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Chapter 1: The danger of drifting

Here we are.

If you know, you know. What are you returning to? As I said in the fellowship, I didn’t want to put the the

word there in the title, but I think you get the picture.

If you have ever had a dog, you have probably witnessed this a time or two in your life. And it’s never a

pretty thing. And it always makes um it makes it clear as to why the father

would choose this imagery to make a point about returning to the things that

uh we left behind. So I wanted to talk about this uh what motivated this lesson will

become clear on the very last slide as a result of getting input and insight

from trusted brothers this week. I’ve tweaked my lesson a little bit so that we could discuss this more broadly. But

there is one thing I’m not going to tell you what it is now. one thing that’s been on my heart

for months as it pertains to this practice that you’re looking at on the screen that I felt like I needed to say say it to you.

Told you last week it’s probably going to get me in trouble. It already has gotten me into trouble.

Um, I’ve triggered a few people already with this topic and so I’m looking

forward to the fellowship in the end. Proverbs 26:11, as a dog

returns to its own vomit, so a fool repeats his folly. Why am I doing this lesson? Well, because I see

it and I hear it from some within our own group and from others I encounter along

the way. There’s quiet longing for what was left behind.

For some, it’s a familiar sin. For others, it’s a familiar environment, a former identity, an old pattern of

life that was once renounced. Yet the poll remains because I see it and I hear you talking

about it. It shows up in the questions that people ask. It shows up in the way certain things are spoken about. It

shows up in the subtle desire to revisit what was already rejected in their lives.

And scripture gives us a vivid image for this condition. The image that’s on the screen.

It’s an uncomfortable image, but it’s uncomfortable for a reason.

A dog expels what made it sick, yet later returns to it, sniffing it, circling,

considering whether to consume again the very thing that harmed it.

And I see that same pattern among people who once recognize something as unclean, harmful, or contrary to the ways of God,

yet now find themselves standing over it again.

not openly embracing it, not fully rejecting it, but lingering near it.

This lesson this morning is necessary because the danger is not always obvious rebellion.

Often the danger is a slow drift back towards what was already vomited out of our lives.

The question before us is simple and unavoidable.

Chapter 2: Knowledge and responsibility

What are we returning to? Well, let’s begin with the obvious,

right? When people read this verse, and it’s found twice in scripture. We’re going to look at both cases.

Once in Proverbs, and then uh Peter quotes it. When we think about this topic, when we think about this imagery,

the first thing that comes to mind is sin, right? What sin are you returning to? This issue

covers so much more than individual sin as we’ll see in the course of our lesson.

But when it comes to sin in our lives as the people of Yah the eklesia

with greater knowledge comes greater responsibility. What do I mean by that?

Well, it’s safe to say if you’re in this group, you’ve been called out of Babylon or you were kicked out of Babylon

depending on your personal situation because of your convictions. And the reason that happened is because you came

into some understanding of scripture that you never had before.

That’s greater knowledge. You’ve been given greater knowledge. The father has entrusted you with deeper knowledge and

with that deeper knowledge comes a greater responsibility. Scripture presents a clear principle.

The more truth a person receives, the greater responsibility to live according to it. When someone gains knowledge of

Yahw’s ways and then turns away from that knowledge, the accountability becomes greater because the truth was already known.

And I want to make sure you understand that this principle has much more to do with Yahw’s perfect justice

than it does about our spiritual discipline.

When a turn when a person turns back after knowing the truth, the response that follows reflects the perfect

justice of Yah’s judgment. We talked about this a while back in this lesson.

As always, I’ll leave a link in the description in this lesson. The lesson was called

the veil. How can he Yah condemn those whom he himself has blinded? We ask that existential question about Israel.

The scriptures clearly say that he blinded them because of their rebellion.

So then the question comes, how can he condemn them if he blinded them?

And so we we attempted to answer this this question in the course of our lesson and I think we did a pretty good job of it. The answer to the question

ultimately is about Yahw’s perfect justice.

Luke 12. And that servant who knew his master’s will and did not prepare himself or do according to his will

shall be beaten with many stripes. But he who did not know yet committed these things deserving of stripes shall be beaten with few.

And then the supporting verse there for everyone to whom much is given much will be ex required or from him

much will be required. So we can see this uh principle in scripture

Chapter 3: Judgment based on direction

that with the more knowledge that you have comes a greater responsibility

much more will be required but as according to Luke 12 here not only that but the discipline can sometimes be

harder on a person who has been given more knowledge or the more insight or the more understanding to scripture.

We we see his perfect justice in these next two verses here. Ezekiel 18, when a righteous man turns away from his

righteousness turns away and commits iniquity, all the righteousness which he has done shall not be remembered.

Now, I don’t know about you, but when you look at that verse all by itself, you can be tempted to think, man,

that’s pretty hard lying. It seems like all the father is concerned about is your sin, right? That’s the temptation.

That’s the u the initial gut re reaction to reading this verse

until you read the vers the verses before it because it’s actually the flip side of the coin. It’s the flip side of his perfect justice. Ezekiel 18:21-22.

If a wicked man turns from all his sins which he has committed, keeps all my statutes and does what is lawful and right, he shall surely live. He shall

not die. None of the transgressions which he has committed shall be remembered against him because of the

righteousness which he has done. He shall live. So here we see a two-fold principle.

One, it’s important that we understand that with our knowledge, the greater knowledge comes greater responsibility.

to the father’s perfect justice in his judgments regarding this principle.

You see these two principles at work. If a wicked person turns from sin, his past sins are not remembered. If a righteous person turns to sin, his past

righteousness is not remembered. The point is not that Yahw forgets the past.

The passage is teaching that final judgment is determined by a direction by the direction a person is walking

and not by an earlier season of life. In other words, a past reputation for righteousness does not cancel present rebellion.

Just as a sinful past does not prevent mercy when a person turns and walks in righteousness.

on on a side note, not really in my notes, but it’s verses like this and so many more throughout scripture that

stand opposed to the idea that once a person becomes saved, he is always saved, no matter what he does or she does.

The scriptures just don’t teach that at all. Ezekiel 18:30, repent and turn from your transgressions so that iniquity will not be your ruin.

