Rabbi Ken Alpren
Sermon Notes by Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
3/24/12
In our modern society we have become unfamiliar with what is necessary for the provision of meat; namely, slaughter. That may sound graphic and it is. In the Temple sacrifices, slaughter was a daily occurrence and involved the very graphic display of animal death and processing.
Leviticus 17:11, ‘For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for yourselves; for it is the blood that makes atonement because of the life.’
After the destruction of the Temple, Judaism has been redefined to replace animal and other sacrifices with prayer, repentance and good deeds as a means for atonement.
Leviticus chapters one through five delineate five types of sacrifices acceptable to the L-RD, including the voluntary offerings burnt (olah), grain (mincha) and peace (shlamin) as well as the obligatory offerings of sin (chetat) and guilt (asham).
The Cohen was the mediator between G-d and men for the sacrifices. Today our mediator is Yeshua the Messiah!
1 Timothy 2:5, ‘For God is one;a and there is but one Mediator between God and humanity, Yeshua the Messiah, himself human.’
The sin and guilt offerings can be viewed as a parallel to our salvation. At the point of our salvation we know that we are forgiven, brought near to G-d and our debt is paid and ‘it is finished’.
Hebrews 10:18, ‘Now where there is forgiveness for these, an offering for sins is no longer needed.’
The burnt, grain and peace offerings can be viewed as a parallel to our sanctification. As we progress in our sanctification we know that we are growing in our faith, staying close to the L-rd and not only is our debt paid but we are ‘being finished’ in him.
What evidence can we have regarding our salvation?
Ezekiel 36:25-27, ‘Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you; I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 I will put my Spirit inside you and cause you to live by my laws, respect my rulings and obey them.’
2 Corinthians 5:17, ‘Therefore, if anyone is united with the Messiah, he is a new creation - the old has passed; look, what has come is fresh and new!’
Evidence of salvation is clearly defined through the two Scriptures here. We have been cleansed of sin, we receive a new heart and also receive the Ruach HaKodesh which enables us to obey G-d. As well, all things are made new; we are a new creation in Messiah!
What evidence accompanies our sanctification?
The first evidence is a hunger for the Word of G-d.
1Peter 2:2, ‘and be like newborn babies, thirsty for the pure milk of the Word; so that by it, you may grow up into deliverance.’
Isaiah 66:2, ‘Didn't I myself make all these things? This is how they all came to be," says ADONAI. "The kind of person on whom I look with favor is one with a poor and humble spirit, who trembles at my word.’
Secondly, evidence of sanctification includes conviction regarding sin. We aren’t happy doing something displeasing to G-d.
Thirdly, we desire to please G-d. We aren’t perfect, but we desire to please Him by obeying Him; we have a real desire to please Him.
1John 2:3, ‘The way we can be sure we know him is if we are obeying his commands.’
James 1:22, ‘Don't deceive yourselves by only hearing what the Word says, but do it!’
Additionally, one being sanctified has a desire for fellowship and has love for fellow believers.
1John 3:14, ‘We, for our part, know that we have passed from death to life because we keep loving the brothers. The person who fails to keep on loving is still under the power of death.’
Further, one being sanctified has the witness of the Ruach HaKodesh that we are a Child of G-d.
Romans 8:15-16, ‘For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to bring you back again into fear; on the contrary, you received the Spirit, who makes us sons and by whose power we cry out, "Abba!" (that is, "Dear Father!"). 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our own spirits that we are children of God.’
Also, those being sanctified believe in Yeshua as Divine and Messiah.
1John 4:2, ‘Here is how you recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit which acknowledges that Yeshua the Messiah came as a human being is from God.’
Micah 5:2, ‘But you, Beit-Lechem near Efrat, so small among the clans of Y'hudah, out of you will come forth to me the future ruler of Isra'el, whose origins are far in the past, back in ancient times.’
Isaiah 9:6, ‘For a child is born to us, a son is given to us; dominion will rest on his shoulders, and he will be given the name Pele-Yo'etz El Gibbor Avi-'Ad Sar-Shalom [Wonder of a Counselor, Mighty God, Father of Eternity, Prince of Peace].’
Sanctification also brings a love for all people!
1John 4:7-9. ‘Beloved friends, let us love one another; because love is from God; and everyone who loves has God as his Father and knows God. 8 Those who do not love, do not know God; because God is love. 9 Here is how God showed his love among us: God sent his only Son into the world, so that through him we might have life.’
Our salvation and sanctification are similar to the sacrifices in the Temple in that the process creates a sweet fragrance and sweet aroma pleasing to the L-rd. We press on yielding and growing in Him.
Philippians 1:9-11, ‘And this is my prayer: that your love may more and more overflow in fullness of knowledge and depth of discernment, 10 so that you will be able to determine what is best and thus be pure and without blame for the Day of the Messiah, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Yeshua the Messiah - to the glory and praise of God.’
