Awaiting the King: A Devotional Commentary

By Stan Schmidt

Awaiting the King is a study in Scripture. There are forty chapters that can be read one sitting at a time. There are topical chapters relating to various issues on the Christian life. Most of the chapters are in-depth studies on specific portions of the Bible. Some tough issues are tackled, but written in an easy to read style. This book is a refreshing encouragement to love the Word of God.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse
• Release date: Feb 8, 2011
• ISBN: 9781452086910

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2 PETER 1:2-11

I want to spend this chapter on a fabulous portion of Scripture from 2 Peter. An entire book could be written from this passage alone. The power and depth contained in it are beyond what I can adequately commentate on. However, I do wish to unpack it to some degree in hopes we can find great comfort, courage, and knowledge.

Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord; seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and excellence. For by these He has granted to us His precious and magnificent promises, so that by them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust. (1:2-4)

This knowledge of God is monumental in the life of faith. Ignorance is no friend of holiness. Peter says later in this Epistle, but grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (3:18). Paul prayed in Ephesians that the readers would have a spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God (1:17). He went on in Ephesians to say that knowing the love of Christ is how we are filled with the fullness of God (3:18-19). But, he says it is only attainable by the power of God. Can we just sit back and marvel over the fact that God sent His Son rather than another Flood!

With that, our present passage says that we have everything we need for life and godliness through His divine power. God is too grand for our finite minds to grasp. Without the Spirit’s help we are sunk. Only He can assist us to get a hold of the panoramic expanse of all that God is.

Jesus is the most wonderful Person in the universe. We are captured by His love and won over by His character. That is what transforms us from selfishness to godliness. By who He is He secures our confidence in Him. Once we come to understand Him we are His forever—hook, line, and sinker.

This knowledge is not bare and lifeless information, but rather it is life-giving and transforming. It is not static, but dynamic. Even more, it is not just for the heroes of the faith, but for all believers. We must seek this knowledge with all our hearts, even cry out for it as if we were seeking a hidden treasure (Proverbs 2:2-5).

Again, we have all we need for life and godliness. So, we cannot fall back on some excuse. All that we need God provides. And, it comes by His marvelous promises. What promises are those? There are many. He promised to give His people a new heart (Ezekiel 36:26), He promised to give us the Holy Spirit (Luke 11:13), He promised to redeem us from all wickedness (Titus 2:14), He promised us access to the throne of grace (Hebrews 4:16), and He promised to never leave us or forsake us (John 14:18-26, Hebrews 13:5). There are others, but I think we get the point.

Along that line, we dare not say our weakness is bigger than God’s strength. We dare not say His working in our lives is not enough (Philippians 2:13). His grace is sufficient (2 Corinthians 12:9). Over and over in His Word God speaks of our freedom from sin, death, and the Devil (John 8:31-32, Romans 5:17, 6:11, 22, Ephesians 4:24, 6:10-17). Our verse does say that we can escape the world’s corruption and have a godly character. Being conformed to the image of the Son is the Father’s intent (Romans 8:29).

One more thing; another way that God has given us everything we need for life and godliness is the armor of God (Ephesians 6:10-20). All the ammunition we need to fight against the darkness is available for us. We will discuss this thoroughly in a later chapter.

Peter goes on,

Now for this very reason also, applying all diligence, in your faith supply moral excellence, and in your moral excellence, knowledge, and in your knowledge, self-control, and in your self-control, perseverance, and in your perseverance, godliness, and in your godliness, brotherly kindness, and in your brotherly kindness, love. (1:5-7)

Are we to sit around and do nothing? Perish the thought! It says that we are to make every effort and apply all diligence. Sure, we cannot do it on our own, but we join the Holy Spirit with what He is doing in our lives. He is our motivator, guide, and strength. All we need is there for us. How could it not be since the Creator loves us and abides in us!

How about this knowledge aspect? We are to be renewed in our minds (Romans 12:2). We must feed on His Word regularly. How can we escape the corruption of the world if we do not? The world is a cesspool for the mind, and thus believers need to set up camp with the Scriptures. This also includes what we watch, read, listen to, and who we associate with. We cannot forget that we live in a war zone with evil prowling around like a roaring lion (1 Peter 5:8). The kingdom of darkness will always clash with the kingdom of light.

