Shabbat Word
06/02/2021
Shabbat Shalom!
Covid-19 continues to ravage the world. Every night, I pray this Psalm for the continued well-being, security and prosperity of Yahuah’s people, Yisra`el, His land, Yisra`el, His set apart city Yerushalayim and my family spiritual and physical.
Psalm 91:1-16
91:1) He who dwells in the secret place of Ha`Elyon,
Will rest in the shadow of Shaddai.
91:2) I will say of Yahuah,
“He is my refuge and my fortress; My `Elohiym, in whom I trust.”
91:3) For He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler,
And from the deadly pestilence.
91:4) He will cover you with His feathers.
Under His wings you will take refuge.
His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.
91:5) You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day;
91:6) Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.
91:7) A thousand may fall at your side,
And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it will not come near you.
91:8) You will only look with your eyes,
And see the recompense of the wicked.
91:9) Because you have made Yahuah your refuge,
And Ha`Elyon your dwelling place,
91:10) No evil shall happen to you,
Neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
91:11) For He will give His angels charge over you,
To guard you in all your ways.
91:12) They will bear you up in their hands,
So that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
91:13) You will tread on the lion and cobra.
You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.
91:14) “Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him.
I will set him on high, because he has known my name.
91:15) He will call on me, and I will answer him.
I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him, and honour him.
91:16) I will satisfy him with long life,
And show him my salvation (yeshu`ah).”
Psalm 22:21-32
22:21) Deliver my soul from the sword,
My precious life from the power of the dog.
22:22) Save me from the lion’s mouth;
Yes, from the horns of the wild oxen you have answered me.
22:23) I will declare your name to my brothers.
In the midst of the assembly, I will praise you.
22:24) You who fear Yahuah, praise him!
All you descendants of Ya`akov, glorify him!
Stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Yisra’el!
22:25) For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted,
Neither has He hidden His face from Him;
But when He cried to Him, He heard.
22:26) Of you comes my praise in the great assembly.
I will pay my vows before those who fear Him.
22:27) The humble shall eat and be satisfied.
They shall praise Yahuah who seek after Him.
Let your hearts live forever.
22:28) All the ends of the earth shall remember and turn to Yahuah.
All the relatives of the nations shall worship before you.
22:29) For the kingdom is Yahuah’s.
He is the ruler over the nations.
22:30) All the rich ones of the earth shall eat and worship.
All those who go down to the dust shall bow before Him,
Even He who cannot keep His soul alive.
22:31) Posterity shall serve Him.
Future generations shall be told about the Master.
22:32) They shall come and shall declare His righteousness to a people that shall be born,
For He has done it.
A Word
Men trip not on mountains, they stumble on stones.
“For whoever shall keep the whole law, and yet stumble in one point, he has become guilty of all.” (James 2:10). FGA believes in keeping all relevant laws, not in order to be saved, but because Yahuah `Elohiym, who Believers call Father, takes great pleasure in our obedience. Not all laws are relevant to everybody in every place at every time. That is why it is vital to study Scripture to know which ones are applicable to you.
Unfortunately, when ‘Christians’ hear this, they fall back into the traditional trap thinking that they are ‘under grace and not the law’. Nevertheless, these same people ‘cherry-pick’ those laws that they feel comfortable. They believe that the only laws that are relevant today are what are traditionally known as ‘The Ten Commandments’. For instance, they think they obey “You shall not murder.” (Exod. 20:13). Yet, how many get angry with other Believers. The Master warns that, “…everyone who is angry with his brother without cause shall be in danger of the judgement…”(Matt. 5:22). This is not a commandment, but what it is, is a hedge that protects a person from straying into dangerous areas. If anger can be kept out of a person’s heart, it was less likely that the person would go on to murder.
Ask any ‘Christian’ if they keep ‘The Ten Commandments’ and all would say that they do. Yet they fail to keep Shabbat and put the day of rest onto a man-made tradition called ‘The Lord’s Day’.
No such day exists in Scripture.
Beloved, do you keep ‘The Ten Commandments’? Why? Are you unsure of your salvation (as many claim the reason others keep Torah) or blindly obey because Scripture (or tradition) tells you to do so? You must take a careful look at the reason that you obey these and not any others. Either you obey all of the relevant laws or you obey none of them! If you are selective in the commandments that you keep, you fall foul of all the law as explained in James 2:10. It is all well and done saying that you keep the ‘main’ commandments but ignore the rest, but it is the many ‘lesser’ commandments that cause Believers to stumble.
