Matthew 28:18-20 - And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying,

All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye

therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name
of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:
Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world. Amen.

Now, definitely, this highlights what God wants us to do as believers:

to make disciples. The word 'teach' there in verse 19 is the word
matheteuō (μαθητεύω). It means to train people. It is not just to
pass across information; it also includes to give instructions and also
to lead by example. It is the way you train someone in a career, or
profession, or a discipline.

So you cannot be asking for the will of God when this is there. And I
say it often that when you have light and you are looking for light,
you are going to get darkness. If you have the written Word and you
are still asking for what the will of God is, you are going to get
darkness. The written Word guards us from being open to different
kinds of interpretations of God's will.

Now imagine if God's Word is subject to how we all hear God – that
God is going to lead us by how we hear Him, how we perceive He is
talking to us. Imagine we do that, and then that becomes the
standard of Christian living.

We have different shades of the way we dress up, different shades

of what we like to eat. If we are allowed to all interpret God this way,
it is going to be quite crazy. And it also means that if somebody gets
up and says he is a worshipper of Buddha, he is right because that is
what God told him. But the written Word protects us all from
error. It protects you from yielding to a voice that is not God's
voice. So when you have the written Word, you have the will of God.

So the written Word is the will of God. The written Word is not
something else apart from the will of God. So the will of God for my
life is to make disciples for Jesus.

Mark 16:15-20 - And he said unto them, Go ye into all the

world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that
believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow
them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils;
they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up
serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt
them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall
recover. So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he
was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of
God. And they went forth, and preached every where, the
Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs
following.

So we have a duty to also announce the gospel, “Kerruso

Euagellion” to announce it. So, how do I preach? How did you invite
people for your birthday party? How do you invite people for even a
funeral? That is the same way you bring up subjects around the
Word of God. You must initiate conversations and act like someone
inviting, persuading. All of us know how to market our goods. We
know how to market what we sell. You market all sorts of things. You
market even things that people do not use, you market, and they
buy it. Furthermore, preaching the gospel means we initiate
conversations and talk about Jesus. So you have that duty. That is
the will of God for you.

John 20:21-23 - Then said Jesus to them again, Peace be unto

you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And
when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto
them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost: Whosesoever sins ye
remit, they are remitted unto them; and whosesoever sins
ye retain, they are retained.

So to remit and retain, it is the work of the Spirit. It is only God who
remits sins. But by giving you His Spirit, you begin to act in His
stead, and He also acts in your stead. That is why when you witness
the gospel to someone, you can say boldly, "Your sins are
forgiven you. You are now a son of God." The same way God
would say it. You can say it authoritatively because He gave you His
Spirit.

So therefore, God gave us His Spirit so we can carry out His will and
task on earth.

Luke 24:25-27 - Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of

heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought
not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into
his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he
expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things
concerning himself.

Pay attention: where He is teaching from, He is teaching from

Genesis through to Malachi to explain who He was, which means
that His identity will be found in Genesis to Malachi. The Bible of
Jesus is Genesis to Malachi. But how does He approach it? He
interprets it. Diermēneuō (διερμηνεύω) in the Greek. He gives us the
meaning, language, context And finally, the message. So Jesus is
able to teach from Genesis to Malachi about himself. So my duty is
to interpret.

Then in Luke 24:44 - And he said unto them, These are the
words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that
all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of
Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning
me.

See the same sequence: the Law of Moses, the Prophets, and the
Psalms. He said they were written concerning Him. Now in Luke
24:45, He tells us how He got to that point.

Luke 24:45 - Then opened he their understanding, that they

might understand the scriptures.

Syniemi (συνίημι). It means to reason the scriptures together. Now I

said this earlier: It means therefore that our study of scriptures must
be to read the Bible as a single book. We must not be found quoting
just verses and, in this instance, out of context. So I did say earlier
that we should avoid the habit of having favourite verses.

But, you see, it is not a good habit to have a favourite verse. You
should read the Bible together or you will misinterpret it. I told you
the Bible was never written in verses. It is written in paragraphs and
sentences that you must read together. The style of reading before
they put it in verses is called 'scriptura continua', which means 'keep
reading'. That was how they read scriptures in those days.

So the moment you are done for the day, you mark it; then you
continue the next day. There were never verses; verses were put
there about 500 years ago, but they were never studied in verses. It
was 'scriptura continua': keep reading, keep reading. So the way
they taught scripture, and that is why Jesus kept telling them to
anaginoskō (ἀναγινώσκω) – "read it again," "read it all over again."

In Matthew 19:3-4, He said it. Matthew 12:3-5, He said to read it all

over again, anaginoskō (ἀναγινώσκω) – "read it." So whenever He
uses "read it all over again," it meant read the whole Bible. So that
is how to come into Bible truth.
So we have three things we must do when we teach or when we
study scripture:
 We must read the Bible together.
 We must read it in detail. Anaginoskō (ἀναγινώσκω).
 And we must also interpret it.

How you will know you are in a sound local church is, one, you
understand the Bible. You know how to study it. And then, because
you know how to study it, you know how to live in it. Something you
do not know how to study, you cannot live in it. The people who are
sincere Christians and love God, they are doing their best, yet they
are not practising God's Word even though they are doing right
things.

You cannot practise God's Word if you do not understand it. So the
local assembly is where you can understand the Word; then you can
practise it.

The same way, you know, when you talk to people about
evangelism. Some people today do evangelism by giving out tracts.
It is not wrong. Some people do evangelism by giving out church
flyers. That is not wrong. But that is not evangelism. And they will
come back and say they did evangelism, and they have done great.

Anyway, so you see people like that, they go out and they are not
preaching the gospel, but they thought that was what they were
doing. They are not practising the Word because it has not been
explained to them well. So in local churches, where you practise the
Word because you are well taught, then, most importantly, you are
able to teach it.

Now imagine if you are in your office, your workplace, your school,
your family, then a conversation comes up and they ask you a
question you can answer.

You should not be like that. You should be able to explain. Like I said
in the 'So Great Salvation' series, you do not call everything idol
worship. No, there are people who seek to worship God wrongly. You
must know the difference when you are doing evangelism, because
if you go to some folks and you tell them they are idol worshippers,
they will turn you into the idol sacrifice because you are being
stupid. That is not what it means.

