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: Please turn with me to Acts chapter 9, and the verses we are going to read today is from Acts chapter 9, verse 32, into chapter 10 and verse 8. And we read, and it came to pass, as Peter passed throughout all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwell at Lida or in Lod.

Gideon Levytam: And there he found a certain man named Aeneas, which had kept his bed eight years and was sick of palsy. And Peter said unto him, "Aeneas, Yeshua, the Messiah makes thee whole, arise, and make thy bed." And he arose immediately. And all that dwell at Lida or Lod and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.

Gideon Levytam: Now, there was at Joppa a certain disciple named Tabitha, which by interpretation is called Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and alms deeds which she did. And it came to pass in those days that she was sick and died.

Gideon Levytam: Whom when they had washed, they laid her in an upper chamber. And for as much as Lida or Lod was nigh to Joppa, and the disciples had heard that Peter was there, they sent unto him two men, desiring him that he would not delay to come to them. Then Peter arose and went with them.

Gideon Levytam: When he was come, they brought him into the upper chamber. And all the widows stood by him weeping and showing the coats and garments which Dorcas made while she was with them. But Peter put them all forth, and he kneeled down, and prayed, and turning him to the body, said, "Tabitha, arise." And she opened her eyes.

Gideon Levytam: And when she saw Peter, she set up. And he gave her his hand and lifted her up. And when he had called the saints and widows, presented her alive. And it was known throughout all Joppa, and many believed in the Lord. And it came to pass that he tarried many days in Joppa with one Simon, a tanner.

Gideon Levytam: Chapter 10 and verse 1. There was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, a devout man and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people and prayed to God always.

Gideon Levytam: He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming into him and saying unto him, "Cornelius." And when he looked on him, he was afraid and said, "What is it, Lord?" And he said unto him, "Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.

Gideon Levytam: And now send men to Joppa and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter. He lodged with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the seaside. He shall tell thee what you ought to do." And when the angels which spake unto Cornelius was departed, he called two of his household servants and a devout soldier of them that waited on him continually.

Gideon Levytam: And when he had declared all these things unto them, he sent them to Joppa. And I'm going to stop here with the reading. Now let me make a few remarks here in the beginning of the teaching of this message. The theme really of the message is the ministry of Peter from Lod or Lida, as it says here, all the way to Caesarea.

Gideon Levytam: What happened here, brothers and sisters, you notice after the fact that the Apostle Paul or Shaul have come to faith in Yeshua the Messiah. When Shaul have accepted that Yeshua was the Messiah, then all of a sudden there is a break here, and we don't read about Shaul for a while and the ministry of Peter had been brought to the surface.

Gideon Levytam: You see, if you remember, the whole chapter 9 almost deal with the fact that Shaul of Tarsus, who came from Jerusalem all the way to Damascus, on the way he received a revelation from the glorified Messiah. And when Yeshua spoke with him from heaven and he says, "Shaul, Shaul, why are you persecuting me?"

Gideon Levytam: And Shaul said, "What do you want me to do, Lord?" And you remember that it was there that Shaul have accepted the Messiah, he have gone further to Damascus, went there and a man by the name of Hananiah came to him and lay his hands on him and allowed him now to see after three days without sight. And ultimately we find out now Shaul, now for a while set aside or at least his ministry is not been spoken about here, and we find out that Peter is coming to the surface.

Gideon Levytam: Now, this is very important, because we find of course, Shaul came to Jerusalem, you remember in chapter 9, verse 26, and Barnabas took him, he brought him to the apostles and he told them that something happened to Shaul that he became a believer. And then later on we find out that he was continuing to minister, but all of a sudden there is an abrupt stop.

Gideon Levytam: And instead of hearing of Shaul's ministry, we read of Petros, Peter's ministry. And why? The reason here is very important. Because if you remember, it was Shaul that the Lord said to Hananiah, "I have chosen him to be a vessel unto me to bear my name before the Gentiles, before the goyim, the nations of the world, and before kings, and before the children of Israel.

Gideon Levytam: And I will show him what great things he must suffer for my name's sake." This is chapter 9 and verses 15 and 16. Now if Shaul was going to be the apostle to the uncircumcision, to the Gentile world, someone have to open the door of the Kingdom for the Gentiles to come in.

Gideon Levytam: And we find out now that Peter, Simon Peter, is the one that is used by the Lord Jesus the Messiah to open the door to the Gentiles to come in, to be part of the assembly of God. Now, please go back with me to Matthew chapter 16 for one moment. Before Yeshua died on the cross, on the tree.

