Holy Scriptures and Israel

--Gideon Levytam--

Shalom. Holy Scriptures and Israel is a ministry designed to share with the Jewish people the good news of the Lord Jesus Yeshua The Messiah and to instruct Christians on the Jewish roots of their faith. And now, teaching God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective, here is Gideon Levytam.

--Gideon Levytam--

The study of Acts chapter 10. And then he have healed all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him. God, the Father guided his son, the Messiah here on Earth, and he was with him and he used him. So you can see here the life of the Lord Jesus the Messiah, who was anointed by the Lord. Could you please for a moment turn with me to Isaiah chapter 42, the first four verses? Let me just read them about the servant, the Messiah, the servant of the Lord in his life. Isaiah prophesied concerning the life of the Messiah, and Isaiah said in verse one, God is speaking, behold my servant, whom I uphold, mine elect, and whom my soul delight.

I have put my spirit upon him, and he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not cry, nor lift, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street. A bruise read shall he not break, and a smoking fleck shall he not quench. He shall bring forth justice unto the Earth. He shall not fail, nor be discouraged, till he has set judgment in the Earth, and the Isles shall wait for his law.

See already 750 years prior to the birth of the Messiah, Isaiah was used by God to present the servant, the kind of life that he is going to live. The life that will be honoring to the Lord. That's what Isaiah said in chapter 42. Just one more verse in chapter 61 of Isaiah. Again, I would like you to see brothers and sisters, the kind of life that Yeshua have lived. It's saved in chapter 61, verse one, the spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted. To proclaim liberty to the captives, and to the opening of the prison to them that are bound. You see, that's what the Lord have done. Now, he's speaking about his life. We're going to talk about his death in a moment, but in his life, it says here that he came to this world to bind up the brokenhearted.

And to open the prison to them that are spiritually bound. Man is bound by Satan, to sin and to darkness. And when the Messiah came, he gave liberty, he liberated mankind. And he still does that today through his finished work on the tree for us. You notice he says to bring good tidings unto the meek.

To bind the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to them that are captive. You know, people are captive today, to sin, and they need liberty, and it is only can come through Yeshua the Messiah, who came down to this world to finish the work on the tree. But in his life, I'm specifically speaking here, in verse 38 of our chapter, in his life, this person by the name of Yeshua from Nazareth, went about doing good, healing all that were oppressed of the devil, for God was with him.

And he continued here in verse 39, Peter he says, we are witnesses of all these things which he did both in the land of the Jews and in Jerusalem. So Peter is saying, listen, we have been his witnesses, we walked with him. We saw what he did in his life. We saw the kind of life that he lived. And so he did it in the land of the Jewish people, and in the city of Jerusalem. We saw it, we observed it. We have walked with him here in this world. And so he was presenting this beautiful life of Yeshua the Messiah here upon the face of this Earth. But it doesn't stop here.

Even if Yeshua had lived a perfect life and have done good on every hand, it would never avail for salvation, because in order for him to save a sinful world, he must pay the penalty for sin. And that's why he's saying in the next verse, verse 39b, about his death. And so we read here very simple words, but very profound because it says whom they slew and hanged on a tree. Now, you see Peter again, this is not the first time. It must have been his fourth or fifth time, that he put the responsibility upon his own brethren, his own nation. Why?

It was not the Jewish people who put Jesus on a tree. It was the Romans who did that. It was not the Jewish leaders who had placed him on a cross. No, it was the Roman way of execution. But you see, there is an element of responsibility that Peter identify with himself and the nation, because the leaders of the nation of Israel did not accept the Messiahship of Yeshua. And there's an element of responsibility, you see, Israel is a privileged nation.

But privilege does not go along without responsibility. And so there is an element of responsibility, and that's why, brothers and sisters, when the leaders of Israel said, his blood will come upon us and upon our children. In a sense, it was like a prophetic word, that they were saying, listen, when he dies, there will be an element of consequences. You know, when Israel did not accept Yeshua the Messiah, God, who is a holy God, who have chosen our nation to be a favored nation.

He also is expecting from the nation to accept his word and to submit to what he said. And when Israel as a nation did not accept the Messiah, they have bore the consequences in many ways. Look at our nation today. Look at the 2,000 years of history of our own nation, Israel, scattered all over the world. Dispersed to every nation. Often time hated and persecuted by the nations of the world.

