Hosannah!

Just loved this post from John Piper about the meaning of HOSANNA - Awesome!

I know one of the concerns of the children's music ministry is that the children understand what they are singing and that they mean it. And I share that concern for our people. In a moment the choir will sing a song called, "Hosanna, Hosanna!" And after that we all will sing a song which begins: "Hosanna in the highest!" So I want to give a little lesson in Greek and Hebrew to make sure we all know what the New Testament means when it says in three different places, "Hosanna to the Son of David!" (Mt. 21:9,15), or "Hosanna in the highest!" (Mk. 11:9,10), or simply, "Hosanna!" (John 12:13).

You all know that the New Testament was first written in Greek and the Old Testament was first written in Hebrew. Wherever the word "hosanna" occurs in the New Testament do you know what the Greek word is? Right! It's "hosanna." All the English translators did was use English letters (h-o-s-a-n-n-a) to make the sound of a Greek word.

But if you look in a Greek dictionary to find what it means, you know what you find? You find that it is really not originally a Greek word after all. The men who wrote the New Testament in Greek did the same thing to a Hebrew word that our English translators did to the Greek word: they just used Greek letters (UNABLE TO DISPLAY GREEK CHARACTERS ) to make the sound of a Hebrew phrase ( UNABLE TO DISPLAY HEBREW CHARACTERS ). I know this sounds sort of complicated. But it's really not. Our English word "hosanna" comes from a Greek word "hosanna" which comes from a Hebrew phrase hoshiya na.

And that Hebrew phrase is found one solitary place in the whole Old Testament, Psalm 118:25, where it means, "Save, please!" It is a cry to God for help. Like when somebody pushes out off the diving board before you can swim and you come up hollering: "Help, save me" … "Hoshiya na!"

But something happened to that phrase, hoshiya na. The meaning changed over the years. In the psalm it was immediately followed by the exclamation: "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" The cry for help, hoshiya na, was answered almost before it came out of the psalmist's mouth. And over the centuries the phrase hoshiya na stopped being a cry for help in the ordinary language of the Jews. Instead it became a shout of hope and exultation. It used to mean, "Save, please!" But gradually it came to mean, "Salvation! Salvation! Salvation has come!" It used to be what you would say when you fell off the diving board. But it came to be what you would say when you see the lifeguard coming to save you! It is the bubbling over of a heart that sees hope and joy and salvation on the way and can't keep it in.

So "Hosanna!" means, "Hooray for salvation! It's coming! It's here! Salvation! Salvation!"

And "Hosanna to the Son of David!" means, "The Son of David is our salvation! Hooray for the king! Salvation belongs to the king!"

And "Hosanna in the highest!" means, "Let all the angels in heaven join the song of praise. Salvation! Salvation! Let the highest heaven sing the song!"

Picture a super bowl game, and (believe it or not) the Vikings are three points ahead of the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers are on their own 35 and have no more time outs. There are two seconds remaining on the clock. The Vikings' fans are going wild. The Steelers line up, fake a pass to the receivers on the left field line and run a wide sweep around the right end and the quarterback breaks into the open and heads down the right sideline -- 40 - 45 - 50 - 45. The only hope for the Vikings is Willie Teal, the safety, cutting a diagonal across the field. And out of the Vikings' grandstand come two kinds of Hosannas, the old kind and the new kind. One part of the crowd is yelling: "Catch him! Catch him, Willie!" (That's the old Hosanna.) The other part of the crowd is yelling, "You got him! You got him, Willie!" (That's the new Hosanna.) The word moved from plea to praise; from cry to confidence.

So when we sing "Hosanna" now, let's make it very personal. Let's make it our praise and our confidence. The Son of David has come. He has saved us from guilt and fear and hopelessness. Salvation! Salvation belongs to our God and to the Son! Hosanna! Hosanna in the highest!

Biblical Stewardship Principles fir the believer

I read these this week and was stirred in my heart as I reflect on my giving to God and his kingdom.

1. God, the creator (Genesis 1) and sustainer of all things (Colossians 1:17) and the One "who works within us to accomplish far more than we can ask or imagine" (Ephesians 3:20), is a God of infinite abundance (Psalm 50:10-11) and grace (2 Corinthians 9:8).

