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The Netzarim Cause

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The Netzarim Cause

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The Netzarim Cause

Introduction: Since generally all of us in the Netzarim or Nazarene movement have strong Christian backgrounds it is significant to consider what our divine purpose is. We have come to understand a greater depth to the faith with a passion to return to our early roots devoid of the trappings of our former Roman/ Greco heritage. This is by no means an easy journey since we are sure to be criticised as being too Jewish or legalistic or not in conformity with the thinking of the Christian Church with its Doctrines. We have even been called a cult by many so it is vital for us to understand our purpose in the World we live. On the other hand from a Rabbinical prospective we are also alienated since we believe in Yahshua of Netzareth & therefore are not accepted in Synagogues so we need to be sure of our Mission. 

Surely the journey of refinement that we are on relates to Yahshua, his death & resurrection and how he relates to the Torah as well as our responsibilities to both Yahshua and the Torah (Law). The Cause that we have been drawn to therefore is that we display Yahshua (Jesus) in us combined with our desire for faithfulness to Yahweh’s Torah both of which will make us his true light to the Nations.

 We therefore all have a unique call on our life and to see that call fulfilled should be the greatest desire of our life. It could be said that we stand between Orthodox Judaism who reject Yahshua (Yeshua) and Christianity who see Jesus or Yahshua as fulfilling the requirement of the Law for us. This has caused Christianity to neglect Torah apart from the fundamental moral commands presuming a false understanding of the Brit Chadashah or New Testament as they call it not understanding that Yahshua came rather to Renew the Covenant that was broken & therefore to re-establish it and not to replace it. Therefore our Mission as I see it is to bring these two together and by so doing we fulfil also the call to the lost sheep of the House of Yisrael. 

 

You may say that being an Emissary or Missionary is not my skillset but is for the Hudson Taylors, Billy Grahams or the Navy seals of the Movement and that we are just normal everyday people & all we can do is to endure life with all its challenges and just try to hold onto our faith. Is that however the limitation to the requirement that the Master wants from us or does he expect more diligence and passion.

The Mission of Yisrael and believers however has always been to bring the knowledge of YAHWEH and his Salvation to a Lost World. We see that Yisrael were called to reveal Yahweh’s righteous requirements to the world but we know they often failed in their calling since they were called to be a Kodosh (Holy) Nation that would clearly reveal Elohim and be Priests before Yahweh for the World. 

The role of the early believers was therefore to reveal what had been hidden and was now revealed through Yahshua that repentance unto life has been given to the Goyim (Nations) as well since we read how the Yahudim believers respond after Kepha (Peter) returns from the house of Cornelius where the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) fell on all those present who had come to hear Kepha (Peter) though they had not even entered the Covenant of Yisrael:

 

Acts 11:17-18 “So if Elohim gave them the same gift as He gave us when we believed on the Master Yahshua the Messiah, how was I able to withstand Elohim?” 18 And having heard this, they were silent and praised Elohim, saying, “Then Elohim has indeed also given to the Goyim (gentiles) repentance to life.”

It must be noted that before this incident even the Sh’liychiym (Apostles) had believed that their message was only for the Yahudim but this incident began to change things. 

 

It is noteworthy however that the verses following say that those who were scattered through the persecution only brought their message to the Yahudim (Jews) as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. This suggests it was only brought to those who knew the writings of the Tanakh (the Old Testament) who had long awaited the coming King of Yisrael to bring Salvation to his people. 

Therefore like the Sh’liychiym (Apostles) we need to understand that we have not been called to be a separatist group but to be in the World but not of the World. Not to isolate ourselves from the World but to reach out to the World.

 

Before we even begin it is important that we understand that Elohim from the very beginning had a plan to reach the World he created. This is aptly revealed through the Words of Yahweh spoke directly to Abraham in:

Bereshith (Genesis) 12: 3 And in you all the families of the Earth shall be blessed.

The Prophet Isaiah also says it this way:

YeshiYahu (Isaiah) 11:9b For the Earth shall be full of the knowledge of Yahweh as the waters cover the sea.

 This is a promise from the Almighty that the earth will be filled with his knowledge and we have been given the great privilege of partnering with him to see the wonderful knowledge of his Salvation through Yahshua Ha Moshiach (the Messiah) fill the Earth. Could there be anything better than to be called to bring the True message to the World because by doing it surely we bring joy to the heart of our Heavenly Father & by being faithful, Yahshua will one day say “well done you good & faithful servant.” 

 

Keys to Fulfilling the Cause:

 

  1. We need to be Transformed and not conformed

If we look to the world we will discover that the cause the World would have you strive for is to obtain happiness through a “Cause” built on greed, self-centeredness and pride. The thinking of the world is “if only I would succeed in business or become a Celebrity with much wealth then I will obtain happiness but this type of cause does not produce a love for Elohim or his Cause since we read what he says about a love built on the thinking of the World

1 John 2: 15- 16 Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.

This however does not mean we cannot have the things that are in the world but that our priorities must be Different. Since the ways of Elohim are contrary to the ways of man we need to observe how the early believers’ responded not only to the Message but also to the subsequent persecution that followed. 

 

One of the most powerful examples of the power of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) in the lives of the early believers is that of TsephanYah (Stephen) a Hellenistic Yahudim (Jew) chosen with others to oversee the Hellenistic widows. His testimony therefore filled the scattering believers with a wonderful picture of strength through the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) in the face of persecution or even death.  

