Shabbat Word
25/09/2021
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 44:16-27
44:16) All day long my dishonuor is before me,
And shame covers my face,
44:17) At the taunt of one who reproaches and reviles,
Because of the enemy and the avenger.
44:18) All this has come on us,
Yet have we not forgotten you,
Neither have we been false to your covenant.
44:19) Our heart has not turned back,
Neither have our steps strayed from your path,
44:20) Though you have crushed us in the haunt of jackals,
And covered us with the shadow of death.
44:21) If we have forgotten the name of our `Elohiym,
Or spread forth our hands to a strange god;
44:22) Will not `Elohiym search this out?
For He knows the secrets of the heart.
44:23) Yes, for your sake we are killed all day long.
We are regarded as sheep for the slaughter.
44:24) Wake up!
Why do you sleep, Master?
Arise!
Do not reject us forever.
44:25) Why do you hide your face,
And forget our affliction and our oppression?
44:26) For our soul is bowed down to the dust.
Our body cleaves to the earth.
44:27) Rise up to help us.
Redeem us for your lovingkindness’ sake.
.A Word
Prepare for the worst but hope for the best.
Hope is one of those words that have changed its meaning over the years (similar to love and forgiveness). Ask any child what they would like for their birthday and they would reply, “I hope to get a….(book, doll, games console, tablet). This parenthesis is also a sign of the times. No longer content with a small present, people want expensive gifts. Anyway, the point being is that modern usage makes it difficult to understand English translations of the Bible. The word ‘hope’ has the idea of a wish list; something that is desired but there is no certainty that it would happen. However, the biblical meaning of ‘hope’ is to wait with certain expectation that what has been promised will definitely come about.
Beloved, what is your hope? If you have said, “The Messiah in you, the hope of glory.” you have said well. Nevertheless, have you considered what this means?
“the mystery which has been hidden been hidden for ages and generations. However, now it has been revealed to His set apart ones, to whom Yahuah was pleased to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is the Messiah in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:26, 27). Although this word, glory, hasseveral meanings, Strong defines it as ‘the glorious condition of blessedness into which is appointed and promised that true Christians shall enter after their Saviour’s return from heaven.’ This glory is what will become of all Believers and where it will take place i.e. to be as He is, where He is. This is not some sentimental wish; this is a promise from Father Himself.
Yet, what is the mystery, twice mentioned in this passage?
“having heard of your faith in the Messiah Yahusha…because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof you heard before in the word of truth of the Good News…giving thanks to the Father, who made us fit to be partakers of the inheritance of the set apart ones in light; who delivered us out of the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of His Son of His love in whom we have our redemption, the forgiveness of sins…yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you set apart and without blemish and blameless before the Father.” (Col. 1:4-14).
The mystery, that which was hidden in full view of the Scriptures, is the Good News. There is absolutely nothing in this, or any other passage, that salvation is in anyway a result of what we have done, in full or in part!
The Lamb without blemish or blameless comes before Father to offer up those who have put their trusting faith in Him so that we can come before Father without blemish or blameless!
Beloved, I do believe Strong’s definition falls short of the fullness of glory. We have it here and now! Did not the Saviour offer us up when we were saved? Does not our Saviour intercede even now on our behalf? Can we not now enter into Father’s presence, boldly? We are called to be like Him, right now! We can have a small piece of glory here on earth as we mature and grow more and more like the Messiah Yahusha.
What if you have not yet put your trust in the completed work of the Messiah and the full promises of Yahuah? What do you hope will happen to you after you have passed away? Do you believe that when you finally close your eyes, that is it? Or is it your hope that there is no God? That way there are no consequences or repercussions for the life you have led. The Bible has no significance to you even if you take a small time reading it. You are probably aware of, if not a subscriber to the saying ‘Eat, drink and be merry for tomorrow we die.’
Unfortunately for you, this is a compilation of a couple of Bible verses:
“Then I commend mirth, because a man has no better thing under the sun, than to eat, and to drink and to be merry; for what will accompany him in his labour all the days of his life which has given him under the sun.” (Ecc. 8:15).
“and behold, joy and gladness, killing oxen and killing sheep, eating flesh and drinking wine: let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we shall die.” (Isa. 22:13).
Now that is a good starting point. At least you know of and agree with a Bible verse. So what about all the other verses; are they relevant? Is it really your hope, your certain expectation, that there is no God and upon death just….nothing? Are you absolutely sure or is there just a little niggling doubt? Or is it just your ‘wish list’? It is not a case of hedging your bets. “Do not be deceived. Yahuah is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap.” (Gal. 6:7). Yahuah knows the inner most secrets of our hearts and knows when a person is truly sorry for their sins, and relies on the promises of Yahuah through the Messiah Yahusha. Nevertheless, it is Father’s desire that you share eternity with Him.
If you would only dare to hope!
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.
“Prepare your work outside,
And get your fields ready.
Afterwards, build your house.” (Prov. 24:27).
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 