Amazing Grace Understood

The Finding Emet radio program, hosted by Brother Daniel Rendleman, aims to help people understand and live the truth of the Bible from a Hebrew perspective. The program offers audio lessons, teaching articles, and a free online Bible search program on their website. CD copies of teachings can also be requested. The story of John Newton, the writer of Amazing Grace, is shared as an example of the concept of grace. The program introduces the Hebrew words "chesed" and "chen" as alternative understandings of grace and invites listeners to explore their meanings. Hello, and welcome to the Finding Emet radio program. Emet is the Hebrew word for truth. This program will help you understand and live the truth of the Bible from a Hebrew perspective. The Finding Emet radio program features the teaching ministry of Brother Daniel Rendleman of Emet Ministries. Prepare your heart to receive the Emet, the truth of the scriptures. More audio lessons and teaching articles are available at the www.emetministries.com website. Please visit our site to find all things spiritual, including a free online Bible search program, or submit your prayer request. That's www.emetministries.com, or www.findemet.com. CD copies of this teaching are available for free by submitting a request at the website. Let's welcome our teacher, Daniel Rendleman, as he helps us find the Emet. We're all familiar with the hymn, Amazing Grace. Good Baptist hymn, right, or Lutheran hymn, or Methodist hymn, Pentecostal hymn, every Christian denomination really sings about Amazing Grace. Do you want to sing it with me? Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see. It's a beautiful hymn, beautiful words, beautiful melody. I've heard it with bagpipes. I've heard it to the tune of Gilligan's Island. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I'm found, was blind, but now I see. I've heard it to the tune of Stairway to Heaven. I will not sing that one for you. But it's probably the most beloved hymn of all time, and it's a staple, it's there. And if you know the story of Amazing Grace, the song, it's pretty amazing to say. Written by a man named John Newton, there was actually a movie out called Amazing Grace recently that told part of the story, it was out in the movie theaters. The true story was that he was a wretch, if you could say so. When he became a new believer, when he accepted the Savior in 1748, when his conversion took place, he was a captain of an English slave ship. Think about that for a minute. Let your mind go back and think about what that meant. He commanded the slave ship that would make their first leg of voyage from England empty. And they would go to the African coast, they would anchor, and the tribal chiefs would deliver to the European stockades full of men and women, mostly captured in raids or wars against other tribes. They would select the finest specimens, and they would then barter for weapons or ammunition or liquor or trinkets, whatever it was. The captives would then go aboard, and this was not to Gilligan's Island, this was not Carnival Cruise Ship, packed for sailing. They were chained together to prevent suicide. So most of them were laid side by side to save space, row after row, one after another, until it was laid with as many as 600 future slaves. And so the middle passage that took place was, after they went to Africa, they wanted to keep as much of their precious cargo alive. Yet many died on the trip. If there was a cough or if there was smallpox or a fever, if one got it, he went overboard. If there were ten around him, they all went overboard, whether they were sick or not. So when they got back to the New World, they were traded for sugar, molasses, whatever it happened to be. And of the six million African slaves brought to the Americas in the 18th century, John Newton took many trips. When he was young, one day while he had his ship full of his cargo, he found a book on board called The Imitation of Christ. He began to read, and that kind of sowed the seed of his faith. And the story goes that there was a horrible storm that took place, and the ship almost wrecked and almost everyone drowned. And it was during the shipwreck, during this horrible storm, that he gave his life to Messiah. And you can imagine that for a newborn believer, commanding a slave ship was a very strange place to be in. And so he left the sea for good. And not only did he leave the sea, but he began to study the scriptures and began learning them to be able to teach others about them. It wasn't until later that as he went back and was looking at his memories that he wrote down in a book, kept a journal, that he found that on the day of his conversion, he had written the words for Amazing Grace in his journal. And it was later put to song, and it was made famous because he wasn't just John Newton the ex-slave trader, but because he began going before Parliament in England, testifying about the treatment of slaves on board the ships. And over and over again he would do that, and as he did that, he became friends with the name of William Wilberforce. He was a young member of Parliament who was also a believer. And Newton kept telling him, you have been called of Yahweh to be here in Parliament. And so the two of them began going before the English Parliament saying slavery is wrong, slavery is wrong, and live their life in front of them. And Wilberforce wrote the bill to end slavery in England. It was later voted down. And so Newton went to him and said, don't give up. If Yahweh can save me, he can save the slaves. Don't be stopped by the devil's tactics. And so he kept trying and he kept trying, and you know what? It finally passed, it finally went through, and the slave trading from the European boats and in Europe was stopped. The