EVEN IN A DEVIL MESSED UP WORLD, CHRIST JESUS EXPECTS US TO BE CLEAN! (ROM.2:1) 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 NO ENTRANCE, NO EXPLOITS! [JN.10:9,14:6,DAN 11:32] (PT. 1) 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (Joh 10: 9) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (Joh 14: 6) And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. (Dan 11: 32) The major problem we have in Christianity today, isn't entirely the common enemy called devil. Not at at all. Most of the things we do isn't the devil pushing us. We saw the things and we loved them, and so did them. Allow us to hear a hard truth...*THE DEVIL REALLY HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE UNBELIEVER... IT'S ONLY WHEN THAT UNBELIEVER EXHIBIT A DESIRE TO WORK ON THE PATH THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE, THAT THE DEVIL SEES A PROBLEM THAT MUST BE SOLVED!* For instance; 21. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (Rom 1: 21-22) 24. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (Rom 1: 24-25) Study the verses above👆 carefully. From knowing God, and yet not glorifying Him as God down to changing the truth of God into a lie. These are wilful actions,not that they were compelled by the devil to do them. CERTAINLY, THESE ARE PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH WHO HAVE A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, BUT OF THEIR OWN VOLUTION DECIDED TO "WORSHIP THE CREATURE RATHER THAN THE CREATOR!" This group isn't confined to the laity or congregations alone,even the church leadership is actively engaged in this RELIGION without RIGHTEOUSNESS; For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the TRUTH in UNRIGHTEOUSNESS; (Rom 1: 18) You see, the truth is preached,but the preachers don't practice this truth, and not that they don't know. They do know. AMAZINGLY, THOSE OF US IN THIS SETTING,YET EXPECT GOD'S MANIFESTATION IN OUR LIVES! WE WANT TO DO EXPLOITS WITH STAINED GARMENTS. Effectively, what this means is that, WE WANT CHRIST JESUS AS ONLY OUR SAVIOUR, BUT WE DON'T WANT HIM AS OUR LORD. But the truth is that we need Him as our Lord first, before being our Saviour. Accepting as our Lord even covers our Saviour, but only as our Saviour doesn't have our Lord tied to it; If ye love me, keep my commandments. (Joh 14: 15) A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? (Mal 1: 6) This formation is called the PHARISAICAL SPIRIT. And it is in operation in a very large population of our churches today. Remember God said, with their lips they confess Me,but their hearts are faraway from Me. Allow me to explain. Understand that there is nothing better than a church that is socially aware of what is going on and that is truly guided by Biblical Principles, that dedicate themselves to the Word of God and prayer. It would then be utterly foolish for anyone to even imply that churches and their belief systems are the root of the problems we have currently in the entire world. Churches are necessary and useful for the social and spiritual health of God's people. However, we must understand that Churches, and their doctrines, can become an idol and operate under a pharisaical spirit; when we try to make our rituals and regulations equal to God. That was the problem with the Pharisees they were putting more emphasis on the rituals and outward appearances than with inward transformation and relationship. So much so that Christ Jesus called them “White-Washed Tombs full of Dead Bones”. What I'm about to say now doesn't apply to Americans alone. It's become a global phenomenon. It's just that I ran into it, and it fits with this our study. So,it isn't only Americans. STATISTICS: - The George Barna Research Institute conducted a survey that revealed something about religious life in America. According to the survey: 94 percent of Americans claim to believe in God. Amazingly out of that 94 %, only 45% said that they attend some form of worship on a regular basis. Regular, meaning that they attend at least once a month. Then of that 45%, only 4 percent said they actually practice their faith daily. QUESTION: - If 94% of people believe in God but only 4 percent practice their faith, what are the other 90% of the people actually practicing? I would venture to say RELIGION... church goers. Religion is defined as *an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods.* HMMM SOUNDS FAMILIAR. That definition literally almost makes anything a religion. Atheism...the belief that there is no God is a religion. Buddhism...the belief in a false god is a religion. Hinduism... the belief in many gods is a religion. Some can believe in a television show or performer and that is their god therefore that becomes their religion. I heard someone say once that they practiced the religion of Jediism because they believed that the force was in them. WOW...for those that may not know a Jedi(Like me) he is the main protagonist (the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text) of the Star Wars Movie franchise, they are fictional characters in a movie.(Just imagine),and of course , to develop a religion out of that and anything other than Christ Jesus is a sin. Romans 14:23 says "And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Righteousness is the quality or state of being morally correct and justifiable,that is, "behavior that is morally justifiable or right." It can be considered synonymous with "rightness" or being "upright". So, before we part tonight, I am going to ask a simple question; “Are You Righteous or Religious”? Don't go faraway,we aren't yet done with this. We will be back shortly! Till then, remain blessed 🙇🙏!

