Yeshua the Messiah
... The Lord Jesus Christ
Even eternity will not suffice to fully appreciate the personage and
character of
Yeshua the Messiah. Consequently in this short lesson
we will seek to understand his immeasurable worth by considering just a
few of the metaphors and parables which the Bible uses to declare him.
And as we do this we will pray that the
Holy Spirit of Yahweh
will not only enlighten us as to the worth of His Son
Emmanuel,
but will also lift us to higher levels of Christian experience than we
have hitherto thought possible.
Throughout this course readers will notice that we often use the Saviour's
Hebrew name
YESHUA. We also use the name
Jesus, which is the
popular Greek rendering of the Saviour's Hebrew name. We trust that students
will understand that in every instance, whether we use Yeshua, Yahshua, Jesus,
Emmanuel, the Master, the Saviour, I AM, the Logos etc. we are referring to
the only begotten Son of the Almighty God, to the One who died for the sins
of the world on Calvary. Further information see
Sacred Names.
With that thought in mind let us continue.
- To begin with JESUS IS THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD.
That is, he came forth or issued from God the Father, and is
therefore God the Son. He is not just a good man or a
great thinker. He is the Almighty's Son and is therefore God!
(Luke 1:35, Matthew 3:17, Matthew 16:16, 1 John 4:15)
- JESUS IS THE 'LIVING WORD' OF YAHWEH, the Logos, the
Spokesman, the Ambassador, the Representative of the Almighty.
But he did not merely present an audible message about his Father
and His work. He did far more than that. He was and still is the
visible expression of Yahweh's will, a living demonstration of
how the Most High wants mankind to live.
(Malachi 3:1, John 1:1, Hebrews 1:1-3)
- JESUS IS THE LAWGIVER of the past, the Advocate of
the present and he will be the Judge on the future Day
of Judgement (See
The Day of Judgment.
Being the only example of faultless obedience to Yahweh's Law this world has
ever known, Yeshua is the only one qualified to understand and judge a
sinner's case in the tribunal of heaven. He alone can recommend forgiveness
or condemnation for the transgressors of Yahweh's commandments.
(James 4:12, 1 John 2:1, Acts 17:31)
- JESUS IS THE HIGH PRIEST of the Melchisedec Order, the
only valid spiritual link between the Father and mankind. What's more, he
will always be the High Priest of that eternal order and will live forever
to make intercession for us.
(Hebrews 5:6-10)
- JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD, the innocent victim of sin, the one
and only sin-offering the Father is unable to refuse. The merits of his
amazing sacrifice will always gain access to the heart of God, and the
sinner would do well to remember this great truth when seeking pardon
from the Almighty.
(John 1:29-36, Acts 8:32)
- JESUS IS THE CREATOR of the visible and invisible universe;
the one who brought the Father's designs into existence. The Most
High was the architect of the creation, but His Son Yeshua was the builder.
Indeed there is no created thing in all heaven or earth that was not brought
into being by Emmanuel the Son.
(John 1:3, Hebrews 1:2, Psalm 33:6-9)
- JESUS IS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF THE FAITH, the Alpha and
the Omega, the First and the Last. In other words besides being the creator
of the physical universe, he is also the Master builder of Yahweh's
spiritual creation - the CHURCH! And just as Eve was taken from Adam's
body, in like manner the Saviour is himself the source from which the
Church is fashioned and formed; a church which will one day be presented
to him as a bride.
(Hebrews 5:9, Hebrews 12:2, Revelation 1:11, Rev 21:2-4)
- JESUS IS THE SAVIOUR of mankind, the Redeemer, the Debt payer,
the Kinsman or "next of kin" of every man, woman and child this earth
has ever known. What's more he is able and willing to save to the uttermost
all those who come unto him by faith.
(Matthew 1:21, John 3:16, Acts 4:12, Acts 16:30-31)
- JESUS IS THE BAPTIZER, the Cleanser, the Smelter and Refiner of
precious souls and the Purifier of corrupt and filthy hearts. In fact his
paramount desire is to purge his followers and make them pure and presentable
to his Father.
