Recon Center » Jesus

PC_6 The Blessings of Abraham Part 2 of 2

John Kodiyil — Tue, 29 Jun 2010 21:30:28 +0000

The Blessings of Abraham Part 2 of 2

www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkxgVlY8hN0

Galatians 3:13-14: Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”[a]), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

If you are unable to see the video, please click here or visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dkxgVlY8hN0

with love in Jesus

John Kodiyil

PC_5 The Blessings of Abraham Part 1 of 2

John Kodiyil — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 21:30:50 +0000

The Blessings of Abraham Part 1 of 2

www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyl5XqagF28

If you are unable to see the video, please click here or visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyl5XqagF28

with love in Jesus

John Kodiyil

Merry Christmas

John Kodiyil — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 18:30:27 +0000

My King

He is the King of the Jews
He is the King of Israel
But He’s also
King of all the Ages;
King of Heaven;
King of Glory;
King of Kings;
..and Lord of Lords.

He is
a prophet before Moses;
a priest after Melchizedek;
a champion like Joshua;
an offering in place of Isaac;
a king from the line of David;
a counselor above Solomon;
beloved, rejected, and exalted
like Joseph;
and yet far more…

The Heavens declare His glory…
and the firmament shows
His handiwork.

He who is, who was, and who always will be;

The first and the last
He is the Alpha and Omega
the Aleph and the Tau
the A and the Z;

He is the ego eimi,
the “I AM that I AM”

The voice of the burning bush
the Captain of the Lord’s Host
the conqueror of Jericho

He is our Kinsman-Redeemer
and He is our Avenger of Blood;
and He is our City of Refuge;

He was crucified on a cross of wood;
Yet He made the hill
on which it stood.

By Him were all things made
that were made;
without Him was not anything made
that was made;

By Him are all things held together!

In Him dwells
the fullness of the Godhead bodily;
The very God of very God.

He became
the first fruits of them that slept.

He is our Performing High Priest;
Our Personal Prophet;
Our Reigning King.

He is enduringly strong;
entirely sincere;
eternally steadfast;

He is imperially powerful;
immortally graceful;
impartially merciful;

He stands alone in Himself:
He’s unique,
pre-eminent,
supreme,
unparalleled:

He’s the Loftiest idea
in Literature;

He’s the highest Personality
in Philosophy;

He’s the Fundamental Doctrine
of Theology;

He’s the Supreme Problem
in “higher criticism”!

He’s the Son of God!

There is no means of measuring
his limitless love:

It was written in blood,
on that wooden cross
erected in Judea
2,000 years ago.

He was born of a woman
so that we could be born of God;
He humbled Himself
so that we could be lifted up;
He became a servant
so that we could be made joint-heirs;
He suffered rejection
so that we could become His friends;
He denied Himself
so that we could freely receive all things;
He gave Himself
so that He could bless us in every way.

He
is Available to the tempted and the tried;
Blesses the young;
Cleanses the lepers;
Defends the feeble;
Delivers the captives;
Discharges the debtors;
Forgives the sinners;
Franchises the meek;
Guards the besieged;
Heals the sick;
Provides strength to the weak;
Regards the aged;
Rewards the diligent;
Serves the unfortunate;
Sympathizes and He saves!

His Offices are many;
His Reign is righteous;
His Promises are certain;
His Goodness is limitless;
His Light is matchless;
His Love never changes;
His Grace is sufficient;
His Mercy is everlasting;
His Word is enough;
His Yoke is easy and
His Burden is light!

He’s indescribable;
He’s incomprehensible;
He’s irresistable;
He’s invinceable!

The Heaven of heavens
cannot contain Him;
Man cannot explain Him

The Pharisees couldn’t stand Him
but soon learned
that they couldn’t stop Him;

They railroaded Him
through 6 illegal trials,
and yet

The witnesses couldn’t agree against Him
and the personal representative
of the ruler of the world,
couldn’t find any fault with Him;

Herod couldn’t kill Him
death couldn’t handle Him
the grave couldn’t hold Him!

