There is a saying that has led many to think they are saved when they may be sabotaging themselves.
That saying is: “Once saved; Always saved.”
It is a lie from the pit of Sheol, which has separated many from the truth of the Gospels and made impossible the proper worship of Adonai.
The plagues continue, starting with the eighth plague of locusts, followed by the days of darkness, and the final and ultimate plague: the death of the firstborn.
And with this last and terrible event, God’s plan of salvation for the Israelites is completed and they are sent out of Egypt.
In this reading we have the first, the original, Passover and we learn about the Passover Lamb.
We call Yeshua the “Passover Lamb”, but is that really what He is?
God is compassionate; God is loving; God is not just willing to forgive, but He really wants to forgive.
But God’s love is tough love, and no matter how badly He wants to forgive us, we will suffer when we reject His guidance and commandments.
You won’t ever hear God ever saying, “Oh no- not my baby! My baby is a good boy.” as they drag the mass murderer to prison.
This title is a little misleading- it’s not really the problem people have with God, it’s the problem people have accepting the truth about God.
That truth is simply that He is in charge, wants to do the best for us, but also will make the rules and enforce them.
And God will do what He wants to do, when He wants to do it, and how He wants it to be done, despite what, when or how we want Him to!
Moses goes back before Pharaoh to ask for the children of Israel to be freed to go into the desert and worship their God. Pharaoh continues to refuse, calling down on himself and all of Egypt the terrible plagues from God. This parasha describes the first 7 of these plagues, showing how they got more and more destructive as Pharaoh continued to pit himself against God.
And God tells Moses His name, but then again…what’s in a name?
As a child I was constantly reminded that “You Jews killed Jesus” by my Christian friends and acquaintances.
Back then I didn’t know and (frankly) didn’t care about God or the Messiah, but I knew enough to say that Jesus came to die for their sins, so all we did was help Him.
Now I know better- it wasn’t the Jews who killed Jesus, nor was it the Romans: it was ME.
They say evil succeeds when good people do nothing about it. But what if the good people don’t even know there is evil being done?
Have you ever really watched and thought about some of the TV commercials we are saturated with?
We are being conditioned to accept as good that which is evil.
With the temperatures in Central Florida running in the low 50’s, the wildlife is seeking warmth wherever they can find it.
Many birds and turtles have been rescued from the cold and sheltered.
The Manatees in this area have a canal in Satellite Beach they use to gather and huddle together for warmth.
Donna and I went there to see them this morning and wanted to share how wonderful the experience was with you all.
This is the first chapter of the second book of the Torah.
Joseph and that generation are gone, a new Pharaoh enslaves the children of Israel, Moses is born and called by God to free the people.
This is where we first hear God tell us His name, but He also tells us by what name He wants us to use.
In Luke 4 we read of Yeshua teaching at a synagogue and reading from Isaiah. He reads a few passages from the scroll, folds it up and tells the people that He is the one talked about in that scroll.
But He didn’t read the entire scroll- in fact, He left out the part about salvation and resurrection of Israel and the Jewish people.
Why?
