'May - Reaching Forward' Archives - Page 4 of 4

Aimless Conduct (May 1)

Is it really God we’re reaching forward to or are we preoccupied with lesser things? These questions aren’t just important; they are urgent as well. If we’re not busy about the Father’s business, our conduct is not going anywhere — it’s aimless.

Out of Zion Shall Go Forth the Law (February 24)

What began to "go forth" from Jerusalem on Pentecost was the preaching of the truth about God's means of saving the world in Christ. Since then, anyone who has heard that message -- and obeyed it -- has come into a forgiven relationship with God.

They Shall All Know Me (February 23)

One way we might define those who are God's people in the new covenant is that they are those who know God. And don't misunderstand: they are those whom God knows to be those who know Him. "The Lord knows those who are his" (2 Timothy 2:19).

Written on Their Hearts (February 22)

In the prophets, God's judgment upon sin was always accompanied by a message of great hope for those who would come back to Him. In our study of the "new covenant" in Jeremiah 31, let's look today at what was said about the "hearts" of God's people.

A New Covenant (February 21)

It was a privilege for Israel -- as the family of Abraham, the family God used to bring the Messiah into the world -- to be the first to receive the new covenant, the gospel of Christ. But thanks be to God, the invitation is now for all of us.

The Exact Imprint of God’s Nature (February 20)

That which could never have been known about God, it is now possible for us to know. Of course, Jesus did not by His bodily characteristics show us what God looks like. It was the character of God -- and God’s will for us -- that Christ revealed.

All the Fullness of God (February 19)

Jesus said, "I and the Father are one" (John 10:30). So it is a colossal truth that Paul presents when he says that in Christ "the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily" (Colossians 2:9). But nothing less than this will suffice for our salvation.

The Knowable God (February 18)

Can God be known? Yes, He can. God has, in Jesus Christ, made it possible for us to know Him (John 1:18; 17:3). Sin robbed us of the truth about God, but in His Son we can regain that knowledge -- and knowing our Creator, we may truly live.

Like a Lamb (February 17)

The portrayal in Isaiah 53 of Jesus' silent, lamb-like suffering is part of the depiction of what would happen to the Messiah as He underwent the punishment for our sins. Nothing else like that death has ever taken place in the history of the world.

With His Wounds We Are Healed (February 16)

All of the phrases in Isaiah 53 say what many other Scriptures affirm: the Messiah's death was vicarious. He suffered FOR us -- substituting Himself on our behalf at the bar of God's justice and agreeing to take the penalty for our sins.

Despised and Rejected by Men (February 15)

When God entered the world as a human being, He did so in very lowly circumstances. He wanted those who would be attracted to the gospel to be people who were looking for forgiveness -- rather than "niceness" as the world perceives niceness.

Appeal to God for a Good Conscience (February 14)

Immersion in water wouldn't produce the forgiveness of sins if somebody did that in a rote, mechanical way, with no genuine penitence or faith in Christ. Nevertheless, Peter says that baptism saves us -- and we need to understand what that means.

Beginning with This Scripture (February 13)

In Acts 8:34-36, the Ethiopian saw that Jesus fulfilled Isaiah 53. Then he concluded that Jesus, as the Messiah, was his Savior. Next, he listened to how the gospel must be obeyed. And then finally, he asked to be baptized, and then rejoiced!