Transcript of Sabbath Meeting - 06/16/00

Tonight I would like to talk about the importance of "Growing in Yahweh"

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 Yahshua the Messiah pointed out that we cannot 'live' by bread alone.

In quoting the Torah, He said;

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.

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.

Deuteronomy 8:3 - 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.

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.

Isaiah 55:2 - 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.

Is this 'living' referring only to life in this world?

I believe it means 'eternal life'. Consider Yahshua'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?

Luke 10:26 - He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou?

Luke 10:27 - 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.

Luke 10:28 - 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..how to love

Because they are brought forth by the Spirit

As we are taught and led by the Spirit through words guiding us spiritually

We also can be taught and led by the Spirit through words that have already been written

His word..teaches us how to love, for they are by the Spirit

They are like seeds which bring forth good fruit:

Luke 8:11 - Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of YAHWEH.

Luke 8:12 - 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.

For the seed is the Word

Luke 8:13 - 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.

Luke 8:14 - 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.

Luke 8:15 - 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.

Will it yield anything in us?

Or will we let it be stolen, or let the world or trials and temptations take it away?

Let it be on good ground!

Let His word absorb into your heart

and produce much fruit

Absorbing His word into our minds can fulfill us like nothing else.

Words are very powerful.

Often, a person's actions and mannerisms are a carbon copy of the current group of friends or those they 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.

The very word "spirit" also means breath or wind.

(in Hebrew)

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. Subtle seeds that get sown

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 17:17 - Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

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.

Some might say that keeping the Sabbath is a 'jewish' thing.

But the Sabbath is not Jewish.

It is Yahweh's Sabbath...

Leviticus 19:3 - Ye shall fear every man his mother, and his father, and keep my sabbaths: I am YAHWEH your Elohim.

The Sabbath was made for man

And all the commandments are His commandments...whether they be in old or new testament.

We (like Yahushua) are to "live" by EVERY word that proceeds out of His mouth, not just selected parts.

If we have a special day of the week .. "His Day for us"....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.

Some say this is a burden

If it is a burden to set aside a day for Yahweh, then how can they love Him?

How can it be a burden to praise, worship and spend time in His word?

It should rather be a joy!

Everyone I know who does keep His day, enjoys and loves His day.

My little girl, Kara asks me at least 5-10 times as Sabbath approaches "Is it Sabbath yet?"

because she realizes the blessing of this day..and she loves it

If a child can see it, why can't adults?

Many people, 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

Today there is a push for putting the Ten Commandments in schools

and public places

which is great :)

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:

Exodus 20:10 - 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:

Exodus 20:11 - 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.

Exodus 20:12 - Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which YAHWEH thy Elohim giveth thee.

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.

Isaiah 56:2 - 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.

Isaiah 56:3 - 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.

Isaiah 56:4 - For thus saith YAHWEH unto the eunuchs that keep my sabbaths, and choose the things that please me, and take hold of my covenant;

Isaiah 56:5 - 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.

Isaiah 56:6 - 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;

Isaiah 56:7 - 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.

That 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 simply ignoring the Sabbath commandment.

Nearly unheard of just 50 years ago, 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...to draw closer to Him on the day that He set apart at Creation. 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!! We must "grow in Yahweh!" Most importantly, it is keeping the fourth commandment.

1John 2:4 - He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him.

1John 2:5 - But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of YAHWEH is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.

John 14:16 - And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 14:15 - If ye love me, keep my commandments.

John 14:16 - And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

John 14:17 - 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.

Anyone who says that Yahshua didn't command the Sabbath day observance doesn't understand that Yahshua is "The Word" of Yahweh.

And "the Word" of Yahweh tells us to keep the Sabbath day!

The above 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.

To those who choose not to obey the Sabbath commandment, I say to you that "You are truly missing out!!"

Of course, there are other commandments besides the Sabbath day.

our walk must be a walk of conviction, repentance and obedience

Let's ask ourselves often..What new conviction toward obedience has the Spirit revealed to me lately?

What is Yahushua doing in our lives?

"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' (second place) ? "

" 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 kinds of 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 and desires.

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.

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.

As I heard it said once, 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 Yahshua was really coming tomorrow, what waste would we throw out?

Would we not be preparing ourselves!??

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.

Revelations 3:2 - "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die, for I have not found your works perfect before YAHWEH.

Revelations 3:3 - "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.

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!

1Peter 1:21 - who through Him believe in YAHWEH, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in YAHWEH.

1Peter 1:22 - Since you have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit in sincere love of the brethren, love one another fervently with a pure heart,

1Peter 1:23 - having been born again, not of corruptible seed but incorruptible, through the word of YAHWEH which lives and abides forever,

1Peter 1:24 - because "All flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of the grass. The grass withers, and its flower falls away,

1Peter 2:1 - Therefore, laying aside all malice, all deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking,

1Peter 2:2 - as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may grow thereby,

1Peter 2:3 - if indeed you have tasted that YAHWEH is kind.

His food is set before us, let us eat.

The Way is before us..let us grow

May Yahweh bless you all!