Ecclesia Global Missions

John 4:25

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

The woman said to Him, I know that Messiah is coming, He Who is called the Christ (the Anointed One); and when He arrives, He will tell us everything we need to know and make it clear to us.

This week’s topic might seem a little familiar. While we did talk about Jesus as our Redeemer before Christmas, we are digging into that a little more than we did then. 

In our Bibles, and depending on the version you are reading from, there are a few words that coincide with one another. Some of them are Messiah, Savior, and Redeemer; however, there are subtle differences.

Just a little warning, there are a lot of definitions coming up, bear with me, and we will tie it all together… 

For example, according to Strong’s Concordance Messiah comes from the root word:

• mâshach, maw-shakh’; H4886; a primitive root; to rub with oil, i.e. to anoint; by implication, to consecrate; also to paint:—anoint, paint.

And means:

• mâshîyach, maw-shee’-akh; H4899; anointed; usually a consecrated person (as a king, priest, or saint); specifically, the Messiah:—anointed, Messiah.

Webster’s 1828 Dictionary defines Messiah as:

• MESSI’AH, adjective [Heb. anointed.] Christ, the anointed; the Savior of the world.

So here we see Savior. What exactly does Savior mean?

Strong’s tells us that Savior is:

• sotare’; G4990; a deliverer, i.e. God or Christ:—saviour.

Which comes from the word:

• Sṓzō; sode’-zo; G4982 “safe”); to save, i.e. deliver or protect (literally or figuratively):—heal, preserve, save (self), do well, be (make) whole.

And of course, the definition of Savior as defined by Webster’s 1828 Dictionary:

• SAVIOR, noun savyur. One that saves or preserves; but properly applied only to Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, who has opened the way to everlasting salvation by his obedience and death, and who is therefore called the savior by way of distinction, the savior of men, the savior of the world.

Because that very first Scripture I shared spoke of “the Christ,” let’s look at that briefly as well…

Strong’s defines Christ as:

• Christós, khris-tos’; G5547; anointed, i.e. the Messiah, an epithet of Jesus:—Christ.

From a root word that means to anoint.

And finally, Webster’s 1828 Dictionary Definition for Christ is:

• CHRIST, noun THE ANOINTED; an appellation given to the Savior of the World, and synonymous with the Hebrew Messiah.

We see from these definitions that they point to Jesus Christ. 

He is the Messiah foretold in the Old Testament, the anointed One Who saves. As we know now, not only did He come to save Israel, but He also came to save the whole world, as John 3:16-17 says. Jesus came to deliver His people, and, as the definition of the root of Savior says, through His saving and delivering them, He protects them, heals them, preserves them, and makes them whole!

I don’t know about you, but as I grew closer to God and continue to grow closer, as I allowed Him to fill the deep, empty space within me, I began to feel whole. 

Many people refer to this feeling as finding their “soulmate”, or finding someone who “completes” them. This is not the job of someone on this earth. This is God’s job; it is His role to fill. We read it right there in the definitions. Jesus came to make us whole. That means we were not complete, we were broken, had empty spaces, had holes to fill, or lacked something.

One of the very first places that foretells the coming of Jesus can be found in Genesis. All the way back to when Adam and Eve ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, when sin came in.

Genesis 3:15

Amplified Bible

“And I will put enmity (open hostility)

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed;

He shall [fatally] bruise your head,

And you shall [only] bruise His heel.”

The seed here is Jesus, the offspring of Eve. This foretells that the coming Messiah would be born of a woman,

Matthew 1:20

Amplified Bible

But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Joseph, descendant of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife, for the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.

It tells us that He will bring an end to Satan,

John 12:31-32

Amplified Bible

Now judgment is upon this world [the sentence is being passed]. Now the ruler of this world (Satan) will be cast out. 32 And I, if and when I am lifted up from the earth [on the cross], will draw all people to Myself [Gentiles, as well as Jews].”

1 John 3:8

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

[But] he who commits sin [who practices evildoing] is of the devil [takes his character from the evil one], for the devil has sinned (violated the divine law) from the beginning. The reason the Son of God was made manifest (visible) was to undo (destroy, loosen, and dissolve) the works the devil [has done].

saving His people from sin,

Matthew 1:21

Amplified Bible

She will give birth to a Son, and you shall name Him Jesus (The Lord is salvation), for He will save His people from their sins.”

1 John 2:2

Amplified Bible

And He [that same Jesus] is the propitiation for our sins [the atoning sacrifice that holds back the wrath of God that would otherwise be directed at us because of our sinful nature—our worldliness, our lifestyle]; and not for ours alone, but also for [the sins of all believers throughout] the whole world.

protecting them from sin and from Satan.

