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Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement 2023 - Why is this holiday still important for Christians? (Church Service)
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Minister Ty Alexander
(Ty)
  9/26/2023

Join and worship in the Yom Kippur service
or read the transcript below...

Why should you attend as a Christian or Jew?
Instead of asking that, you should wonder,
Why do ALL the major Jewish holidays link to the life and ministry of Christ?

There are reasons why everyone, whether Jew or Christian,
needs temporal atonement for sin, which is not covered by the New Covenant.

Many Christians think because they are saved in Christ,
they don't need to know more about atonement for sin,
but in this service, you will learn why you need more.

For Yom Kippur, we will focus on how atonement for sin works today
and ask God for healing and deliverance.

Fasting from food and water for 24 hours (one day and night)
before the service starts is recommended to help petition the Lord,
either for yourself or others.

Transcript 9/26/2023
Good day, wherever you are, in the name of the Lord. I’m Ty Alexander Huynh, Elder Minister and Teacher of Mashiach Yeshua (Christ Jesus) and Elder Priest of Yahovah ( יהוה ) El Elyon, God Most High. Welcome to this Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement service. You are free to ask questions with the YouTube chat features, but please wait until after the service. I will wait to respond at that time.

Some of you may wonder why I do Christian services for holidays that most consider to be only for Judaism, but I want to remind you that the church has largely forgotten the Hebrew heritage she was adopted into with Christ. This was a product of The Beast that I talked about last time on Yom Teruah.

The disciples of Christ also observed Jewish holidays and sabbaths in the New Testament, as well. So remember, there is no longer Jew or Gentile under Christ; we are meant to be baptized into one body, made to drink of one Spirit as One People of God (1 Corinthians 12:13); There is neither Jew nor Greek, neither slave nor free man, nor male or female; for we are all one in Mashiach Yeshua. And if you belong to Him, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise, (Galatians 3:28-29) just as the Jews remain heirs of promise.

And another good reason to acknowledge and come back to our ancient Hebrew roots is that God linked ALL the major Jewish holidays to the life and ministry of Christ.

God did not do that for His own pleasure, so consider why that is, especially the Jewish brethren among you who are afraid to leave Judaism, and those traditional Christians here, who have shunned all things Jewish.

Furthermore, to emphasize the traditional ways of the church that ignores God’s Old Testament holidays are wrong, note that after Mashiach Yeshua returns,God makes it clear that His ancient holidays will be celebrated and even enforced for all peoples. God said, It will come about that any who are left of the nations that came against Jerusalem will go up from year to year to worship the King, Yahovah of hosts, and to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot/Tabernacles. And it will be that whichever of the families of the earth does not go up to Jerusalem to worship the King, Yahovah of hosts, there will be no rain on them… it will be the punishment of all the peoples that do not go up to celebrate the Feast of Sukkot/Tabernacles (Zechariah/Zecharya 14:16-19).

So as a People of God, we should be acknowledging what God wants of us. These things are also proof that the true ways of God are as I have been teaching and not simply the whims of a strange Christian Hebrew priest. May you put things in proper perspective and see that it is the ancient, natural olive roots that support the ingrafted branches of the Christian brethren and not the other way around (Romans 11:17-24). So remember and honor our Hebrew roots. This is also why I put God’s original Hebrew names back in quotes of scripture (see The Actual Names of God and Christ for more; http://3rdCompass.org/g?GODS-NAMES). Your knowledge of God and His kingdom will not be complete if you do not know the names God gave and used for Himself in the original words of scripture.

However, do not get trapped again in the slavery of strict observance of law. When Apostle Paul said holidays, sabbaths, etc. are only shadows of what is to come, he was not condemning the observance of Old Testament holidays or traditions. If you see his complete statement, he only stated we cannot be judged for observing or not observing them – No one is to act as your judge in regard to food or drink or in respect to a festival or a new moon or a Sabbath day - things which are a mere shadow of what is to come (Colossians 2:16).

So there actually is nothing in the New Testament stating we should forget or reject the Jewish holidays we inherited as a People of God. We are only not obligated to observe them anymore under a strict yoke of slavery. And also remember that Christ and His disciples observed Old Testament holidays and the weekly Sabbath. Yeshua’s Last Supper was for the first feast of Pesach/Passover, the disciples of Christ rested according to the commandment for a Sabbath rest after they buried Him (Luke 23:56), and the disciples gathered on Shavuot, which is known in the church as Pentecost, so may you acknowledge again that God’s Old Testament holidays and sabbaths are still important.

