Yeshua the Messiah (The Lord Jesus Christ)
Even eternity will not suffice to fully appreciate the personage and character
of Yeshua the Messiah. Consequently in this short lesson we will seek to
understand his immeasurable worth by considering just a few of the metaphors
and parables which the Bible uses to declare him. And as we do this we will
pray that the Holy Spirit of Yahweh will not only enlighten us as to the worth
of His Son Emmanuel, but will also lift us to higher levels of Christian
experience than we have hitherto thought possible.
Throughout this course readers will notice that we often use the
Saviour's Hebrew name YESHUA. We also use the name Jesus, which is the
popular Greek rendering of the Saviour's Hebrew name. We trust that students
will understand that in every instance, whether we use Yeshua, Yahshua, Jesus,
Emmanuel, the Master, the Saviour, I AM, the Logos etc. we are referring to the only begotten
Son of the Almighty God, to the One who died for the sins of the world on
Calvary. Further information see Sacred Names. With that thought in mind let us continue.
- To begin with JESUS IS THE ONLY BEGOTTEN SON OF GOD.
That is, he came forth or issued from God the Father, and is therefore God the
Son. He is not just a good man or a great thinker. He is the Almighty's Son and is therefore God!
(Luke 1:35, Matthew 3:17, Matthew 16:16, 1 John 4:15)
- JESUS IS THE 'LIVING WORD' OF YAHWEH, the Logos, the Spokesman, the Ambassador, the
Representative of the Almighty. But he did not merely present an audible
message about his Father and His work. He did far more than that. He was and
still is the visible expression of Yahweh's will, a living demonstration of
how the Most High wants mankind to live.
(Malachi 3:1, John 1:1, Hebrews 1:1-3)
- JESUS IS THE LAWGIVER of the past, the Advocate of the present and he will
be the Judge on the future Day of Judgement (See 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)
- JESUS IS THE HIGH PRIEST of the Melchisedec Order, the only valid spiritual
link between the Father and mankind. What's more, he will always be the High
Priest of that eternal order and will live forever to make intercession for us.
(Hebrews 5:6-10)
- JESUS IS THE LAMB OF GOD, the innocent victim of sin, the one and only
sin-offering the Father is unable to refuse. The merits of his amazing
sacrifice will always gain access to the heart of God, and the sinner would do
well to remember this great truth when seeking pardon from the Almighty.
(John 1:29-36, Acts 8:32)
- JESUS IS THE CREATOR of the visible and invisible universe; the one who
brought the Father's designs into existence. The Most High was the architect of
the creation, but His Son Yeshua was the builder. Indeed there is no created
thing in all heaven or earth that was not brought into being by Emmanuel the Son.
(John 1:3, Hebrews 1:2, Psalm 33:6-9)
- JESUS IS THE AUTHOR AND FINISHER OF THE FAITH, the Alpha and the Omega, the
First and the Last. In other words besides being the creator of the physical
universe, he is also the Master builder of Yahweh's spiritual creation - the
CHURCH! And just as Eve was taken from Adam's body, in like manner the
Saviour is himself the source from which the Church is fashioned and formed; a
church which will one day be presented to him as a bride.
(Hebrews 5:9, Hebrews 12:2, Revelation 1:11, Rev 21:2-4)
- JESUS IS THE SAVIOUR of mankind, the Redeemer, the Debt payer, the Kinsman
or "next of kin" of every man, woman and child this earth has ever known.
What's more he is able and willing to save to the uttermost all those who come
unto him by faith.
(Matthew 1:21, John 3:16, Acts 4:12, Acts 16:30-31)
- JESUS IS THE BAPTIZER, the Cleanser, the Smelter and Refiner of precious
souls and the Purifier of corrupt and filthy hearts. In fact his paramount
desire is to purge his followers and make them pure and presentable to his
Father.
(Malachi 3:2-3, John1:33)
- JESUS IS THE HEALER, the great Physician, the Restorer of diseased bodies
and minds, the balm of Gilead and the eye salve of the mind. Indeed he can and
does still heal the sick, cleanse the leper and raise the dead, both in the
physical and spiritual sense.