2. Acknowledging the primacy of the Gospel (Romans 1:16) as our chief treasure (Matthew 13:44), Christians are called to lives of stewardship, as managers of all that God has entrusted to them (1 Corinthians 4:1-2).

3. A Christian's attitude toward possessions on earth is important to God (Matthew 6:24), and there is a vital link between how they utilize earthly possessions (as investments in God's kingdom) and the eternal rewards that they will receive (Philippians 4:17).

4. God entrusts possessions to Christians and holds them accountable for their use, as a tool to grow his eternal kingdom, as a test of the believer's faithfulness to God, and as a trademark that their lives reflect Christ's values (Luke 16:1-9).

5. From God's abounding grace, Christians' giving reflects their gratitude for what God has provided and involves growing in an intimate faith relationship with Christ as Lord of their lives (Mark 12:41-44).

6. Because giving is a worshipful, obedient act of returning to God from what has been provided (1 Chronicles 29:10-14), Christian fundraisers should hold a conviction that, in partnership with the church, they have an important role in the spiritual maturation of believers (James 3:1).

7. The primary role of Christian fundraisers is to advance and facilitate a believer's faith in and worship of God through a Christ-centered understanding of stewardship that is solidly grounded on Scripture (2 Timothy 3:16).

8. Recognizing it is the work of the Holy Spirit that prompts Christians to give (2 Corinthians 9:5-7, Nehemiah 1:4-11)

9. An eternal, God-centered worldview promotes cooperation places the giver's relationship to God above all else. (2 Corinthians 4:16-18).

When these principles are implemented, that rely on God changing hearts more than on human methods, the resulting joy-filled generosity of believers will fully fund God's work here on earth (Exodus 36:6-7).

The One Princilple - An interesting read

Loss of ‘Life’ Prevention – you only need ONE principle - Check it out and let me have your comments.

An 11 year old nails it - All about Jesus!

Amazing! 11 Year-Old Reveals Jesus Throughout the Entire Bible! CLICK HERE

Understanding the Bible (Part 4)

What are you reading? Old Testament or New Testament?

New Testament

'Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Sctripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. For prophecy never had it's origin n the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit'.
2 Peter 1:20-21

History (Mathew - John) Four Gospels

History (Acts) The beginning of the church

Letters (Romans - Jude)

Prophecy (Revelation)

Ask the question, What was the original setting and what did it mean to the first hearers?

History (Mathew - John) This is the life and teachings of Jesus from four viewpoints. What do you learn about the person of Jesus? How can this affect your life?

History (Acts) What was the setting? What can I learn or apply from this?

Letters (Romans - Jude) Who wrote to whom? Why was the letter as a whole written? Can I apply aparticular lesson to my situation?

Prophecy (Revelation) Written in 'apocalyptic' style: poetic imagery. Prophecies concerning Jesus Christ are fulfilled and a concluding call to His Lordship assures us that He will soon return. What quesions are raised here?

Get stuck into God's Word for yourself. Dig, dig, dig and discover the treasure. And keep talking to God as you go and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal Jesus and his truth to you.

Understanding the Bible (Part 3)

What are you reading? Old Testament or New Testament?

Old Testament

'These are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life n his name' John 20:31

Law (Gen- Deut)

History (Joshua - Esther)

Poetry & wisdom (Job & Song of songs)

Prophecy (Isaiah - Malachi)

In all the above ask the question what is the original setting and what it meant to the first hears

Law (Gen- Deut) A moral law for all time? A sacrificial or social law? Is there a general principal to consider?

History (Joshua - Esther)What happened? Where? Why is the story there? Is there a lesson for you?

Poetry & wisdom (Job & Song of songs)Poetry is a picture language. Allow yourself to enter into the emotion of the words as you read.

Prophecy (Isaiah - Malachi)What is the setting? Is the language sybolic or direct? What response should the passage evoke?

'The unfolding of your words give light; it gives understanding to the simple' Psalm 119:130

New Testament to follow....

5 Ministry Killers

Just as we have to defeat and prevent termites from destroying our homes, so we have to defeat and prevent some invisible "ministry killers," and Charles Stone, Pastor of Ginger Creek Community Church, identifies five of them. This is brilliant!!