We have all heard preachers from time to time tell us we need to go out and present the Gospel to the lost, and they are right, we need to be able to tell people about the good news of salvation. But where do we find the Gospel? Is the Gospel in the first four books of the New Testament? Again I would have to say yes and qualify it by saying yes, but not entirely. Now that I have everyone’s attention let us go to the Bible and see.

The passage I am referring to is in Luke 24:13-27. This passage is most likely familiar to most people. Yashua (Jesus) had been crucified and buried, and the disciples were in hiding fearful for their lives. The time is sometime on Sunday because in this passage it refers to some of the women having gone to the tomb very early and found it empty. The place this event happens was on the road to Emmaus.

Now we know there were two of them on the road, but we only know the name of one which is Cleopas. Some in history have said that Cleopas was Joseph’s brother or Yashua’s uncle according to the flesh. While they are on the road Yashua comes walking up beside of them and asks them about the discussion they are having about current events, or the death of Yashua. Scripture says they didn’t recognize Him.

They acted stunned that anyone would not know what had happened, and they began to explain to Him about this. They called Him a powerful prophet that they had hoped would be the one to redeem Israel. What they were saying is that they had hoped He had been the Messiah that had been promised.

This where the story gets really interesting, and Yashua says something many have missed. Yashua tells them first of all how unwise and slow to faith they have been, then He asked them, didn’t you know the Messiah had to suffer and die and enter into His glory?

While at this point in the passage most of us would say, well wait a minute, how would we know that? Yashua answers that question in verse 27. It says beginning with Moses, which are the first five books of the Bible, and moving through the prophets, Yashua began to interpret how these Scripture concerned Him, or they point and proclaimed Him. Look at this closely, if the Gospel are the Good News about Yashua, then according to Yashua, it all started in Genesis and runs through the whole Bible. So to really understand this good news, then we also most understand the message that has been proclaimed from the beginning. I don’t know about us, but when I realized that it put a whole new light on things. I challenge you to start from the beginning and look at things and how they relate to Yashua.

            I believe, even though it is a difficult question, it can be answered in the Bible, which is where we ought to be able to turn in these times, and I will show you what is said about it. It seems those of old struggled with the same things but they had found how to live this out.

The passage I am referring to is Psalm 1:1-6. The writer is this passage begins by telling how to be happy, and where to find it. The writer starts off by saying to be happy don’t follow the advice of the wicked. The word wicked in the Hebrew means those who have been declared wrong, or who follows sinners. Happy is not found in those ways of life, so don’t look there.

Then the writer goes on to say that happiness comes as we delight in Yahweh’s (God’s) instructions. The word instruction in the Hebrew means Torah, and the writer says we need to mediate on them day and night. The word, “mediate” in the Hebrew means, not only to ponder, but to murmur as well. We are to not only think about His instructions, but we are to speak it as well.

This is interesting because this implies that we are not only to speak them to ourselves but to one another as well. As we look at the rest of this passage it tells us that the instruction also means the flow of water, which goes back to being cleansed by the washing of the word found in Ephesians.

This means I can become vibrant in my life when I do this, but I can also help others become vibrant by murmuring Yahweh’s instruction to them as well. We become a blessing to one another, and those around us become a blessing to us as they speak Yahweh’s instruction to us. We help each other grow as we keep His instructions, not only in our hearts, but on our lips as well.

The writer telling in the rest what life looks like when we do this and what happens to those that don’t. It is vitally important for ourselves as well as those around us that we ponder and murmur His Word and His instructions. This takes work, and discipline, and we need to look at the benefits that will result from this passage. I challenge you to look at this passage yourself, consider the benefits and apply this to your life.

There is much debate today about the Law or Torah of the Bible. Some would tell us that when Yashua came, the Law was done away with and we are no longer responsible for living out the law or instructions in our lives today. Some would have us believe when Yashua talked to us about being obedient just as He was he is talking about something other than the Law. If you ask them what we are to be obedient too, they would say Love, and that is true.

Yashua did say in response to a question asked of Him by an expert in the Law, the greatest commandment is to, “Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul, and with all of your mind”, Matt. 22:37. But where did Yashua (Jesus) get that idea? How about Dt. 6:5? This verse is taken from the Shema which is the foundational principle for the Ten Commandments, and Israel was told to constantly repeat this to their children, themselves and their neighbors.

Yashua (Jesus) also said the second was like the first in that we are to, “:Love our neighbor as yourself.” This comes from Lev. 19:18 which tells us not to take revenge on our own but to love our neighbor as ourselves, and chapter 19 is known as the holiness Laws.

In fact, Yashua (Jesus) Himself said He had not come to destroy the law or the Prophets, speaking of the Old Testament portion of the Bible, but instead He came to fulfill, we can find that in Matt. 5:17-20. The fact is in this portion of Scripture Yashua goes on to tell the people that anyone whoever breaks the law and teaches others to break the law will be called the least in the Kingdom of Heaven. And He goes on to say that anyone who keeps the law and teaches others to do the same will be called the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven.

