Parasha Chayei Sarah

From The Rabbi's Desk

As Believers in Messiah Yeshua we all want to, or at least should want to, serve the Lord with sincerity. However, today with our hectic lives and the expectations placed on us by family, work and life in general, sometimes what we do for God falls short of what He expects in relation to our motive. Therefore, we need to check ourselves and ask if the things we are doing for God are to satisfy our own consciences, our own need to be needed, our pride and guilt or are our works truly motivated to glorify God in every way and in everything we do for Him? Motive is the best indicator of the quality of our service towards God. Anything short of being motivated to do things solely for His Glory, will ultimately not withstand the test of fire when we stand before Him in heaven.

1 Corinthians 3:12 If anyone builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, 13) their work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each person's work.

Our ministry, our work needs to always point and direct people to God and not to ourselves. Too much of what is done today, which is said to be for the glory of God, is as much or perhaps even more, being done for our own recognition, for our own fleshly desires and sadly, in some cases, for our own profit.

Ellen and I have had to stop watching certain Messianic (Christian) television shows because just about every guest interviewed had their own formula of prayer and other areas of improving our relationship with God, which of course they printed in their latest book and were promoting for sale. Is that what serving the Lord has become, selling our latest book, we sure hope not! Everything we need to know about prayer and life in general is already available to us in printed form. I think it is time for committed Believers to stop following their favorite human author and start following the author of life for direction!

Let me say that if there is anything Ellen and I write or teach which does not point to or glorify God, we repent of it right now! We want our motivation to withstand the heat of the Lord's fire and we pray that each one reading this piece wants the same. TO GOD BE ALL GLORY HONOR AND PRAISE!

Hi Ellen here…This is a crazy weird time in our history but as long as we hold onto the hem of our Messiah's garment and not let go, we will be ok. One of the things that really makes me sad is that family and friends, those we love and hold dear in our hearts, are living in a parallel universe; some are Believers and others are not. I, as a Believer seem somewhat naïve in thinking that if you are a Believer, a committed follower of Yeshua haMashaich, then following conspiracy theories and watching all kinds of anti and pro videos, reading the latest and the greatest news articles about the "jab" (the vaccine) and berating government officials instead of praying for them…seems a little disjointed. My husband and I pray about everything we do and every step we take and we know the outcome is of the Lord, whether it looks good to us or not so good. These past many months we have lost so many good friends in and out of the Messianic community to this so-called nonexistent virus, with preexisting health issues and others down right healthy strong men and women. What we want to do is love…love like our Abba in heaven loves and not judge or be judged. We have all made our own choices through God's grace and free will and we also reap the benefits and suffer the consequences of those choices but in the end, God will work everything out for His glory and our benefit. Bless the Lord all my soul and all that is within me bless His holy Name, bless the Lord all my soul and forget not all His benefits, Who heals our diseases and forgives our iniquities, bless the Lord (Psalm 103).

Visit our blog for more teaching and to view previous Torah commentaries:

https://weeklyparasha02.blogspot.com/

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King;

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Vayera

From The Rabbi's Desk

As of late Ellen and I have been taking nightly walks around our neighborhood. The other day while walking I tripped on uneven sidewalk pavers, not once but several times. I am in the habit of looking forward when I walk so Ellen has to remind me to look down and watch where I am walking, not only because of uneven pavers but also so I do not step in dog poop.

Today, as I was contemplating what to write I was reminded of my stumbling walk and what Ellen said to me. It made me think; our walk as Believers in Messiah Yeshua is also riddled with hazards, all kinds of obstacles that can trip us up, all kinds of unpleasant things that we can step into. That is why we are warned so often in Scripture by the Apostles to: "Walk in the newness of life" (Romans 6:4); "Walk worthy of the calling" (Ephesians 4:1). The Apostle Peter says, referring to our walk and calling: "For if you do these things, you will never stumble, and you will receive a rich welcome into the eternal Kingdom of our Lord and Savior Messiah Yeshua." (2 Peter1:10-11).

However, it is not only how we walk but where we walk that is also important. With what I hear on the nightly news, I would not dream of walking on a dark street in downtown Chicago.

1 John 1:5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. 6) If we claim to have fellowship with him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live out the truth.

Darkness is sin, the light is truth. Therefore, we are not to walk in darkness; our walk must stick to areas of light and truth. If we do we will avoid the obstacles and hazards of life and we will not stumble into darkness.

Hi Ellen here…STOP trying to figure things out! If we truly have our eyes on the Lord, we will feel foolish if we do not STOP trying to figure things out because He already has…easier said than done, right? I am writing this short note not to you out there but to myself. I am overly analytical and sometimes too controlling but today as I was making cookies the word that came into my mind was worse than all the above. I'm sure you are on the edge of your seats to discover the word…well sit back and hear the word…it is PRIDE! I need to give up my pride every moment of every day. It is pride that motivates us to be analytical and controlling and more…do you have to be right? Do you have to have the answer? Is all peace and joy out the window when you cannot figure things out? Our God Most High is a mysterious God but He wants it that way so we depend on Him and not ourselves. Let us pray today together for our Abba in heaven to deliver us from the pride in our lives and purpose to rely on Him for all the answers.

