Sermon Notes
From a message delivered live on
Shabbat July 19, 2008
At Bnai Yahshua Synagogue
of Prosperity, South Carolina
Emet Ministries
www.emetministries.com
By Rabbi Dani'el Rendelman
ravemet@comcast.net
"YHWH's Kind of Love"
What does Love mean to you?
A group of professional people posed this question to some 4 to 8 year old children. Here are some of their answers:
The answers they got were broader and deeper than anyone could have imagined. See what you think:
"When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love." - Rebecca, age 8
"When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth." Billy, age 4
"Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other." Karl, age 5
"Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs." Chrissy, age 6
"Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK." Danny, age 7
"Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, and then he wears it everyday." Noelle, age 7
"Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well." Tommy, age 6
"Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken." Elaine, age 5
"Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford." Chris, age 7
"I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones." Lauren, age 4
Love is a basic but often misunderstood subject. We may think we know all about love, but the love spoken of in the Scriptures is different than that in the world. The love YHWH has shown us is better than the bond between husbands and wives. The love of YHWH is greater than anything that has been presented in the church or the synagogue.
"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of YHWH! How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!"
Romans / Romiyah 11:33
If we really understood YHWH's love and if we really experienced His love then our lives would be different. Do you remember the day when YHWH's love broke through the darkness of sin in your life? That same love is available today.
In Hebrew, the word translated "love" is "ahava." It is YHWH's ahava that brings us to the good news, allows us to experience life, and calls us to help others.
"For the ahava of Moshiach compels us; because we have judged this to be emet,"
QORINTYAH BET - SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:14
"For YHWH so loved the olam hazeh/world, that He gave His only brought forth Son, that whoever believes on Him should not perish, but have everlasting chayim/life."
YOCHANAN - JOHN 3:16
The ahava of YHWH is unconditional.
The Merriam Webster definition of "unconditional" is:
1: not conditional or limited : absolute, unqualified<unconditional surrender><unconditional love>2: unconditioned 2
YHWH loves the world even though the world is absolutely unqualified and unconditioned for love. Romiyah/Romans 5:8 states, "YHWH showed His great love for us in this manner, while we were still sinners, Y'shua died for us."
YHWH demonstrated His ahava before any good deeds of Torah were performed. Y'shua is the lamb of YHWH slain from the foundation of the earth. This is unconditional ahava.
YHWH showed this ahava to His son. At his mikvah/baptism, before a single miracle of Y'shua is recorded in the Scriptures, YHWH declares from the heavens/shamayim "this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased." YHWH felt that way about His son Y'shua and He feels the same way about YOU today! YHWH loves YOU regardless of what you do or don't do!
We have been called to walk in the fruit of love and demonstrate His ahava to the world. For us to walk in ahava we must FIRST better understand and then focus on His ahava. That's what this teaching is all about!
Psychologists tell us that the average person has 60,000 thoughts per day. If you were to categorize your thoughts from the past 24 hours, what would they include? What have you been thinking upon?
· Problems
· Pain
· Unforgiveness
· Worry
· Work
· Family issues
· Hatred
· Children
· Sickness
· Frustration
· Blessing
Psychologists also tell us that of the 60,000 thoughts the average person thinks in a day, that more than 80% are negative! What about yours?
Our thoughts should be on and about the love of YHWH. Ivrim / Hebrews 12:29 says that "YHWH is an all consuming fire." His love is a fire that burns within each person. We must choose to allow this love to burn in us and purify us.
Sadly, in this faith we allow many other issues to become front and center. This should not be so. The number one issue of our faith should be the love of YHWH! Consider this: the believer should not focus on the devil. The believer should not focus on the flesh. The believer should not focus on sin. The believer should not focus on their problems. The believer should not focus on demons or deliverance. The believer should not even focus on the mitzvot/commandments of Torah. We shall know the truth of YHWH's love and the truth of His ahava will set us free! As we walk in His love YHWH purifies us from demonic attacks, sin, and shame. We are to focus FIRST on YHWH's love and THEN all other thoughts, issues, obedience, or study should flow from His ahava!
Do you want to walk in the spirit/ruach? Do you want to walk in the power of YHWH? Walk in love!
"And we have known and believed the ahava that YHWH has for us. YHWH is Ahava, and he who stays in ahava, stays in YHWH, and YHWH in him."
