Discovering The Jewish Jesus

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: This is about the fact that God wants to be in union with you. He wants oneness with us. So don't let the terms throw you off. Open your heart because the Father, Jesus, wants to baptize you in His fiery love.

Jesus, we thank you. Father God, we thank you today for your love on and in our lives. Thank you, Father God, so much that you created us in your image. Father, we love you and we worship you today, and we pray, Father God, that you would help us to comprehend the height, the depth, the breadth, and the width of the love of God that's ours in Christ Jesus, in Yeshua our Messiah.

We're going to be looking today in the Song of Songs, but in this series called "A Baptism of Love," I'm going to greatly condense it to just capture the main themes in this book, which begins with the Shulamite bride, that's a shadow of the church, calling out to Father God to kiss her with the kisses of His word. And it ends with her being baptized in the fiery love of Jesus as she understands that she is His bride.

You see, one thing that you and I need to think about for a second. God wants to capture our hearts with this, that He didn't send His son Jesus just to die for our sins. Of course, it begins there. Where it ends, beloved, is in Revelation 19, verse 7 through 9, where we sit down across the table with Jesus at the marriage supper of the Lamb.

So it begins, beloved ones, with Him dying on the cross for our sins, but it ends with our marriage to Him. You see, Jesus didn't just die to forgive you, but He died to marry you. And this is the great theme and the revelation of scripture, that God loves you and me so much that He ends His climactic salvation experience for us in once again what the Bible calls the marriage supper of the Lamb.

Paul tells us in the book of Ephesians chapter 5 that a man shall leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife, and the two shall become one. And then Paul says, "And I'm speaking to you of a mystery, the mystery between Christ and His church." Paul says, "I betrothed you as a spotless virgin to Jesus, to Yeshua HaMashiach." We are, beloved ones, the scripture tells us, the wife of the Lamb.

Now, I know as I begin to talk like this, especially for our men, this is a really hard message to digest. I mean, we're talking about being the bride of Jesus. We think of this as a feminine thing. A bride we think of as feminine. But I want you to know, beloved ones—I'm speaking to men right now—that scripture uses this language. It's anthropomorphic language.

In other words, God condescends to human terms so that we can relate to Him. But it is not, beloved, about sexuality. It's way beyond male or female. When we're referred to, beloved one, as the bride of Christ, this is not about gender. Men, it's about intimacy because the most intimate experience on earth between human beings is a marriage relationship.

Since God is the creator, He is portrayed as the male. We are first receivers, right? The Bible says concerning Jesus, "To as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become the children of God." And so Jesus stands at the door of our heart and knocks. We have to open up and receive Him. In that sense, the church is referred to as the bride because she's the one that's receiving from creator God.

But men, please hear me. You need to hear this message. This is not about gender. This is about intimacy of relationship. This is about how close God has designed for us to be in with Him. In other words, this is about the fact that God wants to be in union with you. He wants oneness with us. So don't let the terms throw you off. Open your heart because the Father, Jesus, wants to baptize you in His fiery love.

I know that sometimes I'm speaking of the Father, sometimes I'm speaking of Jesus. Just roll with me. Remember Jesus said, "If you've seen me, you've seen the Father," and that in Jesus, the scripture says, the fullness of the Godhead dwelt. And so we're going to be looking in this series called "A Baptism of Love." We're going to be looking at it from the perspective of the Song of Songs.

Did you know that the ancient rabbis considered the Song of Songs the most sacred book in the Tanakh, in the Hebrew Bible? They referred to it as the Holy of Holies in the Tanakh or in the Old Testament, because the Song of Songs reveals to us more than any other book in the Bible in the Old Testament how God feels about us. It reveals to us the emotional side of God, the beautiful side of God.

And it reveals to us, beloved, what I'm calling the bridal paradigm, which is the paradigm that our salvation culminates in in Revelation 19 where we're invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb. And so there is a prophetic shadow in the Song of Songs of where our salvation experience climaxes. Remember Jesus taught that every book in the Old Testament was about Him.

