Holy Scriptures and Israel

Announcer: 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 Ephesians chapter two. See, love expresses itself through mercy. The Hebrew word mercy is Rachamim. Or grace is Chen or Chesed. God in his grace has loved us so much. Love must express itself in mercy and in grace.

The truth that we learn in verse four of this chapter is that God is love. And his love for us is eternal. His love towards us is not temporary. It is unconditional love. We fail him, yet his love is unchangeable. It is amazing to get hold of it, and that's why Paul is emphasizing this when he's writing to the Ephesians. He wanted to remind them that, first of all, God loved them. Don't forget it, brothers and sisters. I don't have to tell you. I need to say it to myself. Brother Gideon, don't forget that. Sometimes we forget that God loves us.

So, verse five now, he's moving a note. Not only that God loves us, but he made us alive spiritually. See what it says in verse five. "Even when we were dead in sins, he has quickened us together with Christ. By grace are ye saved." What does that mean? Even when we were spiritually dead, we did not want God in our lives. What did he do? He says, "I want you. I will raise you."

Now, he doesn't talk here about physical resurrection. The word for quicken us has to do with a spiritual resurrection. In other words, he had quickened us, made us alive, not yet physically in a sense of raising our bodies where we're going to be at the resurrection and at the ascension, but he made us alive spiritually. He raised us.

As it says here in verse five, "When we were dead in sins, he had quickened us." And notice it says he quickened us together with the Messiah, together with Christ. In other words, God had raised us. And as far as he have taken the Messiah, as far as we know that he have taken Yeshua the Messiah and have already placed him at the pinnacle of the universe at his right hand, as far as God's concerned, every believer in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah is seen by God as if we are already in the presence of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah in glory.

While we are actually still here, we are walking here. I'm standing before you. We're going to get up in a moment, we're going to go to the kitchen, we're going to have a time of fellowship. We just came from our various homes to the meeting together. We are only temporarily now still here in this world, but he have made us alive spiritually. Positionally, we are seen as we are seated with our Lord Yeshua the Messiah in heaven. This is an incredible thing to understand.

This does not talk about the physical resurrection. He's talking about here of spiritual resurrection in verse five of our chapter. Now, how does he do that? Spiritually to resurrect us, to make us alive? He using his word. He using the power of the Spirit of God to wake us up. For example, Romans chapter 10 and verse 17, it says, "Faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God." How did we come to be spiritually awakened and resurrected? Well, we heard the word of God. The Spirit of God impressed upon our hearts God's word, and we have been awakening. We woke up spiritually and we become alert and awakened to the truth of the word of God.

Look at the verse in John five. Yeshua spoke in those earlier verses of this chapter. And he said in verse 24, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life." You see what Yeshua said? He that hears my word, faith comes by hearing, hearing by the word of God. He that hears my word and believes on him that sent me has everlasting life. In other words, he was quickened, was made alive spiritually and will not come into condemnation.

This is what we have here in John chapter five and verse 24. In this chapter two in verse five, where it says we are quickened together with Christ, with the Messiah, notice what it says in chapter one. Just go back to the previous chapter. In chapter one, verse 19, look what he did with the Messiah. "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, in Mashiach, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in heavenly places."

You see, God raised the Messiah physically from the dead, placed him at his right hand in heaven. And now you and I are looked upon as if we are seated with Yeshua the Messiah in heaven. That's why verse five of our second chapter says, "When we were dead in sins, he had quickened us together with Mashiach, with Messiah, with Christ." And then we have in bracket these words, "By grace are ye saved." We're going to talk about it as we're going to go down in the next few verses.

But let's move on now to verse six and notice that. So God loved us, verse four. God quicken us, verse five. Now verse six, God have exalted us or set us on high. As it says in verse six, "He has raised us up together, and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Mashiach Yeshua, in Messiah Jesus, in Christ Jesus." Now, notice he use the word here twice, the word "together."

And here the thought, and I like the thought, because Paul as a Jewish believer talking to the non-Jewish believers, and he saying to them, "You in time past walked according to this world. But we also have done so as Jewish people in the past as well." And now what happened when we became believers, he had now, as it says in verse six, he raised us Jewish believers, non-Jewish believers, together he raised us up and made us Jew and Gentile believers together to sit in heavenly places in the Messiah together.

So what we learn here that not only that he wake us up spiritually, but he also placed us already at the right hand of the majesty on high with Yeshua the Messiah in heaven in where the Lord is positionally, even though we are still here in this world today. Now you go and figure this out, try to explain this. How is it possible? I am there, you are there with Yeshua the Messiah, and at the same time we are here in this world and we are speaking and we are talking and we are living and we are walking here in this world.

How is it possible? That's where we must understand the truth of positional truth and practical truth. Positionally, as far as God's concerned, we are already in the presence of his Son at the right hand of the Father. Practically, we are here and now walking here, stumbling here, dishonoring the Lord at times, honor him at times, living here in the school that God teaches us here many things in this world.

But nevertheless, our spiritual position is in the heavenly places in the Messiah himself because of what Yeshua have done. Let me read one more verse please in Philippians chapter three. I want you to notice this very interesting verse in verse 20. It says, "For our conversation," it's actually our politics or our citizenship, "is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Savior, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ."