Chapter 4: The path of obedience

Okay, what does this remind you of? When you read Ezekiel 18:30,

he’s saying, “Repent and turn from your sin so that sin

will not be your ruin.” meaning uh increasing

reactions to your sin that ultimately lead to your death.

Sometimes spiritually, sometimes physically.

It’s almost exactly what we see Yeshua saying in John 5. See, you have been

made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you. Now, when you look

at that story in John five about the man who’s being healed of his

of his of is being paralyzed, and then you look at Yeshua’s words, sin no more, lest the worst thing come

upon you. It almost makes the reader feel, at least it did for me,

as if sin was the issue for him getting to his current condition somehow.

Sin no more or less something worse come upon you. Almost. He’s almost saying it was sin that got you where you’re at.

Now sin no more lest a worse thing come upon you. So again more support of the

previous principles that we mentioned above and the point ultimately is that direction matters.

The direction of our life is important.

every decision you now make in your life. And when I say now, who am I speaking to and about, I’m speaking to and about the ecclesia?

I’m speaking to and about those who have had an awakening to the truth or or are in the middle of

their awakening or are at the beginning of their awakening. It doesn’t really matter.

But since you’ve been granted this insight, wisdom, understanding,

knowledge, every decision you now make in your life is a reflection of what Yahw has opened your eyes to see.

Every decision is either a step forward on that ancient path or it’s a step off of the ancient path.

You’re not moving backwards on the path.

Hopefully, you are stepping off of the path.

And we know that that path is a straight line.

And sometimes in the course of our lives, we veer off for one reason or another.

And we’re going to look at those reasons at the very last slide. You followed some false teaching.

you chased some familiar sin.

Whatever it is, you are stepping off that straight line that the scripture tells us to keep our eyes on all the

time. Our our direction matters. We see this word in scripture and we’ve if you

Chapter 5: Defining backsliding

come from a Christian background, you’re very familiar with this word. But in the Christian world, shocker, it was never used correctly.

Often times I would have brothers come to me and say, “Hey, I just want to confess to you some sin, some

backsliding that I I did this week, and I want your thoughts and your input and your help.” Uh you you see this word tossed around

in the Christian churches as as um a description description of somebody who is struggling with their sin.

But that’s not what the word mesh means.

It means turning away. It means apostasy. It means defection. It means faithless returning.

retreating from a former position. Tim, you could probably um relate to this word being misused in

in uh in your time in the church. Would you say that that’s an accurate statement?

Yeah, I think a different vocabulary. Uh when you’re in a relationship with with people, um sometimes they use words to I

think we all do it. Let’s let’s be honest, we all justify ourselves. Um the hardest thing to do is to talk about your sin when you’re in sin. Um I just

side note I used to say or still do brother you’re not struggling with sin you are giving in to sin. Like there is a struggle is when you try to fight sin.

Um, so backsliding, yes, they use that term, the vocabulary, um, to justify,

you know, hey, I’m I’m struggling, but I’m I’m We really should say I’m I’m giving in.

Is this a term that was commonly used in the church of God for you? Number two, no, it’s more applied to backsliding Israel.

Backsliding Israel. Okay. Okay. Hey, so the idea behind backsliding, biblical idea, is not merely stumbling into sin.

The Hebrew word describes a deliberate turning away after previously turning toward the father.

It’s a deliberate action. It’s not just that I’m struggling with my purity or I’m struggling with selfishness or lust or I’m I’m whatever the case may be.

That’s not what backsliding is. As Glenn said, backsliding Israel, that was a

much bigger issue, right? Uh so that gives you some idea as to the the difference in understanding. So there’s

Chapter 6: Belief vs understanding

a huge difference between belief and understanding. What do I what do I mean by that? Well, I want to get into this a little bit because it’s going to make

all these things clear as usual as I’m teaching my lessons. Sometimes uh and I and I I’m terrible at this, but if

you’re watching this and you go, I’m not sure where he’s going. That’s sometimes a fault of mine. I’ve been told many

times that um I teach like uh that Harvey guy with who who who did that

radio show and now now you’ve heard the rest of the Paul Harvey. Now you’ve heard the rest of the story and he didn’t give you the punchline until the

end. Right? I I’ve been told that I teach like that. So if if sometimes you’re you’re going along uh with these lessons and you’re like I’m not sure

where he’s where he’s headed to, it all becomes clear in the end as long as you could follow me during the middle in the beginning. So there’s a huge difference

between belief and understanding. Why am I saying that? Well, because belief is

what many of us used to have before we had this greater knowledge. Before we had this new understanding, before we had this new wisdom.

Belief is what we had. Belief in who?

Well, belief in the father, belief in the son. We believed in the one true Elohim.

Unless you’re a trinitarian, but you know, that’s for the most part. We believed in the one true God. But we did

not even know his name. That was true for me. I would say that I believed in the one true God, but if you asked me what his name was, I couldn’t tell you

what his name was. Father, I I would probably rattle off some of his titles. Like, El Shadai,

you know, I didn’t know his name. We believed in his son.

We called him by a name that was not even his, Jesus.

and we didn’t understand the paths that he walked. We didn’t understand what he actually came to do.

We we could absolutely say that our belief was real.

But it’s also now that we understand what we understand, we can look back and go, it was so incomplete.

And why was it incomplete?

Well, because our eyes had not been opened.

John 2 is a very challenging verse.

And I didn’t realize how challenging this verse was until I did this study.

While he Yeshua was in Jerusalem at the Passover feast, many believed in his name, seeing the signs he was doing. But

Yeshua was not entrusting himself to them because he knew all people. Again, this is one of those times where I could

ask you, the listener, the viewer, how many times have you read that verse?

And A, didn’t have really any understanding of what he was saying, b didn’t even know how to study what he

was saying, and C, you just glossed right over it.

I I think that’s it’s safe to say that that described me for a long time until

Chapter 7: Knowing the true believer

I started doing this lesson and started getting into this scripture. There’s a profound

thing here that I want us to see as it pertains to our understanding, our

wisdom, our awakening, our knowledge that has been gifted to us by the

father. And I asked the question, how many of us read this passage and never made sense of it? These two words here

believed and entrusting or entrusted are the exact same word in the Greek.

