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 Levytam.

Gideon Levytam: The study of the book of Galatians chapter 1. Paul is saying listen I marvel at you that you are so soon removed from him that is God that called you into the grace of the Messiah. And then they he said and to another gospel in Hebrew. Another gospel, another news. You see what is going on in the world in which we live in today because there are many religious groups in this world. Some of them is part of Christendom. They give us various messages. You can hear it on the radio, you can watch it on the television, you can read it in the newspaper, you can open magazine, you can go on an internet.

And there's so many messages that are spread in a world in which we live in. And because we are human and because we have seen nature we sometimes even as believers if we are not careful we are so quickly are shifted and began to wonder maybe he is right and maybe they are right and maybe I should go there and I should do this instead of looking at what God gave us in his word. In other words he said I marvel that you are so soon removed from him from God. God beloved brothers and sisters we read this morning in our reading today in the Psalm that was read for us in Psalm 146.

Praise ye the Lord, not men. Praise the Lord oh my soul while I live will I praise the Lord. I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being and he continue put not your trust in princes nor in the son of man in Ben Adam, in human race, in people in whom there is no help. His breath goes forth, he returneth to his earth in that very day his thoughts perish. You know brothers and sisters what sometime is fascinating is that we look to men to try to fix our understanding of the word of God instead of looking to the God of the scripture who taught us that men at his best with all his religious activities cannot avail us for salvation.

The best of us Shaul was the Pharisee of Pharisees. He kept all that which God had given our people of Israel plus the rabbinical and Pharisaic in views that he lived in his life every day and he find no peace to his heart. He needed forgiveness that will be provided when a Messiah will die for his sins. So he says I marvel how quickly you move from God and we can't blame the Galatians because we are no different. We are just the same. We look there and we find that we trying to find oh oh there it's a it's a better way or he teaches something greater.

Oh if I'll keep this I will be more happy spiritually and I'll grow and I'll be and then we find out that even those that try to influence us to do it they don't keep it themselves. They fail themselves. And here is that what the apostle Paul is so strong. He says listen I marvel how soon you remove from him that call you listen into the grace of the Messiah of Christ, unmerited favor undeserved favor of God towards us. Grace sometime we sing grace, grace God's grace, grace that is greater than all my sin. Marvelous grace of our loving Lord, our loving Messiah.

Says how is it possible? Well apparently it is possible because we are gullible because we are not sound standing on the on the promises of God, standing on the truth of the word of God. We shift from one place to another and we don't understand and stayed focus. And so he says how come you are moved from him that called you into the grace of the Messiah into another gospel. And what it brothers and sisters another gospel is anything anything that will be said to be added to the work of the Messiah. Yeshua's death and resurrection for my sin plus baptism.

Yeshua's death and resurrection plus speaking in tongue. Yeshua's death and resurrection plus getting circumcised. Yeshua's death and resurrection plus keeping the law. Yeshua's death and resurrection plus men's works and and church practices. Yeshua's death and resurrection plus what I can do in order to gain my salvation. This is another gospel. That is that which dishonor God. We saying to God God you did your part and now I'm going to do my part. And God says all what you do come from a sin nature. And unless you are guided by the spirit of God all even your good, your righteousnesses eyes fall as I can tell you are filthy rag.

Those of us who are believers already for years know how much we fail the Lord every day. We seems to climb up a little bit on a mountain and we are kind of spiritually minded and it didn't take too long and we find all Lord here again. I have an evil thought, I have an evil desire, I shouldn't have said what I said, I shouldn't have done what I've done, I have this and that and this and the other. Head our salvation depend upon our performance where would we be beloved brothers and sisters? That is another gospel.

Just turn to chapter 3 for a moment. Galatians 3:3 we will go over that with the Lord's help. He said to them in verse 3 of chapter 3 are you so foolish? Have you begun in the spirit? Are you now made perfect by the flesh? In other words you began your salvation by trusting in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and you have been allowed to be led by the Holy Spirit of God. Now do you think if you're going to do this and do this and keep this and keep this that will help you spiritually as if you're doing it, binding yourself into that and not being led by the spirit of God.

Did you begin in the spirit and you think you are continue and conclude your your life as a believer in your flesh activity? Is that what going to make you more spiritual Paul is saying to them? If you turn a little bit to the next verse chapter 4 and verse 10 and here is something that we have to be very careful even us who are Messianic Jewish people. He said to them in chapter 4 and verse 10 he said you observe days and months and times and years. I'm afraid of you Paul is saying lest I have bestowed upon you labor in vain.

In other words they assume that if they keep certain feasts and holidays is they are adding or helping in their salvation. As if that if you fail to do that God is not going to be pleased with you. That's what the Galatian had to go and experience. Notice a little bit one more verse that I marked for myself here in chapter 5. And notice these verses in verse 2 3 and 4. Listen what Paul says behold I Paul say unto you that if you be circumcised you Galatian Gentiles it was given to Israel. The Jewish people were commanded by the Lord to be circumcised but you Gentile believers if you be circumcised Messiah shall profit you nothing.

Look at verse 3 for I testify again to every man that is circumcised that he is a debtor to do the whole law. Messiah is become of no effect unto you whosoever of you are justified by the law ye are fallen from grace. He doesn't talk any evil about the law because the law is not the problem. The problem is men. The law is holy. Roman chapter 7. The law is spiritual. Roman chapter 7. But we are sold under sin. And that's why circumcision, law keeping, days keeping, human merits, all baptism and and speaking in tongues and all what we are told in order to save one it's of no avail.

