EMET – FAITHFUL & TRUE Family Worship Center Pastor Mark Schwarzbauer PhD

1. EMET – FAITHFUL & TRUEFamily Worship CenterPastor Mark Schwarzbauer PhD

2. In 2014 God is calling you to reap the rewards of faithfulness!

3. The Power of FaithfulnessPastor Mark Schwarzbauer PhDFamily Worship Center

4. The Power of a Pledge to Be FaithfulPastor Mark Schwarzbauer PhDFamily Worship Center

5. Commitment Card… With God’s help as I start 2014 I commit myself to be… • …Faithful to God in daily devotions and attending church. • …Faithful to my family and other relationships, keeping sex only in marriage. • …Faithful in my work doing all things diligently for Christ. • …Faithful in my health taking care of the temple of the Holy Spirit. • …Faithful in my finances, being a wise steward of what God blesses me with. • Signed ____________

6. Part One: The Faithful and True

7. Revelation 19:11 “Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True”

8. In Hebrew the concepts of faithfulness and truth are inseparable

9. Faithful and True • Bible translations interpret ONE Hebrew word EMET as both the words “Faithful” and “Truth”. • Genesis 24:27 “His mercy and His truth” (NKJV). • Genesis 24:27 “his kindness and faithfulness” (NIV).

10. If you are going to be faithful you need to know what is true.

11. Part Two: Sort of andRelative

12. Our culture says truth is relative and what is true for you may not be true for me.

13. Sort of and Relative • Based on the Greek Philosopher Protagoras’ way of thinking that truth is found in our relationship between our thinking and the reality of the world around us. He taught that “Man is the measure of all things.”

14. Sort of and Relative • Because it focuses on “ME” the definition of truth changes depending on my view point.

15. Sort of and Relative Under this Protagoras’ Greek form of thinking God becomes defined by how YOU view him with your culture and personal point of view.

16. Sort of and Relative • There is no absolute truth in this world view. • All religious views are considered equally true by them • Their ideal view of truth becomes tolerance or coexistence.  • Judaism and therefore Christianity are falsely seen as intolerant. 

17. Sort of and Relative This has been sold to our culture as the truth… but is it true?

18. Part Three: The Faithful Truth- EMET

19. The Faithful Truth- EMET In the Hebrew/Christian word for “Truth” God is the center and not man (meaning you).

20. The Faithful Truth- EMET

21. Aleph is the first letter of the Alephbet and represents the breath of God or our awareness of Him. Therefore truth begins with our awareness of God

22. The middle letter Mem in Hebrew was originally the symbol for water and is also understood to represent the Messiah. In Mem the Hebrew sees divine wisdom from the fountain of life itself which is God, the creator and king of the heavens and the earth is the center of truth.

23. The final letter of EMET is Tav which is the last letter of the Alephbet. Tav is seen at the expression of simple faith to the Hebrew. This letter corresponds to the kingdom as given to us in Torah or Scriptures

24. The Faithful Truth- EMET • God alone represents or determines what TRUTH is. • Therefore it is not what you or I think but what God thinks that is TRUTH.

25. The Faithful Truth- EMET The letters tmaare “stable” “reliable” and therefore FAITHFUL!

26. The Faithful Truth- EMET • To live a Faithful and True life in 2014 and beyond… • We must accept that God alone determines what is true. • God must be the center of our lives. • We must be committed to reading His Word the Bible and apply it in our lives.

27. Today’s Commitment Card • I commit to recognizing God alone has the authority to determine truth and He reveals it to us in His Word the Holy Bible. • I commit myself to faithfully reading God’s Word in 2014. • I commit myself to being a person of faithfulness and truth. Signed __________________