Memory verse:
“And you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” – John 8:32
Introduction:
This is a spin-off of last week as we went searching for what “Hear” means. This is a hunt for the Truth about who we are as believers, how God views us and how we can rest in that Truth.
As before, use any Bible or Bible study tools to help you in your search. Sometimes it can be intimidating to do these kinds of studies. I was a little nervous about the last two assignments. But these assignments can be a way to learn how to do this kind of Bible study. Don’t feel you have to know it all in order to do this. We aren’t Bible professors here, but we are all in need of learning and understanding God’s message to us. God, our Abba, our Daddy, wrote this Book, the Bible, to us! Let’s see what He wants to share with us about all the wealth that is ours as His children.
Assignment: Dig around in the Word and share what you find about any or all of the following:
Who is Jesus Christ? (Yes, the obvious, but dig around, what are some of His names?) What God has given us in Christ, what benefits are ours right now? Because of Christ’s work on the cross on our behalf, what can we count on from Him in our daily lives?
If you need some ideas of where to get started check out these chapters in the New Testament and see where they take you:
John 15, Romans chapters 6, 7 and 8, Galatians chapters 2 and 5, Ephesians, Colossians, 1 Corinthians and 1 Peter are also great. I can’t wait to see what everyone finds!
Happy Digging.
Passover is nearly upon us, so I'd like to put my focus in searching for Messiah Yeshua in the Feast of Passover - in Hebrew Pesach.
The obvious understanding of Messiah in Passover is to see Him as our Deliverer. The children of Israel - the Bride of Messiah - are Delivered from their captivity in Egypt. Likewise we too are delivered from our captivity to the law of sin and death. Exodus 12:2 says "You are to begin your calendar with this month; it will be the first month of the year for you. Look at that - a new beginning, just like we are new creations in Messiah - Messiah gave the Israelites a new Spiritual Calendar Beginning. It's commonly understood that Messiah created the Heavens and the Earth at Yom Teruah - Rosh Hashanna in the fall, and after the Creation Week, and the Fall of Man, we have our first Yom Kippur - day of Atonements when Adam and Chavah are judged, and cast out of the Garden of Eden - but atonement is made for them and their sin is covered by Messiah - symbolized by the covering of their flesh with the skins of lambs. But now at The Exodus we have a new beginning, another "New Years's Day" so to speak, just like we have a physical birth from our mother's wombs, so too we have a spiritual birth in salvation.
Verses 3-5 tells us to choose a lamb and bring it into the house to inspect it. Over the four days from the 10th of the month of Abib/Nissan we are to inspect it, search for defects, care for it, be involved in a relationship with it. By the end of that 14 of Nissan, we love that lamb, we know every inch of that lamb. Likewise, as our Messiah came into Jerusalem on that 10th of Nissan along with all the other Pesach lambs, we too in Israel got to take a closer look, inspect Him, search Him for defect, and by the end of the 14th of Nissan, we found Him without sin - He is the perfect Pesach Lamb.
Verse 6 says we are to keep it until the 14th and then slaughter it at dusk. That whole day of the 14th was just that for our Messiah, a day of close inspection, we call it the day of his judgment.. and He was found sinless, faultless.. there was no cause to condemn Him.. and yet we did. Even in that event, He was the substitute - for a guy who's name is Barabbas - his name means the son of the father.. the Son of the Father was a substitute for the 'son of the father'. Likewise, Yeshua Messiah is our substitute - He took our sins in our place, and paid the price for our sins - He took upon Himself the law of sin and death, that we might be free to live and not die.
Verse 7 is very interesting. The Israelites in Egypt were told to put the blood on the door frames of their houses in order to protect them from the plague of death. Later when we're taught how to keep this feast year after year, we're taught to put the blood on the altar. So what could that mean for us with regard to Messiah? Where was His blood put? When we think of the Tabernacle/Temple as an earthly picture of what's going on in Heaven - then if the commandment is to put the blood of the lamb on the altar.. then so too must the Blood of the Lamb be put on the ALTAR. What does that mean? Here's a thought - a question - from someone on an e-group I'm on that got me started thinking about this this week "Then Yeshua is the lamb that was slain before the foundations of the earth. ( I think I get the whole thing about him being sacrificed at the same time - ninth hour - as the prayers/sacrifices. And I think that I can get to the place where "before the foundations.
