Why is it that so many people become believers in Messiah for a time but soon fall away back into the same sinful condition they were in before or perhaps even worse? For many it is because they fail to eat. We must eat food if we expect out physical bodies to survive, but Yahushua the Messiah pointed out that we cannot ‘live’ by bread alone.
Matthew 4:4- But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of YAHWEH.
He was quoting the Torah/Law of Yahweh here. Let’s examine the context.
Deuteronomy 8:2- And thou shalt remember all the way which YAHWEH thy Elohim led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee, and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart, whether thou wouldest keep his commandments, or no. 3- And he humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of YAHWEH doth man live.
It is a fact that we will endure trials and tribulations. Yahweh wants us to know that we do not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from His mouth!
Isaiah 55:1- Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. 2- Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness.
We must ‘eat’!! We must take His word into our hearts and minds regularly for us to ‘live’. Is this living referring only to life in this world? I believe it means ‘eternal life’. Consider Yahushua’s words:
Luke 10:25- And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26- He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27- And he answering said, Thou shalt love YAHWEH thy Elohim with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28- And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.
Do this and you will live. His words bring life. They teach us. They are like seeds which bring forth good fruit:
Luke 8:11- Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of YAHWEH. 12- Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved. 13- They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away. 14- And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection. 15- But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
Absorbing His word into our minds can fulfill us like nothing else. Words are very powerful. Often our actions and mannerisms are a carbon copy of our current group of friends or those we work with. There is wisdom in the proverb:
Proverbs 12:26- The righteous is more excellent than his neighbour: but the way of the wicked seduceth them.
As I have often said, Words are “spirit”. The very word “spirit” also means breath or wind. When we are around unbelievers in our work life or have unbelievers as friends, there are subtle influences that their words can have on us. The same holds true for Yahweh’s word. However, when we read Yahweh’s word we know we can put down our guard because His word is spirit, truth and life.
John 6:63- It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.
This is where the keeping the sabbath is so very essential to our spiritual growth. Some might say that keeping the Sabbath is a ‘jewish’ thing. But the Sabbath is not Jewish. It is Yahweh’s Sabbath…and all the commandments are His commandments…whether they be in old or new testament. We are to live by EVERY word that proceeds out of His mouth, not just selected parts. If we have one day out of the week that we can withdraw ourselves from the world and its influences and concentrate on keeping the day holy by worshipping, praying and studying Yahweh’s word, it truly strengthens our faith and a keeps us growing spiritually. Many Christians, when asked if they believe in keeping the Ten Commandments, answer with a resounding “Yes!”. Many will even have (often excerpts) of the Ten Commandments hanging on their walls in prominent places in house. All too often however, those ten commandments that they believe so much in keeping will stand there as a witness against them all the days of their life.
Here is the fourth Commandment:
Exodus 20:9- Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work: 10- But the seventh day is the sabbath of YAHWEH thy Elohim: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: 11- For in six days YAHWEH made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore YAHWEH blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.
Yahweh wants all His people to rest and keep holy the Sabbath. Yet, all throughout history man has profaned the day Yahweh sanctified for rest. It was true even in the days when Isaiah was a prophet of Israel. Yahweh told him to stand in the gates of Jerusalem and instruct the rulers and people in sabbath keeping, and rebuke them for their Sabbath desecration.
Isaiah 56:1- Thus saith YAHWEH, Keep ye judgment, and do justice: for my salvation is near to come, and my righteousness to be revealed. 2- Blessed is the man that doeth this, and the son of man that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand from doing any evil. 3- Neither let the son of the stranger, that hath joined himself to YAHWEH, speak, saying, YAHWEH hath utterly separated me from his people: neither let the eunuch say, Behold, I am a dry tree. 4- For thus saith YAHWEH unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant; 5- Even unto them will I give in mine house and within my walls a place and a name better than of sons and of daughters: I will give them an everlasting name, that shall not be cut off. 6- Also the sons of the stranger, that join themselves to YAHWEH, to serve him, and to love the name of YAHWEH, to be his servants, every one that keepeth the sabbath from polluting it, and taketh hold of my covenant; 7- Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.
It was true in those days..and true today. Yahweh wants all of creation to observe His Sabbath, and for good reason. Keeping the Sabbath is indeed not a popular thing. Yet it is one of those things which bring forth LIFE!