The question for us is the same question Yahshua put to Kepha on the shore of Lake Galilee. 

This is the same call that is on the lives of all believers but the Master gives us the choice to take up his “Cause” so he says to us as well:

“Do you love me more than the things of this World.”  

When the Cause of Yahshua becomes central to our lives above the comfort of a good life and our pride satisfied, then we will find ourselves sharing the full truth to those around us, and further we will develop a heart for the Assembly and for Missions something often not thought of as leading to supporting it or even to go places where we can make a difference to people’s lives. In fact when the fire of the RUACH (Holy Spirit) fills us we will not be able to remain silent so we need to be a people that constantly keeps fuelling that fire or we will quench the RUACH Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) in us.

The Disciples also needed to believe that Yahweh would guide and provide for them as we do too:

Mission to South Korea: In 2012 Silver felt that YHWH desired us to go to South Korea. We then even visited a Korean Congregation who told us clearly not to go as many Koreans could not speak English. Unperturbed by this we booked a guest house and though we visited local Congregations the advice appeared correct. We however prayed and meditated and my wife felt a clear direction to go two streets and turn left. We found a Korean Church and entered & though the Pastor spoke poor English she introduced us to a young man who had good English who was a Mission Pastor from a Mission in an Industrial Area and we were invited there. This turned out to be such a blessing as they had a Congregation of Filipinos who spoke English, a Vietnamese Congregation and my Wife speaks Vietnamese and finally we met a Cambodian Congregation and since Silver speaks Cambodian we discovered that YHWH had a grand purpose for us coming to South Korea which we would never have experienced if we had not stepped out in faith.    

  1. The Need for Oneness of Mind & Heart:

Since we as Netzarim (Nazarenes) have been given a unique call to bring the full message to the world we have great responsibility. The early believers clearly showed their true faith especially after persecution began when Kepha (Peter) & Yochanan (John) had been arrested stood trail were beaten and then were reunited with the Assembly resulting in them all raising their voices with one accord and crying to the one who alone is Elohim: 

 

Acts 4:24- 26 “YHWH, You are Elohim, who made the heavens and the earth and the sea and all that is in them 25 who by the mouth of Your servant Daviḏ have said, ‘Why did the gentiles rage and the people plot ruin? 26 ‘The sovereigns of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against YHWH and against His anointed one.

These believers were so filled with purpose & oneness that this attempt to stop the Good News of Yahshua Ha Moshiach (the Messiah) was met by them with cries for boldness and complete unity for the Cause which resulted in a powerful move of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (The Holy Spirit) not unlike what happened at Shavuot (Pentecost):

 

Acts 4:31 And when they had prayed, the place where they came together was shaken.

And they were all filled with the Set-apart Spirit and they spoke the Word of Elohim with boldness.

If we as Netzarim can catch this same fire then surely the Ruach Ha Kodesh will infuse us with the same Boldness and Passion. This will empower us to bring the beauty of his message to a world that has not seen the fullness of the truth.  

Mission in the Philippines that changes lives including our own: Batayan Island. 

On our last trip to the Philippines we had the joy of ministering to many people. One Island however was supremely a blessing and that was our visit to Batayan Island just above Cebu where we hired Vans to collect mainly young adults from five Congregations. To see the joy & hunger that these poor people had to worship and receive the Word and prayer truly astounded us. We saw them crying under the power of the Ruach and the atmosphere was so charged that it brought such joy to us that we know both them and us experienced that day a greater presence of Yahweh that we all need if we are to grow to be a people of Elohim or Ha Tzadik the righteous filled with the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit).

  1. The Promise of Power:

From the Days of Shavuot (Pentecost) we see a new dimension of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) in operation. Firstly we see through the name of the Master supernatural Miracles being done by the Sh’liychiym (Apostles)causing many to believe but more than that we see this dimension of power extending to those outside the circle of the directly chosen as we read with regards TsephanYah (Stephen) and then Philip:

 

Acts 8:4-8 Then those who had been scattered went everywhere preaching the Word! 5 And going down to the city of Shomeron (Samaria) Philip proclaimed Messiah to them.

6 And the crowds with one mind heeded what Philip said, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did. 7 For unclean spirits came out of many who were possessed, crying with a loud voice and many who were paralysed and lame were healed. 8 And there came to be great joy in that city.

 

What I want us to observe is that throughout the spreading of the Good News of Yahshua the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) was doing mighty signs and wonders through his servants but though we do not read much about the believers who also spread the Besorah or the Good News I am sure these believers also saw great signs which appear to always be associated with bringing the Good News. In these verses there is also a clear indication that when Kepha (Peter) came to see the believers he imparted the Ruach Ha Kodesh the Set Apart Spirit upon them with a clearly visible manifestation. 

This too is something clearly lacking among us today and I believe it is a promise that we should pray for and desire. When we believe for this promise with all our heart I believe that YHWH will fulfil his word to us as he did to them according to what Kepha said:

 

 Acts 2:38- 40 Then Kepha (Peter) said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be immersed in the name of Yahshua Ha Moshiach (the Messiah) for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit). 39 For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as Yahweh our Elohim will call.”