Visit our blog for more teaching and to view previous Torah commentaries:

https://weeklyparasha02.blogspot.com/

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King;

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Lech Lecha & Sermon "These Three Kings"

From The Rabbi's Desk

2 Corinthians 4:7 "Yet we who have this spiritual treasure are like common clay pots, in order to show that the supreme power belongs to God, not to us." (GNT)

The spiritual treasure that the apostle is talking about here is not Messiah Yeshua, it is not the grace of God, although these are both treasures, it is the Gospel. Buried inside of every Believer in Messiah Yeshua is a treasure trove of truth more precious than gems, silver or gold. Yes, even though we are frail human beings, this treasure, if mined and dug up from within us, can impart life to a dying world. I can liken it to the clay pots Gideon's army carried with them into battle against the Midianites. Under each clay pot they hid a lit candle (Judges 7:16-22). It was not until they cracked the pots that the light was exposed. The same principle applies to us. If we, who are like common clay pots, do not dig and unearth the spiritual treasure within us, the light of the Gospel will not shine forth.

Proverbs 2:3 " indeed, if you call out for insight and cry aloud for understanding, 4) and if you look for it as for silver and search for it as for hidden treasure, 5) then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God."

The question is; "How do we extract this spiritual treasure that is within us?" Miners need tools in order to dig for treasure hidden in the earth and so do we. Our tools, however, are not mechanical, they are: reading God's Word and applying it to our lives, having a disciplined prayer life and unlocking the power of the Holy Spirit inside of us allowing Him to rule our lives. If we do these things then the Gospel of salvation through Messiah Yeshua will be unearthed in us and we will exhibit, through our lives and witness, the supreme power of God to save the lost.

Hi Ellen here…There are many sayings in the English language that hold validity to their intention. Let us look at two and apply them to our walk in faith. "Practice makes perfect" and "Fake it till you make it" …When I was a brand-new Believer, the person who led me in prayer to receive Yeshua into my heart said not to worry about being ignorant of the things of God, she said…" Fake it till you make it". I attended a Bible study and remained silent because of my lack of wisdom. Funny enough the man who led the study would ask me a question now and then and I would be silent and he would remark that silence was wisdom. Little did he know my silence was due to my unfamiliarity with the Word of God. Over time I began to feel uncomfortable with the "fake it make it" thing so I began to study with those more learned than myself. In conjunction I regularly attended a congregation so as to fellowship with like-minded Believers. This was great and led me on the path of knowledge, wisdom and understanding. Now a bit more seasoned I practice, practice, practice and more practice the jewels found in the Word, the characteristics of our Messiah and still try to remain silent when appropriate. Well, I'm not perfect yet but I look forward to the day when I hear the words, "Well done good and faithful servant".

Visit our blog for more teaching and to view previous Torah commentaries:

https://weeklyparasha02.blogspot.com/

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https://www.dropbox.com/s/78ox0ro1j38c0nj/These%20Three%20Kings.m4a?dl=0

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King;

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha Noach & Sermon "Teach Us To Pray"

From the Rabbi's Desk

We as humans are a driven race! Every year people line up to climb Mt. Everest, for what purpose; just to climb back down and say they did it! Think about all the time, effort and money that went into sending astronauts to the moon, for what purpose; just so as to beat the Russians there and to say we did it! How about all the space exploration going on now, for what purpose; just to say we did it? Is it because we are a driven race and have to explore and accomplish things just to say that we did them? Man has gone to the extreme and has taken life threatening risks at great expense for little or no reward, other than to go up and then come down just to say that they did it. Yet, when it comes to reading the Bible and discovering Messiah Yeshua through it, which when we do, rewards a person with eternal life with God in heaven, they do not want to do it! There is no greater height, there is no more rewarding journey, there is no greater thrill than perusing after the knowledge of God. That is because there are no limits to what we can learn and there is no end to what we can apply to our lives from the study of God and the Bible.

2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, 17 so that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."

I have been studying the Word of God going on forty years, yet I have still not ascended high enough nor have I journeyed far enough to glean all the truths and insights His Word contains. This should be our passionate purpose; this is what we should be driven to do as humans, because unlike all the thrills the world and space have to offer, we will not come back empty after doing it!

Hi Ellen here…We have all heard the truism: "Let go and let God", easier said than done – right! When you are struggling with something…something that is stealing your peace and eventually allowing a breach in your faith and you leave being under God's authority and come under the authority of the evil one…watch out as everything around you will fall apart. Been there? I have! Thank our Lord in heaven who has given us the Holy Spirit to convict us, give us a nudge, pick us up and direct us in the right direction. He whispers in our ear "…let go…let God." It takes practice so do not waste too much time or energy but "shema" the voice of the Lord. Remember "…it is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed." Deuteronomy 31.8

Visit our blog for more teaching and to view previous Torah commentaries:

https://weeklyparasha02.blogspot.com/

Yours in Messiah Yeshua; our Lord, our God, our soon coming King;

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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