The first thing that is absolutely necessary in the education of a child is for the child to have a “teachable attitude”. If any of you have ever had the opportunity to be in a classroom setting and teach, you could not help but notice that there are some children who have a teachable attitude and there are some who do not. The fact is, you cannot teach anyone anything unless they are willing to listen, hear, learn, and put what they have learned into practice.
Where are you on the scale of having a "teachable attitude"? I want you to look at where you are spiritually because I am going to give you a picture of not only where the body of Mashiach is today, but also give you a picture of what the attitude is of most Believers in Messiah Yeshua.
If you are attending Etz Chaim Kenya or any other congregation that is rightly dividing the Word; coming week after week, service after service, listening to the sermons but it is having no effect on your life (that is you are not changing or growing), then you are displaying an "unteachable attitude". You are not willing to learn, hear, listen or change your life to be more like Yeshua. So why are you coming? If the sermons and teachings are not affecting change in you for the better, then you might just as well get one of the kids out of the nursery and let them preach to you. You would get just as much out of what they had to say as you are out of what God has to say. That is what God was saying about Israel and I believe He is still saying the same thing about some of us today; to those of us whose lives do not seem to be affected by the preaching of the Word.
God has done all that He can to simplify His message. He brings us through the growth process of spiritual maturity one step at a time. As beginners He starts with the Ten Commandments so we can see we have fallen short of His standard and into sin. He does this so that we might know we need a Saviour. Then He takes us a step further in our maturity to tell us that there is a Saviour who died in our place for our sin, but He does not stop there. He fills us with His Holy Spirit who imparts His wisdom and knowledge into us so that we can live Spirit filled, sanctified lives. He teaches us to be faithful, committed and dedicated to Him. Line upon line, God repeats His message over and over again in the simplest way possible, all the while taking us deeper into understanding His Will.
God has given us a way to escape judgment, but for those who remain stuck, with an "unteachable attitude", believing the way they are living or what they are doing for the Lord is good enough; to them Yeshua is going to be their Judge.
Self-righteousness will not measure up! Good works are not good enough! Just learning the basics and then playing around in the world will not work! You need to have a "teachable attitude"; to grow in Yeshua and be all that you can be to measure up to God’s standard, to God’s Word and learn to be like Yeshua. Your life has to produce the fruit and the works that come from a heart of true repentance. You can either stay stuck as a beginner and face the judgment of God and His wrath for your disobedience, or you can grow to maturity in the Messiah.
Shabbat Shalom
Rabbi Jack
CLICK https://youtu.be/4I94f-cU-Dc To view the Torah commentary on Parasha “Ki Teitzei" by Hillel Azgad.
CLICK: https://youtu.be/jq4G_ka2I84 To view the Torah commentary on Parasha “Ki Teitzei” by Rabbi Jack.
CLICK: https://youtu.be/BYQopr mc3mc To view the YouTube video of the sermon "How To Be An Overcomer" by Rabbi Jack
CLICK: https://youtu.be/Nn_wKMiRC8w To view the YouTube video of the "Shabbat Service" at Etz Chaim Kenya, August 22, 2026.
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{Titus 2:13} "… while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua.”
