38 lines
4.5 KiB
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38 lines
4.5 KiB
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<title>Blue Letter Bible: Day By Day By Grace — Bob Hoekstra</title>
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Day By Day By Grace
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Bob Hoekstra
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July 4
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<h1>God Promising His Messiah to the Gentiles</h1>
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<div class="block"><i>"<b>I, the LORD</b>, have called You in righteousness, and <b>will hold Your hand</b>; <b>I will keep You</b> and <b>give You</b> as a <b>covenant</b> to the <b>people</b>, as a <b>light</b> to the <b>Gentiles</b>…It is <b>too small</b> a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved ones of Israel; <b>I will also give You</b> as a <b>light</b> to the <b>Gentiles</b>, that You should be My salvation to <b>the ends of the earth</b>."</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Isa', 42, '6-6');">Isaiah 42:6</a> and <a onClick="return mV('Isa', 49, 6);">49:6</a>)</div>
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<p>As we have seen, God, the Father, promised to give Jesus, the Messiah, to His people as the new covenant of grace. <i>"<b>I, the LORD</b>…will keep You and <b>give You</b> as a <b>covenant</b> to the <b>people</b>."</i> Thus, God's resources of grace are only available through relationship with Christ. Furthermore, the Father promised that His covenant of grace through his Son would extend to all the Gentile nations: <i>"that You should be My salvation to <b>the ends of the earth</b>."</i></p>
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<p>It is clear that the Messiah's mission would initially be to the house of Israel, to the Jewish people. <i>"'Behold, the days are coming,' says the LORD, 'that I will perform that good thing which I have <b>promised</b> to the house of <b>Israel</b> and to the house of <b>Judah</b>: In those days and at that time I will cause to grow up to <b>David</b> a <b>Branch</b> of righteousness'"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Jer', 33, '14-15');">Jeremiah 33:14-15</a>). Jesus' initial instructions to His disciples were in line with this truth. <i>"These twelve Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying: 'Do <b>not</b> go into the way of the Gentiles, and do <b>not</b> enter a city of the Samaritans. <b>But go rather</b> to the lost sheep of the house of <b>Israel</b>'"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Mat', 10, '5-6');">Matthew 10:5-6</a>).</p>
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<p>Yet, God's promises were much larger than solely reaching His chosen people, Israel. <i>"It is <b>too small</b> a thing that You should be My Servant to raise up the tribes of <b>Jacob</b>, and to restore the preserved ones of <b>Israel</b>."</i> God wanted His light to shine out into the nations. <i>"<b>I will also give You</b> as a <b>light</b> to the <b>Gentiles</b>."</i> The Father wanted His saving grace to extend throughout the world: <i>"that You should be My salvation to <b>the ends of the earth</b>."</i></p>
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<p>At the appropriate time, Jesus also instructed His followers in the worldwide dimensions of His mission. <i>"Go therefore and make disciples of <b>all the nations</b>…Go into <b>all the world</b> and preach the gospel to <b>every creature</b>…that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name <b>to all nations</b>, beginning at Jerusalem…But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in <b>Jerusalem</b>, and in all <b>Judea</b> and <b>Samaria</b>, and to the <b>end of the earth</b>"</i> (<a onClick="return mV('Mat', 28, '19-19');">Matthew 28:19</a>; <a onClick="return mV('Mar', 16, '15-15');">Mark 16:15</a>; <a onClick="return mV('Luk', 24, '47-47');">Luke 24:47</a>; and <a onClick="return mV('Act', 1, '8-8');">Acts 1:8</a>).</p>
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<div class="dbdbg_prayer">O Lord God, how extensive are Your promises. I thank You that they reached to me. Yet, I need my thinking to be enlarged by Your promises. Transform my vision and my prayers to include the entire world, in Jesus' name, Amen.</div>
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