Author: ForCommonGround

When Being Passed Over is a Good Thing

~ ForCommonGround ~ 3 Comments

Many of us can probably think back to times when we’ve been passed over for things. Like maybe a schoolyard game, a get-together, or a promotion at work. Those moments don’t feel good. They can even be crushing. But it doesn’t always have to be that way. Today’s section out of Exodus is one of those moments when being passed over is not only a good thing but a great thing.

In the last post on the Messiah in Exodus, I wrote a lot about the nature of the book itself. God pronounces salvation for a people in desperate need of it. It’s the central message of the Messiah. As the process unfolds for Israel, God wrecks Egypt with plague after plague. All of which are designed to dethrone their imagined gods. Prior to the final judgment, God announces to Moses a ceremonial feast for all those who had given their allegiance to Him. It becomes known as the Passover.

“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. “Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord ‘s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.”

Exodus 12:1-14 ESV

I want to break this down now by pointing to seven messages about the Messiah contained in these fourteen verses. All of them center around The Messiah being the Passover Lamb.

The lamb is the provision from God used in the place of humanity. Remember back to the Genesis post about Abraham and Isaac? On that mountain, God provides the sacrifice for Abraham. The lamb of the Passover is the annual celebration of God’s provided sacrifice. It was that lamb that was a ‘stand-in’ for the death Israel deserved, right along with Egypt. But only those who trusted in the provision would be covered. Here’s a little bit more about the Passover lamb and it’s Messianic implications.

  1. It was chosen ahead of time (v.3) just as the Messiah was chosen from the very beginning, thousands of years before He would carry out His purpose.
  2. The lamb had to be without any blemish (v.5) and so would the Messiah in order to be an acceptable sacrifice for imperfect humanity.
  3. It was thoroughly examined (v.6) to make sure it was acceptable before it would be sacrificed. The Messiah would have to stand before onlookers with the same examination.
  4. The lamb was killed by the people (v.6) following its examination. The unfortunate role of the Messiah was to die.
  5. The death of the lamb happened in the evening (v.6) so the Messiah would have to die during a similar time of day.
  6. The blood of the lamb had to be shed (v.7) which means the Messiah’s blood would also need to be shed.
  7. The blood of the lamb saved the people from God’s impending judgment (v7, 12-13) so the Messiah’s blood would have equal and far greater power than that.

It would probably be a good idea to go back and read through the passage from early now that it’s been broken down. Context is always good. From this point on I’m going to be showing, from the text of the Bible itself, how Yeshua (Jesus) is revealed as the Lamb from the Passover Feast. Each number below will correspond with one from above.

Yeshua was chosen, not from the moment sin entered the world, but before sin was ever an issue. Yeshua was the Messiah before the world ever existed.

  • He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you who through him are believers in God, who raised him from the dead and gave him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God. (1 Peter 1:20-21)

Yeshua is described as being one who never sinned. Sin is an obvious blemish and Yeshua had none. A full life without a sinful thought, word, or action.

  • 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 Corinthians 5:21) A sinless, spotless life. No one in history has, or ever will, come close to that.nd if you call on him as Father who judges impartially according to each one’s deeds, conduct yourselves with fear throughout the time of your exile, knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. (1 Peter 1:17-19)

Yeshua was placed on trial and examined by many people: the Sanhedrin, Pilot, Herod, the people, etc…In the end, He was found to be innocent and blameless.

  • When day came, the assembly of the elders of the people gathered together, both chief priests and scribes. And they led him away to their council, and they said, “If you are the Christ, tell us.” But he said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I ask you, you will not answer. But from now on the Son of Man shall be seated at the right hand of the power of God.” So they all said, “Are you the Son of God, then?” And he said to them, “You say that I am.” Then they said, “What further testimony do we need? We have heard it ourselves from his own lips. Then the whole company of them arose and brought him before Pilate. And they began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation and forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.” And Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” And he answered him, “You have said so.” Then Pilate said to the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no guilt in this man.” But they were urgent, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee even to this place.” When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. And when he learned that he belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him over to Herod, who was himself in Jerusalem at that time. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had long desired to see him, because he had heard about him, and he was hoping to see some sign done by him. So he questioned him at some length, but he made no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. And Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him. Then, arraying him in splendid clothing, he sent him back to Pilate. And Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before this they had been at enmity with each other. Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people, and said to them, “You brought me this man as one who was misleading the people. And after examining him before you, behold, I did not find this man guilty of any of your charges against him. Neither did Herod, for he sent him back to us. Look, nothing deserving death has been done by him. (Luke 22:66-23:15)

It was the people who shouted for the death of Yeshua. Despite His innocence and perfection, the mob called for Him to be crucified.

  • From then on Pilate sought to release him, but the Jews cried out, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Everyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar.” So when Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Aramaic Gabbatha. Now it was the day of Preparation of the Passover. It was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews, “Behold your King!” They cried out, “Away with him, away with him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?” The chief priests answered, “We have no king but Caesar.” So he delivered him over to them to be crucified. (John 19:12-16)

The death of Yeshua would last all day, all the way up until sundown. Those who wanted to bury Him had to quickly get Him down before light was gone because a Sabbath was approaching.

