Shabbat Word
21/09/2021
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 44:1-14
44:1) For the Musician.
By the sons of Korach.
A maskil.
44:2) We have heard with our ears, `Elohiym:
Our fathers have told us,
What work you did in their days,
In the days of old.
44:3) You drove out the nations with your hand,
But you planted them.
You afflicted the peoples,
But you spread them abroad.
44:4) For they did not get the land in possession by their own sword,
Neither did their own arm save them;
But your right hand, and your arm, and the light of your face,
Because you were favourable to them.
44:5) You are my King, `Elohiym.
Command victories for Ya`akov!
44:6) Through you, will we push down our adversaries.
Through your name, will we tread them under who rise up against us.
44:7) For I will not trust in my bow,
Neither shall my sword save me.
44:8) But you have saved us from our adversaries,
And have shamed those who hate us.
44:9) In `Elohiym we have made our boast all day long,
We will give thanks to your name forever. Selah.
44:10) But now you rejected us, and brought us to dishonour,
And do not go out with our armies.
44:11) You make us turn back from the adversary.
Those who hate us take spoil for themselves.
44:12) You have made us like sheep for food,
And have scattered us among the nations.
44:13) You sell your people for nothing,
And have gained nothing from their sale.
44:14) You make us a reproach to our neighbours,
A scoffing and a derision to those who are around us.
44:15) You make us a byword among the nations,
A shaking of the head among the peoples. (contd….
.A Word
Water, Water Everywhere Nor Any Drop To Drink
I was Second Engineer on the m.v. Swiftnes going to Matanzas, a port more than a day’s full steaming up the Orinoco River in Venezuela. The ship could make its own fresh, drinking water from sea water using the waste heat from the ship’s engines. This was only possible when the ship was moving and far out to sea. Close to land, there is the probability that the sea water would be contaminated with effluent from rivers and towns. I cannot recall the exact details, but the ship was at anchor at the mouth of the river a lot longer than was to be expected. The result of this was that drinking water was rationed until we could get in to port to fill our potable water tanks. In the Tropics, it is difficult to work in the heat and high humidity on water rationing, but the ship still had to be operated. Eventually we got to port, and water never tasted so good. Even now, I do not like to see fresh water wasted, none more so than when the so-called environmentalists encourage us to waste pure water to clean out re-cycling plastic and metal.
In Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s epic tale of The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the Mariner’s ship is becalmed in the Tropics. The water supply soon fails hence the famous line that forms the title of this message. Although I have never been as desperate as those sea-fearers, I have been in a situation where the drinking water was severely rationed. We all knew that the rationing was for only a limited time, whereas becalmed or ship-wrecked sailors had little hope to be saved.
The predicament that the Ancient Mariner and his ship-mates had was that there was no fresh water left, but all around them was sea water. The problem with drinking sea water is that a sip does not quench the thirst. In fact, the salt content increases the thirst that leads to a bigger gulp and eventually a downward spiral leading to death.
Sin is attractive to the flesh, if it was not so, it would have no appeal. If sin was poking a sharp stick into the eye, the world would be filled with righteous people or a lot of one-eyed sinners. Sin is so very like drinking sea water; once tasted the body craves for more and more. The more a person sins, the more sin is required to have the same effect. Like most addictions or the drinking of sea water, it is impossible to stop of our own accord.
The only way to prevent anyone from drinking more sea water is to give them fresh, clean, pure water. “Yahusha answered her, ‘If you knew the gift of Yahuah, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.’ Yahusha answered her, ‘Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.’” (John 4:10, 13-14). Yahshua was talking about Himself and once a person tastes this ‘Water’ they will never want to go back.
Sin is a great equaliser; it knows no nationality, ethnicity, colour, creed, race, religion, no gender, sexual orientation, age, class or occupation “for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of Yahuah.” (Rom. 3:23).
“Shimon Kefa opened his mouth and said, ‘Truly I perceive that Yahuah is no respecter of persons, but in every nation he who is in awe Him and works righteousness is acceptable to Him. The word which He sent to the children of Yisra`el, preaching the Good News of peace by Yahusha the Messiah – He is Master of all.” (Acts 10:34-36). The Good News is that when a person is confronted with their sin, there is a realisation that there has to be an ultimate judgement and final penalty to pay. The person comes to recognise Yahuah `Elohiym as the Judge of all. This has the effect of either driving a person away from Yahuah or of seeking a Redeemer who has already paid that sin-price, once and for all.
This Redeemer is Messiah Yahusha.
What do you want to drink: the sin that leads to death or the cool, clean, refreshing Living Waters that is Messiah Yahusha?
“Now in Yerushalayim by the sheep gate, there is a pool, which is called in Hebrew, Beit-Zata, having five porches. In these lay a great multitude of those who were sick, blind, lame, or paralyzed, waiting for the moving of the water; for an angel of Yahuah went down at certain times into the pool, and stirred up the water. Whoever stepped in first after the stirring of the water was made whole of whatever disease he had. A certain man was there, who had been sick for thirty-eight years. When Yahshua saw him lying there, and knew that He had been sick for a long time, He asked him, ‘Do you want to be made well?’ The sick man answered Him, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up, but while I am coming, another steps down before me.’ Yahshua said to him, ‘Arise, take up your mat, and walk.’” (John 5:2-8). What we need to be careful of, is that the world will produce many counterfeits calling all to drink deeply. In this passage, the sick man was totally helpless and the world could not care less. The man was hopeless as there was nothing that the world could give to heal him. Healing was so close to hand but was unobtainable. Then along comes the Master. Some things that this world offers are but a shadow, a poor counterfeit of the true thing.
The sick man would still be sitting there (metaphorically speaking) had not the Master not come along.
Are you sick, troubled and helpless in a world that does not care? Is sin robbing you of a meaningful and fruitful life? Then turn to He who is the Living Waters. Take a deep draught and taste how good He is.
Ameyn.
HalleluYah
Father, we thank you for the power of your Word and that Word was made flesh in Messiah Yahusha 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.
“If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;
If he is thirsty, give him water to drink:” (Prov. 25:21).
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:
21/09/2021 to 27/09/2021 – Sukkot
28/09/2021 – Shemeni Atzeret
07/10/2021 – Rosh Chodesh 8 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 