EVEN IN A DEVIL MESSED UP WORLD, CHRIST JESUS EXPECTS US TO BE CLEAN! (ROM.2:1) 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 NO ENTRANCE, NO EXPLOITS! [JN.10:9,14:6,DAN 11:32] (PT. 1) 🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥🚥 I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (Joh 10: 9) Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me. (Joh 14: 6) And such as do wickedly against the covenant shall he corrupt by flatteries: but the people that do know their God shall be strong, and do exploits. (Dan 11: 32) The major problem we have in Christianity today, isn't entirely the common enemy called devil. Not at at all. Most of the things we do isn't the devil pushing us. We saw the things and we loved them, and so did them. Allow us to hear a hard truth...*THE DEVIL REALLY HAVE NO PROBLEM WITH THE UNBELIEVER... IT'S ONLY WHEN THAT UNBELIEVER EXHIBIT A DESIRE TO WORK ON THE PATH THAT LEADS TO ETERNAL LIFE, THAT THE DEVIL SEES A PROBLEM THAT MUST BE SOLVED!* For instance; 21. Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened. 22. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools, (Rom 1: 21-22) 24. Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25. Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. (Rom 1: 24-25) Study the verses above👆 carefully. From knowing God, and yet not glorifying Him as God down to changing the truth of God into a lie. These are wilful actions,not that they were compelled by the devil to do them. CERTAINLY, THESE ARE PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH WHO HAVE A KNOWLEDGE OF GOD, BUT OF THEIR OWN VOLUTION DECIDED TO "WORSHIP THE CREATURE RATHER THAN THE CREATOR!" This group isn't confined to the laity or congregations alone,even the church leadership is actively engaged in this RELIGION without RIGHTEOUSNESS; For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the TRUTH in UNRIGHTEOUSNESS; (Rom 1: 18) You see, the truth is preached,but the preachers don't practice this truth, and not that they don't know. They do know. AMAZINGLY, THOSE OF US IN THIS SETTING,YET EXPECT GOD'S MANIFESTATION IN OUR LIVES! WE WANT TO DO EXPLOITS WITH STAINED GARMENTS. Effectively, what this means is that, WE WANT CHRIST JESUS AS ONLY OUR SAVIOUR, BUT WE DON'T WANT HIM AS OUR LORD. But the truth is that we need Him as our Lord first, before being our Saviour. Accepting as our Lord even covers our Saviour, but only as our Saviour doesn't have our Lord tied to it; If ye love me, keep my commandments. (Joh 14: 15) A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then I be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the LORD of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say, Wherein have we despised thy name? (Mal 1: 6) This formation is called the PHARISAICAL SPIRIT. And it is in operation in a very large population of our churches today. Remember God said, with their lips they confess Me,but their hearts are faraway from Me. Allow me to explain. Understand that there is nothing better than a church that is socially aware of what is going on and that is truly guided by Biblical Principles, that dedicate themselves to the Word of God and prayer. It would then be utterly foolish for anyone to even imply that churches and their belief systems are the root of the problems we have currently in the entire world. Churches are necessary and useful for the social and spiritual health of God's people. However, we must understand that Churches, and their doctrines, can become an idol and operate under a pharisaical spirit; when we try to make our rituals and regulations equal to God. That was the problem with the Pharisees they were putting more emphasis on the rituals and outward appearances than with inward transformation and relationship. So much so that Christ Jesus called them “White-Washed Tombs full of Dead Bones”. What I'm about to say now doesn't apply to Americans alone. It's become a global phenomenon. It's just that I ran into it, and it fits with this our study. So,it isn't only Americans. STATISTICS: - The George Barna Research Institute conducted a survey that revealed something about religious life in America. According to the survey: 94 percent of Americans claim to believe in God. Amazingly out of that 94 %, only 45% said that they attend some form of worship on a regular basis. Regular, meaning that they attend at least once a month. Then of that 45%, only 4 percent said they actually practice their faith daily. QUESTION: - If 94% of people believe in God but only 4 percent practice their faith, what are the other 90% of the people actually practicing? I would venture to say RELIGION... church goers. Religion is defined as *an organized system of beliefs, ceremonies, and rules used to worship a god or a group of gods.* HMMM SOUNDS FAMILIAR. That definition literally almost makes anything a religion. Atheism...the belief that there is no God is a religion. Buddhism...the belief in a false god is a religion. Hinduism... the belief in many gods is a religion. Some can believe in a television show or performer and that is their god therefore that becomes their religion. I heard someone say once that they practiced the religion of Jediism because they believed that the force was in them. WOW...for those that may not know a Jedi(Like me) he is the main protagonist (the leading character or one of the major characters in a drama, movie, novel, or other fictional text) of the Star Wars Movie franchise, they are fictional characters in a movie.(Just imagine),and of course , to develop a religion out of that and anything other than Christ Jesus is a sin. Romans 14:23 says "And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin." Righteousness is the quality or state of being morally correct and justifiable,that is, "behavior that is morally justifiable or right." It can be considered synonymous with "rightness" or being "upright". So, before we part tonight, I am going to ask a simple question; “Are You Righteous or Religious”? Don't go faraway,we aren't yet done with this. We will be back shortly! Till then, remain blessed 🙇🙏!

