All right, so leave your Bibles open there in 2 Kings chapter 4, and as Michael was reading that you notice that this is about Elisha, the prophet Elisha, and he does many, many miracles, you know, even raised a child from the dead in this chapter.
But there is one story that I want to draw our attention to, and it begins there in verse number 38, 2 Kings chapter 4 verse 38, let's read it again.
And it says, and Elisha came again to Gilgar, and there was a dearth in the land, so there was a famine as it were, there was a lack of rain, things weren't growing, right?
So there's a limit of food, and it says here, and the sons of the prophets were sitting before him, and he said unto his servant, set on the great pot and sieve pottage for the sons of the prophets.
So Elisha gives instructions to his servant, go and make some food, go and make a pot of soup so we can all eat.
And then it says here in verse number 39, and one went out into the field to gather herbs and found a wild vine.
So he finds this vine, it's a wild vine, it's a vine that he's not familiar with, it says here, and gathered thereof wild girds his lap full.
So if you don't know what girds are, girds are just another way, it's a classification of what we call pumpkins, or cucumbers, that that kind of fruit, or veggie or whatever, whatever you call that, we would term that as a gird.
And so he takes these from this wild vine, and says and gather thereof wild girds his lap full, and came and shred them into the pot of pottage, for they knew them not.
So there's a lack of food, he finds this what looks good, he finds it, it's a wild vine, he brings it, he puts it into the soup, he puts it into the pottage.
And so verse number 40 it says, and they poured out for the men to eat, so they're all eating, they're all eating this soup now, right?
And it came to pass, as they were eating of the pottage, they cried out and said, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot, and they could not eat thereof.
So what they notice, they're eating, and now they're feeling sick, you know, they're feeling like there's poison here, and they cry out to Elisha, they cry out to the man of God, there is death in the pot they say, and they could not eat thereof.
Verse number 41, and he said, then bring meal, and he cast it into the pot, that he said pour out for the people that they may eat, and there was no harm in the pot.
So Elisha does another miracle, this pot or food is going to kill him, it's poisonous, and he adds more meal, he adds more food to it, and somehow through the process we see it's a chapter of miracles, you know, they're all healed from that poison, they're all healed, they continue eating of that pottage, but it took the man of God to clean the pot.
And so that's the story that we have here, and again I want to draw you to verse number 40, verse number 40, it says, O thou man of God, there is death in the pot.
And the title for my sermon this morning is Death in the Pot, the Hebrew Roots Movement, Death in the Pot, the Hebrew Roots Movement.
You see, salvation is offered to us free, freely paid for by Jesus Christ on the cross, his death, burial and resurrection, it's simply by faith, by believing on that finished work of Christ that will save you.
That's the food, that's the meal that we need to eat of, but there are going to be those that come, and even maybe ignorantly, like the servant of Elisha,
ignorantly come and actually cast in some wild vine, some girds of a wild vine, and what I'm saying to you today is that there is a movement today known by the Hebrew Roots Movement,
maybe well-intentioned by some, but by many others, not well-intended, and they're going to poison salvation, they're going to poison the pot of food.
They're going to bring damnable heresies, they're going to bring you under the law, they're going to strive that you would live by the law,
they're going to strive to make you live righteously and make you think salvation is by how righteously you're living out the Old Testament law.
That is death in the pot. The Hebrew Roots Movement, I don't know how much you know about it.
In fact, I barely knew much about it until recent months, but it's growing, it's growing in popularity, it's growing in the United States, it's growing throughout the world, and it's even growing in Australia.
And so it's time for us to preach, just like the man of God had to throw some meal into that pot to fix it up.
Well, it's time for this man of God to throw some good meal, to cleanse this doctrine, to get rid of this movement.
If anyone tries to come into this church and bring in this Hebrew Roots Movement into our church, we need to cast them out because they're just death in the pot.
They're just trying to cause damage to the gospel of Jesus Christ, damage to our knowledge of the New Testament.
Now, when I say all this, one thing I want to make very clear, there's nothing wrong with the old covenant that God gave to Israel.
We've been going through the rightly dividing series as a church. That was the correct thing that God had appointed the Old Testament Israelites to live by.
But one thing that we taught, and I'll cover this again, is that it was never their way of salvation.
How well they kept the old covenant was not the basis of their salvation.
Their obedience to the covenant, Old Testament covenant, was the decision that God would make whether He would bless them on the land,
or if they disobeyed, whether God would curse them on the land, or cause them to be scattered as people.
It was about the blessings and the curse-ins of the nation. It was never about personal salvation.
And some people say, well, you know, sometimes this Hebrew Roots Movement, they're trying to bring us back under the law as for salvation.
The law was never a method by you were ever saved, and again, we'll cover this shortly.
But you know, the Hebrew Roots Movement is a slippery fish. It's difficult to understand and fully grasp what they believe.
Because there are different organizations, there are different groups, there are different ministries that go under the umbrella of Hebrew Roots, but they believe different things.
And so I wanted to give you a definition that I found. I've got two definitions here. One from Wikipedia, and I'll just read this definition to you.
It says, Hebrew Roots followers believe that sin is breaking the Torah.
All the purity laws, such as dietary restrictions and Sabbath keeping, are in the Torah.
Thus it is sinful to not keep the Sabbath and to eat forbidden animals, among other social and religious observance laws.
So it's not just that they believe that you need to do this. They believe that if you're not keeping the Sabbath, if you're eating the unclean animals as it was given by God to Israel,
therefore you are committing sin because you are breaking the law that is found in the Old Testament covenant. That's what they say.
Now I found another article that kind of expands on this a little bit more, an article that's written about the Hebrew Roots Movement online.
I'll just read it to you word for word. It says here, meet the Hebrew Roots Movement. I don't know if this is a positive article or not. I didn't read the whole thing.
