A Question

Almighty God determines the end from the beginning. You and I appear in history to do what He has planned for us. The collection of sermons in this book while based upon historical events and real people should make us think about what the future holds for us. It is centered upon the Lord of Glory who stepped into history roughly two centuries ago.

Calvary yields a prefiguring, or picture, of what God has in store for us all. Two fellow country men crucified with our Saviour on planks of wood and at the end as He dies, an enemy officer exclaiming “Truly this was the son of God!” This timeless picture reveals God in the person of Jesus dying to redeem the pinnacle of His creation, personified by a penitent malefactor, another so lost and abandoned it was impossible for him to ask for redemption, and an enemy come to faith in Jerusalem. Yet everyone of us was an enemy when Christ died for us, but still He offers the only path to peace with God.

Was it the centurion in charge of the crucifixion or possibly one of his comrades, to whom St. Peter was sent in the book of Acts chapter 10, who received the gift of God’s Spirit upon his whole household? We are not told, but the gift of faith is a gift which cannot be earned. It is a gift, for the penitent who put their trust in God’s timeless act of grace and love and in nothing else.

The Bible constantly reveals things new and old to all who are prepared to respond to His loving sacrifice of Himself, begun in time when He became one of us, but from the beginning all part of His great plan and eternal purpose. A careful reading will impress how God has always been interested in small numbers. Individuals raised up equipped to exercise a lasting godly influence on their family and beyond.

What will it mean for your life and actions?

Welling 2020