Holy Scriptures and Israel

Narrator: 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 4. I didn't say that you have to. God said. It's not what I say or what you say. What does the Word of God say? The Bible says to us the importance of understanding there is only one faith, one emunah, one belief, and one way in which one believes in order to enter into a relationship with the Lord.

You know what the Bible calls it in Jude in verse 3? Jude said, "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and to exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once and for all delivered unto the saints."

Jude, Judah, who was writing to his Hebrew brethren and he was telling them, "Brethren, achim, I want to tell you, dear brothers, this is the common salvation. It's needful for me to write unto you and to exhort you, beloved brothers and sisters. You should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." I love this expression because this expression, "the faith," is not a matter of what God I believe, but there is only one body of truth upon which we all have part in this common relationship in this body of Messiah, body of Christ.

The body of truth means simply this, that there is only one way to be saved and to be forgiven, that God provided this body of truth. He loved the world. He sent the Messiah, the Son, who died on the cross, paid the penalty for our sins, was raised, taken to glory. On the basis of this one single faith, "the faith," we can become part of this family of God.

There are not two faiths, not this Islamic way of belief or even our own Jewish people who believe through Moses and believe in the Torah but they reject the Messiah Yeshua. That is what makes the difference between Jewish believers and Jewish who do not believe in Yeshua the Messiah. "The faith" is found in the Hebrew scripture and leads us ultimately to the person of Yeshua the Messiah.

We don't have to talk only about our Jewish people and Muslims. We can talk of Hinduism and all sorts of groups of people who have their own faith, but there is only one faith. The Bible teaches us this is the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Paul said this in Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20: "I am crucified with the Messiah. Nevertheless I live, yet not I but the Messiah liveth in me, and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

There are many other verses that can be added to that: Acts 6 and verse 7, Acts 16 and verse 5, 2 Corinthians 13 and verse 5. There are other verses that speak about the faith. There is only one faith, and this is faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us.

That is why, brothers and sisters, we might be called many times narrow-minded people who think that they are only right and everybody else is wrong. But there is no other faith. There is only one faith, and that is the faith of the Son of God, the Messiah Yeshua, who loved us and gave himself for us.

Now notice number six as the apostle Paul writes to these Ephesians. In number six, he says that there is only one baptism. That is very interesting also, and many Bible teachers talk about what it speaks about. Is it spirit baptism or water baptism? I'm inclined to take the position that he's really speaking about the spirit baptism and not so much water baptism because there are people who sprinkle, and another one is a dabble little here and a dabble little there. The other ones who keep under for a very long, long time. There's all sorts of ways that people do baptism, all sorts of expressions that people express themselves when they are doing baptism.

But the Bible teaches that by one Spirit, 1 Corinthians 12, verse 13, we all have been baptized, placed under, or put into that body of Messiah. No one enters into the body of Messiah without the Spirit of God placing us in. That's the only way.

While in verse 4 the emphasis is the body of Messiah, in verse 5 at the end, the emphasis is on how we enter into the body of Messiah. The only ground where we all have been brought into the body of Messiah is by the very same Holy Spirit of God. That's why the baptism, hatvilah or lehitavel, simply means to be placed under, to be put into, to be dipped into that one body. There is only one baptism. If a person has not been placed by the Holy Spirit of God into that body, this is the baptism of the Holy Spirit, he or she is really not part of this body, not part of the guf HaMashiach, the body of the Messiah.

So we already covered six of these, and finally, listen to this of the sevenfold facts of the unity of all believers. We have in verse 6, one God and Father of all, who is above all, who is through all, and is in you all. Notice that expression, "one God," Elohim echad, and "Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah."

The apostle Paul seems to love so much to express this word, "the Father." He mentions quite a few times "God and Father." Throughout the scripture that we read, even in the book of Ephesians, he says, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah," and so on. Verse 3, "who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places." Paul loved this expression of "God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah."

