Jesus is the true & better

I heard this quoted in a sermon earlier this year and wanted to share. I've been involved with a lot of discussions on this very reality lately, and it is never a bad time to get a good reminder about the wonder of who the Lord is, Perfect God and Perfect Man.

This focuses on how various individuals and events highlighted in the Bible point to Him. They could not be completely perfect. They could not completely obey. They could not completely fulfill. They could not completely save. Neither can we. Only Jesus did, does and can. And it's only in Him that we find all that we need.

Read on...

"Jesus is the true and better Adam who passed the test in the garden and whose obedience is imputed to us.

"Jesus is the true and better Abel who, though innocently slain, has blood now that cries out, not for our condemnation, but for acquittal.

"Jesus is the true and better Abraham who answered the call of God to leave all the comfortable and familiar and go out into the void not knowing wither he went to create a new people of God.

"Jesus is the true and better Isaac who was not just offered up by his father on the mount but was truly sacrificed for us. And when God said to Abraham, 'Now I know you love me because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from me,' now we can look at God taking his son up the mountain and sacrificing him and say, 'Now we know that you love us because you did not withhold your son, your only son, whom you love from us.'

"Jesus is the true and better Jacob who wrestled and took the blow of justice we deserved, so we, like Jacob, only receive the wounds of grace to wake us up and discipline us.

"Jesus is the true and better Joseph who, at the right hand of the king, forgives those who betrayed and sold him and uses his new power to save them.

"Jesus is the true and better Moses who stands in the gap between the people and the Lord and who mediates a new covenant.

"Jesus is the true and better Rock of Moses who, struck with the rod of God’s justice, now gives us water in the desert.

"Jesus is the true and better Job, the truly innocent sufferer, who then intercedes for and saves his stupid friends.

"Jesus is the true and better David whose victory becomes his people’s victory, though they never lifted a stone to accomplish it themselves.

"Jesus is the true and better Esther who didn’t just risk leaving an earthly palace but lost the ultimate and heavenly one, who didn’t just risk his life, but gave his life to save his people.

"Jesus is the true and better Jonah who was cast out into the storm so that we could be brought in.

"Jesus is the real Rock of Moses, the real Passover Lamb, innocent, perfect, helpless, slain so the angel of death will pass over us.

"He’s the true temple, the true prophet, the true priest, the true king, the true sacrifice, the true lamb, the true light, the true bread.

"The whole Bible is about Him."


Attribution note: The pastor who originally sent me this article was uncertain of attribution. I have since learned it is understood to have originated from Pastor Tim Keller, whose voice is heard in the video in this later post.