He has always been and always will be;
He had no predecessor and
will have no successor;
You can’t impeach Him and
he isn’t going to resign!

His name is above every name;
That at the name of Yeshua
Every knee shall bow
Every tongue shall confess
That Jesus Christ is Lord!

His is the kingdom,
and the power,
and the glory…
for ever, and ever.

Hallelujah! …and Amen!

From http://www.khouse.org/articles/1993/566/

Jewish Wedding Pattern

John Kodiyil — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 23:30:22 +0000

The relationship the the Lord Jesus has with his bride and the traditional Jewish wedding customs have a lot in common. The following, taken from www.yeshuatyisrael.com, give us a pattern we can easily understand.

The Messiah and the Jewish Wedding

Traditional Jewish Wedding Customs

Relationship to Yeshua and His Bride, the Body of Believers

Part 1- Erusin or Kiddushin – Betrothal or Engagement

Kiddushin is derived from the word Kadosh, meaning holy! Once a bride and bridegroom enter into this initial phase of marriage they are considered married. Another words, they would have to get a divorce, called a “get” to break of the engagement.

This period lasts from one to two years. The betrothal is a parallel to the engagement in most ways except that in the ancient Jewish custom, it was binding! It was so binding that it could not be broken without a orthodox divorce. You were considered bound together from the period you entered the betrothal contract until the wedding day. When Joseph discovered that his betrothed wife Mary was with child he had real grounds to obtain a orthodox divorce and would have if the angel had not appeared unto him and explained what was going on. Even though the couple is engaged they do not have a physical relationship and they do not live together either.

1. The Arrangement:

The groom’s father made and approved choice of the bride. In traditional Jewish customs, marriages were arranged by their fathers. It is quite often that the Bride and Groom have never seen one another before they are engaged.

In Judaism the Sabbath is seen as the bride. In Biblical Christianity, the Church, the Body of Believers is the bride and the Messiah is the bridegroom. The Father makes and approves the choice.

John 6:44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raisehim up at the last day.”

2 Corinthians 11:2 – For I, Paul have betrothed you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to the Messiah.

2. The Groom’s Promise: Tenaim – Conditions

The Groom makes a covenant or contract promise.

The Ketubah is a document that is used for the purpose of assuring a bride will be provided for. Once this document was signed and witnessed by two people then it was binding and the couple was considered married.

Drink the cup of wine to seal the covenant. Kiddush

Groom pays a price to show he is serious.; today the wedding ring is used for this purpose.

Groom’s speech of promise to his bride that he would come to claim her soon, this is the Engagement Promise.

A Covenant Relationship -

God made a New Covenant with Israel and Judah to replace one He made with Moses. Yeshua drank cup of redemption at Passover. Yeshua paid the bride price of redemption for us on the cross.

Jeremiah 31:31
Matthew 26:27-29,
1 Corinthians 6:20 John 14:2-3

3. Groom Prepares a Place for His Bride: Chuppah

Groom prepares a bridal chamber where they stay for seven days. He works on it until
it pleases his father. Then he may go after his bride. The Chuppah canopy is derived from this type of a bridal chamber.

Yeshua tells us that He does not know when He will come; only His Father
knows. We must be alert and ready! For, He is preparing our place now.
Be alert: Be ready: Do all He asks while you’re here. Develop an
active prayer life. Offer yourself in ministry opportunity. Keep
ourselves from doubt and failure.

John 14:1-4 “Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father’s house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know.”

4. Waiting for up to two years

–for the bridegroom to come for the bride

As John the Baptist was filled with joy when he saw Yeshua, so we too shall be filled when we join Yeshua in the heavenly bridal chamber. Some liken those 7 days in the chamber to the 7 year tribulation period which we will spend not in agony on earth, but in bliss in heaven. Then we will return as the wife, not the Bride.

Jesus Teaches About Fasting Luke 5:33-34 Then they said to Him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often and make prayers, and likewise those of the Pharisees, but Yours eat and drink?” And He said to them, “Can you make the friends of the bridegroom fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them; then they will fast in those days.”

