Are You Saved?

The Relationship Between Salvation, Faith and Works—Part I

By Steve Berkson
Transcribed from www.now-is-the-time.org/Are_You_Saved__-Part_1.html,
Podomatic podcast

Today I want to look at a concept that is at the heart of, and I believe is the root cause of much of
the rebellion we see in the Scriptures by those who claim to be followers of Yahweh and Yeshua,
as well as by people today. I think this is really at the heart of and the root cause of a lot of
what’s going on why people behave the way they do in regard in relation to the Almighty. And
it is the misapplication of the idea of being saved. And so we’ve entitled this teaching, “Are You
Saved.” And really this is going to be address what may sound like an argument in semantics,
but you know what, words are very powerful things. Words are very critical, they have very
specific meaning, and it’s the meaning that we attribute to them that very much affects our
behavior. How we act and how we react to things is very much affected by how we understand
and how we perceive the words in the language that we use to mean. And so we have this word
“saved” that is bandied about and used in, I don’t know what the right word to use is, you see,
I’m at a loss of words for that, it is just used loosely. Freely. It is just used and thrown around
and I’m not sure that when people use it they really understand scripturally what it means to be
“saved.” And that’s why you’ll see that sometimes when people talk about, you know, being
saved, or “I was saved back in 19 whatever, and they’ll look at me and I sometimes have a
strange look on my face, it’s because I’m very uncomfortable with the way most people use the
term because I don’t think it matches with Scripture.

Ok, so let’s go through this today, to see what Scripture actually explains about the idea of being
saved, and especially we’re going to address the idea of “once saved, always saved” and so this
section we’re going to talk about is gonna really show what Scripture has to say about being in
the body and being in Messiah and whether or not that means that you’re in. In other words, a
lot of people will go ahead and think they’ve made their altar call or they did something in terms
of accepting Messiah into their heart, and now they have their golden ticket and they’re going
into the kingdom ‘cause they’re saved now. And so let’s just really understand what it means
and how the process of salvation really plays out.

Let’s begin in John 15, Yochanan 15, and in verse 1. Yochanan 15 and in verse 1. John 15:1.
Now I’m not trying to judge anybody. That’s not the understanding that I’m trying to put across
saying “Are you saved?” But it more has to deal with the idea of what saved means. Because
people love to use the term saved. John 15 and verse 1. “I am the the true vine and my father is
the gardener, every branch in me that bears no fruit he takes away and every branch that bears
fruit he prunes so that it bears more fruit. You are already clean because of the word which I
have spoken to you. Stay in me and I stay in you as the branch is unable to bear fruit of itself
unless it stays in the vine so neither you unless you stay in me. I am the vine you are the
branches. He who stays in me and I in him, he bears much fruit. Because without me, you are
able to do nothing. If anyone does not stay in me he is thrown away as a branch and dries up,
and they gather them into the fire and they are burned. If you stay in me and my words stay in
you, you shall ask whatever you wish and it shall be done for you. In this my Father is
esteemed--that you bear much fruit and you shall be my taught ones.” Look at, let’s break this
down, look at what he’s talking about here. First of all he used the word “stay” like 300 times in
just a few sentences. Stay has the implication, at least in my mind, that it’s something that you
can choose not to do. You have to choose to stay, which means that you can leave. Ok, if you’re
encouraged to stay, that means there is an option and possibility of leaving. And notice what he
says here, we’ll start in verse 2, he says, “Every branch in me, every branch in me. In who? In
Yeshua. Every branch in the body of Messiah. We’re not talking about people in the world.
We’re talking about people that have already supposedly left the world and became a part of the
body of Messiah. Right. So this is a branch in him that by general thought process this would be
a saved person, at least that’s the way it was always taught to me and I’ve heard a lot of people
throw it around. It says “every branch in me that bears no fruit he takes away.” Apparently that
being saved thing didn’t guarantee anything. And then he says he prunes also those every branch
that bears fruit he prunes. That’s how we’re going to have our test and trials to keep us. You
know he says the Father will correct his child. We get corrected, we get pruned. Now notice
what he says in verse 3. He says, “You are already clean because of the word,” who’s he talking
to—us? No, he’s talking to his disciples. So they were already clean but yet what’s the very
thing he says after he says you are already clean, he says, stay in me. So this is the key. This is
the key to unlocking the true understanding about being saved. Ok, salvation we’re gonna see
is a process, and until you get to hear the words, “well done good and trustworthy servant,”
you’re not saved. You may have been delivered from something. You were saved out of
something. You were saved out of your ignorance, you were delivered into knowledge, you
were delivered from captivity, you were delivered from some sort of bondage. We’re going to
see all. But saved is a completed idea. Ok, so I’m here to tell you, and I hate to get everybody
mad at me, none of you are saved. You’ve been delivered and you’re on a process of being
saved. Because here he is talking to his disciples, so I would gather that they would understand
this better than you and I do, and he said to them “stay in me.” Notice what he says because he
keeps going forward. In verse 6 he says “if anyone does not stay in me he is thrown away as a
branch who dries up and they gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned.”
Apparently they weren’t saved. Not the way we normally talk about it, especially in the
mainstream. Right? Because he says that you have to stay in me, that’s something that we have
to choose to do. Remember, you have freedom of choice. You can choose to leave. But you can
also choose to be bundled up and thrown into the fire too. That’s your free choice. So he says,
“every branch in me, a person that is following him under the covering of the body of Messiah
must choose to stay in him. And if you stay in him, he says in this his father is esteemed and
then we get to be called his taught ones in verse 8. That’s the key.

Let’s go to Matthew chapter 5. Mattiyahu chapter 5 and in verse 21. Matthew chapter 5 and in
verse 21. “You heard that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders
shall be liable to judgment, but I say to you that whoever is wroth his brother without a cause
shall be liable for judgment and whoever says to his brother “Raca” shall be liable to the
Sanhedrin, and whoever says, “You fool,” shall be liable to the fire of Gehenna. If then you
bring your gift your gift to the altar and there remember that your brother holds whatever against
you, leave your gift there and go make peace with your brother. What’s going on here? He’s
talking to people here that think they are in. Because of course the Jewish community thought
that they were “in,” so to speak. But he’s saying, look, but you can behave in a certain way that
brings you into judgment. And so there is no such thing as being in and then that’s it, you don’t
have to be judged. I mean, it’s funny how saved people know that they’re going to stand before
the judgment seat. What’s there to judge if you’re saved? You’re not going to really know
until he judges you and tells you you’re in. You see. But I (Steve is unclear here) understand,
there’s not going to be a need for a judgment if you’re saved. Why would he judge you? You’re
saved. You got your stamp. You got your little ticket. Whatever. Right?

