​Today's Christian lesson is on giving up things for the sake of the Kingdom of Christ. I post these lessons as they are given to me by the Holy Spirit. They come as promptings or as nudgings from Him/Her/It. Not sure if I can attribute a gender to the Holy Spirit but that is the topic of conversation for a different day.

Sometimes we as Christians are asked to make sacrifices for the sake of the Cross. The sacrifices may mean giving something up when we are called to. Indeed I have sacrificed much as I have shed my old life and embraced the new life in Jesus. I have given up old habits, old friends, relatives who were clearly incompatible with my moving forward in the faith, and much more.

The fact that we will be called to make sacrifices is quite clear in the Bible. "Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’; and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’ He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it." Matthew 10:34-39
​
Let us be clear that Jesus is not calling on us to give up our parents or our relatives or our friends. He is calling on us to put HIM first in your heart and in all you say and in all you do. If there is a conflict in your heart between something else and Jesus, Jesus must come first. There can be only one #1 in your life, and that must be the love of God and love of Christ. Everything and everyone else must be #2, #3, #4, #5 and so on.

​Today's Christian lesson is on the Armor of God. When Satan throws fiery darts at you believer, and trust me, he will, put on the whole armor of God. "Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication" Ephesians 6:10–18

​Just as the angel of death did not touch but "Passed over" (hence passover) the houses of those marked with the Blood of the Lamb, have you marked your life with the Blood of THE Lamb (Jesus) so the angel of death cannot touch you? Did you not know that "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life." John 3:16 the most famous verse of the Bible relates and speaks directly to this. Do you want to live forever, or die in another 30, 40, or 50 years from now? The answer depends entirely on you. Have you accepted Christ into your life? If not, what are you waiting for? What happens if you don't have 30, 40 or 50 years to live? What if you only have today? Would you want to go on living, knowing that Jesus was there for you offering you eternal life, but you turned it down? Beloved, accept Christ today, and be Baptized, for tomorrow is guaranteed to nobody.
Today's Christian lesson concludes this 3-day journey that we have been on.

We deviate from the Names of God lessons today to focus on something a lot of folks, even some Christians don't know the answer to...why is Jesus called the Lamb of God? This is a long explanation so it will be spread across two days, PART1 and PART2.

PART 2:
So this brings me back to the question --- why the LAMB of God? Why not the goat of God or the Bull of God or the Rabbit of God? Why the lamb? This has to do with Old Testament Jewish tradition. Moses, pleaded with Pharaoh to let his people go, but Pharaoh would not agree, so God enabled Moses to bring upon Egypt the ten plagues, the last one of which was the death of all of Egypt's newborn.
This is what the LORD says: "About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again." — Exodus 11:4–6

Reference 1: Before this final plague, God commands Moses to tell the Israelites to slaughter a lamb and mark their homes with it's blood above their doors in order that the Angel of Death will pass over them (i.e., that they will not be touched by the death of the firstborn). So while the firstborn of all of Egypt die that night, the firstborn of Israel are saved. The passover sacrifice recalls the time when the LORD "passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt" and to this day Passover is one of the most significant Jewish Holidays. The blood of the lamb saved the Israelites from the Angel of Death sent by God.

​Reference 2: When Isaac became a young boy, God spoke to Abraham and commanded him to take his son to Mount Moriah and offer him as a sacrifice to God. This was God’s test of Abraham’s faith. Abraham loved his son very much, but did not hesitate to follow God’s words for he was a man whose faith in God was strong. As Abraham and his son reached the place where the sacrifice was to be performed, Isaac said to his father, “Father, where is the lamb that is to be sacrificed?” Abraham replied, “My son, God will provide the lamb”. It is not known how eventually Abraham told his son that he was to be the sacrifice, but Isaac courageously laid on the sacrificial place ready to be sacrificed for god. As Abraham was taking out his knife, his hands were trembling. He was about to sacrifice his son when heard the voice of God saying, “Abraham, Stop! Do not hurt your son. You have proven your faith and shown how much you love Me by willing to sacrifice your son for Me. Therefore, I shall bless you and your family, and through you, I shall bless all the nations on earth”. God also provided a lamb for the sacrifice. Abraham went home along with his son, and their hearts full of love and faith.
There was a long Jewish tradition of sacrificing a lamb for the forgiveness of sins. When Jesus appears, he once again fulfills God's promise to provide the lamb for the sacrifice by becoming the lamb. He fulfills the law. Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished” (Matthew 5:17–18).
While in the Old testament God says to Abraham that he would provide the lamb to be the sacrifice, in the New Testament 400 years later, God sends His only Son to be the sacrificial lamb for all of mankind, therefore making him the Lamb of God. "who takes away the sins of the world" This is why Jesus is called the lamb of God.

