I AM YHVH’S ANOINTED – PART 2
4 – YHVH Has Given Me a Guarantee For The Future:
Read these next three verses that basically say the same thing. …given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts. -- 2 Corinthians 1:22. Now he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is YHVH, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. -- 2 Corinthians 5:5. after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Ruach Kodesh of Promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession -- Ephesians 1:13-14. When I buy a house, I have to put down a deposit, when you put down a deposit that means there is more money that is going to follow. Let us say that I found a house for 100,000 pounds and put 10,000 pounds down on it. I will begin making instalment payments until the loan is paid in full. YHVH has made a deposit in our hearts in the Person of Ruach HaKodesh. We have Ruach HaKodesh in our possession, meaning that there is more to come. When we buy something on an instalment plan, there is always a possibility that we might back out of the deal, even though we have put a down payment on whatever it is we are purchasing. But there is no backing out of this deal by YHVH. He has purchased us with His blood. YHVH has put down a deposit, guaranteeing that those of us who are in Moshiach will be delivered safely into the His Hands and our souls are in escrow, waiting for that final day of redemption. YHVH promises us that our futures are guaranteed and Ruach HaKodesh who indwells us is evidence that YHVH is going to come through on His Promise to us. This also means that this isn’t all that we are going to receive in Moshiach. If we took all of the benefits that we have that come simply from being a believer; that should be enough to satisfy us forever. But YHVH tells us that this is just the beginning, just the first instalment of what He has planned for us in the days to come. When author Stephen King was an unknown, 24-year-old high school teacher living in a rented mobile house with his wife and two kids, he sold short stories to magazines just to make ends meet. One of the pieces was especially hard to write. It dealt with [the worlds of girls,] which he did not know anything about. Over and over, he tried to wrestle the words onto the page, but the story was just not making sense. Disgusted with the first eight pages he wrote; he threw them out. That night, his wife Tabitha, saw the crumpled papers while collecting the trash. Curious, she read the incomplete story. Seeing its potential immediately, she insisted her husband finish it. [I told her it was too long for the markets I was selling to,] King said, [and that it might turn out to be a short novel.] She said, [Just write it!] Mr. King then protested that he knew almost nothing about girls. He’s wife replied, [I will help you.] She did. And for the last twenty-eight years, she has. When King did finish the book, Doubleday Company was willing to pay only a $2,500 advance, unsure of how readers would react to the material. The publishers did not need worried. Carrie became a national bestseller and a blockbuster motion picture. There is another King who rescues unfinished stories from the trash, which is where many of us do not like what we have written, cannot make things go the way we want or cannot see any prospect of a tidy ending. Just when it seems nobody knows or cares about the struggles we have endured, Yeshua stoops to salvage our crumpled dreams. He gently smoothes the crumpled remnants of our abandoned hopes and sees beyond the sometimes-anguished attempts we have made to make sense of our world and our place in it. He sees the potential that lies just past our fatigue and defeat. When we are willing, He hands back our life and says, [Finish the story.] [You are under My anointing, you can now stand firm, I have set you apart, I have placed My Seal upon you, I guarantee your future, all that is left is for you to recognize who you are in Me and no one can hold you back.]
