Grace Abused (Part 2)

I am sometimes amazed by the lack of scriptural knowledge of those who call themselves "Christians." That, may seem like a harsh statement, but so many, who call themselves by the name of Jesus Christ (Yeshua haMashiach), seem to have no knowledge of what sin is, nor how severely our heavenly Father will judge it. Many who identify themselves with the name of Messiah, are clueless to His word, and are either too busy to read it, too lazy, or just not interested. It's much easier to turn on the television, and watch some preacher on the tube, even though there are so few on television teaching the truth of Scripture.

 Many sit in dead churches, that neither preach the basic message of salvation, nor are they preparing their flocks, for the dangerous times that we are entering into. Their pastors may seem to have knowledge of the words of our heavenly Father on the surface, but in their hearts, they do not know the Elohim of the word, nor do they have a relationship with Him. A good number of pastors are in the pulpit, only because it is their job. They may have had a call upon their lives at one time, but they turned to the arm of the flesh to learn about Him. They may have gone to seminary, and learned how to function in the office of pastor, but many have never really gotten down on their faces before our Creator, and asked Him to teach them. Many of these pastors are blind guides, leading blind sheep into destruction. They are simply wolves in sheeps clothing.

 Many Christians are asleep at the proverbial wheel, as the world we know is rapidly coming to a close. Instead of making themselves ready for the destruction that is about to come upon the whole earth, what are most Christians doing? You would think they would be seeking Yeshua with all their heart, soul and strength. Some, who know the times and the seasons, are diligently seeking the truth about these final days, but the majority are not. Even those who do not believe in Yeshua, are conscious that something is going on in this world, and that something is about to happen, that will change this world forever. What are many that call themselves Christians doing? Some are playing with astrology, witchcraft and sorcery. Some are into vampires, zombies, Harry Potter, palm and tarot card readers, mediums, demon inspired video games, pornography, celebrating pagan holidays, like Halloween, Christmas, Good Friday, Easter, and you name it. Many are caught up in things that glorify death and the dead. 

Is that what Messiah meant for our lives to be? When you question them about this behavior, you get the standard answers "I'm saved by grace. Didn't Jesus give us a free pass to enjoy our lives just as we please? Jesus did away with the Torah (Instruction).  I go to church, and I believe in God. I've never killed anybody. I guess I'm alright." Is that what you think? Sadly, many do.

Someone has to tell you the truth from the scriptures. Someone has to blow the shofar (trumpet), and sound the warning. If I do not sound the alarm, and make it clear, your blood will be upon my hands. As a watchman on the wall, I take my commission seriously. Danger is at our gates, and the masses are asleep. Wake up!  Make yourself ready. I am not interested, in your sowing a thousand dollar seed into my ministry, as some are. I'm not interested in your tithes, offerings, or seed dollars. My interest is in our eternal souls. No price can be put upon our souls. It is not my ministry in the first place. It is given to me freely from Ruach haKodesh (the Holy Spirit), and it is my commission, and my desire, to freely give the revelation our heavenly Father has given to me through Ruach haKodesh. It is freely available, to all who will listen. My only desire, is that we may know the truth of salvation, that can only come through Yeshua haMaschiac (Jesus the Christ).

 What does our heavenly Father think about all these sins? Do we think He just looks the other way, and winks His eye? Does Grace cover all these blatant, and willful sins, or is there something very wrong with that thinking? Some may say "I am only doing these things from a curiosity standpoint. I am not really serious about it." Sin, is sin in our Creator's eyes, and un-repented willful sin, is not covered by the precious blood of Yeshua. If we think it is, we may find out the hard way, that it is not.

 The book to the  Hebrews 10:26-29 tells us this:

"For if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses' law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden underfoot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace." (KJV)

What did the Almighty have to say to His people about such sins as sorcery, astrology, divining, witchcraft, and idol worship? He was very clear that we are not to do it.

 In Deuteronomy 18:9-13 we read the following:

"9. When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there. 10. Let no one be found among you who sacrifices his son or daughter in the fire, who practices divination or sorcery, interprets omens, engages in witchcraft, 11. or casts spells, or who is a medium or spiritist or who consults the dead. 12.  Anyone who does these things is detestable to the LORD, and because of these detestable practices the LORD your God will drive out those nations before you. 13. You must be blameless before the Lord your God." 

