Matters of the Heart (2)
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My Heart’s Desire
My Heart’s Desire
Last week we went over Ecclesiastes and have discovered that we without G-d were made just like the animals. There is no purpose to life… we work and go through the regular things of life that are established under what we call natural law. we live, we die, we eat, we sleep, we love, we hate. Good things and bad things happen to all people, we lust, we lie, but we try to live a life that’s good. However, even every good person engages in sin. I do not mind people that choose to engage in such law, however, there is no salvation under that law. whatever goes goes and nothing under this law can stop the natural events from happening.
However, G-d established something beautiful in man that we try to discover and engage with. The problem is that we cannot fully comprehend it, nor will we ever attain understanding of it here on this earth. Our search to understand eternity in itself is meaningless if we do not choose to receive it.
The only way to receive it or have access to it is through obedience to G-d’s W-rd. In other words, it begins with the fear of G-d:
Prayer
We shared how many people throughout the Bible have had moments in which G-d was who they sought wholeheartedly. Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, and etc. were all seen as righteous man though we know they were grave sinners. Even people like, Job, and Naaman who were not Jews or Israelites were seen as righteous and Naaman still bent a knee to and idol. As we know, Naaman’s heart was no longer set towards the idols, because his heart was set on the G-d who saved him. This was the good news shared, that the G-d of the Jews, He is the one and only true G-d.
So Naaman said, “If not, then please, let your servant be given two mule loads of soil, for your servant will no longer offer burnt offering or sacrifice to any other god, except Adonai. In this matter, may Adonai pardon your servant: when my master goes into the house of Rimmon to worship there, leaning on my hand, and I prostrate myself in the house of Rimmon—when I prostrate myself in the house of Rimmon, may Adonai pardon your servant in this matter.”
Be aware by the “Natural things”! Be aware by the things that one sets their heart on! Be aware of religion or religions, and see to it that no one takes you away from Messiah’s work in you.
As with Abraham, G-d’s desire is to bless you so that you may be a blessing. One of the promises that G-d has given to Abraham that we share as being grafted into the promise is that G-d will bless us to be a blessing.
G-d will also bless those who bless us and curse those who curse us.
Some might say that this was a promise that went towards the nation of Israel… well yes, it is, and it is a promise to those who fear Him just the same.
You will see all throughout Scripture that Israel could not be cursed, but those that did try to wipe Israel away were cursed. We also know that those who became a part of the people of Israel, though not Jewish, were blessed just the same.
Job is one of the biggest examples of this, because as the people pressed on him, G-d had those who were putting Job down go back to Job for forgiveness. And it was only Job that could go before G-d on their behalf to turn a curse into a blessing. Job was then abundantly blessed so that the WHOLE COMMUNITY SAT AT HIS FEET!
However, none of these Blessings would have taken place if the like of Abraham did not LECH LECHA… if they did not “get going out from your land… from your relatives.... father’s house, to the land” shown.
Today, G-d is sharing with you how He has set before us a gift that is recieved when:
Getting out of the land we were born and raised in, and
Journeying to the place He is speaking to us
Many times you will here that people will say… hey, but I was born this way, because people want to be stagnant and/or are comfortable in the place where they are. There is no fear of G-d and what He will do. It’s not about He can do, it is about what He will do!
If you do not go, you will be swept away!!
You must get going from the old and into the new.
Ecclesiastes says how the day of death is better than birth. David says in Psalm 51:4-8
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
For I know my transgressions
and my sin is ever before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned,
and done what is evil in Your sight,
so that You are just when You speak,
and blameless when You judge.
Behold, I was born in iniquity and in sin
when my mother conceived me.
Surely You desire truth in the inner being.
Make me know wisdom inwardly.
Job speaks in his pain, Job 3:3
“May the day I was born perish,
and the night that said,
‘A man is conceived!’
and lastly in Romans 5:12
So then, just as sin came into the world through one man and death through sin, in the same way death spread to all men because all sinned.
Yet, Solomon, David, Job, and Paul were not recognized as not righteous, but they were righteous in G-d’s eyes.
They considered their flesh as dead.
So anyone who says they were born in a certain way, we must respond, you must be born again!
The day of my natural birth is meaningless compared to the new birth in Messiah! If you remain in the flesh bound to the natural law, you will see the very thing you want to believe… an end.
However, if you choose to walk as Abraham did, you will be blameless.
Gen. 17:1-2
When Abram was 99 years old, Adonai appeared to Abram, and He said to him, “I am El Shaddai. Continually walk before Me and you will be blameless. My heart’s desire is to make My covenant between Me and you, and then I will multiply you exceedingly much.”
Lets read 1 John 2:15-17
Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world—the desire of the flesh, the desire of the eyes, and the boasting of life—is not from the Father but from the world. The world is passing away along with its desire, but the one who does the will of God abides forever.
and now I continue reading in Gen. 17:9-11
God also said to Abraham, “As for you, My covenant you must keep, you and your seed after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant that you must keep between Me and you and your seed after you: all your males must be circumcised. You must be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin, and this will become a sign of the covenant between Me and you.
Now let’s turn to Colossians 2 and as we read I have a few specific verses for you to see:
My purpose is that their hearts, joined together in love, may be encouraged. May they have all the riches of the full assurance of understanding, leading to a true knowledge of the mystery of God—that is, Messiah. In Him all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are hidden. I am telling you this so that no one will deceive you with persuasive-sounding arguments. For even though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit—rejoicing to see your good order and the steadfastness of your trust in Messiah.
As we read, we are given all the riches of understanding, true knowledge of the mystery who is Messiah. Messiah is eternity, Messiah is the Mystery, Messiah is the Blessing.
All treasure is what?