But keep that in perspective with the ways of Christ. Paul said these things are a shadow of what is to come, which some people would say means they have no importance. However, his reference to what is to come refers to a new age or time when observing traditions would be replaced with something else.

For today, though, and even in the next age after the Messiah returns, observing holidays are still important. God wants His people everywhere to see that, especially the Jews, who He is now giving a final call towards renewal in Christ. This is why God has ALL the major Jewish holidays linked to Christ as follows:
  • Pesach/Passover – goes with the sacrifice and death of Christ
  • First Fruits and Shavuot/Pentecost or Feast of Weeks or First Fruits – go with the resurrection and ascension of Christ after His resurrection, and the completion of promises to the church
  • Yom Teruah/Rosh Hashana – goes with the coming of Christ
  • Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement – goes with Christ’s atonement for all sins
  • Sukkot/Tabernacles and Shemini Atzeret – go with God’s continual love for His people despite their sins and final renewal and even resurrection into eternal life with Christ
  • Hanukkah – goes with God’s real re-dedication of the temples of our bodies when we are saved in Christ
For more details about these links, you may go to the Holidays page at 3rdCompass.org (http://3rdcompass.org/g?HOLIDAYS).

Last week I covered Yom Teruah, the Day of Trumpets or Shouting, or what most people call Rosh Hashana. Today we observe Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, which like Yom Teruah, a feast is not mandated in scripture, but it is tradition to have a festive meal for all holidays, so may you have a nice meal after service to celebrate. Let it be blessed and have you remember the Lord’s lovingkindness.

Some of you may wonder, Why should we care about Yom Kippur when the atonement of Christ is finished for all sins and is an eternal atonement? Afterall, when the Lord died on the cross the veil of the temple was torn in two (Matthew 27:51; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:45); that veil or curtain was the one that separated the chambers between the Holy Place and the Most Holy Place in the temple or tabernacle. The Most Holy Place or Holy of holies is where the ark of the covenant was and where the high priest would go in once a year at Yom Kippur to meet God between the gold cherubim angels on the ark (Exodus/Shemot 25:22; Numbers/Bamidbar 7:89), though at the time of Christ the ark was not in the temple anymore, as it was hidden away many centuries earlier.

So when HaMashiach – The Christ died, God literally tore the need for ritual sacrifice and atonement apart, which fulfilled the words of the Messiah when Jews asked Him, What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?and Yeshua answered them,Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up (John 2:18-19).

But the temple was not destroyed until some decades later in 70 AD. How did God’s words in Christ become fulfilled?

When Yeshua Mashiach shed His blood and died, He sealed the New Covenant which replaced the Old Law given through Moses/Moshe. And through the New Covenant, God enacted a new spiritual temple of God, which are our bodies in which the Holy Spirit resides in those who are saved in Christ. So when Yeshua was resurrected on the third day, it was the sign to the people that God’s temple was also rebuilt as He said in three days. God eliminated the institute of ritual atonement at the temple in Jerusalem when He tore the curtain and raised up His new temple through Christ, which is also called the New Jerusalem (Revelation 3:12, 21:2).

So then, many of you may wonder, Why should we care about Yom Kippur anymore? The Day of Atonement was just for Jews. Christians don’t need it.

To answer that, you have to realize the eternal atonement for sin in Christ is for the next life – eternal heaven. We get a pass to heaven through Christ’s atonement despite all our sins. Being saved in Christ through the New Covenant does NOT take care of the effects of sin in this life, and so, I’m sure all of you have noticed, you have curses or judgment and afflictions because of your sins. This is why God’s people still need Yom Kippur; the need to take care of temporal effects of sin is still important.

This need to take care of temporal atonement or forgiveness for sins is also a big reason why Yom Kippur is the most popular holiday for Jews. For some, it is the only holiday they go to synagogue for, and many Jews consider Yom Kippur the holiest of the holidays. However, God did not mandate Yom Kippur to be observed like three other national holidays – Pesach/Passover, Shavuot/Pentecost, and Sukkot/Tabernacles (Exodus 23:14-17, 34:23-24; Deuteronomy 16:16-17; 2 Chronicles 8:13), so ranking Yom Kippur above all holidays isn’t quite right.

One thing I’m sure of, though, is that Yom Kippur’s popularity has more to do with God’s grace when people try to address their sin. He does forgive and work healing and deliverance – that temporal salvation and atonement we address today – for those who come to Him in sincere repentance and ask for forgiveness, no matter what religion you adhere to. The ancient city of Nineveh from the Book of Jonah attests to that great forgiveness from God. They were not Jews, which was a reason why the prophet Jonah did not want to go to Nineveh, but God still forgave them.

