What do you believe?......

Shelach

June 1, 2013  ~  Sivan 23, 5773

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Torah – B’Midbar (Numbers) 13:1- 15:41

Haftarah – Y’Hoshua (Joshua) 2:1-24

B’rit Chadashah – Mark 10:1-45; Messianic Jews (Hebrews) 3:7-19

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Sh’ma

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What do you believe …. Or better said…

What or whom do you believe?

Before we get into today’s teaching…  I want you to get out a piece of paper… and I want you to write down what you believe?

Recently someone asked me what I believe….  And at first I thought… Oh my, where do I start?...

If you haven’t figured this out for yourself  - you need to!

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What was this like? 
It’s not easy is it?...  There is so much….and we can have generalities in our heads and it can be kind of foggy – but when we write it down – it becomes black and white – and very definitive!

So if you have never done this… or have never done this – I encourage you to do this….

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We are planning on having a mikvah – baptism this summer…  to baptize in the name of YHWH….  And writing down your faith should be the prerequisite/ requirement…. So you know exactly.

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We started out today saying the Sh’ma as always…

It is a statement of faith… and more than that it is a call to not just hearing about or knowing the Living God… 

It is calling to DO what HE says… to Sh’ma = to hear and do…

Calling us to live our faith!  AMEIN!

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Torah – B’Midbar (Numbers) 13:1-14:45 cjb p 162

Isra’el had to decide what they believed… and also whom they believed…

… The 10 who had gone into the land and said… “We can’t go in there….they are too big for us.”

…or the 2 who said – “We must go!”

B’Midbar 15:13-16 cjb p 166

Isra’el had to decide… who is to follow the commands…  YHWH said… everyone – even the foreigner…

And then…  the story if Y’hoshua where Rachav – hid the spies… and helped them escape…. In Y’Hoshua (Joshua) 2:1-24

She had to decide to trust them or not, and they her.

They gave her a scarlet thread to hang in her window….  She trusted them enough to actually do this…

… besides her family would have to stay inside… when everything in them would say “run” or “fight”!

(Interesting that it was a scarlet thread and Rabbis say that after the sin was put on the scapegoat and the other sacrificed…the scarlet thread was hung on the temple door and turned white once the scapegoat had been killed in the wilderness.)

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Messianic Jews 3:7-19 cjb p 1495

What do you believe?  Who do you trust?

Can you enter His rest?... those who were disobedient could not.

( We have come to understand that those who don’t keep Torah are disobedient)

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Mark 10:13 – 31 cjb p 1275

        Faith of a child….  And the rich man supposed to sell all and give…

Faith to be obedient – not just in the easy things – but in the difficult things… Do we believe enough for this??

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Before we continue let’s go back to…

 B’Midbar 15: 37:41

        Believing the instruction to wear tzitziyot – fringes on the corners of the garments…  

“it will help you remember and obey all my mitzvot and be holy for your God.”

        So…  you might want to consider doing this…  if you don’t already wear them!

Why??

Just because He said so!

I will tell you… every day when I put on tzitziyot – I am reminded that I am different.

I am reminded of His Torah – His instructions

And every time I put them on - I choose to follow His instructions.

You could say – “Oh Janet, it is no big deal. I can remember His instructions without putting on fringes.”

Maybe you can….. 

But HE SAID …  “SPEAK TO THE PEOPLE OF ISRA’EL…”

AND He said….

TO WEAR THEM “THROUGH ALL THEIR GENERATIONS.”

~~ Again, we come back to: what or whom do you believe.

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I heard recently that you won’t mind some review… so… this is probably going to be review for most of you….

I am going to tell you what I believe….

I believe….

There is ONE God – and HE is ONE / Echad and His name is YHWH.

He is the God of the Hebrews - Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and all of Isra’el.

YHWH created the heavens and the earth…. And before he started his creation he had a plan…

He created all of Creation in six (literal) days and he rested on the 7^th.

The “Word” that YHWH spoke in B’resheet to create the universe was the same Word that was sent in Yochanan 1:1 that became flesh. This “Word” dwelt among us.  His name is “Y’shua”, which means YHWH is Salvation.

I believe in and keep the 7^th day Shabbat.

The sacrificial system was created for the purpose of temporarily averting YHWH's wrath away from His people and their sin, as well as being a prophetic symbol for what the coming Messiah would complete (Heb 9:1-9)

YHWH knew,  (He knows everything), that man could not – not sin…

He created Adam and said he was to watch and protect Gan Eden.

In the Garden – Yah put 2 trees…

1.     The tree of life

2.   The tree of the tov and ra – function and dysfunction

B’resheet 2:15-16 – YHWH gave man choice… if man chooses to trust HIM and OBEY HIM he will be given eternal life.  If he chooses to walk outside Yah’s covenant, he will surely die.

