Here, when he wrestled with him, this is a side note. to having such contact with Christ. Christ changed his name. And come to Revelation, and it talks about that a lot. I will give you a new name.
You gave Peter a new name, Simon, you gave Simon a new name. Christ changes walk. He never walked the same. He always limped. He never, he had a physical reminder.
of his encounter with God. This is Cross Reference Radio with our pastor and teacher, Rick Gaston. Ricky is the pastor of Calvary Chapel, Mechanicsville. Pastor Rick is currently teaching through a topical series. Please stay with us after today's message to hear more information about Cross Reference Radio.
specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching. And now here's Pastor Rick with part two of his message called Jesus in the OT. How do you praise God? You have to learn that. It's not natural.
I mean, there's ways that it comes easy. You know, we thank him. What do we praise?
Well, one thing we praise him for is that he didn't leave us the sinners that we are. I would encourage Christians learning how to pray and relearning. You learn Bible verses, and if you don't keep them up, you've got to go back and relearn them. They're harder I find them harder to learn the second time.
So what is the meaning of these Pre-incarnate. experiences of Jesus.
Well, that Jesus of the New Testament is Yahweh. Of the Old Testament. That's one of the great lessons because as we go through some of these incarnations, we'll find out: hey, wait a minute, that's Yahweh. Oh, but it's Jesus. Jesus must be Yahweh.
That being Yahweh of the Jews, Jesus is Almighty God, Creator of all. These are the lessons that come out of the Old Testament. Jesus himself confirmed that we can do this. He laid out the precedence for us. In other words, he came along and said, I'm telling you now, you can look back in the Old Testament and you can see me walking around with some of those Old Testament.
patriarchs and prophets. In every case, Be it a Christophany or Theophany, it is Christ.
Now, the difference between a Christophany and a Theophany, well, Any appearance of God in creation. Through created things, is a theophany. Whether he is in materialized human form or in a cloud. And that's a theophany. But a Christophany just takes apart as a subgroup to Theophany.
It says, okay, but when he goes human on us, That's a Christophany. That's an appearance of Jesus. That allows us to connect everything.
So we're not groping around with, yeah, I wonder what that meant. Who was that? We know who it is. Identification comes by how This particular figure is treated by those. whom he appears to.
Some of them straight out call them God. Judges chapter 13. the parents of Samson, Manoah, and his wife, We read when the angel of Yahweh appeared no more to Manoah and his wife, then Manoah knew that was The angel of Yahweh. And Manoah said to his wife, We shall surely die, because we have seen God. To which she replied, You nitwit, if that were true, we'd be dead.
She was right. But he was, you know, that's a child. He just got emotional with those. He was so excited. He's not, you know, a goofy thing to say.
But there's a case that the angel of the Lord They just said, He's God. We've seen God. We did not die. Not in his essence. No one can handle that.
But it's downsized for us. It's toned down. He's dialed it back a bit. In Christ.
So, there are other appearances of the angel of the Lord. Many of them are God, some of them are not specified.
Some of them are angels. uh that belong to Yahweh. Versus messengers that come from hell. But the context will guide us. Otherwise, we would know all the time when it was a Christophany, and like I started off in the beginning, there are times we're not so sure because it's not as.
clear as it usually is. According to Jesus himself, We are to look back at the Old Testament and find him. Jesus said in John's Gospel, chapter 8. He said this to the Pharisees: Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. How could he do that?
He's been dead a few thousand years now. Unless When Jesus showed up. In the Old Testament, That's who Abraham dealt with. Then there's the prophet Isaiah. This is Jesus.
Telling us I want you to do this. I want you to find me in the Old Testament. The pieces of the puzzle are there. They're imperfect pieces in that they have lines that separate one piece from the other. But When you put them together, you'll identify what the picture is.
You will understand 100%. You put any puzzle together when you say, okay, that's the face, that's the bird, that's the mountain, whatever it is. John chapter twelve Verse 41 John talking about Jesus. These things Isaiah said when he saw his glory and spoke of him.
Well, when on earth did Isaiah see the glory of Christ when he said, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up, and the train of his robe filled the temple. That's Yahweh. God Almighty else you die. You're not going to divide the Trinity. Don't even try.
They have a role in their relationship to us to help us learn about God. But they're indivisible.
So Jesus is saying. In John's Gospel alone, yeah, that's me.