And so, because Jews, even unobservant ones, do see real forgiveness and help from God through prayers and petition on Yom Kippur, they have made it a point to seriously observe the holiday. But something that the Lord does not want to happen is that you treat Yom Kippur as a clean-all day and then go back to life as usual by ignoring the removal of sin from your lives. Temporary repentance is not God’s desire for us. It is supposed to be a permanent change in us.

It is true that you may take care of your sins at any time of the year using prayer and petition like we are doing today, but often, you also need an elder, as well as the proper time and ways to get temporal atonement from God, for the prayers of a righteous person can accomplish much (James 5:13-16) and there are many reasons why God will not give temporal atonement (healing and deliverance), so those of you constantly praying days on end to get healing, deliverance, or help of any kind, you need to have more faith and take care of sin.

Is God deaf or like an unjust judge who gives what you want because you constantly pester him? Won’t God bring justice swiftly to His chosen? (Luke 18:1-8) For those who have waited endlessly for help, we need to examine things further, and God deemed it fitting to take care of the people’s sin once a year during Yom Kippur, which was much more about temporal atonement, not eternal, so now we come to address this.

Many people fast for Yom Kippur, but that is not mentioned in the Law of Moses/Moshe. For this holiday, the Hebrew uses the word, “anah” [ ענה  “ah-nah”], meaning to humble or afflict oneself, to go with this holiday’s sabbath rest and because atonement was made for the people’s sin (Leviticus/Vayikra 16:29-31).

“Anah” does not mean to fast from food or drink, specifically, but is a general afflicting, humbling, or to be occupied with something. There is actually no command in the Law of Moses to fast with any atonement rituals. Somewhere in history, the Jews picked up the tradition to fast for Yom Kippur, which seems to be mentioned as the fast in Acts 27:9 when the disciples were sailing late in the season.

The Hebrew word for fasting from food and water is “tsum” [ צום  “szoom”], which is not used in scripture describing Yom Kippur. Because of this and because we should not be overly concerned with getting everything right for holidays under Christ’s light yoke, I consider fasting for Yom Kippur optional.

However, I asked you to fast before this service if you have afflictions that you want prayed over today or to help the petition of others. This fasting is to help petition the Lord and was done by people in both the Old and New Testaments, including the apostles (Esther 4:15-16; also Judges/Shoftim 20:26; 1 Samuel/Shmuel I 7:6; 2 Samuel/ Shmuel II 12:15-17-22; 2 Chronicles/Divrei Hayamim II 20:1-4; Ezra 8:21-23; Nehemiah/Nechemya 1:1-11, 9:1; Psalm/Tehillim 35:13-14, 109:21-24; Isaiah/Yeshayahu 58:3-4; Jeremiah/Yirmiyahu 14:10-12, 36:9; Daniel 9:3; Joel/Yoel 1:14, 2:15-17; Jonah/Yonah 3:4-9; Luke 2:37; Acts 13:2-3, 14:23).

It was no accident the Lord aligned the Jewish fasting tradition with Yom Kippur to go with our purposes in asking for God’s temporal atonement and healing through Christ during this holiday. His works are truly amazing!

Before this Yom Kippur service I asked you to think about things done wrong, your sins, and what you wish to be healed and atoned of. During this service we will pray to bring healing, deliverance, and atonement for our sins and the curses or judgment God has brought upon us.

But wait! Some of you might say, God doesn’t bring curses or anything bad.

“God is always good!” is something I’ve heard a lot in the church, but that statement is most often used by people under false teachings of a God that only blesses His people and never brings anything bad. If you truly know God, then you know that is not true. To have a complete and mature understanding of God, we must remember He is the One forming light and creating darkness, causing well-being and creating disaster; [He says,] I am Yahovah who does all these things (Isaiah/Yeshayahu 45:7; also Deuteronomy/Devarim 32:39; 1 Samuel/Shmuel I 2:5-7; Lamentations/Eicha 3:38; Job/Iyov 12:23; Jeremiah 31:28/Yirmiyahu 31:27; Ecclesiastes/Kohelet 7:14; 2 Chronicles/Divrei Hayamim II 25:8; Proverbs/Mishlei 22:2).

Scripture that connects joying through affliction can also obscure the full picture when the causes of hardships are omitted. Consider the following verses:

Apostle Peter noted, Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal among you, which comes upon you for your testing, as though some strange thing were happening to you, but to the degree that you share the sufferings of Christ, keep on rejoicing (1 Peter 4:12-13)

And Paul proclaimed, We also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us (Romans 5:3-5).

