אספת שבת - 1/5/2026

To behold the Lord's favor The sermon deals with the spiritual importance of 'seeing the face of the Lord' as the central and eternal reward of the believer. Through the connections between the book of Ezekiel, the Psalms, and the Revelation of John, the difference between basic salvation and intimate relationship and direct service in the presence of God is emphasized. Believers are called to pursue holiness and sanctification in order to gain the highest prize of all - to behold the beauty of the Lord forever and ever. [00:00:00] Blessings - Opening words and blessings to the congregation and guests based on the words of the Psalms about the privilege of being in the house of God. [00:02:22] Prayer - An opening prayer that invites the presence of the Holy Spirit and asks for spiritual freedom and focus on the Lord during the meeting. [00:03:36] Praise and Praise - A time of praise and song dedicated to the holiness of the Lord, to ask for His presence and to declare the kingdom of Jesus. [00:36:18] Prayer - A prayer of surrender before the Lord and to prepare hearts to hear His word. [00:41:40] Prayer for Children - A special blessing and prayer for the children of the congregation and their teachers for their time in the classroom. [00:44:37] Sermon - An in-depth sermon on the privilege of appearing before the Lord as the greatest reward for the believer: [00:44:37] Alexander the Great and a Lesson in Humility - The sermon opens with a historical story about Alexander the Great and his friend Cleitus, illustrating the danger of human pride and the need for gratitude for the true source of our strength. [00:49:33] Hiding the Face and Eternal Mercy - An analysis of Isaiah 45:8 explaining how God may hide His face for a moment as discipline, but His grace and mercy remain eternal for those who return to Him. [00:51:11] The Face of the Lord Against the Wicked - A discussion of Leviticus 20:3 showing how God sets His face against those who defile His sanctuary, emphasizing the importance of fear of God and personal holiness. [00:55:49] Service Without Kinship - The Lesson of Ezekiel - An examination of the distinction in Ezekiel 47 between the Levites serving in the temple from afar and those who are granted access to the Lord, emphasizing the spiritual cost of sin over the future reward. [01:00:45] The Reward of the Children of Zadok - Access to the Table of the Lord - Focusing on the faithfulness of the Children of Zadok as a model for believers who maintain holiness and are privileged to serve the Lord directly and see His face. [01:04:00] The Vision of the Face in the Vision of John - Connecting Ezekiel's prophecy to the eternal reality of the New Jerusalem, where the servants of the Lord will see His face and His name will be on their foreheads. [01:06:10] The One Request of King David - Concluding the sermon through Psalm 27:4, which places the request to behold the Lord's favor as the supreme and sole goal that should guide the believer's life. Scriptures in the sermon: Isaiah 45:8, Leviticus 20:3, Romans 10:9, Ezekiel 44:10-16, Vision of John 22:3-4, Psalm 27:4. [01:12:00] Blessing - A closing prayer and blessing to conclude the meeting, calling for sanctification and perseverance in the way of the Lord until His return. The Morning Star Congregation is a Jewish Messianic congregation located in Tiberias. By the grace of God, we convey the great truth of the Old and New Testaments as the Word of God revealed to the world by our Lord Jesus Messiah. God has placed a love for Israel in our hearts and one of our main goals is to serve our congregation in various ways not only in Tiberias but also in the Galilee. https://morningstar.org.il/