The word perseverance is very important. I have always believed that the main lesson learned in trials is endurance. In other words, no matter how bad things are, we just keep going. Pain, confusion, fear, depression, or persecution will not keep us from staying in the Word and loving Jesus.

The others on the list speak for themselves: moral excellence, self-control, and love. These are kingdom principles. Citizens of the kingdom reflect their King. Galatians sums this section up well when it lists out the fruit of the Spirit (5:22-23). We know that love is the bedrock trait of any follower of Jesus (John 13:35, Ephesians 5:1-2). Selfless generosity is the work of the Spirit in our lives, and something we need to keep in step with (Galatians 5:16, 18, 25). In the Body, we are not to be log-and-speck people who judge one another (Matthew 7:1-5). We are no one’s moral superior. We must dismount our high horse of spirituality. Grace must win the day. No matter what we may do it has no value if we do not love (1 Corinthians 13). So, love is not an option—it is the very language of the kingdom (1 John 4:7-8).

I find it amazing that even today people live self-righteously. They point to all their apparent good deeds as a badge of honor and a ticket to heaven. They miss the glaring point that those who irritated Jesus the most were the self-righteous.

Character is central to who we are. The entire New Testament speaks of this. Our deeds must match our creeds. If we talk the talk we must walk the walk. It is not a matter of outward appearance like the religious leaders that Jesus challenged. It is a matter of genuine love, humility, and grace (Philippians 2:3-4). God knows the difference. Religion can fool others, but it cannot fool God. Jesus said to be merciful and perfect as our Father is (Matthew 5:48, Luke 6:36). That is not in perfection of detailed action, but in heart. It is a matter of maturity. Interesting to note is that when Jesus said this it was in the context of loving our enemies. God loves His enemies, and we are to be like our God.

We sometimes demonize our enemies so that we feel justified in judging them. Perish the thought! We do not fight against flesh and blood, but against evil (Ephesians 6:12). No matter what some evil person is doing, our call is to love them. This can be seen in many areas: political, moral, social, financial, even persecution. We, as followers of the King, are to love. We do not advance our cause by the sword. God is the Judge, not us. We must come to grips with the urgency of character. We must ask ourselves if we are the aroma of Christ (2 Corinthians 2:15). Love is the force that advances the kingdom of God. When Jesus was being crucified He asked His Father to forgive His killers (Luke 23:34). Jesus did not tell His disciples to fight against the Romans, but to turn the other cheek and go the extra mile, and even pray for them (Matthew 5:39-45). Loving one’s enemies is revolutionary. It is other-kingdom.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they render you neither useless nor unfruitful in the true knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these qualities is blind or short-sighted, having forgotten his purification from his former sins. Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble. (1:8-10)

There is no plateau. We simply keep pressing on to higher things in Christ (Philippians 3:14). Once we think we have arrived we have lost the vision. We do not want to be useless, do we? Our knowledge of Christ must give us life and passion to go out into every day to live as kingdom members. Just like we smell like a campfire after a cookout, we should have the scent of Jesus permeating our being. People should be able to tell that we, have been with Jesus. Hopefully the apple does not fall far from the tree.

We must always remember the community aspect. These qualities are not simply for us to live out in our own private lives. These qualities are how the Body of Christ is to live amongst one another. We are a family. Paul always wrote to a group of people on how to live together (Colossians 3:12-17). Who we are as believers is really only relevant in regards to who we are in relation to the Body of Christ. God never saved us to be Lone Rangers. How are we going to live out the kingdom if we are not doing it with other kingdom people?

It also speaks of forgetting our forgiveness. That is powerful. Knowing that we are loved and forgiven by God has tremendous power to transform us. As a matter of fact, I think that knowing the love of Christ is the greatest transforming element we can ever know (Ephesians 3:16-19). We are not under Law where we obey a long list of rules; we are in the New Covenant and live out the will of God by the power of the indwelling Spirit.