These verses mainly speak about afflictions that come from fighting the darkness of the world that comes against us for righteousness, not sin.

Remember, most New Testament scripture talking about rejoicing in tribulations refer to afflictions and persecution brought by proclaiming the truth and the gospel (Matthew 5:10-12; Luke 5:22-23; Romans 5:3-5, 8:16-18; 2 Corinthians 1:5-7, 4:8-12, 6:4-10; Philippians 3:7-11; Colossians 1:24; 2 Timothy 3:10-12; 1 Peter 4:12-19). The verses from Peter and Paul include those righteous causes of affliction – they refer to sharing in the sufferings of Christ and the saints, not to rejoicing in afflictions because of sin.

With that in mind, Yom Kippur and our prayers today are not for atonement and deliverance of afflictions from doing what is right. Nor are we talking about God’s atonement in the New Covenant, which is about eternal atonement for the next life, not this life. Today, we are addressing afflictions that come from sin, but because God’s people - the church and Judaism - often only focus on joy and partial sweet truths in scripture, they don’t understand the whole picture and God’s whole character in that He brings both the bad and good (Isaiah/Yeshayahu 45:7; also Deuteronomy/Devarim 32:39; 1 Samuel/Shmuel I 2:5-7; Lamentations/Eicha 3:38; Job/Iyov 12:23; Jeremiah 31:28/Yirmiyahu 31:27; Ecclesiastes/Kohelet 7:14; 2 Chronicles/Divrei Hayamim II 25:8; Proverbs/Mishlei 22:2).

She forgets that God being Judge of all, also means that judgment comes from Him. Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that both bad and good go forth? (Lamentations/Eicha 3:38), and did He not say? The rebuke of Yahovah, My child, do not reject, nor loathe His correction. For those whom Yahovah loves, He disciplines as a child in whom He delights (Hebrews 12:5-6; Proverbs/Mishlei 3:11-12).

Yet, believers often blame only the devil for bringing bad things. They often forget Who allows the enemy to afflict and reign. They can only attack and work in our lives as the Lord wills, for the Lord Yahovah said, See now that I, I am He, and there is no God besides Me; It is I who brings to death and give life. I have wounded and it is I who heal, and there is no one who can deliver from My hand (Deuteronomy/Devarim 32:39).

This was wisdom given to Hannah, who thousands of years ago was childless for many years because the Lord closed her womb (1 Samuel 1:6), but she petitioned the Lord in tears, and soon after she bore a boy who would be Samuel the prophet. In Hannah’s praise of the Lord she said, Yahovah kills and makes alive; He brings down to the grave and raises up. Yahovah makes poor and rich; He humbles, He also exalts. He raises the poor from the dust, He lifts the needy from the ash heap to make them sit with nobles, and inherit a seat of honor. For the pillars of the earth are Yahovah’s, and He set the world on them (1 Samuel/Shmuel I 2:6-8).

Proverbs/Mishlei 22 says, The rich and the poor have a common bond, Yahovah is the Maker of them all. The prudent sees the evil and hides himself, but the naive go on and are punished for it. The reward of humility and fear of Yahovah are riches, honor, and life (Proverbs/Mishlei 22:2-4).

Now consider the last line more, The reward of humility and fear of Yahovah are riches, honor, and life (Proverbs/Mishlei 22:4). We need humility to admit our sins and try to reconcile or correct them. This process is called repentance, and is very important to get healing and deliverance, for the eyes of Yahovah are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry. The face of Yahovah is against the wicked (Psalm 34:15-16/Tehillim 34:16-17).

Prayers often go unheard because of unrepentance and the continuing of sin, so if you have petitions for the Lord’s healing and deliverance today, be sure to turn your heart to change and correct your sins. The Lord is most graceful towards the repentant, just as He was towards the large city of Nineveh where there were over 120,000 souls (Jonah/Yonah 4:11) doomed to disaster if they did not change.

But when they heard the prophet Jonah/Yonah proclaim God’s judgment on them, they fasted and mourned, from the greatest to the least of them, and petitioned the Lord to relent as they also moved to take sin out of their lives (Jonah/Yonah 3:4-9). God saw what they did and took away His hand that was raised in anger (Jonah/Yonah 3:10). Not only did they save themselves from destruction in that day, but their repentance and change to remove sin would give them life in heaven when the resurrection of the dead comes, as the Mashiach/Messiah said, The people of Nineveh will rise up with this generation at the judgment and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah (Matthew 12:41; Luke 11:32).

