Series: Under the Law (2)
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The Law of Messiah
The Law of Messiah
So last week we gave a look into what it means for believers to be “Under the Law”. Scripture says we are not under the letter of the law, but we are now under the law of Messiah.
I want to address that I am not bashing at someone who considers themselves a Catholic, Methodist, Non-denominational, and even Messianic.
What I want to make sure is that we understand that God is calling everyone to be “of God”.
Many of you know this parable I will be going into, and this parable is directly pointed to those who believe they are good people living according to the letter of the law, but before that I am going to give you a real life story.
There was a business man that was looking for people to work for his business. And he thought… well, I can go to my Messianic congregation, because I know that there are a few people in my community that are looking for a job. Knowing that they are believers, I can invest in them knowing that they will bring about a good work. So instead of paying them the minimum for this position, I will start them with a little more and the best benefits.
The business man went to a few individuals that seemed to be trustworthy and in need of a job. With this, he felt confident that God was going to do a good work. So he trained the one that was chosen for the position and following the training for the new position, the man from the congregation was sent to do a job for his new friend and boss. The worker finishes his work and goes home. The next day the boss goes to his office and in the early morning, he gets a call and sees its the customer that his new employee serviced. The business man was excited and says with such confidence, “So what do you think?”, but then the customer replies.... “you need to send someone else”. Ouch! that hurt the business man and he asked what happened… and the customer replied, “the person did a really bad job.” So disapointed the business man asked his worker what had happened, and sees that the individual was not suited for the job and released him from his duty.... the business man prays and goes to another individual from his congregation and hire them and he sends this one to do the work. There must be some hope in this one, and the worker says… trust me, I can do this, and I will do a very great job… from the training… it’s a piece of cake! So the boss says, okay. The gentlemen finishes his work, and the next day the boss gets a call from the customer....
The business man asks, “how is it this time?” and the customer is now angry and without hesitiation exlaims how this one is lazier than the first. He was cocky, took countless breaks in between, and he even went to do what I thought believers in Jesus don’t do.
The boss is furious and immediately lets this one go, and he cries out to God.... why?
The boss of the company is very disappointed in the people within his community, because they were supposed to be ones who represented the kingdom of Messiah.
So before the business man’s name is tarnished he goes directly to the customer and does the work himself. When he entered and saw the mess the two employees made, he replied....
Why couldn’t they follow everything I told them to do!
Let’s read from Luke 10:25-37
Now a certain Torah lawyer stood up to entrap Yeshua, saying, “Teacher, what should I do to gain eternal life?”
Then Yeshua said to him, “What has been written in the Torah? How do you read it?”
And he replied, “You shall love Adonai your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself.”
Yeshua said to him, “You have answered correctly. Do this and you will live.”
But wanting to vindicate himself, he said to Yeshua, “Then who is my neighbor?”
Yeshua replied, “A certain man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho. He was attacked by robbers, who stripped him and beat him. Then they left, abandoning him as half dead. And by chance, a kohen was going down that road; but when he saw the man, he passed by on the opposite side. Likewise a Levite also, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the opposite side. But a Samaritan who was traveling came upon him; and when he noticed the man, he felt compassion. He went up to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on olive oil and wine. Then setting him on his own animal, he brought him to a lodge for travelers and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him. And whatever else you spend, upon my return I will repay you myself.’ Which of these three seems to you a neighbor to the one attacked by robbers?”
And he said, “The one who showed mercy to him.”
Then Yeshua said to him, “Go, and you do the same.”
With this being said,
What does it mean to be under the Law of Messiah?
The boss goes to show how messed up the ones from his own community are .
The Parable of the Good Samaritan goes to show that people outside of the community are more merciful and righteous than we are.
While last week I spoke about how we must be careful with the doctrine of man, I also realized how we have to be careful with ourselves.
Last week it was said.... not to follow our own passions and desires..
It will be your own tzitzit—so whenever you look at them, you will remember all the mitzvot of Adonai and do them and not go spying out after your own hearts and your own eyes, prostituting yourselves.
The Letter of the Law has to do with how we see and look to the law.
The letter of the law can be us saying, there is no explanation needed… this is it. We must do exactly this and the reason why is unnecessary. What purpose is there to the law.... some will say, it doesn’t matter, we just have to do it....
WRONG!
There is a purpose, and it begins with understanding that you are building a relationship with the Almighty, and you are assisting in his service that is benefitting you and those need His service. This means knowing what it means to be under His Mercy that He gave you this position to be an emissary in Yeshua.
“Israel had misinterpreted the purpose for the Mosaic Law and attempted to gain their own right standing before God by performing the Law perfectly in their own strength. Consequently, they broke the covenant.”
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. For up until the Torah, sin was in the world; but sin does not count as sin when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in a manner similar to the violation of Adam, who is a pattern of the One to come.
Sin came through our disobedience to God.
Death is a punishment for that disobedience.
When the Torah came, we had an opportunity to receive His mercy.
The law is the revelation of the mercy of that which we are obeying.
If you are obeying the Torah… then you will be shown the mercy of the Torah to which there is no mercy for disobedience...
If you are obeying HaShem, then you will be shown the mercy of the Master who is merciful and just to forgive.
