10.22.24
Good morning!
One of our Sukkot highlights has been the lunchtime Q&A sessions from noon-3:00 p.m. They are filled with insightful questions from pure hearts that want to know more fundamental truths from the Word of God. We have one more Q&A on Wednesday, the final day of this beautiful sukkot celebration. However, I'd be remiss to leave out the worship services, the prayer meetings, the after meeting meetings, the hospitality and the overflowing love displayed from the youngest to the oldest along with their hunger and thirst for His righteousness.
In our study last night, we spent our time together scraping the surface on the topic of salvation and how works fit into the whole process of being prepared for the wedding feast at a future Sukkot celebration. Part of the teaching we were discussing how Scripture reveals righteousness in relationship to works. Fortunately, through Scripture, the potentially ‘muddy-water’ topic of righteousness and works became clear as ‘good drinking water’.
Commercial: Last night's service: Salvation: Clearing up the Muddy Water
When it comes to keeping God's holidays/moedim, His appointed times, and living out a Torah-based lifestyle, in all honesty, for many, it's a 'crap shoot'. Some believe it's the standard for living and essential to a righteous style of living and others...not that important. Without a doubt, it's potentially a ‘muddy-water’ topic. For some it's their preference whether they keep it or not. For others it’s a definite NO, since they are not Jewish. For others, it’s a YES. And still, others are fairly lenient and believe that keeping commandments (outside the big 10) are intellectual and spiritual, not to be physically lived out for the world to see. Wow, talk about ‘muddy-water’.
In the Sermon on the Mount, a topic we highlighted in our Q&A, Yeshua addresses this topic of how we should live a ‘Kingdom focused’ lifestyle. How to live ‘happy’! How to live ‘salty’! How to live as ‘light’! Each facet of living connects directly to one another. None are separated from one another (Matt. 5:13-16).
Yeshua ties them all together in Matthew 5:17-20, “think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of the least commandments and shall teach men so he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
As we have discussed in many previous studies, happiness, salt and light are all action words. Each display works to be seen. Each is connected to a Torah-based lifestyle, one that imitates the life of Yeshua, the law and the prophets. The message of the law, the Torah (instructions of Yahweh), are given to bless the lives of individuals who live them…living them makes you happy :-) By living them you prevent corruption of your own life and of those who you come in contact with (Salt). By doing these good works of light (Torah), it dispels darkness and provides light for your path and those walking with you. It’s for this reason that Yeshua says that He didn’t come to ‘destroy’ the law and the Prophets, but rather to fulfill them (make them fully known).
Within the culture of Yeshua’s day, to ‘destroy’ something was to misrepresent it; to tear it down. On the ‘flip-side,’ of that same coin, to ‘fulfill’ something was to make it fully known in truth. Ahh, now that's a water source I can drink from!
By the time Yeshua came on the scene, the Torah, Yahweh’s instructions, had been ‘destroyed’. There was so much confusion on whether to keep them, how to keep them and why to keep them…the same issues we have today. Hence, the world of that day sat in darkness (Isa. 8:20). Yes, they went to synagogue. Yes, they kept Sabbath. Yes, they did a lot of things, yet they still sat in darkness. How can that be?
For those in darkness it had become ritual rather than righteous relationship; Legal living versus loving behavior. Self-righteousness, likened to filthy rags, rather than Yah-centered righteousness (Deut. 6:23-25), preparing our wedding garment (Rev. 19:7,8) rather than being naked (Matt. 22:11,12).
Fortunately, during Yeshua’s day (and the trend continues with a beautiful fellowship in Ft. Walton, Florida), there was a remnant of individuals who desired His Ways. If there hadn’t been that remnant then the nation would have been as Sodom and Gomorrah.
There is a remnant today! No, it’s not any specific denomination within Christianity. It’s found within those beautiful people. Within the lives of individuals who refuse to submit to a system that ‘destroys’ the law and the Prophets. It’s found within the lives of individuals who refuse to let their ‘salt’ lose its saltiness. It’s found within the lives of those who refuse to let their light go out. It’s found in those who are ‘doers’ of the Word, not just hearers. It’s found in those who let their light (torah-based lifestyle) shine, so that men may see their good works and glorify our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16).