Notice in chapter 1, verse 17, "and the God of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, the Father of glory will give unto you the spirit of wisdom," and so on. He often expressed this word "the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah." So there is only one God really. This God consists of three persons: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. He is no more than one God.

Here is emphasized not only that there is one God, but "God and Father," as he mentions here in verse 6, and He is the Father of our Lord. But notice, he says he is the God and Father of all. Here is where we have to realize he doesn't speak about the fatherhood of all humanity here. No, he speaks about the fatherhood of all believers.

You hear this expression sometimes, "Oh, this God is the Father of all of us, all the human race." Well, God is the God of all the human race, but He is a God and Father of all the believers in Yeshua the Messiah. John 1:12 says, "as many as received him to them he gave the right to be called the children of God." We became sons and daughters of the Father, but only believers. He is the Father, the God and Father of all those that accepted His Son, Yeshua the Messiah.

He's above all, verse 6. He is through all, verse 6c. And He's in you all, in the believers. There is only one God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. You know, we can call Him today Abba Father, Abba, my Father. Many times in prayer when we pray together, we cry as Romans tells us and Galatians tells us, we cry, "Abba, Father." We can look at Him, we can express our hearts towards Him as our own Father.

We don't even necessarily have to call Him Heavenly Father because He is at all times the Father of all those that have accepted Yeshua the Messiah. We are the children, we are sons and daughters of that God, the Father. And so, beloved brothers and sisters, these sevenfold facts of the unity of all believers. All of us part of this one body. All of us are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God. All of us believers have the same hope. All of us believers have one Lord. All of us have one faith, the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. All of us have been baptized into the same body by the same Holy Spirit of God. All of us are part of this company that are called the children, the sons of God, as many as receive Him to them He gave the right to be called sons of God, sons of the Father.

Yeshua called Him Himself before He went to the cross. In John chapter 17, he said to Him in verse 1, he called Him Father. In verse 11, he called Him Holy Father. In verse 25, he called Him Righteous Father. This is the very same God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. He is the Father. He's a Holy Father. He's a Righteous Father. In Hebrew, we have the word Abba. He is our Abba, the one who loved us and sent His Son, the Messiah, in order to save us and to bring us into a relationship with Him.

Now, brothers and sisters, the next verses, verse 7, 8, 9, and 10 are very important because we're going to talk a little bit, Lord willing, about gifts that we have received. Remember we are to walk worthy of the calling wherewith we have been called. And so verses 7, 8, 9, and 10, the apostle directs us to the gift giver Himself and to the work that He has done on our behalf.

Notice what it says here in verse 7: "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of the Messiah." Now he is going to talk about the gifts that we have received. You know that every one of us, that's why he underlined here every one of us, you know some of us say, "Well, I don't know, I don't have gifts. I'm part of the body, yes, I'm saved, but I don't know if I have any gifts. Maybe this brother who is preaching there, he has a great gift. Maybe this other sister who works in this area and visiting, she has a great gift, but I don't have any gift." Sometimes that's what we think and that's what we say.

But the Bible is very clear, beloved brothers and sisters, everyone, everyone, everyone, young and old, who are truly children of God, sons and daughters of the Father. Every one of us according to verse 7, "unto every one of us is given the grace." This is the gift grace according to the measures of the gift of the Messiah.

In other word, all believers without excuse have a gift. You'll have to develop that gift, to use that gift among the people of God. Now the gifts that we have here are spiritual gifts. It's not natural ability here. He doesn't talk about natural ability. When we were born into this world, all of us have some natural talents. We might be gifted in one area or another, but don't mix the natural ability with the spiritual gifts.

The spiritual gifts were given unto us by our Lord Yeshua the Messiah in order to be used among the people of God. You will see we're going to talk about the gifts that the Lord has given in our future ministry meeting. But notice here, everyone, Messiah Himself has given to us spiritual gifts, and to every one of us, gifts have been given, at least one, if not more. At least one.