So that is why you must hear God's Word very well and be a dutiful
student of scripture. If you remove the Bible from this service, we
cannot be called a church. What validates us that we are a church?
Well, we have the Holy Spirit in us. Absolutely. But the fact that our
allegiance is to the scriptures, that is why we are different. It is not
the miracles, not the way we dress. It is not even the songs we sing.
It is not the times we meet, It is not where we meet. It is who we are
according to the scriptures.

So our allegiance to the scriptures is why we are a church. So

therefore, in a good local assembly, we are able to study God's Word
together and know what God is saying by the written Word. So when
you are in your sound local church, just like we are here, you are
establishing the doctrine of Christ to live it, primarily because you do
not force-feed people; rather, you live it.
Then you are able to also teach it.

Now, in the study of scripture, we pay attention to tThree things:

the words, the meaning of the words, the context of the
words or statements or stories, then the theology there.

Now I want to ask a question this afternoon, and it is a very

important question. Paul, or Saul of Tarsus. Acts 7. Where you find
him consenting in Acts 7 and Acts 8:1-3, where you find Saul of
Tarsus.

Acts 7:58 - And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and
the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet,
whose name was Saul.

Acts 8:1-3 - And Saul was consenting unto his death. And at
that time there was a great persecution against the church
which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad
throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the
apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and
made great lamentation over him. As for Saul, he made
havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling
men and women committed them to prison.
That same Saul, and verse 2 through to 3, he was making havoc of
the churches. He was going around to get Christians put behind
bars.
Acts 9:1-5 - And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and
slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the
high priest, And desired of him letters to Damascus to the
synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they
were men or women, he might bring them bound unto
Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus:
and suddenly there shined round about him a light from
heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying
unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said,
Who art thou, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom
thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the
pricks.

The idea you will have about Saul, and I must say this, I have once
used this illustration before, and it is not totally correct – it is not
totally wrong, but not totally correct – that Saul is like a ‘Boko
Haram’ fellow. No, he is not. Even though he acted like that, Saul
was a Pharisee, which means that he is someone who grew up with
an intellectual, academic, astute knowledge of the scriptures.

So whatever he was doing here, he believed he was doing it to serve

God. So, do not get that wrong. Saul, yes, he acted like a terrorist by
the things that he did—putting people behind bars and getting them
killed and all that—but he was doing it based on his devotion to
scriptures. Now, of course, wrongly so. And this is important because
as we preach the gospel to people, we are going to find people all
over the world, because another name to call the gospel is the
name of Jesus. So our gospel must be able to reinterpret God to
people where they have misinterpreted Him.

Now in this instance, the question now will be, if, according to his
admission in Acts 22:3, he said:
Acts 22:3 - I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus,
a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of
Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the
law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are
this day.

If you did not know what Gamaliel was, Gamaliel was a respected
Jewish teacher.
Acts 5:34 - Then stood there up one in the council, a Pharisee,
named Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, had in reputation
among all the people, and commanded to put the apostles
forth a little space;

He had a reputation amongst the people. He was known. It sounds

like he had a Bible school seminary. So he is known. So Paul went to
his Bible school. And look at Paul's qualification. He said, "I am
taught according to the perfect manner" (Acts 22:3) "of the law of
the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day."

Now Every time Paul talks about the way he persecuted the church,
he often used the word "zealous towards God." Of course, in 1
Timothy 1:13, he says he was ignorant.
1 Timothy 1:13 - Who was before a blasphemer, and a
persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I
did it ignorantly in unbelief.

But notice that he was doing it according to scripture. There was

someone who was doing the who did the same thing, in scripture.
Now there was idolatry and sexual immorality, and Phinehas in
Numbers.

Numbers 25:7-9 - And when Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, the

son of Aaron the priest, saw it, he rose up from among the
congregation, and took a javelin in his hand; And he went
after the man of Israel into the tent, and thrust both of them
through, the man of Israel, and the woman through her
belly. So the plague was stayed from the children of Israel.
And those that died in the plague were twenty and four
thousand.

Phinehas brought out a javelin. And rose up in verse 7 and thrust it

through the man of Israel. And then about 24,000 died. So pay
attention. In Psalm 106:30, when that story was going to be
recorded:

Psalm 106:30 - Then stood up Phinehas, and executed

judgment: and so the plague was stayed.
Psalm 106:31 - And that was counted unto him for
righteousness unto all generations for evermore.

Same word used for Abraham: ḥāšab ṣedāqāh (‫)ָח ַׁש ב ְצ ָד ָק ה‬. The only
difference is that it is not "Abraham believed in the Lord." So this
guy, executing justice (ṣedāqāh) on behalf of God, he kills people.
Now, was he ignorant? We will solve that later. But this is Paul's
template of why he goes after the folks he felt were blasphemers,
who were cavorting with idols, worshipping who is not God.

So we want to find out, What did Paul see on the road to

Damascus? It is very critical that we see this.
What did he see on the road to Damascus that has birthed what we
call Christianity?

Now, Luke, who wrote a sort of biography for Paul—Acts—because

the Book of Acts is about Paul. The Book of Acts is the defence of
Paul, because it ends with Paul being taken to judgment. So Luke
writes it as a defence for Paul to Theophilus, who was like a lawyer
or judge. So it is about Paul.

That is why you discover what Luke did. Luke wrote Luke and the
Book of Acts. The Book of Luke is about Jesus and how Jesus was
killed unjustly. Then the Book of Acts, he sets the tone as Peter
being the leader after Jesus, who now handed over to James in Acts
12.

Then, from Acts 13, he opens up on Paul, and the narrative is very
clear that Peter endorsed Paul, and Paul and Peter in Acts 15 had
the synergy of doctrine and belief. What he does in Acts of the
Apostles is to let us see the story of Jesus in the story of Peter and
Paul.( I have done that study for us earlier on the Book of Luke).

We have done that story together where we saw that he ensured – I

mean, the story – had it that the number of times Jesus was justified,
even though he was eventually killed, is the number of times Paul
was. So the Book of Acts is his biography.