But it says, meet the Hebrew Roots Movement. On the surface, many of its followers might look like conservative or orthodox Jews.
They keep at kosher, observe the Sabbath, celebrate Passover, where stars of David and speak Hebrew.
Some are circumcised and have beards and peos. I don't know what that is.
They're extraordinarily pro-Israel and often place an emphasis on how many times they visited the country.
A lot of the first believers in Jesus were Jewish, says Caleb Camaro, 21 year old member of the movement.
For me, getting closer to the lifestyle is getting closer to my Messiah.
Think about that. Getting closer to the lifestyle gets me closer to the Messiah.
Or is it getting closer to the Word of God that causes us to get closer to Christ?
Of course it's the Word of God, Jesus Christ being the Word of God.
But then it says here, but their religion centers on Jesus, whom they refer to as Yeshua, his Hebrew name.
And they believe that the right path to following Jesus is to live as he did by observing the Torah.
And so, if you guys can, we're not going to come back to 2 Kings, please go for me to Hebrews chapter 7.
Hebrews chapter 7, please. Hebrews chapter 7 verse 12. Hebrews chapter 7.
And while you're turning to Hebrews chapter 7, I want to read this passage to you here in Romans 3.30,
seeing that it says here, seeing it is one God which shall justify the circumcision by faith,
the circumcision being the Jews, and uncircumcision through faith.
Whether you're circumcised, a Jew, or uncircumcised, a Gentile, God says here he's going to justify us through faith.
Now look at Hebrews chapter 7 verse 12. Hebrews chapter 7 verse 12.
This Hebrew roots movement is trying to bring us into the Old Testament covenant.
But Hebrews chapter 7 verse 12 says this,
For the priesthood being changed, there is made of necessity, a necessity, a need, it's necessary, a change.
Now just read that again. There is made a necessity, a change also of the law.
Brethren, has there been a change of the law today? Yes. It was necessary according to Hebrews chapter 7 verse 12.
So how do we know? Well this is why I've been going through the Rightly Divided series a number of times.
We know the things that have been changed is because the New Testament has told us it's been changed.
Or the New Testament shows us how those things in the Old Covenant were a shadow of things to come in Jesus Christ.
Where Christ has fulfilled those things by his coming.
That's how we know the changes that have taken place.
Now I'm going to read to you from Galatians chapter 2 verse 16.
Because one thing I just want to make very clear. I'm not attacking the Old Covenant this morning.
I'm not attacking the Old Testament Israelites that kept the laws of the Old Covenant.
What I'm attacking this morning is this new movement known as the Hebrew roots movement.
That's what I'm attacking. And the roots go back to that wild vine that brought death into the pot.
That's what the roots are. It's a wild vine that has nothing to do with New Testament Christianity.
It has nothing to do with the Old Covenant that was followed by the Israelites.
Now I want to keep that very clear because I don't despise the Old Testament.
It's fantastic. We learn so many things.
The Bible says all scripture is given by God.
And so in Galatians chapter 2 verse 16 I'll just read it to you.
It says, knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law.
A man is not justified, brethren. Not saved by the works of the law.
You know when you obey the law, the Old Testament law, what are you doing?
You're doing the works of the law.
The Bible calls it the works of the law. Is salvation by works? No, it's not.
And then it says, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ,
that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law.
So we're not justified by the works of the law.
Listen, not even the Old Testament saints were justified by the works of the law.
Let me get to that again. But it says here,
for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Shall no flesh. That includes Old Testament believers.
They were not saved. They were not justified by the works of the law.
So listen, the Old Testament law is awesome. I'm going to preach it.
I'm going to preach those moral laws.
I'm going to tell you to keep the commandments of God.
But none of the works of the law has anything to do with your salvation.
It has anything to do with your justification.
Now please turn to Colossians chapter 2 for me.
Colossians chapter 2. Colossians chapter 2.
And we're going to begin by looking at the Sabbath.
And I know I've preached on some of these things.
I've got a lot of notes. I'm going to go through this very quickly.
If you have any questions for me, please ask me after the service.
But I have a lot of things to debunk when it comes to this Hebrew Roots movement.
Colossians chapter 2 verse 13.
By the way, this Hebrew Roots movement, it's not that they just like the Old Testament
and they just want to do things like the Old Testament.
They believe by doing this they're justifying themselves before God.
They believe by doing this they are saved.
And they will mask what they do and they'll say it's just by faith.
It's not of works. They'll mask it with that.
Just like that pottage, that soup looks good to eat from the outside.
But once you start eating it, it's poison.
Once you start eating it, it's death in the pot.
The Hebrew Roots movement is death in the pot.
Colossians chapter 2 verse 13.
Let's talk about the Sabbath day here.
It says here,
Colossians, believers,
Look at this.
This is blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us.
Which was contrary to us.
And took it out of the way, nailed it to the cross.
Listen, God has blotted away the old covenant.
It's done with.
It's been nailed to the cross it says there.
He took it out of the way.
He nailed it to the cross of Jesus Christ.
Verse number 15.
Now, in context, for what we just read this,
Sorry, for what we just read, look at verse number 16.
Hey, let no one judge you in what you eat.
Or in drink.
Or in respect of a holy day.
Hey, those Old Testament festivals and holy days that they used to have,
No one should be judging you on that.
Or of the new moon.
Or of the Sabbath days.
Oh man, you've got to keep the Sabbath.
Let no one judge you about the Sabbath day.
That's been nailed to the cross.
So, oh man, we have to do it.
Verse number 17.
The body is of Christ.
A shadow.
The Sabbath day was a shadow of Jesus Christ who was to come.
Okay?
I love the Sabbath day.
Why?
Because Jesus Christ is my Sabbath.
That's why.
The Sabbath day was a day of rest.
Jesus Christ is our rest.
We rest in him.
We place our faith on him.