Gideon Levytam: He said to him in Matthew chapter 16, verse 13, Yeshua came to the coast of Caesarea Philippi, and he asked the disciples, "Whom do men say that I, the son of man, am?" And they said, "Some say that you are John the Baptist. Others say that you are Elijah, Elijah. Others say that you are Jeremiah or Jeremiah. And others says that you are one of the prophets."

Gideon Levytam: But Yeshua said, "But whom do you say that I am?" And Simon Peter answer, and he said, "You are the Messiah, the son of the living God." You are the Messiah, the son of the living God. So Yeshua said to him in verse 17, "Blessed are you, Simon bar Jonah. Flesh and blood has not revealed it unto you, but my Father which is in heaven."

Gideon Levytam: And he said, "I say unto you that you are Peter, and upon this rock, upon your confession, I will build my assembly, my ecclesia, my church. And the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." In other words, Yeshua the Messiah said to Simon Peter, "You are Petros, a little stone, and upon this rock," the rock was Peter's confession, "upon your confession that I am the Messiah, the son of the living God, I am going to build the assembly, the church, the called out one, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it."

Gideon Levytam: And then in the same chapter in the next verse, he said to Simon Peter, "I will give unto you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. And whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loose in heaven." You see, Peter received keys. Now it's not a literal key like you and I take and you open the doors in our home and open the door to our car and open the door to the gates.

Gideon Levytam: The keys of the Kingdom of Heaven is that the Lord Yeshua the Messiah said to Simon Peter, "You are going to be used by me to introduce men to the Kingdom. First of all, the Jewish people, your own brethren, the nation of Israel. Secondly, the Samaritan, the Samaritans. And thirdly, the Gentile world."

Gideon Levytam: And so Peter became a vessel to introduce the head of the church, the head of the assembly to the world. First to the Jewish nation, to his own brethren, secondly to the Samaritan, and now thirdly, to the goyim, to the nations of the world. That's where many in the nations of the world come in, but the key to open the door, the gates to the Kingdom was given to Peter.

Gideon Levytam: You see, if you look at chapter 2, when we have already looked at already in the book of Acts, it was there that Peter, Peter presented the Messiah to his own brethren, the nation of Israel. You remember that in Acts chapter 2, we read this already. And there he said more than once, "You men of Israel," Acts chapter 2, and verse 14, "You men of Judah."

Gideon Levytam: Verse 22, "You men of Israel, Jesus of Nazareth is a man that is approved of God." That's to his own brethren, the Jewish people. He introduced the Messiah, Yeshua, the son of the living God to his own brethren. And then later on, if you remember, Philip went to Samaria, to Samaria.

Gideon Levytam: And he preached the message of the Gospel and many got saved, accepted the Messiah. But Peter needed to come down from Jerusalem in order to be the one that introduces them, to open the door, if you will, the gate using the keys to bring them into the assembly of God, to the church of the living God. And remember, the church is not a building.

Gideon Levytam: The church is a company of redeemed people who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. And if we look at just quickly in chapter 8 of the book of Acts, and I'm going back, if you remember, it says in Acts chapter 8 and verse 14, "Now when the apostles which were in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Peter and John."

Gideon Levytam: Chapter 8 of Acts, "Who when they were come down, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit." Peter was in Jerusalem, Peter was in Samaria, and now Peter is going to be the one that will introduce the Gentile world into the body of Messiah, to use the key to open the gate for them, if you will, to enter into the body of Messiah.

Gideon Levytam: So, Shaul is going to be the apostle to the uncircumcision, but before he can start his ministry, it was Peter who need to open the gate and open the door. And so now, in an abrupt way, we ended up in chapter 9 and verse 31, that there was a fear of the Lord, the comfort of the Holy Spirit, that were multiplied there when Shaul was in Damascus.

Gideon Levytam: And then later on he went to Jerusalem, and now all of a sudden we stopped to read about Shaul. And Peter come into the picture, and in verses 32 of chapter 9 all the way to chapter 11 and verse 18 there, we see the witness of Peter. And then Shaul, Paul, come back into the picture and continue the ministry among the Gentile world in which the Lord have called him to serve.

Gideon Levytam: And so now, in these verses that we have read today, Acts chapter 9, verse 32, into Acts chapter 10 and verse 8, we can see how the Lord is using Peter in three ways. Number one, to heal the body of a person. Number two, he is using him to raise the dead. And number three, he is using Peter to lead a Gentile unto salvation.

