Lifting The Veil -- Introduction Series

There are many pictures of Mt Taranaki in NZ it looked beautiful. It may be difficult for one to see it for oneself as it is generally covered in clouds. When the clouds are removed the sight of the mountain takes one’s breath away.

Many know a lot about the Lord and they enjoy His beauty from the description in the word. But when the veil is removed and we see him face to face it is glorious! His glory is beyond the description of mere words!

One way to remove the veil is to gain a deeper understanding of his words.

Idioms are a part of every culture and we gain better insights by getting a fuller picture

Examples in our culture:

“She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.”

“You are pulling my leg.”

“It is raining cats and dogs.”

Imagine not knowing the meaning of these phrases and reading a literal translation in a foreign language!

Here is the problem we face:

Jerome (4th Century) and some ancient Church Fathers said that there was a Hebrew gospel (Matthew’s original language) – Yeshua (Jesus) spoke in Hebrew when he taught and originally it was written in Hebrew and then translated into Greek and eventually translated into English.

Along the translation line, we lose meaning of the text

This lesson will lay some foundations for a study of some of the hard-to-understand idioms in the NT

60 When many of his disciples heard it, they said, "This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?" 61But Jesus, knowing in himself that his disciples were grumbling about this, said to them, "Do you take offense at this? 62Then what if you were to see the Son of Man ascending to where he was before? 63 It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh is no help at all. The words that I have spoken to you are spirit and life. John 6.60-63

In 1589 Galileo became professor of Mathematics at Pisa. It was Galileo who proved that light objects dropped from a height would hit the ground at exactly the same time as a heavier weight dropped at the same time, from the same height.

In 1609 Galileo used his skill to improve on the spyglass, and created the telescope. Later that year he became the first person to study the surface of the moon using a telescope.

As Galileo continued studying the moon, Saturn, Venus and the sun he observed that Copernicus’s theory that the earth, and all the other planets revolved around the sun, and not the other way around as most believed.

This observation shook the established church and their belief that earth, and humanity, were at the center of creation. The church called Galileo’s theory heresy. After a trial, Galileo was sentenced to life imprisonment.

Because of his age and poor health he was eventually allowed to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest. He died 9 years later.

Galileo’s contribution to humanity, was more than his discoveries, but his persistence to teach truth in the face of adversity and great personal costs.

Apply to Yeshua (Jesus) – OUR Teacher of Truth

I. Yeshua (Jesus) Was Consumed with the Words of God

A. As God, He Was the Word (John 1.1-5; 14)

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not anything made that was made. 4 In him was life, and the life was the light of men. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

14And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

1. Creator

God is sitting in heaven when a scientist prays to Him, "God, we don’t need you anymore. Science has finally figured out a way to create life out of nothing. In other words, we can now do what you did in the beginning."

"Oh, is that so? Tell me..." replies God.

"Well," says the scientist, "we can take dirt and form it into the likeness of you and breathe life into it, thus creating man."

"Well, that’s interesting...show Me." So the scientist bends down to the earth and starts to mold the soil.

"No, no, no..." interrupts God, "Get your own dirt."

Colossians 1:16-17: “For by him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him. He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.” Jesus is both the creator and sustainer of all things.