When you look at them in the Greek, you can see they are nearly identical.

The same Greek root word is used twice.

I don’t know how to say that in Greek, but they believed or many believed and he was not entrusting or believing.

So the sentence structure is essentially this.

Many believed in him, but he was not believing in them.

That’s basically what that verse says. Who was who was the they?

Well, they are the people who quote unquote believed in his name. Why did they believe in his name? Because they

were seeing the signs he was doing. He was feeding them with fish. He was doing all kinds of cool stuff. He was healing

people. He was doing mira miracles. and they believed in his name because of the things that they saw.

But the scripture says when you break it down to its most basic components that although they believed in him, he

was not believing in them. Why? Because he knew.

He knew who and what they were. He knew the difference between those who believed and those who understood. He could see it.

He could see the difference between a crowd impressed by signs and individuals whose hearts had truly grasped what those signs meant.

It makes me think of Psalm 78.

Nevertheless, they flattered him. That’s another way of saying that. They praised him with their mouth,

and they lied to him with their tongue, but their heart was not steadfast with him, nor were they faithful in his covenant.

Yeshua knew that these people being spoken of here by John in chapter 2 were the same kinds of people as in Psalm 78.

This is what he knew. Jeremiah 7.

Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swell, swear falsely, burn incense to Bal, and walk after other gods whom you

do not know, and then come and stand before me in this house? What house? The temple,

which is called by my name, and say, “We are delivered to do all these abominations.”

That That sounds so familiar, doesn’t it? We’ve been freed from the law. We’re free to do all these things.

We’re free to eat pig and catfish and shrimp and none of these laws apply to us. We’re free. We’re delivered. And

these were the kinds of individuals that Yeshua knew to be the case with these people in John 2. What’s my point?

My point is this.

These people didn’t know. These people didn’t have the understanding. These people didn’t have the wisdom, the knowledge, the awakening.

Yet they called on his name. They believed in his signs.

With more knowledge comes more responsibility and our lives as true

believers. And here we can see the difference.

This is why it’s such a huge deal. When the true believer returns to what he or she walked away from,

he entrusted his truth with you. We’re going to see how severe this is in a moment. But this is why it’s a big deal.

Because he did what he didn’t do with those people in John 2. He did with us.

he did with you. He entrusted something with you. He opened your eyes to see the truth that eluded you for your entire

life. You were quote unquote enlightened, as the author of Hebrews says.

And yet, like Adam, you chose that old familiar sinful path to satisfy whatever

need you believed that you had at that moment.

Chapter 8: Severity of falling away

Now, this all sounds really severe, really harsh, and it is not because Ed Doss is making it such. It’s just the way that the scripture reads.

And for the truth, the truth is, brothers and sisters, I have no idea who which of you this lands on in our little group here.

It it may not land on any of you, and that’s fine. It may land on somebody who’s watching on YouTube

when they’re they’re struggling with something in their life after they’ve been called and they’re going back to it. It’s a big

deal because the truth was entrusted to you. And I want to show you a couple of things here that really drive this home.

Ephesians 1. Therefore, I also do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers, that the

God of our Lord Jesus Christ, Yeshua Hamashiach, the Father of glory, may give you, give to you the quote, spirit

of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him, the eyes of your understanding, being

enlightened, that you may know what is the hope of his calling. Remember our discussion last week

about knowing and understanding who the father is, thus walking with

him. Paul is saying, he’s tying all these things together. Wisdom, revelation, knowledge,

understanding is being enlightened is is understanding scripture for the first time in ways that you never knew before.

So that you may know. So that you may understand.

So now we can understand when we see these these things when we un when we I keep using the word understand but I I

can’t not when we understand the importance of the gift we’ve been given of understanding and our knowledge.

Now we can understand the severity of the words written in the book of Hebrews that so often misinterpreted.

I misinterpreted verses like this for 30 years of my of my life. I used to look at this verse

and think about this.

Glenn, I’m curious to ask you in my old fellowship.

Um, if you decided you wanted to leave the church for whatever reason, we would call we would give them this

title, they were falling away and we’d often read this scripture to them because they’re falling away from the church.

Was that the case amongst the churches of God? Do they have that same approach to people wanting to leave the church?

Yes.

Yes. And I would I I would I’m sorry I’m not giving you bigger questions.

Give you a chance to flex your thoughts here, but if anytime you want to interrupt, don’t be afraid. This was a verse that’s was often used in Christian

churches because, oh, you’re leaving the church, meaning you’re falling away. You’re leaving God.

And I’m here to tell you that the verse we’re going to read here in a moment, Hebrews 6, has nothing to do with leaving your denomination.

It’s impossible. Hebrews 6 says, “For those who were once what?

Enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit

and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. if they fall away to renew them again to

Chapter 9: Impossibility of restoration

repentance. Now, do you see the difference?

Now that we’ve looked at the first few slides, do you see the difference between what

the churches have tried to tell us and what the truth is in this scripture?

Hopefully, you are.

He says, “For those who were once enlightened.” I want to point you back to the verse that we just looked at in

Ephesians 1. Your understanding being enlightened. So to help us

understand the above verse better, I rewrote it.

It’s impossible to restore someone to repentance if they have already had the

truth clearly revealed to them, have experience the understanding that comes from heaven, have shared in the work of

the Holy Spirit by being a recipient of his gift.

That being enlightenment, that being understanding, have experienced the goodness, the clarity

of Yahw’s word and have witnessed the powers of the coming age and then chooses to turn away.

Can you see the difference in Hebrews 6 when you look at it through that prism?

Jim, you’re familiar with Hebrews 6. You’re familiar with this verse and how we used to use it. For those of you who don’t

know, Tim and I come from the same background, church background, but I wanted to get your thoughts on this.

Yeah, I I think the the key is after you’ve been given the understanding, which if you follow God’s law uh and you

you’ve received his rock, you you have um and then you choose to turn away. Is that I have a question about that. is

the choosing because when you sin you you know you you get blocked in your understanding. I’ve noticed you know

it’s you if you’re on the highway with the Lord you’re really taking in a lot of a lot of you know God’s word he’s opening you up. Question is my question

to you is choosing to turn away or or unintentional sin or intentional sin. Do you think how do you think that applies?

