The Heart of God: The Messenger of the Covenant (3)

And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Luke 24.27

Read and meditate on Isaiah 42 and 43, John 1.1-18, Luke 1.67-75, and 1 John 3.
In Jesus Christ God fulfilled His promises to His people, glorified Himself, and unleashed the power of love on earth. He is the promised Messenger to bring the Good News of the New Covenant to the world.

For reflection
1.  Summarize the role of the Servant of God as you see this revealed in Isaiah 42 and 43. What does He come to do? How does He do this work? What will be the result of His coming?
 
2.  The Apostle Paul wrote that God sent His Son to earth in the fullness of the time – that is, at just the right time (Gal. 4.4). From what you know about the world of Jesus’ day – the situation in the Roman world, the plight of the Jews, and so forth – what made these days the fullness of the time? That is, how was the world “just right” for the coming of God’s Messenger?

3.  According to 1 John 3.8, 9, why did God’s Messenger come into the world? From the rest of 1 John 3, what was to be the result of that great work?

4.  From Luke 1.67-75, how can you see that the New Covenant, brought to earth by God’s Messenger, is actually the fulfilling of the Old Testament covenant, which began formally with Abraham? What does this suggest about the status of the promises God made to Abraham (cf. Rom. 4.13-16)?

5.  In what ways are we able to see the glory of God in His incarnate Word (Jn. 1.1-18)? How can you see that in Jesus, the Messenger of the Covenant, God pulls together all the unifying threads of divine revelation – His people, His glory, and His redemptive work?

Summary
The coming of Jesus meant the realization of all God had promised in the Old Testament. It meant the end of the reign of sin and the beginning of the Kingdom of love. It meant the coming of light to drive back the darkness of unbelief, and the inauguration of the rule of righteousness, peace, and joy throughout the earth. Does it seem to you that, in our day, we need to be renewed in the message of the Messenger of the Covenant? Explain.

Closing Prayer
I waited patiently for the LORD;
And He inclined to me,
And heard my cry.
He also brought me up out of a horrible pit,
Out of the miry clay,
And set my feet upon a rock,
And established my steps.
He has put a new song in my mouth—
Praise to our God;
Many will see it and fear,
And will trust in the LORD.
Blessed is that man who makes the Lord his trust,
And does not respect the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.
Many, O LORD my God, are Your wonderful works
Which You have done;
And Your thoughts toward us
Cannot be recounted to You in order;
If I would declare and speak of them,
They are more than can be numbered.
Sacrifice and offering You did not desire;
My ears You have opened.
Burnt offering and sin offering You did not require.
Then I said, “Behold, I come;
In the scroll of the book it is written of me.
I delight to do Your will, O my God,
And Your law is within my heart.”
I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness
In the great assembly;
Indeed, I do not restrain my lips,
O LORD, You Yourself know.

Psalm 40.1-9

T. M. Moore

Two books can help you gain a fuller understanding of the terrain we will be covering in this series. Kingdom Documents provides a concise overview of the primary teaching of the Old and New Testaments, and shows, through early Church creeds, how our forebears understood the primary teachings of God’s Word. (click here to order). I Will Be Your God develops more fully the idea of God’s covenant and leads us to consider the practical implications of our covenant relationship with God (click here).

Visit The Ailbe Seminary, where our course, Introduction to Biblical Theology, offers a parallel study of our theme in this series, using brief video presentations and the workbook God’s Covenant: An Introduction. All courses at The Ailbe Seminary are available without charge.

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Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.