This tells us that we all can be filled with the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) and we can all believe that he can use us to touch lives and even do the same works as the believers did from Shavuot (Pentecost) since Elohim will work through anyone who has been redeemed by the blood of Yahshua. This is further promised by these Words that if we can believe we will experience:

 

Acts 1:8 But you shall receive power when the Set-Apart Spirit (Holy Spirit) has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

That should be a cause for rejoicing. One thing we must note however is that the RUACH (Holy Spirit) only began to work when the disciples left the security of their upper room and stood in the Temple and preached, a very dangerous act but one that the RUACH Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) so powerfully used since many of the people were cut to the heart and came to the faith. When we desire this and leave the comfort of our “Upper Room” our comfortable gatherings places or Synagogues then we too surely will experience his Supernatural Power seeing YHWH confirm his word through Signs and Wonders. The challenge is ours if we will take it.  When we begin to believe in the power of Elohim like the Sent ones did we will experience great things? What then are we waiting for?

Cebu- healing of Man with bowel Cancer/ Young Man on Crutches

After our message at the Filipino Church we ministered to a Young man who was on crutches after an operation to both knees. Silver with her great confidence in the anointing of YHWH after we prayed for him pressed him to exercise his faith by walking unaided. He commented that he no longer felt pain so Silver continued to press him to walk faster. Finally I noticed that even when Silver was not around he was walking rather briskly around the Sanctuary and getting some amazed looks. Faith is an amazing thing and combined with the promises of YHWH nothing is impossible if we can believe according to the Words of the Master.   

1 Cor 4:20 For the kingdom of Elohim is not in word but in power.   

  1. We need Faith to believe He is with us: 

Now that we can see that Yahshua has promised to empower us to fulfil his purpose in the world we need to make the decision to put our trust in Him and allow our faith to be stretched.  If we truly love the Master then our heart should be captivated by His Mission to reach the World with the complete message of truth without compromise. This can only begin with us doing our best to represent his truth worked out in our life that we might be the Light of the World as he has called us. This is always the best representation or his Truth much greater than any knowledge we may profess to have. No other purpose in our life should supersede that. 

The Purpose for which we gather therefore is so we would be equipped to fulfil the special cause we have been given:

A most powerful rendering of this truth is given in the Hidden Truth Scrolls of:

Yochanan (John) 1:17 For the Torah (Law) was given by Mosheh prophesying of the favour and truth that would come to fulfilment through Yahshua the Messiah. 

We have now been given the great honour of bringing that complete truth that Messiah came to fulfil and not to destroy and our message to the world is what it means to truly love our Master which he clearly told us in:

 

Yochanan (John) 14:15 If you truly love me guard and do my commandments. 

It is for us to teach that, but more than that we must be the example of those who are faithful to him and that is best shown by the way we also love each other, honour his Shabbat, keep his feasts and love his Name:

Just like the early believers when our heart is totally captivated by the joy of the Master our Adonai and his love for all mankind we will not be able to pass by an opportunity to share his love for those who need his touch. We need to be infused once again with this sort of Fire which comes from intimacy firstly with him and then with his people or we will simply quench the Ruach Ha Kodesh within us.

When you walk through a crowd do you feel sad when you think of the many that do not know the love of YAHWEH through his son Yahshua? If you do, then that Mission heart is beginning to burn in you and I guarantee that the Ruach Ha Kodesh (the Holy Spirit) will undoubtedly give you divine opportunities for sharing his Good News. 

 

Applying Ourselves to His Promises:

The entire book od Acts is a great tale of people believing in the promises of Elohim for guidance, provision, power and faithfulness right to the end as we see in the lives of the Apostles, Stephen, Philip, Paul and I am sure in the lives of countless faithful believers not mentioned but we know it was not primarily the Leaders that brought the Good News far and near but the ordinary born again believers. 

The Questions for us therefore are:

  1. Do we desire Transformation to his Cause?
  2. Will we do something today to see the Ruach Ha Kodesh move in our life?
  3. Does Adonai (the Lord) desire me to go or do something greater than I am currently doing? 

“When we are ready the Ruach Ha Kodesh (Holy Spirit) will do the rest” Amein. 


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Rebuilding - Torah in our lives - Part 4

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Rebuilding - Torah in our lives - Part 4

Rebuilding Torah in Lives

Segment 1


Segment 2



Slides and Study Notes

Introduction: We have been investigating the significance of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) and seeing it as the expression of the presence of YAHWEH and also as a Divine Parable for all time. The last teaching showed how highly esteemed Yerushalayim should be in our thinking and we know that the charm of its natural form represents the visible reach of the sacred radiance that’s dwelt within the City: 

Slide 2

 Tehillim (Psalms) 48:2-3 YAHWEH is great and greatly to be praised in the City of our Elohim. In his Holy mountain . The vision of beauty, the joy of all the Earth, is Mount Zion on the sides of the North the City of the Great King. 

 

It was to the people of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) that YermeYAHU (Jeremiah) was commanded to address his Prophetic call, reminding them of the Exodus from Mitsrayim (Egypt) as we read: 

Slide 3

YermeYAHU (Jeremiah) 2:2 “go forth and call out to the ears of Yerushalayim saying: So says YAHWEH, I remember the goodness of your youth, the zeal of your Betrothal when you followed Me into the desert.   

Before the fall of Yerushalayim the City was one that radiated beauty with great walls, beautiful gates and a Temple that brought honour from all lands yet in all this its heart, the people were corrupted and had turned away from YAHWEH their Elohim though many Prophets had been sent to them, until finally Yerushalayim lay in Ruins. 

The Beauty of the great tale of Ezra & NechemYAH (Nehemiah) is that after the Prophesied 70 years of Captivity the people were able to return to their beloved City and we have now seen the Walls rebuilt and the Gates hung making Yerushalayim once again a place of safety.

