Listen Up!

0:00 today today is a special Shabbat called Shabbat nakamu. And this haftarah portion? comes from Isaiah chapter 40 So I'm going to read the whole HAF tour portion and then we'll come back and we'll get into studying we're going to do Isaiah chapter 40. We're going to take a few look at a few verses Isaiah chapter 40. And also if you look at a few verses in our Torah portion this week. Comfort Comfort, my people says your God speak kindly to the heart of Jerusalem and Proclaim to her that her Warfare has ended that her iniquity has been removed.

0:45 For she has received from autonized hands double for all her sins a voice cries out in the wilderness prepare the way of Adonai makes straight in the desert a highway for our God. By the way before I keep going this I thought it was so AP that we had solo this week because this is one of the uses of that word right here build up the way of the Lord. Every Valley will be lifted up every mountain and Hill made low. The rough ground will be a plane in the rugged terrain smooth. The glory of Adonai will be revealed and All Flesh will see it together. For the mouth of Adonai has spoken. A voice is saying cry cry out. So I

1:32 said what shall I cry out? All Flesh is grass and all its loveliness is like the flower of the field the grass withers and the flower fades for the breath of Adonai blows on it. Surely the people are grass the grass withers the flower Fades, but the word of our God stands forever. Get yourself up on a high mountain you who bring good news to Zion lift up your voice with strength. You who bring good news to Jerusalem lift it up Don't Fear say to the cities of Judah behold your God. Look, I don't know him comes with might with his arm ruling for him. Behold, his reward is with him and his recompense before

2:19 him. Like a shepherd He tends his flock. He gathers the Lambs in his arms and carries them in his bosom and gently guides nursing use. Who has measured the waters and the palm of his hand or measured out heaven with a span or calculated the dust of the Earth in a measure or Wade the mountains in Scales or the hills in a balance who can fathom the spirit of the Lord or who and or instruct him as his counselor. With whom did he consult and who instructed him who taught him in the path of Justice or taught him knowledge. Who informs him about the way of understanding? Behold the nations are like a drop from a bucket. And count as a speck of dust on the

3:06 scales. behold the islands way as fine dust Lebanon is not enough to burn or it's animals enough for a burnt offering. All the nations are as nothing before him. By him, they are accounted null and void. To whom then will you liken God? To what not likeness. Will you compare him? To an idol a Craftsman casts it a Goldsmith overlays it with gold in fashion silver chains for it. One too poor for such an offering chooses wood that will not rot. He looks for a skilled Craftsman to prepare him an idol. That will not totter. Do you not know have you not heard has it not been told to you from the beginning have you not understood from

3:51 the foundations of the earth? He sits above the circle of the earth. It's inhabitants are like grasshoppers. He stretches out the skies like a curtain. Spreads them out like a tent to dwell in he reduces princes to nothing. He makes the judges of the earth a confusion. scarcely are they planted scarcely are they sown scarcely their stem takes root in the earth when he blows on them and they wither And a storm carries them off as stubble to whom then will you liken me or who is my equal says the Holy One? Lift up your eyes on high and see. Who created these?

4:36 The one who brings out the hope their host by number the one who calls them all by name. because of his great strength and vast power not one is missing. This Shabbat as I already mentioned to you is called Shabbat nakamud as a special Shabbat. It's the first Shabbat. After Tisha bahav Tisha bhav. If you remember that I mentioned last week Tisha bahav is is the remembrance of the destruction of the temples and really actually I would say even goes farther back and goes back to when we were faithless as a people just on the brink of entering into the land.

5:24 In this in a report comes back. And ten of those bringing the report brought a bad report and did not exercise trust in our Lord. Concerning his provision and because of that as a people we believed it. Today Shabbat nakamu is the first of seven what are known as haftarot of or haftarah portions of consolation. It's the first of these seven haftarah portions all of which by the way come from Isaiah. So let's take a look just for a few minutes here. At these I'm not going to go through the whole chapter

6:11 because I want to get into the Torah portion if I went through the whole chapter the ministry Fair wouldn't happen. So we're just going to do a few verses. Comfort we're gonna do verses 1 through 11, and I'll reread them for you comfort and keep comforting. My people says you're God. Tell Jerusalem to take heart. Proclaimed to her that she is completed her time of service that her guilt has been paid off that she has received at the hand of the Lord double for all her sins a voice cries out clear a road through the desert for the Lord level a highway in the aravah for our God let every Valley be filled in and every mountain and Hill lowered the bumpy places made level

