New Moon Meeting: August 2008, 3:10 EST
The Joy of Yahweh is Our Strength

 

Contents
1. Introduction
2. The Joy of Life
3. To Hate The World
4. Conclusion: Praise and Judgment

Introduction

 

Zahakiel: Bro. Abe, will you offer the opening prayer?

 

Abraham: Most Holy Father in Heaven In Yahshua’s name we come before you, Thank you for another Sabbath day and another New Moon day.

 

We ask that that as we come together again, you will give us teaching that will draw us closer together and closer to yourself.  Give us a willing heart to except all that you have to teach us. We pray in Yahshua’s holy name. Amen.

 

Annetta: Amen.

Happy Rock: Amen.

Qinael: Amen.

Barb: Amen.

Crystle: Amen.

Guerline: Amen.

Naraiel: Amen.

Ye: Amen

 

Zahakiel: This study is called, “The Joy of Yahweh is Our Strength.”  It is not going to be a very long one, but at the same time I think it is very important, and complements well the study of this morning.  It is taken directly from a passage in Scripture, a quotation from one of the rebuilders of Jerusalem after the Babylonian exile:

 

“And Ezra the priest brought the law before the congregation both of men and women, and all that could hear with understanding, upon the first day of the seventh month. And he read therein before the street that was before the water gate from the morning until midday, before the men and the women, and those that could understand; and the ears of all the people were attentive unto the book of the law. And Ezra the scribe stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose; […] And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people; (for he was above all the people;) and when he opened it, all the people stood up.

 

“And Ezra blessed Yahweh, the great Elohim. And all the people answered, ‘Amen, Amen,’ with lifting up their hands; and they bowed their heads, and worshipped Yahweh with their faces to the ground. […] and the Levites caused the people to understand the law: and the people stood in their place. So they read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.

 

“And Nehemiah, which is the Tirshatha, and Ezra the priest the scribe, and the Levites that taught the people, said unto all the people, ‘This day is holy unto Yahweh your Elohim; mourn not, nor weep.’ For all the people wept, when they heard the words of the law. Then he said unto them, ‘Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared, for this day is holy unto our Lord. neither be ye sorry; for the joy of Yahweh is your strength.’  So the Levites stilled all the people, saying, ‘Hold your peace, for the day is holy; neither be ye grieved.’” (Neh 8:2-9)

 

Say when you’ve read that.

 

Crystle: Finished.

Qinael: Finished.

Barb: Finished

Annetta: Finished.

Happy Rock: Finished.

Guerline: Finished.

Naraiel: Finished

Abraham: Finished.

 

Zahakiel: You will notice that upon reading the Law, the people became upset, sad enough to weep openly.  Yet the very ones who read the law then set about to comfort them, and to bring them joy, saying that their rejoicing in the Creator was their strength.  This is an important concept for us, particularly as we prepare to face some very difficult times, therefore this will be the subject of today’s examination.

 

The Joy of Life

 

Zahakiel: We are going to start very simply, by looking at “joy.”

 

There are times, in the Scriptures, where it speaks of human beings having “pleasure” in things that are not specifically holy, or even some things that are contrary to sacred principles.  For example:

 

“[The unrighteous], knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.” (Rom 1:32)

 

Joy, on the other hand, is almost always, if not actually always, used for the pleasure that we take in spiritual things as opposed to earthly.  We read:

 

“So David, and the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands, went to bring up the ark of the covenant of Yahweh out of the house of Obededom with joy.” (1Ch 15:25)

 

“And the ransomed of Yahweh shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” (Isa 35:10)

 

Yahweh desires that His people have joy.  In fact, one part of the Fruit of The Spirit, listed in Galatians 5, is “joy.”  If one has not joy in this world, and does not take pleasure in the sacred things that attend his or her salvation, this is an indication that something is seriously wrong.  David, feeling the guilt over a severe wrongdoing in his life, prayed, “Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” (Psa 51:12)

 

We are to have joy in the life that Yahweh has allowed us to have.  Even in the trials, the Christian will find the blessings, and we are told: “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, Rejoice.” (Phil 4:4)

 

But what about this passage?  Let me read it for you: “He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal.” (John 12:25)

 

What do you think about that?

 

Abraham: If anyone loves anything more than me he is not worthy of me! Christ said.

 

Qinael: It means hate as opposed to love; loving it less than the life to come and the service of Yahshua in this one.

 

Crystle: We are to give life, not cherish it.

