[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Zechariah’s Lamb[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
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Living Church Ministries
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The Bing Dictionary
“Faith”
Complete trust or confidence in someone or something.
Example: “this restores one’s faith in politicians.”
synonyms:
trust · belief · confidence · conviction · credence · reliance · [more]
strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.https://www.bing.com[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The authentic Meaning of the Greek words πίστις pístis “FAITH“” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%23822a14″][vc_column_text]Complete Word Study Bible Dictionary
πίστις pístis; gen. písteōs, fem. noun from peíthō (G3982), to win over, persuade. Faith. Subjectively meaning firm persuasion, conviction, belief in the truth, veracity, reality or faithfulness (though rare). Objectively meaning that which is believed, doctrine, the received articles of faith.
The following is a Hebrew prayer, Blessing the Lord of Heaven for His word of truth.
(CJB) the prayer prayed in the Dedication Jewish Bible
ברוך אתה יהוה אלהינו מלך העולם אשׂר נותן תורת-אמת ובשׂורת-ישׂועה לעמו ישׂראל ולכל העמים על-ידי בנו ישׂוע המשׂיח אדוננו
Praised are you, Adonai our God, King of the universe, who gives the Torah of truth and the Good News of salvation to his people Israel and to all the peoples through his son Yeshua the Messiah, our Lord.[/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]
Romans 10:16-17
(Complete Jewish Bible)
“ADONAI, who has trusted what he has heard from us?”
17 So trust comes from what is heard, and what is heard comes through a word proclaimed about the Messiah.
Romans 10:17
(Amplified Bible – AMP)
17 So faith comes from hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the [preaching of the] message concerning Christ.
Romans 10:17
(New Living Translation Study Bible Text,)
17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.
Romans 10:17
(The Message Translation)
17 The point is, Before you trust, you have to listen. But unless Christ’s Word is preached, there’s nothing to listen to.
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Both Messianic Jews and Christian believers understand that the Law governed Temple righteousness (justification by the sacrificing of a sacred Lamb). This process was known as works of the Law which came to an end at the death of Christ. To the Messianic Jews and the God-Fearing Believers in Acts 2:1, Yeshua, (Jesus Christ of Nazareth), our high priest, replaced the justification made by the blood of animals when He shed His own Blood and became the Sacrificial Lamb, Who lives forever.
No one could go into the Holy of Holies on the great Day of Atonement, for “the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest.” But, God made a way into the Holy place with the sacrifice of His only begotten Son. He created a pathway so that we could come in His Presence. The death of the Father’s Son is the only sacrifice that could touch Him. That same sacrifice is what creates faith in us and makes men pray and say to God, “Lord, forgive us for the death of your Son. We have sinned, and we are sorry.”
It is supposed that there were in all, eighty-three high priests, beginning with Aaron (B.C. 1657) and ending with Phannias AD (Heb 4).
Aaron was the first who was solemnly set apart to this office(Ex 29:7 30:23; Lev 8:12).[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”11333″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_3d”][vc_column_text]People might say that the Old Testament is no longer necessary, but there are parts of the OT (particularly the words of the prophets) that tell us about the Messiah to come. The Temple was destroyed in 70 AD, and the new Temple will become the heart of men. God was done with animal sacrifices. Now, it was the time of the Messiah! So, when Jesus Christ declared “Examine the prophets and see what they are saying. It is all about My coming!” He was saying that the prophets are pointing to Me as the Messiah. I AM that Messiah![/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_custom_heading text=”The Old Testament points to the Messiah” font_container=”tag:h2|font_size:20|text_align:left|color:%23822a14″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space height=”22px”][vc_column_text]The whole purpose of the Old Testament was to point men to the Messiah in the New Covenant. It was God’s Master Plan! Thus, it is crucial that we NOT throw out the Old Testament since its prophets laid out in detail, God’s Holy Redemptive plan. In other words, God sketched out in the Old Testament, His Design; a work that would be fulfilled through His precious Son, Yeshua (The Jewish Messiah). Prophecies were exploding all around Christ our Lord! God proved who Jesus was through the prophets since they predicted long before He came on the scene, that He is the Messiah; the proof of who the prophets announced would be the He Was, and Is to Come![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]
John 5:39-40
39 Search the Scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
The main function of the First Covenant was to point the world to the promised Messiah, Christ the Lord. When we examine the prophesy and see how accurate their writings were about Yeshua; if we believe what we read, how God raised Him from the grave, then He made His entrance into the Holy of Holies; there is no way we can deny that Jesus is indeed, the true Messiah.
(Complete Word Study Bible Dictionary)
Acts 17:11-12
11 These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things were so.
12 Therefore many — of them believed; also of honorable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text](Complete Word Study Bible Dictionary)
Here, we see the CWSB Dictionary, taking Biblical Greek and placing it back into its original meaning.
(I) In the universal Greek. usage:
(A) Particularly and generally (Acts 17:31, having given to all the ability to believe [cf. Rom. 3:23ff.]).
(B) In Rom. 14:22, “hast thou faith” means persuasion about what God wants you to do (see Rom. 14:23).
(C) In Heb. 11:1, “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” means that persuasion is not the outcome of imagination but is based on fact, such as the reality of the resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15), and as such it becomes the basis of realistic hope.
(D) In 2 Cor. 5:7, “for we walk by faith, not by sight” means that which appears before us may not be what it seems to be, while faith is something which stands on proof arrived at inductively. See also 1 Pet. 1:5, which means that faith obtains the future entrance into salvation, safe existence which will be provided by God at the end of the present season (cf. 1 Peter 1:7, 9).