That Christ has done all the work necessary for salvation.
It's not Christ and your works of the law.
Okay?
It's you rest from works.
Okay?
And you rest in Jesus Christ.
The Sabbath was just a shadow of things to come.
I want you guys to go to John chapter 5, please.
John chapter 5.
And I'm going to read to you from Hebrews chapter 4
while you go to John chapter 5.
I've got a lot of verses here, so I won't get you to turn to all of them.
But you go to John 5, I'll go to Hebrews 4.
Hebrews 4 verse 3.
This is about the Sabbath day.
It says here,
For we which have believed do enter into rest.
Man, praise God.
Believe in his resting.
All right, Jesus, I'm going to believe in you.
I'm just going to rest now.
And now I know it's not of good works by keeping the law.
I'm just going to rest in Christ.
I know it's all Jesus Christ.
Right?
And then it says,
As he said,
As I have sworn in my wrath,
If they shall enter into my rest,
Although the works were finished from the foundation of the world,
Verse number 4,
And he spake in a certain place on the seventh day on this wise,
And God did rest the seventh day from all his works.
So what is the Sabbath day?
A picture of God resting from his works.
He created everything in six days.
On the seventh day, God rested.
Okay?
And when we believe, we rest with God.
Okay?
It says in verse number 5,
And in this place again,
If they shall enter into my rest,
Seeing therefore it remaineth that some must enter therein,
And they to whom he was first preached,
Entered not because of unbelief.
What causes you to not enter into the rest?
What causes you not to be saved?
Unbelief.
So how do you enter into the rest?
Belief.
Okay?
I'll drop down to verse number 8.
For if Jesus had given them rest,
Then would he not afterward have spoken of another day,
There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God,
For he that is entered into his rest,
He also have ceased from his own works,
As God did from his.
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest,
Lest any man fall under the same example of unbelief.
How good is that?
It's not just rest.
All right?
But it's also ceasing from your own works,
According to Hebrews chapter 4.
This is why the Sabbath was just a picture,
Was just a shadow of things to come in Jesus Christ.
Now go to John chapter 5,
And I really wanted you to look at this passage, okay?
John chapter 5, because
The Hebrew roots movement will say,
Well, if Jesus kept the Sabbath,
Then I've got to keep the Sabbath too.
All right?
And I say, whatever Jesus did, I have to do too, basically.
Well, you know Jesus died on a cross.
I'm not going to do that.
Well, it could happen, I don't know.
But, you know, that's not my mission.
All right?
You know, Jesus did many things.
Jesus was able to heal the blind and raise the dead.
You know, just because Jesus did it,
Doesn't mean that's something I'm required to do.
Okay?
Jesus came and he fulfilled the law.
But one thing they love to say is how much Jesus kept the Sabbath.
Now Jesus, as a rule of thumb, did keep the Sabbath.
But this passage will blow their minds.
All right?
Look at John chapter 5 verse 15.
This is a time where Jesus Christ healed somebody on the Sabbath day.
Hebrew chapter 5 verse 15, it says here,
The man departed, that's the one Jesus Christ healed,
And told the Jews that it was Jesus which made him whole.
And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus and sought to slay him,
Because he had done these things on the Sabbath day.
So Jesus did actually heal this guy on the Sabbath day.
Did Jesus work on the Sabbath?
You're not required to.
You know, a man in the Old Testament was put to death
For just picking up sticks on the Sabbath day.
Jesus does a lot more than that.
Okay, let's keep going.
Verse number 17.
But Jesus answered them,
My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
Did Jesus work on the Sabbath?
Jesus said, and I work.
Jesus worked on the Sabbath.
Verse number 18.
Therefore, now I want you to understand verse number 18.
This isn't just the thoughts of the Pharisees.
This isn't a false accusation.
Verse 17 is the Holy Spirit, the narrator of the Bible,
Telling us what's going on.
Okay.
Verse number 17.
Sorry, 18.
Therefore, the Jews sought the maw to kill him.
Look at this.
Because he had, sorry,
Because he not only had broken the Sabbath,
But said also that God was his Father,
Making himself equal with God.
What does the Holy Ghost tell us here in verse 18?
That Jesus broke the Sabbath.
These Hebrew roots movement don't know what they're talking about.
When they say Jesus kept the Sabbath, so we got to keep the Sabbath.
Jesus broke the Sabbath.
Not according to the Pharisees,
According to the Holy Spirit,
Who narrates the Bible to us.
And yet we know Christ was without sin.
So how did Jesus break the Sabbath?
Jesus Christ is the Lord of the Sabbath.
Alright?
Look, it's not working on the Sabbath.
And I don't have time to go in all this.
But to do good, to heal, to help someone that's in a bad place.
That's all good.
Alright?
That's all good things that the Bible tells us about.
The Sabbath was not kept by any, by Abraham.
It was not kept by, what are some godly men?
Noah.
It wasn't kept by Enoch.
Before the Old Testament Covenant, nobody was keeping the Sabbath.
God had to, when he created the Old Testament Covenant with the nation of Israel,
That's when he commanded them to keep the Sabbath,
Which was a shadow of things to come, Jesus Christ.
Okay?
And this will blow the minds of these Hebrew roots movement when you show them,
That actually, Jesus Christ broke the Sabbath.
Okay?
And yet, the Bible tells us he was without sin.
Okay?
So just the stupidity, oh man, I'm doing what Jesus did.
We broke the Sabbath.
Okay?
That falls apart your entire theology.
That falls apart your entire Hebrew roots movement.
Okay?
They just can't, let's keep going.
What does it say there in verse number 19?
Then answered Jesus and said unto them,
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do.
For what thing soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.
For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that he himself doeth,
And he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel.
Jesus says, look, Father told me to do this work to heal this man.
I'm doing it.
You're going to see greater works than these.
On the Sabbath.