Go to Matthew 12 verse 33. Mattiyahu 12 and verse 33. “Either make the good tree and it’s
fruit good, or else make the tree rotten and its fruit rotten, for a tree is known by it’s fruit. Root
of matters how are you able to speak what is good being wicked, for the mouth speaks from the
overflow of the heart. For I say to you that every idle word that men speak they shall give an
account in the day of judgment. For by your words shall you be declared righteous and by your
words you shall be declared unrighteous.” You see, there’s going to be a day of judgment. And
there’s going to be things, is it still possible now that you’re quote unquote saved, that you would
have normally thought, that you could say something foolish that could be worthy of judgment?
Can you still get yourself in trouble? Can you still sin and mess up? Well how is that possible
if you’re saved? Is it still possible that you could not end up in the kingdom? Yah. You could
still choose to go off. You can go back to your old life. There’s nothing stopping you. You
could choose that. As a matter of fact, I bet everyone of you already knows someone who’s done
that. Don’t we all know people like that. That were on the path and got off the path. This is
really where the key is—where the idea of being saved is misunderstood.

Philippians 2:12 says, “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.” Why would you
have to work out your salvation if you’re already saved? Why would Rav Shaul say that to you?
Why would you have to work it out? Because it’s a work in progress. Salvation is a work in
progress. That’s very important. Deuteronomy 8:2 and 3, you know I love that verse, and it’s
appropriate for here so let us turn there, Devarim Deuteronomy 8 verses 2 and 3. Deuteronomy 8
verses 2 and 3. “And you shall remember that Yahweh your Elohim led you all the way these 40
years in the wilderness to humble you, prove you, to know what is in your heart whether you
guard his commands or not. And he humbled you and let you suffer hunger and fed you with
manna, which you did not know nor did your fathers know, to make you know that man does not
live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of Yahweh.” If we’re going
to agree that type and shadow is how Scripture is written, we’re going to agree that the first
Exodus is only a type and shadow of the greater Exodus. Don’t we understand then, that we are
going through the same journey, we are being humbled, tested, so that he could prove to see
whether it’s in our hearts to keep the commandments or not. And if it’s not, then you’re not
ultimately going to be saved. That’s very important that we understand this. This is what the
journey of life is all about. It’s going through a process where we can be humbled and tested that
so that we can prove whether it’s in our heart to keep the commandments or not. In other words,
do you want to become the type of person that Yahweh wants to live with forever. Do you want
to be transformed and conformed to the image of His son? Who was the walking, living, talking
Torah. Right?

Now, what does it mean to be saved? By definition, saved means rescued, to preserve from harm
or danger, preserved for future use, delivered from sin. The Hebrew word is Yasha, which
means to be open, wide or free to be safe. The word is found translated in the Tanakh as saved,
delivered, preserved, and helped. In the Greek, the word is sozo, which means to save, in other
words to deliver, or protect literally or figuratively. This word is found in the Brit Chadashah,
the renewed covenant as saved, made whole, and healed. So that’s our definition. But if you
notice these things as used Scripturally we’re going to see demonstrated Israel was saved often
and delivered often and needed to be delivered again and again and so do we. Don’t you go into
your prayer closet or onto your knees, or however you pray on a daily basis and ask to be
delivered from whatever it is that you did? Or whatever you’re struggling with? Don’t you still
need to be delivered? Don’t you still struggle with things that you need to go before the Father,
and say “Father, help me, rescue me, deliver me, save me”? Why would you have to do that if
you’re saved. Because it’s not a one-time ending process. Now when you’re changed in a
twinkling of an eye, and you’re changed from corruptible to incorruptible, I will be very
comfortable to say you’re saved. I will have no problem agreeing that at that moment, now
you’re saved. Until then it’s a strange term for me. It’s a very uncomfortable term for me
because it’s not what Scripture talks about. And what it does is that it traps you into a false sense
of security. It traps you into a false sense of accomplishment that you have somehow arrived and
that there’s not anything you can really do to mess it up. It traps you in your mindset, and then
we act foolishly because we don’t understand that that foolish behavior can get us in trouble. It
can cost us our salvation. You know, what does Paul say often about “Be careful no one steals
your crown, do not run the race as if you don’t want to win. You have to want to run to win. In
other words, you have to complete the race. Well guess what, if you’re still, you know, gasping
for air, and your hearts still beating, and you’re still breathing and all that stuff, the race is not
over. Ok, you’re still going to run into temptations, you’re still going to have the possibility of
choosing to sin. And that sin unrepented of can cost you your salvation. So you’re in a process
of being saved.

Now look, Yahweh Yeshua is our Savior. We have many, many scriptures that talk about
Yahweh as Savior and Yeshua as Savior. Let’s go to Shemot, Exodus, Shemot 14 and verse 30.
Cause we’re still talking about what it means to be saved and how we are saved, and how that
process works. Shemot, Exodus chapter 14 and in verse 30. “Thus Yahweh saved Yisrael out of
the hand of the Mizraites, the Egyptians, and Yisrael saw the Mizraites dead on the seashore. So
there they were—Israel was saved. Did they ever need to be saved again? Almost like 5
minutes later right? Over and over and over. But I betcha they thought they were saved. Come
on, they were in slavery, they came out, they were delivered out of Egypt. But then they ended
up by the sea and they needed to be saved again. They panicked—they didn’t understand it
wasn’t done yet. They still needed a Savior to provide a safe passage to protect them, right?

Look at Deuteronomy, Devarim, Deuteronomy chapter 20 and in verse 4. Devarim,

Deuteronomy chapter 20 and in verse 4: “For Yahweh Your Elohim is He who goes with you to
fight for you against your enemies to save you.” Notice what it says, in verse 1, it says “When
you go out to battle against your enemies and see horses and chariots, and people more numerous
than you, do not be afraid of them, for Yahweh Your Elohim who brought you up from the land
of Egypt is with you.” And then in verse 4 it says that he’s there to fight your enemies to save
you. Because, guess what, you’re going to need to be saved again and again and again. You’re
going to be in situations that need deliverance again and again and again. Chapter 33, we’ll stay
in Deuteronomy. Chapter 33 and in verse 29. Deuteronomy, Devarim chapter 33 and in verse
29: “Blessed are you, oh Yisrael, who is like you, a people saved by Yahweh, the shield of your
help, and he who is the sword of your excellency, and your enemies are subdued for you and you
tread down their high places.” So here we’re talking about a people saved by Yahweh. They’re
saved. This is a saved people. This is just like Christians think today when they talk about “I
came to make an altar call and I believe in the Messiah so I’m a saved person.” Well guess what,
here officially it says in the Scriptures that Israel was a saved people. Were they once saved
always saved? I don’t know, there’s only about 40 more books that explain all the problems they
ended up in and how many times they needed to be delivered. Ok, after Deuteronomy. So I
guess once saved didn’t work for them, why do we think it works for us? Are we special? Are
we different? I know there’s a dispensationalist idea that somehow we’re special and different
because we’re born after Messiah came. Well that’s a whole lot of nonsense. It didn’t matter
when you were born, it didn’t matter when he came. All that mattered is that he did come and
did what he was supposed to do. Now, in a sense, it did matter when he came because there
were prophecies about that, so he came exactly when he was supposed to. But whether you were
born before or after, makes no difference. And so if you somehow come to think that somehow
you’re more special than Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, Moses, then we’re all crazy. Ok? So
this is a people saved by Yahweh. I don’t know how you can get more saved than that? But yet
it wasn’t a once saved always saved situation, was it? Because they ended up having issues very
quickly once they ended up crossing the Jordan, right?

