Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the fifteenth article in the series, Yeshua is Sar Shalom.

For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; dominion will rest on his shoulders, and he will be given the name … Sar-Shalom [Prince of Peace] (Is 9:6)

In English, we say that Yeshua is the Prince of Peace and we are speaking the truth, but not the complete truth.  In Hebrew, sar means prince, leader, ruler, but the Hebrew word shalom means much more than just an absence of war or conflict.  The root word of shalom is shalam. It is used several times in Exodus 21 and 22 where Moses is giving instructions to the Israelites concerning Yehovah’s commands to them.  In this instance, Moshe is discussing the compensation (shalam) that must be paid in case of personal injury to another or in case of damage to another’s property. In these two chapters shalam is translated as “make it good”, “shall surely pay”, “make full restitution” or to “restore”. (“The True Meaning of Shalom” by Doug Hershey, firmisrael.org) Yeshua paid full restoration for our sin in order to restore our relationship with Yehovah (Rom 5:1). 

As if paying our debt wasn’t enough, Yeshua provides even more for us. He restores to us all that has been lost through our own sinful choices as well as all that has been stolen or destroyed due to sabotage from our enemy, hasatan.  Yeshua restores our dignity, our true identity in Yehovah, and our lost dreams (Col 1:22).  He heals our soul wounds as well as our physical ailments (Is 53:5).  Everything that was lost to us through the fall of Adam and Eve or through our own fault, is restored to us (James 1:4).  In order to experience all that Yeshua provides, we must have an active personal relationship with Him. The more we seek Yeshua and trust Him, the more He restores to us.

Another definition of shalom is “full of well-being; healthy, prosperous.”  Shalom has been used as a greeting for centuries, even during Yeshua’s time.  In Luke 24:36, the resurrected Yeshua surprised his disciples by suddenly appearing in a room with locked doors and greeting them with “shalom aleikhem” or “shalom to all of you.”  This greeting is a blessing, a wishing someone to be completely well and prosperous. Only in Yeshua can we realize our full potential.

We are restored, not only for our own pleasure, but in order to be fully prepared and equipped to carry out our assignments in the Kingdom of Heaven (Heb 13:20-21).  Yehovah’s underlying purpose is to establish His kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.  He created and fully equipped Adam and Eve for such a purpose.  When they succumbed to the deception of hasatan, Yehovah made new provisions, at great sacrifice to Himself and to Yeshua, in order to carry out His kingdom-building plan. Yehovah is establishing His kingdom on earth, not only for His own pleasure, but for us as well.  He graciously allows us to participate in His great work.  As a result, we are blessed abundantly as we participate in His work.  When we seek Yehovah with our whole heart, soul, mind and strength, we will experience true shalom.

Now may the Lord of shalom himself give you shalom always in all ways. The Lord be with all of you (2 Thessalonians 3:16). 

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the fourteenth article in the series, Yeshua is Advocate.

My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous; and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world (1 John 2:1-2).

If you look closely throughout Scripture, you may notice that our Heavenly Father is also the King and Judge over all that He has created and, in particular, over all the earth.  There are times, as in the days of Noah, that our Father warned the inhabitants of the earth that they were straying far from His ways and entrenching themselves in evil. When they continued to disregard Him, our Father, who is also King and Judge, pronounced sentence upon them.  Only Noah and his family were spared because they heeded Yehovah and followed his ways (Gen 5:32-10:1). Other examples include Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen 19); Nineveh, although that sentence was revoked due to their repentance (Jonah 3); and the dispersion of the Jews and the destruction of the second Temple in 70 AD (as Yeshua prophesied in Matt 24). 

As humans, we stray from Yehovah’s laws and we don’t always heed His warnings right away.  We need an advocate in Heaven to represent us before the Judge.  According to Easton’s Bible dictionary, an advocate is one who pleads another’s cause, who helps another by defending or comforting him.  Yeshua is our Advocate in Heaven, seated at the right hand of Yehovah.  Since the courtroom is in Heaven and we are residing on earth, we have another Advocate on earth to represent us and counsel us here. The Holy Spirit is our Advocate on earth (John 14:16, 15:26, 16:7). The roles of an advocate are to defend rights, to fight for needs and rights for other people, and assist others. 