.." actually happened outside of time - maybe.) Where I get somewhat confused is when I think about what that actually means. I think I understand that HaShem isn't governed by time like us, so that is how it is all possible. So...IF Yom Kippur is the day of Atonements and the blood was poured onto the mercy seat by the High Priest in the Tabernacle/Temple (here on earth) then does that mean that Yeshua -our High Priest - poured His blood out on the heavenly mercy seat for our atonement? I think yes, but where I get confused is that Pesach is in the spring and Yom Kippur is in the fall - 6 months apart. Did it happen all at once (outside of time) or am I WAY OFF! Should I be putting these two together or are they two separate things that I don't really understand? If so, how does that all work? Why is there 6 months between them? To understand Tammie's question, we must first understand what the spiritual picture of the Altar is, why is the blood put on the Altar. I confess, I don't yet have that full picture - but we know that the Altar produces a pleasant fragrence in the Father's nose, it's appealing, desirable. I do know that the word Sacrifice in Hebrew is Korban - which means approach. Picture yourself as Adam after he's been expelled from the Garden. There are two angels with flaming swords who guard the entrance to the garden. If Adam wants to go back to the Garden - and we all do - that's what we call heaven - It's where that intimate relationship with God happens - then Adam has to "approach" those flaming swords. Of course, no one would want to touch that fire, they'd get burnt. So.. if you remember Shadrach Meshach and Abednego were in the flames with Messiah - then when we are walking in the Holy Spirit, we too are walking in the Fire.. so how do we "approach" that Garden? We approach with the Messiah - our Korban - our Substiture - our Deliverer. So the Altar is a means to Approaching God. The blood acts like a veil, or a covering, so that my sins are no longer seen. Blood is life.. sin is death. HHMMMM New thoughts for me here.
Back to Exodus 12 - verse 8. Now the meat is to be roasted in fire.. - There's that fire again, it's not to be boiled, boiling water has no spiritual significance, but FIRE does.We know the Holy Spirit came to the desciples in Tongues of Fire. So the meat is to be roasted by fire, and it is to be completely consumed with Matzah and Maror. Matzah is the unleavened bread - which represents that which is without sin. Maror means bitter herb - representing the bitterness of our lives in slavery to sin. Scripture says to eat the head - the Rosh - the feet - and the inner organs - eat it completely. This is one of my favourite pictures - because the word for Flesh is Basar -so the word Meat comes from this word Basar. Now if we think of eating the whole Flesh - we're consuming it.. completely, nothing left over, nothing remaining.. and then understand that Basar is also translated as Gospel - now put that together.. consume the whole Gospel or believe the WHOLE Gospel, not to omit any of it, or disregard any of it, or change any of it - then that has a huge meaning with regard to Messiah. Another interesting thing is that this Passover sacrifice is the only sacrifice that the people ate. It's a Fellowship meal with the Messiah. There are other Sacrifices that the Priests partook of, but this one is the only one for the people. And because of this, there is also a provision that should someone miss the Passover because they are away, or unable to participate - say there was a death, or a birth and they were made impure and unable to enter the Tabernacle/Temple - then what of those people? Why should they miss out on this Fellowship meal with the Messiah? Well God gives them another chance, they can participate in the Feast one month later. Isn't God great - He give us second chances! Second chances to enter into Fellowship with Yeshua - Thank GOD!
