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Social media often misleads us with fleeting validation, but as Rabbi Schneider reveals, our true identity and worth were established by God before the foundation of the world. Dive into the depths of Ephesians to discover how God's love and preordained plan for us provide lasting value and purpose. This episode breaks down the Scripture's powerful message, reassuring us that we've been chosen not for worldly affirmation, but for a divine purpose, to be holy and blameless before Him. Explore the transformative truths that can steer you away from social media's false idols towards a path of spiritual fulfillment.
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Welcome to Discovering the Jewish Jesus. I'm your host, Dustin Roberts, and today Rabbi Schneider's gonna share with us why God chose us before the foundation of the world. Most of us have probably come face to face with how things like social media, sometimes it can be bad for our mental health. There are so many people who are desperately searching for someone to tell them that they matter. But really, how many likes does it take these days to feel worthy? When is enough enough? How many comments or shares will make us feel valuable? Well, today, Rabbi Schneider, he's going to take us on an amazing journey through Ephesians to explain why your worth, it isn't established in social media. It's established by God long before the foundations of the world. Let's join Rabbi right now for this life-changing message.
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Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah, Hallelujah Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
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So once again, for those of you that have never heard me sing this little song before, all of you know the word hallelujah. It means praise Yah. And Yah is used in scripture as an abbreviated form of Yahweh, the God of Israel, the one that you and I are in covenant with. through our relationship with Messiah Yeshua. Beloved, I'm excited today because we're beginning a brand new series through one of my all-time favorite books in the entire Word of God, even from the time that I was a new believer. We're going today, by the grace of the Lord, Baruch Hashem, to the book of Ephesians. So we'll be going line by line. You'll be able to follow with me if you want to have your Bible in front of you. It's such an incredibly deep revelation of God and the relationship that he's established with you and I through Messiah. So let's get right into it now. Ephesians chapter one. Here we go, friends. Verse number one, Paul. Many of you know that Paul is a Jew, the Jewish apostle, and the Hebrew name for Paul is Shaul. Paul or Shaul, an apostle, and the word apostle, it means a sent one. So an apostle is a sent one. Apostles in the New Testament, they were ground breakers. They were sent of the Lord to establish new territories that had not been reached to lay foundations, biblical foundations, in those territories. So the Apostle Paul, or Shaul, he would go from city to city preaching the gospel. He would establish churches in those local cities. He would appoint elders there, and then he would move on. And so we read, for example, in the book of Titus, how he told Titus to continue on with the work that he had started, to appoint elders in every city. So apostles, they're not just pastors. They're not even just preachers. They're groundbreakers. Apostles lay the foundation. And so the apostle Paul said that he was determined not to build on another man's foundation. You could kind of look today at a church planter, somebody that goes, or a missionary that goes to a new area, preaches the gospel there for the first time, starts a local church, establishes leaders in that church, and then moves on. So this is who Paul is, his role. Paul, an apostle of Christ, and many of you know that Christ is just the Greek word for the Hebrew Mashiach or anointed one. And so Christ, once again, the New Testament written in Greek, is the equivalent of the Hebrew word Mashiach. So Jesus, we call him Yeshua HaMashiach. Many of you have heard that term before, Yeshua, Jesus in Hebrew. Ha means the, Mashiach, anointed one, Yeshua HaMashiach. So Paul, an apostle of Christ or an apostle of Mashiach, the anointed one, by the will of God, Christ Jesus by the will of God. And then he continues on, to the saints who are at Ephesus who are faithful in Christ Jesus. He was writing to God's people. Grace to you, and I love that Paul begins every one of his letters by blessing God's people. He doesn't begin his letters with a condemnation word. He begins his letters by blessing them, letting God's people everywhere know how fond the Father is of you and I. Paul's letters are not just to Ephesus or any of the other local churches that he ministered to or wrote his letters to. His letters are for the whole church, for you and I today. That's why the Bible's been preserved. So what Paul wrote to the saints at Ephesus, you and I could receive that same truth today. So notice how he begins. Grace to you, Paul begins, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. And so this is God, the way God approaches you. Think about this. God does not approach you and I, beloved ones, you know, with fiery wrath. He approaches us, peace. Jesus approached the disciples. He said, peace unto you, right? So Paul, once again, grace, chesed to you, and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. A lot of times we're afraid of God. You know, we're aware of our own sin, of our own failings, so we're almost afraid of God. We're afraid to approach Him. We're afraid of God, but notice what God says. Grace to you, my child, and peace to you today. I love you. Let's continue on. Paul continues in verse three, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Now I wanna draw your attention here to the fact that Paul's addressment is to the Father here, listen. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Listen again and I wanna talk about it. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The point that I'm driving towards is that many times in the church, People just focus on Jesus. You know, they just focus on singing songs to Jesus, talking to Jesus, praying to Jesus, and it's like their whole faith is centered on Jesus, but they've left out God the Father. You see, Jesus is the way, but the Father's the destination. The reason Jesus came, listen, is because the Father sent him. It all begins and ends with the Father, right? Even the most famous verse in the Bible, John 3, 16. For God so loved the world that he gave himself His only begotten son, Jesus, and whosoever believes in him might not perish but have everlasting life. But do you see it began with God the Father? God the Father's love for you caused him to send Jesus for you. But a lot of times you and I, we haven't been thankful to the Father. We haven't really understood that it's all coming from the Father. We've made it all about Jesus and we've eliminated the Father. This is in no way minimizing Jesus. It's just restoring the place of the Father. Remember Yeshua said, when you pray, pray in this way, our Father who art in heaven. So what I'm trying to do, beloved church, is to restore the place of Father God in our hearts. Remember, Jesus is the way to the destination, but he's not the destination. The Father is the destination, right? Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man come to the Father but through me. So let's read the verse again, and then we'll continue on. Blessed be the God and Father... of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us, listen to that word, he has blessed us, it's already done, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. Now this is a word that is not just an anticipation of something in the future, but it states a fact that's already happened, that we've been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. Now, the reality is it's a process for us to enter in to the enjoyment of the blessing, right? What are the blessings? Peace, love, Power, the enjoyment of fellowship with the Holy Spirit, supernatural joy, the soundness of the mind of Christ. I mean, spiritual blessings, all the things that are of the Spirit, love, joy, peace, goodness, all these things of the Spirit. We've been blessed with the very essence of God's presence in our life, the fullness of who He is. Every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places is ours in Christ. But the reality is, to enter into the enjoyment of these blessings, it takes time. Because it involves a dying to the flesh, like John the Baptist said, he must increase and I must decrease. But know that you've already been blessed. This is why the scripture says, In Christ, we are complete. So now it's just a matter of you and I spending our whole lives crucifying the flesh, sowing to the Spirit, so that we can enter into our inheritance in the Spirit. So we've been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.