 

Zahakiel: Yes, those are all right... and it involves the degrees that are often not included in our modern use of those terms.

 

It’s very connected to the different ways that the words “love” and “hatred” are used in the language of the Bible that doesn’t perfectly correspond to how we use them in modern English.  For example we read:

 

“‘I have loved you,’ saith Yahweh. Yet ye say, ‘Wherein hast thou loved us?’ ‘Was not Esau Jacob’s brother?’ saith Yahweh; ‘yet I loved Jacob, and I hated Esau, and laid his mountains and his heritage waste for the dragons of the wilderness.’” (Mal 1:2, 3)

 

Now is it true that Yahweh “hated” Esau, as we would use the term today?  Either as an individual or as a people, was Esau hated?  We read:

 

“Then we turned, and took our journey into the wilderness by the way of the Red sea, as Yahweh spake unto me; and we compassed mount Seir many days. And Yahweh spake unto me, saying, ‘Ye have compassed this mountain long enough: turn you northward. And command thou the people, saying, “Ye are to pass through the coast of your brethren the children of Esau, which dwell in Seir; and they shall be afraid of you: take ye good heed unto yourselves therefore.  Meddle not with them; for I will not give you of their land, no, not so much as a foot breadth; because I have given mount Seir unto Esau for a possession.”‘“ (Deu 2:1-5)

 

And of course, more generally, “I Yahweh have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles.” (Isa 42:6)

 

Zahakiel: So we see that even though Jacob was the child chosen to bring forth Yahweh’s tribes, Esau was not cast away entirely, and was protected and loved even though his was not a holy lot.  In the New Testament we see an example similar to the passage we are studying: “No man can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.” (Mat 6:24)

 

Much more dramatically: “If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple.” (Luke 14:26)  And this is what bro. Abraham was referring to above.

 

It is clear from those verses that the terms “love” and “hate” are being used comparatively, rather than as absolutes.  In other words, if you serve two masters you will not necessarily hate one of them in the sense of strong distaste, but you will simply be more faithful to the other.  One will be preferred above the other, in each of these cases.  If you do not seek the Kingdom of Heaven above acceptance by one’s family and friends, he cannot have received the new heart that looks Heavenward, towards the eternal.

 

So if we are to love our lives, because we receive them as gifts from Yahweh, but we are to hate our lives in this world, it means that while we are content where we are, we nevertheless consider ourselves just visitors here, in a hostile environment, and heading toward the manifestation of our home.  In our hearts, and our spirits, we are there already, as it is written we are “translated into the Kingdom of [Yah’s] dear Son,” (Col 1:13) but the fullness of it has not yet been realized.

 

Any questions so far?

 

Qinael: No.

Abraham: Very good.

Annetta: No.

Happy Rock: No.

Naraiel: No.

Barb: No.

Crystle: None.

 

Zahakiel: Let us talk a little more about what it means to hate the world.

 

To Hate The World

 

Zahakiel: Most if not all of you will remember the two questions that pastor asks when doing evangelism:

 

1)      Are you content with the life Yahweh has given you?

2)      Are you content with the life that you are giving him?

 

While only those who have the true Victory message (or a close counterfeit) will answer yes to the second, many will say “Yes” to the first.  But what happens is that their testimony will often show that answer to be an exaggeration, if not an outright falsehood. Are they impatient, or angry?  Are they prone to depression, or a lack of confidence?  Are they fearful?  These are things they ought to consider when speaking to that first question.

 

Only those who are in Christ Yahshua can truly know the “peace of Elohim, which passeth [or surpasses] all understanding.”  (Phil 4:7)  This is not to say that people in the world cannot be content, at least for periods of time, but they do not have that perfect “rest” that restores the spirit as well as the body and mind.

 

Zahakiel: So what does it mean to hate the world?  Does it mean to hate the things of the world like the rivers, and the trees and the clouds?

 

No… what we are talking about is not the world in the sense of the things that Yahweh created. These things, even if they have been damaged by thousands of years of sin, will still reflect, on some level, the glory of their Creator.  The things that we hate about the world are the things that have been specifically changed, or introduced, by Satan.  That is the deciding factor.

 

These things include:

 

Sin, the injustices involved in the systems of reward and punishment devised by men, the rapidly declining legal process.  Perhaps you can suggest many more, but I trust you get the idea.

 

In fact, the last great enemy is revealed in Revelation to be, symbolically, a great “beast,” which represents the systems of the world in general, and the way that these systems work against freedom of religion and freedom of conscience.