Notice he use the word in verse 20, "For our citizenship or our politics is actually in heaven; from whence we also look forward for the Savior, our Lord Yeshua the Messiah." You see what happened? Really every one of us have more than one citizenship. We are citizen here of this country, but we also our citizenship really is in heaven. Actually, the Bible look at us as if we just came from heaven to be a representative of God here upon the face of this earth. We are really ambassadors.

We were sent to this country, well some of us have more than one citizenship. I have dual citizenship, Israeli and Canadian. But we have a third one, which is in heaven. And so what we really have, beloved brothers and sisters, our citizenship is really in heaven. We are looked upon in scripture as if we are already there and we have been sent temporarily to represent our Lord Yeshua the Messiah here on earth until he's going to come. And we look for him at his coming at the rapture. He's going to come and take us to be with him in heaven. And we are going to spend eternity with him in glory.

So God loved us, verse four. God quicken us, verse five. God have exalted us, verse six positionally, spiritual position in the heavenlies for every believer in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Then look at this, the next verse seven. He continue now and he's saying, "Okay, so brothers and sisters, I want you to know that it's not only what happened in the past and not only what's going on in the present, but you have to know what is going to happen throughout eternity in the future."

You see, actually verses one, two and three, that's the past. Verses four, five and six, that's the present. Verse seven is the future. Past: dead in trespasses and sins. Present: have been loved by God, resurrected spiritually by God, ascended by God. Present tense experience of all believers. But there is a future. And what's happening in the future, verse seven, God is going to display us in all the ages to come, to show forth his praise of his glory through every person that he have brought to himself.

That's why it says in verse seven, "In order that in the ages to come he might show, he might display the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us through Mashiach Yeshua." And notice this expression, "that in the ages to come." Now, you remember the psalmist of Israel said, "From eternity to eternity you are God, thou art God." God is eternal. And when he saved us and brought us to himself, he's not only intent to say to you, "You know what, here is get your ticket and you're going to be forgiven now because you believe in Yeshua the Messiah. Go to this place, those of you who don't believe go to this place" and so on.

But God want to display throughout the ages to show us, the believers in Yeshua the Messiah in relationship to his Son. He going to do so also with the nation of Israel. He will display the nation of Israel who will come to a time of national salvation in relationship to the Messiah. He is now of course talking about the church, the assembly, the ecclesia. He is going to display our relationship with him and his grace towards us. He's going to display it through the ages to come.

What is going to display? What is he going to show in the ages to come? The exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us. You know what we are going to say and speak about and sing about throughout eternity? And that's going to be displayed. By the way, who is going to display? Well, he's going to display us. This is the believer, the redeemed people, before the whole angelic realm. To show to them the grace of God.

You know that the angels today, when they look down from heaven and they are amazed, they see, how is it possible that those people who deserve to be judged are now sitting around the Lord, enjoying a relationship with the Lord? How could he do that? That's why it says here it is the grace and his kindness. The word kindness remind us of what David have done, who is a type of the Messiah, when he took Mephibosheth.

You remember in the book of Second Samuel, Mephibosheth who was the grandson of King Saul. And Mephibosheth was lame on both of his feet. And David said, "Is there anyone who remain from the family of Jonathan, Yonatan, that I will show him the kindness of God?" And he brought Mephibosheth. And Mephibosheth was lame. He couldn't walk. Just like you and I, lame spiritually. We were dead in trespasses and sin.

And David took Mephibosheth and set him at the table. And the Bible says that Mephibosheth sat continually at the table of King David. You and I, who were in type Mephibosheth, breathing shame by nature, we were brought into the table of the Lord and we are positionally, eternally are going to sit around him and enjoy the kindness of the Lord.

That's why it says that throughout the ages he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness towards us, Jew and Gentile, Paul and the Ephesians. But how did he do it? Through Christ, the Mashiach Yeshua. When our Lord Jesus the Messiah died on the cross, he paid the penalty for our sin. He made us suitable to be accepted in the beloved. God accepted us, God showed his grace towards us, God showed his kindness towards us and brought us to himself.

And so, brothers and sisters, verses four, five, six and seven: he loved us, he quicken us, he exalted us, and he will display us in the future day. Now you and I might say, "I'm not the kind of a guy that need to be displayed if you only knew my heart." You know what? Somebody said if we will wear our hearts on our forehead, all of us going to end up staying at home. We will not come out because our hearts, even as believers, are terrible.

But he will display us because he going to say, "Look at this person. I have saved her, I have saved him. I showed my kindness towards them. They don't deserve it, but because of what I have done out of the abundance of my heart, I brought them to myself to be placed in such a favored place."

And so now, brothers and sisters, in verses eight and nine, as we are drawing towards the end of this ministry meeting concerning the grace of God towards sinful humanity, in verses eight and nine, he emphasize that this gift of salvation is totally from God and not from man. Lest anyone will say, "Well, you know what, after all God had chosen me or God had brought me to himself because I have done something about it." And look how he emphasizes here his grace.

