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 Levitan.

Gideon Levytam: The study of Hebrews chapter 10. He that despised Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who has trodden under foot the son of God and has counted that the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing and has done despite unto the spirit of grace. For we know him that has said vengeance belongeth unto me. I will recompense says the Lord and again the Lord shall judge his people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of the living God.

In those verses what we really see and other exhortation that our apostle exalting the first century Hebrew believers and look what he does here. Notice that he says that the believer cannot go on sinning without facing God's judgment. You know you and I cannot go on live in sin willfully and not thinking that we will not face the judgment of God and when we are talking about the judgment of God for a believer we are not talking about eternal judgment. We are talking about judgment with respect to here and now. When it's come to our eternal judgment we have already dealt with in the person of the Messiah when he died for us on the tree and when we accepted him and so he says in verse 26 and 27 for if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaineth no more sacrifice of sin.

But a certain fearful looking of for judgment of fire and indignation which shall devour the adversary. You see sinning willfully is simply this. Is one saying listen I'm going to continue on with my lifestyle away from the Lord without submission to the Lord, without confession of sin, carrying on a lifestyle without self-judgment, without recognizing Lord I need forgiveness. I need cleansing from this sin. I repent. And you see what happened you remember what happened to Israel when Israel came out of Egypt they were under the blood. They came. They killed the lamb. They were covered.

They were under the blood. But who enter into the land? Only two have entered into the land from the initial people who have gone out. What happened to the rest of them? They died in the wilderness. Now I want you to understand they died physically. The lesson there is not dealing with the issue of the eternal separation from God but they died physically. First Corinthians 10 make the very same comparison that we too are not to do what they did. We too are not to have lack of trust in God. We too are not to sin willfully because God is going to judge us also.

He will judge the believer as much as he judged the unbeliever. We are not exempt from the judgment of God. Let us remember that and we need to remember that all the time because sometime we think that God is love and therefore because he is love I can do as I please. I can do what I want. No. God is love but also God is light and that's why it says if we sin willfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth and again I want you to notice he used the word we.

And none of us can say that the writer is not a child of God and none of us can say that the writer can lose his salvation. We are not talking about here loss of salvation. We are talking about the judgment that God will impose upon individual who believe a child of God who refuse to submit to God's will and God will judge believers. And how he going to judge them? There are many ways. Sometime he might discipline us here in one way or another through experiences that we go through life. But sometime he might remove a believer outside of this scene, outside of this world.

You remember what happened in the book of Corinthians. Some of you are weak. Some of you are sick and some of you have fallen asleep. And he's not talking about that they took a nap. He's talking about that they died physically while they were still the children of God. God says you are no good testimony for me here in this world. We read by the way in first John there is a sin unto death and that sin can be difference in every situation to every person maybe a different sin but this is unto a physical death and not a spiritual death.

There is a sin that one may commit here in this world that the apostle said I don't want you to pray for that. God is going to remove a believer out of this sin out of this world because he's not a testimony for the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. So believers cannot go on sinning without facing God's judgment. And you can read it. It has to do with the physical death. First Corinthians 11:30, first John 5 and verse 16 deal with that special that particular part. Now verse 28 under the Mosaic law there were no sacrifices for deliberate and willful sins.

You see what he's saying in verse 28 he says this. He that despised Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. This is the physical death. And you see here again in Deuteronomy chapter 17 with two or three witnesses who have witnessed to the one who despised the law of Moses died without mercy. They were stoning them. Physically they were stoned. We're speaking about physical death. And so you and I are not exempt from the judgment of God because look what he says in verse 29. How much sorer punishment? How much greater punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who has trodden under foot the son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified, set apart an unholy thing and has done despite unto the spirit of grace.

God will give a punishment even believers to the believers who is going on living in sin. There is a greater discipline that God will discipline the believers greater than what happened in under the law of Moses. Because why? Because look at this trodden under foot the son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant wherewith notice he was sanctified, set apart already. You remember if you will look back in verse 14 of our chapter for by one offering he has perfected forever them that are sanctified. He is sanctified but he take it lightly, not carefully recognizing that the preciousness of the work of the Messiah is like trodden under foot the son of God.