6:57 in the Crags become a plane. Then the glory of the Lord will be revealed. All humankind will together. We'll see it for the mouth of the Lord has spoken a voice says Proclaim and I answer what should I Proclaim all humanity is merely grass all its kindness like wildflowers. The grass dries up to flower Fades when a wind from Adonai blows on it. Surely the people are grass the grass dries up the flower Fades, but the word of our God stands forever. You who bring good news to Zion get yourselves up on a high mountain you who bring good news to Jerusalem cry out at the top of your voice. Don't be afraid to shout out loud. Say to

7:44 the cities of Judah here is your god. Here Comes Adonai Elohim with power and his arm will rule for him. Look, his reward is with him and his recompense is before him. He is like a Shepherd feeding his flock Gathering his Lambs with his arm carrying them against his chest gently leading the mother sheep. Let me give you just a brief little bit of context for this passage before I just before we delve into it briefly. I'm going to keep saying the word briefly and hope that it will convince you. That we're going to be brief. The context is Jerusalem at this point is in Exile.

8:32 The Judah has been taken over. They've been conquered by Babylon. And the vast majority of the people have been taken away from the land of Israel to the land of Babylon. In fact, they probably been out of the land of Israel at this point for maybe nearly 50 years. You can imagine a people living in Exile. apart from their land who witnessed the destruction of their Temple and the despair that would be growing in them after decades. In fact, let's just play Let's play a little game here for a moment. Just so we understand a little bit about the concept of time. Let's just say they were there for nearly 50 years.

9:20 And let's take that and apply that number to us. And let's examine what happened nearly 50 years ago or around 50 years ago. Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon in 1969 53 years ago. I would ask you a question how many of you witnessed that but you don't have to I did not. I have no memory of this. And I suspect that there's many in here who have no memory of it. The Watergate scandal began in 1972 and President Nixon resigned in 1974 48 years ago.

10:08 I have no recollection of that. I've read the studied history. I know all about it. But I have no memory of it. Jaws came out 47 years ago the movie in 1975 Okay, we're getting the things that I may know. Here's one. 46 years ago In 1976 Steve Jobs and Steve Wozniak created. Apple computer company Which is morphed into this.

10:54 49 years ago 1973 Well, it'll be 49 years in about eight weeks. Was the Yom Kippur War in Israel? happened on Yom Kippur again, 49 years ago again I have I've read this I've read the history. I have no recollection of that. I don't even know how I would try to go back to that. You can imagine a people in Exile. A whole group of people being raised up who don't remember. You know the same thing can be said about the about the Holocaust there's a whole group of people who have never met a survivor.

11:42 Is extremely sad to me and now it's even becoming more prevalent to say it never happened. Why because we didn't witness it because we only believe things that we see. Where's by the way? There's some things that you can see that you probably shouldn't believe. Comfort and keep comforting my people. Tell Jerusalem tell these Exiles to take heart don't despair. Let her know that her time of service is complete. Her guilt has been paid off and she has received double. Her guilt has been paid off. Now I'm going to fast forward.

12:28 a few hundred years to the depth of this how has the guilt been paid off? We see it in the context in the in the text. There's clearer Road and remove the obstacles that hinder the return of the Exiles and the revelation of the glory of God. You see the glory of God will come when the road has been cleared in the obstacles removed from that are preventing them from returning from exile. Yeshua our Messiah came after John iocanon John who identifies himself as a voice calling in

13:15 the wilderness To level the way before the Lord. And after the way was leveled, by the way, this is following the same same progression from here in Isaiah. After the way was leveled. The glory of God in Yeshua was revealed. John had difficult work and I'm not saying Yeshua didn't but John's work had to be done first so that the glory of God could be revealed in the person of Yeshua. Let's go on let's keep going here in verses 6 through 8. A voice says Proclaim and I answer what should I Proclaim all

14:01 humanity is merely grass in all its kindness like wildflowers. Well, I don't know about you, but I think I can say the kindness of humanity today is just like wildflowers. We all live in, Texas. The grasses has withered and the flower wildflowers are gone. Well, maybe maybe you got a couple this week. but if humanity is like grass and it's kindness like wildflowers and the grass dries up and the flowers fade when the Winds of the Lord blow on it, then that means that actually there's some when we rely upon other people we come across deeper issues. If people are like grass, let me just use the last two months

