Jesus came to earth to be God with us (Matthew 1:23). He came to bridge the gap that came between God and people in Genesis 3. He came to offer us salvation through Him. Scripture tells the story of Jesus and the hope He gives to us.

 

Jesus. From the genealogy that led to Him in Matthew’s opening chapter to His profound remodeling of the old law in the Sermon on the Mount to His miracles to the prophecies of what was to come, it has always been about Jesus. In fact, John’s gospel makes it clear that Jesus existed in the beginning, long before the time He became flesh (John 1:1,14). He is eternal. Paul tells us that He is of utmost importance. “For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2).

 

Us. Although Jesus is not speaking to us directly, His warnings about the end of the age still holds truth for us. We will likely fall into one of the two categories He describes. “The love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved” (Matthew 24:12b-13). Will we be the many whose love grows cold or will we endure? My prayer is that we will be the latter.

 

And when we endure, it is amazing what happens. “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matthew 24:14). Are you proclaiming the gospel every week? This is not a guilt trip about evangelism. It is a reminder of how important sharing the love of Jesus is for the world around us. The last third of Matthew’s gospel has repeated references to the sacrifice Jesus made and multiple parables warning His followers to be ready. We live that message in our daily lives, and we participate in a symbol of it each Sunday. According to Paul, you are proclaiming the gospel every time you share in the Lord’s Supper. “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:26).

 

Brian