| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"Peter G. Chase" |
| Date: |
24 Dec 2007 11:00:53 PM |
| Object: |
DN Recovering Man's Destiny 12/25/2007 |
DRAWING NEAR
December 25
Recovering Man's Destiny
"We . . . see Him who has been made for a little while lower
than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of
death crowned with glory and honor, that by the grace of God He
might taste death for everyone" (Heb. 2:9).
Jesus Christ is the only One who could recover man's destiny.
The ultimate curse of our lost destiny is death. God warned Adam that
if he ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he would
die (Gen. 2:17). In the restored kingdom we will be elevated again
over a redeemed earth. But the only way that we could ever reign
again as kings was to have the curse of sin removed, and the only way
to remove it was to pay the penalty of sin, which is death (Rom.
6:23).
There's just one problem: how can we reign if we are dead? We need to
be raised from the dead, but we certainly can't do that ourselves.
That's why God sent Jesus Christ.
To accomplish this great work for us, Jesus had to become a man. He
Himself had to be made "for a little while lower than the angels." To
regain man's dominion He had to taste death for every man. Christ
came to die for us because in His dying He could conquer death.
But He was also raised from the dead: "Christ, having been raised
from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over
Him" (Rom. 6:9). How does that help us? "If we have become united
with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall be also in
the likeness of His resurrection" (v. 5).
The moment you put your faith in Christ, you are identified with Him.
You died with Him on the cross, you were resurrected, and you began
to walk in newness of life. You now are a joint heir with Christ in
His eternal kingdom.
Christ tasted death for you and me so we could recover our lost
destiny. Celebrate that glorious truth as you celebrate His birth
today.
Suggestion for Prayer:
Before you do another thing today, praise your heavenly Father for
His wonderful plan of salvation.
For Further Study:
Read Isaiah 2:2-4 and 11:6-9 noting the character of our future
kingdom.
Drawing Near, Copyright 1993 John F. MacArthur, Jr.
All rights reserved. Used by permission.
http://www.gty.org
~~~
Genesis 2:17
17 "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not
eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."
Romans 6:23
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal
life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Isaiah 2:2-4
2 Now it shall come to pass in the latter days That the mountain of
the Lord's house Shall be established on the top of the mountains,
And shall be exalted above the hills; And all nations shall flow to
it.
3 Many people shall come and say, "Come, and let us go up to the
mountain of the LORD, To the house of the God of Jacob; He will teach
us His ways, And we shall walk in His paths." For out of Zion shall
go forth the law, And the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.
4 He shall judge between the nations, And rebuke many people; They
shall beat their swords into plowshares, And their spears into
pruning hooks; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither
shall they learn war anymore.
Isaiah 11:6-9
6 "The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie
down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling
together; And a little child shall lead them.
7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down
together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.
8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra's hole, And the weaned
child shall put his hand in the viper's den.
9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the
earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover
the sea.
These devotions are posted with permission from John MacArthur's
first (1993) devotional work, _Drawing Near_, and they are also sent
out daily for free to several folks via e-mail.
In addition, John's second (1997) devotional, _Strength for Today_,
is also available free via e-mail only. _Strength for Today_ follows
the same format as what you have seen here from _Drawing Near_, but
with different monthly themes.
If you would like to receive daily devotions via e-mail from either
of these series, just let me know (via e-mail), and I will gladly add
you to the list(s) of your choice.
You can hear John MacArthur daily via the Internet by visiting:
http://www.oneplace.com/ministries/Grace_to_You/
and
http://www.gty.org.uk/
You may email John MacArthur in care of Grace to You at:
letters@gty.org
NOTE for those of you reading via newsgroups: If you wish to reach
me, please contact me via e-mail for quickest results.
In Christ,
Peter
Peter G. Chase :: Columbus, Ohio, USA
pchase@wowway.com
STOP! Who do you think Jesus is?
http://www.gty.org/Gospel
http://www.gty.org/
http://www.nwbible.org/
There is a living God. He has spoken in His word. He means just what he says, and will do all that He has promised. - Hudson Taylor
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