14:47 two and a half months as an example. Two and a half months ago. My yard was amazing. I mean lush green manicured like you walk on it Barefoot you could lay on it and it was like so soft. the rain stopped the sun came out And I by the way out, I don't know. Maybe I'm maybe I'm telling you what you already know, but I'm relatively cheap so I don't necessarily water my lawn. although I had to start watering it about three weeks ago because because it got to the point if I walked on it Barefoot, I would get holes in the bottom

15:34 of my feet because the grass was so brittle And had no softness to it. the nourishment in the nutrition that the world supplies is gone so quickly. And if that is where we find our nourishment as people. then we will fade like the grass has this summer will disappear like the wildflowers and the reality is is we will but there are ways that we Can change other people's lives and that happens when our nourishment does not come from this world? It happens when we find that our sustenance comes from the Lord the word of the Lord in him

16:21 only. And not from everything else that we feed ourselves. Let's move on a little bit more therefore verses 9 through 11, so Oh wait, I forgot. Yeah. Yeah the word of the Lord stands forever. Therefore if people are like grass and wildflowers and they wither and die. We should not find our sustenance with them. But rather Isaiah counters with the Lord word of the Lord that will stand forever. And if that happens therefore when we do that. When we find our sustenance in the word of the Lord, then we find ourselves capable of bringing good news to Zion.

17:08 This is the next verse capable of getting up on a high mountain and crying out at the top of our voice. Not afraid to shout out loud. Saying to the cities of Judah your God is here. His right arm will rule for him. He is like a Shepherd Fleet feeding. His shot his flock Gathering his hand his Lambs with his arm and carrying them against his chest. By the way, whether or not you realize it we have good news to bring to Zion to bring to Jerusalem and it's already happening. In fact to the point that this week. I'm going to say there's like a tide that's beginning to shift and we experience it here that there

17:54 is song and music and teaching coming out of Zion to sustain the Nations. Which is the way scripturally it's supposed to be. It means that now for for decades. Those who have been faithful and true to get up on a high mountain and bring good news have been doing it and we're beginning to see the the fruit of the labor. that labor Is hard work? difficult work to work for decades and see nothing.

18:41 But to continue and place your hope and trust in the Lord that he will provide. That is a difficult place to be we now have the ability. We're beginning to see fruit so we can be encouraged. It's not the same as it was 50 years ago. But still it's difficult work. It's not it's not easy work, by the way. Work is very rarely easy. If it was it would be called work. If you call play and everybody would be doing it. Well, I guess everybody is kind of doing it. But anyways. Yeshua is bringing. He's Gathering his lambs and carrying them. And so let us pay attention to how we today can best

19:28 share the good news of Yeshua and the fullness of the kingdom of God. That is at hand. now How can I say that the kingdom of God is at hand. Because 2,000 years ago. They said it was at hand. And it was codified as scripture and if it was at hand then then how much more so is it in now? Were 2,000 years closer, of course, it's at hand. Okay, maybe it's another 2,000 years. That's not for any one of us to determine. But it's closer now than it was 2,000 years ago. Let's let's put it this way when Paul did all of his work. We are closer to seeing the return of Yeshua then Paul was.

20:15 Let's go one more. We are on the verge of seeing more Jewish followers of Yeshua. then Paul did maybe were there maybe we're not there. We're on the verge. Do you understand what that means in the implications? Yeshua is not far. He's not here yet, but but he's coming. Let's turn over to the Torah portion for just a couple minutes. briefly for briefly briefly

21:05 We're going to take a look at Deuteronomy chapter 6. Verses 4 through 9 hero Israel the Lord Our God the Lord is one love. I don't know your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. By the way, we say this every Shabbat. Every Shabbat we say this. These words which I'm commanding you today are to be on your heart you were to teach them diligently to your children and speak of them when you sit in your house when you walk by the way when you lie down and when you rise up bind them as a sign on your hand. They are to be as frontlets between your eyes. And write them under doorposts of your house and on your Gates. Listen up.

21:54 oprahashem here. Oh Israel. Listen. up you ever tell your kids Hey listen up. I got to tell you something is super important. Listen up pay attention. This is the single most important verse. prayer Scripture whatever. However you want to define it. To the Jewish faith into the establishment of monotheism. And it all starts with listening. with hearing the Lord we are likened throughout the scriptures to sheep. You guys like being compared to sheep?

