count down to passover & some spiritual reflection

Shalom!

I hope whoever is reading this blog is doing well....I am cool, here at work, its thursday and the sabbath is almost here so I am super ready...wanting to rest.

I am going to dedicate this blog to sharing a number of spiritual/scriptural teachings that I have received lately from different places. Its been so edifying for me and I hope it edifies you the reader also.

One quick side note....Passover is almost here! I am really looking forward to my visit. As I said before I have the honor of spending this Passover with the Hall family. My flight is scheduled to touch down in just six days! On the day before Passover evening it looks like I will be working with my best friend Sean, so that should be nice. One of my personal traditions is to buy gifts for loved ones during this time. Its part of the spirit of festivity that I have around this time. This Feast/Observance is such an important part of our lives of faith because it commemorates our Savior's timeless sacrifice; and just as the ancient people of Israel were delivered from slavery to the Egyptians, so to does the Heavenly Father deliver all those who hold to faith and obedience and Him through His Son from sin and death.


Our Savior said simply; "Do this in Remembrance of Me"-Luke 22:19,1 Corinthians 11:24


Ok, so lets take a look at some of these teachings that I spoke about up above, I got them primarily from three sources. One comes from a sermon done at a congregation that I frequent, another comes from a seminar done by First Fruits of Zion, entitled "Treasures in Heaven", and the last comes from a book by D. Thomas Lancaster that I am presently reading entitled, "King of the Jews".


First the sermon.

I was blessed to hear this sermon this past Sabbath at Congregation Beth Hallel. The title of the sermon was "It is the Familiar that Makes Us Stumble" and its message was simple.

Our day to day routines are so familiar to us, so consistent and seemingly redundant and mundane that we have the tendency to become complacent, and it is in those "familiar" times when we can unexpectedly subject ourselves to sin.

Case in Point.


David's Porch


1 In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. And they ravaged the Ammonites and besieged Rabbah. But David remained at Jerusalem.

2It happened, in the eventide, when David arose from his bed and was walking on the roof of the king’s palace, that he saw from the roof a woman bathing; and the woman was very beautiful.

3 And David sent and inquired about the woman. And one said, "Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite?" 4 So David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him, and he lay with her. -2 Samuel 11:1-4



Most Bible readers are familiar with what happened after this. King David had Bathsheba's husband killed in the forth front of Battle.

Concerning our examination of familiarity making us stumble; how does this story equate?

Think about it for a moment. How often, or casual of a thing must it have been for David to take an evening stroll on his roof? I'm sure the nights outside afforded much comfort. Wonderful views, fresh air, a comfortable stroll. Yet this one time, this one single time, he happened to see this woman bathing, and from this "look" came lust, covetousness, which led to adultery and murder.

It is the familiar that makes us stumble.


Alright, on to the next teaching. Treasures in Heaven is a six disc seminar from First Fruits of Zion. Here is a brief description of his seminar from FFOZ.


Treasures in Heaven is a challenging and engaging six-session seminar intended to help us review our Kingdom priorities as disciples of the Master. This timely message renews a sense of purpose in these times of uncertainty; it draws from the recent political and economical events using the climate of our times as a motivator to correct our paths and prepare us for the return of the Messiah.

There is so much that I am gaining from this seminar, and I am not yet through. Primarily it has caused me to examine how I spend my time and energy and how I use my resources, it has caused me to look deep with in to see if in fact I am truly "Seeking First the Kingdom of Heaven and His Righteousness" This seminar is filled with so many timeless truths, affirmations and convictions, and it also has a wealth of historical-contextual scripture information. Below is a portion from the seminar that really stuck with me.


Take a look at this Parable that the Savior gave.


Matthew 25:31-45

31 When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34Then the King will say to those on his right, 'Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.' 37Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' 40And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'

41"Then he will say to those on his left,' Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.' 44Then they also will answer, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?' 45Then he will answer them, saying, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.'


Really reflect on the Master's words. And consider the ancient prophecy written of Him in the book of Isaiah...(Isa 53:3)


He was despised and rejected by men;
a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief;
and as one from whom men hide their faces
he was despised, and(B) we esteemed him not.


Messiah Yeshua (Christ,Jesus) is the man of sorrows. He is in the face of the poor of our streets and third world countries, he is the face of orphans and widows, He is the face of our sick and imprisoned, He is the face of the Jewish people, and the in the afflicted, impoverished, down trodden, oppressed, and diseased of the earth; the war and natural disaster suffering amongst us.

In the judgment, as we read above, those who were blessed among the nations are those who did not avert their eyes from those who were in need. To summarize what one of the teachers said in this portion of the seminar; "I don't think the Master will be to concerned or impressed with how well I kept the sabbath, or how well I kept His Feasts, but I do know He will be concerned with rather or not I helped, the least of His bretheren"


Last but not least I would like to touch on a few things that I have gained from reading the book "King of the Jews".....I gotta say this is a meaty book! Its like sitting down and eating a well prepared meal but having to chew thoroughly to get it all processed...its has soooo much information. It has shed light, (for me at least) on the Gospels, and the Savior conveying them in their proper historical and cultural contexts.

