|
THE GOSPEL OF SALVATION IN THE OLD TESTAMENT
GOD LOVES YOU
“Zion said, “The Lord as forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me,” Can a mother forget the baby at her breast and have no compassion on the child she has borne? though she may forget I will not forget you! See, I have engraved you on the palms of My hands.” (Isaiah 49:14-16)
I have loved you with an everlasting love, (Jeremiah 31:3)
God’s relationship with Israel is based on His faithfulness to His covenant. See: Psalm 89:30-37, Jeremiah 32:36-44, 33:20-21
GOD WANTS TO GIVE YOU LIFE
Listen to Me, O house of Jacob all you who remain of the house of Israel, you whom I have upheld since you were conceived, and have carried since your birth. Even to your old age and gray hairs I am He, I am He who will sustain you. I have made you and I will carry you. I will sustain you and I will rescue you. (Isaiah 46:3-4)
He lifted me out of the slimy pit, our of the mud and more; He set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. (Psalm 40:2)
...the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear Him, on those whose hope is in His unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. (Psalm 33:18-19)
ALL HAVE SINNED
The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. (Genesis 6:5)
The fool says in his heart, ”There is no God.” They are corrupt, their deeds are vile, there is no one who does good. The Lord looks down from heaven on the sons of men to see if there are any who understand, any who seek God. All have turned aside, they have together become corrupt, there is no one who does good, not even one. (Psalm 14:1-3)
Who can say, ”I have made my heart clean? I am pure from my sin?” (Proverb 20:9)
For further comments about the all pervasiveness of sin sin: 1 Kings 8:46, Psalm 130:3, 143:2)
SIN SEPARATES US FROM GOD’S LOVE
Behold, the Lords; hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy that it cannot hear. But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you so that He will not hear. (Isaiah 59:1-2)
I cried out to Him with my mouth; His praise was on my tongue. If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened. (Psalm 66:17-18)
God was very clear about the fact that sin must be removed from the community. Deuteronomy 17:6 dictates that on the testimony of tow witnesses, a man shall be put to death for his sins so that ”they purge the evil from among them.”
SIN KILLS
The wages of the righteous brings them life, but the income of the wicked brings them punishment. (proverbs 10:16)
The soul who sins is the one who will die. (Ezekiel 18:20)
”O house o Israel, I will judge you, each one according to his ways, declares the Sovereign Lord. “Repent! Turn from all your offenses; then sin will not be your downfall. Rid yourselves of the offenses you have committed, and get a new heart and a new spirit. Why will you die, O house of Israel? For I take no pleasure in the death of anyone,” declares the Sovereign Lord. ”Repent and live!” (Ezekiel 18:30)
GOD WILL JUDGE
They will sing before the Lord, for He comes. He comes to judge the earth. He will judge the world in righteousness and the peoples in His truth (Psalm 96:13)
God will bring to judgment both the righteous and the wicked, for there will be a time for every activity, a time for every deed. (Ecclesiates 3:17)
GOD’S PUNISHMENT IS FOREVER
Multitudes who sleep in the dust f the earth will awake; some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt. (Daniel 12:2)
GOD PROVIDES ATONEMENT
No man can redeem the life of another, or give to god a ransom for him-the ransom for a life is costly, no payment is ever enough-that he should live on forever and not see decay. ...But God will redeem my soul from the grave. He will surely take me to Himself. (Psalm 49:7-9, 15)
I will ransom them from the power of the grave; I will redeem them from death. (Hosea 13:14)
GOD FORGIVES
If You, O Lord, kept a record of sins, who could stand? But with You there is forgiveness; therefore You are feared. (Psalm 130:3-4)
I will cleanse them from all the sin they have committed against Me and will forgive all their sins of rebellion against Me. (Jeremiah 33:8)
You are forgiving an good O Lord, abounding in love to all who call to you. (Psalm 86:5)
THE PROMISE OF A NEW COVENANT
“The time is coming,” declares the Lord, ”when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel...not like the covenant I made with their forefathers when I took them by the hand to lead then out of Egypt, because they broke My covenant...I will put My law in their minds and write it on their hearts.” (Jeremiah 31:31-33)
CONCLUSION
The God of our fathers did fulfill His promise by providing Messiah Yeshua (Jesus Christ) who provide atonement by taking upon Himself the punishment for our sins. It is through His substitutionary sacrifice that we can find peace and access to God’s love.
Surely He took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered Him stricken by God, smitten by Him, and afflicted. But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities’ the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by Hs wounds we are healed. We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all. (Isaiah 53:4-6)
Messiah is the Hebrew word for ”anointed” which in the English translation from Greek is “Christ.” Yeshua comes from the Hebrew root [yasha] which means “salvation” which in the English translation of the Greek is Jesus. In other words, in the Hebrew language, Yeshua means God saves!
If you by faith accept this truth, God Himself will write His law of love and grace upon your heart and give you abundant and everlasting life.
A SAMPLE PRAYER
God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, I confess that I am a sinner and come before you to ask you for your forgiveness of my sins that I have committed in my life. I thank you that Yeshua (Jesus) died on the cross for my sins. I ask Jesus to come into my life and live in my heart that I might have a new life and live eternally with you. Amen
|
