9 Get you no gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses; 10 no wallet for your journey, neither two coats, nor shoes, nor staff: for the laborer is worthy of his food. 11 And into whatsoever city or village ye shall enter, search out who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go forth. 12 And as ye enter into the house, salute it. 13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, as ye go forth out of that house or that city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15 Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, than for that city.

16 Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Colossians 1:27

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

The way that people were made right with God in the Old Testament was through the law given by Moses. People needed to make sacrifices and follow the codes, but when John the Baptist introduced Jesus, Jesus was the giver of God’s grace and truth.           

Mankind is incapable of obeying the laws of God. People today try to be good enough to be accepted by God. People commonly think the way to heaven is through good works. Often people will trust that they will be acceptable to God because they haven’t done anything really bad enough to deserve hell.           

Trusting our own goodness is an offense to the holy God. Grace and truth tell us that righteousness is based on Christ and His character. It is faith in Him not in ourselves. Righteousness is a free gift.             

Emil Brunner preached a sermon in Zurich, Switzerland based on the phrase - Faith, Hope, and Love. His points were these: Every man has a past, present, and future. Every man has a problem in his past, a problem in the present, and a problem in the future. The problem in our past is sin. But God has an answer to that problem. The answer is faith - faith in the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ.           

The problem in the future is death. But God has an answer to that problem also. The answer is hope - hope in Christ’s return based on the fact of His historical resurrection and His promises.           

The problem in our present is hate. And God has an answer to that. The answer is love. It is the love of Christ lived out in the lives of those who trust Him.           

Christ has made the love of the Father known to the world by His coming to our earth and living among us. He has made the love of the Father known to us in our lives by dying on the cross and rising from the grave. He has made the love of the Father known to us by giving us His Holy Spirit, with the promise of His return again to earth to receive us unto Himself.           

Our job is to make Him known in our lives through His gifts of faith, hope and love. Christ does that by living through us.

Prayer:   Lord, may I never put my trust in my own goodness.   Thank you, Father , for the gift of Your son declaring me righteous in Your sight.   This is an overwhelming thought and brings forth great thanksgiving to you.