YOCHANAN ALEF - FIRST JOHN 4:16
YHWH loves us too much to allow us to wallow in sin or walk in the flesh. When we have a problem, when we fall, when we sin, and even we face pain or sickness we should ask YHWH to reveal His ahava to us in a greater way. EVERYDAY we should beseech YHWH for a greater revelation of His ahava. Have you done this today? The next time you are stressed or have an issue of prayer, you should FIRST ask YHWH to reveal His love to you in that situation. Before you reach for that prescription medication simply call upon YHWH to give you a greater understanding of His ahava. This should be a daily prayer!
To better grasp YHWH's true 'ahava" let us examine the Hebrew term in-depth.
The English term "love" has many meanings. In modern thought love is an emotion that can be turned on and off like a light switch. Love or "ahava" in the Hebraic mind is very different than in today's culture. In the Hebrew, love is connected directly with action and obedience. Strong's Exhaustive Dictionary defines ahava as "to have affection, sexually or otherwise, love, like, to befriend, to be intimate." It brings to mind the idea of longing for or breathing for another. Hebraically ahava is a verb and a noun; it is an act of doing. Ahava is not just a feeling. To get a clear understanding of ahava, let's examine the Hebrew word itself and learn how exactly what is "YHWH's Kind of Love."
First, most Hebrew words can be broken down to a three-consonant root word that contains the essence of the word's meaning. The root word of ahava is "ahav." The term ahav in Hebrew means, "to give." True ahava, true love, is more concerned about giving than receiving. Being the center of someone's attention isn't love. And love isn't about getting some feeling or fix. Ahava is about giving devotion and time. Giving is the vehicle of love. YHWH so loved the world that He GAVE His only Son. Meaningful relationships have mutual giving. Love may focus on receiving, but ahava is all about giving. There is a difference.
The Hebrew word "ahava" is spelled "aleph, hei, bet, hei." The root word ahav is spelled "aleph, hei, bet." These Hebrew letters reveal a secret of love hidden for thousands of years. This secret is exposed through the meaning behind each Hebrew letter in "ahav." Let's see what secret is behind the word "ahav."
The first letter of the Hebrew alphabet is also the fist letter in "ahav." This is the aleph. The letter aleph is the number one. Aleph symbolizes the one and only Eternal Elohim. In Revelation 22:13, Y'shua called Himself the 'Aleph and the Tav.' Aleph is a picture of YHWH and His creation. There is one YHWH. Y'shua said the greatest commandment is to love YHWH first and then love your neighbor as yourself. "The first of all commandments is, Shema O Yisra'el; the Master YHWH is our Elohim, the Master YHWH is Echad: and you shall love the Master YHWH with all your lev (heart), and with all your being, and with all your mind, and with all your strength: this is the first commandment. And the second is like it, namely this; You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There are no other commandments greater than these," said the Messiah Yahshua in Markus 12:29-31, Restoration Scripture Version. Ahava starts with Aleph. Real ahava starts with loving YHWH first. Then, as a person has a relationship with YHWH, one can love his neighbor.
The next letter of ahav is the "hei." The letter "hei" is the fifth letter of the aleph-bet. Five is the number of chesed/grace. It is highly symbolic. There are five books of the Torah, five fingers on the hand, and King Dawid gathered five smooth stones to kill Goliath. Again, five is the number of chesed/grace. It is through chesed that YHWH loves us. Mankind loves YHWH back through the fifth letter hei. How? Ahava is shown to YHWH through hei - through the five books of the Torah. "If you love me, obey my mitzvot. If a man loves Me, he will guard My words, and My Abba will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our stay with Him," said Moshiach Y'shua in Yochannan / John 14:15, 23. The hei is the means that a person expresses ahava. We love YHWH through the five books of Torah!
The form of the letter hei, the number five shows how to correctly love YHWH and man. The three lines of hei are a picture of loving YHWH with thought, deed, and words. The top horizontal line is the realm of thought. A person's thoughts should be focused upward on YHWH and His word. The Vertical line to the right is speech. From the abundance of the heart/mind/horizontal line, the mouth speaks. Speech comes directly from thought. The unattached line to the left is deed. Though actions should be connected to our intentions, they often are not. "There are many plans in a man's lev (heart); nevertheless the counsel of YHWH shall stand," Mishlei / Proverbs 19:21. Man is to unite the three lines through devotion and service. Loving YHWH with thoughts, words, and deeds is the goal of the hei. When thoughts, words, and actions are connected the "hei" becomes the "chet." The "chet" is the eighth letter of the Hebrew alphabet. The number 8 is the number of life/chayim. We have the abundant life/chayim when we walk in true ahava!