Romans 6:23

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

For the wages which sin pays is death, but the [bountiful] free gift of God is eternal life through (in union with) Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 16:33

Amplified Bible

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world.” [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]

Jesus the Messiah even tells His disciples as He is sending them out to heal:

Luke 10:19

Amplified Bible

Listen carefully: I have given you authority [that you now possess] to tread on serpents and scorpions, and [the ability to exercise authority] over all the power of the enemy (Satan); and nothing will [in any way] harm you.

They were able to do this because they were walking in and with the authority that Jesus Christ gave them.

All of this is just with one verse; it truly is amazing what we have through Jesus Christ, amazing what He has done for us and continues to do for us. Amazing love, compassion, and desire for a relationship with His people. 

While this is only 1 verse, there are many; there are lists of scriptures that foretell the coming Messiah. In all these scriptures, we are reminded of the amazing grace and mercy that the Father and Jesus Christ show to us. We are shown in detail how Jesus is the Messiah, how He will save His people, how He will preserve them, how He will make them whole, and how He is the anointed Savior. 

This list of scriptures was known to the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and the people of Israel. They were looking for Him, they were waiting for Him, they were praying for Him, and yet still so many missed Him! They knew these scriptures, they had them memorized, and they knew what many of the prophets said about Jesus, about how He would save them, about how He would be born. They were looking in all the wrong places, in the wrong people, and missing the Truth as He stood before them. 

We tend to do this very thing. 

We come to Jesus with our own expectations, our own views, our own interpretations. We even, at times, try to make Jesus into someone or something we want. We make scripture fit what we hope for, conveniently and intentionally forget what scripture says, don’t dig into it, and stay superficial. We think we know who Jesus is. We think we know how He saves us, we think we know what He will do or what He is doing. But we miss Him. We miss what He is revealing to us because we are so stuck in our vision of Jesus. We can go from thinking we are not worthy of His saving, to the extreme of even thinking we don’t need His saving, and then there is the in-between. Are we just like the Pharisees and Sadducees and expect Jesus to be what we want Him to be? So much so that we cannot see His truth? That we will not be open to how He speaks to us? Are our hearts so closed off to any out-of-the-box expectations? Or do we put Him in a small box, with a lid, and keep Him there?

Have you ever wondered how some of the people at that time missed the Messiah? How did they miss understanding what scripture says, how they missed the miracles and the teachings? Could part of it be that they were expecting someone different? Someone who was from an earthly royal family, someone who was wise and had military experience, so they could save them from the Romans. 

Thinking about our own lives and our own expectations, not willing to surrender to God’s will, does this sound like us? Does this sound like something you have done?

Have no fear! God wants to reveal Himself to you; He wants you to have a soft, pliable heart for Him. He wants to teach you, to draw you close.

Jesus wants a relationship with us. He wants love, obedience, and reverence. 

Remember, Jesus told us that He is a friend, One who reveals Himself and reveals the Father to us.

John 15:13-15

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

No one has greater love [no one has shown stronger affection] than to lay down (give up) his own life for his friends.

You are My friends if you keep on doing the things which I command you to do.

I do not call you servants (slaves) any longer, for the servant does not know what his master is doing (working out). But I have called you My friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from My Father. [I have revealed to you everything that I have learned from Him.]

Jesus is revealing the intimacy that we can have with Him. That He is not our Master in the sense that He does not want us close to Him.

James 4:4

Amplified Bible

You adulteresses [disloyal sinners—flirting with the world and breaking your vow to God]! Do you not know that being the world’s friend [that is, loving the things of the world] is being God’s enemy? So whoever chooses to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.

Are you knowingly and unknowingly making yourself a friend of the world? Allowing distractions to keep you from God? Allowing your to-do list, your serving, your hiding, your procrastinating to keep you from God? Remember, Paul said that not everything we do is sinful per se; there may be nothing wrong at the outset or in moderation, but if what we are doing is distracting us, keeping our eyes on whatever is before us, not on Jesus, then it is sinful. It can easily cross the border to become spiritual adultery. 

Sometimes we can keep ourselves so busy thinking we are doing the right thing, we are serving others, we are helping where we need help, but we are casting our time with God aside. We are setting other things above Him, putting them first. There may be so many things going on in our lives that we simply feel as though we don’t have time and can’t possibly do it all. We sometimes might feel so low and alone that we hide, we distract ourselves on purpose so we don’t have to deal with hard things, emotions, growth, we may feel such shame that we bury ourselves in books, in games, in sleeping, in working out, in work, or fill in the blank. Sometimes we do this intentionally, sometimes we don’t realize what we are doing until one day we realize, with the help of the Holy Spirit, that we haven’t spent time with God, that we haven’t spent time in His Word, that if we have prayed, it was so very brief or out of duty. Sometimes we just keep ourselves busy because we don’t know how not to be; sometimes that busyness is ingrained from childhood or past experiences. Sometimes we are aware of this, sometimes not. 

