You should never, ever accuse someone of something you know nothing about, and that hasn’t been verified by at least two trustworthy eyewitnesses. Absolutely never. A false rumor can get back around to the accused and damage them for life. People will believe something that sounds awful before they will believe something that sounds beautiful.

We are all real people with real feelings. Social media makes us forget that. It’s not here to give us a platform to belittle each other. Bullying isn’t just something that goes on with children. It happens in the adult world, and most of the time we deny it, and even worse, try to use the Scripture to justify it. Yuck.

We have to make a conscious effort to be kind in everything we *type* not just everything we say. I’ve failed at this before, and have to remind myself of this often. It’s easy to get caught up in some kind of hype or mob rule or bandwagon, but it’s not of Yahweh. Thankfully we can ask Yahweh to forgive us, repent, and do better.

Kindness is always best. Yeshua was a kind, gentle man. Yes, I know, I know... he got upset sometimes. People want to always bring up the one isolated time he did the whip thing in the temple. When Yeshua got upset, it was with religious people. He saved His strongest rebukes for those who appeared to be righteous, but were using their positions to lord over others. In all other cases, He exhibited gentleness.

There is time for rebuke. There is time for chastisement. But for goodness sakes, let’s be slower to judgement and faster to mercy. A righteous person is harder on their self and easier on others. A self righteous person is easier on their self and harder on others.

Gentleness is a fruit of the Spirit, not harshness. Rudeness and sarcasm didn’t make the list either. Those born of the Spirit have love and joy and patience. Those operating under the flesh do not.

It’s so important. We can be right and still be a jerk. Yahweh isn’t looking for who will be a jerk for Him. He loves quietness, and slowness to wrath. After all, He is slow to anger Himself.

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No one forced Yeshua to do what he did, in dying for our sin. “He submitted himself to death... bore the sin of many, and interceded for the rebels.” (Isaiah 53:12)

His sacrifice was a willing sacrifice. It was not easy. It was not a “walk in the park” as we say.

At one point he even prayed that what he was about to suffer would pass him by. I don’t think this points to any unwillingness in him, but rather to his consciousness of what was about to take place. He clears this up by following in his prayer to the Father with: “Yet not as I will but as you will.” (Matthew 26:39)

What an amazing prayer. He knew it was about to get tough, but it was his Father’s will, and Yeshua submitted because he loved us.

“No one has greater love than this, that someone would lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)

Yeshua was wounded, but not for his own sins. He had none. He was bruised, but it wasn’t because he broke the Sabbath, or stole from his neighbor, or committed adultery.

The punishment for our peace fell on him. His stripes bring us healing. We would not have peace with the Father, had not Yeshua willingly submitted to die in our place.

He died. He really died. Christians have said it so much, and cliched it so much that we forget its potency. He suffered and died. Not because he deserved it. He laid down his life for his friends.

I was going back over Isaiah 53 this morning. It is powerful. If I had to pick only one text of Scripture to teach about Yeshua’s substitutionary, atoning death, it wouldn’t be in the New Testament. It would be Isaiah 52:13 - 53:12.

One part that I’ve had a hard time with is 53:10. “Yet YHWH was pleased to crush him.” Yahweh was pleased to crush the suffering servant? I have to admit that makes me cringe a little. But knowing the totality of Scripture helps at this point.

Yahweh is holy. We are not. There was a man who came up to even Yeshua once and began the conversation by saying “Good Master.” Yeshua, in humility, said: “Why do you call me good? There’s none good but One, the Almighty.” (Matthew 19:17)

The prophet Isaiah, perhaps the holiest man in Israel at the time of his prophecy, said in the presence of Yahweh that he was ruined, and a man of unclean lips (Isaiah 6:5).

Yahweh is holy, and therefore must punish sin. Yahweh wasn’t pleased to crush Yeshua (the Servant) because Yeshua was such a sinner. He was pleased to crush him because he was willing to suffer for the sins of the sheep. (Isaiah 53:6) In crushing Yeshua, he was crushing sin.

Paul put it like this: “He made the One who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that we might become the righteousness of the Almighty in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

The bad news is that we are transgressors. All we like sheep have gone astray. If Yahweh kept track of iniquities, who could stand? If He dealt with us as we deserve, we would get eternal destruction. But He has not dealt with us as our sins deserve. He forgives us, because He dealt with our sins by sending His Son to live perfectly according to the law, and then die for our sins as an unblemished sacrifice.

This is the Gospel. All else pales in comparison. Nothing else would even matter if our sin problem was not dealt with.

Because of Yeshua’s obedience to the law, and submission unto death, Yahweh resurrected him to immortality, never to die again. He was delivered up for our trespasses, and raised for our justification. (Romans 4:25)

This was Yeshua’s vindication. His resurrection proved that he had not died because of his own sins. His resurrection is just as much a part of the Gospel as his life and death. When the Apostles preached in the book of Acts, they didn’t just preach about his death, they always finished their preaching with his resurrection.

Yeshua was raised to immortality, and later he ascended to the right hand of Yahweh (Acts 2:33; 7:55-56; Romans 8:34; Hebrews 10:12). He is Yahweh’s right hand man. He is Yahweh’s priest after the order of Melchizedek (Hebrews 5:9-10; 7:17, 21-22). He serves as a priest for us, in the heavens; in the heavenly Tabernacle. He’s obtained a superior ministry than the Levite priests. He is the mediator of a better covenant. (Hebrews 8:6).

Give thanks to Yahweh. Yahweh loves us so much that He sent his Son to live for us, die for us, be raised for us, and then be our high priest in the heavens. It all goes back to Yahweh the Father. He made all this happen, and He did it through His Son.

Yahweh’s message should not be made merchandise of. I’ve been teaching and writing for years now. I know the amount of work and labor that goes into these things. I know when someone is excessively charging for a CD or DVD or book.

I realize that it is ok for a true minister to be compensated. Don’t muzzle the mouth of the ox that treads the grain. A laborer is worthy of his hire. I get all that. But if you have to hike up the price of something you offer, and peddle it like you would a cleaning supply, is that really honoring the Most High?

I believe a person’s ministry should be self-sustaining. We should not be in the ministry to get rich. It shouldn’t be what we use to make us wealthy. We should instead work and labor like everyone else. Scripture is not against a wealthy man who has earned it honestly.

Ministers, if we are putting out material that Yahweh smiles upon, He will provide us the means to do that. He will make a way for that to happen.

I’ve never asked anyone for money, and Yahweh has always provided. I don’t turn down an offering, but I don’t ask, and certainly don’t beg. Some of these guys I see are always begging for a donation. I just don’t see Yeshua and His apostles doing this at all.

I’ve never felt comfortable putting a price on any book I’ve written, or on a teaching CD I’ve made. Maybe a minimal price is fine, but I’m just not comfortable with it. Send it to whoever wants it, and Yahweh will take care of you. People will donate. People will see true effort. We don’t have to peddle the law or gospel.