It is a frightening thing to try to defend yourself in an earthly court; how much more so to try to defend yourself before the King and Judge of all creation. It is wise to repent and ask forgiveness as soon as we realize that we have sinned. We are not alone for we have advocates to assist us and advise us. Both advocates represent us in Heaven’s Court and both counsel us.  The Holy Spirit not only counsels us directly, but also relays Yeshua’s advise to us (John 16:14). If we will heed their advice and submit to our Father’s rule, we will have no need to be judged.  However, if we stray, we have two powerful advocates to plead our cause before the Judge and to advise us. They are clearly on our side, so it is in our best interest to heed their advice.

When another person complains to the Father about us or when the adversary, who constantly seeks opportunities to destroy us (1 Pet 5:8) raises accusations against us, the Righteous Judge must address the matters brought before Him.  Thanks to His merciful provision, we already have two court-appointed advocates to plead our cause and intercede for us.   

Since Yeshua has lived upon this earth as one of us and has suffered as we suffer, He understands our weakness and is an empathetic Advocate.  He knows our hearts and can plead for us based on what’s inside of us, unlike an advocate in an earthly court who can only work with external evidence.

Every time we are found guilty or plead guilty in Heaven’s court, there is a corresponding debt to be paid, one that we cannot pay for ourselves.  Our Father, the righteous Judge, does not cancel our debt and pretend our sin hasn’t happened when we stand before Him.  However, in His infinite mercy, our Father has provided the payment for our sin, through the sacrifice and blood of His first-born, His precious Yeshua.  Yeshua is not only our Advocate in Heaven, but He has already given His life for us and provides the payment for our debt with His own blood. Once our debt has been paid, our sin is stricken from the record.  We see a picture of this in the commands concerning the scapegoat on the Day of Atonement as described in Leviticus 16. 

When we cooperate with the Righteous Judge and our two Advocates, everything works out beautifully in our favor and our rewards and benefits are bountiful.

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the thirteenth article in the series, Yeshua is Deliverer.

As for me, I am poor and needy, but the Lord takes thought for me. You are my help and my deliverer; do not delay, O my God (Ps 40:17).

What is a deliverer?  According to Merriam-Webster dictionary, “deliverer” is defined as:

  1. A person who delivers goods to customers usually over a regular local route; or
  2. One that saves [others] from danger or destruction

Let us explore these two definitions beginning with the second definition. If Yeshua is our deliverer, what has He delivered us from?  If we explore the Scriptures, Yeshua has delivered us from much danger and eternal destruction.

Yeshua delivered us from:

Bondage to hasatan and to the law of sin and death which comes from hasatan  For freedom [Messiah] has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to a yoke of slavery (Gal 5:1).

Our sins [Yeshua] Who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. (Titus 2:14 ESV) And she will have a son, and you are to name him Yeshua [Yehovah saves] for he will save his people from their sins” (Matt 1:21).

Heavy burdens Each of us carries heavy burdens such as worry, anxiety, sorrow, grief, soul wounds, and so on.  Then [Yeshua] said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest (Matt 11:28).

Eternal condemnation (the second death) and separation from Yehovah For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16).

Sickness, disease, weakness But [Yeshua] was pierced for our rebellion, crushed for our sins. He was beaten so we could be whole. He was whipped so we could be healed (Is 53:5 ). That evening many [demonized] people were brought to [Yeshua]. He cast out the evil spirits with a simple command, and he healed all the sick.  This fulfilled the word of the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, who said, “He took our sicknesses and removed our diseases” (Matt 8:16-17).

Fear “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid” (Luke 14:27).

Spiritual debt Due to our sins, we each owe a debt that we cannot possibly pay.  Yeshua has paid that debt for us with His own blood.  My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, [Yeshua the Messiah] the righteous. He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:1-2)

Spiritual darkness/blindness Yeshua spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.” (John 8:12).

In addition to rescuing us from many evils, Yeshua also delivers to us numerous delightful gifts.  Some of these gifts are listed below.