bill was written by William Wilberforce, and the voice of John Newton that we are so used to hearing amazing grace from, was able to reconcile and stop the slave trade. At 82, he said this. He said, my memory is nearly gone at such an old age, but I remember two things. Number one, that I am a great sinner. And number two, that Messiah is a great savior. Isn't that good? You can actually visit his tombstone in Europe, and it says this. John Newton, clerk, once an infidel, a servant of slaves in Africa, was by the rich mercy of Yahweh and our Savior, Yeshua, preserved, restored, pardoned, and appointed to preach the faith that he had labored long to destroy. Now, we've never read that. Now, we've never read that. We've read his other words, saying his words, amazing grace. Now, I share this story with you because we're familiar with the hymn and that idea. So let me ask you, what do you think about when you hear the word grace? Surely, I mean, most people think of that hymn, or maybe the prayer before a meal. Got to say grace. I grew up in a, you know, halfway Baptist family, and we always said grace before the meal. And it was the same thing, no matter what. It was it. You know, bless the food we're about to receive in Jesus' name. Amen. Boom. We're done. And whoever could utter it the fastest, got to say it first. Get it done real fast. Get it done. Maybe that's what it is. Or come on. It's a theology of the Christian church. Grace, grace, grace, grace, grace. Isn't that what we hear about? Every Sunday morning. I mean, if you go to a Baptist church, usually there's an altar call when you hear about the grace. Can I tell you one more story? I love this. I'm sure you've heard it. But there was this, walking through a forest, there was this atheist. And he hears a rustling in the bushels, in the bushes and everything. And turning, he sees this massive grizzly bear. Big old bear charging towards him. He runs as fast as he can. But the bear trips and falls. So as the bear raises, you know, a huge paw to stride, the atheist screams, Yahweh, help me! The time just freezes. Really neat. The bear becomes immobile. The forest is silent. The rivers stop running. The clouds stop moving. The atheist hears a voice coming out of the air. You have denied my existence for years. You've told others I don't exist. You've credited my creation to cosmic accident. Why should I help you? So the atheist is pretty smart. He agrees. He says, well, it would be hypocritical to ask for you to show mercy. So please, just make this bear a Christian. So at that instant, that's when everything went back to normal. You know, the river runs, the bear drops to his knees, puts his paw together and says, Oh, Lord, thank you for this food. I'm about to receive. Amen. Make him a Christian. I think that's pretty funny. But we do hear a lot about grace in the church. And yet it's one of those words that is really people think they understand it, but it's misunderstood. There's even a song out there. There's no other word for grace, but amazing. Beautiful song is bad theology. Because there is another word for grace. And I want to share that with you today. Actually, two that I want to share with you today. And I believe that if you grab onto these, if you begin to study these and learn from these, it could change who you are. The first word is chesed, chesed. It is spelled chesed. Everybody say it with me. Chesed. You got to when you say it, it's spelled chesed, psalmic, dalet in Hebrew. The other word is chen, spelled chesed, and then nun sofit. These words are powerful. Powerful. Because, you know, words, there's such thing as word power. You ever seen that in like Reader's Digest word power, where you learn new words every month? There are certain words when you hear them, it's like everything stops. Like you're fired. Not that Donald Trump you're fired, but maybe will you marry me? When you hear those words, or maybe the word is death or war or pregnant, cancer. I mean, there's so many words that just grab us and change our lives. And I pray that this teaching today will be one of those. When you begin to learn what chesed and chen is, a little better. So take a minute, what you know about grace or even what you may know about chesed or chen and put it aside. Can you do that? Can you put it aside, like on the top shelf, come back to it later and allow our minds to be renewed. We hear a lot about grace. We sing about it. But most of us don't really know what chesed is. As Torah keepers, we have so many things to talk about. I can't tell you the last time I heard a sermon on grace or a discussion of grace or mentioning of grace. It's kind of a church slogan. And we've got other things to worry about. We've got to learn about the kosher laws, the Hebrew language, the kosher, you know, the Sabbath, and these things are good. Because we heard about grace in Sunday school, right? But we've not heard about chesed. Chesed is not grace. So whenever you think of grace, that greasy grace that maybe you know about, get it out for a minute. It's much more. It's much better. It's much more. It's much better. The word chesed appears over 240 times in the Old Testament alone. And it's usually translated as this, as either grace, goodness, kindness, faithfulness, mercy, loving kindness, favor, good, goodness. It's not, everybody say not, not a New Testament idea. Even though most people think it is. That, well, the law came by Moses and grace and truth came by Jesus. You can have that law and that legalism. I got my grace. No, Genesis 6, 8, it says, Noah found grace in the eyes of Yahweh. He found grace in the eyes of Yahweh. So if it's a New Testament idea, why did Noah experience it? In Esther chapter 2, it talks about Esther obtaining grace or obtaining chesed. The word chen, chen is a