Shabbat Shalom, all praise and esteem unto our Master and Deliverer – יהושע Messiah
Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 5:9 “And having been perfected, He became the Causer of everlasting deliverance to all those obeying Him”
This verse is speaking of our Deliverer – יהושע Messiah, who became the ‘causer’ of everlasting deliverance – to who???
ALL THOSE OBEYING HIM!!!
This is a very important statement of truth being made here – it is only to those who are obeying Him, that He actually becomes the causer of everlasting deliverance! The Greek word translated as ‘causer’ is αἴτιος aitios – Strong’s G159 which means, ‘causative of, responsible for, that which is the cause of anything that resides, author’. The One who ‘causes us to be’ is the One who causes us to have everlasting deliverance!!! The author of our belief causes the obedient to obtain deliverance! The Greek word translated as ‘obeying’ is ὑπακούω hupakouō – Strong’s G5219 which means, ‘to listen, attend to, obey, heed, become obedient, to submit to’ and comes from two Greek words: ὑπό hupo – Strong’s G5259 which means ‘under’ and further means ‘to be controlled by or in subjection to’; and the second word is ἀκούω akouō – Strong’s G191 meaning, ‘hearing, listen, give heed, understand’. In other words, we clearly see from the Greek, the one who obeys the Master is one who is in subjection to the hearing of His commands, and diligently gives heed to obey and understand by making sure his ears are open to hear the Master’s voice!
Yoḥanan/John 10:27 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.”
The ‘Causer of Life and Deliverance’ has spoken, and His Word stands forever – the question that ought to be asked today, is whether the sheep are listening and obeying, or are they putting off what is being instructed, for another day!
Dawiḏ, a man who took heed and listened to the Master’s voice says in:
Tehillim/Psalm 18:2 “יהוה is my rock and my stronghold and my deliverer; My Ěl is my rock, I take refuge in Him; My shield and the horn of my deliverance, my high tower.”
I simply wanted to mention this verse to clearly indicate that the words of יהושע Messiah, our Rock and the causer of our deliverance, are the same words of יהוה, our Rock and our deliverer. And the reason for this is to simply make it clear that there is only One Elohim – יהושע Messiah is יהוה, our deliverer!!! Therefore when we obey the voice of the Good Shepherd and Rock of Yisra’ĕl, we listen to and subject ourselves to His Torah, and submit to walking in it, knowing that it is not a worthless word, but rather it is our life, as we see Mosheh making this clear in Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 32:47!
There are many today who claim to be listening to the voice of the Deliverer, while they cast the Deliverer’s words behind them and assume that the Torah is of no effect and in their vain attempt at true worship and obedience, they cast aside total obedience, rendering them as simply being a rebellious people.
There are also many who claim to be walking in the Torah of Elohim, yet the fruit of their lives reveals that they do not harken to His voice with urgency, but rather delay their need to submit and obey for a later time or another day. Delayed obedience is nothing more than pure rebellion!
In a message tonight called, “LISTEN UP – TODAY!”, let us look at what the Master יהוה says to a people who ‘put off’ His Word for another day. Turn with me to Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 12:21-28 (Read).
This section in Yeḥezqěl begins with a phrase that we find as a regular phrase in Yeḥezqěl –
“And the word of יהוה came to me, saying”
In fact this phrase is found 49 times in the Book of Yeḥezqěl – that is pretty significant if you ask me!!! The words that Yeḥezqěl received and spoke, were relevant words to a rebellious nation, who had been called out of darkness and separated unto יהוה as a treasured possession! When we recognise and acknowledge that the Word of Elohim is alive and active, then we also are able to recognise how relevant the words of the Prophets are for us today; and having said that, we are then able to clearly see that the same Word that was relevant to a rebellious nation back then, is as relevant to us today – which would obviously suggest that rebellion is still a major problem for so many! When I think of this powerful phrase being recorded 49 times in Yeḥezqěl, the thing that jumps to my mind is the counting of the omer – which will be coming up very soon, where we are commanded to count 50 days (49 +1) from Bikkurim (the waving of the sheaf of barley) to Shavuot where two loaves are waved as an acceptable offering before יהוה. 50, as we know, represents the Yoḇel and the year of release, and also points forward to the Yoḇel year when יהוה shall return for His ready Bride, who has worked out Her deliverance with fear and trembling. With the number of times that the ‘word of יהוה came to Yeḥezqěl being 49, we can be clear is the picture of this showing us that if we do not diligently ‘hear and obey’ the Word of יהוה in the ’49 times’ it is being proclaimed, so to speak, then by the 50th time, when He returns, it will be too late – By the 50th time the Word of יהוה comes – those who have not heard, nor understood, and rebelled, it will come to them as a thief in the night!