All treasure is what? In Him
So when we say, your heart is where your treasure is. We can understand that if our heart is set on Messiah, our treasure is the full assurance of understanding, true knowledge, and wisdom! So if you want to know more about life, relationships, G-d, how to bake a cake.... hahaha, some of you laugh, but seriously, G-d gave skills to those who sought Him, He gave capabilities beyond our wildest imaginations! Everything He can and will do through those who seek Him! Are you giving ear? Are you listening to Him? Are you walking with Him? Are you choosing today to love Him and choose Him? If you are not, then you are just wasting your time going out.
It’s like those times when my mother asks us to get ready, and many times she says… okay guys, get ready to go! I respond, “mom, where are we going”, and still today she will say something like… “I don’t have to tell you where we are going, just get ready to go!” Oh boy, am i bothered by this somtimes. Because sometimes, I am doing an assignment, or working on something that I want to do, and there are those times where I don’t want to do anything and I just want to stay home! But in those moments where I am caught up wanting to do my own thing, I’ll say something like… “Ahhh, I think I’ll stay” and she responds, “are you sure?”, I continue, “Yeah, I think I want to stay”. She says one last time, “you still have time to get ready!!”, and at that moment she walks away to get ready. So here I am lingering around thinking wether or not I should go, because if she goes her usual route, then it’s gotta be Costco, or running errands, and then picking up siblings…
!!Oh the possibilities are endless!!
Most of the time, I do get ready to go and I’m there, but there was one time...
There was one time.... my fam came home with slushees, new things from the stores, and left overs from a really delicious restaurant!
You see, we get so accustomed to these ideas of who G-d is that we forget the reward in being with Him. We get so lost in the religious activity, we forget about the refreshing the Besorah brings! And because of what we want, we also miss out on the blessing that G-d has for us.
You see, we must lose sight of the basic principles of the world, and we must hold fast to the principles of G-d, and when we do, we will not lose out on that blessing! My focus on what I want deceived me into missing out on what my family got to do, and the focus on the conclusions of the natural things my mom does lead me to miss out on receiving a blessing. Back to Colossians 2
Colossians 2:8-10
See that no one takes you captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men and the basic principles of the world rather than Messiah. For all the fullness of Deity lives bodily in Him, and in Him you have been filled to fullness. He is the head over every ruler and authority.
Wow, now we see the blessing in honoring your father and your mother. When you listen to them, there is great reward, provision, and through you others would be blessed.
So it is with G-d, but even more. When we fear G-d to listen to Him, we do not miss on His eternal gift, and He establishes His covenant with us through circumcision as we read in Colossians 2:11-15
In Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision done not by hand, in the stripping away of the body of the flesh through the circumcision of Messiah. You were buried along with Him in immersion, through which you also were raised with Him by trusting in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead. When you were dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made you alive together with Him when He pardoned us all our transgressions. He wiped out the handwritten record of debts with the decrees against us, which was hostile to us. He took it away by nailing it to the cross. After disarming the principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in the cross.
So no one need to go and circumcise themselves, because G-d has circumcised your heart in Messiah. This is why immersion is so important, because it symbolizes that you were buried and you were raised along with Messiah by trusting in the working of G-d, who raised Him from the dead. So yes, you don’t have to make yourself into something you are not, because you can’t change the way you were born, but you can be born again with a new heart!
You were never intended to be a part of this world, you were meant to be set apart from the world for G-d.
With this I go back a few verse to share:
Therefore, do not let anyone pass judgment on you in matters of food or drink, or in respect to a festival or new moon or Shabbat. These are a foreshadowing of things to come, but the reality is Messiah. Let no one disqualify you by insisting on false humility and worship of angels—going into detail about what he has seen, puffed up without cause by his fleshly mind.
rather, I read Colossians 3
Therefore, if you have been raised up with Messiah, keep seeking the things above—where Messiah is, sitting at the right hand of God. Focus your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. For you have died, and your life is hidden with Messiah in God. When Messiah, who is your life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him, in glory!
Therefore, put to death what is earthly in you—sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desire, and greed—for that is idolatry. Because of such things God’s wrath is coming upon the sons of disobedience. At one time you also walked in these ways, when you used to live in these ways. But now, set them all aside—anger, rage, malice, slander, and foul language out of your mouth. Do not lie to one another. After all, you have taken off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self that is being renewed in knowledge, according to the image of the One who created him. Here there is no longer Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, savage, slave and free; but Messiah is all, and in all.
Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves in tender compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience— bearing with one another and forgiving each other, if anyone has a grievance against another. Just as the Lord pardoned you, so also you must pardon others. But above all these things put on love, which is the bond of perfect harmony. Let the shalom of Messiah rule in your hearts—to this shalom you were surely called in one body. Also be thankful. Let the word of Messiah dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another with all wisdom in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Yeshua, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.
Wives, submit yourselves to your husbands, as is fitting in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives and do not become harsh toward them.
Children, obey your parents in every respect, for this is pleasing to the Lord. Fathers, do not provoke your children, so they will not become discouraged.
Slaves, obey your human masters in every respect—not just within your master’s sight as people-pleasers, but with sincerity of heart, fearing the Lord. Whatever you do, work at it from the soul, as for the Lord and not for people. For you know that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as a reward. It is to the Lord Messiah you are giving service. For the one doing wrong will be paid back for what he did wrong, and there is no favoritism.
Indeed there is no favoritism, as it will be as G-d said it would be! May we stay focused on Messiah that our hearts be not deceived and instead be the blessing according to His Words “My Heart’s desire is to… Bless you” and “Bless those who bless you”
If you desire the same heart, Get going out from those seats to the beama as we pray and commit ourselves to walk with Him and receive His Blessing - the Aaronic Blessing.
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