22:40 If you say yes, I challenge you to go to a sheep farm. And then come back. And tell me yes. Sheep they stink. They bite you. Like they they just wander off and they'll like fall off a cliff. Even if you're yelling at them and tell them to stop. We people are compared throughout scripture Not Just Once By the way. throughout the scriptures to sheep We're likened to to sheep throughout the scriptures who need to listen. And follow the voice of Our Shepherd.

23:27 So right after the listen up we have the Lord Is Our God. The Lord is one. Let's play a quick game. Don't have time. Yeah. Let's play a quick game how this is a trick question. How many of y'all believe? That that God is one. Okay. We just you just keep just keep that in your mind for a moment. If our God is one. Then that means he's got of everything right because there can be only one God. He's got to the heavens and the Earth.

24:12 He's got of the Trees of the field. of the mountaintops of the oceans of the the heavenlies He's got of everything still. Do I have still have your agreement? He's God of people. Yeah all people. All people like he's one God of all people. Jews and gentiles If he's God of all people. then that means that when all people turn to him. That they don't have to become something else.

24:57 They remain what they are. Jews remain Jews and Gentiles remain gentiles And what we have now, this is going to open up a whole super big can. Which I'm going to take like 30 seconds and I'm Gonna Leave You Without satisfaction. Paul recognizes this and writes about it in the Book of Romans and he says Jews and Gentiles are complementary pieces to be used instruments to be used by God. Gentiles to provoke Jews to jealousy Jews then to go And do what we're supposed to be doing which is being a light and sharing the word of the Lord about our God the sharing about

25:44 our God in all of the Nations and when that happens more by the way when that happens more gentiles. Will be like, whoa. That God of Israel. He's kind of a cool guy. when that happens if they walk in their destiny. Then they're gonna provoke more Jewish people to jealousy and if they prefer more more Jewish people to jealousy, then more Jewish people will go to the Nations. You see what's happening. It's just like ever-increasing. symbiotic relationship But sometimes we mistake ourselves for something else. Or maybe we don't even recognize what God created us to be. From the foundation of the world God created

26:29 us in a particular particular manner. and when we begin to look at ourselves as I'm going way longer than 30 seconds because now I'm getting into other things, but when we begin to doubt how it is that God made us. We're not doubting ourselves. When we begin to correct? things that we don't well Well, I don't want to take this too far. God created us a particular way. And when we get upset about the way God made us we're not upset with ourselves. We're upset with God. So if that's you I would take it up with God don't take it up with yourself.

27:17 How can we hear him better? or the verse answers this love him with all of our heart. with all of our soul and with all of our might so let's talk about this for just a moment again. We say this every Shabbat morning. The Shema by the way, is this is only just a part of it, but it's it's repeated twice daily every day. by a Jewish person Let's talk about all of our heart for just a moment. We must give him our undivided Allegiance. Some commentators interpret this as all of our desires or inclinations everything that's within us. It what it does. It makes our Earthly passions and

28:04 Ambitions instruments in the service of God. Not as the focus of this is what I'm going to be or who I am. It's actually these are instruments tools. Let's use the word tools. Maybe that's a better word. These are tools to be used by God in his service. So if your tool I'm gonna I know this person won't mind if I'm going to pick on Rocky for just a moment. Rocky has a passion. for drama and in lots of different terms of the word. No, I'm just playing right. Rocky has a passion for drama. but when when that tool

28:50 gets used in the way that God wants it to get used. Do you know what happens? People begin to see the light of Yeshua coming out through the the passion that is found within Rocky and drama. In in Yeshua, our Messiah is made evident. I could do this with with lots of people here, but I'm not going to because I know Rocky doesn't mind me picking on him just a little bit. Let's go next all of our heart with all of our soul. all of our soul everything within us We should be prepared to give up. our dearest wishes and inclinations

29:37 for the love of God We should love the Lord with all of our life even to the point of giving it up if that's what he requires. By the way. The Shema is the last thing that is uttered. upon a Jewish person's lips if they're martyred. It's the last thing that comes out and and there's even a commentator who says. Up until that point actually, I think it might have been Rabbi Akiva. Up until the point when he was martyred. He had only had the opportunity to love the Lord with all of his heart and with all of his strength. But now that that was what was becoming required all of his life. It was finally the Fulfillment. Of this with everything. That's within. I'm not

