| Topic: |
Religions > Bible |
| User: |
"bear163" |
| Date: |
28 Jan 2004 11:33:40 PM |
| Object: |
History with John the Baptist |
Devotional Guide
For the week of January 25, 2004
JESUS, THE MAN FROM HEAVEN
History with John the Baptist
To Read: 2 Corinthians 3-5
To Know:
"Even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees; every tree therefore
that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire." (Lk.3:
9)
How do the prophets relate to the law? Because Jesus said that he came to
fulfill the law and the prophets, this question begs an answer. The prophets
were sent by God to bring a lawsuit against his lawless people. The
administrative instrument of the kingdom of God is the covenant. The
covenant has been in development ever since God promised that the seed of
the woman would bruise the head of the serpent. (Gen.3: 15) That simple
covenant promise was expanded and further explained in the days of Noah and
Abraham. A giant step forward came in the days of Moses. The Ten
Commandments were the constitution of the nation formed by the Lord at Mount
Sinai. The covenant was further developed when it was promised that the king
of the kingdom would be one of David's sons. That son, Jesus Christ,
finalized the covenant when he made it new on the eve of his death and
departure. From the beginning God kept faith with his covenant promises, but
Israel was faithless. The final Old Testament prophet was John the Baptist.
He gave God's ultimatum to the last Old Covenant generation.
The ultimatum of John was repent or perish. Jesus submitted himself to John
the Baptist as a substitute for his nation. When the Lord repented and was
baptized, John resisted because he knew Jesus was without sin. Christ knew
what he was doing. First, he was submitting to the message of the prophets
by repenting in his people's stead. Second, Christ was living in obedience
to the will of God from his heart. He was fulfilling the law and the
prophets. He did what he did in order to save sinners. On our behalf he
lived a perfectly obedient life and died a sacrificial death. This is the
heart and soul of the gospel.
To Do:
We cannot perfectly obey, nor can we offer ourselves in atonement for our
own sin or for anyone else. This is why faith in Christ is our only hope.
01294$-01294
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