Hebrew word most often translated as favor, or in the New King James Version as grace. It means to make gracious, to be pitied, to direct favor, to have mercy on, to implore favor. There are many verses, many words that talk about this. Abraham talked about it, Genesis 18. He said, oh, Yahweh, if I found favor, chesed or chen in your sight, do not pass by your servant. Jacob talks about it, Genesis 33. Moses said in Exodus 34, 9, and now if I found chesed or favor in your sight, oh, Yahweh, please go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff-necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance. Remember the story of Ruth and Naomi? Ruth chapter 2, and Ruth the Moabite said to Naomi, let me go to the field and glean among the ears of grain after him in whose sight I shall find favor, grace, chesed, and she said to her, go, my daughter. First Samuel talks about David with chesed and favor and grace. We need to know what it is. We need to have a good understanding, because I'm telling you, it is a word that can change who we are. The problem is all this English that I'm telling you doesn't really fit. It doesn't really explain it. The English terms of grace or favor, loving kindness, it falls short. There's nothing like chesed. In the New Testament, in the Greek, the closest word for it is charis or charis, c-h-a-r-i-s, where the word charisma comes from or charismatic. That's the Greek word. You know, somebody that has charisma, you instantly like them. You don't know why, but you just do. A person who is charismatic just has something in their life that just appeals to you and their demeanor. So what is chesed, exactly? What is chane? Chesed is Yahweh's kindness and unconditional actions towards mankind. Chane is Yahweh's favor that he bestows upon people who walk in chesed. So chesed is Yahweh's unconditional kindness without reason. Chane is Yahweh's favor he gives to those who walk in chesed. Chesed is an act that has no cause, no previous cause. Think about it. Think about creation for a minute. Yahweh built the world with chesed. Did we deserve to be born? Did the world deserve to be made? Think about it. The universe. In Psalm 89, Tehillim 89 verse 3, it says this. Excuse me. Psalm 89, let's start at verse 1. I will sing of the mercies of Yahweh forever with my mouth. I will make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said mercy shall be built up forever. Thy faithfulness or chesed established the very heavens is what it says. Chesed established the heavens. Yahweh created man out of chesed. No one deserved it. So if you don't deserve to be born or don't deserve to have life, then how can you say this? Yahweh, you've wronged me. I did not deserve this to happen. It's deeper than niceness though. Think about it this way. When you work for someone, you get paid. You work for an employer, you get paid, right? That pay is what you get for it. That's recycling that deed. That energy of whatever it is that you do to work, you get back for it. Chesed is you get it no matter what. You work an 8-hour day, 10-hour day, 12-hour day, you get a fair as day pay. That's called a what? A wage. Isn't that right? Now, if you compete against an opponent and you receive a trophy, that's called a prize. If you receive recognition for doing something, that's called an award. Wage, prize, award. And yet, that's not chesed. Chesed is when you don't deserve it, when you didn't do anything to get it, when it's just unmerited. Turn to Matthew chapter 20 and let's look at a parable of Yeshua to explain this concept. Chesed. Matityahu 20, have our minds renewed. Matthew 20, let's look at verse 1. For the kingdom of heaven is like a man who was the master of a household, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he agreed the laborers for denarius for the day, gave them a pay, a wage, he sent them into his vineyard. He went out about the third hour, saw others standing idle in the market. Then he said, hey, come on to the vineyard and whatever is right, I will give you. So they went their own way. And again, he went about the sixth hour, the ninth hour. He did likewise. About the 11th hour, he went out, found some people standing around. He said, I want you to work for me. Come on over. Why do you stand here all day? They say, because no one has hired us. He said to them, when you go to the vineyard, you will receive whatever is right. Well, when evening came. This master of the vineyard came to a steward. He said, call the laborers, pay them their wages beginning from the last to the first. And when those who were hired at the 11th hour came, guess what? They received a full day's pay for denarius. When the first came. They thought they would receive more, but they received a denarius. So when they received it, they murmured against the master saying, these last have spent one hour and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden of the day in the scorching heat. But he answered to them, friend, I am doing you no wrong. Don't you agree with me for denarius? Take what is yours, go your way. It is my desire to give this last just as much as to you. Is it lawful for me to do what I want with my own or do I evil because I'm good? So the last will be first. The first will be last. For many are called. But fewer chosen. But fewer chosen. In the context of grace. That phrase many are called, but fewer chosen takes a little different idea. Many are called. But when it says few are chosen to what? Few chosen to what? Some translations say many are called, but few choose. Perhaps what Yeshua was saying here was many are called to receive. But few. Are chosen. And do receive. Maybe he was saying many are called, everyone is called, but few take the moment to receive what the master is giving. Those who worked a little bit