Gideon Levytam: Now, brothers and sisters, sometimes people ask and says, "You know, there are certain things that are very important in life for a person." And they say, "What is the most important thing in life for the human race? Is it the most important is the healing of the body? Is the most important the resurrection from the dead?

Gideon Levytam: Or is the most important thing in life really for a person is to receive a new life, a regeneration?" What we find out here in these verses as we move on to chapter 10, that really the most important thing for the whole human race is not to have only a nice body, and not only to have a resurrected body like Lazarus rose from the dead and others was resurrected from among the dead in the scripture or resurrected from the dead.

Gideon Levytam: But the most important thing in life for every individual today is the regeneration of the soul. Really, if a person will have a perfect life here on earth, the most beautiful body here on earth, a long life here on earth, and even like Lazarus and others who rose from the dead and lived a little bit longer after resurrection, you will notice in scripture that the most important thing is regeneration because if a person is not saved and his or her sins are not forgiven, this person only live for a certain length of time and no longer with joy and peace in his or her heart.

Gideon Levytam: And that's what we learn here as we move on from chapter 9 to chapter 10. So, we are talking about three cities here. The first one is Lod, the second one is Joppa, and the third one is Caesarea. We are also talking about the three ways in which the Lord used Peter. He used him to heal a sick person. He used him to raise a dead person.

Gideon Levytam: And he used him to lead a sinner to the knowledge of sins forgiven. The first one is nice, the second one is even nicer, but the third one, the regeneration is the ultimate. What shall it profit a man, or a woman, if he shall gain the whole world but lose his own soul? What shall a man give in exchange for his soul?

Gideon Levytam: And look at this how beautiful here we are being led into the next step. And so Peter now coming to the front here. In verses 32 to 35 of Acts chapter 9, we see Peter is being used by the Lord to heal the body of a man that is called Aeneas.

Gideon Levytam: Look, it says in verse 32, first of all, Peter arrives to the city of Lod. It says, "It came to pass, as Peter passed through all quarters, he came down also to the saints which dwelt at Lod." I know in the King James it says Lida, but it's actually Lod. It's the Old Testament city called Lod.

Gideon Levytam: We read about Lod in various passages. That city is mentioned in 1 Chronicles chapter 8 and Nehemiah chapter 11. It is a city that was built there by the tribe of Benjamin and it's called Lod. If you fly to Israel today and you land in Israel, you are landing at the airport which called Ben Gurion Airport, which is located by the city of Lod.

Gideon Levytam: Lod is right on the coast there. It's not too far from Tel Aviv. It's not too far from Jerusalem and so on. It is in the center, but it's closer to the coast there. And here he's finding himself coming to the city of Lod, but notice, it says in verse 32, "He came down also to the saints which were at Lod."

Gideon Levytam: Saints, those were believers. Here we find Peter is arriving to the city that is called Lod and he went among the believers. Apparently, those were Jewish believers. Yet the doors to the Gentile world had not yet opened. And he came to the city of Lod, and there he's coming to the saints. I think you will find later on in the scripture, especially the epistles, that when the apostles writing to the believers in various cities like Romans, 1st Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians and Galatians, usually the apostle using the word saints rather than disciples.

Gideon Levytam: Even though the word disciples does interchange here and there, but the word saints mean set apart. They were believers who were set apart for God. They were saved, they were forgiven, but they were positionally saints. Maybe we don't always behave as saints, but we are saints positionally.

Gideon Levytam: That means God has set the brothers and sisters in the city of Lod for himself, set them apart. So he come to Lod, and there he found in verse 33 a certain man by the name of Aeneas, which was kept his bed eight years. And he was sick of palsy. He was crippled. Here's Peter coming to Lod and to the believers there, to the saints.

Gideon Levytam: And the first thing that he has to be confronted with is with a man that his name is Aeneas. And Aeneas apparently was sick for eight years. He was sick of palsy. He was actually a cripple man. And Peter come to this city of Lod among the brothers and sisters. Now, you notice that, when he come to this place and he see this man by the name of Aeneas, most likely, dear brothers and sisters, they were Jewish believers.

Gideon Levytam: Even though the in Lod, and in also later on in Joppa, there were a lot of Gentiles, there were actually Gentile majority, but Peter is still dealing with the Jewish believers. He began in Jerusalem. And later on he went elsewhere, but it is mainly dealing with Jewish believers. And then what's happened that we come, Aeneas there for eight years is sick.

Gideon Levytam: He cannot walk properly. He's cripple. It says here in this verse that he kept his bed. In other words, he was subject to constantly be close to his bed. He depended upon his