Stewarton Bible School

SBS   Course   Lesson 8

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.

  1. 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)

  2. 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)

  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 Lesson 7). 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)

  4. 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)

  5. 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)

  6. 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)

  7. 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)

  8. 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)

  9. 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)

  10. 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)

  11. 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)

  12. 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)

  13. 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)

  14. 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)

  15. 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)

  16. 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)

  17. 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)

  18. 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)

  19. 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)

  20. 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)

  21. 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 the Stewarton Bible School 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.

Lesson 7 Lesson 9

SBS   Course


Author: David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland
August 1998
URL: http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/sbs777/course/lesson8.html