THIS IS A NEW YEAR WITH NEW HOPES! Tithing is a Covenant!! People say I can't afford to tithe but I tell you that you cannot afford not to tithe. God comes first and tithing is a covenant with Him. The blessings that come with obedience far outweighs the disobedience of not bringing to God what is due to Him. God doesn't need our money but it is an act of obedience and worship to Him 🙏🙏 Malachi 3:8-12 NKJV [8] “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. [9] You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. [10] Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. [11] “And I will rebuke the devourer (Satan) for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts; [12] “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts. Hebrews 7:1-4 NKJV [1] For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, [2] to whom also Abraham gave a TENTH (TITHE) part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” [3] without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. [4] Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a TENTH (TITHE) of the spoils. If tithing wasnt for today then it would not have been mentioned in the New Testament!! When we sell a banana we dont get apples for payment today, we get MONEY!! Therefore we tithe money to God!! Mark 12:42-44 [42] Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small COINS. [43] Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. [44] For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” Tithing is an act of obedience to God and He protects the rest of your income from being stolen by the enemy (Satan)!!

THIS IS A NEW YEAR WITH NEW HOPES! Tithing is a Covenant!! People say I can't afford to tithe but I tell you that you cannot afford not to tithe. God comes first and tithing is a covenant with Him. The blessings that come with obedience far outweighs the disobedience of not bringing to God what is due to Him. God doesn't need our money but it is an act of obedience and worship to Him 🙏🙏 Malachi 3:8-12 NKJV [8] “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. [9] You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. [10] Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. [11] “And I will rebuke the devourer (Satan) for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts; [12] “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts. Hebrews 7:1-4 NKJV [1] For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, [2] to whom also Abraham gave a TENTH (TITHE) part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” [3] without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. [4] Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a TENTH (TITHE) of the spoils. If tithing wasnt for today then it would not have been mentioned in the New Testament!! When we sell a banana we dont get apples for payment today, we get MONEY!! Therefore we tithe money to God!! Mark 12:42-44 [42] Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small COINS. [43] Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. [44] For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” Tithing is an act of obedience to God and He protects the rest of your income from being stolen by the enemy (Satan)!!THIS IS A NEW YEAR WITH NEW HOPES! Tithing is a Covenant!! People say I can't afford to tithe but I tell you that you cannot afford not to tithe. God comes first and tithing is a covenant with Him. The blessings that come with obedience far outweighs the disobedience of not bringing to God what is due to Him. God doesn't need our money but it is an act of obedience and worship to Him 🙏🙏 Malachi 3:8-12 NKJV [8] “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. [9] You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. [10] Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. [11] “And I will rebuke the devourer (Satan) for your sakes, So that he will not destroy the fruit of your ground, Nor shall the vine fail to bear fruit for you in the field,” Says the Lord of hosts; [12] “And all nations will call you blessed, For you will be a delightful land,” Says the Lord of hosts. Hebrews 7:1-4 NKJV [1] For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him, [2] to whom also Abraham gave a TENTH (TITHE) part of all, first being translated “king of righteousness,” and then also king of Salem, meaning “king of peace,” [3] without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but made like the Son of God, remains a priest continually. [4] Now consider how great this man was, to whom even the patriarch Abraham gave a TENTH (TITHE) of the spoils. If tithing wasnt for today then it would not have been mentioned in the New Testament!! When we sell a banana we dont get apples for payment today, we get MONEY!! Therefore we tithe money to God!! Mark 12:42-44 [42] Then a poor widow came and dropped in two small COINS. [43] Jesus called his disciples to him and said, “I tell you the truth, this poor widow has given more than all the others who are making contributions. [44] For they gave a tiny part of their surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she had to live on.” Tithing is an act of obedience to God and He protects the rest of your income from being stolen by the enemy (Satan)!!