The Beit is the second letter of the Hebrew alphabet. It is the third letter in "ahav." This letter vividly demonstrates the purpose of ahava/love. How? Beit is a picture of a house. YHWH created the world to be a dwelling place in this world below. The first letter in the Torah is a beit, found in the word "Beresheet." And the tabernacle was made to create a bayit, a house, for YHWH. "Know you not that you are the Beit HaMikdash (temple) of YHWH, and that the Ruach of YHWH dwells in you?" 1 Corinthians / Qorintyah Alef 3:16. The objective of loving YHWH is to be conformed to His image and represent Him to the world. We are to walk in love, which in essence means to walk in YHWH. Beit is also the number two. YHWH plus His servant equals two. Yet in the beit, the two shall become one. Also, Y'shua said, "For where two, or three will assemble together in My Name, there am I in the midst of them," Matthew / Mattitiyahu 18:20. Get this: when you reach out in the love of YHWH then Y'shua is in your midst! Ahava starts with loving YHWH first and foremost through word, deed, and thought. This type of ahava creates a house for YHWH to inhabit.
In review, the Hebrew root word for love is "ahav," spelled "aleph, hei, bet." The aleph reminds us that we are to love YHWH first. Hei shows us to express that love by conforming our thoughts, words, and deeds to the five books of the Torah. When love is directed first to and from YHWH, then a beit, a house, is built to sustain His presence. Wow! Ahava is the greatest!
Remember that "ahava" means to GIVE!
First you DO ahava and then you "feel" love.
First you DO the mitzvot/commandments and then you understand them.
TRUE AHAVA IS NOT based on feelings!
Feelings actually stop us from walking in the love of YHWH! Get this in your spirit!!!
Feelings are simply symptoms of the way we think. The problem is that most of us think that we are unlovely. We think that YHWH doesn't really love us. We think that other people don't love us. Our emotions are based on our thoughts or preconceived ideas. This effects our actions as WE TREAT PEOPLE THE WAY WE FEEL. Selah.
Write this down: "you treat people the way that you feel."
What this means is that when people treat you rudely it's because they are not feeling loved!
When you act rudely to someone this action is simply proof that you are NOT focused and thinking about the love of YHWH. We treat people the way we feel and therefore if we feel loved of YHWH then we will treat other people with the love of YHWH.
Understand that if you are not feeling the love of YHWH then it is your emotions are that stopping His ahava from filling your life. BUT, if you meditate, think, sing, or pray about YHWH's ahava then your emotions will reflect His ahava. Your actions go along with what you think about!
People see YHWH through our ahava:
"Beloved, if YHWH so loved us; we also should love one another."
YOCHANAN ALEF - FIRST JOHN 4:11
We are to know and experience the ahava of YHWH and keep His love before us at all times. Once our mind is conformed to YHWH's ahava THEN we will be able to show YHWH's love to others.
"Beloved, let us love one another, for ahava is from YHWH; and everyone who has ahava is born from YHWH and knows YHWH. 8 He who does not have ahava does not know YHWH for YHWH is Ahava."
YOCHANAN ALEF - FIRST JOHN 4:7-8
Our love towards each other and towards the world is our true test of faith. Our ahava witnesses for our faith. People see the love of YHWH through our love. To be effective, each act of faith, each prayer, and each good deed must be from the motivation of love. We can keep the whole Torah and yet not act in love. Such actions are vain. 1 Corinthians says that you can speak in the tongues of angels but if you have not love then you are clanging cymbal. The language of angels is the Hebrew language! You can speak perfect Hebrew BUT if you do not love then you sound like garble!
Answer these questions:
Is your faith effective? Does your witness attract people to ask you questions? Are your prayers regularly answered? Do you have the power of the Ruach HaKodesh/Holy Spirit? We MUST understand that love empowers our faith. This is key!
"Faith/emunah which works by ahava/love"
GALUTYAH - GALATIANS 5:6
Throughout the Scriptures we read of people endowed with the fullness of YHWH. Moshe parted the Red Sea. Eliyahu called fire down from Heaven. Y'shua raised the dead. The apostles healed the lame and blind. These miracles were accomplished through the fullness of YHWH. Do you want the fullness of YHWH?
