Happy Sabbath, and Welcome to The Feast!
Day 1 Lessons on Faith Living by Faith
Zahakiel : Ok, I will ask pastor to open the study with a prayer.
Guest_Pastor_Chick : Dear Father in Heaven. Thank you for this holy Sabbath time and the feast which we expect to present us with many spiritual blessings. Bless this hour as we are exposed to Your Word and the fellowship of Your people. In YAHSHUA's holy name, AMEN.
Guest_Barb : Amen
Lucan : Amen
Zahakiel : Amen.
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Guest_Naraiel : Amen, Amen, Amen
Guest_Elyna : Amen.
Zahakiel : Happy Sabbath to all, and welcome once again to the Feast of Tabernacles, 2013.
Guest_Peter : amen.
Zahakiel : Although we have had our formal welcome last night, it seems to have been the practice that every presenter says that
I am very happy to be spending this time with my brethren, and the more so with the additional blessing of being able to see most of you for the first time in a very long time, and you may have noticed me smiling a lot in my camera. This is, I think, the second feast we have conducted to a large degree online, and I pray that, even with the unusual circumstances of our gathering, we will all receive a great blessing from our time spent together. Let us trust in the promise of our Father, that where we are gathered, even in spirit, Yahshua is with us.Guest_Elyna : Amen.
Zahakiel : And since Yahshua is with us, let us rejoice in His presence, and learn, more and more with each meeting, what it means to remain always in His presence, both in this world, and on into eternity.
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Zahakiel : The first topic from the book Lessons on Faith is called “Living by Faith,” and it deals with exactly this idea –how to be always in the presence of Yahshua, and what that looks like; an unbroken series of victories over sin and self. To that purpose, before I begin with my summary, I want to give a testimony of the last few days.
A little over a week ago, I fell suddenly ill with the flu. While this is generally considered a “minor” illness, in this case it was quite a severe case, and it had some very unusual symptoms. For a time, I felt as if even my mind was being affected, to the degree that my emotions seemed to be filtered, dampened, and this included difficulty in being able to keep a positive mindset with regard to spiritual matters. Now, if you will recall – and I hope you do – last Sabbath’s meeting was a very simple, but I feel a very powerful topic, and it was called “Acting The Part.” And one of the principles that it presented is that our faith in our Heavenly Father is something far beyond our thoughts and feelings. It is, because it is love and based on love, a commitment, a covenant and something that is not subject to the fluctuations of our biological bodies.
Guest_Elyna : Amen
Zahakiel : And so, even though I did not “feel” very spiritual, and even though I was dealing with a host of terrible temptations that came along with that, I decided to praise my Father anyway. I decided to speak to Him in prayer continuously, to read His Word, to walk by what I knew of Him, and not what I felt about myself. I did not let go of the golden chain, although I was aware that Satan was taking full advantage of the situation.
The reason why I have chosen to begin with this is because I want to encourage you to be watchful, and prayerful. I want to emphasize how much we need to rely on faith, to live by faith, to trust in our Father.
Our Enemy does not play fair. He does not wait for us to feel spiritually or mentally powerful before attacking us with trials and temptations. As I think back over former brethren who have left, I wonder if anyone has caught the pattern. Faith has died, and love for the brethren has died, not in isolated circumstances, but very often after some great tragedy or struggle. Whether it was injuries to the head, physical illness, stresses in the home, the loss of a family member due to separation…it is these circumstances that often set the stage for spiritual disaster.
Now, with this comes additional temptation for those who observe, such as, “Shouldn’t we be understanding of these circumstances? Shouldn’t we look the other way due to the situation with which these individuals are dealing?” But sympathy and understanding will not save a soul from destruction. The soul is just as polluted if it commits a sin in sorrow as if it commits a sin in pride, and we love the brethren too dearly to justify sins that would destroy them. We are preparing for a time of trouble, and if we cannot remain firm as steel to faith and principle in the relatively minor sorrows of today (although they may certainly feel major as we undergo them) then we would not survive the fierce temptations of tomorrow either. We must be eager students in the school of Christ.
Guest_Pastor_Chick : Amen.
Guest_Naraiel : Amen
Guest_Elyna : Amen
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Zahakiel : We must encourage one-another ever Heaven-ward, encouraging them to cling to the faith of Yahshua, and the more firmly as they undergo the trials that are our portion in this life. But of course, we will not know the trials that our brethren are facing if we do not communicate with one another openly, freely, and expecting to be heard, accepted, and blessed. This ought to be at least a secondary theme of our Feast, and a constant theme of our lives and Christian experiences.
