Give Now!

 

 

One of the keys to being truly successful in life is to see the end from the beginning. Living with a purpose a destiny shapes everything that occurs. We go from being a wandering generality to becoming committed to a specific outcome. Vision determines choices. 

“Then You spoke in a vision to Your holy one and said: "I have given help to one who is mighty; I have exalted one chosen from the people. I have found My servant David; With My holy oil I have anointed him, With whom My hand shall be established; Also, My arm shall strengthen him.” (Psa 89:19-21, NKJV)

God begins with vision, with an end in mind and then releases resources for that accomplishment. The anointing is released towards the vision given.

God began creation with the death of Yeshua. He was slain from the foundation of the world. This means that His death was intrinsic to Torah, the way things work. Since we likewise all will die one day, that death is intrinsic to our purpose in life. 

“All who dwell on the earth will worship him, whose names have not been written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.” (Rev 13:8, NKJV)

I know people don’t like talking about or facing their own mortality but all that does is create an environment of the fear of death. The fear of death puts us in the power of the fallen one, the devil.

“Inasmuch then as the children have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” (Heb 2:14-15, NKJV)

The single most cause of bondage is the fear of death. It is for this reason and others that God built the death of Yeshua into the foundation of the universe He created. Think about that for a moment. The death of the Son of God is foundational to reality. It is a plumb line that aligns all of the reality. It is the power source for all freedom related specifically to death, the appearance of the end of things. 

This freedom is hard coded into reality. It isn’t just that we choose to believe in Yeshua. It is more profound than religious affiliation. It is reality alignment. It is this way from the beginning of everything.

The Apostle John spoke of this reality in this fashion:

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” (Jhn 1:1-5, NKJV)

The Word, in Greek Logos, was with God and also was God and existed as Himself. In bereshit, Yeshua was and is and will always be the creative acts of God. John says, “all things were made through Him”. How? Most theologians say by God speaking. This is certainly borne out by the scripture account. Yet what is the direction of the speaking? John says the direction is life which becomes the light of men. This light shines in the darkness that was present, the tohu b’vohu, the chaos surrounding us which has intelligence, is evil in its intent and incapable of comprehending the light.

Now I know this sounds very deep and in some ways it is. I think that one of the keys to understand this is in the first word of the scripture bereshit. Let’s look at some slides to help us see this reality, the foundation stone.

The first letter in this verse is the Hebrew letter "bet"; its symbol is that of a tent and it symbolically means "house" as well as "in". When this letter is connected to other Hebrew words it means "in". As we spoke about last session with respect to trust, betach, this is an invitation to covenant a proposal if you will. God, Abba invites us into His reality, and it is our role to accept that invitation and become His child. In natural childbirth there is no choosing. We do not choose our parents or their reality as the new agers would have us believe. No! But in our new birth it is choice that defines us eternally.

Next, we look at the first 2 letters together which is the Hebrew word “bar” which means the Son as in bar mitzvah, the son of the commandments. The letters paint the picture of an invitation into the mind of God, or alternatively that our house would be led by His thoughts. The Son of God is the one who has the mind of God and is His representation in the earth. We become this reality when we receive Yeshua as our Lord. 

“Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, 'Show us the Father'? Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.” (Jhn 14:9-10, NKJV)

The third letter in this word is the Hebrew letter "aleph" which is the first letter of the alephbet and it has an ox head for its symbol. This letter stands for strength or might and as it is the first letter is also referring to leadership. The numerical value of this letter being the first letter is 1 and as mentioned before this letter represents God. It is also the first letter in many of the various Biblical Hebrew words for God, such as Elohim, Adonai, El, Eh-yeh etc. Deut. 6:4 tells us the "Lord is one" this directly works with this letter representing God as it's numerical value also is 1. So then the first three letters of this verse, the first three letters of the Bible reveal to the reader the "son of God". So God is the first letter of the Hebrew Alephbet and the"son", Jesus is the first word in the Bible. In fact the word "son" referring to Jesus is the first thing in the Hebrew "in beginning". this realization is amazing in light of what we are told in the New testament in John 1. In John 1:1 we literally read in the Greek "in beginning" (once again in the literal translation of the Greek the definite article "the" is not there) "was the word". Then In verse 14 the word becomes flesh and Jesus is revealed as "the word" that is "in beginning". And now we can make the connection and see that literally there is a word not only in the beginning of the Bible, but in the very word "in beginning" and that word is God's son, Jesus!

