Shabbat shalom kol beit Yisra'el and Mishpachah and welcome back to the fourth part of our series on Transformation in which we are looking at upward spiritual transformation in Messiah. Last week we observed that whatever gets your attention, gets you; and, we become like the object on which we focus. Moreover, if we focus on ourselves we will get depressed but if we focus on Yah'shua (Jesus) we will get delighted.

The first of our passages for today is from the Gospel of Luke, chapter 9:

"Then He said to them all, 'If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. For whoever desires to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it. For what profit is it to a man if he gains the whole world, and is himself destroyed or lost? For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words, of him the Son of Man will be ashamed when He comes in His own glory, and in His Father's, and of the qadosh (holy, set-apart) malakim (angels). But I tell you truly, there are some standing here who shall not taste death till they see the kingdom of Elohim (God)" (Luke 9:23-27, NKJV).

One of the secular systems mankind has been keen to exploit since the end of the 19th century in order to become mentally and emotionally transformed has been psychiatry. I got really fascinated by the subject back in the 1970's, my interest being catalysed by one of my best friends who was doing his doctorate at Oxford University at the Department of Psychology. He was a Freudian psychologist and I was helping him illustrate his thesis. I have nearly a whole bookcase with the literature I eagerly digested back then and subsequently. But does psychoanalysis work?

Many who turn to psychotherapy leave more disrupted than they were when they first went for help. Now, to be fair, some benefit from it, and so it would be wrong to suggest that it has no positive results, but its main weakness is that, when it is practiced outside of a Christian/Messianic context, it leaves you centered on yourself. And since what is effectively pagan psychiatry doesn't know how to get people beyond themselves to Elohim (God), it leaves them preoccupied with techniques and procedures. It picks you to pieces (called Reductionism) but doesn't know how to put you together again. Psychology, as you know, has become the substitute secular religion for Christianity in the West, and if you want to know how atheists envisage its place in the future, just watch the Star Trek science fiction series, or indeed any futuristic movies where religion of all kinds is regarded as primitive and superstitious. And whilst much of it certainly is, they want you to add Christianity to the bundle.

Anyway, it's at this point that Christianity/Messianism steps in and shows that the way to health is through self-surrender to Yahweh-Elohim (God), the Creator of this incredible Universe including our brain and mind. If Yahweh is left out, then what else is there on which to center - the patient's own self or the psychoanalyst? Anything that leaves you centered on yourself, or on something less than Elohim (God), leaves you off-center because we are not Elohim (God)! And one thing many of the earliest patients of Sigmund Freud noticed after receiving 'therapy' from him after a long period of time was that the dreams they had started changing to becoming Freudian-type dreams! They started resembling their therapist in thinking and behaviour. And as you know, Freud's psychiatry was very sex-fixated. Their dreams came to resemble their analyst and therapist - Freud, as you would expect because we become like the object on which we focus. The same is true of other psychologists like Carl Jung of Switzerland who was fixated on his own particular set of issues, in his case, the more esoteric and occultic. I was very interested in him for a while. The psycologist with the greatest potential, in my view, was the American Arthur Janov (1924-2017) who invented Primal Therapy. He was extremely successful in fixing gender dysphoria in his patients and was a great inspiration to me, influencing me in the way I approached deliverance ministry.

The whole thrust of the Christian/Messianic message is, first, to move the human spirit off its idolatrous center - self - to revolve around its proper center, Elohim (God), and then to hold it there by the constant focussing of the spirit on Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ) who incarnated, lived, taught, ministered, healed, died, resurrected, rose into Heaven, and is very much still alive and active in the world. Self, in our own hands (or anyone else's, for that matter), is a problem and a pain. In Yahweh's hands it becomes a possibility and a progression. Therefore it is true to say that the law of self-surrender is the first law of life. Yet to surrender to Elohim (God) is not very flattering to the human ego, is it? ...which is why most try to skirt around it. We do everything in our power to keep that 'independence' alive, believing that without it we will expose ourselves to great and unnecessary harm. All that happens, however, is that we end up tripping over that unsurrendered ego into a life of unhappiness and frustration.

That brings us to our second main passage of today in Colossians for this problem of failing to deal with the self is why the apostle Paul urged the Colossian believers thus:

"Since, then, you have been raised with Messiah (Christ), set your hearts on things above, where Messiah is seated at the right hand of Elohim (God). Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in Elohim (God). When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of Elohim (God) is coming.