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You can even follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram. Check out all these resources online today. When you give to Discovering the Jewish Jesus, it allows us to spend more time focusing on what really matters. And for us, that means getting God's word out to as many people as possible. And right now, at this very moment, there is someone who needs to hear Rabbi's practical biblical teaching. And your financial gift is what makes that possible. To donate, go online to discoveringthejewishjesus.com. Now to conclude today's message, here's Rabbi Schneider.
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Now the next verse is a conundrum because the next verse uses a word that actually leads up to verse number five, but we're gonna look into a word here as we get to verse number five that is gonna mess some Christians up. Let's go there. Verse number four, the next verse, just as he chose us in him, we're blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places in the same way, listen, that he chose us in him. Just as He, who's He? He's the Father, right? If you're looking at your Bible with me, just as He, this is referring to the Father, just as the Father chose us in Him. Who's the Him? Jesus. So the Father chose us in His Son. The Father chose us to be in the Son. All the Father's love is focused on the Son. See, the Creator is love. God is love. But love has to have an object. I mean, love has to have an object by its very nature. So the Father's love has always been focused on His Son, who's always been in His bosom. Now you and I have been chosen in Him, in the Son. So that now, even as the Father's love is focused on Jesus, now because you're in Jesus, all that love is focused in you. Now, I love what he says next. Why are we chosen in him before the foundation of the world? This is really important. We're chosen. He chose us in him. When did he choose us? Before the foundation of the world. And why? That we would be holy and blameless before him in love. Now, let's consider this together. You and I, those that know Jesus, you and I that are truly in relationship with Him. We are in relationship with Him because God the Father shows us to be in relationship with Him when? Listen, before you were born. Paul says this choice of you was made before the foundation of the world. I mean, this is a big thing to get our heads wrapped around. So many people today, they're looking for identity. It's all about us wanting to be affirmed in our identity. And the way that we do it, because there's deception going on, is we're looking to the world to affirm us. So we keep on posting on Facebook. We keep on taking selfies. We keep on looking in the mirror. People are looking for identity. The whole world is in a complete identity crisis. That's why we've got this transgender movement going on. People are so confused about their identity. But when you know, beloved, according to the word of God, who you are, it answers the question of who you are. You are chosen by the Father, you were chosen by the Father in love before you were even born, and the purpose for which you're chosen is that you would be holy before the Father and blameless before him in love. Let's read the whole verse again. Just as he, the Father, chose us in him, in Messiah, before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him in love. Now, what does holy mean? Holy means to be set apart. God himself, above all else, listen now, is holy. The Hebrew word for holy is kadosh. It carries with it the meaning of being cut out. Holy, once again, is to be unique and to be separated. God, if you think about this, as he is revealed in Scripture... He's revealed as love, right? He's revealed as a compassionate God. He's revealed as all-knowing. All those things are true about God, but there's only two times in the entire Bible where there's a threefold repetition of any of God's attributes that reveal who He is. In other words, we know that God is love, but we never see any word in the Bible that says, God is loving, God is loving, God is loving. There's only one of His attributes that comes with a threefold repetition, and that's in regard to His holiness. We see this first revealed in Isaiah chapter six. Isaiah has a vision of the Lord, right? Isaiah is caught up into the heavens. He sees God on the throne. Isaiah's response is he falls on the ground like a dead man. And Isaiah says, woe is me, he said, for I am unclean. I'm surrounded by a people of unclean lips. He sees God on the throne. And when he sees God on the throne, he said there were angels, seraphim, around the throne. Isaiah said, and the seraphim or the seraphim did not stop crying out, day and night, listen, kadosh, kadosh, kadosh, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty and the whole earth is full of his glory. So God above everything else is holy. He is unique. He is separate. He is unlike every other thing that exists. Think about it. God is the only person that has not been created. He's the creator. He came from nothing. He's completely different and unique. John, in the book of Revelation chapter four, had the same exact vision that Isaiah did. John is caught up into the heavens. He sees God on the throne. He sees the seraphim around the throne. And what's going on? The seraphim don't stop crying out day and night. What? Kaddosh, Kaddosh, Kaddosh, holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. So God is above all else, separate, completely unique, completely different. What have we been called to be? We have called to be holy before the Lord in love. God has separated us from the world and called us to be holy unto Him, to be unique people, to be a unique son and daughter in the earth. We are different. We're called to be different. Isn't it so unfortunate that so many of God's people, rather than accepting the call, that God loves you so much that he chose you in his love before the foundation of the world for the