Let’s go to Judges chapter 2, Shoftim, Shoftim, Judges 2 and verse 16, Judges 2 and verse 16:
“Then Yahweh raised up rulers who saved them from the hand of those who plundered them.
Wherever they went out, the hand of Yahweh was against them, for evil as Yahweh had spoken,
as Yahweh had sworn to them, and they were distressed greatly. Then Yahweh raised up rulers
that saved them from the hand of those who plundered them. However, they did not listen to
their rulers, either, and went a whoring after other mighty ones and bowed down to them. They
soon turned aside from the way in which their fathers walked, obeying the commands of Yahweh,
they did not do so. And when Yahweh raised up rulers from them Yahweh was with the ruler
and saved them from the hand of their enemies all the days of the ruler, for Yahweh had
compassion on their groaning, because of those who oppressed them and crushed them. And it
came to be when the ruler was dead, that they would turn back and do more corruptly than their
fathers to go after other mighty ones, to serve them and to bow down to them. They did not
refrain from their practices and from their stubborn ways. And the displeasure of Yahweh
burned against Yisrael and he said, “Because this nation has transgressed my covenant that I
commanded their fathers, and has not obeyed my voice, I also shall no longer drive out before
them any of the nations which Yehoshua left when he died in order to try Yisrael by them.
Whether they would guard the way of Yahweh to walk in them as their fathers guarded them or
not.” Doesn’t that sound like Deuteronomy 8:2? So Yahweh left those nations without driving
them out at once and did not give them into the hand of Yehoshua. So what do we have going on
here? Yahweh raised up rulers who saved them over and over and over again. I guess they
weren’t saved enough. I guess the once saved, always saved didn’t work for them. They kept
finding themselves in trouble. And guess what? Their memory was short. As soon as that king
or ruler died, they were off to the races again doing the wrong stuff. And so sure enough, they
needed to be saved again. I don’t know about you, but it wouldn’t take much to get me off to the
races doing the wrong stuff. We need to be diligently and vigilantly over that every day. It
doesn’t take a whole lot to get you off in the wrong direction. We’re human beings just like they
were. Ok, we’re no better than them. That’s why this stuff was written examples for us, right?
So we can learn the lessons. And the lesson is showing us here they needed to be saved over and
over and over again.
Look at Judges chapter 10 and in verse 6. Shoftim chapter 10 and in verse 6. Chapter 10 and in
verse 6: “And the children of Yisrael again did evil in the eyes of Yahweh and served the Ba’als
and the Ashtoreths and the mighty ones of Aram, and the mighty ones of Sidon, and the mighty
ones of Moab, and the mighty ones of the children of Ammon, and the mighty ones of the
Philistines, and forsook Yahweh and did not serve him, therefore the displeasure of Yahweh
burned against Yisrael and he sold them into the hands of the Philistines, into the hands of the
children of Ammon, and they crushed and oppressed the children of Yisrael that year. For 18
years all the children of Yisrael who were beyond the Jordan, in the land of the Amorites in
Gilaad. And the children of Ammon passed over the Yarden and to fight against Yehudah and
against Benjamin and against the house of Ephraim so that Yisrael had great distress. And the
children of Yisrael cried out to Yahweh saying, ‘We have sinned against you because we have
both forsaken our Elohim and served the Baals.’ So Yahweh said to the children of Yisrael,
‘Was it not from the Mizraites, from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites and from the children
of Ammon, and the Philistines that I saved you? And the Sidonians and Amalek and the Maon
oppressed you? And you cried out to me and I saved you from their hand. But you, you have
forsaken me and served other mighty ones. Therefore I do not save you again.’”

Ooh. You don’t want to want to hear that. See, there can be a place where he’s going to decide
not to save you again. Because you can mess up and keep messing up and keep messing up.
And you keep crying out to him for deliverance. But look what he says here, he says, “Therefore,
I do NOT save you again.” And he says, “Go and cry out to the mighty ones which you have
chosen, let them save you.” Let me know how that’s working. That’s kind of Yahweh like
saying, “Go do what you were doing and then come back and tell me how that’s working for
you.” He says, “Go out and cry to the mighty ones,” in verse 14, “which you have chosen, let
them save you in your time of your distress.” The children of Yisrael said to Yahweh, “We have
sinned, do to us whatever is good in your eyes only deliver us today, please. So they put away
the foreign mighty ones from their midst and served Yahweh and his being was grieved with the
trouble of Yisrael.” And see, this is what we have to understand, Yahweh tells the idolatrous
Yisraelites who were stubborn and wanted to do what was right in their own eyes and not listen
to him, not be submissive to his instructions, He said, “Look, I’m not going to save you this time.”
But you know what they did, they said, “We don’t care what you do to us. We deserve what we
get. We’re going to listen, we’re going to do what we need to do.” See, they made the right
decision, which grieved Him that He needed to let them suffer, because you see, there has to be
consequences. Parents, don’t we have to let our children understand there are consequences?
Saving them from all their consequences does that do any good? What’s it do? Spoils them.
And they never learn and they only get what--worse. See I see parents actually mouthing the
words before I can even say them. Who’s our Father? We have a heavenly Father. We’re
children. The children of Israel. If he were to constantly protect us so that we have no
consequences we would never learn. We have the verses about sparing the rod. Right? It’s not
a good thing. And so he said, “Look, I’ve got to let you suffer this time.” And so it grieved him,
but he had to let them do it to see that they were actually getting it finally. At least for a period
of time.

Look at chapter 3. Let’s stay in Shoftim and look in verse 9. It says, “When the children of
Yisrael cried out to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior from the children of Yisrael who saved
them.” See, he raised up a savior who saved them. Look at verse 15 in chapter 3. “And when
the children of Yisrael cried out to Yahweh, Yahweh raised up a savior for them. See, they were
saved over and over and over again. But it was not something that “took,” so to speak. In other
words, if they were saved, they wouldn’t need it over and over again. Otherwise we’d all be
living in the land right now and everything would be just, you know, perfect. If they had done it
and stayed with it, that’s where we’d be. But they didn’t. But they didn’t. And there would be
no need for the return of the Messiah to save and deliver. Aren’t we waiting to be delivered and
saved. Why? I thought you were saved. You see, we need deliverance. We need to be saved.