The fullness of YHWH is ahava!
"That Moshiach may dwell in your levim by emunah; that you, being rooted and grounded in ahava, 18 May be able to comprehend with all the Yisraelite kidushim what is the width and length and depth and height; 19 To know the ahava of Moshiach, which passes human
Da'at/understanding; that you might be filled with all the fullness of YHWH."
EPHSIYAH - EPHESIANS 3:17-19
Focus on verse 19
"To know the ahava of Moshiach, which passes human da'at/understanding; that you might be filled with all the fullness of YHWH."
YHWH's love equals YHWH's fullness! If you have felt:
· Empty
· Left out
· Hurt
· Afraid
· Frustrated
· Tired
· Pain
· Sickness
· Problems
· Irritated
THEN you need to experience YHWH's ahava today!
To know His ahava, to have His fullness, we should first learn that receiving YHWH's ahava for us has absolutely NOTHING to do with performance. YHWH loves us because He is Love and not because we are lovely. 1 John 4:8
We should then change our thinking to constantly dwell on His ahava. Our attention should be placed on dwelling in His love and showing love to YHWH.
Loving YHWH makes your life kadosh/holy. We have had this backwards. We think that the commandments are what set us apart. This is NOT true. A person can keep all the commandments of the Bible and not love YHWH. Yes, they might be set apart from the world BUT a Torah-keeper without love is NOT set apart unto YHWH. We are to love Him FIRST and our obedience to the mitzvot should be a result of our love to Him. We are then to show that ahava to others!
"If you love Me, keep My mitzvoth"
Yochanan / John 14:15
Notice the order here - love Him FIRST and then keep the mitzvoth!
"Therefore you shall love YHWH your Elohim, and shomer/keep His charge, and His chukim, and His mishpatim, and His mitzvoth, always."
Devarim / Deuteronomy 11:1
"He that has My mitzvoth, and keeps them, he it is that loves Me: and he who loves Me, shall be loved by My Abba, and I will love him, and will reveal Myself to him."
Yochanan / John 14:21
Our obedience is PROOF that we love YHWH. When we choose to sin then we choose the love of self over the love of YHWH.
Mitzvot are for us to connect to Him. Obedience to the commandments does not make YHWH love us more. YHWH does not love Torah keepers more than Torah breakers. His ahava is unconditional. The purpose of the mitzvot is to help us to know His divine will and walk in His ahava. 'The Torah of YHWH is perfect, converting the soul," Psalm 19:7.
We prove to YHWH that we are his disciples/talmidim by keeping His commandments.
We prove to the world that we are disciples of YHWH by loving one another.
So once we have learned ahava from YHWH then we are to show His ahava to others.
"A renewed commandment I give to you, that you have ahava towards one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that you are My talmidim/disciples, if you have ahava one to another."
Yochanan 13:34-35
Every person on the planet has two basic emotional needs: we desire to feel love and we desire to show love.
Remember that the root of ahava is to "ahav" or "to give."
Satisfaction is not found in being the center of attention from our spouse or girlfriend. True purpose is attained in giving love to YHWH and others. This is made clear through the shema - the greatest commandment!
Devarim (Deuteronomy) 6:4-9 and Wayiqra (Leviticus) 19:18 states:
"V'ah-hav-ta et YHWHElo-he-cha, b'chol l'vav-cha, oo-v'chol nahf-sh'cha, oo-v'chol m'oh-deh-cha. V'ha-yoo ha-d'varim haeh-leh, ah-sher ah-no-chee m'tzav-cha ha-yom, ahl-l'va-veh-cha: v'she-nahn-tahm l'ba-neh-cha, v'dee-bar-ta bam b'sheev t'cha be-vay-teh-cha, oo-v'lech-t'cha ba-deh-rech, oo-v'shach-b'cha, oo-v'koo-meh-cha. Oo-k'shar-tahm l'ot al ya-dehcha, v'ha-yoo l'to-ta-fote bain ay-neh-cha. Oo-ch'tahvtahm al m'zuzot bay-teh-cha, oo-vee-sh'ah-reh-cha.
V'ah-havta l'ray-ah-cha ka-moe-cha.
