Holy Scriptures and Israel

Guest (Male): 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 Levitan.

Gideon Levytam: The study of Acts chapter 3 and so the expression here in verse 2 is interesting expression because it would describe the condition of all of us beloved brothers and sisters. You know we had two things that we had a problem with. Number one we were lame, we could never walk spiritually speaking. Number two we were poor with unable for us to pay for the price of our redemption. That's what these men described for us. His condition is a description of the whole human race poor and lame. But not only that if you notice it says they carried him to the gate of the temple and we find out that he was an outside of the gate of the temple.

It's not only that he was lame, he was also poor but he was also outside of the temple itself sitting by the gate. If you remember in the past we have talked many time about the courts at the temple that different between the courts of the tabernacles and the courts of the temple because the courts of the temple which Herod having large had actually five courts. There's the court of the Gentiles which was the furthest one and then there was the court of the women and then the court of the men and then as you get closer you have the court of the priest and ultimately the Holy of Holies which is the place of the high priest.

There were five courts really and the court between the courts of the Gentiles and the courts of the women there was a gate that is called the beautiful gate. To there by the way only the Jewish women could enter in and then further on there was the court of the men that only the Jewish men could enter in. But this individual they placed him notice here at the gate of the temple which is called beautiful. That part is actually between the court of the Gentiles and the court of the women. There was a gate which was called the beautiful.

Apparently there were more than eight or nine gates at that time to enter into the temple but he was placed here in that temple gate called beautiful. And what was he doing there? It says in verse 3 he saw Peter and John about to go to enter into the temple and he began to ask from them for arms. Now how sad this statement here in those verses 2 and 3 to show to us a man that is lame for 40 years that is poor unable to lift himself up and to purchase for himself anything and sitting outside of the gate of the temple in the city of Jerusalem.

He didn't actually even go even to the men's court. He was sitting there at the gate called beautiful. That is the interesting thing. By the way just to mention in scripture in the Bible a man that was lame could never be even if he was of the line of the priesthood could never function as a priest because God would not allow anyone that had any blemish to function in the priesthood service. The Bible teaches us clearly in Leviticus 21 that anybody that had any blemish or was lame could not function in the priestly service. But God never wanted the people of Israel to neglect the poor and the needy.

They always were exhorted to minister to the poor and to the needy. I want to show you a verse in Deuteronomy chapter 15. Can you turn there for a moment? In Deuteronomy chapter 15 verse 7 God said to Israel if there be among you a poor man of one of your brethren within any of thy gates in thy land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou shalt not harden thine heart nor shut thine hand from thy poor brother. Israel God has said to the nation he said if you have a poor brother from among you from among the nation of Israel he says listen you shall not shut your hand from the poor brother and you shall not harden your heart towards him.

He continued to tell us thou shall open thine hand wide unto him. You shall surely lend him sufficient for his need in that which he wanteth. Beware God is warning Israel that there be not a fault in your wicked heart saying the seventh year the year of release is at hand and thine eyes be evil against thy poor brother and thou givest him not and he cried unto the Lord against thee and it will be a sin unto thee. Thou shalt surely give him and thine heart shall not be grieved when thou givest unto him because for this thing the Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works and in all that thou puttest thine hand to do.

He said for the poor shall never cease out of the land. See amazing the lessons that we learn here that he was lame but he was also poor and God reminded Israel never to forget to those that are poor. The poor shall never cease from being in the midst of the nation of Israel. And so here we find that man lame for 40 years poor without anything to have to meet his need and also outside unable to enter in fully dependent upon others to meet his needs. So here we see him again looking at Peter and John and he say and he's looking at them.

He asks from them for arms. He's looking at them steadfastly expecting from them to give him something to meet his need. And so how graciously we find out in the next verses how this man's need is being met. His need being met much more than what he had expected. God had provided for him through the servants of the Lord much more than what he expected to receive from Peter and John. And it is all happening through the name of Yeshua the Messiah. Notice that in the next verses verses 4 5 6 and 7 we find out the lame man's need is being met.