purpose of being separate unto him, being holy unto him, being unique unto him. This is why Jesus said, if you were of the world, the world would love you. But because I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. If you were of the world, the world would love you. But I chose you, same word that Paul uses here, out of the world. So as you and I, beloved ones, are trying to figure out who we are, let's stop looking in the mirror all the time, thinking that we're going to find our identity by what we look like. You know, the physical appearance, the flesh changes all the time, it withers away and is gone. Let's not look primarily to other people to know who we are, because people are fickle, it's always gonna change, and they're not a parameter of truth. If we wanna know who we are, Let's take our identity from the revelation of truth that we have in the Word of God. When you know that the Father loves you with an everlasting love, that you did not first choose Him, but he first chose you. And his choice of you wasn't based on anything that he saw in you that was better than anybody else. He simply, beloved, decided to love you. Even as a mom loves the infant before that infant even comes out of the womb, it's simply based on the mother's choice to love that infant within her. It's an unconditional love. That's how God loves you and me. He chose to put his love upon you, not because of anything that he foresaw you would do in advance, not even because he foresaw that you would choose him. Rather, he chose you. Jesus said, you did not choose me. I chose you. Now, in the next episode, I'm going to get into a word that connects to this. In verse number five, we're going to be looking at the word predestined. Not only were you chosen, predestined. You're predestined. So let's build up, beloved, our identities in the love of God. Let's step out of the world. Let's stop looking to other people for identity. And let's accept the truth about who we are. You and I, God's people, were chosen before the foundation of the world. We were predestined to be His, to be separate unto Him in this world. Let's fulfill our calling and love Him back. A portion of Scripture that I've really been examining my own heart in before the Lord is the portion where Jesus told the rich young ruler to go sell everything that he had and then to follow Yeshua, and then he would inherit eternal life. This rich young ruler, he was a moral person, but he clung to his financial possessions. It was the most important thing in his life. And I've been lifting up my own heart to the Lord and saying, Lord, are my surrender to you in the area of my finances? I know, Abba, that I need to be completely surrendered to you in every area of my life. So help me to completely release my possessions and my finances to you. You see, many of you are like me. You have a hard time trusting God with your finances. You trust him in other areas of your life, but you haven't yet trusted him here. Beloved, I want you to know Jesus wants to be the Lord of every area of our life. Let's honor him with our finances.
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Amen. And to give a meaningful financial gift today, would you visit us online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. You're supported, helps us continue sharing timeless biblical wisdom so that people can come to know Christ and your understanding of the word can go deeper and deeper. You can also give when you call us at 800-777-7835, or you can send in your donation in the mail to Discovering the Jewish Jesus, PO Box 777, Blissfield, Michigan 49228. And as our way of saying thanks back to you for your gifts, we want to welcome you into our community. And we'll do that by sending you our latest newsletter straight to your mailbox. It's an exclusive monthly publication with a treasure trove of spiritual insights, featuring in-depth teachings from Rabbi, heartfelt and personal reflections from his wife, Cynthia, and even powerful testimonies of transformed lives of listeners all around the world. And speaking of transformed lives, we want you to experience the transformative power of the Aaronic Blessing. It's absolutely free in our resource package where we have an MP3 audio guide and also a PDF study guide. This bundle will help you explore the timeless blessing to discover its relevance in the lives of believers today. Make sure to request this free resource today. All you have to do is visit myfreegift.com forward slash peace. And now let's wrap up today's message with this exact sacred and special blessing. Rabbi?
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The Aaronic blessing in the book of Numbers chapter 6 is not a blessing that comes from an impersonal being out there somewhere in the heavens. This special blessing comes from a person, Yahweh God Almighty, our creator and maker. So receive God's blessing into your life right now.
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Yevarecheche Yahweh vayishmarecha Ya'er Yahweh panaveylecha is shalom
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The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with His countenance. And the Lord give you, beloved one, His peace. God bless you and shalom.
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I'm Dustin Roberts, and this program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. Join us again next time when Rabbi Schneider explains how you can step into your identity. Learn more Tuesday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.
In today's episode, Rabbi Schneider sheds light on two crucial aspects of a believer's journey: the boundless, tender love of God and the purifying gift of fearing the Lord. Drawing from Psalm 103:11, Rabbi encourages listeners to consider the magnitude of divine love that surpasses human comprehension. Furthermore, he explains how the fear of the Lord is not contrary to His love, but rather complements it harmoniously, leading to peace and spiritual cleansing.