And you know that was the danger that have happened at first century with those Hebrew believers who were in a sense trodding under foot the son of God when they are going to the sacrificial system in the temple and they were actually conveying as if it's not sufficient what Yeshua have done. I need to offer another sacrifice of a lamb or sheep on the altar, on the brazen altar. And God says listen how much sorer punishment suppose ye shall he be thought worthy who has trodden under foot the son of God and has counted the blood of the covenant wherewith he was sanctified an unholy thing, not set it apart and has done despite unto the spirit of grace.

Remember by grace we are saved through faith and this is not of ourselves. It is a gift of God and the grace of God that we have received we should never neglect to remember that. We should never neglect to appreciate it every day of our lives. And so now it says in verse 30 and 31 for we know him that has said vengeance is mine. I want you to catch that what it said in these verses for we know that he says vengeance belongeth unto me. I will recompense says the Lord and again listen the Lord shall judge his people.

He's talking about his people. God will judge his people. He will discipline his people and if he will not discipline his people it will not be the right thing to do and you know when we sometime don't discipline when we have a family and children and we don't discipline our children does that mean that our children are not ours anymore because we don't discipline? And if we do discipline them does that mean that they stop to be our children because we spank them? Not at all. It's only show how much we love them and how much because they belong to us we really care for them and they need to be disciplined we discipline them.

And we often make the mistake and we don't discipline our children and that's why sometime we have many problems but discipline is part and parcel of being a parent. And God here we read God shall judge his people. He will judge his people. Vengeance belong to me. I will recompense says the Lord. He will deal with his people. When Israel disobeyed God and took lightly the things of God God discipline Israel and brought Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babel and he took them and he used the hand of Nebuchadnezzar to drive the people of Israel into Babylon and there in Babylon the people of Israel wept there.

By the rivers of Babylon you remember there we sat down and we wept as we remembered Zion. There they asked of us those there sing us one of Zion songs and they said how shall we sing the Lord song in a strange land? If I forget thee Jerusalem let my right hand forget my cunning. Well why now you are singing? Why now all of a sudden you remember Jerusalem? When you were in Jerusalem you didn't remember Jerusalem. That's how we are beloved. When we are in a place of blessing we neglect this and we forget this and we take it for granted until God remove it from us and then all of a sudden we start to remember what we had.

And that's the way it is with God's people. And you notice it is a fearful thing verse 31 to fall into the hands of the living God. Do you remember what we read today in our reading and I enjoyed this passage in the book of Chronicles. Remember we read in the book of Chronicles first Chronicles chapter 21. You remember what David said? You remember when David disobeyed God and Satan stood against Israel. Satan provoked David to number Israel and David instead of trusting God he began to number the people of Israel and he wanted to see the amount of power that he had and how many men strong men in Israel that he had and he was proud in what he is capable to do.

You see look how many Hebrews, how many Israelites, how many Jewish soldiers that can fight we have. Not recognizing that it was God who fought for him. It was God repowered him. So because he numbered the people in first Chronicles chapter 21 God was wrath with David. It says here God was displeased with this thing. Therefore he smote Israel. God disciplined David and the nation of Israel because David did not submit himself to God, did not recognize who God was. But when God punished Israel David realized that. And so you know what God gave him a chance.

God told David David through God the prophet he said you choose three things. Either three years of famine David for Israel or three months to be devoured before thy foes while the sword of thine enemies overtake you David and take the nation or else three days of the sword of the Lord. You choose David. And you know what David chose? It says here let me fall now into the hand of the Lord. For great is his mercies. David chose to fall into the hands of the Lord, to fall to the hand of a merciful God.

It is a fearful thing to fall into God's hand in judgment but it is a blessing. It is a wonderful thing to fall into the hands of God's cleansing and forgiving and restoration, God's hands of restoration. And that why at first Chronicles David chose to fall into the hand of God rather than to fall into the hand of men. He chose to fall into the hands of God in his grace, in his love and his forgiveness. When he confess his sins God have forgave. And that's why beloved brothers and sisters listen to this. In this chapter he says to the Hebrew believers listen if you continue on in sin without judgment, without confession, without repentance, without turning to God it is a fearful thing to fall into the hand of God recognizing that he is a holy God and he is going to judgment but if you confess your sins, if you repent and you recognize that you need him.