Part 2 Nisuin or Chuppah – Ceremony or Nuptials

The word
Nisuin means “to lift up” or “carry”.

Lifting up the bride is an ancient wedding custom of carrying the bride to the ceremony in a carriage lifted by poles. Although seldom done today, the ceremony bears the name. The Chuppah is not only related to the bridal chamber, it is also “lifted” by poles like the ancient carriage. The custom of lifting the bride and now the groom in chairs is rooted in this processional. Due to the expense of having two ceremonies.

5. The Mikvah – Ritual Immersion –

Today, the Jewish Bride and event the Groom are immersed in a ritual pool of Mayim Chaim, Living Water, known as a Mikvah. The Mikvah is a pool of water that has a source and exit stream. A river, lake, or sea is a natural mikvah. A man made pool could work as well if there is a constant inflow and exit drain. In the Torah, women were immersed for various reasons such as their monthly menstrual cycle. The immersion is a requirement for Gentile converts to Judaism. The Mikvah was not a ritual started by John the Baptist. This is an ancient Jewish practice dating back to
the time of Moses.

Remember John, the Baptist…. He was Jewish. The act of Baptism or immersion did not begin as a Christian concept. It is rooted in the Jewish cleansing rituals from the Torah. It had been a practice of the priests to wash or immerse themselves.

John’s baptism itself is probably best understood as an adaptation of Jewish ritual washings, with some influence from Qumran in particular.

John’s baptism was primarily a baptism of repentance (Mt. 3:11; Mk. 1:4; Lk. 3:3; Acts 13:24; 19:4).

6. The Bride Waits:

While the groom builds the new home, the bride waits and wears a veil. This shows she belongs only to the groom. She prepares for her wedding by making blankets, etc. She also shows gratitude to her family for raising her and she mends hurt relationships. No matter what, she had to be ready because he would come at night.

We must do His will in our daily lives. We must be committed to our ministries at home and Body of Believers. We must heal wounded relationships and express our agape love to each other. We must exhort! Yeshua tells us that He will come like a thief. So, we must be living “His Love” at all times. The Body of Believers, too, is veiled. The world is not sure who the Body of Believers is. When we go, it will know.

2 Corinthians 11:2 Luke 19:13 1 Corinthians 13:1 Luke 12:40

7. Kittel – The Wedding Garment:

The Kittel is a white robe, it looks somewhat like a bathrobe. It is a garment worn at Passover. It is also warn by the Groom at a wedding. The word Kittel is rooted in the Hebrew word Katal – To Slay. A garment worn by priests during certain sacrifices such
as Passover or Yom Kippur Sacrifice.

In Biblical times the kittel was warn by all the men attending the
wedding. The Parable of the Wedding Feast — Matthew 22:11-12 But when the king came in to see the guests, he saw a man there who did not have on a wedding garment. So he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you come in here without a wedding garment?’

8. The Bridesmaids:

Unmarried friends who attend the to bride and provide light for the groom who comes at night. This is a traditional custom for friends to light havdalah candles in the processional or during the veiling ceremony. Light is a symbol of God’s presence, the Shekinah Glory.

We prepare the bride in our ministry to each other. We groom her. We must be ready in our service and not run out of power or conviction as the
bridesmaids did. Parable of the Ten Virgins – Matthew 25:1-13 “Then the kingdom of heaven shall be likened to ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. “

9. The Bridegroom Comes:

The groomsmen would run ahead of the groom sound the Shofar, and shout that he was coming. While the father’s head was turned, the groom would steal the bride. The wedding party then went back to the groom’s house to meet the guests.

The angel, Gabriel, will blow the trumpet of God, and Yeshua will come like a thief to snatch away His Bride. When we arrive in Heaven, a host of people will be waiting for us. John 3:29

He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.

10. The Bridal Chamber – Chuppah

The bride and groom enter the bridal chamber where the marriage is consummated. The party waits outside until the groom tells the best man that it is consummated. Then, the guests rejoice for 7 days.

1 Thessalonians 4:16-17 – For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the Shofar, trumpet of God. And the dead in Messiah will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.