 

Essentially, to love your life but hate your life, as the verses would read together, we must be content with all that we have, and all that we experience, in terms of our reaction to them… but at the same time we must hate the things themselves that this world forces you to witness.  This is something of a subtle point.  I’ll give an example…

 

Suppose I walk down the street and I see an old woman who is having her purse stolen.  I might choose to intervene, run up, and (hopefully) scare the thief away without a fight.  Now, I am happy I was able to help, and I thank my Father that I was there.  I am perfectly content with the situation… but at the same time, I hate the attempted robbery that I witnessed.  I do not hate the robber, but the act, because the person was created by Yahweh… but the act, the sin, was introduced into human experience by Satan.  Does everyone understand that?

 

Crystle: Yes.

Naraiel: Yes.

Happy Rock: Yes.

Guerline: Yes.

Barb: Yes.

Qinael: <nods.>

Abraham: Yes.

Annetta: Yes.

 

Zahakiel: So then, why does the Bible say, “friendship of the world is enmity with God?” (James 4:4)  That is sort of a blanket statement.  And what about the verses that tell us to hate “the world” without distinguishing between the things Yah put here and the things Satan caused to be here?

 

Any ideas?

 

Abraham: If someone applauds those things that are wrong, Heaven can’t approve.

 

Guerline: I am thinking that this means that if one enters into any agreement with the world, that would be the wrong thing to do.

 

Naraiel: When I read those verses I understand not to share the same spirit the world has.

 

Happy Rock: Being in Christ, we will be able to tell the things that are of God and the things that are of the devil within this world

 

Zahakiel: Right, those are all true.

 

And there is one more reason as well, although it’s a part of those answers, and that is this...

 

Corporate accountability applies to things as well as people.  We read of the initial transgression, “cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.” (Gen 3:17b)

 

And as Paul writes, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” (Rom 8:22)  When Adam fell, the entire world fell with him, and Satan became “the god of this world.” (2Cor 4:4)  He is the spiritual “leader,” and the systems and societies of man… none of them have escaped the corruption that the fallen angels inspire here.  This is why the entire “earth” is something that the Scriptures speak of as the object of hatred, even though there are elements of it that remain blessed.

 

Are all in agreement with this idea?

Questions or comments?

 

Qinael: In agreement; no questions.

Happy Rock: Yes.

Abraham: Yes

Annetta: Same.

Barb: In agreement.

 

Guerline: From your example you ask the question about Yahweh’s enmity of the things that are in the world so necessarily it is of the works or the result of the works of Satan, right? And not of the human committing the act?

 

Zahakiel: Yes, essentially. Yahweh does not hate His own work... even if it is damaged by sin. What he hates are the “inventions” as the Bible calls them - these are the new things that the fallen ones introduce to further corrupt the creation.

 

Guerline: How does what I said, not to have any agreement with the world would show that that is the works of the devil?

 

Zahakiel: Well, what about the world that you could agree with that would be displeasing to Yah? It would not be something that He set in place.

 

Naraiel had a comment earlier?

 

Naraiel: I was just going to talk about, “For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.” Although we can see Yah’s creation and be blessed by it, we also can see the results of sin and hate Satan’s intervention in our world.

 

Zahakiel: Right, that’s the line of distinction.

 

If it originates with Yahweh, even if it is damaged, it is not something to “hate.” If it originates with Satan, including that which caused the damage to the good things, that is something to hate.

 

Naraiel: Yes.

 

Conclusion: Praise and Judgment

 

Zahakiel: The Joy of Yahweh is our strength.  In our contentment, in our Sabbath-rest, we truly experience the promises and blessings of our Father, and this is what allows us to do all things without fear.  This does not, however, mean that everything about our experience is pleasant.  We read of Yahshua, during His ministry on earth, being sorrowful, and being angry.  I covered the principles behind much of this in my talk this morning about “Holy Wrath.”

 

The elements of our work, the specific tasks, are not always those kinds that bring immediate joy.  We must recall that in Ezekiel 9, the man who goes about the blessed work of “sealing” those who will be saved is also the one who takes fire from the altar, we read:

 

“And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side; and they went in, and stood beside the brasen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And He called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; and Yahweh said unto him, ‘Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof.’

 

“And [Yahweh] spake unto the man clothed with linen, and said, ‘Go in between the wheels, even under the Cherub, and fill thine hand with coals of fire from between the Cherubim, and scatter them over the city.’ And he went in in my sight.” (Ezek 9:2-4, 10:2)

 

Say when you have finished with that.