Well that gives me again License By Christ to understand what a Christophany is. That subcategory of a Theophany, Theo God, A manifestation of God in any form.
Now, I've covered that, and we just say, well, Give me an example of God showing up. Even when Moses went before the bush to burn, Christ spoke to him, appeared to him, the scripture said. And Moses worshipped. He wasn't worshiping the bush. He was worshiping the one that was communicating with him, just like we do.
You know when the Holy Spirit communicates with you. In fact, you know it so well when he doesn't, it's disappointing. of many levels.
Well This Created element in one example, other than the Shekinah that the Jews follow: Solomon when he dedicated the temple. And the cloud filled the sanctuary, filled the temple, so they couldn't even minister in there. That was the presence of God. That's a theophany. And when God showed up to Hagar.
It doesn't say he appeared to her, he spoke to her. That's a theophany. Genesis twelve, one now Yahweh had said to Abram. Get out from your country, from your family, and from your father's house, to a land that I will show you.
Now God is not trying to be. Trying to, listen, there are some people, they weren't raised in a good family.
Some people are raised in families where there's substance abuse and there's violence and criminals, and God is saying, get out from them. Not all cases, of course, but this is the case with Abraham and his father, because Abraham's father. was a pagan. And God wanted to get him out of there, and it took some time to do it. Then it goes on in that same section.
When God said to Abraham, was Abram. God will change his name to Abraham from exalted father to father of many. Genesis 12:7, then Yahweh appeared to Abram and said, Now here is the it is Yahweh. It says, Yahweh appeared to Abram. And he said to him, To your descendants I will give this land.
And there he built an altar to Yahweh. who appeared to him, But he's worshiping now. That's how we know it's Yahweh, because Abraham would not worship. False God. And this is the case many times with these appearances.
manifestation of God in human form.
Sometimes It's in a vision. or dream. Daniel had a vision Daniel had a dream that had visions in it. Here's a show-off. He wasn't out of show up, but it's He he got the whole thing there.
So Not always is Christ Most of the time, as a matter of fact, I don't know about most of the time, but often he's not easily recognized. And he initiates the the events and it unfolds before the individual, such as with Manoah and his wife. And with Gideon, Gideon said, Okay, I want you to see you know Gideon. Gideon's like, I'm not believing anybody. I'm from New York, and everybody's up to something.
So he says, He lays out these Things for him to do. And he goes, I'm going to kill a fatted calf and all of this. Anyway, we're not going to get to Gideon. But there is Jesus in the Old Testament. He was initially recognized.
As God which when he is recognized as God, even if not initially, These are reference points for future students of the scripture, all the way through the apostles who gave us the New Testament. these materialized Appearances have given us the doctrine. It originates in the Old Testament. Because when he comes in, when he's born of a virgin, it's not a Christophany now.
Now it's an incarnation.
Now he's here and he's going to go through life until they crucify him, and then there's another phase of his. Relationship with us is coming into view for us, and that's his glorification, and that will factor into all of this alto. It's quite significant when we get to the ancient of the days in Daniel. I love to talk about the Holy Spirit. From the scriptures.
I love to talk about. the glory of the father and of course i love to talk about Jesus Christ his deity. Because if you don't have those, you're a cult or you're an unbeliever. That is the problem with Jehovah's Witnesses and Mormons, they don't know who Christ is. and they walk around bragging like they do.
And they get everything wrong. They don't get a little, the only thing they get right is: thou shalt not kill. Other than that, All right, that's hyperbole. Anyway, coming back to this.
Some people that in the Bible saw God in human form. I mentioned Manoah and his wife. And with the divine acts that accompanied it. In fact, It wasn't beyond him to eat food. In his Reincarnate Uh appearances.
Abraham saw him, Isaac saw him, and Jacob saw him, and God told Moses they saw him. Exodus 6:3, I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty. And he goes on to say, they didn't know me as Yahweh. This is the name I'm giving you. But I was God Almighty, it's the same one.
And when Moses writes Genesis, he puts in Yahweh so that the Jews would know it's Yahweh that created everything, even if they didn't know him by that name. That's who. Did it. Joshua saw him, Gideon. Moses, Isaiah, And Daniel, and there are more, but that's a good starting point.