I AM YHVH’S ANOINTED – PART 1
Two cows were grazing in a pasture when they saw a milk truck pass. On the side of the truck were the words, [Pasteurized, Homogenized, Standardized, Vitamin A added.] One cow sighed and said to the other, [Makes you feel kind of inadequate, doesn’t it?] Maybe you can relate to these poor cows; you feel inadequate, lack confidence or don’t feel that you have the skills and talents that others do. You see the superstar athletes, movie stars, famous musicians and feel that in some way you are inferior to them or maybe even to the ordinary people that you are around on a regular basis. If you are a Moshiach Follower, you have nothing to feel inferior about, you have been chosen by YHVH to serve a purpose in this world and that makes you somebody in the eyes of YHVH. In the Old Testament the word [anointed] was used in a symbolic way to describe someone chosen by YHVH, the word was normally used for someone YHVH had named as King, a Prophet or a Priest. In the New Testament the word is used to describe each and every one of us that are believers. Now He which stablisheth us with you in Moshiach and hath anointed us is YHVH; who hath also sealed us and given the earnest of HaRuach in our hearts. -- 2 Corinthians 1:21-22. There are four specific things here that YHVH has done for us, each one builds upon the other and are all connected to this idea of anointing:
1 – YHVH Has Given Me The Ability to Stand Firm:
A sports magazine told the story of Beth Anne DeCiantis's attempt to qualify for the 1992 Olympic Trials marathon. A female runner has to complete the 26-mile, 385-yard race in less than two hours, 45 minutes to compete at the Olympic Trials. Beth started strong but began having trouble around mile 23. She reached the final straight at 2:43, with just two minutes left to qualify. Two hundred yards from the finish, she stumbled and fell. Dazed, she stayed down for twenty seconds. The crowd yelled, [Get up!] The clock was ticking, less than a minute to go. Beth Anne staggered to her feet and began walking. Five yards short of the finish, with 10 seconds to go, she fell again. She began to crawl, the crowd cheering her on and crossed the finish line on her hands and knees; her time? Two hours, 44 minutes, 57 seconds. Beth Anne’s training and willpower gave her the endurance she needed to finish. In our walk with Moshiach we find that we need a similar type of training and willpower to make it through life. We have temptations and struggles trying to pull us away from our faith. And in those times, we have to rely on our own resources to pull us through. The time that we spend in the Word and prayer will equip us to withstand. Every moment we spend with our Adonai in training will benefit us in giving us strength to overcome the powers that try to knock us off our path. But praise YHVH that through His Ruach, He also gives us the ability to stand firm so that we are not facing the struggle alone. Now He which stablisheth us with you in Moshiach, and hath anointed us, is YHVH -- 2 Corinthians 1:21. Instead of letting us waver and stumble, YHVH empowers us to keep our commitment to Moshiach. He is with us to guide us, to encourage us, to strengthen us and sometimes to rebuke us, so that we will stand firm in our commitment to Moshiach. While I must work at growing to maturity so that I have the resources necessary to resist opposition to my faith, I must also rely on YHVH as my source to overcome. If I try to do this completely on my own, I am bound to fail. If I trust in YHVH to see me through, I can only experience success.
2 – YHVH Has Set Me Apart For Service:
Verse 21 ends with the second thing YHVH has given us: [YHVH anointed us.] It was customary in the Old Testament to anoint kings, prophets and priests, as they began their service as a part of the ceremony of inauguration. They were being consecrated or set apart, to fulfil the duties of a particular office YHVH had chosen for them. But what we see in the Old Testament is just a shadow of what was to come. These Old Testament shadows anticipated the spiritual anointing that would come on all true believers. All those who are in Moshiach [who the Bible describes as the Anointed One], are themselves anointed by Ruach HaKodesh by virtue of their union with Moshiach. This anointing of Ruach HaKodesh involves the Spirit’s indwelling presence and empowerment. That he would grant you, according to the riches of His Glory, to be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man -- Ephesians 3:16. Now unto Him that is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us -- Ephesians 3:20. In both of these cases, the Word is telling us that our anointing results in empowerment to accomplish the tasks YHVH sets before us. HaRuach’s anointing also empowers us for special service. If YHVH sets you apart as a preacher He will empower you to preach. If YHVH sets you apart as a care-giver He will empower you to show mercy. If YHVH sets you apart as a leader He will empower you to lead. YHVH anoints us and imparts to us the spiritual gifts necessary to accomplish the tasks that He has set us apart to accomplish. Today YHVH is looking into your heart and mine, knowing whether we are receiving and acting upon the anointing He has given to us. What is your ministry at your church? What has YHVH anointed and gifted you to accomplish? Where are the fruits of your labours? If you are acting upon your anointing, these questions will be easy to answer. If you are not, you are missing out on the opportunity of a lifetime.