Now let us see something that Luke uses critically in Luke 24. In
Luke 24:31, on the road to Emmaus. Notice the instance. Why were
the disciples distraught? They had thought Jesus was the one that
would redeem Israel. So He disappointed them by coming out as a
Lamb, not a Lion. He comes out as a Sacrifice, not an Idol. He is not
the King They thought, He is a Ruler as a Servant.

But the key issue is Luke says that Jesus called them "fools and slow
of heart to believe," which means understanding and faith work
together. Bradys kardia (βραδὺς καρδία) has to do with the way you
think.
So Luke uses the mind, just like Paul in 2 Corinthians 4:3-4 - But if
our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the
god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which
believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God, should shine unto them.

Luke is definitely Paul's disciple, and he says "slow of heart to

believe." Now Jesus takes them through, but look at how they
describe that experience in Luke 24:31:

Luke 24:31 - And their eyes were opened, and they knew him;
and he vanished out of their sight.

It says, "Our eyes were opened," dianoiō (διανοίγω). This is a very

constant word in the way Luke writes about salvation. Now, the
people whose eyes were opened were Jews. They knew the
scriptures, or, let us say, they read it. He repeats it again in Luke
24:32:

Luke 24:32 - And they said one to another, Did not our heart
burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while
he opened to us the scriptures?

Dianoiō (διανοίγω) again, the scriptures. Pay attention again that

the road to Emmaus, it comes, as it were, a parallel of Acts 9. Paul
was also on the road. So again, in Luke 24:45, he opened their
understanding.

Luke 24:45 - Then opened he their understanding, that they

might understand the scriptures.

It comes out thrice: dianoiō (διανοίγω). Now, if you go to the Book of

Acts, Luke uses it again to explain how a man heard the gospel, how
a person received the gospel.

Acts 16:14 - And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of

purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard
us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the
things which were spoken of Paul.

“Whose heart the Lord opened”. Now, if you had read Luke 24, you
know that that has to do with scriptures. Now in Acts 17, the same
word dianoiō (διανοίγω) comes out again in verse 3. Paul is
reasoning the scriptures in verse 2. In verse 3, he opens the
scriptures, dianoiō (διανοίγω).
Acts 17:2-3 - And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them,
and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the
scriptures, Opening and alledging, that Christ must needs
have suffered, and risen again from the dead; and that this
Jesus, whom I preach unto you, is Christ.

Now we are not at Paul yet. What did Paul see? Dianoiō (διανοίγω)
means something that sharply opens, used for wounds, deaf ears
and things like that. Now obviously, the use by Luke, because Luke
is writing again the story of Jesus, has to be a written account of the
Old Testament. Where is he getting this from? 2 Kings 6. Remember
the question is: what did Paul see?

What Paul saw on the road to Damascus must be similar to what

happened on the road to Emmaus.

2 Kings 6. Elisha and his servant, and the servant felt that they were
surrounded by the host of the enemy. And Elisha prayed, in verse
17:

2 Kings 6:17 - And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee,
open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the
eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the
mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about
Elisha.

He prayed for God to open his eyes. That is verse 17. Then verse 20:

2 Kings 6:20 - And when they were come into Samaria, Elisha
said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see.
And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold,
they were in the midst of Samaria.

Now that word in the Hebrew is pāqaḥ (‫)ָּפ ַק ח‬. When Jesus was
teaching his audience, He used what you call the Septuagint.
Septuagint simply means the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible.
Now the Greek of this word pāqaḥ (‫ )ָּפ ַק ח‬is the same word dianoiō
(διανοίγω). The same word "open his eyes" to see a present reality.

What is Luke saying? Luke is saying God has caused him to see what
was already there.
Interestingly, you must pay attention to this: in Genesis 3:5 and 7, it
is used for Adam and Eve when their eyes opened. And that has to
do with sin. Now you discover that word dianoiō (διανοίγω)
Genesis 3:5 - For God doth know that in the day ye eat
thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as
gods, knowing good and evil.
Genesis 3:7 - And the eyes of them both were opened; and
they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves
together, and made themselves aprons.

You see it again in 2 Kings 19:16: 2 Kings 19:16 - LORD, bow down
thine ear, and hear: open, LORD, thine eyes, and see: and
hear the words of Sennacherib, which hath sent him to
reproach the living God.

Psalm 146:8 - The LORD openeth the eyes of the blind: the
LORD raiseth them that are bowed down: the LORD loveth
the righteous:
Definitely here he is talking about spiritual blindness.

Isaiah 35:5-6 - Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and
the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame
man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in
the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the
desert.

It is talking about salvation. He will come and save you. This is

talking about spiritual condition. And it says it is God who opens the
eyes.

Isaiah 42:7 - To open the blind eyes, to bring out the prisoners
from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the
prison house.

The mission of the Christ is to open blind eyes. That is not talking
about physical blindness again. So therefore, it is God who opens
the eyes. But do not forget: he opens it by the scriptures. And notice
in the case of Elisha, what he was opened to was already there. So,
to dianoiō (διανοίγω) is to see what is already there. So the opposite
of it will be ignorance.

Now notice that in the same scenario—this is just by the way—in 2

Kings chapter 6, he said he saw chariots of fire. Luke 24:32, "Did not
our heart burn." Same narrative: burn. So there is fire in the
revelation of the servants of Elisha. There is also fire in the heart of
Jesus’s audience. On the road to Damascus, there was also light.
Paul saw light.
Now something similar also in Exodus 3, as Moses is at Mount Horeb,
and he is an And the bush has fire; it is not burning. And, "Take off
your shoes. The land where you stand is holy ground." And He says,
"I am the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob" (Exodus 3:1-6).

Paul has the same experience on the road to Damascus. Notice God
in Jesus, says, "I am Yahweh Yasha (‫ )ְי הָו ה ָי ַׁש ע‬whom you persecute."
Look at the difference. Very slight. Paul and Moses, just like Paul,
Moses was equally not ignorant of the scriptures. He knew the
scriptures. He knew the promise, but something happened at Horeb.

Much later in Exodus 6:2-3, where God self-declares, "I am the

LORD."

Exodus 6:2-3 - And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him,
I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac,
and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my
name JEHOVAH was I not known to them.

