TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. Luke 24:27
Read: Luke 24:13-27
Listen: Luke 24
TODAY’S MESSAGE
The Bible makes it clear Jesus is the promised Jewish messiah. In fact, Christ is the Greek version of the word Messiah. After his death, Jesus appears to two followers. They don’t know who he is, and Jesus takes the opportunity to help them see the connection between his life and the Old Testament. Luke writes that Jesus starts with Moses and the prophets. It means Jesus unpacks the Old Testament, likely addressing texts that point to the Messiah. After humans rebel against God, God says that a man (Jesus) will crush the head of the serpent (Genesis 3:15). Then God makes a promise to Abraham that all the world will be blessed through his descendants, who become the people of Israel (Genesis 22:18). Jesus is one of Abraham’s descendants. This promise then carries forward as God promises the Israelite King David that one of his descendants would reign forever (2 Samuel 7:16). Jesus comes from the family of David. These are merely some of the promises Jesus may have referenced from the Old Testament. Many more point toward what the coming messiah would be like. They are all fulfilled in Jesus.
There’s significant value in remembering how our faith is rooted in the history of the Jewish people. Christianity isn’t something new that pops up in the first century. It’s part of God’s plan and promised from the very beginning. There’s a rootedness God offers us. Part of the good news of Jesus is that we’re invited into a historical plan with an amazing purpose. God promises to bless the world through the descendants of Abraham, and we are now part of that blessing. When we choose to follow Jesus, one of the tasks given to Jesus-followers is to love our neighbors as ourselves. We are to show God’s love to a broken world, offering the blessing of abundant life through Jesus.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Thank God for inviting you into his grand plan. Ask him to show you ways you can bless those around you. Pray for opportunities to share the good news of Jesus with those you know who don’t follow Jesus.
2023 SPIRITUAL PRACTICES
Join us all of 2023 developing a different spiritual practice each month. SPIRITUAL PRACTICES are intentional regular activities to deepen our relationship with God and mold us to be more like Jesus.
April is CONFESSION. Keep track of our spiritual practices at beyondtheweekend.org/spiritualpractices.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