What about astrology? Many will say that astrology in not mentioned in these passages. It is mentioned in the above passages, but the Hebrew, as is often times true, has no exact, or perfect translation into the  English language. In the Hebrew, according to the Masoretic Text, verse ten reads thus:

"There shall not be found among you, one who passes his son, or his daughter through fire, one practicing divination, a cloud reader, a fortune teller, or a spell caster."

The Hebrew word for "cloud reader" in the text is [מעונן], and signifies, one who divines auspicious times from reading the occurrences happening in the heavens, according to the sun, moon, stars, and clouds.

The commentary below comes from the Interlinear Chumash Torah, concerning verses 9-13 of the above passage.

"Now the Torah goes on to the manner in which God will communicate His will and whatever the nation must know of the future in order to fulfill its responsibilities to Him. But first, because it is human nature to want to know the future and to utilize whatever means to successfully pursue that end, the Torah forbids Jews to copy the practices used by the nations to foretell events. To God, these practices are abominable. They were not the way of life ordained for Israel."

Now, do we really believe that if these practices were abominable to our heavenly Father when Israel practiced them, they are suddenly acceptable with Him today? I would like to remind us of the full meaning of the word "abomination" as it is used in the Tanakh (Old Testament). It means; Those things, which make (if possible) our heavenly Father want to vomit. It is those things, which are most disgusting to Him. If they were that disgusting to our Creator, when His people Israel did them, do we really think they are now acceptable to Him today, because of grace? It just might be time, for the believers in Messiah Yeshua, to have a reality check. Remember, as believers in Yeshua, we are grafted into Israel. We, in Messiah, are of the commonwealth of Israel, and are Abraham's seed by faith.

Deuteronomy 4:19 has this to say of astrology:

"When you look up to the sky and see the sun, the moon and the stars - all the heavenly array - do not be enticed into bowing down to them and worshiping things the LORD your God has apportioned to all the nations under heaven." 

Deuteronomy 17: 2-7 is adamant about this sin, and the punishment for such sin is given. Our heavenly Father, was serious about idol worship, and the practice of astrology, sorcery and witchcraft. All of them fall under the heading of idol worship. Although we no longer stone people to death for these sins today, they are still sin, and such sins still fall under the judgment of our Creator.

"If there is found among you, within your gates [in any city] that ADONAI your God gives you, a man or woman who does what ADONAI your God sees as wicked, transgressing his covenant by going and serving other gods and worshiping them, the sun, the moon, or anything in the sky - something I have forbidden - and it is told to you, or you hear about it; then you are to investigate the matter diligently. If it is true, if it is confirmed that such detestable things are done in Isra'el; then you are to bring the man or woman who has done this wicked thing to your city gates, and you are to stone the man or woman to death." (CJB)

For one to believe that our heavenly Father will pardon these blatant and willful sins, because we are now under a covenant of grace, I believe to be, a gross misrepresentation of the whole idea of our Creator's  plan, for which He desires us to walk.

Isaiah 47: 13&14a puts it this way:

"All the counsel you have received has only worn you out! Let your astrologers come forward, those stargazers who make predictions month by month, let them save you from what is coming upon you. Surely they are like stubble; the fire will burn them up. They cannot save themselves from the power of the flame."  

Then there is Jeremiah 8: 1&2:

"At that time, declares the LORD, the bones of the kings and the officials of Judah, the bones of the priests and prophets, and the bones of the people of Jerusalem will be removed from their graves, they will be exposed to the sun and the moon and all the stars of the heavens, which they have loved and served and which they have followed and consulted and worshiped. They will not be gathered up or buried, but will be like refuse lying on the ground."