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Welcome to Seeds of Revelation, a short devotional presented by Rabbi Schneider, a Jewish believer in Jesus, the Messiah. I've got a verse for you, beloved. This verse should blow our minds. I'm reading from Psalm number 103, verse number 11. I want this really, Holy Spirit, I pray that you just give us revelation of the weight of what is written. Hear the word of God. For as high as the heavens are above the earth... So great is his loving kindness towards those who fear him. As high as the heavens are above the earth. How high are the heavens above the earth? Immeasurable, right? It's unfathomable. The human mind cannot grasp it. God is above time and space. That's how high the heavens are above the earth. Similarly, is the greatness of his love towards those of us that are his, towards those of us that fear him. So many things we could talk about here. The first thing I want to say is God loves you and I so much more than we realize. You know, the devil's the accuser of the brethren. He's always right there trying to prevent us from believing in the tender mercies of the Lord for us. God's tenderness towards you and I, it's so great, it's unfathomable. He loves us, friends. The number of hairs on our head are numbered before him. He understands our weaknesses. Notice also this verse says that his loving kindness that is equal to the distance between the heavens and the earth is towards those, the psalmist says, who fear him. You don't hear much about the fear of the Lord anymore. That is such a tragedy. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. The fear of the Lord keeps us from sinning. David said, I fear thy judgments. Yeshua said, don't fear man that's able to destroy both soul and body in hell. I'm sorry, Yeshua said, don't fear man that's able to destroy the body, but then could do nothing more, but rather fear him that's able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Listen, when you fear the Lord, when I fear the Lord, and we don't fear anything above him, we have peace in our lives. All the other petty fears go out the window when we've learned to fear the Lord alone. So the two things that we focused on today is the incredible tenderness of God's love for us, how broad and deep and wide. It's incomprehensible to the natural mind, the depth of God's love. Father, help me, help us all to know the fullness, the fullness of your love for us in Yeshua. And then secondly, we talked today, beloved one, about the fear of the Lord, beloved. It's a gift. The fear of the Lord restores the soul. The fear of the Lord cleanses us. The fear of the Lord is clean and it endures forever. So I want to encourage you today to embrace the love of God for you. and to embrace the fear of the Lord and even pray for it. Yeshua in the book of Isaiah is described as one that had the fear of the Lord upon him. The fear of the Lord, beloved, it's a beautiful thing. The love of God and the fear of God are not opposite. They're both a beautiful part of the same diamond, and your God is the diamond.
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We hope you were blessed by today's Seeds of Revelation. If the Lord is leading you to support the ministry of Rabbi Schneider, you can donate at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And while you're there, make sure to check out our many other free resources.
Join us as Rabbi Schneider delves into the trustworthiness of the New Testament, examining criteria that historians have used to judge ancient documents. Discover how the words and testimonies of those who walked alongside Jesus offer solid ground for faith and understanding. Whether you're seeking to deepen your faith or exploring these enduring works, this episode is a chance to feel the historical and personal weight of Jesus’ presence, and to consider the transformative power His words have over our lives today.
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Welcome to Discovering the Jewish Jesus. I'm your host, Dustin Roberts. And for the next 25 minutes, we're going to be looking at life's most important questions. Sometimes we can feel like just another face in the crowd. But what if I told you that you're not just a statistic, you're a unique individual with a purpose and your purpose goes beyond your daily routine. It's true. Today, Rabbi Schneider, he's going to explain why God's not just interested in humanity as a whole, but in you individually. This message is called The Accuracy of Scripture. And if you'd like to learn more about Rabbi or this ministry, go online to our website, discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And now here's Rabbi Schneider.
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Father, we bless you today. Lord Jesus, our Messiah, we bless you today. And we pray that you will use this broadcast to bring people to salvation and to cause us to become greater soul winners for you. And all God's people spoke Hebrew and said, Amen and Amen. We began to say that the most profound questions in life are these. Who am I? Where did I come from? How did I get here? What's going to happen to me when I die? And what am I on earth for? We said that these questions can really only be answered in the light of eternity. I pointed out the fallacies in getting our identity from this world or in living for the things of this world, because all that's in this world is passing away. But Jesus said, if you build your house on me, it's like a man that built this house on a rock. and your house is going to stand, even when the waves come and the storm blows, you're going to stand because you built your house in the eternal. We talked about that. But I want to move on today, beloved, to dwelling deeper into a subject that I touched on in the earlier broadcast that answers these questions and helps answer these questions, and that is this. Do the words of Jesus as recorded in the New Testament really give us the answers to life's greatest questions? Does the Bible, the Word of God, really answer the questions, who am I? Why am I here? And what happens to me when I die? Well, we know the Bible begins with these words in the book of Genesis. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Beloved, there is no other way to answer the existence of the universe and the reality of our existence other than the fact that there was a first cause. The Big Bang does not answer the problem of first cause. It had to start somewhere. It had to start with the cause that had no cause, and that first cause is God. The second area that we need to dwell and that I want to dwell in more deeply today is, but does the Bible really accurately record for us what Jesus said? In other words, does Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, when they record for us the words of Jesus, is the Bible an accurate record of what Jesus really said? Can it really be trusted? As I said on an earlier broadcast, no one doubts The literal historical personage of Jesus of Nazareth. Everybody knows, all historians, secular, religious alike, know that there was a literal historical person that walked upon the earth, Jesus of Nazareth. The question was, who was he? And we talked about that. The greatest amount of information that we have on who this Jesus was is the New Testament. But the question is, can the New Testament be trusted? And does it accurately record for us what Jesus did and what He said? Now I alluded to the fact earlier that Ancient historical documents were judged by certain criteria that historians agreed upon. And the New Testament writings, beloved, have the highest credibility in terms of the tests that they passed for being considered a valid, authentic, historical document. Why? Because number one, the New Testament was written by people that actually lived during Jesus' lifetime. It wasn't written