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As Yahuah explains to Moshe, Avraham, Yetzok, and Ya’akov, knew him as El Shaddi, but He wanted them to know Him as Yahuah.  Apparently, this was a requirement to being set free from the bondage of the world (Egypt).  Rav Sha’ul (teacher Paul) reminds us in 1 Corinthians that those living at the end of day are to use the people of the Exodus generation as examples of how we should live.  We, too, should know God as more than the provider God but as one able to take us through all things.  Our trust should be completely in Him and not in man or the world or our family or job or church or bank account.     This idea from this week’s Torah Portion is found in our lesson in Matthew chapter 12.  Join us as we continue to look into the parables and instruction contained in Matthew chapters 12 and 13, picking up the account in 12:33 as Y’shua heals a man blind and dumb in the very House of God on the Sabbath, and the Pharisees reaction to this good work.

Today we will begin to examine the parables in chapters 12 and 13 of Matthew.  One of the ideas to grab is the religious leaders of that day, and I might suggest this day, seem to mix man’s rules and laws up with the God's instructions and commandments in the Torah.  It is important to understand clearly the difference between man’s wisdom and God's instructions.  Often for many of us we hear a message that has mixed these things up a bit and in so doing might give is people the wrong idea about a few things.  Join is as we seek to strengthen the foundation the Torah laid and watch as Y’shua builds on this foundation.     Necessarily, the TaNaKh or Old Testament was given to the nation of Yisrah-el’ as a whole as they traveled out of Egypt as one group and lived that way for hundreds of years. But as the nation was scattered to the corners of the earth and Y’shua came to find the lost sheep of the House of Yisrah-el’, the messages of the TaNaKh was given again, but this time to the individual rather than the nation.  The message was the same but focused on each of us, that is the new covenant spoken of, same message, but to each of us personally by the Son of God.      Join us as we have a look at chapters 12 and 13 of Matthew.

Join us as we have a look at the Parables and instructions Y’shua gave as recorded in Matthew chapters 12 and 13.     We will begin today with a look at the disciples asking Y’shua why He spoke to the multitudes in parables found in the middle of chapter 13, rather than just speaking plainly to them. His answer, “to you it is given to understand the mysteries of Heaven” has caused some interesting sermons in the past.  We will join the fray and seek to uncover the meaning and message Y’shua had for both his disciples and those following after Him, but not yet committed to Him.   The next several weeks we will back up to begin at chapter 12 and have a look at the rest of 12 and 13 and look at how all of these parables and words fit together for us 2000 years later.

Many of us have only recently returned from the church Christmas event staring … our kids.  It is always a heartwarming story about the birth of our Savior in rather humble beginnings.  Usually with straw, barnyard animals and of course the Star of Bethlehem gracing the stage.  It’s all a lot of fun as we share cider and cookies and remember the day Jesus was born.     But just like Santa and Frosty, it’s not really true.  Join us as we recount a far more compelling, and certainly more truthful account of Y’shua, the Hebrew word meaning salvation by the way, and his birth on that special day many years ago absolutely filled with meaning and prophecy often missed at the local church play.  Join us as we find some new meanings and great joy of that day … no Christmas tree needed.

Join us as we take a look at Y’shua’s parable of the lost sheep. Who really are these sheep?  Is there more to this than simply finding one lost sheep?     We find ourselves on an interesting and important road after hearing Y’shua say multiple times He came only for the lost sheep of the House of Yisrah-el’.  In this message we will examine exactly how a gentile beach kid from Santa Barbara, came to be a member of the House of Yisrah-el’, the very people Y’shua was looking for.    In this two-part message we will cover a lot of ground and discover some foundational truths often overlooked in the typical lost sheep message. 

Join us as we take a look at Y’shua’s parable of the lost sheep.  Who really are these sheep?  Is there more to this than simply finding one lost sheep?     We find ourselves on an interesting and important road after hearing Y’shua say multiple times He came only for the lost sheep of the House of Yisrah-el’.  In this message we will examine exactly how a gentile beach kid from Santa Barbara, came to be a member of the House of Yisrah-el’, the very people Y’shua was looking for.    In this two-part message we will cover a lot of ground and discover some foundational truths often overlooked in the typical lost sheep message. 

Join us as we take a look at the meaning of the new wine and old wineskin, and the new patch on old clothes, and what it does not say.  This set of Parables begins with the calling of Levi, and the Pharisees accusation of Y’shua for breaking mans law.    As usual we will look at this from a slightly Hebraic outlook and perhaps learn some new ways to understand what Y’shua was teaching us.