And if that isn't enough and you didn't get it, Jesus is symbolically also the second word of the Bible, "bara". In the Hebrew things are repeated in order to express their importance. Jesus is repeated in the first and second word of the Bible to express His importance in God's plan and purpose of this creation. Note: "bara" literally means "to fatten up" or "to fill up" in Hebrew but it is translated as "created" in the English.

The next letter is the letter “shin”, which is the picture of teeth. This means the destruction of something or someone. In this case it is telling us that the destruction is of the creator Himself as the Son. 

Why is that? Well, we know it is for sin. But what is sin? Isn’t sin when we choose to exercise our freedom to choose and sell our souls to the devil? I mean we may not make a literal choice to that end but when we serve the fear of death which is an illusion, we live to survive rather than from the place of eternal life. This is the true role of death. Its role is to give contrast to life. Think of it in your own life when you have “lost” someone of something of value. You grieve the loss which is really the acknowledgement of life. Death reveals life. Death causes us to value life.

Yeshua said: “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the ground and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it produces much grain. He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life.” (Jhn 12:24-25, NKJV)

You see love is God. Not just that God is love, but that any god is who we love. If money is our god then it is where our heart is. If the fear of death is our god, then it rules all we do. If the Eternal God is our God then that perspective rules our life. 

In this verse Yeshua is telling us that the love of our mortal life will keep us from eternal life. As He died to set us free from death, when we embrace His destruction then we are recreated into eternal sons and daughters.

Let’s continue. The next letter is the “yod” which is the symbol for the hand or the arm which means the source of the action. In the case of Yeshua it was God Himself who provided the sacrifice. No one is responsible for Yeshua’s death but God alone. He loved the world and gave His own Son to be destroyed because of that love.

Finally, we have the last letter the tav which is the symbol for the cross. The X that marks the place for the signature of God. God began creation with the crucifixion eons before man had yet to create it. He planned for the death of the Son to bring forth the many sons and daughters and wrote it into the first word of the Bible.

Yeshua was slain from the foundation, the first word of the Bible. Death is intrinsic to life. His death is the most powerful release of life.

Activation: As the world celebrates the birth of Yeshua let’s celebrate the real purpose to free us from the fear of death. Ask the Lord in the coming year to release you from any gods in your life that keep us from living as eternal beings. Ask God to free you from the sting of death. It has no power over you unless you give it power.

 

 

To listen to the audio-only version click below 

 

 

The Spring feasts of the Lord begin the cycle of the Lord’s covenant love affair with His people. These times, mo-edim, are divine appointments that celebrate the chesed, or the loving-kindness of the Lord for His people. The symbolic act of celebration is the drinking of wine which represents the joy of love.

“Go then, eat your bread in happiness, and drink your wine with a cheerful heart; for God has already approved your works.” (Ecclesiastes 9:7)

Wine is used in a celebration of a victory!

““And I will strengthen the house of Judah, And I will save the house of Joseph, And I will bring them back, Because I have had compassion on them; And they will be as though I had not rejected them, For I am the LORD their God and I will answer them. “Ephraim will be like a warrior, and their heart will be joyful as if from wine; Indeed, their children will see it and be joyful, their heart will rejoice in the LORD.” (Zechariah 10:6-7)

Passover is the Feast that remembers the Lord’s deliverance of Israel from Egyptian bondage and is fulfilled in Yeshua, as the Passover Lamb delivering us from that same bondage to the systems of the world.

“The next day he *saw Jesus coming to him, and *said, “Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29)

During the Passover Seder, four cups of wine are drunken and I want to look at the message of deliverance as a template for our walk as Believers that was prefigured in the deliverance from Egypt.

“Therefore say to the children of Israel: 'I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.” (Exodus 6:6-7)

First cup: The “bring you out from under the burden” cup.

• Two key Hebrew word roots
• Yatzah- To exit
• Saval- Suffering, patience

• God exited Israel from the burdens or the sufferings of Egypt. Egypt represents the kingdom of the world that has forgotten the Joseph anointing that is the reason for their prosperity and has decided that the source of that blessing needs to be oppressed.