Ruach haKodesh (Holy Spirit) “But when the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me. (John 15:26).

Adoption and Inheritance [Yehovah] determined in advance that through Yeshua the Messiah we would be his children — in keeping with his pleasure and purpose (Eph 1:5).  Also, in union with [Messiah] we were given an inheritance, we who were picked in advance according to the purpose of the One who effects everything in keeping with the decision of his will, so that we who earlier had put our hope in the Messiah would bring him praise commensurate with his glory (Eph 1:11-12). The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him (Eph 1:15).

A share in His glory Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me. The one who conquers, I will grant him to sit with me on my throne, as I also conquered and sat down with my Father on his throne (Rev 3:21-22).

The righteousness of Messiah For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 2 Cor 5:21)

Eternal life And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life (1 John 5:11-12).

Joy But rejoice insofar as you share [Messiah’s] sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed (1 Pet 4:13).

Spiritual Gifts Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith;if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness (Rom 12:6-8).

Wisdom …that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God’s mystery, which is [Messiah],in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge (Col 2:2-3).

As we meditate on Scripture, we can add to both these lists.  Yeshua delivers us from the hell we were born into and His gifts equip us to thrive in the Kingdom of Heaven.  Take courage, for we have all that we need to fulfill Yehovah’s purpose for us.

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the twelfth article in the series, Yeshua is Yehovah Tz’vaot.

And David saith unto the Philistine, `Thou art coming unto me with sword, and with spear, and with buckler, and I am coming unto thee in the name of Jehovah of Hosts, God of the ranks of Israel, which thou hast reproached.”  (1 Sam 17:45 YLT).

Yehovah Tz’vaot is translated as “Yehovah of Hosts”, “Yehovah of the Armies”, “LORD of Hosts”, among various other translations.  It is a designation for Yehovah indicating that He is Lord or Ruler over the heavenly hosts and also the armies of the earth.   The first time this term is used in the Bible is in 1 Sam 1:9, where Hannah, who is barren, is pleading with Yehovah to give her a child.  In this case no earthly armies were involved.  In Matthew 26:53-54, Yeshua talks about His Father sending legions of angels to Him at His request.  Throughout the Old Testament, we see examples of Yehovah intervening on behalf of earthly armies You need not fight in this battle; station yourselves, stand and see the salvation of the Lord on your behalf, O Judah and Jerusalem.’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out to face them, for the Lord is with you.” (2 Chron 20:17).  Another example is ‘for the Lord your God is the one who goes with you, to fight for you against your enemies, to save you.’ (Deut 20:4).  And it came to pass on a certain night that the angel of the Lord went out, and killed in the camp of the Assyrians one hundred and eighty-five thousand; and when the people arose early in the morning, there were the corpses – all dead.” (2 Kings 19:35).

Is Yeshua also Yehovah Tz’vaot?  Some translations of Isaiah 44:6 seem to indicate that Yeshua also carries this title.  “Thus says the Lord, the King of Israel, and His Redeemer, the Lord of hosts: ‘I am the First and I am the Last; Besides Me there is no God” (Is 44:6 NKJV). In Matthew 28:18, Yeshua told His disciples that all authority in heaven and on earth had been given to Him. 

What does this mean for us?  It means that we are never alone in our battles, whether in the physical realm or the spiritual realm.  In these troubling times, we can easily feel threatened on many levels, but we are not left on our own to contend with those who threaten us, whether human or demonic. We have very real help. not just from earthly armies, but from heavenly ones as well. And we can rest assured that both Yehovah, and His Son, Yeshua, are in charge of all armies. 

I depend on God alone; I put my hope in him.  He alone protects and saves me; He is my defender, and I shall never be defeated. My salvation and honor depend on God; He is my strong protector; He is my shelter. (Ps 62:5-7 GNT)

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the eleventh article in the series, Yeshua is “the Prophet”.

Moses continued, “[Yehovah] your God will raise up for you a prophet like me from among your fellow Israelites. You must listen to him.” (Deut 18:15).