 

Qinael: Finished.

Annetta: Done.

Naraiel: Done.

Crystle: Finished.

Happy Rock: Done.

Barb: Finished

Guerline: Done.

Abraham: Finished.

 

Zahakiel: That fire, which was to be scattered over Jerusalem from beneath that place, is of the same kind – if not the same actual fire – that we see in Revelation:  “And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before Yahweh out of the angel’s hand. And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth; and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake. And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.” (Rev 8:3-6)

 

Those that bring the covenant (exemplified by the sealing) also bring judgment (exemplified by the fire raining down).

 

Now, we have confidence in Yahweh, knowing that He is never arbitrary, and always does things for a reason, as we read this morning in Deuteronomy 5:29, which speaks of the Law as a blessing given to people for their good.

 

We know that “the curse causeless shall not come;” (Pro 26:2b) therefore we know that in Ezekiel 10, and in Revelation 8, Yahweh does not act upon Jerusalem, and the world, without a cause.  Seeing this, therefore, we can praise Him for His mercy, even in the midst of judgment.  And the importance of praise is not to be understated.

 

All should praise the Almighty, for the joy of Yahweh is our strength.  Even in the midst of trials, even in the midst of judgment, the joy of Yahweh is our strength.  There are some who hesitate to publicly offer thanksgiving and praise…. But shyness is not evidence of sanctification.  We ought to speak of our faith boldly, and to seek to introduce Yahshua to those around us while correcting the views of others who may believe they know Him already. 

 

Guerline: Amen.

 

Zahakiel: Here is a useful quote:

 

“When the grace of Christ is implanted in the soul by the Holy Spirit, its possessor will become humble in spirit and will seek for the society of those whose conversation is upon heavenly things. Then the Spirit will take the things of Christ and show them unto us and will glorify, not the receiver, but the Giver. If, therefore, you have the sacred peace of Christ in your heart, your lips will be filled with praise and thanksgiving to God. Your prayers, the discharge of your duty, your benevolence, your self-denial, will not be the theme of your thought or conversation, but you will magnify Him who gave Himself for you when you were yet a sinner. You will say: ‘I give myself to Jesus. I have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write.’ As you praise Him you will have a precious blessing, and all the praise and glory for that which is done through your instrumentality will be given back to God.” [Faith and Works, page 87]

 

Happy Rock: Amen.

 

Zahakiel: But now, a word about the converse.  There are some who will praise, in a sense, too often, or at too great a length.  This has not traditionally been a problem with most members of the CSDA Church – indeed, we encourage most of our people to give bolder and clearer testimonies… but it does bear mentioning that there is a ditch on the other side of the road, and it is a deep one:

 

“The prayer and social meeting should be a season of special help and encouragement. All should feel it a privilege to take part. Let every one who bears the name of Christ have something to say in the social meeting. The testimonies should be short, and of a nature to help others. Nothing will so completely kill the spirit of devotion as for one person to take up twenty or thirty minutes in a long testimony. This means death to the spirituality of the meeting.” [Gospel Workers, page 171]

 

So, in praise as in all things, there is a balance.  We must all have something to say, to promote our faith, to testify of the victory that Christ has brought to our lives as that most precious gift from Yahweh.  But let this testimony be given in a manner palatable to those who hear and see us.

 

And in all these things, let us keep in mind the fact that the joy Yahweh has given to us is one of the fruit of the Spirit, and that the joy he has given to us, and the joy we find in him, is our source of strength against the trials and tribulations of this life.

 

Are there any questions before we conclude?

 

Happy Rock: Amen.

Qinael: No.

Naraiel: No.

Abraham: No.

Barb: None here.

Crystle: No.

Happy Rock: No.

Annetta: No.

 

Zahakiel: Then I will ask brother Luke to close our meeting with a prayer.

 

Qinael: Our most holy and loving Father,

 

We offer our praise and thanks to you for the messages today; both of anger and of joy, of judgment and of love intermingled. We thank you for this High Day, in which we are given to actively remember both our rest, and what we would be without it. We thank you that you are faithful, and for this we have cause always to rejoice in your provisions. We ask your blessings upon us as we go forth to the remainder of this day. In Yahshua’s name, amen.

 

Zahakiel: Amen.

Happy Rock: Amen.

Crystle: Amen.

Barb: Amen.

Annetta: Amen.

Naraiel: Amen.

Abraham: Amen.

Guerline: Amen.