The Life Story of Jesus - 6 December 2019
Neville Turley
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Luke 24:27 (NIV)
Many well-known personalities write their biographies. Some at their retirement, others at the height of their fame. The life story of Jesus is unique in that it was enshrined in the Old Testament scriptures centuries before he was born.
Could it have been inserted there after his earthly ministry? Not a chance, the Jews zealously guarded every word, letter and space in their scriptures. There is no way they would have allowed their scriptures to have been tampered with to support the cause of a Messiah they emphatically rejected.
The Sovereign Father himself had over centuries revealed to his children the story of his Son who would lay down his life to save us from our sins.
Psalm 22 gives a full and harrowing account of the crucifixion of the promised Christ and the end result. "Posterity will serve him; future generations will be told about the Lord. They will proclaim his righteousness, declaring to a people yet unborn: He has done it!" (Psalm 22:30-31)
The resurrected Jesus used the Old Testament scriptures to convince and motivate the disciples to carry on his work. (Luke 24:44-45). They, filled with the Holy Spirit, would be his hands and feet, just as we are today.
Psalm 22:31 ends with the words: “He has done it!” What did he do? He completed God’s plan for our redemption. Through his sacrifice we have been granted the gift of salvation and have the assurance that we, by God’s grace, will live in the joy of his presence forever.
It is God’s great gift to us, there is no better time to acknowledge our joyous gratitude than at Christmas.
Prayer: Almighty God, thank you for your Word. Help us to focus on our relationship with you this Christmas. Fill our hearts with the joy of Christ your Son, and through your Holy Spirit grant us grace and peace. Amen