The New Covenant

When we look at the New Covenant we see that the word "new" means just that - new. In the Old Testament the word "new" in Hebrew is hadash which has the sense of something "fresh". It is used in the case of newly harvested grain in Leviticus 23:16 and Numbers 28:26. Also it is used in referring to new songs being sung to Yahweh in Psalms 33:3; 40:3; 96:1; 98:1, and so on.

And finally it is used in speaking of the New Covenant in Jeremiah 31:31 and speaking of the promise of the Holy Spirit in Ezekiel 11:19; 18:31; 36:26.

The other word for "new" that is used is beriah which is only found in Numbers 16:30. The usage in that passage alludes to God bringing about something completely new and in an unprecedented fashion. As we know, He caused the ground to open up and swallow those in rebellion, alive. This was definately something totally new which had not been done before.

In the New Testament the word for "new" that is primarily used (especially in regards to the New Covenant) is kainos which again has the idea of "fresh".

As we know something that is fresh is not necessarily something that is entirely new. In fact freshness has the idea that something that is already there needs refreshing. A word is always defined by the context in which it is used. Take the example of the Hebrew word for "day" which is yom. Yom is a fairly broad word which can mean a literal, 24hr day or an entire age. So how do we know that the days of the Creation Week are literal 24hr days? By the context. We find that every day in that Week is accompanied by "...so the evening and the morning were the [a number] day." Throughout Scripture, everytime the word yom is used with either a number or a time of day, it is a literal, 24hr day.
Also, as I said of the new moon. The moon is always there just because we can't see it. Every month there is not an entirely, newly created moon, but the same one that has always been there, but is new again to us. Interestingly, the new moon reminds us of God's covenant.

Now looking back at the word "new" we find the same to be true. The context gives us the definition. If we ignore what is being said before and after the word then we are ignoring God's use of that word and making up our own definition. The word new in the sense of the New Covenant must be looked at in the same way.

"Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah. Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD.
But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying 'Know the LORD' for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more." - Jeremiah 31:31-34

Notice that God says "the house of Israel" the second time, compared to when He said both houses in verse 31. He is speaking of ONE house, ONE people under Him.
"There is neither Jew nor Greek...for you are all one in Christ Jesus." - Galatians 3:28

Earlier in that same chapter, Paul wrote, "Therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham." Galatians 3:7 speaking of the fact that our heritage, whether Jewish or any other does not save us, but only by faith are we saved.

Abraham was a Gentile called out of a Gentile nation (Genesis 15:7; 11:27-32; 12:1). He was called a Hebrew (which means one who crosses, or passes, over; as in the Euphrates River). God called Abram Abraham - father of mulitudes. He was calling him to make a people unto Himself. That includes ALL who come to the LORD by faith. If we understand this concept, then we begin to realize that everything God has given to His people Israel is not just speaking of the physical nation so much as it's speaking to ANY and ALL who come to Him by faith in receiving His gift of salvation through His blood that was shed on the cross as a sacrifice on our behalf. That is why His WHOLE Law is for both Jew and Gentile who come to Him by faith.

Now when He says in Jeremiah that He will put His law in our minds and write it on our hearts - we must realize that this is a major part of the New Covenant. He accomplishes this by giving us His Holy Spirit as we read in Ezekiel.
"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them." - Ezekiel 36:27
This goes right in line with Ephesians 2:10.

By God causing us to walk in His statutes and judgments (which always speak of His entire Law, not just the Ten Commandments) we can now see the connection with the word grace. The true definition of the word grace (charis in the Greek) is "a divine influence upon the heart with a reflection through the life". God's grace is not only unmerited favor, but it is especially His Spirit enabling us to walk in His ways and His light which then shines to all men that they may glorify Him (Matthew 5:16).

Notice also that a part of the New Covenant as expressed in Jeremiah is that all who are under that covenant will know God. Psalm 111:10 says, "...A good understanding have all those who do His commandments." Genesis 26:5 tells us this: "because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws."

Abraham knew the LORD because he not only believed in Him, but obeyed His commandments as well.
And notice that this was four hundred and some years before the law was given at Sinai!
God's law has always been, and that is what we'll look at next.

God's intention all along was to dwell with His people as He does and now and soon will forever. Some have mentioned that because there is no temple then the feasts are no longer commanded for us because everything revolved around the temple. However, WE are the temple. The body of Christ is the tabernacle in which God dwells (1 Corinthians 6:19; 2 Corinthians 6:16). WE are a royal priesthood (1 Peter 2:9) and Messiah is our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14). Jesus is THE sacrifice and we are to offer up spiritual sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving.