Repentance and a new walk towards righteousness has a great deal of effect, for both your lives now and in the afterlife. But to get the most benefit from repentance, we need to call on God with faith in Mashiach Yeshua, because God did bring the New Covenant Age with a new focus towards loyalty to Him through Christ and the ways of Christ. So if you haven’t proclaimed your belief in Mashiach Yeshua yet, then turn to someone and say, “Mashiach Yeshua is my Lord and Savior” (Romans 10:8-9). If you are alone, then tell someone by phone, text, or online. Feel free to send me your statement of faith as well. This public acknowledgement of faith is very important to truly belong to the Lord, so don’t neglect it and never deny your faith and loyalty in Christ. These are aspects of the New Covenant I will speak more about at another time (see The True Gospel and Imposters for more; http://3rdCompass.org/g?TRUE-GOSPEL).

Today, we ask for the Lord’s forgiveness, and He reminds us to truly repent – to walk in sin no more, because even if the Lord grants a miracle out of His lovingkindness, you will only suffer again if you continue in sin. This is why Yeshua said, Stop sinning so that nothing worse happens to you after He healed a crippled man (John 5:14).

Another thing that hinders the handling of sin and atonement are lies and misconceptions saying Christians or people of God can’t be cursed. People don’t seem to understand why a blessed people of God should or could be cursed, but this viewpoint is fueled by overly sweetened teaching of God’s promises that omit the whole picture. Curses are not some negative power that only affects so-called unblessed nonbelievers. They are simply judgment for sin, and since everyone sins (Romans 3:9-10, 3:23; 1 Kings/Melachim I 8:46; Psalm/Tehillim 14:1-3, 53:1-3/Tehillim 53:1-4), everyone, including blessed people of God can have curses.

This is a big reason much judgment has fallen on the Jews. They are a blessed people of God, yet also cursed with judgment because of sin. The church is no different.

Many Christians seem to believe that having the great blessing of eternal salvation in Christ also gets rid of all judgment and curses in this life. However, I already stated the New Covenant never negated judgment during this life, and therefore curses affecting us in this life. The New Covenant’s atonement is all about negating our sin and judgment for the next life.

And for many Jews, they see God’s eternal promises of renewal and possession of the Promised Land as a sure blessing – they understand they are heirs of eternal promises, but then they do not see how they are cursed because of their sins, which unfortunately today, trying to live under the Old Law is guaranteed to bring curses (Galatians 3:10).

For as I spoke to Judaism recently (http://3rdCompass.org/g?GODS-OFFERING-TO-JUDAISM), they must understand the Torah (Law) says, Cursed is the one who does not fulfill the words of this law by doing them (Deuteronomy/ Devarim 27:26), and God added, If you do not obey the voice of Yahovah your God, to carefully observe all His commands and His laws which I am commanding you today, then all these curses will come upon you and overtake you (Deuteronomy/ Devarim 28:15) - a multitude of curses, which are guaranteed because Judaism not only lives by false “laws” that God did not command, but they cannot fulfil the Old Law as God spoke. The temple is gone, the ark of the covenant is hidden away, and there are no more anointed priests for fulfilment of the Law of Moses. Sacrifices and rituals that must be done cannot be fulfilled, as well as many other commands for the Jews. So may all Jews who see this, have their eyes restored unto HaMashiach Yeshua, The Messiah.

When we continue to suffer judgment for our sins, recall, In the day of prosperity be happy, but in the day of adversity consider - God has made the one as well as the other (Ecclesiastes/Kohelet 7:14).

I used some verses from Proverbs/Mishlei 22 before, and the  last part was, The reward of humility and fear of Yahovah are riches, honor, and life (Proverbs/Mishlei 22:2-4). Fear of the Lord. What is that exactly? King David said, Come, you children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord Yahovah. Who is the man who desires life and loves length of days that he may see good? Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit. Depart from evil and do good; Seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of Yahovah are toward the righteous and His ears are open to their cry. The face of Yahovah is against the wicked (Psalm 34:11-16/Tehillim 34:12-17).

We see the fear of the Lord is the fear that He will bring judgment against sin, because God is against those who do evil. This should bring us to have reverence and respect for God, because not even the angels are exempt from judgment, for the Lord did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to pits of darkness, reserved for judgment (2 Peter 2:4; also Jude 1:6-7).

So when we get deliverance and healing through our prayers, keep the fear of the Lord, so that you will consider the consequences of doing wrong and stay away from sin.