Wouldn’t it make sense, if we are going to imitate Messiah Yeshua that we wouldn’t destroy them either? Let's clean up this spiritual water: Live the remnant lifestyle! Enjoy the journey and glorify His name!
Shalom
In our study last night, we spent our time together scraping the surface on the topic of salvation and how works fit into the whole process of being prepared for the wedding feast at a future Sukkot celebration. Part of the teaching we were discussing how Scripture reveals righteousness in relationship to works. Fortunately, through Scripture, the potentially ‘muddy-water’ topic of righteousness and works became clear as ‘good drinking water’.
Commercial: Last night's service: Salvation: Clearing up the Muddy Water
When it comes to keeping God's holidays/moedim, His appointed times, and living out a Torah-based lifestyle, in all honesty, for many, it's a 'crap shoot'. Some believe it's the standard for living and essential to a righteous style of living and others...not that important. Without a doubt, it's potentially a ‘muddy-water’ topic. For some it's their preference whether they keep it or not. For others it’s a definite NO, since they are not Jewish. For others, it’s a YES. And still, others are fairly lenient and believe that keeping commandments (outside the big 10) are intellectual and spiritual, not to be physically lived out for the world to see. Wow, talk about ‘muddy-water’.
In the Sermon on the Mount, a topic we highlighted in our Q&A, Yeshua addresses this topic of how we should live a ‘Kingdom focused’ lifestyle. How to live ‘happy’! How to live ‘salty’! How to live as ‘light’! Each facet of living connects directly to one another. None are separated from one another (Matt. 5:13-16).
Yeshua ties them all together in Matthew 5:17-20, “think not that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I have not come to destroy but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of the least commandments and shall teach men so he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I say unto you, that except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall in no case enter into the kingdom of heaven.”
As we have discussed in many previous studies, happiness, salt and light are all action words. Each display works to be seen. Each is connected to a Torah-based lifestyle, one that imitates the life of Yeshua, the law and the prophets. The message of the law, the Torah (instructions of Yahweh), are given to bless the lives of individuals who live them…living them makes you happy :-) By living them you prevent corruption of your own life and of those who you come in contact with (Salt). By doing these good works of light (Torah), it dispels darkness and provides light for your path and those walking with you. It’s for this reason that Yeshua says that He didn’t come to ‘destroy’ the law and the Prophets, but rather to fulfill them (make them fully known).
Within the culture of Yeshua’s day, to ‘destroy’ something was to misrepresent it; to tear it down. On the ‘flip-side,’ of that same coin, to ‘fulfill’ something was to make it fully known in truth. Ahh, now that's a water source I can drink from!
By the time Yeshua came on the scene, the Torah, Yahweh’s instructions, had been ‘destroyed’. There was so much confusion on whether to keep them, how to keep them and why to keep them…the same issues we have today. Hence, the world of that day sat in darkness (Isa. 8:20). Yes, they went to synagogue. Yes, they kept Sabbath. Yes, they did a lot of things, yet they still sat in darkness. How can that be?
For those in darkness it had become ritual rather than righteous relationship; Legal living versus loving behavior. Self-righteousness, likened to filthy rags, rather than Yah-centered righteousness (Deut. 6:23-25), preparing our wedding garment (Rev. 19:7,8) rather than being naked (Matt. 22:11,12).
Fortunately, during Yeshua’s day (and the trend continues with a beautiful fellowship in Ft. Walton, Florida), there was a remnant of individuals who desired His Ways. If there hadn’t been that remnant then the nation would have been as Sodom and Gomorrah.
There is a remnant today! No, it’s not any specific denomination within Christianity. It’s found within those beautiful people. Within the lives of individuals who refuse to submit to a system that ‘destroys’ the law and the Prophets. It’s found within the lives of individuals who refuse to let their ‘salt’ lose its saltiness. It’s found within the lives of those who refuse to let their light go out. It’s found in those who are ‘doers’ of the Word, not just hearers. It’s found in those who let their light (torah-based lifestyle) shine, so that men may see their good works and glorify our Father in heaven (Matt. 5:16).
Wouldn’t it make sense, if we are going to imitate Messiah Yeshua that we wouldn’t destroy them either? Let's clean up this spiritual water: Live the remnant lifestyle! Enjoy the journey and glorify His name!
Shalom
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