It is my hope, that by now, we are starting to get the picture that these sins in our lives are unacceptable to Elohim. It is consistently mentioned throughout all of Scripture, in both the Tanakh (Old Covenant), and the B'Rit Hadashah (Refreshed [New] Covenant). It is written that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses, a matter is established (Deut. 19:15 & Matt. 18:16). If something is mentioned two, or three times in Scripture, it is very critical for you to grasp the meaning, of what is being said, and the importance of the matter. So far, I have given you the witness of Moses, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Paul from the Refreshed Covenant, plus the writer of the book of Hebrews. There are many more witnesses, that one may read on his own, such as, 2nd Kings 17:16-18,  Zephaniah 1:4-6, Acts 7:42, 1st Corinthians 10:20, and of course Galatians 4: 8&9.

Is it clear enough yet, what our Creator thinks about these abominations? Are we really stiff necked enough, to believe that He will pardon these sins done willfully, because of grace? Don't we see, that grace is given to us from above, that we would not practice these abominations? Grace is given to us, that we might turn our backs on these sins, and not be condemned in them. Grace is given to us to resist evil. It is not given, that we may have a free pass to indulge ourselves in sin.

The Apostle Paul had this to say about sin and grace in Romans 6:1-4:

" What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that Grace may abound?  May it never be! How can we who died to sin still live in it? Or do you not know that all of us who were immersed into Messiah Yeshua were immersed into His death? Therefore we were buried together with Him through immersion into death - in order that just as Messiah was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life." (CJB)

It is my prayer that many people would examine their lives to see if you are really in the faith. We, as believers in Yeshua, are to repent of sin. That means turning our backs to it. Turning away from it, and looking to Yeshua our savior. Are we going to be perfect in our walk with Him? Of course not, but by walking with Him, and seeking His ways, we will all learn the true meaning of Grace. 

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

Shalom Ahlaychem,

Barry W Gaugler

Grace Abused (Part 1)

You've heard it said, I've heard it, and perhaps we've all heard it. Maybe, we've even said it ourselves a time or two. "Thank God, I'm saved by Grace, and not by the keeping of Torah (Instruction). Let me make myself clear, before some get their shorts in a wad, even before they read what I'm about to say. We are most certainly saved by Grace, and not by the keeping of Torah. However, there are some very important things to notice about being saved by Grace. If a person says they have given their lives to Yeshua ha-Mashiach (Jesus the Messiah), and there is no noticeable change in their lives, are they saved by Grace? If a person is immersed into the death, burial and Resurrection of Yeshua, and it is evident by their lives, that they went into the water a dry sinner, and came up out of the water a wet sinner, are they saved by Grace? It is a sad commentary, that many people who think they are saved, and serving Yeshua, will one day stand before Him, only to hear the words, "Depart from me you workers of iniquity. I never knew you."  These are not my words, but the very words spoken from the mouth of Adonai Yeshua in Matthew 7:23.

This message is not popular among those who believe the once saved, always saved doctrine, but the problem arises from the fact, that many who believe themselves to be saved, never were. I believe that Yeshua will never lose one, that has been placed in his hand by the Father, but not everyone who calls themselves a believer in Yeshua, actually is a believer. Many say they are believers, but there is never a sign of repentance in their lives. There is no fruit of repentance. Isaiah, 29:13 says this of them:

"13 Therefore The Lord says: 'These people draw near to Me with their mouths, and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward me Me is taught by the commandments of men.

When Elohim said, "Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men." What do we think He meant by that? What is considered worship in the eyes of  our heavenly Father? There are many different ideas, of what man considers to be worship, but are they really what our heavenly Father considers to be worship? Many show up to church, or synagogue every week to worship, but is that really what they are doing in the eyes of our heavenly Father? Yeshua said, that the time would come, and is now here, that believers would worship the Father in Spirit and Truth. What does that mean? If we are not born from above, and have not the Spirit within us, that leads us into all truth, are we worshiping the Father in an acceptable manner in His eyes?

 If we have not the Spirit, we can neither know the truth, nor can we worship Him in the Spirit of Truth. That which is flesh is flesh, and that which is spirit is spirit. We can no more worship the Father in the flesh, than we can swim in gasoline. Just as we cannot worship the Father without the Spirit, it is impossible to please Him in the flesh. Because Messiah shed His blood to cover our sins, He also makes a way for us to keep Torah, by walking in the Spirit. It is only through walking in the Spirit that we can live Torah in our lives. Are we going to stumble at times? Of  course we are. Are we saved by the keeping of Torah? Certainly not. However, we keep Torah, because we are saved.