That was a question I was just getting ready to ask Glenn for for clarity on.

Glenn, how would you answer Tim’s question?

I’m not sure that I understand the difference between choosing sin and maybe stumbling in sin. Tim, would that be a better way of saying it?

Yeah. Stumbling means that you, you know, hey, we’re trying to resist, but you you you’ve you gave into sin or fell into sin. Yes.

Well, um I remember back when my parents came into a knowledge of the truth and they

were so grateful for the truth and so happy to be keeping the feast of tabernacles and all the holy days and

you know really had gratitude for the truth.

But then as time went on um they you know quit engaging

And then after, I don’t know, a year or so, they quit coming holy day services.

Then after a couple years, they were keeping Christmas and eating ham again.

And so, you know, I you know, when I was praying this morning, I was thinking about my parents. And um uh you know,

how could they be so grateful and yet turn away and then just lose all of their understanding?

Um you know, and and I I think the difference is, you know, they wanted to

leave. They didn’t want to keep God’s laws and they weren’t repenting

of their their bad thoughts and that all of that grew that iniquity

grew in them and took it over. So I I was thinking of the parable of the sewer. you know, uh, my parents didn’t

receive the seed on fertile ground and they didn’t bear fruit and the devil snatched it away from them.

Uh, I had forgotten about that story, Glenn. I remember you telling me about that once before, but that everything that Glenn said is is absolutely true.

And I think Tim, if I could add on to what Glenn said, we understand what sin is, right? For the first time in our lives, we understand that sin is a

violation of the law. We never knew that before. Now we do. So the question is, can I what if I intentionally choose to

sin? Well, how how might a true believer intentionally choose to sin? Ed, can I answer can I ask answer that? Yes, please.

I apologize. I didn’t mean to interrupt.

Um, I’m reminded from what uh Glenn said as well about Joshua 23:6,

which is kind of interesting. Um, it says, “Therefore, be very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in

the book of the law of Moses, lest you turn aside from it to the right hand or to the left.” I’m also reminded um the

passages about drifting away. So I think that if we don’t um be careful

u to to actually apply or obey you know what God is saying that we naturally are going to drift or we do turn from the right or to the left.

And that’s exactly what I was just getting ready to say. We can stumble in the course of our lives in in service to

the father and sin. Sometimes we can even do something intentionally. Whether it’s, you know, intentionally arguing

with my wife for something and sinning in the course of it, you know, whatever, whatever it may be, we have the chance

to repent. But as both of you have said, when you do that, when you make decisions to intentionally slend, it’s a

sin. It’s a very slippery slope um in in our in our hearts because

there’s nothing standing in the way between that and the next time we decided, okay, well, I got away with this

um and how about that? And before you know it, even the most committed person

can drift away, take a step off that ancient path. Oh, that’s not that rocky here. and continue going and before you

know it, you’re a mile away from the path you started on.

What what I’ve seen over and over is that unrepented of compromise

starts off as a very very small compromise with justification explanation

why why it’s not such a big deal but then that grows into additional compromises and it keeps growing. And if it’s not

repented of, then then people lose the understanding that they once had.

Yeah. And before you know it, compromise doesn’t feel like compromise anymore.

So I I personally asked myself this question as I was reading Hebrews 6. Why is it impossible to restore such a person? Because that’s a pretty strong thing to say.

It’s impossible to renew them again to repentance if they quote unquote fall away. Why is it

impossible to restore such a person? So, I took this rabbit hole if you will. The

Chapter 10: The hardened heart

wording in Hebrews 6 indicates that repentance, which if you remember some weeks ago, we

talked about how the ability to repent and see the truth is a gift granted to us by the father.

So the wording indicating that repentance had already occurred once before. Follow me here because this is important.

This individual had been gifted, granted the ability to repent once before in their life.

The phrase means to restore someone back again to that same state of repentance.

How did we feel when the father granted us that ability to repent? If you’re like me, there was shock.

There was awe.

There was, what does Paul say in First Corinthians? There was a readiness to see justice done.

There was an alarm.

Oh my gosh, what have I missed? How can I fix this?

How can I repent? that whole heart thing that happens in the in the in in the

individual’s heart when the father opens their eyes and grants them repentance.

So this writer of Hebrews, which I think is Paul, but that’s another argument later on, is saying that it’s impossible

once you have chosen to turn away to get the individual back to that

initial position, back to that same condition that they were in.

The point is not introducing someone to repentance for the first time, but attempting to bring them back again to

the the spirit of repentance that they already experienced.

Why? Because we’re hardened to it. Now the warning is that once a person fully

experiences the truth and then deliberately rejects the son of God, restoring them back to that earlier

state of repentance becomes impossible.

Chapter 11: Biblical warnings of judgment

How can I drive this home? This just popped into my brain. What for whatever it’s worth, I’m going to share it.

If a man makes the decision to cheat on his wife

and he’s caught, that initial

condition of his exposed heart is one of hopefully huge remorse. What have I done?

I’ve ruined my life. I’ve ruined her life. have that ruined my kid’s life.

That shock and awe of that decision being exposed.

Well, five years down the road, he does it again.

Is he going to have that same shock and awe the second time he was exposed?

No.

And that’s what I think the writer of Hebrews is trying to say here. It’s impossible to get the human heart back to that

initial shock and awe of being granted repentance

to be able to renew them again to that same type of repentance. Am I being clear on this, Glenn? Number two,

yeah, I think Revelations 2 and three talk about losing your first love. Okay.

And you know, if you if you don’t get back to where you were, I’ll take that lamp away. Okay? That lamp is his Holy Spirit.

Amen. So, this is not a new teaching that the writer of Hebrews is giving us, right? It’s exactly what the terminal blindness uh why the terminal blindness

came upon Israel. Okay, let’s look at these verses real fast. Proverbs 29:1, “He who is often rebuked and hardens his

neck will suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy.” Again, an Old Testament verse supporting

what Hebrews is saying. Proverbs 1. I called you and you refused. I stretched

out my hand and no one regarded because you disdained all my counsel and would not have any of my rebuke.

I also will laugh at your calamity.

I will mock when your terror comes. When your terror comes like a storm and your destruction comes like a whirlwind. When

distress and anguish come upon you, then they will call on me. But guess what?

