9/11/10 Ha Azinu! (give ear!) Parashot: Dvarim (Deuteronomy) 32:1-52 (emphasis on verses 5-6,10-15, 18, 20, 29, 31, 36. Haf Torah: Hos 14: 1-9, Joel 2:15-17, 21, 23,27. Brit Hadasha: 1 Jn 1:6-19, Rev. 22:1-5, 12,13.
Message: Rabbi Ken Alpren, summarized by Val Waters, Sofer
Rabbi Ken began by reminding us that 2,996 people were killed, representing 70 different nations 9 years ago today, when Al-Queda attacked the World Trade Center in New York City using 2 hijacked public airplanes ( (3rd plane hit the Pentagon, and a 4th landed in PA field, unsuccessfully attempting to hit Washington D.C.). He asked us if we remembered where we were when we first heard about the attack, and shared that at that time he was ministering in FL, and later learned that the facility where he had taken one flight lesson was also had been where the Al Queda pilots had been trained.
Yom Teruah, last Thursday, the Jewish month of Tishri began, and this current Shabbat is Shabbat Shuvah the Sabbath of return to the LORD. Currently Jewish people are preparing their hearts in repentance for the 10 days of awe (Yamim Noraim) that lead up to the annual ‘national’ repentance and forgiveness that occurs next Shabbat, on Yom Kippur,
We are to ‘give ear’ to the farewell song of Moses, because it was not just a ‘feel good’ song, but a TRUTH song, including the children of Israel’s need to be wise and prudent so they could heed the LORD’s warning of their latter end in the song. verses 5,6
“They have acted corruptly toward Him, They are not His children, because of their defect; But are a perverse and crooked
generation. “Do you thus repay the LORD, O foolish and unwise people? Is not He your Father who has bought you? He
has made you and established you.’
Moses adds in verse 29: “Would that they were wise, that they understood this, That they would discern their future!”
Hosea adds in 14:9: “Whoever is wise, let him understand these things; Whoever is discerning, let him know them. For
the ways of the LORD are right, And the righteous will walk in them, But transgressors will stumble in them.”
D’varim 8:16: “In the wilderness He fed you manna which your fathers did not know, that He might humble you and that He
might test you, to do good for you in the end..”
James 5:11 “We count those blessed who endured. You have heard of the endurance of Job and have seen the outcome
of the Lord’s dealings, that the Lord is full of compassion and is merciful.”
Proverbs 5:4, (bitter as wormwood),
2 Peter 2:20 (the last state is worse)
We cannot forget that sin has a pay day…the wages of sin are death: on Yom Hadin, the Day of Judgment. We must consider the end of all things.
Ecclesiastes 12:14 “For God will bring every act to judgment, everything which is hidden, whether it is good or evil.”
With all of this in mind, we were told to remember that the Hebrew word SHUV, which means to turn, can mean both turning TO the LORD and also AWAY from Him.
There is always purpose in the LORD’s plans for us…He brings and allows circumstances to remind us to turn TO Him; Joel 2:25 promises that the years the locusts ate will be restored to us, and lists several kinds of locust destruction!
King David had a heart after God, yet he sinned. But David always wept over his sin and repented and KEPT after the LORD, and came back into close relationship with Him. In D’varim 23:5, we remember that the LORD God was not willing to listen to Balaam “but the LORD your God turned the curse into a blessing for you because the LORD your God loves you.”
Yet it still comes down to whether or not we chooses the LORD. Either way, judgment is coming, Everyone will be judged. Do we want to live our lives in such a way of relationship with and obedience to Him that we are not ashamed when He returns? We are all hypocrites at times, but do we want to live a life of hypocrisy?
1 John 1:6,7 “If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
1 John 2:28 “Now, little children, abide in Him, so that when He appears, we may have confidence and not shrink away from Him in
shame at His coming.”
Or do we want the full reward, when Yeshua says: “well done, good and faithful servant”? Praise the LORD, for we have been a faithful advocate in Messiah Yeshua who helps us! We are to lean on Him, for He NEVER quits on us!