by people that lived hundreds of years after his death. Alexander the Great, the records that we have of him, were written by people that lived more than 100 years after his life, yet no one doubts the accuracy of them. How much better the New Testament that wasn't written by people that lived 100 years after Jesus died, but rather the New Testament was written by people that walked with Jesus, that heard what he said, that touched him. In fact, Paul documented the people that Jesus appeared to after he had risen from the dead. And Paul starts out at the grave that Jesus appeared after he had risen from the dead, first to the two women at the tomb. And then Jesus appeared to the disciples, his apostles. And then Paul said this, not only did he appear to the apostles, Not only did he appear to the two women at the grave, he's not saying this is only symbolic. He's saying this is real. He really appeared to these people. He said, not only that, Paul said, but he appeared to me. I was on the road to Damascus to arrest, Paul said, any Jew that was believing in Jesus. And while I was on the road, Jesus appeared to me and he blinded me and knocked me off my horse. And I was on the ground blind and I couldn't see. And I spoke to the one that had blinded me. And I said, who are you? And he said, I'm Jesus who you are persecuting. Now get up and it will be told what you must do for me. So Paul says, he's alive. He's real. He appeared to me and the words that I'm giving you, these aren't fairy tales. These aren't myths. We're not making these up. I met Jesus. He spoke to me. But I love what Paul said next. Paul said, not only that, But this Jesus appeared to 500 people that were gathered together in one place all at the same time. And Paul said this, and most of those of the 500 that he appeared to at the same time, he said, are still alive today. And so Paul's making this historical argument that, no, this Jesus of Nazareth, He's not a figment of somebody's imagination. He's a real historical reality. He's the God of the universe that became flesh, who entered into space and time and revealed Himself to us. And John said, and of His glory we all received and we all saw. And so, This Jesus, beloved, it's not the Jesus that we think of when we think of Easter bunnies and fairy tales. No, Jesus is God. And He's alive, He's here, He really came, and He's making a demand on your life and in my life. And He's saying, unless you repent, you shall perish. He said, unless you believe, Jesus said, that I am He. Who is He? God in the flesh that died for your sin that died for your sin and made a way for you to come into relationship with God and go to heaven. Jesus said, unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sin.
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You're listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus with Rabbi Schneider. He's going to be right back. But first, I want to let you know that you can watch full episodes of Discovering the Jewish Jesus on Roku television. We have episodes that are filmed in the Holy Land and outreach events from Nigeria and Gulu, Uganda, all sorts of places. Every episode is available to help deepen your understanding of scripture and the Jewish roots of your faith. So search for Discovering the Jewish Jesus on Roku today. Did you know that this ministry is all about preparing the way for the inevitable return of King Jesus? Well, it's true. And we'd love for you to partner with us in this life-changing mission today. Together, we will change lives, not just locally, but all over the world. To support this team, call 800-777-7835. That's 800-777-7835. Or you can visit us online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And now here's Rabbi Schneider.
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Jesus said, unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sin. Now again, how do we know that? Because the New Testament tells us this, but can the New Testament be trusted? And that's what I was making the point of, that according to the standards of historians, the New Testament passed all the tests in flying colors of that which can be trusted as an ancient historical document, because it was written by people, listen, that were alive during Jesus's own lifetime. not people that lived 100 years after he died, people that walked with him, people that talked with him while he walked on earth, people that he appeared to after he had risen from the dead. And not only that, beloved, we have a multiplicity of witnesses, not only Peter, James, Paul, and all the writers of the New Testament, but others, beloved, that Paul was speaking of the 500 people at the same time, as well as people like myself and some of you today that Jesus has supernaturally appeared to. So we do well to pay attention to the words of Jesus in the New Testament, that they could be trusted, that this is a reliable, historical, accurate document telling us what Jesus said. And what did Jesus say? He didn't teach the doctrine of political correctness today. He didn't say all roads lead to the same place. He didn't say that as long as you're a good person, you can go to heaven. He didn't say that it doesn't matter if you don't believe in me, as long as you believe in God, you're a good person. No, Jesus said, unless you believe that I am He, you'll die in your sins. I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to God but by me. You see, beloved one, it's not going to be long before you and I die. And when we do, it's going to be too late. Because the Bible said it's appointed for man once to die and then comes the judgment. That when you and I die, it's over. We'll have made our decision. And some of you are listening to this broadcast and God is knocking at the door of your heart. The Bible says, if today you hear His voice, do not harden your heart. Because what happens is, when the Holy Spirit is knocking on the door of our heart, when God is beckoning us, come. When we feel the weight of the Holy Spirit on us, nudging us to humble ourselves, to ask God, forgive me, forgive me. I've sinned. I need to turn my life over to you. I want this to be a new beginning for me. When we feel God doing that, beloved, if we open our heart and invite him in, Jesus said, behold, I stand at the door of your heart and knock. If you open the door, I'm going to come into you and we're going to be in relationship together and you're going to be saved. But Jesus said, unless we open the door of our heart, if we feel him knocking and we don't respond, if we keep our heart hard, if we don't yield to the voice of the Holy Spirit, if we don't soften ourselves to the presence of God and open up and let him in and say, yes, what happens, the Bible says, is that God begins to withdraw himself from us. so that we don't have an opportunity anymore. In other words, the Bible says God will not strive with man forever. But when men refuse, listen now, to receive a love of the truth, when it's being offered to them, There comes a point where God will stop offering, He'll withdraw Himself, and He'll let that person that resisted permanently become hardened. And the result of that, according to the Word of God, if the Word of God is true, that person will spend the rest of their life, the rest of eternity in hell. Now, I know today hell is not a popular doctrine, but do you know that the Bible actually talks more about hell than about heaven? And as I said earlier, Jesus said straight and narrow is the way that leads to life and few there be that find it. But broad and wide is the way that leads to destruction and many there be that take it. You see, there's thousands of ways to be wrong, but there's only one way to be right. You can be wrong by giving your life over to entertainment. You can be wrong by giving your life over to sex. You can be wrong by giving your life over to