Daily Devotions based the Sermon from February 14, 2021
THIS WEEK: A Mission-Minded Person Has Certainty!
Where did you come up with that idea?
I remember hearing someone say, “If you come up with one completely new idea in your lifetime, you are a genius.”
Not sure I qualify…yet! J
New ideas are often met with skepticism, until we understand their history and background.
Christianity can sometimes fall into this category. Individuals like to dismiss the message of Jesus as something “made up” by his disciples or fabricated in the first century. Some like to say it only had relevance for a period of time long ago and is outdated and irrelevant in the present.
So, how can we have any confidence in the faith we have in Jesus as Savior?
Perhaps we can in the same way that Jesus built confidence in Peter, James and John. He drew the connection between his life, ministry and person back to the ministry and message of Moses and the prophets.
Jesus seemed like “something new and different,” but really he was merely a fulfillment of the old and the same thread of history and promises that God had made from the very beginning the Garden of Eden.
Flanked by Moses and Elijah, Jesus discussed with them his upcoming death.
Mark 9:4 And there appeared before them Elijah and Moses, who were talking with Jesus.
Moses represented all that was written in the first five books of the Old Testament. From Creation, to the promises to Abraham, to the family of Israel to the exodus from Egypt, to the worship habits, and the design and function of the tabernacle – all had a purpose fulfilled in the life, ministry and person of Jesus Christ.
Elijah represented all that the prophets wrote about the coming Messiah. God used these men to call people to repentance, away from false gods, and to faithful following of the Lord and his commands. They would tell of impending punishment, but also promise of restoration to come. Again, all of these messages of the prophets find their fulfillment in Christ.
Jesus wanted Peter, James and John to understand that he was intimately connected to all that Moses and the prophets had written about him. In fact, the purpose of these Scriptures were to testify about him.
Luke 24:44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”
The promises and prophesies connected to Jesus have been around for centuries. Jesus wasn’t a fly-by-night rabbi that made a big splash in Jerusalem, he is the Son of God who is and was the one Moses and all the prophets spoke of. This connection to the past gives our faith credibility and certainty in the present.
Some may challenge it is too old to be relevant today. To which I would say, the fact that it has withstood the test of time, persecution and attempts to cancel, gives even greater certainty that what I believe is more credible and certain than ever.
Apply: As you think about the history you know of the Lord and his people, what is one consistent theme or promise you live by that people for centuries have found the same comfort and encouragement?
PRAYER: Lord, thank you for the consistency and connection to the history of the past. We realize it is your story you have unraveled and now connected us to as well. Thank you! AMEN.