Shabbat Word
31/10/2020
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
To run is the couch of the coward, to stand fast, of the brave man.
Throughout history, there are numerous occasions were one relative small army has had to defend against overwhelming odds. One such famous stand was at the Battle of Thermoplyae in 480 BCE where a small army of Greek-city states stood against the massive Persian hoard. History makes a lot of these brave men but cowards are rarely remembered.
“Finally, be strong in the Master, and in the strength of His might. For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the world’s rulers of the darkness of this age, and against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, put on the whole armour of Yahuah, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand fast.” (Eph. 6:11-13). The letter from Rav Sha`ul to the Assembly at Ephesus was written in Rome when Sha`ul was in prison awaiting trial. Sha`ul dictated the letter and his scribe wrote it down. It is necessary to view this passage in light of the Roman soldier chained to Sh`aul. Rome’s expansion was due to the effectiveness of the army. This came about by the constant discipline, training and superior armour and tactics. In a battle the Roman soldiers marched forward but braced themselves when confronted by a mass attack. This preparation would be foremost in the legionnaire’s mind when order to stand. This command was to stand firm and resist all attackers. When all chaos reigned around the soldier, he would fall back upon all this discipline and experience to withstand the assault. He would not falter as this would be to let down his comrades, his centurion and ultimately his emperor.
Beloved, when it is our turn to face the onslaught of the enemy, are you fully prepared? What have you to fall back upon?
This is one of the main reasons that studying Scripture is so important. All those hours of reading, listening and discussing page after page will pay good dividends. If you could ask the soldier, were all those days on the training fields worthwhile, he would assuredly say yes.
However, there is still a more sure foundation. “Yahuah lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the `Elohiym of my salvation be exalted.” (Psa. 18:46). Knowing Messiah Yeshua as Master and Saviour; that as the Son of Yahuah, He took upon Himself our punishment for our sins is unassailable. This is a foundation that all the hordes of hell cannot prevail against. Like the man who built his house upon a rock, all the storms of life could not shake it (Luke 6:48).
If you have not yet accepted Yahuah’s offer of salvation through His Son, what is your foundations like? Are you able to stand fast when life’s battles are threatening to overwhelm you? It takes a brave person to honestly look at him or herself and know that their house is built on sand; no depth or security of foundation. When (not if) you face life’s battles, who would you most like to be? The professional Roman soldier who stands firm for his or her King (Yahuah) or the conscript who turns and runs at the first sign of trouble?
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.
“Through wisdom a house is built;
By understanding it is established;
By knowledge the rooms are filled
With all rare and beautiful treasure.
A wise man has great power;
And a knowledgeable man increases strength;
For by wise guidance you wage your war;
And victory is in many advisors.
Wisdom is too high for a fool:
He does not open his mouth in the gate.” (Prov. 24:3-7).
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
17/11/2020 – Rosh Chodesh 9th. 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 