Category: Thoughts

A Light to the Nations

The Coming of the Light of the World   Part 3 of 10

“God says, ‘It is too small a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; I will also make You a light to the nations so that My salvation may reach to the end of the earth’ “ (Isaiah 49:6).

I wonder why “You” and “My Servant” are capitalized in my Bible.  Do the translators know something about what is coming?  Or, more importantly, Who is coming?

“Then Simeon took Jesus into his arms, and blessed God, and said, ‘Now Lord, You are releasing Your bond-servant to depart in peace, according to Your word.  For my eyes have seen Your salvation which You have prepared in the presence of all peoples, “A light of revelation to the Gentiles,” and the glory of Your people Israel’ “ (Luke 2:28-32)

When Jesus was presented at the Temple as a baby, God’s servant Simeon recognized Him as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 49.

“Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first.  But since you repudiate it and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles.  For so the Lord has commanded us, “I have placed you as a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the end of the earth.” ‘  When the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord; and as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:46-48).

Later, in the book of Acts, Paul and Barnabas proclaimed Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah chapter 49.  And proclaiming Jesus as the Light beyond just the Jews – the Light to the nations – led many Gentiles to glorify God and believe the gospel.

Jesus is the Light of Isaiah chapter 49 because Jesus is the Light of the world!

A Light in the Dark

The Coming of the Light of the World   Part 2 of 10

“But there will be no more gloom for her who was in anguish; in earlier times He treated the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali with contempt, but later on He shall make it glorious, by the way of the sea, on the other side of Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles.  The people who walk in darkness will see a great light; those who live in a dark land, the light will shine on them” (Isaiah 9:1-2).

What light is going to drive out the darkness for the people of Zebulun and Naphtali?  What light is going to shine upon them?

Jesus began His earthly ministry in Capernaum, in the region of Zebulun and Naphtali.  Matthew described it this way, “This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet, ‘The land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, by way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the Gentiles; the people who were sitting in darkness saw a great light, and those who were sitting in the land and the shadow of death, upon them a light dawned’ “ (Matthew 4:14-16).

Jesus fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 9.  Notice the people were sitting in the “shadow of death.”  Another contrast between light and darkness, saved and lost, is those who possess eternal life and those under the punishment of death.  When we believed the gospel, we went from death to life (John 5:24).  Jesus transferred us from death to life.

Jesus is the Light of Isaiah chapter 9 because Jesus is the Light of the world!

The Coming of the Light of the World   Part 1 of 10

The contrast between light and darkness and what they represent is a prominent theme throughout the Scriptures.  God is light.  Jesus is light.  Satan and the dominion of Satan is darkness.  And we, all humans on the earth, are identified as being in the light or walking in darkness.  “In Christ” is in the light.  “In Adam” is in darkness.  “Believer” is in the light.  “Unbeliever” is in darkness.  “Saved” is in the light.  “Lost” is in darkness.

In the gospel of John, Jesus is identified as the Light that came into the world.  Jesus described Himself with, “I am the Light of the world” (John 8:12).  The Light has come to us!  And if you believe the gospel message of Jesus Christ, the Light lives in you!

Believer, you are never “walking in darkness.”  Your deeds may look like darkness.  You may walk, at times, according to the flesh.  But you never walk in darkness as the Bible describes it because you have the Light inside you.  Verses about the fate of those who “walk in darkness” cause no alarm in us.  We are children of the Light.

Over the next several days, we will be looking at the Light that came into the world, a Light that now lives and shines in us!

Jesus is the Light of the World!

The Lord’s Prayer; A Prophecy Fulfilled?

I have written several posts in the past about the Sermon on the Mount, specifically addressing the fact that it is NOT a set of guidelines for living the Christian life.  But I also don’t believe we should just dismiss it as an old covenant message for an old covenant audience.  I think much of what Jesus said in the sermon is prophetic regarding what is coming in the new covenant.  The beatitudes in particular I think point forward to the promise of the new covenant regarding our pure heart, the fact that we will never hunger and thirst for righteousness after we believe the gospel, we will be peacemakers, etc.

Add to this how many times Jesus spoke in parables and mystery and it leaves me wondering, could the Lord’s prayer portion of the Sermon on the Mount have been a prophetic prayer pointing forward to its fulfillment in the new covenant?  Could it be that the Lord’s prayer is not a model for us today, a prayer of longing for us to repeat.  What if it is prophetic and has already been fulfilled in Jesus?  If you enjoy this kind of study, look over these thoughts on the Lord’s prayer and let me know what you think.

First the familiar prayer,

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  ①Your kingdom come.  ②Your will be done ③on earth as it is in heaven.  ④Give us this day our daily bread.  ⑤And forgive us our debts, ⑥as we forgive our debtors.  ⑦And do not lead us into temptation, ⑧but deliver us from the evil one.  ⑨For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.  Amen” (Matthew 6:9-13).