You're going to see more works on the Sabbath, says Jesus.
And plus other days, of course, that he went and did things.
Man, that just blows a hole in their theology straight away.
You know, in their method of salvation, when their own Messiah broke the Sabbath day.
Anyway, I just wanted to show you the Sabbath there.
I'm going to read quickly, if you guys can go to,
I'll get you to go to Hebrews chapter 9, please.
Hebrews chapter 9.
I'm going to read to you from Galatians 4-9.
Galatians 4-9.
It says here,
This is Paul speaking to the Galatian church.
Ye observe days and months and times and years.
Okay?
So the Galatians had gone back to the Sabbath.
You know, they were observing the days and the times, the holidays, the celebrations.
All the Old Testament practices.
They had gone back to that.
And Paul just finished saying,
How turn ye again to the weak and beggly elements?
He says, what you're doing is weak.
In comparison to what you're supposed to be doing.
And then it says in verse 11,
He says to this church in Galatia,
He says, look, you're going back, you're doing these things.
You're observing the days, the Sabbath days, the new moon, the celebrations.
He goes, I'm scared of you.
You bring fear.
Have I laboured in vain? He says.
Are you guys even saved?
Of course they're saved, we know they're saved, right?
He says, look, you're behaving like these unsaved heathen.
You've gone back to the weak elements
instead of just putting your faith on Jesus Christ.
Listen, those that observe, you know, not just the Hebrew roots,
the seventh-day Adventists, all these kinds of people.
Oh, you've got to go back to the Sabbath.
They are weak. They are weak.
And they're not even saved if they're trusting that for salvation.
Okay?
Not even the Old Testament saints trusted in the Sabbath, keeping the Sabbath days for salvation.
Now, things to come, Jesus Christ is whom we place our faith in, our trust in.
Let's get onto the dietary laws now.
The dietary laws, you guys are in Hebrews chapter 9.
And before we go there, I'm going to read to you from Genesis 9 just very quickly.
The story of Noah when he comes off the ark.
What does God instruct Noah to do?
Genesis 9 verse 1.
And God blessed Noah and his sons and said unto them,
Be fruitful and multiply and replenish the earth.
And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the field.
And upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth,
and upon all the fishes of the sea, into your hand are they delivered.
Look at this, verse number 3.
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you.
That's a command.
Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you.
God says to Noah and his family, anything that moves, eat it.
Whatever there is.
I know there are some animals that we would cringe at thinking of eating.
Where other places in the world eat.
But they're doing what's right.
To us it's odd.
To us we think that's probably filthy or there's disease there.
I just can't eat that dog because we think of dogs as pets.
But there are places in the world that do this.
It's not a sin.
And then it says here, even as the green herb have I given you all things.
God says look, just like I gave you the herbs, the trees, the fruits, the veggies, all this stuff,
in the same way I'm giving you freedom to eat of every animal.
That's before the Old Testament covenant.
Then God creates the Old Covenant, the law of Moses with Old Testament Israel.
You guys are in Hebrews chapter 9 verse 8.
And again, this tells us the reason behind this.
And of course, actually before we read this, you know that one of the restrictions that God gave to the Israelites
was to not eat of certain animals.
And there's a classification in the Bible known as clean creatures or unclean animals, creatures, whatever.
And the Israelites of old were allowed to eat of the clean but not of the unclean animals.
So this is where you get the idea where they were allowed to eat pigs or shellfish, these kinds of things.
Because they were classified as unclean.
But in Hebrews chapter 9 verse 8 it says,
The Holy Ghost is signifying that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest,
while as the first tabernacle was yet standing,
which was a figure for the time then present,
in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices that could not make him that did the service perfect
as pertaining to the conscience.
Now let me explain that verse number 9 very quickly.
It says all these things of the Old Covenant, again, what are they?
Figures, shadows of things to come, figures.
And it says there, in which were offered both gifts and sacrifices.
So you know the ultimate saints would give the sacrifices, the offerings.
And it says that could not make him that did the service perfect.
Listen, the ultimate saints were not saved by offering Old Testament sacrifices.
It could not make them perfect.
It says here, it was just a shadow, a figure of things to come.
Verse number 10, which stood only in meats and drinks.
So there's the meat restrictions.
These things were a picture of things to come.
And diverse washings and carnal ordinances imposed on them until the time of reformation.
Yes, they were not required, they were not allowed to eat certain animals,
but it was for a time until the time of reformation.
So what's the time of reformation?
Verse 11, but Christ being come and high priest of good things to come
by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands.
That is to say, not of this building.
Jesus Christ.
All that was there till Christ.
The time of reformation is when Christ came, bringing in the new covenant.
And I haven't got time to go through this today,
but the figure of the unclean and the clean animals,
later on with Peter, God gives Peter a vision of clean and unclean animals,
and he says to Peter, eat of them.
He goes, I can't eat of the unclean.
And the whole thing, I don't have time to go through this,
but the whole thing was to basically show the unclean animals
as a figure of the Gentiles.
And the clean animals as a figure of Old Testament Israelites.
And that now God has made it all clean.
All of us, whether Jew or Gentile, doesn't matter,
we can all be made clean in Jesus Christ.
It was a shadow, it was a figure of things to come.
That's all.
That's all it was.
Now please go to Galatians chapter 5, Galatians chapter 5 for me.
And while you're turning there, I just want to finish with 1 Timothy chapter 4,
because we've looked at, prior to the old covenant,
they were commanded to eat of every meat.
We looked at, in the new covenant, yes, they were restricted,
but it was just a figure, a shadow of things to come.
And now let me show you, under the new covenant, under the New Testament,
how we're allowed to eat all things in 1 Timothy chapter 4.
You guys go to Galatians 5.
1 Timothy 4 verse 1, it says here,
What we're about to read now guys,
are seducing spirits and doctrines or teachings of devils.