        = In the beginning man was given instruction and has life if he obeys and death if he does not.  This is a theme throughout the Torah.

He created Adam from the ground and placed him in Gan Eden.

Adam was in the image of YHWH.

Yah separated Adam – from his side/ half… he took out Chava.

Only after the separation is gender referred to.  B’resheet 2:23

Adam messed up b/c he let hasatan in.

Adam messed up b/c he didn’t speak up – b/c he was right there- when Chava talked with the serpent/ hasatan and took the fruit.

What the enemy did with Chava –is at the root of how he deceives through all of time….  “Did YHWH really say?”…

And in Chava’s response… she added to the Word… “not to touch it”.

And hasatan said… if you eat of it… “you will be like YHWH knowing tov and ra.”….. This implies that Chava was not enough as YHWH created her to be.  This is a key lie hasatan uses today… to distort people’s thinking…. “I am not enough….”

In  YHWH’s creation – the marriage was a team.  Starting in B’resheet 4….  Sin is in the world and so YHWH’s plan in the world is distorted by hasatan….  So women are through time a lesser class to be controlled and ruled by men, (this was NOT HIS plan!)

YHWH had planned all along that a Mashiach was needed for the people.  B’resheet 5 – the meaning of the names of the men from Adam to Noach…..

        “Man (is) appointed mortal sorrow (but) the blessed God will come down teaching, (and) His death will bring (the) despairing comfort/rest.”

So Mashiach was not some after-thought given b/c man couldn’t keep Torah. 

YHWH’s plan was that he was married to the bride …  but the bride left the covenant……the Kingdom of Isra’el split after Solomon’s death and became the kingdom’s of the 1.  North known as Isra’el and the 2. South known as Judah.

        Isra’el (North) did not keep commands – even in Y’shua’s day  - this can be seen when He talks to the woman at well – who is from Samaria – the capitol of the Northern Kingdom….she tells Him – you worship in Jerusalem at the temple, but we worship here on a mountain.  The Northern Kingdom was already not keeping Torah.

The Northern kingdom was taken captive by Assyria and lost their identity completely then as Torah observant followers of YHWH in 721 BC.  They never came back… to the land of Isra’el or to Torah.  They were divorced by YHWH in Jeremiah 3.

This must have caused a stir in the heavenlies… as YHWH had made a rule in Leviticus that a man could not divorce his wife and then remarry her….

These ones from the Northern kingdom – Isra’el can be traced from Assyria – to Italy to France to Switzerland and Germany, to the Americas and to the east, etc…  These people are the ones who largely make up the Christian church today… and do not even know that they are Northern Kingdom Isra’el.  They do not understand that they should be keeping Torah and not the traditions of man and many things.

The Southern kingdom was taken captive by Babylon in Daniel’s day for 70 years.  They returned to the land… and never left Torah.  They added man’s instructions to Torah – ie Talmud etc.  They do not as a whole, understand that Y’shua is the Mashiach.  They were never divorced by YHWH  b/c  he promised that David would always have a line on the throne.

YHWH’s Spirit – known as the Ruach HaKodesh – is not separate from Him….  b/c He is one.

He had been in Isra’el as a people since they left Egypt….and as the people drew away from YHWH – he had to draw away from them… until just a few had the Ruach… the prophets.

The prophets spoke a hard word….  Calling people out of paganism and back to Torah.  Calling them to do teshuva – to repent of their sin and RETURN to YHWH and His instructions/ Torah.

Jeremiah prophesied for 40 years and it is said, never received one good word from anyone.  I have to wonder if the people of Jeremiah’s day were like the people of today….  And said things like… “Well, he might be right about this part ___ but he is not right about that___ part.”  I have to wonder what part of what they said would YHWH throw out?

Not that any  man is perfect… but today I hear so often – “Nobody has it all right.” – and in one way that may be true…. But if all that a person is teaching lines up with Torah… it is all right. 

Today the Christian community has pastors who don’t understand Torah.  YHWH is gracious enough to speak so many of them… but they don’t take that word back to Torah and line it up….  They teach from their perspective of traditions of men… not the Word.  So they will have some things right if they are in His grace… but they will miss most of truth b/c they don’t line things up with  Torah.

YHWH sent His prophets to call Isra’el back.

Isra’el = the land

Isra’el = the nation

Isra’el = all YHWH’s people.

I believe YHWH is Echad.  I do not believe in trinity.  Trinity is in all religions except Judaism and islam. 

YHWH says….  D’Varim (Deut) 6:4  “Sh’ma, Yisrael! Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.     – Echad is ONE.  Echad is one that is whole and cannot be divided. 

I believe ….YHWH sent “his son” … “his beina” – to bring Isra’el restoration –to teshuva – to return to YHWH and Torah.  His name is Y’shua.