On the road to Emmaus, we read in the book of Luke chapter 24, Jesus brought His disciples through a journey through the entire Old Testament and He showed them how every book in the Old Testament was about Him. Remember Jesus said, "Do not think I've come to abolish the law and the prophets. I've not come to abolish," Jesus said, "but to fulfill or to fill them up with meaning."

And so the Song of Songs is about Jesus. It was written by men that were moved by the Holy Spirit. And the primary role of the Holy Spirit is, first of all, to reveal Jesus to us. So with that understanding, we're going to begin to journey together in this baptism of love as we see the heart of Jesus revealed to us in this book. Now, there are three primary characters in the Song of Songs that we need to understand.

Father, I speak right now to every heart under the sound of my voice and I command every heart to open wide to the Holy Spirit to receive the love of God. Again, there are three primary characters here. There's the King, King Solomon, and King Solomon here, beloved, is a shadow of Jesus. Then there's the Shulamite bride, and the Shulamite bride, beloved ones, is a shadow or a type of you and I.

And then there's the daughters of Jerusalem, and this is a shadow of the church that doesn't have the fullness of the revelation of the love of God in their life. So with that said, let's begin. Verse number 1. It begins by saying, "The Song of Songs which is Solomon's." Notice many people refer to this book as the Song of Solomon. But notice that the book actually identifies itself in the first verse by its title: The Song of Songs.

And so we're going to be referring to what many people refer to as the Song of Solomon to what I believe its proper name is: The Song of Songs. It's the same book, we're just... there's different names. Some people call it by different titles. We're going to call it The Song of Songs. The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's. It begins with the Shulamite bride calling out.

She says, "May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth." Now, this reminds us of what Jesus said. Jesus said, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." And so the Shulamite bride here, which is a shadow of you and I, she is calling out, "Oh, Father God, kiss me with your word. May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth."

The ancient rabbis called it "the kisses of the Torah." You see, the word of God is the expression of God. The Bible says, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." And so when the Shulamite bride here is calling out to be kissed by the kisses of His word, she's literally calling out to be kissed by God Himself.

Her journey, beloved, into the baptism of love, which is the journey that you and I are taking, her journey began with a yearning, with an intense desire. "May he kiss me," she said, "with the kisses of his mouth." The journey began with an intense desire. And this is where our journey begins too: with intense desire. Now, let me say that even our desire, even the desire that we have for God is a gift for us. The Bible says we love Him because He first loved us. So even desire is a gift.

Dustin Roberts: You're listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus, and Rabbi will be right back in a moment. But first, I want you to know that our desire is to see God move powerfully in your life. And if you have a prayer request, we invite you to submit it online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. Our team will prayerfully lift up your request to the Lord, believing with you for God's guidance and love in your life. Submit your request today.

"For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?" Friends, this verse in Romans shows us that when the Jewish people come to Christ, we too will be blessed. The church will experience a spiritual awakening. Help us fulfill this call to reach Israel. We can't do it without your faithful support. So partner with us today by visiting us online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And now back to Rabbi Schneider.

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: Father, right now, we ask you to kiss us, Father God, with the kisses of your mouth. Father, we ask you to kiss us with divine love. Father, that you would pour forth your love in our hearts, that desire for you would build and grow, that it would become a towering inferno of fire, that our desire for you, Abba, would become so intense that you wouldn't be able to hold back from us.

You would release, Lord, the treasures of heaven into our life because of our intense desire for you. And yet, Father, we recognize that even desiring you is a gift of God, that we love you because you first loved us. And so, Father, we come before you with a bended knee and we ask you, Father God, to release within us the love of Jesus for you, that we would desire you more than all else.