I will not answer. They will seek me diligently, but they will not find me.

It’s impossible for that person to get where they need to be the first time they were

enlightened. Jeremiah 7. And now, because you have done all these works, says the Lord, and I spoke to you, rising up early and speaking, but you

did not hear, I called you, you didn’t answer.

Therefore, I will do to this house which is called by my name, in which you trust, and to this place which I gave to you

and your fathers, as I have done to Shiloh. Therefore, do not pray for this people, nor lift up a cry or prayer for

them, nor make intercession to me, for I will not hear you.

Zechariah 7. They refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Yes,

they made their hearts like flint, refusing to hear the law and the words which the Lord of hosts has sent by his spirit through the former prophets.

Therefore, it happened that just as he proclaimed and they would not hear, so they called out and I would not listen.

So, the things that the writer of Hebrews is saying here in chapter 6 is not new.

He is basically reiterating everything that the law and the prophets have taught

about what happens in the human heart after we have come to an understanding

of the truth and then we turn away. It is impossible.

He uses words like without remedy. They will not find me. I will not hear you. I

would not listen. And again I asked the question, man, this sounds severe. Why?

Why is this so severe?

Well, because according to the parameters of Hebrews 6, Israel was so enlightened by Yahw.

They had that same enlightenment that you and I have been granted, gifted. We see it in Deuteronomy 4. Actually, we see it everywhere. I just chose one.

Surely, I have taught you statutes and judgments just as Yhovah, my God, commanded me, that you should act according to them in the land which you

go to possess. Therefore, be careful to observe them. For this is your wisdom

and your understanding in the sight of the peoples who will hear all these statutes. and they will say, “Surely

this great nation is a wise and understanding people.” That’s why it’s so severe.

Because ancient Israel were enlightened.

They were receiving the direct words of the father. Sometimes through Moses,

sometimes by his own voice from Sinai until they told him to stop talking.

That’s why it was so severe. Hebrews 10, we know this verse well. If we sin willfully after we have received what?

Chapter 12: Willful sin and covenant

The knowledge of the truth, the enlightenment, the wisdom, the understanding.

There no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. Why are you saying the blood of Christ can’t cover that? Is that what you’re saying?

Is that what I’m saying? Glenn, number two, how would you describe that verse?

I would look at what happened with Satan.

Okay. And there was a time when Satan uh was one of the angels that covered

and yet he decidedly decided to rebel against God

and against his throne. Well, once he decided to rebel, he can never go back.

It wasn’t an accident. It wasn’t like a temptation that just grabbed him and he tripped. He decided to defy God and to try to take his throne.

What is what is the author trying to say when he says there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins? Look at it this way.

The sacrifice for sins was already made for this person,

right? That’s how they got to be able to have this knowledge of the truth.

He’s talking to somebody here who has been given the understanding who who knows the truth of scripture. The sacrifice for that person was already made at the cross.

If this person willfully rejects that after coming to an knowledge of the

truth, there is nothing else available that’s going to help him or her

except what the writer says, a certain fearful expectation of judgment. Why?

Well, because the in particular individual trampled the son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by

which he was sanctified a common thing, and insulted the spirit of grace. You’re basically saying,

“Now that I understand the truth, I’m going to go back to my old way of life.” As Glenn number two shared about his

parents, there are people who come to an understanding of the ways of the truth

and for whatever reason decide to do otherwise, decide to go back to what they left,

decide to go back to what was familiar, what was comfortable.

And for those people, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins because they’ve rejected that.

They’ve rejected the blood of the covenant. So defection is a rejection of the covenant that saved you.

Okay. Now, what is the author of Hebrews not saying here, Jim? I think this this goes to you.

If we sin willfully, I I believe and I’m willing to stand corrected here if you choose to do it. Remember in our very

first couple of slides, we talked about direction.

If the person’s direction in their life is to sin willfully,

to do those things that they know they should not do, they intentionally walk

off the path and the direction of their life is in a direction away from that path.

There is no longer remaining a sacrifice for sins.

Now, does that mean if Tim Snow or Glenn Glenn number two today made a decision

to somehow sin willfully? What would that look like? Maybe, I don’t know, Glenn got a phone call to

come do some work at his company and he goes, “Okay, I’m going to go do that.” That would be willful sin.

Is that single willful sin what the author of Hebrews is talking about here?

Well, I mean, maybe if it continues, if that becomes the pattern, if that becomes the direction of his life. Would you agree with that, Glenn? Number two.

Yeah, I I would just look back to King David. You know, King David made huge mistakes, but when Nathan came and

pointed it out, um, he repented.

Okay. Well, amen. I think Ed was gonna I was going to say that I think I would say you know no generally

speaking no to the one willful sin um because of the Hebrews 10 passage that talks about if we you know we

deliberately or perpetually you have to you have to harden your heart. Thank thank the Lord that you know that that

he God is so merciful to us that he he will strike us. He will discipline us, those of us who want to be in covenant

with him or stay in covenant. But um you know, you have you have to harden your heart. It’s I actually believe that that’s probably closer to blaspheming.

You have to really shove that down and harden your heart perpetually or deliberately ongoing. Um Yeah.

Yeah. And so I I’m I’m I believe that it’s it’s probably probably more than a one-off sin.

Yes. And I would agree with you. Okay.

Chapter 13: Ways of returning to sin

So let’s finish up here, guys. What in what ways do we return to our vomit?

Remember I said at the beginning of the lesson that we would take a quick look at this. Sometimes we think in our our minds are so small we think of sin,

right? But when you take a look at it in scripture, there is a whole host of

things as I’m scrolling through this list, you can just look at them. And I I

gave the um the scripture references if you wanted to look at those things individually.

But there’s a whole host of different things that can cause us to return to

our vomit. the love of money, being blinded by the god of this age, counting the blood of the covenant as a

common common thing, and then this very last one that I wanted to end with, returning to corruption after escaping

it, that is second Peter 2. And this is the second place that the the dog

returning to his vomit is quoted in scripture. And I wanted to read this as we finish out our lesson.