Slide 4   

As we spiritualize this picture we came to the conclusion that Yerushalayim was representative of the presence & radiance of YAHWEH in the World but also that it was a Metaphor or natural image of all believers representing the person in Covenant with YAHWEH that radiated his presence with the Walls being an image of the thought life of the individual and the Gates of the City representing the believers words and decisions being the result of external forces that enter and those that are rejected or expelled all of which are so essential in making the person or in the Natural Yerushalayim an appearance of the Radiance of YAHWEH. 

I fear however that this picture is where the World of Christianity has remained since we are taught by them, that what is required is to love & believe in the King our saviour who has set us free from the Captivity of sin by his great sacrifice followed by a change of thinking therefore having the mind renewed and a change in the Words spoken, neglecting the most vital cause for the exile into captivity which was the breaking of the Covenant which then led to acceptance of foreign Elohim. 

Slide 5

Within this tale however is a message of inner rebuilding and establishment of the Words of YAHWEH that are eternal, revealed through his Torah which is his loving instructions for all time which he never came to abolish in order that his beloved people learn to live according to his righteousness. We have been taught that only through the blood of Yahshua is Salvation available and that nothing we do will avail us and though this is true we have then forgotten that he has redeemed us and empowered us with his RUACH (Spirit) that we may live for him and have his Torah written in our hearts. This means that it is not his Torah that has changed but our heart that he came to change that by our redemption we may desire to fulfil his Torah because we are redeemed & renewed since Sha’ul (Paul) says the following:

Slide 6

QorintYah Bet (2nd Corinthians) 5:17 Therefore if any man be in Messiah he is a renewed creature: old things are passed away; behold all things have become renewed. (Hidden Truths NT) 

Just as the walls of Yerushalayim were rebuilt from the broken & burnt stones so too the believer is rebuilt by using the bricks of our past & renewing them since we are the workmanship of YAHWEH created in Machiach (Messiah):

Ephsi’yah (Ephesians) 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Messiah Yahshua unto good works, which Elohim prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. 

 

These works are the Works of the Torah that reveal our deep love for YAHWEH our beloved Elohim and that of his precious son Yahshua. 

 

Rebuilding Torah in People’s Lives

We must remember that even before NechemYAH came to Yerushalayim Ezra had already implemented various instructions but we read that when NechemYAH came the City was still living in Anarchy. Cannot we see that the neglecting of Torah is equivalent to living in Anarchy! The inhabitants of Yerushalayim felt that they too could live as they felt was right and the question is why could not Ezra alter this situation greatly. The truth is that he did not carry the authority of the King to enforce the Kings precepts. NechemYAH on the other hand had the power and authority to do the commands of the King.

We could say it was like the Talmidim (Disciples) who thought they could stand in their own strength as seen by the statement of Kepha (Peter) in:

Yahuchanan (John) 13:37 Kepha (Peter) said to him, Master (Adoni) why cannot I follow you now? I will lay down my life for your sake.   

 

Slide 7

We know that in only a short space of time Kepha denied the Master three times because in his strength he was destined to fail but after all the Talmidim (Disciples) received the RUACH Ha Qodesh (The Holy Spirit) there was a great transformation as all of them were able to stand strong in the faith. So it was in the case of Yerushalayim since it was only when NechemYAH came with the authority of the King that he united the people to rebuild the Walls, hang the Gates and defend against all the tactics of the enemy. 

 

This however was not the end of this story because now the tale of rebuilding turns inward to establish righteousness within the inhabitants of the City just as the intention of the RUACH (Spirit) has been to turn us towards the obedience of Torah as the final step in the progressive rebuilding of our lives that we may radiate the presence of YAHWEH to the World through devoted dedication to his Torah which is his loving instructions for righteous living for all time. Since each step that we have addressed is vital in the rebuilding of lives we will now need to examine how NechemYAH achieved the inner work of rebuilding the lives of the People to understand how we can apply this to our lives.

Strategy 1- Love your Neighbour:

We read in chapter 5 of the book NechemYAH a major problem that needed to be addressed:

Slide 8

NechemYAH 5: 1Now the outcry of the people concerning their Yahudi (Jewish) brothers was great. 

5:5 They said “Our flesh is like the flesh of our brothers and our sons like theirs, yet we must press our sons and daughters into servitude (slavery) and we are powerless and our fields and vineyards are given to others.    

The gross problem that NechemYAH had to deal with now was that even though the congregation were all working to save the lives of all the inhabitants within Yerushalayim the Aristocrats who were also the rich were exploiting the poorer people by enslaving their sons and daughters so the poor could buy food to eat. 

Just think within the congregation of people desperate to save their lives by rebuilding the City were people exploiting others for profit even to the point of slavery. 

What must be noted in the case of the Yahudi problem is that the Torah does not empower a man to sell his sons & mature daughters, but due to the severity of the problem they were willing to offend Torah. As we know breaking Torah is acceptable if it saves lives. 

Kiddushin 20a: Says that a man must have sold his house & all his land even his last shirt before he is permitted to take such a step.

NechemYAH dealt with this problem by gathering a large crowd and confronting the Nobles making them feel ashamed but even more importantly he led by example. He specifies that he, his brothers & servants did not eat of the governor’s remuneration but rather used it for the people & especially to ransom back those Yahudim (Jews) who had been sold as slaves to the Goyim (Gentiles).

