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Who could be greater than our G-d?

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Exo 3:13  Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

Exo 3:14  God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Exo 3:15  God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

Exo 3:16  “Go, assemble the elders of Israel and say to them, ‘The LORD, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob—appeared to me and said: I have watched over you and have seen what has been done to you in Egypt.

I AM WHO I AM

Adam Clarke Commentary

I am that I am – ???? ??? ????  Eheyeh asher Eheyeh. These words have been variously understood. The Vulgate translates Ego Sum Qui Sum, I am who am. The Septuagint, ??? ???? ?? ??, I am he who exists. The Syriac, the Persic, and the Chaldee preserve the original words without any gloss. The Arabic paraphrases them, The Eternal, who passes not away; which is the same interpretation given by Abul Farajius, who also preserves the original words, and gives the above as their interpretation. The Targum of Jonathan, and the Jerusalem Targum paraphrase the words thus: “He who spake, and the world was; who spake, and all things existed.”

L-rd – Yod Hey Vav Hey – Adonai

H3068

????

y^eho?va?h

yeh-ho-vaw’

From H1961; (the) self Existent or eternal; Jehovah, Jewish national name of God: – Jehovah, the Lord. Compare H3050, H3069.

???

ya?hh

yaw

Contracted for H3068, and meaning the same; Jah, the sacred name: – Jah, the Lord, most vehement. Cp. names in “-iah,” “-jah.”

That is unless G-d d0es the changing.

Message from Pastor George – Erev Shabbat service June 4, 2010

This will provide you with the notes for the first half of the message compiled by Rabbi Patrick McDonald

BAR – Son of the King, Son of G-d

Mat 16:16  And Simon Peter answered and said, Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.

Mar 15:39  And when the centurion, which stood over against him, saw that he so cried out, and gave up the ghost, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

Luk 1:32  He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

Joh 1:34  And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.

Osh – From the beginning

Joh 1:1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

Joh 1:2  The same was in the beginning with God.

Joh 8:58  Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Yat – Who / Beera – Created

Joh 1:3  All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Bet – Household, house, family, TENT or Tabernacle  (In Tabernacle)

Rev 21:3  And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God.

Resh – Head, The Head, The Highest

Rev 19:16  And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.

Alef – Strength, Leader, First (The First to rise again)

1Co 15:20  But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept.

Shin – To Consume, Destroy (Destroyed the power of sin)

1Jn 3:8  He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Yod – A deed or act, to make , a work (He did a work)

Eph 2:16  And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby:

Joh 19:30  When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.

Tav – Sign, Seal, Covenant (He Sealed his Covenant in His blood)

Rom 11:27  For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.

Heb 13:20  Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant,

Bet = 2

Resh = 200

Alef = 1

Shin = 300

Yod = 10

Tav = 400

Total 913

But when you DESTROY (Shin) the effect of sin you are left with

613 – The number of Mitzvots or commandments  in Torah – Without Sin Jesus Is the Torah RELIEVED!

• “Gut feelings” tell you something is wrong.

• The group or its leader possess the total and only truth.

• Pressure to cut ties with family members, friends and other attachments.

• Extreme, immediate and/or inappropriate attention or friendliness.

• Not answering questions or turning them back on the questioner.

• Jargon or language that makes no sense outside the group.

• A hard sell for commitment.

• Secrecy or inappropriate “confidentiality.”

• Lack of privacy. You’re required to constantly be with group members or be busy with group activities.

• Ends justify the means. It is OK to lie for the cause.

• Your strengths are criticized as weaknesses.

• Those who leave are shunned, or become enemies or objects of pity.

• No criticism is allowed of the group or its leader.

• Deception. What you get turns out to be entirely different than what you expected when you joined.

By Rick Ross, Expert Consultant and Intervention Specialist

Ten warning signs of a potentially unsafe group/leader.

1. Absolute authoritarianism without meaningful accountability.
2. No tolerance for questions or critical inquiry.
3. No meaningful financial disclosure regarding budget, expenses such as an independently audited financial statement.
4. Unreasonable fear about the outside world, such as impending catastrophe, evil conspiracies and persecutions.
5. There is no legitimate reason to leave, former followers are always wrong in leaving, negative or even evil.
6. Former members often relate the same stories of abuse and reflect a similar pattern of grievances.
7. There are records, books, news articles, or television programs that document the abuses of the group/leader.
8. Followers feel they can never be “good enough”.
9. The group/leader is always right.
10. The group/leader is the exclusive means of knowing “truth” or receiving validation, no other process of discovery is really acceptable or credible.

Ten warning signs regarding people involved in/with a potentially unsafe group/leader.

1. Extreme obsessiveness regarding the group/leader resulting in the exclusion of almost every practical consideration.
2. Individual identity, the group, the leader and/or God as distinct and separate categories of existence become increasingly blurred. Instead, in the follower’s mind these identities become substantially and increasingly fused–as that person’s involvement with the group/leader continues and deepens.
3. Whenever the group/leader is criticized or questioned it is characterized as “persecution”.
4. Uncharacteristically stilted and seemingly programmed conversation and mannerisms, cloning of the group/leader in personal behavior.
5. Dependency upon the group/leader for problem solving, solutions, and definitions without meaningful reflective thought. A seeming inability to think independently or analyze situations without group/leader involvement.
6. Hyperactivity centered on the group/leader agenda, which seems to supercede any personal goals or individual interests.
7. A dramatic loss of spontaneity and sense of humor.
8. Increasing isolation from family and old friends unless they demonstrate an interest in the group/leader.
9. Anything the group/leader does can be justified no matter how harsh or harmful.
10. Former followers are at best-considered negative or worse evil and under bad influences. They can not be trusted and personal contact is avoided.

Ten signs of a safe group/leader.

1. A safe group/leader will answer your questions without becoming judgmental and punitive.
2. A safe group/leader will disclose information such as finances and often offer an independently audited financial statement regarding budget and expenses. Safe groups and leaders will tell you more than you want to know.
3. A safe group/leader is often democratic, sharing decision making and encouraging accountability and oversight.
4. A safe group/leader may have disgruntled former followers, but will not vilify, excommunicate and forbid others from associating with them.
5. A safe group/leader will not have a paper trail of overwhelmingly negative records, books, articles and statements about them.
6. A safe group/leader will encourage family communication, community interaction and existing friendships and not feel threatened.
7. A safe group/leader will recognize reasonable boundaries and limitations when dealing with others.
8. A safe group/leader will encourage critical thinking, individual autonomy and feelings of self-esteem.
9. A safe group/leader will admit failings and mistakes and accept constructive criticism and advice.
10. A safe group/leader will not be the only source of knowledge and learning excluding everyone else, but value dialogue and the free exchange of ideas.

Don’t be naïve, develop a good BS Detector.

You can protect yourself from unsafe groups and leaders by developing a good BS detector. Check things out, know the facts and examine the evidence. A safe group will be patient with your decision making process. If a group or leader grows angry and anxious just because you want to make an informed and careful decision before joining; beware.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord. Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand. Sometimes there were two sets of footprints, other times there was one only.

This bothered me because I noticed that during the low periods of my life, when I was suffering from anguish, sorrow or defeat, I could see only one set of footprints, so I said to the Lord,

“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you, you would walk with me always. But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life there has only been one set of footprints in the sand. Why, when I needed you most, have you not been there for me?”

The Lord replied, “The years when you have seen only one set of footprints, my child, is when I carried you.”

How about commanded for all ages? For all time? Are we to second guess the L-rd?