careers. You can be wrong by giving your life over to another person. You can be wrong by living your life trying to please other people. You can be wrong a thousand different ways, but there's only one way to be right, and that's to live your life and for me to live my life for Jesus. So right now, I want to give you an opportunity, if God's knocking at your heart, just to say, Jesus, I feel you. This is true. Forgive me of my sin. I receive you. Come into me and save me now. So if you'd like to repeat after me now, let's just do that. Lord Jesus, I sense that this is your Holy Spirit speaking to me. I turn to you now. I ask you to forgive me of my sins. Thank you for dying for me. I acknowledge you died in my place on the cross and I receive your gift of forgiveness, your gift of salvation. Please forgive me now. Wash me of my sins by your blood. Come into my life by your Holy Spirit and save me. Thank you, Lord. Amen. Now, if you just prayed that prayer, beloved one, I want to encourage you to call a pastor somewhere, look in the phone book under evangelical churches or Bible-believing churches, call some churches up, say, do you believe that the Bible is literally the Word of God? Look for a Bible-believing church. Make an appointment with the pastor. Tell that pastor what you did. Tell that pastor that you want to start living your life as a committed Christian, or if you have friends or family members that are committed Christians, call them and start following Jesus. Do something immediately to begin to put into practice the commitment that you just made to the Lord. Start attending church on a regular basis. Start giving your finances to God. Start serving God's people in the church. Start living your life as a Christian. Start reading the Bible. I want to encourage you to start reading in the Gospel of John and just read straight through. I don't know if it's a chapter a day, two chapters a day, whether you're going to be so hungry you'll read the whole book at once. But read the Bible at least a couple chapters every single day. Start moving, beloved, into this new life and old things are going to pass away for you and all things are going to become new and Jesus is going to bless you. He said, seek first the kingdom of God and everything else shall be added unto you. Oh, my goodness gracious. Father God, we that know you repent of not being greater soul winners. Father God, of letting loved ones that we know that don't know you, letting them, Father God, go to hell without ever witnessing to them. So, Father, I pray that you would put a great spirit of courage on your people that are watching this broadcast right now, that they would begin to tell their friends and neighbors and loved ones about you, Lord Jesus. Amen and amen. What do you think of Jesus? I got this concept, beloved, from a dream that God gave me that he was showing me how we need to be witnessing to people and how imperative it is. In this dream, I found myself in a room. And in the room, beloved, was a simple couch. I was sitting on the couch. There was a lady sitting next to me. I couldn't see her face. And the next to the lady on the other side of the couch was this big guy about probably 6'3", 200-something pounds. And I had my head leaning on this lady next to me. And I felt like after the dream was over, the Lord was telling me it was just a symbol of being secure in relationship. You know, David said in one of his Psalms that he had stilled his soul like a child at rest on his mama's knee. You know, God is predominantly obviously revealed in the New Testament as Father, but within God's nature are also the feminine attributes. In fact, in some of God's Hebrew titles, we have him revealing himself to us in the feminine. For example, when he revealed himself to Moses, and all God's goodness passed by, and the Lord proclaimed his name to Moses, and the Lord said, I am Yahweh God, compassionate. And that word for compassionate, which is the first word that the Lord used in describing himself to Moses, actually comes from the Hebrew word rachum, which is a feminine word. It means mercy. And so predominantly, we refer to him as our father. But within God is both the male and female natures. So in this dream, getting back to the dream, I had my head leaning on this woman. I couldn't even see her face. I think it just meant securing the relationship the way a young infant is secure in its mother's arms. And then I turned to the man that was sitting on the couch and I asked him this simple question. What do you think of Jesus. Immediately, the dream shifted. I found myself in a second room. I'm sitting on a couch, and there's a young woman in the room, about 23 years old. And I say to this woman, listen, beloved ones, the same question. I believe that God Himself, by the Holy Spirit, gave me the question. I said to her this, what do you think of Jesus. And she answered and said this, well, I know he said a lot to the church, but he never said anything to me like about being boyfriend, girlfriend. And I know that sounds strange when I say that to you. And then the dream was over. And I knew when it was over that it was too strange. The whole thing was too strange. What are you saying? And the Lord was saying to me, what was happening in that second phase of the dream is that I was showing you that there are so many people out there, they've heard that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. but they never heard, the Lord was showing me, that I love them uniquely, especially, and individually. And that's what that girl was saying in the dream. Well, I know he said he loved the church. I know that he loves the world generically, but I never heard him say anything to me about being boyfriend, girlfriend. You see, she was wanting an intimate relationship. In fact, it's a type of relationship that Jesus is calling us to. He's calling to us, beloved ones, to Revelation 19, to the marriage supper of the Lamb. So God was telling me, when you witness to people, my church, don't just witness to them generally. Don't just say that God so loved the world. But when you witness to people, witness to them in such a way that you tell them that I love them. that, for example, if their name is Bill or Mary, you say, Bill, Mary, God loves you so specifically, personally. Bill, Mary, He knows everything that's going on in your life. And Bill, He's got a special plan for you. Mary, He's got a special destiny for you. Mary, God created you for Himself. Bill, God loves you more than you could ever realize. But the only way you're going to know His love The only way you're going to fulfill his purpose for your life, Bill Murray, is when you invite him into your life and make him the center of your life. God loves you today. He loves you individually, specifically, and specially. Would you receive him right now? He's knocking at the door of your heart. Beloved, the Bible speaks of there being a famine on the earth, not for food, but for the Word of God. You know, we're living in a time where there truly is a famine on the earth for the Word of God. So much teaching and preaching today is based on just making people feel good. But the truth oftentimes is not being taught. I want to ask you, beloved, to support me and to support this ministry. We're committed to teaching the truth and supporting this ministry, beloved. It ensures that I'm going to continue to be a blessing to you and that you're going to be used of God and rewarded for building his kingdom on the earth. Beloved, just do what the Holy Spirit tells you to do. That's all I've ever asked. If you sense him leading you to financially support me in this ministry, just obey him immediately. If you don't, don't do it. Just obey him, beloved, and you're going to be blessed. There always is a blessing. Now, Dustin, can you share with our listeners how they can support us and give?
