Holy Scriptures and Israel

Guest (Male): 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: Shabbat Shalom everyone. We are now arriving to the last chapter of the book of Galatians. So I like you to turn with me to Galatians chapter 6. Galatians chapter 6 and I would like today to read the first 10 verses of this chapter in the will of the Lord we'll conclude with this book of Galatians in next Saturday next Shabbat meeting with the final remarks to the final portions of the book of Galatians. So please turn with me to Galatians chapter 6 and we are going to read the first 10 verses of this final chapter.

Notice by the way that Galatians 6 begin with the word brethren and it ends with the word brethren in verse 18. And you can see how the apostle Shaul Paul loved his brethren whether they were Jewish or whether they were non-Jewish. He loved his brethren because they were people that belonged to Yeshua the Messiah. They were forgiven, saved people, but they had many needs like you and I have today. So we read in verse 1 Paul is saying brethren if a man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering thyself lest thou also be tempted or tested.

Bear ye one another's burden and so fulfill the law of Mashiach, the law of Christ, the law of Messiah. For if a man think himself to be something when he is nothing he deceives himself. But let every man prove his own work and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone and not in another. For every man shall bear his own burden. Let him that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teaches in all good things. Be not deceived. God is not mocked. For whatsoever a man soweth that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of the flesh reap corruption.

But he that soweth to the spirit shall of the spirit reap life everlasting. And let us not be weary in well doing for in due time we shall reap if we faint not. As we have therefore opportunity let us do good unto all men especially unto them who are of the household of faith. And I'm going to stop here with the 10th verse of Galatians chapter 6. We have covered now much of the material that we have in the letter that Shaul that Paul wrote to the Galatians. You remember that every time that we give that introduction to the new section we are reminded that the reason that the apostle Paul wrote this whole letter is because false teachings were brought into Galatia.

Some came down from Jerusalem and have taught the disciples that they are really not saved unless they are being circumcised and keep the law of Moses. Paul was very unhappy with this false teaching. Why? Because while circumcision were given to our Jewish people Israel as a covenant that God made with the people of Israel it was never given in order for to make Israel saved. And therefore it was not given to the Gentile world and it doesn't save anyone because circumcision has nothing to do with salvation. It simply has to do with the covenant that God made with Abraham in Genesis chapter 17 and Abraham's descendants.

But can you imagine to come down and to say to the Gentiles to the Goim who became believers in Yeshua to tell them listen you are not really saved because you haven't been circumcised and you haven't fulfilled the law of Moses, haven't kept it. And we have also learned that the law of Moses was never given to Israel in order to save Israel. The law of Moses was given to Israel after they were already redeemed and they came out of the land of Egypt. They were already under the blood of the lamb. But it was given to them as a code to live godly, to help them along in their godly conduct in contrast to the rest of the Gentile world.

But the law was never given in order to save Israel. It was given to show the holiness of God which become a mere to the sinfulness that exists in the human nature whether Jewish or whether Gentile for all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. So Paul have gone throughout the whole five chapters to show to Israel first of all his personal and individual testimony how he got saved, how he received forgiveness. And then he gave them doctrinal teaching in chapter 3 and chapter 4 to show them how the fact that in biblical days the reason that the law was given to Israel is to lead them to the Mashiach that in the fullness of time the Messiah finally came.

And he is the one who is the only one who fulfill Torah Moshe, the law of Moses, while all Israel fail, all humanity fail, there was one man that kept the law fully and he is the one that was qualified to become the Mashiach, the Messiah. But then in chapter 5 and chapter 6 that this is the last portion that we are dealing with the apostle Paul is showing now to the Galatians that they have two natures. If they have been born again, if they have been liberated for the judgment that they deserved because of the holiness of the law and because of the sinfulness of men, now they need to live in a liberated life.

And you remember chapter 5 stand therefore verse 1 in the liberty where with the Messiah has made us free, not the law has made us free, but the Mashiach have made us free. Stand therefore upon the ground upon the finished work of Yeshua the Messiah. Don't stand upon any human merits or anything which you could not stand upon, but stand upon the liberty which you have because Yeshua the Messiah have made us free. And we have learned in chapter 5 that the Galatians had their own problems. We have learned it very quickly that the Galatians became to kind of they walked in the flesh instead of walking in the spirit.

And if you remember we went to this charter and we showed you the two you might say the two natures that everyone who is a believer possess the old nature, the flesh, the outward man, the old man, the natural man, the human nature in contrast to the new nature, the spirit, the inward man, the new man, the spiritual man, the divine nature. And we have learned from these chapter 5 that we believers all of us have two natures. The old nature is the Adamic nature which we receive from our mother and father when we were born.

The new nature is the divine nature that we received when we became believers in Yeshua Mashiach. But because God did not take us straight to heaven and left us here on earth like he left the Galatians we are struggling every day and that 's why in Galatians 5 and verse 16 he said to them walk in the spirit and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. He says in verse 17 for the flesh lusts against the spirit and the spirit against the flesh and these are contrary one to another so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.

