Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Healing and Anointing (Meal that Heals)


The At one ment (The Meal That Heals)

 

THE REVELATION OF THE AT ONE MENT

Romans 5:11

Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

The word atonement is mentioned 80 times in the Old Testament.

The New Testament shows us that the death of our lord on the cross was an act of atonement for our sins as patterned by the animal sacrifices in the Old Testament.

The fall and subsequent expulsion from the Garden of Eden a place of delight made sin and sickness a reality for mankind.

Yet the author remarks that Yahweh Rapha (the lord that healeth) establishes a healing covenant with his people right from the beginning. We read about the healing through prayer in Genesis 20:17, Numbers 12:13, 2 kings 20: 5-6 and in the book of Exodus 15:26

He said, "If you listen carefully to the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, who heals you."
This Old Testament covenant of healing continued through the ministry of Christ.

The gospel records the three levels of Christ’s deliverance ministry.

- Miracles of physical healing – Matthew 8:16
- Miracles of casting out evil spirits – Mark 1:34
- Creative miracles – Luke 22:51

Matthew 10:8 clearly depicts the instruction given by Christ to his disciples of healing the sick and expelling the evil spirits. The disciples were able to perform these miracles through the authority of Jesus’ name (Mark 16:17-18)

The author speaks of the various translations of the name Jesus which ultimately leads us to salvation.

The various translations of the name Jesus reveals the purpose of the passion of this Lamb of god.

Jesus (English) IESOUS (Greek) Y’Shuah (Hebrew) meaning Yahweh is salvation.

Soterian is from soteria (swthriva) and belongs to the sozo word group:

verbSozo (swzw)to save, to keep from harm, to preserve, to rescue.”

nounSoter (swthria)Savior, redeemer, deliverer, preserver

adjectiveSoterios (swthr)“delivering, saving, salvation.”

verbDiasozo (diaswzw)to save, to recover, to heal perfectly, to convey safely.” The stem of these words, so (sw) means “whole, fresh, healthy.”

In classical Greek the derivatives from this root can be interpreted to mean
being rescued from serious danger such as war, shipwreck, etc.

being assisted out of a difficult legal situation.

being helped by a physician in a time of illness or

a safe return from a perilous journey.

Liddell and Scott Greek-English Lexicon give us two basic meanings; (of people and things).

people:

“Deliverance, preservation”

“A way of means of safety”

“Safe return”

“Salvation

things:

Keeping safe, preservation”

“Security, guarantee for safety”

“Security, safety”

“Security against”

“Bodily health, well-being”


Thus as Perry puts it Salvation includes redemption for the whole or all Tri parts of a man:

body (Physical),

soul (emotional) and

spirit (spiritual).

It is God’s will that His people praise him from an exuberance of health, wellspring of joy and an inner calmness as a result of constant communion with him.

The author puts across that the scriptures encourage and supports the fact that prayer can cancel even an assignment of death. This is seen in the prolonging of the length of the days by 15 years in the Life of King Hezekiah.

Miriam who is healed from leprosy at the intercession of her brother Moses

Accidents, criminal acts and sickness are three darts the author states which can lead to premature departure.

At the same time the scripture also states the promise of the almighty father in the following words.

With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation


THE THREEFOLD ATONEMENT

Perry Stone through the use of various examples unveils the mystery wedged in the prophecy of Isaiah 53:1-10

1Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the LORD revealed?

2For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.

3He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.

4Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted.

5But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.

6All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the LORD hath laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth.

8He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.

9And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, neither was any deceit in his mouth.

10Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.

The subject of this great prophecy often called Isaiah’s suffering servant details the redemptive work of Jesus Christ.

The prophecy was fulfilled when

Jesus (the messiah) would not open his mouth as he stood before judgment

When he was stricken for the transgressions of god’s people

When he died with the wicked two thieves

When he was buried in a rich man’s grave

God made his soul a sin offering

The mystery of the threefold redemptive work which is accomplished through the suffering of Christ is revealed as-

Spiritual healing and the forgiveness of sins: But he was wounded for our transgressions he was bruised for our iniquities

Emotional healing for the mind and soul: the chastisement of our peace was upon him;

Physical healing for the body: and with his stripes we are healed.

Spiritual healing transforms the human spirit, emotional healing renews the mind and physical healing brings healing and life to the physical body.

Sunday, May 1, 2011

Meal that Heals 2

The second chapter of the book takes you into an understanding of the Yom Kippur or the day of atonement. Doing this post has also been a lesson for me as it led me to meditate on the book of Leviticus ( a book I conveniently tend to skip)

Yom Kippur was an important day for worship and national repentance. A day filled with so many mysterious allusions to the work our lord would take up in fulfilling the laws of the Old covenant.

My prayer for all who read this Blog is that :- May the healing power of our lord Jesus Christ fill you with such an infusion of faith and love for the Self less Atoning work taken up by our lord and may this faith and love overflow in all your interactions with his children all around you.

Carrying what you do not need to carry

Did you know that the first book that Jewish children studied in the synagogue was the book of Leviticus?

Leviticus 20:26 declares that God knows all about human brokenness and hurt. And his love reaches out and says to us, "You shall be whole; for I am whole. That is my purpose," he declares to his people.

We long to be whole people with all parts of our personality integrated and expressed.

"If I had my choice of all the blessings I can conceive of I would choose perfect conformity to the Lord Jesus, or, in one word, holiness." -Charles Spurgeon

Isaiah 53:3-4

Once every year, on the tenth day of the seventh month the high priest stood before god on the Day of Atonement or Yom Kippur.

