Jesus spent the last years of his life traveling and teaching.
A number of important themes emerge in his lessons:
▪︎ Jesus came to announce the coming of the kingdom of God.
A new start and a new birth that make it possible to be part of the family of God, the new community he has established, are necessary for man to escape the downward spiral of sin and death.
The kingdom will be hidden initially, because the old world continues to exist. But in the end it will triumph and everyone will see it.
▪︎ God is a good Father to His people. He is also, in a very special way, the Father of Jesus.
God is concerned with every detail of the lives of His children. They can call on Him when they need Him and they know that He will answer their prayer (see, for example, Matthew 6; John 1; 5:18-29).
▪︎ The secret of true happiness is not money, nor power, nor success, but the obedience to God’s will: to follow Jesus in the way of the Kingdom. Jesus has come to stand up for the poor, for the paralyzed and the blind and for anyone who sees that they cannot make it alone (see eg Matthew 5:3-12).
God exhorts His people to turn from sin and receive His forgiveness. He looks for those who are lost to bring them back (see eg Mark 1:14-15; Luke 15). Whoever wants to enter the kingdom must first become as simple and humble as a child (see eg Matthew 4:17; 18:1-4).
▪︎ Jesus is the Son, the messiah whom God had long announced. His name means Savior. He has come to redeem people from the bondage of sin, to deliver by giving His life, to give new life to all who believe in Him.
The life he gives is eternal, it comes from God himself. The death of the body does not end it (see eg John 1; 3; 6-7; 10).
▪︎ Jesus will die and rise from the dead. On the last day, He will return in His greatness and judge the world, the standard being each man’s response to His message (see, for example, Matthew 7; 24; Luke 17; John 12: 44-50).
▪︎ Jesus’ disciples are urged to follow His example and be like Him, loving and forgiving one another (even their enemies) and obeying God.
The student’s life is hard and suffering is part of it. But Jesus will always and under all circumstances be with His own wherever they go. (See, for example, Matthew 5-7, 11:28-30; Luke 14:25-33; John 13:1-17, 14).
Twitter: @SchoemakerHarry
Website: https://devotionals.harryschoemaker.nl
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