Today’s holiday, Yom Kippur, is all about temporal atonement for sin – taking care of its effects in this life. It was when the high priest would go behind the veil in the temple or tabernacle (Exodus/Shemot 30:10; Leviticus/Vayikra 16:29-34; also Leviticus/Vayikra 23:26-32), and enter into the chamber of the Holy of Holies, where the ark of the covenant sat, and the blood of sin offering would be sprinkled on the mercy seat, gold cover of the ark to atone for the sins of the people, because almost all things by the law are purged with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no forgiveness (Hebrews 9:22), for God put the life of the flesh in the blood and ordained it to be put on the altar to make atonement for us (Leviticus/Vayikra 17:11).

Atonement was also made on Yom Kippur for the tent of meeting or temple and altar where the ritual sacrifices and offerings were conducted (Leviticus/Vayikra 16:33). This seems unusual since God’s presence was there, yet these things still needed atonement for sin. This is because the sin of the people contaminated the tabernacle and other items, so we can see that sin lingers in physical things and the environment.

Sin lingers in us as well, through judgment or curses that give us afflictions, like illness, infirmity, and addictions, or they can change our being, such as having excessive anger or fear. It’s these afflictions that we petition the Lord for and work to have atoned today.

Last week, in the service for Yom Teruah, I connected that holiday with the birth of Yeshua, so the natural progression with Yom Kippur is to link it to Christ’s atonement on the cross, which fulfilled the requirement of blood atonement for the New Covenant to cover the sin for all of mankind.

This progression in the first two High Holy Days coincides with the first two major milestones in Christ’s life – His birth and His ministry and sacrifice to bring and fulfill the New Covenant.

The New Covenant, though, atones for our sins for the next life, as I said. It does not take away the consequences of sin in this life. In the Law of Moses/Moshe for the Jews, their sins were atoned for on Yom Kippur every year and also when individual circumstances called for it, such as when a person sinned, he would have to make a ritual sacrifice (Leviticus/Vayikra 4:3-12, 4:27-35, 5:1-6:7), or when leaders or the whole nation sinned, different sacrifices needed to be made (Leviticus/Vayikra 4:13-26).

Under Christ, we no longer perform these ritual sacrifices to atone for sin. Now we acknowledge our wrongs by confessing them to God or each other (James 5:16), we ask the Lord’s forgiveness and repent or change to keep away from sin, and, if needed, we reconcile our wrongs. Then it is up to the Lord to determine how the sin affects us and/or our families and associations, because sin does affect family members, organizations, communities, and nations.

In Leviticus/Vayikra 4, it says a priest who sins, also brings guilt on the people (Leviticus/Vayikra 4:3). In Numbers/Bamidbar 13, the whole nation of Israel was sentenced to wander the desert for 40 years after a few scouts brought dismay, doubt, and fear to counter God’s plan to take the Promised Land (Numbers/Bamidbar 13:1-14:45). And in 2 Samuel/Shmuel II 24 and 1 Chronicles/Divrei Hayamim I 21, God brought judgment on the nation and killed 70,000 people after King David sinned when he made a census of the fighting men because he lost faith in God’s protection (2 Samuel/Shmuel II 24:1-25; 1 Chronicles/Divrei Hayamim I 21:1-30).

This brings to mind another misconception spread by the church – that generational curses no longer exist and that children cannot suffer for parents’ or ancestors’ sins. This is not true, but can be seen in all the inherited curses, like genetic disorders and predispositions to cancer, illness, idolatry, divination, anger, addiction, etc. It is also seen in the suffering of children from curses, like cancer, serious illness, abduction, premature death, and other bad events.

Surely, you cannot blame most young children for sin serious enough to bring these judgments on them, nor should you say they are simply accidental events when you know the Lord is Judge and looks after the righteous, but is against the wicked. But because people often do not understand the complete view of things, they misunderstand scripture and think God did away with generational curses, like when Jeremiah/Yirmiyahu and Ezekiel/Yechezkel prophesied, days are coming when Israel will no longer say, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children’s teeth are set on edge (Jeremiah 31:29/Yirmiyahu 31:28; Ezekiel/Yechezkel 18:2) or when the disciples of Yeshua asked, Who sinned, the man or his parents, that he was born blind? and He answered, Neither this man nor his parents sinned (John 9:1-3).

