October 9, 2013—SnyderTalk Editorial: Salvation, Obedience, and the Leading of the Spirit—Part 8: Press on to Maturity

1--Intro

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2--SnyderTalk Editorial 4

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Salvation, Obedience, and the Leading of the Spirit—Part 8: Press on to Maturity

On the 3rd hole at Glenmore Country Club, my whole world changed in ways that I couldn’t have imagined at the time.  I was about to leave the comfort of a world that I knew and take a completely different path with which I was totally unfamiliar.  Today, I still don’t know precisely where my path leads or how I will get to the end, but I do know Who I am supposed to follow.

For the first time in my life, I felt like I was on the right path.  That seems strange coming from me.  I’ve always been a goal-oriented person, and I have a Ph.D. degree in strategic management.  I understand setting goals and developing strategies and tactics to achieve them as well as anyone I know.  Up to that point, my whole life had been about setting and achieving goals, but in October 2000 for the first time I really understood that Yahweh’s goals are supposed to be my goals.  I also understood that I can’t achieve my goals without Him.  In fact, trying to achieve them without Him is actually disobedience because He said that He expects to be intimately involved with us each step of the way.  If He isn’t, then we’re on the wrong path.

As I said, the book of Hebrews has meant a great deal to me over the years, and Yahweh used it in October 2000 to teach me a lesson that every one of us needs to learn.  It’s time to “press on to maturity” — to move beyond traditional notions about obedience.

The obedience that Yahweh demands is more than strict adherence to all the Laws in the Bible.  As Paul said, saving faith is faith that is willing to go where Yahweh leads.  We can’t get to our destination on our own, so if we want to reach it, we must have faith in Him and go where He leads.

This passage from Hebrews deals with what I’m talking about:

“Concerning Him (Jesus) we have much to say, and it is hard to explain, since you have become dull of hearing.  For though by this time you ought to be teachers, you have need again for someone to teach you the elementary principles of the oracles of God, and you have come to need milk and not solid food.  For everyone who partakes only of milk is not accustomed to the Word of righteousness, for he is an infant.  But solid food is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil.

Therefore, leaving the elementary teaching about the Christ, let us press on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, of instructions about washings and laying on of hands, and the resurrection of the dead and eternal judgment.  And this we will do, if God permits.  For in the case of those who have once been enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and have been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance, since they again crucify to themselves the Son of God and put Him to open shame.

For ground that drinks the rain which falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.” Hebrews 5: 11-6: 8

To understand Hebrews 5: 11 through 6: 8 correctly, you must put it in context.  Paul has just explained that the Children of Israel who participated in the Exodus from Egypt were witnesses to the ten plagues; they walked across dry land when Yahweh parted the Red Sea; they were led day and night by Yahweh who appeared in the form of a column of smoke by day and a column of fire by night; they ate manna from heaven and drank water from a rock; they watched while Yahweh descended from heaven to the top of Mount Sinai; and they heard His Voice as He proclaimed the Ten Commandments.

The Children of Israel had witnessed the most spectacular events in the history of the world, and they weren’t just casual observers.  They were actively involved in the whole process and in close physical proximity with Yahweh Himself.  More than any other group of people in the history of the world, they should have had faith in Him, but they didn’t, and the advantage of being so close to the action and to Yahweh didn’t help them one bit.  Making matters worse, they rebelled against Yahweh year after year after year in the wilderness, and because they lacked faith in Him, they were not permitted to enter His rest or the Promised Land. (Hebrews 3: 7-19)

In Hebrews 5: 11 through 6: 8, Paul is telling his fellow Jews not to follow their example.  They were attempting unsuccessfully to please Yahweh by obeying all the Laws in the Scriptures, and all the while they were ignoring the one thing that Yahweh desires most of all.  He wanted their hearts, and He longed for them to demonstrate faith by following Him.  Absent that, Paul said they would fail miserably just as surely as their predecessors had fallen short in the wilderness.