Proverbs 24:16: “For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again, But the wicked stumble in time of calamity.”
Jude 24: “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory
blameless with great joy,”
1 John 2:1 “My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous”
Hebrews 11:25 “Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives
to make intercession for them.”
Romans 8:31 “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who is against us?”
1 John 4:17 “By this, love is perfected with us, so that we may have confidence in the day of judgment; because as He is,
so also are we in this world.”
Even thought, we know through Ecclesiastes 12:13 “The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: fear God and keep His commandments, because this applies to every person.”, we are free to speak of His love and our salvation, because, just like Him, Yeshua, we are accepted by the LORD, in His righteousness!
Joel 2: 26,27 “You will have plenty to eat and be satisfied And praise the name of the LORD your God, Who has dealt
wondrously with you; Then My people will never be put to shame. Thus you will know that I am in the midst of
Israel, And that I am the LORD your God, And there is no other; And My people will never be put to shame.”
This was also predicted through Moses in his farewell song!
D’varim 32:39 “‘See now that I, I am He, And there is no god besides Me; It is I who put to death and give life. I have wounded and it is
I who heal, And there is no one who can deliver from My hand.”
And what do we receive, through Messiah Yeshua, like Him? Resurrection from death…to eternal life! We were delivered unto death so that we could LIVE for Him!
2 Timothy 2: 11,12 “It is a trustworthy statement: For if we died with Him, we will also live with Him; If we endure, we will
also reign with Him; If we deny Him, He also will deny us;”
Philippians 3:10,11 “that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.”
Hosea 6:1 “Come, let us return to the LORD. For He has torn us, but He will heal us; He has wounded us, but He will bandage us.”
The LORD is concerned with our growing. He uses what others mean for evil and He means it for good. The growing, however, is often only found through PAIN! and Later we have the GLORY! (Romans 8:18) Remember Joel 2:25 lists all 3 kinds of locusts…and concludes with “My great army which I sent among you.” the LORD SENT the army! He wants NATURAL love and patience killed in us so that we can have and walk in and share SUPERNATURAL love and patience!
Galatians 2:20, John 3:30, 2 Corinthians 2:10-12. All of this so we can be LIGHT!!! To the world!
Daniel 12:3 And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.
Phillipians 2:10-12 ” Do all things without grumbling or disputing; so that you will prove yourselves to be blameless and innocent, children of God above reproach in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among
whom you appear as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I will
have reason to glory because I did not run in vain nor toil in vain.”
We are not here for ourselves, but for the LORD and for others. May we have such a moment to SHINE for them!
----------------------------------------
our guest worship leaders for this Shabbat were Zemer Levav, please enjoy their music as we did www.zemerlevav.org
also show at the service, Matisyahu’s video of One Day http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WRmBChQjZPs
Monday, September 13, 2010
Sunday, September 5, 2010
The Difference between Tradition and Truth
Rabbi Ken Alpren
Summary by Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
September 4, 2010
"Today you are standing, all of you, before ADONAI your God - your heads, your tribes, your leaders and your officers - all the men of Isra'el” Deuteronomy 29:10
We are standing in His grace, standing in warfare and standing in our deeds. We stand in His grace positionally, not on our merit or what we have done, but in His righteousness based upon His finished work and atoning sacrifice. Romans 5:2, “Also through him and on the ground of our trust, we have gained access to this grace in which we stand; so let us boast about the hope of experiencing God's glory.” See also 1Corinthians 1:30, 1Peter 5:12, Jeremiah 23:5-6.
When we stand in warfare, His power is made available to us through prayer or ‘na’ in Hebrew derived from the Hebrew word for war. We will also stand before Him in our deeds at the Bema. 2Corinthians 5:9-10, “Therefore, whether at home or away from home, we try our utmost to please him; 10 for we must all appear before the Messiah's court of judgment, where everyone will receive the good or bad consequences of what he did while he was in the body.” See also Romans 14:10-12
Traditions can be good or bad. They are good if they enhance the Word of G-d, provide structure, good memories, give anchor or security to truth, or connect us to family and history. Traditions are bad when they are placed on par with Scripture or even replace the Word of G-d and lead us away from truth or keep us in the dark.
