Grace and Peace Episode 9
Presbyterian Church of Easton
October 27, 2020
Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:2
A. Our Lord Jesus Christ, who was given to us to completely deliver us and make us right with God.
A. The holy gospel tells me. God began to reveal the gospel already in Paradise; later God proclaimed it by the holy patriarchs and prophets and foreshadowed it by the sacrifices and other ceremonies of the law; and finally, God fulfilled it through his own beloved Son.
We need a mediator because we are sinners and God is holy. This mediator must be human to pay for our sins. And this mediator must be God to forgive our sins. Once our sins are paid for and forgiven we are right with God. And our mediator is Jesus Christ. All of this is really Good News - Gospel.
But how do we know that this is true? According to the Heidelberg Catechism, we know that it is true because God revealed its truth to us in scripture.
God promised to send a deliverer to Abraham. Genesis 22:18 “and by your offspring shall all the nations of the earth gain blessing for themselves, because you have obeyed my voice.”
God sent prophets to remind us that a deliverer was coming. Romans 1:1 “Paul … set apart for the gospel of God, 2 which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures.” The prophets were talking about Jesus Christ. John 5:46 “(Jesus said) If you believed Moses, you would believe me, for he wrote about me.”
And God’s promise was fulfilled. Galatians 4:4 “But when the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 in order to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children. 6 And because you are children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, “Abba! Father!” 7 So you are no longer a slave but a child, and if a child then also an heir, through God.”
So our deliverer is Jesus Christ. Jesus is the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy. Jesus is fully human and paid for our sins on the cross. Jesus is fully God and forgave us our sins making us right with God. We know this because we trust what the Bible says. All of this is really good news. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, we are so grateful that you sent your Son into the world to save us. Lord Jesus, thank you for paying for our sins in your body on the cross. And thank you for forgiving us. Holy Spirit, thank you for inspiring the prophets to tell us of God’s promise of a deliverer and prepare us for the coming of Jesus Christ, in whose name we pray. Amen.
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