Tag: Jesus

Acts Articles – Jesus 03A

On By BrianIn Book of Acts

In Acts 3:14, Peter portrays Jesus as the Holy and Righteous One. 

He is the Righteous One:  Once again we find an echo from Isaiah 53, this time verse 11, where the suffering servant is referred to as the righteous one.  Other echoes come from Isaiah 32:1, Jeremiah 23:5, and Zechariah 9:9 which all predict that the coming Messiah King will be characterized by righteousness. 

He is the Holy One: That Jesus is the holy one suggests that Jesus is to be understood as God, for we see such references to God in Isaiah 40:25, 43:15. 

He is the Holy and Righteous One: The title in general speaks of his perfection – he is holy and righteous.  This again echoes from Isaiah 53, where verse 9 speaks of the suffering servant having done no violence and having no deceit in his mouth.  Peter later will echo Isaiah 53 in I Peter 2:22 where he says Jesus committed no sin, nor was their deceit in his mouth.

So Jesus is the Messianic King.  Jesus is God.  Jesus is without sin.  Two applications for today:

First, Jesus is our King and God to whom we owe our total allegiance and worship.  We are to obey him in all things.  It doesn’t matter if we feel like it.  It doesn’t matter if we want to obey.  It doesn’t matter if we think Jesus is right or not.  Regardless of our feelings, wants, and thoughts, we must obey.  We must submit.  And we must worship.  Worship includes submission, but then goes further to include praise and honor.  We must offer up our praises to our great God.  We must live for his glory.

Second, Jesus is our righteousness.  He lived a perfect life.  We don’t.  We fail to give Jesus our total allegiance and worship.  But the good news is that his perfect life is attributed or accounted to us.  II Corinthians 5:21 speaks of this miraculous exchange where the Suffering Servant bore our sins, and we now bear the righteousness of the Holy and Righteous One.  In Christ, we change clothes.  He takes my filthy dirty rags upon himself, and he gives me his pure white robe to wear.  So now when God looks at us, he doesn’t see our sin, he sees only the perfection of Christ.  He sees us righteous.  What a glorious truth!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn Idolatry, PASSION Points1 Comment

Here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

Christ Is All – Charles Spurgeon (via Trevin Wax)
This is our soul’s grandest desire, that Jesus’ name be lifted high,
and His throne be set up among the people, to the praise of the glory of His grace.

The Gospel of the Holy Spirit – Trevin Wax
Too many evangelicals see the good news that we are saved from sin and from God’s wrath and stop there. We forget that we are saved for a relationship with God (to know Him and love Him) and for His mission (His redeeming work to seek and save the lost). And it’s the Holy Spirit that enables that relationship and empowers us for mission.

What Sanctification Is and Is Not – J. C. Ryle (via Tim Challies)
An inward spiritual work which the Lord Jesus Christ works in a man by the Holy Ghost, when He calls him to be a true believer.

The Church and Idolatry – Jared Wilson (via Ligonier Ministries)
On Sundays, our sanctuaries fill with people seeking worship, and not one person comes in set to neutral. We must take great care, then, not to assume that even in our religious environments, where we put the Scriptures under so many noses, that it is Jesus the exalted Christ who is being worshiped.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day truly worshipping our great God!

Jesus Predicted in the Old Testament

On By BrianIn PASSION Collections

Throughout the book of Acts, the apostles preach about Jesus from the Old Testament.  Here a helpful list from Ben Falconer of at least many of the ways the Old Testament does indeed point to Jesus:

He is the promised seed of Adam who would crush Satan’s head (Gen. 3:15).

He is the descendent of Abraham through whom every nation on earth would be blessed (Gen. 12:3).

He is the son of Judah, who reigns eternally as king, whose garments are washed in the blood of grapes, and whose hand is on the neck of his enemies (Gen. 49:8-12).

He is the Passover Lamb who was slain to protect God’s people from the Angel of Death (Exod. 12).

He is the greater son of Israel who came out of Egypt, and He is the great redeemer who brings his people out of a bondage and slavery that is far worse than anything the Israelites experienced there (Exod. 12-14).

He is the true bread from heaven that actually nourishes and feeds his people (Exod. 16).

He is the Rock from whom the only life-giving water flows (Exod. 17).

He is the fulfillment of the Law, perfectly obeying not only the 10 Commandments, but all 613 from the day of his birth (Exod. 20).

He is the One through whom we enter into our lasting Sabbath rest, not just for one day out of seven, but for every day from now through all eternity (Exod. 23:10-12).

He is our great High Priest who offers his very body as an atonement for the sins of his people (Exod. 28-29).

Continue Reading….

Acts Articles – Jesus 02

On By BrianIn Book of Acts

In Acts 2:22-42, Peter moves from preaching about the Spirit to preaching about the work of Jesus and calls for a response.  He focuses on four aspects of the work of Jesus:

  • His Life (v22) – Peter especially considers his miracles as evidence that Jesus was sent by God.  If Jesus was sent from God, we had better pay attention.
  • His Death (v23) – The Jewish leaders and Roman officials were guilty of killing Jesus.  At the same time, God planned for Jesus to die to bring about forgiveness of sins (v38).  If God planned this, we ought to pay attention.
  • His Resurrection (v24-32) – God raised Jesus from the dead.  Psalm 16 predicted that the coming Messiah would rise.  And the apostles are witnesses of his resurrection.  If God raised Jesus from the dead, then again: we need to pay attention to him.
  • His Ascension (v33-35) – Jesus ascended into heaven.  He sent the Holy Spirit upon his people.  And he is now exalted at the right hand of God as Lord as was predicted in Psalm 110.  If Jesus is reigning, we need to pay attention to him.

