Finding Jesus in the Bible…So We Can Follow Him in Life
Bible Reading Plans
- Plan One: New Testament Only
- Plan Two: New Testament + Psalms
- Plan Three: New Testament + History
- Plan Four: The Entire Bible – Year 1 of 3, Year 2 of 3, Year 3 of 3
Don’t know which plan? Go to A Christ-Centered Bible Reading Plan: Quick Start.
Extras
Verse of the Day, Audio Capsule, and Video Minute
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Christ Is God
Chapter 35 – The Promises to Christ
Christ is the centerpiece of Christianity. Everything God has promised to give us is found – and secured – in Him.
Listen to what Paul says about the promises of God.
Galatians 3:16 Now the promises were spoken to Abraham and to his seed. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as referring to many, but rather to one, “And to your seed,” that is, Christ.
Paul’s point was that the promises made to Abraham were ultimately directed to Christ. Sure, those promises benefited Abraham in his lifetime, but their most important effect was their ultimate meaning to Abraham’s special descendant: the Messiah.
Elsewhere, Paul proclaims that it’s not just the promises to Abraham that had Christ uppermost in mind – but also all the rest of the promises of God, too! Listen to what he says to the Corinthians about this:
2 Corinthians 1:19 For the Son of God, Christ Jesus, who was preached among you by us–by me and Silvanus and Timothy–was not yes and no, but is yes in Him.
2 Corinthians1:20 For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are yes; therefore also through Him is our Amen to the glory of God through us.
Through Christ, the promises of God have application to every human being. Apart from Christ, we today have no access to those promises.
One of the foremost promises to Messiah was the promise that He would receive an eternal kingdom that would rule all of creation. Here’s that reference from the previous chapter, followed by the Old Testament verse it was quoting from.
Matthew 26:64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”
Daniel 7:13 “I kept looking in the night visions,
And behold, with the clouds of heaven
One like a Son of Man was coming,
And He came up to the Ancient of Days
And was presented before Him.
Daniel 7:14 “And to Him was given dominion,
Glory and a kingdom,
That all the peoples, nations and men of every language
Might serve Him.
His dominion is an everlasting dominion
Which will not pass away;
And His kingdom is one
Which will not be destroyed.
The bold print is not talking about the church – it’s talking about the kingdom of God. Jesus received authority over the church when He was seated at the right hand of God; but He received the kingdom of God – which encompasses all of humanity – when He came again.
Isaiah 9:6 For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;
And the government will rest on His shoulders;
And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.
Isaiah 9:7 There will be no end to the increase of His government or of peace,
On the throne of David and over his kingdom,
To establish it and to uphold it with justice and righteousness
From then on and forevermore.
The zeal of the LORD of hosts will accomplish this.
This passage from Isaiah is making the same general point as Daniel 7:13-14. That is, Messiah would be head of the kingdom of God – as God and Father of it. But Christ did not receive this honor by rebelling against His Father. Rather, He gained it by perfect obedience to His Father. Christ patiently waited for the Father to hand over to Him all that the Father had promised Him…in due time.
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