You see, Jesus said, "Blessed are those that hunger and thirst after righteousness." In other words, you're going to be happy when you desire God. This is where the journey begins, and we see this reflected in the heart of the Shulamite bride, who is a shadow of you and I. "May he kiss me with the kisses of his mouth." And then she says in verse number 4, "Draw me after you."

She says, "Oh, Father God, oh Jesus, draw me to yourself." "I desire you," she said in verse number 2, and she worshipped him. "You're so beautiful." And then she said, "Draw me to yourself." Listen, verse number 4: "Draw me after you," she said. Did you know that Jesus spoke to us in the Gospel of John chapter 6? Here's what Jesus said there. He said, "No man comes to me unless the Father draws him."

Listen again. John 6, Jesus said, "No man comes to me unless the Father draws him." In other words, beloved, the Lord has to open up a portal in the spirit and He has to supernaturally draw us to Himself. Because the Bible says the natural man has no desire for the things of God. And so in order for us to desire God and come to God and enter into the realm of eternal life, the Father has to do something supernatural by the spirit, the Ruach HaKodesh.

He has to draw us to Himself. And so Father, Jesus, we humbly bow our knee to you, recognizing the sovereignty of God that must be at work in our life for us to desire you and to come to you. And we ask you now that you would draw us to yourself. Amen. You know, when you pray that prayer from a sincere heart, God will always answer it, because if we ask Him anything according to His will, He hears us and answers. Father, draw us to you, we pray.

Then she says, "And let us run together." So listen, verse number 4 again. There's two parts. The first is, "Draw me to you. Bring me to yourself. Bring me near. I want to experience you." And then she says, "And let us run together." In other words, she's saying, "I want to journey through life in partnership with you. Let us run together." She doesn't want to live life on her own.

She doesn't want to be doing her thing while God, while Father, while Jesus are doing their thing. She wants to partner together with God in life. She said, "Draw me to yourself and let us run together." She's making a declaration, beloved one, of her purpose in life. She's declaring her destiny and she's declaring her heart's desire. She's declaring her purpose for living. She said, "Draw me to you and let us run life together."

Let me ask right now, what about you? Do you want more than all else in your life, beloved one, to know God, to experience Him, and to partner with Him in life? To run the race of life together, not just you doing your will and trying to drag Him along, but finding out what His will is and then running with Him? Jesus said, "Not my will, but thy will be done." He partnered with Father God. He partnered with God and then He ran His race with God.

Jesus said, "I have food that you know not of." Jesus said, "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me." So I want to ask you right now, beloved child of God, do you desire more than everything else in life to know God, to be drawn into the depths of His spirit, and to live your life in partnership with Him? If you do, beloved one, I want to just pray for us together right now.

Father God, King Jesus, we worship you today. And this is not just a message for us. Jesus, this is life for us. This is something just that we crave in our heart, in our inner man. Draw us into you. Draw us into your spirit, into the depths of eternal life. And Jesus, we desire to live our lives in partnership with you, in partnership with the Father, arm in arm, hand in hand, running life together.

And we say, Jesus, as you said, "Not my will, but thy will be done." Father, align us, we pray, with your Son in Jesus' name and for Yeshua's fame. And all God's people that are in agreement with this spoke Hebrew and said, "Amen and Amen." She continues on in verse number 5 as she's journeying and progressing into this journey of divine love. She says, "I am black but lovely."

What is going on here, beloved one, is she's feeling a sense of shame. She's feeling a sense of insecurity. She's feeling a sense of insufficiency and inadequacy. She's seeing herself and she's seeing things in herself that make her feel a bit ashamed. She says there, "Don't stare at me." She said, "My mother's sons were angry with me. They made me caretaker of the vineyard."

And then she says, "Do not stare at me" in verse number 6, because she feels self-conscious. This is what happened, beloved, as a result of sin. The first thing that happened when Adam and Eve sinned was they became self-conscious. Suddenly we read they realized in the book of Genesis, in the book of Bereshit, Adam and Eve realized as soon as they sinned, they realized they were naked.

