2048
Raised to walk in
newness of life [‘Abrahams kid’ conclusion]
Today let’s finish our study ‘ABRAHAMS KID’.
This last month we held about 5-6 home group meetings in
various cities.
I have been trying to teach along the same lines of our
weekly posts.
So for those who are in our groups- when this post is done I
will post the entire study [which covers all the meetings].
I’ll post it as a page to the web site.
One more note;
Over the last few years since we have been on-line.
I find it interesting to see the various nations that log on
to the site.
I used to make a list-but over time we have had so many that
I stopped keeping track.
The other day I saw one that surprised me.
It said HOLY SEE
[VATICAN CITY].
Either the Pope- or someone from inside the Vatican logged
on.
Truly an honor.
Ok- the last few weeks we have discussed the main theme of
the bible.
God promising man that someday he would send a deliverer- a
Messiah.
We follow this promise thru the story of Father Abraham- and
down thru the Son of King David.
We read in the New Testament that Jesus Christ is indeed the
promised one that was to come.
As I started this
study- it was right during Christmas.
I usually try and do a chapter about the Christmas story.
In Matthew 2 we read that when the wise men came from the
east looking for the King of the Jews.
They showed up in Judea and it was King Herod who asked the
priests and scribes where Christ should be born.
The wise men followed the star from the east- but it was the
Jewish religious leaders who looked in the scriptures [Micah 5] and gave the
directions to the wise men.
‘In Bethlehem of Judea’.
The point is- all Israel was waiting for Jesus- for this
promise.
They were in expectation of a Savior to come.
Even though we started this study with the story of Abraham-
yet the promise in seed form goes all the way back to the garden.
In Genesis we read the first prophecy- sometimes called the
First Gospel [Protoevangelion- in scholarly terms].
In Genesis chapter 3 we read of the fall of man.
God says to Eve ‘the serpent will bruise his heel- and he
will bruise the serpents head’.
It was the original prophecy that someday a son born from
woman would engage in battle with the Devil- and yes- this battle would leave a
permanent mark/scar on this Son [wounds of the Cross].
But thru these wounds the Son would finally bind ‘the
dragon’.
When the angel Gabriel announced to the Virgin Mary that she
would give birth to Jesus- this was Gods sovereign choice to pick Mary as the
one who would give birth to ‘the hope of Israel’.
The people of Jesus day- including his disciples- initially
thought that Jesus would be a sort of political deliverer.
That he would lead the Jewish nation in a revolt against her
oppressors- Rome- sort of like the 5 sons of Maccabees did a few hundred years
before- when they rose up against the wicked Seleucid empire and threw off
their rule [we read about this in the Catholic book of Maccabees. The Jewish
people till this very day celebrate this victory when they observe the feast of
Hanukah]
But Jesus showed the people that his kingdom was not a
violent in- in which he would lead a literal rebellion in which people would be
killed.
No- he would instead go to the Cross- and thru his death-
burial and resurrection- he would finally ‘bruise the serpents head’.
Yes- Jesus would become the new king of this new kingdom of
God.
He would be raised from the dead- and as the promise made to
king David said-
‘This Son would rule from David’s throne- world without end’
AMEN.
2- HOW DOES GOD BLESS THE WORLD THRU THE PROMISED SON?
This week I have been concluding this study in our house
churches.
I want to end by making the Promise clear.
Remember- we started this study with the promise that God
made to Abraham [Genesis 12- 15] that if Abraham obeyed God and went on this
tremendous journey.
Then God would make him into a multitude of people
[initially applied to the nation of Israel- but in the writings of the apostle
Paul- Galatians/Romans- Paul teaches that this promise is made to ‘all the seed’
[people] not just to natural Jews].
Ultimately the promise- that we can all be blessed [Jews-
Christians- Muslims- etc] is achieved thru simply believing God- about his Son
[that he was crucified- buried- and on the 3rd day rose again from
the dead].
All who believe are saved.
In Genesis 15- when God told Abraham to go outside and look
at the stars.
The bible says ‘Abraham believed God and it was accounted
unto him for righteousness’.
The apostle Paul uses this singular statement in his letters
found in the New Testament to teach that all peoples of the earth can too
receive the blessing of Abraham- thru faith.
Yes- just like ‘father Abraham’ believed God.
We too can believe God about his Son- and be declared righteous
[be saved].
In the letters of the New Testament Paul says ‘when did God
justify [declare forgiven- saved] Abraham- before or after he was circumcised’?
The rite of circumcision
in the bible means a lot more than a simple medical procedure.
It was a sign
that people entered into the old covenant with God- called the law.
So- Paul says
‘see- Abraham was declared just BEFORE he was circumcised’.
