A Murder of Crows Salvation Download the first chapter by clicking on here
Brother Ray has continued to expand his earlier look at Scriptural "genealogies". We have regrouped them in sequence. As he says, it is an ongoing study, a work inj progress. If you haven't look at the "genealogy" article lately, there is more there now. It's good stuff.
Your sermon on legalism yesterday was excellent and inspired.
When Jesus said he came not to change one jot or tittle from the law, he was
indisputably clear. Throughout the four gospels, Jesus was equally clear he had real problems with tradition. There is no contradiction here. In the new testament, inspired writers tell us the law saves none. Is thee a contradiction here? On the surface yes. But we are caught in the paradox of the Greek word law and the Hebrew meaning which is different. The Hebrew means the Torah or the written inspired word of God whereas the Greek meaning is more restrictive and means simply a legal or legalistic meaning. The difference is fundamental. Unfortunately our English translations favour the Greek rather than the Hebrew, translations which have injected much confusion in our belief systems.
Ever since Moses came down from the mountain with the written word and the God
inspired word, early scribes (the rabbis and teachers of the day) introduced the oral word of man which gave way to man made tradition. The man made interpretations were fully evident in the time of Jesus and it was this man made tradition/legalism He found fault with, not the God inspired Word or scriptures.
Gods word is the Torah, which Jesus and His disciples followed. The man made law is known as the talmud or mishna. Jesus is saying Torah yes, Talmud NO. It is the
legalistic Talmud which can NOT be kept unto salvation, NOT the Torah or inspired word. Could an old testament Hebrew or believing gentile find salvation through the Torah? Scripture tells us many did. The messiah is mentioned more times in the old testament than in the new, and truly Torah observers clearly believed in the messiah.
An aside: there is a branch of Judaism called Karaite Jews. Simply those are Jews,then and now, who accept only the written word and who reject the man made Talmud, i.e.
The man made legalisms. We have given you the location of Nehemiah Gordon, a Karaite Jewish scholar,who much more eloquently than we,speaks to the points mentioned above.
We hope you find the time to hear his teaching on the Greek Jesus and the Hebrew
Yeshua. You will find it most helpful.
In the generations prior to Jesus, the two premier oral word,traditionalists, were Rabbi Hillel and Rabbo Shamai. Both said that when there was a dispute between the Talmud (man made traditional, oral law legalisms) and Torah (the inerrant word of God), the Talmud overruled the Torah,that is man's views were more important than God's. When historic Catholicism held and holds that when the church differs from scripture, the church view,not scripture, holds. Our Catholic brothers have erroneously followed the rabbis and held that man made traditional legalism is the deciding factor.
When our new testament writers disparage legalism, they are speaking to man made law but never, we believe, are they criticizing Torah or God's word. In our view they are agreeing with Jesus rather than differing with him.
The wonderful David Pawson has a wonderful teaching on "DeGreecing the
Church". Greek influence has overshadowed the Hebrew much to our detriment.
Nowhere is this more clear than in the confusion over law and the diminishment of Torah.
The short book we gave you on how Jesus and His early disciples followed Torah, but not tradition, speaks to this point and we hope you find time to study this short work.
Our modern Judaism, after the destruction of the temple in 70 ad changed the role of the priesthood,quickly replaced it with the modern rabbinical structure, which established the Talmud over the word, and replaced the sacrificial system (made complete at the Cross) with a system of works. Man changed Judaism, not the Lord. But so have Catholicism and orthodoxy, formerly main line protestantism, and new age religions. When we affirm scripture and the word, we reconfirm Torah. At the same time we see legalism and made tradition for what it is, inspired of the evil one. We found, in yesterday's sermon, the outline of what we have written above in somewhat different terms, inspired. When one of the Pharisees answered Jesus with the two great commandments, Jesus said you are not far from the kingdom of heaven. This is the scripture we thought most appropriate for yesterday's sermon. Praise God and may Jesus come soon.
P.S. We are glad you picked up on my short comment in prayer that we look forward to going home where there IS NO SIN. We've mentioned to you before about our own out of body experience some two years ago when we were taken out in the spirit. While it is always prudent and proper to be always sceptical about such experiences, we continue to believe that that is what we were gifted with on that occasion. Praying about that event almost daily has been so inspiring. One of the overwhelming discernments has been the feeling of being in a place without sin - so calm,so peaceful,so serene that is indescribable to men on this earth. God can not abide sin. We can understand how Isaiah and Ezekiel and John and others have such problems trying to describe things around and about the Lord. If every one could see the sinless state as we believe we did, what a wonderful world this would be. Once you have glimpsed the sinless state, you never want to leave and return here, except to do Gods will and this only to bear fruit for Him.
Your sermon on legalism yesterday was excellent and inspired.
When Jesus said he came not to change one jot or tittle from the law, he was
indisputably clear. Throughout the four gospels, Jesus was equally clear he had real problems with tradition. There is no contradiction here. In the new testament, inspired writers tell us the law saves none. Is thee a contradiction here? On the surface yes. But we are caught in the paradox of the Greek word law and the Hebrew meaning which is different. The Hebrew means the Torah or the written inspired word of God whereas the Greek meaning is more restrictive and means simply a legal or legalistic meaning. The difference is fundamental. Unfortunately our English translations favour the Greek rather than the Hebrew, translations which have injected much confusion in our belief systems.