30:24 telling you that you need to go out and get martyred today or tomorrow. But I'm also telling you that that is a possibility. If that's if this is what you believe. all of our soul and with all of our might we should love the Lord and turn listen might sometimes is like strength can sometimes mean property. And so it's been interpreted in a couple different ways love the Lord in times of bliss and happiness, but also in times of distress and misfortune. Which many of us have now had the opportunity to at least partially taste over the last few years. It can also mean as I mentioned property and sometimes has been interpreted with all of your wealth or possession. So love the Lord your God

31:11 with all of your might. Now does this mean? That we give 10% to the Lord as our tithe and this is all of our might. We're going to have just a quick discussion on tithing right now. Because the question my question is is the tithe even ours. And I think I would argue it's not. So we don't give God 10% We return it. Like, you know Return to Sender Lord. This was only supposed to be 90% not I don't know what this 10% is. Like, let me return that to you. Like let me send it back. the 10% is is just that it's

31:58 it's What's in fact there? We could have a really long discussion about tithing and as it's found in the Torah, but that idea of 10% comes from the life of Jacob and you can see that in Genesis chapter 28 verse 22 where Jacob says, he's on his way to go see his uncle Laban and he says to the Lord he says listen, if you allow me to prosper and come back here, I'll give you 10% of all of my increase. Can I let you in on a secret? At this point Jacob has nothing. You know what 10% of nothing is. Nothing. That's an easy promise. When he comes back. He's got a lot.

32:44 10% of a lot is a lot. It's way more difficult to give 10% of a lot than it is to 10% of nothing. Just just the way the percentage is the same. But it's just what happens if I were to tell you. 10% would be $40. or 4 million dollars You would immediately go four million dollars. Like that's a lot. Oh my gosh. Like and I'm gonna tell you. When people if if they're for if four million dollars is their time. It doesn't mean it means less to them than

33:30 it does to us. It's still four million dollars. Or 40,000 whatever we can use any number we can play this game all day long. Just because they have more doesn't mean that they value less the money. So that check would be really difficult to write. But this with all of our might. Is not talking about that 10% It's actually talking about everything else. Everything else that we have with all of our might. And so it's important for us to be able to hear the voice of the Lord when he prompts Us by the way, and he does to financially help

34:18 others. along the way these words are to be on our hearts. We are to teach them to our children talk about them when we're sitting at home when we were walking on the road when we go to sleep and when we wake up. The more that we are involved in the word of God. The clearer his voice will become. So let's let's review real quick. According to Isaiah. We are what? grass wildflowers. What do we do? We fade away the kindness of humanity Fades away.

35:04 What stands forever? the word of the Lord If the word of the Lord stands forever, then we should be spinning the bulk of our time in the word of the Lord. Because that's what will Outlast us. Don't worry, we're gonna we're gonna come to the challenge here in a few minutes. Let's go forward one more one more chapter in this week's Torah portion. Deuteronomy chapter 7 verses 5 through 6 context the children Moses is talking about the children of Israel going into the land and what they're encountering and what they are to do. Indeed. He's speaking to the children of Israel indeed you are to deal with them like this the people in the everything that's

35:51 in the land tear down their altars smash their pillars cut down their ushera poles and burn their carved images with fire. For you are a holy people to the Lord your God from all the peoples on the face of the Earth Arena your God has chosen you. to be his treasured people There are obstacles that will arise. An attempt to distract us or block us entirely from hearing the word of the Lord. What's the Shema? Here. Oh Israel. The Lord Our God. The Lord is one. There are obstacles that will rise that will attempt to

36:38 block us from that. to hear from the Lord the people here entering into the land. Are told about distractions or obstacles that come in the form of objects of poles and carved images? And what the Lord demanded of them is the ruthless elimination of all of the obstacles. Nothing was to be left. all of these obstacles would if they were left would end up standing between him and his people and he did not want them to become distracted by whatever it was there. That would pull them away from service to him and him

37:25 alone. Paul tells us this so then Brothers we are debtors. Not to the flesh not to humanity. We are debtors not to the flesh to live according to the flesh. For if you live according to the flesh you will die. but if by the spirit you put to death the Deeds of the body. Then you will live in other words. There are obstacles that we experience in our flesh. That will cause us to live by the flesh. If we leave them then we will die.

38:14 If we ruthlessly eliminate these obstacles. Then we will live. I'm not saying you're you're not going to physically die, but we will live forever with the Lord the god of Israel Our Father. So now let's come to some practicality here. in other words Let's come to the part that hurts. All of this we've talked about now we come to the part that hurts. We and let me let me stop using the Royal we here for a moment. I Have been wrestling for about six months.