Which is, "I AM" is a repetition: "I AM, I AM, I AM Yahweh." "By my
name Yahweh, the LORD, I AM, I was not known." Now this almost
looks like God was revealing himself in bits. No, pay attention very
well, because we make sense. "By my name I AM, I was not known."
"I was known by Almighty God." But when he showed up to Moses,
he said, "I am the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob."

So which means that the use of names is functional, not a title. It is

functional. We are doing a study on the name of Jesus. Do not forget
it is functional.

Now, go back to what we had taught earlier where we use the word
qārā (‫)ָק ָר א‬. where God 'calls,'

Genesis 1:3 - And God said, Let there be light: and there was
light.

Genesis 1:4 - And God saw the light, that it was good: and
God divided the light from the darkness.
Then:
Genesis 1:5 - And God called the light Day, and the darkness
he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the
first day.
He calls the light Day and he calls the darkness Night. Now Isaiah
will say later, "I am he that created the light and darkness" (Isaiah
45:7) because I told you bārā’ (‫ )ָּב ָר א‬does not mean to manufacture.
Bārā’ (‫ )ָּב ָר א‬is also to make something functional. So God created
darkness in the fact that he exposed it. This is darkness. This is light.
Not that he manufactured it. Bārā’ (‫ )ָּב ָר א‬could also mean to expose
something.

So God’s creation of darkness is the fact that he tells us the

function. Darkness now functions as night. But he is not darkness;
he is light (Genesis 1:3). So qārā (‫ )ָק ָר א‬is functional.
So when you see in Genesis 2:19, animals are brought to Adam and
he names them, it is just a language. The first animal we now see is
the serpent: subtlety.

So it is not referring to a zoology class. It is referring to how to read

the Bible. So the serpent is subtle, referring to human actions and
behaviour. If you read the Bible very well, you discover that animals
were used to describe human actions and behaviour: lions, sheep,
tigers, leopards, birds, wolves – they are used to describe people.

So, whatever Adam called, so it was. So, basically, to call is to give it

function. Henceforth, when you read the Bible and you read about
animals, it has to do with functionality. So names are for
functionality

Look at Genesis 49. Imagine this man is talking about his children
and he calls his firstborn Reuben. He says:

Genesis 49:4 - Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel,

because thou wentest up to thy father's bed; then defiledst
thou it: he went up to my couch.

Then he says in Genesis 49:9:

Genesis 49:9 - Judah is a lion's whelp: from the prey, my son,

thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion,
and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?
In Genesis 49:14:
Genesis 49:14 - Issachar is a strong ass couching down
between two burdens:
In Genesis 49:17:
Genesis 49:17 - Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in
the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall
fall backward.
So you see that. So when Adam is calling animals, he is not in a
zoology class. That is a culture of their day, where animals are used
to describe people’s actions. So names therefore are functional. "I
AM" is functional, what it is relating to. Serpent is used not because
snakes are evil but to describe subtlety.

So look at some very simple instances. The very first man in

scripture who has God’s commendation is Abel. And who was Abel?
A keeper of sheep.

Genesis 4:2 - And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel
was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

That now became God's own function till Revelation? Which means
God simply had human language to describe himself. A keeper of
sheep is the first righteous man in the Bible, and God himself will be
called a keeper of sheep.

Genesis 48:15-16 - And he blessed Joseph, and said, God,

before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the
God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel
which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my
name be named on them, and the name of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in
the midst of the earth.

Jacob called Him "the God who is my shepherd." "The LORD my

shepherd." Moses is also a shepherd. Abraham is also a shepherd.
God is Shepherd. David is a shepherd. So "shepherd" therefore is
Bible language. You know today we also say "pastor." Pastor also
means shepherd.

sheep. So look at Bible language: it is functional. "God my

shepherd." Why is God called shepherd? Because of Abel, the first
keeper of sheep. Hence, God is Keeper of sheep, and His people are
called sheep because he offered service.

Now, what we are doing is reading the Bible together. So, on the
road to Emmaus, we are looking at the name of Jesus. On the road
to Emmaus, the conclusion of that conversation, if you look at Luke
24:47, he says:
Luke 24:47 - And that repentance and remission of sins should
be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at
Jerusalem.

"Preaching in my name" in the Greek also deals with function. So the

name has to be his function in the Old Testament books. Do not
forget again: what did Paul see? Jesus's introduction was "I AM."
Yeshua ( ‫)ֵי ׁשּוַע‬. Better still, Yahweh Yasha (‫)ְי הָו ה ָי ַׁש ע‬, Yahweh Yeshua (
‫)ְי הָו ה ְי ׁשּוָע ה‬.

Paul is studious, Paul is astute with scriptures, Paul's mind goes back
to the 39 books—the question is, was that the right call? what did
he see?

Now, in the incarnation, the angel was equally particular about

names. Note:It has no bearing with you. Before you go and change
your name.

Now the moment you adopt names in your worship of God, you
become an idol worshipper. Even though when you interpret it, you
must use the culture of the writer to interpret it. But when you
practise what you have interpreted, you will take away that culture
and practise the faith. So you cannot adopt that. You can only see it
in your understanding.

Now, the angel was very particular in Matthew 1, the angel who
spoke with Mary. Matthew 1:21 says:

Matthew 1:21 - And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt
call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their
sins.

The name he gave him is not a new name. You can call his name
‘Joshua’. Jesus is Joshua, for he will save his people from their sins.
At that moment, Israel was waiting for a Deliverer. They knew Moses
did not take them to the Promised Land. It was Joshua. So the angel
was talking about function. "He will save his people from their sins."

So that you will know it is not a title; it is functional. Notice that it

says, in Matthew 1:22-23:
Matthew 1:22-23 - Now all this was done, that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet,
saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring
forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which
being interpreted is, God with us.
No, it did not say Joshua. Now it says Emmanuel, God with us. That
is Isaiah 7:14:

Isaiah 7:14 - Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign;
Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call
his name Immanuel.

So, we have read two texts together. We have read the Five Books
of Moses, the Exodus into Deuteronomy, and we have now read
Isaiah. There is a relationship, Isaiah preached from Law of Moses.
So, when Isaiah was asking them to await the Deliverer, he was
saying, "Await a new Joshua." So, Mary knew what the angel was
saying. We can be disconnected because we are many years ahead
from them, but they knew exactly what the angel was saying.

