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

The Mystery of the Cross

Have you ever wondered what entered into the mind of our Lord as he hung on the Cross on behalf of the world. Rejected by his Father, abandoned by his friends and disciples, betrayed unjustly and punished cruelly, the Messiah of God received in his own body the blows and bruises deserved by us, guilty sinners. In a real sense, the Cross is a mystery–Almighty God the Son hangs on the tree to save us from the wrath of God the Father. No theology or creed, no poem or hymn, or sermon, or play, or cantata, or symphony, or work can capture the full mystery of what took place on the Cross, roughly from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on that remarkable Friday that Christians around the world have come to call Good Friday. Sanctify your imagination for a moment and ask yourself the question: given what we know of Scripture and what we have seen of our Lord’s ministry, what do you believe our Lord was pondering upon the Cross as he hung there, suffering for your sin, and mine?

The Messiah Revealed

Segment 1: Revealed through His Person and Works

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Rev. Dr. Don L. Davis

Jesus’ identity as the Messiah is revealed through his perfect life and character, his masterful leadership of the Apostles, and his submissive sonship to his Father. His Messiahship is further vindicated and made plain through his prophetic teaching ministry, as well as in the mighty demonstrations of power, both in signs and wonders (miracles) and dramatic encounter with spiritual demons. Our objective for this segment, Revealed through His Person and Works is to enable you to see that: • Jesus’ Messiahship is the express purpose and clear testimony of the Gospel accounts in the New Testament . • The identity of Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah of God is powerfully revealed through his perfect life and character, his masterful leadership of the Apostles, and his submissive sonship to his Father . • The authentic identity of Jesus as Messiah is further seen through his prophetic teaching ministry, as well as in the mighty demonstrations of

Summary of Segment 1

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