11. The Kiddush-

The shared cup of wine is a simcha, joy, at a Jewish Wedding. When the bride drinks from the cup after the bridegroom it is a sign that she is accepting the covenant he has signed during the Ketubah signing.

Blessing of the Cup:

Baruch atah Adonai, Eloheynu Melech Ha-Olam Borey P’ree Hagafen.

Blessed are You, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine. Amen.

Yeshua’s first miracle was turning water into wine at a Jewish wedding. – John 2

Matthew 26:27-29 Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I
drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”

13. Breaking of the Glass
- A symbol of the destruction of the Temple. Also a sign that the covenant broken can not be put back together.

The Temple was destroyed in the year 70 A.D. A Traditional end to a Jewish wedding serves as a reminder of the fragility of life, even during the most joyous of celebrations. Life is fragile. We break this glass as a symbol of our past. In the theater that say go break a leg. In a Jewish wedding we break a glass. Forgiveness is an end to a shattered past. As the Groom smashes the glass everyone will shout Mazel Tov! Which means Good Fortune, may your lives here on out not be shattered, but full of fortune and joy.

14. Married Life Begins:

New couple goes to the father’s home to begin married life.

We too, will go to the Father’s house for the Marriage Feast of The Lamb, then go with The Messiah in His reign in His kingdom here on earth for 1,000 years.

Revelation 21: 1 Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.

15. Yichud – Seclusion-

After the Wedding Ceremony the Bride and Groom now retreat to a private room to enjoy one another. This is a time of togetherness before the great feast that awaits them.

Revelation 19:5 Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb!’

The Seven Wedding Blessings

Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe,

Who has created everything for His glory.

Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has created mankind.

Blessed art thou, O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who has made mankind in thy image, in the image of thy likeness and prepared for him – from himself – a building for eternity.

Blessed are You, O Lord, who fashioned the mankind.

Bring intense joy and exultation to the barren one through the ingathering of her children amidst her in gladness. Blessed are You, O Lord, Who makes Zion joyful through her children. Gladded the beloved companions as You gladdened

Your creature in the Garden of Eden. Blessed art thou O Lord, who makes the
bridegroom and the bride rejoice.

Blessed art thou, O Lord, our God, King of the Universe, Who created joy and gladness, groom and bride, mirth, glad song, pleasure, delight, love, brotherhood, peace and companionship. O Lord, our God, let there soon be heard in the cities of Judah and the streets of Jerusalem the sound of joy and the sound of gladness, the voice of the groom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the groom’s jubilance from their canopies and of youths from their song-filled feasts.

Blessed are You, Who gladden the groom with the bride.

Blessed are You O Lord our God, King of the Universe, Who creates the fruit of the vine.

This is taken from http://www.yeshuatyisrael.com/

Click here to download this as a PDF file from the original site

NBM_04-Jesus

John Kodiyil — Sat, 21 Mar 2009 08:38:03 +0000

This week’s scriptures are on Jesus. Before I met Him, I had many thoughts on who Jesus was. From Messiah to a long haired hippy, almost everyone I met had a take on Jesus.

Now, to me, it does not matter who thinks what anymore, Jesus is who he is and it is up to you and I to choose where we stand on what He said. My job is partly to make known and pass on information on Jesus as written in the Bible.

If you do not know Jesus, this chapter will introduce you to him. If you would like to start your walk with him, I have drafted a personal invitation for you at the end of the chapter which you can send to Jesus. All instructions are included

A. JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD

Two thousand years ago a man appeared on the scene of history. He was born into the world and grew up into manhood just like every other person, but this man was different to anyone else. He was no ordinary man.

A virgin conceived by the Holy Spirit to bring Him to birth. He was God, Himself coming to the earth in human form. He was the “Son of God” (Luke 1:26-35).

“In the beginning was the Word (Jesus), and the Word was with God, and the word was God… The Word became flesh and lived for a while among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:1,14).

B. JESUS CAME TO THE WORLD FOR A SPECIAL PURPOSE

1. To Rescue Mankind From Satan’s Power

“For the son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost” (Luke 19:10) See also Colossians 1:13.

