Discovering The Jewish Jesus

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: Abraham was father God's friend. That's tender. Let our hearts open to this reality. God is calling you His friend.

The scripture tells us we're to offer to God the sacrifice of praise. When is praise a sacrifice? Praise is a sacrifice when we choose to praise Hashem, when we choose to praise God even when our emotions might not feel like it. I heard a story about Smith Wigglesworth and somebody asked him how he was feeling. And he responded, "I never ask myself how I'm feeling. I just get in alignment with God and praise Him."

So Cynthia and I try to wake up every morning singing to the Lord a song of praise. And sometimes the Holy Spirit will just put a song in me and one of those hymns that recently came into my spirit to offer up to the Lord as a sacrifice of praise is "Stand Up For Jesus". Do some of you remember that song?

Stand up, stand up for Jesus, ye soldiers of the cross. Lift high His holy banner, we must not suffer loss. From victory unto victory, His army shall He lead. Till every foe is vanquished and Christ is Lord indeed.

So Father, we bless You right now. We thank You, Father, that Your glory surrounds us, that Jesus through the Holy Spirit lives within us. Father, thank You for who You are to us and what we're becoming in You, in Yeshua's name, amen. I'm going to take you, beloved, today to a beautiful, deep, rich portion of the word of God from the Hebrew Bible called the Tanakh. We're going to go to the 41st chapter of the book of Isaiah. I pray that these words pierce your soul and that in being pierced by the word of God, you'll be strengthened, encouraged, and built up in your faith and in your ability to walk in Jesus.

Let's begin. "But you Israel, my servant—the Lord is speaking directly here—But you Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, my friend." I want to take this apart for a moment because it might be easy for some of you to think, well, that was God speaking to Israel, that was God speaking about Jacob, that was God speaking about Abraham, but what does that have to do with me?

So I want to talk to you now, beloved ones, about what this has to do with you. So let's go back to the beginning. "But you Israel, my servant." Did you know in the 11th chapter of the book of Romans, the Lord says through Paul that if you are a Gentile believer that has come to Him through the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua Hamashiach, Jesus the Messiah, you have been grafted in to the commonwealth of Israel? Paul speaks about this in Ephesians and Romans chapter 11.

So when we read of God's blessing on Israel in the Hebrew Bible, I want you to know as a Gentile believer, you've been grafted into a relationship with the God of Israel. And the scripture actually refers to you as spiritual Israel. And so this promise, this blessing, this word of encouragement that God is speaking over Israel right now, this is for you as well, whether you're a Jew or Gentile, if you're truly in passionate love with Him through Messiah Jesus.

Once again, "But you Israel"—that means you—"My servant." And I love thinking about the first thing that the Lord says about Israel when He identifies Israel's relationship with Him. He says, "You Israel, my servant." What is a servant? A servant is somebody that exists to do the will of somebody else. And so in other words, very wealthy people, if they have servants in their home, what is the role of the servant? What is the identity of the servant?

Well, in the capacity that they're being employed, their role is to serve whoever is employing them. And of course, if we go into the ancient world, servants even in the Torah, we see that there were servants of Israel and their whole purpose was to serve their master. So God is calling you a servant. And that should bring some real force for breakthrough into your mind and heart, beloved, to know who you are. Because in the American culture today, we think that God exists for us.

Some of us look at God like a magic genie. If we apply the right formula that we read in a book somewhere, that God is going to somehow bless us, make us happy, healthy, wise, rich, prosperous, successful—all the things that people want as part of the American dream. Many people approach God as if He exists first of all for them. They look at Him like a magic genie. They just say the right prayer, they just apply the right formula, and then suddenly God is going to give them the American dream.

But beloved, that is so, so wrong. Notice what the Lord said here. "But you Israel, listen, my servant." God doesn't exist for us first, beloved one. We exist for Him first. And we need to get our mind on correct. We need the mind of Christ. What was the mind of Yeshua displayed to us as He walked on the planet? He did nothing, Jesus said, except that which He saw the Father doing. Jesus was here on earth to do the Father's will.

He is the ultimate servant of the Father. Before Jesus went to the cross, how did Jesus pray? He said, "Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me, but not my will," Yeshua said, "but Thy will be done." So I wonder how much of us need to be renewed in our mind and sanctified so that we begin to think as servants. God said, "You Israel," that's you and I, those that are born of the spirit of Jesus, who is Father's ultimate servant.

Yeshua is referred to over and over and over again in the Hebrew Bible as Yahweh's servant. We need to start looking at our lives as those that are servants of the Father. We need to become more like Smith Wigglesworth, that when he woke up in the morning, he didn't ask himself how he felt because life wasn't about him. He woke up in the morning and just started praising Hashem, praising God, because he realized that it wasn't first about him; it was first about the Master.