Colossians 2:8, “Watch out, so that no one will take you captive by means of philosophy and empty deceit, following human tradition which accords with the elemental spirits of the world but does not accord with the Messiah.”
What does tradition teach regarding the Yomim Norai’im or the Days of Awe?
It is believed there are three books opened before G-d the Judge during the this time; the Book of Righteous, Wicked and In Between. During the Days of Awe, it is believed as tradition that the books are opened and names are written in the Book of Life based upon three methods of atonement whereby forgiveness can be secured and atonement made. The goal is to have one’s name inscribed and sealed for the next year through acts of repentance (teshuva), prayer (tefillah) and charity (tzedakah) tipping the scales in one’s favor. Psalm 118:19-20, “Open the gates of righteousness for me; I will enter them and thank Yah. 20 This is the gate of ADONAI; the righteous can enter it.”
These are the traditions for attaining atonement and securing salvation based upon tradition. But what does the Word of G-d say?
Psalm 119:89, “Your word continues forever, ADONAI, firmly fixed in heaven.” Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
What are the books from G-d on earth?
The Tanakh consists of the Torah (Law or first five books), Navi’im (the prophets) and Ketubim (the writings) and the Brit Chadasha (New Covenant) consists of the Gospel, Acts, Letters and Apocalypse. And unlike traditional Judaism, there is also the Lamb’s Book of Life (Sefer HaChayim) and a Book of Remembrance (Sefer HaZikaron). See Revelation 20:15, Luke 10:20 and Malachi 3:16.
What does the Word of G-d really teach us about our names being written and sealed in The Book of Life?
Our names are written based upon His atonement for us rather than our atonement for ourselves! Ephesians 1:13-14, “Furthermore, you who heard the message of the truth, the Good News offering you deliverance, and put your trust in the Messiah were sealed by him with the promised Ruach HaKodesh, 14 who guarantees our inheritance until we come into possession of it and thus bring him praise commensurate with his glory.”
Titus 3:5, “he delivered us. It was not on the ground of any righteous deeds we had done, but on the ground of his own mercy. He did it by means of the mikveh of rebirth and the renewal brought about by the Ruach HaKodesh”. See also James 1:18, 1Peter 1:23, John 5:24.
This is the hope we can live in and share with others! There is a way, His Way, for our names to be written in The Book of Life, not just for a year, but forever!
Looking closely at Deuteronomy 30:1-6, we can see that this is G-d plan for His people and for us. Israel was dispersed due to disobedience, she will remember and return to the Land (which is already occurring), she will obey the L-rd because she has returned and He has shown her mercy, her heart will be circumcised, Israel’s enemies will be judged and she will receive the full blessing of the L-rd. The circumcision of her heart and ours is by our Heavenly Moil creating an inward renewal and a desire to please Him than to sin At this point, Israel corporately and us individually will love the L-rd with all our hearts and all our beings and we will live.
Further Reading: Deuteronomy 31:10-13, 24-26, Micah 4:1-2, Psalm 119-9-16, 1Timothy 4:13,16, 2Timothy 3:16-17, Colossians 2:11, Romans 2:29, Philippians 2:13, Jeremiah 4:4, Jeremiah 17:5-8, Isaiah 8:20
Summary by Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
September 4, 2010
"Today you are standing, all of you, before ADONAI your God - your heads, your tribes, your leaders and your officers - all the men of Isra'el” Deuteronomy 29:10
We are standing in His grace, standing in warfare and standing in our deeds. We stand in His grace positionally, not on our merit or what we have done, but in His righteousness based upon His finished work and atoning sacrifice. Romans 5:2, “Also through him and on the ground of our trust, we have gained access to this grace in which we stand; so let us boast about the hope of experiencing God's glory.” See also 1Corinthians 1:30, 1Peter 5:12, Jeremiah 23:5-6.