Yeshua is the Prophet that Moses wrote about in Deuteronomy 18.  This is confirmed in Peter’s speech on Shavuot (Pentecost): Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Yeshua, your appointed Messiah. For he must remain in heaven until the time for the final restoration of all things, as God promised long ago through his holy prophets. Moses said, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from among your own people. Listen carefully to everything he tells you. Then Moses said, ‘Anyone who will not listen to that Prophet will be completely cut off from God’s people (Acts 3:19-23).

Moses prayed on behalf of the Israelites on many occasions throughout Exodus and Deuteronomy. One example is found in Deuteronomy 9:18. Then once again I fell prostrate before the Lord for forty days and forty nights; I ate no bread and drank no water, because of all the sin you had committed, doing what was evil in Yehovah’s sight and so arousing his anger.  Matthew 4:1-3 tells us that Yeshua was led into the desert for forty days and forty nights and that He fasted and was tempted by hasatan (Satan). Was He also interceding for His people as Moses did? Romans 8:34 says that Jesus “is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.”  In John 17:20-21 Yeshua prayed “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.”

Moses taught the Israelites how to live according to Yehovah’s commands and instructions.   Now this is the commandment, the statutes and the judgments which the Lord your God has commanded me to teach you. (Deut 6:1).  Yeshua taught His disciples and large crowds in Israel the same statutes and judgments (Matt 5-7) and even expanded the commandments.  You have heard that our ancestors were told, ‘You must not murder. If you commit murder, you are subject to judgment.  But I say, if you are even angry with someone, you are subject to judgment! If you call someone an idiot, you are in danger of being brought before the court. And if you curse someone, you are in danger of the fires of hell (Matt 5:21-22). Yeshua did not do away with the law of Moses which is actually the law of Yehovah.  Moses was merely the messenger or prophet.  In fact, Yeshua not only upheld His Father’s law, but raised the bar, so to speak. 

Miracles and signs were performed through Moses as endorsement or proof that he had been commissioned and sent by Yehovah.  For example, Aaron’ staff turned into a snake. Then the Lord told Moses and Aaron,“When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miraculous sign,’ then you are to say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it in front of Pharaoh.’ It will become a serpent.” Exodus 7:8-9).  There are other examples of signs and miracles throughout the Old Testament of Moses and other prophets performing signs and wonders.  Yeshua also performed many miracles such as changing water into wine (John 2:1-11); healing the sick (Matt 8); raising the dead (John 11:38-44); feeding multitudes with just a few loaves and fish (John 6:1-14).

Moses relayed messages from Yehovah to Pharoah and to the Israelites. Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say” (Ex 4:12). Yeshua relayed messages from Yehovah to the religious and civil authorities and to the people in Israel.  For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me to say all that I have spoken. (John 12:49).

Moses as a prophet was a messenger for Yehovah, but Moses did not provide the manna in the desert, nor did he part the Reed Sea, nor did he draw water out of the rock by striking it.  It was Yehovah who protected and provided for the Israelites.  Yehovah is a spirit and it is more difficult for people operating only in the physical realm to related to a spirit.  So, Moses, a human like the rest of the Israelites, was more tangible to them, but he was not Yehovah.  Yeshua is both Yehovah and a human and is therefore the perfect person to be the Prophet.  The Israelites tended to attribute Yehovah’s work to Moses’ credit and there was a tendency to worship Moses rather than Yehovah.   Yeshua, the Prophet, relates the Father’s message to us and does the work of His Father, but Yeshua is also Yehovah.  When we understand who Yeshua is, then we can more easily make the connection to Yehovah.  It is then that we recognize our true Provider and Protector.

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the tenth article in the series, Yeshua is our Beloved.

 In that the Messiah [Yehovah} chose us in love before the creation of the universe to be holy and without defect in his presence. He determined in advance that through Yeshua the Messiah we would be his children — in keeping with his pleasure and purpose —so that we would bring him praise commensurate with the glory of the grace he gave us through the Beloved One (Eph 1:4-6).

Yeshua is the beloved Son of Yehovah.  Yeshua was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.” (Matt 17:5). It is through Yehovah’s beloved Son we are welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven and adopted as Yehovah’s children.  Even if our parents fell short in loving us or even if they rejected us, we are beloved children of our Heavenly Father. 