And this is, beloved, if you'll step into this reality, it sounds hard, it sounds cutthroat to deny your own feelings, deny your own emotions, to step into the role of simply realizing that you exist first of all for Him. We deny our emotions. It's not about what we feel like. The question is, is God worthy? Is God faithful all the time? Is God the Master of all creation all the time? Is God a God of love and a God of splendor all the time?

He is, and we're His servants. So it's not about what's going on in our little universe sometimes; it's about praising Him and serving Him first. Beloved, I'm really hoping you're getting this because we have tried to make God so comfortable with ourselves. We go to our churches, many are trying to be as comfortable as possible, everybody's dressed so cool, everybody's dressed so hip, but I wonder if we missed it in all that. If we missed something.

If we're not looking first of all towards the reality that we exist to serve Him. Jesus said when we pray, pray this way: "Our Father that art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." And whenever I pray that prayer, I begin by saying, "Father, let Your will be done in me first." We exist first of all to serve Him, not He us. Beloved, we need to deny our flesh. We need to live above our emotions.

We need to live above our own wants and pleasures to realize we are here on this earth to first of all serve Him.

Dustin Roberts: You're listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus with Rabbi Schneider, and he'll be right back. But first, did you know that this program is available in Hebrew, Russian, and Spanish? If you know somebody who speaks one of these languages, now's your chance to share the blessing. To access the language version that's right for them, just go to discoveringthejewishjesus.com and click the watch/listen tab and choose an available alternative language channel right there.

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: Go into the world and preach the gospel to all creation. We take that command very seriously. Through our online media platforms, TV, radio, and overseas festivals, we're sharing the truth of the gospel with people of all different nations, tribes, and tongues. And if the Lord has put a burden on your heart to support us, would you please give financially today at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And now, back to the second half of today's lesson.

It's an awesome blessing, beloved one, to know that you are actually the servant of the living God. And when you take on that mantle, when you take on that mindset, you're going to get strong. You're going to cut right through life in victory. It's not going to be about being controlled by your emotions anymore. You're going to walk as a warrior that's trained to live under the authority of Father God.

The Lord continues here: "But you Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen." Now we know Jacob is just another name for Israel because remember the Lord changed Jacob's name to Israel after Jacob wrestled with God. And so God is still speaking to you because you've been grafted into the commonwealth of Israel. If you're a natural-born Jewish person like myself and you have faith in Jesus, He's speaking to you.

If you're a Gentile naturally born but have come to the living God of Israel through Yeshua Hamashiach, the Jewish Messiah, God is speaking to you. You're part of spiritual Israel. So what does the Lord say about Jacob? "Jacob whom I have chosen. But you Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen." You're chosen! Know that you're chosen out of this world to serve Him.

Jesus said, "If you were of the world, the world would love you, but because I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you." And Jesus said what we've been chosen for: to bear, He said, much fruit and that our fruit would remain. So you've been chosen. You're part of the spiritual Jacob to bear much fruit. We're talking about identity. Do you know who you are? Do you know why you're here on earth?

Do you, beloved one, know what your purpose is? You're chosen to be the servant of Yahweh God, the God of Israel through Yeshua here on earth. You see, if we knew that in a deeper way, our life would be so much more grounded. But so many of us, we're still trying to live in this world in such a way that our primary ambition is to fulfill the desires of our flesh.

We're trying to eat all the things of the world, all the spirits of the age. We're trying to fill ourselves with the things on this planet and completely missing the boat that we're not here to try to fulfill ourselves with the things of the earth. The Bible says this: "All that is in the world, the lust of the eye, the lust of the flesh, and the boastful pride of life is not from the Father but is from the world."

And yet I'm wondering, those that I'm speaking to right now, you and me, if we examine our hearts, how much of our life's direction, how much of our focus, how much of our inclination, how much of the way that we walk is really in such a way that we're outward focused on the things of the world, trying to fill our heart with those things, thinking they're going to make us happy. I'm trying to help us understand that when you know who you are and when you know what your purpose is, you're going to be set free from that futility.

Why is it futile? Because you can never make yourself fulfilled by eating the things of the world. That's why Jesus said, "He that eats my flesh and drinks my blood has life indeed." This is why the Lord said through the Hebrew prophet in the Hebrew Bible to the Hebrew people. He said, "Why have you dug out for yourselves cisterns that hold no water?"

In other words, they were trying to fulfill their lives by digging for themselves cisterns that held no water, just like many of us are thinking the world has an answer for us. So He said to Israel, "Why are you trying to dig for yourself cisterns that hold no water, and you've forsaken me, Yahweh, the fountain of living waters?" We think that getting a new car will make us happy or eating this particular food will make us happy.

But you know what really makes us happy? Knowing God, and knowing who we are in Him and to Him. We could have everything that the world has to offer, but if we don't know who we are and if we don't feel good about who we are, we're going to be miserable. And so this scripture that I'm reading right now helps us to understand in a deeper way who we are.