First of all notice Peter and John as they're walking inside verse 4 it says Peter fastening his eyes upon him with John. Peter and John looked at this man. They fastened their eyes upon him and they looked at him. They saw the need. They saw they took notice of this man. By the way he's for 40 years in such a condition we do not know how many times he was placed. It says that he was daily but maybe not right away when he was a baby but for years he was there at the temple. For years he was sitting outside the gate of the beautiful gate.

This time Peter and John coming and as they're walking towards the gate he looked at them expecting from them to receive from them something. Peter told him you look at us, look on us. He might have been probably so used to lift up his hand and people passing by and passing by and some gave him, some didn't but they passing by and he's probably already his head is down and he's just lifting his hands or maybe opening something and having a box or something ready to receive something from the people who are passing by but this time Peter and John asking him to look at them.

And so Peter asking him to look on them he gave heed. It says in verse 5 he gave heed unto them in the expecting to receive something from them. The Greek here suggesting that he is really anticipating to get something bigger from them, something larger from them. And so he's now it says in verse 5 that he gave heed, specifically gave heed unto them expecting to receive something from them. And look what Peter is saying to this man. Peter then said to him in verse 6 he says silver and gold have I none but such as I have I'm going to give unto you.

In the name of Yeshua the Messiah of rise up and walk. What a statement. Peter said to him silver and gold I don't have but what I do have I'm going to give to you. And Peter now directing him to the person to the name of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. He's saying to him in the name of Yeshua the Messiah of rise up and walk. He noticed that he doesn't say in the name of God though he is surely the son of God. He doesn't say in the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob though it is true that Yeshua is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but he's bringing to the front the name of the Lord Jesus the Messiah in his humanity.

He's directing this man to the humanity of Yeshua, the man from the man that was despised and rejected of men. The name of Yeshua the Messiah he says silver and gold have I none but such as I have I'm going to give unto you in the name of Yeshua the Messiah of rise up and walk. Now the thought that we have here somebody have said and I read this that years ago Peter could say silver and gold have I none but in the name of Jesus the Messiah you can get up and you can walk.

There was power in the name of Jesus. Today we may not be able to say in the name of Jesus rise up and walk because the power is not the same. The weakness of the church, the weakness of us, the life of the believer is so far from where God intended it to be. We will never be able to say silver and gold I don't have because we have plenty. The Lord had provided for us but we don't have that same power that existed in the church in the beginning, the foundation of the church that men were healed in the power of the Lord Jesus in such a way in first century that we know it's not the same today because of the state and the condition of the church.

So he told him in the name of Jesus the Messiah rise up and walk. And what happened in the next verses we find in verse 7 and he took him by the right hand and he lifted him up and immediately his feet and his ankle bones received strength. This man was healed immediately. The verse tell you here in verse 7 immediately not delay. Immediately his feet and his ankle bone have received strength. In fact the next verse it says in verse 8 and he's leaping up and he stood and he walked and he entered into the temple walking and leaping and praising God.

There was not only the physical emitting of his need that have happened but also spiritually speaking there was a change in that man's heart. He was walking, he was leaping and also praising God, worshipping the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Now what we see in this man brothers and sisters we see it in us. He was born lame, he was poor and he was outside the door. That's where you and I exactly spiritually speaking we are described here by this man. We were also lame, could not stand before God. We were far from God and God had brought us to himself.

We were also poor, spiritually poor. And we were also outside the door. And look what happened in the name of Jesus the Messiah in the name of Yeshua the Messiah. He rose up and he began to as it says here leaping. He stood up and he walked and he entered into the temple walking and leaping and praising God. Now we can see that for a moment if you turn with me to the book of Ephesians for a second you can see in Ephesians chapter 2 this illustrated very well by the apostle concerning the Ephesians who became believers in Yeshua the Messiah.