When we stand in warfare, His power is made available to us through prayer or ‘na’ in Hebrew derived from the Hebrew word for war. We will also stand before Him in our deeds at the Bema. 2Corinthians 5:9-10, “Therefore, whether at home or away from home, we try our utmost to please him; 10 for we must all appear before the Messiah's court of judgment, where everyone will receive the good or bad consequences of what he did while he was in the body.” See also Romans 14:10-12
Traditions can be good or bad. They are good if they enhance the Word of G-d, provide structure, good memories, give anchor or security to truth, or connect us to family and history. Traditions are bad when they are placed on par with Scripture or even replace the Word of G-d and lead us away from truth or keep us in the dark.
Colossians 2:8, “Watch out, so that no one will take you captive by means of philosophy and empty deceit, following human tradition which accords with the elemental spirits of the world but does not accord with the Messiah.”
What does tradition teach regarding the Yomim Norai’im or the Days of Awe?
It is believed there are three books opened before G-d the Judge during the this time; the Book of Righteous, Wicked and In Between. During the Days of Awe, it is believed as tradition that the books are opened and names are written in the Book of Life based upon three methods of atonement whereby forgiveness can be secured and atonement made. The goal is to have one’s name inscribed and sealed for the next year through acts of repentance (teshuva), prayer (tefillah) and charity (tzedakah) tipping the scales in one’s favor. Psalm 118:19-20, “Open the gates of righteousness for me; I will enter them and thank Yah. 20 This is the gate of ADONAI; the righteous can enter it.”
These are the traditions for attaining atonement and securing salvation based upon tradition. But what does the Word of G-d say?
Psalm 119:89, “Your word continues forever, ADONAI, firmly fixed in heaven.” Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”
What are the books from G-d on earth?
The Tanakh consists of the Torah (Law or first five books), Navi’im (the prophets) and Ketubim (the writings) and the Brit Chadasha (New Covenant) consists of the Gospel, Acts, Letters and Apocalypse. And unlike traditional Judaism, there is also the Lamb’s Book of Life (Sefer HaChayim) and a Book of Remembrance (Sefer HaZikaron). See Revelation 20:15, Luke 10:20 and Malachi 3:16.
What does the Word of G-d really teach us about our names being written and sealed in The Book of Life?
Our names are written based upon His atonement for us rather than our atonement for ourselves! Ephesians 1:13-14, “Furthermore, you who heard the message of the truth, the Good News offering you deliverance, and put your trust in the Messiah were sealed by him with the promised Ruach HaKodesh, 14 who guarantees our inheritance until we come into possession of it and thus bring him praise commensurate with his glory.”
Titus 3:5, “he delivered us. It was not on the ground of any righteous deeds we had done, but on the ground of his own mercy. He did it by means of the mikveh of rebirth and the renewal brought about by the Ruach HaKodesh”. See also James 1:18, 1Peter 1:23, John 5:24.
This is the hope we can live in and share with others! There is a way, His Way, for our names to be written in The Book of Life, not just for a year, but forever!
Looking closely at Deuteronomy 30:1-6, we can see that this is G-d plan for His people and for us. Israel was dispersed due to disobedience, she will remember and return to the Land (which is already occurring), she will obey the L-rd because she has returned and He has shown her mercy, her heart will be circumcised, Israel’s enemies will be judged and she will receive the full blessing of the L-rd. The circumcision of her heart and ours is by our Heavenly Moil creating an inward renewal and a desire to please Him than to sin At this point, Israel corporately and us individually will love the L-rd with all our hearts and all our beings and we will live.