So let's take five of them. Maybe we can get five. Abraham. He is probably the most important His uh Christ's appearances to Abraham is probably the most important of all the Old Testament ones. Because When Jesus said Abraham saw me, he rejoiced.
and that established A precedence for us. I know I mentioned this earlier, but it merits repeat. Repeating. It established a precedence that forever validates Old Testament appearances of our New Testament Christ. It forever Allows us to understand Old Testament Yahweh is New Testament Jesus Christ.
Just by what Jesus said. He saw me, he rejoiced, he was glad. And of course, Isaiah 6:1 likewise is a second witness on the strength of two or three witnesses of matter is established, and God is notorious for doing that with his own doctrine. to us. He doesn't need it.
He's got it. We're the ones that need it. And so the second witness from Isaiah 6:1.
Now Abraham He laughed when God said, You're going to have a child. I know you're 99, you're going to have a child, and Sarah. Of course, much younger, she laughed, but her laugh was one of ridicule. And I just make want to make that distinction. Abraham was one of joy.
That's what Christ was referencing. John chapter 8, I reread it. Your Father Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad. And this is not the only time that Abraham saw uh the pre-incarnate Christ.
So now we fast forward Genesis 17. is another time. And we'll touch on all the times Jacob got to see him. If a guy like Jacob can see the Messiah, We can see the Christ and not materialize, but Spiritually. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life, Jesus said.
Genesis 17, when Abram was 99 years old, Yahweh appeared to Abram and said to him, I am Almighty God. Walk before me and be blameless. That's our target, to live the blameless life. And I will make my covenant between me and you. and will multiply you exceedingly Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked to him.
So there's a recap from chapter 2. uh from an earlier event. Then so that's in the main thing about Abraham's encounters with Old Testament Jesus. Is that Jesus? Set The precedence there.
He established for us what a Christophany is Now Christophany, Theophany, they're not words in the Scripture. intelligent Men Some theologians are rotten.
Some are pretty good. And you'll know them by their fruit. And whether it matches scripture or not. But they gave us these words, Theophany, Christophany, but they also gave us the Trinity. The word Trinity, but the fact of Trinity is clearly taught in Scripture.
You don't have to have the word, the fact is there. Without it, is when you get the Colossians, you use the word Godhead. That will begin to open it up.
Well, who is a member of this Godhead?
Well, when you find somebody in the scripture that gets worshipped. And nobody objects. That's one of the members of the Trinity. Genesis now for Jacob. And I'll say this going out, Jacob.
Jacob saw God in Bethel in a dream. He saw him again in Haran in a dream. Those are Christophanes within the dream. In the dream he sees the man. It's Yahweh.
Mahanaim physically, he saw him there, and Bethel, audibly. and at Beersheba in a vision. God invested. In a man like Jacob.
So, if I say I'm not worthy, well, okay, we know that it's boring, don't say it again. God only works with those who are not worthy. But he filters that out or filters it down to working with those. who hunger and thirst for righteousness. Genesis 32 verses 24, 25, 27, and 28, 29, 30.
I'm skipping verse 26. Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until the breaking of day. And when he saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of his hip. and the socket of Jacob's hip was out of joint. And he wrestled with him.
So he said to him, What is your name? He said, Jacob is answering, Jacob or Jacob. He said. The angel, which is the Lord, Jesus, said to him, Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel. For you have struggled with God.
and with men and prevailed. Mm-hmm. We can all say that. Yes, Lord, I've struggled with men and I've struggled with you too in prayer. Verse twenty nine, and Jacob asked Tell me your name, I pray.
And he said, why? Is it that you ask my name? And he blessed him there. And remember, the superior blesses the. His superior blesses the the subordinate.
As a rule in Scripture.
Now we bless the Lord. The Lord, we can say, Lord, we bless you. And what we mean, we are a blessing to Christ. But we're not it's not the identical form of blessing. where we can enrich God.
By pronouncing a blessing on him. Whereas he enriches us in some way when he. Does bless us. But we can cause delight to God. The same way an infant can cause delight to the parents.
They don't do anything. You know, they just sit there waiting to be whatever. And they just they move your heart. They bless you. Anyway, coming back to Genesis, then Jacob asked, saying, Tell me your name, I pray.
And he said, Why is it that you ask my name? And he blessed him there. So Jacob called the name of the place Pen I L For I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved. And just as he crossed over Penuel, the sun rose on him and he limped on his hip. He never walked the same after wrestling with God.