NechemYAH challenges the Nobles to walk with the fear of Elohim because of the insult of the Nations who were their enemies.

The good news is that the Nobles then said they would make no demands on them and release all debt. 

Even Sha’ul speaking to the Corinthian Assembly found a problem that needed his correction: 

1 Corinthians 6: 1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 

6:7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? 

 

When we look in the Nazarene writings we see that the love for the Brethren is a central truth that is constantly taught and Yahuchanan (John) says it this way:

1 Yahuchanan (John) 3:17 But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of Elohim abide in him? 

Slide 9

Yahshua makes it quite plain that the love for one another is central to the body of Believers in:

Yahuchanan (John) 13: 34- 35 A renewed commandment I give you, that you love one another as I have loved you.

35 By this shall all men know that you are my disciples if you have love for one another.    

This was not a new commandment as in “brand new” but rather a restored commandment. When we begin to show this sort of love for each other it will have a profound effect and be a witness for all to see that we belong to Yahshua. 

Strategy 2- NechemYAH Searched the Book of the Lineage:

Slide 10

NechemYAH 7:5-6 And my Elohim put it into my heart to gather the nobles and the deputy rulers and the people, in order to be registered by genealogy. And I found a register of the genealogy of those who had come up at the beginning and I found written in it: 6 These are the sons of the province who came back from the captivity of the exiles whom Neḇuḵaḏnetstsar the sovereign of Baḇel (Babylon) had exiled and who returned to Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) and Yahudah (Judah), each to his city,

 

Why was it that YAHWEH put in NechemYAH’s heart to investigate the genealogy of the people? The answer is that as with Ezra earlier who compiled the lists he understood that many of the Gentiles had infiltrated the people even the priesthood so this work was essential to purify the Priests and all the people that the inhabits of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) would be those who were in covenant with YAHWEH Elohim of Yisrael and had a deep desire for obedience unto him. 

 

Note: The sum total of the Family members in this chapter falls far short of the amount of 42,360 people that had returned. 

 

Metzudos quoting Seder Olam 29 explains that only Judah (Yahudah) & Benyamin are listed by name while another 13,000 of the other tribes also went up to the Holy Land. 

 

For those that desire to see their lives restored into all that YAHWEH desires, it is necessary therefore to surround ourselves with those in Covenant with YAHWEH lest we be corrupted with false teachings & beliefs which have polluted his people for far too long.  

 

Slide 11

 

1 Corinthians 15:33 Do not be deceived: “Evil company corrupts good habits & character.”  

 

We have already discussed how the great influx of Gentiles or Goyim completely changed the faith removing much that the early assemblies who were called Nazarenes believed and who were finally destroyed leaving the faith under the power of Constantine who moulded it to unify his Empire both Politically & Religiously as we saw in the previous teaching.

 

Strategy 3- The Reading of the Torah

 

Slide 12

Slide12.JPG

 

Now we see the greatest strategy that NechemYAH (Nehemiah) would bring. It is interesting that this happened on the 1st day of the 7th month: 

 

NechemYAH (Nehemiah) 8:1-2 Then all the people gathered as one man in the open space before the water Gate and told Ezra the Torah scholar to bring the Torah of Mosheh (Moses) which YAHWEH commanded to Yisrael. 2. So Ezra the Kohen (Priest) brought the Torah before the Congregation- on the first day of the Seventh Month. 

 

6-7 Ezra blessed YAHWEH the great Elohim and all the people answered “Amein, Amein” with their hands upraised then they bowed and prostrated themselves before YAHWEH face to the ground.  

 

Amazingly Ezra read the Torah on Yom Teruah or the Feast of trumpets. I am sure when Ezra read the following the people understood why they had been taken into captivity:

 

Slide 13

 

Debarim (Deuteronomy) 28:1-2 “And it shall be, if you diligently obey the voice of YHWH

your Elohim, to guard to do all His commands which I command you today, that YAHWEH your Elohim shall set you high above all nations of the earth. 2“And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of YAHWEH your Elohim: 

 

Debarim (Deuteronomy) 28: 58-60 If you do not guard to do all the Words of this Torah that are written in this book, to fear this esteemed and awesome Name, YHWH your Elohim, 59 then YHWH shall bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary

plagues, great and lasting plagues and grievous and lasting sicknesses. 60“And He shall bring back on you all the diseases of Mitsrayim (Egypt), of which you were afraid and they shall cling to you, 61 also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in the book of this Torah, YHWH does bring upon you until you are destroyed. 

 

Against the backdrop of the events encountered, the inhabitants of Yerushalayim & Yisrael understood the significance of Yom Teruah or this day of Judgement in which the community would examine itself since the following days are called the “Ten Days of Awe” so we read that all the people wept when they heard the words of the Torah but the leaders encouraged the people that the Favour of Elohim was now with them.

Surely they isplayed true repentance and we would do well to understand the severity of disobeying YAHWEH remembering the pain that it brought to our beloved Saviour Yahshua. 

 

Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) was for the 1st time since its destruction restored and once again the centre of Yahudi (Jewish) life that it could once again radiate the splendour of YAHWEH the Elohim of Yisrael and be the light to the Nations.  

 

There is truly such significance in this picture for the believer. We know that Yahshua came to take the curse since scripture says:

 

Galutyah’im (Galatians) 3:13 Messiah redeemed us from the curse of the Torah, having become a curse for us – for it has been written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs upon a tree. ” –

14 in order that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the nations in Messiah

Yahshua, to receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. 

