Parasha Vayelech (He went)

From Rabbi Jack...

This Shabbat is known as Shabbat Shuva, in English it means the Shabbat of Repentance so I would like to share reasons we should repent.

Matthew {24:21} "for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever shall."

What Matthew wrote is an amazingly scary statement when we think of all the wars, holocausts, famines, diseases, earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and volcanic eruptions that have occurred this past year. It is even more amazingly scary when we think of all the atrocities that have taken place all over this earth from the time of Adam and Eve until now. Think about it, because what Yeshua is saying here is, add all the horrors I have just mentioned together, and the sum of them will not compare to what the world is about to experience during the Great Tribulation.

The world is on the threshold of a terrible tribulation which will bring widespread violence. Magog, as prophesied, will attack Israel and they will bring 'many others' with them to invade God's Land; probably all the Arab nations that hate Israel but definitely Libya and Ethiopia, which are named by Ezekiel. Throughout the world the Great Tribulation will be a time of tremendous hatred in the hearts of men. In fact, the hatred will be so severe that a man will slit his own mother's throat without blinking an eye. Brother will stab brother in the back, without hesitation. Parents will turn against their children and children against their parents! Can you imagine the confusion, the chaos that will rule over the world at that time? We think we live in a violent society now, well it is nothing compared to the malicious slaughter which will take place during the Tribulation. Dead bodies will be lying in the streets with no one to bury them. Groaning and suffering will be everywhere, and the stench of death will reek in the air.

The bottom line; if you have not repented and are not saved (have not invited Messiah Yeshua into your life), you best repent and get saved now.

Let me tell you something about salvation and forgiveness of sins. It is so precious and valuable, that God refuses to allow you to buy it, earn it or work for it. But if you are willing to receive it as a free gift, God will give it to you!

Fear of the future is not a bad reason to want to get saved, but there are so many other positive benefits to salvation, that I have to confess from experience; even if there was no tribulation or no hell, I would still want to be saved!

Hi Ellen here…

Are you addicted to anything? I am and I am working it all out with my Heavenly Father. In fact, it is a gradual process with me but I am sure with others it may be instant! Did you know, that it does not have to be an addiction to drugs, sex or alcohol? There are so many other addictions that are sinful and need healing and deliverance from! I am not going to name mine as I would not ask you yours but Abba knows…He knows all and He knows the perfect timing in our lives for the deliverance, healing and redemption from these addictions…and yes evil desires. So, you do not look at pornography but food in your life rules you and not you ruling the food. Ok you do not wake up in the morning and have a whiskey but you cannot wait to go shopping for some new shoes to add to the 10's and 50's of those already in your closet. You do not even think about sex all day but you do need to manipulate the situations in your life that have not worked out the way you would like them to. And let us not talk about analyzing all the above!

Yes, when we became Born Again and embraced our Lord and Savior Yeshua, we were set free but now we need to walk in freedom, His freedom not ours. Let us pray; "…Heavenly Abba, I now lay all that needs to be fixed in me to you! I release the strongholds in my life and await your perfect peace in my life. I pray and believe for all things in Your name Yeshua! Amen…"

Yours in Messiah Yeshua, "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua." (Titus 2:13)

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

Read Parasha

Parasha commentary

Sermon of the week "God waits patiently"

Yom Teruah Day 1 Teaching

Yom Teruah Day 2 Teaching

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Parasha Nitzavim (Standing)

From Rabbi Jack...

When God made Solomon king over His people Israel, Solomon asked the Lord:
1 Kings {3:9} "So give Your servant an understanding heart to judge Your people to discern between good and evil."

We pray that this would be our prayer as well, that we will truly desire a heart of wisdom so that we will have the discernment needed to live in the world but yet not be part of the world. The Devil wants us to fail in our walk with God and he will do everything he can to make us fail. So we must keep praying like King Solomon to be assured that God will answer us the same way He answered King Solomon:

1 Kings {3:12} "Behold, I have done according to your words. Behold, I have given you a wise and discerning heart, …"

Our success and happiness in life all depend on the choices we make. Our walk with God and the path we choose for our lives now will affect who we will become in the future.

Genesis {12:1} "The LORD had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you." Genesis {12:4} "So Abram went, as the LORD had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran." Genesis {12:5} He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there."

When Abraham and Sarah set out toward the unknown, they were willing to learn and grow along the way. They had the confidence that there was a divine purpose and a plan leading them. King Solomon, Abraham and Sarah are role models for us today. When we are faced with challenges that compel us to change, what we face in life is meant to force us to grow for our benefit and for God's glory.

Hi Ellen here…

I am so excited for you! You have received Yeshua into your heart and are born-again, hallelujah! Now what? Well, I have some additional good news for you. The Word of God is not complex but our interpretations and analytical minds are. So put away your ideas and let us look at three easy ways to walk like Yeshua. Ephesians 5.1-2 says: "Walk in love…Therefore be imitators of God as dear children and walk in love, as Messiah also loved us and gave Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." Ephesians 5.8-10 says this: "…Walk in Light, for you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light." Ephesians 5.15-17 says: "…Walk in Wisdom, see that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil."

Wow, pretty basic Scriptures, right? If you have read some of my other brief dissertations, they usually carry a rebuke and challenge to do good rather than evil. Today I would just like to bless you with this good news. If you so desire to read on in these addresses in Ephesians you can do so at your leisure…but be warned!