Beina = plan to bring restoration or the one who brings restoration.

Yellied = child of.  Hebrew would have used yellied if they meant child of….

But they didn’t… YHWH meant plan not separate person.

So Y’shua was conceived in a virgin by YHWH as Ruach HaKodesh, and HE is YHWH.  (Is 44:6, Rev 22:13)

Y’shua was born in the time of Sukkot – tabernacles – b/c this is YHWH coming and tabernacling with his people – even if they didn’t know it.

He came to be the Good News (see definition later)…  to set captives free and give sight to the blind.  Is 61

He came to (Matt 5:17)….  “Don’t think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets.   I have come not to abolish but to complete.”

Better interpreted :  “I did not come to abolish Torah… But to show you how to live it.”

Y’shua confronted the religious leaders of Judaism of that day… but the only thing he corrected was man’s traditions… He never corrected them for keeping Torah – for doing what YHWH had instructed.

He never said – okay we can eat pork. 

The scripture in Mark 7:19 that says… “thus he declared all foods ritually clean” – was added to the Word in the last 800 years or less. 

He came during tabernacles... Sukkot….  He was the lamb… fulfilling each and every prophecy/direction of Pesach and  Unleavened Bread and First Fruits. 

Y’shua was crucified on a stake – probably not a “cross”.

And because he died and rose again…  my sins can be forgiven and that is amazing!

In order to have eternal life….one must first understand that he has broken YHWH's perfect law; the Torah …..and is condemned because of his sin, to eternal destruction away from the presence of almighty God (Duet 11:28, Rom 6:23). 

He must then accept the blood of Y’shua  over the door posts of his heart and believe that outside the death, burial and resurrection of Y’shua there is no other way for salvation.

What YHWH destroyed on the stake of Y’shua was the penalty that the Torah of YHWH demanded as payment for the breaking of it, and that we are no longer under the “law of sin and death” but are under grace as Paul says in Romans 6:14.  The Torah of YHWH was never abolished!!    Paul  says in Romans 3:31 “Does it follow that we abolish Torah by this trusting?  Heaven forbid!  On the contrary, we confirm Torah.”

What was destroyed at the stake of Y’shua, in fact, was the power of sin and the penalty there of over all of mankind!!

 And what was changed and “done away with” was the priestly system of sin sacrifice by mere men because of the perfect sacrifice by our true High Priest and King Messiah (Heb. 9-11).  

I Yochanan 3:4 says that "Sin is violation of Torah.”

-  Therefore, if we get rid of and don’t follow Torah, then we are removing the only definition of sin found in the Bible. 

If there is no Torah  (law/instructions), then there is no sin. 

If there is no sin, there can be no curse.  If there is no curse, then there is no need for the blood of Messiah.

So I have salvation / eternal life with YHWH!!  J  But the greater gift is …

….. Because the bridegroom died and rose…  He can remarry the bride He divorced…  the Northern Kingdom – the Christian church can be restored to covenant!! 

This is such a big deal because if they can come back into covenant – the Northern Kingdom and the Southern Kingdom….  (we call them gentile and Jew) …can be made one…

….and when they are ONE – the bride is whole… and when the bride is whole and spotless – Y’shua HaMashiach can return!! 

….Until then, He cannot return.

And when he does return… it will be on his feast days, because that is how he has done everything with his plan for restoration – always on feasts.

He will return on Yom Teruah – Feast of Trumpets.

He will judge on Yom Kippur – Day of Atonement

And He will begin his millennial reign on Sukkot – Tabernacles.

Doing exactly what the Word says about each of those feasts.

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I believe that where the Word says that Y’shua is “sitting at the right hand of YHWH.” …

        This is a Hebrew idiom / phrase that means something other than just the plain meaning of the words in the phrase.

  The "right hand" does not signify a specific location.  Rather, it's symbolic of the place of authority.

Hebrew has a word that means "hand" (yad) and a word that means "right hand" (yamin). The Hebrew name Benjamin (Ben yamin) means son of the right hand.

The right hand simply indicates authority.

When Y’shua sat at the right hand of the Father, it did not mean a seating arrangement.

It means that He sits in YHWH’s authority  = because HE is YHWH.

-Which explains why Yochanan (John)  only saw one throne and One sitting on the throne in Revelation, which of course, is exactly what Isaiah had seen there as well.

Misunderstanding this verse reinforces the myth of trinity.

        Trinity - a word that is NOT in the bible – except the books that have been messed up by man.

I believe YHWH never speaks out of both sides of His mouth.  He never says one thing and changes his mind and says another.  In fact – he said “I do not change.” 

What he said was “Sh’ma Yisrael, Adonai Eloheinu, Adonai Echad.  