Through Yeshua we are able to escape from the kingdom of darkness we were born into and can be born again into Yeshua’s Kingdom. We are born again when we repent of our sins and ask Yeshua to be Lord of our lives.  For [Yehovah] has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, (Col 1:13).  We who belong to Yeshua are His beloved.  “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love” (John 15:9).

Yeshua wants to be close to us, just as He is close to his Father.  When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you (John 14:20).  We have become part of Yehovah’s family.  It is a close-knit family where each member is valued and cherished.   

Our Beloved Yeshua is always faithful to us.  When we feel isolated and misunderstood, we are not truly alone for He is always with us. I am with you always, even unto the end of the world (Matt 28:20). He has experienced every hurt and sorrow that we experience. He is despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief (Is 53:3).

When we are afraid, we can take our fear to Yeshua.  We are safe at all times because our Beloved is at hand to protect and defend us.  Even though I walk through the darkest valley, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me (Ps 23:4). 

The rest of the world may seem oblivious to our troubles, but Yeshua is not.  He has already borne all our trouble, sin and weakness and put them to death in His body on the cross. Surely, he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed. … (Is 53:4-5).

Dayenu!  It would have been enough for Yeshua to rescue us from the clutches of evil, but He does so much more.  He wants us to live with Him forever.  He wants us to share in His glory.  And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. (2 Cor 3:18).

Our Beloved remains faithful to us forever, no matter how much the enemy tries to thwart our relationship.  We may walk away from Yeshua, but He will never walk away from us.  Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death?  (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.”])  No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us (Rom 8:35-37).  Let us cling to our Beloved in good times and in bad times.

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the ninth article in the series, Yeshua is our Goal.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us,fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart (Heb 12-3).

From the time we are born, and even more so, from the time we are born-again we are in a race toward a particular goal.  The goal we should all be striving toward is Yeshua.  Yeshua modeled for us how to run the race correctly.  His Father was His goal.  He focused totally on His Father and not on Himself.  He followed His Father’s instructions and example. Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does (John 5:19). Yeshua’s goal was to be at His Father’s right hand.  Our goal is to be with Yeshua.

How do we reach that goal? We are to pay heed to Yeshua’s words and follow His example.  And keep growing in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Deliverer, Yeshua the Messiah. To him be the glory, both now and forever! Amen (2 Pet 3:18).  What example did Yeshua give us?  He sought His Father’s will and pleasure, not His own.  He learned from His Father what His assignment was while He was on earth, and He set about to accomplish that assignment, even though it meant torture and death at the hand of His enemies for the sake of those who rejected Him. “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done.” (Luke 22:42) We too must learn from Abba what our assignment is and fulfill that assignment to the best of our ability. 

When Yeshua was here on earth, people clamored after Him. They ran to wherever they heard He was going to be.  They sought Yeshua for His teaching, for miraculous healing, for forgiveness, for food. Large crowds followed Him from Galilee and the Decapolis and Jerusalem and Judea and from beyond the Jordan (Matt 4:25). People dropped whatever they were doing just to be near Yeshua.  Sometimes they walked great distances, went without food or other comforts for days just to see Yeshua and to be near Him. Jesus called the disciples to Him and said, “I have compassion for this crowd, because they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will faint along the way. For some of them have come a great distance.”… (Mark 8:1-3). Do we pursue Yeshua with passion or have we been taking Him for granted?  Is being near to Him the most important thing in our lives or do we succumb to other distractions?

Yeshua sacrificed everything for us.  He held nothing back.  We are His pearl of great price.  “Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls. When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it! (Matt 13:45-46).  Yeshua went to great lengths to ensure that we could be part of the Kingdom of Heaven.  Likewise, we must be willing to sacrifice everything to be with Yeshua in His Kingdom, for He is our Pearl of great price.  Yeshua is our destination, our goal!

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living. 

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the eighth article in the series, Yeshua is our Wisdom.

