[TruthTalk] Some Things To Think About

[little children of Jesus Christ]

Some Things To Think About The conclusion of the whole matter is a good starting point. The book of Kohelet/Ecclesiastes is a wonderful book that shows the futility of living a life that seems right in our eyes. (Devarim/Deuteronomy 12:8; Shoftim/Judges 17:6, 21:25; Mishlei/Proverbs 12:15, 21:2) The conclusion, when all has been heard, is: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil. (Kohelet 12:13-14) In this verse, the word �good� must be filtered through the understanding of Messiah Yeshua: And He [Yeshua] said to him, "Why are you asking Me about what is good? There is only One Who is good; but if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." (Mattityahu/Mathew 19:17) And Yeshua said to him, "Why do you call Me good? No one is good except God alone. (Mark 10:18, Luke 18:19) YHVH is good. No one and nothing else compares to Him. OUR righteousness is like filthy rags. We cannot determine what is righteousness. For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; And all of us wither like a leaf, And our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 64:6) We can only hope to do the Will of YHVH � and this is accomplished only if YHVH puts within us the desire to be obedient � Only He can give us the Spirit necessary to love and to keep His commandments. �Then I will sprinkle [baptize] clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols [Acts 2:38]. Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you [Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 30:30-33(31-34), Ivriim/Hebrews 8:8-12]; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put My [Holy] Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.� (Yechezkiel/Ezekiel 36:25-27) The prophet Yechezkiel, when taken in context with Yirmeyahu and Hebrews, is not promising a covenant where an "unjust yoke" is removed for the sake of two commandments. The New Covenant spoken of by the book of Hebrews involves the same Torah commandments and ordinances. YHVH promises to write them on our hearts so we CAN obey them� not ignore them. The prophet Yeshayahu tells us what to expect if we choose to ignore the commandments: There is no one who calls on Your name [YHVH], Who arouses himself to take hold of You; For You have hidden Your face from us And have delivered us into the power of our iniquities. (Yeshayahu/Isaiah 64:7) Verse 64:7, taken in context with 64:6, tells us that we cannot live a holy life in the sight of YHVH living the way we believe is correct. Our righteousness is like a filthy rag, therefore we MUST live by the righteousness established by YHVH. Along with Yeshayahu 64:7, look at the words of Moshe/Moses shortly before his death: �See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, and death and adversity; in that I command you today to love YHVH your God, to walk in His ways and to keep His commandments and His statutes and His judgments, that you may live and multiply, and that YHVH your God may bless you in the land where you are entering to possess it. But if your heart turns away and you will not obey, but are drawn away and worship other gods and serve them, I declare to you today that you shall surely perish. You will not prolong your days in the land where you are crossing the Yarden/Jordan to enter and possess it. I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants, by loving YHVH your God, by obeying His Voice, and by holding fast to Him; for this is your life and the length of your days, that you may live in the land which YHVH swore to your fathers, to Avraham, Yitzchak/Isaac, and Yaakov/Jacob, to give them.� (Devarim/Deuteronomy 30:15-20) The Yerushalayim Beit Din The Apostle Yaakov/Jacob/James was the Beit Din Nasi (House of Judgment Leader) in Yerushalayim/Jerusalem during the events of the 15th chapter of the book of Acts. Two groups of people came to him and asked for a ruling. Some wanted the Gentile believers to be circumcised and made to obey the whole of Torah in order to be justified. Yaakov made an interesting decision: �Wherefore my sentence is, that we trouble not them, which from among the Gentiles are turned to God: But that we write unto them, that they [1] abstain from pollutions of idols, and [2] from fornication, and [3] from things strangled, and [4] from blood.� (Acts 15:19-20) Most people know these verses because when Torah Observance threatens their theology, this is often the first flashcard that gets pulled out to justify living a life that is right in their own eyes. Yaakov gives four points that the Gentiles must keep in order to be part of the community of Yisrael. Above, each is delineated. Most would easily agree with the first two (to a limited extent). The second two, however, are a quandary, because these are part of the cleanliness laws from Torah, and Yaakov assigns them to� GENTILES. However, if we continue reading the account in the book of Acts, Yaakov makes an interesting comment: �For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit�� (Acts 15:28) Interestingly, it wasn't Yaakov's idea. It seemed good to the Spirit of YHVH � that same YHVH whose voice bellowed from Sinai. It was the same YHVH who gave Moshe the whole of the Torah. Even more surprising is that Shaul/Paul, the author of most of the writings in the New Testament that are used against Torah Observance, was in attendance there in Yerushalayim. When you read the account as described in Acts 15, Shaul argues ON THE SIDE OF YAAKOV. He is full agreement with Yaakov�s findings. This is New Testament teaching. As New Testament believers, we must not consume things strangled and from blood. In accordance with Yaakov�s ruling, we must make sure our meats are not from strangled animals and we must make sure the blood is drained from all meat we consume. This sounds strangely like Torah. I guess this explains why Yaakov reminds us of the Book of Teaching. This Book of Teaching (Torah means �Teaching�) is the guidebook for righteousness. �For Moses from ancient generations has in every city those who preach him, since he is read in the synagogues every Sabbath.� (Acts 15:21) Some people even think it�s all right to eat things offered to idols because, after all, idols are nothing. While �idols being nothing� is true, we must take this concept in context: Therefore concerning the eating of things sacrificed to idols, we know that there is no such thing as an idol in the world, and that there is no God but one. (1 Corinthians 8:4) What do I mean then? That a thing sacrificed to idols is anything, or that an idol is anything? No, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to demons and not to God; and I do not want you to become sharers in demons. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons; you cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons. (1 Corinthians 10:19-21) Shaul is in full agreement with Acts 15 because, as a spirit-filled prophet, it seemed good to the Holy Spirit. According to Yaakov�s decision, we must drain the blood from our meats or buy kosher meats, as well as avoid vaccinations (blood products) and transfusions. What Our Messiah Yeshua Says �Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law (Torah)?�And He (Yeshua) said to him, ��You shall love YHVH your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.� This is the great and foremost commandment. The second is like it; �You shall love your neighbor as yourself.� On these two commandments hang the whole law and the prophets.� (Mattityahu/Matthew 22:36-40) The Messiah said there are two greatest commandments and the rest of Torah and the Prophets hang on those. Therefore, when someone wants to learn how to love YHVH, he goes to Torah and obeys the commandments hanging upon �you shall love YHVH your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.� Meanwhile, one must look to Torah in order to fully understand how to �love your neighbor as yourself.� Ask yourself the question: Which commandments will you take away: the commandments that teach us to love YHVH, or the commandments that teach us how to love our neighbor? What Else Does Our Messiah Yeshua Say? �If they do not listen to Moshe/Moses and the Prophets, they will not be persuaded even if someone rises from the dead.� (Luke 16:31) The Hebrew idiom for �listen� is �listen and obey.� Please refer to any commentary on Devarim/Deuteronomy 6:4 that takes Hebrew idioms into account. (I think we all agree our Messiah was of Hebrew descent.) �For if you believed Moshe, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me.� (John 5:46) Those who believe Torah is abolished do NOT believe Moses, for Moses said REPEATEDLY �This is a statute/commandment throughout ALL your generations.� What Does Shaul Have To Say? Therefore having such a hope, we use great boldness in {our} speech, and {are} not like Moshe, {who} used to put a veil over his face so that the sons of Yisrael would not look intently at the end of what was fading away. But their minds were hardened; for until this very day at the reading of the old covenant the same veil remains unlifted, because it is removed in Messiah. But to this day whenever Moses is read, a veil lies over their heart; but whenever a person turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, {there} is liberty. (2 Corinthians 3:12-17) Those who have the Spirit (which is The Lord), have the veil REMOVED whenever Moshe (the Torah) is read! Halleluyah! Don�t get too gleeful, thinking you�ve got a way out, because we go back to the Apostle Yaakov to put this into perspective: For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man will be blessed in what he does. (Yaakov/James 1:23-25) An Unknown Author Writes: For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and THE FURY OF A FIRE WHICH WILL CONSUME THE ADVERSARIES. Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies (present imperative tense) without mercy on {the testimony of} two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, �VENGEANCE IS MINE, I WILL REPAY.� And again, �THE LORD WILL JUDGE HIS PEOPLE.� It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. (Hebrews 10:26-31) For those of you who know the truth but shun it, turn away from it, blow it off, this verse can be frightening. It can be frightening for those of us who strive for Torah Observance and we should fail. After all, the words of Shaul should set our whole lives on a straight course: The Conclusion Of The Whole Matter �I therefore run so, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one who beats the air; but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.� (1 Corinthians 9:26-27) Paul, himself, was concerned about becoming a castaway! My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten THE TORAH of thy God, I will also forget thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame. They EAT UP the sin of my people, and they set their heart on their iniquity. (Hoshea/Hosea 4:6) The prophet Yeshayahu/Isaiah said something very similar in 5:13, but this woe is in direct reference to those who call evil good, and good evil; who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness; who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter; who are wise in their own eyes And clever in their own sight. (Yeshyahu 5:21)   Bonus Discussion ��A man is not justified by the works of the Law but through faith in Christ Jesus, even we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we may be justified by faith in Christ and not by the works of the Law; since by the works of the Law no flesh will be justified.� (Galatians 2:15-16).  I once heard this statement called �CHRISTIANITY 101.� I would like to introduce you to "Christianity 102:" Was not Avraham our father justified by works when he offered up Yitzchak his son on the altar? You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works, faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "AND AVRAHAM BELIEVED GOD, AND IT WAS RECKONED TO HIM AS RIGHTEOUSNESS," and he was called the friend of God. You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone. (Yaakov/James 2:21-24 [NASB'95]) This is just one reason why many believe in keeping the Torah. Keeping Torah out of obedience and love for YHVH is not heresy. It's not Judaizing. This is not Work-based righteousness. It is submission to the Father�s will as outlined in both covenant Scriptures. "But this I admit to you, that according to The Way which they call a sect [KJV: Heresy] I do serve the God of our fathers, believing everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the Prophets; having a hope in God, which these men cherish themselves, that there shall certainly be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. In view of this, I also do my best to maintain always a blameless conscience {both} before God and before men." (Acts 24:14-16) Do Not Be Forsaken By YHVH Then the Spirit of God came on Zekharyah the son of Yehoyada the cohen/priest; and he stood above the people and said to them, �Thus God has said, �Why do you transgress the commandments of YHVH and do not prosper? Because you have forsaken YHVH, He has also forsaken you.�� (Divrei-Hayamim Bet/2 Chronicles 24:20) This is a free service, but donations (even of chickens, sheep, and raw milk) are accepted with thankfulness to YHVH. Those who would like to donate via PAYPAL can use the [EMAIL PROTECTED] email address for your donations. Those who prefer to send a check via the Postal Service can do so at the following address. The deacons of Am Echad will forward the funds as needed. Am Echad Yeshua Messianic Congregation P.O. Box 1191 Williams Bay, WI 53191 Donations for the remaining YHVH ha Mashiach booklets proving the deity of Messiah are still being accepted. These donations must be sent to the Am Echad address above. -- slade