When Isaiah prophesied "God with us," that was the name of his own
child, which was symbolic of the fulfillment of God's promise in
Exodus. So he is called Yahweh Yeshua (‫)ְי הָו ה ְי ׁשּוָע ה‬. He is called
Emmanuel, God with us. Now those names mean that they should
expect An Exodus. They should expect a deliverance and an
inheritance. That is what the names meant.

Those names, Emmanuel and Yahweh Yeshua, meant that you need
to go back and read why those names were given. Without the
understanding that we should have in the Old Testament books, as
we call them, we cannot know the application today.
So Isaiah was prophesying and preparing the people for an exodus.
The interesting thing about the Exodus is that he is not asking them
to leave the land, because they are already there in that prophecy,
just like Jesus. He is asking them to welcome a King.

That is where you have the word 'gospel.' Isaiah uses the word
'gospel' a lot. Bāśar (‫ )ָּב ָׂש ר‬it means the arrival of a King or the exploit
of a King. So Isaiah is prophesying that in Isaiah 40:3:

Isaiah 40:3 - The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,

Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert
a highway for our God.
And Isaiah 40:5:
Isaiah 40:5 - And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and
all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD
hath spoken it.
Then Isaiah 40:9 says:
Isaiah 40:9 - O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up
into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good
tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not
afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

That is what he says. "Behold your God" is expecting comfort. They

are expecting deliverance. They are expecting a voice in the
wilderness. An Exodus. "Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make
straight in the desert a highway for our God." This is an Exodus
story. So when Isaiah says that, they know that is talking about the
coming of a King. Just like Israel welcomed a Deliverer, Moses, but
Moses did not take them to the inheritance; Joshua did.

So when he says, "Come on, let us welcome the LORD, prepare His
way," it is like Moses coming back to Egypt, but having come to
Egypt in the realm of sin and death and tyranny, he leads them out.
But Joshua takes them in across the Jordan, just what John the
Baptist did to Jesus in the baptism. So Jesus therefore, by that name,
is fulfilling prophecy. The moment I do not know what the prophecy
is, I misunderstand it. The name therefore becomes functional.

Do not forget the question: What did Paul see on the road to
Damascus? Look at Isaiah 43. As you keep reading from Isaiah 40
through to Isaiah, precisely 55 also to 66, you will see that narrative
of deliverance, salvation, Exodus, and inheritance. The Spirit is
getting them to a land.

Isaiah 43:18 - Remember ye not the former things, neither

consider the things of old.
What is he talking about? What former things? What things of old?
Go to verse 16:

Isaiah 43:16-17 - Thus saith the LORD, which maketh a way in

the sea, and a path in the mighty waters; Which bringeth
forth the chariot and horse, the army and the power; they
shall lie down together, they shall not rise: they are extinct,
they are quenched as tow.

Then Isaiah 43:18:

Isaiah 43:18 - Remember ye not the former things, neither
consider the things of old.
That is the Exodus. That is, forget about Egypt. You are out of it now.
In Isaiah 43:19:

Isaiah 43:19 - Behold, I will do a new thing; now it shall spring

forth; shall ye not know it? I will even make a way in the
wilderness, and rivers in the desert.

New creation. Now notice, they are not in the desert. But the desert
will become a metaphor for being lost, being in sin. Just like the
parable of Jesus:

Luke 15:4 - What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he

lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the
wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?

So 'desert' is Bible language. 'Sea' is Bible language. I did a few of

that in the second service. Always understand Bible language. So
the name of Jesus relates directly with the Exodus of his day, or the
Four Gospels, the inheritance and deliverance.

The question will be: Is this the fulfillment?

So what other name is he called? He is called the Son of God. When
you and I use 'son,' we use 'son' for a male child. That is not Bible
language. Yes, it is part of how it is used, but 'Son' is ben ʾelohim (
‫)ֶּב ן־ֱא ֹלִה ים‬. 'Son of God' was used in their culture to talk about how
deities are represented in humanity.

They worship a higher being, ʾElohim (‫)ֱא ֹלִה ים‬. Whoever represents
that ʾElohim (‫ )ֱא ֹלִה ים‬to them is a ben ʾelohim (‫)ֶּב ן־ֱא ֹלִה ים‬, 'son of the
gods.' That is why angels were also called sons of God. The moment
they see a reflection of deity to humanity, or, let us say, spiritual
beings, they call them 'son of God.'

So in adopting the phrase 'son' when God says "Israel is my son," it

means Israel is My reflection, Israel is My image, Israel is My servant
nation. So 'Son of God' (ben ʾelohim) are usually to reflect the
character of that deity. In many instances, they are on equal terms.
So when God talks to David and he says, in 2 Samuel 7:12-14:

2 Samuel 7:12-14 - And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou

shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee,
which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish
his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will
stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his
father, and he shall be my son.
Enough sense will tell us he is not talking about Solomon by using
'forever' and saying his kingdom will be forever. That is God, the
King, in the Law of Moses. He is not the King of the prophets,
because by the time they got to the prophets, they had adopted
kings according to the world. So God is the King here, and he is also
the Son. A Son of David because he is human. A Son of God because
God is reflecting himself to humanity.

So when Jesus is called the Son of God, this is why the Pharisees
almost stoned him. "Are you equalling yourself with God? Are you
saying to us that you are divine, only reflecting in humanity?" So this
is Bible language.

Psalm 2:7 - I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto
me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

The question remains, what did Paul see? Now look at something
he mentioned. Let us go to Matthew 22. In Matthew 22, Jesus asks
them the golden question. In Matthew 22:42, he asked the
Pharisees:
Matthew 22:42 - Saying, What think ye of Christ? whose son is
he? They say unto him, The Son of David.

Observe that over 90 percent of the conversation of Jesus

abou the scriptures, questions and answers were with the
Pharisees, why? Because they were tutored well in
scriptures. So Paul knows the scriptures by heart, he can
quote everything.

So true, God promised to raise a King through David. But David

himself now prophesied.

Psalm 110:1 - The LORD said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my

right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.