For when they, he’s talking about false teachers. When you’re reading this context, when these false teachers speak great swelling words of emptiness, they

allure through the lust of the flesh, through lwdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in error.

While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of corruption. But by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into bondage.

For if they have escaped the pollutions of the world, how did they escape the pollutions of the world? Through what?

Through the knowledge of who Yeshua is and what he came to do. They are again

entangled in them and overcome. The latter end is worse for them than the beginning. For it would have been better for them not to have known

not to have known what? The way of righteousness. Hearken back to last week.

Even better them not to have known the way than having known it to turn from the holy commandment that delivered them

or delivered to them. But it has happened to them according to the true proverb. A dog returns to his own vomit

and a sa having washed to her own her wallowing in the meer.

There is one other thing that I wanted to briefly talk about here and it’s this.

Chapter 14: Warning against false systems

I didn’t even toss extra notes in here because I wanted to have a free and open discussion.

This has been on my heart a lot lately.

As some of you know, I was invited to go speak at a church conference, a Torah

observant, church conference in South Texas at the beginning of the year. My wife and I went down there

and it was a small group of people, probably 50 people in the fellowship.

They had a band on the stage leading the worship and they had pastor doing the lesson.

Um, and I was asked to speak and they had an onig afterwards which was really awesome having some food there

and uh I I left feeling two huge emotions.

The first emotion that I left feeling was joy.

Being a part um of th those people and uh with so many like-minded individuals

joining together for a worship service was really good.

It felt very familiar coming from the church system myself and it was so good to talk to so many

people about my book and about the word and it was awesome in that regard. But I

also left with a pit in my stomach because it felt so familiar.

And I know this is it’s it’s a it’s a play on words. It’s a it’s a it’s difficult to even articulate this.

We know that the church system of what we do in in church in our past has its origin in the Catholic Church.

Um what we all understand about systemized religion has its origin in the Catholic Church. No question. what

we all came from and the and the model that we came from uh has no origin in scripture.

It’s purely man-made.

And I know that historically because I wrote about it in my book, every

man-made movement of God has fallen into religion and denominationalism.

even those who began with the most purest of intent. In my group, my group supposedly started with 30 people in a

living room dreaming about planting churches in every nation.

A humble holy goal in our in their minds.

Within 10 years, they were a full-on cult. that group of top down authority,

systemized doctrines that you were not allowed to violate the whole shebang.

Everything that’s ever been started historically ends up there.

And what sits in my gut is the fact that I see some people who have been enlightened, who have been awakened, who

have come to an understanding of the truth, long for that system.

They want to be plugged back into a system like that, but instead slap a Torah sign on the door

and feel like it’s okay. Well, I just want to warn you.

I want to warn you for the possibilities. Is fellowship and community wrong? No. Should we be longing for fellowship and community?

Yes.

But even with this new knowledge, this new understanding of scripture, if we go and try to recreate the wheel,

the wheel being systemized religion and

slap Torah observant believers in Christ on the door and think that that’s somehow going to change the inevitable outcome.

We are naive.

What’s the solution? I’m not entirely certain.

I think we have to keep searching the scriptures for what that solution is.

This what we’re doing here on Zoom is a temporary solution. We should be forever trying to start things together with like-minded believers in our homes.

But recreating the wheel that is systemized religion.

Inevitably, the small, goodarted, well-meaning group of believers is going

to morph into a top-down authority with a group of people calling themselves elders who call the shots.

It devolves into one person drawing a line in the sand saying, “If you believe this, you can’t be a part of that. How do I know

this? History has proven it.” And so I just wanted to throw that out

as a warning for us that doing so could very much be like a

dog returning to its vomit. I wanted to finish with Luke 9.

Chapter 15: Enduring to the end

Yeshua said, “No one having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdom of God.”

Whoever that lands on, whoever that fits, if you’re watching, listening, then it lands on. But I wanted to end

with it because it’s it it kind of en encapsulates everything that we’re talking about this morning.

But enough of me. I thought this was going to be a short lesson. Turns out it was, and apologize for that.

Uh, I want to hear from the the rest of you and get your thoughts, your questions.

your rebukes and disagreements. As always, I’m open to them all, but looks like Daria has her hand up. So, we’ll

start with you, dear. Go ahead. Make sure your microphone’s turned on.

What I heard now um was the last probably the last few minutes when you spoke with Glenn and you asked him

something. Uh I want to ask you uh because as you many of you know I have

walked away from the Lord for 13 years and maybe that’s for somebody who will

be now uh coming back to the Lord. I I was because I was struggling with those verses in the Bible when there is

written that it would be better for such person never to believe or something like that. It’s written there. And I was

struggling because I didn’t know if I if this grace is for me too because I have turned my back on the Lord.

But I know that he was grateful but these verses were against me.

Uh but so I want to ask how do you see these things when

somebody walks away from the Lord and then comes back? I know I didn’t know Torah before as I know now and now when

I don’t know Torah and I am much deeper now maturing then I I think and I hope that I will never pull my back on God again.

Sorry.

It’s because I love Lord so much and I know that any of those who will listen to it, I want to tell them that God is

merciful and he will accept you and he is waiting for you. I was away for 13

years and that was the Holy Spirit who led me back and I thank you and I want to tell all

of you that I love you very much and I am glad that I can be a part of this Mishbaka.

Sorry, I am I am done. I am just done because God is so good. So I just thank

I want to thank God that he has accepted me back and I hope I am not the one who came back to the his vomit.

So God bless you all and thank you. I Amen Dar we appreciate. Glenn Glenn number two wants to say something in response to you.

Thank you Daria. Thank you. Thank you very much for sharing.

Um, that’s important. What you’re contemplating is not something new to God’s people.

You’re contemplating the unpardonable sin. Did I sin? Did I do something I can’t come back from?

And I, you know, this has hit people all through the ages. You know, am I lost?

Have I crossed the line? Can I never come back? But the truth is that the our father looks upon the heart. And the

fact that people ask the question just the fact that they’re asking the question means that they have not

committed the unpardonable sin. And I would I would just look at the the um

the story of the particle son. the son that left and did really bad things, but

then he came back and look at the joy of the father and look, you know, he and I

don’t want to start crying either, but uh you know, but our father loves us and wants us if we get off the path, he

wants us to come back. The problem is that some people don’t want to come back.