Yeshua, the savior, the one who saves. Let’s look at Matthew chapter 1 and in verse 21.
Mattityahu chapter 1 and in verse 21. “And she shall give birth to a son and shall call his name
Yeshua for he shall save his people Yisrael from their sins.” This is Yeshua’s job—he was being
born into this world to save his people from their sin. Now notice who he’s saving—his people.
Not all people—his people. Now, it’s his desire that all people become his people. But he’s
saving his people. Ok? Luke chapter 9 and in verse 56. Luke chapter 9 and in verse 56. “For
the son of Adam did not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them.” Ok, this is him, just
kind of in the middle of his speeches. He just wanted to throw out it out as part of what he was
saying. He said, “Look, I came to save people, not to destroy.” 1 Timothy chapter 1 and in
verse 15. We’re just laying out here that Yeshua is the savior. He came to save—to deliver. 1
Timothy chapter 1 and in verse 15. “Trustworthy is the word and worthy of all acceptance that
Messiah Yeshua came into the world to save sinners of whom I am foremost.” So specifically
he’s coming to save sinners to righteousness. In other words, to help them to T’shuvah, to turn
around, to choose the better path. The sinners have chosen the wrong path. You can choose the
wrong path. He tells you not to step one foot left or right off the path. But to stay on the path.
Yochanan John chapter 3 and in verse 17. John chapter 3 and in verse 17. “For Elohim did not
send his son into the world to judge the world, but that the world through him might be saved.”
So Yeshua did not come to judge. That’s not why he came into the world. Now, he’s going to
sit later and judge, but he didn’t come into the world to judge. He came into the world to save.
When he returns, he will be the righteous judge. You have to understand the timing of these
things.

Yochanan chapter 10. Stay here in John chapter 10 and in verse 9. Yochanan chapter 10 and in
verse 9. “I am the door. Whoever enters through me he shall be saved and shall go in and shall
go out and find pasture.” “I am the door. Whoever enters through me he shall be saved and shall
go in and shall go out and find pasture.” Now, let’s talk about this for a second. He says, “I am
the door. Who enters through me.” Well, isn’t that what most Christians think they’re doing?
Don’t they think they’re entering through him? You see, people claim to have a relationship
with him, which is why people came up to him and said, “You know, Master, Master, and he
said, ‘I don’t even know you.’” In other words, they thought they had a relationship with him.
Now, let’s really cut to the chase and really dig in here. Can you really have embraced him, and
we know what he is, and let’s go through that loop again so that it’s on this teaching as well as
all the other ones. That he is John 14:6, he says “I am the truth, right, Yochanan 14:6, he says, “I
am the way the truth and the life.” So by definition he is truth, he is the way, he is life. We
know in Psalm 119:32 it says, that “The Torah is truth.” In verse 160 in Psalm 119 it says, “The
entirety of the word is truth.” And in John chapter 1 verse 14 we’re told that “the word took on
flesh and tabernacled amongst us.” So he is the truth, he is the Torah, he is the word, He is the
Messiah. Now, he says, “I am the door, whoever enters through me.” What is “through me,”
mean? Through Torah, through truth, through the Messiah. You see, it’s the fullness of the
depth of that. Can you enter in through him, just because you made an altar call to . . . to . . . to
one that’s basically has been used to say that you don’t have to keep Torah. Ok, because I know
a lot of people said, “Well I was saved in such and such a year, you, know, but I was saved in
Jesus’ name.” Look, you weren’t saved then. There is no saving if you’re not entering through
the door which is Torah. Now, you were delivered out of a certain amount of ignorance. You
were brought into an understanding about Messiah, but you see, we’re going to see really clearly
through Scripture here, as we continue going forward, that a Messiah-knowledge without any
Torah is useless and it means nothing. And so, I know a lot of people say, “Well, you know, but
I was saved in a different name.” No, you weren’t saved until you came to understand the
fullness of Messiah. Then you were delivered out of your full ignorance into a walk that can
actually lead you into salvation. Let’s be clear. I’m not attacking anybody that came into an
understanding of the Messiah in the name of Jesus. I did too. But that doesn’t mean that you
came into a real understanding of Messiah yet. You just came to understand that there was
something to do with this book we call “The Scriptures,” or “The Bible,” that was relevant and
true, and you started to learn that there was a one that came to you here, the son of the Father
came, died for your sins, to make salvation possible. You came to learn that at that point. But
you did not truly embrace Messiah until you embraced him as the walking, talking Torah. So
when he says, “I am the door, whoever enters in through me,” that means through Torah
observance. And belief that he is Messiah. And belief that he’s the soon coming King. And that
he’s going to be master of masters. And king of kings. It’s the fullness of it that we need. Ok.
Partial isn’t going to cut it. He says, “you enter through me.” He says, “he shall be saved and go
in.” But we have to go in through that door. You know, people say to me all the time, “Oh, I’m
not going back under that burdensome law.” Then you can’t go through the door. It’s the door.
The Torah’s the door. Why is it the door. Because it’s the only thing that can change you from
you into Him. That’s the key. The kingdom is going to be filled with beings that are just like
the Father. I don’t mean like clones. I mean, that we embrace the same stuff, we have the same
beliefs. We have the same focus. We understand what love really means. And we’re patient,
and we’re kind, and we’re meek and we’re understanding, and we’re submissive in authority to
the one authority. So we’re going to be conformed and transformed to the image of his son. The
only thing that can do that is Torah. I don’t care what anyone else tries to say, there’s nothing
else that can do it. The teachings and instructions of the Almighty have a purpose. They’re to
transform you. And so that’s why it’s the door. So we need to understand that. And he says,
“whoever enters through me, he shall be saved.” Ok. He shall be saved.

Romans 11 and in verse 26. Romans 11 and in verse 26. It says, “And so all Yisrael shall be
saved as it has been written, ‘The deliverer shall come out of Zion, and he shall turn away
wickness from Ya’akov, and this is my covenant with them, when I take away their sins.’”
Who’s going to be saved? All Yisrael. This is a quote from Yeshayahu, from Isaiah 59:20.
That’s what he’s quoting here. Look at Romans chapter 9 and in verse 27. Romans 9 and in
verse 27 says, “And in Yeshayahu cries out on behalf of Yisrael, ‘Though the number of the
children of Yisrael shall be as the sand of the sea, the remnant shall be saved.’” So first, we just
read, and I know we sort of did it backwards, we read chapter 11, and we’re going back to
chapter 9. But we read that, “And so all Yisrael shall be saved.” But yet we understand it’s only
going to be a remnant. Why? Because you can choose to be saved or not. You have free will.
You can choose whether or not you will be saved. In terms of the ultimate understanding of
what it means to be saved. In terms of entering into the kingdom.