Now again I'm emphasizing it is not natural ability, it is spiritual gifts. It is to everyone, not to some elected people, but everyone. There are many verses that we can read. In 1 Corinthians 12, verses 8 and 11, use the word everyone. In Romans chapter 12 and verse 3, he used the word everyone as well. So that we are without excuse. We all have gifts and the question is, how do we use our gifts among the people of God? Or do we use it at all?

Gifts are not given to keep for ourselves, gifts have been given so we can benefit the body of Messiah. In fact, if we do not use our gifts, we are only harming the growth and the development of the body of Messiah. Now notice that the emphasis is now not so much about the gift, but about the gift giver and what He has done in order to give us these gifts.

In verses 8, 9, and 10, we have the work that the Messiah has done in order to give us those gifts. Now notice that it says in verse 8 that our Lord Yeshua the Messiah led captivity captive. Notice in verse 8 it says this, and I'm reading: "Wherefore he saith, when he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive and he gave gifts unto men."

Notice this is so important a verse, beloved brothers and sisters. It says that He, notice the word "he" is mentioned so many times in those verses. He saith, when He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, and He gave gifts unto men. It is all about Him. He's the one that gave the gifts. But how did He give us these gifts? What was the process whereby He had given us this gift?

Notice the three points that the apostle mentions here in these verses. The first thing he mentions, he says "when he ascended up on high." You remember in Acts chapter 1, after Yeshua died on the cross and He was buried and He rose again and He was right facing the city of Jerusalem. The eleven disciples who were with Him, because Judas, Yehudah, was no longer there, they ask Him, "Will you now restore the kingdom to Israel?" He says it's not for you to know the time or the hour which the Father kept with Himself, but He says, "Ye shall be my witnesses."

And you're going to receive power and you're going to be my witnesses beginning in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth. This is verse 8 of Acts chapter 1. But then, after He finished to tell them what He said to them, immediately we find that He left them. And you remember what it says in Acts chapter 1 and verse 9? It says, "And when he had spoken these things, they beheld and he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight."

In other word, when Yeshua finished to speak with His disciples there on the Mount of Olives, Har HaZeitim, he was taken, he was ascended and he went up to heaven. A cloud was taking him to heaven. He was taken out of this world into the presence of the living God, the presence of His Father in glory.

Now he ascended, he had gone up, and he had gone up to heaven. We have here in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 8: "He saith when he ascended up on high." And now the next expression in verse 8 is very important: "he led captivity captive." Many times people have no understanding, and we need the Spirit of God to help us to understand. What does it mean "he led captivity captive"?

Do you know, brothers and sisters, that up until the time that Yeshua the Messiah came and finished the work for us on the cross, we were bound? Satan bound men, the human race was bound by Satan. We were captive. Satan held us captives. We never had the freedom. There was a fear of death, what's going to happen when we die? Satan kept us captive.

But you know what happened when Yeshua died and finished the work for us on the cross? He led the one who held others captive, he now holds him now captive himself. Now Satan became a captive of the Lord. He bound Satan, and Satan no longer can do what he had done prior to the finished work of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

You remember we read Psalm 68? When Paul was quoting in Ephesians chapter 4, he was really looking at Psalm 68. In Psalm 68 and verse 18 he says, "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captives." In other word, what happened when Yeshua finished the work on the cross, on the tree, and he was taken up to heaven after his resurrection? What happened? He held captive Satan who once held us captive.

That what really happened through the work of the cross where Yeshua finished for us the work on the cross. He's now led captivity to be captive. He's now have bound Satan, and Satan is limited. He's no longer was able to do prior to the finished work of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

You know Deborah the judge of Israel sang this song in chapter 5. Look what she said, and I want to read this to you as well. All these thoughts that Saul, Paul, have presenting now to the Ephesians, he is taking it from his knowledge of the Hebrew scripture. As a Hebrew, he is writing to them and notice what Deborah said to Barak in Judges chapter 5 and verse 12: "Awake, awake, Deborah; awake, awake, utter a song. Arise, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou son of Abinoam."

