Each week we are in Acts, the goal will be to find the Old Testament connection which can bring to light a faithful preaching of the Gospel that bridges the testaments during the Easter season.
Jesus is both “the way” and “the way out” of the nightmare called death AND He has secured it for you in His resurrection which you are connected to in the waters of your baptism.
God identifies the savior as bearing the same problem all people have. But rather than bearing the problem because He Himself was a sinner, it is better to say He bore the problem with sinners, so He might bring them to salvation.
We live our lives of flesh dependent like slaves, but God has made us children and heirs through Christ. So, we must “unlearn” what we have learned in our lives of sin.
People often get confused by Abram’s blessing, believing it was about ethnicity or real estate, but we know the blessing of Abram was the promise that would be fulfilled in Christ for you.
Before we set out for the Lenten journey though, we meet with God on this mountain, at this moment, and in this holy gathering where our vision is transformed, looking forward to Jesus and knowing He will lead us all the way from death, to life, to a new life now, and a life in the Promised Land of Heaven forever.
In light of all God did by great signs and wonders in Egypt to get Israel up to the promised land in Deuteronomy, is there now really any other god who they would want to worship or any other path they would want to take? It really is an option which is a “non-option” is it not?
Isaiah says in summary “liturgical ritual without works is dead” because we render the meaningful worship of God meaningless and even sinful when we do not love our neighbor.