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Jewish
Heritage Revival

One
Heritage United by Messiah
If You Love Me...
keep my
commandments.
John 14:15
This is our Messiah
speaking to His apostles...He continues...
...And
I will pray the Father and He shall give you another
comforter, that He may abide with you forever. Even
the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive,
because it doesn't see Him, neither knows Him: but
you know Him; because He dwells with you and shall be in
you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will
come to you. Yet a little while, and the world sees
me no more; but you see me because I live, you shall also
live. At that day you shall know that I am in my
Father, and you in Me and I in you.
He that
has my commandments, and keeps them, he, it is that loves
me: and he that loves me shall be loved of my
Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to
him.
Judas said to him (not
Iscariot) Lord, how is it that you will manifest yourself
to us, and not to the world? Jesus answered and
said to him:
If a
man loves me, he will keep my words: and my Father will
love him, and we will come to him, and make our residence
with him. He that loves me not keeps not my
sayings: and the word which you hear is not mine,
but the Father's which sent me. These things have I
spoken to you, being present with you. But the
Comforter, which is the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will
send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and
bring all things to your remembrance whatsoever I
have said to you." John 14:16 - 26
How do we define what
are our Messiah's commandments? In another encounter, our
Messiah is asked:
"Then
one of them, which was a lawyer, asked Him a question,
tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great
commandment in the law? Jesus said to him, You shall love
the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your
soul and with all your mind. This is the first and
great commandment. And the second is like it, you
shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two
commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Matthew 22:35 - 40
Our Messiah in essence
has summarized the entire Word of God into two
commandments...Love God and love one another. Now
the question is how do we do this? What our Messiah
summarized - the Tenach, is our guide to fulfilling these
two commandments.
Now that we know what
our Messiah wants us to do as believers the big question
is HOW??? In order to do that, we must go back to
the source of where everything pertaining to the Kingdom
of God is found...The Tenach. Many of the things
that we are to do (or not do) as believers is originally
found in Torah. Our Messiah makes many references
to Moses and Torah.
Before going into
detail, we must reestablish that Messiah and the Father
are one. What our Messiah taught was of the Father
and from the Father. As we read continually through
His Word, there is only one God. (Adonai echud).
The commandments are not new, as we will see.
How do we love
God? Let us look at the first four commandments in
greater detail.
"You
shall have no other gods before me." Exodus 20:3
As stated above, Jesus
our Messiah, the Holy Spirit and our Creator are all
one. They are not polythesitic (multiple gods) but
monotheistic (one God). As discussed in our
article on the origin of easter, there are several accounts of
what our God thinks of, and therefore feels towards other
gods.
In going one step
further, what are some of the things that you place
before God...money, pleasure activities, people...
All of these can be
other forms of gods in your life that you have placed
before our God.
"You
shall not make unto thee any graven images, or any
likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is
in the earth below, or that is in the water under the
earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them
(other gods) for I the Lord your God am a jealous God,
visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children
unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate
me; and showing mercy to thousands of them that
love me, and keep my commandments." Exodus 20:4 - 6
Look at the last verse
again...sounds like something our Messiah said. (look at
the title of this article) For that matter it is
something that He did say. He will show mercy to
thousands that love Him and "KEEP HIS
COMMANDMENTS" The message is
consistent. First given by God to Moses and the
children of Israel, then conveyed to the church.
"You
shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain; for
the Lord will not hold him guiltless that takes his name
in vain." Exodus 20:7
If you love God, why
would you even consider it. The Holy Spirit that
resides in you, in essence cleans you out. Remember
you have become a new creation. God can
miraculously take the old sinful nature that you were
before you became a believer and completely make you over
into a child of the King.
"Remember
the Sabbath and keep it holy. Six days shall you
labor and do all your work: but on the seventh day
is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it you shall
not do any work, you, nor your son, nor your daughter,
your manservant, nor your maidservant, nor your cattle,
nor the stranger that is within your gates: For in
six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all
that in them is, and rested the seventh day:
wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed
it."
Exodus 20:8 -11
This will be the most
challenging of commandments for the church today.
Nowhere in God's Word does it say that He has changed the
Sabbath. It was the seventh day when He had
completed the creation of the world, and it is the
seventh day today. There are various reasons for
why the church has migrated to a predominantly based
Sunday worship. These reasons include:
- A directive from
the Roman Emperor Constantine at the council of
Nicea, didn't want anything to do with the
customs of the Jewish people. His comment
(in specific reference to the Passover) can be
applied to any commandment given by God to the
Jewish nation first.