  • And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “Behold, he is calling Elijah.” And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” (Mark 18:33-39)

Crucifixion has been shown to be among the worst ways to die. Not only was Yeshua’s hands and feet pierced with nails, but His flesh was torn from His body by the lash. Yeshua’s blood was most definitely poured out.

  • And when the hour came, he reclined at table and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. (Luke 22:14-20)

The Bible is full, and I mean full, of passages that state the power and efficacy of the blood of Jesus Christ in saving us.

  • For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. (Hebrews 9:13-14)
  • But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)

There are so many more verses to back up the identity of the Messiah as the Passover Lamb. If you’d like to study more on the topic, here is a list to get you going:

It’s incredible to see how one ceremony, instituted thousands of years ago, could say so much about the identity of the Messiah, and that one person could embody it all.

The next day he [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!

John 1:29 (ESV)

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters

Waves or Glory

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment

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There are a lot of things to focus on in life. So much competes for our attention; some good some not so good. It’s easy for me to become consumed with things, whether it’s a task, my family, or concerns that have been weighing me down. Whatever it is, it can draw my attention for quite some time. Lately, I have had some really heavy things that have been filling my mind. I’m sure you, reader, can relate. If not now then at some point in your life. It can really seem like a tempest at times. Wave after wave crashing on or around you with no immediate signs of relenting. It never lets up so you can never get dry. You feel cold and exhausted just trying to keep your face towards the horizon. The concerns are mounting to point that you begin to wonder if they will ever become insurmountable.

That is an extremely bleak picture. One that I’ve found myself walking through at several moments over the last few years. I also believe it’s easy to get there. To let our minds drift to such dark and hopeless places. To try and carry so much weight that our knees are buckling beneath us. Weight that we were never meant to pick up in the first place. And while it’s easy to get there, it can be equally as easy to escape. Perhaps escape isn’t the best word. To ‘rise above’ seems to fit better. It all boils down to choice. Circumstances actually have nothing to do with it. Bills, health problems, difficult people, homelessness, and even the death of a loved one, can hold no power over us that we don’t surrender to it.

Recently, we finished up celebrating the Lord’s Feast of Tabernacles. It was first instituted by God back in Leviticus 23, more than a few thousand years ago. But it carries every bit of the significance today that it did back then. A quick rundown of the Feast for anyone who isn’t familiar with it. In the Old Testament context, the feast reflected God’s deliverance of the nation of Israel from bondage in Egypt and their temporary dwelling and wandering on their journey to the promised land. It also pointed to the tabernacle that was constructed for God’s dwelling place among the people of Israel. Fast forward to the arrival of the Incarnate God on planet Earth. Yeshua is described as the Word of God made flesh dwelling among us. The word for dwell is literally to tabernacle. The Feast also carries with it a future importance. In the book of Revelation, it is said that Heaven and Earth will unite as one and God will make His dwelling among us forever. We spend a week celebrating all of these awesome things.

On one of the evenings, I was sitting under our makeshift tabernacle (which people construct as a symbol of the Feast) in our backyard. It was really dark out but we had strung up lights on our tabernacle so it was pretty bright underneath. As I sat there, contemplating all the heavy things life had been tossing our way, I decided to open up my bible. I picked John chapter one and here is what I read:

“In the beginning was the Word. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it. There came a man sent from God, whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify about the light, so that through him everyone might believe. He was not the light, but he came to bear witness concerning the light. The true light, coming into the world, gives light to every man. He was in the world, and the world was made through Him; but the world did not know Him. He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him. But whoever did receive Him, those trusting in His name, to these He gave the right to become children of God. They were born not of a bloodline, nor of human desire, nor of man’s will, but of God. And the Word became flesh and tabernacled among us. We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth. John testifies about Him. He cried out, saying, “This is He of whom I said, ‘The One who comes after me is above me, because He existed before me.’” Out of His fullness, we have all received grace on top of grace. Torah was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Yeshua the Messiah. No one has ever seen God; but the one and only God, in the Father’s embrace, has made Him known.”

John 1:1-18 TLV

Everything in that passage spoke to me, not just where I was physically, but where my life was. Here I was, surrounded by darkness, but covered beneath the light of the tabernacle. The symbolism of that was huge! If I were to walk out from under the tabernacle, I would have difficulty seeing my way around the backyard. But where I sat, everything was as clear as day.

All things were made through Him, and apart from Him nothing was made that has come into being. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overpowered it.

It didn’t matter one bit how dark it got outside, the light that I was in would not be changed. That’s life in Jesus. I started thinking about how I’ve been spending so much of my thought life wandering around outside of the covering of His light. I had been focusing so much on all the difficult things in my life and it was beating me down. But here I was, reading God’s word, illuminated by the light of the tabernacle, at peace.

We looked upon His glory, the glory of the one and only from the Father, full of grace and truth.