Further Reading: Deuteronomy 31:10-13, 24-26, Micah 4:1-2, Psalm 119-9-16, 1Timothy 4:13,16, 2Timothy 3:16-17, Colossians 2:11, Romans 2:29, Philippians 2:13, Jeremiah 4:4, Jeremiah 17:5-8, Isaiah 8:20
Wednesday, September 1, 2010
First Fruits / Blessing or Curse
8/28/10 Ki Tavo (When you enter in) D’varim (Deuteronomy) 26:1-29:9 (emphasis 26:1-10; 28:1-2, 13,15,62,64; 29:9;
Isaiah 50:1-28; Hebrews 11:32-40
compiled by Val Waters, sopher (scribe)
Midrash: Seth Budai
Psalm 119:137-144 Shabbat is our resting time to hide in Him, while He strengthens us (D’varim 8:3)
Psalm 121:3,4 We have a BIG God who doesn’t slumber or sleep, so we have no excuses (to give Him our all) because He gives us strength!
Teaching: Rabbi Ken Alpren
D’varim 26 is about the ceremony of First Fruits, or Bikkurim, which is covered in Mishnah Bikkurim 1:3.
Jewish farmers would tie a reed around the earliest ripening fruits from each of seven species (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates). and at harvest time those specific plants were brought in baskets and put on oxen and led in a procession of dancing and singing to Jerusalem to be presented to the Cohanim (priests) at the Temple. The ceremony included the reading aloud of D’varim 26:1-10.
D’varim 28 is about Israel being given the choice to obey God in the promised land and thus receive His blessing, (v2 “…and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you…” v13 “and the LORD shall make you the head and not the tail and you only shall be above and you shall not be underneath, if you will listen…”) but if they would choose to disobey God, the curse was also spelled out clearly v62 “then you shall be left few in number whereas you were as the stars of heaven for multitude” v64 “…the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth…”).
Rabbi Ken reminded the congregation that if we honor God with our first and our best as in Proverbs 3:9 our harvest will overflow our barns; and if we give Him the whole (complete) tithe, in Malachi 4: 10, He will open for us the doors of heaven and pour out blessings that overflow!
Often we hear that the Old Covenant just says we have to love God, while the New Covenant says we love God because we want to; this implies that grace wasn’t active until after Yeshua redeemed us. Rabbi Ken pointed out that the Decalogue (Sh’mot 20) begins with “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” the LORD is saying, I redeemed you…with the implication being that the Hebrews belonged to God, that He already proved his love to His people, and asked for their obedience in return. Grace started with God in the Old Covenant also!
We are considered His holy ones, saints, kiddushim because of of what God has already done through the blood of Yeshua! He has set us apart, wants us as pure fruit, purges out the old leaven (1 Cor 5); we are already ‘matza’ or cleansed of sin!
Positional Truth Experiential Truth
our standing our state
our union our communion
our position our experience
Eph. 1;3, Heb 7:9,10 Col 3:1,2 1 Jn 2:28 Jn 15:5,7,9, Gal 1:6, 2:4, 3:1-5
John 3:31, 8:23 Gal 5;1 Heb 2:1, 2 Pet 1:19
Watchman Nee’s book, Sit, Walk Stand summarizes the book of Ephesians and who we are: with Messiah we are dead, buried, risen and ascended and now sit with Him; we walk in His calling, in health; and we stand firm, not yielding to the adversary.
a brief summary of the three tithes required when living in the land of Israel:
crops 10% to Levites, who in turn tithe to Cohanim (priests)
main tithe, 2% to priests
1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th years, a second tithe, of which 9& eaten by owner (in Jerusalem)
3rd and 6th year, poor man’s tithe, they eat it at home
1 Tim 5:17, 1 Cor 6:17 : also tithing before Torah, Abraham to Melchizedek (Gen. 14).
Abel brought 1st fruits, Cain gave left-overs: we can miss God’s blessing by stingy giving, not freely given
We can bring ourselves as first fruits also…by prioritizing our time spent in His Word! search in it, meditate upon it, read speak it aloud; speak it out loudly! We are told to not neglect hi sword, As a new believer, Rabbi Ken was challenged to spend more time in the word and told that he would get better grades without more time spent in homework, just in the Word….and it worked! We are told to meditate day and night on His Word! 1 Pet 2:2, Psalm 119:11, Ps 1. 5 loaves and 2 fish fed 5,000! God’s power is a mystery to natural man, Don’t skip worship services and expect the blessings: have company? bring them along as a testimony to your faith! Most people try giving on in crises, the LORD asks for your first fruits, not your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th best.
