Blog Archives - Page 38 of 48 - The Gospel Outpost

And He Shall Be Called: Everlasting Father

December 11, 2017

Isaiah strives to ensure the reign of God is not only established by the Might of God but also depicts the length of His reign. There is a temporal and eternal aspect of God in describing Him as both everlasting and Father. With these two words alone, there is no question as to what Isaiah is saying. Jesus reigns has been inaugurated from the beginning of time and will continue into eternity. He is the progenitor of all life and by Him all things have come into being. He is the order and the guide for all creation and He rules His people with the love and care that would spring forth from a father. He is our Everlasting Father.

Exodus Week 3: God Glorifies Himself

December 7, 2017

Having heard from God directly, having encountered Him miraculously, Moses reverted to the same excuses that he had given before. His fear of speaking before Pharaoh and even the Israelites was rooted in deep seeded insecurity based on his speech deficiencies. Scholars have argued that it was either some form of speech impediment or, rather, just an inability or nervousness in speaking in front of people. Whatever the reason, Moses feared that the people would not listen to him and, in fact, that they were already not listening to him. But God and Moses were passed this and had dealt with it during their encounter previously. Events were beginning to unfold quickly and now was the time for decisive action, not insecurity and doubt.

When The World Hurts Around Us

December 6, 2017

We live in a fallen and broken world. That much, I think we can all agree. If you pay attention long enough to those around you (something you should definitely do), you will encounter a person who is hurting. For some, it will be the sting of disappointment over lost dreams and ideals. For other, broken friendships and strained relationships with family will send a person spiraling down into pain. The one we will all face at one point or another is death. Everyone will lose someone or know someone who has died and this time remains a trying time for all involved. This is a time of mourning, certainly, but Jesus does not depart in these moments.

And He Shall Be Called: Mighty God

December 4, 2017

Strength and might are not something to be scoffed at. Nor at they things that need to be displayed in a braggadocios manner. True strength does not need to prove itself and nothing is truly beneath it. Strength is not “too good” for a certain place or activity but neither does it feel the need to reassure its presence through multiple and numerous loud assertions. For Jesus Christ and His coming, Jesus displayed His might. While being fully God, He lowered himself and became man, a concept many other religious scoff at. Yet the reason for this is clear. He was coming to save His people and declaring war against the forces of darkness and evil.

Exodus Week 2: God Promises Deliverance

November 30, 2017

In Exodus 5 we have the first show down between Moses and Pharaoh. In coming to Pharaoh, Moses came with the authority of the one true God to challenge a man who viewed himself as a god. There is almost this sense that you would hope Pharaoh would relent to the charges and commands of God and that the Israelites would be free to worship their God. Surely a man in a position such as the one Pharaoh was in would be able to understand the issue of true authority and know when to submit.

And He Shall Be Called: Wonderful Counselor

November 27, 2017

At the front of who this coming Messiah is remains a Wonderful Counselor. When we hear this phrase our initial reaction is to reduce it to a good psychologist. He is someone we can go to who would give us good advice. However true this may be, this severely understates the full scope of Jesus Christ. When Isaiah speaks of something being “wonderful” it is not as we understand it now, but more so as something that is full of wonder. It is incomprehensible and unfathomable. The counsel that Christ brings defies the expectations of mankind and exceeds our humanly ability to understand. Furthermore, Christ goes beyond merely being a counselor as we understand that term, but he is the one who derives the plan. The counsel that Jesus brings is the plan for our salvation.

Exodus Week 1: God Calls Moses

November 24, 2017

At the end of Genesis, things are looking fairly good for the Israelites. While they may not be in their home land, the hand of provision is upon them and God has provided for them and blessed them during a severe famine. Through Joseph’s obedience to God and a series of circumstances that could only be described as the hand of God, the Israelites were safe. This is the situation we arrive at when we get to the book of Exodus, the second book in the Pentateuch.

The Book of James: Faith and Works - James 2:1-13

James 2:1-13 Money and Mercy

November 22, 2017

Too often we judge a person by their financial wealth and ability to produce. We give fine seats to those who have money and influence and place them above others. Through God, however, this system is turned on it’s head. God, having all the riches of the world, chose to come to those who were poor and in need. Likewise, James exhorts the readers to do the same. Money causes problems and conflict and generally serves as the sign the world uses for worth, even intrinsic worth. With God, however, the sign of worth comes from knowing and being known by our creator and heavenly Father.

Luke 4:31-44 The Authority To Heal

November 20, 2017

For all the attempts to relegate the authority of Jesus Christ, each one would submit the Sovereign King to outside authority, a move that Jesus did not need to make. Jesus is King over all. No one, whether spiritual force or personal presence is able to override the authority of the Lord. When the people in the synagogues heard Jesus teach, their spirit resonated with the understanding that they were hearing true authority. They were hearing the authentic word of God spoken by the mouth of God, made plain to them. Thus, as Jesus was approached with opportunities to heal, there was no issue in doing so. Jesus had the authority that belongs to God alone to heal sickness and command the demons and spiritual dark forces. Jesus had the authority to make the broken people whole.

The Difference Between Justice and Blood Lust

November 13, 2017

When someone makes a mistake in their job, no matter how small the infraction, we move quickly to stating they should be fired. When a person commits an atrocious act, the response of those of the faith has been to hunt and kill them. All of this being guised by the call to justice. The issue is that the scale of the punishment and how quickly the conclusion was arrived at shows that something in the heart is not asking for justice but rather for vengeance. Instead of looking for the right thing to be done, the temptation is satisfy a blood lust and see our enemies suffer. The Gospel is ignored in our blood lust.