"You also as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." - 1 Peter 2:5

This passage in a nutshell shows us the reality of what was changed, or rather renewed, in the New Covenant. God is getting back to what He desired all along. Not to dwell in temples made of stone, but in us. Not to have a priesthood that offered up the blood of bulls and goats, but a priesthood that walked in His good works following our great High Priest - Yeshua the Messiah. The temple, Levitical priesthood, and the animal sacrifices were all three related because they were all tied in together with people's relationship to sin. The Levites would assist in sacrificing the animal in the temple. NOW that we are the temple and the priesthood we can look to our High Priest Who offered up Himself as the ultimate sacrifice and keep the Sabbath, the Feasts, and the rest of the Law in true freedom. Read Acts 7:46-50; Hebrews 9:11-15

"Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law." - Romans 3:31

It is by the law that we experience freedom, not bondage. We become slaves of righteousness, not of sin (Romans 6:17-23).

Remeber, James says that faith without works is dead. Works can't save us, but they prove our faith is real. Obeying the law cannot save us, but it proves to us, and those around us, that we love God and our faith in Him is real. (1 John 5:2-3)

When we place our faith and trust in Christ we enter into a relationship with Him, as heirs, by which we find peace and joy in walking with the Spirit, in obedience to His laws. "For we know that the law is spiritual, but I am carnal, sold under sin." Romans 7:14 "For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man." Romans 7:22 "...So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin." Romans 7:25 "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be." Romans 8:7

It is because of the constant struggle between our flesh and our spirit that we must submit to God's law in order to be free. We must be a "slave of righteousness" (Romans 6:19).
NOT that we are justified by keeping the law, but that in keeping the law, we are being obedient to the faith, and are able to crucify our flesh.

ONE law for ONE people under ONE God. HE saves us by His grace through our faith, and gives us His instructions and laws for us to live by. Jesus said in John 7:16, "My doctrine is not my own, but His who sent Me." The word 'doctrine' means teaching, or instruction. What are the Father's instructions? The commandments, statutes, judgments, laws. The Feasts of His are a part of that. This is also why we should not participate in holidays that are in opposition to His word. Easter, Christmas, etc... are clearly pagan in origin and tradition and the Lord specifically tells us not to worship HIM with those types of things (Deuteronomy 12:1-4).

Yeshua (Jesus) said, "For this is My blood of the covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins." Matthew 26:28. Neither Matthew nor Mark record the word 'new'. It is a 'new' covenant and one that I am very thankful for!

Yom Teruah (Feast of Trumpets) pt. 2

"...on the first day of the [seventh] month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation."
-Leviticus 23:24b

"a memorial of blowing of trumpets" is teruah in the Hebrew:
H8643
תּרוּעה
terû‛âh
ter-oo-aw'
From H7321; clamor, that is, acclamation of joy or a battle cry; especially clangor of trumpets, as an alarum: - alarm, blow (-ing) (of, the) (trumpets), joy, jubile, loud noise, rejoicing, shout (-ing), (high, joyful) sound (-ing).

H7321 is 'rua' which literally means "to shout (for alarm or joy); to sound an alarm; to cry aloud; to make a joyful noise."

The Feast of Trumpets is much more than just blowing the shofar (Hebrew for trumpet). In fact it's not limited to the blowing of the trumpet, but it is for the voice as well. This is important because as we shout to God with the voice of triumph (Psalm 47:1) there is a Voice that we are to be listening for - The Lord God Almighty's!

In fact that is what this Feast, or Day, is all about...hearing HIS Voice!

In looking at the pattern of the fall Feasts of YHWH, there is no doubt that Tabernacles is about the time of restitution and Him dwelling with (literally 'tabernacling with') His people...for eternity! (Revelation 21:3). Going backward to the Day of Atonement we see not only the picture of redemption in Messiah Yeshua, but also the Day of His judgment upon the earth. This inevitably leads us back ten days to Trumpets which is a picture of His heralded return! The day Yeshua comes back for His bride, the church! If this is the case then there should certainly be more than one witness of this in the Scriptures.

The first picture we have took place at Mt. Sinai, as Yahweh called His people to enter covenant with Him.

"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine.
And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation...

Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Go to the people and consecrate them today and tomorrow, and let them wash their clothes.
And let them be ready for the third day. For on the third day the LORD will come down upon Mount Sinai in the sight of all the people.

Then it came to pass on the third day, in the morning, that there were thunderings and lightnings, and a thick cloud on the mountain; and the sound of the trumpet was very loud, so that all the people who were in the camp trembled.

And when the blast of the trumpet sounded long and became louder and louder, Moses spoke, and God answered him by voice."
-Exodus 19:5-6; 10-11; 16; 19

What an amazing event! And there are so many things to see in this passage that one could devote hours to it, but we won't do that today! But do check out a couple of passages about whom the LORD calls to be a "kingdom of priests, a holy nation, and a special treasure"
(1 Peter 2:4-5; 9; Revelation 1:6).

One thing that obviously stands out is hearing God's voice. This isn't the only place in Scripture that He tells His people to hear His voice. But we also see this clearly in the New Testament,

"As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep. And other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also I must bring, and they will hear My voice; and there will be one flock and one shepherd.
"My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me."
-John 10:15-16; 27

Notice that He says that His sheep hear His voice. Back in verse 5 of John 10, Yeshua said that His sheep will not follow a 'thief' because they do not know his voice. If we do not know the voice of God then we will end up following those who are lawless. If we expect to hear the LORD call our name when He returns then we better know His voice, which He identifies with keeping HIS Commandments (Genesis 26:5; Exodus 15:26; Deuteronomy 13:4, 18; 15:5; 26:17; 27:10; 28:1, 15, 45; 30:8, 10; Psalm 103:20).

Are you lawful or lawless? The anti-christ is identified as the 'man of lawlessness' in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 . Something to think about.

Hearing the voice of Yahweh is knowing His Word and keeping His Commandments which the Holy Spirit writes on the hearts and minds of true believers (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 36:27; John 16:13, 17:17 /Psalm 119:142).

As we continue to look at this, keep in mind the picture of the feast of trumpets - the Lord's return.

As we've seen the blast of the shofar (trumpet) is the awakening sound of the voice of the LORD calling His people to HIM!

"Immediately after the tribulation of those days the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and then all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
And He will send His angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they will gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other."
-Matthew 24:29-31

"...in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed."
-1 Corinthians 15:52

"For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first."
-1 Thessalonians 4:16

Messiah will return with shouting and blasting of a shofar...an awakening blast! A cry of battle and terror for the lawless, but a shout of joy and acclamation for those who are His! Those who hear HIS Voice!

"I was in the Spirit on the Lord's Day, and I heard behind me a loud voice, as of a trumpet, saying, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last,"
-Revelation 1:10-11a

Yeshua, in speaking to John about the Day to come, shouted His return. It will be for all to hear, but not everyone will hear the same message depending on where they stand. We are either with Him, standing on His commandments, or we are against Him, standing on shaky ground.

I want to leave you with a psalm that speaks of not only His return, but of how triumphant and joyful it will be in that Day. When Messiah returns for His bride, may we be awake and ready, with oil in our lamps, our wicks trimmed, and listening for His Voice.

"Oh, clap your hands all you peoples!
Shout to God with the voice of triumph!
For YHWH Most High is awesome!
He is the great King over all the earth
He will subdue the peoples under us,
and the nations under our feet.
He will choose our inheritance for us,
The excellence of Jacob whom He loves. Selah
God has gone up with a shout,
YHWH with the sound of the trumpet.
Sing praises to our God, sing praises!
Sing praises to our King, sing praises!
For God is the King of all the earth;
Sing praises with understanding.
God reigns over the nations;
God sits on His holy throne.
The princes of the people
have gathered together.
The people of the God of Abraham.
For the shields of the earth belong to God;
He is greatly exalted.
-Psalm 47

Yom Teruah (the Feast of Trumpets)

You can read more here: http://www.ezekielthree.com/trumpets.html

In just a few days it will be the first day of the fall Feasts of the LORD - the Day of the Awakening Blast, also called the Feast of Trumpets.

In Leviticus 23:23-25 we read,

"Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying,
speak to the children of Israel, saying: 'In the seventh month, on the first day of the month, you shall have a sabbath-rest, a memorial of blowing of trumpets, a holy convocation.
You shall do no customary work on it; and you shall offer an offering made by fire to the LORD.'"