Yeḥezqěl was told to go and tell the rebellious that their own little proverbs and fabricated words are false and His Word has been spoken and therefore it is!!! They were at that time developing sayings among themselves that tried to tickle the ears of the masses, by saying that the spoken judgement was not true and each new day proves it! In response, יהוה makes it clear that His Word is True and his coming destruction will prove it – hence the critical call to wake up and listen – Today! Kěpha tells us that this same mentality will be evident in the last days:
Kěpha Bět/2 Peter 3:3-4 “knowing this first: that mockers shall come in the last days with mocking, walking according to their own lusts, 4 and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all continues as from the beginning of creation.”
In Luqas/Luke 12 we see by the parables given by Messiah of His return, that He clearly states that blessed are the servants whom the Master finds watching, when He comes; and also gives a stern warning to those who delay their obedience to hear, guard and do, by putting off for another day that which they were to be watchful over and obedient in today, neglecting their duty shall be cut in two and appoint his portion with the unbelievers:
Luqas/Luke 12:43-47 “Blessed is that servant whom his master shall find so doing when he comes. 44 “Truly, I say to you that he shall appoint him over all his possessions. 45 “But if that servant says in his heart, ‘My master is delaying his coming,’ and begins to beat the male servants and female servants, and to eat and drink and be drunk, 46 the master of that servant shall come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour that he does not know, and shall cut him in two and appoint his portion with the unbelievers. 47 “And that servant who knew his master’s desire, and did not prepare, nor did according to his desire, shall be beaten with many stripes.”
Very sobering words indeed – and I encourage you to read the rest of the chapter in Luqas/Luke, as Messiah makes it clear that He did not come to bring peace, but division and He came to fire on the earth and how He wished that it was already kindled!!!
Fire refines and He wants a refined Bride who listens up – Today!!!
יהוה makes it clear here in Yeḥezqěl that the days have drawn near, and that the time has actually come where there is no longer to be any false vision or flattering divination within the House of Yisra’ĕl – it is time to listen to the Word of Truth and not the babel of falsehood and lies!
In Verse 23 יהוה says that He will make the false proverb to cease, so that it is not used in Yisra’ĕl any longer! Interestingly the word used here for ‘cease’ or ‘I will cause to cease’ is – הִשְׁבַּתִּי – ‘ha’shaḇati’ which is from the root verb שָׁבַת shaḇath – Strong’s H7673 which means, ‘to cease, desist, rest, observe, observe the rest, put an end’ and it is written in the ‘hifil tense’, which is the causative action of the ‘qal tense’, which can be rendered as, ‘to put an end to, to exterminate, destroy, to cause to desist from’; and this I find very interesting as it is the same root word used for the clear instruction given to us to ‘observe, keep’ the Sabbath; and what is being clearly stated here is that all falsehood and flattery He will cause to cease, as the true observance of His Word is adhered to.
Hence the clear reason that we are told in Yeshayahu/Isaiah 58 that on His Shabbat we shall esteem calling it a delight, not seeking our own pleasures, nor doing our own ways, nor speaking our own words, but rather delight ourselves in יהוה.
In verse 24 the Hebrew root word translated as ‘flattering’ is חָלָק ḥalaq – Strong’s H2509 which means, ‘smooth, flattering, slippery’. Messiah tells us that the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart (Mattithyahu/Matthew 12:34 & Luqas/Luke 6:45) and we are also told in Hoshěa/Hosea 10 we are told that Yisra’ĕl who had become a degenerate vine due to rebellion and lawlessness, had a ‘slippery’ heart, which is the word חָלָק ḥalaq which can further mean, ‘to be smooth, or being deceitful in giving misleading opinions or thought about what is true and often encouraging wrong behaviour, and also means to flatter or seduce’. Wow – how sad it is today to see how so many have been seduced in following ‘misleading opinions’ and are being ‘encouraged to be disobedient’ by the ‘smooth talkers’ – beware of the smooth talkers! And even more importantly – do not be a smooth talker – be a truth talker!