​We deviate from the Names of God lessons today to focus on something a lot of folks, even some Christians don't know the answer to...why is Jesus called the Lamb of God? This is a long explanation so it will be spread across two days, PART1 and PART2.
PART1: (Background)
God instructed man not to sin. However, very early in his being, man disobeyed God when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit of the tree which God instructed them not to eat from. Ever since this time, man has been disobeying God by all sorts of means such as idol worship, breaking of the commandments which God handed down to Moses, as well as turning away from God and engaging in such things as nature and earth-worship, engaging in fornication, sodomy and adultery, alcoholism, debauchery as well as many other sins against our Holy God. These and other sins incur the wrath of our Holy God. The wrath of God which deserves nothing less than death!!! We have all --- each one of us --- at one time or another in our lives --- sinned. We are all sinners. Whether the sin is a big one, being one of the ones described above, or a little one, such as looking at a woman in lust, coveting the neighbor’s Bentley, or speaking a little white lie, the fact is that we are all sinners and have fallen short of the Glory of God. “..for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God’ [Romans 3:23] There is none who has not sinned. None except one --- Christ alone. “He that is without sin among you, let him first cast a stone at her.” And again He stooped down, and wrote on the ground. And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst." [John 8:7-9]
So while we all deserve death, and there is nothing we could possibly do to appease, ameliorate, pacify or otherwise do to satisfy an angry God except by spending an eternity in hell, something so enormous has been done for us that we have not only been spared the death penalty, but have been granted a promise of life everlasting. That enormous deed was done some Two Thousand years ago when God sent His only son to die on the Cross for our sins at Calvary. “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” [Philippians 2:8] Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came into the world as a human being (the unique God/man) to be the perfect sacrifice for sin and to make atonement --- propitiation for our sins. “Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.” [Romans 3:24-25] To understand this a little better, imagine that you had committed a capital crime and were sentenced to die. You were blindfolded and tied to a tree, with a firing squad squarely taking aim at you, ready to shoot you to death. Terrified you hear the sergeant shout out, “Ready --- Aim --- “ then silence. In a minute, your blindfold comes off, and when you open your eyes, there is Christ tied to the tree and shot in your place. He has taken the bullet for you. He has died in your place. This, my friends, is what our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ did on the Cross, for those who believe in Him --- for those who have received Him as Lord of their lives. How can anything compare to this? How can any love equal this? Christ not only paid the penalty for the sins of His generation, but for all generations to come for those who believe in Him.

So, back to the names of God. You ask, what's all this fuss about Yahweh vs. Jehovah vs. God the Father. I have just the answer for you. However, I cannot take credit for it, for today's section is out of a book and it would be dishonest if I didn't give credit to the author. This is perhaps the best explanation I have read thus far on this topic:

YAHWEH OR JEHOVAH?
Why does a debate exist over how this special name of God should be pronounced? The reason is both simple and complex. Old Testament Hebrew was written using only consonants. There were no written vowels, and a reader was expected to add the appropriate vowel sounds. Thus, this special name of God was written YHWH. But by the time the name was translated into English, the original pronunciation had been lost.

The reason, however, for the confusion is more complicated. Around A.D.1100, a group of Jewish scholars produced what is known as the Massoretic text. In this document, the scholars added a series of vowels to the Hebrew text, the vowels being represented by various placements of dots.
The special name of God was so sacred that no observant Jew would pronounce it. Instead, when reading the Scripture, a person coming to that name would substitute an entirely different word. This is a technical rule known as “kethive Kere.” This phrase means “written one way, to be read another.” It directed readers of the sacred Hebrew text that when they came to the four consonants YHWH, they were to attach vowel signs indicating that in its place they should read the Hebrew word Adonai, which means “Lord.” In this case, the scholars who produced the Massoretic text added the vowels “e,” “o,” and “a” to the consonants “Y,” “H,” “W,” and “H” (in other words, “YeHoWaH”).

The translators of the King James Version of the Bible followed this convention to translate YHWH as “Jehovah” (the sound of the consonant “Y” being represented by “J” and the sound of the consonant “W” by “V”). In other words, they used the vowels of the term to be pronounced (namely, Adonai) rather than the vowels associated with YHWH, which represented the correct pronunciation of this most sacred name of God. This explains how the name “Jehovah” was introduced into the English language Bible. And it is for this reason that the form “Jehovah” does not represent the correct way to pronounce the covenant name of God.
The majority of Hebrew scholars think the consonants YHWH were originally pronounced “Yahweh.” A minority of others, however, remain unsure. Regardless of just exactly how the sacred name was pronounced in Bible times, its essential meaning shines through to enrich our understanding of God.
Credit:
Richards, Larry. (2001). Every name of God in the Bible (p. 24). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson.