There's several things in this verse that would make people jump to the conclusion that this feast is not for His church/body today, mainly the fact that He speaks to Israel and that an offering of fire should be made. Granted these seem to point to that conclusion, but they wouldn't be taking in the whole context of Scripture.

To understand this let's consider the New Covenant for a moment. In Jeremiah 31:31-34 we read,

"Behold the days are coming says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah - not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, 'Know the LORD,' for they all shall know Me, form the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.'"

We see first of all that the LORD is speaking to Israel and Judah at first, but then in verse 33 we read only Israel. Is He not including Judah now? No, He's simply pointing out that they will be made whole again, remembering of course that He is speaking to those of Israel and Judah who are BELIEVERS in HIM. The Jewish people are not saved because they are of Israel, but only if they believe upon Yeshua as Messiah! And what about us Gentiles? We'll get to that!

Next we see that He is certainly speaking of the New Covenant that was made in Messiah's blood because of verse 34, where He says He will 'forgive their iniquity' and remember their sins no more.

Yeshua said,

"For this is My blood of the New Covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."
-Matthew 26:28

Also in Jeremiah 31:34 God promises to be their God and that they will be His people. We see this fulfilled in it's entirety in Revelation.

Revelation 21:3 says,

"And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.'"

Clearly in Jeremiah the Lord God is speaking of the New Covenant that we have entered into today as followers of Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ). So if that is the case, then where do the Gentiles fit into this according to Jeremiah 31? If He was only speaking of Israel what about Gentiles? In Scriptures like Deuteronomy 29:14; 32:43; Isaiah 56:1-8; Acts 15: 7-9; Romans 11:11-36; Ephesians 2:11-22; 3:3-6 and others we see clearly that the Gentiles have always been welcomed to YHWH by His grace, through faith in Messiah Yeshua just as the Jews. But as Paul wrote in Romans 2:9-11, it was offered to the Jew first and then to the Gentile as well. Both Jew AND Gentile can enter His New Covenant by faith in Yeshua!

So what does all this have to do with the Feast of Trumpets? Well, if we as Gentiles in the flesh can become partakers of the New Covenant then we are now able to enjoy His feasts as well, along with ALL of HIS Commandments! The church is made up of both believing Jew and believing Gentile - one new man created in HIM for obedience to the faith (Galatians 3:28; Romans 1:5).

His commandments, including HIS APPOINTED TIMES (Heb. moedim) ie. His Sabbath, His feasts, His new moons, are for all His people - the church.

What about the offering made by fire? I explain this a bit further in my study on this feast, but basically that commandment has not been done away with. We are still to offer up a burnt offering, but not animals, rather, we are to offer up ourselves! We are to be living sacrifices (Romans 12:1-2) and we are to offer up sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving to His name, by which sacrifices God is well pleased (Hebrews 13:15-16). Deuteronomy 4:24 and Hebrews 12:29 also says that God is a consuming fire. If He accepts our lives as an offering to Him, wouldn't that be a burnt offering? I know this seems like I'm spiritualizing the matter, but this is not a new concept. Long before Messiah came to earth in the flesh, God had always wanted the New Covenant for His people, however many of them rejected it. He always wanted their hearts circumcised (Deuteronomy 10:16; Jeremiah 4:4) but now we see it fulfilled in Messiah (Colossians 2:11). He always wanted His people to allow the Holy Spirit to indwell them and for them to be His house (Numbers 11:29; 2 Samuel 7:6-11; Isaiah 63:11) yet we see it fulfilled today (1 Corinthians 3:16-17; 1 Peter 2:5).

I suppose to an extent we are spiritualizing, but only in the sense that the Scriptures give us. Yeshua said,

"But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him."
-John 4:23

God had placed His Spirit in those of old - Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and others - as well as circumcised their hearts, and today we are a part of that family who worship Him in spirit and truth (if we have faith in the Son of God). Remembering that God is spirit and His Word is truth and that Yeshua IS the Living Word. His Law/Word is the very truth that the Holy Spirit writes on our hearts (Psalm 119:142; Jeremiah 31:33-34; Ezekiel 36:27) and by our obedience we know that we love God and love His children (John 14:15; 1 John 5:2-3; James 2:14-26).

As the day approaches we'll look more at this feast and what it means for us, but for now consider that it IS for us. Also, consider the time coming, looking unto Him...and listening for His voice.

Slaves of righteousness

Having come out of (or should I say still coming out of) professing Christendom I realize more and more how wrong we teach the Bible.