The obedience that Yahweh demands is based on faith in Him.  It’s a higher form of obedience than simply complying with the Law — even the Ten Commandments.  Paul didn’t say or suggest that the Ten Commandments and the other Laws in the Bible are unimportant or that people can disobey them without fear of consequences, and as I’ve said before, I’m not saying that either.  Paul simply said that Yahweh expects much more from us than that.  He wants us to follow Him and to allow Him to make us into the people He created us to be.  Since we can’t do that on our own, faith in Yahweh is an absolute must.  There is no substitute for it.

Our primary objective must be to actually do Yahweh’s will (Matthew 7: 21, John 3: 36, and Romans 8: 14).  In Hebrews 6: 7-8, Paul presents two possible outcomes for our life’s journey:

“For ground that drinks the rain which falls on it and brings forth vegetation useful to those for whose sake it is also tilled, receives a blessing from God; but if it yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.” Hebrews 6: 7-8

Yahweh blesses people who follow Him, but those who continually soak up His blessings and produce nothing to advance His agenda will suffer a different fate.  Paul isn’t prone to levity when He makes references to hell, so I urge you to take him seriously.

It’s time to exercise faith and press on to maturity.  As tempting as it is for us to think that we can please Yahweh by adhering strictly to all the laws in the Bible, that is not the path to success.  Salvation is by grace through faith in Yahweh that is evidenced by our willingness to actually follow His leading.  Nothing else will do.

This SnyderTalk editorial is adapted from my book What Will You Do with the Rest of Your LifeClick here to order a copy.

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9--Jerusalem Post

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Tel Aviv U. affiliated prof. who is a Holocaust survivor wins Nobel for physics

Turkish PM Erdogan hosts increasingly isolated Hamas leader Mashaal in Ankara

IDF Arrests Two Palestinians in Psagot Attack

Steinitz: Iranian Economy 18 Months Away from Collapse

The Ayatollahs Will Not Give Up Iran’s Nuclear Program

Lapid: Unlike Netanyahu, I’m devoted supporter of peace process

Lapid: Peace talks must lead to ‘fair divorce ‘ from Palestinians

Netanyahu: For peace, Palestinians must recognize Jewish homeland

Britain begins process to fix ties with Iran, reopen embassies closed since 2011

Edelstein: Letting Iran have nukes is like giving a gun to a murderer [See below for ST comment]

0 ST Editorial Picture 2

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10--Arutz Sheva

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Edelstein: Rouhani Lies While Developing Nuclear Weapons

Yaalon: Easing Sanctions will Encourage Rouhani

Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Attacked At Funeral

Boehner: Obama’s Insisting On Our Unconditional Surrender

Gantz: Homefront Soldiers Make Battlefront Possible

Wounded Suspect Jumped Fence Near Attack Site

MKs Visit to Ramallah Condemned

Syria May Officially Split in Two

Samaria to World Bank: Sure, Blame Us

PM: Mufti Demanded Nazis Murder 4,000 Children

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11--THE TIMES OF ISRAEL

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Missing from Abbas meeting with MKs: Israeli flag, Palestinian journalists

Khamenei unhappy over contacts with Obama and Kerry

Voices soaring in Hebrew, Christians in Jerusalem affirm God’s promise to Israel

Over 800,000 pack Jerusalem to mourn Yosef’s passing

Discordant Shas faces possible schism after Yosef’s death

Tel Aviv University professor shares Nobel Prize in physics

Can Jews take “Yes” for an answer?

Netanyahu sticks to his guns on Iranian enrichment

UN: Four million more Syrians to flee homes in 2014

Cancel yeshiva student draft, Yosef’s sons demand of PM

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12--Other News

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Rouhani Has Revealed His True Nuclear Intentions

Kerry Appears to Reject Iran’s Call for New Nuclear Proposal

U.S. Raids Home of Al-Shabab Leader in Somalia

Iran demands new offers from world powers ahead of talks

Iran Arrests 4 in Nuclear Plant Sabotage Plot

Retired Lebanese Colonel Gets Death for Collaborating with Israel

Iran says four arrested in nuclear site sabotage attempt

Palestine News Network Confuses IDF’s Harmless ‘Skunk’ Spray for Bio-Warfare

Closure of open air memorials on National Mall among more bizarre post-shutdown moves

Boehner Secretly Defended A Special Obamacare ‘Exemption’ He Has Publicly Derided

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13--Perspectives 2

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Prime Minister Netanyahu’s Office: The Root of the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict—The Israeli-Palestinian conflict started in 1921 on the day on which the Palestinian Arabs attacked the immigration hostel in Jaffa. Many Jews were killed in this attack, including the well-known writer Y.H. Brenner. This attack was not about territory or settlements; it was against Jewish immigration to the Land of Israel.