If you look closer at things, Jeremiah and Ezekiel were prophesying that certain curses in the Old Law that affect descendants (Deuteronomy/Devarim 28:18; Leviticus/Vayikra 26:39) were coming to an end with the New Covenant. God did not say all generational curses would be gone. There are also statements of generational curses applying outside the law for the Jews, such as for idolatry in the Ten Commandments, which is for all of mankind, and can curse up to four generations (Exodus/Shemot 20:5; Deuteronomy/Devarim 5:9).

Jeremiah knew God’s ways and made a general statement about His judgments, which include generational curses, when he said, Ah Lord Yahovah! Behold, You have made the heavens and the earth by Your great power and by Your outstretched arm! Nothing is too difficult for You, who shows lovingkindness to thousands, but repays the iniquity of [the parents] into the bosom of their children after them, O great and mighty God (Jeremiah/Yirmiyahu 32:17-18).

And as for Yeshua’s statement, He said the man was born blind so that the works of God might be displayed (John 9:3). No one sinned so that the man was blind, but he was born that way so that Christ could show the work of God through a miracle. This was only for that individual’s case and does not support generational curses being abolished. The disciples would not have asked who sinned to bring his blindness if generational curses were not a reality to them.

Now I hope you see the true reality of how sin and curses work. Those who commit sin can bring judgment on others, which should remind you of the fear of the Lord all the more. But, as creatures that often err, we must deal with judgment and affliction in our lives that is caused by sin, so we will turn now to getting healing and deliverance – temporal salvation for sin.

Though judgment may have to come to us, and we suffer for years, the Lord remains faithful and full of mercy. He will often remove curses that we’ve long suffered in, because they served as our punishment for sin, but this deliverance is not always automatic. Sometimes we need to petition the Lord, but that may also not be enough. Some sin and curses need to be handled differently, so if you do not see a significant change or deliverance for your petitions after today’s service, feel free to contact me for individual consultation.

Know also that sometimes it is not the Lord’s will to remove an affliction. Apostle Paul knew this well when a demon, a messenger of Satan, was sent to torment him so that he would not exalt himself (2 Corinthians 12:7). Paul begged the Lord to take away the spirit three times, but He replied, My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9).

And so, Paul had to accept his discipline, and turned instead to boast of his weaknesses and be content with them, and with insults, distress, persecutions, and difficulties, for the sake of his work in Christ and so the Lord’s power would dwell in him (2 Corinthians 12:9-10).

So if you find the Lord will not remove an affliction from you, rejoice still and continue the good fight against darkness, because we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him, to those who are called according to His purpose (Romans 8:28). He will work even the bad for our good, so keep faith and hope in God through Mashiach Yeshua, our Comforter and Prince of Peace (2 Corinthians 1:3-4; John 14:16, 14:26; Isaiah 9:6/Yeshayahu 9:5).

Before making our petitions for healing and deliverance, first, we need to take care of any unforgiveness that may be preventing healing or deliverance. The Lord said, If you do not forgive others their sins, Your Father will not forgive your sins" (Matthew 6:15). He was not speaking of eternal salvation in this forgiveness, but temporal salvation, like healing and deliverance, so if you hold resentment and unforgiveness for anyone, truly forgive them in your heart, and speak it out now…

In the name of Mashiach Yeshua, your forgiveness and peace go before you, all curses from the unforgiveness be broken. Amen.

Later, you may wish to also speak your forgiveness to whomever you resented. It can release guilt upon them and give healing to all parties.

Now let us worship and get in the spirit of humility, reverence for God, and appreciation for His help. Remember how the Lord atoned for our sins eternally with His sacrifice on the cross, and that He is merciful to atone and deliver us from afflictions in this life as well. Stand now and sing.

[How Great Thou Art]


[Strength and Salvation of Psalm 3]


[The Earth Is Yours]


Praise the Lord. He is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures;
He leads me beside still waters.

He restores my soul;
He guides me in the paths of righteousness
For His name’s sake.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I fear no evil, for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil;
My cup overflows.

Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of Yahovah forever.

(Psalm/Tehillim 23)

Let us now take care of other sins. Ask God’s forgiveness for them, speaking them out specifically is best. You may do this out loud or in silence. Take a moment to do this now…

Now pray with me:

Abba Ya, Yeshua - Heavenly Father, We have sat in darkness, and suffered in the shadow of death. Remember us now and let us see Your light (Matthew 4:16; Luke 1:79; Isaiah 9:2). Forgive us all for all our sins, and grant us deliverance, healing, and success. Cleanse and bless our bodies and those of our loved ones and all that we possess. Take away the curses that have come from our sins, and remove unclean spirits from us and our houses. Let them never return. Their chains upon us and that of sins be broken through all generations. Help us, Yahovah God, to rejoice in your mercy, deliverance, and blessings. Keep us from falling to temptations and remember our righteousness and suffering. Guide and strengthen us to keep to the ways of peace and life with You. All these things be in the name of Mashiach Yeshua and Yahovah Rapha (Who Heals). Amen and amen.