One of the overall points that the "church" makes today is that the Law of God is dead and no longer of any consequence to a believer in Jesus. The Old Testament is pretty much done away with and now all we need is the New Testament.

I ask them what do they do with passages like Jeremiah 31:31-34, Ezekiel 36:27, Matthew 5:17-18, Mark 7:8-13, Romans 3:31, 7:12,14,22-25, 8:4,6-7, 2 Corinthians 3:14-16, Ephesians 2:10, 1 John 2:3-7, 3:4, 5:2-3, Revelation 12:17, 14:12, and others? (I suggest you go and read these.)

Jesus said,

"Most assuredly I say to you that whoever commits sin is a slave of sin. And a slave does not abide in the house forever, but a son abides forever. Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
-John 8:34-36

The professing church interprets this as meaning that Christ has come to free us from the Law so that we can live freely in His grace, which by the standards of the "church" seems to mean that we can just about live however we want. In reality, grace is defined as God's influence on our hearts with a reflection through our lives. Biblical grace is the LORD writing His Law on our hearts and that work shining out in our very life!

If Jesus sets us free then what does that look like? Can we really live however we want? Oh, I'm sure most pastors would say no and they'd give some guidlines, or some rules much like the Jerusalem council gave in Acts 15. That's all we Gentiles have to worry about, but we certainly don't have to keep all of God's commandments, right?

"And having been set free from sin, you became slaves of righteousness."
-Romans 6:18

Did you catch that? If you have been set free from sin, having experienced the grace of God, then you are NOW a slave of righteousness! You're still a slave, but not to sin, rather to God. How can that be free? Well, when we were slaves of sin we did things according to our flesh that were in opposition to the will and Word of God. But now that we are in Him (if you truly are in Him) we have been given the power of His Spirit to say no to sin...we are no longer it's (sin) slave! We do that which opposes sin and should align itself with God's Law. By His grace, our spirit forces our flesh into submission.

Paul says in Galatians,

"For do I now persuade men or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ."
-Galatians 1:10

The definition for "bondservant" is this:

G1401
δοῦλος
doulos
doo'-los
From G1210; a slave (literally or figuratively, involuntarily or voluntarily; frequently therefore in a qualified sense of subjection or subserviency): - bond (-man), servant.

"Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit which are God's."
-1 Corinthians 6:19-20

If we are not our own, but bondservants of Christ, slaves of righteousness, then shouldn't we walk as HE wants us to? How does He want us to walk?

Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments."
-John 14:15

As some teach, the commandments that Jesus was talking about here are the new ones He supposedly gave in the gospels. What?! Show me one place that He actually did that! He said in John 7:16,

"My doctrine is not Mine, but His who sent Me."

Who sent Jesus into the world? The Father. So the doctrine, or teaching, that Jesus brought was not His but the Father's. So what was the Father's doctrine?

"You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength.
And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart."
-Deuteronomy 6:5-6

"Now therefore, if you will indeed obey Me voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation. These are the words which you shall speak to the children of Israel."
-Exodus 19:5-6

"But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light."
-1 Peter 2:9

God has called us out of confusion, out of "Babylon" if you will, and has given us His Law as a light. If we are in Christ then we are no longer under the letter of the Law as a ministry of death, but in the Spirit, who writes the Law upon our heart (Jeremiah 31:31-34, 2 Corinthians 3:1-18).

If we have accepted Jesus as the ONLY way to the Father, then we have entered the New Covenant, which is really the Old Covenant with a change in how sin is now dealt with - no longer is there a Tabernacle, a Levitical priesthood, or animal sacrifices. Jesus IS the temple (tabernacle), our great High Priest, and the once for all atoning sacrifice for sin! Hallelujah!!

The awesome thing is, He now makes us His temple, His priesthood, and requires us to offer up ourselves as living sacrifices. This all makes sense since we are HIS body!

The Law of God isn't dead or done away with and it never will be until the LORD returns, apart from sin for salvation, sin is cast away and heaven and earth pass away. Only then will His Law no longer be needed in the same capacity it is now. But we will always be under His Word.

We are not our own and we are not free to live sinfully (lawlessly)! It is only by His standard of righteousness (His Law) that we can know what sin is and turn from it toward Him.

