We are ready to begin the study portion of today’s broadcast, and this is a heart searching one for many of us. And I think that there is no greater question that we need to answer than the questions which we are going to ask you to answer today.

And so, brace yourself and be ready. I have some bad news and I have some good news. And, hopefully, by the end, you will be rejoicing with me over the good news.

So I am going to ask a soul searching question for you and for me and for all of us that is very important for us to answer. And so, what we are going to call today’s study topic is this: “Never Good Enough: Conviction or Condemnation?”

Do you ever feel like you just can’t ever get out from underneath the feeling in your heart that you are not quite up to par and Yahweh in heaven doesn’t really accept you? or when you hear the Scriptures, do you just hear things that convict you– you don’t feel condemned by it, you feel convicted by it?

And so, these are the questions I have for you and for me and for all of us: What do you hear? When you hear something in the Scriptures that speaks against your behavior, personally, what is it that you hear?

Do you hear “Condemnation”… or do you hear “Conviction”?

Do you hear “Cursing,” as in you are the one being cursed… or do you hear “Correction”?

Do you hear “Discouragement”… or do you hear “Encouragement”?

Do you hear “Never Good Enough”… or do you hear, “Let Me take you up to a Higher Level?”

Do you hear “Binding Chains”… or do you hear “Liberty”?

Do you hear “Cutting Criticism”… or do you hear “Instruction in Righteousness”?

If you feel condemnation, if it is condemnation and cursing and discouragement, and all these things that you are hearing, if this is all you hear, these things– condemnation… and cursing… and discouragement… you are not good enough… they bind you in a chain… and lock you… and criticize you… and cut you up…

If that is what you hear, I want to share some things today that may set you free. And if it doesn’t set you free, it will at least help you to be on a course that will bring you freedom.

Now there are several possible reasons why you may feel this way, and one possible reason (and please bear with me when I say this), but one possible reason you feel this way is because maybe it is true.

Maybe you ARE condemned and cursed. Maybe you SHOULD be discouraged and you SHOULD never feel good enough and you SHOULD feel bound and you SHOULD feel criticized. If we are not truly believers, but are pretenders, these things may very well be true of us.

If we are not true believers, the truth is, we are condemned. The scriptures will discourage us, bind us, cut us. The scriptures declare unbelievers will never be good enough.

Revelation 22:14 – Blessed [are] those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city.

15 – But outside [are] dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie.

This is what the scriptures say about unbelievers and where they are going. And so, yes, there are people who should feel that way when they read the scriptures.

Ephesians 5:5 – For this you know, that no fornicator, unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an idolater, has any inheritance in the kingdom of Messiah and Elohim.

Galatians 5:19 – Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness,

20 – idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies,

21 – envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told [you] in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of Elohim.

And there are many other things that can get us into trouble and bring us to damnation.

Now some people would hear these words and feel condemned, feel cursed and unsaved, and maybe they are right. Maybe they are condemned, cursed and unsaved. And it is a mistake to think only the Old Testament scriptures condemn you and the New Testament scriptures free you.

The truth is, there are a lot more scriptures in the New Testament that speak of eternal damnation than in the Old Testament. The Old Testament primarily talks about judgments that Yahweh will do here now– in this age, right now– or when Messiah returns.

But the New Testament speaks primarily of damnation that will take place in the world to come– the Great White Throne Judgment, where some will be found in the book of life, and some won’t.

And the ones who won’t be found in the book of life, those New Testament scriptures ought to scare us the most. I mean, that is the scary part. It is one thing to get judged in this age, but the next age– look out! That is eternal.

In Matthew 12:36, Yahushua says:

Matthew 12:36 – But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment.

37 – For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

James 5:9 says:

James 5:9 – Do not grumble against one another, brethren, lest you be condemned. Behold, the Judge is standing at the door!

Yahushua, talking to the Pharisees and scribes, says:

Matthew 23:33 – Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell?

Hell or Gehenna.

Yahushua said:

Mark 3:28 – Assuredly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the sons of men, and whatever blasphemies they may utter;

29 – but he who blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is subject to eternal condemnation —

Wow! A lot of condemning scriptures in the New Testament.

John 3:19 – And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

That is the condemnation.

John 5:28 – Do not marvel at this; for the hour is coming in which all who are in the graves will hear His voice

29 – and come forth — those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation.

And so, here, if we have done evil, if we love darkness more than light, we are in big trouble. If we have misspoken, our words can condemn us. If we grumble against our brother, we could be condemned because the Judge is standing at the door.

If we have ever blasphemed the Holy Spirit, we are in a heap of trouble because we cannot be forgiven ever, ever, ever. We will never have forgiveness, Yahushua said, but would be subject to eternal condemnation. Very serious words.

I am not making this up. This is out of the Scriptures and we have to listen to that. That is important.

But if we practice the works of the flesh (Galatians 5), if that is our practice, if that is something we do, we are doing it all the time and we don’t care, we are in a heap of trouble. We will not inherit the Kingdom, Paul said to the Galatians– New Testament scriptures.

So much for “The Old Testament was all about condemnation. The New Testament is all about grace.” The truth be told, we can find both condemnation and promises of mercy in both Old and New Testament. And if we are not His, we will be condemned. No question about it.

So it is quite possible the reason why you hear condemnation, curse and discouragement, never good enough, binding chains and cutting criticism is because you are that way. You are condemned and cursed and bound by iniquity. You will never be good enough, and you are going to be under His criticism. So you ought to feel that way.

I have said the bad news. Now there is some good news I want to tell you about. Because once we understand the bad news of condemnation, there is another message also in the Holy Scriptures that Yahweh very, very much wants us to hear….

It is this: “… I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

John 10:10 – The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have [it] more abundantly.

11 – I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.

Matthew 18:11 – For the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost.

His message is simple. He will save you. He laid down His life for you so that you would not need to face condemnation. In spite of what anyone might have told you, there really is only two things necessary– just two things necessary– to escape condemnation and to enter into eternal life. Two very simple things.

Salvation is SIMPLE! 1. Repentance 2. Faith in Yahushua for the forgiveness of sin.

In Acts chapter 2, verse 38, when Peter was telling the people what they needed to do in order to be saved, he simply said: “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahushua the Messiah.” That was it.

Acts 2:38 – Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahushua Messiah for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Repent (that means turn away from sin) and believe in Yahushua the Messiah. That was it. He didn’t say anything else besides that. That is all he said. He did not add anything. That was it.

Now the same is true of Paul the Apostle. He said:

Acts 20:20 – how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,

21 – testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward Elohim and faith toward our Master Yahushua Messiah.

That was it. This is what he testified: repentance and faith.

Boy, that sure is easy enough. And it is through believing this good news that we are sons of Elohim. We are. We become sons of Elohim that fast, that quick, that instant just by doing two things: repent and receive the Master Yahushua the Messiah. As simple as that.

Galatians 3:26 – For you are all sons of Elohim through faith in Messiah Yahushua.

Now the word translated “repent” simply means “to turn.” It does not mean (snap) “instantly be perfect and never commit a sin again or you will be condemned.” It does not mean that. It means one word. Simple… “turn.”

Turn away from unrighteousness; turn toward righteousness. Turn away from following Satan and his ways; turn toward following Yahweh and His ways.

Part of that includes seeking truth, learning more about what Yahweh desires of us, and then putting a sincere effort into applying that knowledge and that understanding to our lives. And part of that includes coming to Him and seeking forgiveness if we do sin and recommitting ourselves to not repeating the same mistake.

None of us– NONE of us– not me, not you, not anyone on this earth are one-hundred percent perfect in every respect of their heart and their life. Even if we don’t know of any particular sin we are committing, none of us are a finished product and Yahweh is probably trying to get our attention with something.

And so, if we repent– that means we turn away from sin, we turn toward righteousness, and we put our trust in Yahushua for the forgiveness of sin– we will not need to hear condemnation and cursing. We won’t. We will only hear conviction, correction and instruction in righteousness. That is all we are going to hear. Nothing else.

And so, the basic message of salvation is extremely easy to understand. It is not hard. It is very simple. And we just need to apply it to our lives and we will be set free from the sin that binds us.

Now there is another reason why we might hear condemnation, cursing, discouragement, never good enough, binding chains, and cutting criticism. And that is– you are deceived.

Now don’t get too offended, OK? But you just might be deceived. I say that because of this, there are people in this world– and some of you, I am sure, are listening to the broadcast– who have this thought that you need to achieve a certain level of righteousness before Yahweh will accept you.

And it is always the carrot on the stick in front of the donkey. You never quite get to the carrot. It is always just within reach, but you never feel like you have actually arrived and eaten the carrot so that you will be satisfied. And when you hear certain scriptures like these…

Matthew 22:14 – For many are called, but few [are] chosen.

… oh, you feel like, maybe, you are just not chosen. Maybe you feel like you were called, but you are just not one of the chosen. Have you ever had that thought before?

Maybe you think, “Well, maybe I have blasphemed the Holy Spirit. And that is why I don’t think He accepts me.”

Matthew 12:31 – Therefore I say to you, every sin and blasphemy will be forgiven men, but the blasphemy [against] the Spirit will not be forgiven men.

Some of you may wonder, “Maybe that is what is wrong with me. Yahweh just at some point in my life saw me blaspheming the Holy Spirit and I am condemned. And so, when I look at the scriptures, I hope that I am not, but I just don’t have any assurance that He loves me and accepts me where I am at.”

Let me explain something to you, brother or sister. I love you. You are precious to me, because your heart is humble before our Maker. But there is something that you need. There is something that you are lacking here.

First of all, the ones who are chosen are the ones who choose salvation through repentance and faith in Yahushua the Messiah. That is who the chosen ones are.

And secondly, if you have a heart to, if you truly are trying to, live rightly, and you want to live for Yahweh, you want to walk in righteousness, it is not possible that you have committed blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. It is not possible.

Because no way in the world can you even have that desire to serve Yahweh and live rightly unless Yahweh Himself has called you and drawn you in, and said, “Follow Me.”

Those who have reached that point of blasphemy against the Holy Spirit, they cannot be redeemed… and they don’t want to be redeemed. They have fallen away to the point of no return.

Scripture says in the book of Hebrews chapter 6, if they fall away, it is not possible to renew them again to repentance. In other words, they won’t have any desire to repent. They won’t have something in them that even resembles repentance. They would not have that desire.

Hebrews 6:6 – if they fall away, to renew them again to repentance, since they crucify again for themselves the Son of Elohim, and put [Him] to an open shame.

They can’t be renewed. They can’t be brought to a place where they are wanting to repent. They just continue living their lives in open sin and do not care one bit. That is a serious condition to be in. But if you are even listening to this broadcast, and you want to listen to it, there is no way in the world that is you.

I mean, you would hate my broadcast with a passion. You wouldn’t want it. And even if you do hate it, it doesn’t mean later Yahweh cannot renew you. Yahweh knows where the line is where someone goes too far.

The scribes and Pharisees knew that was the power of the living Elohim. They only cared about themselves, and they willfully, intentionally blasphemed the Holy Spirit. And that is why they couldn’t be forgiven. They had passed the point of no return.

But you are not going to have a desire for righteousness unless Yahweh puts that desire in you, because you cannot come to the Father unless the Father draws you. So please understand that.

But still, some of you may feel, “I am just not up to par. I am not good enough for Him to call me into His Kingdom. Why would He choose me? I have done so many terrible things in my life. I don’t deserve anything.”

Well, let’s look at the scriptures and see how good you need to be in order for Yahweh to call you, accept you, choose you and love you. Let’s see how good you need to be.

Here is Acts chapter 9, verse 1. It says:

Acts 9:1 – Then Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Master, went to the high priest

Now get this– “threats and murder.” Murder against the disciples of the Master.

Acts 9:2 – and asked letters from him to the synagogues of Damascus, so that if he found any who were of the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem.

3 – As he journeyed he came near Damascus, and suddenly a light shone around him from heaven.

4 – Then he fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?

Now think for a moment here. Saul was on his way to murder and imprison Yahushua’s own disciples. You can hardly get more evil than that. And while he was on his way to do these heinous crimes, Yahushua shows up, calls him out and brings him to a place of repentance, and he ends up getting baptized in Yahushua’s name.

So how good did Paul need to be before Yahushua would call him and choose him and accept him? I mean, he consented to the very first murder of Yahushua’s disciples. He was on his way to commit even more harm. How good did he need to be? I would venture to say, probably none of us have committed crimes like that, but even if we had, would it matter?

Not really because Yahushua met Paul right where he was, brought him to a place of repentance, and little did he know he wouldn’t be imprisoning Yahushua’s disciples– he was going to become one.

And so, after blinding Paul so he couldn’t see, Yahushua sent Ananias to heal him of his sight, to fill him with His Spirit, and the scales fell from his eyes. And he was baptized in Yahushua’s name.

And so, here we are. This was a man who was utterly wicked. They probably don’t get much more wicked than this. And so, my point is this: You don’t have to be good enough to be called and become Yahushua’s disciple. You only need to make a decision to turn away from wrong doing and have faith in the Messiah Yahushua. That is it. Nothing added.

And so, Paul, recounting this time, says:

1Timothy 1:15 – This [is] a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Messiah Yahushua came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief.

16 – However, for this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Yahushua Messiah might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life.

That is a pattern. I brought up Paul last week, also, for this reason, that he is a pattern to those who would believe in Yahushua for everlasting life. If Paul can be saved, you can be saved.

And Peter, a man who denied Yahushua three times after walking with Him for three years? If he can be saved, you can be saved. And as they say, “He doesn’t call the qualified. He qualifies the called.”

Let me share another example. Yahushua was hanging on the tree and He was mocked by many. It says:

Matthew 27:41 – Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said,

42 – He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.

43 – He trusted in Elohim; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, `I am the Son of Elohim.’

Matthew 27:44 – Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

There they were hanging on a tree just like Him. “Yeah, if you are the Son of Elohim, come on down and save us, too.” Right?

But then one of them had a change of heart.

Luke 23:39 – Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, If You are the Messiah, save Yourself and us.

40 – But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, Do you not even fear Elohim, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

41 – And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.

Luke 23:42 – Then he said to Yahushua, Master, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.

43 – And Yahushua said to him, Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.

Think about that for a moment. What works of righteousness did the criminal do? He simply had a change of heart about Yahushua, who He was, who was dying with him.

I could see this happening. I mean, someone is just going along with the crowd, and he is just thinking, “Yeah, who is this guy next to me? You know, just go ahead. Why don’t you bring us down? Ha, ha, ha.”

But at some point that man must have heard something that persuaded him Yahushua was innocent and He really was the Messiah. Something happened.

Yahweh called him.

And he actually repented because he even rebuked the other robber for mocking Messiah. He rebuked him, and said, “Look, we are under the same condemnation.”

And so, what was it that this robber did in order to come to salvation? First of all, he believed in Yahushua. He says, “Remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.” He believed He was the Messiah.

And he obviously repented because he was humble and he said, “We receive the due reward of our deeds.” And he went against the other man who was on the tree mocking Him.

And so, he received the plan of salvation: repentance and faith in Messiah Yahushua. This man understood what was necessary for salvation.

Do you see this? He humbled himself– “We receive the due reward of our deeds…. Master, remember me when You come into Your Kingdom.” He knew this was the Messiah and he repented. And he also taught righteousness.

When this man was blaspheming Him (Luke 23:39), he rebuked the man for his sin, and he taught this man, “Look, humble yourself. Don’t you see you are under condemnation? This Man has done nothing wrong.”

And so, the same message is taught in Acts 2:38:

Acts 2:38 – Then Peter said to them, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Yahushua Messiah for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

What did that man do besides repent and have faith in Messiah? Nothing. I mean, the thief couldn’t exactly come down and get baptized, right? He would have, I am sure, if he were able to. But Yahushua accepted him because he had the repentant heart and he had faith in Yahushua the Messiah.

And Paul taught the same message.

Acts 20:20 – how I kept back nothing that was helpful, but proclaimed it to you, and taught you publicly and from house to house,

21 – testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward Elohim and faith toward our Master Yahushua Messiah.

The same message to Jews and to Greeks. And we become sons of Elohim through this faith in Messiah Yahushua.

Galatians 3:26 – For you are all sons of Elohim through faith in Messiah Yahushua.

So if we repent and if we have faith in Yahushua, we WILL BE ACCEPTED by Him. It is that simple. He said it. I believe it.

It is man that complicates everything. It is man that says, “Oh, no, no. You need to listen to our church doctrines before you can be accepted into our group here, our little club that we have going here.”

“Oh, no. You are lost and going to hell because you have not accepted my own pet doctrine.”

It is man that says those things. It is man who says, “Oh, no. You are not accepted because you do not go to my church. You don’t subscribe to my denomination.”

Oh, what a tangled web they weave. It is one of the lies we have inherited from our fathers. The denominational Christianity has taught us these lies.

Now there are some of you listening… and I know, I have counseled enough people to know this… you are listening, and you are saying, “Yes, Tom, I see what the scriptures are saying, but for some reason I still doubt it could be for me. I wonder, maybe those scriptures are for somebody else. For some reason, I just feel ugly, unholy, unaccepted.”

I am sorry. I am sorry you feel that way. My experience tells me you probably were a person who was abused either as a child or even as an adult, and I am sorry that you were abused.

And some of you grew up with negative, discouraging, condemning, hateful parents who could never be pleased and you were never good enough and I am sorry you experienced that.

And some of you have been devalued and unloved by your husbands. I am so sorry. And I am sorry if I have ever made my wife feel that way.

But let me tell you, Yahweh does value you. If you were the only person in the world to have sinned and everybody else was perfect, Yahushua would have died just for you and you alone. That is how much He values you.

How do I know that? Yahushua said:

Matthew 10:30 – But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.

Think about that. He is counting your hairs! (Now, for me, it is a little easier than other people.) But that is the nature of Yahweh– to care and to love. It is His nature. It is who He is.

1John 4:15 – Whoever confesses that Yahushua is the Son of Elohim, Elohim abides in him, and he in Elohim.

16 – And we have known and believed the love that Elohim has for us. Elohim is love, and he who abides in love abides in Elohim, and Elohim in him.

So John is declaring we believe the love Elohim has for us. We believe it. Why? Because that is just who He is. He is love. That is what He is all about. It is not possible for Elohim to be anything but loving.

And just as you and I would, hopefully, risk our own lives to save a child of ours from a burning building, even if that child was rebellious, we would save them because we still love them.

Yahweh cannot do anything but love you enough to save you even if you were the only sinner on the earth. The hairs of your head are all numbered. His eyes are always on you. Because He is love. He cannot be anything but that. And if you have ever seen love in the world, that is Him. It cannot be otherwise. That is who He is.

And no matter how many people have rejected you and hated you and tossed you aside and excluded you and put you down, no matter how many times your husband hasn’t shown love to you, no matter how many times you have sinned against Him, He still loves you. And even if you are an unbeliever, He still loves you enough to send Yahushua to you.

John 3:16 – For Elohim so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

This verse has almost become a clichi now-a-days. Yes, maybe we have heard that verse before. But, listen, it’s true. It is true. It is the Word of Yahweh, and it is awesomely true!

So, please, understand, even if no one else values you, Yahweh values you. Even if no one else wants you, Yahweh wants you. Even if no one else cares about you, Yahweh cares about you. And we can see His love for us by what He has done and what He has said.

And so, what needs to happen is this: At some point in time, we are going to have to make a distinction between what our mother or our father may have said and what Yahweh says about us.

If our parents were harsh and condemning and negative and you were never good enough to be accepted, we need to put those human beings in a box, and say, “Okay, that was them. That is how they were.” But how they were does not change how Yahweh is.

And so, we have to make a distinction between “my parents” or “my spouse”… “OK, they were that way. That is them.” Or other people who claim to be believers. That was them. Okay. What does Yahweh say about Himself?

And if that is what you are dealing with, I hope you see Yahweh really is different. First of all, you are a person of great worth, not because of what you have done, but because of who you are. Just inherently the fact that you exist demonstrates your worth.

I shared this a couple of weeks ago. Imagine an artist. He is going to make this wall size painting. He spends a year on this, a portrait of someone. And he makes certain every eyelash, every little hair on the eyebrow– everything– was an exact replica of this person. And he spends a year on it. He is a famous artist.

When the day comes, after a year of painting and sweat and all this work, the day comes when he is going to unveil the painting. And the curtain opens up and the crowd just gasps at how amazing this painting and this creation is.

Now let me ask you a question. Would that painting need to do anything to be valued by the painter? Nothing. Just exist. That is it. And my point is this: You have value because you exist. Because He created every cell in your body. He created you.

The fact that you are existing right now demonstrates you have value. Just as the painter values the painting. You do not have to wonder. You can just know. Human logic even can tell you that.

And not only that. He wasn’t creating a portrait of someone else. He was creating an image of Himself– of Elohim. Creating an image of Himself. I would say you have value inherently.

Now another way Yahweh is different: When you make a mistake– when you, out of weakness, commit a sin– He is actually willing to forgive you, cleanse you and free you.

1John 1:8 – If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.

He said “we.” That includes John the disciple here. “If we say we have no sin, we (including John) deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us.”

1John 1:9 – If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us [our] sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

So, first of all, he acknowledges that you and I, and all of us, have sin in our lives. We may or may not know about it. But if we learn about it and we know about it, we are told, “Confess it. Acknowledge it.” That means to agree, “Yes, I have sinned.”

Now because we are already a repentant people, we know what to do. Turn away from it. We are seeking to overcome sin. It is a forgone conclusion we are making sincere efforts to overcome temptations that come our way. It is a forgone conclusion we do not want to intentionally live and wallow in our sins.

And so, it is just a matter of confessing them before Yahweh and seeking cleansing and forgiveness that He promises here.

Now there are some people who think, “Okay, I am a believer until I commit a sin, and then I am out.”

Imagine this: You have a son who makes a mistake and fails you and actually sins against you on a regular basis… (a son… or a daughter). The minute he sins against you do you kick him out of the house? No.

And then when he repents, then you bring him back in… and you kick him back out and you bring him back in… and you kick him back out and you bring him back in? No! Imagine a father treating a son like that.

You see, the minute a son makes a mistake, it is a household issue. The dad doesn’t immediately disown the son and kick him out of the house until he confesses it and then let’s him back in. That is ridiculous.

And Yahweh is not that way with those who follow Him, either. He is not. And Scripture says He is love, right? That is what Scripture says He is.

Now if Yahweh is love, this is Yahweh right here. Here He is… are you ready?

1Corinthians 13:4 – Love suffers long [and] is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up;

Right off the bat, He suffers long.

1Corinthians 13:5 – does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil;

6 – does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth;

7 – bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1Corinthians 13:8 – Love never fails. But whether [there are] prophecies, they will fail; whether [there are] tongues, they will cease; whether [there is] knowledge, it will vanish away.

So if Yahweh is love, He is all these things, and He does not fail.

You don’t fall in and out of salvation every time you make a mistake. If you sin in some way and you die before you have the time to confess it and seek forgiveness, He knows what your habit is, that if you fail and messed up, all right, “I feel terrible about it. I wish I wouldn’t have done it. Yahweh, help me. I want to overcome this temptation.”

He can read your mind. He knows exactly whether or not you have an attitude of repentance. Yahushua did say we should pray, “Give us this day, our daily bread,” right? And also, “Forgive our trespasses.” And this is a daily prayer. It is a daily prayer, and we need forgiveness daily.

And as long as we have that repentant attitude toward Elohim and merciful attitude toward others, forgiving them also of their sins toward us, He will forgive us. And it is not my doctrine. This is what He says about Himself.

And so, the question is: Do we believe Yahweh or do we believe the enemy? Because not every thought that drops in your head is actually your own thought. Did you know that? Not every thought that appears in your mind is from you.

Satan, while I don’t think he can read your thoughts, he is able to speak to us in our minds and tells us lies. We might think they are our own thoughts, but, really, they are from the enemy.

And Satan would have us to believe our Father in heaven is not faithful, He is not just, and therefore will not forgive you of your sins and cleanse you from all unrighteousness. Satan is trying to lie to you, to plant evil thoughts in your head and make you feel guilty for those thoughts that he plants. Isn’t that something?

First he puts the thought in your head, then he makes you feel guilty for thinking it, and then condemns you over it. That is an awful trick he has played on many a soul. But we need to realize, our minds are a battleground, a battlefield.

It is just not our own thoughts that enter the battlefield. Yahweh brings His thoughts to the battlefield. Satan brings his thoughts to the battlefield, his doctrines, because he is also a spirit. And we, of course, we have our own thoughts.

But listen, our mind is a battlefield, and Scripture says, here is what we need to do:

2Corinthians 10:3 – For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.

4 – For the weapons of our warfare [are] not carnal but mighty in Elohim for pulling down strongholds,

5 – casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of Elohim, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Messiah,

Every thought into captivity to the obedience of Messiah, casting down arguments.

So when we get thoughts in our head about us being unaccepted by Yahweh (in spite of the fact that we have believed and followed the good news) or that we are worthless (even though we have confessed and repented of our sins to the best of our understanding)…

… we need to take those thoughts captive, grab a hold of them, put them in a box and reject those thoughts in Yahushua’s name. Toss them out in the garbage heap where they belong, because those are evil thoughts that exalt themselves against the knowledge of Elohim.

Those thoughts are not according to the Word of Elohim. Therefore, those thoughts are at war with Him. Therefore, we cast down those arguments. We cast them down because they are against Yahweh. We fight against them, and say, “No, I don’t believe you. I believe Yahweh.”

Yahweh says this: “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just.”

Don’t tell me He is unfaithful and unjust. That is a lie. He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. It all comes down to, my brother and my sister, who we want to believe.

Satan is a liar and the father of it. We need to come to a place where, in spite of all the other voices in the world, in spite of the voices that Satan tries to plant in our head, we are going to believe and heed the voice of Elohim.

Just like we believe, “In the beginning Elohim created the heavens and the earth,” we believe He is faithful and He is just.

And once you embrace this, the good news, that Yahushua Messiah came to save sinners (not the righteous, He came to save sinners), that Yahushua can accept you right where you are (just as He accepted Paul, just as He accepted Peter in spite of his failures), He is no respecter of persons, don’t let the enemy lie to you and say that He is. He is not.

He can meet you just like He met Paul, just like He met Peter, just like He met me, and so many other brothers and sisters in the faith.

So that when you hear Yahweh’s holy commandments, you do not hear “Condemnation”… you just hear “Conviction!” You do not hear “Cursing”… you just hear “Correction!” You do not hear “Discouragement”… you hear “Encouragement!” or “Conviction!”

You do not hear, “Oh, you are never good enough”… you hear, “Let Me take you to a higher level! Continue along the path!” You do not hear “Binding Chains”… you hear “Liberty! The perfect law of liberty, leading you to righteousness.”

You do not hear “Cutting Criticism”… you hear just “Instruction in Righteousness, pointing you in the right direction!”

And what a lovely freedom this is, to hear the Word and not see it as a harsh taskmaster to beat you down, but to see it as a gentle Shepherd, encouraging you to follow His leading and His example!

Yahushua says, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Come to Me. I will give you rest.”

Matthew 11:28 – Come to Me, all [you] who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

29 – Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

30 – For My yoke [is] easy and My burden is light.

Listen, He will lead you at a pace that you can handle. No one sits down and eats all the food they are going to eat for the year, right? You don’t sit down and eat an 80 or 90-course meal and that is it, you are done for the year, you are done for the week, you are done for the month.

No, you eat a little bit at a time. And Yahushua knows that. Spiritually, you are going to have to take a little bit at a time. It is a process of discipleship and sanctification. You pick up a little bit here. You apply it. You try to overcome it. And then, you get to the next level, move to the next thing.

And so, the Shepherd is going to lead you one step at a time just like we do our own children.

Now think about that. A father has a child who comes to him, and says, “You know, Dad, I really messed up. I did this wrong thing. I feel bad about it. Will you help me overcome? Will you forgive me?”

Oh, man. To hear a child say those words, you know, I know, all the forgiveness and love in the world would be available to him because we know what it is like. Yahushua also knows what it is like.

And so, Yahweh…

Psalms 103:10 – He has not dealt with us according to our sins, Nor punished us according to our iniquities.

11 – For as the heavens are high above the earth, [So] great is His mercy toward those who fear Him;

12 – As far as the east is from the west, [So] far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Psalms 103:13 – As a father pities [his] children, [So] YAHWEH pities those who fear Him.

Do we believe this Word?

Psalms 103:14 – For He knows our frame; He remembers that we [are] dust.

15 – [As for] man, his days [are] like grass; As a flower of the field, so he flourishes.

16 – For the wind passes over it, and it is gone, And its place remembers it no more .

Psalms 103:17 – But the mercy of YAHWEH [is] from everlasting to everlasting On those who fear Him, And His righteousness to children’s children,

HalleluYah! Awesome, awesome, awesome words! I love it.

So what do you hear? Do you hear “Condemnation”… or do you hear “Conviction”? Do you hear “Cursing”… or “Correction”? “Discouragement”… or “Encouragement” or “Conviction”? “Never Good Enough”… or “Taking it to the Higher Level”? “Binding Chains”… or “Liberty”? “Cutting Criticism”… or “Instruction in Righteousness”?

You know, there are some when they hear the scriptures against sin, they don’t hear condemnation, but, you know, they really don’t hear conviction, either. They don’t hear either one. That is kind of a strange thing.

They don’t hear anything. They don’t hear condemnation. They don’t hear conviction. They don’t hear correction. They don’t hear cursing. They don’t feel discouraged, but they don’t really feel encouraged. And they don’t feel like they are never good enough.

They feel like Yahweh accepts them, but they don’t really feel like He is taking them to a higher level, either. And they don’t really hear binding chains, but they don’t really see the law as liberty at all. They see it as something bad for them. And they don’t hear instruction in righteousness or criticism. They don’t really hear any of that.

They see themselves as not really having to worry about condemnation, and while they may hear instruction in righteousness, they are sort of indifferent to it. They don’t really think it is all that important.

They just kind of see themselves as not being saved by their own works, but saved by grace, and since they are not really under the Law anymore and they are under grace, they just put their trust in Yahushua for righteousness and not themselves, and they are not really worried about being condemned.

They have no doubt that they are saved, and they may even be very active in ministry and their local congregation. And they don’t really feel any of these things.

Well, for those who are like that, Yahushua has a question for you.

Luke 6:46 – But why do you call Me `Master, Master,’ and do not do the things which I say?

That is what He wants to know. “Why don’t you feel conviction? Why don’t you hear correction? Why don’t you feel like I am trying to take you to a higher level? Why don’t you see the Law as something that frees you and leads you to a higher level of love? Why don’t you see this as being instruction in righteousness?”

And so, He says:

Matthew 7:21 – Not everyone who says to Me, `Master, Master,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.

22 – Many will say to Me in that day, `Master, Master, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’

23 – And then I will declare to them, `I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

This word translated “lawlessness” in the Greek is “anomia.” It means “violation of law,” “the condition of without law… ignorant of it… violating it… contempt and violation of law.”

“Lawlessness” defined: Strong’s: 458 anomia an-om-ee’-ah from 459; illegality, i.e. violation of law or (genitive case) wickedness:–iniquity, X transgress(-ion of) the law, unrighteousness.

Thayer’s: 458 anomia {an-om-ee’-ah} Meaning: 1) the condition of without law 1a) because ignorant of it 1b) because violating it 2) contempt and violation of law, iniquity, wickedness.

So, His Word is important. You have to do the will of your Father in heaven and at least pursue it in your repentance. And when it speaks to you, and against the things that you are doing, you should feel conviction. If not, you are in a heap of trouble.

Because Yahushua said there would be many who at least looked like they were believers or miracle workers or so sure Yahushua was with them they feel like they have the proof and they don’t wonder whether they are saved. They think they can do all these things and Yahushua is with them.

But Yahushua says, “I never knew you. Who are you, you who practice torahlessness?” Or you don’t want any commandment in your life. You just want to live the way you want to live.

And listen, there are a lot of religions and denominations and sects and stuff that are all doing miracles and signs and wonders to prove that their teaching is right. It is a big deal in the modern era, but what should we be looking to really?

The fruits. It is the fruits that we are looking for. That is the evidence.

And so, it is not how many miracles you have done, or whatever. It is whether or not you are in hot pursuit of righteousness and whether or not you believe and receive Yahushua for the forgiveness of sin.

And that word translated “anti-law” or “anomos” in the Greek actually traces back to the Hebrew word “pasha,” having to do with rebelliously disobeying Yahweh’s Word– intentional, rebellious… revolt… kind of a sense.

BDB Hebrew Lexicon for “transgressors”: 06586 pasha {paw-shah’} Meaning: 1) to rebel, transgress, revolt 1a) (Qal) 1a1) to rebel, revolt 1a2) to transgress 1b) (Niphal) to be rebelled against Origin: a primitive root [identical with 06585 through the idea of expansion]; TWOT – 1846; v.

Usage: AV – transgress 17, transgressor 9, rebelled 6, revolt 6, offended 1, transgression 1, trespassed 1; 41.