Two words: Yahweh (‫)יהוה‬, who is God, That is the name of God.
Exodus 3:14, Exodus 6:2. But how can Yahweh say to your master,
"You are King," whereas David had also called God his master, my
ʾElohim (‫ ?)ֱא ֹלִה ים‬Which means that David, by his prophecy, has
already said God will be human.If God will sit on his throne, David's
throne, he is his seed and is human.

Now, what did Jesus do to the Pharisees? Notice the word he uses all
the time for them: anaginoskō (ἀναγινώσκω) – read it all
together. Do not forget our question: What did Paul see on the
road to Damascus? We must therefore identify Paul in Jesus's
encounters with the Pharisees. You know why? Because Paul was
not there. So the encounters with the Pharisees and the questions
he poses to them, and the solutions that he gives, must be how we
will unbundle what happened to Paul.

And if today we meet Pharisees like Paul, or Saul of Tarsus, this is

how we solve the problem. So if Saul is a Pharisee, then in Acts 24,
Paul did not serve another god in Acts 9. Paul was not serving an
idol before Acts 9. But if you look at the encounter of Cornelius who
prayed to God always, but he needed to hear about Jesus. So in Acts
24, we see Paul Acts 24:14:

Acts 24:14 - But this I confess unto thee, that after the way
which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers,
believing all things which are written in the law and in the
prophets:

Which means that the challenge the Pharisees had was they never
read the scriptures together. Paul has now done this by reading the
scriptures together. He found Jesus of Nazareth. Paul is lettered; he
is knowledgeable. So who is he calling the God of the fathers? In

Acts 24:24, Felix with his wife came and heard Paul concerning faith
in Christ. Faith in Christ, law and the prophets in Christ. In Acts
26:18, what is the commandment? He said to open their eyes:
Acts 26:18 - To open their eyes, and to turn them from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God,
that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance
among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

Look at that term: "power of God." So Paul is saying that Christ is

the God of our fathers, the God of Israel. Acts 26:22-23:

Acts 26:22-23 - Having therefore obtained help of God, I

continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great,
saying none other things than those which the prophets and
Moses did say should come: That Christ should suffer, and
that he should be the first that should rise from the dead,
and should shew light unto the people, and to the Gentiles.
He says what Moses said would come: First of all, he is the one that
turns people from darkness to light. Now he is the one that suffers
and shows light. In Acts 26:27, he tells Agrippa:

Acts 26:27 - King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I

know that thou believest.

Now, do not forget, he reads the prophets as one singular book. Acts
27:23:

Acts 27:23 - For there stood by me this night the angel of

God, whose I am, and whom I serve,

He is referring to Jesus. Acts 27:25:

Acts 27:25 - Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe
God, that it shall be even as it was told me.

In Acts 28:23, it says the kingdom of God, written in the law and the
prophets. He preached Jesus to them in the law and the prophets.
See the consistency with the Road to Emmaus, He read them
together: the law and the prophets.

Now, pay attention again in Acts 28:31. He is preaching the kingdom

of God. Now, who told them to expect the kingdom? David and the
prophets. The arrival of God As King. And he says that King is Jesus
Christ. So what is going on with Paul? What happened to Paul is that
his mind opened and the scriptures opened.

How did the scriptures open? He reasoned them together. He

reasoned them together. So Paul's encounter on the road to
Damascus is similar to what happened to Moses, let us see
something similar to Moses—Moses, equally acting as Deliverer, he
killed the Egyptian for the Jews ignorantly. He runs away, comes
back, then God now reveals himself to him.

Paul does the same: he is killing Christians ignorantly, and then on

one of his journeys, he sees God in Jesus. "Who is following what I
am saying here?" What did he see? Paul found out from the
scriptures that the Jesus he saw was the God in the Old
Testament books.

Now Luke used dianoiō (διανοίγω) to describe an eyewitness

account: Luke 24:31-32, Luke 24:45, Acts16:14, Acts 17:2. And we
read that earlier. Paul uses the word apokalypsis (ἀποκάλυψις),
revelation. As soon as he left that encounter, Paul now begins to
write differently. He now writes his letters. Notice the uniqueness: "I
Paul, a servant of The Lord Jesus Christ.”

Now let us say something quickly. In all his letters, Paul will say:
1 Corinthians 1:3 - Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our
Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.

It goes through all his letters. "God our Father and the Lord Jesus
Christ." In 1 Corinthians chapter 1, verse 3: "Grace be unto you, and
peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ." It goes
through all his writings,

which means Paul goes back, as all of us need to do, to re-read the
Old Testament, and he found Jesus in God. I did not say 'as God.' I
said 'in God.' Now the big challenge will be: how?

Now notice, in the Old Testament books, go quickly to Deuteronomy

chapter 4. The challenge they had in Israel was the fact that they
came out of Egypt in a culture, an environment, that was deeply
established in idolatry. Look at the warnings.

Deuteronomy 4:35 - Unto thee it was shewed, that thou

mightest know that the LORD he is God; there is none else
beside him.

Now 'God' is a typical word, ʾElohim (‫)ֱא ֹלִה ים‬, ʾEloah ( ‫)ֱא לֹוַּה‬, used in
their culture for higher beings. They use it for judges too, but mostly
used for spiritual non-terrestrial beings, used for angels and what we
can call demons today, and idols. Now he says, wait for this: the
Yahweh (‫ )יהוה‬he is ʾElohim (‫)ֱא ֹלִה ים‬. Now look at Deuteronomy 4:39:

Deuteronomy 4:39 - Know therefore this day, and consider it in

thine heart, that the LORD he is God in heaven above, and
upon the earth beneath: there is none else.

There is none beside him. The Hebrew word goes like this: ʾên ʿōd
ʾelōhîm hûʾ ôd ‛ôd (‫ )ֵא ין עֹוד ֱא ֹלִה ים הּוא‬- 'there is no other God but He.'

In 1 Kings 8:60:
1 Kings 8:60 - That all the people of the earth may know that
the LORD is God, and that there is none else.

Those who use this phrase to debunk the doctrine of Trinity are
extremely ignorant. Now these statements were made not to say
that we do not have three personalities in God. No. Or two. It is to
distinguish God from the idols of their day: "There is none beside
him." So we will find that consistently mentioned.