2. To Give His Life As A Ransom to Buy Us Back

“…the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” (Matt 20:28).

3. To Destroy The Works Of Satan In Our Lives

“He who does what is sinful is of the devil, because the devil has been sinning from the beginning.”
“The reason the Son of God appeared was to destroy the devil’s work” (1 Jn 3:8).

4. To Give Us Eternal Life

“And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 Jn 5:11,12). See also John 3:16,17 and John 10:10

5. To Give Us New “Birth” Into The Family Of God

“Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God” (John 1:12). See also 1 John 3:1,2.

6. To Restore Our Fellowship With God The Father

We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. And our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son, Jesus Christ” (1 Jn 1:3).

C. JESUS CAME TO SHOW US WHAT GOD IS LIKE

“If you really knew me [Jesus], you would know my Father as well. From Now on, you do know him and have seen him….Any one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father”?

“Don’t you, believe that I am in the Father, and that the Father is in me? The words I say to you are not just my own Rather, it is the Father, living in me, who is doing his work. Believe me when I say that I am in the Father and the Father is in me …” (John 14:7-11), see also John 1:18.

1. He Showed Us God’s Love

“This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him.

This is love; not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins” (1 Jn 4:9,10). See also romans 5:8.

2. He Showed Us God’s Power

He Healed the Sick, The Lame And The Blind. News about him spread all over Syria and people brought to him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, the epileptics and the paralytics, and he healed them” (Matt 4:24). See also John 9:1-7.
He Cast Out Evil Spirits. “And Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was” (Mark 1:34). See also Mark 5:1-17).
He Performed Miracles. “A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped …[Jesus] got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, ‘Quiet! Be still!’ Then the wind died down and it was completely calm … [His disciples] were terrified and asked each other. ‘ Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!’” (Mark 4:37-41]. See also John 6;1-21.
He Raised The Dead “… Jesus called in a loud voice, ‘Lazarus, come out!’ The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, ‘Take off the grave clothes and let him go’” (John 11:43,44).

D. JESUS SHARED OUR SUFFERINGS IN HIS LIFE.

During His life on earth Jesus experienced all the troubles of life that we face, and so understands how we feel.

“For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are – yet was without sin” (Heb 4:15). See also Mathew 8:17.

E. JESUS DIED ON THE CROSS FOR US

Wicked men took the Lord Jesus and executed Him by nailing Him to a wooden cross like a common criminal. He could have save Himself, but He did not, for it was through His death on the Cross that God was going to save the world. Jesus died for us! (Read Mark 15:16-39.)

“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (1 Pet 2:24). See also Isaiah 53:5,6.

F. JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD FOR US

After three days in the tomb God raised His Son from the dead! (Read Mathew 28). This, too, was for us!

“But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ … God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus …” (Eph 2:4-6, see also Romans 6:4

G. JESUS OPENED THE DOOR OF HEAVEN FOR US

When His work on earth was completed, Jesus returned to Heaven to be with God, His Father. But this, too, was for us … for He opened the way into God’s presence for us, where we can live now and forever!

“Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body…

“Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith..” (Heb 10:19-22). See also John 14:1-3.

MY COMMITMENT

It is never too late to be saved and reconciled to God, but we need to choose to give up our rebellion against God and acknowledge that Jesus is the Son of God and that He came into the world to meet our great need of a Savior. No matter how far or distant God might seem to you, you should know that God Loves You!

If you want Jesus in your life, believe and declare this out loud:
Father, God in heaven, it is written in Your word that if I say it out with my mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in my heart that You have raised Him from the dead, I shall be saved.

I need Jesus right now, to come in and take over as my life and set things right, now and eternally. I make Him Lord of my life right now. I believe in my heart that you raised Jesus from the dead. I renounce my past life with satan and close the door to any of his devices.

I thank You for forgiving me all my sin. Jesus is my Lord, and I am a new creation. Old things have passed away. Now all things become new, in Jesus’ name. Amen.

This is what is generally known as a “Prayer of Salvation”. If you have prayed this, or if you have any doubts, I would love to hear from you!