Redemptive Names of God in Christ - 2 (SUNDAY MORNING Dec 29, 2024)

God’s redemptive names are fulfilled in Christ!

He Himself is our peace, our righteousness, our sanctification, and our ever present God.

We are continuing our study on the redemptive names of God in Christ. In the previous session we looked at the following names of God:

• Jehovah Rohi - The LORD is our Shepherd

• Jehovah Rapha - The LORD our Healer

• Jehovah Nissi - The LORD our banner of victory

• Jehovah Jireh - The LORD our Provider

We are going to be looking at 4 more names of God.

5 - JEHOVAH SHALOM - THE LORD MY PEACE

The book of Judges in the Bible records the time in Israel's history after the time of Moses and before the time of the kings in the Bible. This period is characterized by a constant cycle:

• The people of Israel rebel against God

• God allows them to be oppressed by foreign enemies

• God raises a judge

• God delivers them from the oppressors

At a time like that, Israel was oppressed by the Midianites, who were so numerous and came with an uncountable number of camels. They would ravage Israel and leave no crops, no produce, no food in all the land. At a time like that, Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to perhaps hide a little food from the marauding Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him and called him, "O valiant warrior. The Lord is with you." The salutation was strange; Gideon was hiding and was not showing a lot of valor. And Gideon objected, saying that if the Lord was with Israel, they wouldn't be so oppressed. The Angel of the Lord comforted Gideon and promised to deliver Israel using him. When Gideon offered an offering of food to the Angel, the Angel consumed the offering by sending fire, an indication that the Angel was a revelation of God, because only God accepts worship. Gideon built an altar unto the Lord and worshipped God.

“Then Gideon built an altar there unto the LORD, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites.”

Judges 6:24

This revelation of God is also fulfilled in Christ. Christ not only brought peace vertically between man and God, but also horizontally between man and fellow men.

"Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," 

Rom 5:1

“For He Himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier of the dividing wall,”

Ephesians 2:14

“For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace.”

Isaiah 9:6 NASB1995

In Gideon's weakness, God promised to use him, for His strength is made perfect in weakness. Also, it is heartening to note that God doesn’t look at Gideon’s current condition, but at what God is able to make him through His power to fulfill His purpose. Hallelujah!

6 - JEHOVAH TSIDKENU – THE LORD MY RIGHTEOUSNESS

In the time of king Zedekiah, God delivered a prophecy to Israel through Prophet Jeremiah, which he incidentally restated almost identically. 

The name Zedekiah itself means God is my righteousness. However, he wasn't a good king and did not live like God was his righteousness. In response to this, God assured His people that the Lord will raise a righteous Branch, a prophecy about Jesus. And He will be called by the name, "Jehovah Tsidkenu, or God our Righteousness."

“In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."

Jeremiah 23:6

“In those days Judah will be saved and Jerusalem will dwell in safety; and this is the name by which she will be called: the Lord is our righteousness.’”

Jeremiah 33:16

 Here in an almost identical prophecy we see that the name of the city (or people) will be called "Jehovah Tsidkenu" a remarkable assurance that God will place His name upon the people that please Him. The church as the bride of Christ, takes upon ourselves the name of Christ. Hallelujah!

This promise is of course fulfilled in Christ as we see in the following verses.

“But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,”

1 Corinthians 1:30

Praise be to God our Righteousness!

7 - JEHOVAH M'KKADESH – THE LORD SANCTIFIES ME

The entire book of Leviticus is dedicated to holiness, that is through consecration. It's ceremonial purity, which is a shadow of true holiness. The word "holy" itself means "set apart unto God."  

“You shall consecrate yourselves therefore and be holy, for I am the Lord your God. You shall keep My statutes and practice them; I am the Lord who sanctifies you.”