It is [Yehovah’s] doing that you are united with the Messiah Yeshua. He has become wisdom for us from [Yehovah], and righteousness and holiness and redemption as well! (1 Cor 1:30)

Yeshua is our wisdom.  He illustrates this by the words He speaks and by His actions while He was here on earth.  We learn Yehovah’s wisdom from following Yeshua’s example.   The better we know Yeshua personally, the deeper our understanding of Yehovah’s heart and mind.  Yehovah’s thoughts and ways are far above our ways, but we can learn more about them by sitting at the feet of our Teacher, Yeshua. 

We can learn from Yeshua by spending more time with Him in prayer and by focusing on His words in Scripture.  This helps to ensure that we are not easily swayed by others’ words.  For example, the religious leaders of Yeshua’s time had great influence on the Jews.  They portrayed themselves as righteous and far more knowledgeable than others.  They were leading people astray from Yehovah and Yeshua confronted them on this matter repeatedly.  This was an opportunity for the religious leaders to repent and humbly learn from the Master.  Perhaps some did listen to Yeshua.  But the majority sought to kill Yeshua and continue following their own wisdom. 

Many in leadership positions today in both government and church settings are much like the Pharisees and Sadducees in Yeshua’s time.  Oftentimes, their words may seem reasonable.  When we focus on such leaders, we block out the wisdom and truth of Yeshua and Yehovah and we stray from the narrow path that leads to everlasting life. Sometimes our brothers and sisters fall into the same trap.  Do we lovingly confront others who have strayed or are we fearful of some type of retribution? See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to [Messiah] (Col 2:8).

Hostility and violence are increasing.  There are more hate groups than ever.  Road rage is rampant and shootings are everyday occurrences.  Our brothers and sisters in Messiah are being persecuted for their faith in at least 150 countries around the world. In Nigeria, a Christian is killed on average of every two hours for his or her faith.  Even within the Body of Messiah, there is growing hostility and intolerance.  We seem to be surrounded by enemies.  What should we do?  Should we join in the fray and retaliate against those with whom we disagree?  What does Yeshua teach us? You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your Father in heaven. He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. If you love those who love you, what reward will you get? Are not even the tax collectors doing that?  And if you greet only your own people, what are you doing more than others? Do not even pagans do that?  Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matt 5:43-48)

Some of us today have grown lukewarm in our relationship with Yehovah and Yeshua.  We take our relationship with Yehovah for granted.  We become complacent and hide out in our comfort zone.  Do we think that there is nothing else to be learned?  Have we stopped earnestly seeking Him?  Are we helping to build His Kingdom?  Or have we become like the church in Laodicea?  I know all the things you do, that you are neither hot nor cold. I wish that you were one or the other!  But since you are like lukewarm water, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth!  You say, ‘I am rich. I have everything I want. I don’t need a thing!’ And you don’t realize that you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked.  So, I advise you to buy gold from me—gold that has been purified by fire. Then you will be rich. Also buy white garments from me so you will not be shamed by your nakedness, and ointment for your eyes so you will be able to see.  I correct and discipline everyone I love. So be diligent and turn from your indifference (Rev 3:15-19).

Our world grows increasingly evil and unstable.  Do we worry about the future?  What will happen to our economy?  How will we provide for ourselves?  What if products become scarce or too expensive for us to afford?  How will we provide for ourselves and our families?  “That is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink, or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food, and your body more than clothing?  Look at the birds. They don’t plant or harvest or store food in barns, for your heavenly Father feeds them. And aren’t you far more valuable to him than they are?7 Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? (Matt 6:25-27)

For every situation that confronts us, Yeshua supplies the answer by His words and His actions. Yeshua has experienced all that we experience. He lived in a hostile world while He was on earth.  He was persecuted and ridiculed for His words and actions even though He lived in total obedience to His Father.  Yeshua understands our fears and weaknesses.  He will help us through any situation if we seek His wisdom.   For we do not have a High Priest who is unable to sympathize and understand our weaknesses and temptations, but One who has been tempted [knowing exactly how it feels to be human] in every respect as we are, yet without [committing any] sin. (Heb 4:15). Let us forsake the foolishness of the world and seek Yeshua, our true source of wisdom.

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living. 

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the seventh article in the series, Yeshua is our Song.