Who's teaching teachings of the devil?
Verse number 2,
Forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats.
Anyone that says, hey, you've got to stop eating this,
you're not pleasing God, or this is a way of salvation,
the Bible calls that a seducing spirit, the Bible calls that a doctrine of devils.
The Hebrew Roots movement is not just death in the pot,
it is a doctrine of devils, trying to make you do these things under the new covenant.
It says here,
Verse number 4,
Every, for every creature of God is good.
In the New Testament, before the Old Testament, they could hear everything.
In the Old Covenant, Old Testament, they weren't allowed to eat everything.
And the New Testament, we've gone back, yes, we can hear everything.
Every creature of God is good.
Anyone telling you, don't eat that, don't eat this animal, don't eat that.
Doctrine of devils, beware, death in the pot.
Alright, you guys are in Galatians 5, that covers the dietary laws.
Again, please, any kind of questions you can ask me after the service,
I've just got to speed through this stuff,
because there's a number of false doctrines that they teach, right?
We're going to be looking at circumcision now, you guys are in Galatians 5, verse 1.
So, it doesn't look like all the Hebrew Roots movement people circumcise themselves,
but many of them do, so we have to cover this topic.
Galatians 5, verse 1, the Bible tells us in Galatians 5, verse 1,
If ye be circumcised, Christ shall profit you nothing.
Man, who wants to get circumcised?
Christ shall profit you nothing.
Now, this is not saying if you've been circumcised, you're not saved, you can't be saved.
Those that trust in circumcision to be made right with God, well, guess what?
Christ is going to profit you nothing.
Because if you're trusting the works of the law, then you're not resting in Jesus Christ.
Christ is not going to profit you anything.
Oh, you've got to be circumcised.
No.
I want Christ to profit me everything, and He has profited me everything.
He's given me salvation.
If I start teaching, you've got to get circumcised.
Guys, chuck me out of this church, please, as soon as possible.
Verse number 3,
For I testify again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to do the whole law.
If you believe being circumcised gets you right with God, well, you've got to do all the law.
Never break it.
Verse number 4,
Christ is become of no effect unto you.
Whosoever of you are justified by the law, ye are fallen from grace.
Man, those that are trusting to be saved by works, by the circumcision of the law, they've fallen from grace.
How are we saved?
For by grace are you saved through faith.
That's how you're saved, through faith, by God's grace.
And if someone doesn't have the grace of God, the trust in the law, the circumcision, all this stuff,
that they haven't got access to the grace of God, they're not even saved.
They're not even saved.
Okay?
Look, if you want to know more about the Old Testament, you want to know more about the way the Jews did things in the past,
you don't go and look up Hebrew roots movements.
They're not even saved.
They haven't got the Holy Spirit of God in them.
They cannot understand the scriptures, which is why they fail time and time again.
I mean, the entire New Testament just debunks the Hebrew roots movements.
The whole New Testament is that meal to be put into that pottage, which is why we must eat.
That's the wild vine, not the Hebrew roots movement.
There's death in the pot when it comes to the Hebrew roots movement.
Please go to Galatians chapter 2.
I'm going to read to you from Romans chapter 2, a very familiar passage.
Romans chapter 2.
Why is circumcision no longer required today in the New Testament?
Again, it was a shadow of things to come.
It was a figure of things to come.
Romans chapter 2 verse 28 says,
For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly.
That's on the outward, the flesh.
Neither is that circumcision.
God doesn't even count their circumcision in the flesh as circumcision,
which is outward in the flesh.
But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly.
And circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit,
and not in the letter whose praise is not of man, but of God.
Circumcision is put in the way of the flesh.
And when you're saved, you're put in the way of the flesh.
You're not trusting the works that you can do in the flesh.
You're putting that away. You're being circumcised from that.
That's the picture. You're circumcised in the heart.
You believe in the heart, the Lord Jesus Christ.
That's how you get circumcised in the heart.
You're no longer trusting the works of the flesh.
You're not trusting your flesh anymore.
You're trusting 100% Jesus Christ.
Galatians chapter 2 verse 1.
So are we circumcised, brethren?
Yeah, I guess we are in the heart.
We are circumcised in the heart because we've believed on Jesus Christ.
Galatians chapter 2 verse 1.
And they say, oh man, even the Gentiles need to get circumcised
through the Hebrew Roots movement.
Let me show you how important circumcision was to a Jew,
to someone who was under the old covenant
and someone that wrote most of the books of the New Testament.
That's Paul.
Galatians chapter 2 verse 1.
It says here,
Hey, there's an entire book of the Bible called Titus.
Titus, who was a pastor, who was left on the island of Crete
to establish churches or ordain elders
to these other congregations in these other cities.
Verse number 2.
He goes, I never told Titus to go get circumcised.
Titus is uncircumcised, he says.
Titus being a Greek.
Did Paul say, hey Titus, you've got to get circumcised.
You've got to keep the laws of God, man.
You've got to keep the Old Testament covenant.
No, he says, look, I told Titus, don't get circumcised.
That's how important it is in the New Testament.
Don't do it.
Okay?
It's not important.
And look at this, let's keep going.
Verse number 4.
Which we have in Christ Jesus,
that they might bring us into bondage.
He says, look, there are false brethren.
Guys, those that tell you to get circumcised,
they are false brethren.
They're not saved.
Okay?
They will come in trying to tell Titus and others to get circumcised.
And Paul purposely tells Titus, don't get circumcised.
Okay?
Just to confuse these guys, these false brethren.
Verse number 5.
That the truth of the gospel might continue with you.
He says, look, these false brethren that came teaching circumcision,
the Old Testament law,
these guys coming into the Hebrew Roots movement,
he goes, we didn't give them even an hour.
They came into church, we said, get out of here.
We're not even giving you an hour of our time, says Paul.
That's what's going on.