My eyes had been looking at all the wrong things. Who can blame me right? Well, I can. I had felt like I was in a sinking ship, all the while missing the point of my life. When God wrapped Himself in flesh and walked on this Earth, we were given the ability to behold His glory. Not just in a past tense, but even now. At any moment, we can look at the glory of God in Yeshua. Are you kidding me? Can we even understand what that means? Apparently, I really didn’t. Because I wasn’t gazing at His glory. Not even a little bit. I was looking at everything else. I was beholding the waves crashing over the sides of my boat.

These few precious moments under my tabernacle did so much to alter where I was mentally and how I felt physically. It was one of those experiences that I’ll always remember. I was able to catch a glimpse of His glory during a fall evening in Colorado in my backyard. How amazing is that?

I’m a J.R.R Tolkien fan so sometimes I can’t help but find spiritual illustrations in the movie adaptations from his books. Here is a scene from the Hobbit: Desolation of Smaug. To set it up a little, the town is under attack by the Dragon Smaug. It’s burning to the ground and only one man stands in the way of him killing everyone in Lake Town. Bard, the Bowman, and his son are stranded atop this tower and come face to face with the evil creature. This scene is so full of meaning. First, the world is falling apart around them. The danger is very real and there is every opportunity to despair. Everything could come crashing down at any moment. But Bard looks at his fretting and fear-filled son and says, “Stay still son, stay still.” In the moments that follow, Smaug continues to try and strike fear into their hearts and make them come to terms with their imminent demise. As the son, again shaken by the situation he finds himself in, turns to look at the approaching beast. Just then his father says, “Look at me son, you look at me.” It’s then that the son looks at his father with confidence and the surroundings seem to fade in significance. Shortly after, Bard slays the dragon Smaug with one precisely placed shot of an arrow.

I know it sounds cheesy but my eyes seriously started to well up when I watched that scene. I couldn’t help but find myself in the place of the boy, caught in life’s difficulties, wanting to look at them and fall apart at times. But then hearing the gentle voice of my Loving Father call me to be still and to look Him. In those moments, like the one I had under tabernacle that night, I am in a state of complete peace. Everything around me might as well be burning down, but I am still when I look at Him. His light beats back the darkness and the darkness will never overtake it. The key is to behold His glory and not the waves crashing around us. I’ll finish with one last scene. Only this one comes to us from the Bible. A man named Peter, an apostle of Jesus, is about to do the impossible. He is going to walk on water.

And Peter answered him, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” He said, “Come.” So Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water and came to Jesus. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid, and beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him, saying to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased.And those in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.”

Matthew 14:28-33 ESV

I used to focus so much on how Peter took his eyes off of Jesus and began to sink. I would talk about his lapse of faith and how he focused on the waves and wind rather than Jesus, and that’s when he got into trouble. And all those things are true. And all of us have been Peter more times then we care to count. But what I want to leave you with is what Peter said when he found himself sinking and how Jesus responded.

…beginning to sink he cried out, “Lord, save me.”Jesus immediately reached out his hand and took hold of him…

If you find yourself sinking because of the pressures of life cry out, “Lord save me,” and that’s exactly what He’ll do.

Peace brothers and sisters

He Is that He Is

~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

We’ve concluded our journey through the book of Genesis which introduced the Messiah right from the beginning of Man’s fall. God revealed His identity as a son of a virgin, who would one day defeat the one who led man astray. Genesis also identified the Messiah as a son who would be sacrificed as God’s provision for our need. In addition to that, we’ve been given the lineage that the Messiah would come from. All of those things pointed to Yeshua. And that’s only the beginning.

The events recorded in the book of Exodus paint an incredible picture of the Messiah because the entire book happens to be about God working out salvation. That’s exactly what the mission of the Messiah is. Over the next few posts we’ll be looking at a key statement made in the book of Exodus, a prophetic ceremony, a character trait, and a title, all of which point to who the Messiah is and what He would do.

In the third chapter of Exodus, God makes an appearance of sorts to a man named Moses. I say ‘of sorts’ because God showed Himself through a burning bush which was not consumed by the flame. The reason for this interaction was to proclaim the coming salvation of the people of Israel from the slavery in Egypt. During the conversation Moses asked God by what name he should call Him. God’s self given name is ‘I Am’.

“God said to Moses, ” I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘ I am has sent me to you.'””

Exodus‬ ‭3:14‬ ‭ESV‬‬

Within the dialogue between God and Moses, both a name and a purpose is given. Once again, God is making it clear that it is He that does the saving. So by extension, if the purpose of the Messiah is to bring salvation to the world, the Messiah must also be God. The Exodus story itself is a foreshadowing of the greater salvation to come to the entire world. And both acts of redemption and freedom from bondage would be done by God.

Well over a thousand years later, we have another significant conversation. It takes place between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. This woman was an outcast in her village much like Moses who lived in exile when God appeared in the burning bush. She was searching for meaning and purpose in life and she was desperately lost. She was bound to her bondage of broken relationships. It mirrors the struggles we all go through in our own way. The way that Jesus speaks with her displays a tender and compassionate heart. The heart of a savior. Towards the end of the conversation, Jesus identifies Himself as the “He” that the scriptures talk about as the source of living water. He was the answer to her needs, to her bondage.