1 Peter 1:7-10
(CWSB) 7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:
8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:
9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
10 Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:
Philippians 1:27-30
(NLT Study Bible Text,) 3. The Life in Christ (1:27–2:18)
Live as Citizens of Heaven
27 Above all, you must live as citizens of heaven, conducting yourselves in a manner worthy of the Good News about Christ. Then, whether I come and see you again or only hear about you, I will know that you are standing together with one spirit and one purpose, fighting together for the faith, which is the Good News. 28 Don’t be intimidated in any way by your enemies. This will be a sign to them that they are going to be destroyed, but that you are going to be saved, even by God himself. 29 For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him. 30 We are in this struggle together. You have seen my struggle in the past, and you know that I am still in the midst of it.
2 Thessalonians 2:13-14
(NLT Study Bible Text,) Thanks for God’s Calling
13 As for us, we can’t help but thank God for you, dear brothers and sisters loved by the Lord. We are always thankful that God chose you to be among the first to experience salvation—a salvation that came through the Spirit who makes you holy and through your belief in the truth.
14 He called you to salvation when we told you the Good News; now you can share in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]One of the many ‘aha’ moments that helped me in my search for truth in the Bible was when I read the prophecy of Zechariah 12:10. It describes a picture of an innocent Lamb becoming a peace offering for my sinful nature. When the Lamb of God was crucified to purchase back my condemned soul, I became so thankful. It was such an act of kindness! When I realized that this Lamb was the same One Who saves souls, the reality made me change my way of living. It was the fact that I was so undeserving of this act of grace and mercy. Then, Zechariah made the Jewish Messiah became a wonder in my soul. With a broken heart, I saw my contribution to the Lamb’s death and I became very sorrowful. As a result, I wanted more supporting facts around the Mighty Messiah Who forgives sin.
How do you make an emotional connection with the Lamb of God, “whom they have pierced.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Now that the Lamb of God is risen, and sitting high in Heavenly places, I know I am to keep Him on display by my life journey and show the world the difference He makes in one’s life. I am to introduce Him by animating His Presence as the Spirit of the Living God empowers me. Sometimes, when life happens, it’s reassuring to bring into our memory what the Lamb did for us. He did it by establishing an eternal relationship with us. So, now that we are in covenant with Him, in our hard times, we can be assured that the Lamb of God once again is on our side. He is strengthening us to be victorious in times of testing.
Zechariah 12:10
(CWSB) 10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me — whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
For those who are in a faith walk with the Redeemer and forgot the essential part, that is developing a heartfelt, compassionate relationship with the Lamb of God. By starting their faith walk as a religious person is equivalent to insects that find a mate then dies. Bugs do not share in life with each other they do what they do, then disappears?
The reason the Spirit of God compelled the Prophet Zechariah to write about the innocence of a lamb is to bring human emotion into the crucifixion story.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”11334″ img_size=”medium” alignment=”center” style=”vc_box_shadow_3d”][vc_column_text]An early tradition has it where a week before the Passover, families was to purchase a lamb while still alive and bring it home, even into the inside of the houses. Family members would tie the lamb to their bedpost, so day and night the family never forgot about their little, tiny house guest. On the day of preparation, the family would slaughter the baby sheep by cutting his little throat. How powerful, is the image of the baby lamb greeting his family without the sense of knowing they are not coming to pet your head, but to cut your little neck.
The Lord compelled this scenario to help the Israelites in having sense ownership in the lamb’s predestination.
Without, a proper foundation our path in the Church may result in Church full of pride, who were never compassionate about the Lamb of God and believed they were self-efficient.
In the kingdom of God, we share in his love every day, even when we are unaware. However, those who start with discovering his love for humanity has the advantage of seeing the tragedy of the cross that resulted in the believer’s position. The cross taught us how to die, then live for the Messiah, Jesus Christ of Nazareth. Because of human flesh harbors the nature of sin, Yeshua taught His disciples to search for the divine purpose within the words of Adonai, Lord of the children of Israel.
I believed this Lamb from God died to remove my sins. As a result, now I am thankful over and over. His blood was not a cleansing soap but was proof that the Lamb’s death and resurrection. The Heavenly Father, ADONAI knew that I would become passionate about such a plan of salvation when my lawyer, who I wouldn’t be able to afford His services, approached the bench with the Judge with the recommendations, that I was to be released under the Messia
h’s jurisdiction, free of all Charges and in addition to comprising debt free altogether everything paid in full.
After becoming a lamb, we proceed to become a Lion.
If we are taught to become a lion before we are a lamb, this type of Christian will abuse power while they are in lion mode.
Christ had to spend time in the wilderness to become humbled.
Deuteronomy 8:3
(NLT Study Bible Text,)
3 Yes, he humbled you by letting you go hungry and then feeding you with manna, a food previously unknown to you and your ancestors. He did it to teach you that people do not live by bread alone; rather, we live by every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord.
Christ’s humbling is a model for the Church. If a newborn Christian starts the first day with naming and claiming, this abuse of power will translate into doctrinal error.
A better lesson for the new Christian is getting healed from the wound of their pass and reflecting with their heart on the injuries they inflicted upon others.
The next step is to allow the Holy Spirit to walk them through the lessons of dying and denying one’s self.
Most important, the newborn believer most keep a clean heart and enjoy drinking the baby formula that flows from the Word of God, with this, they will learn before they are harmed. The Gospel of John teaches us the Divine Nature the Messiah and who He is to the Body of Christ.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][/vc_column][/vc_row]