Further Reading: Ezra 6:9-10, Isaiah 53:10-11, Ezekiel 20:40-42, 2Corinthians 2:15-16, 5:9, 5:21, Ephesians 5:1-2, 4:29-30, Hebrews 6:9, Psalm 27:4, 119:11, James 1:21, 1Peter 1:22, 3:18, 1John 4:20, 4:2, 5:21, 3:20, 2Timothy 2:19, Genesis 3:15, Hosea 6:3, Amos 5:4-6a, John 8:31-32, Colossians 1:6, Ecclesiastes 7:10,
Monday, March 26, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
What is Your Gift?
Rabbi Ken Alpren
Sermon Notes by Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
3/17/12
Caution is recommended when evaluating the gifts the L-rd has given us so that we may not be swayed to focus on weighing value more toward spiritual gifts as compared to physical gifts. Physical gifts can be equally valuable.
Exodus 35:29-35, ‘Thus every man and woman of the people of Isra'el whose heart impelled him to contribute to any of the work ADONAI had ordered through Moshe brought it to ADONAI as a voluntary offering. 30 Moshe said to the people of Isra'el, "See, ADONAI has singled out B'tzal'el the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y'hudah. 31 He has filled him with the Spirit of God -with wisdom, understanding and knowledge concerning every kind of artisanry. 32 He is a master of design in gold, silver, bronze, 33 cutting precious stones to be set, woodcarving and every other craft. 34 [ADONAI] has also given him and Oholi'av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with the skill needed for every kind of work, whether done by an artisan, a designer, an embroiderer using blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen, or a weaver - they have the skill for every kind of work and design.’
It is interesting that in this chapter of Scripture, thirteen times it is mentioned how the people’s hearts were stirred. Seven of the mentions were ‘wise heart’ or ‘chacham lev’ which can be translated as ‘divine intelligence’, three mentions were ‘nasa lev’ or ‘uplifted heart’ which can be translated as ‘divine enthusiasm’ and three additional mentions were ‘nadav lev’ or ‘willing heart’ which can be translated ‘availability to G-d’.
What constitutes a wise heart?
Proverbs 11:30, ‘The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls.’
Do we have a wise heart? Are we leading people to the L-rd?
G-d uses people and He wants to use you! We are all in a ministry of some sort and are called to serve Him.
1 Peter 4:10, ‘As each one has received some spiritual gift, he should use it to serve others, like good managers of God's many-sided grace.’
As expressed in Hebrews 5, we can lead if we are willing to b taught. We should also be disciplining others in some capacity because we all have been given different gifts.
If we are willing, He will enable us to do what He has for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10, ‘For we are of God's making, created in union with the Messiah Yeshua for a life of good actions already prepared by God for us to do.’
What is your gift?
Your gift is not from you but from G-d. Your gift is not for you but for G-d’s glory through Yeshua and for His Body to edify and build each other up. As we give ourselves to G-d, He reveals the gifts He has given us.
Nehemiah gave himself to G-d’s work and he enlisted help.
Nehemiah 2:17,18, ‘Afterwards, I said to them, "You see what a sad state we are in, how Yerushalayim lies in ruins, with it gates burned up. Come, let's rebuild the wall of Yerushalayim, so that we won't continue in disgrace." 18 I also told them of the gracious hand of my God that had been on me, also what the king had said to me. They said, "Let's start building at once," and energetically set out to do this good work.’
In the very next chapter of Nehemiah, it is recorded the men who worked together to build the wall around Jerusalem. Twelve times the Hebrew word, ‘al yad’ was used to describe how the men were aligned next to one another building the wall. ‘Al yad’ means ‘upon his hand’. They were united and joined together for the purposed G-d had placed in their hearts to build the wall together. Additionally, sixteen times the word ‘achar’ was used which means ‘behind, defer’. They were behind each other; building each other up as they built the wall.
Thirty times the word ‘chazak’ was used which means ‘repair, strengthen’. Their work was strong; but their strength was derived from the L-rd!
We are called to strengthen each other too!
1 Corinthians 3:5-7, ‘After all, what is Apollos? What is Sha'ul? Only servants through whom you came to trust. Indeed, it was the Lord who brought you to trust through one of us or through another. 6 I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 So neither the planter nor the waterer is anything, only God who makes things grow.’
Man is not the issue, but rather the agent by which G-d works His will and way.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15, ‘Some will use gold, silver or precious stones in building on this foundation; while others will use wood, grass or straw. 13 But each one's work will be shown for what it is; the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire - the fire will test the quality of each one's work. 14 If the work someone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward; 15 if it is burned up, he will have to bear the loss: he will still escape with his life, but it will be like escaping through a fire.’
The quality of our work will be revealed through the test of fire! What kind of work am I building and what am I putting into it? Am I giving my best to G-d or am I giving Him the leftovers?
If what we are doing it through Him and in Him, it will last and be eternal. How can we know? By giving ourselves to Him, He will show us!