Freedom in spirit has power. If we receive His graceful forgiveness we have then believed what God has said about the Cross and our redemption. Our faith will be alive and well (Ephesians 3:16-17). We will not be nearsighted or blind.

If we are passionate, determined, and increasing in these qualities we will never stumble. Praise the Lord. Who of us would not be pushing to the head of the line to never stumble? Is that not our goal? We need not fall prey to the corruption of the world. We can walk in the Spirit and we can be godly. God promised. The only limitation is our own heart and mind.

In conclusion, what is the final outcome of this section? It says, for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you (1:11). Game, set, match. Is that not reality in a nutshell? The truth of this should make us want to jump right out of our skin and fly. We are loved by Jesus, we are members of His coming kingdom, and we will soon see Him face to face. What a motivation for us and for Peter’s original readers!

MATTHEW 4:1-11

There are a lot of 40’s (or derivatives thereof) in Scripture: it rained for 40 days before the Flood, the Jews were slaves in Egypt for 400 years, Moses fled to Midian for 40 years, Moses was on Mt. Sinai for 40 days, the Jews wandered in the wilderness for 40 years, Goliath taunted Israel 40 days, and now Jesus is in the wilderness for 40 days.

By the way, Jesus must have told these stories to His followers, which is why they can be retold in the Gospels. The Gospel writers would not have made this wilderness saga up since there was no preconceived idea that such a thing would take place. They probably had no previous thought that Messiah would be tempted by the Devil in this way. Also, we know that the Spirit is the ultimate guide of Scripture. He is the Holy Ghost writer.

So, we have the offspring of the woman facing the serpent (Genesis 3). This warfare would be there all of Jesus’ ministry. Of course it would! Jesus would have been on the top of the Devil’s most wanted list.

The first thing we should see is that Jesus was led into the wilderness after His baptism. This was probably between Jerusalem and Jericho, although it is uncertain. The baptism was the launching pad of His earthly ministry. But, before He started, He spent forty days in temptation and prayer. This experience would be the groundwork for His righteous stance all through His earthly life.

We should note that it was the Devil that tempted Him towards sin (1 Thessalonians 3:5), whereas it was the Father who tested Him to prove His vocation (He was led into the wilderness by the Spirit as God led the Israelites into the wilderness). Yes, Satan tries to provoke evil in people, but it is all under the watchful eye of God. As believers we must know that God never tempts us, but He does test us so that we grow more into what He desires.

At His baptism, the Spirit descended upon Him, and His Father said that He was pleased with Jesus and that He was His Son. The purposes of corporate Israel (as God’s son), were now centered on one person, Jesus the Messiah (the true Son). The preparation was complete—the Messiah has now arrived.

The statements at Jesus’ baptism must have caused much contemplation for Him. He knew the Scriptures and how those statements the Father made about Him were made to Israel, and her Messiah (Psalms 2:7, Isaiah 42:1). So, depending on how much He already knew of Himself, He now began to understand His vocation as Messiah. He was there for forty days so He had ample time to pray and ponder over what His Father said. Indeed, things became clear for Him during His forty days. That is why He came out of the wilderness dynamically preaching that the kingdom of God was at hand, and that it was at hand in Him. Jesus’ self-identity was solidified.

The Devil wanted to disqualify Jesus as the Savior. Jesus authenticated His role as Messiah and Son by never giving in to Satan’s ploys. We should remember that when we are God’s people, the Devil will also try to get into our heads with his whispers so as to distract us from our mission.

The first temptation by Satan was for food. Satan told Jesus to make bread of stones. Jesus was forty days without food, which would have brought to mind Moses on Mt. Sinai for forty days without food (Exodus 24:18, 34:28). We could assume that Jesus’ fast was self-imposed rather than simply a lack of food source. In other words, John the Baptist apparently found food to eat in the wilderness.

Now after all that time without food, Jesus would have been quite tempted. However, Jesus never lived by His own desires. He did not use His powers for personal satisfaction. He could have called on His Father’s angels in Gethsemane, but He did not (26:53). Jesus was not into sideshow gawkers, but He was into people of true faith. At any rate, all He cared about was His Father’s will. He said, My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me (John 4:34). Oh, if that would rub off on us!