In other words, they went from being God-conscious to being self-conscious. They were naked before they sinned, but as soon as they sinned, they went from being God-conscious and love-conscious to being self-conscious. This Shulamite bride, because of sin in the world, had a sense of self-consciousness. The blackness here represents sin in her life. She said, "I am black," but get this now, "but lovely."

She realized that even though there were still things about herself that needed washed, even though there were still things about herself that needed cleansed, she recognized, beloved ones, that Jesus still loved her. She said, "I am black, but lovely." I want you to know tonight—I know, God knows, you know—there are still things about your life that aren't yet perfected.

But I want you to know, even right where you're at, you are beautiful and you are lovely. Child of God, you're lovely and beautiful to God right where you're at right now, today. This is what the Shulamite bride realized: "I am black," she said, "but lovely." I want you to know God loves you. And He washes you with the riches of His love, with the waves and the waters of His love.

He created you in His own image. You are beautiful because the one that created you sees you as beautiful. And Jesus took away your sin. God loves you, my child, right where you're at and He'll never love you any more or any less than He does right now. Just confess God's truth back to Him and say, "Father God, Lord Jesus, I thank you that I am beautiful to you."

"I agree with you, Jesus, that you are a beautiful God, that you created me in your image, that you love me, that you've washed me, and I am beautiful to you. And I reject self-condemnation and from this day forward, Jesus, I agree with you that I'm loved." I've always liked a very simple approach to ministry in both my preaching and in helping God's people understand why it's important to support ministry with our finances.

I'm reading a very simple portion of scripture I've referred to before, but I love it because it's so simple and so authentic. Listen to what John says in the book of 3 John verse 7 and 8. Speaking of those that are sent out to preach the gospel, he says this: "For they went out for the sake of the name." And then he continues in the 8th verse by saying this: "Therefore, we ought to support such men so that we may be fellow workers with the truth."

You see, not everybody's called to do what I do. Not everyone's called to travel to Africa, Israel, preach the gospel all over the world, etc. But you can have a part in the lives that are being changed through my ministry, beloved ones, by supporting this ministry. I want to ask you, if you believe in the word that I'm preaching, if you believe in me, if you believe that there's authentic fruit and if you're being helped, I want to ask you to support this ministry financially. You're going to be blessed and have a reward for the lives that are being saved and changed.

Dustin Roberts: If God is leading you to support this ministry, you can call 800-777-7835. Or if you prefer, you can give your donation online when you visit discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And you can also send your donation in the mail to Discovering the Jewish Jesus, PO Box 777, Blissfield, Michigan, 49228.

And then before we close, let me tell you about a book that Rabbi has written. It's called "A Journey into Divine Love." And you can join Rabbi Schneider as he dives into the heart of scripture to unravel the mysteries in the Song of Songs. And we believe that through profound insights and practical wisdom, you'll discover new dimensions of intimacy with God and experience spiritual refreshment like never before.

This book wasn't written just as a way to gain more knowledge. It's about transformation. And after immersing yourself in this important portion of God's word, we trust you'll emerge with a deeper understanding of God's boundless love for you. So don't miss out on this life-changing adventure. Once again, it's called "A Journey into Divine Love," and you can purchase a copy today at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And right now, let's wrap up with a special blessing from Rabbi Schneider.

Rabbi K.A. Schneider: In the book of Numbers chapter 6, the Lord gave instructions to Moses and Aaron to speak this blessing over His people. And the Lord said, "When you speak these words over my people, I will place my name on them and bless them." Receive the impartation of the Lord's blessings.

Yevarekhekha Adonai veyishmerekha. Yaer Adonai panav eleykha vikhunekka. Yissa Adonai panav eleykha veyasem lekha 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: I'm your host, Dustin Roberts, and this program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. Have you ever felt your relationship with God was becoming routine? Well, tomorrow Rabbi Schneider's going to reveal how to rediscover our love for God. That's Tuesday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.