19/02/14

The SPROUT that became King and Priest

Zechariah 6:12,13 - And speak unto him, saying, Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold the man whose name is The BRANCH; and he shall grow up out of his place, and he shall build the temple of the LORD: Even he shall build the temple of the LORD; and he shall bear the glory, and shall sit and rule upon his throne; and he shall be a priest upon his throne: and the counsel of peace shall be between them both.


The book of Zechariah is one of the most amazing books; most of the matter expounded in the book of Revelation comes from this book. Also lots of prophecies in the New Testament with regards to Jesus that were fulfilled originate in this book.

In today's message Jesus Christ is referred to as 'BRANCH' and this term is also used in the book of Isaiah. The Hebrew word 'tsemach' also means SPROUT. If we read the verse says He will 'grow up out of His place', out of 'His place' not from an existing place, and if we read John 15 Jesus says I am the True Vine, He does not say He is the part of a vine but disassociates Himself from the existing vine of Adam. He says whosoever becomes a part of this New True Vine will bear fruit when they abide by His Word and become His disciples. By ourselves we cannot bear fruit but just by our abiding in Him, it is He who brings fruit in us.

So we see technically we cannot use the word BRANCH for Christ but need to use the word SPROUT. It is this very reason He was born out of a virgin so that He is born out of the human race and yet not be born out of a human father. Being born out of a virgin ensured that the corruption of man that is passed from father to children would not come unto Him, yet He would fulfill the requirement of being a sacrifice on the behalf of man, for He was Son of Man born out of a woman. Had He been born of a human father then the sin nature and curses on man would have blemished Him. He was not only born without blemish but remained without blemish. That is why to be like Him, we who are born out of blemish need to be born again and it was His death and resurrection that made it possible for us to be born again by His giving us His Spirit.

Today's message says Son of Man - Jesus Christ the SPROUT who sits on one throne yet holds 2 offices, one office of Kingship and the other of Priest. We who are in Christ are also called to hold these 2 offices. As kings we need to bring into subjection our carnal nature and have dominion on this world, the authority which God had given us and which we lost due to sin, and as priests we are called to build the Temple.

To have victory over our enemies both natural and spiritual we need to have victory over our internal enemy which is the nature of Adam, the nature which we are born with and which comes through our earthly fathers. That is why when we die to ourselves and are born again in Christ we are a new creation and thus have power with God and are called His Israel. This does not happen on the day we are baptized but the process of being born again starts on that day with our baptism and as we grow spiritually we are less our old man and more the new man in Christ.

Paul writes our body is the Temple of God and also we collectively in Christ, as one body also become the Temple of God. We cannot build one without building the other. That means we cannot build our own selves without building others nor can we build others if we are not building ourselves. So to build others we need to first start building ourselves and as we build others we need to continually build ourselves.

In both cases we see the work starts inside, within us and then spreads out.


[ Prayer Starter ]
Lord Jesus, You came as man and became the SPROUT so that we spiritually by our faith can disconnect from the nature of Adam and be connected to You as your branches. It is You by your Spirit who brings fruit in us, making us fruitful and keeping us from being put in the fire in the end to be consumed like grass. Lord, help us to understand the importance to work within ourselves and to continue this work with others...

This prayer we make in Jesus' Name, Amen.


[ Reference ]
John 15:1-8
1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman.
2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit.
3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.
4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me.
5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.
6 If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
8 Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples.

Psalms 80:15 - And the vineyard which thy right hand hath planted, and the branch [the Hebrew word here is 'ben' which means 'Son'] that thou madest strong for thyself.

Isaiah 4:2 - In that day shall the branch [SPROUT] of the LORD be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of Israel.

Isaiah 11:1 - And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch [Hebrew word used here is 'netser' which symbolizes 'growth' like the budding of Aaron's rod] shall grow out of his roots:



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