And if you and I will understand, you will see that God gave Israel the element of responsibility. It says, if you will believe and obey my word, there will be blessing. But if you will not obey my word, there will be cursing and judgment. And you can see sadly to say, and I know it grieves the heart of God who love Israel, when his own people are scattered and dispersed, and persecuted over the years, and we can look at the history, and look what even going on in this present day. Israel without Messiah has no Shalom, no peace.

No satisfaction because there is that lack of having the King Messiah reigning over the nation, bringing them back into a relationship with God, but it hadn't happened yet. It will happen. Praise God. God's word will come to pass. He will restore our nation back to himself, but in the meanwhile, the very same God who is a loving God, is also a holy and a just God. And so look, Peter in a sense says, whom they have hanged and slew and hanged on the tree.

I would like once again to mention, they did not slay Jesus. It was the Roman who executed him. But there is an element of responsibility that the nation of Israel bear because as the leaders did not led the rest of the nation to accept Yeshua the Messiah. And so he died. A shameful death he died. Brothers and sisters, when we think about how the Lord died, when he was lifted up between heaven and Earth, in between two malefactors, you read about it in Luke chapter 22 and 23. What a shameful death he died there on the tree. They mocked at him. They laughed at him. They railed at him. Even the two malefactors railed at him. We read it in the Gospel of Matthew.

Until one of them recognized that he was a just man, but oh, what a shameful death he died. And the Bible tells us in various passages that he died the just for the unjust in order to bring us to God. We were the unjust, the sinners. He was the just one. And he paid the penalty for our sin when he died for us on that tree, where God had laid upon him the iniquity of us all. A shameful death he died. But thank God he was not left on the cross. He did not only remain dead because the next verse, you notice that, in verse 48, the first part of verse 40, we read about his resurrection.

And look at this, he says, him, this is Yeshua, him, God raised up on the third day. The same God who judged him for the sin of this world, is the same God who raised him from among the dead. And the importance of the resurrection in the Gospel, it is essential and important because if Yeshua remained dead and not rose from among the dead, we would not have a living savior. But because his resurrection, the fact that he was raised, God was satisfied. God's requirement from men with respect to sin had been met when Yeshua died on the tree, but God now had been pleased with his work, and he raised him from among the dead.

And the resurrection of the Messiah tells us that God is satisfied, totally satisfied with the work of Yeshua. Any sinner today who are now coming to God by faith in Yeshua the Messiah, the proof of the satisfaction of God with respect to sin is the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah. Paul in his word, said this like this, the Apostle Paul Shaul said at the end the last verse of Romans chapter 4, verse 25. He was delivered for our offenses, but he was raised for our justification.

God can declare the believer in Yeshua the Messiah, justified. That's why the resurrection is so important. And so, look, his life, verse 38 and 39a. His death, verse 39b. His resurrection is in verse 40, the first part of this verse. And then finally, he's now in verse 40b, in verse 41, he's now showing him openly. Revealing the Messiah after his resurrection. Notice, I'm reading now in verse 40b, and he showed him openly.

Not to all the people, but unto witnesses chosen before of God, even to us who did eat and drink with him after he rose from the dead. You see now, what happened, is that God had shown, revealed Yeshua to the believers. By the way, no unbelievers have seen Yeshua after his resurrection. But those that have seen Yeshua the Messiah, those were his disciples and followers, who have seen him.

You remember we've talked about it in our Bible classes, John chapter 20 and 21. Thomas was not in the meeting on the first day of the week, in Sabbath evening, first day of the week, Saturday night, which is the first day of the week, after sundown. Thomas was not there at that evening. The disciples said, we have seen the Lord. And he says, I will not believe it until I'll see him and I will handle him with my hands. So the following first day of the week, Yeshua comes again, and he says to Thomas, Thomas.

Reach your hand and touch me. Touch my side. Thomas didn't even get to do that. He fell on his face and he says, my Lord, and my God. Yeshua revealed himself to the disciples after his resurrection. And that's what Peter is saying now to Cornelius and his family. He says, listen, he have been revealed, not to everyone, but to those whom God have chosen, even to us who did eat with him and sat with him after he rose from the dead.

So, he was living a pure life. He died a substitutionary death. He rose for our justification, and he was seen by the early disciples after his resurrection. And that's by the way, brothers and sisters, is a gospel. When we preach and we share the gospel, we have to make sure that we speak about the life of the Lord, the sinless life, the death of the Lord, the substitutionary death, and the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah. This is the fundamental truth of the gospel. And one must believe in this in order for one to receive forgiveness of sins.

