Pandemics, Holy Days & The Glory Of God
The Hope of Israel - Part 2
May 30, 2020 • Matt Rosenberg
Part 2 of the Hope of Israel: We continue to examine the harvest holiday, Shavuot. In Jewish tradition, Shavuot is the day that the Torah was given to Moses. In the New Testament, Shavuot is the giving of the Holy Spirit. Same day; and it’s no coincidence! Many see the birth of the church and Christianity in Acts 2, but what really happened according to the text? God made himself known as the hope of the Jewish people. It all took place in the Temple Courts in Jerusalem, spoken in Hebrew on the day of Shavuot, so that the Jewish people could invite the Gentiles into the family of God. It was God's plan to save the whole world, Jew and Gentile, because everyone belongs in the family of God!
The Hope of Israel - Part 1
May 23, 2020 • Matt Rosenberg
In Jewish tradition, Shavuot is the day the Torah was given to Moses. In the New Testament, Shavuot is the giving of the Holy Spirit. Same day and no coincidence! While many believe Acts 2 is the birth of the Church the disciples understood that what happened to them there was equal in importance to what happened on Mt. Sinai. It was the empowerment by the Holy Spirit that gave them the revelation to preach the Gospel for the first time to Jewish people, in the Temple courts, in Jerusalem! Today, the Holy Spirit still empowers followers of Yeshua to turn from our sins, lead us to better living and save us from judgement.
The Ascension To Heaven
May 16, 2020 • Matt Rosenberg
Yeshua had to ascend to heaven so He could take His place at the right hand of the Father. He went to prepare a place for us and send us send His Holy Spirit. What we learn from the Apostles is how to worship and wait on God which is exactly what we need to do during this pandemic.
Two Travelers - Eyewitness to Suffering - Part 3
May 9, 2020 • Matt Rosenberg
On the day Yeshua rose from the dead, He appeared to two of his disciples but they didn't know it was Him. Blinded to His true identity, they expressed sadness because of failed expectations. Yeshua explained to them why He had to suffer and die according Moses and the prophets. This is a Jewish message about a Jewish Messiah who offered Himself as a sacrifice for His Jewish people! These two travelers were eyewitnesses to the suffering and resurrection of Yeshua and some of the first to preach the Gospel.
Peter - Eyewitness To Suffering - Part 2
May 2, 2020 • Matt Rosenberg
Through Peter's story of denying Yeshua before His death and his reinstatement by Yeshua after His resurrection we learn how grief and trust are designed to work together. Like the Jewish people and Peter, God wants to raise you up, restore you, and rebuild you to the person He made you to be!
Thomas - Eyewitness To Suffering - Part 1
April 25, 2020 • Matt Rosenberg
Thomas, one of the original followers of Yeshua, became known as "doubting Thomas." The truth is, God met Thomas in his pain, suffering & doubt so that he could believe and be an eyewitness of Yeshua's death and resurrection. Today, God wants to meet you in your pain, suffering and doubt right in the middle of all that is happening in the world. So, How do you deal with all the feelings you feel during a pandemic?
Bread, Matzah and Pharisees
April 18, 2020 • Matt Rosenberg
Yeshua warned the Pharisees about self-importance and hypocrisy, and His warnings apply to us today. Both Yeshua and Paul use leaven, yeast, and Matzah in the very same way Moses used them to teach people to rid our lives of wickedness and find purity and truth. If you follow Yeshua you are Matzah! But you still have to do the work to get the leaven out of your heart! This message will show you how.
An Old New Commandment
April 11, 2020 • Matt Rosenberg
Enjoy some worship & a message from Restoration on the Shabbat of Passover! During the days before Passover Yeshua gives His disciples a "new" command that is really an "old" command. He said to them, "love one another as I have loved you." Starting with the first Passover event God made it clear that He loved us, His people, and that He wanted to give us freedom as an expression of love. Today, as followers of Yeshua, and as we celebrate Passover during this worldwide pandemic we ask ourselves, "What does love require of me?"
The Sign of The Resurrection
April 4, 2020 • Matt Rosenberg
Enjoy worship and a message from Restoration in Seattle. #CoronaShabbat. Right before Passover, Yeshua raises His friend Lazarus from the dead. For four days Lazarus laid in a grave until Yeshua called Him out of his tomb. In John's telling there are many miracles that Yeshua performs and Lazarus' resurrection is the last sign of who Yeshua is, the Messiah of Israel. There are those who look backwards to the glory of the past while others look forward with hope for future. Often, as is true here, both groups miss the miracle that happens right in front of them. As we approach Passover, even in the midst of a pandemic, we find comfort in the past and hold to hope for the future but let's not miss the opportunities we have in the present to celebrate who God is. He has done great things, He will do great things, He is doing great things right now!