“The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (he who is called Christ). When he comes, he will tell us all things.” Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am he.””

John‬ ‭4:25-26‬ ‭ESV

Not only did Yeshua make this statement, He backed it up, over and over. In this circumstance Yeshua showed His intimate knowledge of her life, past and presence, and of her hearts deepest needs. But this wasn’t the last time Jesus would make the bold statement about Himself. In an exchange with the religious elite of the day, Jesus was instructing them on faith and what places people in right standing before God. Their response was condescending and indifferent at best. That’s when Jesus told them who He really was.

“Are you greater than our father Abraham, who died? And the prophets died! Who do you make yourself out to be?” Jesus answered, “If I glorify myself, my glory is nothing. It is my Father who glorifies me, of whom you say, ‘He is our God.’ But you have not known him. I know him. If I were to say that I do not know him, I would be a liar like you, but I do know him and I keep his word. Your father Abraham rejoiced that he would see my day. He saw it and was glad.” So the Jews said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?” Jesus said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was, I am.””

John‬ ‭8:53-58‬ ESV‬‬

There it is. The ‘I Am’ statement. This made the Pharisees furious because a man was making Himself equal with God. But as already mentioned, His claim was not baseless. Jesus lived a life of miracles. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, and rose from the dead. There is only one way that could be possible. If He really was who He said He was. If He was the Messiah. If He was God.

Yeshua didn’t stop there. Throughout His time on Earth he made many ‘I Am’ statements. A good read through the book of John would include the following: I am the bread of life (6:35, 48, 51), I am the light of the world (8:12 and 9:5), I am the door of the sheep (10:7, 9), I am the good shepherd (10:11, 14), I am the resurrection and the life (11:25), and I am the way, the truth, and the life (14:6). The ‘I Am’ statement was essential to knowing who the Messiah was and is. The Messiah is the great I AM.

When was the Gospel first proclaimed?

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

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If you were to read the following statement, what would come to mind?

“Man was appointed to be mortal and experienced sorrow. But God came down and taught them. He gave His life for them and His death brought the despairing of the world comfort and rest.”

It sounds a lot like the gospel message doesn’t it? Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, stepped out of heaven, showed and taught us how to live, and then gave His life on the cross for the sins of the world.  That sacrifice gave humanity a way to escape the despairing end of sin. His death sets us free. Our mortality is not the last word. His victory over death is. And that victory is enjoyed by everyone who calls on the name of Jesus as their savior. The reward: eternal life. Jesus said:

Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28-30 ESV

That message wasn’t newly proclaimed 2000 years ago though. It was as foundational as the world itself. God, in His foreknowledge, set a plan in motion to save His creation, which wandered into desperation. Tucked away in the fifth chapter of the Bible, is the gospel message. In studying the meaning of the Hebrew names from the lineage of Adam in Genesis chapter five, we can see how God planned to rescue mankind from our own undoing. Check this out:

Hebrew English
Adam Man
Seth Appointed
Enosh Mortal
Kenan Sorrow
Mahalalel The Blessed God
Jared Shall come down
Enoch Teaching
Methuselah His death shall bring
Lamech The Despairing
Noah Rest and comfort

When you put it all together, it looks like this: Man appointed mortal sorrow; the Blessed God shall come down teaching; His death shall bring the despairing rest and comfort.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved.In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christas a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ might be to the praise of his glory. In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit,who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.

Ephesians 1:3-14 ESV

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters. Our God is so good!

The Sacrifice of a Son

~ ForCommonGround ~ 1 Comment

This is just the third post in the series on how God revealed our Messiah. We’re barely scratching the surface but today’s post will wrap up our time in the book of Genesis. Enjoy.

God is mysterious. No doubt about that. But when it comes to His plan to redeem a fallen creation, He’s made it pretty unmistakable. It would take God himself to pay the price we owe. Even in the moments following the sin of Adam and Eve, God sacrificed animals in the garden to cover their nakedness and shame.

“And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.”

Genesis‬ ‭3:21‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The animal that provided the garment for humanity was innocent. But sin equals death. And it takes life to restore life. The animal from the garden certainly didn’t remove the sin of man, nor restore them to life, but it pointed to a greater sacrifice that would. But this image in Genesis chapter three isn’t the only one that would point to the role of the Messiah. Another great foreshadowing appears in chapter 22 of the same book.

God calls on Abraham to take his son to a mountain, three days journey away, and offer him up. I know. That’s hard to swallow. But it becomes obvious that God had no intention of allowing Abraham’s son to be sacrificed because God would once again provide the sacrifice Himself.