"You used to walk in these ways, in the [pagan] life you once lived. But now you must rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Greek or Yehudi (Judahite, 'Jew'), circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as Elohim's (God's) chosen people, Qodesh (holy, set-apart) and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience.

"Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Master forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the shalom (peace) of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to shalom (peace). And be thankful. Let the Davar mashiach (Word of Christ) dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to Elohim (God). And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Master Yah'shua (Lord Jesus), giving thanks to Elohim (God) the Father through Him" (Col.3:1-17, NIV).

The center of all sin is self-centeredness, what Halford Luccock described as "disharmony with the moral nature and purpose of Elohim (God) as revealed in Messiah (Christ)." To be centered on self is to attempt to arrange the universe around a wrong center. Conversion is the act by which Yahweh removes us from a self-center to an Elohim- or God-center.

The interesting thing is, once we become a believer, we discover that the law which brought us into conversion is the same one that sustains us in it. We focus on Christ for conversion and we must also focus on Him for continuance. That's it - that's the Besorah (Gospel) in a nutshell.

It's the same as driving a car. We focus on the road when we start a journey and we keep our eyes on the road for continuance. Behind all of that are the rules of the road (like not speeding or crossing double-lines) just as there are the rules of the Kingdom of Heaven in the Torah. Break them and there can be consequences, oftentimes fatal, as with my school friend who made the decision to ignore a red traffic light, the reason his life ended abruptly 45 years ago. And then, behind all of that is the confidence and faith that we can accomplish this journey, just as our emunah (faith) in Christ assures both completion of this life as well as - most importantly - they journey into the next and beyond. Why do we trust in the rules of the road? Because they're tried and tested.

It's the same with Christ. As you get to know Him, you realise His mitzvot (commandments) aren't grievous or burdensome but were given for our well-being and security:

"For this is the love of Elohim (God), that we keep His mitzvot (commandments); and His mitzvot (commandments) are not burdensome" (1 John 5:3, NASB).

Every birth and every death reminds us sharply of these truths, particularly death. I mentioned my childhood friend who perished in an utterly needless motorcycle accident in Cambridge. My brother-in-law was buried yesterday. Though we couldn't be there, I understand that many testified that his life had made a strong impact on people. He was a respected Bible-teacher in his church. Often you don't learn what people think about you until your funeral. Do we get to attend our own funerals? I can't answer that for sure, at least not for everyone, but my mother used, on occasion to, to tell me the story of the funeral of an aunt in Wales in a very small stone chapel in the north of the country where she had family.

They had all gathered for the service. The coffin lay on a stand in the aisle at the front of the church. Everyone was dressed in black and were sombre in mood. This was back in the 1950's or 60's, mind you. She didn't know most of the people there as she hadn't had much to do with Wales since the death of her first husband during the Second World War. However, she knew the deceased lady quite well. As everyone sat there poker-faced in silence, my mother suddenly felt the urge to turn her head round, and to her shock, there stood the figure of her late aunt in the doorway of the chapel, the sun behind her. She was laughing, with a sardonic smile on her face, and my mother knew immediately that the mourning of most of the people present was fake and that her aunt knew it. Her aunt was not fooled by the pretense.

Now I am pretty sure my brother-in-law's funeral in America was not like that, that those who came along were genuine friends and family. There's true religion and there's fake religion, those who are genuine converts and those who put on a show because the culture of the gathering expects a certain kind of behaviour whatever it is you believe or don't believe in. I hope, that when my time comes, that only true friends and believers will come along...and those unbelievers whose hearts Yahweh wishes to melt and convert, assuming, of course, I even get a funeral.

So what are some of the ways we can keep our gaze on Yah'shua (Jesus), as we fix our eyes on His road, His Derech or Way, He who said, "I am the Derech (Way), the Emet (Truth) and the Chayim (Life)" (Jn.14:6, NKJV)? In the same way that it is never desirable to set off on a car journey in a state of anxiety, stress, sleeplessness or distractedness, so it is very important that we set up a daily Quiet Time in which all we do is 'gaze at the face of Christ'. I am speaking of time especially set-apart to Elohim (God). From the beginning of time, prayer has been defined as 'time exposure to Yahweh'. As you focus on Christ in your daily Quiet Time, you will become like that on which you gaze. There is no one way to do this, it's something you will personalise and make uniquely yours and His, but one recommendation I'd like to make is that you take a look sometime this week at a very extensive revelation on Christian Meditation which I received back in 1991. You'll find it in chapter 331 of the Olive Branch (pp.741-772). If you like, we could make a study of that sometime?

