God the Son, Mentor's Guide, MG10

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G O D T H E S O N

We are not, therefore, seeking to emphasize in his descent that in any way he might have actually changed his nature in the sense of diminishing his deity , but rather that he acquired his manhood , i.e., shared with us our fundamental human nature. This is the stuff to thrill our souls and our hearts, and not merely inform our heads and minds. Remember, the purpose proper of good Christological thought is to lead us to love the Lord Jesus more and more (Phil. 3.7-8), and not merely satisfy curiosities about abstract theological themes. We engage in this study to know precisely whom it is we love and worship (John 4.24). Please notice again in the objectives that these truths are clearly stated. As usual, your responsibility as Mentor is to emphasize these concepts throughout the lesson, especially during the discussions and interaction with the students. The more you can highlight the objectives throughout the class period, the better the chances are that they will understand and grasp the magnitude of these objectives. This devotion focuses on Jesus’ identity as the fulfillment of the OT prophecy regarding the coming Messiah, the anointed One of God who would come and reestablish in truth the reign of God in the earth. What it hopes to capture for the students is the remarkable miracle that Jesus in the earth represents. The Messiah has come. The anointed One of God prophesied through Moses and the prophets has arrived. The day of salvation and the Kingdom has drawn near, and Messiah has arrived, in response to the many centuries of waiting for the precise moment for the Messiah to come. Now we know who he is, and what he will do. It makes Jesus’ inauguration of his identity in the synagogue that Sabbath so many years ago perhaps the greatest single announcement that has ever been made in the annals of human history. The Messiah, God’s anointed Servant and King, has now entered the world and is demonstrating in the here-and-now that the Lord Jehovah is consummating his Word. The focus here, therefore, ought to be on the “already” side of the “already/not yet” Kingdom of God in the person of Jesus Christ. Like the title of the classic work on the Kingdom by George Eldon Ladd, Jesus of Nazareth represents in his person the presence of the future . In him, the life of the Age to Come was manifested plain as day

2 Page 46 Devotion