“Then Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; I and the boy will go over there and worship and come again to you.” And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering and laid it on Isaac his son. And he took in his hand the fire and the knife. So they went both of them together. And Isaac said to his father Abraham, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” He said, “Behold, the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?” Abraham said, “God will provide for himself the lamb for a burnt offering, my son.” So they went both of them together. When they came to the place of which God had told him, Abraham built the altar there and laid the wood in order and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then Abraham reached out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy or do anything to him, for now I know that you fear God, seeing you have not withheld your son, your only son, from me.” And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him was a ram, caught in a thicket by his horns. And Abraham went and took the ram and offered it up as a burnt offering instead of his son. So Abraham called the name of that place, “The Lord will provide”; as it is said to this day, “On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided.””

Genesis‬ ‭22:5-14‬ ‭ESV

So much in this story points ahead to the Messiah. First, the picture of a son being given. Isaac wasn’t the sacrifice, only an illustration of the Son to come.

“”For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.”

John‬ ‭3:16-17‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The Messiah would have to be ‘of God’ like a son. But not like a son in the human sense. Far closer. When the Bible talks about Yeshua as the Son of God, it is saying that He is from the bosom of Yahweh. He is connected in such a way that they are inseparable. But Jesus became the physical manifestation of the invisible God. And that physical manifestation would be offered in our place.

The second picture in the story of Genesis 22 is that of the ram caught in the thicket. Another title of the Messiah is the Lamb of God. The lamb to be the provision of sacrifice provided by God Himself. In the first chapter of John, baptisms were being done by a man named John the Baptist, to prepare people for the coming of the Messiah. Upon seeing Jesus John says,

“Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

John‬ ‭1:29‬ ‭ESV‬‬

The Messiah is the Son and He is the Lamb. In both roles, He would be the sacrifice of God to save a sinful broken world. And the Lord did provide. Just as the prophecy foretold in Genesis 22. And if that’s not amazing evidence by itself, the mountain that the story takes place on is the same one on which Yeshua the Messiah would lay down His life. Nearly 2000 years later. And the wood for the altar would not be for fire but in the shape of a cross. A cross that our Messiah was nailed to. For us. For love.

Peace brothers and sisters

The ‘us and them’ mentality

~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

I was raised to think the way that I believe most Christians are taught. It’s a sad reality and something that I’m not proud of. By raised, I simply mean that it was the message portrayed through various mediums, not necessarily my family. Everything around me seemed to reinforce that belief.

I’m talking about the separation we place between the church and Israel. A divide that was never meant to exist. A wall of separation, well over a thousand years in the making. A mentality that we inherited from our forefathers. And it runs deep!

I see it in the faces of many of my Christian brothers and sisters. I hear it on the radio, in certain podcasts, in books that have been talked about. History is littered with it too. I’ve even experienced the hostility myself, as a Christian, from other Christians. Six years ago I began a journey into the heart of the Lord’s Holy Feasts, talked about in Leviticus 23 and referenced through out the entire Bible. When some people heard I was doing this, they labeled me legalistic, and worse yet, questioned whether or not I was joining a cult. Neither of these could be further from the truth. I’ve also tried to be intentional about honoring the Sabbath, where I’ve been met with nearly equal criticism.

What is it about the Old Testament that is so threatening to modern western Christianity? Even in asking that question I shudder. I know people would never admit that their disposition towards the things of Israel and the Old Testament were hostile, but it sure seems prevalent. It’s as though the Christian Church has adopted a doctrine of ‘us and them’. Or even a position of ‘then and now’. What I mean is, it is taught that the destinies of Israel and the church are different. That God has replaced the nation of Israel with the church as His chosen people. That God no longer cares about the things of the Old Testament, only the new. Has that been your experience? How did we come to this? Here are some of my thoughts.

#1-Persecution

When the church was being born during the first few centuries AD, many Christians endured unthinkable evils at the hands of the Roman Empire. It was often due to local Jewish leaders causing a fuss and turning in Christians. It was a way of redirecting persecution off of them onto a controversial minority group. Over time, a divide was erected, even among believers who were once Jewish.

#2-Marriage with Paganism

In the forth century AD, the Christian Church got an influx of pagan rituals, most of which we can see in the idolatrous symbols in some churches, and in the celebrations of Christmas and Easter (both of which were pagan holidays long before any Christian celebrated them). Over time, the mingling of ideologies and practices drew followers of Christ further and further from their roots.

#3-Antisemitism

I highly doubt that any Bible-believing Christian today would admit to being anti-Semitic, but the disposition is as prevalent in the world today as it ever has been. Unfortunately, some in the church haven’t been immune to it. Sometimes it can be so subtle that someone may be completely unaware.

#4-Unfamiliarity

As the gap between Jew and Christian widened, people lost touch with practices and teachings that were thousands of years old. Today, most people are simply Bible illiterate, especially when it comes to the Old Testament. I think with that, comes a sense of fear.

#5-Changing Culture

We are so easily influenced and informed by the culture we grow up in. It’s true for everyone. Many of the Old Testament writings were from 3000-4000 years ago. Times have changed a lot in some ways. Not so much in others. And the Old Testament requires being culturally set apart as much as the New.