Deuteronomy 32:39 - See now that I, even I, am he, and there

is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I
heal: neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand.

Deuteronomy 32:37 - And he shall say, Where are their gods,

their rock in whom they trusted,

So you have Moses speaking about God here. And he says now when
he says "I kill, I make alive," do not forget those are functional
things. So you have God asserting that he is different. Do not forget
the word 'God,' ʾElohim (‫)ֱא ֹלִה ים‬, is used in their culture. "There is
none beside." So he distinguishes himself as the Yahweh (‫)יהוה‬, "I
AM." Okay, now let me explain this for you. When he said to Moses,
when Moses asked, "What do I call you?"

Exodus 3:14 - And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and
he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM
hath sent me unto you.

He says, "Tell them the I AM sent you." "I AM." Tell them "the I AM."
Now, that word is used in two ways. When he says, "I AM," that is
how he describes himself. When they talk about him, they will say,
"He is." So, slight difference. "He is." "I AM" what? "He is" what? He
is the one who made the promise to Abraham. So in Isaiah 45, do
not forget the question: What did Paul see?

Isaiah 45:5 - I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no

God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known
me.

"There is no ʾElohim (‫ )ֱא ֹלִה ים‬beside me." Isaiah 45:18:

Isaiah 45:18 - For thus saith the LORD that created the
heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he
hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to
be inhabited: I am the LORD; and there is none else.

"There is none else." In Isaiah 45:15:

Isaiah 45:15 - Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God
of Israel, the Saviour.

Now, look at Isaiah 45:21:

Isaiah 45:21 - Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take
counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time?
who hath told it from that time? have not I the LORD? and
there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour;
there is none beside me.

It is so consistent. Why? Because of the presence of idols. The idols

gave them commercial power, the idols healed them too. The idols
gave them children, as we say; the idols protected them. Some were
even given the honour of the weather. But by saying "there is none
else beside," the question remains, what did Paul see?

Isaiah 45:22-23 - Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends
of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else. I have
sworn by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in
righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every
knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear.

Isaiah 44:6 - Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his
redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the
last; and beside me there is no God.

Now 'First' and 'Last' are used for promises. When a promise is made
or a project begins, the 'Last' is the fulfillment. Jesus is called this in
the Book of Revelation: 'First and Last', we have ‘last days’, when a
promise is fulfilled.

What did Paul see? Remember, just like the Pharisees, Paul read
the scriptures together. So, by reading the scriptures together,
what did he see? Which means that, very critically, from Genesis,
and precisely Exodus, to Malachi, we see a background of an idol
worship environment. So, consistently God distinguishes himself
from their present world.

And we must know how to properly interpret scripture to do the

same for our world. What did Paul see? Look at 1 Corinthians 8.
Remember interpretation, which means what must have happened
to Paul is proper interpretation of the Old Testament books. So did
he also have to do a diarmenio, Suniemi Anaginoskō (ἀναγινώσκω) –
hisheart is open.
Now look at this: 1 Corinthians chapter 8. This is another
conversation on idols. Now, as touching things offered to idols, 1
Corinthians 8:1 says:

1 Corinthians 8:1 - Now as touching things offered unto idols,

we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up,
but charity edifieth.
"Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." Look at the word
'edify.' 'Edify' is understood for the Old Testament to mean to build a
temple, to build a house; that is 'edify.' ‘Edify' has to do with
building something. So the moment you use 'edify,' you are building
a place of worship or a resting place.

'Edify' is not be excited, it is to build, and in that building we are

refreshed. In that building we are inspired, but it is a building. So by
saying 'idols' and using the word 'edify,' He is using temple
language. Remember the opening statement:

1 Corinthians 3:16 - Know ye not that ye are the temple of God,

and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

That is temple language. Look at 1 Corinthians 8:2-3:

1 Corinthians 8:2-3 - And if any man think that he knoweth any
thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if
any man love God, the same is known of him.

"If any man think he knows anything, he knows nothing yet as he

ought to. If any man loves God, the same is known of him." "Love
God." Is that the great commandment?
Mark 12:30 - And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy
heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with
all thy strength: this is the first commandment.
So Paul is reading it. If any man loves God, then he says in

1 Corinthians 8:4 - As concerning therefore the eating of those

things that are offered in sacrifice unto idols, we know that
an idol is nothing in the world, and that there is none other
God but one.

So Paul read all those texts, the epistles is shorthand, to understand

this statement, you have to go back. So this is to distinguish: "There
is no other God but one."
1 Corinthians 8:5 - For though there be that are called gods,
whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and
lords many,).

Paul is not denying the existence of idols.

"God never denied the existence of idols." He mentioned them. Paul
is not denying their existence; he is talking about the futility of idols.
As we study this 'So Great Salvation' series, we are going to find out
what are the idols in our world. As we are going to see, the idols
changed from Genesis to Egypt, to Babylon, to the Four Gospels, to
the Book of Acts and the Epistles.

Without knowing what the idols are in our world, our soteriology
might be defective. What is God saving us from? Very critical.

1 Corinthians 8:5-6 - For though there be that are called gods,

whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and
lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father, of
whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.

He says, "Though there are many that are called gods, whether in
heaven or on earth, as there be gods many and lords many." Now
that is Old Testament language: This defeats the concept of thinking
God can be worshipped as any god. Of course, by the time you get
to the epistles, the word theos (θεός) is also used, same word like
ʾElohim (‫)ֱא ֹלִה ים‬. So, 'gods.' But look at verse 6: "But to us there is...
but one."

Now notice the word 'one' in Greek, heis(εἷς). Now you cannot use
the 'one' in today's language like 'one' in the Bible. In Paul’s
theology, he uses the same word for the body of Christ. So it is a
unifying term; it is not units of numbers.

"To us there is one God," then Paul says, "the Father, of whom are
all things, and we in him." Then he says, "and one Lord Jesus Christ,
by whom are all things, and we by him." This is what Paul found out.