Let’s continue and look at some of these verses that people will say to me, “You know, what
about, say Acts 2, verse 21?” Well, let’s go to Acts 2:21. See, cause there’s a lot of verses that
when I teach this people say “What about this?” Well, let’s look at some of those “what about”
verses. Acts chapter 2 and in verse 21. Acts chapter 2 and in verse 21: “And it shall be that
everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh shall be saved.” Hmm. Well, I’m not going to
explain this right this second, but just keep it in the back of your mind. By the way, that comes
from Joel 2:28, so hold your place in Acts, we’re going to do more in Acts. And go to Joel 2:28.
Ok, between Hosea and Amos, does that help any? Joel 2:28, “And after this it shall be that I
pour out my spirit on all flesh, and your sons and your daughters shall prophecy, your men
dream dreams, your young men see visions, and also on the male servants and on the female
servants I shall pour out my spirit in those days and I shall give signs in the heavens and the earth,
blood and fire, and columns of smoke, the sun is turned into darkness, the moon into blood,
before the coming of the great and awesome day of Yahweh. And it shall be that everyone that
calls on the name of Yahweh shall be delivered. For on Mount Zion and in Yerushalayim there
shall be an escape as Yahweh has said, and among the survivors as Yahweh has called.” Are we
understanding better now the context of Acts 2:21? Has the events of Joel 2 happened yet? No.
This is talking about the day of Yahweh. And guess what, in the day of Yahweh, there are going
to be those that “get it.” And when they get it, they’re going to cry out to Yahweh. And they’re
going to cry out and say, “I get it. I want to do it your way. I’m not going to fight this anymore.
I’ve . . . I’ve . . . I’ve got my spanking.” (Steve chuckles). “I’ve gotten my chastisement.” You
see. And those who will cry out to him will be saved. Now, from what? From this great and
terrible day of Yahweh. So Acts chapter 2 is not just saying, “Hey, look, just claim and yell out
and cry in the name of Yahweh and you’re saved. You see how people can misuse it. Now
when they were saying it here in Acts chapter 2, the people listening understood that it was
referring to Joel chapter 2. So they understood the context. It’s not just about, hey, making a
confession, making an altar call, and that’s it.

Let’s go to chapter 4 in Acts. I told you to hold your place in Acts. Go to Acts chapter 4 and
we’ll look in verse 12. “And there is no deliverance in anyone else, for there is no other name
under heaven given among men by which we need to be saved.” Now this gets back into a
teaching that is gonna to be needed to be done really explaining what it means to say things like
“in the name of,” “by the name of.” It’s not about the name itself. It’s about the authority of.
There’s no other person’s or being’s authority that can save you. Change it to the word authority
in there. “For there is no deliverance in anyone else, for there is no other authority under heaven
given among men by which we need to be saved.” It’s not like, you know, like the occult, where
it’s like a magic word. Say the magic word and you’re saved. Ok, the name is not a magic word
that saves you. The authority of the one has the ability and power to save you. Because he has
the authority. It’s his job. We read that earlier in the verses. He came to save you. Ok? So
there’s no other authority under which. And by the way, I love when Christians want to use this
and they want to say that that’s all we have to do everything in Jesus’ name and obviously we
know very clearly Jesus couldn’t have been his name. So if that’s the only name they could be
saved under they got the wrong name and it’s all about the name they’re really in trouble.
Because they don’t have the right name. But it’s not about the name. It’s about the authority.
It’s in the fullness of Messiah we talked about earlier, the Torah, the truth, right? That’s what
can save. What did he say in John 8? When he said, “You shall know the truth, and the truth
shall save you.” The truth shall set you free! That’s the idea of being saved, isn’t it? What is
the truth? The Torah, Yeshua. They have the ability to set you free. If you know it. You have to
know it. You have to have a relationship. Scripturally when you read the word “know,” it means
to have an intimate relationship with. You shall have an intimate relationship with the truth.
The Torah. The Messiah. All the same thing. And that truth, the Torah, Messiah, shall then set
you free, or deliver you. I wish I had put that in my notes but it’s not there, but we’ll have to add
it I guess.

Let’s look now at Romans chapter 10 and verse 9. I mean, these are all those things that people
are always saying, “What about here in Romans, and what about here in Acts? What about . . .”
Well, what about it? Let’s see. Romans 10 and verse 12: “Because there is no distinction
between Yehudite and Greek, for the same master of all is rich to all those calling upon him.”
Ok. This is very important. He says there is no distinction between Yehudite and Greek. This is
the context. Ok. I want you to understand it before we read the whole section here. This verse
I’m just pulling out so you know context. He’s talking about Jews and Greeks arguing about
somehow there’s a difference or hierarchy between them. Now, let’s look at verse 9. Verse 9, it
says, “That if you confess with your mouth the Master Yeshua and believe in your heart that
Elohim has raised Him from the dead, you shall be saved. For with the heart one believes unto
righteousness and one confesses with the mouth and so is saved. Because the Scripture says,
‘Whoever puts his trust in him shall not be put to shame. Because there is no distinction between
the Jew and the Greek. For the same master of all is rich to all those calling upon Him. For
everyone who calls on the name of Yahweh shall be saved. How then shall they call on him
whom they have not believed. And how shall they believe in him they have not heard. And how
shall they hear without one proclaiming.” Look, do we understand that there is a problem going
on here again about Jews and Greeks. This was a big issue going on all the time as to the idea of
being saved or delivered and who is the chosen people and all that kind of stuff. We still have
that today. The whole dispensationalist idea—the us versus them. So this wasn’t talking about
just anybody or everybody. This is saying, “Look, you can’t say this, that you believe the
Messiah, that you’re saved, and they believe in Messiah and they’re not. Everybody that
believes in Messiah and how do you show that you believe, according to your beliefs. We’re
going to read that later in James. But it says here, look, it says, “How can they call on him
whom, if they’ve not believed? And how can they believe in Him whom they’ve not heard? See,
you not only have to believe that Messiah exists, existed, died, was resurrected, but you have to
understand the Messiah is Torah, that he’s truth, that he came for you to understand that he’s a
path, he’s a door. He is the path. He’s the way. He’s the truth, he’s the life. He’s the way.
What way. The way we need to be. The path that leads you into salvation. Right? So that’s the
context here, it’s not about whoever goes ahead and confesses with their mouth that Messiah,
you know, here it is, just confess with your mouth that the Master Yeshua is, you know, Messiah,
that Elohim raised him from the dead. Boom. You’re saved. Does that verse match up with
everything else we read? No, it has to be in context and then it matches up with everything we
read. If it’s just as simple as just making a confession it would not match up with everything we
said, and the Almighty would have to be a complete idiot, cause then everybody and anybody
who just makes a confession he would have to be stuck with forever. Would that make any
sense to you in your flesh. That something as simple as a confession would be good enough to
spend forever with YOU? If you had that power? Or would you might want to see a little more
than that from somebody before you would spend forever with them. Ok? Very important that
we understand that. Here’s even more context for this section. Go back to verse 1 in chapter 10.
Cause chapter 10 is quoted here an awful lot. About just making a confession. This is the whole
point of the altar call, right? “Truly brother, my heart’s desire and prayer to Elohim to Yisrael is
for deliverance, for I bear them witness that they have an ardor for Elohim but not according to
knowledge. For not knowing the righteousness of Elohim and seeking to establish their own
righteousness, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of Elohim.” What are we
talking about here? Talmud versus Torah. He’s talking about the Israelites here. And them
elevating Talmud over Torah. What did he say often? You have made useless the
commandments of the Almighty for the commandments of men. Right? That’s what’s the same
battle going on right here. Now look at verse 4: “For Messiah is the goal of the Torah unto
righteousness to everyone who believes.” You see, he is the goal of the Torah. Why? He’s the
walking, talking Torah. He’s the goal. Who’s our goal? Are we not, isn’t our goal to become
like him? Well guess what, Romans agrees. “For Moshe writes about the righteousness which is
of the Torah, ‘The man who does these things shall live by them.’” That was verse 5, this is verse
6: “But the righteousness of belief speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart ‘Who shall
ascend to the heavens, that is, to bring Messiah down, or who shall descend into the abyss, that is,
to bring Messiah up from the dead.” But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your
mouth and in your heart. That is the word of belief that we are proclaiming.” WOW!!! Anyone
know where that’s quoting from? Well hold your place here and go to Deuteronomy 30.
Deuteronomy 30 and verse 11. The reason I said “Wow” is that the writer here in Romans
makes some really interesting changes to Deuteronomy 30. But they’re good. They’re not
problematic. And we’ll see why in a minute.