Sadly, we find large numbers of people reserving the seventh day Sabbath for worldly things rather than for holy things. Many start out to work on Sabbath morning. Many others spend the day doing their dirtiest cleaning chores, attending sports activities, buying, selling and just overall ignoring the Sabbath commandment.
In the last 50 years, even keeping the sabbath on the first day (Sunday) is ignored by those who believe in keeping it. Especially on days that it is inconvenient for them. But if we learn to obey Yahweh’s word rather than spend a life walking in disobedience, we will find what a blessing His Sabbath day is! He knows that we are flesh. He knows that we need a day…1/7th of our time in this life to grow spiritually Doesn’t Yahweh know best? Yes He does, HalleluYah!! Yahweh well deserves that time to give special honor to Him for creating us and blessing us. When keeping the Sabbath and reading the word of Yahweh daily becomes routine, it becomes a way of life! Often, the keeping of the sabbath alone will keep us from falling away. The idea of breaking it becomes unthinkable because it is the way we live! Just as it would be unthinkable to not go to work during the week, or unthinkable not to eat our own food lest we starve Ask anyone who keeps the Sabbath the way Yahweh wants us to and they will testify that it is truly a blessing!! Most importantly, it is keeping the fourth commandment.
1 John 2:4- He who says, “I know Him,” and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5- But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of YAHWEH is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 15- If ye love me, keep my commandments.
John 15:15- If ye love me, keep my commandments. 16- And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17- Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
The Holy Spirit can be quenched by breaking the Sabbath just as it is quenched by murder, adultery, idolatry or any other disobedience. The principle is not “Give us the Comforter and then we will keep the commandments,” but you must first take that step in repentance and obedience for the Spirit to do works in you. Clearly those who use the Sabbath day as a day for pursuing worldly pleasure, work or profit are not only missing out on a true spiritual blessing that will keep our minds and bodies strong but are also quenching His Spirit which leads us into all truth.
Yahweh gives His Spirit to those who obey Him
Acts 5:32- And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Spirit, whom Elohim hath given to them that obey him.
Truly, when we disobey the truth given to us, then Yahweh will not convict us on more truth. But when we accept and obey the truth shown us, he will guide us into more truth. To those who choose not to obey the Sabbath commandment, I say to you that “You are truly missing out!!”
Let’s ask ourselves often. What new conviction toward obedience has the Spirit revealed to me lately?
Am I growing in obedience or walking slowly toward less obedience?
Am I spending time alone with Yahweh in His word and in prayer?
Is my thought life pure?
Has there been a time where I put Yahweh on the ‘back burner’?
Am I walking in total obedience to Yahweh? (Partial obedience is disobedience!)
And am I really answering these questions truthfully and honestly to myself?
These are the questions we can ask ourselves daily. We must pay particular attention to our thought life Unrighteous thoughts lead to unrighteous temptations, unrighteous temptations lead to unrighteous acts.
We must be on guard and let spiritual things encompass our thoughts.
Philippians 4:8- Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things.
Watching TV, listening to the radio, surfing the internet and reading magazines are all fertile soil for unrighteous thoughts to be sown. We often do not realize the spiritual battles that are happening when we ‘saw that commercial’ or ‘read that article’. We often do not realize that these things war against Yahweh’s Spirit!! We must be on guard!
TIME IS SHORT Brothers and Sisters!! We don’t have time to play with toys and be entertained. We must put down our toys and pick up the armor of Yahweh! Any works that are not eternal are waste and void…they WILL NOT profit us in Yahweh’s kingdom. Let us purge out the waste and move on in the Spirit! Does the bride not purify herself in preparation for the bridegroom? If Yahushua was really coming tomorrow, would you still be doing those things? Would you not be preparing yourself!?? Beware lest we be like Sardis!
Revelations 3:1- “And to the angel of the assembly in Sardis write, `These things says He who has the seven Spirits of YAHWEH and the seven stars: “I know your works, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2- “Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before YAHWEH. 3- “Remember therefore how you have received and heard; hold fast and repent. Therefore if you will not watch, I will come upon you as a thief, and you will not know what hour I will come upon you.
Therefore, be zealous and Repent of that old sin that has been strangling us for months, years… For we do not know when Yahushua will appear. If we die 5 minutes from now then it is just the same as Him appearing 5 minutes from now! Let’s grow in Yahweh!
1 Peter 2:1- Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, 2- as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby, 3- if indeed you have tasted that YAHWEH is kind.
I have tasted. You have tasted. His food is set before us, let us eat. The Way is before us..let us grow