Showing that
Abraham is truly the father of all nations- not to the Jew only- but all- even
those who were never circumcised [meaning even those who were outside of the Jewish
covenant of law].
Ok- I don’t want
to make this study too hard to get.
The purpose was
to show- in a simple way- the main story of the bible.
And one of the
main themes in the New Testament is the reality that all the nations of the
earth have this blessing thru the ‘Son of Abraham- the seed of David’.
Yes- that’s the
blessing- the promise made to these ancient people who lived thousands of years
ago.
This message was
liberating to the Jewish people at the time of Jesus.
The apostle Paul
himself was a strict religious teacher- a Pharisee.
But we read about
the struggle with sin he had [Romans 7] even though he knew- and tried very hard-
to obey the law [to not sin].
But he shows us
that no matter how hard he tried to keep the law- he [and all men] could never keep
it.
Paul teaches us
‘thru the law is the knowledge of sin’.
But man- in his sinful
nature- could never keep it.
Jesus instead
died in our place- paying the penalty for sin [all the acts of man breaking the
law from the start].
And thru faith
[see how important this initial promise is- the way we can be saved is only
thru faith- Paul also says ‘thru the deeds of the law no flesh can be justified
in Gods eyes’].
Paul says ‘if we
could be saved by obeying the law- then Christ died in vain’ [Galatians].
Think about that
for a moment.
If we could
achieve salvation thru any other way- then Christ would have died in vain.
But the historical
reality of the Crucifixion of Christ is in itself a testimony that we can only
be saved thru Christ- thru faith in him.
Ok- a few simple
words from the New Testament-
‘For God so loved
the world that he gave his only begotten Son- that whosoever believes in him
should not perish- but have everlasting life’ [Jesus himself].
‘For by grace are
we saved thru faith- not of ourselves’ Paul
‘Whosoever
believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God’ John
These promises were never meant to give a license to sin.
They simply show us that men could never justify themselves
before God.
Paul says ‘do we continue in sin that grace may abound? GOD
FORBID- how shall we that are dead to sin live any longer in it’?
‘Whosoever is born of God does not commit sin’ John
‘He that says he is in him- ought himself also to walk as
Jesus walked [lived]’ John
‘Abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul’
Peter.
‘Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he
offered Isaac his son upon the altar’ James.
These are just a mix of verses from the various writers of
the New Testament.
They show us that when we do receive the free gift of God-
with that gift comes a lifestyle change.
‘For this purpose was the Son of God manifest- that he might
destroy the works of the devil’ John
I want to end our study this week.
Just last night we had another house church meeting- at a
beautiful beach front home- a few blocks from where I live.
We sat on a great pier overlooking the intercostal waterway
here where I live.
A friend of mine owns it- and we are going to do another
home group here as well.
When I first got back from New Jersey- I didn’t plan on
starting them so fast.
But we now have them all over the region.
In our meeting yesterday- I had some good friend with me who
I have known for years.
He [I won’t mention his name] is really an outstanding
Christian- yet homeless.
He has been a good friend for many years.
When I got back from N.J. others told me ‘John- have you
seen …. He looks bad’.
I just recently started taking him with me to our meetings.
He has talked with me- and is struggling with sin- but he is
so knowledgeable of the scriptures that it seems like the devil has brought
upon him tremendous condemnation.
I spent lots of time counseling him- gave him some printed
copies of my web posts that I felt might be helpful.
But because my friend confided in me- I know that the thing
that is effecting him is simply sin- and the overwhelming feeling of
hopelessness that comes with addiction.
He has convinced himself he has committed the sin unto death-
and I have assured him he has not.
But that’s the destructive nature of sin.
In this study I wanted to emphasize the reality that freedom
comes thru faith in Christ.
But that does not mean we can continue to go out and
practice sin.
The apostle Paul said ‘if we build again the things that are
destroyed [meaning the sin that Christ died for] we become transgressors’.
So- as we end- I want to encourage all of you.
Sin is destructive- it destroys the soul of man.
The death of Christ- the promised Son who was to come.
This enables us to die also- to our old ways.
‘Mortify therefore the deeds of the flesh’
‘Buried with him by baptism into death- we are raised to
walk in newness of life’
‘Set your mind on things above- not on the things of the
earth- for we are dead and our life is hid with Christ in God’
His resurrection allows us to be ‘raised together with him-
seated together in heavenly places in Christ’.
Yes- we can all have this promise.
God bless you all.
Amen.
Note- Do me a favor, those who
read/like the posts- re-post them on other sites as well as the site you read
them on. Thanks- John. Don’t forget to scroll down on the timeline [FaceBoook]
- I have posted lots.
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