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: God bless you. What a privilege it is for us to begin the study of the letter to the Galatians, the book of Galatians which the apostle Paul Shaul Paul wrote to the believers at the region of Galatia and I would like you all please to turn with me to the book of Galatians and I would like to present an introduction today for the letter that Paul wrote to the Galatians. And so please turn with me to Galatians chapter one and I would like to read the first two verses of these first chapter Galatians one verses one to two.

We read Paul an apostle not of men, neither by men, but by Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead and all the brethren which are with me unto the churches of Galatia unto the assemblies plural of Galatia. This is where I want to stop with the beginning of the ministry for today beloved brothers and sisters. I think it is extremely important for us who know and accept the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. It is extremely important for us to understand and to know a little bit more about the person of the apostle Paul.

It is interesting that many we hear of many who somehow say that the apostle Paul, the Shaul Paul was really not teaching the word of God on the basis of what God gave in past days to our forefathers, the people of Israel and often time we hear of those that do not like the apostle Paul. Some believe that the apostle Paul was going against the law of Moses or going to get against the people of Israel. The Jewish people are own people, but I would like to suggest beloved brothers and sisters as we begin with the study of the letter that Shaul Paul wrote to the Galatians.

I would like us to to understand that there was a reason why the apostle Paul wrote this letter. Brothers and sisters of the region of Galatia. And to remind you that according to the the New Testament, the New Covenant, the apostle Paul wrote 13 letters. He wrote the letter to the Romans. He wrote the letter to the Corinthians, first Corinthians, second Corinthians. Of course, he wrote this letter to the Galatians. He wrote the letter to the Ephesians. He wrote to the Philippians, to the Colossians, to the Thessalonians, first Thessalonian, second Thessalonian. He wrote to Timothy, first Timothy, second Timothy.

He wrote the letter to Titus as well. He wrote the letter to Philemon. 13 letters in all and Paul also some believe that he even wrote the letter to the Hebrews, but we cannot verify that because we find nowhere his name found in the book of Hebrews. So in total this man by the name of Paul in Hebrew his Hebrew's name is Shaul. His diaspora name is Paul and he was the one that wrote this letter to the region that the brothers and sisters in the region of Galatia. Let me just emphasize a few things.

You notice that the first word in Galatians one and verse one is the name of the apostle Paul. Paul an apostle not of men, neither by men, but by Jesus Christ in Hebrew and God the Father who raised him from the dead and all the brethren which are with me unto notice the churches of Galatia. Notice that the word churches or assemblies is in plural because he was writing not only to group of believers who dwelt in one local city like in Rome or in Corinth or in Ephesus or in Philippi or Colossae or even Thessalonica.

No, he wrote to a group of believers, but they have the location where they dwelt was in Galatia and Galatia was a region, a region where there were more than one local assembly. And that's why you notice that the the word Galatians is in plural because he was writing to more than one local assembly in one local city and in fact the Bible shows us that in the book of Acts that he visited Antioch, Iconium, Lystra and Derbe. These are some of the cities where the apostle Paul visited when he was going on his three missionary journeys.

Now it is important first of all to understand that the apostle Paul, Shaul Paul was a first of all to realize that he he was a man that uniquely was called by God in a supernatural way you might say very similar to Moses, to Moshe Rabbeinu, to the the one whom God had used to give our people Israel the law, the law of Moses. God used Moshe to give Israel the law, but God used Shaul Paul to introduce this present day that is known today as the church age, the assembly age. Just a little bit to look backward to the history I should say of this man by the name of Paul.

The first time we find his name mentioned in the word of God is found in the book of Acts, of course, and it is it is in chapter seven and in chapter seven there it was the time where Steven a Jewish believer in Yeshua the Messiah who presented the person of the Lord Jesus the Messiah to the Sanhedrin, to the spiritual leaders of Israel. And you will notice that at the end of chapter seven when Steven was stoned we read in chapter seven verse 58 and cast him out of the city. They cast Steven out of the city of Jerusalem.

They stone him and they stone him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the young man's feet whose name was Shaul. In Hebrew the Hebrew name is actually Shaul. In English you say Shaul. In other words, when Saul when Shaul was standing there he was part of these group called as the Sanhedrin, these the spiritual leaders of our people Israel. And when Steven a Jewish believer in the Lord Jesus the Messiah presented the message to the nation. Unfortunately, he was stoned and Shaul witnessed the stoning of Steven himself. And it is kind of sad to see that the first time we find in Scripture the name of the person of Paul Shaul is in chapter seven and it was a time when he was part of those who rejected the testimony of Steven concerning the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

So from there on from Acts chapter seven and verse 58 we find often time again and again Shaul's name is mentioned. In fact in chapter eight and verse one, Acts eight verse one and Shaul was consenting unto his death. In fact we will learn from this passage that Shaul actually wanted the death of Steven because Shaul himself did not acknowledge that Yeshua was the Messiah in the time where other Jewish believers came to faith in the Lord Jesus the Messiah. Then we continue into chapter nine of book of Acts and again in verse one we find Shaul yet breathing out, threatening and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord went unto the high priest and desired of him letters to the to the synagogues that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem.