If you have not yet accepted the offer of salvation that has been given through Messiah Yeshua, then you are indeed guilty of them all; murder, adultery, blasphemy, not shooing away a mother bird when you take her chicks! The penalty of a guilty verdict is an eternity in damnation. It is impossible to wipe out this penalty yet there is One who has taken the punishment upon Himself on our behalf. That person is Messiah Yeshua. He is the only way (John 14:6).
Ameyn.
HalleluYah
Father, we thank you for the power of your Word and that Word was made flesh in the Messiah Yeshua so that in believing in His life, death and resurrection we may have eternal life with you.
If you want to accept Father’s offer of salvation through the Messiah Yeshua, you need to ask Him in prayer along these lines. You may use these or your own words but they must be genuine as Father knows our very hearts and nothing is hidden from Him.
“Father, I am a sinner who needs forgiveness of my sins through your Son, the Messiah Yeshua. Please forgive me of all my past sins as I accept that, Messiah Yeshua my Saviour, has taken upon Himself my punishment. By your Spirit, help me to live a life worthy of His sacrifice. Thank you, Father, for making the perfect way back to you.”
Remember, the Judge looks into your heart, mind and future.
If you have honestly said such a prayer as this, and truly renounced the sin in your life and accepted Father’s salvation through the Messiah Yeshua, then please drop us an e-mail or call us at FGA to let us know. This helps build up our faith and offers an opportunity to prayerfully support you. Even if you have Believing friends or family, we at FGA would be privileged to pray for you. Please contact us at ezra710@firstgenerationassembly.com. Having believed and prayed, now please find a local faith-based church to attend. Drop FGA an e-mail or call us so that we can rejoice with you and pray and support you over the coming weeks.
If you have sincerely called out to Father for forgiveness, then eternal life is assured. Salvation does not take away the day-to-day questions of life, nor is it a short-cut away from trials or tribulations. Nevertheless, knowing your eternal life is secure, any temporary trial can be overcome by looking at the completed work of Messiah Yeshua.
All blessings to you.
“A hot-tempered man must pay the penalty
For if you rescue him, you must do it again.
Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise in your latter end.” (Prov. 19:19, 20).
Breaking Matzah
Our Saviour welcomes all His Family to join in this memorial. If you have accepted Messiah Yeshua as your Master and Saviour please take the next few moments to seek Father and to ensure that all is right between Him and you and between you and your Brothers and Sisters. If not, please put this right before continuing.
If you have not yet accepted Him into your life, then we encourage you to seek Him while it is still possible, as time is running out. When He returns or if you pass away then it will be too late. Please do not partake of the matzah and wine as in doing so, it gives thanks for the broken body (matzah) and shed blood (wine) for and a witness of salvation.
On the night of the Master’s betrayal, He took the matzah, blessed it and broke it saying ‘This is my Body broken for you; take and eat it as a memorial to Me.’
Bless the matzah saying: Blessed are you, O Yahuah our `Elohiym, King of the Universe, who brings forth matzah from the earth.
Break and eat the matzah (sharing it if within a group setting):
After the meal He took the Cup, blessed it saying ‘This is my Blood poured out for you for the remission of sins; take and drink it as a memorial to me.’
Bless the wine saying: Blessed are you, O Yahuah our `Elohiym, King of the Universe, who creates the fruit of the vine.
Drink the wine (sharing it if within a group setting):
Thanksgiving prayer: Blessed are you, O Yahuah our `Elohiym, King of the universe, who gives us, in Yeshua, all that we will ever need. In your lovingkindness and mercy, you rebuild broken lives. You bless us, in Yeshua, with a perfect blessing. Ameyn.
Dates to remember
11/02/2021 – Rosh Chodesh 12th. New Moon
Father willing, we will meet again next Shabbat.
“Y’varekh’kha Yahuah v’yishmerekha,
Ya’er Yahuah panav eleikha vichunekka,
Yissa Yahuah panav eleikha v’yasem l’kha shalom.”
(May Yahuah bless you and keep you)
(May Yahuah make His face to shine upon you and show you His favour)
(May Yahuah lift up His face toward you and give you peace.).
First Generation Assembly 