He Has Come

[dave c]

simpletruth #138au Revisited 06 NOV 10 salicart@msn.com

HOSEA 10:12—Part Forty Seven: He Has Come

by rev. dave c

Hosea 10:12, Sow for yourselves righteousness; Reap in mercy; Break up your fallow ground, For it is time to seek the LORD, Till He comes and rains righteousness on you (NKJV).

For many centuries the Nation of Israel had been looking for the Messiah, the Savior, who would set them free from a life of slavery. Since the days of Malachi there had been over 400 years of silence from God, when suddenly there could be heard the voice of a man who wore camel hair clothes and who ate locusts and honey, a man who proclaimed: “The kingdom of heaven is near!” His was a message that urged listeners to repent in the face of the coming righteousness from God. In the Gospel of John 1:19-23, John the Baptist confessed to the priests and Levites from Jerusalem that he was neither the Christ, Elijah, nor the Prophet, but that he was the man of whom Isaiah spoke some 400 years earlier, "I am the voice of one calling in the desert, `Make straight the way for the Lord.'" 24 Now some Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, "Why then do you baptize if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?" 26 "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the thongs of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." 28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing (NIV).

John 1:29-34 continues, The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is the one I meant when I said, `A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel." Then John gave this testimony: "I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. I would not have known him, except that the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, `The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is he who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' I have seen and I testify that this is the Son of God" (NIV).

At one point in His ministry, Jesus asked His disciples, "Who do people say the Son of Man is?" They replied, "Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets." "But what about you?" he asked. "Who do you say I am?" Simon Peter answered, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." Jesus replied, "Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by man, but by my Father in heaven (Mt 16:13-17; NIV)

In John 4:25, “the woman at the well” tells Jesus,"I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." 26 Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he” (NIV). By John 8:56-58 Jesus was declaring publicly, Your father Abraham rejoiced at the thought of seeing my day; he saw it and was glad." "You are not yet fifty years old," the Jews said to him, "and you have seen Abraham!" "I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" (NIV). In case they missed the implications of His “I am” statement, Jesus proclaimed to the Pharisees in Matthew 12:28, “but if I drive out demons by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God has come upon you (NIV).

After teaching in Capernaum for several days, and having performed many miracles there, the people tried to prevent Jesus from leaving their area, But he said, "I must preach the good news of the kingdom of God to the other towns also, because that is why I was sent" (Lu 4:43; NIV). ...Jesus traveled about from one town and village to another, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom of God (Lu 8:1; NIV). Obviously the First Advent of the Christ is met in the person of Jesus of Nazareth—and His presence as the Son of Man on this earth heralded the advent of the Kingdom.

Throughout His ministry in the world, Jesus spoke not only of the Kingdom of God in the here and now, but He also spoke of the Kingdom to come in all it’s glory. Beginning with Matthew 16 we read: 24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. 25 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it. 26 What good will it be for a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in his Father's glory with his angels, and then he will reward each person according to what he has done. 28 I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in his kingdom." 17:1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. 2 There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. 3 Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. 4 Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters--one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah." 5 While he was still speaking, a bright cloud enveloped them, and a voice from the cloud said, "This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased. Listen to him!" (NIV). Jesus tells us in John 6:45, It is written in the Prophets: `They will all be taught by God.' Everyone who listens to the Father and learns from him comes to me (NIV). I pray we are listening to Him...and learning. Amen.