Okay?
That's how we treat these people.
Guys, under the New Covenant,
by instruction that we have here,
these people that are trying to bring us back into bondage,
okay, back into bondage,
these people that are trying to get us circumcised,
follow the Old Testament laws to make us somehow right with God,
don't put up with them at all.
Don't go and watch their videos.
Don't go read their books.
Don't go and read their gospel tracts.
Don't give them any time of your day.
Not even an hour.
That's what, that's how Paul treated these Hebrew Roots movement.
Okay?
This isn't, it's a new movement,
but it was going on in the Bible.
It was still going on.
There's nothing new under the sun, guys.
Okay?
Now, when it comes to the Hebrew Roots movement,
I thought this wasn't something, or barely noticeable in Australia,
until I noticed one thing.
There is one group that is gaining a lot of momentum here in Australia,
and here down in Brisbane as well,
and it's the, maybe you've heard of them,
it's the 119 Ministries.
Have you guys ever heard of that?
119 Ministries.
I'm aware of it because one of my friends
once went soul winning with this group,
maybe more than once,
thinking that they were writing the gospel.
Okay?
And I remember one of my,
I think it was Christina, she was at Kawana,
the shops in Kawana, what do you call them?
Shops, shopping, anyway, whatever.
The shops there, and one of my sons came from the toilet
and he found a tract.
And he goes, he was excited, looked at it,
and I had a look, it was 119 Ministries.
Okay?
And it kind of sounded all right, the tract.
Okay?
Now, I didn't know this at the time,
but now I understand these guys are part of the Hebrew Roots movement.
Okay?
They are one of these ministries,
they are one of the organisations
that has a lot of prevalence here in Australia,
119 Ministries.
And I'm going to, I had a quick look,
and they're so slippery, guys, they're so slippery.
They present to you the pot of soup
and they don't tell you they took the wild vine,
the gourds from the wild vine and put death in the pot.
Okay?
They don't tell you this.
It looks good.
It looks like soup.
It looks like, oh, this looks good.
Okay?
The first thing,
I went to their website, I watched their video.
The first thing you notice when they talk about salvation,
they call it a salvation process.
As soon as you hear that word, salvation process,
you know this is a workspace gospel.
Okay?
The Bible doesn't use the word, this term, salvation process.
Okay?
It's not a process,
it's a one-time believing on Christ that saves you.
And on their statement of faith, on their website,
the statement of faith for 119 Ministries,
it says,
salvation is by grace alone through faith.
Hey, this looks like good soup.
Yum!
Hey, I believe that.
Right?
Grace alone?
Yeah, God's grace through faith.
Awesome.
So then I went to their YouTube channel
and I found a video called Faith and Salvation.
So you think, man, faith and salvation,
this video will explain how someone gets saved.
Okay, faith and salvation.
I want to go through this quickly,
but one of the first texts they turn to
to teach what faith is,
they turn to Hebrews 11.
Now Hebrews 11 does have the definition of faith in there.
Okay?
But what is Hebrews 11 about?
It's a hall of faith of great men of God in the Old Testament,
Old Covenant, or even before the Old Covenant, right?
Now Hebrews 11 is about these great men of faith
who did great works.
They did great works
because they had their faith in God.
They had their faith in Jesus Christ.
That's why they did great works.
But what these guys want you to think
is the great works that they've done is their faith.
No.
The great works that you do is not your faith,
but you can do great works because of your faith.
And this is what you've got to be very careful about,
these slippery fish people.
They make it seem really nice, but no.
And I'm going to read some of the things,
some of the things they say in this video to you.
And this is what they say.
They say, faith is, this is the definition of faith.
Faith is believing that everything God said is true.
First of all, faith is just believing.
Okay?
You can have faith,
I have faith in this chair right now.
I'm going to sit on this chair.
You know what?
I have faith this chair is going to hold my weight
and I can sit on it.
That's faith.
I just believed that chair was going to hold my weight.
Anyone, even a non-believer has faith in something.
Okay?
Faith just means believing.
But they say, faith is believing that everything God said is true.
Well, I don't have a problem with that in a sense
because if we're talking about salvation,
but that's not what faith is.
Faith is just believing.
Okay?
But then he goes,
believing everything God said is true,
committing to follow what it says,
and doing what the Word says.
Oh, is there anything really wrong with that statement?
Committing to follow what it says?
Alright, believing in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Alright, I'm going to follow that.
I'm going to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.
And doing what the Word says.
Okay?
I'm going to place my faith on Christ.
But you can see just by the wording,
it's starting to get into the realm of works.
Okay?
They don't want to tell you it's works,
but it starts to get there.
And then they'll say, in other words,
believing or trusting,
committing to obey and do it,
and then the actions of obeying and doing it.
Alright?
So, again, you know,
Romans 10 16 kind of uses this language,
that they have not all obeyed the gospel.
How do we obey the gospel?
How do we make sure that in order for us to be saved,
we're doing something out of obedience?
We've got to obey the gospel, brethren.
We do.
It says here,
For Isaiah saith,
Lord, who have believed our report.
That's how you obey the gospel.
You believe the report.
Verse number 17.
So then faith comes by hearing
and hearing by the Word of God.
That's salvation, brethren.
You believe what Jesus Christ has done for you
in accordance to the Word.
You place your faith on Christ.
Guess what?
You've obeyed the gospel.
Praise God.
But is that what they're talking about
when it comes to obedience?
Oh, keep going.
Then they say in their video,
The way for us to be saved
is to believe that we have sinned
and deserve death.
Oh, yes.
Because the Word says so,
we trust that the Father told us,
so we trust what the Father told us is true,
that to be righteous,
we are to follow His Word,
and then we do it.
That, sorry, let me say that again.
To be righteous,
we are to follow His Word?
Well, yeah,
when it comes to obeying the gospel,
but do you notice that
He doesn't use the word gospel?