Devarim. Deuteronomy 30 and in verse 11. “For this command I am commanding you today is
not too hard for you nor is it afar off. It is not in the heavens so to say, ‘Who shall ascend into
the heavens for us and bring it to us and cause us hear it so that we do it,’ nor is it beyond the sea
to say, ‘who will go over the sea to bring it to us and cause us to hear it, so that we do it,’ for the
word is very near to you in your mouth and in you mouth to do it.” What is he talking about?
Moshe’s talking about what? The Torah. Hmm. What did the writer say here in Romans? He
says, “Do not say in your heart who shall ascend into the heavens, that is to bring Messiah down.”
Hmm. He exchanged or interchanged Torah for Messiah. And we now know that that’s
perfectly appropriate. Because they are the same. And then he says, “Who shall descend into
the abyss, that is to bring Messiah up from the dead? The word is near to you and in your mouth
and in your heart.” See, this is exactly what Moshe was talking about. Yet how many times
have you talked with someone in the mainstream of Christianity that says, “Oh, I’m not going
into that burdensome law that’s so hard that nobody can do.” I don’t know. Moses didn’t think
it was so tough. Is it really that tough not to sleep with your neighbor’s wife? Is it really that
tough not to steal anything? Is it really that tough to keep one day a Sabbath and not work? Is it
really that tough not to eat certain foods. Is it really that tough to keep the holy days? Is it really
that tough not to murder anybody or not to covet their stuff? Is it really that tough? What part of
Torah is really that hard to do. The only reason you suffer and have a challenge with this is
because everybody else around you is not doing it also. And they’re the ones who give you grief.
It, in and of itself, is not that hard to do. I mean, think about it. What is really hard to do in the
Torah? Nothing. Most of it you do anyway because it’s just civilly accepted by almost
everybody on the planet and every government not to murder, steal, and do the other things. We
already do most of it. Alright? No, the problem is it’s only hard because your family wants to
challenge you in certain ways or your boss wants to challenge you in certain ways and cause it to
be a difficulty because they don’t want to let you do it. But in itself, it’s really not that hard to do
at all. If the whole community was doing it it’d be simple. But notice more importantly the
connection as we go in the context of Romans 10 as we go to verse 10. I mean verse 9. He says,
“that if you confess with your mouth the Master Yeshua.” What are we talking about? The
previous verses are talking about Torah. Ok, the previous verses are talking about Torah.
They’re talking about Messiah in the context of Torah. So let’s understand that what we’re
confessing is our belief in and our acceptance of the fullness of Messiah as the walking, talking
Torah. Very important context here for Romans chapter 10. Very challenging set of Scriptures
for a lot of people. Let’s go to Romans chapter 5 and verse 9. Romans chapter 5 and verse 9:
“Much more than having now been declared right by his blood we shall be saved from wrath
through him, for if being enemies we were restored to favor with Elohim through the death of his
son, much more having been restored to favor we shall be saved by his life.” You following
that? Yeshua’s death restored us to favor because we were sinners, but we shall be saved by
living his way of life. The Torah. Ok. He is the living Word. The living Torah. That’s what
will save you. That’s what will save you, deliver you ultimately.

Matthew 19. Let’s look at how we are saved. Now understand what it just said there. Ok. Let’s
get this context and see the consistency of Scripture. Matthew 19 and in verse 16: “And seeing
(?) one came to Him and said, ‘Good teacher, what shall I do to be saved?’” Doesn’t it make
sense, what he was asking? But in the fullness of the context to have everlasting life. And what
did he tell him? Well just believe in me and confess my name. Make an altar call. What did he
tell him to do? He said, he says, “Why do you call me good. No one is as good except one,
Elohim, but if you wish to enter into life, guard the commands.” He said to him, you know
“which,” and Yeshua said, “You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not
steal.” You see, he was leading him into reminding him it’s about the commandments. Right?
He says very importantly, “How may I enter eternal life,” and he says, “If you want to have life,
do the commandments.” He says in verse 19, “Respect your father, and your mother, and you
shall love your neighbor as yourself. And the young man said to him, “All these I have watched
over from my youth. What do I lack? And Yeshua said to him, “If you wish to be perfect, go sell
what you have and give to the poor and you shall have treasure in heaven and come and follow
me. And the young man heard this and he went away sad because he had many possessions.
And Yeshua said to his taught ones, “Truly I say to you that it is hard for a rich man to enter into
the reigns of heaven. Truly I say to you that it is easier for a camel to go through an eye of a
needle than for a rich man to enter into the reign of Elohim. And when his taught ones heard it,
they were very astonished, saying, ‘Who then is able to be saved.’” You see, they didn’t think
they were saved. “And looking intently Yeshua said to them, with men this is impossible, but
with Elohim all is possible. And Kefa answering and said to him, ‘See, we have left all and
followed you. What then shall we have? And Yeshua said to them, ‘Truly I say to you, when
the son of Adam sits on the throne of in his esteem, you who have followed me in the rebirth
shall also sit on the throne judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses
or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands for my name’s sake, shall
receive a hundred-fold and shall inherit and have everlasting life. But many who are first shall
be last and the last first.’” So let’s understand how this is broken down. First of all, he’s not
saying that everybody needs to sell all just to follow him. You gotta be careful, you may have
something that you are worshipping over me. You may be too attached to your stuff. And that’s
what it’s talking about here in verse 29. Do you have a problem, maybe being attached to your
house or your brothers or your sisters or your family or your children? Who is it that’s going to
cause you to choose the wrong path? Where is your heart? See, it’s about where you heart is.
He knew this young man’s heart was with his possessions. And it was proved by the young man
decided, “Nope, can’t do it, I’m not going to follow you. I love my stuff too much.” What’s
your problem. What’s your stuff? What’s the thing you’re attached to that keeps you from
obeying. Where’s your heart issue? Cause he says here, “Everyone who has left all things
behind, they shall inherit everlasting life.” That’s the key though. That’s the key. Now, he’s not
saying that anybody is saved now. Is he? He’s saying that you have to walk it all out. You’ve
got to walk it all out.

