The New Testament Witness to Christ and His Kingdom, Mentor's Guide, MG13

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T H E N E W T E S T A M E N T W I T N E S S T O C H R I S T A N D H I S K I N G D O M

Isa. 61.1-3 - The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor; he has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; [2] to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; [3] to grant to those who mourn in Zion—to give them a beautiful headdress instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the garment of praise instead of a faint spirit; that they may be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. The purpose of the theological truth regarding the coming of the Messiah is to produce comfort, joy, purpose, and direction in the hearts and souls of humankind, and give the whole of creation hope that God has not abandoned his world to sin and chaos. Help them understand this pulse of joy that underlies God’s revelation about Messiah in Scripture. These contacts all highlight aspects related to the identity of the Messiah, and the provability of the case for him. In other words, many, many others have claimed down through the years of history to be the Messiah, and all of these claims must be weighed. Indeed, even the claim of Jesus of Nazareth must likewise be weighed for its validity and accuracy. Awaken in the students a need to critically engage in this debate, and to play the role of exegetical judges to discover if there is truly biblical warrant for the belief that Jesus is the Messiah. Emphasize the need for preparation when it comes to a profitable study of Christ. These demands go further than having the right translation of the Bible and the appropriate exegetical and theological dictionary tools. More importantly, a level of spiritual readiness to respond to his authority underlies all real profitable study of the Lord Jesus.

4 Page 15 Contact

5 Page 19 Outline Point II-F