A Little Leaven...pt 1

"Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."
- 1 Corinthians 5:7-8

For years I never noticed this verse (mainly because I hardly read my bible!), but when I did begin to dig into the Lord's Word I soon noticed this passage. When I did I couldn't believe what it said, that Christ is our Passover! As John said,

"Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
- John 1:29 Jesus, the Son of God, was/is also the spotless Lamb of God! Because of His sacrifice our sins have been forgiven and we are now heirs with Him according to His Word (Romans 3:24-26).

There is no longer a need to offer up a lamb at Passover because He has once, for all, cleansed us by His blood and because He is the Passover Lamb.

This does not do away with His Feasts, it only makes them more relevant as we seek to keep them.

Today as I write this it is the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. A feast in which we remember the death, burial, and resurrection of the spotless Lamb of God - Yeshua the Messiah (Jesus Christ).

Every year the feasts become more and more real in the work that God is doing in our lives. He is constantly removing the leaven (sin) from us if we are willing to obey Him. However, during the feast itself the intensity of the spiritual warfare is almost exhausting, except for the fact that YAHWEH gives us strength.

He is without sin, yet He became sin for us so that we might be saved through His sacrifice and now He has given us His Holy Spirit to war against principalities and powers AND against our own flesh!

One passage of Scripture that the LORD has led me to over and over again is Romans 6,7, and 8. It seems especially powerful during this feast of Unleavened Bread when Christ, the Bread of Life, came to redeem us from the power of sin and proved He was without spot or blemish by resurrecting from the dead! Because of this, all who place their faith in Him, repent, and obey His Word are no longer slaves of sin, but slaves of righteousness.

Now we look unto His coming at the end of the age! He has fulfilled the feast of Firstfruits by His resurrection and He will resurrect us...His bride who is without spot IF we are cleansed by the washing of His Word.

"But now Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who are asleep."
- 1 Corinthians 15:20

Walking in the Spirit

What does it mean to "walk in the Spirit"? Paul uses this phrase in Galatians 5:16, but what is it that he's speaking of?

Many professing christians today believe that walking in the Spirit is many things depending on how they interpret the Scriptures.

John MacArthur, a well known pastor and author said this of the Holy Spirit:
At the moment of salvation the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the life of a believer and becomes the source of power for his life."

The question is - "The source of power for his life...to do what?"

Is the Holy Spirit working in us to give us power so that we can live according to how we think we should? Many people believe so. How many times have you heard, "If God wanted me to do that, then He would have..." Just fill in the blank, as I'm sure we can come up with a million reasons as to why we disobey the Lord in what He tells us to do.

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;
Who can know it?
Jeremiah 17:9

The fool has said in his heart "There is no God."
They are corrupt, and have done abominable iniquity;
There is none who does good. God looks down from heaven
upon the children of men to see if there are any
who understand, who seek God. Every one of them has turned aside;
They have together become corrupt; There is none who does good.
No, not one.
Psalm 53:1-3

How can we think that we can know best, that we can set the standard of how we should live? Yet we do all the time. "Oh no, not me!" Yes, even you. I have found myself far too many times deciding that I know better than God what is best for my life, and I'm sure that you've done it from time to time.

How do we do it? By adding to His Word, or taking away from it. It is a constant process of submitting to His will and letting go of ours that will give us direction, because we are choosing to follow the One who knows ALL things, and certainly knows what's best for us.

Only by keeping His Commandments can we begin to see the corrupt nature of our flesh and crucify the "old man", that sinful nature.
This is where the discussion usually has people spewing out terms like, "legalist" or "bondage", in reference to a believer choosing to obey God's Commandments. "We're free from the Law." "The Law is dead." Really? That's not what Jesus said,

"Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For assuredly I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled."
Matthew 5:17-18

Until when? Until heaven and earth pass away, not one single mark will be removed from the Law (His Word)! Has heaven or earth passed away yet? Nope. When will they? Not until Messiah returns to consumate the marriage with His bride (the church). In 1 John 3:4, John writes that "sin is lawlessness." Jesus Himself said that there will be people who come to Him and claim to have done great things in His name, but He will say to those people, "I never knew you, depart from Me you who practice lawlessness." (Matthew 7:21-23)

How can we know Christ if we do not know His Law? The answer is - we can't. Remember, it's HIS law, not ours. Since He is the Creator of life and the giver of all good things, then He knows what is good for those who love Him.

"If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" Jesus said this in John 14:15 and it is not an ultimatum or a command, but simply a fact. If we truly love Him, then we will naturally obey His Word, His Commandments. This is walking in the Spirit.