Here are some thoughts from one particular portion of the book concerning "Discipleship" and the message of "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is At Hand"


Discipleship

What is it to be a disciple? In the book, we look at the teacher student relationship that was the generational cornerstone of the Jewish people for centuries, it was one of the institutions by which the Torah (Law) of God was passed on.

Here is a brief description of Discipleship that the author paints for the reader. (found on page 52)

"The absolute dedication and loyalty that disciples held for their teachers is incomparable to any of the pedagogic institutions of our own culture and experience. Imagine if, rather than falling asleep in your freshman composition class, you had begun to completely emulate the professor. You memorized his lectures and quoted him at every possible opportunity. You followed him to and from his home and often invited yourself to eat with him. You began to dress and act like him. You sought to absorb every possible nuance of his behavior. Obsessive? To say the least! Yet this was the prescribed mode of learning Torah in first-century Pharasaic Judaism."

What is it to be a disciple to our Master Yeshua? What is it to follow Him?

We must obey his teachings, and live as he lived. He was selfless, and he came to serve. He taught us to keep the law of God. (Mattew 5:17-19) We simply must follow His example.

The scriptures give us admonishments on how to do this, we are told to die to ourselves and to sin, (Luke 14:26,Romans 6/7/8). We are to guard our thoughts and actions through faith.


take every thought captive to obey Christ,-2 Corinthians 10:5

so in short.

Discipleship is...

*Selflessness, Servitude
*Torah
*Imitation of our Master
*Guarding His Teaching
*Renewing of the Mind


1My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you may not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. 2 He is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only but also for the sins of the whole world. 3And by this we know that we have come to know him, if we keep his commandments. 4Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 5but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: 6whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.-1 John 2:1-6


Last but now least lest take a quick look at the message. "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand"


First things first; we must acknowledge the consistency of this message in the Gospels, indeed this is THE message of the Gospels : "Repent for the Kingdom of Heaven is at Hand"

John taught it, Jesus taught it, his Disciples, and the Apostles taught it. Consistently, unfailingly.

What does it mean?

Repent (Hebrew:Shuv)

“ To Turn Around” also; Repentance (Hebrew:Teshuvah) “to return” and “to turn around and go back the other direction”

•Turn from sin (sin is defined by Torah, the Laws of God 1 John 3:4),

return to God, how do we return to God? In Faith and obedience… to His Commandments

•The prophets proclaimed this to Israel saying in essence “quit sinning, turn around and start doing good” More than just a change of mind but a change in behavior. In Judaism, “to return” means to “ return to the covenant norms of Torah” or "return to obedience to God's commandments"

Kingdom (Malchut) “To be under the authority of the Melech (King)


to quote the book, (pg.35)

The Hebrew word (malchut) is the word John and Yeshua would have used for "kingdom." While it might be understood to refer to a territorial domain, it is better understood as the active rule and reign of a sovereign. To be in the malchut, one must be under the reign of the Melech.(King) To be in the Kingdom, one must be under the reign of the King.

When we bring ourselves up under the Kings authority, we are transferred from the dominion and kingship of this world to that of our Master. There is a reality change...from the worlds authority to the Kings authority..

Colossians 1:12-14

Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:


also look at what Yeshua said concerning the Kingdom of Heaven...


20Being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he answered them, "The kingdom of God is not coming with signs to be observed, 21nor will they say, 'Look, here it is!' or 'There!' for behold, the kingdom of God is in your midst”-Luke 17:17-21


On a deeper level, "Kingdom of Heaven" is expressed by the author as being a circumlocution of the Heavenly Father's Divine name, (Y/H/V/H). Pointing out that instances where we read "Kingdom of Heaven" in the Gospels, it is replaced by Mark and Luke as "Kingdom of God". Another way of thinking of it is, how we may say in our society something like, "Oh for Heaven's sake!"

concerning the later portion of the message, "is at hand"...(pg.36)

The Hebrew word for near (karav) does not imply that there necessarily has to be any distance at all between that which is coming near and that which is being approached...We can see how the Greek or English leave the wrong concept of Kingdom of God: futuristic.

The Hebrew leaves the correct concept: present tense-NOW! The Kingdom of Heaven...is always present tense, "right now," according to Jesus' understanding, and in rabbinic usage as well."


it continues....in conclusion..

It follows that where there is a King, there is a kingdom. The message of John, Yeshua, and the disciples was consistent. The King is here! If we translate the terminology back to Hebrew, we can see the heightened sense of urgency in which John, Yeshua, and the disciples all delivered the gospel message. Repent quickly because the Kingdom of Heaven is already here!

If we put it all together, the meaning of this central message of the gospel comes through loud and clear: "Quit sinning, turn around and start obeying God because the King is already here and the reign of God is starting right now!" The good news of the gospel is that the King has arrived. The demand of the gospel is repentance.


As we await the visible presence of the Messiah's Kingdom in the world to come, let us prepare ourselves now by bringing ourselves up under His authority and kingship..in faith and obedience...discipling ourselves to his teachings and imitation of His life. Let us remember to help the least of those His brothers...

Let us seek first his kingdom and his righteousness in all things. Thank you for your time reader...Be blessed. Shalom :)


Yours in Him,
~Danny A Fluker Jr.