And what happened beloved brothers and sisters we struggle with it like the Galatians every day. You probably struggle and I probably struggle with that even this morning. The new nature says read the Bible. The old nature says I don't need to do so. The new nature says why don't you give thanks to God? You are starting a new day. The old nature says never mind. The new nature says come to the meeting, if not here any place else, listen to the word of God. The old nature says I don't need to be at meetings to read the scripture.

I can do it my way. I'm going to do my own thing. The new nature says honor God in your life. The old nature says honor yourself, get your own will. I did it my way. I'm going to do my own thing. The struggle that we are experiencing every day in our lives as believers. We experienced this even this morning. I'm confident as we woke up this morning. And now what when we arrive to chapter 6 just before he closes the whole book of Galatians he's now Paul that is he wants to help the Galatians to learn how to really live the life of the child of God in relationship to one another.

Apparently they had their own problems like you and I have our own problem. There are conflict between brethren. There are conflict between the people of God. How do we relate to each other? We always have seems to be having issues. It started 2,000 years ago in the days of the Galatians and it doesn't stop already 2,000 years later. That's why churches and groups of believers are divided, different doctrine, different practices, different relationship one to another. And we find ourselves not living in the light of the Holy Spirit of God in the light of the new nature.

Instead of it we want to get our own way and I'm going to do my things and I'm not going to listen to anything. I am the captain of my ship. I am the sailor. I'm the one who going to lead fly my airplane. I do it my way rather than to do it in the ways of the Lord. And we are struggling with it and now in the 6th chapter it is very interesting because now Paul lead them into the necessity to know how to live among the brothers and sisters in the region of Galatia.

Now you know this brothers and sisters because they were already broken because of the many problems that they had the question was how they will heal the assembly? How will they heal the brothers and sisters in the region of Galatia because apparently they were already a problems if you remember we read it already in the earlier passage of chapter 5 that he said to them you know what's happened is that you end up having the works of the flesh. These all kind of things that are wrong among the brothers and sisters in Galatia instead of the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God.

You could see that they were biting one another. They had problems and how the apostle Paul wanted to bring healing in the midst of the assembly, in the midst of the congregation. Let me just remind you for a moment if you turn to chapter 1 and verse 6 and 7 you can see that the Galatians removed themselves unto another gospel. Notice chapter 1 verse 6 he said I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that call you into the grace of of the Messiah unto another gospel. The Galatians move from the true gospel to another gospel.

Look at chapter 2 and verse 4. They lost their spiritual liberty. Chapter 2 and verse 4 is that because of false brethren unaware brought in who came in privately to spy out our liberty which we have in the Messiah Yeshua that they might bring us into bondage. They in a sense lost their spiritual liberty and they went under bondage. Look at chapter 3 and verse 1. They were bewitched by some. It said in chapter 3 and verse 1 O foolish Galatians who has bewitched you that ye should not obey the truth? They have departed from the truth.

They were bewitched by false teachers and false teaching. In chapter 4 verses 9 and 10 they turned back to the weak and beggarly elements to the ABC instead of progressing spiritually. Notice chapter 4 and verses 9 and 10 it says there in verse 9 he said but now after that ye have known God or rather known of God how turn ye again to the weak and beggarly elements where unto ye desire again to be in bondage. And you notice in chapter 5 and verse 15 and 16 they were biting one another. Notice verse 15 it said but if ye bite and devour one another take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.

In other words the condition was so sad in Galatia that they needed healing. And healing and restoration come from walking in the spirit rather than walking in the flesh. And brothers and sisters I am telling you this if you want ever to serve the Lord and if you want ever to do something for the benefit of believers you and I, all of us, we need to learn to walk in the spirit rather than to walk after the flesh. The flesh profiteth nothing. We will never be able to help any brother or any sister spiritually by acting in the flesh, by doing things and demanding things that are not honoring unto the Lord, forcing upon one another things that do not help us spiritually.

And so in chapter 6 that's where we are. In chapter 6 the apostle Paul now charging the Galatians to walk in the spirit and not to allow themselves to walk in the flesh. And he's telling them how to do so. How in a practical way we have to care for the body of Messiah. And you notice now in these 10 verses that I read there are two important thoughts that we have here in Galatians 6 verses 1 to 10. First of all is the need to bear one another burden verses 1 to 5. Secondly in verses 6 to 10 there is a need to share blessing with one another in order to heal and restore and bless the people of God and encourage them spiritually.

And Paul deal with this in a very practical way. You notice what he says in verse 1 he began and he says listen. Notice what he says. He says brethren wonderful. I always love that statement by Paul. He's calling them Achim. They were Gentiles, most of them. They were not Jewish brethren of Paul who was Jewish. But they were brethren in Mashiach. They were brethren in Messiah. Paul satisfies his concern. He knew that they will be with him forever in eternity when Yeshua the Messiah comes. Because salvation and forgiveness and eternal life only come on a basis of faith in the Messiah.

