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.

Guest (Male): The study of the book of Galatians.

Gideon Levytam: As we continue on and we will see that we're going to go throughout the rest of the letter to the Galatians, we must share the reason for the writing of this letter to the Galatians. You see every letter that Shaul wrote to a certain local assembly in a certain city or a region had a purpose. The reason that he wrote the book of Romans or the letter to the Romans is in order to instruct the Romans believers of the truth of justification. You remember what he said in Romans chapter one and verse 16, for I am not ashamed of the gospel of the Messiah, for it is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that believe.

But then he continue and he said unto the Jew first and also to the Greek. And then in verse 17 he continue Romans 1:16 and 17 he says, for therein the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, as it is written, the just shall live by faith. When Paul wrote to the Romans, he wanted them to understand the truth of justification. We have been declared just justified on the basis of the gospel of the grace of God. I am not ashamed of the gospel of the Messiah, he said in Roman 1:16. It is the power of God unto salvation to everyone that only believe.

Anyone who truly believe in the Lord Yeshua the Messiah in the gospel, his death for our sins, his burial and resurrection, he is redeemed, he is justified. God have declared him just. This is amazing, beloved a brothers and sisters and friends. That's why the apostle Paul wrote the letter to the Romans. The letters that he wrote first Corinthian and second Corinthian, he wrote it to the Corinthian because there was so much problems among the believers in the city of Corinth. There was a lot of immorality, there was a lot of disorder, there was a lot of divisions.

There was a lot of abuses of gifts. There were all sort of things. They were taking each other to court. There were many things that were wrong in the city of Corinth in among those local believers in these local churches in the city of Corinth. So Paul wrote to them these letters to correct them in their error of a divisions and the immorality and the abusing of the gifts that God had given to them and marriage problem and all these. He wrote them these letters in first and second Corinthian. And then later on we will just jump over Galatians for a moment to the Ephesians.

He reminded the Ephesians that they were chosen in Christ in the Messiah from before the foundation of the world and that God himself have enriched them and their promises and their the things that God has for them in heaven, in heavenlies where the believer can have this assurance that we belong to the Lord and all our promises, all would that which God is desiring and planned for those who will trust in him is found in the person of the Lord Jesus in the heavenlies. And one day we're going to be with him in heaven. To the Philippians, he wrote the letter because apparently there were also some divisions there and he was appealing to some of the sisters there to be united together which would bring them joy.

That's why in the book of Philippian, we find out that Paul said in chapter four and verses two and three says, I beseech Euodias and I beseech Syntyche that they be of the same mind in the Lord to have harmony and to have the same mind, not to have conflict and friction. And later on he says, rejoice in the Lord always verse four and again I say rejoice. Let your moderation be made known unto men. The Lord is at hand. In other words, to the Philippian, he emphasized the necessity of harmony which will bring joy among the people of God in the local assembly, in the local congregation.

And of course he also wrote to the believers at Colossae. And the Colossian believers had a problem with holding on to the head of the body, namely Jesus the Messiah, who is the head and the believers here on earth are the body. He is the head who is in heaven and they needed to recognize that he is the head, no one else is the head. The Lord Jesus the Messiah, he is the head of the body and the head to the body. We read in verse 18 of Colossian chapter one and he is the head of the body, the church who is the beginning the firstborn from the dead that in all things he might have the preeminence.

So the Lord Yeshua Jesus the Messiah is the head. The church, the assembly, the the believers here on earth, we are the body of Messiah. And the assembly have to recognize that he is the head and he must have the preeminence. In all things he must be first. He must be receiving preeminence in the lives of God's people. Well, to the Thessalonians, of course he wrote to them because they were concerned concerning the the future day of the the day of the Lord, the tribulation period. Some of the believers passed away. They have accepted the Lord and the apostle Paul instructed them that not to worry that the believers who will be alive will be taken out of here at the rapture of the church and they will not go through the days of the tribulation that will come upon the face of this earth.

So the Thessalonian were concerned and they were didn't know what's going to happen to those that have already passed away. Will they not a come with us out of here a when the tribulation period will come? And therefore the apostle Paul wrote to them in first Thessalonian chapter four. He said to them, but I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, those who died through Jesus, through the Lord Yeshua that he saw not even as others which have no hope. And then he began to give them instruction concerning the rapture of the church.