You see, the people of Israel were captives of Yavin the King of Knaan. And now by the strength that God had given unto them, he now defeated the King of Canaan, and he led the one that once captivated Israel, he led him captive and he defeated him. And you know what happened at the cross? Yeshua defeated Satan. Yeshua won the victory over Satan who held us as those that were in bonds being captivated unto him.

Please bear with me. Hebrews chapter 2, verse 14: "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil. And he delivered them who through fear of death were all their lifetimes subject to bondage."

Do you know, before Yeshua died, a person never knew what's going to happen after death? He was all his lifetime he was in bondage to fear because he was not sure what's going to happen after death. But when Yeshua finished for us the work on the cross, on the tree, for the believer, death is a servant to lead us from the body to the presence of the Lord. That's what we really learn here. He led captivity captive. Satan is no longer caused us to be afraid of death because death become a servant for the believer to usher us to the presence of the Lord.

He ascended. He led captivity captive. He defeated Satan. And now there is that beautiful third statement here in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 8 as it says, "and he gave gifts unto men."

That is again what the apostle Paul is quoting from Psalm 68 and verse 18: "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive," but then it says, "thou hast received gifts for men." But in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 8 it says, "you gave gifts unto men." In other words, really it is amazing to see how the scripture is so accurate.

Once he finished the work on the tree and he had been ascended up to heaven, he receives gifts from the Father and now he can give those gifts to those that belong to him in the present day dispensation of the church age in which you and I are part of. So as we read here, he ascended, he led captivity captive, and he gave gifts unto men. You know, in order for you and I to get those gifts, the spiritual gifts that we have, he had to go to the cross. He had to pay the penalty for sin in order that you and I will be able to have these gifts that we can use for the benefit of the people of God.

He is now elaborating and I'm going to close with this, in verses 9 and 10. Look at the process which Yeshua had to undergo in order that He will give us those gifts. It says and he's mentioning this in verses 9 and 10, he says, "Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things."

In other word, before he had ascended to heaven, according to verse 9, he first of all had to descend into the lowest parts of this earth. Now there are many Bible teachers who take various views on this expression, "he descended to the lower parts of this earth." Many Bible teachers connect with this verse 1 Peter chapter 3, verses 18, 19, and 20, that has to do with the Lord going unto Hades and emptying the good part of Hades and bringing out the believers to be with Him in glory, as we know it from 1 Peter chapter 3 and other passages.

But I will simply take this text and say simply this: the one that ascended to heavens, he first of all descended into the lower parts of this earth simply means that he became a man in his incarnation and he died the death of the one that became the substitute. He was placed in the grave and he rose on the third day and then he was ascended to be back from where he came to this world. The same one that descended, he went all the way to the lowest part of the earth, it doesn't talk about beyond this earth, it's speaking about the lowest part of this earth simply means he was buried after his death.

But then he rose on the third day and he was taken up to heaven. The same one that is ascended, he first of all had to descend. That's what, brothers and sisters, makes it so special for you and I. We are saved because he died. We are saved because he was buried and resurrected. We are saved and part of the family of God because of his finished work on the cross.

Had he not done that, we would have no hope. We would not be part of this one body. We would not have that one spirit indwelling in us. We would not have any hope. We would not have one Lord. We would not have one faith. We would not have this baptism of the Holy Spirit, and we would not have this one God and Father of each and every one of us who are part of this redeemed people, the family of God.

All this cost Him to die and to be buried and to pay the price for our sins. But God raised Him and took Him to be with Him in glory, and He is now seated at the right hand of the Father, defeated this enemy Satan, and He gave us gifts that He wants us to use in the present day among the people of God. We're going to talk, Lord willing, about those gifts and how important they are to be used among the people of God. May the Lord bless these thoughts.

Narrator: You have 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 11:00 AM and 7:00 PM and Saturdays at 1:00 PM 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.