3 – YHVH Has Placed His Seal of Ownership Upon Me:
Have you ever sent a letter through the Post Office and it never reached its destination? If we want to be sure that a letter is going to arrive at the right place, we have that letter registered; the Post Office puts a seal on it, guaranteeing that they will get the letter to the person to whom it’s addressed. In the days of slavery, it wasn’t unusual for a slave owner to mark his slave with a brand or perhaps a tattoo that was evidence of who the slave belonged to. All legal documents bear a seal: [In witness thereof I set my seal] is the phraseology that has come down to us from old English. Who hath also sealed us…. -- 2 Corinthians 1:22. Ruach HaKodesh has sealed us, branded us and marked us as His own. He has claimed us as His property; He owns us, the moment we gave our life to Yeshua Moshiach we were marked for all eternity as YHVH’s children. In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of Truth, the Gospel of your Salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Ruach Kodesh of promise -- Ephesians 1:13. In the war in Iraq we saw soldiers from the US, Britain, Iraq and perhaps some other countries. We can identify which soldier is from what country and even which branch of the service he is in, by the uniform that he wears. The same is true when we see opposing teams in sports; they are marked by the colour of their uniform and the logo on their clothes. YHVH can look down at our world and quickly identify which people have given their lives to Him and which ones have not. We are wearing YHVH’s uniform when we are indwelt with Ruach HaKodesh. He identifies us and acts appropriately toward us based on the seal of ownership He has placed upon us. YHVH promises that we will be safely delivered into His arms when the end of all things takes place.
And he said to Jehoshaphat, “Will you go with me to battle at Ramoth-gilead?” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “I am as you are, my people as your people, my horses as your horses.” And Jehoshaphat said to the king of Israel, “Inquire first for the word of YHWH.”
1 Kings 22:4-5
Jehoshaphat was a righteous king in most respects, but he was naive and impulsive when it came to dealing with the kings of Israel. When Ahab asked him to ally with him in war against Syria he agreed first and only then thought to ask for God's input. This impetuousness would get him and the people of Judah into trouble on multiple occasions.
Omri did what was evil in the sight of YHVH, and did more evil than all who were before him.
1 Kings 16:25
Omri is one of the few Israelite kings recorded in foreign histories, being recognized in the annals of the Hittites as a great leader and economist. Yet God dismisses him as just another evildoer. His greatest crime? He trusted in horses, chariots, and gold rather than in YHVH.
What brings the greatest joy to a pastor’s heart? Dr. David Jones shares that with us in this conclusion to our conversation. After three decades of ministry and many years as pastor of Ruach Ministries International, David has some understanding of that question. Knowledge of the Word of God is a big part of it, but, as he explains, knowledge means little if it’s not paired with love and humility.
The theme of David’s interview carries over into the midrash he brings with Barry Phillips which they call, “Unity and Community,” and which Teshuva and Mason Clover present in their musical offerings.
https://thebarkingfox.com/2022..../08/29/reunion-roadm
What brings the greatest joy to a pastor’s heart? Dr. David Jones shares that with us in this conclusion to our conversation. After three decades of ministry and many years as pastor of Ruach Ministries International, David has some understanding of that question. Knowledge of the Word of God is a big part of it, but, as he explains, knowledge means little if it’s not paired with love and humility.
The theme of David’s interview carries over into the midrash he brings with Barry Phillips which they call, “Unity and Community,” and which Teshuva and Mason Clover present in their musical offerings.
https://thebarkingfox.com/2022..../08/29/reunion-roadm
I hope you read this whole comic and go and read all the verses listed and read the surrounding stuff, too. Paul is quoting the Law heavily in this chapter. You have to take Paul out of context of the rest of Scripture, and ignore what he is quoting, to come to the conclusion that his point is that the Law has ended, no longer to be followed.
If keeping everything I am pointing out here in context, verse 10:4 is actually telling us that Christ is who we are aiming to live like, He is our goal. Isn't that what we have been taught all our lives in church?
http://thestraightandnarrow.cfw.me/comics/508
#bible #biblestudy #torahobservant #hebrewroots #messianic #christian #comic #webcomic #wwjd
Thank you for taking the time to read my comic and my commentary! Did you know that the Straight + Narrow has merch? There are books on Amazon putting together the comics from the series, as well as T-shirts and other apparel and home goods on Spring. You can find all the links at my beacons site: https://beacons.ai/jnmyers
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