Shabbat Word
22/05/2021
Shabbat Shavuot 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 34:1-11
34:1) By David, when he pretended to be insane before Avimeleckh, who drove him away, and he departed.
34:2) I will bless Yahuah at all times,
His praise will always be in my mouth.
34:3) My soul shall boast in Yahuah.
The humble shall hear of it, and be glad.
34:4) Oh magnify Yahuah with me.
Let us exalt His name together.
34:5) I sought Yahuah, and He answered me,
And delivered me from all my fears.
34:6) They looked to Him, and were radiant.
Their faces shall never be covered with shame.
34:7) This poor man cried, and Yahuah heard him,
And saved him out of all his troubles.
34:8) The angel of Yahuah encamps round about those who fear Him,
And delivers them.
34:9) Oh taste and see that Yhauah is good.
Blessed is the man who takes refuge in Him.
34:10) Oh fear Yahuah, you His set apart ones,
For there is no lack with those who fear Him.
34:11) The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger,
But those who seek Yahuah shall not lack any good thing. (contd….
.A Word
An intelligent woman who reads the wedding contract, and then goes into it, deserves all the consequences.
Have you ever signed a contract only later to fall foul of the ‘fine print’? I have, on several occasions. Usually there are pages of waffle with the relevant clauses tucked neatly away. People rarely have time to read and absorb all the information, trusting in the other side. You only have to look at the compensation awarded due to the miss-selling of Payment Protection Insurance.
It always pays to read, absorb and understand all the terms of the agreement.
“Now, therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice, and keep my covenant, then you shall be my own possession from among all peoples; for all the earth is mine: and you shall be to me a kingdom of Priests and a Set Apart Nation. These are the words you shall speak to the children of Yisra’el. Moshe came and called for the Elders of the people, and set before them all these words which Yahuah commanded him. ‘All that Yahuah has spoken we will do.’ Moshe reported the words of the people to Yahuah.” (Exod. 19:5-8). At Mount Sinai, the Israelites were desperate to be a nation, and quickly entered into an agreement with Yahuah without realising the ‘fine print’ of the Covenant.
However, Yahuah, in His mercy, waited until the Law had been given before the Covenant was ratified. “Moshe took half of the blood and put it in basins, and half of the blood he sprinkled on the altar. He took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the hearing of the people and they said, ‘All that Yahuah has spoken we will do and be obedient.’ Moshe took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said, ‘Look, this is the blood of the Covenant, which Yahua has made with you concerning all these words.’” (Exod. 24:6-8). It was by the shedding and application of the blood that ratified the Covenant.
The giving of the Law by Yahuah, the acceptance by the people, and the ratification by the blood, is traditionally considered to be the Betrothal between Yahuah and His Bride, Isra’el. This is considered to have happened on and is celebrated on Shavu`ot. This Covenant, “which I commanded your fathers in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, out of the iron furnace saying, ‘Obey my voice, and do them, according to all which I command you; so shall you be my people, and I will be your `Elohiym.’” (Jer. 11:14).
Beloved, can you remember the moment that you remember the moment when you called upon Abba Father to be your `Elohiym? In doing so, you were adopted into the family of Isra’el and became part of His Bride.
Do you obey His voice, followed His commandments?
If you think that the commandments no longer are relevant then there is another important event that took place on Shavu`ot to consider.
“Now when the day of Shavu`ot had come, they were all with one accord in one place. Suddenly there came from the sky a sound like the rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all of the house where they were sitting. Tongues like fire appeared and were distributed to them, and one sat on each of them. They were filled with the Set Apart Spirit, and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.” (Acts 2:1-4). This is the account of the giving of the Set Apart Spirit commonly referred to as ‘Pentecost’ being the fiftieth day after Pesach.
It is the giving of the Written Law and of the Spirit that we are celebrating in this Shabbat Service. The Written Law known as Torah (Teaching) and the Spirit (Teacher) were given on the same day of the year – Shavu`ot!
“I will give them one heart, and I will put a new Spirit within you; and I will take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh; that they may walk in my statutes and keep my ordinances and do them: and they shall be my people, and I will be their `Elohiym.” (Eze. 11:19, 20). It is absolutely impossible to carry out any of Yahuah’s commandments (in letter and in attitude) without the Set Apart Spirit guiding us in all truth.
Just as at Mt. Sinai when the Isra’elites rushed into accepting Yahuah as their `Elohiym without fully being aware of the ‘fine print’ many Believers came to faith without fully realising the demands and consequences of their action. The Isra’elites had to be constantly reminded of the ‘fine print’ through the Temple sacrifices but Believers today have the Spirit to constantly remind us – of the same ‘fine print’.
There was another tradition that occurred during Shavu`ot. “for an angel of Yahuah went down at certain times into the pool [of Beit-Zata] and stirred 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 Yahusha saw him lying there and He knew that he had been sick for a long time, He asked him, ‘Do you want to be made whole?’” (John 5:4-6).
On the day of Shavu`ot many sick people waited around the pool anxiously awaiting the water to be stirred. They believed that the first one in would be healed. Now for this to be true, there must have been healings in the past. So they waited. Now this sick man obviously had a mobility problem so would never be able to beat more able-bodied people into the pool. The Master asked a rhetorical question about his health. Of course the man wanted to be made whole, otherwise why would he be waiting at the pool? The man must have thought that the young able-bodied man talking to him would take pity upon him and help him down into the pool. What a surprise he must have had when the Master told him to pick up his bed! Healing was in those words of the Master coupled with the obedience of the man in taking up his pallet.
This no longer takes place, but if it did, why wait for the one chance to be made well? Messiah Yahusha has come so that healing may take place at any time and in any place. Medical science and technology are rapidly making in-roads into most medical and psychological conditions. However, there is one ailment that cannot and will never be treated: the deterioration of the human spirit of sinners. If only this proved terminal, then upon death, everything would be destroyed. Unfortunately, upon death, those who have died in unrepented sin will have an eternity of punishment.
Like the man at the pool, Messiah Yahusha has come to make everyone whole, physically, mentally, emotionally and psychologically. Moreover, He came that the deterioration of the spirit was to be reversed. Now, instead of eternal punishment, eternal peace is available to all who die having repented of their sins and accepted that Messiah Yahusha has taken upon Himself this punishment on our behalf.
Are you able to obey Messiah Yahusha and believe what the Bible tells us ourselves? It says that all have sinned and are impotent to do anything about it (just like the man at the pool). Along comes a Saviour that commands us to be whole (like the man at the pool). Are you able to obey and walk away whole (just like the man at the pool)?
Or are you willing to ignore Messiah Yahusha and sit there waiting for someone (equally impotent) to come along to help you (unlike the man at the pool)?
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.
“Whoever finds a wife finds a good thing,
And obtains favour of Yahuah” (Prov. 18:22).
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
04/04/-22/05/2021 – Counting of the Omer
22/05/2021- Shavuot
11/06/2021 – Rosh Chodesh 4th. 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 