L ‘chaim To Life!

There are some people who really care about you!

Shalom!

Some people feel

THAT A SATISFYING, WORTHWHILE LIFE CONSISTS OF:

A good education
Close friends
A good marriage and healthy children
Success in a business or profession
Helping those in need
Involvement with Israel and the Jewish community

These are important . . . . .

yet we all know people who have or do these things but who aren't satisfied.

Why? Because there is something even more important than all these,
the Holy Scriptures* tell us five vital facts we need to know.

*All quotations from the Tanakh, both English and Hebrew, are taken from the Jewish Bible.

God is the source of a satisfying, worthwhile life

You make me know the path of life; in your presence is unbounded joy,

in your right hand eternal delight. Tehillah/Psalm 16.11

This kind of life is the result of a close relationship with God.

But you, Isra'el, my servant; Ya'akov/Jacob, whom I have chosen, speaks of a personal relationship
which can be as intimate as the one between Abraham and God:
descendants of Avraham/Abraham my friend… Yesha’yahu/Isaiah 41:8

DEEP DOWN, JUST ABOUT EVERYONE
WANTS A LIFE AND RELATIONSHIP LIKE THIS.

AS A JEWISH SCIENTIST PUT IT:

"The Jewish nature and soul needs to know God. This is its purpose on
earth. Our souls are looking for God and we are trying to know God."

Why, then, aren't most people experiencing this life and relationship?

2

Man has separated himself from God.

GOD'S CHARACTER IS THE STANDARD BY WHICH MAN IS TO LIVE.

Speak to the entire community of Isra'el; tell them,

'You people are to be holy because I, ADONAI your God, am holy Vayikra/Leviticus 19:2

and this is called sin. Obviously, then, all of us have sinned.

For there isn't a righteous person on earth who does [only] good and never sins.

Kohelet/Ecclesiastes 7:20

Since God is holy and just, He will not establish a personal relationship with
anyone until his sin is dealt with because He cannot allow sin in His presence.

Your eyes are too pure to see evil, you cannot countenance oppression.

So why do you countenance traitors? Why are you silent when evil people swallow

up those more righteous than they? Havakuk/Habakkuk 1:13

Because sin is a violation of His standard and character, God must judge man's sin and reject it.
This is why sin causes spiritual death and results in separation from God .

Rather, each will die for his own sin; every one who eats sour grapes,

his own teeth will be set on edge. Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 31:30

Rather, it is your own crimes that separate you from your God;

your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he doesn't hear. Yesha’yahu/Isaiah 59:2

As long as sin separates us from God, we can't enjoy the life
and relationship God wants us to have.

But can't man solve the problem
by living properly, by prayer, repentance and good deeds!

No, man cannot remove the sin barrier by his own effort.

Don't bring your servant to trial, since in your sight no one alive

would be considered righteous. Tehillah/Psalm 143:2 (cf. Ezekiel 33:13)

Human effort is not adequate because, in God's sight,
All of us are like someone unclean, all our righteous deeds like menstrual rags;

we wither, all of us, like leaves; and our misdeeds blow us away like the wind.

Yesha’yahu/Isaiah 64:5(6)

Human effort is not adequate

because man cannot do enough to solve the problem.
No one can ever redeem his brother or give God a ransom for him,

because the price for him is too high (leave the idea completely alone!)

Tehillah/Psalm 49:8-9(7-8)

But, then how can this problem of spiritual death and separation from God be solved?

GOD MUST TAKE THE INITIATIVE;
HE MUST PROVIDE THE SOLUTION.

But God will redeem me from Sh'ol's control,

because he will receive me. (Selah) Tehillah/Psalm 49:15

3

The sin barrier can be removed by believing

God's Word (faith) and by having the blood of the atonement.

Abraham was an example of how the sin barrier can be removed.

He believed in ADONAI, and he credited it to him as righteousness. B’resheet/Genesis 15:6

We must follow the same pattern.

A person whose desire rests on you you preserve in perfect peace, because he trusts in you.