Mixed or lukewarm worship that does not listen “today” to the Truth, but rather gets flattered by smooth and misleading opinions will result in hearts and words becoming ‘slippery’ and in danger of slipping away!!! And when many use the vain and pathetic excuse of the overused saying, “Oh but He knows my heart!”, they are sadly misinformed by flattering lies into thinking that their hearts are healthy, when the Word says that the heart is crooked above all and desperately sick. Many are sick and they do not know it, and sick hearts speak falsehood!
As a result of a closed ear to hearing the Truth ‘TODAY’ many do not take the Truth seriously, as a result of the muddied waters of false and flattering teachings of man that tickle ears, and the message is very clear – In the House of Yisra’ĕl – only the Word of Truth – יהוה’s Word must be heard and attended to diligently!!!
Yoḥanan Aleph/1 John 2:18 “Little children, it is the last hour. And as you have heard that the anti-messiah is coming, even now many anti-messiahs have come. This is how we know that it is the last hour.”
The time to hear and guard and do the Word of Elohim in NOW – and as long as it is called Today – we have time to hear and obey – not putting off until tomorrow what must be heard and observed TODAY!
There are many flattering teachings that are ridiculously false, yet if one is not paying careful attention to the Word, then how would you be able to discern the Truth from the False?
Yoḥanan Bět /2 John 1:7 “Because many who are leading astray went out into the world who do not confess יהושע Messiah as coming in the flesh. This one is he who is leading astray and the anti-messiah.”
Just think about this statement being made here by Yoḥanan for a moment – here was a man that had walked with Messiah and many of the first recipients of his letters would have either walked with or seen Messiah – so you have to ask the question as to why would those who literally saw יהושע Messiah actually have to confess that He came in the flesh – I mean many physically saw Him!!! What Yoḥanan is clearly stating here is that unless you can confess that יהושע Messiah is יהוה our Deliverer in the flesh, then you are sadly being led astray by the many who are teaching otherwise!
And many will dress up this lie that denies the deity of Messiah with many flattering words and explanations, while they are missing the mark completely – and we are to be awake against such heresies that deny that Our Deliver and Rock – that is יהוה – came in the flesh – and His Name declares that He who causes us to be – is the One who shall cause those who obey Him, to receive an everlasting deliverance!
When we repeatedly hear the term “TODAY” being used in reference to the word of יהוה that has been spoken and is to be heard, we clearly see TODAY does not speak of ‘tomorrow’ or the next day, or next week, or year or any other day… but TODAY! Today lasts only as long as there is opportunity to decide to hear – and as long as the conscience is sensitive to יהוה. When a person’s “today” is over, it is then too late. His heart gets harder every time he says no to the clear Word and instructions of יהושע Messiah ‘today’ with a ‘slippery’ heart that reckons that they will to get to what needs to be done ‘tomorrow’ or even another day. Delayed obedience is rebellion, as I have already mentioned!
Mishlĕ/Proverbs 30:8-9 “Remove falsehood and a lying word far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me my lawful bread; 9 lest I become satisfied and deny You, and say, “Who is יהוה?” and lest I be poor, and steal, and seize the Name of my Elohim.”
יהושע Messiah further teaches us that we are to ask for, seek out and eat our ‘daily bread’ from the Father – which is His provision for us – His Bread (Manna) that comes from Him! And the saying ‘you are what you eat’ will be clearly evident as to whether or not you are eating that which is your daily lawful bread or whether you are eating words of flattery and divination!
In 20 verses in Deḇarim/Deuteronomy the call to guard and obey that which was commanded ‘TODAY’ is spoken by Mosheh to the children of Yisra’ĕl, which pictures a clear urgency to be a doer of what you hear ‘TODAY” and not just a hearer only, for the putting off that which must be done is rebellion!
The Hebrew word used here for ‘rebellious’ is מְרִי meri – Strong’s H4805 which means, ‘rebels, rebellious, bitter’ and comes from the primitive root מָרָה marah – Strong’s H4784 which means, ‘to be contentious or rebellious, to be disobedient’; and when one does not listen up and obey TODAY, bitterness grows and the heart becomes more and more hardened to hearing the Truth – to the point where the heart becomes a slippery slope where the Word does not even get planted any longer and is sadly brushed off as irrelevant – to the point where compromised hearing and doing leads to total rebellious and lawlessness, leaving only a degenerate, rather than a fruitful vine – which is thrown into the fire!
