From: December 1, 2024
“Whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked” (1 John 2:5-6 ESV).
In John’s first epistle, he tells us that he wrote it in order that believers in Jesus might “know that they have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). John makes it clear that “everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God” (1 John 5:1). Yet, he also makes it clear that those who have truly believed will begin to show certain evidences of abiding in Christ Jesus.
John says that those who truly know and believe in Jesus will “keep his word.” They will obey His Word. Their obedience results in assurance of salvation, greater love for God, and lives that become increasingly like the life of Christ. So our assurance of salvation comes not only in knowing that we have believed in Christ, but also in having a new and growing desire to bring every area of our lives into alignment with His.
Have you confessed Jesus as Lord and trusted in His sacrifice on the cross for your sins? Have you believed that God raised Him from the dead? If so, then the Word says you have been saved (Rom. 10:9). Yet assurance of salvation comes not only from knowing this, but also in a changed life that increasingly becomes more and more like Christ’s.
PRAYER: Dear Father, we have believed in Your Son, yet help us to grow in our faithfulness to abide in Him and to follow Him in all things. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: December 1, 2023
‘As I, Daniel, was trying to understand the meaning of this vision, someone who looked like a man stood in front of me. And I heard a human voice calling out from the Ulai River, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of his vision”‘ (Daniel 8:15-16 NLT).
It is interesting to see the angel Gabriel mentioned in our Old Testament reading on this first day of December. For he will also be of great interest to us as we read the gospel accounts of Christ’s birth during this Christmas season. There are only two angels named in the Bible (excluding the fallen one, Lucifer). They are Michael, the archangel of God, and Gabriel, who acts as God’s messenger. The name “Gabriel” means “Strong Man of God.” He described himself to Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist, like this: “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news” (Luke 1:19). Gabriel is recorded as bearing God’s messages to Daniel (Dan. 8:16, 9:21), to Zechariah (Luke 1:19), to Mary (Luke 1:26), and although his name is not given, to Joseph (Matt. 1:20).
There was something about Gabriel’s presence that struck fear in each human encounter. Perhaps it was the lingering presence of God that still clung to his person as it once did to Moses after he came down from Mt. Sinai. His purpose was specific each time. Give the addressee the message and make sure they understand its meaning.
What did Gabriel explain to Daniel? He explained the meaning of Daniel’s second vision, which offered more detail concerning two of the coming kingdoms that both Nebuchadnezzer and Daniel had seen. For Gabriel even identified the two-horned ram as Medo-Persia and the one-horned goat as Greece. The earlier visions had not been so clearly identified.
Gabriel even mentions one called the Prince of princes, who I believe refers to the coming Christ, who is the Son of Man of Daniel 7 and the one named Jesus as Matthew and Luke record. Surely Gabriel must have a close connection to Christ. For he is like a herald that always goes before the king to announce His coming.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You that You not only provide revelation of Yourself to us, but also interpretation of what those revelations mean. Throughout the centuries You have spoken to us through Your angels, prophets and in these last days, through Your Son, Jesus Christ. Now we have Your written Word and Your Holy Spirit to teach us. And You have gifted Your Church with apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers to further equip us for maturity and ministry. Thank You Lord for doing everything necessary to make sure we can know you. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: December 1, 2022
CHRIST IS BOTH THE MEDIATOR AND MEANS OF SALVATION
The Greek word translated here in the NLT as “the sacrifice that atones” is the word “hilasmos.” This word is often translated as “atonement” or “propitiation.” It points back to Israel’s sacrificial system, whereby a lamb without spot or blemish was offered as an atonement for sins. Yet those lambs, offered every year on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, were only like checks written on a future deposit. Jesus is that deposit. As John the Baptist proclaimed, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
Christ Jesus became the propitiation for the sins of the world when He died upon the cross. He became the atoning sacrifice that satisfied God’s holiness and justice. Our sin deserved death, but Christ died our death that by faith we might receive His life. As the apostle Paul wrote, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
In the previous verse, John had identified Jesus as our “Advocate” with the Father. In other words, He is our Great High Priest and our Mediator. As Paul wrote Timothy, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus” (1 Tim 2:5). This is why John began the second chapter of his first epistle with: “He Himself.” Because Jesus the High Priest, the Advocate, “Himself” became the Lamb, the propitiation for our sins. Jesus the Mediator is also the means of our salvation.
And not only ours, but also for the “whole world.” Christ’s sacrifice is sufficient for all. This is the good news! Jesus has paid the sin debt of the entire human race. Yet, the one who would receive this payment, this propitiation, must believe in Jesus as Lord and Savior. As John wrote in his gospel, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.”
Have you trusted Jesus Christ as both the Mediator and Means of your salvation?
PRAYER: Dear Father, we are reminded of how great was the cost of our salvation. That You gave Your only begotten Son for our sins. We fan into flame our zeal to spread the good news of Jesus to the whole world. Anoint us afresh by Your Holy Spirit. Set us aflame with the love and zeal of Christ Jesus. In His name we pray, amen.
From: December 1, 2016
After Daniel’s vision, an angel named “Gabriel” appeared to him, charged with explaining the vision. The Old Testament recorded many other angelic visitations, but Daniel is unique in that he is the only one to whom their names are revealed (“Gabriel” in 8:16; 9:21 and “Michael” in 10:13, 21; 12:1). Yet, even with Gabriel’s help, the vision is beyond his understanding. While the vision most likely contains “already/not yet” dual fulfillment material, the identification of the “Medes and Persians,” and of the kingdom of Greece points to the time leading up to the birth of Christ. The fact that Gabriel is the angel explaining this to Daniel and then later announcing it to Joseph and Mary in the gospels is not to be overlooked. Daniel saw a vision that has partially been fulfilled in Christ’s first coming. But there is still part that is yet unfulfilled, that must point to the time leading up to His return.
From: December 1, 2015
In Daniel’s vision, an angel named “Gabriel” (Hebrew: “God is my strength”) is charged with explaining the vision, so that Daniel might understand it. The Old Testament recorded many other angelic visitations, but Daniel is unique in that he is the only one to whom their names are revealed (“Gabriel” in 8:16; 9:21 and “Michael” in 10:13, 21; 12:1). Yet, even with Gabriel’s help, the vision is beyond his understanding (8:27). While the vision most likely contains “already/not yet” dual fulfillment material, the identification of the “Medes and Persians,” and of the kingdom of Greece points to the time leading up to the birth of Christ. The fact that Gabriel is the angel explaining this to Daniel and then later announcing it to Joseph and Mary in the gospels is not to be overlooked. Daniel saw a vision that has partially been fulfilled in Christ’s first coming. But there is still part that is yet unfulfilled, that must point to His return.
From: December 1, 2014
Psalm 120 is the first of the fifteen “Psalms of Ascent,” that were read or sung by the Jewish worshipers as they climbed up to the Temple mount in Jerusalem. Today, worshipers still read these 15 psalms as they climb the 15 Southern Steps to the Temple mount. Psalm 120 begins with the appropriate place to take our troubles. Not to ourselves, to worry about them. Not to our friends, to complain. But to our God in prayer, who is able to help us. Perhaps this should always be our first step in worship. “Lord, I give You my troubles, now let me stand before You unburdened, so I may truly worship You.”