(Acts 10:38, Exodus 15:26, Psalm 147:3)
- JESUS IS THE SUSTAINER OF LIFE, the true Manna and the Bread of Heaven,
the Water of Life, the Vine and Wine of God. Consequently any individual,
institution or government which departs from the standards Yahweh gave to the
universe through His Son Jesus will sooner or later end in ruin.
(John 6:48-51, 1 Corinthians 10:4)
- JESUS IS THE PRIZE, the Goal, the Reward, the Pearl of Great Price. But his
worth can only be truly appreciated by those who know him; and even that will
take all eternity.
(Matthew 13:45-46, Philippians 3:14)
- JESUS IS THE WAY, the Route, the Light and the Destination for all those
who are desperately searching for direction and purpose in life; and who are
perhaps going around in meaningless circles.
(John 14:6, Psalm 27:1)
- JESUS IS THE SHELTER, the Hiding Place, the Cleft Rock, the Fortress, the
City of Refuge to which fleeing spiritual fugitives may escape from the vicious
onslaught of the Devil.
(Psalm 61:2, Psalm 62:2, Psalm 94:22)
- JESUS IS THE CHAMPION, the Mighty One of Israel, the Captain of the Armies
of the Lord of Hosts. And he says to the faint hearted, "Fear Not."
(Isaiah 1:24, Luke 12:32, John 14:27)
- JESUS IS THE GREAT PROPHET, the Seer, the All-knowing One, the "One like
unto Moses," the one who speaks with Yahweh face to face and to whom the
future is as well known as the past. He is the Word of the Lord that
enlightened all the prophets of truth from the days of Enoch to this present
time.
(Deuteronomy 18:18-19, Matthew 21:11, Luke 7:16, John 6:14)
- JESUS IS THE TEACHER, the Good Master, the Chief Rabbi of Yahweh's Church and he
says to all who seek true knowledge: "Learn of me."
(John 3:1-2)
- JESUS IS THE SERVANT OF MANKIND and with astonishing humility and power he
manifests that strange divine principle where "he who is the greatest among men
is the servant of all". Not that Yeshua is some kind of reluctant unpaid
menial, but rather that he is a ministering being whose supreme goal is to
benefit the universe; the universe which he made, and for which he gave his
life.
(Matthew 12:18, Philippians 2:7)
- JESUS IS THE COUNSELLOR, the Adviser, the Divine Consultant and the very
Wisdom of God. He is the One who is wiser than Solomon and ringing down the
ages comes the invitation to the world's ignorant masses. "If anyone lacks
wisdom let him ask of God. Ask and ye shall receive."
(Matthew 7:7-11, Isaiah 9:6, James 1:5)
- JESUS IS THE HUSBANDMAN, the Vinedresser, the Gardener of Paradise and his
constant concern is to produce fruit in every season, the fruit of joyful
holiness and praise in all of his myriad charges.
(James 5:7, John 15:4-8)
- JESUS IS THE BEST FRIEND, the Constant Companion, the "one who sticketh
closer than a brother" and he says to all his followers (and especially the
lonely ones) "Lo I am with you always, even unto the end of the world."
(Proverbs 18:24, John 15:13-15, Matthew 28:19-20)
It would be true to add that Yeshua the Messiah is infinitely greater than all
the realities of which these earthly allegories tell. But till such time as we
ourselves are glorified and actually see him, we will have to be content with
what we can learn about Jesus from the Holy Scriptures and from our present
limited experience. Nevertheless we have this absolute assurance that there
lies in store for every believer an endless measure of joyful fellowship and
communion with Yeshua which no pen can possibly describe and no human mind can
properly imagine. And it is with this kind of holy expectation and faith that
we of 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.
Author: David B Loughran
Stewarton Bible School, Stewarton, Scotland
August 1998
URL: http://www.rmplc.co.uk/eduweb/sites/sbs777/course/lesson8.html