The Song Beneath the Stories Part Five: Restoration
Our Fall Learning Cohort is a six-week exploration of the overarching theme of all of Scripture: The Gospel of Jesus Christ!
We’re offering the cohort in two ways:
In-Person, Sundays at 9am
Online via Facebook Live, Wednesdays at 7pm. These will be taught live, but will remain available for streaming afterward.
We’ll be posting the hand-outs for the sessions here on the blog. This week’s is The Song Beneath the Stories Part Five: Restoration.
For a downloadable PDF version, Click Here!
Jesus doesn’t just give us good advice about how to live. He gives us Good News: because of his life, death, and resurrection God has brought forgiveness, transformation, and hope to our world. Yet that’s not the end of the story—He also applies this good news to us.
By sending the life-giving presence of Holy Spirit, he empowers us to respond. This is called faith—trusting Jesus alone for salvation and life. But it is not our faith that saves us. As Charles Spurgeon once said:
“Remember, it is not your hold of Christ that saves you—it is Christ; it is not your joy in Christ that saves you—it is Christ; it is not even faith in Christ, though that be the instrument—it is Christ’s blood and merits; therefore, look not so much to your hand with which you art holding onto Christ, as to Christ; look not to your hope, but to Jesus, the source of your hope; look not to your faith, but to Jesus, the author and finisher of your faith. It is what Jesus is, not what we are, that gives rest to the soul.”
United to Jesus by faith we receive all his benefits by grace: God’s unmerited favor.
We receive all this together, united to one another in the Church. In the Church Jesus continues to be God-with-us through the witness of the Holy Spirit and the Bible.
God’s promise to destroy sin will be completely fulfilled at the return of Christ. When Jesus returns, all that is crooked will be made straight. Those who have turned to him for grace and been united to Him by faith will enter into the fullness of his redemption—the New Heavens and New Earth.
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” (Revelation 21.3-5)
Thoughts for Reflection
If Jesus has accomplished everything for redemption and restoration, what is left for us to do?
How important is the ‘size’ or amount of our faith?
Jesus is making everything new. What are some of the things you are looking forward to seeing made new?