Yours in Messiah Yeshua: "…while we wait for the blessed hope—the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Messiah Yeshua." (Titus 2:13)

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

Read Parasha

Parasha commentary

Sermon of the week "Satanic spiritual deception"

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Parasha Shoftim (Judges)

Habakkuk {3:17} "Though the fig tree should not blossom, and there be no fruit on the vines, {though} the yield of the olive should fail, and the fields produce no food, though the flock should be cut off from the fold, and there be no cattle in the stalls, {3:18} Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation."

From Rabbi Jack...

Habakkuk lived during turbulent and uncertain times in Judah; times of spiritual bankruptcy, injustice, oppression, violence, and wickedness. They were times of political instability and of national crisis and the war machine of Babylon was grounding nation after nation into the dust all around Israel. Sounds a lot like the world we are living in now. It was because of all this that Habakkuk is thrown into doubts, confusion, and even into lodging accusations against God. He was caught-up in frustration caught up and felt that God did not care about what was going on. However, notice that Habakkuk does not say in our verse; "THEN" will I rejoice in God; he says; "YET, I will rejoice in God." Despite what was going on in his life or in Judah, Habakkuk could still rejoice in the Lord! Maybe all your friends have rejected you, maybe you lost your job or have no job, maybe you are sick or your health is failing, maybe everything is going wrong in your life; can you still say, like Habakkuk said; "Yet, I will rejoice in God".

As Believers, we have to look around us and find a reason to rejoice and as Believers that should be easy. If nothing else, we can just think back to the goodness of Yeshua and all that He has done for us. Sometimes we just need to stop and count our blessings and realize that there are so many people who do not know Yeshua as their Lord and Savior, who are in much worse situations than us with no hope, no Yeshua in their lives. We have to look beyond our temporary setbacks and see the permanent fellowship we have with our almighty God. It is easy to see the evidence of our faith as a Believer when everything is going our way, when positive things are happening to us. However, "talking faith" and "having faith" are two different things. Talking faith is when things do not go our way, and instead of rejoicing we have a pity party. Having faith is when things are not going our way and we can still rejoice in the Lord.

 

Hi Ellen here…

In 1970 a film came out that everyone, I mean everyone, went to see.  Maybe some of you remember it and maybe some will Google it after reading this.  It was called "Love Story".  A married couple so desperately in love, it was palatable.  The saying in this movie which made it so memorable was…love means never having to say you're sorry.  This saying is so contrary to us as Believers in Messiah Yeshua.  A great part of our walk with God is saying sorry and meaning it.  We are to forgive and forget!  Did you know that when we are angry at someone it does not affect them but totally stresses us out! Anger and unforgiveness cause all sorts of negative effects in our lives!  First of all, it causes stress.  Stress causes disease which leads to a total lack of peace.  Unforgiveness is also a cause of sin and it is a sin all in itself.  I am not saying forgiveness is easy but I am saying it is a requirement within our walk with God.  Unforgiveness can be a barrier for the Holy Spirit to work in us; unforgiveness can invite demonic activity in our lives; unforgiveness can even kill us!  So now it is up to us…forgive and forget today.  God has forgiven you and thrown your sins into the deepest part of the sea never to be fished for again by Him. So, stop peeking into that little box you have hidden from others, that is full of your unforgiveness and forgive yourself and those who have hurt you and start anew!

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

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

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Parasha commentary

Sermon of the week "

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Parasha Ki Tavo (When you are come)

From Rabbi Jack...

There are too many Messianic teachers out there today who are drawing Believers back to Judaism, quoting Jewish writings and the Jewish sages; the very people who rejected Yeshua and persecuted Messianic Believers. Scripture says:

1 John 2:23 Everyone who denies the Son is also without the Father, but the person who acknowledges the Son has the Father as well.

It is clear! If the Jewish writers and sages, denied the Son, they denied the Father. So, who were these men worshiping and why therefore, should we now listen to what they had to say? Yet the unsuspecting eat it up because it sounds intelligent and feeds their enamor for Judaism and their hunger for knowledge, for knowledge's sake. I know that if Believers continue to listen to these teachings, it will ultimately lead them to denying Yeshua as God because behind the words of these false teachers is an anti-Christ spirit.

Thank God for the Messianic teachers who are truly following Yeshua. They have a truth message to share with people who really desire to learn, grow and be transformed into the image of Messiah Yeshua. When the truth is taught and God's message is given, expect the going to get tough in our lives because we will find ourselves face to face with the reality that we are not where we ought to be in our walk with God. The truth convicts, the truth transforms, the truth draws us closer to God; lies tickle ears, knowledge puffs up! Anything that is going to draw us closer to where God wants us to be must cause us to change and become more Messiah-like. Be forewarned, as soon as what we are listening to draws us closer to religious practices and traditions of men, we are heading in a direction that is leading us further from God, not closer to Him. We need then to stop listening to those who are teaching an anti-Christ religion and start listening to those who are teaching a Messiah relationship.

Hi Ellen here...
Although you will receive this on Thursday, the 19th day of Elul, I decided to write this short note to "us" all on Wednesday, the 18th of Elul. Now I don't want to come across religious but the number 18 in Hebrew represents CHAI! Chai means life and for this Shabbat I pray that you all have LIFE more abundantly! Here are a few suggestions for LIFE! Stop cleaning the outside of your life and start cleaning your heart and thoughts; Start putting God first and your spouse and children second; Turn off the electronics in your life and start reading Scripture every day; Stop looking for man's approval and seek the Lord; Stop leaning on your own understanding and start depending on the Holy Spirit…There are countless more suggestions for all of us so let us start today and not delay!

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

Rabbi Jack & Ellen

Read Parasha

Parasha commentary (coming soon)

Sermon of the week "What can we expect"

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