For my part, to conclude my testimony, my health has improved greatly, and I come into the Feast, and the Sabbath, full of great joy
Guest_Barb : Amen
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Zahakiel : So, I just wanted to share that blessing with you because, as I mentioned in an email sent a couple of days ago, nobody is to come to the feast “empty.”
Guest_Elyna : Amen.
Zahakiel : Everyone is to bring blessings, gifts for the brethren, to the degree that they themselves have been blessed. So, as has been said, we do not want to spend these sessions merely reading a study.
Guest_Elyna : (Amen to previous comment about your health and joy.)
Zahakiel : With regard to this first article, I will summarize its contents, and then I hope we will bring it to life by talking about what it means to us, and how we can use the information herein to be further sanctified, further refined, to the perfecting of Christian Character.
The first part of the study begins with the quote from Romans, “The just shall live by faith.” The author states that through the faith of believers, and the life that they live, the righteousness of God is revealed. Yahweh’s righteousness is expressed in His law, which is the expression of His character in human actions. As the article says, the law is “the transcript of His own righteous will.” This is a concept that is, I have found, little known outside of Adventism and I was actually hoping that Victoria would be here for this part, since she is relatively new to the idea as well, although perhaps we will have the opportunity to go over the transcript with her at some point.
Mainstream Adventists often give the world the impression that one of the only things that make them different from Sunday-keeping Protestants is that they have some strange ideas about the end of the world and, more visibly, that they worship on Sabbath instead of Sunday. This is completely untrue. Like faithful Sunday-keepers, faithful SDAs “worship” every day.
But, unlike other kinds of Protestants, we believe that the Law of God is unchangeable. The fact that we are Sabbath-keepers is a natural consequence of our understanding of the Law, that it is as unchanging as the Almighty, because the Law IS Yahweh’s character as expressed in these ten divine instructions. This is a major keystone of our faith, so it is not a coincidence that we begin to speak about living by faith with a reference to the Law of Yahweh. That Law defines the quality of a life that is lived in faith.
Sin is a transgression of the Law, because it is contrary to His will, and in fact the Law is the ONLY way that the Bible defines what “sin” is, even in the New Testament. To say that the “law no longer applies,” as many Christian groups do, is to remove the only way to determine what sin and righteousness actually are. Because we understand the law, we know sin, and by contrast we know righteousness… which is revealed in harmony with the Law of Yah.
The next major point the article makes is the clarification of a common misconception among believers; that is, that conversion is accomplished through faith in Christ, and that by believing in Him we become saved… so far, that is true enough... But the misconception comes in with the belief that, after this, we are left on our own to sanctify ourselves, or to continue our lives of sanctification under our own power. Thus, it is “salvation by faith, but living thereafter by works.”
Yes, the will must be sanctified and refined. Yes, the covenant must be maintained through continuous growth and the gaining of victories, but all these things are accomplished as well by the same Savior, the same Son of Yahweh, by which that life was originally obtained, and who has won for us the victory “from the beginning.”
Even among the Church today (just as back when this article was written) there are some whose testimonies could bear some refining. Although we are to share our experiences with others, the context really ought to be the overcoming of trials, and rejoicing in the deliverances won. This is not to say we do not ask for prayer in times of need, but these are prayer requests, and not “testimonies.”
In our testimonies, as we have said many times before, there is to be an attitude of invincibility. There is to be a sense of complete triumph over this world and its troubles, and both our intentions and our wording should reflect this. This can only be done consistently if the self is forgotten, if we focus on the needs of others, and if we allow Christ to live His perfect, victorious life through us... that life that He has prepared for us from "the beginning." In this way, we understand that all trials are truly coming to Yahshua, are met by Yahshua, and are overcome by Yahshua.
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Guest_Elyna : Amen
Zahakiel : We become, in a sense, “witnesses” to our own lives,
Guest_Naraiel : Amen
Zahakiel : seeing and rejoicing in our Father’s work in us, so that even our testimonies about our own experiences are testimonies OF Yahshua in us, which is the hope of glory.
