WHAT IS YOUR EXCUSE?

“Then He said to  him, ‘A certain man gave a great supper and invited many, and sent his servant at supper time to say to those who were invited, ‘Come, for all things are now ready. But they all with one accord began to make excuses. The first said to him, ‘I have bought a piece of ground, and I must go and see it. I ask you to have me excused’”- Luke 14:16-18 

            The Son of the living Elohim (God)  is saying, “A certain man gave a great supper and invited  many.”  However, all  made excuses. I have been inviting people to come to learn the Word,  and invariably many make excuses. Others say that they will come, but they do not. We need to invite homeless people that  may be in need of a shower, and  their dirty clothe may smell from perspiration. They may  need natural and spiritual cleansing as we all do. In the past, (and sometimes now also),   I have gone to the beach to help another ministry to feed the poor physically and spiritually. Some of them they  understand that they need to serve their Creator, but others come only to be fed.

            I am not talking today about inviting people to a church building, but to invite the lost to serve Yehovah and believe in His only Son, Yehoshua ha’Mashiach.

            We cannot be selective on who to invite,  and we do need wisdom how to present the Word, which is Truth. We also cannot pressure them to   force a commitment. This is not effective, and it will not bear fruit that will endure to eternal life. 

            I personally take time to teach someone who is interested.  Because  I  keep the Shabbat day holy,  I invite friends to my home to celebrate Shabbat on the beginning of the Shabbat, which is at sundown Friday evening, or  the sixth day of the week. We eat some food, share the Word, take communion, and pray for one another. It is a special time to connect with one another and mostly with Yehovah and Yehoshua.

            I do not teach man made  religion or traditions of man.  I teach the Word and I believe that if I do this little thing, those who come will eventually understand Truth and some day be fully committed to serve Yehovah as I do.

            If someone make excuses, that person is not ready to repent of his sin. I simply keep on praying for them. Yehovah is the only one who can save, but we must do what He has commanded us: “Preach the gospel.” I  obey Yehovah  to share the Word, and He will  do the convicting and saving.  To Him be all the glory! What is your excuse? Will you come to Him while you still have the gift of life? Once you die, it is too late.

HEALING IS AVAILABLE TO YOU EVERYDAY

“Woman, you are loosed from your infirmity.” And he laid His hands on her, and immediately she was made straight, and glorified Elohim - Luke 13:12b -13

 “  Then the Master answered him and said, ‘Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or his donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it?’” -Luke 13:15

            Yehoshua had just set a woman free who had been bound with a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years (see Luke 13:11).  The ruler of the synagogue,  did not appreciate Yehoshua breaking “their”  Sabbath laws. (Luke 13:14).  We know that  Moses did give the Commandment from Yehovah  to keep the Sabbath, as we read in the Scriptures (Exodus 20:8) and other passages. However  Yehovah never gave a commandment to forbid doing good, and especially not  to heal on the Sabbath! How could He give such Command? He was the Healer! 
 Therefore, that was a religious leaders' takanot and man is not supposed to obey those rabbinic rules. Yehoshua was Yehovah in the Flesh, and He certainly knew His own Word. He would not break His Commandments for by doing so He would have been lawless, and could not be our substitute on the Cross. 

Another day Yehoshua healed again a man with a dropsy on the Sabbath and again the religious leaders rebuked Him  (Luke 14: 1-2)   And Yeshua answering, spoke to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”- Luke 14:3.

           

            In the next verse we read that they kept silent.  “And He took Him and healed him,  and let him go. Then He answered them, saying, “Which of you, having a donkey  or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” And they could not answer Him regarding these things” - Luke 14:4-6.

            He always had to deal with religious rules. He did not need anyone to teach Him, but their eyes were closed.  Yehovah knew this before He sent His Son, because if all the children of Israel had received Him, they would have crowned Him King, and He would not have fulfilled His mission of becoming our Lamb of Elohim  (John 1:29), who came to die for our sins.

            Yehoshua spoke about their duties to their donkeys. If their donkey fell into the ditch on the Sabbath they would certainly pull him out of it.  Therefore what was their problem? Was a donkey more important than healing a sick person? Yes, to them it was!

Saving the donkey meant to save the way to transport their harvest, which meant money!              In the same fashion today, it matters so much more saving the wild life  above their own child in the womb!  Children are now no longer important, therefore let us kill them!  Yes, we can carry them in our womb even to the point of giving birth, but, eh, why not, let us murder the innocent!  God will not care, in fact, does He really exist?  Whose Elohim (God)  are those people serving? Are you one of those people? I do not think so, or you would not be reading this message. Yehovah bless you.

            The Shabbat, or Sabbath,  instead of be  a day of rest unto Yehovah as He commands, because of  their many rules it became a challenge to all.     If you read the gospels you will notice that  He always healed on the Sabbath and every  day of the week. What would happen  if you would be deadly ill,  and you cry out to Yehovah to heal you on the Sabbath, but He would deny your request because it is not His day to heal? What would you think of Him? Do not worry, it will not happen.  Yehovah  answers you no matter what day, and no matter what time  it is. 

            While I am talking about this situation you may say to me, “Well, this does not concern me at all. I do not keep  the Sabbath.” If you do not keep the Sabbath you are not keeping His Commandments. To rest on the  Sabbath day  is one of the Ten Commandments, and  Yehovah never changed His mind about it. So, what are you going to do about this? Are you going to keep the religious rules of your church or congregation that you belong too, or obey Yehovah? I hope that you choose to love and obey only Yehovah, and disregard the false teachings or your  pastors and teachers. You are responsible to obey His Word, for it is by His Word that you will be judged.

MY SOUL THIRSTS FOR ELOHIM!