In that same passage He says that not the smallest letter or stroke will be removed until all heaven and earth passes away. We can look around us and see that heaven and earth are still here, which ought to tells us that the law or Torah is still in place and we are to still follow these things. If this is true and you believe that Yahweh’s Word is inerrant, and for us today, then we must take these passages into serious consideration.  The foundation of His law is love, and that is true, but what that means is love ought to drive us into being obedient to His commands, just as Yashua was obedient to His Father’s commands. I hope this column will cause you to consider what Scripture really says about His Law.

We all love the story about Noah. Those of us that were brought up in church from our childhood have heard the story of Noah a number of times in our lives. It has become a familiar story to us, most of us could tell from memory. And yet maybe it is that familiarity of the story that caused me to miss some very exciting facts about the story.

I always find it exciting when I find new things in the Scriptures I have been studying for years. It means I have really dug and worked to get there in my mind. But it also means that Yahweh is taking me to a new level in my walk with Him, for it is Him and His Spirit who are the revelators of His Word to us.

This whole excitement has to do with really just a few verses in Genesis chapter 6. The first verse is verse 9. Yahweh (God) calls Noah righteous and blameless. The first means to be right in Yahweh’s eyes, but the word blameless tells us why He was right with Yahweh. Blameless means Noah had integrity with Yahweh’s law. So this tells us we can be seen by Yahweh to be righteous and blameless if our life is a life of integrity with Yahweh’s law. This explains why Noah was chosen for the task of this story, because his integrity with the law was above all of his generation.

As exciting as it is to learn how to be view as righteous and blameless, it is equally as exciting to me to find out what that brings in the life of those who do. This next part is found in verse 14 of chapter 6. Noah is told to build an ark. This word ark means box in the Hebrew. Now I got excited because I thought it was in reference to the Ark of the Covenant we found taught with the Exodus story with Moses. So I went to check it out. The word ark there also means box, but it is a different Hebrew word altogether.

Now this was perplexing to me, so I started to dig deeper to see what happen there. That is when I found it. The same word for ark in the Noah account is connected to another great story all of us have heard about. This word is the same word used for the basket Moses was put in when He was a baby and Pharaoh’s daughter pulled him from the Nile. Both had to do with a place of protection from judgment. Noah was saved from Yahweh’s judgment on the earth, and Moses was saved from man’s judgment against His people. Just two more observations I want to share about the Noah story. The pitch he was to uses, in the Hebrew means to cover and to atone for, and the word gopher wood means to house in. Both describe how Yahweh takes care of His people.

The Festivals I want to discuss are often called the Jewish festivals, and are associated with Jewish traditions and practices. But really the festivals I want to discuss are really Biblical festivals. Now there are festivals that are traditions, but I will not be concerned with them. I will not deal with on exhaustive study of the festivals either.

My intent in this column is to just show all the importance of following what the Bible says, and not throwing something away, solely because we have heard something described as Jewish rather than Biblical. It really comes down to being right with Yahweh (God) or not.

It is interesting to me that we would find what Yahweh has to say about the festivals in the first chapter of the Bible. That’s right Gen. 1:14, before man was even created, Yahweh, said something about the festivals, but it has been hidden or masked, if you will, with an English word that to us means something completely different.

In Gen. 1:14 it says, “And God said, Let the be lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years:” Now remember, this is still part of Yahweh (God) creating the earth that man and women would be part of, just as a reminder of where this verse is in the scheme of things.

A couple of months ago I wrote about the Sabbath, and in that column I talked about this word ” token” and how this word token was used as ring for our weddings. This is the same word used here. So this verse once again is talking about something that is much more important than we would at first glance realize.

But let’s look at the word season. Season in the Hebrew actually means festival or appointment, and is closely tied to the gathering of the congregation or the assembling of the congregation and even speaks of the synagogue. I don’t know about you, but to me this is very interesting. So set in creation are appointed times of gathering, and serve as a token we can keep.

How can these things be something that is done away with if they are built into the creation itself? Are we not still apart of this creation? Doesn’t the lights in the firmament still exist? If this is the case then the only thing that has changed is the way we view these things. I don’t know about you, but this is a very exciting discovery for me, because it is really about celebrating an appointed time with Him.

Most of us live in a world far removed from places where they raise sheep, or for that matter, any kind of livestock. For that reason sometimes it is difficult to understand some of the things taught in the Bible. The Bible often times uses teachings and illustrations based in the setting of a shepherd, or how a shepherd would understand things.

The truth is some of those who were listening to Jesus, even though they lived in the time of shepherds really didn’t understand what He was saying. The good thing for us today though is Jesus translated those for us so we will be able to understand what He was getting at.

One of those passages we find in John 10:1-6. Jesus in this passage begins to develop the idea of Him being a shepherd, and not only a shepherd, but a good shepherd. He starts off by referring to some sheep in a pen, or a place where they are gathered and fenced in, so they will be safe and not wonder off, as sheep do.