What if Jesus would have given in and used His power in a way contrary to the Father’s will? Well, He would then not be able to sympathize with our weakness, or be tempted like we are yet without sin, or be a merciful and faithful High Priest (Hebrews 2:17-18, 4:15). For that matter, He would not have been the spotless sacrifice on the world’s behalf. Our destiny hinged upon Jesus resisting the Devil.

Satan said, If you are the Son of God. That is a strange way to begin. Did he say if because he was unaware if Jesus was truly the Son of God? Did he say if because he wanted Jesus to doubt who He was? Satan does that! He told Adam and Eve in the Garden, Did God say? Where Adam failed, the Second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45) was victorious. Indeed, Jesus came to undo the sin of Adam.

With all that, Satan probably said, if, because he tried to get Jesus to flaunt His powers according to Satan’s command. In other words, You are the Son of God so turn these stones into bread and satisfy your hunger. Now we would not be tempted in this situation because we have no power to turn stones to bread, but Jesus did.

At any rate, perhaps after His mountaintop experience at the baptism with the affirmation of His Father, Jesus was tempted to doubt that affirmation. We must be careful about mountaintop experiences because it may leave us vulnerable to lies since we are caught off guard. After Elijah had his marvelous victory on Mt. Carmel he ended up running for his life—afraid and discouraged (1 Kings 18-19).

Jesus had to prove His obedience and trust where Adam and Israel failed. Not only did Jesus represent Israel, but He also represented the world. In the big picture He was humanity’s representative. The stewardship over the world that man was supposed to have before the Fall, will be given to the ultimate Man, Jesus Christ (Hebrews 2).

What was Jesus’ response to all this? He quoted Deuteronomy about not living by bread alone, but by the Word of God (Deuteronomy 8:2-3). That is the reality of a person who trusts God. Jesus refused to let physical wants override His faithfulness to His Father. He would rather starve than disobey. I am sure He remembered when the Israelites craved manna and quail at the expense of trusting in God. Jesus overcame where Israel failed. We could even assume that these very temptations solidified in Jesus’ mind what His vocation was—to be the destiny of Israel. We should also note that Jesus said, It is written. Jesus was giving validity to the Old Testament as God’s Word.

Another thing to keep in mind is that Jesus was just that, tired and hungry. We all know how we feel in those situations—not at our best. I think the Devil preys on people who are weakened physically and mentally. Even so, Jesus would not budge.

The next temptation was to throw Himself off the Temple so God could miraculously save Him. That would have caused much attention. It was an appeal to human desire for man’s praise. However, if there would have been any spectators is debatable since it is not clear whether this occurred as a vision or if Satan actually took Jesus to the Temple (however that would look).

Satan, probably thinking he too could quote Scripture, brings up Psalms 91. However, he takes it out of context. The Devil uses half-truths to trip us up. We are not to tempt God by using His Word carelessly, but to trust Him as we live in faith. Jesus, always on top of His game, quoted Deuteronomy again refusing to acquiesce to a way other than His Father’s. Jesus would not claim a Scripture while doing something stupid. Nor, would He show off at the Father’s expense.

He said we should not test the Lord our God. That is taken from Deuteronomy 6:16, which is in reference to the Israelites grumbling about water (Exodus 17:7). Rather than trust in their God, they complained. Jesus knew these stories and did not go down the same road, but rather fulfilled His calling as the true Israelite. Even more, this section in Deuteronomy began with, Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart (6:4-5). Jesus did that to a T.

When it says that Jesus was tempted, it means just that. They were not charades; they were temptations. Jesus went through the wilderness as a Man. The temptations were real and He overcame as an obedient Son. Hebrews says He was tempted and tested in all ways like we are (2:14-18, 4:15). He was not a robot. He was alone and hungry, and on the precipice of the most significant situation in history. If these were not real temptations then the whole thing is bogus. Jesus went through this in time and space.

The third temptation was to offer all the kingdoms of the world. How could Satan show this to Jesus? There is no physical mountain that one could see all the kingdoms. Perhaps it was more visionary than physical. Ezekiel had such an experience of seeing Jerusalem while being in Babylon (8:1-3, 11:24).

