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.
2. Incarnate
There is a story about how the Lewis and Clark Caverns north of Yellowstone National Park were discovered. As the story goes, one of the original explorers was walking along the top of that mountain and fell through a hole, and he dropped down several hundred feet into this cavern and was stuck in almost total darkness for over a week, no food, no water. He cried out every day, “Help me!” Hoping that somebody would hear his voice and figure out that he was down there. Sure enough a guy came along and heard this faint sound and looked around and found the hole. They dug him out and that’s how they found this giant cavern. They asked him, “How did you hold on to hope day after day after day in the dark without giving up?” He said, “There was one little pinhole ray of light that was coming through and I just kept focused on that ray of light.”
A light shining in the darkness has a way of drawing our attention. In the midst of darkness it has a way of giving hope.
3. Some deny his deity – “I want the God of Yeshua, not Yeshua to be God.”
B. Yet, He Chose to Learn as We Learn
A man named Al Smith was a presidential candidate in 1928. Surely you remember him? Al Smith was making a speech when a heckler in the audience yelled, “Tell ‘em what’s on your mind, Al. It won’t take long.” Smith grinned, pointed at the man and shouted back, “Stand up, partner, and I’ll tell ‘em what’s on both our minds. IT WON’T TAKE ANY LONGER.” What’s on your mind? Hopefully, the Lord is on your mind every day.
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2.5-8)
1. An Area of Obedience – Joshua 1.8-9
8This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success. 9Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go."
A Roman Centurion was instructed to deliver a message by his commanding officer. In order to deliver that message, he had to go through some dangerous territory. Now, one of the soldiers approached him and said, “Sir, if you try to deliver this message, you could be killed.” The centurion looked at the young man and he said, “Soldier, it’s not necessary for me to live. It’s only necessary for me to obey.”
2. The Word of God is Practical as well as inspiring -- The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge; fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1.7
We develop a humble spirit via the words of Yeshua (Jesus)
Ronald Reagan, recalling an occasion when he was governor of California and made a speech in Mexico City: "After I had finished speaking, I sat down to rather unenthusiastic applause, and I was a little embarrassed. The speaker who followed me spoke in Spanish -- which I didn’t understand -- and he was being applauded about every paragraph. To hide my embarrassment, I started clapping before everyone else and longer than anyone else until our ambassador leaned over and said, ’I wouldn’t do that if I were you. He’s interpreting your speech.’"
Yeshua (Jesus) was humble enough to obey God
3. Practical Settings for the Word:
a. City on a Hill
b. Salt of the Earth
c. Lamp on a Stand
d. Bread of life
e. Living water
4. Yeshua (Jesus) was not a modern preacher – average sermon 2 minutes
5. His life was a sermon
C. He Lived the Word of God
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)
"For this commandment that I command you today is not too hard for you, neither is it far off. 12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, 'Who will ascend to heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' 13Neither is it beyond the sea, that you should say, 'Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?' 14But the word is very near you. It is in your mouth and in your heart, so that you can do it.” Deuteronomy 30.11-14
613 Opportunities to Obey God (365/248)
A missionary translator was endeavoring to find a word for “obedience” in the native language. As he returned home from the village one day, he whistled for his dog and it came running at full speed. An old native, seeing this, said admiringly in the native tongue. “Your dog is all ear.” Immediately the missionary knew he had his word for obedience.
Examples:
Passover – Luke 2
Answers in Temptations:
Matthew 4.4— Deuteronomy 8.3
"It is written, "'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.'"
Matthew 4.7 – Deuteronomy 6.16; Isaiah 7.12
"Again it is written, 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"
Matthew 4.10 – Deuteronomy 6.13; 1 Samuel 7.3
"Be gone, Satan! For it is written, "'You shall worship the Lord your God
and him only shall you serve.'"
Teaching Disciples in Emmaus – Luke 24.25-27
25And he said to them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?" 27And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.
Every Action of Yeshua (Jesus) centered on the Word of God
Every Word Yeshua (Jesus) centered on the Word of God
WE can either center our lives on the word of God or we will focus on ourselves
In Greenville, Mississippi, a radar device set up in a speed zone quickly caught three persons. The first was the Mayor. He paid a fine and commented, “The only way to avoid fines is not to speed.” The second person arrested was a policeman. The third was a local disc jockey, who went to his radio station and broadcast the location of the speed zone.
That disc jockey was bound and determined to get revenge for the speeding ticket he got. Revenge is just another way of saying, “I will do my own thing.”
All of us are guilty of doing our own thing in life. We often do our own thing at work, out shopping, while socializing, at almost everything we do.
J. Hudson Taylor, founder of the China Inland Mission once said, “The greatest mission in the world is SUBMISSION.”
Yeshua (Jesus) submitted to his Father and shows us how to as well.
