapable of keeping it. The law gave us a glimpse of one aspect of God’s character: His holiness. But only Jesus can show us another aspect: His grace.
Similarly, when we look back at the life of Moses, we see that his perspective of God was incomplete. In Ex. 33:18-23 Moses asked God is he could see His glory, to which God replied, “You cannot see My face, for no one may see Me and live.” Instead, God allowed Moses to see His back as He passed by. This is echoed here in John 1:18. But now God’s face has been seen, in the face of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus’ life, we see God, revealed to us in a way that goes far beyond anything found in the Old Testament. We see His heart of compassion for hurting people, His righteous anger at those who think they are good enough without Him. We see the utter hatred He has for sin. We see the lengths He goes to in order to reach out to us and provide a way for us to be saved.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
The bronze snake
“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived.” Numbers 21:8-9
When reading through the book of Numbers, we come across this incident, which seems rather bizarre. Not long before, God had given the Israelites a law – actually, the second of the Ten Commandments – saying they must not make anything in the form of something created, to be an idol and to be worshipped (Ex. 20:4-5). It was not the intention for the snake to be worshipped, although it did become an idol for the Israelites in later generations (see this post on 2 Kin. 18:4).
But a snake? The snake/serpent was the reason that sin was able to enter the world. Why would God tell Moses to make something that was the antithesis of Himself, for the children of Israel to look to for healing? Why not a dove, or a lamb?
The answer is given by Jesus in John 3:14-15. Moses lifting up the bronze snake (bronze being a symbol of judgement, thus, a picture of sin, the serpent, being judged) was a prophetic object lesson of how Jesus Himself would be lifted up on the cross, being judged for our sin. The Israelites only had to look at the bronze snake to be healed from the snake bites. They didn’t have to make offerings or pledge any money. So too with us: whoever looks to Him, believing, will be saved from the effects of the bite of sin.
When reading through the book of Numbers, we come across this incident, which seems rather bizarre. Not long before, God had given the Israelites a law – actually, the second of the Ten Commandments – saying they must not make anything in the form of something created, to be an idol and to be worshipped (Ex. 20:4-5). It was not the intention for the snake to be worshipped, although it did become an idol for the Israelites in later generations (see this post on 2 Kin. 18:4).
But a snake? The snake/serpent was the reason that sin was able to enter the world. Why would God tell Moses to make something that was the antithesis of Himself, for the children of Israel to look to for healing? Why not a dove, or a lamb?
The answer is given by Jesus in John 3:14-15. Moses lifting up the bronze snake (bronze being a symbol of judgement, thus, a picture of sin, the serpent, being judged) was a prophetic object lesson of how Jesus Himself would be lifted up on the cross, being judged for our sin. The Israelites only had to look at the bronze snake to be healed from the snake bites. They didn’t have to make offerings or pledge any money. So too with us: whoever looks to Him, believing, will be saved from the effects of the bite of sin.
Monday, January 2, 2012
Why Moses wasn't allowed to enter the Promised Land
“But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ‘Because you did not trust in Me enough to honour Me as holy in the sight of the Israelites, you will not bring this community into the land I give them.’” Numbers 20:12
In Numbers 20 we have the second accound of Moses bringing forth water from the rock for the children of Israel. This had happened once before, at Rephidim, very early in their travels (Ex. 17:1-6). There, Moses was instructed to strike the rock. He did so, and water gushed forth for the people to drink. Here, the people are again complaining, and Moses again strikes the rock, saying, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” (Num. 20:10).
It might seem like a hefty punishment: Moses had been faithfully leading the people for forty years, and this one incident rendered him ineligible to enter the promised land. But Moses had misrepresented God to the people on two accounts. First of all, Moses gave them impression to the Israelites that God was angry with them, but He was not. Secondly, God had told him to speak to the rock, not strike it. It might seem like splitting hairs, but God was trying to teach the Israelites something, using the rock as a pattern. Paul tells us, “They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:3-4). Jesus is called a rock or stone in prophecy (Ps. 118:22, quoted in Acts 4:11). If Moses had obeyed God, the water from the rock would have provided a beautiful picture: the first time, Christ was smitten, and living water poured out (John 7:37-39). The second time He comes, He will not be struck again, but simply spoken to, and will provide salvation for Israel (Hos. 5:15, Zech. 12:10).