 

From this we discover that Messiah took the curse so we could be empowered with the RUACH Ha Qodesh (The Holy Spirit) that by his work in us we might have the power to be obedient to his Torah and fulfil his will.  

 

Strategy 4- The Discipline of Torah Observance:

 

Slide 14

 

After all the monumental work that NechemYAH achieved he returned to the King in Shushan (Susa) but on his return to Yerushalayim he found much Sin. With the passion and authority of a Zealot he dealt fervently with the breach of Torah in the following ways:

 

  1. Eliashiv the Priest had transgressed by allowing Tobiah the Ammonite & Sanballat to live in a Chamber of the Temple meant to house the Tithe & other Temple items so NechemYAH cast out all their belongings & drove them out of the City. Remember that Sanballat’s son in law was rejected as a Priest for not casting off his gentile wife but later Sanballat with the help of Alexander the Great established a Temple for his son in law on Mount Gerizim in opposition to the Temple in Yerushalayim.

 

  1. While NechemYAH was away the people had desecrated the Shabbat as we read:

 

NechemYAH 13:15- 16 In those days I saw in Yahuḏah (Judah) those treading wine presses on the Shabbat (Sabbath) and bringing in sheaves and loading donkeys with wine, grapes and figs and all kinds of burdens, which they brought into Yerushalayim on the Sabbath day. So I warned them on the day they sold food. 16 And men of Tsor dwelt there, bringing in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the children of Yahuḏah and in Yerushalayim.    

 

NechemYAH consequently locked the gates on Shabbat and called the Levites to guard the smaller doors & threated the Merchants with severe punishment.

 

  1. The People were also violating their oath that they would not marry gentile wives:  

 

NechemYAH 13: 23 In those days I also saw Yahuḏim (Jews) who had married women of Ashdoḏ, Ammon, & Mo’aḇ. 24 And half of their children spoke the language of Ashdoḏ and could not speak the language of Yahuḏah (Judah).

 

In fervent anger NechemYAH (Nehemiah) beat these men & even pulled their hair out and made them swear to Elohim their renewed Oath.

 

Especially today we find believers not respecting the RUACH’s authority and discipline seeing him only as the comforter but we read a powerful story in Acts 5 where Ananias & Sapphira lie to the RUACH Ha Qodesh and are struck dead for their sin. That story should make us tremble to know that YAHWEH is an Elohim of love but he will also judge sin as this story teaches though he has great patience. I pray that we his people begin to fulfil our Oath to love him by our obedience to his Torah which is his loving instructions on Righteous living. 

 

Ibrim (Hebrews) 12:5-6 you have forgotten the exhortation which speaks to you as to sons:

“My son, do not despise the chastening of YAHWEH, Nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; 6 For whom YAHWEH loves He chastens, And scourges every son whom He receives.”

 

 

 

Conclusion:

 

Slide 15


This entire series we have studied saw Yerushalayim go from rubble to a City rebuilt & restored both from the outside to its inhabitants with the purpose that once again it would radiate the esteem of YAHWEH the Elohim of Yisra’el to the entire World.  Understanding that by this success Yahshua was able to be born into a society dedicated to the Most High, which places NechemYAH in the category of a hero of the faith along with the Maccabees, people remembered for re-establishing the faith in YAHWEH and his beloved Torah.


More than this however this tale reveals a Divine Parable of King Yahshua who delivered us from the Captivity of sin but in his great love has sent his Comforter & teacher the RUACH Ha Qodesh (The Holy Spirit) who is able to guide & also discipline us that we may mature to a complete person who will radiate the presence of YAHWEH and be that light to the World that Yerushalayim in the natural was also meant to be. 

Within this great tale lye the divine seeds that will enable us his beloved to be rebuilt in the areas of our mind, our speech & our heart by desiring to please him with our whole being by complete trust knowing that everything written from Bereshith (Genesis) to Chazon (Revelation) comes from our Father’s heart and is for our good so should be obeyed and listened to.  Amein.


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Rebuilding - Knowledge of the Adversary - Part 3

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Rebuilding - Knowledge of the Adversary - Part 3

Video Teaching



Study notes and Slides

Part 3- Rebuilding Knowledge of the Adversary

Slide 1

 

Introduction:

We have been studying over the past two teachings a Divine Parable of grand significance. To repeat the things that we have learned is only prudent. We discovered that the Land of Yisrael was a promise of prosperity but when that became a pitfall to the study of Torah & Mitzvot (Commandments) the population of Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) were taken into captivity until their hunger for YAHWEH drove them to Torah observance. 

Slide 2

Finally by a decree of the King they returned to their land, only to inhabit a ruined City. NechemYAH (Nehemiah) was then sent to rebuild Yerushalayim & rebuild the lives of its inhabitants. What was so enthralling about this tale is that it has far reaching implications. The King could represent Yahshua seated at the right hand of authority with NechemYAH whose name means YAH comforts representing the RUACH Ha Qodesh (The Holy Spirit). Finally we discovered that Yerushalayim was the place that YAHWEH would place his Divine presence forever and represented in the spiritual every believer while the Temple represents the heart of a believer that had been restored from which worship of YAHWEH was brought forth. Since the city lay in ruins we perceived that this represented the Personality of the believer that needed repair which required the aid of the RUACH Ha Qodesh. 