Today's Christian lesson continues the names of God. This lesson assumes that the reader knows that the Trinity (Father, Son - Jesus and Holy Spirit) are a part of the triune Godhead and that the Father (God) has many names including Jehovah, Yahweh and God among them. The characteristics of God are on full display in the Hebrew language, and we will discuss these names of God over the next few weeks. Each name of God describes one of His characteristics. Once we are done, we will examine the many names of Jesus in both the Hebrew and the Greek. (OT and NT)
​
The ninth name we will discuss is Yahweh Shalom or Jehovah Shalom which literally means "The Lord your Peace" and appears in several places in the Bible, some of which are:
"And Gideon built an altar to the LORD there and named it Yahweh-Shalom" (which means 'the LORD is peace') Judges 6:24

​Today's Christian lesson continues the names of God. This lesson assumes that the reader knows that the Trinity (Father, Son - Jesus and Holy Spirit) are a part of the triune Godhead and that the Father (God) has many names including Jehovah, Yahweh and God among them. The characteristics of God are on full display in the Hebrew language, and we will discuss these names of God over the next few weeks. Each name of God describes one of His characteristics. Once we are done, we will examine the many names of Jesus in both the Hebrew and the Greek. (OT and NT)
​
The eighth name we will discuss is Yahweh Ab or Jehovah Ab which literally means "The Lord your Father" and appears in several places in the Bible, some of which are:
You, O Lord, are our Father,
Our Redeemer from of old is Your name.
Isaiah 63:16
But now, O Lord, You are our Father,
We are the clay, and You our potter;
And all of us are the work of Your hand.
Isaiah 64:8

Today's Christian lesson continues the names of God. This lesson assumes that the reader knows that the Trinity (Father, Son - Jesus and Holy Spirit) are a part of the triune Godhead and that the Father (God) has many names including Jehovah, Yahweh and God among them. The characteristics of God are on full display in the Hebrew language, and we will discuss these names of God over the next few weeks. Each name of God describes one of His characteristics. Once we are done, we will examine the many names of Jesus.
​
The seventh name we will discuss is Yahweh Palat or Jehovah Palat which literally means "The Lord your deliverer" and appears in several places in the Bible, some of which are:
The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer,
My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.
Psalms 18:2
My lovingkindness and my fortress,
My stronghold and my deliverer,
My shield and He in whom I take refuge,
Who subdues my people under me.
Psalms 144:2

​Today's Christian lesson continues the names of God. This lesson assumes that the reader knows that the Trinity (Father, Son - Jesus and Holy Spirit) are a part of the triune Godhead and that the Father (God) has many names including Jehovah, Yahweh and God among them. The characteristics of God are on full display in the Hebrew language, and we will discuss these names of God over the next few weeks. Each name of God describes one of His characteristics. Once we are done, we will examine the many names of Jesus.
The sixth name we will discuss is Yahweh Bara or Jehovah Bara which literally means "The Lord your Creator" and appears in several places in the Bible, one of which is:
"Do you not know? Have you not heard?
The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth
Does not become weary or tired.
His understanding is inscrutable."
Isaiah 40:28

​Today's Christian lesson continues the names of God. This lesson assumes that the reader knows that the Trinity (Father, Son - Jesus and Holy Spirit) are a part of the triune Godhead and that the Father (God) has many names including Jehovah, Yahweh and God among them. The characteristics of God are on full display in the Hebrew language, and we will discuss these names of God over the next few weeks. Each name of God describes one of His characteristics. Once we are done, we will examine the many names of Jesus.
The fifth name we will discuss is Yahweh Shammah or Jehovah Shammah which literally means "The Lord’s abiding Presence is there" and appears in several places in the Bible, one of which is:
"The circumference of the city shall be 18,000 cubits. And the name of the city from that time on shall be, The LORD Is There.”
Ezekiel 48:35

​Today's Christian lesson continues the names of God. This lesson assumes that the reader knows that the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are a part of the triune Godhead and that the Father (God) has many names including Jehovah, Yahweh and God among them. The characteristics of God are on full display in the Hebrew language, and we will discuss these names of God over the next few weeks. Each name of God describes one of His characteristics.
The fourth name we will discuss is Yahweh Nissi or Jehovah Nissi which literally means "The LORD your banner" and appears in several places in the Bible, one of which is:
"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