Zahakiel : The article, although it doesn’t focus on this, makes an interesting point, and that is that it would be a mistake to consider the ancient man to be less faithful, or less knowledgeable about the faith simply because Yahshua had not yet come in human flesh. The two Biblical examples we have of translation are Enoch and Elijah, and both of them were from pre-Christian times. Realizing this allows us to avoid a very dangerous error. What it does is it removes any excuse that can be made for avoiding the expectation that we can perfect character through perfect faith. If those patriarchs and prophets had enough information to be translated without seeing death, how much more shall we be able to obtain this glory? They did not have as much written down, but they had a living experience with Yahweh –they spoke with Him, and He spoke with them –and His grace was sufficient for them, not only to be saved, but to be perfected according to the principles of Heaven.
I have noticed that any religion that seeks to misrepresent the character and teachings of Yahweh has this idea in common, that knowledge of the divine has been slowly, but steadily, increasing – a sort of collective spiritual evolution. That is, the Old Testament people were primitive, simple-minded, and so they had to be told “fables” like the earth being created in seven days, and that the 10 commandments are designed to keep us spiritually sound. But, they teach, as human beings become smarter, more advanced, we are now ready for the “true light” and so we can cast off those old teachings, and accept the “truth.”
Now, yes, light does advance and increase, but it should not be thought of as a steady, uniform process. What happens is, Yahweh gives mankind light, there is often a great rebellion, and then a prophet must be sent to restore humanity to the truth. It is cataclysmic, like the flood, rather than steady and slow, like the evolutionist history of the world. The “new light” is really a restoration, a rediscovery, of that same old light that Enoch and Elijah once knew, and we recover from times of darkness, we are not slowly becoming better. We are being refreshed… a fitting idea for the feast time.
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Zahakiel : The last main point made by the article may be summarized this way: the quality of an army, and the record of its success, will depend upon the strength and virtues of that army’s leadership. Although it does not use this name, the article is teaching us about “corporate accountability.”
Adam, as the leader of mankind, led us into a sinful estate, from which we need a Savior. Yahshua, as the last Adam, leads us into an everlasting inheritance.
In a lesser sense, we may look at military leaders, and the article speaks of Alexander the Great, Joshua who marched the Israelites around the walls of Jericho, and more recent examples from the U.S. civil war.
If we look to Christ as our leader, as our Director, we will have a spiritual experience similar in nature to the physical victories won by the armies of Alexander. Because their leader led them into victory after victory, they did not dread the conflict. They did not seek to avoid trials, because they were confident – they had the expectation of victory. They did not excuse themselves from the battle. Instead, they longed to meet and overcome their enemies, because victory was what they knew, what they expected, and therefore what they experienced.
Guest_Elyna : Amen
Guest_Naraiel : Amen
Zahakiel : So many whom we meet do not know of the victory over sin.
Guest_Pastor_Chick : Amen.
Guest_Daphna19159 : Amen
Zahakiel : And how could they? They have never believed that they could conquer Satan and the flesh before. Nobody told them that they could. And in truth, they cannot… but they have been taught only a part of the Gospel. If they will live by faith, if they will become witnesses to their own lives, they will “see” Yahshua overcoming their trials, and they will long to see Him win victory after victory. They will know victory, and expect it… and therefore it will be what they experience.
But the first step is critical. They must come to believe that victory is possible – even though they do not have a history of such victory. They must make that first step in faith, and this is where the Gospel as presented in the Scriptures and the testimony of those who have already experienced this life, this is where that comes in.
We help to “save” others by telling them about our lives, about Yahshua in us. We reach out to them, and touch their spirits, allowing them to believe that victory is possible, telling them that it IS possible, and that they can overcome,
Guest_Barb : Amen
Guest_Naraiel : Amen
Zahakiel : and then the Holy Spirit can bring the message home, to convince them that the victory is not only for “all” but for ME (in the sense of every individual person).
Our enemies are spiritual, not physical, but the conflict is no less real.
The three main principles presented in this study are all about living by faith – about meeting and triumphing in that conflict.
First, we must accept the Scriptural definitions for sin and righteousness – these things are defined by their difference from or harmony with, the Law of Yahweh.
Next, we must rely upon Yahshua in us to accomplish this Law, to fulfill this righteousness. We do not rely on Him merely to become converted, but in a far more abiding, minute-by-minute sense. It is His power in us that overcomes, that triumphs, because we can (of our own selves) do nothing to please Yahweh. Only the faith of Yahshua can please the Father, and only Yahshua is the source of that faith. Therefore, He in us must please the Father, and we bear witness to this by reckoning “self” dead, and being alive to Him.