and those who worked all day got the same. Does that sound right to you? Is that fair to you? Not fair to me. Not unless I'm the one who just got there. Then I'm all happy, right? I get all day's pay and just a little bit of work. That's nice. You see, it says in Ephesians that we are saved by grace through faith. Many are called. Grace opens the opportunity for salvation. But through faith, few choose. It says the last will be first and the first will be last. Yahweh shows Chesed to the world, to Israel, and to individuals. But it's difficult for us to show it to anybody. Let's be honest, because we live in a world of you reap what you sow. You don't get paid unless you clock in. Is that right? You don't get cable unless you pay the bill. You don't get dinner unless somebody cooks it. Is that right? Everything is conditional in this world. The light switch does not come on automatically. You might even have to clap your hands, right? Clap on, clap off. The clapper. Remember that? You had to do something. Everything is conditional except Chesed. Everything. It's a concept that kind of shouts at us that no matter what happens, no matter what doesn't happen, we have acceptance. We have love from Yahweh. We have mercy. Chesed is this portal to which the world can receive the best from the Creator. Here's the key. It's given to us and then we're supposed to show it to others. Now Judaism tells us that a great act of love or Chesed is anything you can do for a dead body. Do you know why? They can't repay you. They can't pay you back. But that's true Chesed. So if you remember when Moses died, who buried his body? Yahweh did. So the Torah ends with an act of Chesed. Yahweh says at the end of the Torah, he's going to do something for Moses that he can't repay him. And you know what else? It begins with an act of Chesed. In Genesis chapter 3, Adam and Eve are clothed by Yahweh. They can't really repay him, can they? So it starts with Chesed. It ends with Chesed. And it continues with it. Think about Abraham for a minute. And you know, the Jewish roots movements or the Hebrew roots movement, we talk a lot about Abraham and our identity as Israel. And we say, well, we even sing, you know, Father Abraham and many sons, right? We're children of Abraham, aren't we? And yet Yeshua said in John chapter 8, verse 39, if you were Abraham's children, then do the things Abraham did. Abraham believed Psalm 89, believed Psalm 89, verse 2, that the world was founded, created with Chesed. Bible tells us in Ephesians chapter 5, verse 1, it says to be imitators of Yahweh like dear children. When we imitate Yahweh with Chesed, we are showing his light, his power to the world. Think about Abraham for a minute. And remember that he got visited by a couple of people. Who remembers that story? In Genesis chapter 18, we read, it says in verse 1, and Yahweh appeared unto Abraham in the plains of Mamre, and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day. Yahweh showed up at his house. That's talking about a prayer life, right? That's good. That's like, whoa, he's here. And look and see what Abraham does in verse 2. And Abraham lifted up his eyes and looked, and three men stood by him. And when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door and bowed himself towards the ground. What in the world? Abraham stops his conversation with Yahweh to care for three strangers. That's Chesed. That's Chesed. I don't know about you, but nobody would bother my time. I'm like, hey, I got Yahweh all to myself. He's at my tent. And then here it says he stops. So do you think Chesed was a priority in Abraham's life? Showing kindness? Yes. In Genesis, it says, Yahweh says, let there be light. What does Yeshua say? That we are to be a light to the world. That's how we do it. These people, these strangers, Abraham didn't know who they were. And yet it says he stopped this conversation. He stopped his prayer with Yahweh to help them. It's not Chesed when you technically do something that they can pay you back. If I'm just nice to someone because they can be nice to me, because they can be nice to me, that's not Chesed. I'm trying to work the system, right? Chesed is the choice to do it in the face of harshness or criticism or someone being rude. Isn't that what Yahweh's done for us? Through the blood of Yeshua, salvation is available to any and all who would believe, and yet many trample upon it. And so Chesed is available. Think of it this way. There are these two preachers, and they travel to Atlanta, Georgia. And they go in to a restaurant, like a Waffle House. And one of them had never been to the South before. So he just orders some eggs. The meal was delivered, and there's this mushy stuff on the side of his plate. And the waitress came by, and he said, ma'am, what is this? She, of course, said, it's grits. Well, ma'am, I didn't order grits. I'm not paying for it. Well, sir, she said, down here in the South, you don't order it. You don't pay for it. You just get it, whether you want it or not. That's kind of like Yahweh's Chesed. It's there. But yet many are called, but few are chosen. Now, see, I don't know about you, but I have a bad habit of buying cheap. If I go to a store, and there's three types of, I don't know, sheets. Very good. I'm going to buy some sheets. And there's good, better, best. There's the Walmart brand. There's a step above, and then there's the best. Thousand, you know, count thread. I'm buying Walmart any day of the week, whether it's sheets or food or anything. Oil for my car. I'm just cheap. And so I've learned over the years, though, that sometimes when you buy cheap, guess what you get? Cheap. And so I've learned from my father-in-law that sometimes it's better to spend a little more money for that middle grade and get a little better. Maybe