The Clarion, Jul. 2021
Welcome!
Irving Berlin wrote “God Bless America” in 1918 when he was in service, but the song did not become popular till 1938. To me this song should have been our National Anthem, because we needed a prayer more than a song.
Let’s pray the words of this song.
“God bless America, land that I love
Stand beside her and guide her
Through the night with the light from above
From the mountains to the prairies
To the oceans white with foam
God bless America, my home sweet home.”
Liberty
Paul tells us in Galatians 5:1 this, “Stand fast therefore in the liberty by which Messiah has made us free, and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
Paul goes on to say in verse 13-15
“For you, brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another. For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another!”
Love and liberty go together. Can you really have one without the other?
We see in 1 Corinthians 13:6, this about love. “Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.”
Love does not delight in evil. Love makes us free because it does not delight in evil, because the opposite of love is hate and hate is evil. Paul goes on to say in Galatians 5: 19-21, “Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.”
As Paul said from the start, do not use your liberty as an opportunity for the flesh. And again Paul tells us in Galatians 5:1, “ and do not be entangled again with a yoke of bondage.”
Those who are in bondage to sin are not free, they have lost their liberty.
Paul tells the Romans, in Romans 6: 5-6, “For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for the one who has died is freed from sin.”
To have true love one must be free from sin. 1 Peter 2:16 says,
“ Live as free people, but do not use your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as God’s slaves.”
Liberty is to be free to love. This is what God wants for us. If we do not love then we are abusing our liberty. Yeshua said, “Love one another.” (John 13:34) “And there is no greater love than to lay down our lives for one another”. (John 15:13)
‘If someone says, “I love God,” and yet he hates his brother or sister, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother and sister whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.” (1 John 4:20)
What the world needs now is love, sweet love. Yeshua died to set us free from sin, so let us not be yoked any longer to sin. We have been given liberty and with that liberty, let us do good in loving one another. Love does not see the color of your skin. It does not see your political party. Love does not ask what is your religion, nor what are your beliefs? Love only says, I have been given liberty to love. Yeshua tells us in Matthew 7:12, “In everything, treat others as you would want them to treat you, for this fulfills the law and the prophets.”
Once again Paul tells the Romans this in Romans 12:9-21,
“Love must be without hypocrisy. Abhor what is evil, cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another with mutual love, showing eagerness in honoring one another. Do not lag in zeal, be enthusiastic in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, endure in suffering, persist in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints, pursue hospitality. Bless those who persecute you, bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another; do not be haughty but associate with the lowly. Do not be conceited. Do not repay anyone evil for evil; consider what is good before all people. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all people. Do not avenge yourselves, dear friends, but give place to God’s wrath, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. Rather, if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him a drink; for in doing this you will be heaping burning coals on his head. Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
Happy Month of Liberty!
Excerpt from The Elementary Teachings of Messiah
By Judeo Christian Clarion
Repentance from Dead Works
The first principle in the list contained in Hebrews 6:1-2 is repentance, and this should be no surprise. Repentance is one of the constants in Scripture, one of the foundational elements of our faith. But what exactly is repentance? How are we to understand it and apply it in our lives?
In the Hebrew Scriptures, the word translated “repentance” comes from the root word shuv, which literally means to turn around or return. When used in the context of sin and forgiveness, repentance thus means to return to God. This involves an acknowledgment that we have sinned and strayed from Him by going the wrong way, followed by a real commitment to turn back to the right path which God wants us to walk on.
Anyone familiar with the Hebrew Scriptures will recognize that the call to repentance is constant and urgent. Sin forms a barrier between God and His people, leading them down a path to destruction. God continually issues warnings to His people in order to draw their attention away from false gods and back to Him. When it becomes evident that their hearts have become exceedingly hardened, God sends the people away into exile. From this place of despair, the people finally are forced to look at their situation and realize that they are in exile due to their failure to heed God’s words and return to Him with all of their heart.
But what about the New Testament? Sometimes we hear preachers point out the fact that in the New Testament the Greek word which is used for repent, metanoeo, literally means, “to change one’s mind.” They take this to mean that no longer does repentance have anything to do with behavior, but rather means only to change your mind and accept the work of Yeshua. Some also then take this to mean that repentance only happens once upon the initial decision to accept Yeshua’s work on the cross. Any further sins after this mental event do not indicate a need for repentance, but nevertheless many teach that one ought to confess and be washed of this sin. The implication of this, however, is that so long as one has “changed their mind” (a phrase too ambiguous to do much good) they have done all they need to do regardless of whether their behavior is being sanctified. Has God’s will for repentance been altered so drastically from the Old to the New Testament? Whereas before it required a change of behavior, now does the change solely take place in the mind?
