“She will bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call his name Immanuel,” which means, God with…
What was the purpose of Jesus coming to earth, dying, and being raised from the dead? Was it only so that we could have a ticket to heaven? We’ve already said, in previous posts, that there is much more to the gospel than that. Jesus declared to the people, “I came that they may have…
When Jesus came to earth preaching the Gospel, He wasn’t preaching a message that was unknown to the Jews. Centuries before, several Old Testament prophets had predicted that God would usher in a new way of doing things. In fact, the Gospel really started off in the promise that God made to Abram. Now the…
What does it mean to be a Christian? There have been many answers over the centuries, some of which contradict each other. Some of the most common answers today include: * It means I’m going to heaven.* It means I have a personal relationship with Jesus.* It means living by the Ten Commandments, Golden Rule,…
Christ calls us to walk the Narrow Road in order to enter eternal life. He called this road “the hard way.” This is how Jesus described life on the Narrow Road, and why it’s called “the hard way”: If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and…
It’s good to take a break on this day from the stresses of life. Pause and reflect. Today is a day of “giving thanks.” That phrase is used often. In today’s world, with all the violence, division, stress and anger, we need to be thankful to God. What are we to be thankful for? Yet…
Now that we have discussed the Gospel and what it means, we must also discuss the cost. “Cost? I thought salvation is a free gift of God!” It is indeed a free gift of God; one can never earn it by doing good deeds or keeping the law. But there is a cost that those…
We’ve learned that the Gospel is the story of Jesus coming to rescue His people from their sin and its consequences–eternal separation from God. He did this by living a perfectly sinless life, dying for our sins on the cross, and rising from the dead, which proved that His sacrifice was pleasing to the Father.…
As we have seen, Jesus is the Son of God (fully God) and the Son of Man (fully man). Some call Him the God-Man. By itself this would (or should) make Jesus the most important person in all of history. But, that’s not all…. It’s not just who Jesus is that makes Him so important,…
Not only is Jesus the Son of God, equal to and of the same essence of God the Father, and having all the same attributes, but He is also fully human. How do we know that Jesus is human? Consider this: * John 4:5-6 tells us, “So he came to a town of Samaria called…
Many have heard of Jesus as “God’s Son.” We sing of Him at Christmas and Easter that way. But, few realize the implications of the phrase. John’s Gospel tells us much about the Son of God, particularly in the first verses of chapter one. There we read: In the beginning was the Word, and the…
After an introduction to the Father, we now turn to the One who was sent to reveal the Father’s very heart to us, the centerpiece of the Gospel, Jesus. Many know of Jesus, the baby in the manger that we celebrate at Christmas (though He was likely born in the fall…but I digress), to bring…
I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate Me but showing steadfast love to thousands of those who love me and keep my commandments. (Exodus 20:5-6) The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow…
Have you ever described someone that you knew to a friend? Or perhaps you’ve tried to describe yourself? What words were used? “Oh, he’s really funny! She’s so smart! Look out for him, he’s a bit weird!” Since we are embarking on a journey involving the Gospel, it would be a good idea to be…
Most of us in the West (at least here in America) have heard of “the Gospel.” We know it relates to Christianity. We know (or at least think) it’s supposed to be “good news.” But what is it really about? A look at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, along with that most-favorite of Bible verses,…