not the expensive kind, but to buy the middle kind. Well, I think that the church's idea of grace is that cheap version. It's like, Crested is the name brand, and Grace is that cheap brand that just doesn't quite taste just right. You know what I'm talking about? You get a Coke, for example, Coca-Cola. Nothing tastes like it if you like Coca-Cola. And you can get a Walmart Coca-Cola that costs less. And it's cheaper, and it's not the real thing. Think about it. Think about it. For many people, grace is used as an excuse to just, I'm not going to obey because of grace. Or they say this, I'm not under law. I'm not under that law. I'm under grace. So I want to share with you, what does it mean to be under grace, under Chesed? Because there is a difference. Is that OK? Because now that we kind of have an idea that Chesed is out of this world, it's loving kindness to someone that doesn't deserve it, what exactly is it? Well, dispensationalism is a fancy man-made theory, and it teaches us that God, that God deals with people differently in different times and different economies. That's what dispensationalism teaches. But there's that dispensation of creation. There's a dispensation of the law. Then there's a dispensation of the kings or whatever. Then there's a dispensation of the church and dispensation of grace. And so dispensationalism teaches this, that the Almighty is dealing with the church in a new dispensation. Therefore, the previous one has been eliminated. I haven't found one scripture verse that justifies that. That Yahweh doesn't replace His covenants or eliminates them. He builds upon them like rings on a ladder. So this phrase, this phrase says, well, I'm not under law, but under grace. You can keep that legalism if you want, somebody says. It's really amazing. Because if we read it in context, it says something different. So turn with me to Romans chapter six. Romans chapter six, let's look at this. How many of you have heard this? I'm not under the law. I don't. Why do you obey that? That's going back under the law. Have you heard that before? Romans chapter six, verse 14. For sin shall not be your master or have dominion over you. For you are not under the law, but under grace. Clear as day. We're under grace. Goodbye, Torah. Goodbye, kosher. No need to keep the feast days. I'm under grace. I can eat what I want. I can say what I want. I can do what I want. I can wear what I want. I can dance like I want. I'm under grace. Do you really think Paul was telling the believers that they could do whatever they wanted? So what did he mean? What did he mean? If we read it in context, it says in verse 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you. For you're not under the law, but under grace. Verse 15. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law, but under grace? By no means. Yahweh forbid. Sin is disobedience. Plain and simple. It's breaking Yahweh's Torah. First John chapter three, verse four. Sin is lawlessness. So here's what Paul was saying. Shall we sin or disobey Torah because we are under his grace? No. Any solicitor will confirm that no one is above the law. Even the president has laws that he has to obey. If anything, as a believer, being under grace is under a greater obligation to obey the law of Yahweh. Think about it. Creation began with, let there be light. And there was light. You know, let the earth bring forth vegetation. You know, there were commandments that were given. These were laws that were set in place. This was his Torah, his instructions. And then he said to Adam, be fruitful and what? Multiply. Fill the earth. Subdue it. And then he said, of every tree in the garden, you can eat except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Why did Yahweh tell Adam not to eat from this tree? Because you are what you eat. Disobedience will result. And what does it say? That he knew good from evil. And man would be accountable for the good between his choice between good from evil. So Yahweh loves man. He sustains man. He gives man instructions or laws to be sustained by. And these instructions or laws to be sustained for relationship is called Torah. And the penalty of breaking Torah is what? Death. Romans chapter 3 verse 23. The wages of sin is death. So if you break Torah, you get the death penalty. No ifs, ands or buts. So we come from Adam sustained by laws. So then when we break a law, how do we get back to Yahweh? How would man ever be redeemed? Are we redeemed by the law? No. The law was not designed to redeem mankind. Rather, it was created to sustain us, to prosper us, to show us in our relationship. The instructions, for example, in like in Exodus 19 with the giving of the Ten Commandments are to separate us above all people. We were created by law. Remember, Yahweh said this and there was that. He said, don't do this. Don't eat from this tree. He said, don't do this. Don't eat from this tree. We were created by law and we're either blessed by or we're cursed by it. And so Yahweh had to redeem us another way, which is chesed. So get this. If a person rejects chesed, then they are under the law. Let me say it this way. If someone rejects chesed, then they are under the penalty of breaking the law, which is death. Let me say it again. If someone rejects Yahweh's chesed, His loving kindness, then they are under the death penalty of the law. All mankind was under the law until it was placed under grace by faith. The grace of Yahweh redeemed us back to Yahweh and then our relationship is sustained by following Torah. It's two systems. It's two different functions. Romans chapter three. Romans chapter three. Look at verse nine. What then? Are we better of a name? No, in any way. For we have before proved both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin as it is written. There is none righteous. No, not one. There is none that understandeth. There is none that seeketh after Yahweh. They are all, everybody say all, all gone out of the way. They are together become unprofitable. There is none that doeth good. No, not one. The throat is an open sepulcher. With their tongues they have used deceit. The poison of ass is under their lips. Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction, misery are in their ways. The way of peace they have not known. There is no fear of Yahweh before their eyes. Hear this. Now we know that whatsoever the things the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become guilty before Yahweh. Now we have heard these verses used to show, oh, this is Israel. Israel, the Jews are under the law. Right? And the church is under grace. But did it not use the word all? A-L-L, that's all. Didn't it say it over and over and over again? Did it say Jew? Did it say those Hebrews? All of these verses point to the condition of all of mankind. Speaks of every mouth. The world is guilty before Yahweh. Amen? Amen? So the law, Yahweh's Torah tells us that we are guilty. But look at verse 20. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, there shall no flesh be justified in its sight. By the law is the knowledge of sin. The Torah shows us what sin is, teaches us right from wrong. When we are under grace, the Torah still teaches us right from wrong. That is what it was designed for, to lead us to Yahweh, 1 Timothy 1.8. To be under the law, get this, is to be without grace and therefore subject to the law. If a person is not born again, they are under the law's death penalty and will not have eternal life. But if a person is under grace, therefore they have received Yahweh's salvation and can walk out the Torah right and wrong. You see, I've had people tell me, when we talk to them about Torah, they would say, well, I know it's what the Bible says, but I'm under grace. Now let me break this down for you. You ready? I know that's what the Bible says, but I'm under grace. So I know that that's what the Bible teaches, but therefore grace is forgiveness for it. Isn't that what they're saying? Here's what they're saying. I know that the Bible teaches that is sin. I'm hoping and praying my greasy grace will get me in and I won't be held accountable for it. So when a person says, I don't have to do that because I'm under grace, they are in fact stating their knowledge of sin. They're in fact saying, you know what? That is sin, but Yahweh doesn't hold me accountable for that anymore. I'm under grace. Is that right? Is that right? Think about that. Romans chapter six, verse 14, for sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under of all, but under grace. When we disobey the Torah, it can produce a curse, which produces the body of sin, which is that old man, that old nature. That old nature. To be under the law is to be without grace and in constant dominion of sin. So it's not a matter of Jews and Christians, it's a matter of all of the world is either under law, the penalty of law, the death penalty of law, or under grace. Does that make sense? If one rejects Yahweh's chesed, he is under the law and bound by it. So how were people in the Old Testament saved? Were they redeemed by the law? I don't think so. I don't think so. I believe Noah found grace in the eyes of Yahweh. Abraham found grace in the eyes of Yahweh. Moses found grace in the eyes of Yahweh. And the Torah gave them instructions for living and their relationship with Yahweh. You see, many people think that grace is this, you know, it's an event that takes place when they're born again and just covers them as they live their life. That's not chesed. Yahweh loves us too much to let us go. Amen? Amen. Do we deserve his chesed? Do we deserve his love and kindness? Did Israel deserve it? Think about all that they did throughout the Torah. A bunch of stiff-necked people. Rebellion after rebellion after rebellion. And yet Yahweh still showed his love. That is key for us today. That even if we rebel, even if we disobey, even if we walk contrary to his word, his chesed is still there for us. And so when we disobey Torah, when we sin, I'm going to say something radical. You ready for this? When we sin and break Torah, Yahweh does not love us any less. And when we obey Torah, he doesn't love us anymore. His love is unconditional. Think about that for a minute. Because sometimes it's easy to get into this, oh, I broke Yahweh's heart. I just, I did something that was really bad. I shouldn't have done it. Yahweh's love is unconditional. He showed mercy, kindness, chesed, unmerited favor. That's what chesed is. It's getting what you don't deserve. So then why do we keep Torah? It's a good question. Because you shouldn't say, why keep Torah? Because it pleases the Father. We should keep Torah because he says to. And because it brings us into relationship with Yahweh. And when we disobey Torah, what happens? Our connection with Yahweh is severed. Our relationship with Yahweh is strained. And I'm going to say this, it doesn't hurt Yahweh. It hurts us. That's why obedience is so key. Yahweh loves us no matter what we do. Yahweh loves us no matter what we do. Yahweh loves us no matter what we do. The question is. Are we going to be faithful? Because Yahweh shows us chesed to the world. It's here. It's a gift. Whoever wants it, it's there. Receive it. It's free. You don't have to obey. You don't have to, you know, you believe and you shall receive. It tells us in Romans. If you believe in your heart, Yeshua is Yahweh, confess with your mouth that Yahweh raised him from the dead, you shall be saved. Doesn't it say that? So we're born again, we're saved by grace, by chesed through faith. And so what happens next? If we then take his chesed, his