In Luke chapter 10 in verse 25. Luke chapter 10 and verse 25, we have a very similar account in
Luke 10:25. “And a certain one learned in the Torah stood up saying, ‘Teacher, what shall I do
to inherit everlasting life?’ And he said to him, ‘What has been written in the Torah? How do
you read it?’ And he said, ‘You shall love Yahweh your Elohim with all your heart, with all your
being and with all your strength, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself.’ And he
said to him, ‘You have answered rightly, do this and you shall live.’” You see, what do you need
to be saved? What did Yeshua say? Keep Torah, ok? Oh, I know people want to go and tell me
what Paul said and how they want to bend and twist Paul. No, no, what did Yeshua say?
Yeshua said, keep the commandments and you shall live. Keep the commandments and you’ll
be delivered. Keep the commandments and you’ll inherit everlasting life. Let’s go to Acts
chapter 16 in verse 30. Acts chapter 16 and in verse 30: “And having lead them outside he said,
‘Masters, what do I have to do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe on the Master Yeshua
Messiah and you shall be saved you and your household.’ And they spoke the word of Yahweh
to him and to all who were in his house, and taking them in that hour of the night, he washed
their wounds and immediately he was immersed and all that were his and having brought them
into his house he set food before them and he rejoiced with all the household having believed in
Elohim. Notice the connection had to do with learning the Word. You see. “Believe on the
Master Yeshua the Messiah and you shall be saved.” And we’re going to see in Ya’acov that
belief is evidenced by your works. Just believing that he existed and believing that he died and
believing that he was resurrected is not enough. You need to show by your works that you
believe on the Master Messiah Yeshua.

Luke chapter 8 and in verse 11. Luke chapter 8 and verse 11: “And this is the parable. The seed
is the word of Elohim.” Excuse me, “The seed is the word of Elohim, and those by the wayside
are those who want to hear and devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts lest
having believed they shall be saved.” You follow that. You can have the word of Elohim and
you can hear it, but the devil can take it away before you can actually do enough of it then you’ll
believe that it actually works. Believe what? That Torah saves you. That it keeps you safe.
That it blesses you. That it’s the only thing that can transform you from what you are to what he
is. He says, “Lest having believed they should be saved. And those on the rock are those who
when they hear they receive the word with joy and they have no root, who believe for a while
and in time of trial fall away. And that which fell among thorns are those who when they have
heard go out and are choked with worries and riches and the pleasures of life and bring no fruit
to perfection. And that on the good soil are those who having heard the word with a noble and
good heart retain it and bear fruit with endurance.” You see. You see the connection. But wait
a minute. Everyone of them heard the word. Everyone of them basically believed and confessed
up to a point. But only one set had the good soil, they had their heart right and they kept walking
it out. But they all heard. They all could have claimed to have been saved according to the
mainstream sort of criteria. Amen. They could have, but yet they were in trouble.

Matthew chapter 10 and verse 22. Matthew chapter 10 and verse 22: “And you shall be hated
by all for my name sake, but he who shall have endured to the end shall be saved.” Hmm. Did
you hear that? Is their any ambiguity there? According to this verse alone, if you didn’t hear
anything else the whole day. Are you saved now? No. He says, “He who shall have endured to
the end shall be saved.” That’s the only point where you’re actually saved. Now, that doesn’t
mean that you weren’t saved out of ignorance. Everytime you learn something new that's a part
of the truth, and you can fix something in your walk to make it in line with Messiah and in line
with Torah you were delivered out of that ignorance. You were saved from a bad behavior. You
were saved from your ignorance. You were saved from all kinds of things. Or delivered. But
the idea that people use about saying, you know, “When were you saved?” I’m not saved. I
won’t be saved until he tells me you’re in. I can tell you what I came to know that there was a
Messiah. I can tell you when I came to know that Torah was relevant. I can tell you when I
came to this and that. I can tell you the different places that I was saved out of something. But I
wasn’t saved saved. If that makes any sense. Ok.

Go to Matthew chapter 24 in verse 11. Matthew chapter 24 and verse 11. Matthew 24 and verse
11: “And many false prophets shall rise up and lead many astray. And because of the increase
in Torahlessness (or lawlessness), the love of many shall become cold. But he who shall have
endured to the end shall be saved.” See. There it is again. You have to endure to the end.
Matthew 25 and in verse 21. Matthew 25 and in verse 21: “And his master said to him, well
done, good and trustworthy servant. You were trustworthy over little I shall set you over much.
Enter into the joy of your master.” See, that’s at the end of it. Verse 23 says the same thing.
“His master says to him, well done good and trustworthy servant. You were trustworthy over a
little, I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.” When you hear those words,
you’re saved. Ok. That’s when you will know if you are saved. Luke 13 and verse 22. We
have two more sections here. Luke 13 and in James 2. And then we’ll finish for today. Luke 13
and verse 22. Luke 13 verse 22: “And he was going through the cities and villages teaching and
going towards Yerushalayim, and someone said, ‘Master, are there few who are being saved?’
And he said to them, ‘Strive to enter through the narrow gate, because many I say to you shall
seek to enter in and shall not be able. When once the master of the house has risen up and shut
the door and you begin to stand outside and knock at the door saying, ‘Master, master open for
us. And he shall say, excuse me, he shall answer and say to you, ‘I say to you, I do not know
you. Where are you from? And then you shall begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in your presence,
and you taught in our streets.’ But he shall say, ‘I say to you, I do not know you, where are you
from? Depart from me, all you workers of unrighteousness.’ There shall be weeping and
gnashing of teeth. Then you shall see Abraham and Yitzchak and Ya’acov and all the prophets
in the reign of Elohim and you yourselves thrown outside.” Are we getting the context here?
Listen to what’s going on here. He said, “I do not know you.” Why? He says, “Beause you are
workers of unrighteousness.” What defines righteousness. Torah. See, they were claiming to be
in relation with him yet they were not keeping the Torah. And he said, “Look, you weren’t
really in relationship with me. Because you weren’t keeping the Torah. Because I am the Torah.
And so, if you say you know me and don’t keep the commandments you’re a liar,” according to
John in First John 2. Right? Those who say they know him, and don’t keep his commandments
are liars. And so he’s saying, “Look, I know you say you know me, but you really don’t.” But
notice what it says here for all those who wonder and doubt, “Abraham, Yitzchak and Ya’acov
and all the prophets are going to be in the kingdom. He said, “But they were thrown outside.” I
don’t want to be on the outside, I don’t know about you.