Now, like I said, as you focus on Elohim (God) in your Quiet Time, you will become like that on which you gaze. You are made one degree more Christ-like every moment of time you spend with Him. The Quiet Time produces the quiet heart. You realise, as you wait before Him, that the One into whose face you gaze has the last word in human affairs. Beholding Him produces a holding - a holding of the fears within you by the certainty of emunah (faith) in that which is true. You leave your Quiet Time with something left within you.

It has been well said that the Christian life rises and falls at the point of the devotional. Prayer, and the study of the Scriptures, are of the utmost importance, but each one of us needs a few moments during the day when we take time to express our love to the Master Yah'shua the Messiah (Jesus Christ), and cultivate a rich personal relationship with Him. The navi (prophet) Daniel set aside three times a day to do this - in the morning, at midday, and at night. King David used to arise at midnight for this purpose for as you know it was not uncommon for the Hebrews back then to retire at sunset, arise for an hour at midnight for prayer, and then go back to bed again - they would divide their sleeping time into two segments. This continued into relatively modern times too in places. The important thing is to establish a regular habit and not make your Quiet Time something random. One thing the Bible is clear about is that it is wisdom to go to bed early and arise early, because our best sleep - the time when we rest and regenerate the best - is usually between about 10 pm and 3 am. That's something we know scientifically now too.

To finish my message today, let me suggest to you that one of the most important things to do in our Quiet Time is to express our love our Master Yah'shua (Jesus). But how, you may ask, is this to be done? How do we learn the art of deepening our love for Him? Very simply, by focussing or meditating on the fact of His love for us. The ahavah-, chesed- or agapé-love that underlines all effective Christian/Messianic living and service is not one that is manufactured, but borrowed. What do I mean by that? We gaze upon Him, let His ahavah (love) pour into our spirits, and slowly, but surely, the machinery of our soul whirrs into activity, so that we go out to love as He loves - in the same way that He loves, think as He thinks, and serve as He serves. When believers say to me, 'How can I love Christ more?' I usually answer by saying, 'You are focussing in the wrong direction. Concentrate on how much He loves you, and you will never again need to ask that question.'

You see, the secret of Christian/Messianic love is caught up in these deathless words, "We love because He first loved us" (1 John 4:19, NIV). Notice John's words carefully - 'We love because". In other words, it is His love which is the reason for ours. We can't generate it ourselves, and if we try to, what we produce will always be defective and incomplete. I repeat, it is His love that is the reason for ours. In focussing on Christ in the daily Quiet Time, we open the inner sluice gates of our soul, and the ocean of love pours in. All service and activity then rises like a raft to fulfil His purposes. We discover, when this happens, that we are not working to earn His approval, but working because we have it! And that difference is crucial.

We'll take this up further next sabbath on the say after Shavu'ot (Weeks, 'Pentecost') and the day before Rosh Chodesh. To remind you, then, that the mid-way annual moed or divine appointment, one of the three Pilgrim Festivals, is next week, and that we have three days of time to spend together with Yahweh, at which times we are commanded to assemble, in the one-and-only mid-point annual summer gathering.

Let us conclude this study with a word of prayer: 'Father Yahweh, I realise now that when I am centered in You that then I am totally and completely free - free from myself which is my deepest problem. In myself, I am off-center. In You, I am on-center, and so free, released and fulfilled. When I gaze upon You day by day, I am pulled out of what I am in my flesh and toward what You are in the Ruach (Spirit). I am no longer a comet racing to my ruin. I have been caught by You, and made to revolve around Your orbit of eternal love. How can I ever sufficiently thank You for showing me that Your love is not something that I merit, but something I receive, and in the receiving I am made completely whole? I suppose it's inevitable that if I spend most of my time in grappling with the problems of the day, and only a few minutes in contact with You, then the world will seem a hundred times more real to me that Your love and power which awaits me if I will only give you the time. Help me to change that today in Yah'shua's (Jesus') Name. Amen.'

I look forward to seeing you all next week for the festival, sabbath and new moon! Have a bklessed and fruitful week, especially in your Quiet Times! Amen.

Acknowledgments

[1] Selwyn Hughes, Every Day With Jesus: The Transformed Life (Crusade for World Revival, Walton-on-Thames, Surrey, UK: 1979)

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