Ever since Moses came down from the mountain with the written word and the God
inspired word, early scribes (the rabbis and teachers of the day) introduced the oral word of man which gave way to man made tradition. The man made interpretations were fully evident in the time of Jesus and it was this man made tradition/legalism He found fault with, not the God inspired Word or scriptures.
Gods word is the Torah, which Jesus and His disciples followed. The man made law is known as the talmud or mishna. Jesus is saying Torah yes, Talmud NO. It is the
legalistic Talmud which can NOT be kept unto salvation, NOT the Torah or inspired word. Could an old testament Hebrew or believing gentile find salvation through the Torah? Scripture tells us many did. The messiah is mentioned more times in the old testament than in the new, and truly Torah observers clearly believed in the messiah.
An aside: there is a branch of Judaism called Karaite Jews. Simply those are Jews,then and now, who accept only the written word and who reject the man made Talmud, i.e.
The man made legalisms. We have given you the location of Nehemiah Gordon, a Karaite Jewish scholar,who much more eloquently than we,speaks to the points mentioned above.
We hope you find the time to hear his teaching on the Greek Jesus and the Hebrew
Yeshua. You will find it most helpful.
In the generations prior to Jesus, the two premier oral word,traditionalists, were Rabbi Hillel and Rabbo Shamai. Both said that when there was a dispute between the Talmud (man made traditional, oral law legalisms) and Torah (the inerrant word of God), the Talmud overruled the Torah,that is man's views were more important than God's. When historic Catholicism held and holds that when the church differs from scripture, the church view,not scripture, holds. Our Catholic brothers have erroneously followed the rabbis and held that man made traditional legalism is the deciding factor.
When our new testament writers disparage legalism, they are speaking to man made law but never, we believe, are they criticizing Torah or God's word. In our view they are agreeing with Jesus rather than differing with him.
The wonderful David Pawson has a wonderful teaching on "DeGreecing the
Church". Greek influence has overshadowed the Hebrew much to our detriment.
Nowhere is this more clear than in the confusion over law and the diminishment of Torah.
The short book we gave you on how Jesus and His early disciples followed Torah, but not tradition, speaks to this point and we hope you find time to study this short work.
Our modern Judaism, after the destruction of the temple in 70 ad changed the role of the priesthood,quickly replaced it with the modern rabbinical structure, which established the Talmud over the word, and replaced the sacrificial system (made complete at the Cross) with a system of works. Man changed Judaism, not the Lord. But so have Catholicism and orthodoxy, formerly main line protestantism, and new age religions. When we affirm scripture and the word, we reconfirm Torah. At the same time we see legalism and made tradition for what it is, inspired of the evil one. We found, in yesterday's sermon, the outline of what we have written above in somewhat different terms, inspired. When one of the Pharisees answered Jesus with the two great commandments, Jesus said you are not far from the kingdom of heaven. This is the scripture we thought most appropriate for yesterday's sermon. Praise God and may Jesus come soon.
P.S. We are glad you picked up on my short comment in prayer that we look forward to going home where there IS NO SIN. We've mentioned to you before about our own out of body experience some two years ago when we were taken out in the spirit. While it is always prudent and proper to be always sceptical about such experiences, we continue to believe that that is what we were gifted with on that occasion. Praying about that event almost daily has been so inspiring. One of the overwhelming discernments has been the feeling of being in a place without sin - so calm,so peaceful,so serene that is indescribable to men on this earth. God can not abide sin. We can understand how Isaiah and Ezekiel and John and others have such problems trying to describe things around and about the Lord. If every one could see the sinless state as we believe we did, what a wonderful world this would be. Once you have glimpsed the sinless state, you never want to leave and return here, except to do Gods will and this only to bear fruit for Him.
Dear Brother Rodney
Wonderful short sermon on a business meeting night and longer than usual prayer
requests.
We too were somewhat perplexed when Yeshua said "only the father knows"
when it is time for the second coming - that is until we had the glorious occasion to study the Hebrew marriage and wedding customs, which we think hold the key to understanding that "only the father knows".
Hebrew marriages were "arranged", i.e., the bride was chosen by the FATHER.
An emissary of the father, i.e., the spirit, made the selections.
At the engagement, for us when Yeshua gave his wedding offer on the cross, the
agreement was sealed when the chosen bride (us) drank red wine, the come-union
celebrated at the last supper. The bridegroom goes away to prepare the house (Yeshua goes to the right (righteous) hand of the lord (the father). The FATHER inspects the house-building (evangelism) and monitors the bride via the spirit.
All bridegrooms are anxious for the wedding feast and to consummate the wedding. But the FATHER, in the Hebrew custom, has the final authority.
Our FATHER is MOST merciful, long suffering, patient. HE wants a complete bride for HIS SON. In the Hebrew and scriptural wedding, bride and groom become ONE (see John 17). The FATHER wants a bride as complete and full as possible. The FATHER does not desire anyone be left out. We believe that it is this completeness the merciful FATHER waits for.....
We believe as God is ONE, the Word is ONE, the bride will be ONE. As Israel is a
synonym for MY PEOPLE, we believe there will be ONE bride consisting of both native and grafted in branches. Thus, as in John 17, we all will be ONE united eternally...
We hope this comment may be helpful to you.
Even so, amen, COME LORD JESUS.