​Today's Christian lesson continues the names of God. This lesson assumes that the reader knows that the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are a part of the triune Godhead and that the Father (God) has many names including Jehovah, Yahweh and God among them. The characteristics of God are on full display in the Hebrew language, and we will discuss these names of God over the next few weeks. Each name of God describes one of His characteristics.
The third name we will discuss is Yahweh Jireh or Jehovah Jireh which literally means "The LORD your provider" and appears in several places in the Bible, one of which is:
"Then they came to the place of which God had told him; and Abraham built the altar there and arranged the wood, and bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But the angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.” He said, “Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, and do nothing to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Then Abraham raised his eyes and looked, and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by his horns; and Abraham went and took the ram and offered him up for a burnt offering in the place of his son. Abraham called the name of that place The Lord Will Provide, as it is said to this day, “In the mount of the Lord it will be provided.”
Genesis 22:9-14

​Today's Christian lesson diverges from the names of God, to be resumed on Monday. There is a special lesson for today. Today my girlfriend and I attended a beautiful Catholic wedding in Dearborn, Michigan. One of the many things the Catholic Priest said echoed something I have heard my fellow Protestant Pastors say many times.
"At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who then is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” Jesus invited a little child to stand among them. “Truly I tell you,” He said, “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven" Matthew 18:1-4
You have to become helpless like a baby, like a child, to really get close to Jesus. You have to come to the end of yourself --- the end of your own strength, in order to become useful to Jesus, to love Him completely and to surrender to him completely. I came to the end of myself in 2008, and surrendered completely to His will in 2008 and in 2009 read the Bible cover to cover 10 times, and was Baptized. You have to come to the end of yourself to appreciate God's Grace. Are you doing life in your own power, or in God's power? Have you come to the end of yourself and said, Lord, I cannot do life in my own power --- I surrender --- I need you. Please carry me? Have you ever prayed that prayer? This reminds me of a beautiful poem by Ryan Hart:
Footprints in the Sand:
"One night I dreamed a dream. I was walking along the beach with my Lord. Across the dark sky flashed scenes from my life. For each scene, I noticed two sets of footprints in the sand, one belonging to me and one to my Lord.
When the last scene of my life shot before me I looked back at the footprints in the sand. There was only one set of footprints. I realized that this was at the lowest and saddest times of my life. This always bothered me and I questioned the Lord about my dilemma.
"Lord, You told me when I decided to follow You, You would walk and talk with me all the way. But I'm aware that during the most troublesome times of my life there is only one set of footprints. I just don't understand why, when I need You most, You leave me."
He whispered, "My precious child, I love you and will never leave you, never, ever, during your trials and testings. When you saw only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.

​Today's Christian lesson continues the names of God. This lesson assumes that the reader knows that the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are a part of the triune Godhead and that the Father (God) has many names including Jehovah, Yahweh and God among them. The characteristics of God are on full display in the Hebrew language, and we will discuss these names of God over the next few weeks. Each name of God describes one of His characteristics.
The second name we will discuss is Yahweh Shalam or Jehovah Shalam which literally means "The LORD who restores" and appears in several places in the Bible, one of which is:
“I will repay you for the years the locusts have eaten--
the great locust and the young locust,
the other locusts and the locust swarm--
my great army that I sent among you.
You will have plenty to eat, until you are full,
and you will praise the name of the Lord your God,
who has worked wonders for you;
never again will my people be shamed.
Then you will know that I am in Israel,
that I am the Lord your God,
and that there is no other;
never again will my people be shamed."
Joel 2:25-27

​Today's Christian lesson continues the names of God. This lesson assumes that the reader knows that the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are a part of the triune Godhead and that the Father (God) has many names including Jehovah, Yahweh and God among them. The characteristics of God are on full display in the Hebrew language, and we will discuss these names of God over the next few weeks. Each name of God describes one of His characteristics.
The second name we will discuss is Yahweh Rapha or Jehovah Rapha which literally means "The LORD your healer or the LORD your restorer" the Hebrew word Rapha is literally "healer" or "restorer" and appears in several places in the Bible, one of which is:
"He said, “If you listen carefully to 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.” Exodus 15:26

​Today's Christian lesson begins the names of God. This lesson assumes that the reader knows that the Trinity (Father, Son and Holy Spirit) are a part of the triune Godhead and that the Father (God) has many names including Jehovah, Yahweh and God among them. The characteristics of God are on full display in the Hebrew language, and we will discuss these names of God over the next few weeks. Each name of God describes one of His characteristics.
The first name we will discuss is Yahweh Aman or Jehovah Aman which literally means "The LORD is faithful" and appears in two places in the Bible:
"Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commandments." Deuteronomy 7:9
"This is what the Lord says--
the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel--
to him who was despised and abhorred by the nation,
to the servant of rulers:
"Kings will see you and stand up,
princes will see and bow down,
because of the Lord, who is faithful,
the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen you"
Isaiah 47:9