SPEAKER 03 :
I'd be happy to, Rabbi. If you sense the Lord knocking on the door of your heart and leading you to financially support discovering the Jewish Jesus with a gift of any amount, then please reach out to us today. Call us at 800-777-7835. And if it's easier, you can give online at our website, discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And for those of you who feel called to support this ministry even further, I want you to know about a great resource and our partnership with Freewill. Freewill is an online and intuitive platform that simplifies the process of creating a will. It's free and it's user-friendly. And when you use free will, you can ensure that your earthly blessings continue to further the kingdom's work even after your days here on this earth are done. If you'd like to discover more about free will, I want to encourage you visit DiscoveringTheJewishJesus.com. Click on the resources tab and then need a will. You'll find all the details. It's free and it's easy. Once again, thanks so much for helping us extend our message and bring the hope and the healing of the Jewish Jesus to so many people all over the entire world. Once again, our address is Discovering the Jewish Jesus, P.O. Box 777 Blissfield, Michigan 49228. And many people, sometimes they don't remember that you can also text in your donation. Just type the keyword rabbi to the phone number 45777. We look forward to hearing from you soon. And now let's wrap up today's message on the accuracy of Scripture with God's sacred and special blessing. Rabbi.
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What I love about the Aaronic blessing is that it did not originate with man. The words actually proceeded from the very essence of God himself. The blessing comes from the book of Numbers, chapter six. So listen to these words and receive the blessing of the Lord into your life today.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yevarechech Yahweh, vayishmarecha. Yair Yahweh, penavelecha, vichunecha. Shalom.
SPEAKER 02 :
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make His face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with His countenance. And the Lord give you, beloved one, His peace. God bless you and shalom.
SPEAKER 03 :
This program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. And I'm Dustin Roberts. Come back next week when Rabbi Schneider gives us some deep revelation from the book of Ephesians. That's Monday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.
Join Rabbi Schneider as he unveils the mysteries of existence through simple yet profound questions that have baffled humankind for ages. This episode delves into the philosophical and theological implications of who we are and where we come from. As false ideologies and societal pressures blur the truth, Rabbi Schneider shines a light on the importance of building one's identity on eternal foundations, rather than mutable modern constructs. This journey not only clarifies our beginnings but also offers insight into living a life aligned with divine will, ensuring a trajectory towards spiritual fulfillment.
SPEAKER 03 :
This is Discovering the Jewish Jesus and I'm your host, Dustin Roberts. Today, Rabbi Schneider reveals the answers to life's most important questions. life can feel like a maze of uncertainty sometimes and we can easily rush through our days we can get caught up in endless tasks and worries and rarely pause to ask questions that really matter beyond the job titles the social media profiles and like expectations that we place upon others there is a deeper identity that is waiting for us to be discovered Today, Rabbi Schneider, he wants to help us go beyond the surface. And you can learn more about this ministry when you visit us online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. But now, let's get started.
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Father, we pray that you would use this broadcast to extend your kingdom, Father God, over the earth. Jesus, that you would be lifted up and glorified. You said, Lord Jesus, that if you be lifted up, you would draw all men to yourself. Satan, we take authority over you and everything that hinders. And now, Jesus, we say that you will release your Holy Spirit and release your ministering spirits to bring all those that you're calling into salvation today unto yourself for your name and your fame. And all of us that are in agreement with this spoke Hebrew and said, amen and amen. Think about the most profound questions in life. Sometimes we're so busy taking care of the urgent, taking care of the things that we need to deal with on a daily basis, getting in our car, going to work, taking care of children, taking care of grandchildren, focusing on our health and all the things that we deal with on a daily basis. Sometimes we lose focus of what is of primary importance Consider for a moment some of life's biggest questions. Who am I? I mean, who are you really? Do you know most of us, if you think about this, spend our lives leading our lives through what we're imagining somebody else is thinking about us? Think about the foulness of that. We ask ourselves, who are we and how do we try to figure out who we are? We try to figure out who we are by imagining what we think somebody else is thinking about us. We don't even know what they're thinking about us. We shouldn't even care what they're thinking about us. But how much focus and how much energy is placed on imagining how we're appearing to other people and what we're imagining they're thinking about us. Is that what life is about? What does it matter what they think about us? Does that determine who we are, what somebody else thinks about us, a person that's nothing, that's going to return to the dust of the earth? And yet many people are trapped in that foul, demonic reality, spending all their time spinning, concerned with what they think other people are thinking about them. And the whole thing is an imagination of the devil. It's foul. It's demonic. Break that off your people, I pray today, Lord Jesus. In your name right now, I take authority by the Spirit of God and the Word of God over the deception and the illusion that is shackling your people, that they're living their lives through the vain imagination of what they think somebody else is thinking about them rather than knowing who they are before you and who they are in your love. So Father, we ask that we would know ourself in your love. You created us. Let us know, Father, who we are in you and let us have peace before you. And so we're asking ourselves the most profound questions in life. We began by asking, who am I? And beloved, who we are is determined by asking the question, where did we come from? If we know where we've come from, which is the second question, then we'll better know who we are. So the second profound question that I want to pose today is this, where Did you come from? Where did we come from? Of course, we know today that people in the school systems are being taught the theory of evolution, not in the sense of, yes, that there's been evolution within species. We know that this happens. We're not talking