Well, let's wrap it up now towards the end here now. And so we read in verse 42 and verse 43, we read of the commission that the apostles have received from the Lord. In verse 42, Peter says, he, this is God, this is the Lord Yeshua, commanded us to preach unto the people and to testify that it is he, which was ordained of God to be the judge of the living and the dead. You see, the same Jesus, the same Yeshua that was a lamb led to the slaughter. He's going to be the judge.

And one that refused to accept him at the foot of the cross, will have to accept him at the Great White Throne Judgment. You see, there's no fence. We cannot sit on the fence. We are either in or out. We are either saved or lost. We are either believers or unbelievers. We either go to heaven, or we go to the lake of fire. There's no in between. The same one that was hanged on a tree, is the same one that became the judge of the living and the dead.

And that's why it is important to make sure that we come to him at the foot of the tree and tell him, Lord, have mercy on me. God be merciful to me, a sinner. To him we read in verse 43, give all the prophets witness, that through his name, whosoever believeth in him, shall receive forgiveness of sins. You see, the prophets of Israel have already witnessed concerning the Messiah. Isaiah, we read already Isaiah, in chapter 42, in chapter 61, we can also read in chapter 45, that Isaiah speaking all the end of the Earth, come to me, God is speaking of himself that he's the answer for man's sin.

That's why the prophet was speaking already long ago that through his name, whosoever shall believe in him, shall receive forgiveness of sins. What a truth to learn, brothers and sisters and friends, to have forgiveness of sins. All of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God. And to have our sins forgiven, it's a relief. It's like a load coming down from our shoulders because God can now justify us, forgive us our sins on a basis of the finished work of Yeshua the Messiah.

Well, that's what Peter did. He preached the gospel. He used the key to open the door to the Gentile world at the house of Cornelius. And so, look what happened, in conclusion, from verse 44 to the end of the chapter, we have the Gentile salvation and the Spirit baptism. We read immediately in verse 44, the Holy Spirit came upon them. Look, it says, and while Peter spake these words, he didn't even finish.

He was just in the process of preaching the Messiahship of Yeshua. He was presenting the message of the gospel. While he was speaking, at the same time, the Spirit of God, the Holy Spirit fell upon them which heard the word. Now, let me tell you that. The Spirit of God falling there, in Acts chapter 10, upon those that were in the house of Cornelius, because they have embraced the message. They have accepted the fact that Yeshua is the promised redeemer. They have embraced the truth of the word that was presented to them here by the Apostle Peter.

And so, you can see here what you call a spirit baptism. We'll talk about water baptism in a moment, but here we see the Holy Spirit of God, the word baptize, baptizo come from the Greek, to mean to dip, to put under. It is the word that speak about, God placed them into the body of Messiah. He has sealed them by the Holy Spirit of God. He have placed them in the body of Messiah. They heard the word. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. And so, he baptized them in the Holy Spirit of God and placed them in the body of Messiah.

Now, not only the Jewish people, Acts chapter 2, not only the Samaritans, Acts chapter 8, now also the Gentile as well in Acts chapter 10. Just please bear with me. Go to first Corinthians chapter 12 for a moment. I want to read two verses there. First Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 12 and 13. We read, for as the body is one, and has many members, and all the members of that one body being many, are one body, so also is the Messiah, is Christos, Christ.

And then verse 13, for by one spirit, we are all baptized into one body. Whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have all made to drink into that one spirit. That's what we read here very clearly that the same Holy Spirit of God that fell upon the Jewish believers in Acts chapter 2, the same Holy Spirit of God that fell upon the Samaritan in Acts chapter 8, is the same Holy Spirit of God that fell upon the Gentiles in Acts chapter 10. And now, they are all part of the very same body, that one body that Paul mentioned in first Corinthians chapter 12 and verses 12 and 13.

And so, the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the placing them under and into the body of Messiah now as believers. It is the first time, brothers and sisters, where the Gentile world are now no longer to become in a sense Jewish, or to become Hebrew, or to become a proselyte. Any individual from among the Gentile world, wherever he or she is, the moment they have accepted Yeshua the Messiah, the Spirit of God take residence in them, and they become part of the body of the Messiah. And it started right here.

So, look what happened, in verses 45 and 46, the Jewish believers that came with Peter were astonished. They did not understand what's happening here. It says in verse 45, they of the circumcision, these are the other six individuals that Peter brought with him when he went to the house of Cornelius, those that believed, they were astonished. As many as came with Peter because of the Gentile.