 Do we really believe, that we can live our lives, in blatant disregard to the instructions, laws, regulations, and statutes of our heavenly Father, given to us in Torah, and get off with a free pass to eternity with Him? Do we really believe, that everything is going to be just fine, when we stand before our Creator on that final day, when He will judge the  whole world according to His Word?  Do we really think the Living Word cancelled out the written Word, which was spoken by Him in the first place? Yeshua, is the Word made flesh. Do we think for a moment, that He cancelled out everything written about Him in Torah, and the Prophets in the Tanakh (Old Testament)? Is that what Yeshua said of Himself? In Matthew 5:17-19 we read this:

17 "Do not think that I came to abolish the Torah or the Prophets.  I did not come to abolish, but to fulfill. 18 Amen, I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter (yod) or serif (crown over a Hebrew letter) shall ever pass away from the Torah until all things come to pass. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches others the same, shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven. But whoever keeps and teaches them, this one shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." (Tree of Life NT) [Inserts are mine.]

I ask this simple question, referring to the above passage. Have heaven and earth passed away? There is only one, who was able to keep Torah. He, who was the Word made flesh. We cannot do it of our own volition, and in our own strength, but a life that is surrendered to Yeshua can do it, by faith through him. Does that mean we just ignore Torah, and live our lives as we please? Of course not. 

It is Yeshua working in us, through Ruach ha-Kodesh (The Holy Spirit), to both will, and to do the will of the Father (Phil. 2:13). Who is teaching you, that it is alright to break our Father's commandments willfully? Our Creator gave us His commandments to protect us, that we may live long, be healthy, and have blessed and prosperous lives. Keeping what is written in Torah is what pleases Him. Do you want to please our heavenly Father, or do you want to please yourself, and people around you? As believers in Messiah, we are to live our lives to please Him, not as pleasers of men.

Is it important to try to keep Torah, in order to please God, or is there something about Torah that many believers in Messiah are missing? Think on this.

Proverbs 7:1-3 says:

"My son, keep my words, and lay up my commandments with thee.  Keep my commandments, and live; and my laws as the apple of thine eye.  Bind them upon thy fingers, write them upon the table of  thine heart." (KJV)

It should be plain, that the writer of this proverb is trying to make it clear, that keeping Torah is important for living a blessed life, and they should be the focus and desire of our hearts. This was not only for those living in the time before Messiah walked the earth, but it is to be constantly upon the hearts of those who truly love our heavenly Father, and are called according to His purpose in Messiah. There is to be a marked difference, between those who love Yeshua, and those who say they love Yeshua, but are only giving him lip service, or those who are following the god of this world.

 Is the keeping of Torah important to our Creator? Consider what is written in Jeremiah 31:31-33:

"Behold the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant  with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of  Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was a husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God and they shall be my people."  (KJV)

Notice in the above passage that the Spirit is speaking directly to the house of Israel, and to the house of Judah. He is declaring a new covenant with His people. Some try to say, that this is speaking allegorically about the church, and not Israel. That is twisting scripture, as the language is perfectly clear, to whom Elohim is addressing. The New Covenant spoken of here, is with Israel and Judah. Yes. I know, that it is also given for the Goyim who claim the promises, by being grafted into Israel. Notice also where Elohim is writing His instructions (Torah). It is to be written in their hearts. We need to ask ourselves this question.  If we are not to observe Torah,  why would the Spirit write Torah upon our hearts? I believe, it is because, our love for Yeshua, is to be so great, that the thought of breaking His commandments would be absolutely repulsive to those who love and trust in him.

It is important to understand this important fact. It is by our Father's grace, that we are able to live Torah, through the working of Ruach haKodesh in our inner being. It is the Ruach, imparting to us the life of Yeshua haMashiach. It is not something we can work to achieve of our own volition, strength, or human nature. It is only achieved through surrendering your life completely to Yeshua.