The work of Jesus is not just trivia; we need to pay attention.  The work of Jesus points to Jesus as Lord and Messiah (v36), and calls for a response:

  • We must believe.  Though not stated, it is clearly implied.  The people would not be cut to the heart, repent, or be baptized if they didn’t believe Jesus is and did what Peter has just preached.
  • We must repent (v37-38).  We should be cut to the heart over our sin, and turn from our sin to Jesus.  The results are forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
  • We must be baptized (v38, 41).  The rest of the New Testament makes clear that this is not a requirement for salvation, and yet it is tied closely to it.  Saved people get baptized, publicly identifying themselves with Jesus.
  • We must be connected to a local church (v41-42).  The new believers were immediately added to the church and devoted themselves to the ministries of the church.  So should we.

May we pay attention to the work of Jesus and respond appropriately!

Acts Articles – Jesus 01A

On By BrianIn Book of Acts1 Comment

In Acts 1:9-11, Jesus ascends into heaven.  He returns to the Father to reign at his right hand.  We must understand this as a real event.  The disciples really saw this happen.  Indeed, Luke seems to go out of his way to make this clear as he fills the narrative with “seeing: words: looking, sight, gazing, looking (again), and saw. 

And this departure brings about a real change.  For 40 days, Jesus has been appearing and disappearing before the disciples, but this time is different.  As the angels make clear, they won’t see Jesus again until he returns to usher in the fulfillment of the kingdom.  And so today we live in expectation of his return.

As we struggle through the hardships of this life, we have this expectation, this hope that Jesus is coming again.  And when he comes, life will change.  There is coming a day when sin and death and suffering and pain and tears will be no more.  We can endure today because of the hope of what is yet to come.

And yet this expectation also reminds us of our responsibility.  When your employer gives you a task and says he or she will be back later, you had better work on that task.  In the same way, Jesus has given us a task and he is coming back.  Until he does, we need to busy with that task. We need to be busy living as his witnesses, longing to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

Christ Working Through Us

On By BrianIn PASSION Quotes1 Comment

We serve the ascended and reigning Christ.  The world may mock our King.  We may disdain his rule by our own sinful rebellion – but the fact is, he reigns.  And we can participate in the spread of his kingdom not simply by imitating how he lived while on earth but by making ourselves “holy available” to his dynamic, life-transforming presence within us, by letting him change the way we see, think, feel hear, speak, and serve.  It’s the life of Christ in us, continuing his work, exercising his reign, manifesting his presence. 
– Gary Thomas in Holy Available

Acts Articles – Jesus 01

On By BrianIn Book of Acts

According to Acts 1:1, the gospel of Luke told what Jesus began to do and teach.  That word “began” is emphatic.  The clear implication we are to draw is that the book of Acts is about what Jesus continued to do and teach.  In other words, Jesus did not ascend into heaven to twiddle his thumbs until his return.  He is still acting and teaching…through us.

If you have a job, your employer undoubtedly has certain goals that he or she wants to accomplish.  Your job, and the tasks that make up that job, fit within those goals.  We might say that your employer is working through you to accomplish his goals.  In the same way, Jesus is working through us to accomplish his goals, his mission, his purpose.  He acts and teaches today through his church.  He is the head, and we are his body.

As such, we must live as his hands and his tongue.  We must do his work.  We must speak his words.  We must allow ourselves to be used by Jesus to care for the hurting and serve his people and encourage the weary and teach his church and witness to the lost.  What a privilege!  What a responsibility!  We must allow ourselves to be guided by his Word, prayer, and the Holy Spirit so that we live as his hands and tongue to accomplish his purpose for his glory.  May God’s grace help us to live like this!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn Idolatry, PASSION Points

I was gone the past week to attend the RHMA Small Town Pastor/Wife Conference with my wife.  I hope to share some highlights next week.  In the meantime, here are some good posts for your weekend reading:

When I Am God – Tim Challies
How life changes when we try to make ourselves God instead of acknowledging the one true God.

Praying Past Our Preferred Outcomes – Nancy Guthrie (via Gospel Coalition)
Related to the post before, am I willing to pray for God’s will in my concerns?

Christ-Centered Accountability – Jared Wilson
A good consideration of helpful and not-so-helpful accountability.

Keep Looking Unto Jesus – J. C. Ryle Quotes
Keep on looking unto Jesus. Faith shall soon be changed to sight, and hope to certainty.

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day with your local church celebrating the one true God!

Passion Points

On By BrianIn PASSION Points

Here are some good thoughts on our Savior for the weekend:

He is the Radiance of the Glory of God – Jared Wilson
Considering the glorious radiance of Jesus.

The Cross as the Scepter – Leo the Great (via Trevin Wax)
An interesting take on Jesus carrying his cross.

On the Third Day – Jim Hamilton (via Crossway)
And interesting look at the pattern of the third day through Scripture.

Only Christ Can Provide Real Comfort – J. C. Ryle Quotes
“There is a gulf in your heart which nothing but Christ can fill.”

Hope you have a great Lord’s Day celebrating our radiant, reigning, risen Savior!