Let’s look at a few examples of repentance in the New Testament. In Acts 3:19, Peter charges the crowd of people gathered in Jerusalem, “Therefore repent and return, so that your sins may be wiped away, in order that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord.” In this verse, repentance is intrinsically linked with returning, just as we see in the Old Testament. Change of mind void of action is not truly repentance. Only when the attitude of our heart is reflected by the physical act of returning to God have we truly changed our mind. Because repentance is thus contingent on behavior, repentance is an ongoing process, not just a one-time event (Matthew 3:8, Acts 26:20; 2 Timothy 2:24-26, Revelation 2:5,20-22).
Now I Live
Lord, I was dead, but now I live.
Sin kept me away from You,
but now You have forgiven me
and You have given me life.
I am a new creation and my soul rejoices.
Your everlasting love touches the depths of my inner being.
I give glory and praise to You for now I live.
Sandiegram/The Path of My Life Copyright2010
Recipe Corner: Nothing says July like a pie.
This month’s recipe is a gluten -free, red, white, and blue ice cream pie with a granola crust from Yummy Mummy Kitchen.
Ingredients: 2cups natural granola (gluten free if you wish)
½ cup walnut pieces (optional)
4 Tbsps melted coconut oil
1 Tbsp agave syrup
1 quart ice cream or frozen yogurt, soften to spread
6oz. Fresh raspberries (about 1 1/4 cups)
6oz. Fresh blueberries (about 1 ¼ cups)
2 Tbsps agave syrup
2 Tbsps water
1 lemon and 1 tsp cornstarch
Instructions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- In a food processor, pulse crust ingredients until combined and granola is ground to crumbs. Lightly coat a 9-inch pie dish with cooking spray and press the crust into the bottom of the dish and up the sides. Bake for 10 minutes. Cool completely.
- In a small saucepan over medium high heat, stir together raspberries, 1 tablespoon agave syrup, 1 tablespoon water, juice of 1/2 the lemon, and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch.
- In another small saucepan over medium heat, stir together blueberries, 1 tablespoon agave syrup, 1 tablespoon water, juice of the other 1/2 of the lemon, and the other 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch. Simmer both saucepans of berries until berries have broken down and sauce has thickened, stirring occasionally with a whisk, about 10 minutes. Cool and pour each sauce separately through a fine mesh sieve into small separate bowls. Let the sauces cool completely.
- Pour sauces into resealable sandwich bags. Snip a tiny amount off one of the corners of the bags. Alternating bags, pipe circles about 2-inches apart over the pie starting in the center and working outward. Drag a toothpick from the center of pie outward to the crust so that the berry sauces are pulled upward. Drag toothpick back in the other direction (from crust to center) about 2-inches away from the first line. Continue around the pie. Freeze uncovered at least 3 hours. Cover with plastic wrap until ready to serve. Serve with additional berries and any remaining sauces.
- Note: If you want this to be a vegan pie besides a gluten-free pie, check the granola and the ice cream. Serves 8
Hebrew Corner: This months letter is Nun נ
Nun is the fourteenth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It’s numerical value is 50, and it has the sound of an “n”. Nun as the fourteenth letter equals the number of King David. The heir to David is Mashiach ben David or Messiah the son of David. As we have seen that God’s Word points to Yeshua the Messiah so does every letter in the Hebrew alphabet. In the Messianic Age, Yeshua will teach us the meaning not only from the depths of the Torah, but He will teach us what every jot and tittle, and even what every space that is between each letter means, Micah 4:2, Isaiah 2:3.
In Exodus 33:11 the word refers to Joshua, the son of Nun. Nun looks like a bent Vav (suggesting a humbled man). James 4:10 says, “Humble yourself in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.” Nun is one of those letters that you c an place three dots above it, which represents the crowned glory as in Revelation 14:14, “ I looked, and there before me was a white cloud, and seated on the cloud was one like a son of man with a crown of gold on his head and a sharp sickle in his hand.”
The word Nun means fish, a symbol of activity and life. Nun, “the fish,” is also the sign of the early believers in Yeshua. The word for fish in Greek is “Ixthus,”and may have been an acronym for the phrase, “Yesous Christos Theo Ulos Soter”, which in English means, “Jesus Christ the Son of God Savior”.
In both, the Hebrew and the Greek the letter Nun represents our Righteous King of Glory Yeshua.
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