God's Beloved + Tomorrow Night At Immanuel!
Good morning, Immanuel. The heart of the good news is that God, in Christ, loves us as He loves His own Son.
“He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son” (Colossians 1:13).
Growing up, I enjoyed watching re-runs of the 1970’s sitcom Sanford & Son, set in a junkyard in Watts, Los Angeles. The show focused on the dynamic relationship between Fred Sanford and his son, Lamont. Similarly, the Bible's high points center on the relationship between God the Father and God the Son.
In verse 13, Jesus is introduced in relation to the Father: “He (the Father) has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” The gospel is the good news of deliverance, and when the Father delivered us, He transferred us into His Son’s Kingdom—the Son of His love.
There is no higher honor than being the object of the Father’s delight and approval. This honor belongs uniquely to Jesus. In Matthew 3, at Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit descends, and a voice from heaven declares, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.” The Father has always delighted in His Son, in the presence and power of the Holy Spirit.
And yet, one of the most staggering truths in the Bible is that we, as outsiders, come to share in this ancient love through the gospel! As the hymn says, “How deep the Father’s love for us, how vast beyond all measure, that He would give His only Son to make a wretch His treasure.” The heart of the good news is that God, in Christ, loves us as He loves His own Son: “See what kind of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God; and so we are” (1 John 3:1a).
Adult Wednesday Nights Begin Tomorrow!
Join us tomorrow at 6:30 p.m. in the cafe for Wednesday Nights at Immanuel! Pastor Sam Allberry will kick off a new series on the Cross of Christ. The schedule for the next weeks is as follows:
8/14 The Centrality of the Cross
8/21 The Achievement of the Cross
8/28 The Example of the Cross