It is a wonderful thing to fall into God's hand for cleansing and for restoration. And that's the thought that we have here in Hebrews chapter 10. Now quickly to wrap everything up in verse 32 to 39 look what he's telling the believers there, the encouragement for us all. Encouragement for those Hebrew believers in verses 32 to the end. But you notice there's a turning here, there's a pivot here. After he said in verses 26 to 31 the butt is shifting us into a proper way. But call to remember the former days in which after ye were illuminated ye endure the great fight of affliction.

Verse 33 partly while he were made game stock or a gazing stock both by reproaches and afflictions and partly while he became companions of them that were so used. In verse 32 and 33 he says you need to remember the former days. Look back Hebrew believers. In the past he says look you were illuminated, you were enlightened by God's word and you have endured affliction. You suffered for the Lord before. You remember those days in which you were faithful to the Lord and you suffered for the name of the Lord Jesus the Messiah. And remember you were gainsaying stop both by reproaches and affliction.

In other words they were afflicted. They were reproached. They were put to shame by others those Hebrew believers. And he says look back and you remember those days. How come at that time you continue to follow the Messiah? How come now you start to waver? How come now you start to desire to go back to things that have been done away with? Look back and remember and you and I can definitely look back and remember. I remember years ago when I first became a believer in Yeshua the Messiah I literally fell in love with Jesus.

It was such a love for the person, the beauty of the Lord. He was such a beautiful person before my eyes and I'm sure you felt the same when we first became believers. We wanted so much to be close to him and to be with him. But things got slack, right? We become smarter all of a sudden. I'm a believer now for 10 years, you see. I don't need so much those things, you see. I needed them then but things come in between us and the Lord. And the relationship on the enjoyment of the relationship is began to be torn.

Something happened. It's not him beloved, it's you and I. It's not him beloved, it's the Hebrews of old. It is not him, it is the believer who allows sin to come into his or her life which cause us all of a sudden not to walk with him the same way we used to walk with him in the past. Look back a little bit in you your history as a believer and look back and you will see I remember those days. It's the same thing with the husband and wife relationship. You know when we first got married and the love relationship that we had with our wives and our husbands and we wanted to be with them all day long and all the time and we phoned and we wrote and we did everything until time passes by we start to get used to each other.

I see him all the time. I see her all the time. We getting older. We don't look as good as we used to look. We getting chubbier and bolder and wrinklier and all these kind of thing we have. All of a sudden the love that we used to have towards each other began to diminish. But it shouldn't be with the Lord like that. We should love him ever more recognizing how much we need him even more in our lives. But unfortunately it is like this with us much of the time. And he continue and in verse 34 he says the Hebrew believer did care for the writer.

You notice apparently they knew the writer. They knew the one that wrote them and in verse 34 he says for ye had compassion of me in my bonds. And you took joyfully the spoiling of your goods knowing in yourself that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance. You see apparently the Hebrew writer and the readers knew each other. And they loved him. They cared for him and you see they gave of their substance to him, to that servant of the Lord. It says there look in verse 34 you had compassion on me in my bonds.

When they found out that he was suffering, he was perhaps if the apostle Paul wrote it he was in jail or so on and they had compassion on him. So what did they do? They gave him of their substance. They send gifts towards him. The Philippians did to the apostle Paul. And he said knowing yourself that ye have in heaven better and an enduring substance. They have helped him in a practical way. They have helped the writer. Notice verse 35 and 36 there is a need of confidence and there is a need of patience. He says to them in verse 35 cast not away therefore your confidence which has a great recompense of reward for ye have need of patience that after ye have done the will of God ye might receive the promise.

You see those Hebrew believers in first century should have been encouraged by the writer, by the apostle to have confidence in the Lord and to have patience. And you know tribulation teaches us patience. If we don't go through trouble in our life we will never learn patience. Romans 5 teaches us this. Tribulation works patience. Don't ever pray for patience because if you going to pray for patience God is going to give you trouble in your life. So we need patience but patience come through experience, through trials and sufferings and all kind of things that happening to us in our life.

