A Conquering Love, Part 1

Week 3

Two Great Rulers

Gaius Julius Octavius (63 BC-AD 14)

Jesus Christ (4 BC – AD 33)

• “He existed before everything else began, and he holds all creation together.” Col.1:17

– The Backwards Thinking of God

• “The fullness of times…” (sidebar)• A Rapid succession of fulfilled

prophecies:– Virgin Birth– Son of David (Is. 9:7; 2 Sam. 7:13)– Bethlehem– Galilee– Etc., etc., etc…

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Two Great Rulers“For God so loved the world…”

“Glory to God in the highest,And on earth peace among menwith whom He is pleased.”

Only the Willing Hearts could see…

What about the “Silent Years”?See Gnostic Gospels sidebar

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A Voice in the Wilderness

“Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness”• A Rebel!• Shaking up Spiritual Complacency.

Jesus: a Greater Rebel!

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Kings Collide

The Judean Wilderness

Facing Satan as “The Last Adam”• “Take CONTROL!”• “Be like God!”• “The glory of

the Kosmos”

The NewHumanity

• “You must beborn again”

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The Shock

Breaking Stereotypes!• A PARTY!• Blasphemy!• Breaking the Laws

of Nature!

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The KingdomThe Center of his Teachings, a Kingdom:• Of Compassion• Of the Disaffected• Alienating the

Power-Brokers• Proving God’s Love• Reversing the Fall• Without Coercion• NOT of this Kosmos• Of Heirs• A Conquering LOVE• Of Changed Lives

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Opposition MountsFrom Stakeholders in the Kosmos:• With heart problems• Opposing Grace• …means Opposing GOD.• Christ was too popular!

HE MUST DIE!• Their animosity

became God’s power.

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The Scarlet ThreadGod’s Problem: his character.• Solution: Blood Sacrifice• Not a “Religion of Merit”

– The “Religion of Convenience”

– Appeasement– Man-made religion– A Heart Issue

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The Scarlet ThreadThe Principle of Substitution.• Abraham and Isaac

– “Where is the lamb?”– “God Will Provide…”

• An Innocent Substitute

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The Scarlet ThreadRedemption: Passover• To Purchase from Slavery• Jesus was “The lamb of God”

The Need for Redemption– Slaves of Fear

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14: The AtonementReligion of Merit:• Pervasive

God’s Answer: The Law“It was given to show people how

guilty they are.”– Stings the Conscience

Man’s Response: Simple Morality– Not found in God’s Law

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14: The AtonementGod wants to DWELL…Yom Kippur:• In the tabernacle, God met with Man…• The Ark…• God’s Wrath• The Mercy

Seat• “The Covering”• Transferring the

Guilt• A Deficiency…

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15: The Paschal Lamb“Behold, your king!”Attacking the Regime!

The Counter-Attack

The Last Supper• A Strategy of

Conquest• A Radical

Ethic• A New

Covenant• (See

“FurtherConsiderations”)

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