Keep trusting in the Lord, you will be part of those He will save. See Romans 9:15–16, For He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. It does not, therefore, depend on man’s desire or effort, but on God’s mercy.
But the resurrection of Christ and the appearances to His disciples have always played an important part of the message of salvation. See 1st Corinthians 15:1–4, Now, brothers. I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
The eternal, ever-present God never guesses. He knows every detail about the past, the present and the future. He alone can guide the prediction to its fulfillment. See Deuteronomy 18:21, You may say to yourselves, How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?
We all need help. For purposeful living, we need the creator who made us for a purpose.
Mystery, in His amazing mercy, He came from heaven to earth in the form of "the Son" also called "the Word" John 1:1 and verse 14. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God as Spirit cannot die. As flesh He could die. The Old Testament had prepared people to see the need for sacrifice. Laws of Moses had required the killing of the best lambs as sacrifices to remove sin. Those sacrifices pictured the death of an innocent to save the guilty.
Jesus fulfills that old picture. He is the pure, sinless "lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" John 1:29, The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Jesus death was no mistake. Jesus often foretold His death and its saving purpose. See John 10:11, 17–18, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life–only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father. Isaiah 53:5–6, 10–11, 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 the 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. Acts of Apostles 2:24, But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.
Ever since, Jesus has "blessed" countless believers, filling our lives with wonder and joy and new direction. Hebrews 2:15, And free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Jesus rise to Heaven does not mark the story’s end. At the Father’s side, He continues to "intercede" to speak to God the Father in our favor, to bring us home safely. Read Hebrews 7:25, Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them. Read Hebrew 9:28, So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
This is really good News. Obey it, enjoy it and keep trusting in the Lord.
Victory is ours in Jesus name. Amen.
But the resurrection of Christ and the appearances to His disciples have always played an important part of the message of salvation. See 1st Corinthians 15:1–4, Now, brothers. I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that He was buried, that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures.
The eternal, ever-present God never guesses. He knows every detail about the past, the present and the future. He alone can guide the prediction to its fulfillment. See Deuteronomy 18:21, You may say to yourselves, How can we know when a message has not been spoken by the Lord?
We all need help. For purposeful living, we need the creator who made us for a purpose.
Mystery, in His amazing mercy, He came from heaven to earth in the form of "the Son" also called "the Word" John 1:1 and verse 14. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
God as Spirit cannot die. As flesh He could die. The Old Testament had prepared people to see the need for sacrifice. Laws of Moses had required the killing of the best lambs as sacrifices to remove sin. Those sacrifices pictured the death of an innocent to save the guilty.
Jesus fulfills that old picture. He is the pure, sinless "lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" John 1:29, The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Jesus death was no mistake. Jesus often foretold His death and its saving purpose. See John 10:11, 17–18, I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. The reason my Father loves me is that I lay down my life–only to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from my Father. Isaiah 53:5–6, 10–11, 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 the 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. Acts of Apostles 2:24, But God raised Him from the dead, freeing Him from the agony of death, because it was impossible for death to keep its hold on Him.
Ever since, Jesus has "blessed" countless believers, filling our lives with wonder and joy and new direction. Hebrews 2:15, And free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.
Jesus rise to Heaven does not mark the story’s end. At the Father’s side, He continues to "intercede" to speak to God the Father in our favor, to bring us home safely. Read Hebrews 7:25, Therefore He is able to save completely those who come to God through Him, because He always lives to intercede for them. Read Hebrew 9:28, So Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and He will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for Him.
This is really good News. Obey it, enjoy it and keep trusting in the Lord.
Victory is ours in Jesus name. Amen.