Look at what Paul said to them in Ephesians chapter 2. The first thing in connection with being lame unable to walk we see it here in Ephesians chapter 2 in verses the first few verses. He says you he quicken who were dead in trespasses and sins. He made a life. He was enabling us to stand but we were dead. We were unable to stand. That's what he's saying Paul to the Ephesians you have he quicken, made alive, gave you the ability to stand because you were dead in trespass and sins. And then notice in verse 2 he says wherein in time past you walked according to the course of this world according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit is now working in the children of disobedience.

That what he's saying to the Ephesians the same thing he says you in the past you walked in a wrong direction. You didn't walk in a right direction. You were unable to walk right. You were like the lame individual but God had made you alive. God had quicken you through the person of the Lord Jesus when you were dead in your trespasses and your sins. That's is the description that we see in the picture of that lame man. Not only this now notice he was also poor and if you go down you can see that how in verses 8 and 9 of Ephesians Ephesians chapter 2 and verse 8 and 9 it says by grace are you saved through faith and this is not of yourself.

You didn't earn it, you didn't pay for that. It was a gift of God. See this man received that gift. He was poor but now became rich. He could not walk but now he can because of the name of Yeshua the Messiah. And so he's saying by grace I saved through faith. It is not of yourself, it is of gift of God, not of works lest any man should boast. You see the receiving of our salvation was gift from God. We didn't earn it, we didn't pay for that because we didn't have the means to pay for that.

The Lord Jesus the Messiah earned this for us. Yeshua the Messiah gave this man the ability to walk. It was through the name, there is power in the name of Yeshua the Messiah not only to give him the ability to stand but also to meet his poverty, to meet his need. And our same in Ephesians 2 not only we said that he was lame and poor but he was also outside. He was not inside. He was out. And he brought him in and notice now in verse 11 12 and 13 of Ephesians chapter 2. Remember he's saying to those believers at Ephesus were you been in past time Gentiles in the flesh who are called uncircumcision by that which is called circumcision in the flesh made by hand that at that time he were without.

Without what? Without the Messiah, outside of the Messiah being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel, strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in this world. Notice twice it's mentioned the word without being out without the Messiah, without God. That's the condition of man in general. But now we said to them in the Messiah in Christ verse 13 ye who were sometimes far off. He had made near by the blood of the Messiah Christ. You see how really precious to get the hold of whatever happened to this lame men in the city of Jerusalem is applying to the spiritual condition of all the human race.

Lame unable to stand. Poor unable to meet their need. Outside unable to enter in. But through the Messiah Yeshua through the power of his work, through the power of his name now we can stand. Now we can have what we couldn't earn as a gift. And now we can enter in and it all wrap up through the person of Yeshua the Messiah. And so look at him. After Peter said to him silver and gold I don't have but what I do have I'm giving to you in the name of Yeshua the Messiah of Jerusalem rise up and walk.

And so low and behold immediately not delay. He took him by the right hand, lifted him up verse 7 and immediately his feet and ankle bone received strength. And all of a sudden the man that for 40 years could not walk we find him leaping up. He entered with them into the temple walking and leaping and praising God. What a nice thing to see. The effect on the life of this person, the change that have happened in his life because of the name of Yeshua the Messiah, there is authority in the name of Jesus. There is power in the name of Yeshua.

There is blessings in the name of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. And so the effect on him was tremendous. He went inside and he began to rejoice. Now notice he's no longer sitting at the gate. He's no longer sad, needy. Now he has what he have never had before in two ways. His physical need have changed and also his spiritual need was met. It is all because of what Yeshua have done for him because right now he was inside. He was rejoicing, he was singing, he was praising, he was running, he was walking. And he was really fulfilling what was said by the prophet Isaiah years ago in Isaiah chapter 35 where God promised the nation of Israel.

In those verses he says the lame men shall leap as the hart and the tongue of the dumb will sing. For the wilderness shall water break out and the streams will be in the desert. Isaiah 35 and verse 6 now that takes us to the future when the restoration of Israel will come to its place but here we see what the Lord has intended for Israel and for mankind blessing for the people who will come to trust in him. And so there was a change in the man but look at the effect on others around him.