"And
first of all it appeared an unworthy thing that in the
celebration of this most holy feast we should follow the
practice of the Jews, who have impiously defiled their
hands with enormous sin for we have received from our
Saviour a different way
And I myself have undertaken
that this decision should meet with the approval of your
Sagacities in the hope that your Wisdoms will gladly
admit that practice which is observed at once in the city
of Rome and in Africa, throughout Italy and in
Egypt
with entire unity of judgment. (Vol. 5,
p. 228). (note 3)
Other reasons that have
been used to convey a Sunday time of worship include:
- "And
upon the first day of the week, when the
disciples came together to break bread, Paul
preached to them, ready to depart tomorrow and
continued his speech until midnight" Acts 20:7
The church's
interpretation of this verse depicts that the above
occurred on Sunday morning when in actual fact it is
Saturday night. The problem with the
interpretation of this verse is that the Jewish
perspective is missing. So, what is missing?
- The day begins and
ends at sundown. It is not the same as we
perceive the day - to begin and end at
midnight.
- The disciples and
Paul were Jewish believers in Messiah who would
attend the synagogue, keep God's feasts and do
according to the Tenach. Therefore, when
they got together to break bread...it was their
evening meal or dinner. What were they
doing before that? Keeping the Sabbath as
commanded. This time together continued
after the Sabbath.
Other reasons that I
have heard include:
- The Sabbath is
under the law, we are no longer under the law.
- Our Messiah rose
on the first day of the week so we will honor Him
on the first day.
In response to the
second reason...as we have discussed in our article on Passover, even in death, our Messiah
kept God's commandments and honored the Sabbath, didn't
do any work, and rose at His appointed and scheduled time
- the feast of First Fruits.
Now that we have
explored how we are to love God, we can now look at the
second commandment our Messiah gives us...love one
another.
How do we love one
another? Let us start by looking at the next six
commandments.
"Honor
your father and mother: that your days may be long
upon the land which the Lord your God gives you." Exodus 20:12
"You
shall not kill" Exodus 20:13
"You
shall not commit adultery" Exodus 20:14
"You
shall not steal" Exodus 20:15
"You
shall not bear fall witness against your
neighbor" Exodus 20:16
"You
shall not covet your neighbor's house, you shall not
covet your neighbor's wife, nor his manservant, nor his
maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor anything that
is your neighbor's." Exodus 20:17
This is our starting
point for how we are to treat (love) one another.
However, now our Messiah has actually raised the bar for
us as believers. For instance, when He speaks of
the act of committing adultery, He states:
"You
have heard that it was said by them of old time,
"You shall not commit adultery" But I say
to you, that whosoever looks upon a woman to lust after
her has committed adultery with her already in his
heart."
Matthew 5:27 -28
Not only are we
responsible for the act, but also for the initial
thought.
Here are a few other
commandments found in Torah, that not only apply today,
but also sound like something our Messiah said:
- "You
shall not render an unfair decision: do not
favor the poor or show deference to the rich;
judge your kinsman fairly." Leviticus 19:15
- "You
shall not hate your kinsfolk in your heart.
Reprove your kinsman but incur no guilt because
of him" Leviticus 19:17
- "You
shall not take vengeance or bear a grudge against
your countrymen. Love your fellow as
yourself: I am the Lord." Leviticus 19:18
- "You
shall rise before the aged and show deference to
the old; you shall fear your God: I am the
Lord" Leviticus 19:32
- "When
a stranger resides with you in your land, you
shall not wrong him. The stranger that
resides with you shall be to you as one of your
citizens; you shall love him as yourself, for you
were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am
the Lord your God." Leviticus 19:33 - 34
These are but a few
examples. In another article we will go into greater
detail as to separating them into commandments that are
still relevant today, and those that cannot be followed
or have been fulfilled by our Messiah...thereby showing
us what God desires of us as His children.
As we read in John's
gospel when our Messiah is teaching of the parable of the
vine and branches, commanding us to love one another as
He has loved us.
"I
am the true vine and my Father is the vinedresser.