James chapter 2 and were going to wrap it up here. Ya’acov chapter 2 and in verse 12. Ya’acov
chapter 2 and in verse 12: “So speak and so do as those who are to be judged by a Torah of
freedom.” Let’s first and foremost understand that Ya’acov believed that the Torah was
something that gave you freedom. He didn’t see it as a terrible bondage. He called it “The Torah
of freedom.” “For the judgment is without compassion to the one who has shown no compassion
and compassion boasts over judgment. My brothers, what use is it for anyone to say he has
belief but does not have works? This belief is unable to save him. And if a brother or sister is
naked and in need of daily food, and one says to them, ‘Go in peace, be warmed and filled,’ but
you did not give them their bodily needs, what use is it? So also belief if it does not have works
in itself is also dead. But someone might say, ‘You have belief and I have works.’ Someone
might say? I hear that all the time. Don’t you. Someone might say? I think there’s about two
billion of them on the planet right now. “Do you have works, but I have faith.” He says, “Look
you believe that Elohim is one. You do well. The demons also believe in and shudder, but do
you wish to know, oh foolish man?” Who’s the foolish man? The ones that say they have belief
without works. He said, “That belief without the works is dead. Was not Abraham our father
delared right by works when he offered Yitzchak his son on the altar? Do you see that belief was
working with his works and by the works his belief was perfected? And the scripture was filled
which said that Abram believed Elohim, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness. And he
was called Elohim’s friend. You see then that man is declared right by works and not by belief
alone. In the same way, was not Rahab the whore also declared right by works when she
received the messengers and sent them out another way?” Let’s listen to this last verse now.
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also the belief is dead without the works.” So now
what does that say, if every person who made an altar call and keeps no Torah. Their belief is
dead. And so was yours. Until you had the works. Am I judging them? No. I feel horrible for
them because they’re being told that they are fine. They’re being told that they are saved.
They’re being told that they are in. They’re being lied to. They’re being terribly lied to with a
horrible deception. And James makes it really clear, “You can say you have all the belief in the
world, but if you don’t have the works, your belief is dead.” Useless. There’s nothing. He says,
“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so also is belief if it has no works.” What works?
Well he said that Torah of freedom is what we’re talking about. You must have the works. You
must have the works. These are the things that ultimately will save you. Ok. Cause in verse 14
it says, “Look, my brothers, what use is it that one says he has belief but doesn’t have works?
This belief is unable to save him.”

So, none of those people who are in the Sunday churches are saved, just by that verse alone.
They’re going to have to come to the point where they understand that Torah is relevant. That’s
a scary thing. There’s 2 billion people like that. We need to pray for them. We need to beseech
the Almighty for them. Cause they can have this brought to them. And I don’t judge them. You
were there, I was there, all of us were there. It wasn’t our fault and it wasn’t their fault. Their
fathers have inherited lies. And it was so nice of them to share them with their children, who
then shared it with their children, who shared it with their children. Wasn’t that so nice of them?
But they thought they were sharing the truth. And a lot of them are very genuine thinking they
have the truth. And a lot of them will even tell you, “All I want is the truth.” They great. Let’s
sit down and talk. (Steve chuckles). Oh, no, no, no. I don’t want THAT truth. I don’t want to
have to keep Torah now. C’mon. That was nailed to the cross. They’ve inherited lies. Now do
you understand why people can come up to him in the end, and he says, “I don’t know you.”
“But wait, we did all this in your name. We read your teachings. What do you mean, we didn’t
know you?” Because you were workers of Torahlessness. Obviously you didn’t know me.
That’s why John doesn’t mince words when he says, “Look, you say you know him but you
keep not the commandments. You’re a liar.” That might not be that you’re lying on purpose.
You just don’t know what you’re saying. This is the same problem as with the term “saved.”
People don’t know what it means. And so they use this term not having any understanding of
what it means to be saved. And yet they just throw it around very loosely, and say, “You know, I
was saved back in 1987.” No you weren’t. Ok. You were delivered out of something. You
were brought into a knowledge of something. You weren’t saved. Ok. So, that’s why, maybe
some of you may have seen me over the years make funny faces and look a little uncomfortable
when everybody talks about being saved. Because this is a dangerous term. Because what it
does is it cuts the legs out of your efforts to do the works. Because if you think you’re saved,
why do you have to do anything? So we’ll continue this next time, and we’ll pick it up here, and
we’ll finish this up with part 2. But I just want us to really, really embrace and understand what
the Scripture really says about being saved and how you’re saved, who saves you, what saves
you, and what your role in all this is. What is your part in all of this? We know what Messiah’s
part is in all this. But what is your role in this? You actually have to do some things to be saved.
Oh, now you’re talking about earning salvation. Faith without works is dead. You gotta show
yourself approved. It says in Scripture. It says in Deuteronomy and other places we read that
he’s going to test you to prove you to see whether it’s in your heart. Yes. You have to earn this
to some degree. It was provided to you, and made available to you for free. Salvation exists and
is available to you because of nothing that had to do with you. But whether you get to enjoy it.
Whether you get to hear the words, “Enter into the kingdom, you blessed of my Father.” You
get to hear the words, “Well done, good and faithful servant.” You have to do something. So if
you want to call it earning it, I don’t care what you call it. It’s what you have to do. So if you
want to say, “Oh, Steve’s teaching salvation by works.” Yes and no. He just taught that. James
taught that. He said you have to have works to prove your belief. Cause guess what, if you
don’t do the works, obviously you didn’t believe. So it’s still salvation by belief. It’s salvation
by faith. All I’m saying is that your works show it. So if you’re not doing the works, you must
not have the faith. So it’s still purely, salvation by faith. Does that make any sense? Are we
clear? Did I confuse everybody? Ok? So, just so we’ll wrap this up. We’ll continue next week.
Meditate on it. Pray on it. Seek the Father about it. This is a key, vital piece of the puzzle. Ok.
I need you to really get involved in understanding how salvation really works. So that you can
hear the words you want to hear. “Yes, I want to live with you forever.” From the Almighty.
Ok? Amein. Amein.
Father, we come before you. This is a challenging concept for a lot of us. We were raised with
all kinds of different ideas about salvation and being saved. And Father, we want to beseech you
and seek your face and your understanding, your wisdom, your discernment, so that we can
apply these things correctly and appropriately. We want to rightly divide the word and we want
to understand how we are to approach salvation. We want to understand clearly your role in it
and our role in it so that we can do our part in fulfilling what your desire was for us. So Father,
we just beg you, and plead with you, and we humble ourselves before you. We throw ourselves
at your feet. We need you to come inside of us. Because as we read in the verses with man it is
impossible, but with you it is all possible. So Father help us, help us to show and to manifest
that we have the belief. That we believe in you, believe in Yeshua, we have the faith that these
things will play out as you have said and that we will have an opportunity to spend forever with
you. Father help us, hold us in your hand, keep us safe. We ask these special blessings at this
time in the name of and by the authority of the only one that can bring this about. Our advocate,
our older brother, Yeshua ha Mashiach. Amein, v’amein.