So you notice dear brothers and sisters that Shaul actually as it said in chapter nine he was breathing out, threatening and slaughter against the the disciples of the Lord. You see in the early days the disciples of the Lord were Jewish Israeli believers who accepted the Messiahship of Yeshua. They embraced him as their Messiah, Lord and Savior and they became his his disciples. But you could see that Shaul was the one that was threatening them. He was breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord. This is the Lord Jesus, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

What does he do? He's going to the high priest. He desired of him letters to the to the synagogues that if he found any of this way in Hebrew we call it this way. What was this way? This way was the way where these early Hebrew Christians or Messianic Jewish people believe that Yeshua the Messiah, Jesus the Messiah is the way, the truth and the life. They have accepted him while the rest of our own nation Israel did not accept him at his first coming. And so Shaul Paul was one of those who sought to destroy all who believe in Jesus, the Lord Jesus the Messiah.

And he went to the high priest. He asked for letters. He wanted to go to the synagogues in the city of Damascus and those areas around Damascus where there were already other Hebrew Christians, Messianic Jewish people who have accepted the Messiah. And he sought to go against them. He wanted to bring them back to Jerusalem, whether they were male or female, men or women. He wanted to bring them bound unto the city of Jerusalem. I would like to remind you that Shaul never persecuted non-Jewish believers, but he only persecuted Jewish believers because he did not want them to turn away from the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, not understanding that the Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah indeed was the promised one that God have promised the people of Israel.

Now many time people do not understand and they say well his name was Shaul when he was Jewish and his name turned to be Paul when he became a Christian. Now I would like to suggest dear friend that this is not correct. He had both the Hebrew name Shaul and the diaspora name Paul. Many of our own Jewish people have more than one name. One is a Hebrew name, biblical Hebrew name and another is when they live outside of the land of Israel. They have embraced names that is what we would call them diaspora and names.

And to show this to you if you turn with me a little bit further to Acts chapter 13 you will notice in the first a few verses there and I'm reading. Now there were in the church that was in Antioch certain prophets and teachers as Barnabas and Simeon that was called Niger and Lucius of Cyrene and Menahem or Manaen which had been brought up with Herod the Tetrarch and Saul. Notice the name Saul. Then if you just jump a little bit further down to verse nine in verse nine we read then Saul Shaul who also is called Paul filled with the Holy Spirit set his eyes on in.

You notice how Scripture is very clear. His name was Shaul. This is his Hebrew name, but he was also called Paul because he was Paul of Saul of Tarsus living in Tarsus. His name was also Paul because he was living outside of the land and communicating with the Gentile world. So he had both name Shaul and Paul, but it is also interesting that the apostle he became an apostle or Shaul have accepted the Messiah already on the way to Damascus as we read of it in Acts chapter nine. He received the letters from the high priest.

He was on his way to the city of Damascus. And according to Acts chapter nine and verse three and as he journeyed he came near Damascus and suddenly there shone us round about him a light from heaven and he fell unto the earth and he heard a voice saying unto him Shaul Shaul why persecutest thou me? And he said who are thou Lord? And the Lord said I am Yeshua. I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said Lord, what will thou have me to do?

And the Lord said unto him arise and go into the city and it shall be told thee what thou must do. You notice that Shaul received a message from the glorified Lord Jesus the Messiah who was already in heaven. And this light from heaven that shone around him caused him to fall to the earth and Shaul heard the voice of the risen Messiah who once came and he died a shameful death on a Roman cross. And he was buried and he rose again on the third day and he was ascended into heaven and now from heaven as this man by the name of Shaul opposed the message of the gospel, opposed the Hebrew believers of first century on the way to the Damascus to bring them back to Jerusalem and to harm them.

Guess what beloved brothers and sisters, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah met him on that very road to the Damascus and he said to him Shaul Shaul Saul Saul why persecutest thou me? The Lord spoke to him from heaven and he said to him Shaul why do you persecute me? And you see this very one Shaul who loved the God of Israel, who sought to please the God of Israel, who sought to bring those wayward Jewish people back to Jerusalem because they violated according to his view the word of God. And yet the Messiah himself called him and he says why do you persecute me?