Yah is my strength and my song, and he has become my [Yeshua] (Ps 118:14). 

When we draw close to Yehovah and learn more about Him, we sing because it is a natural expression of our joy and delight.  When Yeshua, the Word of Yehovah, dwells in us, we sing our praises and our joy even in the midst of trials.  Why are you cast down, O my soul, and why are you in turmoil within me? Hope in God; for I shall again praise him, my salvation (Ps 42:5). Singing can help us work through our emotions when we are troubled.

Why should we sing?  Song is a gift from Yehovah. The Bible contains over 400 references to singing and 50 direct commands to sing. When we sing to Yehovah about Yeshua, we are praising and thanking both of them.  When we sing to Yeshua, we not only praise and thank Him, but we extend our praise to our Father for He sent Yeshua to us. e          We have much to sing about when it comes to Yeshua.  In addition to the descriptions of Yeshua in the first six articles of this series, there are so many other things about Yeshua to sing about. When we begin to make a list of all that He is to us and does for us we could go on forever.

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Colossians 3:16). We sing because Yeshua dwells in us. The more we sing of Him, the more deeply He dwells in us and the more we become rooted and grounded in Him. Then you, being rooted and grounded in love,  will have power, together with all the saints, to comprehend the length and width and height and depth of the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.… (Eph 3:17-19).

When we sing about Yeshua we encourage ourselves and we build up others around us.  Singing unites us.  Even when we can’t agree on every point of theology or when we rub one another the wrong way, we can set aside our differences and unite in singing and praising the One worthy of all praise. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart… (Ephesians 5:18-19)

The angels sing to Yehovah.  Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts! (Ps 148:2).   Angels sang to the shepherds about Yeshua when He was born and came to live among us and be one of us.  And suddenly there appeared with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased.” (Luke 2:13-14)

Many of us hesitate to sing, especially around others, because we don’t have good singing voices.  We long to praise Yehovah, but we don’t want to ruin praise sessions for others by adding our imperfect voices to theirs.  Stacy Horn,author of Imperfect Harmony: Finding Happiness Singing With Others, cites a study conducted in 2005 which states that people can still experience the same feelings of pleasure even when the sound being produced is “of mediocre quality.”  Yehovah is aware that some of us have poor singing voices, yet He has commanded us to sing.  Yehovah is more impressed with our obedience and the love for Him that is in our hearts. 

Yeshua joins us in singing to His Father.  Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So [Yeshua] is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters.  He says, “I will declare your name to my brothers and sisters; in the assembly I will sing your praises.” (Heb 2:11-12) When we sing praises to Yehovah we are in good company.

Yehovah sings over us.  [Yehovah] your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zeph 3:17) We were created to sing because Yehovah sings and we are created in His image.  Yeshua, the Son of Yehovah and the Son of Man, sings to His Father and over us.  Yeshua, who is everything to us, is also our Song!

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living. 

Who Is Yeshua?

Living Kingdom, , , , ,

Yeshua is everything to us:  our salvation, our hope, our future, to name a few. It is important to get to know Him as well as possible.  We can do this by interacting with Him and also by reading the Bible.  It is the word of Yehovah and Yeshua is the living Word of Yehovah.  This series, entitled “Who Is Yeshua?” will consist of twenty-one articles. Each article will explore a different section of the Bible to discover different titles and roles of Yeshua and our response to each role. In the sixth article in the series, Yeshua is our Provider.

The book of Numbers provides many examples of Yeshua as Yehovah Yireh or Yehovah, our Provider.  In Numbers 9, the Israelites are instructed to observe the second Passover. The lamb they sacrificed represented the true Lamb of Yehovah.  Most likely they wouldn’t have realized this, but were they able to make the connection between the blood of their sacrificed lamb and the lamb that was offered in place of Isaac in Genesis 22? Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (Gen 22:8)  Do we recognize and appreciate the wonderful gift that Yeshua has provided for us? 

