Shalom Beloved,
We are in mid-October already! Here in Ohio it has been a beautiful fall season with very mild temperatures and really nice weather. I love this season for so many reasons. We have just concluded the Fall Moed, or Appointed Feasts of the Lord. The fire colors in the trees and flowers also remind me that the Lord will return with Fire and Great Glory. The fruits of this season are especially delicious from the plums, and squash, pumpkins and pomegranates.
Have you ever tried to eat a pomegranate? First examine it, did you notice it has a crown on top? If you try to peal it open it is sticky and messy. Inside the thin bitter skin, are hundreds of seeds incased in a gel-like kernel. There are roughly around 600 seeds in this fruit. The pomegranate has been likened to the Torah (Gen-Deut.). The Torah/Law has 613 Commandments. That is a lot of seeds to take in and digest. The problem is, Torah alone, like the pomegranate is not able to implant in your spirit it's truth anymore than the pomegranate seeds can. Both will pass through without changing your composition.
But Adonai has made a promise of a New Covenant, (Brit Chadashah) not like the one He made with Moses and the children of Israel when He brought them out of Egypt. But something brand new, fresh, not like the former one. But God Himself would do what we cannot. He would place His Torah inside of our inward parts, in our souls and write it upon our hearts! Jer 31:33 The Lord God would change us from the inside out, for the working of Torah cannot change us from the outside in.
Remember Y'shua was speaking about the things that defile us:
So, conversely this is also true; for if evil comes out from a man's heart and so defiles, then that which is righteous, if it comes forth does sanctify. How does God do this then?
When we humbly turn to Messiah Y'shua, trusting Him alone to save us from our sins, to forgive us, cleanse us and make us new we are given the Holy Spirit of Grace to come and dwell in us forever. We are saved, sanctified, justified and glorified in God's sight. Why does God do this for us?
Psa 115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for Your mercy for Your truth's sake.
Sanctification, like salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, for God's Glory. It is the very truth of the Glorious Gospel that precludes any man's flesh to glory before God. The Spirit Himself points us to Christ Jesus, the work is His, the Glory is His...the reward, He shares with us...Wow! We didn't earn it, we don't maintain it, we can't preserve it. Our new life is from our Creator, He has created us new! Adam didn't help God, neither do we.
Like children we are taught by the Spirit and the Word to think in accord with the mind of Christ, to live according to the Kingdom that God has placed us in, a spiritual one. We live in a Kingdom of Peace, wherever we are. Our King, is not deposed, He is not abdicated, nor is His crown delayed. He is the Sovereign Monarch who is able to care for, protect and love His people.
Many teachers since the beginning of the Reformation have set out to find, embrace and preach the true Gospel. As I listened to a well know Messianic Roots teacher speak about the spirit of Elijah who restores all things before Messiah comes, I realized indeed the spirit of Elijah is at work in this world. In the heart of every reformer, who desires to see the true Faith restored as it was in the beginning; who sifts through the mountainous, varying doctrines that people have striven to perfect; the spirit of Elijah is at work.
But the Word tells us:
We are in mid-October already! Here in Ohio it has been a beautiful fall season with very mild temperatures and really nice weather. I love this season for so many reasons. We have just concluded the Fall Moed, or Appointed Feasts of the Lord. The fire colors in the trees and flowers also remind me that the Lord will return with Fire and Great Glory. The fruits of this season are especially delicious from the plums, and squash, pumpkins and pomegranates.
Have you ever tried to eat a pomegranate? First examine it, did you notice it has a crown on top? If you try to peal it open it is sticky and messy. Inside the thin bitter skin, are hundreds of seeds incased in a gel-like kernel. There are roughly around 600 seeds in this fruit. The pomegranate has been likened to the Torah (Gen-Deut.). The Torah/Law has 613 Commandments. That is a lot of seeds to take in and digest. The problem is, Torah alone, like the pomegranate is not able to implant in your spirit it's truth anymore than the pomegranate seeds can. Both will pass through without changing your composition. But Adonai has made a promise of a New Covenant, (Brit Chadashah) not like the one He made with Moses and the children of Israel when He brought them out of Egypt. But something brand new, fresh, not like the former one. But God Himself would do what we cannot. He would place His Torah inside of our inward parts, in our souls and write it upon our hearts! Jer 31:33 The Lord God would change us from the inside out, for the working of Torah cannot change us from the outside in.
Remember Y'shua was speaking about the things that defile us:
Mar 7:15 There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.
So, conversely this is also true; for if evil comes out from a man's heart and so defiles, then that which is righteous, if it comes forth does sanctify. How does God do this then?