How could Satan offer this to Jesus? One reason could be that he had the kingdoms of the world because mankind gave him that when they chose to sin. Another reason could be that Satan was given the kingdoms before his fall. And after his fall, God did not renege on His gift. At any rate, he is the ruler of this world (John 12:31), the prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2), and the god of this world (2 Corinthians 4:4). Beyond that, the whole world lies in the power of the evil one (1 John 5:19, Matthew 12:26).

The Devil said Jesus could have all this if He would bow down to him. Ah, there it is! Satan’s heart’s desire is to be worshiped. Anyway, Satan was once face to face with the Creator, and he could not stand to be less than God. He wanted to usurp the throne of God. He is a megalomaniac. He would give anything, even all the kingdoms, just to be worshiped by Jesus. Let us ponder that for a moment. For one thing; why would we ever want to sin and thus align ourselves with him who hates us?

Jesus could have compromised by recalling Psalms 2 where the Messiah was promised the nations as His inheritance—and therefore given in to Satan’s lie. It is Jesus’ right to have the kingdoms, but again, He quoted Deuteronomy to worship the Lord and serve only Him. He would not go down the road of sensationalism, but rather the way of obedience to His Father. He would have the kingdoms of the world in His Father’s time, not Satan’s. It sort of reminds us of the three Hebrews in Daniel who refused to bow to an idol on threat of death (3:16-23).

Another thought is that the Deuteronomy passage quoted by Jesus goes on to say, You shall not follow other gods (6:14). I am sure Jesus knew that verse as well, and that giving into Satan would be a direct application of it.

Now Jesus would eventually have all authority in heaven and earth (28:18). However, the Devil could not offer Jesus authority in heaven since he (the Devil) had none. At any rate, Satan wanted Him to take a shortcut. Perhaps the Devil tempted Jesus that the end justifies the means. Jesus would have none of it. Allegiance to the Father ran in Jesus’ veins. Jesus knew that before He wore a crown of gold that He would wear a crown of thorns (Philippians 2:5-8). This reminds us of the crowd who taunted Jesus to come down from the Cross to show His power and avoid suffering (Matthew 27:40). However, it is the road of servanthood and sacrifice by which the Messiah would be the Savior. This goes against the self-serving ways of Satan. Let us all remember this lesson when we want instant gratification.

Even two disciples of Jesus got it wrong when they wanted to sit beside Jesus on His throne (20:20-28). Jesus said in response, whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant. Furthermore, Peter attempted to get Jesus to become King without the Cross (16:22-23). In response Jesus said, Get behind Me, Satan!

My NRSV note sums this section up well, Satan hoped to have Jesus despair of his Father’s goodness, to presume upon his Father’s power, and to deny his Father’s honor by giving it to Satan. It is the same battle Christians wage today—against the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the pride of riches (see 1 Jn 2:16) (Harper Study Bible. Zondervan: Grand Rapids, 1991, p. 1419).

The Devil’s bag of tricks was not working. Jesus just would have nothing to do with someone who hated His Father. Jesus’ commitment to His Father dominated His life. God help us all do the same.

Finally, Satan departed, and angels came to minister to Jesus. I would assume that meant food and comfort—food which He refused before. We see also an angel strengthening Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane (Luke 22:43). Elijah was fed by an angel in his wilderness experience (1 Kings 19:6-8). Beyond that, we see God’s angels taking care of Jesus just as the out-of-context passage that Satan quoted from Psalms 91 said they would.

A good lesson here for us is that Jesus trusted His Father’s timing. Even when famished He waited. He did not force His own way. If we would simply trust God in our most trying of times we would be amazed at how He wins the day.

Another interesting thing is that the account in Mark says that wild beasts were there in the wilderness (1:13). They did not devour Jesus because He mastered them. As Adam traded authority over creation for scraps, Jesus had authority as a human over creation. Indeed, Jesus fulfilled the destiny, not only of Israel, but of humanity (Hebrews 2:6-11).