He doesn't say faith here.
When 119 Ministries uses obeying the Word,
you know what they mean?
The Torah.
The first five books of the Bible.
That's what they mean.
They mean Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus,
Numbers, Deuteronomy.
That's what they mean.
But they don't tell you that.
They mix it into the soup,
and once this kind of sounds okay
as you're eating it,
and then you're screaming out
to the man of God,
there's death in the parts,
and there is.
I'm trying to tell you there's death
when it comes to the Hebrew Roots movement.
It says here,
they continue saying,
this also, sorry,
this also includes the scripture
that Yahweh,
that's how they like to call God Yahweh,
will send us a Messiah
through which salvation
will be made possible.
We commit to that truth,
and then live our lives
as though it is true,
showing all the evidence
of what we believe to be true.
I don't know, guys.
This is going over my head a bit, right?
You know what they're saying?
Works, works, works,
is what they're saying.
Obey the law, obey the law.
This is salvation,
is what they're saying.
It's a process.
Keep doing it.
But they don't tell you.
It's straight out, right?
Now look at this.
After we have that faith,
after we realize that we deserve death
and need the redeeming work of the Messiah
and turn our faith into action,
look at this.
After we have the faith
and turn our faith into action,
our obedience,
we are no longer under the curse,
under the curse law of sin and death.
So you have to have faith.
That's not enough.
You've also got to obey.
Okay, and by obey,
now you're under,
you're no longer under the curse.
You're no longer under the curse.
Works-based salvation.
Okay.
And then it says here,
look, just for the sake of time,
I don't really want to go into it too much,
but in summary,
if you watch this video,
it's called Faith and Salvation.
You guys can watch it in your own time.
They end with this description
of what damns us to hell.
They take the idea,
you know the way the Bible speaks
about having two or three witnesses
before you can be condemned,
like to be, you know,
condemned for a crime.
Well, they'll take that and say,
well, that's how God works for us.
The only reason we are destined to hell,
they'll say,
is because God has two witnesses.
One witness is a Torah
that tells us what we've done to sin.
The other witness are the books
that are opened up in Revelation,
you know, for those that are
cast into the hell of fire,
the lake of fire,
that their works are shown by those books.
They've come short.
And so those are the two witnesses
that damns into hell, they'll say.
Okay.
And what they'll conclude is when Christ,
they'll say,
well, what portion does Christ
have in their salvation?
This is what it comes down to.
And it's not very clear,
but if you pay,
I had to listen to this three times
to be clear as to what they're saying.
They're saying when Christ died on the cross,
and by the way,
they don't focus on the resurrection at all.
But anyway,
they say when Christ died on the cross,
he made it so our works,
our sins are blotted out of those books
of the book of Revelation.
So there's one witness
that cannot testify against us now.
And now there's only one witness left
that can testify against us.
They say, this is what they teach.
Okay, the Torah,
the first five books of the Bible,
show us our sinfulness.
And God can now not condemn us to hell
because there's only one witness.
Because there's no longer
two or three witnesses,
now there's only one witness.
So it's kind of like God
has tricked himself, right?
That God has this plan
of having two witnesses,
and now he's kind of done
a trick in his law,
and now God can't condemn us
because there's only one witness.
So what they teach is,
yes, Christ became the curse for us.
He took our sins
so our sins cannot be named
or mentioned when we stand before God.
But that's not the end of salvation.
Salvation is not just Christ
becoming the curse for us,
becoming sin for us, okay?
The Bible says in Galatians 3, 13,
Christ have redeemed us
from the curse of the law,
being made a curse for us,
for it is written,
it's everyone that hangeth on a tree.
Did Christ take our curse?
Yes.
But is that all he did, brethren?
That's not enough for you
to get saved, okay?
The Bible says in Philippians 3, 9,
And be found in him
not having mine own righteousness,
which is of the law,
not mine own righteousness,
which is of the law, he says,
no, but that which is through
the faith of Christ,
the righteousness which is of God by faith.
You know what these Hebrew roots,
this 119 ministry says?
Yeah, Christ became the curse for you,
but they believe,
well, now that I walk in obedience to God's law,
I'm going to stand before God
in my own righteousness of the law.
They teach.
That's not right.
Christ not only became sin for us,
not only did he take on the curse,
but he imputed his own righteousness
unto us that believe.
So when we stand before God,
we stand not in our own righteousness,
which is of the law,
but we stand in the righteousness
of Jesus Christ.
Praise God.
When God looks at us
positionally before him,
in salvation, he sees no sin.
He sees Jesus Christ,
the righteousness of Jesus Christ,
not your own righteousness,
which the Bible calls filthy rags, okay?
That's what they're missing.
They don't understand the salvation.
They didn't even bring up
the resurrection of Christ.
You know, if Christ was not raised from the dead,
our faith is in vain, the Bible says.
They've got another gospel, okay?
Not only that,
they don't even believe on Jesus,
this Hebrew roots movement.
They believe in a guy called Yeshua.
No, but Yeshua is the Hebrew.
No, Yeshua is not in your Bibles, okay?
The New Testament was written in Greek,
and in Greek, the name of Jesus is,
Jesus, Jesus, okay?
In English, Jesus.
In Spanish, Jesus.
In Portuguese, Jesus.
Jesus is a name by which we stand.
Jesus Christ is our saviour.
They've got some other guy called Yeshua
whose name is not found in the New Testament,
which tells us about Jesus Christ.
Are they standing on the word of God?
No, they are not, okay?
Please go to Acts chapter 4, please.
Acts chapter 4.
A moment's done, guys.
I'm gonna try to speed up.
Acts chapter 4.
And again, there's a lot to cover here,
but Acts chapter 4.
And while you're turning to Acts 4,
I'm going to read to you
from Philippians chapter 2,
Philippians 2, 9.