D’Var Torah
Ki Tavo / When You Enter In
Devarim / Deuteronomy {21:10} - {25:19}
Deuteronomy {26:1-10}: “It shall be, when you have come into the land which the Lord your GOD gives you for an inheritance, and possess it, and dwell therein, {2} that you shall take of the first of all the fruit of the ground, which you shall bring in from your land that the Lord your GOD gives you; and you shall put it in a basket, and shall go to the place which the Lord your GOD shall choose, to cause His name to dwell there. {3} You shall come to the High Priest who shall be in those days, and tell him, “I profess this day to the Lord your GOD, that I have come to the land which the Lord swore to our fathers to give us.” {4} The High Priest shall take the basket out of your hand, and set it down before the Altar of Offerings of the Lord your GOD. {5} You shall answer and say before the Lord your GOD, “A Syrian ready to perish was my father; and he went down into Egypt, and sojourned there, few in number; and he became there a nation, great, mighty, and populous. {6} The Egyptians dealt ill with us, and afflicted us, and laid on us hard bondage: {7} and we cried to the Lord, the GOD of our fathers, and the Lord heard our voice, and saw our affliction, and our toil, and our oppression; {8} and the Lord brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand, and with an outstretched arm, and with great terror, and with signs, and with wonders; {9} and He has brought us into this place, and has given us this land, a land flowing with milk and honey. {10} Now, behold, I have brought the first of the fruit of the ground, which You, Lord, has given me.” You shall set it down before the Lord your GOD, and worship before the Lord your GOD”:
When you give your tithes, do you give out of guilt, out of obligation or out of gratitude? Sadly, many of us give out of guilt or obligation; they feel, "God commanded me to give so I give!" In fact, over the years there has been so much false teaching on giving that many people give, expecting to receive double or triple back in return. However, we can see from our Scripture passage this week that we are to give out of gratitude not guilt or obligation and definitely not expecting anything in return. We are to give and give generously out of our appreciation for what the Lord has given for us.
God has done so much for us; He heard our cries, He saw our tears, He witnessed our sleepless nights and He grieved at how Satan oppressed us. So, He had pity on us and redeemed us from the slavery of sin to the freedom of worshiping Him. Commandments which we once thought as oppressive became, through Yeshua the Messiah, who now lives inside of us, a joy and a blessing to follow. Yes, as promised by the prophets of old, God reached down to us and with His mighty right hand, He saved us and we were reborn as His children. Yet many of us still tithe because we feel obligated to.
Through Messiah Yeshua we have been Born Again into the Kingdom of God, a place of true blessing. God’s Kingdom is not somewhere far off in the distant future; it is right here, right now living inside of us. We, Believers in Messiah Yeshua, are the Kingdom of God. Therefore, we contain in ourselves the Kingdom qualities: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. These are the fruits of God’s Spirit which took up residence inside of us upon our salvation. God’s Kingdom is alive and well living right here on earth and we are it.
One day, some time after the return of Yeshua, there will be a judgement of the wicked. Those found to be unworthy will be consigned to a place of spiritual darkness, a place of hopelessness, a place without God. However, those judged to be righteous will be saved and take up residence in heaven, a place filled with God’s love. At that time the Kingdom of God will encompass the entire earth. Until that time, however, it is limited to those of us who believe. We owe tremendous gratitude to the Lord for all He has done for us and for that reason He has warned us in His Word:
Deuteronomy {8:11-18}: “Beware lest you forget the Lord your GOD, in not keeping His commandments, and His judgements, and His statutes, which I command you this day: {12} lest, when you have eaten and are full, and have built goodly houses, and lived therein; {13} and when your herds and your flocks multiply, and your silver and your gold is multiplied, and all that you have is multiplied; {14} then your heart be lifted up, and you forget the Lord your GOD, who brought you forth out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage; {15} who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, [in which were] fiery serpents and scorpions, and thirsty ground where was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint; {16} who fed you in the wilderness with manna, which your fathers did not know; that He might humble you, and that He might prove you, to do you good at your latter end: {17} and [lest] you say in your heart, “My power and the might of my hand has gotten me this wealth.” {18} But you shall remember the Lord your GOD, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth; that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as at this day.”
I think we need to examine our hearts as we bring our tithes and offerings to the Lord. In fact, perhaps we should modify and personalize the portions of Scripture quoted and remember in our hearts as we give, that, "We were once debtors in bondage to sin, and that sin dealt harshly with us and afflicted us and laid hard bondage on us. Then we cried to the God of our forefathers and He heard our voice and saw our affliction, our toil, and our oppression. And The Lord reached down to us and brought us out of our trouble by the blood of Messiah Yeshua which He shed for us at Calvary. He has brought us into a place of joy and peace. Now, we can bring the first fruit of our labour, not out of guilt or obligation but with “thanksgiving and appreciation."
So next time you give to the Lord, instead of just placing your gift into the collection basket or sending it electronically, remember who you were then, and who you are now, and give in thankfulness and appreciation. What a difference it will make in your giving and in your life..
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