1 Thes 5:17, Luke 18:1 There is no formula that man can copy, the LORD’s blessings and growth and healing are supernatural!
In D’varim 28,29 Three prophecies of Israel’s dispossession are already fulfilled. Two prophecies of Israel’s restoration are already fulfilled, while the 3rd is in the process of being fulfilled. The LORD is drawing, wooing His chosen people back to Israel. Jer 16:14-16 speaks of the LORD sending fishers and hunters to help gather them, and they have also experienced the persecution.
Archaelogists have uncovered a rock engraved with the sh’ma in Hebrew, and a drawing of a mezuzah!
Blessing…D’varim 28:13 “The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,”
listen = sh’ma; keep =shamar; do = asah
l’malah = above (ascend, progress; below = l’mattah below, pervert, distort
It’s the LORD’s faith that empowers us. Dan 10 “I am strengthened as You speak” Heb 3:7, Jn 10:3, 10:27; Eph 4:21,
Mk 7:16, Jer 3:22, Ps 24:2, James 1:19, Ecc 5:2
Martyrs had enough FAITH to die! Let their lives be a lesson to us to NOT judge by other peoples circumstances; even Yeshua had no place to lay his head. 1 Cor 4 speaks of his having no dwelling place. The LORD will provide, He will never leave us or forsake us, Ps 19:34 says ‘we will “never see the righteous forsaken”.
D’varim 23:5
the LORD can turn curses int blessings! When we finally wake up spiritually and begin to put the LORD first, then everything will turn around! Neh 13:2, Phil 3:12-14
LORD, we believe Your blessing will overtake us if we “go” after You! Because YOU love us!
Isaiah 50:1-28; Hebrews 11:32-40
compiled by Val Waters, sopher (scribe)
Midrash: Seth Budai
Psalm 119:137-144 Shabbat is our resting time to hide in Him, while He strengthens us (D’varim 8:3)
Psalm 121:3,4 We have a BIG God who doesn’t slumber or sleep, so we have no excuses (to give Him our all) because He gives us strength!
Teaching: Rabbi Ken Alpren
D’varim 26 is about the ceremony of First Fruits, or Bikkurim, which is covered in Mishnah Bikkurim 1:3.
Jewish farmers would tie a reed around the earliest ripening fruits from each of seven species (wheat, barley, grapes, figs, pomegranates, olives, and dates). and at harvest time those specific plants were brought in baskets and put on oxen and led in a procession of dancing and singing to Jerusalem to be presented to the Cohanim (priests) at the Temple. The ceremony included the reading aloud of D’varim 26:1-10.
D’varim 28 is about Israel being given the choice to obey God in the promised land and thus receive His blessing, (v2 “…and all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you…” v13 “and the LORD shall make you the head and not the tail and you only shall be above and you shall not be underneath, if you will listen…”) but if they would choose to disobey God, the curse was also spelled out clearly v62 “then you shall be left few in number whereas you were as the stars of heaven for multitude” v64 “…the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other end of the earth…”).
Rabbi Ken reminded the congregation that if we honor God with our first and our best as in Proverbs 3:9 our harvest will overflow our barns; and if we give Him the whole (complete) tithe, in Malachi 4: 10, He will open for us the doors of heaven and pour out blessings that overflow!
Often we hear that the Old Covenant just says we have to love God, while the New Covenant says we love God because we want to; this implies that grace wasn’t active until after Yeshua redeemed us. Rabbi Ken pointed out that the Decalogue (Sh’mot 20) begins with “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt” the LORD is saying, I redeemed you…with the implication being that the Hebrews belonged to God, that He already proved his love to His people, and asked for their obedience in return. Grace started with God in the Old Covenant also!