Verse 11 reminds me of the Ephesians 6 picture of being dressed in the armour of God - 11 "'Here is how you are to eat it: with your belt fastened, your shoes on your feet and your staff in your hand; - compare with Ephesians 6:11 Use all the armor and weaponry that God provides, so that you will be able to stand against the deceptive tactics of the Adversary. 12 For we are not struggling against human beings, but against the rulers, authorities and cosmic powers governing this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realm. 13 So take up every piece of war equipment God provides; so that when the evil day comes, you will be able to resist; and when the battle is won, you will still be standing. 14 Therefore, stand! Have the belt of truth buckled around your waist, put on righteousness for a breastplate, 15 and wear on your feet the readiness that comes from the Good News of shalom. 16 Always carry the shield of trust, with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the Evil One. 17 And take the helmet of deliverance; along with the sword given by the Spirit, that is, the Word of God; 18 as you pray at all times, with all kinds of prayers and requests, in the Spirit, vigilantly and persistently, for all God's people. I suppose if the Israelites were "dressed in the armour of the Lord" they were prepared to do battle with the Adversary - prepared to battle to leave the world of Egypt - Sin - in order to walk in the the Lord's Ways - Torah - Righteousness.
Verse 12 struck me this year - it says "I" will pass through the land of Egypt and kill all the firstborn in the land of Egypt. Sometimes when we read scripture we have trouble coming to terms with who the players are in this Passion Play. When I think of the "Angel of death" I think of movies where I have seen this black cloud, black ghoast like thing serpentine it's way through Egypt and you hear blood curdling cries. But have we ever thought of that black serpentine cloud as GOD? - yet the scriptures say "I" will pass.. it's Eloheim speaking.. Eloheim is the Hebrew name for the God of Nature - of Natural Consequences, The God of Judgement - This is the Avenger part of our God.. which is NOT evil.. though in our Human terms we have trouble coming to grips with a God who seeks revenge - but until we can accept that this truly is GOD - we only have a half truth about Him. Until we can come to grips with the character of Eloheim - we have made God to be what "WE" want Him to be, not Who HE Truly is. Now does that mean we should cower in fear of this destructive God - Eloheim? NO - but should we respect HIM? Should we have AWE for Him? Should we Abide by Him? Obey Him? Absolutely! for if we do not do all these things - THIS is when we should cower in fear. But we who have a relationship with Him have no fear of this - for it is the Blood of Yeshua which shields us from receiving the full weight of the Power of Eloheim as consequences for our Sin.
There's so much more, but I'm going to end with verse 14 14 "'This will be a day for you to remember and celebrate as a festival to ADONAI; from generation to generation you are to celebrate it by a perpetual regulation. Did you see it? Do I need to repeat it? 14 "'This will be a day for you to remember and celebrate as a festival to ADONAI; from generation to generation you are to celebrate it by a perpetual regulation. I don't know about you, but the word PERPETUAL stands out to me.. and Generation to Generation.. and how about THIS WILL BE.. these are commandments which to me speak of eternity. These are not words that have passed away, These are not words that we can say don't apply to me. And this festival is not oppressive.. it's ALL ABOUT YESHUA! This is not LAW - this is how to prepare ones'self as the pure spotless bride. This is our Torah - God's Word, given to us from the foundation of the world, in the very first verse of scripture. It doesn't even appear in our English text, but the verse is B'resheit bara Eloheim et Hashamayim v'et Ha'eretz. A literal translation could be.. Beginning created the Creator - the alphabet - Heaven and the Earth. Before God created anything.. He first made language.. He made the letters of the Hebrew Aleph Bet and from this all things were created. The word "et" also is the letters Aleph and Tav - which in Greek is Alpha and Omega. We know that Yeshua - Jesus - also goes by the name the Alpha and Omega -and He is THE WORD. Before God created anything.. there was the WORD.. God the Father "willed" Creation, but it was Yeshua who Created it.. from the very words God spoke came Creation.. Words are made up of letters.. and letters come from the Alphabet.. and in Hebrew.. the letters themselves make up the meaning of words.
OH.. I need to stop.. but thank you Libby!! I love to dig deeper.. Thank you for this assignment..
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Posted by RebeccaC 
Apr. 1, 2009 - This was AWESOME!
I was SOAKING up ever single word that you wrote regardless of how long it was!
Jesus ROCKS!!
((hugs))
Jennifer Sikora
www.belikeesther.blogspot.com