I don’t believe that any of these reasons, no matter how legitimate they seem, warrant where we are today. I mean think about it. How could we ever excuse shaming and ostracizing a believer who chooses to honor what the Bible teaches? But it’s like some people honestly think that if someone follows the Biblical dietary guidelines, keeps the Sabbath, celebrates God’s Holy Feasts, Studies Hebrew, etc…that they are somehow less Christian. That doesn’t make any sense.

When Jesus came, He did so to destroy the separation between Israel and the world. Israel was not fulfilling its role as the light of the world, to draw people to God. Instead, they had more times than not, merged with the world. The merger was supposed to happen the other way around. The nations of the world were supposed to see God’s glory and goodness through the nation of Israel and be drawn. Enter Jesus. He demonstrated the teachings of the Old Testament, and the character of God, the way Israel was meant to…the way humanity was supposed to. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus brought down the wall of separation forever. He grafted (Romans 11) the nations into Israel and made us all one through faith in Him.

“Therefore remember that at one time you Gentiles in the flesh, called “the uncircumcision” by what is called the circumcision, which is made in the flesh by hands— remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

Ephesians‬ ‭2:11-22‬ ‭ESV‬‬

It is no longer us and them. It can’t be. Jesus is the bond of peoples. He isn’t the gate through the wall of separation, He’s the wrecking ball that leveled the wall to the ground. We’ve been the ones, on both sides I admit, that have been rebuilding it. We do our Savior a great disservice if we allow ourselves to fall prey to any of the aforementioned reasons for the division that exists. We cannot allow prejudices to dictate our thoughts. We are about loving God and loving others. The ‘us and them’ mentality can’t harbor love. It is not Israel and the church. It is the Children of God, through faith in Christ. And when God calls a people His, they are His forever.

I implore you, brothers and sisters, to do your part to take down the wall, one brick at a time. Don’t allow unfamiliarity, prejudices, the culture, or history to estrange you from your Hebrew roots. Be the instrument of peace and unity where you are. Together, we can turn back the tide of fear and misconceptions and walk in the path of love and humility. Along the way, maybe we’ll all be changed by the Holy Spirit.

Lineage Speaks Loudly

~ ForCommonGround ~ 2 Comments

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One of the most convincing arguments is DNA. It has been a cornerstone to our legal system for nearly 40 years. It’s revolutionized our understanding of history and relationships. There are programs now that can take a strand of our hair, or a drop of our blood, and trace our roots back to all corners of the globe. It’s absolutely incredible that we can know exactly where we came from because knowing where a person came from says a lot about them. The Messiah is no different. There are many passages throughout the Bible that establish very specific guidelines for the origins of God’s anointed one. This post will cover three of those which appear in the book of Genesis.

#1- The Lineage of Shem

He [Noah] also said, “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem; and let Canaan be his servant. May God enlarge Japheth, and let him dwell in the tents of Shem, and let Canaan be his servant.”

Genesis 9:26-27 ESV

The above scene takes place following the great flood of the earth. Trouble has already begun to surface and Noah is pronouncing prophecy in response. The Lord is described here as the God of Shem and descendants of Shem’s brothers will either be welcomed in (made a part of) or become servants of his. The Bible has done us a huge favor here because it would go on to trace the lineage of Yeshua all the way back to Shem. That’s thousands of years of precise calculation between Shem and Jesus. A breakdown is provided for us in Luke 3:23-36. Another cool aspect of this lineage is how you can spot certain people in there and then go back through the Bible and read their stories. People like King David, Zerubbabel, and Abraham.

However, there is far more than just lineage in these verses from Genesis. It says that some of the descendants of Shem’s brothers will dwell in his tent. This essentially means they will become one family down the line. The problem existed though, when over the course of thousands of years Shem’s descendants became the people of Israel, and Japheth and Canaan’s line became gentiles. Anyone who has read the Bible knows that those two group had a major rift between them. But not after Jesus came Earth! A careful read of the book of Ephesians (yes, all of it) paints a clear picture of the effect of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. It describes how the separation was torn down by the Messiah’s sacrifice. Gentiles have been “grafted in” to the line of Shem, to Israel, because of the sacrifice made by The One from Shem’s lineage, Yeshua the Messiah.

#2- The Lineage of Abraham

Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

Genesis 12:1-3 ESV

There are a couple more verses (22:18 and 28:14) similar to this in later chapters, both of which are God reasserting His promise and blessing to the line of Abraham. The nation being discussed here is not what people would most likely connect. The ‘great nation’ are all of those who become Children of God through faith in the Messiah, who comes from Abraham’s line. Thousands of years later, the Apostle Peter would stand before a crowd of thousands in Jerusalem, and pronounce that the blessing of Abraham’s line had come. He was speaking of Jesus, who had died and been raised from the dead and seen by over 500 people.

Know then that it is those of faith who are the sons of Abraham. And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand to Abraham, saying, “In you shall all the nations be blessed.” So then, those who are of faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.