Jesus gives us insight on how to identify the true shepherd of the flock. Jesus says the true shepherd of the flock will not try and enter the pen by any means other than the door. They will not climb over the fence, or go through the spaces in the fence. The true shepherd will go through the door of the pen.

Anyone who goes another way into the pen is a thief and a robber. They will be seeking to steal the sheep and even do harm to the sheep. The true shepherd has no need to enter in by another way, because he owns the sheep, and people around know he owns the sheep as well, so he doesn’t need to seek in.

Another insight into knowing the true shepherd is a way we don’t often think about. Jesus says the sheep will know the true shepherd’s voice. The shepherd in that day spent long hours and days with the sheep, and he would talk to them while he was leading them from one place to another. And the shepherd would lead them. He didn’t herd them or drive them, he led them. The he would lead them was by talking and singing.

The sheep recognized his voice because they would hear him talking to them, or singing to them. The sheep would follow him because they knew their shepherds and they knew who took care of them. Jesus adds, “they will never follow a stranger” they will only follow the true shepherd.

Two things we can learn from this passage. Jesus speaks to us and we will be able to hear Him. The other is maybe we don’t hear Him because He is a stranger to us. This means we need to spend time with Him so we will be able to recognize His voice.

For those of us who have been in the church for any amount of time, at one time or another, you have heard arguments about the Sabbath. Some today claim the Sabbath is on Saturday and still other claim it is on Sunday. I believe the answer lays in the Bible, not only explaining what day but what it means.

In Exodus 20:8, it tells us to keep the Sabbath holy, and we are to labor six days, but on the seventh we are to observe the Sabbath. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to look at the calendar and see that the seventh days is a Saturday, and that Sunday is the first day of the week. I think beyond that it comes down to what we want to believe.

Having said this I don’t believe we really understand what the Sabbath is, and I believe this understanding is the more compelling argument. When we understand the purpose it takes it beyond just an argument over a law or rule to a relationship issue with a living God.

To understand this I would like to go to Exodus 31:12-13. Moses is told to go to Israel and remind them they are to keep all of the Sabbaths, and Yahweh (God) says something really important. Yahweh says it is to be a sign of a covenant between us and Yahweh. The word sign in the Hebrew language means flag or a beacon, signal, but it can also mean token. The root word of sign means consent.

The word token is interesting because we use this in our wedding vows today. We come to the part where we exchange rings and we call them a token of our love for each other. In Jeremiah 31:31-34 Jeremiah prophesies about a time coming when Yahweh will make a New Covenant with Judah and Israel. In this passage Yahweh said that He had married them and they had broken that marriage covenant.

This word New is important because in the Hebrew is means new or fresh, but the root word means to rebuild, renew or repair. So this ties the word covenant to marriage and Yahweh says He is going to renew, rebuild, or repair His marriage covenant with His people. So this shows us the Sabbath being His token of love for us as His people, or in this case the sign of our betrothal to Him.

This is important because it clarifies Rev. 19:6-10 speaks to us about the marriage supper of the Lamb. So the more we know about what the Bible says it becomes more about His love for us and our love for Him. Then keeping the Sabbath becomes about a sign of His love for us and our love for Him. The word Keeping by the way means to guard and protect the Sabbath, or as we know now our betrothal to our King.

Recently I had one of those times, and it is that time I want to share with you. I was busy in study preparing for a service that I would be speaking at. I was studying Exodus 19 when I stumbled upon to this golden nugget. Most of you, who know me and have read my columns, know I like to go to the original language a lot. That is where I found it.
In Ex. 19:5-6 Yahweh (God) is getting ready to give the Ten Commandments to Israel at Mt. Sinai. Moses has just come off of the mountain and is going to prepare Israel to meet with Yahweh and hear what He has to say to them. So Moses tells them what Yahweh has said and it goes like this. Yahweh says, “Now if you will listen to Me and carefully keep My covenant you will be My possession out of all the People….”. This word possession is what I want to talk about.

In the original language, which is Hebrew, the word possession means treasure or wealth. This word possession means treasure or wealth. So if we listen to what He says and keep His covenant, we will be His treasure and wealth. Wow! Have you ever considered yourself Yahweh’s treasure or wealth before? Most of the time we go around thinking He is angry or indifferent about us. If we are honest we don’t think He gives much thought to us at all, much less Him thinking we are His treasure or wealth.

Here is God thinking we are His treasure. I don’t know about you, but when I have a treasure I have that treasure on my mind a lot, and so it tells me the same would be true of Him as well. Think about this, the God above all gods, the Creator of the universe considers you a treasure and thinks about you a lot.

In Matthew 6:20-21, Yashua (Jesus) tells people to lay up their treasure in heaven, where there is nothing that can get to it and corrupt it. But in verse 21 He says where you treasure is there your heart will be too. This brings up another truth. Where treasure is located is where hearts are focused. So where Yahweh’s treasure is located is where His heart is. So if we are His treasure, then we also have His heart focused on us. Think about this, and you will have a whole new perspective of how Yahweh thinks about you.