2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Friends,
This morning the Lord directs me to look at another aspect of the extent of His grace. In a previous devotion I enumerated the citations beginning with DT 29: 29 which reveal that God has revealed his plan for us gradually, holding parts of it secret until He felt the time was right for us to be exposed to them. Such is the case with the Gospel of the Kingdom, which He revealed through the teachings of the Son and the Gospel of Grace, which isn’t revealed until Paul’s ministry comes on the scene. Today, let’s look at the Gospel of the Kingdom, and tomorrow, we will look at the Gospel of Grace. There is no inconsistency or untruth in any of it, just divinely wise timing. Each facet of what the Lord reveals is a logical outgrowth of the one seen before it, presented at exactly the time when God knows we need it the most and are ready for it.
Preparation for the revealing of the Gospel of the Kingdom begins with the message of John the Baptist in MT 3: 2. “ ‘Turn away from you sings,’ he said, ‘because the Kingdom of heaven is near!’ “ There is nothing accidental about either John’s message or him coming on the scene. We know this to be true, because it was prophesied in IS 40: 3, “Someone is shouting in the desert, ‘Prepare a road for the Lord: make a straight path for Him to travel.’ “ In response to God’s will, (5-6) “People came to him [John the Baptist] from Jerusalem, from the whole province of Judea, and from all over the country near the Jordan River. They confessed their sins, and he baptized them in the Jordan.” This is what we commonly call “water baptism,” and it is an essential first step, but is not complete.
That completion was to come with the coming of Jesus to his cousin, John the Baptist, for His own baptism. Herein we see a wonderful example of how Christ is “the first among many brothers” to undergo a spiritual milestone that then becomes open to all who believe afterward. MT 3: 16-17, “As soon as Jesus was baptized, He came up out of the water. Then heaven was opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God coming down like a dove and lighting on Him. Then a voice said from heaven, ‘This is My own dear Son, with Whom I am pleased.’ “ How I wish that all traditional Jews could have heard God say that and know for sure as I do that Christ is the Messiah for whom they have been waiting! With the coming of the Holy Spirit to indwell the soul of the believer, those first steps toward being able to inherit the Kingdom of God are made. One has repented and come to faith in Christ.
You will notice that nowhere in these revelations do we see any evidence presented that baptism leads to salvation. That argument might have been used by self-righteous people trying to convince others to join the faith, but it has no basis in Scripture. That was enough of a concern later to Paul that he made that point in dealing with some of his detractors in the book of Romans. John makes it clear in JN 14: 6, “I am the way, the truth, and the light. No one comes to the Father except by Me [Christ].” Baptism is an outward symbol of the inward transformation that God as done on you by the renewal of your mind. It does not provide salvation itself. Only faith can do that. I love the way my friend, Les Feldick, puts it: FAITH + NOTHING =SALVATION. These steps of repenting and being baptized in the name of Christ are once again mentioned in Peter’s speech of Acts 2. AC 2: 38, “Each one of you must turn away form his sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God’s gift, the Holy Spirit.”
ou might ask what is the power of the Gospel? The answer for that is in the theme verses for the entire book of Romans, RO 1: 16-17. “I [Paul] have complete confidence in the Gospel; it is God’s power to save all who believe first the Jews and also the Gentiles. For the Gospel reveals how God puts people right with Himself: it is through faith from the beginning to the end. As the Scripture [Hb 2: 4] says, ‘The person who is put right with God through faith shall live.’ “ (By the way, the Hb stand for Habakkuk). We learn in RO 8: 17 that we will be joint-heirs with Christ to the Kingdom. “Since we are His children, we will possess the blessings He keeps for His people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for Him; for if we share Christ’s suffering, we will also share His glory.”
The invitation that Christ gives us to come to faith is beautifully described in JN 7: 37-39, “Whoever is thirsty should come to me and drink. As the Scriptures say [EZ 47: 1; ZECH 14: 8], ‘Whoever believes in Me streams of life-giving water will pour out from His heart.’ Jesus said this about the Spirit, which those who believed in Him were going to receive. At that time the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet been raised to glory.” We are so blessed that God love us enough to initiate this invitation. In response to it, He richly deserves for us to seek Him out. Don’t you agree?
We know from the message Christ gives us in MT 25: 31-33 about the final separation of sheep and goats that we can count on the fact that God’s Kingdom will be established. What came as a great and very pleasant surprise to me was the description of it we are allowed to see in REV 22: 1-5. I felt privileged even to know this much about it, and believe that this is God’s teaser, just enough information to make me want more. “The angel also showed me [John] the river of the water of life, sparkling like crystal, and coming from the throne of God and of the Lamb and flowing down the middle of the city’s street. On each side of the river was the tree of life, which bears fruit twelve times a years, once each month; and its leaves are for the healing of the nations. Nothing that is under God’s curse will be found in the city. The throne of God and of the Lamb will be in the city, and His servants will worship Him. They will see His face, and His name will be written on their foreheads. There shall be no more night and they will not need lamps or sunlight, because the Lord God will be their light, and they will rule as kings forever and ever.”
PRAYER: O Lord, Your wisdom, consistency, and compassion are shown in the timing You have for revealing Your plan for us over our history. How blessed we of this age are to have access to what You have revealed to us! In Your love for us You provided a propitiation for our sins in the shed blood of Your Son on the cross. We need to be mindful of the path you have made for us to inheriting Your Kingdom and enjoying life eternal with You. We confess and repent of our sins. We joyfully accept Your generous gift of the Holy Spirit, and we dedicate ourselves to diligent obedience and loving faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. In His name, amen.
Brothers and Sisters in Christ, I hope you will feel the warm glow of God’s love today and always. Peter and I join you and encourage you in the hope that one day we will all be together with our Lord in His Kingdom.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn