Psalm 119: To love the law is to love Messiah – Part 1
02/24/18 (12/07) Video Broadcast
Psalm 119: To love the law is to love Messiah - Part 1 - Study
Part 1 - Questions and Comments
Psalm 119: To love the law is to love Messiah - Part 2 - Study01:29:02
Part 2 - Questions and Comments02:03:04
Psalm 119: To love the law is to love Messiah - Part 3 - Study01:20:31
Part 3 - Questions and Comments58:19
We are ready to begin our
study portion for today's
broadcast.
You know so many people
miss the point, when it
comes to understanding
the blessing of
Yahweh's Torah.
When they think of the law,
that's what the word Torah is.
In the Hebrew, the word
Torah in Hebrew simply
means teaching and
instruction which is
commonly translated law.
But the thing that people
miss is that when we read
Yahweh's Torah, when we
read his law Genesis 2,
Deuteronomy; I'm not
talking about Talmud
that's Jewish tradition,
that's a different world
altogether.
But when we read the
Torah, the teaching, the
law of Yahweh what we're
actually reading is how
our Savior Yahushua the
Messiah commonly called
Jesus lived his life.
And you cannot in any way,
shape or form love Messiah
and hate the law at the
same time because the law,
or the Torah, is a perfect
illustration of how he
lived his life.
And we are going to
examine a very powerful
Psalms, Psalms 119, to
love the law is to love Messiah.
1
because if you truly love
our Savior; when you read
the Torah, when you read
the law of Yahweh which
you're actually reading
is exactly how he lived,
that's what you're reading
and it's beautiful if you
allow the beauty of it
to be accepted by you.
So we're going to as we did in previous weeks, we're going to bring the scriptures together and something beautiful, something our powerful and illustrate to you from the holy scriptures that the 2 are functioning together as one unit. Alright and the fact remains according to the holy scriptures, that's what we're gonna be doing when he returns we're going to be doing what the Torah actually teaches. And so in previous broadcasts we examined what we see both Torah and Messiah in the first 4000 years of mankind covering the time of the so-called Old Testament portion of scripture and the New Testament portion of scripture. New Testament was approximately 4000 years since the creation of Adam and 2000 years have expired since then, which means we are close to the 1000 years, the last 1000 years when the Messiah will rule and reign over the earth and the enemy Satan the devil will be cast into the bottomless pit. Now let's begin by examining the beauty of Psalms chapter 119, blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of Yahweh. To be undefiled and to walk in the law of Yahweh are two things which are synonymous. They are inseparable, because it is the law of Yahweh that gives us the instruction we need to walk in a holy and righteous manner. It is the law of Yahweh that teaches us how to walk in love and that's really what it's all about, is walking in love. One moment, please. Now, sometimes when I share a study, I like to go over different topics, the apostles did that when they were writing their letters to different congregations, topical studies are important and we want to do topical studies. But other times, you know, it's good for us to go through the scriptures verse by verse in Acts chapter 15 verse 21, that was one of the expectations when they'll go to the synagogue and learn the law of Yahweh every Sabbath and they would hear it being read in its full context. And you know not everybody had an easily accessible copy of the law of Yahweh to follow along and so we're here at a great advantage and our generation where his word is available to us freely. And we're very blessed to be able to have that availability but we still want to go over some chapters and this chapter particularly I find very very fascinating. I think, there are many treasures, many nuggets that we can glean from going over checks Psalms chapter 119, we may or may not go through the full Psalm it's very long. But I want to go through this and just show you how beautifully the word of Yahweh just comes together in an amazing and very poetic and a very powerful way. nd so now we see here and some of your bible translations is going to have this ALEPH.
ALEPH is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet or Aleph Bet, I like to say. Like, the actual word Aleph Bet is interesting. That's the name of the actual letters, but then, of course, Greek changed it to "alpha beta" or "alphabet." But, we have the origin and the order of some of the letters here actually appears to be the divine origin, Aleph, Bet, Gimel, Dalet, so on so forth and it's not just because, the ABC song we have certain letters in a certain order, but there's order to it and it's a little different in the Hebrew, going A, B, G, D and so on and so forth. But it's an acrostic, an acrostical Psalms is a Psalms that has some kind of order to it and where the first letter of each line is associated with the ALEPH in the Hebrew Aleph Bet and so each letter here and as we look into this acrostic.
The very first word here ALEPH, we go through the scriptures you're gonna find some pretty amazing stuff but the word is translated undefiled is from the Hebrew word tamim which most often is translated without blemish. And what does it mean to be unblemished? Well, without spot, without blemish. So if we were to walk in the law, the Torah of Yahweh we would be without blemish and we would be without spot. And we would have what we need to be pleasing before our Father in heaven and to properly love man and Yahweh. So if we are seeking the path of joy, the path of happiness, if we are looking for a pathway of a blessing then we need to be seeking to walk in the law of Yahweh because it says blessed are the undefiled in the way; who walk in the law of Yahweh. And so if we walk in the law of Yahweh then we are going to be blessed and we are going to be without blemish, just like our Savior was without blemish. Isn't that important to walk as he walked? Now the Hebrew word Torah if we go back to the Hebrew comes from Yadah which has to do with casting something, it's used to describe rain as we talked about in the previous broadcast, it has to do with sending out an arrow. So something going from one place to another, in this case from heaven to earth Yahweh gave us his Torah. Well if there's something you don't like about Yahweh's law, if you look at it and you say "I still don't like that part of the old testament stuff, I don't like this stuff, you know" and there's probably going to be something that you don't like about Yahushua because he was the author he handed it down from Yahweh to us. And it says that, he is the word that became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten, of the father, full of grace and full of truth. Full of grace and truth, we talked about in the previous broadcast about mercy and truth, mercy and truth, Torah and Messiah, Torah and Messiah, grace and truth, Torah and Messiah. Messiah bringing about grace and we know that the Torah is the truth, he said it himself your word is truth in John 17:17. One minute, please. So if we want grace and if we want truth, then we need to follow the word. Follow Messiah, put our faith and trust in him and now the Psalmist who wrote Psalm 119, we don't know who it was, we might assume it's David but it's not that the actual author is not named, could've been Asaph. We don't know who the author is but whoever it is, I gonna say their love, their love for Yahweh's word is inspiring. I mean the Psalmist just has this love affair with the law of Yahweh, and perhaps some of you know they always seem to be a bad thing all you can't be focusing too much on the law that; it's a good thing because when the Psalmist loves the Torah it's proof that the Messiah was to appear to him in the era he lived he would have so so loved him. He would have so loved Yahushua, because Yahushua is the embodiment of the Torah, of the law. He is the word that became flesh, he's a Torah that became flesh and dwelt among us he never failed one time to keep any of the precepts that our heavenly father gave, if he ever felt he would be a sinner like us and need a savior like himself. But he was never a transgressor anytime and so he wouldn't have been near the Savior if he had failed. But he was without blemish and without spot, he was unblemished, undefiled in the way, tamim, undefiled in the way.
So if you call on the father who without partiality judges according to each one 's work, you call on him, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, in fear. Why fear?
Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of Messiah as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
He was undefiled in the way, he walked in the law of Yahweh. He was undefiled, tamim and so since he was without blemish and he walked in the law of Yahweh, he can be qualified as one that we should imitate and one that we should follow that's our goal. Our goal is to be a manifestation of what Messiah Yahushua was on the earth.
The word congregation, all kind of tricky things come
about when I think of congregational, I think Church, I think stain glass windows, staples, December 25th. Like the word congregation better, okay but he wants to be a congregation that walks in the law of Yahweh. Husbands it says love your wives just as Messiah also love the congregation or assembly and gave himself for her. That he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of the water by the word. That he might present her to himself a glorious congregation not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. We are called as a congregation to be holy and without blemish, that's what our Savior wants out of us and of course it is his righteousness that enables us to do that. But the fact remains if we willfully choose to rebel
against the law of Yahweh, we refuse to repent of our transgressions and we justify our disobedience to the law of Yahweh then we are not manifesting a life that's without blemish. We're not accurately manifesting the Messiah Yahushua, we are not manifesting his tamim life. The sacrificial offerings, we know, are ultimately... had to be accepted by Yahweh and in order for them to be accepted by Yahweh they had to be without blemish. And so the husband is supposed to be presenting his wife this way through his love for her, the Messiah is supposed to be presenting the Messiah's bride, the congregation in this way. Now Yahushua is the only one, ultimately, who can die for our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But we are called to be without spot, holy and sanctified. Now it's not by our righteousness it's by his righteousness in us. But we are warned in 1 John 2:6, he who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk, just as he walked. Just as Messiah Yahushua walked are we doing that? Are we living the way he did? I love that question, it's a lovely question because I know no one can speak against it.
I'm just you know, why do you keep the Sabbath and feast days and why do you eat clean and why do you do that? I'm just trying to live like Messiah did, I mean what can they say? What we are told plainly 1 John 2:6, walk as he walked. How did he walk? How did he live? I don't need to say anything else really I mean do they keep the Sabbath? There's your answer, we keep the Feast Days there's your answer. Did he eat pork? No, neither should we. What would Yahushua do? Some say WWJD, I say what would Yahushua really do? Think first of all he probably, he probably use own name I mean, if I were you I wouldn't use Jesus and so I don't use Jesus. And so that's what we're called to do and just in case you think well Paul would say otherwise. Paul says no you don't have to do that. look at what he said and when he comes in Acts 25:7, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about, and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I offended anything at all. If he was telling the truth that meant he was still keeping Torah, he was still keeping the law of Yahweh unless he was lying which I don't think he was. So now some say well you know he was Jewish, of course he would have to do those things. We are not Jewish, we are Gentiles and so we don't have to imitate Paul, he did things that you know he didn't have to do. Then why is he writing to Corinthians and saying imitate me just as I also Messiah?
Now that's a really good question what did he do ? He would neither against the Jews through the law the Jews nor against any you know the temple or against man's law did he offend anything? And so he sought to be without blemish and honor Messiah Yahushua. So this book that we have in our hands, it does not destroy the law it's a consistent book. You have got the New Testament and the Old Testament you know but, I mean as I've already said Paul wasn't sitting there going oh father please help me to write some more on the New Testament so people will know you don't have to follow your laws anymore. I don't buy that, I don't buy that. The New Testament does not take away the Old, it fulfills it in a sense of we see that being fulfilled. We see Yahushua the Messiah when he said do not think I come to destroy the law the Prophets, I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. And some say well if he fulfilled it all and so therefore we don't have to do it. Well, he fulfilled the commandment that says don't commit adultery, right? He could fulfill that commandment. He fulfilled the commandment that said honor your Mother and your Father, do you are you now free to commit adultery on your mother and father? And some might say well what about you know stoning and you know if you violate the Sabbath you'll be stoned. When some also say if you violate the command to commit adultery do not commit adultery, you'll be stoned also. Does that mean that we're free to commit adultery since there was a stoning for those who violated that commandment. No, neither is there a stoning for those who violate the command to keep the Sabbath, those particular commandments were in the context of there being a functioning priesthood in a country that Yahweh established, Israel. And these were several punishments for those who violated the law there's a difference there's a law and then there is the response that Yahweh gives when one violates it. And the response that he gave when one violated the law was in some cases capital punishment, death, other cases not. But just because we don't have a nation that practices those particular civil punishments doesn't mean we're free to commit adultery, you know to disrespect our parents or lie to each other or steal or rob or break the Sabbath it's all the same, it's all the law. So but our nation does not follow those things, does not follow those punishments in some ways we difficult without a functioning priesthood. But the day will come when these will be re-instituted, when the Messiah returns. And so if you see somebody driving down the road and they're violating the speed limit, zoom by you at 85 miles an hour. Do you run them down, hold them off to jail? No, can you be a law-abiding citizen and not haul them off to jail? Yes, you can. Because there are people in place in our society who are responsible for taking them to jail or giving a ticket or whatever it may be. Right and so there were people in Israel society who had that responsibility and they were judges of the land and so those commandments were for the judges of the land. And the same is true of the sacrifices they were people who were in place Priests who are responsible for sprinkling blood on the altar we have no alter, there are no animal sacrifices to bring and so in the context we live it is the commandments and the moral law itself that we do when we keep the law of Yahweh. When they took up stones to stone Yahushua.
They were not even acting correctly, they did not take before the judge, the judges to make a determination whether he should be stoned or not. They just picked up stones right there to stone him on the spot and that was not the way it was supposed to be done in Israel. And so don't think that, that impression is what we're supposed to be doing today anyway, now they go before the judge; the judge has sentencing guidelines, okay. The Torah says you shall be put to death, the Torah says you shall restore you know five oxen for an ox or whatever it might be if they stole something, restore a certain amount back. And so therefore there was a righteous way of dealing with its eye for an eye, tooth for tooth someone knocks this guy's tooth out, that person's tooth will get knocked out, simple as that. That's the sentencing guidelines for Israel, now we are not judges in the land of Israel but we do know what's wrong to knock someone's tooth out, right. By this command you know well don't be knocking people's tooth out. And don't be their eyes out, that's not love. So the only righteous way of dealing with it was that they would get down to them what they thought to do to somebody else. And there's a difference between the response when someone breaks the law and the law itself, I hope we understand that. Yahushua did not go around stoning anybody and yet he kept the law of Yahweh perfectly. He was not in the position of a local judge in a particular city and he did not practice judgment not being a judge that's why he even said a man who made me a ruler and judge over you, when the guy wanted to have his inheritance split. You know and so it is different, it is all dependent upon the function that we hold. So we can keep the law of Yahweh and not keep those particular commands that are for judges and that are for Priests. So the Bible is not about mixed messages. The Bible is about giving us a consistent message from one end to the other.
All right, looks like I don't have verse 2 up there which says, Okay so we're gonna put verse 2; Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek
him with the whole heart. He does not want half-hearted seeking him, he wants to seek him with a whole heart, every bit we're called to love Yahweh with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our strength right. So we must seek him with a whole heart so if we want the path of blessing. It says blessed are those who keep or watch over or guard his testimonies, beautiful words here in verse 2 of Psalms 119. You know the entire law is really a testimony and that Yahweh is testifying as to what he desires to see out of the man. The 10 commandments recall testimony because they were proof that Yahweh himself came down and wrote them with his own finger what he required of men, the feast days are a testimony because they speak of his plan of salvation. When we keep the Sabbath as Yahweh intended, as a testimony of how Yahweh created the heavens and the earth and rested on the seventh day. And so blessed are those who keep his testimonies, keeping them is a path, a blessing his name is a memorial and therefore a testimony of who he is. When you understand the word Yahweh means he who causes to be which is. He will show you what it is by what he does, he is by what he does. So blessed are those who seek him, it says here with a whole heart, he's not interested in the half-hearted pursuit of his ways he wants the wholehearted pursuit of him in his ways. He is jealous if you're holding part of yourself back, he is jealous he wants that part. He created you he deserves every part of loyalty from you, he made you from dust and see you owe everything to him. Everything you owe to him, he told the children of Israel when they will disobey his law, he accepted them back under one condition. He said Yahweh will scatter you among the peoples and you will be left few in number among the nations where Yahweh will drive you, and there you will serve mighty ones the work of men's hands, wood and stone which neither seen nor hear nor eat or smell. But from there you will seek Yahweh your Mighty One and you will find him if you seek him with all
your heart and with all your being. All your soul every bit of you that's why he says Love Me with all your heart, soul and mind because that's the way he loves us. Everything, he loves us completely. And he told them when he sent in exile in Jeremiah 29 verse 10 says that's as Yahweh after 70 years are completed at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you says Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. And then you will call upon me, and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says Yahweh: and I will bring you back from your captivity, I will gather you from all the nations of all the places where I've driven you says Yahweh; and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. You know Brothers and Sisters I think right now, today at this moment we are in exile.
We're not living in the land that Yahweh appointed for us to live in. We're in a strange land we are captives in this land, we are in captivity, we are in exile because of the disobedience of our Fathers. The United States of America is not our home, you might like it here, but this is not our home. We are Israel, Galatians 3:29 saying that we are Abraham's seed. And so Yahweh desires nothing less than that we would search for him with all of our hearts and if we do that he will be found. Don't assume old man, young man, middle-aged, children or whatever that you got time. Right now, today is the day of salvation. If you seek salvation today, don't assume that if you don't seek salvation he will always be available to you. Do you know what the scripture says? Seek Yahweh while he may be found, call upon him, while he is in the air. If you lately happen thinking that Yahweh has really been calling you into the sheepfold and you've been kind of strong defense and wondering which side you should go. This is an opportunity, don't assume it'll happen again where you'll hear him calling out to you saying return to me. Seek Yahweh while he may be found, call upon him while he is there, let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, let him return to Yahweh. And he will! It doesn't say he'll think about it. It says he will have mercy on him and art to Our Mighty One for he will abundantly pardon. So, beautiful words but for those who reject him.
He says well they will have none of my counsel, and despise my error rebuke and therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way and be filled to the full with their own fancies. That's what he says, your deities, your entertainment, your pursuits, your music, your ways, your thoughts your Elohim, the things that you serve, they will not deliver you in the day of trouble. But if we seek Yahweh today we have an opportunity to have one who will deliver us in days of trouble. Now it's said that Yahweh has a limit, seek Yahweh while he may be found.
You've got to continue, you got to answer his call. You've got to answer his call while you have the opportunity, while you have him calling you out. Don't assume you have time later to turn to him, don't assume it. I had dreams when I was a young man 19 years of age. Walking in my own ways, filling my own heart with my own things I wanted to pursue. I knew that Yahweh wanted me to be following him. And I actually knew his name, I knew his name was Yahweh, I knew his son's name is Yahushua, I was taught that when I was 8 years old and so it was natural to me not that I was ever a believer as a child I never was. I knew about him, I didn't know him. But I didn't know much about him. I was totally Bible illiterate, but my point is this, Yahweh kept sending me these dreams or I was going to die. And I had these dreams okay, my plan was I was going to ask forgiveness you know before I dive. I already think I'm going to die, I'll just ask forgiveness and looks at me. But the truth be told, I kept having these dreams and I was in the process, one dream I was on a train and I was going across a gorge and then the track broke open and I fell down into the gorge, as I was falling into the gorge I was planning to pray. My little idea I had I was going to do and guess what happened, I couldn't think straight, I couldn't get the words out, I didn't know what to say and I knew when I hit the bottom of that ridge I was a goner. There was no hope of salvation for me, that put the fear of Elohim in me and within a month I gave my life to Yahushua. So don't assume that you'll have time later, don't assume. So blessed are those who keep us testimonies who seek him with a whole heart, they also do no iniquity, they walk in his ways. Well that's interesting, that's very interesting those they do no iniquity. Well, those who seek with a whole heart will do no iniquity. That sound too Old Testament for you? I mean does that sound off, too, do no iniquity. I can't live by that there is no way in the world you can't, you try to get me out of the law again there Oh Tom you keep reading and sticking your nose in the Old Testament, you're confusing me here says, well, it says do no iniquity seeking with a whole heart. See Yahweh wants us to seek him with a whole heart and if we really love him with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our strength then we will keep all his commandments. And he will forgive us when we make mistakes, when we fail. He will not regard iniquity as something that he holds us guilty for.
Me and my own children mess up from time to time they and they don't do the things they should every time and so I'm looking for attitudes. Here are they doing their best, are they put their best effort forward, do they have weaknesses as I do have weaknesses and mess up sometimes. I mean do I hold against them? Now if this whole thing sounds too Old Testament you say that's not what the Bible says there Tom, it says they do no iniquity, they walk in his ways. Well, Let's just go ahead and move forward the New Testament and see if it matches up well. It says here, 1 John chapter 3 verse 6 whoever abides in him (in Messiah) does not sin.
Well wait a minute is that not just an Old Testament idea? It says here they do no iniquity those who seek him with a whole heart and those who abide in him, they don't sin. In fact, whoever sins, has never seen him or known him. Sound too Old Testament for you? It's in the New Testament. Little children, let no one deceive you: he who practices righteousness, is righteous just as he Yahushua is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning for this purpose the son of Elohim is manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. What is this scripture supposed to say to me? Whoever abides in him sins just a little bit, No says whoever abides in him will sin every day but gets forgiven anyway? No, what's that supposed to say I mean the clear standard of one who seeks him is that he will walk in his ways, it is not to sit around and make excuses. When people say all the time I sin every day you know, what's going to boast about that's what grace is for you know. I sin every day and you know the boy, standards are way too high I could never keep the law. That's what grace is for, give us a little certificate. Do what you want but it's okay because you have the get out of hell free card in your possession. And you stand before him and I got the card, card-carrying member and I'm all for grace don't get me wrong, I'm all for grace okay please understand. I'm not saying he's on merciful if we fail to walk in his ways but our attitude, our hearts attitude is very important. What if your children said, your own children said yeah I didn't do what you said Dad but you got grace right, so I'm not worried about it.
Would you accept that? Well you know Dad I mess up every day all by the way I did this, I did that I know you forgive me because you pretty much have to. And I figure you know I can't live by your laws Mom and Dad it's too hard, so I went ahead and you know, busted a big hole in the wall and went out there and got drunk one night and you know but I have grace you accept me right? Is that acceptable to you for your son to do that? No, sorry attitude is not well, well, I sin every day. Whatever, I got grace. Our attitude, is I have sinned in my life Yahweh, I don't want to have it in my life oh no help me, help me abide in Messiah more and more every day so I will not sin because I know you're what he said. Whoever has been born of Elohim does not sin; for his seed remains in him: he cannot sin, because he's been born of Elohim.
In this the children of Elohim and the children of the devil are manifest: whosoever does not practice righteousness is not of Elohim, nor is he who does not love his brother.
That's the attitude I think we ought to have.
Now how can that both be true? How can we be recipients of grace in the event that we would sin and at the same time scripture says we cannot sin? Like it's impossible, what about Peter? Peter played the hypocrite before Paul and the rest of the disciples there and Paul had rebuked him. Does that mean he was not born of Elohim? I mean he messed up.
See you find high, high standards, amazingly high standards in the New Testament and the Old Testament it's not just an Old Testament idea, okay. It's true if we are born of Elohim we cannot sin. Now you have to understand the rebirth hasn't happened literally yet, in a sense that when the Messiah returns it says the corruptible will put off incorruptibly incorruptible. Corruption will put on incorruption. I'm sorry, and therefore we will be incorruptible and we cannot sin. But we accept that promise as something that we have received, something that we do already. And we seek to live our life as though it's happened already because we say were born again. We say that we are saved, the actual time we get saved will be when the corruption puts on incorruption. But we say that we're saved because what Yahweh says is as good as done. Okay, but it's all about our attitude. If your child came to you and said I failed you, I was wrong, I don't want to fail you, I want to honor you, I want to obey you, Oh loving arms you would accept that. But they just kind of took a blase attitude and say well you'll forgive me, you have to, God forgives me. And I can keep on doing what I'm doing you have to keep forgiving me. Is that going to be acceptable? No, so we have to do is we have to do what he says and that is, confess our sins. And he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1 John 3:4, I don't have it up there.
Our daily prayer is supposed to give us this day our daily bread, or our continual bread as it says in Hebrew. And forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us and do not lead to temptation but deliver us from the evil ones, that sounds like you know in a prayer that we practice. Give us this day or give us day by day, our daily bread. And so we're continually are asking him to forgive us. Forgive us our sins, deliver me from temptation, I don't want to be tempted because I don't want to be tempted to do wrong and I don't want to end up doing wrong, I don't wanna end up offending you. That is the expression of the correct heart that we don't want to sin any longer, we want to be delivered from temptations. We don't want the temptation to come our way. So I understand the actual rebirth is on a timeline
in the future but we accept as something already happened because of the spirit which has given us which is leading us into that condition of sinlessness. And so we accepted as something that has already been given to us. It says you have commanded us to keep your precepts diligently. Diligently, some say well you know. You don't have to worry about the details, don't restrain in that you know. The word diligently in Hebrew is a Meod, muchly, greatly. Today if you keep his precepts diligently you might be called a legalist, trying to earn your salvation you see everyday attitude, we see among people today is all you know Yahweh was vengeful and angry a lot in the Old Testament but now he's kind of calm down become this you know grandfatherly figure that bit of lax days you attitude about your disobedience. Not the anger as it used to be when he was younger you know. hat's the way people view Yahweh sometimes, like in the Old Testament fire and brimstone, this comes down and strikes you at the second use this tiny bit of a sin you're out the door. Then Messiah came, the grand ball makes smiling grandpa background all come now back little child go the right direction please. That's so far from the truth. It's an insult that he would be a chameleon they need to calm down. That he would be any different yesterday than he is today and will be forever.
Look what Yahushua said and look at it more closely, talk about diligently keeping commands okay. e said, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees! for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith ( that's where most people stop right there): these you ought to have
done (what are these?
the paying of tithe with mint, and anise and cummin), without leaving the others (what are the others? justice, mercy, and faith). So these tithing of the little things being diligent about keeping the commandments of Yahweh, you ought to have done without neglecting or leaving the others being justice, mercy and faith. He wants complete and total obedience, he wants justice, mercy and faith and he wants us to pay tithe of our income. How many of you pay tithes out of your gardens that you have in your backyard or the herb plants that you have sitting on your window seal? He expects you to, he expects you to. And then he goes on to say that you strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. In other words, he calls then blind guides, you strain out a gnat, you're straining all the gnats out. What they have this like class and if there was little gnat parts and little bug parts that were in there. Their wines and grape juice and stuff you know they pour that over top of the wine or the grape juice whatever was over top of the cloth. if there are any gnats or anything that was in that particular drink then it would be the left on top of the cloth will not go through the cloth. So he's saying you're blind guides, straining out the gnat. Trying to get the final details of the law that means paying tithe with mint and anise and cummin and then swallowing a camel which is also unclean both gnats and camels are unclean. And he says you're swallowing a camel by you know neglecting justice and mercy and faith. What good does it do to get the gnats out of your wine and here you've got this big old camel you're having for dinner. And so you get the gnats which are unclean but then you're swallowing the camel which is unclean. What good does it do to get the gnats when you got the big camel setting there in your plate. And so he's saying yes, the finer points of Yahweh's law keep them diligently. But don't neglect the bigger points the weightier matters justice, mercy, faith, love these things. So and some might say well that's awful hard enough to do all little things I mean it's too much. I disagree. 1 John 5:3; this is the love of Elohim, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not burdensome. They're not burdensome, why are they not burdensome? We just think for a minute how much he loves you. How much he values you and how much he does for you. And has done for you, now Yahushua, he was tortured and he died. So that he could express his love for you. You weren't loving him at the time. And that's how much he loved you. And, you can't do some finer point of Yahweh's law for him. You know all of a sudden it doesn't seem that bad really. When you think about that way. Then I burn. It's a joy to show love than someone who's loving you so much. You know it's a joy, can't we love him that way. And find, here's something else I need to do and find joy in it. Is it does not burn. Look at all Yahushua did for me it's not a burden at all. And so yes no problem. Let's do it let's go for it. For whatever is born of Elohim overcomes the world and this is the victory has overcome the world our faith who is he overcomes the world but he who believes that Yahushua is a son of Elohim, beautiful words.
Verse 5, all that my ways were directed to keep your statutes.Then I would not be ashamed when I look into all your commandments. This is such a profound verse because there are other scriptures were he's saying things like I keep your testimonies. But here at the same time, out of the same mouth. He says all that my ways were directed to keep your statutes. Then I would not be ashamed when I look and all your commandments, he desires so much that his own ways were directed to keep Yahweh's statutes, he's not claiming to be perfect. He's saying he knows he has this inclination in him to do wrong. And we look at the commandments he'd be ashamed because he hadn't kept them.
And now there are some people commandments say they're not ashamed at all to say well, break the law it's alright. But, It's good for us to have a moment of shame that we've done wrong. And cry out Oh Yahweh, I just, I desire to be delivered from my evil inclinations.
You know there is always an identical statement made by a man named Paul. He said Romans 7:24; wretched man that I am! who will deliver me from this body of death? It's more like he's saying all that my ways were directed to keep your statutes. This is like the same kind of cry out.
He will deliver me from this body of death. That's not inclined, that is not directed to keep the statutes of Yahweh. It gives the answer. He says I thank Elohim through Yahushua Messiah our Master. He says with the mind I myself serve the law of
Elohim; but with the flesh the law of sin.
What's the law of sin? Romans 7:21 said I find then a law, that, evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. We've got this flesh that's evil, self-centered, that wants to do evil things and I myself in my own mind I want to do the right thing but there's this flesh that doesn't. Doesn't do the right thing. All right, is there a victory, is there a way out of this? There absolutely is, it says there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Messiah Yahushua. No condemnation, you have been delivered from this body of death fo the Messiah Yahushua. He says is look will qualifier here those in Messiah Yahushua who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit. What is the spirit directing us to do? For walking according to the spirit, what are we doing? Ezekiel 36:27 I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep my judgments and do them. And so walking in the spirit and observing the statutes of the Yahweh and the commandments of Yahweh are synonymous. If Yahweh's spirit is in us he will cause us to walk in the statutes and keep his judgments and do them, if we embrace it. So we set our minds in the things of the spirit rather than the things of the flesh. He says for the law of the spirit of life in Messiah Yahushua, he has made me free from this law of sin and death that's in our members. We have been delivered from this law of sin and death that's in our members. We are made free through the spirit, the spirit is in us now; my spirit within you, causing to walk in statutes and judgments, causing you to not walk according to the flesh but walking according to the spirit. Because we are in Messiah Yahushua, do you see all connections happening here? We are delivered, and we are able to keep his judgments, we're able to keep his statutes and what the law itself could not do, the law cannot make you do anything they can only tell you what's right and what's wrong. It's weak through the flesh it can only tell you the right thing to do, but where you failed Elohim did it by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin he condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. So the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us, that means it's done. As far as Yahweh is concerned we have kept the law, because their righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us. But there is a qualifier, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit. What's the difference between walking according the flesh and according to the spirit? I already told you, he says I will put my spirit within you, I will cause you to walk in my statutes, to keep my judgments and do them. Some people out there right now I can hear them saying, well Tom that's the Old Testament. But this is a prophecy of what's going to happen in the New Testament. Okay and just to prove that let's continue to read here in Romans 8:5; for those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things the flesh; but those who live according to the spirit the things of the spirit you set your minds on the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity (that's hatred) against Elohim (why? ): for it is not subject to the law (the Torah) of Elohim, nor indeed can be. And therefore. all scripture comes together if we are walking in the spirit that means we are subject to the law of Elohim. Otherwise we are walking in enmity against him, and we are rejecting the spirit that's leading in our life which is directing us to keep his statutes, and his judgments to do them.
Make sense it all comes together, beautiful, one beautiful certified perfect word of truth, no confusion, no contradiction, no change, beautiful. That's why it says in Acts 2:38; 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 gifts of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't say you might, it says you will. And that promise is to you as to people of his generation, to their children of that generation and to all who are far off, as many as Yahweh our Elohim shall call. So we're the ones afar off, we're in exile, we're in Babylon, Yahweh has called us while we're in this foreign land will be seeking with all of our heart, soul and all our strength. And now we have his Holy Spirit within us. We're able to no longer be in bondage, through the flesh we regard the flesh is dead, right making yourselves is dead. It's no longer we live but Messiah living in us Galatians 2:20. So he says, now little children abide in him, (what does it mean to abide in him?) he who says he abides in him ought to himself walk as he walked 1 John 2:6. That when he appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
So abide in him, walk as he walks so you won't be ashamed that he's coming. If you know he's righteous, you know everyone who practices righteousness is born of him. re you born of Messiah? The answer is revealed and whether you abide in him and whether you walk in righteous just as he was righteous, and you practice righteousness just as he practices righteousness. If we repent of our wrongs, if we have confessed our sins before him, if we have committed our ways toward keeping his statutes and we've come to his humility and confession and dedicating our lives toward seeking him with all our heart soul and strength. And yet somehow we don't feel saved. You don't feel like he forgives, we still feel condemned. Let me say something, I can come from bad parenting if we were being raised in an oppressive environment where either parent or a religion that we're following at the time was very condemning and demanding and unforgiving.
We have to understand, this right here if I our heart condemns us, Elohim is greater than our heart and knows all things Hallelujah for that. You know if our heart does not condemn us we have confidence toward Elohim and we need that confidence toward Elohim, we need that blessed assurance that we are loved by him, that he is our father and we are his children. And whenever we receive, we ask from him because we keep his commandments and do those things which are pleasing in his sight. There are two things he wants us to do, not just keeping commandments but doing things that he is pleased with. You know our father will be pleased with you doing this and therefore do it. So there are two things, you keep the commandments that's great you need to do that. But also look to the things that are pleasing in his sight and don't worry about the condemnation if you are making sincere efforts to do these things are pleasing his sight and keep his commandments. So, pretty simple Psalms 119 verse 7; I will praise
you with uprightness of heart, when I learn your righteous judgments. I will keep your statutes: O do not forsake me utterly. You see once we learn the righteous judgments, what judgments? Mishpat is the Hebrew. Judgments are decisions by Yahweh as to what's right and what's wrong. A declaration of who might be saved and who would not be saved. The law tells us judgments of what should happen when a person sins and what that person's, what a sin actually is. He also tells us that those who are not in Messiah are under condemnation. And those who are in Messiah are not condemned, that's his judgment. His judgment is that we will receive eternal life, that's his judgment we are called to rejoice and praise him for his judgments which are always true.
Praise him with uprightness of heart, when we learn of his righteous judgments.
And so we call upon him to dwell with us and did not forsake us utterly dwell in us, with us, among us.
And he says, Yahweh loves justice Psalms 37:28 and does not forsake his saints, does not forsake. The word saints mean holy one that's what the word means. They are preserved forever but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. hat's his righteous judgment, Yahushua said the same. Matthew 28:19-20; Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always even to
the end of the age. He will not leave us, he will not forsake us that's what he spoke and that's for us today even to the end of the age.
Psalms 119 verse 9; How can a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed according to your word.
Now at this time when the Psalmist was writing these things, he did know about Yahushua dying for our sins. He knew, however, that one's way could be cleansed when you repented and that's what we read in Acts 2:38, repent and that every one of you is baptized in the name of Yahushua. And so what he said was if you will be cleansed if you take heed according to his word, if you repent, if you turn away from your sins, you begin taking heed according to his word. He knew through repentance Yahweh would grant you mercy and grace and forgiveness.
And so we see in the Psalms a call to repentance. Now, he knows that young men in particular are in
need of some help. Some instruction and so he says you gotta be taking heed according to his word. You gotta be seeking his word so if you're a young man or young girl and you want to walk in a way that results in you being cleansed of your sins then start taking heed according to his word. He knows that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction will drive it far from him, Proverbs 22 verse 15. He knows we have a natural inclination to fool all of us from the time we are children. And we all were children at one time even old men with gray beards and white hair and one time were babies and toddlers and children and have this inclination of foolishness. And so as we become older into teenage years; hopefully we had parents to drive away the foolishness out of us. But we are told in Ecclesiastes 11:9, rejoice, O young man in your youth, let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes. Go ahead, do it but know that for all these Elohim will bring you into judgment. It'll come, it'll come back to haunt you the thought and the things that you did as a young person when you walked in your own ways and did your own thing and you disregarded the way of Yahweh. You walked in the way of your own heart he says to look out Elohim will bring you into judgment and I can speak as one who was a young man as a teenage boy and walked in the ways of my own heart after the sight of my own eyes and guess what I paid for it dearly. And it haunts me to this day honestly some of the things I did. And even as a young believer some of the things that I did so yeah go ahead but realize it'll all come down on you want at one point. So therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. Looks like everything is vanity to the author of Ecclesiastes everything is vanity. Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. Now, he is not saying that you will not be forgiven for the things that you did wrong he's saying that there will be judgment remember David? David, he went off and he was a man after Yahweh's own heart allowed his heart to be drawn toward adultery. And he committed adultery and murdered a man and Yahweh says why put away your sin? owever there'll be consequences rightly, he said there will be consequences with your children. And it turned out to be his son Absalom rebelled, the child that was born of adultery died there was all kind of trouble looking upon his life as a result of these things. And so if you're a young person you have an opportunity really to make sure that your frame of mind is going to be centered around what's right, good, holy and just and pure and lay for yourself a foundation. We are not being judged as David was judged, we are not going through trouble and difficulty because of things that you had done.When you walked in the sight of your own eyes. So the goal is that, young people, if you're growing up in this walk, If you're growing up in this walk with keeping Yahweh's law, your parents are keeping
Torah and things like that. You are in a perfect position, because yeah your parents probably aren't perfect. And, hopefully, they are humble enough to admit that. But listen you're in a perfect position because you have already been taught and you are learning already the law of Yahweh. So you already have an opportunity, have your way cleansed and to not bring a judgment.
You know for later in life you have Yahweh's blessing on you and so you've been given much and because you've been given much a lot's gonna be required of you even more so than someone who did not grow up this way and so, yes, sometimes we read or hear some guy you know he went off the way of the world and did drugs and alcohol and parties and all the sin. But they can politely turns his life around and you know how glorious it was for Yahweh to give grace to a man like that, who did such terrible things and that's all well and good.
We know what the greatest testimony, greatest testimony is not a man who went off the way of the world, did so awful things and came back. The greatest testimony is someone who never departed to the right or to the left. And they remained in the faith and they did not depart from it and so the young people who are listening to broadcast today you have a tremendous opportunity, a tremendous blessing that can be on your life if you want to receive it.
And do not depart to the right to left but choose of your own free will. Don't follow your parents. Follow Yahweh, what I mean by that is you need to follow Yahweh because you yourself have a relationship with him you can't just go through your parents for everything you have to have your own personal relationship and walk with Messiah. I'm not saying that you can do things that you want, your parents don't approve because you're in their household. You need to have your own personal walk with him.
And so don't be like those who say well you know,
I'll go find out what this evil side is like you know, go check it out you know. See if I really want, go that way; you know what I knew about Yahweh when I was young whippersnapper. I was only 8 or 10 years old, I knew about him. My grandmother and grandfather, they were Torah observant believers in Yahushua when I was 8,9,10 years old. And using Yahweh's name my parents were not. But my grandparents were, and I had an opportunity to not go into the world. But I went into the world. And I regret that so much.
But my point is that you know, don't get caught up
in thinking you have to know about evil in order to reject it. You see where people are going and a life they live and the mess that they're in and that's all you need to see. You don't need to find out for yourself because every single one of those people will tell you when they come back into the faith they wish they had never done it. They wish they never did, is the glorious testimony as someone takes my Yahweh delivers him from the pit and saves them but the greater testimony is I never departed. By Yahweh's grace I never departed that's the great testimony. And so let's look at what scripture says, I write to you, fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of Elohim abides in you. Why? Because you were raised in this walk, listen young men, young women you're strong. You've overcome the wicked one, let that strength carry you for the rest of your life, let it carry you. The habits of righteousness that your parents have put in you; these habits, the righteous behavior; walk in them, enjoy the blessing of them. Do not love the world nor the things in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in you. For all that's in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life it's not of the father, it's of the world. And the world is passing away in the last of it.
But he who does the will of Elohim abides forever.
Don't we want to do the will of Elohim and abide forever. Because there's nothing this world has to offer you that's worth hanging on to, nothing whatsoever. With my whole heart I have sought you well let me not
wander from your commandments, let that be your prayer. Young people, with my whole heart as such.
Let me not wander from your commandments. Let's pray that.
Heavenly father Yahweh, great and mighty Elohim,
let us not wander from your commandments.
Let our eyes look straight ahead Proverbs 4:25, Let let our eyelids look right before us, pondering the path of our feet and letting all of our ways be established and do not turning not turning to the right or to the left but removing our foot from evil. Seeking those things which are above where the Messiah is seated at the right hand of Elohim, setting our minds on things above not things on the earth knowing that we died. And our life is hidden with the Messiah and Elohim teach us to walk therein, teach us to walk
as our Savior walked. Keeping your law with all of our heart all of our soul, all of our strength. And forgive us father where we have failed you.
Forgive me where I have failed you. Forgive all of us where we have failed you and forgive all of us where we have failed each other.
Deliver us from the wicked one. We don't want temptation. We want to walk as Yahushua walked. For truly yours is the kingdom and power, and glory and majesty. Forever and ever and all praise honor and worship belongs to you. Yahweh Elohim, Yahweh our Mighty One, forever and ever in Yahushua's great name. Amein.
So we're going to as we did in previous weeks, we're going to bring the scriptures together and something beautiful, something our powerful and illustrate to you from the holy scriptures that the 2 are functioning together as one unit. Alright and the fact remains according to the holy scriptures, that's what we're gonna be doing when he returns we're going to be doing what the Torah actually teaches. And so in previous broadcasts we examined what we see both Torah and Messiah in the first 4000 years of mankind covering the time of the so-called Old Testament portion of scripture and the New Testament portion of scripture. New Testament was approximately 4000 years since the creation of Adam and 2000 years have expired since then, which means we are close to the 1000 years, the last 1000 years when the Messiah will rule and reign over the earth and the enemy Satan the devil will be cast into the bottomless pit. Now let's begin by examining the beauty of Psalms chapter 119, blessed are the undefiled in the way, who walk in the law of Yahweh. To be undefiled and to walk in the law of Yahweh are two things which are synonymous. They are inseparable, because it is the law of Yahweh that gives us the instruction we need to walk in a holy and righteous manner. It is the law of Yahweh that teaches us how to walk in love and that's really what it's all about, is walking in love. One moment, please. Now, sometimes when I share a study, I like to go over different topics, the apostles did that when they were writing their letters to different congregations, topical studies are important and we want to do topical studies. But other times, you know, it's good for us to go through the scriptures verse by verse in Acts chapter 15 verse 21, that was one of the expectations when they'll go to the synagogue and learn the law of Yahweh every Sabbath and they would hear it being read in its full context. And you know not everybody had an easily accessible copy of the law of Yahweh to follow along and so we're here at a great advantage and our generation where his word is available to us freely. And we're very blessed to be able to have that availability but we still want to go over some chapters and this chapter particularly I find very very fascinating. I think, there are many treasures, many nuggets that we can glean from going over checks Psalms chapter 119, we may or may not go through the full Psalm it's very long. But I want to go through this and just show you how beautifully the word of Yahweh just comes together in an amazing and very poetic and a very powerful way. nd so now we see here and some of your bible translations is going to have this ALEPH.
ALEPH is the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet or Aleph Bet, I like to say. Like, the actual word Aleph Bet is interesting. That's the name of the actual letters, but then, of course, Greek changed it to "alpha beta" or "alphabet." But, we have the origin and the order of some of the letters here actually appears to be the divine origin, Aleph, Bet, Gimel, Dalet, so on so forth and it's not just because, the ABC song we have certain letters in a certain order, but there's order to it and it's a little different in the Hebrew, going A, B, G, D and so on and so forth. But it's an acrostic, an acrostical Psalms is a Psalms that has some kind of order to it and where the first letter of each line is associated with the ALEPH in the Hebrew Aleph Bet and so each letter here and as we look into this acrostic.
The very first word here ALEPH, we go through the scriptures you're gonna find some pretty amazing stuff but the word is translated undefiled is from the Hebrew word tamim which most often is translated without blemish. And what does it mean to be unblemished? Well, without spot, without blemish. So if we were to walk in the law, the Torah of Yahweh we would be without blemish and we would be without spot. And we would have what we need to be pleasing before our Father in heaven and to properly love man and Yahweh. So if we are seeking the path of joy, the path of happiness, if we are looking for a pathway of a blessing then we need to be seeking to walk in the law of Yahweh because it says blessed are the undefiled in the way; who walk in the law of Yahweh. And so if we walk in the law of Yahweh then we are going to be blessed and we are going to be without blemish, just like our Savior was without blemish. Isn't that important to walk as he walked? Now the Hebrew word Torah if we go back to the Hebrew comes from Yadah which has to do with casting something, it's used to describe rain as we talked about in the previous broadcast, it has to do with sending out an arrow. So something going from one place to another, in this case from heaven to earth Yahweh gave us his Torah. Well if there's something you don't like about Yahweh's law, if you look at it and you say "I still don't like that part of the old testament stuff, I don't like this stuff, you know" and there's probably going to be something that you don't like about Yahushua because he was the author he handed it down from Yahweh to us. And it says that, he is the word that became flesh and dwelt among us. And we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten, of the father, full of grace and full of truth. Full of grace and truth, we talked about in the previous broadcast about mercy and truth, mercy and truth, Torah and Messiah, Torah and Messiah, grace and truth, Torah and Messiah. Messiah bringing about grace and we know that the Torah is the truth, he said it himself your word is truth in John 17:17. One minute, please. So if we want grace and if we want truth, then we need to follow the word. Follow Messiah, put our faith and trust in him and now the Psalmist who wrote Psalm 119, we don't know who it was, we might assume it's David but it's not that the actual author is not named, could've been Asaph. We don't know who the author is but whoever it is, I gonna say their love, their love for Yahweh's word is inspiring. I mean the Psalmist just has this love affair with the law of Yahweh, and perhaps some of you know they always seem to be a bad thing all you can't be focusing too much on the law that; it's a good thing because when the Psalmist loves the Torah it's proof that the Messiah was to appear to him in the era he lived he would have so so loved him. He would have so loved Yahushua, because Yahushua is the embodiment of the Torah, of the law. He is the word that became flesh, he's a Torah that became flesh and dwelt among us he never failed one time to keep any of the precepts that our heavenly father gave, if he ever felt he would be a sinner like us and need a savior like himself. But he was never a transgressor anytime and so he wouldn't have been near the Savior if he had failed. But he was without blemish and without spot, he was unblemished, undefiled in the way, tamim, undefiled in the way.
So if you call on the father who without partiality judges according to each one 's work, you call on him, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear, in fear. Why fear?
Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things like silver and gold from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers but with the precious blood of Messiah as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.
He was undefiled in the way, he walked in the law of Yahweh. He was undefiled, tamim and so since he was without blemish and he walked in the law of Yahweh, he can be qualified as one that we should imitate and one that we should follow that's our goal. Our goal is to be a manifestation of what Messiah Yahushua was on the earth.
The word congregation, all kind of tricky things come
about when I think of congregational, I think Church, I think stain glass windows, staples, December 25th. Like the word congregation better, okay but he wants to be a congregation that walks in the law of Yahweh. Husbands it says love your wives just as Messiah also love the congregation or assembly and gave himself for her. That he might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of the water by the word. That he might present her to himself a glorious congregation not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. We are called as a congregation to be holy and without blemish, that's what our Savior wants out of us and of course it is his righteousness that enables us to do that. But the fact remains if we willfully choose to rebel
against the law of Yahweh, we refuse to repent of our transgressions and we justify our disobedience to the law of Yahweh then we are not manifesting a life that's without blemish. We're not accurately manifesting the Messiah Yahushua, we are not manifesting his tamim life. The sacrificial offerings, we know, are ultimately... had to be accepted by Yahweh and in order for them to be accepted by Yahweh they had to be without blemish. And so the husband is supposed to be presenting his wife this way through his love for her, the Messiah is supposed to be presenting the Messiah's bride, the congregation in this way. Now Yahushua is the only one, ultimately, who can die for our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. But we are called to be without spot, holy and sanctified. Now it's not by our righteousness it's by his righteousness in us. But we are warned in 1 John 2:6, he who says he abides in him ought himself also to walk, just as he walked. Just as Messiah Yahushua walked are we doing that? Are we living the way he did? I love that question, it's a lovely question because I know no one can speak against it.
I'm just you know, why do you keep the Sabbath and feast days and why do you eat clean and why do you do that? I'm just trying to live like Messiah did, I mean what can they say? What we are told plainly 1 John 2:6, walk as he walked. How did he walk? How did he live? I don't need to say anything else really I mean do they keep the Sabbath? There's your answer, we keep the Feast Days there's your answer. Did he eat pork? No, neither should we. What would Yahushua do? Some say WWJD, I say what would Yahushua really do? Think first of all he probably, he probably use own name I mean, if I were you I wouldn't use Jesus and so I don't use Jesus. And so that's what we're called to do and just in case you think well Paul would say otherwise. Paul says no you don't have to do that. look at what he said and when he comes in Acts 25:7, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about, and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I offended anything at all. If he was telling the truth that meant he was still keeping Torah, he was still keeping the law of Yahweh unless he was lying which I don't think he was. So now some say well you know he was Jewish, of course he would have to do those things. We are not Jewish, we are Gentiles and so we don't have to imitate Paul, he did things that you know he didn't have to do. Then why is he writing to Corinthians and saying imitate me just as I also Messiah?
Now that's a really good question what did he do ? He would neither against the Jews through the law the Jews nor against any you know the temple or against man's law did he offend anything? And so he sought to be without blemish and honor Messiah Yahushua. So this book that we have in our hands, it does not destroy the law it's a consistent book. You have got the New Testament and the Old Testament you know but, I mean as I've already said Paul wasn't sitting there going oh father please help me to write some more on the New Testament so people will know you don't have to follow your laws anymore. I don't buy that, I don't buy that. The New Testament does not take away the Old, it fulfills it in a sense of we see that being fulfilled. We see Yahushua the Messiah when he said do not think I come to destroy the law the Prophets, I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. And some say well if he fulfilled it all and so therefore we don't have to do it. Well, he fulfilled the commandment that says don't commit adultery, right? He could fulfill that commandment. He fulfilled the commandment that said honor your Mother and your Father, do you are you now free to commit adultery on your mother and father? And some might say well what about you know stoning and you know if you violate the Sabbath you'll be stoned. When some also say if you violate the command to commit adultery do not commit adultery, you'll be stoned also. Does that mean that we're free to commit adultery since there was a stoning for those who violated that commandment. No, neither is there a stoning for those who violate the command to keep the Sabbath, those particular commandments were in the context of there being a functioning priesthood in a country that Yahweh established, Israel. And these were several punishments for those who violated the law there's a difference there's a law and then there is the response that Yahweh gives when one violates it. And the response that he gave when one violated the law was in some cases capital punishment, death, other cases not. But just because we don't have a nation that practices those particular civil punishments doesn't mean we're free to commit adultery, you know to disrespect our parents or lie to each other or steal or rob or break the Sabbath it's all the same, it's all the law. So but our nation does not follow those things, does not follow those punishments in some ways we difficult without a functioning priesthood. But the day will come when these will be re-instituted, when the Messiah returns. And so if you see somebody driving down the road and they're violating the speed limit, zoom by you at 85 miles an hour. Do you run them down, hold them off to jail? No, can you be a law-abiding citizen and not haul them off to jail? Yes, you can. Because there are people in place in our society who are responsible for taking them to jail or giving a ticket or whatever it may be. Right and so there were people in Israel society who had that responsibility and they were judges of the land and so those commandments were for the judges of the land. And the same is true of the sacrifices they were people who were in place Priests who are responsible for sprinkling blood on the altar we have no alter, there are no animal sacrifices to bring and so in the context we live it is the commandments and the moral law itself that we do when we keep the law of Yahweh. When they took up stones to stone Yahushua.
They were not even acting correctly, they did not take before the judge, the judges to make a determination whether he should be stoned or not. They just picked up stones right there to stone him on the spot and that was not the way it was supposed to be done in Israel. And so don't think that, that impression is what we're supposed to be doing today anyway, now they go before the judge; the judge has sentencing guidelines, okay. The Torah says you shall be put to death, the Torah says you shall restore you know five oxen for an ox or whatever it might be if they stole something, restore a certain amount back. And so therefore there was a righteous way of dealing with its eye for an eye, tooth for tooth someone knocks this guy's tooth out, that person's tooth will get knocked out, simple as that. That's the sentencing guidelines for Israel, now we are not judges in the land of Israel but we do know what's wrong to knock someone's tooth out, right. By this command you know well don't be knocking people's tooth out. And don't be their eyes out, that's not love. So the only righteous way of dealing with it was that they would get down to them what they thought to do to somebody else. And there's a difference between the response when someone breaks the law and the law itself, I hope we understand that. Yahushua did not go around stoning anybody and yet he kept the law of Yahweh perfectly. He was not in the position of a local judge in a particular city and he did not practice judgment not being a judge that's why he even said a man who made me a ruler and judge over you, when the guy wanted to have his inheritance split. You know and so it is different, it is all dependent upon the function that we hold. So we can keep the law of Yahweh and not keep those particular commands that are for judges and that are for Priests. So the Bible is not about mixed messages. The Bible is about giving us a consistent message from one end to the other.
All right, looks like I don't have verse 2 up there which says, Okay so we're gonna put verse 2; Blessed are those who keep his testimonies, who seek
him with the whole heart. He does not want half-hearted seeking him, he wants to seek him with a whole heart, every bit we're called to love Yahweh with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our strength right. So we must seek him with a whole heart so if we want the path of blessing. It says blessed are those who keep or watch over or guard his testimonies, beautiful words here in verse 2 of Psalms 119. You know the entire law is really a testimony and that Yahweh is testifying as to what he desires to see out of the man. The 10 commandments recall testimony because they were proof that Yahweh himself came down and wrote them with his own finger what he required of men, the feast days are a testimony because they speak of his plan of salvation. When we keep the Sabbath as Yahweh intended, as a testimony of how Yahweh created the heavens and the earth and rested on the seventh day. And so blessed are those who keep his testimonies, keeping them is a path, a blessing his name is a memorial and therefore a testimony of who he is. When you understand the word Yahweh means he who causes to be which is. He will show you what it is by what he does, he is by what he does. So blessed are those who seek him, it says here with a whole heart, he's not interested in the half-hearted pursuit of his ways he wants the wholehearted pursuit of him in his ways. He is jealous if you're holding part of yourself back, he is jealous he wants that part. He created you he deserves every part of loyalty from you, he made you from dust and see you owe everything to him. Everything you owe to him, he told the children of Israel when they will disobey his law, he accepted them back under one condition. He said Yahweh will scatter you among the peoples and you will be left few in number among the nations where Yahweh will drive you, and there you will serve mighty ones the work of men's hands, wood and stone which neither seen nor hear nor eat or smell. But from there you will seek Yahweh your Mighty One and you will find him if you seek him with all
your heart and with all your being. All your soul every bit of you that's why he says Love Me with all your heart, soul and mind because that's the way he loves us. Everything, he loves us completely. And he told them when he sent in exile in Jeremiah 29 verse 10 says that's as Yahweh after 70 years are completed at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you says Yahweh, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. And then you will call upon me, and go and pray to me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek me, and find me, when you search for me with all your heart.
I will be found by you, says Yahweh: and I will bring you back from your captivity, I will gather you from all the nations of all the places where I've driven you says Yahweh; and I will bring you to the place from which I cause you to be carried away captive. You know Brothers and Sisters I think right now, today at this moment we are in exile.
We're not living in the land that Yahweh appointed for us to live in. We're in a strange land we are captives in this land, we are in captivity, we are in exile because of the disobedience of our Fathers. The United States of America is not our home, you might like it here, but this is not our home. We are Israel, Galatians 3:29 saying that we are Abraham's seed. And so Yahweh desires nothing less than that we would search for him with all of our hearts and if we do that he will be found. Don't assume old man, young man, middle-aged, children or whatever that you got time. Right now, today is the day of salvation. If you seek salvation today, don't assume that if you don't seek salvation he will always be available to you. Do you know what the scripture says? Seek Yahweh while he may be found, call upon him, while he is in the air. If you lately happen thinking that Yahweh has really been calling you into the sheepfold and you've been kind of strong defense and wondering which side you should go. This is an opportunity, don't assume it'll happen again where you'll hear him calling out to you saying return to me. Seek Yahweh while he may be found, call upon him while he is there, let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, let him return to Yahweh. And he will! It doesn't say he'll think about it. It says he will have mercy on him and art to Our Mighty One for he will abundantly pardon. So, beautiful words but for those who reject him.
He says well they will have none of my counsel, and despise my error rebuke and therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way and be filled to the full with their own fancies. That's what he says, your deities, your entertainment, your pursuits, your music, your ways, your thoughts your Elohim, the things that you serve, they will not deliver you in the day of trouble. But if we seek Yahweh today we have an opportunity to have one who will deliver us in days of trouble. Now it's said that Yahweh has a limit, seek Yahweh while he may be found.
You've got to continue, you got to answer his call. You've got to answer his call while you have the opportunity, while you have him calling you out. Don't assume you have time later to turn to him, don't assume it. I had dreams when I was a young man 19 years of age. Walking in my own ways, filling my own heart with my own things I wanted to pursue. I knew that Yahweh wanted me to be following him. And I actually knew his name, I knew his name was Yahweh, I knew his son's name is Yahushua, I was taught that when I was 8 years old and so it was natural to me not that I was ever a believer as a child I never was. I knew about him, I didn't know him. But I didn't know much about him. I was totally Bible illiterate, but my point is this, Yahweh kept sending me these dreams or I was going to die. And I had these dreams okay, my plan was I was going to ask forgiveness you know before I dive. I already think I'm going to die, I'll just ask forgiveness and looks at me. But the truth be told, I kept having these dreams and I was in the process, one dream I was on a train and I was going across a gorge and then the track broke open and I fell down into the gorge, as I was falling into the gorge I was planning to pray. My little idea I had I was going to do and guess what happened, I couldn't think straight, I couldn't get the words out, I didn't know what to say and I knew when I hit the bottom of that ridge I was a goner. There was no hope of salvation for me, that put the fear of Elohim in me and within a month I gave my life to Yahushua. So don't assume that you'll have time later, don't assume. So blessed are those who keep us testimonies who seek him with a whole heart, they also do no iniquity, they walk in his ways. Well that's interesting, that's very interesting those they do no iniquity. Well, those who seek with a whole heart will do no iniquity. That sound too Old Testament for you? I mean does that sound off, too, do no iniquity. I can't live by that there is no way in the world you can't, you try to get me out of the law again there Oh Tom you keep reading and sticking your nose in the Old Testament, you're confusing me here says, well, it says do no iniquity seeking with a whole heart. See Yahweh wants us to seek him with a whole heart and if we really love him with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our strength then we will keep all his commandments. And he will forgive us when we make mistakes, when we fail. He will not regard iniquity as something that he holds us guilty for.
Me and my own children mess up from time to time they and they don't do the things they should every time and so I'm looking for attitudes. Here are they doing their best, are they put their best effort forward, do they have weaknesses as I do have weaknesses and mess up sometimes. I mean do I hold against them? Now if this whole thing sounds too Old Testament you say that's not what the Bible says there Tom, it says they do no iniquity, they walk in his ways. Well, Let's just go ahead and move forward the New Testament and see if it matches up well. It says here, 1 John chapter 3 verse 6 whoever abides in him (in Messiah) does not sin.
Well wait a minute is that not just an Old Testament idea? It says here they do no iniquity those who seek him with a whole heart and those who abide in him, they don't sin. In fact, whoever sins, has never seen him or known him. Sound too Old Testament for you? It's in the New Testament. Little children, let no one deceive you: he who practices righteousness, is righteous just as he Yahushua is righteous. He who sins is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning for this purpose the son of Elohim is manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil. What is this scripture supposed to say to me? Whoever abides in him sins just a little bit, No says whoever abides in him will sin every day but gets forgiven anyway? No, what's that supposed to say I mean the clear standard of one who seeks him is that he will walk in his ways, it is not to sit around and make excuses. When people say all the time I sin every day you know, what's going to boast about that's what grace is for you know. I sin every day and you know the boy, standards are way too high I could never keep the law. That's what grace is for, give us a little certificate. Do what you want but it's okay because you have the get out of hell free card in your possession. And you stand before him and I got the card, card-carrying member and I'm all for grace don't get me wrong, I'm all for grace okay please understand. I'm not saying he's on merciful if we fail to walk in his ways but our attitude, our hearts attitude is very important. What if your children said, your own children said yeah I didn't do what you said Dad but you got grace right, so I'm not worried about it.
Would you accept that? Well you know Dad I mess up every day all by the way I did this, I did that I know you forgive me because you pretty much have to. And I figure you know I can't live by your laws Mom and Dad it's too hard, so I went ahead and you know, busted a big hole in the wall and went out there and got drunk one night and you know but I have grace you accept me right? Is that acceptable to you for your son to do that? No, sorry attitude is not well, well, I sin every day. Whatever, I got grace. Our attitude, is I have sinned in my life Yahweh, I don't want to have it in my life oh no help me, help me abide in Messiah more and more every day so I will not sin because I know you're what he said. Whoever has been born of Elohim does not sin; for his seed remains in him: he cannot sin, because he's been born of Elohim.
In this the children of Elohim and the children of the devil are manifest: whosoever does not practice righteousness is not of Elohim, nor is he who does not love his brother.
That's the attitude I think we ought to have.
Now how can that both be true? How can we be recipients of grace in the event that we would sin and at the same time scripture says we cannot sin? Like it's impossible, what about Peter? Peter played the hypocrite before Paul and the rest of the disciples there and Paul had rebuked him. Does that mean he was not born of Elohim? I mean he messed up.
See you find high, high standards, amazingly high standards in the New Testament and the Old Testament it's not just an Old Testament idea, okay. It's true if we are born of Elohim we cannot sin. Now you have to understand the rebirth hasn't happened literally yet, in a sense that when the Messiah returns it says the corruptible will put off incorruptibly incorruptible. Corruption will put on incorruption. I'm sorry, and therefore we will be incorruptible and we cannot sin. But we accept that promise as something that we have received, something that we do already. And we seek to live our life as though it's happened already because we say were born again. We say that we are saved, the actual time we get saved will be when the corruption puts on incorruption. But we say that we're saved because what Yahweh says is as good as done. Okay, but it's all about our attitude. If your child came to you and said I failed you, I was wrong, I don't want to fail you, I want to honor you, I want to obey you, Oh loving arms you would accept that. But they just kind of took a blase attitude and say well you'll forgive me, you have to, God forgives me. And I can keep on doing what I'm doing you have to keep forgiving me. Is that going to be acceptable? No, so we have to do is we have to do what he says and that is, confess our sins. And he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness 1 John 3:4, I don't have it up there.
Our daily prayer is supposed to give us this day our daily bread, or our continual bread as it says in Hebrew. And forgive us our sins for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us and do not lead to temptation but deliver us from the evil ones, that sounds like you know in a prayer that we practice. Give us this day or give us day by day, our daily bread. And so we're continually are asking him to forgive us. Forgive us our sins, deliver me from temptation, I don't want to be tempted because I don't want to be tempted to do wrong and I don't want to end up doing wrong, I don't wanna end up offending you. That is the expression of the correct heart that we don't want to sin any longer, we want to be delivered from temptations. We don't want the temptation to come our way. So I understand the actual rebirth is on a timeline
in the future but we accept as something already happened because of the spirit which has given us which is leading us into that condition of sinlessness. And so we accepted as something that has already been given to us. It says you have commanded us to keep your precepts diligently. Diligently, some say well you know. You don't have to worry about the details, don't restrain in that you know. The word diligently in Hebrew is a Meod, muchly, greatly. Today if you keep his precepts diligently you might be called a legalist, trying to earn your salvation you see everyday attitude, we see among people today is all you know Yahweh was vengeful and angry a lot in the Old Testament but now he's kind of calm down become this you know grandfatherly figure that bit of lax days you attitude about your disobedience. Not the anger as it used to be when he was younger you know. hat's the way people view Yahweh sometimes, like in the Old Testament fire and brimstone, this comes down and strikes you at the second use this tiny bit of a sin you're out the door. Then Messiah came, the grand ball makes smiling grandpa background all come now back little child go the right direction please. That's so far from the truth. It's an insult that he would be a chameleon they need to calm down. That he would be any different yesterday than he is today and will be forever.
Look what Yahushua said and look at it more closely, talk about diligently keeping commands okay. e said, Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees! for you pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law, justice, mercy, and faith ( that's where most people stop right there): these you ought to have
done (what are these?
the paying of tithe with mint, and anise and cummin), without leaving the others (what are the others? justice, mercy, and faith). So these tithing of the little things being diligent about keeping the commandments of Yahweh, you ought to have done without neglecting or leaving the others being justice, mercy and faith. He wants complete and total obedience, he wants justice, mercy and faith and he wants us to pay tithe of our income. How many of you pay tithes out of your gardens that you have in your backyard or the herb plants that you have sitting on your window seal? He expects you to, he expects you to. And then he goes on to say that you strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel. In other words, he calls then blind guides, you strain out a gnat, you're straining all the gnats out. What they have this like class and if there was little gnat parts and little bug parts that were in there. Their wines and grape juice and stuff you know they pour that over top of the wine or the grape juice whatever was over top of the cloth. if there are any gnats or anything that was in that particular drink then it would be the left on top of the cloth will not go through the cloth. So he's saying you're blind guides, straining out the gnat. Trying to get the final details of the law that means paying tithe with mint and anise and cummin and then swallowing a camel which is also unclean both gnats and camels are unclean. And he says you're swallowing a camel by you know neglecting justice and mercy and faith. What good does it do to get the gnats out of your wine and here you've got this big old camel you're having for dinner. And so you get the gnats which are unclean but then you're swallowing the camel which is unclean. What good does it do to get the gnats when you got the big camel setting there in your plate. And so he's saying yes, the finer points of Yahweh's law keep them diligently. But don't neglect the bigger points the weightier matters justice, mercy, faith, love these things. So and some might say well that's awful hard enough to do all little things I mean it's too much. I disagree. 1 John 5:3; this is the love of Elohim, that we keep his commandments: and his commandments are not burdensome. They're not burdensome, why are they not burdensome? We just think for a minute how much he loves you. How much he values you and how much he does for you. And has done for you, now Yahushua, he was tortured and he died. So that he could express his love for you. You weren't loving him at the time. And that's how much he loved you. And, you can't do some finer point of Yahweh's law for him. You know all of a sudden it doesn't seem that bad really. When you think about that way. Then I burn. It's a joy to show love than someone who's loving you so much. You know it's a joy, can't we love him that way. And find, here's something else I need to do and find joy in it. Is it does not burn. Look at all Yahushua did for me it's not a burden at all. And so yes no problem. Let's do it let's go for it. For whatever is born of Elohim overcomes the world and this is the victory has overcome the world our faith who is he overcomes the world but he who believes that Yahushua is a son of Elohim, beautiful words.
Verse 5, all that my ways were directed to keep your statutes.Then I would not be ashamed when I look into all your commandments. This is such a profound verse because there are other scriptures were he's saying things like I keep your testimonies. But here at the same time, out of the same mouth. He says all that my ways were directed to keep your statutes. Then I would not be ashamed when I look and all your commandments, he desires so much that his own ways were directed to keep Yahweh's statutes, he's not claiming to be perfect. He's saying he knows he has this inclination in him to do wrong. And we look at the commandments he'd be ashamed because he hadn't kept them.
And now there are some people commandments say they're not ashamed at all to say well, break the law it's alright. But, It's good for us to have a moment of shame that we've done wrong. And cry out Oh Yahweh, I just, I desire to be delivered from my evil inclinations.
You know there is always an identical statement made by a man named Paul. He said Romans 7:24; wretched man that I am! who will deliver me from this body of death? It's more like he's saying all that my ways were directed to keep your statutes. This is like the same kind of cry out.
He will deliver me from this body of death. That's not inclined, that is not directed to keep the statutes of Yahweh. It gives the answer. He says I thank Elohim through Yahushua Messiah our Master. He says with the mind I myself serve the law of
Elohim; but with the flesh the law of sin.
What's the law of sin? Romans 7:21 said I find then a law, that, evil is present with me, the one who wills to do good. We've got this flesh that's evil, self-centered, that wants to do evil things and I myself in my own mind I want to do the right thing but there's this flesh that doesn't. Doesn't do the right thing. All right, is there a victory, is there a way out of this? There absolutely is, it says there is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Messiah Yahushua. No condemnation, you have been delivered from this body of death fo the Messiah Yahushua. He says is look will qualifier here those in Messiah Yahushua who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit. What is the spirit directing us to do? For walking according to the spirit, what are we doing? Ezekiel 36:27 I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and you will keep my judgments and do them. And so walking in the spirit and observing the statutes of the Yahweh and the commandments of Yahweh are synonymous. If Yahweh's spirit is in us he will cause us to walk in the statutes and keep his judgments and do them, if we embrace it. So we set our minds in the things of the spirit rather than the things of the flesh. He says for the law of the spirit of life in Messiah Yahushua, he has made me free from this law of sin and death that's in our members. We have been delivered from this law of sin and death that's in our members. We are made free through the spirit, the spirit is in us now; my spirit within you, causing to walk in statutes and judgments, causing you to not walk according to the flesh but walking according to the spirit. Because we are in Messiah Yahushua, do you see all connections happening here? We are delivered, and we are able to keep his judgments, we're able to keep his statutes and what the law itself could not do, the law cannot make you do anything they can only tell you what's right and what's wrong. It's weak through the flesh it can only tell you the right thing to do, but where you failed Elohim did it by sending his own son in the likeness of sinful flesh on account of sin he condemned sin in the flesh that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us. So the righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us, that means it's done. As far as Yahweh is concerned we have kept the law, because their righteous requirement of the law is fulfilled in us. But there is a qualifier, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the spirit. What's the difference between walking according the flesh and according to the spirit? I already told you, he says I will put my spirit within you, I will cause you to walk in my statutes, to keep my judgments and do them. Some people out there right now I can hear them saying, well Tom that's the Old Testament. But this is a prophecy of what's going to happen in the New Testament. Okay and just to prove that let's continue to read here in Romans 8:5; for those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things the flesh; but those who live according to the spirit the things of the spirit you set your minds on the things of the spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity (that's hatred) against Elohim (why? ): for it is not subject to the law (the Torah) of Elohim, nor indeed can be. And therefore. all scripture comes together if we are walking in the spirit that means we are subject to the law of Elohim. Otherwise we are walking in enmity against him, and we are rejecting the spirit that's leading in our life which is directing us to keep his statutes, and his judgments to do them.
Make sense it all comes together, beautiful, one beautiful certified perfect word of truth, no confusion, no contradiction, no change, beautiful. That's why it says in Acts 2:38; 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 gifts of the Holy Spirit. It doesn't say you might, it says you will. And that promise is to you as to people of his generation, to their children of that generation and to all who are far off, as many as Yahweh our Elohim shall call. So we're the ones afar off, we're in exile, we're in Babylon, Yahweh has called us while we're in this foreign land will be seeking with all of our heart, soul and all our strength. And now we have his Holy Spirit within us. We're able to no longer be in bondage, through the flesh we regard the flesh is dead, right making yourselves is dead. It's no longer we live but Messiah living in us Galatians 2:20. So he says, now little children abide in him, (what does it mean to abide in him?) he who says he abides in him ought to himself walk as he walked 1 John 2:6. That when he appears, we may have confidence and not be ashamed before him at his coming.
So abide in him, walk as he walks so you won't be ashamed that he's coming. If you know he's righteous, you know everyone who practices righteousness is born of him. re you born of Messiah? The answer is revealed and whether you abide in him and whether you walk in righteous just as he was righteous, and you practice righteousness just as he practices righteousness. If we repent of our wrongs, if we have confessed our sins before him, if we have committed our ways toward keeping his statutes and we've come to his humility and confession and dedicating our lives toward seeking him with all our heart soul and strength. And yet somehow we don't feel saved. You don't feel like he forgives, we still feel condemned. Let me say something, I can come from bad parenting if we were being raised in an oppressive environment where either parent or a religion that we're following at the time was very condemning and demanding and unforgiving.
We have to understand, this right here if I our heart condemns us, Elohim is greater than our heart and knows all things Hallelujah for that. You know if our heart does not condemn us we have confidence toward Elohim and we need that confidence toward Elohim, we need that blessed assurance that we are loved by him, that he is our father and we are his children. And whenever we receive, we ask from him because we keep his commandments and do those things which are pleasing in his sight. There are two things he wants us to do, not just keeping commandments but doing things that he is pleased with. You know our father will be pleased with you doing this and therefore do it. So there are two things, you keep the commandments that's great you need to do that. But also look to the things that are pleasing in his sight and don't worry about the condemnation if you are making sincere efforts to do these things are pleasing his sight and keep his commandments. So, pretty simple Psalms 119 verse 7; I will praise
you with uprightness of heart, when I learn your righteous judgments. I will keep your statutes: O do not forsake me utterly. You see once we learn the righteous judgments, what judgments? Mishpat is the Hebrew. Judgments are decisions by Yahweh as to what's right and what's wrong. A declaration of who might be saved and who would not be saved. The law tells us judgments of what should happen when a person sins and what that person's, what a sin actually is. He also tells us that those who are not in Messiah are under condemnation. And those who are in Messiah are not condemned, that's his judgment. His judgment is that we will receive eternal life, that's his judgment we are called to rejoice and praise him for his judgments which are always true.
Praise him with uprightness of heart, when we learn of his righteous judgments.
And so we call upon him to dwell with us and did not forsake us utterly dwell in us, with us, among us.
And he says, Yahweh loves justice Psalms 37:28 and does not forsake his saints, does not forsake. The word saints mean holy one that's what the word means. They are preserved forever but the descendants of the wicked shall be cut off. hat's his righteous judgment, Yahushua said the same. Matthew 28:19-20; Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in name of the Father, and of the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always even to
the end of the age. He will not leave us, he will not forsake us that's what he spoke and that's for us today even to the end of the age.
Psalms 119 verse 9; How can a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed according to your word.
Now at this time when the Psalmist was writing these things, he did know about Yahushua dying for our sins. He knew, however, that one's way could be cleansed when you repented and that's what we read in Acts 2:38, repent and that every one of you is baptized in the name of Yahushua. And so what he said was if you will be cleansed if you take heed according to his word, if you repent, if you turn away from your sins, you begin taking heed according to his word. He knew through repentance Yahweh would grant you mercy and grace and forgiveness.
And so we see in the Psalms a call to repentance. Now, he knows that young men in particular are in
need of some help. Some instruction and so he says you gotta be taking heed according to his word. You gotta be seeking his word so if you're a young man or young girl and you want to walk in a way that results in you being cleansed of your sins then start taking heed according to his word. He knows that foolishness is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of correction will drive it far from him, Proverbs 22 verse 15. He knows we have a natural inclination to fool all of us from the time we are children. And we all were children at one time even old men with gray beards and white hair and one time were babies and toddlers and children and have this inclination of foolishness. And so as we become older into teenage years; hopefully we had parents to drive away the foolishness out of us. But we are told in Ecclesiastes 11:9, rejoice, O young man in your youth, let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth. Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes. Go ahead, do it but know that for all these Elohim will bring you into judgment. It'll come, it'll come back to haunt you the thought and the things that you did as a young person when you walked in your own ways and did your own thing and you disregarded the way of Yahweh. You walked in the way of your own heart he says to look out Elohim will bring you into judgment and I can speak as one who was a young man as a teenage boy and walked in the ways of my own heart after the sight of my own eyes and guess what I paid for it dearly. And it haunts me to this day honestly some of the things I did. And even as a young believer some of the things that I did so yeah go ahead but realize it'll all come down on you want at one point. So therefore remove sorrow from your heart, and put away evil from thy flesh: for childhood and youth are vanity. Looks like everything is vanity to the author of Ecclesiastes everything is vanity. Vanity, vanity, all is vanity. Now, he is not saying that you will not be forgiven for the things that you did wrong he's saying that there will be judgment remember David? David, he went off and he was a man after Yahweh's own heart allowed his heart to be drawn toward adultery. And he committed adultery and murdered a man and Yahweh says why put away your sin? owever there'll be consequences rightly, he said there will be consequences with your children. And it turned out to be his son Absalom rebelled, the child that was born of adultery died there was all kind of trouble looking upon his life as a result of these things. And so if you're a young person you have an opportunity really to make sure that your frame of mind is going to be centered around what's right, good, holy and just and pure and lay for yourself a foundation. We are not being judged as David was judged, we are not going through trouble and difficulty because of things that you had done.When you walked in the sight of your own eyes. So the goal is that, young people, if you're growing up in this walk, If you're growing up in this walk with keeping Yahweh's law, your parents are keeping
Torah and things like that. You are in a perfect position, because yeah your parents probably aren't perfect. And, hopefully, they are humble enough to admit that. But listen you're in a perfect position because you have already been taught and you are learning already the law of Yahweh. So you already have an opportunity, have your way cleansed and to not bring a judgment.
You know for later in life you have Yahweh's blessing on you and so you've been given much and because you've been given much a lot's gonna be required of you even more so than someone who did not grow up this way and so, yes, sometimes we read or hear some guy you know he went off the way of the world and did drugs and alcohol and parties and all the sin. But they can politely turns his life around and you know how glorious it was for Yahweh to give grace to a man like that, who did such terrible things and that's all well and good.
We know what the greatest testimony, greatest testimony is not a man who went off the way of the world, did so awful things and came back. The greatest testimony is someone who never departed to the right or to the left. And they remained in the faith and they did not depart from it and so the young people who are listening to broadcast today you have a tremendous opportunity, a tremendous blessing that can be on your life if you want to receive it.
And do not depart to the right to left but choose of your own free will. Don't follow your parents. Follow Yahweh, what I mean by that is you need to follow Yahweh because you yourself have a relationship with him you can't just go through your parents for everything you have to have your own personal relationship and walk with Messiah. I'm not saying that you can do things that you want, your parents don't approve because you're in their household. You need to have your own personal walk with him.
And so don't be like those who say well you know,
I'll go find out what this evil side is like you know, go check it out you know. See if I really want, go that way; you know what I knew about Yahweh when I was young whippersnapper. I was only 8 or 10 years old, I knew about him. My grandmother and grandfather, they were Torah observant believers in Yahushua when I was 8,9,10 years old. And using Yahweh's name my parents were not. But my grandparents were, and I had an opportunity to not go into the world. But I went into the world. And I regret that so much.
But my point is that you know, don't get caught up
in thinking you have to know about evil in order to reject it. You see where people are going and a life they live and the mess that they're in and that's all you need to see. You don't need to find out for yourself because every single one of those people will tell you when they come back into the faith they wish they had never done it. They wish they never did, is the glorious testimony as someone takes my Yahweh delivers him from the pit and saves them but the greater testimony is I never departed. By Yahweh's grace I never departed that's the great testimony. And so let's look at what scripture says, I write to you, fathers, because you have known him that is from the beginning. I write to you, young men, because you have overcome the wicked one. I write to you, little children, because you have known the Father. I have written to you, fathers, because you have known him who is from the beginning. I have written to you, young men, because you are strong, and the word of Elohim abides in you. Why? Because you were raised in this walk, listen young men, young women you're strong. You've overcome the wicked one, let that strength carry you for the rest of your life, let it carry you. The habits of righteousness that your parents have put in you; these habits, the righteous behavior; walk in them, enjoy the blessing of them. Do not love the world nor the things in the world if anyone loves the world the love of the father is not in you. For all that's in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life it's not of the father, it's of the world. And the world is passing away in the last of it.
But he who does the will of Elohim abides forever.
Don't we want to do the will of Elohim and abide forever. Because there's nothing this world has to offer you that's worth hanging on to, nothing whatsoever. With my whole heart I have sought you well let me not
wander from your commandments, let that be your prayer. Young people, with my whole heart as such.
Let me not wander from your commandments. Let's pray that.
Heavenly father Yahweh, great and mighty Elohim,
let us not wander from your commandments.
Let our eyes look straight ahead Proverbs 4:25, Let let our eyelids look right before us, pondering the path of our feet and letting all of our ways be established and do not turning not turning to the right or to the left but removing our foot from evil. Seeking those things which are above where the Messiah is seated at the right hand of Elohim, setting our minds on things above not things on the earth knowing that we died. And our life is hidden with the Messiah and Elohim teach us to walk therein, teach us to walk
as our Savior walked. Keeping your law with all of our heart all of our soul, all of our strength. And forgive us father where we have failed you.
Forgive me where I have failed you. Forgive all of us where we have failed you and forgive all of us where we have failed each other.
Deliver us from the wicked one. We don't want temptation. We want to walk as Yahushua walked. For truly yours is the kingdom and power, and glory and majesty. Forever and ever and all praise honor and worship belongs to you. Yahweh Elohim, Yahweh our Mighty One, forever and ever in Yahushua's great name. Amein.