That’s my answer. Yes. And that’s the difference, Daria.

Um when you when you consider the story of the prodical son, which is about the two houses of Israel, by the way, in case you ever wondered, but it also has

some um very interesting applications for the individual. The scripture says that he went to a distant land.

And that’s oftenimes that some things that we we can do in our life, you know, we can we can wander to a distant land

for for whatever reason. But all the while being aware of your father and his giving, his blessings like the son was.

Um, there was never a a u, as Glenn put it, a this severance. There

was never this terminal decision that you wanted nothing to do.

And I think that’s the difference that we have to make sure we understand in this discussion, but um, I don’t want to keep talking. Somebody else, thank you, Daria, for sharing.

Go ahead, Luke.

Well, you you said it yourself. I think there’s been a point in time where many of us have I don’t know, use the church turnback

slid, you know, but we didn’t come to the full truth. You have come to the full truth now. Okay. And back then you

probably didn’t. You said that you you discovered Torah and and so um I think we’ve all been there. We’ve all been

there. But now now we know the full truth. We know the full truth. And it’s such a beautiful thing. It’s like, you

know, going through this the the lesson today, it’s like I can’t and I say this with the humility because it’s such a

beautiful thing. How h how how why would you want to why would you want to um

walk away from this? So, I think you’re fine. Um, I think that, you know, you haven’t done anything that’s

unforgivable as far as that’s concerned in my opinion. So, bless you, sweetheart. I think you’re doing wonderful and we’re so blessed to have you in our group.

Amen. Yes, we are. Uh, okay. Somebody else has to have something a lesson like

that. Is that Michael Gman? Okay, Michael. Go ahead, brother. Yes, definitely have much to say.

Uh let me try and narrow it down to the the nuggets that that have formed in in my own spirit with

struggling with that question. Did I return to the vomit? Am I like that dog?

Because I think we all um go through that contemplation like the brother said. Uh have I committed the unpardonable sin?

And nothing is going to comfort us. I think for me anyway uh then the words of

Paul from Romans 6 and7 I believe you know he’s saying I see another law in my members

I don’t do the things that I want to do and I do the things that I don’t want to do what a wretch am I you know and and

uh what shall I do and he’s even saying uh

verses later uh it’s not me who does it you know I will lift up the cup of

salvation I’ll stand in in my salvation identity it’s not me who’s doing this I mean it’s

almost like a self it sounds like a selfdeceiving or deluding way of of a of a posture to take but that’s what the

word says and that is often time kept me going like another another thing mentioned by

one of the other brothers who was answering our dear uh Polish sister our sister in the Lord from Poland

our covenant sister with whom we’re married you know we’re we’re in the betroal bride identity

um now I forgot what I was gonna say uh you know do do I still do I want to do

these things do Okay. If every time I look I I capture my eye looking the

wrong way upon a woman or or if I you we’re just learning to take every thought captive.

We’re not perfect. We’re on the way.

We’re dying daily. Paul said, “I reckon myself dead.” So I’m I’m That’s what I’m

doing. I’m reckoning myself that though I see another law in my members daily.

You know, I can still stand by what? By faith in my salvation because he’s faithful. And and it’s like the

wrestling with the angel. He wrestled with the angel. The angel was showing

him how to Jacob how to wrestle with his own flesh.

He wrestled with the angel and for for the rest of his life he limped. So I do limp. I do have a a blessed limp because

I see what a wretch I am. You know how much of a sin nature I have in me. But I

still take faith that I’m going to serve the Lord and I am in him and I long to comfort. I long to be a voice of of

salvation for others pointing the way to Jesus, you know, and and um it’s a

wilderness. It’s a proof, you know, that I I am not of this world. I am in a wilderness, you know, and it really

feels like a wilderness. If I was to go back to the church that I loved, it was the most joyful time of my life. That was a great congregation. But the truth keeps me in this wilderness.

you know and and um so if I’m faced with challenges like you know a sickness and I I’m refusing the worldly way of

dealing with sickness and depending on him in the wilderness in days to come you know we won’t be able to buy or sell

you know we won’t be able to buy or sell food or medicine maybe you know so I’m learning to depend on him in the

wilderness and this is uh you know there’s Th this is my proof. Well, well, God, you know

1. You know me. You see me. I’m not depending on something other other you

know right now. So he’s wanting to say now I know that you fear me. I’m making

the sacrifice like Abraham make with his his most prized thing Isaac. And what

did God say? This is what he’s looking to say to us every day more and more.

Now I know that you fear me. It’s by his strength that I’m going to continue.

And he’s faithful. I judge him as faithful. That’s my little shingay.

Well, brother, for someone who said he didn’t know what he was going to say, you just I could I could end the whole

discussion right there on that brother’s comments because they were spoton. Every

breath he spoke was spoton. Thank you so much for sharing those thoughts, Michael. Uh, and let me put everyone’s heart to rest in case you’re wondering.

The fact that you are here at all tells me that none of you have committed the unpardonable sin.

Okay? So, get that thought out of your head. That that doesn’t apply to any of of you lest you wouldn’t be here. you’d

be somewhere else doing whatever it is that you wanted to do that had nothing to do with the father, but you are here.

So, uh, I want to hear from Angel.

Angela and then I want to hear from Samuel. We missed him last week. He had his hands up. Um, go ahead, Angel. Angela.

You can call me Angel. Okay.

But anyway, um, I guess I have a a lot of questions as far as Okay.

When did our salvation actually begin?

Was it, you know, I mean, cuz I I thought in times past, you know, that I was saved, right?

I mean, did our salvation begin when we started realizing that we had to walk this path?

How long, you know, I mean, how long have we really been saved? or are we on the path to salvation?

U you know and looking at this and and so did we really backslide?

I mean, were we worshiping the true God before when we were in our denominations um

formal formerly? I know. I know the God I worshiped in the past, that wasn’t the

true picture of who he was, that I could say the the key phrase, I

believe, and go off and do whatever I wanted, you know, because I was forgiven. You know, I had I had, you know, unmarited favor.

So, take that one. Run with it.

Um, I’m done with my question for John.

