God’s Purpose through Love

KEY VERSE: “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, bath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he bath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds.” —Hebrews 1:1,2

SELECTED SCRIPTURE: Hebrews 1:14

IN HARMONY WITH this scripture we read, “I have also spoken by the prophets, and I have multiplied visions, and used similitudes, by the ministry of the prophets.” (Hos. 12:10) Through these inspired mouthpieces God made wonderful promises to the Israelites; the conditions upon which these promises could be inherited were also outlined to them. Through the prophets God also warned of the tragedies which would befall them if they failed to comply as fully as possible with the conditions of his promises.

Although God spoke to the nation of Israel, he spoke more directly to individuals. In either case, the purpose of the message is essentially the same: God speaks to invite cooperation in the outworking of his eternal purpose.

Jesus came at the First Advent to lay the foundation of his kingdom. He did so by the sacrifice of his life as man’s Redeemer. He dedicated himself to God, with these words: “Then said I, Lo I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God.”—Heb. 10:7

In Romans 15:4 we read: “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning.” If that is true of the followers of Jesus, how much more was it true of Jesus! Yes, much of what the prophets had written constituted the manner in which God spoke to Jesus, directing him how to perform his part in the divine plan. We have the words of Jesus spoken to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus: “Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.”—Luke 24:27

Jesus was also blessed by hearing the voice of God speak to him directly, saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matt. 3:17) Why was Jesus the beloved Son of God? Why was God well pleased with him? Because Jesus not only did, but delighted to do, what had been written of him. Jesus was not only a hearer of God’s Word, but a doer also. And Jesus told his followers, “If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.’’ (John 13:17) Let us never lose sight of the essential relationship between hearing and doing.

It is a blessed experience to hear God speaking to us, but it involves personal responsibility. It means that one hearing the call and responding to it is required to devote himself unreservedly to the task at hand. During the Gospel Age it means thwarting our wills, denying self, in order that God’s will may be done. God does not want any half-hearted service. It is ‘all’ or ‘nothing’. As we read in Ecclesiastes 5:5, “Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay [fully].” We are all desirous of having that same condition of mind and heart which can say as Jesus did, “I come … to do thy will, O God.”

We know that God has spoken to us because what we have heard is in harmony with what we should expect the character of God to be. It reveals him to be absolutely just, unerring in wisdom, almighty in power, and—above all—abounding in love.

How blessed it is to hear God speaking, telling us of the great hope of restitution for the sin-cursed and dying world based upon the ransom sacrifice of Jesus. How it appeals to us! We rejoice to think of all mankind, the ransomed of the Lord, walking up the highway of holiness into that kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world!

| Home Page | Table of Contents |