And you shall love YHWHyour Elohim, with all your heart, with all your soul and with all your might. And have these words, which I command you this day, be upon your heart. And you shall teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you retire and when you arise. And you shall bind them for a sign upon your hand and let them be frontlets between your eyes. And you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and upon your gates. And you should love your neighbor as yourself."
Ahava is not about getting some feelings or some fix. Ahava is about giving time and devotion. It is better to give than to receive.
Sadly, in most local Messianic groups and in the movement as a whole there is little love and forgiveness. Instead it seems that people would rather dwell on differences than similarities. This is not YHWH as this is NOT love. If YHWH is love then to walk in YHWH is to walk in ahava. It's easy to find problems or things to argue about. It takes a mature believer to show ahava. We MUST choose to put our personal differences or personal convictions aside and love another!!! Have you done this or do you constantly dwell on differences with other believers?
You are to love your neighbor as yourself by giving. What exactly does this mean?
-Show forgiveness when offended. If you have any interaction with people then you will be offended. Be ready to be hurt. Be ready to forgive.
-Offer acceptance to others who are different. We must love those who do not keep Torah. You must also love others who may keep commandments differently than you. Your walk of faith will be VERY lonely if you only accept and fellowship with those who you agree with 100% of time. Don't allow personal convictions to separate you from others!!! In reality there are very few issues that should be "fellowship breakers."
-Model compassion as you "put yourself in their shoes." Y'shua raised Lazarus from the dead and performed many miracles as He had compassion upon the people. True ahava is full of compassion.
-Act in patience with people. Realize that you aren't perfect either! YHWH has not perfected your OR your neighbor. Give people time to grow in the faith. Don't be so judgmental to those who are keeping Torah. Love and support the growth of others.
-Speak in kindness and make a choice to serve others. Stop the talk about others and serve them! This is a simple but hard choice.
-Make unconditional love your goal. Unconditional love means there are no expectations. When you love in this manner you are most like Y'shua.
When we express ahava we make a connection with a person or with YHWH. The more giving you do then the greater the love and therefore the greater the connection. The true relationships that have meaning in our lives are full of MUTUAL giving. So, what have you done for your friends, spouse, rabbi, children, or your co-workers lately? How much giving have you done over the past 24 hours or week? Our love to each other our biggest witness to lost world.
The ahava of YHWH should compel us to reach others with the same love that He has extended to us! YHWH's type of love is different than the world. It's better than what we have been shown. The purpose of this teaching is that "you may understand how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love really is. May you experience it, though it is so great you will never fully understand it," Ephesians 3:18-19
Remember these key points so that you can know and model "YHWH's Kind of Love"
· In Hebrew, the word translated "love" is "ahava." It is YHWH's ahava that brings us to the good news, allows us to experience life, and calls us to help others.
· "For the ahava of Moshiach compels us; because we have judged this to be emet" QORINTYAH BET - SECOND CORINTHIANS 5:14
· The root word of ahava is "ahav." The term ahav in Hebrew means, "to give." True ahava, true love is more concerned about giving than receiving.
· First you DO ahava and then you "feel" love. First you DO the mitzvot/commandments and then you understand them.
· TRUE AHAVA IS NOT based on feelings!
· Feelings actually stop us from walking in the love of YHWH! Get this in your spirit!!!
· Feelings are simply symptoms of the way we think. The problem is that most of us think that we are unlovely. We think that YHWH doesn't really love us. We think that other people don't love us. Our emotions are based on our thoughts or preconceived ideas. This effects our actions as WE TREAT PEOPLE THE WAY WE FEEL.
· "Faith/emunah which works by ahava/love," GALUTYAH - GALATIANS 5:6
· "If you love Me, keep My mitzvoth," Yochanan / John 14:15Notice the order here - love Him and then keep themitzvoth!
Next we are to show His ahava to others.
· "A renewed commandment I give to you, that you have ahava towards one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that you are My talmidim, if you have ahava one to another," Yochanan 13:34-35
· When we express ahava we make a connection with a person or with YHWH. The more giving you do then the greater the love and therefore the greater the connection.
· Offer acceptance to others who are different. We must love those who do not keep Torah. You must also love others who may keep commandments differently than you. Your walk of faith will be VERY lonely if you only accept and fellowship with those who you agree with 100% of time. Don't allow personal convictions to separate you from others!!! In reality there are very few issues that should be "fellowship breakers."