Finally, we can only have victory if we expect it. We have expressed this concept in a number of different ways over the years, such as righteousness by faith (which is an “expectation” of things to come), and a vision of excellence (which is seeing what Yah is making us into, and then being that thing). The idea is very simple, though, and it is that Yah does not call us to be converted. Being converted does not accomplish His will. But He calls us to live a life that is in Harmony with His perfect will and character, and conversion is simply the way by which we begin to do this, the necessary first-step. But once we have begun, we are not left alone to struggle along and figure things out. No, it is then, only after we receive Them, that the Father and Son come to us and abide within us. That is when our relationship actually begins. They do not leave us alone, and as a result we do always those things that please our Father. Our testimony becomes a testimony unto life, that we are “living by faith,” for both ourselves and others.
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Zahakiel : This concludes my summary of the notes from the first article of our subject matter for this feast. Are there any questions or comments to share?
Guest_Elyna : Amen.
Guest_Barb : C
Zahakiel : Go ahead.
Guest_Barb : I also have a testimony to share
It is related to something else I noticed in this chapter. That is that as we live by faith, we will be joyful having the joy of living for Yah and walking with Him by faith. This reminds me of my experience as I traveled to Kalangala last week. I traveled through Masaka so that I would arrive in Kalangala on the same day that I departed. I already knew that this can be a rough trip, but I have made it before, so was not concerned. Along the way, however, I was tempted to accept various negative thoughts - even to never travel that way again. I was affected by feelings of motion sickness and did not feel pleased to wait for two hours for the taxi to fill up, etc. As I thought about the trip, the many blessings that Yahweh had provided along the way came to my mind. I chose to think about these instead of the negatives that I was being tempted by. As I did, I began to feel better all over and the temptations left me. Even though I had already chosen to rejoice in the blessings I 'felt' more joyful. I arrived safely and, after connecting to the internet, I rested, and was ready for the tasks before me the following morning. I praise Yah for the many blessings He provided, and that although the trip was rough, He was with me assisting me in many ways. I see this as a picture of the road we are traveling - and will be - as the time of trouble comes upon us. It will seem like a very rough road, but as we think of Yah's presence with us and rejoice in that, we are likely to see tokens of blessing along the way. Even if or when these are not visible, we are to be encouraged, trusting in Yahweh, as our guide. Our faith is the 'evidence' of what we believe and hope for. I trust that this example will be an additional encouragement to you. <end>Zahakiel : Amen, yes
Guest_Adriel : Amen!
Guest_Pastor_Chick : Amen!
Zahakiel : How often is that trip necessary?
Guest_Barb : It varies according to circumstances...
Guest_Naraiel : (Amen)
Guest_Elyna : Amen.
Guest_Barb : It depends on how quickly and how often I need to travel from Kisoro to Kalangala. Maybe once every two months approximately if I am not traveling to Kampala. End
Zahakiel : Ok
Any others?Guest_Daphna19159 : Q
Zahakiel : Go ahead.
Guest_Naraiel : C.
Guest_Daphna19159 : I would like you to comment on people in the old testament were primitive, simple minded. End
Zahakiel : Oh, I am not saying that this is true. There are various religions that say, "NOW we have the truth, and it is different from the teachings of the Old Testament." Mormons, Baha'i, to an extent Jehovah's Witnesses. They all must "change" the old teachings in order to be accepted as true. And so one way they do this, is to say that Yahweh did not tell the Old Testament individuals the "real" truth or the "whole" truth, and they justify it by saying that they were not ready to understand what we understand today. The reality is probably closer to the opposite. Those individuals likely had a greater capacity to understand spiritual truths, and to say that they were "primitive" just to justify changing doctrines is unfair and more than a little foolish. Do you see what I mean?
Guest_Daphna19159 : yes I thought they were smarter than us
Zahakiel : Right. Better diet, environment, longer life spans. Those all add up.
Guest_Daphna19159 : yes
Zahakiel : Go ahead, Giselle.
Guest_Naraiel : Maria says that she has seen her health situation as an opportunity to see issues of sanctification, I have learned to have patience, perseverance, and don't have fear. I have learned to wait, always thinking that Yah is leading me. And I hope that everything comes out well, from his merciful hand. I wanted to thank the Church for your counsel, advice, and love.
Guest_Pastor_Chick : Amen.
Guest_Barb : Amen
Zahakiel : Amen
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Guest_Naraiel : Amen
Guest_Elyna : Amen
Guest_Daphna19159 : Amen
Zahakiel : You know, every trial is an opportunity for a testimony. I remember last week, feeling cut off from a sense of normalcy. I remember thinking, "This will make a wonderful testimony when it has passed." Even in the depths of the trial, I had the expectation of victory.