It was also determined that just as Yerushalayim was meant to radiate the divine presence and was called to be the light of the World so too the believer was called to be the light of the World as Yahshua declared. 

With Yerushalayim lying in Ruin & its inhabitants in despair NechemYAH was greatly grieved since this is the one city of all the Earth that YAHWEH has chosen to place his name or “Shekinah” his presence. Yerushalayim therefore should be very dear to us as well, as it is the promise of his presence in the natural for all time: 

 

Slide 3

 

Also every Shabbat we read:

Ki MiTzion- For from Zion will go forth the Torah and the Word of Adonai from Yerushalayim (Jerusalem).

Since Yerushalayim is an allegory or metaphor for the believer so everything that happened there & is happening reflects the life of the believer.  Even today as we see the threats focussed towards Yerushalayim and its inhabitants we can see its correlation with the attacks on believers around the World who are being constantly terrorised. 

To refresh our understanding we discovered that the broken down walls of the City related to the need to rebuild the believer’s thinking since Sha’ul (Paul) making a plea to the Brethren says:

Romans 12: 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well pleasing and perfect desire of Elohim.

We also discovered just as the gates were for defence of the city that in times of peace they served to admit, reject or expel things and in each believer, gates serve as places of authority where believers make decisions reflected in the words and actions they make.

To fully bring to the climax the defence of the city from external attack however there was also a need to understand the enemy and his Strategies to protect the city from being overrun. This objective we will fulfil today to help us in our defence of our life based on the lessons we can learn from this great tale of victory that saw Yerushalayim restored to a sense of honour to bring glory to YAHWEH the source of life to the City & its inhabitants as he is to us as well. 

Know your Enemy:

Slide 4

 

This tale of rebuilding and the knowledge of the devices of the adversaries of the Yahudim (Jews) goes back to the time when Ezra the Scribe who under the edict of Koresh (Cyrus) ascended to Eretz Yisrael (the land of Israel) & especially Yerushalayim.  The Yahudim had returned with no military aid because the King had been told that the returning exiles enjoyed Divine protection as they were fulfilling a major Mitzvah or commandment by going up to the Holy Land. Upon their arrival & their desire to rebuild the Temple we get the truth revealed about the Adversary:

The Identity of the Adversary:

Just as the name NechemYAH (Nehemiah) in this story is identified as meaning the Comfort of YAH and in our life refers the comforter the RUACH Ha Qodesh (The Holy Spirit) the very name of the head conspirator is interesting. 

According to the blue letter Bible his name has a meaning of strength but when broken up the name has a twofold meaning embedded within:

 

Slide 5

 

Sanballat- has at its root the meaning of “Satan” meaning Adversary and imbedded in it is the root for Baal without the Aiyin suggesting Master. 

Therefore we have a meaning that suggests the Master of Adversity or the Master Adversary. 

Rashi and Metzudos identify Sanballat and Tobiah as the enemies who had previously succeeded in disrupting the reconstruction of the Temple in Ezra 4. These were idolatrous gentiles who had been transplanted by the Assyrian King Sennacherib thus they became known as Samaritans. In Talmudic terminology they are referred to as Cushites a constant enemy of the Yahudim (Jews).  

From the underlying meaning of the name of Sanballat we see that the true fundamental source of all trouble is Ha Satan who uses every opportunity to afflict the people of Elohim through many and varied strategies. Just as the enemy of the rebuilding would use every tactic at their disposal we need to see how these tactics could be viewed today to hinder our lives from being rebuilt.

Tehillim (Psalms) 34:19 Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But YAHWEH delivers him out of them all.

When considering how YAHWEH desires our lives to prosper and be restored we need to have the principle impressed in our thoughts that no matter what happens he is for us and will deliver us.

The Tactics of the Adversary

  1. “If you can’t beat them Join them”: 

Just as happened in the Garden of Eden in which Ha Satan made his play by befriending Chavah (Eve) in order to corrupt man causing him to sin against Elohim & in the book of Ezra we see his subtlety appearing:

Slide 6  

As a result of these words and the evil intent of the Gentiles in the land the Adversaries were able to delay the rebuilding of the Temple for 18 years. In the time of NechemYAH we find a very similar play for joint participation being the way the adversary works to corrupt lives. 

We see this played out over the Centuries after Yahshua with corruption drawing believers away from the original truth as the numerous Gentile influxes began to alter the truth of Torah into a message far removed from its source. Under Rome we saw Emperor Constantine partnering with the Ecclesia (The Assembly) that became known as the Church giving it authority, land and Religious dominance in the empire at the cost of compromise to join Paganism to Christianity with Constantine as the head a real “Coup d’etat” unifying the Roman Empire both politically & religiously under him. 

 

Slide 7

 Constantine’s Creed literally renounces absolutely everything Hebraic as well as speaking a curse over oneself.

This Slide shows how drastically Constantine compromised the Christian faith to unify the Empire under him so as to totally remove it from its Hebraic roots something most Christians have no knowledge of today or simply wish to ignore:

NechemYAH however was quick to discern the intent of these Gentiles and declared in:

 

Slide 8

Flavius Josephus a Jewish 1st Century Historian asserts that Sanballat was a gentile whose daughter had married a Yahudi Kohen (Jewish Priest) but after the expulsion of foreign wives under Ezra, Sanballat’s son in-law refused to expel his wife and was disqualified from the Priesthood however Sanballat later enlisted the help of Alexander the Great in setting up a rival Temple for his son in-law on Mount Gerizim. 