Further Reading: 1 Timothy 4:8, Philippians 2:3, Ephesians 4:15,29, Matthew 18:15, Galatians 6:1, 1 Corinthians 3:9, 4:15, 2 Corinthians 6:1, 8:6, Romans 14:12, Matthew 25:23
Sermon Notes by Teresa Bennett, Pharm.D.
3/17/12
Caution is recommended when evaluating the gifts the L-rd has given us so that we may not be swayed to focus on weighing value more toward spiritual gifts as compared to physical gifts. Physical gifts can be equally valuable.
Exodus 35:29-35, ‘Thus every man and woman of the people of Isra'el whose heart impelled him to contribute to any of the work ADONAI had ordered through Moshe brought it to ADONAI as a voluntary offering. 30 Moshe said to the people of Isra'el, "See, ADONAI has singled out B'tzal'el the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Y'hudah. 31 He has filled him with the Spirit of God -with wisdom, understanding and knowledge concerning every kind of artisanry. 32 He is a master of design in gold, silver, bronze, 33 cutting precious stones to be set, woodcarving and every other craft. 34 [ADONAI] has also given him and Oholi'av the son of Achisamakh, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with the skill needed for every kind of work, whether done by an artisan, a designer, an embroiderer using blue, purple and scarlet yarn, and fine linen, or a weaver - they have the skill for every kind of work and design.’
It is interesting that in this chapter of Scripture, thirteen times it is mentioned how the people’s hearts were stirred. Seven of the mentions were ‘wise heart’ or ‘chacham lev’ which can be translated as ‘divine intelligence’, three mentions were ‘nasa lev’ or ‘uplifted heart’ which can be translated as ‘divine enthusiasm’ and three additional mentions were ‘nadav lev’ or ‘willing heart’ which can be translated ‘availability to G-d’.
What constitutes a wise heart?
Proverbs 11:30, ‘The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, and he who is wise wins souls.’
Do we have a wise heart? Are we leading people to the L-rd?
G-d uses people and He wants to use you! We are all in a ministry of some sort and are called to serve Him.
1 Peter 4:10, ‘As each one has received some spiritual gift, he should use it to serve others, like good managers of God's many-sided grace.’
As expressed in Hebrews 5, we can lead if we are willing to b taught. We should also be disciplining others in some capacity because we all have been given different gifts.
If we are willing, He will enable us to do what He has for us to do.
Ephesians 2:10, ‘For we are of God's making, created in union with the Messiah Yeshua for a life of good actions already prepared by God for us to do.’
What is your gift?
Your gift is not from you but from G-d. Your gift is not for you but for G-d’s glory through Yeshua and for His Body to edify and build each other up. As we give ourselves to G-d, He reveals the gifts He has given us.
Nehemiah gave himself to G-d’s work and he enlisted help.
Nehemiah 2:17,18, ‘Afterwards, I said to them, "You see what a sad state we are in, how Yerushalayim lies in ruins, with it gates burned up. Come, let's rebuild the wall of Yerushalayim, so that we won't continue in disgrace." 18 I also told them of the gracious hand of my God that had been on me, also what the king had said to me. They said, "Let's start building at once," and energetically set out to do this good work.’
In the very next chapter of Nehemiah, it is recorded the men who worked together to build the wall around Jerusalem. Twelve times the Hebrew word, ‘al yad’ was used to describe how the men were aligned next to one another building the wall. ‘Al yad’ means ‘upon his hand’. They were united and joined together for the purposed G-d had placed in their hearts to build the wall together. Additionally, sixteen times the word ‘achar’ was used which means ‘behind, defer’. They were behind each other; building each other up as they built the wall.
Thirty times the word ‘chazak’ was used which means ‘repair, strengthen’. Their work was strong; but their strength was derived from the L-rd!
We are called to strengthen each other too!
1 Corinthians 3:5-7, ‘After all, what is Apollos? What is Sha'ul? Only servants through whom you came to trust. Indeed, it was the Lord who brought you to trust through one of us or through another. 6 I planted the seed, and Apollos watered it, but it was God who made it grow. 7 So neither the planter nor the waterer is anything, only God who makes things grow.’
Man is not the issue, but rather the agent by which G-d works His will and way.
1 Corinthians 3:12-15, ‘Some will use gold, silver or precious stones in building on this foundation; while others will use wood, grass or straw. 13 But each one's work will be shown for what it is; the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire - the fire will test the quality of each one's work. 14 If the work someone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward; 15 if it is burned up, he will have to bear the loss: he will still escape with his life, but it will be like escaping through a fire.’
The quality of our work will be revealed through the test of fire! What kind of work am I building and what am I putting into it? Am I giving my best to G-d or am I giving Him the leftovers?
If what we are doing it through Him and in Him, it will last and be eternal. How can we know? By giving ourselves to Him, He will show us!
Further Reading: 1 Timothy 4:8, Philippians 2:3, Ephesians 4:15,29, Matthew 18:15, Galatians 6:1, 1 Corinthians 3:9, 4:15, 2 Corinthians 6:1, 8:6, Romans 14:12, Matthew 25:23
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