In Numbers 11, the Israelites complain about lack of meat.  In Exodus 16 that Yehovah had already provided manna from Heaven and quail to sustain them in the wilderness. The problem wasn’t that they desired meat again.  The problem was their attitude and approach.  They simply could have asked Moshe to pray for them, or better still, they could have asked Yehovah to provide meat for them.  Would you rather have someone ask you politely for something or complain that you are a lousy provider?  Were they ever grateful for all that Yehovah provided?  Are we grateful for all that He provides for us?

Yeshua is our Bread from Heaven. I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:51) Do we gratefully partake of what Yeshua has lovingly offered or are we searching for something in the world to satisfy us?

Yehovah offers the Israelites the land He promised to give them.  He had made this promise to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and again to the Israelites.  The Lord now said to Moses, “Send out men to explore the land of Canaan, the land I am giving to the Israelites (Numbers13:1-2).  In the following chapter, we see that the Israelites were afraid and refused to go into the land.  That night all the members of the community raised their voices and wept aloud. All the Israelites grumbled against Moses and Aaron, and the whole assembly said to them, “If only we had died in Egypt! Or in this wilderness! Why is the Lord bringing us to this land only to let us fall by the sword? Our wives and children will be taken as plunder. Wouldn’t it be better for us to go back to Egypt?”And they said to each other, “We should choose a leader and go back to Egypt (Num 14:1-4).

Yeshua offers us the Kingdom of Heaven.  And in the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that shall never be destroyed, nor shall the kingdom be left to another people. It shall break in pieces all these kingdoms and bring them to an end, and it shall stand forever. (Daniel 2:44).  Do we seek His kingdom above all else or will we refuse His offer just as the Israelites did?

In Numbers 19, a perfect red heifer was to be slaughtered and completely burned outside the camp.  The priest was to throw some cedar wood, hyssop and scarlet wool onto the heifer as it was burning.  The ashes would then be mixed with water to purify those who had become unclean through contact or proximity to a dead body.  This is a picture of Yeshua’s death on the cross (represented by the cedar wood).  Our Perfect Lamb was covered by our scarlet sins (Isaiah 1:18) and would also be covered in His own blood.  His sacrifice would be as hyssop, cleansing us from the death of sin. 

In Numbers 20 the Israelites were again complaining about lack of water.  Their complaining upset Moses so much that did not speak to the rock as commanded, but rather struck it instead.  Even so, water gushed out of the rock.  Yeshua was struck on our behalf and out of Him flows living water.  On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and called out in a loud voice, “If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’ ”… (John 7:37-38).

In Numbers 21, we encounter another picture of Yeshua providing for us.  [The Israelites] traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way;they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died.The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So, Moses prayed for the people.

The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived (Numbers 21:4-9)   The bronze snake on the pole is a shadow picture of Yeshua on the cross.  As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; so that whoever believes will in Him have eternal life (John 3:14-15). Those who forsake their sins and believe in Him will never die the second death, but will live forever.

Later in chapter 21, we see a picture of Yehovah providing protection against enemies. Then [the Israelites] turned and went up along the road toward Bashan, and Og king of Bashan and his whole army marched out to meet them in battle at Edrei. The Lord said to Moses, “Do not be afraid of him, for I have delivered him into your hands, along with his whole army and his land. Do to him what you did to Sihon king of the Amorites, who reigned in Heshbon.” So, they struck him down, together with his sons and his whole army, leaving them no survivors. And they took possession of his land (Num 21:33-35).

Yeshua will return as our conquering King and will destroy our enemies. I looked up and saw a white horse standing there. Its rider carried a bow, and a crown was placed on his head. He rode out to win many battles and gain the victory (Rev 6:2). In the midst of ever-increasing darkness, in the midst of our own troubles and trials, do we feel alone and isolated, or do we eagerly wait for our conquering King?

This is an excellent time to ask forgiveness for your sins and invite Yeshua (Jesus) to be Lord of your life.  When we commit sin, we incur a debt that none of us can ever pay on our own.  It cannot be paid with earthly currency or even with great sacrifice on our part.  This debt can only be paid for by the blood of Yeshua which has already been shed for us. This is the greatest gift to ever be offered.  Don’t miss out.  After you have accepted Yeshua as your Lord and Savior, ask for baptism in the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit will be your constant companion and Counselor and will equip you for Kingdom living.