But now in Messiah Yeshua, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. For He is our shalom, the One who made the two into one and broke down the middle wall of separation. Within His flesh He made powerless the hostility— the law code of mitzvot contained in regulations. He did this in order to create within Himself one new man from the two groups, making shalom, and to reconcile both to God in one body through the cross—by which He put the hostility to death. And He came and proclaimed shalom to you who were far away and shalom to those who were near— for through Him we both have access to the Father by the same Ruach. So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but you are fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household. You have been built on the foundation made up of the emissaries and prophets, with Messiah Yeshua Himself being the cornerstone. In Him the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple for the Lord. In Him, you also are being built together into God’s dwelling place in the Ruach.
God is saying that He has forgiven you by the blood of Yeshua, and so make every effort to show this mercy.
God has removed the hostility that the letter of the law brings, and brings forth the covenant of His Shalom!
Let me ask you now… are you under the law?
Yes, I am under the law - the law of Messiah!
I cannot obey these laws, but I keep them to see that this is the love of my God. In making every effort to love Him, He keeps me clean. In making every effort to know Him, He loves me. In making every effort to cling to Him, He never lets me go.
What is the letter of the law?
It is seeing without understanding… it is doing without purpose… it is acting instead of being… it is speaking with no meaning.
The letter of the law is saying… I share because sharing is caring. (Yet, where is the caring if there is no regard to those you are sharing with)
The law of Messiah on the other hand is... I share, because I truly care.
God talks about this through the scripture.... the one who gave more was the one who did in secret… the one who gave more was the one who gave all that she had even though it was little in value.
It is easy for a person to give a little of what they have, but what about giving all that you have?
Giving all you have is what God requires. Congregation Rebirth, I do not want your money, I do not want your tears, I do not want your happiness, I want all that you are!
The Letter of the Law is having more concern about being clean saying: (I got to do this, and do this… i gotta be rich… I gotta make myself poor… I gotta hug… I gotta do this and that…)
whereas the Law of Messiah is about coming clean!! Saying, Father I cannot, but You can....
Pauls says it in Galatians 5:2 … “If you let yourselves be circumcised, Messiah will be of no benefit to you.” I am not talking about spiritual circumcision, I am talking about someone having the need to put themselves under the letter of the law to feel clean/be clean. Do you know why circumcision of the flesh was done?
It was done to confirm a covenant that God had given to the Jewish people. Let me tell you that some of you gentiles need to understand that God is not calling you to circumcise yourselves… He’s calling you to allow Him and believe in Him to do a great work in and through you!
You who are trying to be justified by Torah have been cut off from Messiah; you have fallen away from grace.
Brothers and sisters, you were called to freedom—only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For the whole Torah can be summed up in a single saying: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, watch out that you are not destroyed by one another.
Wow! God is really tearing us apart isn’t HE?
He is breaking away the heart of stone, but He is restoring us with a heart of flesh.
He wants us to draw near to Him in Spirit
&
in Truth
But I say, walk by the Ruach, and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh.
But if you are led by the Ruach, you are not under law.
We are not under the law… that is the letter of the law, but we are under the TORAH OF MESSIAH!
Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you fulfill the Torah of Messiah.
Let’s not make each other look like fools. The one who believe will not focus on the doctrines of man (including themselves), they would follow the voice of Adonai who spoke in Isaiah saying,
The Ruach of Adonai Elohim is on me,
because Adonai has anointed me
to proclaim Good News to the poor.
He has sent me
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison
to those who are bound,
to proclaim the year of Adonai’s favor
and the day of our God’s vengeance,
to comfort all who mourn
to console those who mourn in Zion,
to give them beauty for ashes,
the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise
for the spirit of heaviness,
that they might be called
oaks of righteousness,
the planting of Adonai,
that He may be glorified.
They will rebuild the ancient ruins.
They will restore former desolations.
They will repair the ruined cities,
the desolations of many generations.
Strangers will stand
and shepherd your flocks,
children of foreigners will be
your plowmen and vinedressers.
But you will be called
the kohanim of Adonai,
They will speak of you as
the ministers of our God.
You will eat the wealth of nations
and boast in their abundance.
Instead of your shame, double portion.
instead of disgrace they will sing for joy.
Therefore in their land
they will inherit a double portion;
they will have everlasting joy.
For I, Adonai, love justice.
I hate robbery in the burnt offering.
In faithfulness I will reward My people
and cut an eternal covenant with them.
Then their offspring will be known
among the nations,
their descendants among the peoples.
All who see them will recognize them,
for they are the seed
that Adonai has blessed.
I will rejoice greatly in Adonai.
My soul will be joyful in my God.
For He has clothed me with
garments of salvation,
He has wrapped me
in a robe of righteousness—
like a bridegroom wearing
a priestly turban,
like a bride adorning herself
with her jewels.
For as the earth brings forth its sprouts,
and as a garden causes things sown
to spring up,
so Adonai Elohim will cause
justice and praise to spring up
before all the nations.
God’s Mercy extends to His children all throughout the Torah. In this parsha, God extends His mercy to the one who has killed so that they would go through trial and be found safe until the verdict or, if found innocent, safe forever. God gives another opportunity to Israel for the land, and God gives land to woman when woman were not allowed to take ownership of land.
In all, God tells us what He desires, and it is to seek justice, love mercy, and walk humbly with God! However, if we do according to our own voice and not God’s.... then God will drive us out as it is written in the first part of this portion.
“But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, whoever you allow to remain will become to you barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides. They will give you trouble in the land in which you will be living. Then what I had intended to do to them, I will do to you.”
So what does this mean for us today? Let’s go to todays parsha and see how we like Paul have been called. Are you answering the call like Ananais?