So they needed to have confidence in him and in his word and patience to wait on the Lord. They that wait upon the Lord they will renew their strength. And finally verses 37 and 38 the Messiah will return and trust him and have faith in him. He's saying to them in verse 37 and 38 for yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry. You notice that? Yet a little while. Now the little while for them was not too long but we are already 2,000 years later and he still haven't come and he's telling us the same thing.

Yet a little while and he that shall come. You see the assurance? He will come. He promised that he will come. He will come and he will not delay. He will come. The reason that he is delayed so far is perhaps beloved brothers and sisters and you and I do not every situation perhaps for you to come to faith in the Messiah and to be part of the family of God. Perhaps for me, perhaps from one of our children, one of our parents, one of our brothers and sisters, perhaps today one of them will come to faith in the Messiah.

Yet a little while he will come. He that shall come will come and he will not tarry. And now what he does beloved he quoting for them a verse from the Hebrew scriptures in verse 38 here. Now the just shall live by faith. But if any man draw back my soul shall have no pleasure in him or in hell. And you notice he says here the just shall live by faith. In Hebrew It is taken from the book of Habakkuk and in the book of Habakkuk it's amazingly unfold before us this statement. The just shall live by faith.

Actually it's really should be read the just shall live by his faithfulness. God want us to be faithful to him and that's the thought that we get here. The just shall live by his faithfulness to the Lord. Faith in the Lord but faithfulness to the Lord. The word emunah in Hebrew is also means steadiness. When Moses you remember when Moses had to lift up his hand when the was the war between Israel and the Amalekite and because he was heavy his hand was heavy he got some help to hold his hands up. And we read in scripture and his hand were his hand in English they said they were steady.

And you know what we need as believers is to have a steady, consistent life. Not like that and like that, not like wavering. One day One day we are going, the next day we don't. One day we are faithful, the next day we don't. We need a steadiness of walk with the Lord. How much we need that? We should seek by the grace of God, not in our own strength, by the grace of God to have a steady, step by step walk with the Lord. We don't need to be on cloud nine one day and then in valley seven the other day.

We need to be steady, consistently walking with the Lord, with his help, with encouragement from each other and he will enable us to do so. And by the way this verse is quoted three times in the New Testament. It's quoted in here Hebrews 10 and verse 38. It's quoted in Romans chapter one and verse 17 and it's also quoted in Galatians chapter three and verse 11. It is interesting verse. The just shall live by his faithfulness. Romans 1:17, Hebrews that we have here at chapter 10 verse 38 and Galatians three and verse 11. And in every book towards of this verse is emphasized.

The just towards shall live towards by faith towards. You see every one of them emphasize another aspect of this verse. In Romans 1:17 the emphasis is on this two words the just. Because the theme of Roman is justification. And then the second shall live is emphasized in Galatians three and verse 11. It's on the living of the believer. And in Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 38 is the last towards by faith or by his faithfulness. The just Romans 1:17 shall live Galatians three and verse 11 by his faithfulness Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 38. All this statement has been taken from Habakkuk chapter two verses three and four.

And here's the conclusion of course is in verse 39 but we are not of them who draw back unto perdition but of them that believe to the saving of the soul. The word for perdition here is found quite a few times in the Bible and the word perdition can mean to perish, can mean to die, can mean to be destructed and can also mean to be wasted. And here the thought is that we are not of them that draw back into wasteful life. We are not to waste our life. We are to use our lives in a way that it is pleasing to the Lord.

And therefore we are not of them that believe unto perdition unto a wasteful life. We are those that believe unto the saving of the soul. The saving of the soul is that God have saved us eternally but he's also saving us presently from all kind of mischief, of our mischief. He can deliver us even now from all kind of things that would present themselves in our lives that will cause us to shift and go astray from the will of the Lord. And beloved brothers and sisters what a chapter. What an interesting chapter. The fourth warning that he gives us here is a warning not to despise the word of God.

Take it to heart. Remember what the Lord have done for us and let us move on and live for him in this world. Can we say amen to that?

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