And it's an affront to a living God who gave us his son to pay the price for our sins. So as we have expressed and I now want you to go back to our chapter and he said to them now in chapter 1 Galatians 1 verses 6 we read verse 6. He says he said to them I marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of the Messiah to into another gospel and then he continue and listen what he says in verse 7 which is not another but there be some notice here the early church, the early assemblies have experienced.

There be some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of the Messiah. I would like to say that that in days of old some might call those Judaizers. Today we might call the Gentile izers after 2,000 years that passed. And today because the vast majority of the church are made out of non-Jews. And today we are influenced by all sort of things that are pulling us out of the a b c of the gospel message. Some that trouble you and not as pervert that word pervert is distort or twist the gospel of the Messiah.

You know when that person going to have to stand one day before the Lord and he will have to tell the Lord after the Lord will show him or them their failure in their own lives that they couldn't do what they expect from others to do. The Lord will expose them and he will show them that it is only the grace of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah alone that saves us a wretched soul as yours and mine. What shall wash away my sin? Nothing but the blood of Yeshua. His death, burial and resurrection is the only ground beloved brothers whereby we are accepted by a holy and a righteous God.

Otherwise all other ways, all other things are sinking sand sinking sand. No good deeds no laws keeping, no circumcision, no baptism, no speaking in tongues, no church affiliations or whatever it is will ever avail the believer for for the person for salvation, the sinner for salvation. Only the precious, precious blood of Yeshua the Messiah avail us for justification. So now let me finalize these thoughts here. You remember what we said the Shaul Paul related to the Galatians three important facts as he opens his letter to the erring Galatians. In verses 1 to 5 Paul explained his God given authority.

I'm an apostle. In verses 6 and 7 Paul expresses his concern for the Galatian. He said to them I'm marvel how you have moved so quickly from God who have called you into the grace of the Messiah into another gospel which is really not another. It's not a news. It's not good news. It's a bad news. Because anything that we have done because of our sin nature brought the judgment of God upon us. We cannot earn our salvation Paul is saying to them. And now he's finalizing his thoughts in verses 8 9 and 10. He exposes his adversaries who pervert the gospel of the Messiah.

He exposes them. They really but they don't bring the gospel of God but they bring another gospel. It's like bringing on the altar a fire. Remember how that the sons of Eli offered strange fire on the altar and God had to deal with them. To teach that salvation based upon circumcision, law keeping, rules of men speaking in tongues, being baptized, doing good works and to say that that is salvation. This is bringing false teachings. That's is exactly what he's emphasizing now. So notice in verse 8 Paul warns the Galatian and he said to them notice verse 8 but though we even me I Paul though we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you then that which we have preach unto you listen to the word let him be anathema.

This is the Greek word for a curse. The Hebrew word is simply mean devoted for destruction. If any notice let me repeat that and Paul is speaking about himself. If we I and and those that are with me or any angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you then that which we have preached unto you let him be a curse. Let him be anathema. By the way the word anathema in the Greek here is mentioned six times in the Brit Hadashah in the New Testament. One of them the apostle Paul using Romans chapter 9 and verse 3 about himself because of his love for Israel.

I'm willing to be a curse from the Messiah for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh he said. Romans chapter 9 and verse 3 lest anybody will blame him that he didn't love his people Israel. He was willing to be cut off from the Messiah for his people Israel. No one could accuse Paul Shaul who didn't love God and love the people of Israel. He's willing to be a curse. The same word he's using let him be devoted to destruction. And that's why notice that in the Tanakh it's mentioned about 31 time the Hebrew word is a curse.

And you remember in the book of Joshua when our forefathers, the people of Israel were going to enter into the promised land the first city that they have entered in was Jericho Jericho. And God warn Israel. When you going to Jericho you will not touch the unclean thing in that city of Jericho because these cities are cursed. And you will not touch the accursed thing that which is devoted for destruction. Any other cities when Israel defeated Israel took the spoils to themselves. But when it's come to the city of Jericho Israel could never take the accursed thing.

And you remember what happened in chapter 7 took off the accursed thing. And because he took from the accursed thing which God already told Israel this is devoted for destruction. The city of Jericho is the city of curse but took anyways violating the word of God. And from from that time on Israel could not defeat their enemies. And they fled from the people of I. They were defeated. They could not successfully win you might say take over that which God had for Israel the inheritance of the land. And then finally was found out. And sadly the Lord destroyed he killed him and his family because violated the word of the Lord.

And you know what that that tells us? That when we take from the gospel message and we tell is not quite enough you see. You didn't quite make it you see. You died thank you. But I got to do something myself. I got to get circumcised. I got to keep rules and laws. I got to keep days and weeks and months. I got to keep holidays, feasts in order to be saved. You didn't do quite enough Lord. I have to add to your work. God going to have to deal with us on that. To keep things in order to be saved is a violation of the word of God.

And look what's going on in the world in which we live in today where there's all sort of views about salvation. Not enough Jesus the Messiah but we need something else. And that's why Paul says let him be a curse. Now he doesn't talk here about someone who want to keep certain days and say certain holidays or feasts and so on as we practice here and there but we never teach that those are for salvation. We do it because it's far better to do things that are based upon this principles of scripture than to introduce things that are not find that are pagan that are unbiblical.

But we don't say to anyone you must do that otherwise you are not saved. Not at all beloved brothers and sisters. And that 's why he says let him be a curse. And as long that Israel continued without to deal with this sin they never won a victory and they were defeated. And you know sometime and I make I want to make a spiritual lesson as long that we tell God that it's something that I did and I do in order to earn my salvation I'm an affront to God and spiritually I will never grow and