Efforts We Make In Life by R. Gidon Rothstein Parshat Mikeitz The Cup, a Debatable Tool of Divination Yosef’s house-master catches the brothers, “discovers” the goblet they stole, and rebukes them, 44;5. How could they have imagined they would get away with it, when Yosef nachesh yenachesh bo, a phrase the translations on Sefaria all take to mean he performs divination with it. Ibn Ezra is less sure. He first suggests it means to test, i.e. Yosef was testing to see if they would steal it. Ibn Ezra points us to 30;27, where Lavan used the same word to explain how he figured out Elokim had blessed him because of Ya’akov. There, Ibn Ezra’s comment blurs the issue. He first says nisiti, I tested, which sounds like Lavan figured it out somehow. He keeps going, though, says for Lavan was wont to use nechashim, which does seem to mean divination, except he adds Lavan had terafim. Back in VaYetzei, we saw (as it happens) that Ibn Ezra thought terafim were non-divination tools of discovery about the world. The continuation of the comment also moves away from magical predictions. He says the housemaster meant to say, how could you not have been afraid, when I put the silver goblet before you specifically to test you, and deliberately turned away, to the point you would take it. Ibn Ezra’s main reading, I think, did not think nichush meant consulting the stars or occult forces, it referred to finding an unusual, but natural, way to hidden truths. Terafim told Lavan what he couldn’t find on his own, in a nonobvious but natural way, and the nichush here tells Yosef and the housemaster about the brothers’ supposed willingness to steal the goblet. But it’s hard to resist the pull of divination. Ibn Ezra quotes R. Yonah (I think ibn Janah, a known grammarian) who said yenachesh bo meant because of it, the loss of the goblet led Yosef to consult with menachashim, with those who do perform divination. In this reading, which Ibn Ezra is comfortable with, the goblet itself didn’t help with the sorcery, but lead Yosef and the housemaster to consult sorcerers. Or, finally, maybe Yosef pretended to use the goblet. It was made with designs on it as if it were a vehicle of prediction, and Yosef consulted it as if it told the brothers’ birth order. Ibn Ezra dances around divination rather than rejects it. His first reading turns the word into a term for figuring out unknown facts, for Lavan and this housemaster. If it does mean sorcery, he accepts R. Yonah’s idea the housemaster meant the loss of the goblet would stimulate Yosef to ask those who do engage in those arts, and if the cup itself, it was Yosef pretending to have it tell him truths he could not know otherwise. A Little Gift When Ya’akov concedes the brothers need to go back to Egypt, with Binyamin, to buy food, 43;11, he bids his sons bring a gift for the feared Egyptian leader. Sforno picks up on an odd word in that gift, me’at. Ya’akov tells them to take me’at tzari, me’at devash. The Contemporary JPS translation, as well as the Schocken Bible of Everett Fox (both on Sefaria) render me’at “some,” some balm and some honey, sidestepping the easiest reading of the word, a little bit (the more traditional translations on Sefaria, such as Koren and Metsudah, do use “little”). I think they opt for “some,” because it seems odd for Ya’akov to have the brothers bring only a little of an item for a gift. Sforno attacks the problem head on. We gift differently to people for whom money is no object, he says. Many people (sadly, no matter how wealthy) still look to make their next buck (imagine the richest man in the world fighting to be paid an outlandish salary). But some people have realized they don’t need more money (or even started giving it away). Ya’akov imagines this distant Egyptian as a man who has more than enough. The size of a gift will make no impression on him. Instead, he intends to gift rare items, where any amount is appreciated. Living and Not Dying When Ya’akov first sends his sons to Egypt to buy food, 42;2, his goal is ve-nichyeh ve-lo namut, we will live and not die. Or HaChayim offers two illuminating explanations for the seeming redundancy (if they live, they clearly won’t die, and vice verse). First, he suggests Ya’akov was articulating their responsibility to protect their lives, their job—and ours—to do what they could to live. Failure would lead to a guilty verdict in the Heavenly court, they would die in this world and be judged in the next. By going to Egypt, they would live, physically, from the food they would secure, and not die in the next world. A first option: Ya’akov was reminding them, and us, of the human obligation to work at living, to do what we can to sustain our lives. His second option takes a more mundane view, we will live well if you find a lot of food to buy, not die if you only find the minimal amount to achieve that. It reminds me of what mori ve-rabi R. Lichtenstein once said about the Yeshiva’s gemach, interest-free loan fund . In encouraging donations to the fund, he said people shouldn’t have to survive on bread alone, it was reasonable to want butter on the bread as well. Here, too, Or HaChayyim thinks Ya’akov is saying, you might get enough for us to live, or, if not, at least not to die. Sorcery may or may not work, but we can find hidden facts in other ways, according to Ibn Ezra. Some people don’t need anything more, but we can find the kinds of gifts they will still relish, Sforno understood. And sometimes we might find only basic sustenance rather than comfort, Or HaChayyim taught us.