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Matthew provides three instances where the disciples misunderstood the purpose and nature of Christ's impending death and resurrection. First, Peter objected to Jesus' death. Next, the disciples sorrowed at His death. Finally, they expressed their selfish ambition for temporal glory. All these errors stemmed from a failure to grasp the spiritual significance of the cross -- its life-saving power! These reactions reveal a common human tendency to prioritize earthly kingdoms and personal status over the redemptive work of Christ. In contrasting the disciples' limited perspective with the divine intent of the atonement, we must reject worldly distractions and fully embrace the sufficiency of Christ's sacrifice. It is vital that we recognize the necessity of the cross as the source of true salvation, rather than as a precursor to political power.

Psalm 16 is a prophetic witness to the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, arguing that the promise that the Messiah would not see corruption vindicates Him as the true Savior. The limited application of the Psalm to David and the saints of God, contrasts with its ultimate fulfillment in Christ, highlighting how the apostles used this text to refute claims that Jesus' death disqualified Him from being the Messiah. This Psalm features themes of divine preservation, the superiority of God's inheritance over worldly wealth, and the assurance of eternal joy found in God's presence. The connection of the historical context of Israel's idolatry with the spiritual reality of the believers' trust, invites believers to rest in the hope of resurrection, and the certainty of Christ's victory over death. We need to be instructed and comforted, so that all believers find their ultimate security and delight in the person and work of Jesus.

There is great theological significance in the contrast of the flawed animal offerings of Israel, the horrific human sacrifices of pagan cultures, and the perfect, willing sacrifice of Jesus Christ. God's requirement for unblemished sacrificial animals was not about physical value, but served as a symbol pointing to the moral perfection of the Messiah, a truth often misunderstood by those who sought to appease God through costly or violent acts. There are no human efforts, financial offerings, or rituals that can satisfy divine justice. Only the sinless, voluntary death of the Son of God provides sufficient atonement for sin. Only Christ's sacrifice is a sweet smelling savour to God for our salvation! Christ was foreordained before time began to be God's Lamb. Salvation is found exclusively in the blood of the Lamb, Who is the only acceptable and supremely valuable offering to God. We must trust solely in Christ's work on the cross, rejecting all other means of justification, while we celebrate the Lord's Supper as a remembrance of His unique and sufficient sacrifice.

Peace under the old covenant could be destroyed by the sin of the people. Therefore, many times, third parties and rulers took steps to destroy the peace God made with His people Israel, by provoking or leading them into sin that violated the covenant. Ultimately, the whole nation was carried off into captivity, cursed by the covenant for their disobedience. But the New Covenant is a unilateral covenant, which does not depend upon our obedience at all! The whole covenant is fulfilled by God through Christ Himself! It is His unbreakable obedience, and not our own! It is His bloody sacrifice, and nothing we do, that brings eternal forgiveness for our sins against God, and imputes righteousness to us before Him. Because of the superior sacrifice of Jesus that takes away our sin, there is no means by which God's peace with us, under the New Covenant, can ever be broken! Meanwhile, the New Covenant produces obedience in the Lord's people, an obedience that could not be attained under the old covenant. Thus, wicked men, and the devil himself, are thwarted in their vain efforts to separate us from God's peace!

A message in the series on the word full in the Bibe.

Consider the contrast between the Old Covenant, sealed with animal blood at Mount Sinai, with the New Covenant, established by the blood of Jesus Christ. While the Old Covenant required human obedience that Israel could not keep, resulting in judgment and curse, the New Covenant is unilateral, relying on God's power to produce obedience and forgive sin. The Old Covenant sacrifice served merely as a seal of obligation, whereas Christ's sacrifice actively executes the promise of redemption and eternal inheritance. Believers are no longer under the terrifying law of Mount Sinai, but have access to the heavenly Jerusalem, through the superior blood of sprinkling of Jesus. This theological distinction culminates in the celebration of the Lord's Table, where we remember the specific purpose of Christ's death for the remission of sins.

Jesus Christ is the incarnation of divine truth and grace, contrasting His unchanging gospel offer with the lies and self-righteousness of wicked men. While physical heritage or moral effort cannot save, only the truth embodied in Christ liberates sinners from the bondage of sin. Consider the tragic rejection of this truth by Israel, who preferred their own lies and the praise of men over the saving knowledge of God. This rejection is a spiritual inability to hear God's voice without the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit, a condition that persists in the world today in every lost sinner. Believers must embrace the peace and glory found in Christ's sacrifice, and view the Lord's Supper, not as a mere ritual, but as a tangible encounter with the truth that reconciles us to God.

Ephesians 1:3-6

1 John 5:13