10/10/2020

Shabbat Word

10/10/2020

Shabbat Shalom!

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).”

A Word

There is no such thing as bad weather, only an inappropriate choice of clothing

Have you ever had an inappropriate choice of clothing? Have you dressed for a hot, sunny weather forecast only for it to be caught in a thunderstorm? Have you turned up to a social event under- or over-dressed?

When my wife and I had our shop, on the very few times that we had any spare time, we had great fun taking the kids out on a picnic. We loaded up the van with coats, boots, clothes, bowls of hot food wrapped up in towels to keep them hot, and flasks of tea. Oh, and the kids and our big dog. Sir Ranulph Fiennes probably took less on his trek to Antarctica! We were ready for any contingency. Even if the rain poured down, there was enough room in the back of the van for us to have an ‘indoor’ picnic.

“…behold, you [Yahuah] were angry, and we sinned: in them have we been of long time; and shall we be saved? For we are all become as one who is unclean, and all our righteousness are as a soiled garment: and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away.” (Isa. 64:5b, 6). If you were invited to Buckingham Palace for tea with Queen Elizabeth, you would spend some time in choosing what you would wear. You may well have to go out and buy something new as there would be a strict dress code with which to comply. You would certainly not go in filthy rags.

I have news for you. We all have been summoned to appear before Yahuah `Elohiym, King of the Universe, but due to our sin, have only filthy rags to wear. Sin has contaminated all aspects of our being; body, soul and spirit. “for all have sinned, and fall short of the glory of Yahuah;” (Heb. 3:23). No amount of fancy clothes, expensive perfume, strong soap or hot water can cover up the stench attached to our sin. A person needs to be cleansed body, soul and spirit.

“Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity. Cleanse me from my sin… Against you, and you only, have I sinned, And done that which is evil in your sight; That you may be proved right when you speak, And justified when you judge. Purify me with hyssop, and I will be clean. Wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.” (Psa 51:2, 4, 7). The Psalmist recognised that it was against Yahuah `Elohiym that he has sinned and it is only Yahuah `Elohiym that could cleanse him.

“Kefa said to Him, ‘You will never wash my feet!’ Yeshua answered him, ‘If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.’” (John 13:8). It is Messiah Yeshua that accomplishes this deep clean.  “and from Yeshua the Messiah, the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To Him who loves us, and washed us from our sins by His blood;” (Rev 1.5). The Messiah washes us in the only thing that satisfies the Most Set Apart `Elohiym; His own precious Blood.

“not by works of righteousness, which we did ourselves, but according to His mercy, He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Ruach HaKodesh,” (Titus 3:5). This cleansing cannot be accomplished any other way. Not only does the Blood of Messiah cleanse us from all sin, but it causes us to be reborn from above as a new creation.

How do we go about this washing? It can only be by faith.

First, there needs to be the acceptance of our sinful condition and that there is nothing we can do about it. Then there is the acknowledgement of and heart-felt regret of that the sin has offended Yahuah `Elohiym. This leads our asking Yahuah to forgive us of those sins. It is this and the belief that it is only the Blood of Yeshua that can clean us and put right the broken relationship between Yahuah and us.

After all this cleaning, we are not left naked. “to appoint to those who mourn in Tziyon, to give to them a garland for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they may be called trees of righteousness, the planting of Yahuah, that he may be glorified…I will greatly rejoice in Yahuah, my soul shall be joyful in my `Elohiym; for He has clothed me with the garments of salvation, He has covered me with the robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks Himself with a garland, and as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.” (Isa 61.3, 10). If you believe what Messiah Yeshua has indeed died and shed His Blood for you, then you can stand in front of the Judge of all with confidence that the stench of sin has been washed completely away. You stand in front of Yahuah `Elohiym in the clothes He has provided; appropriate for a son of the Most High, able to praise Him for what He has done.

Do not wait for the summons to come; by then it is too late to act. Only Yahuah knows the exact time you will be called into account. Whether it is illness or tragedy, there are people who left home today that will not return to their loved ones.

They have been summoned.

Are you ready? Are you washed clean of the stench of sin? Are you clothed in His appropriate clothes?

Or are you still wearing those soiled rags?

Ameyn

Halleluy!

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.

“As one who takes away a garment in cold weather,

Or vinegar on soda,

So is one who sings songs to a heavy heart” (Prov. 25:20).

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.

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.).