Now Paul, has reread, what is the gospel. When he says to us, you
can say this is the gospel. That is why he opens all his letters with
this same statement: "the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." That is
how all his epistles are opened. Why? Because this is the message.
Deuteronomy 6:4 - Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God is one
LORD:
Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad (‫ְׁש ַמ ע ִיְׂש ָר ֵא ל ְי הָו ה ֱא ֹלֵה ינּו ְי הָו ה‬
‫)ֶא ָח ד‬. "One Lord." The Yahweh, our ʾElohim(‫)ֱא ֹלִה ים‬, is one Lord.

Moses is told, "I AM THAT I AM." (Exodus 3:14). Then they will say,
"He is," "He is who?" Now when he saw Abraham in Genesis 17:1, he
said, "I am El Shaddai" (‫)ֵא ל ַׁש ַּד י‬. "I am wide/sufficient."

Now for a farmer, when you tell him "I am a wide land, increasing,
incomprehensible," "I AM enough," it simply means "I AM sufficient
for what you need." "Wide land." So in the Exodus, "I have come to
fulfil it. I therefore will act as a Redeemer." So when he says "I AM,"
we do not say "I AM." That is wrong language. We say "He is." Third
person. "He is."

So when he says, "Hear, O Israel, the Lord your God is one," there is
no other. "One," when they asked Jesus the question, "What is the
great commandment of the law?"

Mark 12, that is what he said. Mark 12:28:

Mark 12:28 - And one of the scribes came, and having heard
them reasoning together, and perceiving that he had
answered them well, asked him, Which is the first
commandment of all?
Mark 12:29 - And Jesus answered him, The first of all the
commandments is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one
Lord:

The first commandment, the key instruction in the Old Testament, is

what? "Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord." We can call
this the gospel. Shema Yisrael Adonai Eloheinu Adonai Echad ( ‫ְׁש ַמ ע‬
‫)ִיְׂש ָר ֵא ל ְי הָו ה ֱא ֹלֵה ינּו ְי הָו ה ֶא ָח ד‬

"The LORD our God is one." That word is ʾeḥād (‫)ֶא ָח ד‬. And notice how
Moses explains it: it is Adam and Eve, two personalities. For us to
understand the God, or the Godhead as we now call it, God says, in
Genesis 1:26:

Genesis 1:26 - And God said, Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish
of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle,
and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that
creepeth upon the earth.
Genesis 1:27-28 KJVS
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created
he him; male and female created he them. [28] And God blessed
them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and
replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish
of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing
that moveth upon the earth.

And that is not to angels. "In our ṣelem (‫)ֶצ ֶל ם‬, after our dĕmûṯ (
‫)ְּד מּות‬." And what does he call his image? Two persons. "Who is
following what I am saying here?" Male and female. Genesis 1:26-
28.

In Genesis 2:24:
Genesis 2:24 - Therefore shall a man leave his father and his
mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one
flesh.

ʾEḥād (‫ – )ֶא ָח ד‬one humanity, but a pair. So when Eve is taken from
the rib of Adam, and we have done that study, it is not a biological
surgery. The rib there has to do with how a temple is built, two sides
of the same building.

So, within the marriage concept, we see God in two personalities,

one humanity; two personalities, one mankind. So in humanity we
find male and female. Paul re-reads the Word ‘Echad’ and he says,
"What have I seen in the image of God? I have seen Father and
Son."

Do not forget 'son' is not your male child. 'Son' is not the person
gotten out of the maternity world. I 'Son' is the reflection in
humanity of a higher being."

Paul went back to the scriptures, and that is why Romans 16:25-26,
he said it is by the prophetic scriptures when he reads them
together.

Romans 16:25-26 - Now to him that is of power to stablish you

according to my gospel, and the preaching of Jesus Christ,
according to the revelation of the mystery, which was kept
secret since the world began, But now is made manifest, and
by the scriptures of the prophets, according to the
commandment of the everlasting God, made known to all
nations for the obedience of faith:

He finds Jesus on the cross, in the grave, and the resurrection in

God. He looked closely and looked closer, and he found Jesus not as
God, but in God. So he goes back and re-reads that to Abraham.
God was the Seed. To Abraham, God was Father. God is his Father.
Abraham had Isaac.

In these, "shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." (Genesis

22:18). And when he got to Mount Moriah, "the LORD himself will
provide." (Genesis 22:14). Abraham saw that. Jacob said in

Genesis 48:15-16 - And he blessed Joseph, and said, God,

before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the
God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel
which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my
name be named on them, and the name of my fathers
Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in
the midst of the earth.

"God my Shepherd," "God of my fathers," "God my Shepherd," "God

the Angel, the Messenger." So there has always been an importance
of seeing the ʾeḥād (‫ )ֶא ָח ד‬of God uniting all he is in the Old
Testament scriptures. When we unite all of that, we are going to find
Jesus there. Father, Son, and Spirit will therefore become effective
when we go back and look at our Exodus, our deliverance, and our
inheritance.

So when one humanity becomes the parable, male and female will
now be one God: Father, Son, and Spirit. Equal, found in the image
of God is man, and the image of God is an ʾeḥād (‫ – )ֶא ָח ד‬Father, Son,
and Spirit.

What did Paul see? Paul was able to unite the Law and the
Prophets. And when he read them together, he found Jesus
in God, the God of Israel.

So the sufferings now made sense, because before then they

separated the suffering Servant from the Yahweh who appeared to
Moses. But when you read it together, you will find God acting out
his promise all by himself.

So when we say "the name of Jesus," "in my name," Paul says that is
the Yahweh I AM. So on the road to Damascus, "Who art thou, Lord?"
was the question. "Lord" is commonplace. "I am Yahweh Yasha." "Lo,
I am with you always."

And Paul took his journey throughout and read through the
scriptures, and it says, "To us there is one God, the Father, of whom
are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom
are all things, and we by him" (1 Corinthians 8:6).

So in the worship of God, just like the Jews, just like Paul, people will
worship God wrongly because God has made man with the ability to
look for him, to want to worship him, but he is only found in Jesus.
And so our message is: "Hear, O Israel; The Lord our Elohim is
one." That changes our narrative from seeing God as the all-
cohesive, sovereign ruler of the world—even though that is an
option—but he is also the servant of the world. He is Father, Son.
And if we believe he is the Almighty, as he said to Abraham, then
there is nothing impossible for him to be.