Guest_Barb : Amen
Guest_Elyna : Amen.
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Zahakiel : Jaime: We have felt powerfully the unity of His Church, and each one of our brothers and sisters, in our collective experience, since we came back to Colombia. And we have been overcoming several difficulties with patience and a good disposition.
Zahakiel : Any others?
Zahakiel : Maria: What does it mean to not come to the feast with empty hands?
Zahakiel : My reply: In the Old Testament, people had to travel physically to Jerusalem for the feasts, and they were asked to bring sacrifices, or donations to the temple. This accounts for statements made by Ellen White, that the actual contributions of the Israelites exceeded just the 10% tithe. Since we are not physically gathering, we can bring each other non-physical gifts. And that includes testimonies, blessings to share with one another, and so on. End.
Guest_Daphna19159 : c
Zahakiel : Go ahead, Daphna.
Guest_Daphna19159 : I think of this Feast in my minds eyes. As if we are all walking from our homes and Yah is there waiting for us. We are and we will hear much from Him. We hear his voice and we also hear it through his servants. I came to the feast with great expectations. End
Zahakiel : Amen
And we are confident they will all be met.Guest_Elyna : Amen
Zahakiel : Are there any others?
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Guest_Elyna : C
Zahakiel : Go ahead.
Guest_Barb : Amen
Guest_Naraiel : Are there any expectations from this feast?
Zahakiel : Guerline says (in skype) that she comes to the feast with expectations for blessings for her family. That they have accepted the trials and it has strengthened their faith. She says she will not cease to pray in this way, until it happens. And we know that whatever we believe and we ask by faith we trust that we have received, and our heavenly Father is more willing to give us what we ask than children that ask their parents. And so I expect Peter to be blessed, and the children to be blessed during this feast. And I bring my gifts of testimony, and singing, and all that Yah has given to me. And she may sing a few songs later during the feast.
Zahakiel : Any others?
Guest_Adriel : C
Zahakiel : All right, if not then I will ask Bro. Luke to close this first meeting with a prayer. Oh, go ahead, Jody
Guest_Adriel : I also expect great blessings from this feast, and am happy that we can see one another.
EndZahakiel : Yes
Guest_Elyna :
Guest_Barb :
Guest_Naraiel : c.
Zahakiel : Go ahead.
Guest_Naraiel : Maria expects the church to be more united. She is expecting to receive new impact, light or understanding that allows her to grasp things better.
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Guest_Barb : Amen
Guest_Elyna : Amen.
Guest_Naraiel : and she is thankful to Yah to allow Giselle to come here, when she didn't expect it.
Guest_Adriel : Amen!
Guest_Naraiel : She is thankful for her job, and for many other things. There is a girl in Maria's school who wants to speak with me, based on Maria's reference. It's a girl who is suffering anxiety, based on sad experiences. Her father died and her boyfriend was killed in an motorcycle accident.
Guest_Adriel :
Guest_Naraiel : Please pray for Yah to lead me, in my conversation with Valentina. Perhaps we can continue talking thru Skype, after I leave. She is 17
Guest_Adriel : Will do Sis Giselle.
Guest_Naraiel : and was willing to talk to me, when Maria talked to her.
Guest_Adriel : Hi Kyong!
Guest_greenhorizon : hi Adriel
Guest_Adriel : Happy Sabbath.
Guest_greenhorizon : happy sabbath
Guest_Adriel : I noticed your email quit working again.
Guest_greenhorizon : i lost my pass word for e-mail.
Guest_greenhorizon : i don't know what happened but went out on me.
Guest_greenhorizon : i need to create new one
Guest_Adriel : ok
Zahakiel : All right, then, I will ask Bro. Luke to offer a closing prayer.
Lucan : Dear heavenly Father. We thank you for the blessing of this time of refreshing. We are thankful for the opportunity to share our experience in the faith you have given us, shown in our lives. We are thankful for the life you have given us all; not lives, but one life, that of your own Son. We pray for your Spirit to continue to bind us together as we continue into the rest of the Sabbath and feast. In the name of Yahshua we pray, amen
Guest_Adriel : Amen
Guest_Pastor_Chick : Amen
Guest_greenhorizon : Amen
Guest_Barb : Amen
Guest_Elyna : Amen.
Guest_Daphna19159 : amen
Guest_Naraiel : Amen, Amen, Amen
Zahakiel : Amen