And so, I am not condemning the entire Christian world for not embracing the Torah as I do, but I am saying if you are rebelliously rejecting His Word and you don’t want His fruit in your life, you don’t want to live as Yahushua lived, you are in a heap of trouble.

I mean, we all find ourselves falling out of His will from time to time, and Yahweh is consistently merciful toward those who are genuinely desiring His will. And maybe you are ignorant of something and don’t know something is wrong.

But if you reject it because you just don’t want righteousness in your life and you think you can just hum along in this world and treat Yahushua’s grace like some common thing, like it is nothing, you are in a heap of trouble. A heap of trouble.

And so, we need both things. We need repentance and faith in Yahushua Messiah. If we are not repentant, we will not be saved period.

In Romans chapter 2, verse 4, it says:

Romans 2:4 – Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of Elohim leads you to repentance?

Turn away from those things!

Romans 2:5 – But in accordance with your hardness and your impenitent heart you are treasuring up for yourself wrath in the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of Elohim,

6 – who will render to each one according to his deeds:

Romans 2:7 – eternal life to those who by patient continuance in doing good seek for glory, honor, and immortality;

8 – but to those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness — indignation and wrath,

9 – tribulation and anguish, on every soul of man who does evil, of the Jew first and also of the Greek;

Also the Gentile. Both. The same message.

So we have to pursue righteousness. We have to be desirous of walking out our faith. Faith without works is dead. There is no faith in Messiah without works.

And so, repentance is what was lacking here when Yahushua said, “Why do you call Me ‘Master, Master,’ and don’t do the things I say? I am not your Master. You don’t care what I say.” There is no conviction. And that is why He says, “Get away from Me! You are not even trying to do the will of My Father in heaven.”

You can say He is your Lord and Master in word, but there is no passion or zeal for righteousness, and so you are not really repentant. You are trusting in grace when it comes to sin, but refusing to turn away from the sin. And they, for some reason, think they can never lose their salvation.

But Yahushua told the seven congregations in Revelation, “I know your works.” And He told them “be zealous, repent” or He would take away their place and blot out their name from the book of Life. Serious words.

So what do you hear? Not “Condemnation”… you hear “Conviction!” If you are truly repentant and you believe the Master Yahushua, you will hear conviction.

You won’t hear “Cursing,”… but you will hear “Correction!” You won’t hear “Discouragement,”… you will hear “Encouragement” and “the right way to live” and “Conviction!” You won’t hear that you are “Never Good Enough”… you will say, “All right, I am good enough to be accepted, but He has taken me to a Higher Level now!”

Not “Binding Chains”… you will hear “Liberty!” Not “Cutting Criticism”… but “Instruction in Righteousness!”

So I am talking to the saints now, those who believe the Good News, and this is what they hear: Conviction! Correction! Taking you to a Higher Level! Liberty! Instruction in Righteousness!

And there are many of you listening to this broadcast who are His people, who are His saints and believe these things. I am talking to you now. I want to say I praise Yahweh for you! You are so precious to me.

You don’t feel condemned when the scriptures are shared. You are just putting your trust in Yahushua for the forgiveness of sin, but at the same time you love Yahweh, you feel conviction when there is something in your life that is not according to His Word. And you don’t feel cursed because you understand Yahushua bore the curse of the Law for you.

But that doesn’t stop you from hearing and heeding His correction. And you don’t feel discouraged when scripture speaks against your action. You feel encouraged because now Yahweh has opened your eyes and now you can work on changing that ugly habit. And you are excited to learn more about the things you are doing wrong.

In fact, when you read the Scriptures, you are always looking, “What am I doing wrong?” That is what you are looking for.

You are in pursuit of holiness and sanctification and righteousness, because while you recognize, “Okay, yeah, I’ll never be good enough to earn a ticket into heaven, Yahweh accepts me anyway and He loves me. And I want to love Him so much that I want to take my walk to another level. I want instruction in righteousness.”

I love every one of you so much. When I meet a saint like that, I get so excited. And you don’t see the Law as something that binds you because you recognize you are set free in the Messiah Yahushua. You see sin as being the bondage, not the Law!

And you are well pleased to hear of new things you need to change, because you recognize the Law is doing its work of teaching you the way of love, the way of freedom, the way of LIBERTY.

You don’t see the scriptures that teach against sin as something for the purpose of cutting you down and tearing you to shreds with criticism, but as something that instructs you in righteousness so that you can be more and more like Yahushua every day. Mmm… mmm. HalleluYah!!

That is freedom, my brothers and my sisters! That is freedom! And I praise Yahweh for you. I am with you. I am with you, brother, sister. Yahweh is with you. All of heaven is with you. You understand the good news of Yahushua Messiah, and blessed are your ears to ear and your eyes because they see.

You don’t see grace as something that should take the edge off your zeal for righteous living. And you don’t see your zeal for righteous living as the sole means of salvation. In all of the scriptures I have ever read, it is so clear to me– that is what Yahweh is looking for! That is what Yahweh is looking for.

I will say it again. You don’t see grace as something that takes the edge off your zeal for righteous living. And you don’t see your zeal for righteous living as the means of salvation to save you, but you do everything out of love and pursuit of Messiah’s example. That is awesome.

Now for those who feel beat down, condemned, cursed, discouraged, because although you are repentant of you sins, but you just have no assurance of righteousness, I say to you: Come to Yahushua. Put your faith in Him. We have to have faith in Him to be saved. And maybe it is the lack of faith in Him that is causing you to not feel saved.

Put your faith in Him and trust that His righteousness is sufficient for you. His grace is what you need. He is waiting for you to reject fear and embrace faith and to know and believe the love He has for you. Because He is love. And he who abides in love abides in Elohim. And Elohim abides in him.

1John 4:16 – And we have known and believed the love that Elohim has for us. Elohim is love, and he who abides in love abides in Elohim, and Elohim in him.

17 – Love has been perfected among us in this: that we may have boldness in the day of judgment; because as He is, so are we in this world.

We can actually have boldness in the day of judgment! Imagine that! You stand before Elohim in boldness. Why? Here is what it says: “Because as He is, so are we in this world we live in.”

Think about that for a moment. He is love. We can have boldness, because as Yahushua is, so are we. It is no longer we who live, it is Yahushua who lives in us (Galatians 2:20).

We do not need to fear His torment.

1John 4:18 – There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

You do not need to fear being tormented in the age to come.

You are not being made perfect in love. You are walking in fear thinking He hates you and can’t wait to throw you into the lake of fire. But listen, recognize that He loved you first.

1John 4:19 – We love Him because He first loved us.

And love Him with a perfect love that casts out the fear of torment, and you can come to a place where you actually have boldness in the day of judgment because you understand and you believe the good news.

Yahushua wants you to have faith in Him, that His blood is sufficient, because He wants to set you free. And so, if you are lacking in faith or lacking in repentance, I am calling you to come into the light. Come to the place of freedom and peace.

Come to Yahushua and faith and repentance. That is all He asks. And if we do these things, He can meet us right where we are. The only question is whether we are willing to meet with Him.

So I want to pray for you and with you at this time because I want you to be free. And you can choose to pray with me or not. It is up to you, but I am going to pray for you. And if you want, I will pray with you.

Abba Yahweh, holy is Your awesome, awesome name. Thank You, Father Yahweh, for Your Word. Thank You for Your promises. Thank You for the simple and easy to understand plan of salvation, the simplicity that is in Yahushua Ha Mashiach. Thank You, Father, for the freedom You offer to us.

And, Abba Yahweh, I desire that Your Kingdom would come and Your will would be done in the lives of everyone who is within the sound of my voice, that all would come to You and recognize the need for repentance and faith in Your Son, Yahushua, and that You, Almighty Yahweh, would provide for them the forgiveness that they seek.

Yahweh, I pray with them and for them at this moment. Abba Yahweh, we ask Your forgiveness for any and all sin we have committed. Forgive us for listening to the enemy instead of to You, for believing the enemy’s words instead of Your words.

O Yahweh, help and have mercy on all of us for any times where we have done this. Help us to recognize and hear Your voice, the voice of the gentle Shepherd who leads us gently.

And help us to recognize and reject the words of Your enemy who is lying about You, who is always pushing, always taking us to a fear of rejection, always pulling us away from faith in Yahushua and pulling us away from the need for repentance in our lives.

Father, deliver us from the enemy and his corrupt ways. We want to, now, only heed Your voice, the voice of the gentle Shepherd. Right now, Father, we repent of all of our transgressions. We turn away from unrighteousness. We turn toward righteousness.

We love Your ways, Abba Yahweh, and we want Your ways to be established in our lives. We want Your Kingdom and Your will to be done right here in us, this earthen vessel, the bodies You have given us. We want to glorify You with our bodies that we might walk in love, in light, in freedom, in joy, in peace, in holiness, in purity, in righteousness.

O Yahweh, fill us with Your Spirit, Your holy, holy Spirit, that we might be cleansed, that we might be empowered, that we might go forth in joy and in faith that You love us. Even if no one else does, You love us, You accept us, because we are turning away from sin.

We are trusting that Yahushua can make us righteous just as Your Word has said. We believe You now. Your words are true– that we only need to turn, turn away from sin, receive Yahushua for the forgiveness of sin, and You will make us Your child and You will accept us.

And I thank You, Father Yahweh, for Your promises. It is on Your promises that we are choosing to stand at this moment. And there is not anyone else in this world worthy of our trust but You.

You are the most powerful Being in the universe and, right now, we put our trust in You and in Your Word and in Your promises. And Abba, for any others in whom we have trusted and they have failed us and they have hurt us and they have abused us and they have lied to us and have sinned against us, we set them free. We forgive them.

Just as You have forgiven us, we forgive them and we let go, because we know, Yahweh, there isn’t anything in this world worth holding onto. You are the only perfect One. You are the only eternal One. And only Your love is eternal. And so, we let it all go. All bitterness toward anybody, any offenses, we give it to You, right now, Yahweh.

You deal with them according to Your right and just ways do we hope You bring them to repentance and faith in Yahushua just as we have been brought to this day, Father, that they might walk in holiness and truth and be cleansed from their wrongs and cease from their evil doings, even as You have cleansed us. Cleanse them. Bring them to salvation.

Even as Stephen prayed for Paul, don’t charge them with this sin. And Paul was saved. Have mercy on them, too. Thank You, Father.

Thank You for sending Yahushua that we might be free. Thank You for loving me when I wasn’t loving You. Thank You for calling me out of this dark world into Your marvelous light. Thank You for loving me first. Now I want to love You in return with a zealous love. Empower me to walk in love toward You and toward others.

And, Father, we look forward to the day when we will be with You for eternity. But, until then, lead us home. Lead us to be more and more like Yahushua every day. For we know, Yours is the Kingdom. Yours is the power and glory and majesty and victory and greatness, forever and ever.

And to You, Yahweh Elohenu, Yahweh our Mighty One, we give praise and honor and glory and power and strength and worship forever and ever.

And we know it is only through Yahushua Ha Mashiach that we can even come to You right now. And so, it is in His name– His wonderful, wonderful name– we pray these things. Amein and Amein.

And if any of you desire to keep on praying, don’t stop. Talk to your Father in heaven. Anything I may have missed… thank Him, praise Him, talk to Him.