It says,
Wherefore God also have highly exalted him
and given him a name which is above every name,
and at the name of Jesus every knee should bow
of things in heaven and things in earth,
and things under the earth,
and that every tongue should confess
that Jesus Christ is Lord
to the glory of God the Father.
Praise God.
Jesus Christ, the name of Jesus,
every knee should bow at that name.
Not the name of Yeshua.
You guys are in Acts chapter 4, verse 7.
Acts chapter 4, verse 7.
And when they had set them in the midst,
they asked,
By what power or by what name have you done this?
Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost,
said unto them,
Ye rulers of the people and elders of Israel,
if we this day be examined of the good deed done
to the impotent men,
by what means he is made whole,
be it known unto you
and all the people of Israel
that by the name of Yeshua,
by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth,
whom ye crucified,
whom God raised from the dead,
even by him doth this man stand here,
before you whole.
And this is the stone,
which is set at naught to you builders,
which has become the head of the corner.
Neither is there salvation in any other,
for there is none other name
under heaven given among men,
whereby we must be saved.
What name?
The name of Jesus Christ.
That's the name that we are saved through.
Okay, the name of Jesus.
And one of my favourite verses
that I turn to when I go
dole to the soul winning,
is John chapter 1 verse 12.
You see, brethren,
a lot of people say,
well, I believe in God.
Well, great, I'm glad you believe in God,
but do you believe in Jesus?
You believe on some other guy
that was on the cross?
Who was on the cross exactly?
John 1 12 says,
but as many as received him,
to them gave you power
to become the sons of God,
even to them that believe
on his name.
It's not just believing some guy
died on the cross for me
and rose again from the dead.
Who died on the cross for you?
It's believing in the name of Jesus
that saves you.
This Hebrew roots movement,
they haven't got the name of Jesus,
they haven't got the resurrection,
they don't stand in the holiness of God,
the righteousness,
imputed righteousness of Christ, okay?
And they're trusting the deeds
of the Lord to save them.
They think they're doing something
the Old Testament saints used to do.
No, they're not.
The Old Testament saints did not believe
in the works of the Lord, okay?
What book are you guys in?
Can you tell me?
Acts.
Acts?
All right, guys,
if you guys can go to,
go to Galatians again,
Galatians chapter 2,
Galatians chapter 2.
And I'll try to wrap this up now.
Go to Galatians chapter 2,
verse 20.
Reverend, the Old Testament was never
the method by which one was saved.
Ever.
Okay?
Ever.
Galatians chapter 2, verse 20.
Paul says,
I am crucified with Christ.
Nevertheless, I live, yet not I,
but Christ liveth in me.
And the life which I now live in the flesh,
I live by the faith of the Son of God
who loved me and gave himself for me.
Look at this.
I do not frustrate the grace of God,
for if,
for if righteousness came,
or come by the law,
then Christ is dead in vain.
Could righteousness ever be gained by the law?
It says if it was, right?
If,
if righteousness come by the law,
then Christ is dead in vain.
If you could be saved by keeping the law,
if I was saying here that Jesus Christ
did not have to come and die,
it was empty, it was worthless,
because there was another way of salvation
by keeping the law.
And if you're trying to keep the law to be saved,
verse number 21 says,
I do not frustrate the grace of God.
Are you trusting the law?
You are frustrating the grace of God.
You are frustrating God
when you say, look at me,
I'm keeping the works of the law.
You frustrate me.
How much more are you frustrating God
who offered you free gift of salvation
in Jesus Christ?
Galatians chapter 3, please.
Galatians chapter 3, verse 21.
Is the law then against the promises of God?
God forbid.
For if there had been a law given
which could have given life,
verily righteousness should have been by the law.
Another if, okay?
If you could be made righteous in the law,
then verily righteousness
should have been by the law.
Okay?
In other words,
the law, the ultimate law
could never make you righteous.
Verse number 22.
But the scripture have concluded all under sin
that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ
might be given to them that
do the works of the law,
them that get circumcised,
them that keep the Sabbath days.
No.
Them that believe.
And we've already seen that believing
is entering into rest,
not trusting in the works of the law.
Brethren, I've got some other notes,
but I just want to conclude today.
And please go to Philippians chapter 3.
Philippians chapter 3, verse 2.
I know you guys know a lot of this,
but I just want to show you the seriousness.
Please don't entertain this.
Please don't mix this poison into your food.
Okay?
Into your soup.
It is death in the pot.
And the Bible tells us here in Philippians chapter 3, verse 2.
This is a warning given to us,
and this is a warning that I give to this church.
It says here,
beware of dogs.
Beware of evil workers.
Beware of the concision.
The concision is another way of saying the circumcision.
Now in the context of Paul's day,
this was the Jews.
Okay?
In context of this sermon,
this is the Hebrew Roots movement.
Okay?
God is telling us,
beware of the concision,
for we are the circumcision,
which worship God in the Spirit,
and rejoice in Christ Jesus,
not Yeshua,
in Christ Jesus,
and have no confidence in the flesh.
No confidence in the flesh.
You want to be saved?
Have no confidence in what your flesh can do.
Have no confidence in you,
keeping the law of God.
Have no confidence in getting circumcised,
or going back to an old system,
which could never save you anyway.
Have your confidence in Jesus Christ.
Rejoice in the name of Jesus.
Don't let any man come
and take that name away from you,
because that is the name by which you were saved.
It is a name by which,
when you go,
the only name by which you can get someone else saved,
is by the name of Jesus Christ.
Okay?
The Hebrew Roots movement is death in the pots.
Keep it out of your pots.
Keep it out of your food.
All right?
And make sure that you stay true
to what the Word of God says.
It is solid.
It is sound.
It is consistent.
It is the best news of the Bible.
Salvation by grace,
through faith,
and not of works.
Let's pray.