love, his unmerited kindness. And we can choose to step all over it and take advantage of it and take it for granted and not obey. Who does that hurt? It hurts us, doesn't it? Or we could take his chesed. We can walk in it and therefore have his favor, which is that other word, Cain. Yahweh's grace is not a newer church invention. Yahweh doesn't change. Yahweh doesn't change, and yet his Cain is available to us now. Chesed is the vehicle through which Yahweh allows our connection, allows us to be born again, allows us to come to him. We couldn't do it on our own. And then we are to show that to other people. Let me illustrate this. Everybody knows what the flypaper is, right? You get some flies, you pull out that paper, and it's what? It's simple. It's a genius product. And you can make your own flypaper. You just get some syrup, some brown sugar, granulated sugar, strips of brown paper bags, stick it on there, and it works. The key for it to work is it's got to be sweet and it's got to be sticky. The sweetness attracts the flies, the sticky makes them stay. Guess what? We're supposed to be a little bit like flypaper. Sweet and sticky. The sweetness of the true gospel, the sweetness of Yahweh's Torah, of his mercy, of his Chesed is attractive, and then as we live it out, it's sticky. It sticks. We are a kingdom of priests, amen? Isn't that what it says? Isn't that what it says? First Peter? Isn't what says in Exodus 19? So we are to emulate, we are to imitate Yahweh. And everything you read of Yahweh is an act of Chesed. Observant Jews pray three times a day for Ahavta Chesed, the love of kindness. So therefore, if we're going to imitate Yahweh, all of our actions should be actions of Chesed. And that's hard. Let me say it this way, though. It does not always demand self-sacrifice. It's much more simpler than we think. Do you know what Chesed is? It's showing people with respect. It's not talking when we're praying. It's greeting each other pleasantly. It's not speaking slander. It's spending time with people, quality time with people. The priests in the temple did these acts of Chesed, which was their duty. We as priests are to do acts of Chesed, which is our duty to reach others. You know, when we go back to Genesis chapter 18, do you know what he did? Abraham did. It says that he ran to the cattle to choose a calf for his guest. Is that hospitality or what? Kofetz Chaim, who is one of the greatest rabbis of Judaism, has written this. You need a certain daily dose of medicine each day to stay alive. If you do, you don't leave it to chance. It's too important. If you need medicine to stay alive, then you do whatever is necessary to remember the medication, to keep a strict account of it. You cannot sustain or allow a situation. By the end of the day, you don't take the medicine. He says that Chesed is our soul's life-sustaining medicine. Yet many times we leave it to chance. We don't take that medicine. So on certain days, we don't take any opportunity to take that medicine. We don't take any opportunities to show kindness. Things go by us, they bypass us, and it's a haphazard system. I don't know about you, but you know, I try to brush my teeth at least once or twice a day. And when I don't, my breath stinks. I'm talking about knock you down. Do I leave it to chance, or do I go and brush my teeth and say, you know what, I'm going to brush my teeth? I take more time in worrying about my breath than sometimes I do worrying about other people. I've got to get my daily dosage of the mitzvah of Chesed of kindness. And as I do that, I'm chasing Yahweh's cheng, His favor. Remember Jacob? What does it say? Yaakov Yahweh loves, but Esau Yahweh despised. Now, wait a minute, Daniel. You just said Yahweh loves everybody. Yes, Yahweh's Chesed is available for everyone, but His cheng is for those who will seek after Him. Esau didn't seek Yahweh. Esau didn't keep the Torah. Esau didn't trust the Torah. Esau didn't treat others kindly. Esau didn't chase cheng. Esau didn't walk in Chesed. Therefore, he was despised. So, if we recognize the power of Chesed and we begin to walk in it, we have Yahweh's favor. Favor. Hebrews chapter 4, verse 16, Let us therefore come boldly before the throne of Chesed, before the throne of grace, before the throne of favor, that we may obtain mercy and find favor to meet us in our time of need. Do you know what that means? That means that we become boldly because of Chesed before Yahweh's throne of grace in order to receive mercy and favor to help us in our time of need. Yahweh's cheng. How do we do that? We do it through petitioning Yahweh and then we do it through being kind and compassionate to other people. That is cheng. Proverbs chapter 8, verse 35. Write it down. Memorize it. Learn it. Know it. Mishele chapter 8, verse 35. Talk about cheng. For whosoever finds me finds life and shall obtain cheng or favor from Yahweh. Who is the me talking? It's wisdom. It's the Ruach HaKodesh. Whosoever finds Ruach HaKodesh, the spirit of wisdom, finds favor, cheng. A life in Yeshua causes us to enter into both eternal life and favor. Do you know what that means? That when you seek him, you are Yahweh's favorite. Does Yahweh play favorites? Yes, he does. He loves us all. But yet as we seek him and as we seek his cheng, it comes upon us. It means favor. It means grace. It means elegance. Maybe you've heard the word, the word, ratzon. It means will. Psalm chapter 75. For promotion neither comes, neither from the east nor the west nor the south. But Elohim is judge. He put down one and sets up another. Did you know that? You think it was you. You think it was you. But it was you walking out Yahweh's cheng, his favor, because of his chesed. Because you're walking and living in his Torah, he's giving you cheng. And so promotion doesn't come