We learn a great lesson here from Acts chapter nine that when the believers are being persecuted here on earth those who persecute the believers on earth actually persecute none else but the Lord Jesus, the Lord Yeshua the Messiah himself. And you notice what happened. It says as we read here in Acts chapter nine he said in verse five who are thou Lord? Notice he called him Lord Adon in Hebrew. Who are thou Adon? And the Lord said I am Jesus. I am Yeshua whom thou persecutest. It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

This man by the name of Shaul was opposing the message of the gospel, opposing the believers, the early Hebrew believers, opposing the Lord Jesus the Messiah. And he was now confronted by the glorified Lord Jesus the Messiah himself. And he trembling and astonished said Lord, notice he he called him Adon Adonai Lord, what will you have me to do? Notice that here is we see where this man that we know him from Galatians one one Paul who is none else but Shaul who opposed the gospel. He's saying to the glorified Messiah what will you have me to do?

And here the Lord gave him instruction arise and go into the city and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And as we read a little bit later we find that he went to a man by the name of Hananiah and Ananias as it says here a little bit later in Acts chapter nine. And notice beloved brothers and sisters what the Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah said to Hananiah about this man by the name of Shaul. He said to Hananiah in verse 15 the Lord said unto him that is Hananiah. He says go thy way for he, this is Shaul, he is a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the goyim, the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel, for I will show him how great things he must suffer for my name's sake.

You see beloved brothers and sisters this man by the name of Shaul Paul, he was chosen as a vessel. You see Yeshua said for he's a chosen vessel unto me. You see the Lord Jesus the Messiah chose him to be a vessel. So he will go to bear the name of the Lord Jesus before the Gentiles, before kings and also before the children of Israel, Bnei Israel. And it is amazing first of all to recognize that this person by the name of Shaul, by the name of Paul was a vessel that was chosen by the Messiah himself to be to present him and to testify to the name of Yeshua, to the name of Jesus before the whole world.

And now you have to realize beloved brothers and sisters that when the Messiah came at his first coming, that is just a few years earlier and when he died and he was buried and he rose again our nation Israel did not accept him. That was already foretold by our forefathers Isaiah and Jeremiah and Ezekiel and Daniel and other of the prophets of all who were telling their forefathers that when the Messiah will come he will not be accepted at the first coming. And sure enough Yeshua Jesus the Messiah was not accepted and God have now opened the door for this present day of the church age to present the message of the gospel throughout the whole world.

As we read here he will be a vessel, a chosen vessel unto me to bear my name before the goyim, the Gentiles, all the nations of the world and kings and also before the children of Israel. So it is important to understand it. And especially when there are those who oppose the writings of Paul, of Shaul thinking that what he wrote is not correct and they cannot have confidence in this. Well we have a problem if we don't accept what Shaul Paul wrote because otherwise we have to take half of the Brit Chadashah of the New Testament and reject it as he wrote the Romans and first and second Corinthians and of course Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, first Thessalonians, second Thessalonians and so on Timothy, first Timothy, second Timothy, Titus, Philemon.

We have to set aside all the writings of the apostle Paul. If we reject the fact that his letters were divinely inspired given to us by the Lord himself, something that is very important also in order to strengthen the fact that Shaul Paul knew very well what he was doing when he presented the gospel of the grace of God. Paul Shaul Paul he was a Hebrew, he was an Israeli and he was Jewish. He was a Hebrew, he was an Israeli and he was Jewish. Why we emphasize it again? Because some say that he was a Jew when he before he became a believer in the Lord Jesus the Messiah.

When he became a Christian now he is no longer a Jew and now his name was changed and he's no longer Shaul but Paul. But look beloved brothers and sisters, it's good to be sound in the reading of the word of God according to Philippians chapter three. Paul says in verses four and five he said to the Philippians though I might also have confidence in the flesh if any other men thinkers that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh I more. And then he says in verse five circumcised the eighth day of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of the Hebrew, as touching the law a Pharisee, concerning zeal persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless.

But what things were gained to me those I counted loss for Christ, loss for the Messiah. In other words if someone might say listen Paul Shaul really didn't have any rich heritage when it's come to understanding the background of among the nation of Israel or didn't know much about the history of the people of Israel Shaul Paul tells the Philippians that he knew very well. He is a Hebrew of the Hebrew. And he give us a list here of things concerning himself. He was circumcised on the eighth day. He was of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, an Hebrew of Hebrew, touching the law a Pharisee, concerning zeal persecuting the church, touching the righteousness which is in the law blameless.

But notice this what things were gained to me those I count loss for the Messiah, for Christ.

Guest (Male): You have been listening to the 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 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.