2Th 2:13 But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brothers beloved of the Lord, because God has from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth,
Psa 115:1 Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory, for Your mercy for Your truth's sake.
Sanctification, like salvation is the work of the Holy Spirit, for God's Glory. It is the very truth of the Glorious Gospel that precludes any man's flesh to glory before God. The Spirit Himself points us to Christ Jesus, the work is His, the Glory is His...the reward, He shares with us...Wow! We didn't earn it, we don't maintain it, we can't preserve it. Our new life is from our Creator, He has created us new! Adam didn't help God, neither do we.
Like children we are taught by the Spirit and the Word to think in accord with the mind of Christ, to live according to the Kingdom that God has placed us in, a spiritual one. We live in a Kingdom of Peace, wherever we are. Our King, is not deposed, He is not abdicated, nor is His crown delayed. He is the Sovereign Monarch who is able to care for, protect and love His people.
Many teachers since the beginning of the Reformation have set out to find, embrace and preach the true Gospel. As I listened to a well know Messianic Roots teacher speak about the spirit of Elijah who restores all things before Messiah comes, I realized indeed the spirit of Elijah is at work in this world. In the heart of every reformer, who desires to see the true Faith restored as it was in the beginning; who sifts through the mountainous, varying doctrines that people have striven to perfect; the spirit of Elijah is at work.
But the Word tells us:
Mal 4:4 Remember ye the Torah of Moses my servant, which I commanded unto him in Horeb for all Israel, with the statutes and judgments.
Mal 4:5 Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
Mal 4:6 And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.
This prophecy encompasses the end of days. Notice it says to remember the Torah of Moses..by what agency do we remember?
Mar 9:12a And he answered and told them, Elijah verily cometh first, and restores all things;
Elijah, in the form of John the Baptist came preaching repent! for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand! Turning the people from Idols and empty forms of religion back to the Faith of the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Israel; back to the God of Israel. So, even now the voice of Elijah is crying out through many "Teshuvah" repent - turn, back from sin and idolatry to the Lord our God. Turn back from following this teacher or that, this movement or that one...turn to God who sanctifies you through the Holy Spirit, who being in you will teach you all things.
All teachers must be tested ALL THE TIME...we can make mistakes, misunderstand, get ahead with a small revelation before we have the whole thing...you Beloved must test what you hear. Go to the Holy Scriptures and see if indeed it is so. Even among Messianic teachers, or Hebrew Roots teachers are some excellent insights, but in our zeal to restore the true worship of יהוה
we may get pulled into the "works" of Torah. Even if we say it is not for salvation's sake, but out of obedience unto love for God, we can still stumble if add works to sanctification or works to blessing or God forbid, put the people under a curse such as in Malachi for not tithing!
The Word says remember the Torah of Moses. Call to mind, study and understand that the Torah is a type and shadow, it is instruction to us to understand the incredible blessedness of the New Covenant. One of the primary teachings of the Torah is to remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy. Ex. 20:8 The Lord Y'shua is Lord of the Sabbath Mk 2:28.
The Sabbath observance teaches us that to do "work" on the Sabbath day is a sin unto death. So will God, as some say, cast away all who forget the Sabbath, or keep Sunday as the day of worship? No, our salvation is determined by our trusting in the finished WORK of Y'shua/Jesus Christ. But there is a reason Satan went after that law to change it to Sunday as soon as he was able to. It teaches us to rest completely in Y'shua, not working to attain, but believing, trusting, loving Him, glorifying Him for what HE has done. So our praise and focus is the Son of God, the object of our affection and worship. If we believe our works are weighed in, we perish.
The arguments sound very pious and righteous...God has made you able to live righteously, now it is up to you to utilize His provision and "overcome" your sinful self....but the problem is there is still room for pride for your accomplishment. When you stand in Messiah, and His finished work, there is only humility and gratitude for you have received an indscribable gift you did not deserve and could not earn.
The Spirit is able to bring us to perfection in that day...that is the Lord's work, not ours. We, as children obey because we love Him for what He has done, for the love He has given us...yes, the commandments to Believe and love are absolute. But believe, is enabled by the gift of Faith and grace, and to love one another is the evidence we have been saved and made new. Be of good cheer my mishpochah! The Lord Himself has done it, His own arm has worked salvation Is 59:15-21
1Th 5:23 And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
1Th 5:24 Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.
Jud 1:24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
Jud 1:25 To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Praise be to our Wonderful, Awesome, Holy Saviour! Y'shua our Messiah and King!
He has done it!
Maranatha (Our Lord comes!)
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