Let’s compare, line by line, Jesus’ prayer to its fulfillment in the new covenant.  The individual phrases from the Lord’s prayer are in bold and the fulfillment text from the New Testament is in italics.

“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name …”

①“Your kingdom come.” 

“Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of God, and saying, ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand’ “ (Mark 1:14-15).

Nobody knew it yet at the time of Matthew chapter 6, but the kingdom of God HAD come.  The kingdom of God was “at hand.”  The kingdom of God had arrived with Jesus.

②“Your will be done.”

“For this is the will of My Father, that everyone who beholds the Son and believes in Him will have eternal life” (John 6:40).

God’s will is that we believe in Jesus.  This has happened all over the earth for the last 2000 years.

③“On earth as it is in heaven.”

God’s kingdom arriving with Jesus, and we on earth believing His gospel mean that now, today, God’s kingdom has come to earth and His will is being “done on earth as it is in heaven.”

④“Give us this day our daily bread.”

 “Jesus said to them, ‘I am the bread of life; he who comes to Me will not hunger, and he who believes in Me will never thirst’ “ (John 6:35).

Our “bread” has arrived.  Jesus said that by believing in His gospel message, we would never be spiritually hungry or thirsty again.

⑤“And forgive us our debts.”

“When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us ALL our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross” (Colossians 2:13-14).

The entirety of our sin debt was taken care of at the cross.  If we believe the gospel message of Jesus Christ, we are completely and forever forgiven.  There is no need to keep asking God to forgive us our sins.

⑥”As we forgive our debtors.”

“Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also HAS forgiven you” (Ephesians 4:32).

After the cross, we are to forgive others BECAUSE we have been forgiven, not in order to be forgiven.

⑦”And do not lead us into temptation,”

“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am being tempted by God,’ for God cannot be tempted by evil, and He Himself does not tempt anyone” (James 1:13).

God does not lead new covenant believers into temptation.  We are led to temptation when, of our own volition, we walk according to the flesh.

⑧”But deliver us from the evil one.”

“We know that everyone who has been born of God does not keep on sinning, but He who was born of God [Jesus] protects him, and the evil one does not touch him” (I John 5:18).

We who are born of God have been delivered from the evil one.

⑨“For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.”

Miracle of miracles.  The kingdom (the kingdom of God is within you, Luke 17:21) and the power (the power of God is within you, Ephesians 3:20) and the glory (the glory of God is within you, John 17:22) of God now reside in you forever!  Amen.

This last line, number ⑨, is my favorite.  Just think about it.  We always see this crescendo of praise in the last line to be to God alone, and, yes, it is a praise He richly deserves.  But now, by our unbreakable union with Him, the kingdom and the power and the glory live in you RIGHT NOW!!!

Jesus instructed His first century disciples to pray this prayer, seeking these things.  But under the new covenant, our seeking is over.  Jesus did it.  Jesus fulfilled it.  We are no longer seekers.  Do you know what we are?  We are finders!!!

Eagerly Awaiting the Coming of Jesus

“So Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him (Hebrews 9:28).

Are you “eagerly” awaiting the coming of Jesus?  Or is there a tinge of fear at the thought of His coming?  Do you fear judgment or punishment or some exposure of your sin at His return?

I, for one, am EAGERLY awaiting Christ’s return and one of the reasons is right here in this verse.  When Christ appears, He will be coming “without reference to sin.”  What does that mean for you and I?

If you have believed the gospel message of Jesus Christ, your sin has been done away with at the cross.  Christ took your judgment, your punishment, upon Himself.  Your certificate of debt related to your sin was forever nailed to the cross.  Your sin was removed as far as the east is from the west; to infinity and beyond.

That is why Christ is returning for you “without reference to sin.”  Because all of your sins have been dealt with already.  We wait “eagerly” for His return because there is no fear at His coming.  There will be zero judgment for our sins at the final judgment.  We have already been found righteous because we believed the message that Christ took our punishment for us.

The apostle John put it this way, “Love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is, so also are we in this world.  There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment” (I John 4:17-18).

“We have confidence” – not fear – “in the day of judgment.”  Why?  Because we have nothing to fear.  There is no fear inside the love of God.  “Fear involves punishment,” and there is no punishment for the believer at any version of a final judgment.

How do we know that we will not be judged according to our sins?  Because, “as He is, so also are we in this world.”  Jesus is righteous, and He gave His righteousness to us.  So that as He is righteous, so also we are righteous, blameless, clean, and eternally forgiven.

I encourage you to wait with me EAGERLY for the Lord’s return.  Sin will not be on His radar when He comes for us.  Only the joy of life together with Him forever!