• Today, we see the same phenomenon at play in our world. The world has forgotten that the blessing comes from the Lord and His anointed. The world has convinced itself that it is man and technology that has produced a good society. The necessary morality and people treating people correctly has been traded centralized controls and technology chains of slavery. What we think has made life easier through social media and public policies has generated a censorship and oppression the likes of which is of unprecedented proportions.

• The good news in all of this is that while we live in his present darkness, we are not of it. God has delivered us out of the kingdom of darkness into His light.
• “for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord; walk as children of light” (Ephesians 5:8)

• So we celebrate with first cup our exit from the burdens of this world as Israel was brought out from the burdens, the suffering of Egypt.

Cup 2: The Cup of Rescue/Deliverance- I will rescue you from their bondage

• The Hebrew words are:
• Natzal- to snatch away, to plunder, to deliver, rescue
• Avad- Works, bondage to performance

• Rescue. God is the ultimate stealth rescue agent from a system of works, performance-based bondage. This system is labelled by Yeshua as mammon. In Egypt it was the slavery of performance under the yoke of the taskmasters. This is the bondage of a system that determines what the measurements of success are.

• In ancient Egypt, they controlled Israel through the tasks they set. At one point they even removed the straw necessary to succeed at making the bricks.

• “So the taskmasters of the people and their foremen went out and spoke to the people, saying, “This is what Pharaoh says: ‘I am not going to give you any straw. ‘You go, get straw for yourselves wherever you can find it; but none of your labor will be reduced.’” So the people scattered through all the land of Egypt to gather stubble for straw. And the taskmasters pressed them, saying, “Complete your work quota, your daily amount, just as when you had straw.”” (Exodus 5:10-13)

• Today’s straw looks like vaccine passports, masks, shots, shut downs, price increases, supply shortages and the pressures to conform. Performance determines worth in this system as in ancient Egypt.

• To God, this is answered by His speaking of our worth regardless of what the Pharaoh’s of today declare:
•  “More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them mere rubbish, so that I may gain Christ,” (Philippians 3:8)

• Let’s celebrate our worth with the second cup!

Cup 3: The Cup of Redemption: and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments.

• Hebrew Words:
• Gal: Redeemer, Roll away reproach
• Zarah Nat: Arm or Power Stretched Out
• Mishpat Gadal, Judgments with great importance.

• Redemption is a statement of love. God loved Israel so much that He judged Egypt with great judgments that reached into Egypt and rolled away the shame and reproach of slavery. These are the plagues that come to those who oppress God’s beloved. The greatest of these was the slaying of the first-born.

• Revelations chapter 16 tells of the bowls of wrath that are coming upon those who persecute God’s beloved. In the middle of the chapter in the defining verse:
• “And I heard the angel of the waters saying: "You are righteous, O Lord, The One who is and who was and who is to be, Because You have judged these things. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, And You have given them blood to drink. For it is their just due."” (Revelation 16:5-6)

• As the days darken, we can celebrate with the third cup because we know that our redemption is secure
• “Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near."” (Luke 21:28)

Cup 4: The cup of betrothal, being taken: I will take you as My people, and I will be your God

• Hebrew Words:
• Lakach- to be literally taken, to take by the hand, the marriage ceremony, who takes this woman?
• Hayah Elohim- Eternal be your God.

• God declares that He takes us by His hand and receives us as His eternal bride. This is depth of covenant ownership that is total and one of identity. He gives us a new name, His name and He takes us into His eternal dwelling place.
• “"He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches. To him who overcomes I will give some of the hidden manna to eat. And I will give him a white stone, and on the stone a new name written which no one knows except him who receives it." '” (Revelation 2:17)
• “He who overcomes, I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God, and he shall go out no more. I will write on him the name of My God and the name of the city of My God, the New Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from My God. And I will write on him My new name.” (Revelation 3:12)

• Israel had the destiny of the Land of Promise
• “And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.' "” (Exodus 6:8)

• Our destiny is the entire earth, the new heaven and earth.
• Let’s drink the fourth cup to celebrate the marriage of our lives to Him.
• “Then he said to me, "Write: 'Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!' " And he said to me, "These are the true sayings of God."” (Revelation 19:9)

Activation: This week as you celebrate the Lord’s Passover and the victory of our resurrected Lord, give thanks and joyfully mediate on the gratitude you experience for the fourfold experience of God’s Passover in your life! Maybe journal how the Lord has manifested in each of these 4 areas: coming out released, being rescued, redemption, and rejoicing as the bride.