If you could relate to any of the previous questions, cry out for help! He wants to help you. Ask for forgiveness, and do not allow condemnation from Satan to enter. There is the conviction that the Holy Spirit brings to us, to alert us and let us know we have walked in sin, or we are on the wrong path, or we are going in the wrong direction. This brings us closer to God; it helps us to realize what we have done, so that we can repent, meaning turn the other way, and instead of looking at what we were focusing on, we are looking at Jesus. Satan wants us to focus on the distractions he tempts us with; he wants us to focus on our shame and disappointments. He wants us to keep hiding, to feel condemned, so that we hide and do not turn to God, and we keep beating ourselves up for our mistakes. God wants to free us! Jesus has freed us.

Hebrews 12:1-2

Amplified Bible

Jesus, the Example

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses [who by faith have testified to the truth of God’s absolute faithfulness], stripping off every unnecessary weight and the sin which so easily and cleverly entangles us, let us run with endurance and active persistence the race that is set before us, 2 [looking away from all that will distract us and] focusing our eyes on Jesus, who is the Author and Perfecter of faith [the first incentive for our belief and the One who brings our faith to maturity], who for the joy [of accomplishing the goal] set before Him endured the cross, disregarding the shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God [revealing His deity, His authority, and the completion of His work].

1 John 2:15-17

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

Do not love or cherish the world or the things that are in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in him.

For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh [craving for sensual gratification] and the lust of the eyes [greedy longings of the mind] and the pride of life [assurance in one’s own resources or in the stability of earthly things]—these do not come from the Father but are from the world [itself].

And the world passes away and disappears, and with it the forbidden cravings (the passionate desires, the lust) of it; but he who does the will of God and carries out His purposes in his life abides (remains) forever.

Which are you going to choose? This is a choice you have to make every day, and sometimes many times throughout the day. Are you going to choose Jesus or the world? Remember, choosing the world means choosing Satan because he is the ruler of the world:

2 Corinthians 4:4

Amplified Bible

among them the god of this world [Satan] has blinded the minds of the unbelieving to prevent them from seeing the illuminating light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.

Ask for help to see, to believe, to have His light shed on the truth. Ask for help to remove the blinders. Ask for help with surrendering to Him; ask for help in seeking His will and setting aside yours. Ask for help to take Him out of the box that you have placed Him in.

Keep in mind that this does not happen overnight. Not to say that you can’t, but usually, it takes time, it takes persistence, it takes perseverance, it takes determination. 

Know that you have made a start to this change when you accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior. When you accept Him, you accept the change that He can bring. 

You are born anew; you have a spiritual birth.

1 Peter 1:3

Amplified Bible

Blessed [gratefully praised and adored] be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant and boundless mercy has caused us to be born again [that is, to be reborn from above—spiritually transformed, renewed, and set apart for His purpose] to an ever-living hope and confident assurance through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

2 Corinthians 5:17

Amplified Bible

Therefore if anyone is in Christ [that is, grafted in, joined to Him by faith in Him as Savior], he is a new creature [reborn and renewed by the Holy Spirit]; the old things [the previous moral and spiritual condition] have passed away. Behold, new things have come [because spiritual awakening brings a new life].

Allow the Lord to reveal Himself to you as a friend does, allow Him to speak into your life, guide you, and lead you. Allow Him to save you, to protect you, to heal you, and to make you whole. But first, you must spend time with Him! Make that time, set that time aside for Him. 

Read Philippians 3 and allow Paul to be your example of setting the world aside, of letting go of reputation, beliefs, money, prestige, people, and things of the past that seemed important. Ask the Lord what it is that you need to let go of. What habits will deter you from Him, and what habits will bring you closer to him? Ask Him to help you remain His, set apart for Him, spiritually reborn, belonging to Him alone. Recognize that you need a Messiah, a Savior, and Jesus is the anointed one and that you need Him.

1 Corinthians 1:30-31

Amplified Bible, Classic Edition

But it is from Him that you have your life in Christ Jesus, Whom God made our Wisdom from God, [revealed to us a knowledge of the divine plan of salvation previously hidden, manifesting itself as] our Righteousness [thus making us upright and putting us in right standing with God], and our Consecration [making us pure and holy], and our Redemption [providing our ransom from eternal penalty for sin].

So then, as it is written, Let him who boasts and proudly rejoices and glories, boast and proudly rejoice and glory in the Lord.

I ask you, are you looking to your Messiah or the world?