Leviticus 20:7-8

God is a holy God and requires us to be holy. But we do not become holy on our own, but by the continued work of sanctification in our life. When we become God's children when we repent and put our faith in Christ, we are instantly justified, or in other words "made righteous." Sanctification is a lifelong activity as God enables us to walk in obedience to His word, by the power of His Holy Spirit. 

Sanctification speaks both about the cleansing of the effects of our sin and removal of sin. In the former sense, it is an instantaneous result occurring at the time of conversion, in the latter sense, it is a continuous, ongoing activity. 

 “But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption,”

1 Corinthians 1:30

 “For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who have been defiled sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

 Hebrews 9:13-14 NASB1995

“but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

1 John 1:7-9

 8 - JEHOVAH SHAMMAH – THE LORD IS THERE FOR ME

The prophet Ezekiel, after prophesying about the ruin of Jerusalem and surrounding nations, calls for repentance and prophesies about a restoration of Israel and her future glory. This prophecy speaks about God's new covenant relationship with His people and the glory of the future temple and city of God. The final verse of the book of Ezekiel prophesies the presence of God in the city.

“The city shall be 18,000 cubits round about; and the name of the city from that day shall be, ‘The Lord is there.’ ”

Ezekiel 48:35

God is always there with us. Jesus Christ promised that He will be with us. In every place at every time. The Lord is ever present with us, including during the darkest hours in our life. He never once departs from our side, even though we might not always acknowledge or are conscious of His presence. 

“She will bear a Son; and you shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.” Now all this took place to fulfill what was spoken by the Lord through the prophet: “Behold, the virgin shall be with child and shall bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which translated means, “God with us.””

Matthew 1:21-23 NASB1995

 “teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

Matthew 28:20

 As we meditate on these names of God that are fulfilled in Christ, may we experience the restorative, redemptive nature of God. In Christ, God restores and rebuilds in our life what is lost or broken. He is Yehovah, the one Who was, Who is, Who will be. Praise be to God.

Redemptive Names of God in Christ - 1 (SUNDAY MORNING Dec 22, 2024)

God gives great importance to names in general. We read about people whose names changed, such as Abram to Abraham and so on. God's name is also very special and important. Understanding the meaning of God's name gives us a very deep insight into the nature of God, His attributes, His person, His power, His greatness. His character is revealed through His name. Studying the names of God is a wonderful and enriching activity; we ought to spend time trying to learn about God's name investigating the rich meaning behind each of God's names.

 Many names are used in the scriptures to speak about God. Some of these names are descriptive names of God. They show His character and self-sufficiency. There are certain names that are known as "redemptive names" of God. These are names that God uses to describe the redemptive work that God performs in the lives of His people. These names of God in Hebrew associates a redemptive action of God with the only proper name associated with God in the Bible: "Jehovah" or "Yahweh."

 JEHOVAH

“God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ (Exodus 3:14) ”

 All of the redemptive names of God and associated with the word, Jehovah, Yehovah, or Yahweh. Even though we use such names to call , it is not clear what the actual pronunciation of this name is. In the Hebrew language, it is written with the consonants Y-H-W-H, but the word itself was seldom pronounced. So we do not know how it was to be pronounced. Bible scholars assigned the consonants of the generic name Adonai: "A," "O," and "A" to pronounce Y-H-W-H as Jehovah.

The name Jehovah speaks about God's eternal nature and self-existence. "I AM WHO I AM" or "I AM THAT I AM." 

In this study, in addition to introducing everyone to the Jehovah names of God, I want to point out their fulfilment in Jesus. As the Bible says,

"For in Him all the fullness of Deity dwells in bodily form (Col 2:9)"

 1 - JEHOVAH ROHI – THE LORD MY SHEPHERD

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want (Psalm 23:1)

David was a shepherd boy who became the second king of Israel. He saw his role of king of Israel being one of shepherding a nation. He saw himself as Israel's shepherd and wrote about God also being the Shepherd of the people of Israel.

 Shepherds lead sheep to places with good food and water, provide protection from wild animals, and offer affection to the sheep. We need all of that from God.