from the east or the west or your boss, but from Yahweh at work, at business, in athletics, in marriage, in relationships, in secular duties, in education, in health. I could keep going. Yahweh wants to give us his cheng. The door of salvation is this entryway. That's chesed. And the ongoing process is cheng, from glory to glory. John chapter 1. John chapter 1. Verse 16. You might not have ever read it this way. For the law was given by Moses. The law was given by Moses. Its unmerited favor and truth came by Yeshua. But look at the verse before. It says. Chapter 1, verse 16. And of the fullness we have all received and grace for grace. That we've received unmerited favor upon favor. Yahweh has given us because through the law, the Torah came by Moshe. Therefore, the death penalty was given by Moshe. Therefore, we could receive chesed so we don't receive the death penalty. And then the Torah's unmerited favor and truth comes to light through Yeshua. Added favor is something that we petition. Romans chapter 12, verse 6. Having been gifts differing according to unmerited favor that is given to us when the prophecy let us prophesy according to the measure of faith. Or some service let us serve. Yahweh has given gifts according to Cain. According to how we walk out in his favor. The point is that we understand his chesed is better than grace. It's not this greasy grace. You can do what you want and slide on in. But we receive it, then we walk it out. We receive his favor by our faith and by actions of chesed. When you imitate chesed, when you imitate Yahweh. Matthew, when you're kind to someone, when you show kindness, when you do something for them, you are imitating Yahweh. And therefore, you're opening yourself up to receive his favor, his Cain. The problem is that the world imitates the deeds of the flesh. And sometimes we do the same. Sometimes we do the same. And we know what the deeds of the flesh are, right? They're ugly. So we have to make a constant choice and decision to not walk in the flesh of that old man or under the law, but to walk under grace and to therefore show the fruit of the Spirit. I want to finish with this story. When the Golden Gate Bridge was being built, construction fell behind. Very, very bad, very far, because several workers had accidentally fallen from the scaffolds and had died. So the engineers and administrators came together and they could find no cause to the delays. It was just going to be years behind schedule. So finally, someone suggested a crazy idea. Crazy idea. He said, let's put a gigantic net under the bridge that would catch anyone who falls. So they thought about it. And in spite of the enormous cost of the net, they opted for it. So after it was installed, progress began. Progress began. And not a single worker fell into the net. Not a single one. And all of the time that they lost because of fear was regained by placing fear into that net that would catch them. That's what Crescent can do for us. And then we can rebuild. We can rebuild. And we can build relationships. And we can build love. And we can build our faith and our life. So that leaves us with this. We started talking about amazing grace and the story of a slave trader. That might not have been us. But we can choose to walk in the flesh and therefore show off ugly. Be rude, be prideful, be selfish. Or we can choose to walk in Chesed and Chaim and show kindness to people who don't deserve it. Who have mistreated us, who have hurt us, who have spit in our face. Maybe someone we'll never see again. Maybe someone that we know doesn't like us. But through that, we're opening the door to Chaim. And we can walk in Yahweh's favor. That's Chesed. That's Chaim. That's the difference. Amen. Father Yahweh, your word tells us. So what does Yahweh require in Micah chapter 6 verse 8? But to do justly, to love mercy. And that word there for mercy is Chesed. And to walk humbly with you. Father, may we choose. May we choose to walk humbly with you. May we choose to love mercy. May we choose not to react in rudeness or selfishness or sin with the flesh. But may we choose to show Chesed to each other, to those we don't know, to those in the world that we could be a light. Just like Abraham was a light. Just like he stopped his prayer with you. And a visit with you to care for those who were just walking by. Father, may that be said of us. May we be people of hospitality. May we be people of love. May we be people of Chesed. And then have your favor and walk it out. May we become boldly before your throne of grace in order to receive mercy and find favor to help us in our time of need. Father, we each have times of need and we need your favor, your Cain, to make it through. So, Father, we thank you for a new understanding and revelation of Chesed. May we walk it out this day. May we show respect to others and love and mercy. May we forgive. And may we love. And may we be imitators of Messiah. Father, help us. Burn these words upon our hearts. And may we never come together or study your word without remembering the power of your Chesed. We give you thanks. In Yeshua's name, we pray. Thank you again for listening to the Finding Emet radio program. Please visit our website to learn more about the Emet, the truth of the scriptures. Search the Bible, submit your prayer request, or read an article on various subjects. The website is www.findemet.com. That's www.findemet.com. CD copies of this teaching are available for free by submitting a request at the website. Or write to us at Emet Ministries, 1310 Trent Street, Newberry, South Carolina, 29108. That's Emet Ministries, 1310 Trent Street, Newberry, South Carolina, 29108. Thank you again for listening to Finding Emet with Daniel Rintleman. May you find the Emet, and may the Emet, may the truth set you free.