Now I know that in the churches today in general, there are various views about the snatching up of the assembly of the believers before the time of Jacob's trouble will begin. Some don't believe in the fact that there is that which we understand from scripture, the snatching out of the believers of the church age out of this world. Well, you will have to study this for yourself, but we believe that the true believers in the Lord Jesus the Messiah who have accepted him as their Lord and savior from the days of the apostles in the city of Jerusalem, from these first days of Acts chapter two until the days which is ahead of us, perhaps at any time when the Lord will call his own to be taken to be with him.

We believe that both the dead in Christ will rise first and we which are alive shall be caught up together to meet the Lord Yeshua in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord as we read it in first Thessalonian chapter four verses 16 and 17. As we read, for the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout with the voice of the archangel and with the trump of God and the dead in Messiah shall rise first. Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the cloud to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

We understand from scripture that this is what we call today the rapture, the snatching up of the church of the assembly of the heavenly company out of this sin sick world to be taken to be forever with the Lord. That is why we must distinguish between the promises of God for our own people, the earthly people of Israel and the promises of God for the assembly, the church, the ecclesia. Each one of us who belong to the Lord today since Acts two until today, we are part of the assembly of the ecclesia. God is intending to restore Israel, his earthly people back to himself, but until then the gospel of the grace of God is preached throughout the nations of the world and whoever will believe in him will become part of the heavenly company that is called the church, the assembly in this present day.

So we could see he also Paul wrote to Timothy, a first Timothy and second Timothy and Titus and Philemon that was more personalized letters in which he gave instruction as to how to deal with the believers and how to help them to grow spiritually in their local churches. He wrote to Timothy and to Titus a letters that will be really an instruction, pastoral ministry to know how to handle, how to help the people of God and of course to Philemon. It was a very personal letter that he wrote concerning the men that fled by the name of Onesimus who have accepted the Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

So all these letters were written by the apostle Paul for a reason to these various cities, local assemblies and individuals for reason. Well, in the same way, beloved brothers and sisters, the letter to the Galation was written for a reason and the reason was very serious reason. The reason that the apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians because there was already problem that rose up there where there were those who came from Judea and told the Gentile brethren who have accepted the Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord Jesus the Messiah, they have expected from them to be circumcised and to live their lives according to the law of Moses.

And you notice this, if you will please turn with me to Acts chapter 15 in verse one and I want you to underline verse one because it is very very important. Take this note. We read and certain men which came down from Judea taught the brethren and said, listen to this, except ye be circumcised after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved. You see this? Dear brothers and sisters, listen. These in this case they were Jewish people who believed in Yeshua the Messiah, but they wanted the Gentiles now who also became believers in the Lord Jesus the Messiah.

Now they wanted them not only to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and the Lord Jesus the Messiah, but also to be circumcised according to the law of Moses. And they said to them, if you will not be circumcised according to the law of Moses, you cannot be saved. Now you see what they were doing? They were introducing that which was unbiblical that which was wrong before God saying that salvation to be saved is not enough to believe in the person and the work of the Lord Jesus the Messiah, but in order to be saved in additional to faith in him, you must also be circumcised.

And that was a violation of the word of God. That was a problem. That was the one that caused havoc there among the believers at Galatia and Paul heard that some of them were already influenced by this and they began to impose, you might say on one another not only to believe in Yeshua, in the Lord Jesus, in the Messiah, but also to be circumcised. Now that brought about a problem. And so if you read further on in the whole 15th chapter of Acts, you will notice that Paul and Barnabas had no small a dissension and disputation with those people.

Paul and Barnabas opposed those people, the certain men who came from Judea who taught the brethren and said, except you be circumcised after the men of Moses, you cannot be saved. So Paul and Barnabas opposed them. And there was a decision made that they would go up to Jerusalem to the apostles, to the elders with dealing about this question. And so indeed they went up to Jerusalem. They met with the leaders there in the city of Yerushalayim who all Jewish believers, the assembly began right in the city of Jerusalem with Jewish believers there and they were talking with them and they were sharing with them how the Lord have worked among the Gentiles.

They were received by the brethren in Jerusalem. They were heard by them. And according to a verse five, Paul, Shaul Paul and Barnabas said, but there rose up certain of the sects of the Pharisees which believe saying that it was needful to circumcise them and to commend them to keep the law of Moses. Now you see that's what Paul and Barnabas heard from those who came down to Galatia. But now they heal them in the city of Jerusalem, those who say no no, there was sect of the Pharisees. They say no no no, we to tell them that believe from the Gentiles that they need to be circumcised, but even more they also need we need to commend them to keep the law of Moshe Torat Moshe.