39:01 With with something. I felt like the Lord was leading me and also us into four season That season You you had the opportunity. Maybe you didn't get one actually yours. Yours will look like this. that color You had the opportunity to grab one on your way in. If you didn't you're welcome to grab one on the way out. This is a communal prayer and fasting guide that. That has been born out of this desire or something that I felt like the Lord was impressing upon me.

39:47 And before I go on any further. These are all in English, but we will if you are Spanish speaker in in need of Spanish one, they will be available soon. We just didn't have time to Get them out for today. So I suspect they'll be maybe available next week or the week after. Let me let me put it like this. communally This is what I began to feel impressed by that we will be fasting from food and removing obstacles that are preventing our total dependence upon the Lord. in our lives For a period of time the period of time will be 40 days. Basically it

40:34 will be the month of a lule through Yom Kippur. and will conclude so what that is if you're looking for for Gregorian dates the calendar that we use in our everyday lives. That's the night of August 26th through Yom Kippur, which is October 5th. Again, I think that's all in here. So you don't need to like take notes on this you just grab one of these on your way out and it'll have this. This is a season will be a season for us to make space or to make room in our lives. by removing obstacles things that we find ourselves more to

41:21 dependent upon than we thought we might be. In our own lives and in the lives of our community. As we remove obstacles we're going to get into those obstacles in just a minute as we remove obstacles. It's important to replace. Them with something. Replace them with prayer. Replace them with studying the word of God. And replace them with deepening our personal connections with others here in our community and those even outside of our community. So let's talk about the fast for a minute. By the way, I just I before I

42:06 keep going. I just want to acknowledge Amanda Jacobs because she's the one who put all of this together. I sat down with Amanda for I don't know man. It was about an hour. Maybe an hour-ish. I like to use the ish term sat down for an hour ish and kind of shared what kind of poured my heart out as to everything that we that I was that I was feeling impressed about and then she turned around and created this. And when I read through it. I she was able to put scriptures in words to things that I was unable to Define even in my own mind and I

42:51 read it and I was like, oh that's what I was talking about, but I didn't know how to how to express it. So. There are this is loaded with scriptures with a little bit of like definitions as to what we're talking about. And even if you desire a guided prayer in its laid out in a week format, so you do everything for a week and then we move on to the next. The fast so let's talk about the faster for a moment. Let me be brutally honest I expect none of you. to fast for 40 days Like that's not my expectation my expectation is that communally we will be fasting for this season of 40 days

43:39 and maybe you do one day a week. Maybe you do three days in the whole time period from food or maybe you can't faster on food, maybe that there's a health issue that prevents you from fasting from food. Maybe you fast from sweets from sugar from there should be no health issue that that prevents anybody from fasting from alcohol you can fast from alcohol you you can pick pick and choose some of these things if you can't fast from food, Because the reality is if your doctor says it's unhealthy for you and by unhealthy, I mean like you'll pass out and die. You know because there are conditions like that don't do it. Can I like don't?

44:26 Yeah ever good don't do with that. Like there are Provisions that are given to us scripturally and traditionally that allow us to not kill the Temple of the Holy Spirit. anyways I also want to note that it's not traditional not customary in the Jewish Community to fast on Shabbat if you choose choose to that's fine, but I'm just telling you it's not a Jewish custom to fast on Shabbat and there will be There's I think there's seven shabbats in this time period maybe eight. So just as a mental note. If you do fast from a meal.

45:12 or or from meals plural Let me let me just ask that you consider. Instead of viewing it as Savings in your wallet. Perhaps by a meal for someone who's hungry. Or donate to a local food bank for the the is more active in the in the in the community of those who are in need of food. So consider when we skip a meal feeding those who are hungry you can find this by the way, this is in the opening week. in Isaiah 58 This is what he says. Is this the fast that I've chosen. and he says moving onward the Lord says

46:00 this is the fast I choose. Is for you to share your bread with the hungry when you see the naked to cover him? or her so let's let's be mindful of those in our community Brook Hashem, Dallas. Texas wherever it is that you are if you're watching online and you want to join us be mindful of those who maybe don't have what we have. And when you when you skip a meal. consider donating a meal If you want to donate more meals, that's totally fine. I'm not limiting you here. Consider removing here comes the Here Comes Here Comes My difficult portion. Okay, he is ready.