In Numbers 20 we have the second accound of Moses bringing forth water from the rock for the children of Israel. This had happened once before, at Rephidim, very early in their travels (Ex. 17:1-6). There, Moses was instructed to strike the rock. He did so, and water gushed forth for the people to drink. Here, the people are again complaining, and Moses again strikes the rock, saying, “Listen, you rebels, must we bring you water out of this rock?” (Num. 20:10).
It might seem like a hefty punishment: Moses had been faithfully leading the people for forty years, and this one incident rendered him ineligible to enter the promised land. But Moses had misrepresented God to the people on two accounts. First of all, Moses gave them impression to the Israelites that God was angry with them, but He was not. Secondly, God had told him to speak to the rock, not strike it. It might seem like splitting hairs, but God was trying to teach the Israelites something, using the rock as a pattern. Paul tells us, “They all ate the same spiritual food and drank the same spiritual drink; they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ” (1 Cor. 10:3-4). Jesus is called a rock or stone in prophecy (Ps. 118:22, quoted in Acts 4:11). If Moses had obeyed God, the water from the rock would have provided a beautiful picture: the first time, Christ was smitten, and living water poured out (John 7:37-39). The second time He comes, He will not be struck again, but simply spoken to, and will provide salvation for Israel (Hos. 5:15, Zech. 12:10).
Sunday, January 1, 2012
Jesus in the Old Testament
“And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, He explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning Himself.” Luke 24:27
The story about how Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection, is one that I always enjoy reading about. How they were [http://verses10.blogspot.com/2011/03/emmaus-road.html] initially kept from recognising Him, but as they walk along together, they are privvy to what must have been one of the most insightful Bible studies ever given. It’s interesting to note what Jesus taught them about: Himself, using only the Old Testament Scriptures.
It’s been said that ‘The New Testament is in the Old Testament, concealed; the Old Testament is in the New Testament, revealed.’ All the major theological truths are found in both. It is no secret that Messiah was to come to earth and suffer for sins, that He would provide salvation for all people and one day return to rule and reign as King. Sure, the picture was not as clear as it is in the New Testament, but it is there all the same.
Could you tell someone about Jesus, using only the Old Testament? Here are some key verses:
“And I will put enmity between you [the serpent, Satan] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers [Messiah]; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel [speaking of the crucifixion]” (Gen. 3:21).
“I will raise up for tehm a prophet like you [Moses] from among their brothers; I will put My words in His mouth, and He will tell them everything I command Him” (Deut. 18:18).
“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all... Yet it was hte Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand. After the suffering of His soul He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge My righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities” (Isa. 53:4-5, 10-11).
“And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people...” (Joel 2:28).
“that Your ways ay be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations” (Ps. 67:2).
The story about how Jesus appeared to two disciples on the road to Emmaus after His resurrection, is one that I always enjoy reading about. How they were [http://verses10.blogspot.com/2011/03/emmaus-road.html] initially kept from recognising Him, but as they walk along together, they are privvy to what must have been one of the most insightful Bible studies ever given. It’s interesting to note what Jesus taught them about: Himself, using only the Old Testament Scriptures.
It’s been said that ‘The New Testament is in the Old Testament, concealed; the Old Testament is in the New Testament, revealed.’ All the major theological truths are found in both. It is no secret that Messiah was to come to earth and suffer for sins, that He would provide salvation for all people and one day return to rule and reign as King. Sure, the picture was not as clear as it is in the New Testament, but it is there all the same.
Could you tell someone about Jesus, using only the Old Testament? Here are some key verses:
“And I will put enmity between you [the serpent, Satan] and the woman, and between your offspring and hers [Messiah]; He will crush your head, and you will strike His heel [speaking of the crucifixion]” (Gen. 3:21).
“I will raise up for tehm a prophet like you [Moses] from among their brothers; I will put My words in His mouth, and He will tell them everything I command Him” (Deut. 18:18).
“But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all... Yet it was hte Lord’s will to crush Him and cause Him to suffer, and though the Lord makes His life a guilt offering, He will see His offspring and prolong His days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in His hand. After the suffering of His soul He will see the light of life and be satisfied; by His knowledge My righteous servant will justify many, and He will bear their iniquities” (Isa. 53:4-5, 10-11).
“And afterward, I will pour out My Spirit on all people...” (Joel 2:28).
“that Your ways ay be known on earth, Your salvation among all nations” (Ps. 67:2).
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