 Many are afraid that by surrendering to Yeshua, their life will be over, and that they will never be able to enjoy life again. Nothing could be further from the truth. Life in Messiah is full and rich. Those who follow after their own ways, or the ways of this world live empty lives. They are always searching for some pleasure that will remain for more than a few hours, but they can never seem to find it. Their joy is shallow, and soon fades. I often hear their words, and have even said them myself in the past, "Is this all there is to life?" Their motto is "Life stinks, and then you die." Those who do not know Yeshua as their savior are constantly looking for something. Their lives are always miserable and empty. They may deny it to your face, but in their heart of hearts, they know it's true. When they place their heads on their pillow at night, and are alone with their thoughts, they know. There is no escape from the reality that you feel alone and empty.

 It doesn't matter how many so called friends they have, or how much stuff they have gathered, or how much they travel around the world. They feel empty. They are searching for something, and they can never seem to find satisfaction. The reason, is because, they are searching in all the wrong places. Lives that are apart from Yeshua, are always filled with oppression. Have you ever noticed how angry their lives are without Yeshua? Always wanting to fight, or always cutting other people down? Even at their parties, fights break out. When it's all over, they end up praying to their porcelain god, asking him to just get them through another hangover. Swearing to him that they will never drink another drop (until next time). Lives that are surrendered to Messiah Yeshua however, are always full and rich, even during the hard times. Do we suffer hard times? Of course we do, but there is that blessed assurance, that in the end; We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, and are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28)

What is the meaning of Grace?

According to Merriam-Webster, Grace in a biblical sense means: 1: help given man by God (as in overcoming temptation). 2: freedom from sin by divine grace. 3: a virtue coming from God.

What does the Bible say Grace is?

 The Bible says Grace is a spirit.

Zechariah, 12:10 says:

"And I will pour out upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn."  (KJV)

Knowing that Grace is a spirit, it should become obvious that Grace is a function of the Ruach (Spirit) of Messiah Yeshua, working in our lives. So, as believers in Messiah,  we are to live our lives in such a  manner, as to not grieve the Ruach, and therefore make a mockery of the Grace given to us by Him. Ephesians 4:30 says:

"Do not grieve the Ruach haKodesh of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption."  (Tree of Life NT)

 I would like for you to think on these words from the letter to the Messianic Believers (Hebrews) 10:26-29:

"For if we keep on sinning willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but only a terrifying expectation of judgment and a fury of fire about to devour the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the Torah of Moses dies without compassion on the word of two or three witnesses. How much more severe do you think the punishment will be for the one who has trampled Ben-Elohim (The Son of God) underfoot, and has regarded as unholy the blood of the covenant by which he was made holy, and has insulted the Spirit of grace?"  (Tree of Life NT) [Insert is mine]

Playing church, is not going to get us into the Kingdom of Elohim. Showing up at the social clubs some call churches, is not going to get us there either. Throwing a five dollar bill into the collection plate, is not going to buy us a pass into the kingdom of heaven. Only a heart surrendered to Messiah is going to get us there. Only by taking up our cross daily, and following Yeshua, is there life eternal. If you have been playing games with our Creator, and think there is plenty of time, you need to quit, and you need to quit now! The signs of the times are all around us, and they have never been as evident as they are today. Once the door is shut, there is no more chance of getting in. Time is running out.

If you are in a church that is not preaching salvation with an urgency, you need to get out. You need to get out, NOW! I sat in several churches for many years, and never once heard the message of salvation. I have to ask; Why are they there? Why are their doors open, and why do people go to them? They are dead, and the Ruach haKodesh is not active there. They are Babylon (confusion), and Yeshua is saying; "Come out of her, all my people. For the time has come to judge Babylon." Yeshua is standing right in front of us with his arms held open wide, waiting for us to come to Him. He is wanting to rescue us, from the horrible destruction that is about to come upon the whole earth. He wants to give to us His shalom (peace). Ask him to make himself real to you. Ask him to save you, and repent (turn away) from your sins. There is no other way. There is no other name under heaven given among men by which you might be saved. Cry out to Yeshua to save you. He listens to our cries for help. If you call upon Him to save you, He will do it.

Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.

Shalom Ahlaychem,

Barry W. Gaugler