I want to reiterate that Jesus most likely was very aware of the Israelite’s failure in the wilderness, and that is one reason He quoted Deuteronomy every time—to succeed in honoring God where His ancestors did not. As the Israelites came through the Red Sea and out into the wilderness, Jesus too, after His baptism, came into the wilderness. The parallels are striking and intentional.

Considering all that transpired at His baptism and wilderness experience; Jesus was quite cognizant of who He was and what He was there to do. He was the true Israelite, He was being what they were supposed to be; He would deal with the sin problem, He would fulfill the covenant, and through Him the world would finally come to know the true God.

Besides all these grand depths to ponder from this passage, one great lesson we can learn is using the Word of God to fight evil. A temptation came, and Jesus quoted Scripture. It is no wonder that it is called the Sword of the Spirit (Ephesians 6). Even more, it is not just that Satan wants to tempt us to do this or that sin, but to get us off course of being God’s people—followers of the King who are the light of the world. We must never forget that we are caught in a cosmic warfare. Our allegiance to the rightful King will always bring resistance from the world.

ROMANS 1:1-6

Romans is the greatest piece of theological literature ever written in the history of mankind. No philosophical or literary writing can compare to what the Spirit had Paul pen in these sixteen chapters. Let us put on our seatbelts and allow the Spirit of God take us on a ride from which we hopefully will never recover.

The first paragraph of Romans is one tight package so I will write it out in its entirety,

Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, which he promised beforehand through his prophets in the holy scriptures, the gospel concerning his Son, who was descended from David according to the flesh and was declared to be Son of God with power according to the spirit of holiness by resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom we have received grace and apostleship to bring about the obedience of faith among all the Gentiles for the sake of his name, including yourselves who are called to belong to Jesus Christ. (1:1-6)

Wow! That is why we need our seatbelts. What is contained in just those six verses is virtually Genesis to Revelation in a nutshell. These initial verses of Romans are the platform from which the entire letter flows.

One thing I wish to state up front is that Romans is not first about how we can be right with God. Romans is about how God has been faithful to His covenant. The whole Gospel story began back in the Garden when Adam sinned. Abraham, Moses, and David were all part of the story God was orchestrating regarding the Messiah. It is not, What can the Gospel do for me? Rather it is, What does the Gospel tell us about who our God is?

Allow me to stop for a moment and ask the Lord’s blessing. Father, in Jesus’ Name we ask that You would bless this meditation on Your Word. May we come to know You better and thus better honor You because of this study. Unleash Your Spirit to grant us wisdom, revelation, and passion for Your Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

Caesar was called son of god, and his birth was heralded as good news. But, that is so ridiculous when seen in light of the true Good News of the true Son of God. This would have been powerful for the recipients of this letter under Roman rule. It was written to the very city of Caesar himself. But, Jesus is Israel’s Messiah and the Lord of the world.

I think Paul calling himself a servant of Christ Jesus is an understatement. Has there ever been a person more sold out to Jesus than Paul? He knew that he was unworthy of this calling (1 Corinthians 15:9-10). He said to the Philippians, For to me, living is Christ (1:21). He was a voluntary slave to a Master that he loved with all his heart. His life no longer mattered in light of who Jesus was. Paul said it well to the Philippians, I regard everything as loss because of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things, and I regard them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ (3:8). Do I hear an Amen?

He was an apostle, or a sent-out one. He was an ambassador on behalf of Him who sent him. Again, that is quite the understatement. No one in history has affected the world for Christ more than Paul. Ananias was skeptical about going to meet Paul since he knew that Paul was a persecutor of Christians. Yet, God told him, Go, for he is an instrument whom I have chosen to bring my name before Gentiles and kings and before the people of Israel (Acts 9:15).

In the strict sense, an apostle is one who has, not only been with Jesus, but one who has seen the risen Christ (1 Corinthians 9:1, Luke 24:48, Acts 1:22). And, Paul did see the risen Christ on his Damascus road experience (Acts 9, 26:16).

He was set apart for the Gospel of God. I know it seems elementary, but the whole Gospel story originates in the heart of God. It is He who loved and gave (John 3:16, 1 John 4:19). Said in another way, He is the Author of our salvation (Hebrews 2:10, 12:2). There is not even a possibility than man can take credit for anything.