This name of God is fulfilled in Christ. Jesus said: 

“I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. I am the good shepherd, and I know My own and My own know Me,” (John 10:11, 14)

God in Christ will be our Shepherd and lead us to green pastures and protect us in the face of evil. Hallelujah!

 2 - JEHOVAH RAPHA – THE LORD MY HEALER

After the LORD led the children of Israel through the Red Sea and defeated Pharoah's armies by drowning them in the same sea, the people rejoiced in God singing songs and praising Him in the wilderness. Soon they reached Marah and the cries of a thirsty population were raised. There was water in Marah, but as the name "Marah" suggests, the water was bitter and undrinkable. God asked Moses to put a nearby tree into the water. On doing that the water became sweet. A miracle! Along with that God gave them a promise and a commandment to obey. 

“Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet. There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer. (Exodus 15:25-26)”

This promise too is fulfilled in our Lord Jesus Christ. He went around healing people and delivering those that were oppressed with evil spirits. 

“When evening came, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed; and He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were ill. This was to fulfill what was spoken through Isaiah the prophet: “He Himself took our infirmities and carried away our diseases.””

Matthew 8:16-17

 God's plan is to help us walk in good health. Will we fall sick? Yes, of course. It is a fallen world. There are germs, there are conditions of the body, there will be accidents that happen.

However, my personal belief is that God's perfect plan is to heal us. Sometimes He does that instantly. Often He does that over time. Sometimes He will heal us through the use of medicines. At other times without the use of medicines. Whatever is the situation we go through, we are to cry out to Him and He promises that He will heal us. He is Jehovah Rapha. 

3 - JEHOVAH NISSI – THE LORD MY BANNER

When the Israelites fought the Amalekites in Exodus 17 under the leadership of Joshua, everytime Moses had his arms lifted up, they were winning. When Moses lowered his hands, they began losing. Seeing this the children of Israel placed a rock on which Moses sat and Aaron and Hur held up each hand. Thus God gave Israel a great victory over the Amalekites. 

 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this in a book as a memorial and recite it to Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” Moses built an altar and named it The Lord is My Banner; and he said, “The Lord has sworn; the Lord will have war against Amalek from generation to generation. (Exodus 17:14-16)”  

This prophetic name is also fulfilled spectaculary in Jesus Christ, who gives us the victory in all situations and makes us more than conquerors.

 “but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)”

God makes us more than conquerors by fighting the battle on our behalf and because of the victory that He has already wrought in Christ on Calvary's cross. What He expects us to do in each situation is to profess and confess the victory of God through our words. By proclaiming words of faith and victory, He gives us the power to transform the situations we are in and be transformed as we go through them, no matter how challenging they are. 

4 - JEHOVAH JIREH – THE LORD MY PROVIDER

When God asked Abraham to sacrifice his only son Isaac, he obediently started moving to Mount Moriah with the little boy Isaac, his servant, and the donkey. He had the wood and everything needed for the sacrifice, except a sacrificial animal. But seeing that there was no sacrificial animal, Isaac asked his father about it and Abraham said “God will provide.” We read in Genesis 22 that Abraham was not just pretending to kill Isaac, but he was actually going to sacrifice Isaac. We read in Hebrews 11 that Abraham believed that even if Isaac was killed, that God was able to raise Him from the dead.  That was Abraham's confidence that showed the true, deep, and unwavering faith that pleased God. 

"And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovah Jireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of the LORD it shall be seen. (Genesis 22:14)"

 Jesus showed his ability to provide for His people in several examples, when He spoke to them about giving them the bread and living water and His peace and eternal life. He fed thousands at multiple occasions. Ultimately He gave of Himself. The righteous for the unrighteous.

"And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19"

God is looking for us to trust Him completely, believing that even if a situation is dead that God is able to raise it again as Abraham believed that God could raise Isaac from the dead. He wants to be Jehovah Jireh in our lives; the One who will provide for all our needs.