We're servants of Yahweh, the God and Father of the Lord Jesus Christ, and we are chosen. So let me read it again and then we'll go on to the next part of the verse. "But you Israel, my servant." We are servants first of all. We exist to do the will of the Father. And we need to continue to pray for revelation, continue to seek Him, continue to read Christian spiritual literature to understand what it means to serve God, how to walk in such a way that we live for Him.

"But you Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen." You're chosen in His love. And then He says this about us: "Descendant of Abraham, my friend." Let me read it all through again. "But you Israel, my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, descendant of Abraham, my friend." Now you're called a friend. First you're called a servant, then you're called a chosen one, and now, beloved ones, we are called the God of Israel's friend.

"Abraham," the Lord says here, "my friend." You're a descendant of Abraham, the Lord says, "my friend." The Bible tells us in the book of Galatians chapter number three that through our relationship with Messiah Jesus, we have inherited the blessing of Abraham. You are part of the spiritual lineage now of Abraham. And you know what the banner of God's love over Abraham was?

Abraham was Father God's friend. That's tender. Let our hearts open to this reality. God is calling you His friend. God is calling you His friend. I remember one time about five years ago, there was something that happened and it was something that was really big news in my life. It was something that the Lord gave me in a very unusual, big opportunity to do something.

It was big news; it was big time. And it was something that would have really advanced Discovering the Jewish Jesus if I would have promoted it. But I didn't necessarily want to promote it right away because I didn't know if it would please God. So here was this huge opportunity to advance the ministry. But I said, "Lord, I don't know if You want me to make this known, what You allowed me to do here and the way that You used me in the situation, because I'm not sure if it would please You to do that."

So I was really struggling. "Lord, should I publicize this because this is a big event, this is big news, or should I just keep it quiet, Lord, between You and I?" And so I got out of my car and I was just pacing and I was walking. I said, "Father God, You know that I want to do this, but I don't want to do it if it will offend You because I love You first."

And I literally heard the Holy Spirit call me "little buddy". The Father said to me when I said, "Daddy, I don't want to do this if it's not what You want me to do," and I heard the Lord say over me with great affection. He called me His "little buddy". It was amazing. I mean, I never dreamed that the Lord would call me His little buddy.

But this is what the scripture says here. God looks at us as His friends. And when we humble ourselves to live childlike before Him, putting Him first, existing to do His will, just as a little boy or little girl wants to do the will of their father, we are walking in right relationship with God. So beloved, we're going to continue here next time, but there is great insight into who we are and what our purpose is in this 41st chapter of the book of Isaiah.

There's no breakthrough into life without breakthrough in our relationship with the Lord. Listen to what Father said to us in the book of Malachi chapter three, verse number seven. "Return to me and I will return to you," says the Lord. And then the hearers ask, "Well, how are we going to return?" And then the Lord said in the next verse, "In tithes and offerings."

You see, when we surrender our hearts to Father, we open up in a way that His power and light and life can be poured into us. But if we don't trust Him and honor Him, then we close ourselves off from receiving the power that leads to breakthrough. This is one of the reasons honoring the Lord with our tithes and offerings is so important. Beloved, let's not short-circuit our relationship with Hashem by refusing to trust Him and honor Him with our tithes and offerings. It's important. Let's be obedient. We'll be blessed for it.

Dustin Roberts: Amen. And if the Lord is calling you to join with Discovering the Jewish Jesus today, give your gift online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com or call us at 800-777-7835. And you can also text your donation to the phone number 88777. Just type the keyword "GIVE" in the text box. And as a token of our appreciation for your support, we want to send you our latest newsletter, and you'll also receive Rabbi's monthly teaching booklet. It's full of additional teaching points and insights.

And speaking of additional teaching and insights, we all need God's word speaking into our lives on a regular basis. Every Friday, Rabbi shares fresh revelation from the scriptures to encourage your heart and strengthen your walk with the Lord. Just go to discoveringthejewishjesus.com or you can go to our YouTube channel and subscribe to our YouTube videos and get Seeds of Revelation right there as well.

And friends, if this ministry has been a source of encouragement and truth in your life, once again, I want to ask you, would you prayerfully consider giving today? Your support, it really helps us to continue sharing the gospel and reach people with the message of Jesus. Each gift, it really makes a difference. Take a moment, ask God if He wants you to stand with us today, and if so, give online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And now to wrap up today's message, here's Rabbi to sing God's Hebraic Aaron blessing and then speak it in English.

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: In the Old Testament book of Numbers, we find a blessing God speaks over His children through Moses and Aaron. It carries the idea of favor and expression. Open your heart to the spirit and the word today and receive Father's goodness into your life with confidence.

Yevarechecha Yahweh veyishmerecha. Ya’er Yahweh panav eleicha vichuneka. Yissa Yahweh panav eleicha veyasem lecha shalom.

The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with His countenance and the Lord give you, beloved ones, His peace. God bless you and shalom.

Dustin Roberts: This program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus and I'm your host, Dustin Roberts. Make sure to join us tomorrow. Rabbi Schneider shares the cure to anxiety. That's coming Thursday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.