It says in verse eight and nine, and I read it together, "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast." You see what Paul is saying? He's now closing in on these thought concerning the grace of God, the one who showed his grace towards the human race. He says, "Listen, you are saved by grace." The word for grace in the Greek is Charis, C-H-A-R-I-S. In Hebrew the word is Chen or Chesed.

By Chesed are ye saved. Unmerited favor of God towards mankind. By grace, by Chesed, by Charis are you saved. You are not saved because of something that you have done. You are saved by grace. It is totally grace. You know there is a song sometime that we sing: grace, grace, God's grace, grace that is greater than all our sin. That's the grace of God. It is greater than all our sin.

And so he says by grace are ye saved. And then he says how you are saved by grace. Through faith. You remember we spoke about Romans 10:17: faith comes by hearing, hearing the word of God. And when we heard of the grace of God through Yeshua the Messiah, we have accepted that, we believed it. But brothers and sisters, listen to that because it says through faith, but then it says it is not of yourself. It is a gift of God.

Now he's not talking about the fact that the grace is the gift of God. Yes, it is the gift of God. But here in a connection, it's that faith. It is a gift of God. Even believing in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah was a production. The Lord worked this out in our hearts. You remember what we read in Ephesians one verse four, who have chosen us before the foundation of the world.

You know some of us might say, "Well, you know God did his part and I did my part." And it sound like, boy, God judged his Son and he did his part, and then we did our part, we believe. In a sense, like it sound like it is 50-50, you see. But it's really the apostle emphasize the fact that it is totally a work of God. He's the one that worked this out even for us to believe. Remember what the man says? "Lord, I believe, but help my unbelief."

Man love darkness rather than light. God had to quicken man in order for him even to believe in a message of the gospel. And so we read in verse nine where it says, "Not of works, lest any man should boast." You know we might say, "You know I did something. God did his portion, I did some work, you see, and I've earned it. I've done something for God for him to give me salvation." And Paul says not of works, lest any man should boast.

You know what, brothers and sisters, if God have done everything and we only need to say, "I'll move my little finger" in order to get saved, we all might go and say, "You know that's my part. I've done it." But it's nothing that we have done. You know the only thing we brought to the table is our sins. That's the only thing that we have brought to the table. God have brought everything himself. He brought his Son.

Look at Philippians chapter two. Some use this verse to say, "You see, the Bible said that we need to work for our salvation." Because it says in Philippians chapter two and it says in verse 12, "Wherefore, my beloved brethren, as ye have always obeyed, not in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling." So some use this verse to say, "You see, we have to work out for our salvation, to work for it."

But notice, first of all, the Apostle Paul talk to the brethren. They were already believers. So he says, "Wherefore, my beloved," he's calling them, "as you have always obeyed before, not only in my presence, but now much more in my absence," he says, "work out your own salvation." Notice he doesn't say work out for your salvation, but work out the very own salvation that you already have. Work it out. Live it out. Show it in your life that you really belong to Yeshua the Messiah. Work it out, but don't work for it. You can't work for it. But work it out in your life. That's what he's really saying.

And then notice that, and I'm going to just conclude and draw to the end here, in verse nine of Ephesians chapter two, "Not of works, lest any man should boast." He is concluding now in the final verse here in verse 10. He says these words, "For we are his workmanship, created in the Messiah Yeshua unto good works, which God hath before hand ordained that we should walk in them."

And here the Apostle Paul says not only that God have worked in our life in order to lead us to himself, but he's also worked through us. Not only that he work in us, but he worked through us. We are his workmanship. In other words, God created us so we will display here in this world the person of our Lord and work and serve for him and through him in our life here. And that's why he's closing this portion. He says, "For we are his workmanship."

That expression for workmanship, we are God's product. He worked in us. You know where somebody made some kind of work, he makes some kind of a nice structure and so on, well that's what God have done in creating us. We are actually God's creation, God's production. He works in us and he also work through us.

And the purpose of this, as it says in verse 10, "We are created in Yeshua the Messiah unto good works." And that's why, brothers and sisters, we say clearly: works do not save. But works are an evidence of a saved person. We are not saved by works, but we are saved for works so we can live a life that is pleasing to God and God can say well done good and faithful servant.

I'm going to read the final verse and I'm concluding with this verse. And the verse is again in Philippians chapter two and this time it's verse 13. "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure." See, God work in the believer's life in order that we will do that which is for his good pleasure.

So every time when we do the right thing and we are allowing the Spirit of God to control us, we are really doing that which is pleasing to the Lord and he is the one that receive the pleasure. It is unto his good pleasure. He work in us. He work through us. He produce in the lives of the believer that which is an honoring thing unto him.

And so in these 10 verses we can really grasp, as we read them and hopefully the Spirit of God will help us to grasp it, we see the grace of God towards us, towards a sinful man, and by producing a work in our life that would bring people who are redeemed for himself, which ultimately he will display them here in the universe throughout eternity, throughout the ages to come.

Until those days when he's going to take us to be with him, may he help us to live a life that is pleasing to him here in this world.

Announcer: You've been listening to Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levytam. 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 a.m. and 7 p.m., and Saturdays at 1 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.