(Malachi 3:2-3, John1:33)
- JESUS IS THE HEALER, the great Physician, the Restorer of
diseased bodies and minds, the balm of Gilead and the eye salve of the
mind. Indeed he can and does still heal the sick, cleanse the leper and
raise the dead, both in the physical and spiritual sense.
(Acts 10:38, Exodus 15:26, Psalm 147:3)
- JESUS IS THE SUSTAINER OF LIFE, the true Manna and the Bread
of Heaven, the Water of Life, the Vine and Wine of God. Consequently any
individual, institution or government which departs from the standards
Yahweh gave to the universe through His Son Jesus will sooner or later
end in ruin.
(John 6:48-51, 1 Corinthians 10:4)
- JESUS IS THE PRIZE, the Goal, the Reward, the Pearl of Great
Price. But his worth can only be truly appreciated by those who know him;
and even that will take all eternity.
(Matthew 13:45-46, Philippians 3:14)
- JESUS IS THE WAY, the Route, the Light and the Destination for
all those who are desperately searching for direction and purpose in life;
and who are perhaps going around in meaningless circles.
(John 14:6, Psalm 27:1)
- JESUS IS THE SHELTER, the Hiding Place, the Cleft Rock, the
Fortress, the City of Refuge to which fleeing spiritual fugitives may
escape from the vicious onslaught of the Devil.
(Psalm 61:2, Psalm 62:2, Psalm 94:22)
- JESUS IS THE CHAMPION, the Mighty One of Israel, the Captain
of the Armies of the Lord of Hosts. And he says to the faint hearted,
"Fear Not."
(Isaiah 1:24, Luke 12:32, John 14:27)
- JESUS IS THE GREAT PROPHET, the Seer, the All-knowing One, the
"One like unto Moses," the one who speaks with Yahweh face to face
and to whom the future is as well known as the past. He is the Word of
the Lord that enlightened all the prophets of truth from the days of
Enoch to this present time.
(Deuteronomy 18:18-19, Matthew 21:11, Luke 7:16, John 6:14)
- JESUS IS THE TEACHER, the Good Master, the Chief Rabbi of
Yahweh's Church and he says to all who seek true knowledge: "Learn of
me."
(John 3:1-2)
- JESUS IS THE SERVANT OF MANKIND and with astonishing humility
and power he manifests that strange divine principle where "he who is
the greatest among men is the servant of all". Not that Yeshua is some
kind of reluctant unpaid menial, but rather that he is a ministering being
whose supreme goal is to benefit the universe; the universe which he made,
and for which he gave his life.
(Matthew 12:18, Philippians 2:7)
- JESUS IS THE COUNSELLOR, the Adviser, the Divine Consultant
and the very Wisdom of God. He is the One who is wiser than Solomon and
ringing down the ages comes the invitation to the world's ignorant masses.
"If anyone lacks wisdom let him ask of God. Ask and ye shall receive."
(Matthew 7:7-11, Isaiah 9:6, James 1:5)
- JESUS IS THE HUSBANDMAN, the Vinedresser, the Gardener of Paradise
and his constant concern is to produce fruit in every season, the fruit of joyful
holiness and praise in all of his myriad charges.
(James 5:7, John 15:4-8)
- JESUS IS THE BEST FRIEND, the Constant Companion, the "one who
sticketh closer than a brother" and he says to all his followers (and
especially the lonely ones) "Lo I am with you always, even unto the end
of the world."
(Proverbs 18:24, John 15:13-15, Matthew 28:19-20)
It would be true to add that
Yeshua the Messiah is infinitely greater
than all the realities of which these earthly allegories tell. But till such
time as we ourselves are glorified and actually see him, we will have to be
content with what we can learn about Jesus from the Holy Scriptures and from
our present limited experience. Nevertheless we have this absolute assurance
that there lies in store for every believer an endless measure of joyful
fellowship and communion with Yeshua which no pen can possibly describe and
no human mind can properly imagine. And it is with this kind of holy
expectation and faith that we of
A Voice In The Wilderness - Canada
are able to say that "we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ,
Yeshua the Messiah,
the matchless Son of the Almighty God." And we would respectfully add that until
such time as the student has accepted this fundamental Christian doctrine about
the Saviour of the world, his/her walk with God has not in reality even begun.
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