“As the deer pants for the water brooks, So pants my soul for You, O Elohim. My soul thirsts for Elohim, for the living Elohim. When shall I come and appear before Elohim?” - Psalm 42:1-2

            These verses speak of someone who is in desperate need of a touch from Yehovah.  Have you  ever been in a  place where Yehovah seemed to be very far away from you and unreachable?  You  prayed, and prayed, and you were not comforted.  The skies seemed to be brass.  You longed  so much for Him, however,  His Presence seemed to be very far away.  Although you cried out to Him, He was not answering.  You may have asked the question:  “Why does He not answer me? Is  there a problem with me? What did I do?  Yehovah  please help me!”

            Agonizing in prayer you may have begun to search your soul. Maybe you did offend the Ruach haQodesh (Holy Spirit)  and He  hid  Himself from you. Then suddenly He came to  remind you of a specific situation.  You remembered when you did not walk in love toward someone. And as you remembered that incident,  your heart broke because you had offended that  brother or  sister. You repented and tears came down from your eyes. At that point you sensed the gentle touch of Yehoshua as He was washing you with His Blood.  You realized that He was near, and He had forgiven you.  He was always there; it was you who drifted away from Him. But after your relationship with Him was restored  you were able to sense His presence again.  

            Yehovah will never leave you nor forsake you. His love toward you is eternal and  unconditional. However, your sin blocked your  fellowship with your Father. After you were restored, the refreshing came from the brook which became as the river that flows from the throne.  You were filled to overflow and promised to  never  leave Him again! His love was so captivating! He enraptured your whole being in ecstasy. His love never fails to captivate your heart. Give Him yours now.

THE NAZARENE AND THE SHABBATH

The Nazarene were the first believers, Jews and Gentiles, who embraced the Mashiach Yehoshua. They kept the Sabbath together with the twelve apostles and all the disciples. They were called Natzrim, (Nazarene), because they followed the Nazarene Yehoshua.

          They were also called followers of “The Way”. As you remember Yehoshua said: “I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life (Chai)” (Yochanan/John 14:6)

Let us examine some examples from the Scriptures concerning the first believers keeping the Sabbath day Holy.

Luqas/Luke 23:56 “And having returned, they prepared spices and perfumes. And they rested on the Shabbath according to the Command.”

Mattithyahu/Matthew 28:1 “Now after the Shabbath, toward dawn on one of the shabbathoth, Miryam from Magdala and the other Miryam came to see the tomb.”

          The reason why they waited to go to the tomb was because they kept the Sabbath and they rested on that day according to the Command. They waited to go there until there was some light for they did not have street lights as we do now. They knew the Commandment and they kept it. The Sabbath was not abolished or transferred to the following day (Sunday)  after the death of the Mashiach Yehoshua!  

Religious groups misinterpret the following passage and say that the Sabbath was changed to Sunday.

Ma’aseh/Acts 20:7-8 “And on one of the shabbathoth, the talmidim having gathered together to break bread, Sha’ul, intending to depart the next day, was reasoning with them and was extending the Word till midnight. And there were many lamps in the upper room where they were assembled.”

          This verse is used by ignorant people to prove that Shaul/Paul and the apostles broke bread, or had a meeting on the first day of the week. Let us remember that it was night, the lights were on. This meeting was done after the Shabbath ended on sundown. The Biblical day begins at sundown, not after midnight.

          During the Shabbat the believers cannot cook, but soon after sundown they can have a fellowship and they can eat warm food because now they are allowed to cook. Cooking is forbidden on the Shabbat. You may remember the Israelites in the wilderness, even before Mount Sinai meeting, when the Commandments were given to us by Yehovah Himself, the Israelites could not go gather the manna on the Shabbat, but on Friday. Friday is the sixth day of the week, or the preparation day.  On that day they were blessed with a double portion. They had all they needed for two days, and they cooked what they needed to cook for the Sabbath and did not stink as it did previously when they took too much and left it for the following day. Yehovah gave the specific command through Moses.

Moses instructed the Israelite .

 “And Moses said, “Let no one leave any of it till morning.” Not withstanding they did not heed  Moses. But some of them left part of it until morning, and it bred worms and stank.”   22 And so it was, on the sixth day, that they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for each one. And all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. 23 Then he said to them, “This is what Yehovah has said: ‘Tomorrow is a Sabbath rest, a holy Sabbath to Yehovah. Bake what you8 will bake today, and boil what you will boil; and lay up for yourselves all that remains, to be kept until morning.” So they laid it till morning, as Moses commanded; and it did not stink, nor were there any worms in it.- Shemoth/Exodus 16:19, 22-24/

          Some people worry about their income will decrease if they do not work on Saturday, however,  if they obey our Creator, they will have more than enough. Man suppose  to work six days every week,  not five days. If man would obey Yehovah he would never lack and would live in perfect health.

          The Sabbath belongs to Yehovah and He has chosen this day for us to rest and fellowship not only with our family, but with Him. The Sabbath is to remember us that Yehovah is Creator and that He created all that exists, including man. The Sabbath is a sign of the Covenant .

“You shall keep the Sabbath , therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people. Work shall be done for six days, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to Yehovah. Whoever does any work on the Sabbath day, he shall surely be put to death. Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. “It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever; for in six days Yehovah made the heaven and the earth, and on the seventh day He rested and was refreshed.” - Shemoth 31:12-17

Yehovah does not lie.

Elohim is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent, has He said, and will he not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good? - Bemidbar/Numbers 23:19

Yehovah does not change.

“For I am Yehovah, I do not change.”Mal’akhi/Malachi 3:6

I will end this message today, but will continue another day on this subject.

Shabbat shalom.