Trust in ADONAI forever, because in Yah ADONAI, is a Rock of Ages.

Yesha’yahu/Isaiah 26:3-4 (cf. Havakuk/Habakkuk 2:4)

But Moses said that one more thing is essential, the blood of the atonement.

For the life of a creature is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar

to make atonement for yourselves; for it is the blood that makes atonement because of the life.

Vayikra/Leviticus 17:11 (cf. Vayikra/Leviticus 10:17;4:35)

But why would God want man to go through the awful procedure of killing an animal?

When the offerer saw the sacrifice suffering and bleeding for the sins which he had committed,
he was impressed with the awfulness of sin and the penalty of death
(Yechezk’l/Ezekiel 18:4, 20) the sinner deserved.

THE SACRIFICE SHOWED HIM GOD'S:

* HOLINESS because of His hatred of all evil,
* JUSTICE because He does not leave sin unpunished,
* MERCY because of His readiness to pardon the truly repentant

and believing by providing a substitute for him.

THE ANIMAL SACRIFICE THUS PROVIDED THE BLOOD OF
ATONEMENT AND WAS AN ACT OF FAITH ACCEPTABLE TO GOD.

But without priesthood and without a temple, there can be no
sacrifices. How can we have the blood of atonement today?

4

God has provided the blood of the atonement for today.

We all, like sheep, went astray; we turned, each one, to his own way;

yet ADONAI laid on him the guilt of all of us. Or: and in fellowship with him Yesha’yahu/Isaiah 53.6

After forcible arrest and sentencing, he was taken away;

and none of his generation protested his being cut off from the land of the living

for the crimes of my people, who deserved the punishment themselves.

Yesha’yahu/Isaiah 53:8

Therefore I will assign him a share with the great,

he will divide the spoil with the mighty, for having exposed himself to death

and being counted among the sinners, while actually bearing the sin of many

and interceding for the offenders

Yesha’yahu/Isaiah 53:12

IN THE PROLOGUE TO YESHA’YAHU/ISAIAH 53 (YESHA’YAHU/ISAIAH 52:13-15)
THE AUTHOR IDENTIFIES THE "HE" OF THESE PASSAGES.

He is described as God's servant who will be exalted. In other parts of his work, Yesha’yahu/Isaiah

equates this servant of God with Messiah. e.g. Yesha’yahu/Isaiah 42:1

God's provision of the blood of atonement through the Messiah follows

the same principles God set up in the sacrifice system.

SIN-OFFERING:

Atonement for a man by means of a sacrifice.

PESACH:

Atonement for a family by means of a sacrifice.

YOM KIPPUR:

Atonement for a nation by means of a sacrifice.

MESSIAH:

Atonement for all by means of a sacrifice.

As we have seen, under the sacrifice system personal faith was necessary along with
the blood of atonement. So also faith is necessary with the sacrifice of Messiah.
He should be the object of our faith today.

But how can we know who Messiah is?

God made sure we could recognize Messiah by certain specific identifying marks.
These are described by the prophets of Israel.

His ancestry was from the family of David Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 23:5-6)
The city of his birth was Bethlehem. Mikhah/Micah 5:1
He had a supernatural nature. Yirmeyahu/Jeremiah 23:5-6 Mikhah/Micah 5:1 Yesha’yahu/Isaiah 9:5-6
The manner of his execution was crucifixion. Tehillah/Psalm 22:14-17
He rose from the dead. Tehillah/Psalm 16:10 Yesha’yahu/Isaiah 53:10
The time of his coming was before the destruction of Herod's Temple in 70 CE. Dani’el/Daniel 9:26

Do you have any idea if anyone has
fulfilled these prophecies, or has even come close?

HISTORY TELLS US THAT JESUS OF NAZARETH
FULFILLED THESE AND MANY OTHER PROPHECIES.

There are at least 54 specific prophecies concerning Messiah which Jesus fulfilled.
The probability that one person could fulfill all 54 prophecies is 1 out of 10 with 157 zeros after it!