I believe YHWH came as the Ruach HaKodesh – and it is by His Spirit that he accomplishes things on the earth. 

He was with his people as a nation when they left Egypt and as they became pagan he withdrew and only was with the prophets … and then after Y’shua ascended… YHWH returned as the Ruach…. To all his people – the nation again – because the Bride can be remarried and whole since His resurrection.

I believe in the gifts of the spirit – I Corin 12 – and that these gifts are not forever.  They are given by the bridegroom for the bride – so that she can survive before he returns to marry her.  Just like in the Hebrew marriage – the bridegroom gives the fiancé gifts – until he returns to marry her. 

I believe that Torah was given so that the people could survive the desert, go into the nations from Mt Sinai …

… and the Ruach was given so that His people could survive the desert and go into the nations with the Good News.

Good News = because the bridegroom died and rose, he can remarry the one he divorced.  The northern kingdom can come back into covenant… so that the Mashiach can return to marry His bride !!

I believe we are called to keep Torah – to follow YHWH’s instructions as best as we are able.

I believe that we are in the end of days.

I believe that hasatan prowls around like a roaring lion – to steal, to kill and to destroy.  I believe that he knows his time is limited and as he becomes more desperate…. Things will continue to get worse.

I believe there is a famine of the Word in the world and in the people of YHWH. 

I believe that the world is groaning and crying out for the Word… 

Scientists know that whatever created the world is what holds it together……

The Word created the World… and it is what holds it together – and as there is less and less of the Word in the world,  even the rocks cry out!!  …..And the World falls apart… entropy – earth quakes etc.

I believe that many – most people think they are believing truth.

 But the Word says there will only be a remnant and that they will have the testimony of Y’shua and keep Torah.  Rev 12:17 and Rev 14:12

The Word says that the shepherds will lead YHWH’s people away from truth… even though their job is to teach the difference between the holy and the profane …but that they won’t teach this… and the people will be lost and confused.

Mishlei (Prov) 29:18

“Without redemptive revelation of the Living God, My people perish.”  AMP

Without a prophetic vision, the people throw off all restraint (do what is right in their own eyes) .  But he who keeps Torah is happy.  CJB

When the bride is whole and spotless….our Messiah will come back to earth to redeem all those that are His, All of Isra’el… those who have been grafted in and those who are the blood line of Hebrews. (Rom 11, Eph 2).

Then He (YHWH) will reign from the New Jerusalem for 1000 years (1 Thes 3:13, Rev 20:4).

After that period, YHWH will raise up the rest of the dead and the entire earth will be judged at the Great White Throne Judgment (Rev 20:5).

All those that do not have their names written in the Lamb's Book of Life will be thrown into the Lake of Fire and YHWH’s enemies will be no more (Rev 20:11-12).

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In short… who am I…..

I am a spirit filled, tongue talking Believer and follower of Y’shua HaMashiach - the Jewish Messiah of the Bible, YHWH Himself come to earth as the plan to bring restoration to Isra’el.

I believe there is One God – the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and HE is ECAHD = one that cannot be divided.

I am a "Person Of The Way", and Y’shua is the way.

 I was stuck in religion, but I got out of Babylon - SUNday Christian church.

I keep Shabbat on the 7^th day, not the first.

 I decided to follow the cloud instead of the crowd.

I want the fire; I don’t want to be lukewarm.

I wear tzitziyot and my prayer closet is a Talliet. 

The moment I got out of Babylon, the doors of revelation opened wide, and YHWH began to teach me as much as I could possibly swallow. 

I have gone from starved to filled and satisfied.

I now know what and who Truth is.

I have gone from a foundation that was sand to a foundation that is the Rock.

 Almost everything people have been taught in the proclaimed christian church is false.

This includes: Messiah’s death & resurrection, the laws (instructions in the Torah) including food, the Feasts, and the true Sabbath on the 7^th day.

 “The true watchman on the wall loves the sheep enough to be hated, despised, and abused by them to tell them the truth,

and I choose to tell them the truth.

I am a watchman on the wall – and I am not going to conform any longer to this world, because I am not of this world.

I have been called and set apart – part of a royal priest hood – a remnant of YHWH’s holy people… 

I am finally being transformed by the renewing of my mind…returning to  YHWH’s cycles/ Torah.

And I am going in the narrow gate, because I have the testimony of Y’shua and I keep Torah.

I am not saved by keeping Torah… but I am blessed and made more holy - as I am called to be…

I am saved only by the blood of the lamb -Y’shua the Messiah and I was washed in His blood when I repented and did teshuva – and returned back to HIM.

And praise YHWH I am more free every day and I will not go back to paganism and blindness and lies.

I have become a lover of Truth and I am His beloved.

I serve the Hebrew Messiah – His name is Y’shua and I keep Torah.

Amein.