Join us as we look into “do not despise small things”.  Often, we are more interested in the larger more dramatic issues and promises.  The big popular church, the famous smooth-talking pastor, the fastest and most expensive automobile, but Scripture reminds us that Yahuah will do great things with small stuff.  It may be our ministry seems small and insignificant, but that is not true, at least the insignificant part. We will see King Zerubbabel rebuild the temple and some of the old men who had seen the last temple cried about how small it was compared to the previous temple.  You can guess the result. We will have a look at “fig leaf people”, that is, those who make coverings for themselves, ya know, those who only show up now and again, sit in the back row leave early, generally don’t want to get involved.  They have too much to do to be a useful part of the body.  We will spend time in Luke and Matthew Ezra and Zechariah so tune in.

Join us today as we take a quick look at the Torah portion and beyond and then focus on one of the most important chapters in Scripture.  B’ray-sheeth or Genesis 24.  In this chapter we see how it is we have become the gentile bride of the Jewish Son, Heir to all the Father has.   This will challenge the understanding some have that the Jews will need to “get saved” or “become Christians” before they can go to Heaven. 

This week we read about Abram being called out of Ur of the Casdeem and discover the story of his youth as described in the book of Yasher (Jasher) chapters 8 and 9.    The account of a young Abram helps to explain why he was so quick to accept anything Yahuah told him and act.   We have a look at why Abram is called the first Hebrew even though he really is not.     We will see Abraham again separating himself from the rest of his family namely Lot, and heading to the wilderness of Canaan.  The mighty 4 kings swing in and take the cities of the plain and Lot with all his belongings.  Abram mounts a counter offensive and destroys the most effective fighting force of the day to retrieve Lot and the rest of the people of the plain.     A strange character named Melchizedek prince of peace king of righteousness.  Yahuah makes a covenant with Abram to assure his the promises are true, but his seed will spend 400 years in bondage and will come out with great wealth.  We learn about Hagar and Ishmael, and the promise of Yetzok.   All of this leads to a question, why do we see Abram and later Y’shua as all "sunshine and rainbows?"  Abram was the premier fighting machine of the day who slaughtered 4 kings and armies, and Y’shua ….  When He came the first-time, healings and life was the order of the day, but when He comes back it will be as one who crushes kings and countries, fills the valleys with bodies ,and He comes as an unquenchable fire.     A lot going on for sure, and as we see the world heading towards the possibility of world war and the return of Y’shua, some honest reflection and humility might be the reason behind all of the things we see today.   Are you ready?

The Word of Yahuah is our instruction and guidepost.  Many who try to follow God’s word completely and separate it from man’s wisdom, the people who believe they are, and may well be, on the narrow path, are sometimes confused by the events of the world or their own lives because it just does not seem like God should allow these events to happen.  Joins us today as we begin by skimming over the weeks Torah portion, Noach (Noah), and look at how Yahuah has used events similar to today in the past.  Currently we are in the midst of a horrific war in Yisrah-el’ with the Edomites committing atrocities we are struggling to comprehend.  The inhumanity being perpetrated on the citizens of Yisrah-el’ is causing many to wonder out loud where is God in all this?  Last week we talked about the need for repentance and restoration, and some of the ways that comes about, including humility about our situations.  This week I want to look at this in a different way.  Many times God’s people have been taken captive, we don’t read the actual horror involved in the 66 books, but many extra biblical books show us that in many cases they are worse than what we are currently seeing in Yisrah-el’.  We come to find that in each case God’s purposes were fulfilled in ways we did not expect to see.  My desire is to assist us in better determining how to pray, and to trust that He is not asleep at the wheel, As it turns out, like it always does, He has already given us the answer if we are willing to look for it.   

Today the scroll is rolled back to the beginning, and we begin again by looking at B’ray-sheeth 1:1 the creation to 6:8, which brought about the Flood of Naoch.  It seems like a lot of information to pack into one parsha but essentially we will be looking at God's creation and His people up to the time when every man’s heart was evil continually and Yahauh repented that He had even made man and destroyed everything.    Many of us have read this section every year for decades and have been able to look at many of the messages contained, to learn much about Yahuah and His plans.  But this year as the scroll rewound, Hamas, the Hebrew word for violence by the way, attacked Yisrah-el’ in a way they had never been able to before.  Hezbollah in the North is preparing to enter the war, Iran is funding and threatening, most of the world is or can be expected to turn against Yisrah-el’.     We are living in the times of Noach and for the next few weeks we will be looking at what all of this might mean, far past the first ten generations, perhaps right to our time today.  Why would Yahuah allow this?  Stay tuned, buckle up, and look to Him … remember He only gives good gifts.