Galatians 3:7-9 ESV

The Apostle Paul spoke these words to the church in Galatia to remind them of the sufficiency of Christ. That their faith in Him made them sons of Abraham. Jesus is the means by which God is blessing the great nation that fills the Earth, both Jew and Gentile. Just like in Shem’s lineage prophecy, the two have become one in Jesus. The great nation of blessing is not according to ethnicity or geography, it’s according to faith. It knows no borders. And people from all corners of the world are being blessed with salvation and hope and life because of Yeshua.

#3- The Lineage of Judah

The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet,
until tribute comes to him; and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.

Genesis 49:10 ESV

Not only is the Messiah in the line of Shem and Abraham, but also of Judah. Judah was one of Abraham’s great-grandchildren. In the verse above, Jacob (Judah’s father), is speaking a blessing over his son. The blessing turns out to be very prophetic. Take the scepter as an example. This is a symbol of power and authority which should have been his older brother’s birthright, not his. But Judah’s older brothers forfeited that right through actions that we can read about in the preceding chapters of Genesis. The right of authority then passed to Judah. Guess who is a descendant of Judah. Jesus. And the obedience of the people of faith belongs to Him.

I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, just as the Father knows me and I know the Father; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”

John 10:14-18 ESV

Jesus was anointed to live, lead, and lay down His life for the world. Through that anointing, He also had the power to raise Himself to life and received the name above all other names.

Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth,and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Philippians 2:4-11 ESV

The more specific we get in terms of lineage, the more difficult it is to meet the criteria of the Messiah. That is one of many reasons why the Bible is sure to lay out specifics like this in order to remove confusion and fraudulent claims. Just as God’s response to our mistakes was immediate and precise, so too is the groundwork He laid for us to be able to recognize who that Redeemer was. The line to Jesus was determined from the very beginning and God often used people, such as Noah and Jacob, to announce the specific course it would take. One thing we can take from this is that our God is a planning God. That plan is good and was set forth from the beginning. Through His sovereignty, the plan has carried on from generation to generation for thousands of years.  A plan that was meant to save and to bless the world…to save and bless you through Yeshua the Messiah.

Peace in Christ brothers and sisters

Enter the Messiah

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

The title Messiah means anointed one sent of God. It is one of the most cherished titles among both Jews and Christians alike. The purpose of the one who would hold this title would incorporate so many facets. The Messiah would be a redeemer, a conquering king, a servant, and both humiliated and glorified. To be the Messiah one would have to embody both God’s character and His power. The Messiah would be utterly unique and set apart from anything in existence. The Messiah was God’s mission from the very first pages of the Bible. The reason? Humanity chose a path where the only solution that a loving God could have, would be salvation. And every single human in history has needed it.

In Genesis chapter three, a sneaky new character makes an appearance: the serpent. There’s much speculation surrounding what exactly this serpent is but one thing we can agree on: it is evil and it opposes God. For that reason, most believe that it is either the Devil himself, or him embodied in a reptilian creature of some sort. Regardless of which it is, this serpent is Satan, which means God’s adversary. We can make this claim because of what he does in one short chapter. He deceived Adam and Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit. It is this free will choice that makes salvation for humanity a necessity of love. I insert the ‘love’ in there because a detached god would simply allow humanity to pine away in their misery and offer no possible escape. But Yahweh (God) cannot. His character demands pursuit and a passionate commitment to His creation. Enter the Messiah.

Genesis chapter three contains both the fall of man and the redemption of God. The response of God to our tragic mistake is swift and powerful. In Genesis 3:14-15 God announces that the serpent is cursed and that:

I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.

Genesis‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭ESV‬‬

This one verse says so much about the Messiah and introduces us to who exactly that Messiah is. Let’s break it down. The seed of the woman shall deal a fatal blow to the serpent…the adversary…Satan. The blow to his head would render him ineffective and useless. The reference here to just the woman is the first place where the Messiah is mentioned to be born of a virgin. Otherwise, he would belong to the seed of both the man and woman. But that is not what the Bible says. Nearly 2000 years ago, Yeshua (Jesus) became the only person in history to be born of a virgin (Matthew 1:18 and Galatian 4:4-5). This is just the first of many prophecies that reveal Yeshua as the Messiah of God’s redemptive plan. He also fit the second criteria by fatally wounding the deceiver of mankind. The blow that Yeshua dealt by dying on the cross, was, in fact, fatal and the serpent has been suffering from its wounds ever since. Eventually to succumb to those wounds and to die a painful death that never ends. The consequences of Adam and Eve’s sin were destroyed for everyone who believes in Jesus (Hebrews 2:14-15). This blow came at a great cost though. Genesis 3 said that the seed’s (Messiah’s) heal would be bruised by the serpent. A picture of suffering. Just read Matthew 26 and 27. To get a picture of Jesus’ suffering. It was the price of our sin that caused that suffering for the Messiah. A theme that will resurface over and over.

And there remains a final blow yet to be dealt. This will happen when the serpent is cast into utter darkness for good at the second coming of the Messiah (Revelation 20:7-10). This is a day when it is said that Jesus will return as conquering King to reclaim, once and for all, His creation. A day in the future, only known by God himself. A day when life will flourish and the stain of humanity’s error is removed. Praise Jesus for His victory now and His victory then. The serpent’s days are finished.