We are considered His holy ones, saints, kiddushim because of of what God has already done through the blood of Yeshua! He has set us apart, wants us as pure fruit, purges out the old leaven (1 Cor 5); we are already ‘matza’ or cleansed of sin!
Positional Truth Experiential Truth
our standing our state
our union our communion
our position our experience
Eph. 1;3, Heb 7:9,10 Col 3:1,2 1 Jn 2:28 Jn 15:5,7,9, Gal 1:6, 2:4, 3:1-5
John 3:31, 8:23 Gal 5;1 Heb 2:1, 2 Pet 1:19
Watchman Nee’s book, Sit, Walk Stand summarizes the book of Ephesians and who we are: with Messiah we are dead, buried, risen and ascended and now sit with Him; we walk in His calling, in health; and we stand firm, not yielding to the adversary.
a brief summary of the three tithes required when living in the land of Israel:
crops 10% to Levites, who in turn tithe to Cohanim (priests)
main tithe, 2% to priests
1st, 2nd, 4th, 5th years, a second tithe, of which 9& eaten by owner (in Jerusalem)
3rd and 6th year, poor man’s tithe, they eat it at home
1 Tim 5:17, 1 Cor 6:17 : also tithing before Torah, Abraham to Melchizedek (Gen. 14).
Abel brought 1st fruits, Cain gave left-overs: we can miss God’s blessing by stingy giving, not freely given
We can bring ourselves as first fruits also…by prioritizing our time spent in His Word! search in it, meditate upon it, read speak it aloud; speak it out loudly! We are told to not neglect hi sword, As a new believer, Rabbi Ken was challenged to spend more time in the word and told that he would get better grades without more time spent in homework, just in the Word….and it worked! We are told to meditate day and night on His Word! 1 Pet 2:2, Psalm 119:11, Ps 1. 5 loaves and 2 fish fed 5,000! God’s power is a mystery to natural man, Don’t skip worship services and expect the blessings: have company? bring them along as a testimony to your faith! Most people try giving on in crises, the LORD asks for your first fruits, not your 2nd, 3rd, or 4th best.
1 Thes 5:17, Luke 18:1 There is no formula that man can copy, the LORD’s blessings and growth and healing are supernatural!
In D’varim 28,29 Three prophecies of Israel’s dispossession are already fulfilled. Two prophecies of Israel’s restoration are already fulfilled, while the 3rd is in the process of being fulfilled. The LORD is drawing, wooing His chosen people back to Israel. Jer 16:14-16 speaks of the LORD sending fishers and hunters to help gather them, and they have also experienced the persecution.
Archaelogists have uncovered a rock engraved with the sh’ma in Hebrew, and a drawing of a mezuzah!
Blessing…D’varim 28:13 “The LORD will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the LORD your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully,”
listen = sh’ma; keep =shamar; do = asah
l’malah = above (ascend, progress; below = l’mattah below, pervert, distort
It’s the LORD’s faith that empowers us. Dan 10 “I am strengthened as You speak” Heb 3:7, Jn 10:3, 10:27; Eph 4:21,
Mk 7:16, Jer 3:22, Ps 24:2, James 1:19, Ecc 5:2
Martyrs had enough FAITH to die! Let their lives be a lesson to us to NOT judge by other peoples circumstances; even Yeshua had no place to lay his head. 1 Cor 4 speaks of his having no dwelling place. The LORD will provide, He will never leave us or forsake us, Ps 19:34 says ‘we will “never see the righteous forsaken”.
D’varim 23:5
the LORD can turn curses int blessings! When we finally wake up spiritually and begin to put the LORD first, then everything will turn around! Neh 13:2, Phil 3:12-14
LORD, we believe Your blessing will overtake us if we “go” after You! Because YOU love us!
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