John 1:17

John 1:17

Thoughts from Josh Talbot

Dive Deeper

Armor of God- Swipe
Slide

“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.”

John 1:17

Armor of God- Behind the Scenes
Slide

This week we are looking at the Belt of Truth as described in Ephesians 6. It is the first and most important piece of battle garb that we don because it provides the foundation of our salvation. As Crystal said on Sunday, “We need the truth of Christ to both define and sustain each subsequent piece of armor.”

Slide

Today’s verse embodies the old and new covenant that the Lord established between His followers. To provide context, the “law” as described by John in verse 17 refers to the laws that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai as documented in Exodus 20-24. During his time on the mountain with God, Moses transcribed the Ten Commandments, laws about altars, slaves, adultery, theft, restitution, social justice and more and compiled them into the Book of the Covenant. These were presented to the Israelites who agreed to uphold this law (Exodus 24:7). The Old Testament covenant was God’s provision for entry into the kingdom of heaven, and restitution was made through the sacrificial shedding of (animal) blood.

Slide

However, considering we don’t show up to church today with our stainless lamb or dove each Sunday to be slaughtered at Pastor Brian’s pulpit, it’s safe to say that some of the Old Testament practices have been – well, modified. This brings us to the second half of today’s verse, “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”.

Slide

With the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection from death, a new covenant was established. Grace was extended to all of humanity as Jesus vanquished all sins by offering Himself as the final blood sacrifice. “For this is my blood of the (new) covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Because of His sacrifice, Jesus became “the Way the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). It is through Him that we can attain eternal life with our Father in heaven.

Armor of God- Make it Real
Slide

In the same way that the belt was the first piece of armor donned by the Roman soldiers for stability, the “Way, the Truth, and the Life” (Jesus) serves as the Belt and foundation of our spiritual armor. The first step in our walk with the Lord, is to acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross and that we are new creations through Him.

Slide

With this foundation of Truth, we can use it as a sounding board for all our decisions in life. For those of us 90s and early 2000s kids, this concept takes me back to the “WWJD” days. At church camp we would get braided bracelets with the letters “WWJD” stitched into it to remind us to ask ourselves “What Would Jesus Do?” It feels old-fashioned to reference, but this is truly a timeless acronym that provides a great guide for Truth. If Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, then we should be using Him as the example for all our decisions.

Slide

What decisions in your life today need to reflect the actions or mindset of Christ? As you go throughout your day, I encourage you to remember this simple acronym and the deep truth that it embodies. What would Jesus do in your situation? We were placed on this earth to bring glory to God and honor Him with our lives and our actions. How can you best fulfill this mission today using the Truth of Jesus as your guide?

Armor of God- End in Prayer
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Dear Jesus, thank you for offering yourself as the final blood sacrifice and establishing the New Covenant between me and God. Thank you for providing a way to eternal life and relationship with You. I pray that as I go throughout my day, you would help me to remember to weigh my actions and decisions against your Truth, that I might bring glory and honor to the kingdom of heaven. In your perfect and righteousness name I pray, Amen.

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“For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” 

John 1:17 

Behind the Scenes

This week we are looking at the Belt of Truth as described in Ephesians 6. It is the first and most important piece of battle garb that we don because it provides the foundation of our salvation. As Crystal said on Sunday, “We need the truth of Christ to both define and sustain each subsequent piece of armor.”  

Today’s verse embodies the old and new covenant that the Lord established between His followers. To provide context, the “law” as described by John in verse 17 refers to the laws that God gave to Moses on Mt. Sinai as documented in Exodus 20-24. During his time on the mountain with God, Moses transcribed the Ten Commandments, laws about altars, slaves, adultery, theft, restitution, social justice and more and compiled them into the Book of the Covenant. These were presented to the Israelites who agreed to uphold this law (Exodus 24:7). The Old Testament covenant was God’s provision for entry into the kingdom of heaven, and restitution was made through the sacrificial shedding of (animal) blood.  

However, considering we don’t show up to church today with our stainless lamb or dove each Sunday to be slaughtered at Pastor Brian’s pulpit, it’s safe to say that some of the Old Testament practices have been – well, modified. This brings us to the second half of today’s verse, “grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”. 

With the death of Jesus Christ on the cross and His resurrection from death, a new covenant was established. Grace was extended to all of humanity as Jesus vanquished all sins by offering Himself as the final blood sacrifice. “For this is my blood of the (new) covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:28). Because of His sacrifice, Jesus became “the Way the Truth and the Life” (John 14:6). It is through Him that we can attain eternal life with our Father in heaven.  

Make It Real

In the same way that the belt was the first piece of armor donned by the Roman soldiers for stability, the “Way, the Truth, and the Life” (Jesus) serves as the Belt and foundation of our spiritual armor. The first step in our walk with the Lord, is to acknowledge that Jesus died on the cross and that we are new creations through Him.  

With this foundation of Truth, we can use it as a sounding board for all our decisions in life. For those of us 90s and early 2000s kids, this concept takes me back to the “WWJD” days. At church camp we would get braided bracelets with the letters “WWJD” stitched into it to remind us to ask ourselves “What Would Jesus Do?” It feels old-fashioned to reference, but this is truly a timeless acronym that provides a great guide for Truth. If Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life, then we should be using Him as the example for all our decisions. 

What decisions in your life today need to reflect the actions or mindset of Christ? As you go throughout your day, I encourage you to remember this simple acronym and the deep truth that it embodies. What would Jesus do in your situation? We were placed on this earth to bring glory to God and honor Him with our lives and our actions. How can you best fulfill this mission today using the Truth of Jesus as your guide?  

Kristen Krimmel

Kristen Krimmel

ACF Devo Team

End in Prayer

Dear Jesus, thank you for offering yourself as the final blood sacrifice and establishing the New Covenant between me and God. Thank you for providing a way to eternal life and relationship with You. I pray that as I go throughout my day, you would help me to remember to weigh my actions and decisions against your Truth, that I might bring glory and honor to the kingdom of heaven. In your perfect and righteousness name I pray, Amen.  

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