You see that what should happen to us when we have come to know the Lord where we have come to know Yeshua, when we were brought into this favored place in relationship with the Lord Jesus others should see the change. Look what verses 9 and 10 in conclusion. All the people saw him walking and praising God. They saw it. All the people around him all of a sudden they say wait a minute. This is the man that was sitting that was lame that was outside, there was poor and we see the change in his life.

The people saw him. They were amazed. They saw him walking and praising God. It is amazing to see that there was a different not only in him but there was a change. There was evident in them. They were convicted. This man by the way that he behaved showed that something happened in his life. It's important because it's a testimony to others outside what happened to do how you now became so different how it came about. And so it says in verse 10 and they knew that it was the one which set for arms at the beautiful gate of the temple and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which have happened unto him.

The testimony of this man have left others amazed and in wonder at the testimony of this man. That expression here, amazement and wonder shows us that he actually did communicate with them about the change that happened in his life. Now of course they saw him after so many years now walking and leaping and but he also heard him praising God. To God be the glory. It is in the name of Yeshua the Messiah that I'm at that condition. Isn't it something that you and I can learn from today brothers and sisters when you and I are speaking with people outside.

How do they look at us? What do they think about us? Do they look at us and they say wow there is a change in the behavior of this person. I knew he used to speak like this but now he's speaking this way. Maybe he used to use his mouth for cursing and now he using his mouth for praising. There was a change in him. There ought to be a change in us. I know there are many heavy things upon us as believers in our life but they ought to be a change in our manners, in our behavior, in our action.

We fail, we stumble but the change has to be there and it is only possible through the person and the name of Yeshua the Messiah. May the Lord help us to see this. May the Lord help us to to change, to have a behavior that will be pleasing to the Lord and drawing others to the person of the Lord. It was the song of Solomon where Solomon said draw me and we will go after thee. When God is drawing one and changing one others follow. If they really find a real change, something attractive may the Lord help us to be those that can attract others to Yeshua the Messiah.

To God be the glory. It is in the name of Yeshua the Messiah that I'm at that condition. Isn't it something that you and I can learn from today brothers and sisters when you and I are speaking with people outside. How do they look at us? What do they think about us? Do they look at us and they say wow there is a change in the behavior of this person. I knew he used to speak like this but now he's speaking this way. Maybe he used to use his mouth for cursing and now he using his mouth for praising.

There was a change in him. There ought to be a change in us. I know there are many heavy things upon us as believers in our life but they ought to be a change in our manners, in our behavior, in our action. We fail, we stumble but the change has to be there and it is only possible through the person and the name of Yeshua the Messiah. May the Lord help us to see this. May the Lord help us to to change, to have a behavior that will be pleasing to the Lord and drawing others to the person of the Lord.

It was the song of Solomon where Solomon said draw me and we will go after thee. When God is drawing one and changing one others follow. If they really find a real change, something attractive may the Lord help us to be those that can attract others to Yeshua the Messiah. And never forget that we were lame we were poor and we were outside. And because of Yeshua we are standing right before God. And he made us reach in him. And now we are no longer outside. We are right at the presence of the Lord Jesus the Messiah because of what he have done for us.

Can you say amen to that? Amen.

Guest (Male): You have been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levitan. Gideon teaches God's word from a Hebrew Messianic perspective. For more information about this ministry write to Holy Scriptures and Israel box 1411 Niagara on the Lake Ontario L0S 1J0 or visit our website at holyscripturesandisrael.com. You are also invited to Gideon's weekly Bible teaching on Fridays at 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 1:00 p.m. at Willowdale Christian Assembly Hall 28 Martin Ross Avenue in Toronto. Holy Scriptures and Israel is made possible by your prayers and financial support. If you would like to support the program visit holyscripturesandisrael.com.

God bless you. Shalom Shalom.