Media File As we prepare to celebrate Passover, it is well to reflect on God's appointed times as, among other things, a mechanism to keep our history fresh in our minds. In the west today, our history is under systematic attack. The success of that attack has left our young people adrift, not sure who they are or what 'tribe' they belong to. That gap has been used to advance every form of evil.
2024-04-06 Profane Fire
Media File During the consecration of Aaron and his sons as priests before God, Nadab and Abihu offered profane fire before the altar and were themselves consumed by fire from heaven. Most commentaries focus on speculation about the two men's motivation in doing what was not commanded. Such speculation is completely irrelevant. What matters is what they did, not what they believed.
2024-03-30 Ordination
Media File There are ritual elements in the ordination of the High Priest that are repeated only in the procedure to cleanse a leper. That leads to some profound insights into God's plan for the redemption of His creation. (Inspired by Rabbi David Block at AlpehBeta.org)
2024-03-23 Demons
Media File Demons are a Biblical fact of life. How do they operate? How do people encounter them? What do we do about them?
2024-03-16 Obedience Changes You
Media File On the surface God's laws might appear simply to be organizing principles for a decent society. They certainly are that, but they are also His means for changing His children into the image of Christ. The principle here is, 'As you behave, so you become.' If one simply reads Scripture out of fear of punishment, he misses a great wealth of character changing information.
2024-03-09 Law and Love - The Importance of Emphasis
Media File The United States was founded and built by Christians. While the scaffolding of our society (consent of the governed, freedom of conscience, etc.) is Biblical, secularists increasingly reject Biblical morals. This stems from a Christian emphasis on rules and doctrine at the expense of love. In a sense that was Christ's criticism of the Ephesian church.
2024-03-02 What is it About Idols?
Media File Idols are a perennial human problem, warned against both in the Old and New Testaments. To understand the impulse and recognize the manifestations, it may be helpful to look at idols from three perspectives: as intermediaries to God, as connections to false gods and as blindfolds to truth. All are forbidden, but for different reasons.
2024-02-24 Hidden Beauty
Media File The High Priests' garments described in Ex 28 are made for glory and for beauty. Clothing can do many things. It can define a person's function or status. It can also either reveal or hide the truth about the one wearing it. That ambiguity is inherent in the Hebrew word for clothing.
Inspired by the article, "Splendor in the Quest" by Rabbi Noson Weisz at Aish.com.
2024-02-17 God's Mercy - The Tabernacle
Media File The design of the Tabernacle speaks of God's mercy and forgiveness. It also speaks of His hopes for each of us. This is contrasted to the current religion of 'Woke' with its purification rituals - the destruction of the past. The gods of that religion have no concept of mercy or forgiveness.
2024-02-10 Human Power Relationships
Media File After the Ten Commandments, Exodus goes into a long list of laws. Philosophically, laws represent someone's vision of what a good society should look like. What do these laws say about God's expectation about Israel? It is significant that He leads with laws about slavery. In this He is speaking more broadly about human power relationships.
2024-02-03 Sinai - The Birth of Liberty
Media File God desires a freely chosen relationship between himself and people. The codification of that concept occurred at Sinai when He first asked Israel if they wanted to enter into a special relationship with Him. Israel answered in the affirmative and so began a relationship that has lasted for thousands of years.
2024-01-27 The Terrible Beast
Media File Daniel had a vision of four beasts, the fourth being different from the other three. That beast is exceedingly terrible. What does that beast represent and what makes it different from the other three? What does the answer to those questions mean for believers today?
2024-01-20 Language Drift
Media File In the Sermon on the Mount, why does Y'shua find it necessary to assure a crowd of Jews that He will not change the Torah or the Prophets. The answer to that is in two parts, one concerns with language drift over time and the other concerns Pharisaic expectations.
2024-01-13 The Beatitudes in Matthew 5
Media File In His first major speech in Matthew, Y'shua lays out His ministry. The first section, the Beatitudes, are a restatement of Torah principles of good character updated for a first century audience. With the drift of the English language over time, some of the terms need to be updated again so that modern readers can appreciate what He said.
2024-01-06 Gratitude
Media File The world is a difficult and dangerous place. In going through difficulties and trials, it is easy to lose track of the fact that God is with us and wants very much to have us overcome and thrive. In this realization, we should have a sense of gratitude for all that He has done for us - both the pleasant and the difficult. This attitude serves as a counter to envy, self-pity, malice and covetousness.
Sermons given at Restoration Messianic Fellowship during 2024
