Shabbat Word
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
Evil people are dreaded by other people but not by heaven; good people may be cheated by people but not by heaven.
It is not easy to be a Believer, is it? In a world of back-stabbing, dog-eat-dog, I am alright Jack attitudes, it takes a supernatural effort to be good. It seems that the worse a person is, the more likely they are to succeed. “That which has been is that which shall be; and that which has been done is that which shall be done: and there is no new thing under the sun.” (Ecc. 1:9). When King Shlomo (Solomon) wrote Kohelet (Ecclestastes)he was aware that what motivated people would be common throughout all generations.
“How long will the wicked, Yahuah, how long will the wicked triumph?” (Psa. 94:3). Throughout all generations this has been the cry of many. There is the perception that evil people prosper. However, this will depend upon your viewpoint. If all you consider is world/life, then, yes wicked people do seem to lead a life of prosperity and ease. Nevertheless, even the Chinese proverb that is the title of this message, tells otherwise. Yahuah sees all things and the righteous do not lose out. The wicked prosper for a season only then it is destruction. The righteous may suffer but it is only for a season then it is eternal peace.
One of the problems the general public have is in the concept of evil. All know that there is evil (adjective, small ‘e’) describing a person or act. On the other hand very few acknowledge the idea of Evil (noun, capital ‘E’). In the past months, notwithstanding the continual wars and human depravity, there have been a series of attacks in America, France, Japan, Britain and Germany. Some of these attacks have been ascribed to terrorism whilst others have been blamed upon mental illness. One comment upon a recent attack stated that it is unclear as to what was the motive. Never has it ever been suggested that Evil was the cause. Many describe the act as evil, but very really is the person so described. Even when Man descended to the lowest depths of depravity such as in the Holocaust, Russian Pogroms, Spanish Inquisition or ethnic cleansing, Evil is never considered. Sure, these were evil acts perpetrated by evil men, but Evil being the cause?
Evil is not a concept, philosophy or imagination of Man. It is real, and it has a name; haSatan.
From the beginning of time (Gen. 3:1-24), haSatan has been envious of Man’s relationship to his `Elohiym and of `Elohiym’s relationship to Man. Man was not created by `Elohiym’s speech like the rest of creation, including the angels (haSatan being one of them) but rather by His hands. This envy, in one particular case, has turned to abject hatred. This is in the relationship of Yahuah `Elohiym with the people of Yisra`el. Throughout history, it has attacked `Elohiym’s people disguising it as the Crusades, the Holocaust, Yom Kippur War etc. There has been physical, economical and political attacks, all of which were designed to eliminate the people of Yisra`el.
Since the dawn of time, the strategy of haSatan is to lead Man away from his Creator. The easiest way was to entice Man into disobedience, commonly called sin. “For we were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living lives full of evil and hatred, hating one another.” (Titus 3:3). Sin is attractive to Man in that it appeals to Man’s basic nature. Man tends to mirror his father, whether physical or spiritual. Sinful Man can be seen to take after HaSatan that it wants to be the centre of Man’s worship, replacing `Elohiym. This can be seen most clearly in the lies of ‘Christianity’ stating that the ‘New Testament Church’ has replaced the people of Yisra`el in `Elohiym’s favour. In fact, just the opposite has taken place. A Gentile can become grafted into the Commonwealth of Yisra`el (Rom. 1:1-36) and be partakers in the promises of `Elohiym.
The Evil One knows full well that Man may worship it for a short time but after that Man is destined for Hell. There haSatan and Man will be under eternal punishment as Hell was made for it and its demons, never for Man.
What type of father do you take after?
Is it the Evil One? Then you are destined to follow it down into eternal damnation. If you have not turned back to our Heavenly Father, through the belief in Messiah Yeshua, then the Evil One will drag you down into the Pit. That is its most evil act.
On the other hand, if you do not want this to happen to you then there are a couple of things that you must do. “Abstain from every form of evil.” (1 Thess. 5:21). “Put to death, therefore, your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality, uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire and covetousness, which is idolatry.” (Col. 3:5). This is an impossible situation for Man to accomplish for himself. The Evil One will not easily let you go; it wants you to worship it. Nevertheless, there is One who has already accomplished all that is necessary for Man to escape its clutches. By His death and resurrection, Messiah Yeshua has taken the eternal punishment upon Himself; if only you can believe that this is so.
Seek Yahuah Father’s forgiveness of your sins through the Atonement of His Son. “However Yahuah’s firm foundation stands, having this seal, ‘Yahuah knows who are His,’ and ‘Let everyone who names the name of Yahuah depart from unrighteousness.’” (2 Tim. 2:19). He alone can rescue you from the Evil One. “But Yahuah is faithful, who will establish you, and guard you from the Evil One.” (2 Thess. 3:3). People in this world may let you down, cheat and deceive you but, “For however many are the promises of Yahuah, in Him is the ‘Yes’. Therefore also through Him is the ‘Ameyn’, to the glory of Yahuah through us.” (2 Cor. 1:20).
Should you accept Father’s gift of salvation through His Son, Messiah Yeshua, then you can declare along with all Believers, “And Yahuah will deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me for His heavenly kingdom; to whom be the glory forever and ever. Ameyn.” (2 Tim. 4:18).
Halleluyah
Ameyn.
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 worthless person, a man of iniquity,
Is he who walks with a perverse mouth;
Who winks with his eyes,
Who signals with his feet,
Who motions with his fingers;
In whose heart is perverseness,
Who devises evil continually,
Who always sows discord.
Therefore his calamity will come suddenly.
He will be broken suddenly, and that without remedy” (Prov. 6:12-15).
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.
Please note the up-and-coming special days.
28/09/2020 – Yom Kippur
03/10/2020 – Sukkot (Start of Tabernacles)
10/10/2020 – Sukkot (End of Tabernacles)
11/10/2020 – Shemini Atzeret (Eighth Day)
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 