During his lifetime many people called him Messiah ("Christ" is the Greek translation)
and believed in him. Mattityahu/Matthew 16:16 Yochanan/John 1:45-51 Acts 6:7

Many people since that time, both Jews and Gentiles, have had their sins forgiven
and have gained a personal relationship with the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob through Messiah
Jesus. Through him one becomes a completed person; e.g., a Jewish person becomes a completed Jew.

Since the blood of atonement has been provided
through Messiah Jesus, there is only one thing left for you to do.

5

You must by faith receive Messiah Jesus into your life
in order to have a personal relationship with God and a satisfying, worthwhile life.

But to as many as did receive him, to those who put their trust in his person and power,

he gave the right to become children of God, Yochanan/John 1:12.

Receiving Messiah Jesus involves a moral decision to turn to God's way
and from your own, to trust Messiah Jesus to forgive your sins and bring you
into a right relationship with God.

When you receive Messiah Jesus by faith (trusting what he has done for you),
he comes into your life and gives you the power to live a satisfying, worth-while life.

Yeshua says:

Here, I'm standing at the door, knocking. If someone hears my voice and opens the door,

I will come in to him and eat with him, and he will eat with me. Revelation 3:20

Some people think that receiving Messiah Jesus by faith means you are no longer Jewish.

THAT'S NOT TRUE. AS YESHUA/JESUS PUT IT:

Don't think that I have come to abolish the Torah or the Prophets.

I have come not to abolish but to complete… Mattityahu/Matthew 5:17

THE APOSTLE SHA’UL/PAUL FELT THE SAME WAY

This is why I have asked to see you and speak with you,

for it is because of the hope of Isra'el that I have this chain around me (in jail). Acts 28:20

Are you still here?

Don't let anything hold you back-
why not invite Messiah Jesus to give you a right relationship with God right now?

Remember,

God is the source of a worthwhile life. Your sin has separated you from God.
God's provision through Messiah Yeshua/Jesus is the solution to the sin barrier.
The only thing God asks you to do is to trust Messiah Jesus to forgive your
sins and give you a right relationship with God.

YOU

can receive Messiah Yeshua/Jesus by faith right now through prayer.

Prayer is talking to God and is a good way to express your faith.

You may want to use this prayer to express your decision to trust Messiah Jesus.

Messiah Jesus, I admit that I have sinned. I believe that you have provided
the blood of atonement for me. I receive you as my Messiah. Thank you for
forgiving my sins and coming into my life as you promised.

Messiah Yeshua/Jesus
always keeps his promises.

DID YOU RECEIVE HIM BY FAITH JUST NOW?
DO YOU KNOW WHAT THAT MEANS?

It means that the following promises are now true in your life:

Messiah Yeshua/Jesus came into your life, and he's there permanently.

Revelation 3:20 Messianic Jews/Hebrews 13:5
All your sins are forgiven. Colossians 2:13
You have a brand new relationship with God - you're his child! Yochanan/John 1:12
You've become a completely new person inside, and you've got a great new life!
2 Corinthians 5:17 1 Yochanan/John 5:11-13
You've been set free from yourself to help others. Yochanan/John 8:31-35 Galatians 5:13

So, what now?

CONTINUE TO TRUST MESSIAH JESUS.

The way you began is the way to keep going Colossians 4:2-6 Messianic Jews/Hebrews 11:6

If you keep trusting him, you'll grow in your new relationship.

Here are a few suggestions:

Let him communicate to you, read his words 1 Kefa/1 Peter 2:2
Talk to him about everything Philippians 4:6-7 1 Kefa/1 Peter 5:7
Get together with others who have received him Messianic Jews/Hebrews 10:24-25
Tell other people about him Acts 1:8 Remember to be tactful and kind.

Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your uncleanness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit inside you; I will take the stony heart out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. I will put my Spirit inside you and cause you to live by my laws, respect my rulings and obey them. Yechezk’el/Ezekiel 36:25-27