Note: We will continue this study in the coming week with 4 more redemptive names of God that are fulfilled in Christ.

The Righteousness of God (Sunday Morning, Dec 15, 2024)

In past weeks, we spoke about joy in the Holy Spirit. This is a type of joy that is supernatural and has the ability to fill our lives in the middle of suffering irrespective of the circumstances. We also spoke about the supernatural peace of God, which fills our heart in the face of turmoil and chaos in our circumstances.

Today, we are going to talk about the Righteousness of God. It is not one that comes with observance, but by a relationship with God.

For the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit (Rom 14:17)

Paul writes this to the Romans, because he wants to correct their way of thinking. Righteousness does not come by observing a set of rules about eating and drinking or any other thing. It is experiencing the righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

The book of the Law contained so many commands to obey. But the Law was not given to make sure that if anyone followed those commands, they would be holy or more righteous. In fact the Law was given so that we could understand we could never be righteous by performing works of righteousness. Our righteous deeds are like “filthy rags” before God as Isaiah 64:6 states.

The foundation of God’s throne is righteousness and justice (Psa 89:14).

It is in God’s nature that everything He does is right. For us, righteousness is being right with God.

The Bible says, "unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 5:20 NASB).

About 40% ofJesus’ teaching was focused on the Kingdom of God. Yet, I have wondered that I couldn’t accurately define what the Kingdom of God signified after many years as a Christian. We must deeply consider what it means to be part of God's kingdom, as this was a central focus of Jesus' ministry. Seeking God's Kingdom and Righteousness.

1. Jesus instructed us to "seek first His kingdom and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:33). This means making God's kingship over our lives the top priority, allowing Him to be Lord over every area.

2. Jesus told us to “pray that His Kingdom will come and His will be done” when He taught the disciples to pray. (Matt 6:10)

3. Jesus also told His disciples to preach the Kingdom of God, teaching new believers to do all things that He commanded us. (Matt 28:19-20)

As we can see, Jesus encouraged us to seek first, pray for, and preach the Kingdom of God. The message of the Kingdom of God is simple to understand, but the requirement is clear.At the center of the message of the Kingdom, is that it should be the center of our lives. That’s why some people who heard Jesus and thought it was too hard.

The key part of the message is that God should be the King of our lives and He must have supreme authority, like the kings of old. Wherever you are, you must live under the Kingship of God. If there are things in your life that prevent you from submitting to God’s Kingdom fully, then you should leave that and seek Him more.

The Sermon on the Mount in Matthew chapters 5-7 outlines the kingdom living.

Jesus said, “For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven.” Matt 5:20.

Jesus says that our righteousness must exceed the righteousness of the pharisees. Their righteousness was based on works and the law, and true righteousness is by faith. “Without faith it is impossible to please God.”  Heb 11:6.

But Jesus did not lower the standards of righteousness for believers by abolishing the law and allowing them to break the law. What He did is to take away the focus from the external to the internal. From actions alone to attitude also.

This, wonderfully, is something that was revealed in the Old Testament saints also. Abraham believed in God and it was credited to Him as righteousness. In fact, even though Romans and Galatians focuses on Abraham’s faith, we read that even for Enoch and Noah, they were commended as righteous, by faith.

“By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous” Heb 11:4

“By faith Noah, when warned about things not yet seen, in holy fear built an ark to save his family. By his faith he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that is in keeping with faith.” Heb 11:7

Finally, God wants us to not only be righteous by faith, but He also that we will grow in this righteousness that is revealed from faith to faith.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”. Rom 1:16-17

Finally, you grow in faith by hearing the word of God.

“So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Rom 10:17

So immerse yourself with the word of God so that God can fill you with faith that leads to righteousness.

In these days, let us seek to grow in the righteousness of God. May God establish us in His Kingdom through an outpouring of righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.