Thank you, Lord, for your mercy and lovingkindness and a place in your kingdom. All power belongs to you. Let your name be blessed, forever and ever, in Yahovah El Elyon (God Most High), Mashiach Yeshua, and the Ruach Kodesh (Holy Spirit). Amen.
Now continue in life striving to keep from sin. Remember the way to peace, honor, and life includes the fear of the Lord, and He said, Stop sinning so that nothing worse happens to you (John 5:14). And if you belong to God, be certain that He will reprove and chasten those He loves, and remember it is for the good work of refinement and virtuous character that you endure your afflictions, because God deals with you as with true sons and daughters, for what child is there whom their father does not discipline for righteousness? (Hebrews 12:7)

For those who acknowledged their sins, be glad the Lord continues to love you as His own, and remember the discipline brought upon you is to teach you from falling again, For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries [of God]. [For the Jews,] anyone who set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. [And for us,] how much more severe punishment do you think they will deserve who have trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.’ And again, ‘The Lord will judge His people.’ It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God (Hebrews 10:26-31).

The next service will be for the first day of Sukkot/Tabernacles, Saturday, September 30th. It is the last holiday for the High Holidays, but will be covered with two services – one at the beginning and one at the end, because it’s an eight-day festival with a holy gathering on the first and last days. To plan for Sukkot week, there are supposed to be feasts for all eight days, but generally it is the first and last days that have larger meals, while the meals for the middle days are more modest, so don’t worry about spending a lot of time or money on grand feasts for the whole week of Sukkot.

Some people also make a temporary sukkah or tent/tabernacle, like a gazebo or pop-up canopy, where the festival meals are eaten and to sleep under during Sukkot. The Lord told the Jews to do this during the first seven days of Sukkot, so the years of wandering the desert and living in temporary shelters would be remembered (Leviticus/Vayikra 23:42-43).

Unleavened bread or flat bread is also usually eaten during the first seven days, to remind of the affliction and hard times living in the desert. It is called the bread of affliction because of its ties to Pesach/Passover, when the Lord had the Jews flee Egypt in haste (Deuteronomy/Devarim 16:3). However, unleavened bread is not mandated for Sukkot in scripture, so it is up to you to use it.

Jews often buy matzo for their unleavened bread during the holidays, but its necessity as a kosher item is overexaggerated, and it was not the unleavened bread the Jews used in ancient times. Matzo, today, is simply a dry wheat cracker and the need for so-called “kosher” food is not important anymore, so I prefer to make my own bread. I share an easy recipe at 3rdCompass.org (http://www.3rdCompass.org/g?RECIPE-FLATBREAD).

Making your own unleavened bread is also a good way of being in the spirit of the what God’s people went through in ancient times. Feel free to use my recipe or simply buy any flat bread with or without yeast in its ingredients, as the elimination of bread yeast is only important for Pesach/Passover.

Thank you all for taking part today. Before you sign off or ask questions, I’d like to ask you to support our work for God’s kingdom and help the needy with a donation. You may scan the QR code on the screen or go to 3rdCompass.org/donate. Your help will be much appreciated with gratitude and blessings in the name of Mashiach Yeshua. Amen.

This ends today’s service. In five days, this coming Saturday, September 30th, we will have the first service for Sukkot/Tabernacles, so may you plan for that.

I will send reminders through the email list and social media, so if you haven’t joined, please do so at the homepage on 3rdCompass.org or join the Facebook or WordPress page(s). Links are at the bottom of 3rd Compass site pages. You may subscribe to the YouTube channel as well, but I only post new videos there, so if you don’t join the email list, Facebook page, or WordPress blog, then you won’t get notice of updates, which happens much more often than video postings.
 
Thank you all again for joining today. We’ll see you soon.

If you have questions about anything, please feel free ask now with the YouTube chat features. If you’d like to talk to me directly for anything, you may contact me on the 3rd Compass site (http://3rdCompass.org/g?ABOUT).

Thank you again and the Lord bless you, your loved ones, and your Yom Kippur feast, in the name of Mashiach Yeshua. Amen.



3rd Compass -> Group News and Articles -> Yom Kippur/Day of Atonement 2023 - Why is this holiday still important for Christians?


 


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