This Gospel was promised through the prophets (Galatians 3:8). I could write endless verses in this regard since the entire Old Testament points towards Christ. Jesus put it this way in Luke, These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you—that everything written about me in the law of Moses, the prophets, and the psalms must be fulfilled (24:44). He then went on to open their minds to the Scriptures. He did the same thing to the two on the road to Emmaus, "Then beginning with Moses and all the prophets, he interpreted to them the things about himself in all the scriptures" (Luke 24:27, emphasis mine). The Gospel is not, first and foremost, about me and my salvation. It is about Jesus and what God has done in and through Him. It is about God’s faithfulness to His covenant. Our self-centeredness must be kept in check.

We could go back to Deuteronomy where it was promised that a prophet from Israel would one day come (18:18). We could cite the great Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. Even when Philip was preaching to the Ethiopian eunuch, he preached Jesus from Isaiah 53 (Acts 8:30-35).

On that note, let us elaborate on Jesus being descended from David according to the flesh. Jesus being a human was essential in the whole Gospel story. He was born of a woman (Galatians 4:4), and shared flesh and blood like the rest of humanity (Hebrews 2:14, John 8:40, Luke 2:40). God needed a human who would not give in to the Devil, and would defeat the Devil (Hebrews 2:14, 1 John 3:8). On that note, how humiliating it must have been for Satan to have a human cast out demons.

Jesus needed to be Jewish to fulfill God’s plan of rescuing the world through Israel. If Jesus is not the Messiah of Israel then He is not the Savior of the world. In a word, for Jesus to be the Lord of all then He had to be from Israel. It is God’s one plan through Israel for the world agenda.

Messiah needed to be a human to fulfill God’s promises to Israel. God needed a human to fulfill the destiny of mankind (Hebrews 2). As humans we were originally supposed to rule over the earth (Genesis 1). Jesus as a human without sin now inherits the nations as Lord of all (Psalms 2). God has not given up on the human project.

Mary was not too far off for mistaking Jesus as a gardener, since Jesus is the One who was putting the world back in order as its caretaker (John 20:15). One of the most profound things ever said was by Pilate when he said, Behold, the Man (John 19:5, Hebrews 10:5-7). If that is not the understatement of history!

God also needed a human to be a fitting sacrifice (Hebrews 4:14-16). Indeed, the Word became flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14, Philippians 2:6-11). Basically, the eligibility to be Messiah required that He be human. And even though He is now glorified, He is still a Man (1 Timothy 2:5, Acts 17:31).

Furthermore, God promised David that it would be through his line that the Messiah would come (2 Samuel 7:12-14). That is why the New Testament begins with a genealogy. We may skip over that to get to the good stuff. But, that record of where Jesus came from is absolutely foundational to the whole story. It proves that Jesus is all that He needs to be to fulfill the role of Messiah. 1 John says this, By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God (4:2). Ezekiel promises a Shepherd from the house of David (34:23-24). And, if we look closely at that Ezekiel chapter we see that it is God Himself who will come to shepherd His people.

Allow me to elaborate on this theme. From Genesis to Revelation we see the humanity and divinity of Jesus Christ as central. God told Satan that a human would strike his head (Genesis 3:15). Psalms 2 has God promising His Son kingship over the nations. Isaiah has a promised son of David who is called Mighty God and whose throne will last forever (9:6-7, 10:21). Daniel has a son of man whose dominion is everlasting (7:13-14). Luke reminds us of the descendent of David whose kingdom will have no end (1:32-33). Coming full circle in Revelation we have the conquering Root of David who has all authority (5:5-13). With all that, we need to see the foundational element of this phrase, descended from David according to the flesh. Even before Jesus was born, David called Him Lord, and God promised Him kingship and priesthood (Psalms 110). Also, Jesus is indeed the cornerstone of the House of David (2 Samuel 7:16, Ephesians 2:20). This is why the famous 1 Corinthians passage states that Jesus died and rose again according to the Scriptures. God always does what is in concert with His