‬‬“Death is swallowed up in victory.”
 “O death, where is your victory?
  O death, where is your sting?

1 Corinthians 15:55 ESV

Messiah Revealed

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

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Then He said to them, “These are My words which I spoke to you while I was still with you—everything written concerning Me in the Torah of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms must be fulfilled.

Luke 24:44-45 (TLV)

I’m so excited to announce the upcoming series that I will be launching in September. It’ll be a journey through the Old Testament, book by book, highlighting prophecies fulfilled in the person of Yeshua (Jesus) at His first coming. A few posts ago, I wrote about how Christians can claim that their faith is the one true belief system. One of my points included how Jesus, unlike any other religious figure, proved that He was who He claimed to be through miracles and by fulfilling prophecy. Revelation 19:10 says, “Worship God! For it is the Spirit of prophecy who bears testimony to Jesus.” That testimony is the root of this series. I hope that this series deepens your faith and assurance that Yeshua is and always has been, the center of hope and life. The story of the Bible has always had the same main character. Let’s read that story together.

You study the Scriptures diligently because you think that in them you have eternal life. These are the very Scriptures that testify about me…

John 5:39 (NIV)

Which is really blind faith?

~ ForCommonGround ~ Leave a comment

not-everyone-is-blindI really struggle with how much evolution is plugged into our society today. Not because I have a problem with science. I love science. God created science. Yet our public schools are presenting theories as truth which has either been disproved or has no factual evidence to justify it. I’m not going to pretend that I am an expert. I’m far from it. But it doesn’t take an expert to see the major gaps in what is being taught, not just in schools, but in media as well. Of course, I am biased. I am a Bible believing, Jesus loving, Christian. That’s because Jesus has changed my life, God has shown me my value as His child, and the Bible is the most reliable source I know. Even without that bias, I would find evolution wanting on so many levels. I have felt for some time now that I need to share what I’ve found in my journey to understand origins and meaning. I would like to think that I would never be opposed to something that is true. For that reason, I don’t believe things blindly. Here is a simple, not exhaustive, list of why the theory of evolution would require just that…blind faith.

Evolution does not provide for origins of the so-called single-celled organism that can, all of a sudden, know how to replicate and create new species.

There is no proof of macroevolution ever taking place at any point in history. Macroevolution is based on the “creation” and “introduction” of new novelties of biological chemistry which is impossible without outside involvement. Hence a designer.

There are zero “missing links” in the fossil record showing the transition from one species to another.

Evolution, by definition, is based on the creation of a new kind of species from genetic information that never existed beforehand. That has never happened, been observed, or reproduced.

Paleontologists have based much of their theory on “cavemen” from partial skeletons, teeth, bones, etc…and filled in assumptions.

Humans have 1400 novel genes that apes do not. There is no possible way we are related.

Evolution cannot explain the existence of two sexes.

Radioisotope dating cannot be accurate without knowing how much radioactive material was in the rock when it formed. Since none of us were around when the Earth was made, that is impossible to know. Carbon dating is based on faulty assumptions as well.

Ernst Haeckel’s drawings of embryos (which are still in public textbooks) have been proven as fake. They were doctored to look similar.

The universe must have a beginning but evolution makes no explanation of that.

Evolution is based on organisms propagating its own design, which is impossible with sexual reproduction due to the sharing of genes between mates and the existence of recessive genes.

All mutations known to man have had no positive effect. Therefore, evolutionary mutation cannot lead to any new or improved species. In fact, it has been proven that genetically, species regress not progress. That means, as things change over time, there is actually a loss, not a gain. (Yes, that means we are actually not as smart as the first humans. That’s another hit on the caveman theory.)

Bacteria mutate, and so do fruit flies. But never have they ever changed to anything but bacteria and fruit flies.

There has never been any shifting of shapes in the fossil record, therefore no evidence of change occurring.

Evolution violates the second law of thermodynamics which states that things start out concentrated and spread out over time. The natural process bends towards equilibrium and disorder, which is the opposite of what evolution presents.

Evolution also violates the law of Biogenesis which states that life only comes from life.

This is only a taste of the holes in the evolutionary theory, which has changed so many times to try and cover faulty science. Assumptions and theorizing aside, everything we know about science points to intelligent design. The natural world, space, our bodies, everything is screaming creation. In Luke 19 Jesus said that even if we stay silent, the very rocks will cry out in praise of Him. Psalm 19 says that the heavens declare the glory of God. In Romans one, it says that since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities–his eternal power and divine nature–have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made. I am not a Bible-believing Christian despite science. Science has only gone so far as to further the evidence that what the Bible teaches is the reality.

The Bible tells us that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. We aren’t accidents. We aren’t the product of mutations and biological improbabilities. And we certainly aren’t related to monkeys. You, dear reader, hold God’s affection. He made you for a purpose. You have a place in this story and your life matters. Evolution would tell you the exact opposite, without reason, and without proof. There is a God, and He loves you more than you could ever know.

For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago.

Ephesians 2:10 (NLT)