These inhabitants were pagans transplanted to the land of Israel who converted to Judaism though a distorted form but continued to worship Idols and were called Samaritans being “goyim” gentiles mixed with the Yahudim that remained in the land after the exile. 

From this information we see the danger of partnership with outsiders who desire to join together but have alternative motives or beliefs. Also from this we can also understand why the Yahudim (Jews) in the time of Yahshua detested Samaritans so much, since their history shows how they opposed the Yahudim (Jews) possessing the land and especially the rebuilding of Yerushalayim something that has not changed.   

Even during the early Assemblies in the “Nazarene era” men who were not of the truth entered: 

 

Slide 9

 If this is the case that at the time of the Talmidim (Disciples) men joined who were corrupting the faith we too need to be aware and not allow compromise or division to take root. We see that NechemYAH was quick to inspire the people to stand together as we read:

 

Slide 10

 

  1. The Tactic of Ridicule & Insult: 

What we discover in this story is that deprived of joining with the Yahudi (Jewish) inhabitants of Yerushalayim their tactic changed & their evil heart revealed. NechemYAH (Nehemiah) not only discerned their intents but knew how these same people had hindered the construction of the Temple. The truth of their desire is now revealed through the following: 

 

Slide 11

This is the same trick the enemy will use when you are passionate about your life changing. It is even more painful when people close to you ridicule & laugh at you. Especially when you desire to take this path that we are on today many will laugh or call it legalistic but we need to realize when we are working to allow the RUACH to improve our personality and increase our understanding that the enemy wants to undermine us and he does it through people that you may love & respect but you must not accept it and resist his words believing that YAHWEH is bringing you from glory to Glory by the power of his RUACH (Spirit) in you. 

We are no different than the Yahudim in that we live in a place where our desire is to fulfil the instructions of YAHWEH clearly laid out in the Torah but we so often feel like strangers in a foreign land where those around us have such a different understanding and who so often ridicule us for our strong stance on Torah observance sighting scripture that is so often mistranslated or grossly misunderstood.

NechemYAH however did not take their words lying down rather he turned to the greatest weapon against the enemy and that was prayer. 

 

Slide 12

 The ridicule was overcome by prayer and a mind to work. Sometimes we work hard but fail to pray or we pray hard but fail to work so the key is to pray hard, keep believing and then act in that resolve. 

Often when we pray for someone for healing or for whatever they need, we will tell them to start acting like they have already received it. 

Yahshua says in:

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

 

  1. The Tactic of Conspiring  

We find with each attempt to break the resolve of the Yahudim in rebuilding Yerushalayim the Adversary escalated his attacks. It is interesting to note that Sanballat knew that a frontal attack would not guarantee a victory so it was a surprise attack that they were planning. NechemYAH knowing the danger, again turned to prayer with an amazing result. 

Rashi or Rabbi Shlomo Yitzhaki (1040- 1115AD) notes that the forces arrayed against Yerushalayim included Yahudim (Jews) that lived in the surrounding towns. Many Yahudim (Jews) were apparently part of the enemy army yet they risked their lives to warn their brethren. Perhaps since the City lay in Ruins and was unprotected many had moved to the small towns 7 villages but fearing for their lives and that of their families they had joined the Army of the Gentiles the “Goyim”. When the critical moment came they summoned the courage to warn those in Yerushalayim. 

The sudden change of heart surely was attributed to the prayers lifted up to YAHWEH in the time of greatest need.

 

Slide 13

When times are tough and everything seems to be coming to a disastrous end it is first, time to pray but the good news is that YAHWEH has put the Body of Machiach together not to argue & to dispute over dubious things but rather as a fortification, so we may win over the trials. The walls of your personality will be built and the gates will be hung because with the working of the RUACH and the fellowship of believers your personality will be conformed to that of Yahshua. 

 

Slide 14

 

Conclusion:

What we notice from our discussions so far is that all the emphasis has been on the defence from the external influences. The reason for this is that just like progressive Covenants that bring us into more intimacy with YAHWEH the rebuilding of our lives works the same. 

When you wanted a relationship with someone the first thing you did was buy new clothes and clean yourself up to create a good appearance while the next thing you did was to adjust the words that come from your mouth and make decisions that were pleasing to the one you wished to impress. It was only as things went deeper that you then began to reveal your heart. 

Is it therefore any wonder that NechemYAH who came to restore not only the City but also the inhabitants of Yerushalayim that he begins with the Appearance and protection of the City in an attempt to raise the esteem of the inhabitants causing them to begin to dwell in unity as the City would now offer them a place of safety and security.  

This is how we should feel as we come into fellowship with each other in our congregation. We should feel safe against attacks if we have discovered that the beauty of Torah is not only that it teaches us Mitzvot (Commandments) but rather that through it lives are being changed through growth in personality and through a sense of being in “Echad” or unity for when this develops the rest will surely follow. 

The Worship of YAHWEH & study of his Torah is only effective if we allow his RUACH/ Spirit to mould us to a person pleasing to YAHWEH but we know that the truth is that only when the Machiach comes to reign will we see the true restoration of the land of Yisrael and of his people, all who long for his appearance. 

 

Slide 15

 From this point now we can begin to look inward into the area of developing Torah so the Final discussion is how NechemYAH transformed Yerushalayim into a place that radiated the presence of YAHWEH Elohim of all Creation until the time of the 1st appearance of Machiach (the Messiah):

 

Slide 16



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