The word Yom means "day" in Hebrew and Kippur comes from a root that means "to cover or hide". Yom Kippur was to be the Sabbath of Sabbaths. “It (Yom Kippur) is to be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statue” (Lev. 16:31).

On this day the high priest stood before god. It was designed as a time of national fasting and repentance.

1. The HIGH PRIEST alone performed all the rituals within the tabernacle. He was entirely responsible for the Day of Atonement. He prepared for it a week in advance by studying the laws of the Day of Atonement. He stayed in the high priest chamber in the temple court.

2. Only on the Day of Atonement, the High priest was permitted to pass beyond the veil into the Holy of Holies.

And the Lord said to Moses, "Tell your brother Aaron that he shall not enter at any time into the holy place inside the veil, before the mercy seat which is on the ark, lest he die; for I will appear in the cloud over the mercy seat." (Leviticus 16:2).

3. The High priest would be would be clothed in simple linen. (Lev. 8:7; Ex. 28:33-35).

  1. The golden crown on his forehead.
  2. The breastplate on his heart.
  3. The outer robe decorated with pomegranates and bells (the people listened for the bells while the priest was in the Holy of Holies to be sure the priest was still alive).
  4. The apron or vest.
  5. Four white garments made from white flax.
  6. The belt.
  7. The turban.
  8. Pants
4. The High Priest first had to offer up a bull as atonement for his own sins and for those of his family. He would fill the censer with live coals from the altar, and then enter into the Holy of Holies, where he placed incense on the coals. The incense sent forth a cloud of smoke over the mercy seat, which served as a covering for the Ark of the Covenant. The high priest took some of the blood of the bullock and sprinkled it on the mercy seat and on the ground in front of the ark cleansing them from defilement.

The burnt offerings were: seven male lambs, each a year old, one young bull, and one ram. The sin offering was one male goat. Every step the priest took was precisely scripted. According to the Talmud he made forty-three trips between the court and sanctuary on this respected day.

5. Two identical goats in size, shape and color were then to be taken and presented before the Lord. Lots would be cast.

And Aaron shall cast lots for the two goats, one lot for the Lord, and the other lot for the scapegoat. Then Aaron shall offer the goat on which the lot for the Lord fell, and make it a sin offering.

But the goat on which the lot for the scapegoat fell shall be presented alive before the Lord, to make atonement upon it, to send it into the wilderness as the scapegoat. (Leviticus 16:8-10).

An eighteen inch red thread was then tied to the neck of the goat designated for the lord. This goat would be slain and offered as a burnt offering before the lord while the second goat would play an important role in carrying the sins of the nation.

 Aaron was to take this goat and place BOTH his hands upon it as he confessed all of the sins of Israel.

Then Aaron shall lay both his hands on the head of the live goat, and confess over it all the iniquities of the sons of Israel, and all their transgressions in regard to all their sins; and he shall lay them on the head of the goat and send it away into the wilderness by the hand of a man who stands in readiness. (Leviticus 16:21).

After the ceremony a chosen man led the goat into the wilderness where it was eventually abandoned. A red thread was tied to the horns of the scapegoat in case it would later appear in a community in the wilderness. Anyone who saw the red thread on the goat’s head knew that they were to avoid contact with it.

Later a system developed wherein an appointed man led the goat with a rope around its neck outside the eastern gate across the mountains and into the wilderness. He eventually transferred the goat to another man who would run with the goat to a distant mountain and hand the goat to a third person. Miles outside the city of Jerusalem on a mountain called the mount of Azazel; the scapegoat carrying the sins of the nation was pushed off a cliff where it tumbled to a violent death hundreds of feet below. When this goat met its death, a crimson colored thread that had been nailed to the outside of the temple door supernaturally turned white. This was visible evidence to the priests, Levites, and Israelites that god had forgiven their sins. Isaiah may have been referring to this crimson thread when he wrote.

Isaiah 1:18

"Come now, let us reason together," says the LORD. "Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.The death of the scapegoat assured the people that their sins were wiped clean.

This is why Isaiah penned these words being inspired from the lord.

Isaiah 43:25

"I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more.

TWO GOATS AND THREE RED THREADS

The author draws a connection between the two goats and the three red threads.

The scarlet threads were placed in three locations:

the neck of one goat,
the right horn of another goat and
the temple door.

The three red threads are a visual image of the three persons on three crosses on the day of Christ’s crucifixion (John 19:18).

Unrepentant 
The thief on one side died unrepentant thus carrying his sins to the grave. (Luke 23: 39-40). He represents the scapegoat that carried the sins into the wilderness where it met its death.

Christ
Jesus hung in the middle thus representing the goat for the lord which was slaughtered on the altar.

Conversion
The other thief was converted on the cross therefore his scarlet sins became white as snow. This thief’s conversion is represented by the red thread nailed to the wooden door of the temple that changed colors in the midst of the Yom Kippur ceremony.

The two goats had to be identical in size, color and shape. Christ was condemned to die but Barabbas a man who was guilty of a crime was released and set free (Matthew 27: 16-26). The Hebrew name of Jesus is Y’shuah.

According to an early church father, the actual name of Barabbas was Y’shuah. Both he and Christ had identical first names.

The name Barabbas comes from two words: Bar meaning son and Abbas meaning the exalted or high father. Jesus Christ was the exalted son of the heavenly father (Acts 2:33)

Numbers 4:2

"Take a census of the Kohathite branch of the Levites by their clans and families.--

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