Reading With the People of God #13 Nicene Creed預覽

Focus of the month: The Nicene Creed

We believe in one God,

the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth,
of all that is, seen and unseen.

We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ,

the only Son of God,
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made,
of one being with the Father;
through him all things were made.
For us and for our salvation
he came down from heaven:
was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary,
and became truly human.
For our sake he was crucified under Pontius Pilate;
he suffered death and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
in accordance with the Scriptures;
he ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life,

who proceeds from the Father [and the Son],
who with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified,
who has spoken through the prophets.
We believe in one holy catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the world to come. Amen.

,propheciesThy Kingdom Come

King Josiah, the great-grandson of Hezekiah, was the last godly king of the southern kingdom of Judah. When he was killed in battle with the Egyptians, his son took his place on the throne. The Egyptians were now clearly in power over Judah, but apparently Jehoahaz did not please them, so they replaced him with his brother, whom they renamed Jehoiakim, showing clearly who owned him. Through his reign, Egypt made Judah poor.

Jehoiakim’s allegiance was with Egypt, but Babylon (the old Chaldean empire) was growing stronger and building a massive empire. Soon, Babylon would defeat Egypt and take over the little kingdom of Judah, and this is where the story of Daniel will begin. As the LORD had promised, He was bringing disaster upon Jerusalem and Judah to punish the people’s evil (21:10–15).

God has always been very clear about His expectations and judgments. For those living outside the boundaries of His grace, the exile is eternal. For those faithful like David, Hezekiah, and Josiah who may struggle but hold firm in faith and commitment, their kingdom is with their Lord. Psalm 145:13;

Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and Your dominion endures through all generations.

The LORD is trustworthy in all He promises and faithful in all He does. Our citizenship is in an internal and eternal kingdom, as stated in Luke 17:21, Jesus said; God’s kingdom is within you.

The Story From the Beginning

So much is happening in this passage. Judas tries to return the “blood” money given to him by the temple leaders for pointing out Jesus. Perhaps the silver had even been taken from the temple treasury. Judas feels guilty yet does not repent to God. In fulfillment of prophecies in Jeremiah and Zechariah, the silver is used to buy a graveyard called the potter's field (Field of Blood). Psalm 41:9 is prophetic in that it talks about “one who is my friend and ate at my table has betrayed me.”

When Jesus stood before Pilate and accusations were thrown at Him by the temple leaders, He did not defend Himself, fulfilling the prophecy in Isaiah 53:7;

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, soHe did not openHis mouth.

Even though Pilate offered to hand Jesus over to the Jews for trial, which meant He could be stoned, they insisted He be tried under Roman law so that He might be crucified on a wooden cross. Deuteronomy 21:23 tells why this is important; it says anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse.

Jesus is living out a script written before the foundation of the world was laid (I Peter 1:20). John 18:4 says Jesus knew all that would happen to Him. From before the world’s creation this was planned, then foretold and carried out over centuries of time. God put the details in the pens of the prophets, and these details were carried out in very precise ways. We have just looked at a few of the twenty-eight prophesies fulfilled on the day Jesus was tried and crucified.

John 10:17-18, along with many other verses, tells us that Jesus gave His life for us; it was not taken. It was a purposeful action with a specific goal. II Corinthians 5:17-21 tells the story, ending with

“God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”

A gift so divine, love so excelling, joy of Heaven to Earth come down. Pure, unbounded love given freely as a gift, who could fathom?

* Primer contributed by Jinet Troost