Jewish or non-Jewish we must believe. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. So he called them brethren, Achim. And now he's saying to them in verse 1 he says listen if a man be overtake in a fault ye which are spiritual restore such a one in the spirit of meekness considering thyself lest thou also be tempted or tested. You notice what he's saying? He doesn't say that believers now will never fail or never fall into sin. We learned very quickly that even though we are believers we have these two natures. We have the Holy Spirit of God indwelt in us.

We have a new nature, a divine nature. But apparently there is a possibility for a believer to fall into sin. We know it in our life every day. We are struggling with it. In fact we are told in scripture that if we say that we have not sin in us we are liars. And the truth is not in us. So Paul is saying listen there may be a possibility that you brethren among yourself Galatians there is a brother or there is a sister who are overtaken in a fault. And the thought here for a fault here when you have this expression here a fault it's coming from the thought of the fact that there is an offense or there is a sin that came up.

It's not necessarily willful. But sin rises within us. Situation come we fail. Because as we mentioned chapter 5 there is the works of the flesh which are and we have here the list of chapter 5 19 adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulation, wrath, strife, sedition, heresies, envying, murderous and drunkenness and reviling and reveling. You know we can see that there is a list of the works of the flesh that we are capable to fall into. So what we going to do with a brother fail or sister fail into fault? In this case use the word if any man be overtaken in a fault or in a sin issue or in a offense what do we do?

Are we going to make a phone call and tell everybody else listen look how bad he is or look how bad she is. We going to announce it to everyone and then we can everybody going to be always heading against that particular person and shoving him or her away from the presence of the Lord, driving them even further. Is that the way to behave when somebody fall into sin? No, the opposite is. The opposite is notice then we want to help one another and to do it in the power of the Holy Spirit of God, to do it in a way that we can help our brothers and sisters who may fall into any kind of a situation.

And you notice who is going to do it? Not everyone because notice he says here ye which are spiritual ye which are spiritual. In other words it's not an person or a brother or a sister that are not spiritual minded, very carnal. Very you might say unspiritual brothers or sisters like we see it in the time of the Corinthians and like we can be ourselves in our life. When we are carnal and we are not spiritual minded and we are walking in the flesh how can we help anybody? In fact if you don't mind turn with me to 1 Corinthians chapter 2 for a moment.

There the apostle Paul write to the Corinthians he says to them notice he's very clearly saying to them the natural man verse 14 said the natural man receives not the things of the spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him. In other words the natural man is the unbeliever. He or she are natural. They are not born again. They do not receive the things of the spirit. But then notice in verse 15 he distinguished and he says but he that is spiritual judges all things. In other words the spiritual here is the one who became a believer and now he can examine, he can judge all things.

But in 1 Corinthians 3 just a few verses further he's speaking about those believers who have the Holy Spirit of God, but they are very carnal. Notice it says in chapter 3 verse 1 and I brethren could not speak unto you as unto spiritual but as unto carnal or fleshy always occupied only with the flesh, not spiritual minded. And you know brothers and sisters the proof is in the pudding because the Corinthians were very carnal. Or they were born again. They had the Holy Spirit of God indwelt in them. They were believers, but they had this issue as well.

They were they were biting one another. They were fighting with one another and apparently the apostle had to to help them and he says listen brethren if any man be overtaken with a fault ye which are not carnal but spiritual. Ye which are spiritual restore such a one in spirit of meekness considering thyself lest thou also be tempted. You know how do we know if we are spiritual minded? You check yourself and I need to check myself. How do you and I relate to one another? How we relate when a brother or sister fail? See the legalist said I'm better.

I haven't done it. The spiritual minded brother or sister says woe is me. I am just as capable to fall into this situation. Help me Lord. Help me Lord. That is what the spiritual minded brother says or sister says Lord I need your grace. I am not better than my brother and my sister. Lord help me to restore my brother and restore my sister. We have to check our hearts. We has to ask ourselves the question I will never do so. I will never fall. I am not capable like what do I am better. I am more capable than then we find out very quickly that this is one of the sign that show that we are very carnal.

And you notice how the apostle Paul is saying brethren if any man be overtaken in a fault ye which are spiritual and you see you and I brothers and sisters need to be in the business of not only preaching the gospel and sharing with the lost the message of the grace of God, but we need also to build each other up instead of tearing things down. Sadly, sadly we end up many time to do the work of the enemy destroying the work of the Lord because I want to get my way because I know better.

Instead of taking wrong willing to take wrong, to take the second place to be humble before the Lord instead of being humble and useful before the Lord we ending up having these element of pride. And that's why the apostle Paul says consider yourself. You will see your day will come. You will need somebody to come to give you a word of encouragement. And you will see if you don't have this right attitude you better don't try to help somebody else. But you watch it if you are condemning and judging and putting down somebody else and instead of helping them to be restored adding to their problems.

You will see because your day will come. God one day will have to deal with you and you will see that when you going to be tested you will see that you fail as well.

Guest (Male): You have been listening to the Holy Scriptures and Israel with Gideon Levytam. Gideon teaches God 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.