46:45 phones down consider removing obstacles in your life that distract you or pull you away. From your concentration and focus upon the Lord. obstacles such as now I'm not mandating it. Because I don't use the word mandatory. very often but let me actually let me couch it this way. I and my wife now our children would do a slightly different. We'll be slightly a variant thereof will be fasting will be removing. Let's let's put it this way. Let's we'll be removing the obstacles of social

47:31 media. Of media, that would be TVs movies news. for 40 days So my challenge is for you to try the same. Our staff our Facebook page all of our social media will stop. For Brook Hashem for 40 days. Let's My challenge is this you may not think you have an obstacle. But try giving it up and see. Whether or not your body lets you voluntarily Give It Up. And if your body does not voluntarily let you give it up then I I suspect you might have an obstacle.

48:17 And there are obstacles. That need to be removed. ruthlessly in our lives Maybe you're struggle is not Media or social media or alcohol or any of if that's not you find whatever it is that's in your way. And remove that consider removing that as an obstacle during this season. in this book well before I say this book, let me let me give you another another something to consider. As you were doing this as you were in this period of 40 days, I would consider keeping a journal.

49:03 And document how it is that the Lord meets you and speaks to you. During this season. You can come back to it years later and remember what God spoke to you. Now if you don't have a journal or anything like that. Again, you're welcome to grab one of these and in the back, we've created some some pages for you to take to journal notes. It's not a lot of room but there's a little room. So feel free to write it down in here if that's what you would like. Let me let me say one more thing before I come to the final. the final lessons for us to take take out of this.

49:49 The last time I did something like this. It was extremely impactful in my life. In the life of what would become my family, this is even before I was married. It changed the way I viewed everything. Now I'm not telling you that you were going to be the same way. But but also don't be surprised if you come out of this an entirely different person. That is strengthened in their resolve to focus solely upon the Lord. And listen and hear what he has for you to do. So let's talk about some takeaways today Beyond even

50:36 that. Shabbat nakamud this is the Shabbat where we are commanded to comfort the Lord's people. Let us clear the road and remove obstacles so that the glory of the Lord can be revealed. Now some of those obstacles may be even within us and that's what part of that's what part of this is is removing those obstacles. Are we taking the necessary time to listen or to hear the Lord? Is there anything stopping us from hearing the Lord today? Is he let me let me put a different way. Is he able to get through the noise?

51:21 in our lives now Let me let me rephrase it one more time because God's able to do anything. but maybe it's it's maybe this are we able to distinguish his voice through all of the noise that exists in our lives. Are we able to hear his voice he can get through it. But are we able to distinguish Our Shepherd? From all of the other people that are wanting to be our Shepherd. by the way I learned something. I don't know. Maybe it was a year ago.

52:09 The the kind of changed the way I viewed. social media and really not just social media, but other other instances. If something is free. Then you were the product. That's being sold. in other words If we're not paying for whatever it is because the reality is in this world everything runs by money. You see even Yeshua addresses it. He says you can serve. God or you can serve Mammon, but you cannot serve both.

52:55 everything of this world is driven by money and if you don't realize that let me just remove that obstacle from your from your mindset here for a moment. Everything is run by money. So when you hear this is free. Something is wrong. Or you only pay one penny. Over 99 days and then you can cancel the subscription. You know what I'm talking about? If it's free consider what it is, that's actually the commodity being distributed at hand. Finally, let's talk one more time about this communal

53:41 prayer and fasting guy. Let's Let us allow the Lord to work in our community during this season and draw us closer to him and closer to one another. Let us allow the light of Yeshua to shine brightly through our lives. Let us dwell together in unity and in love and let us worship and serve the Lord together. You see when we are together. operating in love Yeshua says that's how the world will know. That we are his followers. So let me say one more thing before I wrap up.

54:29 I wow. I just did a whole lot more things. So don't believe the first one more thing, but anyways on the night. of it's August 27th. That's Saturday the last Shabbat and in August. So whenever somebody checks their calendar shouted out. On the 27th Saturday night, August 27th. We will be having a roach worship night. Here for us to kind of enter into this season. I think it would be great for our community. If we join together as we like this that day is going to be the first day of the removal of the obstacles. Let's start to fill it with worship and prayer in service of

55:16 our God. May the Lord bless you and keep you may the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace. Give our recognize. my rest On Yahoo! I don't know how he saw tonight.

56:11 in the name of our Messiah Yeshua shabbat shalom