The Spirit is our Helper, our seal of redemption, and He gives us the power, by His grace, to obey His Commandments through faith. It is only through faith that we can access grace and it is only by God's grace that we can hope to be obedient to Him. Like James writes,

"faith without works, is dead"
James 2:26

If our faith is real, then good works will follow. Those works are proof that our faith is real. These are the fruits of the Spirit. These are the works that God prepared beforehand in Messiah for us to walk in (Ephesians 2:8-10).

So let's look at Paul's discussion of what walking in the Spirit is about, in Galatians 5.

He writes:

"I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law."
Galatians 5:16-18

Before we move on I want to point out that this argument is identical to what Paul wrote in Romans 7 and 8.

Paul cries out "O wretched man that I am who will save me from this body of death?" Of course we know the answer - Yeshua! (Jesus). But why does Paul say that? In verses 14 through 23 we see the struggle that is in all of us! Our spirits want to do one thing, but our sinful nature wants to do another, and sometimes we end up doing things against the will of our spirit because we've given room for our flesh to win a victory in our lives instead of yielding control over to the Holy Spirit. In Romans 6:18-19 Paul points out that we are to be slaves of righteousness, going against the will of our flesh and obeying the Law of God.

In Romans 7:14 he writes that the Law is spiritual. The Spirit and the Law work together in the life of the believer because they are both "spiritual" (Romans 8:2-4). The flesh hates both the Spirit and the law. In fact Romans 8:7 says this:

"Because the carnal mind [sinful nature] is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be."
Romans 8:7

Did you get that? Our flesh CANNOT be subject to God's Law and it is hostile toward Him. Is it any wonder that we don't "feel" like obeying the Commandments of Yahweh?! That's because our flesh is lying to us, telling us that we don't need to follow a "dead law", as it says. However, the Law is NOT dead, as Jesus already said He didn't come to destroy it, but to fulfill it. That word "fulfill" actually means to fully preach!

What about Paul's statement back in Gal. 5:18 about not being under the law if we are led by the Spirit? The same thing we just talked about. To be under the Law is to be under God's wrath and the condemnation of death. Remember, the Law shows us what sin is, what sinners we are, and our need for a Savior. This is being "under" the Law. Perhaps you recall the verse that says "Christ is the end of the law". Well, it says

"For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes."
Romans 10:4

If Christ already said that He didn't come to destroy the Law but to fulfill (fully preach) then what is being said here? The word for end in the above verse actually means 'goal' or aiming for a mark.

G5056
τέλος
telos
tel'-os
From a primary word τέλλω tellō (to set out for a definite point or goal); properly the point aimed at as a limit, that is, (by implication) the conclusion of an act or state (termination [literally, figuratively or indefinitely], result [immediate, ultimate or prophetic], purpose); specifically an impost or levy (as paid): - + continual, custom, end (-ing), finally, uttermost. Compare G5411.

The Law is all about Messiah - the Living Word! It points to Him, but that doesn't mean that He did away with it in the process of fulfilling it!

To be under the Law is death, that's one of it's ministries
(1 Corinthians 3:7) as it was, written on stone. The Law is the knowledge of sin and therefore shows us our sin - that which leads us to death, but it is also for our good (Deuteronomy 10:13; Romans 3:17-18) and David and Paul both said they delighted in the Law of God (Psalm 1:2; 19; 119; Romans 7:22). Paul also said that he serves the Law of God with his mind and that we, as believers, actually establish the Law through faith! (Romans 7:25; 3:31)

"Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kindgom of God."
Galatians 5:19-21

Practice what things? All of the things Paul just listed - which are sinful. Sin is what? - lawlessness. People who practice lawlessness will be told by the Lord that He never knew them and they will be told to depart from Him.

"but the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ's have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."
Galatians 5:22-24

The Law of God, which not only shows us our sin, but shows us how to live for Him, tells us what HE wants from us. The Spirit, testifying with our spirits that we are children of God, shows us this by acknowledging whether or not we love Him and whether or not we'll follow Him.

We crucify our flesh by dying to it daily. Laying ourselves on the altar as living sacrifices. How do we do that? By loving the Lord our God with all our heart, mind, and strength and loving our neighbor as ourself - by obeying His Torah/Law!

"On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets."
Matthew 22:40

How do we love God and love others?...by obeying His Commandments. Simple. How do we walk in the Spirit?...by obeying His Commandments. Again, simple.