What a profound metaphor and parallels, all sorts of lessons come out of that. I have seen the face of God. And this is a theophany. That is also a Christophany. He wrestled with the preincarnate Christ.
Genesis 32, verses 29 to 30 again, and he blessed him there, and I. I have seen God face to face. Three things come out of this.
Well, actually, a few more. One is the Jews don't eat filet mignon because of this.
So the the kosher Jews, many of them won't because of this. Anyway, I I don't want to get into that. Here, when he wrestled with him, just aside, this is a side note. to having such contact with Christ. Christ changed his name.
Come to Revelation, it talks about that a lot. I will give you a new name. Gave Peter a new name, Simon, you gave Simon a new name. Christ changes walk. He never walked the same.
He always limped. He never, he had a physical reminder. of his encounter with God. And Christ blessed his life. Changed his name, changed his walk, and changed his life.
But Jacob still found life hard. And he limped when he walked with God. And so you come to Christ, you know, life's still going to be hard. You just gotta learn to make it count. How do I make this count?
I'm sick of it. I just want to be raptured. And God says, no, why? No. There's a lot to do.
And I need I need people. Who will wrestle with me in prayer and get up? different. Hosea said this about that experience. He took his brother by the heel in the womb, meaning he started out being a shyster.
A heel catcher. An opportunist, you could say. That would be a lesser. Uh Just tone it down a little bit. Because I wanna meet Jacob one day and I don't want him to have his feelings hurt because I called him names.
Anyway, he took his brother by the heel. In the womb. And in his strength he struggled with God. And that's what God allowed them to do when they wrestled. God said, use all your physical strength, go ahead, and you're not going to get anywhere with that.
You will not prevail. carnally with God. He continues Hosea does, Yes, he struggled with the angel and prevailed. He wept and sought favor from him. He found him in Bethel, and he spoke to us that is, Yahweh, God of hosts, Yahweh is his memorial name.
Pretty powerful verse to Three verses there to consider from Hosea chapter 12. He wept. That's what was left out of the Genesis account that Hosea adds. He wept. and he sought favor.
He was humbled by the but is not humiliated. Genesis 35, and God appeared to Jacob again. When he came from Paddam, Aram, and blessed him.
So he got to see the pre-incarnate Christ. Uh yet again.
Now we come to Joshua. You know, it's a a rule of preaching that I don't know, I guess maybe I made it up. You don't want to ever look at your watch like, oh, I'm bored. When are we going to get out of here? But because I didn't push my timer, I'll be doing that.
Don't think it's it's rude. Joshua now.
Now, Joshua, this is the time when they cross into or cross Jordan. They're in the promised land, the manna stopped. We specifically told that. God was scaling back his blessings in that form. They now had to do more.
to be enriched Then Joshua 5 That was Joshua 5, 12, and the very next verse. 5.13 And it came to pass when Joshua was by Jericho that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, a man stood opposite him. with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, Are you for us? or for our adversaries.
So he said no. But as commander of the army of Yahweh I have come.
Now come. And Joshua fell on his face to the earth and worshipped and said to him, What does my Lord say to his servant? Then the commander of Yahweh's army said to Joshua, Take your sandal off your foot, For the place where you stand is holy, and Joshua did so. Clearly this is God. Materialized in front of Joshua.
He's looking at Jericho and he's saying, How are we going to bring down this walled city with rakes? I mean, how is this not going to happen? And God shows up to him. Jesus is the man with the sword drawn. And Joshua instantly took the posture of worship just like Moses did on Mount Sinai.
And um I have another point in here. Just slipped my mind.
Well just keep going with it and maybe it will Come back.
So, one of the things that comes out of this experience, oh, this is what I wanted to say. And I always make this comment here: Joshua says, Are you for us? or for them. And God says no. I'm not for you and I'm not for them.
I'm for God. And Joshua lined right up with that. It's just like then he's worshiping the next thing you know, and that's the way to handle it. Not try to get God to Take sides. but try to side with God.
That's the lesson, one of them. Thanks for tuning in today to Cross Reference Radio, where Pastor Rick has some answers for various questions that have been asked. We can't fully express how grateful we are that you've been with us today. But if you're ever looking for more teaching and content from us, you're welcome to subscribe to our podcast. Just go to your favorite podcast app and look for Cross Reference Radio.
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