Elder Jonathan Leaver presents 5 biblical ways for us to step into the New Year!

This Sunday we  look at the central image in the portrayal of Jesus as our Messiah, his kingship. The title "anointed one" is used most often to refer to kings in the Old Testament. While Prophets and Priests, as we have seen, are also anointed for service, the King is the one who bears the title "the LORD's anointed." Even while being pursued by Saul who wishes to kill him, David spares his life multiple times because he is "the LORD's anointed." The expectation for a future deliverer and ruler in Israel became so closely linked with the covenant that God made with David that this royal title became the most prominent when speaking of the "hope of Israel." Listen this week as we connect the dots from Genesis through Revelation, unveiling a picture of the King who has come and will come again: Jesus the Christ.

Most of us are not part of a bloody religion. We do not understand sacrifice as we might if it was a part of our normal lives. In Hebrews chapter 10, Jesus is shown to be the fulfillment of the Old Testament expectation for a perfect priest. Jesus came as the better priest, to give a better once-for-all sacrifice, so that we might have a better and more enduring hope.

Have you ever thought of Jesus as a prophetic figure? The identity of Jesus as the Christ, or Messiah,  can be summarized, though not exhausted, in the recognition of his threefold office. He is, at the same time, our prophet, priest, and king. This week we look briefly at how Jesus fulfills that expectation that a prophet would come after the pattern of Moses and what this means for us as believers. A prophet was to speak the word of God, Jesus was this word made flesh. We too, as Christians have been given a word to proclaim, will we follow in Christ's footsteps?

Advent marks the time of year that the church enacts the expectation of her Messiah. The identity of Jesus as the Messiah however includes his rightful reign as King. How will we respond to Jesus? Matthew's Gospel shows us not only that Jesus is the Messiah, but he shows three responses to the news that the King has arrived.

This week brings the close to our series in 1 John. John works hard throughout the letter to verify both the reality and identity of Jesus Christ. In the face of false teaching he gives his readers tests so that they might know that they have eternal life.  The New Testament is the climax of the Word of God because in the New Testament we see the fulfillment of God's plan for  redemption. Yet the plan of God for salvation begins far before Jesus came to earth. John's concern is that the church would know and exalt Jesus as the Christ, the Messiah who has come into the world and brought life and immortality to light through the Gospel.

1 John 5.1-4 teaches us about what it means to be born again. To be born again requires us to believe rightly, to believe that “Jesus is the Christ.” To be born again requires us to behave rightly, to obey the commandments of God. To be born of God is to be born anew. When we are born of God we are given a family resemblance to His Son, Jesus. Jesus Christ said that he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. This means that to be born of God is to walk in His way, to believe what He reveals is true, and to cling to His life. Any attempt to make our own way, live our own truth, and hold on to our own life will leave us empty. This week we look at what it means to be born again and how it is that we can live according to the standards of a holy God and yet say, “his commandments are not burdensome.”

Elder Jonathan Leaver shares this week about the benefit and necessity of trials in the Christian life.

God is love. In 1 John 4.7-21 it becomes clear that to have fellowship with God means that we must love one another. God showed His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. The cross is where we find the fullest expression of the love of God. Yet if we truly grasp the love of God seen at Calvary, we have to ask why? Why was this sacrifice necessary to show the love of God to us. The answer is that God is also light. He is pure, holy, and just. Injustice and unholiness cannot stand in his presence, yet as sinners we were apart from Him. His holiness demands that we be cast out of His presence, but His love demands that we be brought in. So He took the initiative and sent His Son into the world so that we might live. “Beloved, if God has loved us in this way, we also ought to love one another."

What does the Bible really say about Jesus? In Colossians 1.15-23, Paul magnifies Christ by placing Him at the center of all things. Much more than just a miracle worker, Jesus is the one who created all things. More than just a human who points us to our redeemer, Jesus himself is God who redeems us. More than a moral teacher, God makes peace with us--his enemies--because of and by the death of Jesus Christ.