Haviv Rettig Gur: The Nature of Peacemaking according to Netanyahu—Netanyahu’s demand for Palestinian recognition of the Jewishness of Israel is the key to understanding his theory of the conflict and his view as to why the Oslo process 20 years ago failed. The Palestinians cannot bring themselves to end the conflict, Netanyahu believes, because they cannot bring themselves to compromise with an enemy they view as completely evil.

Dr. Ronen Yitzhak: The Israeli-Gulf link— “We are losing weight and the ship is sinking,” said the headline of a cartoon published in the Saudi newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat last week. This cartoon was one of many published by the newspaper recently expressing Saudi and other Gulf states’ anger and frustration over both U.S. policy in the Middle East since the outbreak of the Arab Spring revolutions and the White House’s seeming readiness to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear program. Saudi commentators are so similar to their Israeli counterparts that it has become impossible to distinguish between the respective official positions over these issues.

Michael Curtis: Demonizing Israel More Important Than Defending Persecuted Christians?— It continues to be a source of amazement that the mainstream Christian churches in the West and in the Middle East pay so little, if any, attention to the plight of Christians and the destruction of their churches in Arab and Muslim countries.  Rather, they prefer to focus on the “oppression of Palestinians” so completely that they are blind to the real tragedies.  This myopic lack of perceptiveness has been typical of a significant part of the Anglican Church; the Presbyterian Church, USA; the National Council of Churches; the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation; the World Council of Churches; and some Christian NGOs whose shortsightedness is limited to divestment from Israel or condemnation of it.

Anav Silverman: Terror Attack Leaves Psagot Residents Doubting Peace Process—It was a frightening Saturday night for the residents of Psagot, a community of 1,800 people located in Judea and Samaria, north of Jerusalem. A Palestinian terrorist broke into the community, firing from point-blank range at nine-year-old Noam Glick, who was playing on the balcony of her home. The girl was lightly wounded, and was hospitalized in Jerusalem. “It was the first time that something like this happened in Psagot,” said Liat Ofer, a 26-year-old resident of the community, who teaches in Jerusalem. Noam’s father, Yisrael Glick, told Israel’s Army Radio that Noam managed to get back into the house after she was shot. “Noam told us there was an Arab man out there. I realized that this was a security incident. It’s the scariest thing that can happen here – to have a terrorist enter your home,” he said.

Orit Perlov: The End of the Muqawama?: Hamas and Hizbollah Face Reform or Collapse— Current discourse on Palestinian and Lebanese social networks indicates that a surprising trend has emerged over the past six months with potential momentous consequences for Israel’s security concept and the strategic challenges before it. The violent resistance (muqawama) against Israel by Hizbollah and Hamas has lost its legitimacy in Lebanese civil society and Palestinian society, respectively. Hizbollah and Hamas were founded as Islamic resistance movements based on the principle of violent struggle as both a vision and a means of freeing Arab lands from the “Zionist occupation.” However, since the onset of the “Arab Spring” these two movements have lost much of their political power, the support of Arab public opinion, and most important, their domestic support.

Michael Singh: U.S. Should Hold Firm in Iranian Nuke Talks—The charming self-assurance projected by Iranian President Hassan Rouhani masks a desperate need to make a deal. U.S. military credibility may be at low ebb, but Iran cannot discount U.S. and Israeli military threats. An attack by either would not only set back Iran’s nuclear efforts, but would expose the weakness of its military and the hollowness of its bombastic rhetoric. Rouhani will surely seek to alleviate Iran’s suffering at the minimum price to its nuclear options. But a limited nuclear agreement that leaves Iranian capabilities in place, even if subject to enhanced inspections, will not build confidence or stability.