Well, that was a that was a deeply profound thought as well, and I’m grateful to hear you. Michael, did you have something else that you wanted to share?

I just it just came to mind that you know we can be so thankful that we have conviction

but discern it from condemnation. Those who walk after the spirit, you know, do not fulfill the lust of the flesh. Uh

and for those who be in Messiah Yeshua, there’s now no condemnation.

I’m I’m paraphrasing it. Um lest they walk in the flesh. Well, if we if we slip in the flesh, there’s going to be

condemnation. So, let’s let’s discern one from the other. But that conviction,

thank God. Thank God for that conviction of sin, of iniquity, of transgression.

Thank God. Yeah. I’m glad I if I do something, you know, that’s ah my tone was off with that person. Ah, you know,

and then I can go back and humble myself and, you know, thank God.

So, blessings.

Yes. Amen. And I just want to make clear, guys, um, verses like this, lessons like this can sometimes be scary and and and

rightly so. Uh my my I hope I didn’t con commune or convey to any of you that uh

you got to be so careful to not sin or yes, you’re going to be cast out for no that’s that’s not the heart of this lesson. Yes, you’re going to make mistakes in your in your journey.

Sometimes they’re going to be un un notw willful. Sometimes they’re going to be willful. You know, it all depends on what those things are. I don’t I don’t know. You’re going to make mistakes.

you’re going to sin.

These verses, these topics that I’m talking about today isn’t for those of us, as Michael shared, who are living

with our sinful natures and fighting those things constantly. It’s not about that.

This this lesson is about the person who is longing to go back to what they left behind

and are making decisions to to bring that about. They are they are longing to go back.

Whatever it is, be it sin, be it a lifestyle, be it a pattern, be it a system, a certain structure, you just you long to go back to what you had.

That’s what I’m talking about. I’m talking about that person who draws a line in the sand and says, “Okay, I’m done with this.

I’m going back.” Well, that’s none of you.

But there are some people out there that have and are doing this and that’s why I wanted to do this lesson.

But, uh, Samuel, did you want to say anything? Brother, I think you took your hand down, but is there something that you wanted to share?

Shabbat shalom, brother Ed. Um, hello.

The main reason for my my hand being raised was to address something that the the ruach placed within your mouth. Um,

and it was a word that you had for sister Daria before all of us with respect to how do you know if you committed the unpardonable sin and the

fact that you’re asking shows that you haven’t committed it. So, um,

but let me let me share this to to Angel’s question. None of us are are saved.

Those who endure to the end are saved with the testimony of Yeshua Hamashiach and abiding within the commandments.

That is what the scripture says. The idea of salvation being being gained

once you confess with your lips, that’s securing it. That’s a lie from the pits of hell. It’s not true.

You have to walk this out in reverence and trembling before the father. How do you know if you sinned? Because you stay

in the Torah. You stay in the Torah in the teachings of the father and the son and you are continually study to show yourself approved.

Now, is there a situation that you can find yourself in because you made some poor decisions based on levan, maybe

pride, maybe a desire to do something in order to edify your household.

Yes, those things happen. But in terms of intention, the sin, you know that murder is a sin. And murder doesn’t

start with the actual act. It begins with what’s here. It begins in your heart. And that’s what Messiah was

talking about. The same thing with adultery. It doesn’t begin with the act.

It begins with the thought and the rumination on that thing that ultimately leads to the commission of it. Are you

ruminating on it continually to the point that you finally are going to act upon it once you have the opportunity? That right there is the dividing line.

And I’m going to leave leave with this and this is going to salvation. There there is a true story a true story that

my Isa shared with me Issha being wife for those who don’t know there is there there was a a hurricane

in the Caribbean in Jamaica there’s a man an old man who’s a fisherman but who

also walks in the word and he’s always murmuring Torah in the Psalms hallways.

He goes fishing with two other men.

While at sea, a storm comes and it turns their boat over.

He tells the two men that are with him, “Hold on. Hold on.” And he continues to murmur the Psalms. I believe it was

maybe Psalm 91. I’m not sure, but there’s actual video of that retails this. And he’s telling other men, “Do not let go. Hold on. we’re going to be

we’re going to be saved. And so at a certain point, certain things that were in the sea from the storm started to

come through. And so he would push something towards some some of the the the other fishermanmen and say, “Here, you hold on to this. I’m going to hold

on to this.” One of them sank. They gave up hope. They just sank. Another one stayed for a while longer. Ultimately,

they gave up and they sank to the bottom. But that old man who kept murmuring the psalm and praising the father, he persisted.

Eventually, the ship did come. This is not false. This is a true story. And I’ll share the video um in the telegram once once we’re done.

When the ship finally comes, they’re able to pull him up, but he’s been in the water for so long that his skin begins to come off of his body, but

they’re able to successfully bring him aboard. And ultimately, he was saved.

This is for all of you. Hold on. Endure to the end.

You’re going to be in the water. Your head may go under a couple of times, but hold on. The word are all those things

that are in the water that you get to hold on to and grasp on to. The word is life. The word is life.

Not the church, not men’s doctrines, but the word.

Hold on to it. Those who endure to the end shall be saved. Shabbat shalom.

Ed, you’re muted.

Gosh, I was muted during all of that. I what I was going to say was the spirit of God is obviously working in the

comments here this morning in your hearts and your insights.

I have been refreshed by every single one of them. So much so that I’m going

to end on Samuel’s comment and call it a day. Guys, it’s been amazing at being

with you and having this heartfelt discussion and hearing your thoughts and your questions and your insights. It’s really helped me as the teacher as well.

And so, I just want you to know that um have a fantastic Shabbat, a great Shabbat with with your family and

friends, great weekend, and we’ll be back uh next week. We should probably start talking about Passover here soon.

So, we’ll uh we’ll we’ll see what happens then next week. Shabbat shalom everyone. Have a great day. Shabbat shalom.

Shabbat shalom guys. Thank you. Shabbat shalom. Shabbat shalom. Thank you. Shalom. Shabbat shalom.

Shabbat shalom. Shalom. Shabbat shalom family.

Shabbat. Shalom. Beloved. Have a wonderful Shabbat.

Thank you too, Daria. Shabbat shalom.

Shalom. Love you guys. Shalom. Hello.