Iḇ’rim/Hebrew 3:7-8 “Therefore, as the Set-apart Spirit says, “Today, if you hear His voice, 8 do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, in the day of trial in the wilderness”
Iḇ’rim/Hebrews 3:13 “but encourage one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened by the deceivableness of sin.”
The name of the place where Yisra’ĕl rebelled in the Wilderness was called “Massah” and “Meriḇah”: Massah – מַסָּה Strong’s H4532 meaning, ‘temptation, test, try, prove’ and מְרִיבָה Meriḇah – Strong’s H4808 means, ‘strife, contentions’ and comes from the root word רִיב rib – Strong’s H7378 meaning, ‘to strive, contend, argue, complain, find fault, quarrel’. This was a place where they constantly found fault with their ‘Wilderness’ sojourning and having to listen to Mosheh and Aharon!
This was a place where, instead of their hearts being united in set-apartness, were hardened and cried out in contention against the Word of Elohim, the very thing we are to guard against:
Tehillim/Psalm 95:7-8 “For He is our Elohim, and we are the people of His pasture, and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you would hear His voice: 8 Do not harden your hearts as in Meriḇah, and as in the day of Massah in the wilderness”
We ought to be urging and encouraging each other on in remaining faithful and obedient in love.
Shemuʼěl Aleph/1 Samuel 15:23 “For rebellion is as the sin of divination, and stubbornness is as wickedness and idolatry. Because you have rejected the word of יהוה, He also does reject you as sovereign.”
What must be a very clear and sobering reminder to us here is that rebellion is as the sin of divination, which is not to be found in the House of Yisra’ĕl!!! Rebellion is simply the act of rejecting the need to ‘listen up – today’ and guard to do all that has been spoken and instructed by יהוה, and when people rebel against the need to hear, guard and do, they risk the reality of being rejected as the called out priesthood that we ought to be:
Hoshěa/Hosea 4:6 “My people have perished for lack of knowledge. Because you have rejected knowledge, I reject you from being priest for Me. Since you have forgotten the Torah of your Elohim, I also forget your children.”
Hear the true Words of our Master here in Yeḥezqěl/Ezekiel 12:28, where he tells us clearly that none of His words are deferred any longer – for When He speaks it is done!!! He has spoken – are you listening???
For now is the time to “LISTEN UP – TODAY!”
Let us be a hearing people – a people who are awake to the times and attentive to the Word of our Deliverer and not be like so many who refuse to hear and obey the Torah of Elohim – for to those who put off today what they hear, may face death and not see the everlasting deliverance the Messiah causes the obedient to receive.
Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 42:21-22 “So I have declared it to you today, but you have not obeyed the voice of יהוה your Elohim in all which He has sent me to you. 22 “And now, know for certain that you shall die by the sword, by scarcity of food, and by pestilence in the place where you have desired to go to sojourn.”
Perhaps you have found that you have been guilty of turning a deaf ear to the Truth, in order to find the flattering words of falsehood in an attempt at justifying a compromised lifestyle; then hear TODAY the call to hear, guard and do! What have you been conveniently putting off for another day? While it is still Today – do what is required – you do not know if you will have a tomorrow!!! In a day and age where flattering words of divination and falsehood are heard all around us – let us be careful to not fall for that which does not satisfy, but be diligent in hearing the Voice of our Good Shepherd, as we follow Him and walk as He walked, allowing his Torah to light our way – and if you have been closing the ear to what must be done – then – “Listen up – TODAY” and guard the charge of our Elohim to let your light so shine before men, so that they see your good works and praise your Father who is in the heavens; being clearly evident that you hear, guard and do what is commanded to you TODAY!
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 8:1 “Guard to do every command which I command you today, that you might live, and shall increase, and go in, and shall possess the land of which יהוה swore to your fathers.”
Deḇarim/Deuteronomy 4:1 “And now, O Yisra’ĕl, listen to the laws and the right-rulings which I am teaching you to do, so that you live, and shall go in and possess the land which יהוה Elohim of your fathers is giving you.”
“Listen up – TODAY” and HEAR, GUARD and DO!!!
Shalom!
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