Efraim Inbar: “Defensible Borders” Saved Israel in Yom Kippur War— The 1973 war shocked Israel. The remarkable military victory was marred by the acute pain over the many casualties and the disappointment with the political and military leadership. The war had lasting as well as passing effects. Generally, Israel is in much better shape today. As the war ended, Israeli society lost its naiveté and began a process of political maturation. Greater healthy skepticism toward state institutions and the IDF developed within the media and public opinion.

Davis Lewin: Israel Protecting the West Against Iranian Nuclear Threat—Netanyahu’s Israel now stands as a small, unfairly burdened but potently consequential last straw between our own security and Tehran terrorizing us with nuclear weapons for generations to come. Israel alone now carries the mantle of history as the guarantor of our truly credible red lines.

Claudia Rosett: Iran’s Sequel to North Korea’s Nuclear Playbook—North Korea offers Iran a prime example of how a rogue state can parlay nuclear climbdown deals into time and opportunity to cheat – reaping benefits while still working toward nuclear weapons. Having cheated its way through a series of deals going all the way back to the nuclear freeze of the 1994 Agreed Framework under President Clinton, North Korean tyrant Kim Jong Un appears to be honing his nuclear weapons program.

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4--Scripture of the Day USE THIS ONE

The scripture below is from the New American Standard Bible, and the hyperlinks associated with each word are from Strong’s Concordance for the New American Standard Bible.

Amos 4: 5-6

“Offer a thank offering also from that which is leavened, and proclaim freewill offerings, make them known. For so you love [to do], you sons of Israel,” declares Adonai Yahweh. “But I gave you also cleanness of teeth in all your cities and lack of bread in all your places, yet you have not returned to Me,” declares Yahweh.

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5--HNIY Print form 2

His Name is Yahweh explains why the Name of God, Yahweh, is so important.  It’s available in eBook format and in paperback.  It’s also available for free in PDF format.

  • God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘Yahweh, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ This [Yahweh] is my name forever, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.” (Exodus 3: 15)
  • “Therefore behold, I am going to make them know—this time I will make them know My power and My might; and they shall know that My name is Yahweh.” (Jeremiah 16: 21)
  • “Behold, the days are coming,” declares Yahweh, “when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch; and He will reign as king and act wisely and do justice and righteousness in the land.  In His days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely; and this is His name by which He will be called, ‘Yahweh our righteousness.’” (Jeremiah 23: 5-6)
  • Yeshua said to them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, before Abraham was born, I am.” (John 8: 58)

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6--His Name is Yahweh Audio Presentation 2

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Yahweh Said He is Our Only Savior

Click here to download the entire audio presentation for free and with no strings attached.  Share it as often as you want.

6--Freely You Received Freely Give

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14--Blessings from Revelation 2

Blessings in the Book of Revelation is a book that you need to read, especially now.  There are blessings throughout the Scriptures but Revelation is the only book in the Bible actually containing a specific blessing for reading it. It’s repeated twice, once at the beginning and again at the end. This is the reason that I believe Revelation should be the first step toward studying biblical prophecy. Though not easy to do, Revelation can be broken down and understood by anyone, not just the academic elite. So, Revelation’s blessings are for everyone.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.

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Other Books by Neil Snyder

  • Stand! is a suspense novel that exposes the lies, corruption, and greed underlying the theory that man-made CO2 emissions are responsible for global warming.  Professor Wes Carlyle and Karen Sterling, his research collaborator, carefully scan the audience for their would-be attacker—a member of the enviro-gestapo who has been following them for days.  Wes spots his man in the back of the room leaning against the wall.  Suddenly, another man in the audience steps forward and moves toward Karen at a menacing pace.  With a vicious stroke, he swings a billy club at her head.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.
  • What Will You Do with the Rest of Your Life? deals with a question that every Christian has to consider: what should I do with my life?  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.
  • Falsely Accused is a true story about a young woman who was accused of committing a double homicide.  It’s about a travesty of justice, and it reveals Yahweh intervening in the life of a believer to rescue her from danger in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds.  Everyone will enjoy the book, but young people in particular need to read it because the mistakes made that led to the problem could have been avoided.  They were the kinds of mistakes that young people are prone to make.  As they say, forewarned is forearmed.  Click here to order the eBook.  Click here to order the paperback.

15--Concentric Circles 2

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