Well, that was a big problem. I would like to remind you a beloved brothers and sisters that circumcision in Hebrew we call it Brit Milah. Brit means a covenant. God made a covenant with Abraham many years before Israel even became a nation and God made this covenant with Abraham and his descendants, namely the Jewish people, mark of the covenant will be to circumcise every Hebrew boy when he's eight days old. We read in Genesis chapter 17. God says in verse 10, and this this is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you and I see it after thee.

Every male child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin and it shall be a token of the covenant between me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every male child in your generation. He that is born in the house or bought with money of any stranger which is not of thy seed. In other words, God made a covenant with Abraham. Genesis chapter 17 verse 10, 11, 12 and so on and the covenant that Brit Milah, covenant of circumcision was with Abraham and his descendants.

It was like a sign of the covenant. The boys that were circumcised they did not even become believers as yet. They were only eight days old. It was the parents who circumcised them and therefore it was the sign of the covenant. It was not given to them because they believed. No, it was given to them even before they became believers as a sign of the covenant. Now these Jewish Pharisees of the sects of the Pharisees, these Jewish individuals demanded these from the Gentiles, but it was not given to the Gentiles. It was not given to the church.

It was given to the people of Israel, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And to demand from them to be circumcised and to tell them that they are not saved if they are not circumcised, that means that salvation is not only through faith in the finished work of Christ, of the Messiah, but in additional to faith in the Messiah, one must do something else. Keep the law of Moses, be circumcised. And today in the later days in the church age, many in the professing church tell us that you are not saved unless you speak in tongues or unless you are being baptized, go under the water baptism, otherwise you are not a saved.

And all sort of works that men introduced today in the later part of the church age just as it began in the early part of the church age. Men somehow want to do something in order to earn salvation by his own merit. And that was the reason why the apostle Paul wrote this very important letter to the Galatians because he wanted to emphasize the fact that salvation the justification and is only on the basis of the finished work of the Messiah and no more and no more. Nothing more needed to be added to the gospel, to the gospel of the grace of God except the finished work of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

And that's why Shaul Paul was so strong in writing this a particular letter for us. And therefore, beloved brothers and sisters, he wrote this letter in order to help the Galatians to understand that. Notice the the key verses in the book of Galatians. Galatians chapter two and verse 16 is the first key verse. Knowing that the man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, Yeshua the Messiah. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ, in Yeshua the Messiah, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law.

For by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. You see, beloved brothers and sisters, this is one of the key verses in this chapter or I should say this is one of the key verses in this letter, in this book that we become justified, recognized as just and saved and forgiven without the works of the law because by deeds of the law, by the works of the law shall no man be justified. Paul never say that there's something wrong with the law. No, Paul is actually tell us elsewhere that the law is holy, that the law is spiritual.

The problem is not with the law. The problem is with us. We have a sin nature. The law condemn us because we never able to rise up to the full requirements of the law. When the law said, thou shalt not covet, we covet. When the law said, you shall not lie, we lie. When the law said, honor your father and your mother, we don't honor our father and our mother. We always come short of the demands of the law and the law condemn us again and again and again. That's why we needed the Messiah Yeshua who came to die for our sin.

And therefore in chapter five of Galatians and then verse one Paul said to the Galatians, stand fast. Therefore in the liberty where with Christ the Messiah has made us free and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. You see works that men seek to do in order to be not only justified, but also sanctified. Works bring us into judgment and into bondage if we don't do them with the help of the Lord. If we try to accomplish something in order to be saved, we will realize that we will fail and God will not accept it.

And that's why the apostle Paul wrote this letter to the Galatians. And so in this introduction we begin with the first two verses of Galatians chapter one where Paul said to them, Paul an apostle not of men, neither by men, but by Jesus Christ, Yeshua HaMashiach and God the Father who raised him from the dead. And all the brethren which are with me unto the assemblies of Galatia, the churches, the congregation of Galatia. And he from here on he will begin to share with them the things that he wanted to instruct them in order to help them to understand the gospel that is the gospel on the basis of the gospel of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, they are saved and no more.

Nothing more except the finished work of our Lord Jesus the Messiah and faith in him, in his person and in his work. Well, beloved brothers and sisters, may the Lord bless his word. Can we say amen to that?

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.