Every branch in me that bears no fruit, He takes
away; and every branch that bears fruit, He purges
it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now you are
clean through the word which I have spoken to you.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot
bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no
more can you, except if you abide in me. I am the
vine, you are the branches: He that abides in me,
and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit: for
without me, you can do nothing. If a man does not
abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch; and is
withered; and men gather them and cast them into the
fire, and they are burned. If you abide in me, and
my words abide in you, you shall ask what you will, and
it shall be done unto you. Herein is my Father
glorified, that you bear much fruit; so shall you be my
disciples. As the Father has loved me, so have I
loved you: continue in my love. These things
have I spoken to you, that my joy might remain in you,
and that your joy might be full. This is my
commandment, That you love one another, as I have loved
you. Greater love has no man than this, that a man
lay down his life for his friends. You are my
friends, if you do whatsoever I command you.
Henceforth, I call you not servants; for the servant
knows not what his lord does, but I have called you
friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I
have made known to you. You have not chosen me, but
I have chosen you, and ordained you, that you should go
and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit remains:
that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in My name,
He may give it to you. These things I command you,
that you love one another." John 15:1 - 17
Is our God forcing us
to keep His commandments? No. He allows us
free will to make the decisions for ourselves. If
you truly love Him and you say you do...you will keep His
commandments...not a few, but all. When we fail to
do so, He is there to forgive us, so long as we accept
responsibility and confess our mistakes (sin,
disobedience) to Him. From personal experience,
when I have done something wrong, God's Spirit is quick
to convict me of my wrongdoing.
So, how do we know when
it is God's Spirit convicting us...and therefore guiding
us? It is an intimate relationship that you have
with Him. For me personally, at times, it will be a
voice, thought or feeling that comes from Him. It
will also occur during prayer or when I am reading His
Word. All I can say is that the more you focus on
Him and how he communicates with you, the better you will
know Him.
There were times in the
past that I wasn't sure if it was Him or the enemy.
One thing that will never happen is the Holy Spirit
contradicting God's Word. When in doubt, look it
up. If what you are given contradicts any of God's
Word, then it isn't from Him.
"Think
not that I have come to destroy the law or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to
fulfill. For surely I say to you, Till heaven and
earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no way pass
from the law, until all is fulfilled. Whosoever
therefore shall break one of these least commandments,
and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in
the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and
teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom
of heaven. For I say to you, That except your
righteousness exceed the righteousness of the scribes and
Pharisees, you shall in no way enter into the kingdom of
heaven." Matthew
5:17 - 20
When our Messiah gave
His sermon on the mount, He was speaking to a Jewish
audience, for which they understand Torah and
Prophets. In giving these instructions to a Jewish
audience, can we say that our Messiah has given two sets
of instruction...one for Jewish believers in Messiah, and
one for non-Jewish believers?
Paul, a student of our
Messiah provides the answer to this question..."There is neither
Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is
neither male nor female: for you are all one in
Messiah. And if you are in Messiah, then are you
Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise." Galatians 3:28 - 29
Our Messiah is
instructing everyone who believes in Him to keep His
commandments...that He didn't come to destroy (do away,
discard, eliminate) the law (Law of Moses, known as
Torah, which can also be interpreted as teachings, and in
essence the teachings of God.) but to fulfill many
of the ordinances set forth by God for the requirements
for sacrifice. No longer are we required to
sacrifice a lamb on the altar for our sins...Our Messiah
has done that once and for all.
I firmly believe that
the following warning speaks not only to unbelievers, but
also to many that state they believe in our Messiah
Jesus:
"Enter
in at the narrow gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is
the way that leads to destruction and many there will be
that go in through it. Because, narrow is the gate,
and hard is the way which leads to life, and few there
will be that find it." Matthew 7:13 - 14
There are many in the
world that do not believe in and therefore follow our
Messiah who are currently on this path. Likewise,
there are many churches that have watered down our
Messiah's message, misinterpreted the scriptures and have
ignored the context of what our Messiah has said.
It is not for any of us
to judge one another...but, rather to earnestly seek Him,
immerse ourselves in the Word of God...learning all that
He has to say, and help one another should any of us
fall.
Our Messiah says:
"Not
every one that says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter into
the kingdom of heaven, but he that does the will of my
Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in
that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your
name? And in your name have cast out devils?
And in your name done many wonderful works? And
then will I profess unto them, I never knew you, depart
from me, you that work iniquity." Matthew 7:21 - 23
"Blessed
are they that do His commandments, that they may have
right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the
gates into the city." Revelation 22:14
Remember...when you
rightly divide God's Word, it will not
contradict itself. It is when you take out of
context, or misapply His Word that you are playing with
your eternal life.
Do you love Him?
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Type |
Indication |
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Bible
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| Red |
Bible
Text referencing Jesus speaking |
| Black |
General
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