about evolution in that sense. We're talking about the fact that children are being taught as even many of you have been taught. that they came from a big bang that happened in outer space. I know I'm preaching to the choir now, thousands and billions of years ago, and there's no explanation as to why the big bang took place. The thing to me that's so preposterous about this is God said, let there be light, and there was a bang. I've got no problem with the big bang. But the question is people that don't connect a big bang to God, And I'm not advocating the Big Bang theory in any way, shape, or form. I'm just saying God can use a Big Bang. Maybe when he said, let there be light, bam, maybe there was a Big Bang. But the problem with the people that are hardcore evolutionists that are using the Big Bang theory without it being in relationship to God creating all things, they always have to ask the question, but where did the Big Bang come from? or if they say that life started out as a result of the Big Bang, which then caused a single cell type of a organism to come forth, they always have to ask the question, but where did the single cell come from? And to me, the question always begs to be asked, What was the beginning? What was before that? What was before the Big Bang? What was before the single cell? And there's only one answer for that. Otherwise, the question keeps going on forever and ever and ever and ever and ever. What was before that? What was before that? What was before that? What caused that? What caused that? The only way you can stop that type of questioning is with the first verse of the Bible. in the beginning, God, that God is the first cause. And with all the sophistication of this scientific information that's coming forward, it's amazing to me how the most simple question of all can be ignored, and that is, where did that come from? It had to start somewhere. There had to be a first cause. It had to start with the cause that in itself had no cause. And that cause, beloved, is God. No, we can't understand it. We can't put it in a microscope because God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts. As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are His ways higher than our ways and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. And we in our finite minds cannot comprehend eternity, a God who always was. We can't comprehend that. And what pride there is in us to think that we should be able to comprehend it. What pride there is in the individual that thinks that they should be able to put God in a microscope and be able to explain him. That's from a person that's placing himself above God. No, we are the creature, not the creator. And so the only way we can know who we are is when we know where we've come from. You know, in my life's journey, I used to have a lot of contentment years ago as a young person in my athleticism. I was a tremendous athlete in school. I lived it, ate it, drank it, slept it when I was in high school. It was all about becoming state champ in the sport of wrestling that I was in. And you know what? As long as I was deceived into thinking that that was what life is about, I was fine because I couldn't see beyond wrestling as a 15-year-old, 16-year-old, 17-year-old, and 18-year-old. I just thought I was going to become state champ, and then life was going to be one big honeymoon after that. Life was going to be one big party. But what happened was wrestling ended. And when wrestling ended, my world fell apart. And I realized from that experience that anything that I build my life on in this world is going to end. And if I build my life and get my identity from something in this world, I'm destined for destruction because everything in this world ends. If I'm building my life on being a successful attorney or an successful banker, a successful stockbroker, a successful doctor, a successful whatever your profession is, if you're building your life on your profession, guess what? It's going to end. And if your whole identity is based on your profession, if your profession is defining who you are, guess what? What are you going to feel like when it ends, when you're 65 or 70 and your career's over? You're going to be lost, just like I felt when wrestling ended. You're not going to know who you are anymore. You're not going to have any sense of value or significance anymore because it was all based on your career. This is why sometimes mothers struggle so much when their children leave home because their primary identity was tied to their children. You see, beloved, I realized back in the 1970s when wrestling ended for me that I needed to build a life on something that was eternal. I didn't want to build my life anymore on something that was going to one day end. And the way we can build a life on something that's going to keep growing and never end, that comes when we realize that who we are is based on the fact that God created us for His own purposes. And when we begin to build our life in God, we're building our life on something that's never going to end. We're building an identity in something that's not going to be taken away from us. That's why Jesus said, He that builds their life upon me is like a person that builds his house on a rock. Because when life changes and the waves come and the winds blow, you're going to stand because you built your house on a rock that's not going to be shaken. It's not going to be shifted when everything else in life changes. But Jesus also said, if you don't build your life on me, if you build it on your marriage first, if you build it on your money first, if you build it on your career first, if you build it on your looks first, if you build it on your kids first, if you build your life on anything but me, Jesus, what's going to happen? You're going to see. Life is going to change. And when life changed, because you built your house on something that wasn't permanent, you're going to be washed away in a flood. And so these profound questions, who am I and where did I come from? Who you are, beloved, is one that was created in the image of God. The book of Genesis, the first book in the Bible says, God created them male and female, listen now, in His own image. He created He them. So you and I were built, beloved, in the image and the likeness of God. Why? So that we could be in relationship with God. That's who we are and that's why we're here. We're here because God created us. He brought us into existence. And our purpose here, beloved, is to grow in our relationship with them. Jesus said, he that overcomes, he that makes me first and overcomes life, he's going to sit down with me, Jesus said, in the paradise of God where there are pleasures forevermore that eye has not seen, Jesus said, and ear has not heard. Never has it ever entered into the heart of man, the things Jesus said that I've prepared for those that love me.
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you're listening to discovering the jewish jesus with rabbi schneider he'll be right back but first did you know that thousands of years ago god gave his people a powerful blessing that captured his heart for them and this ancient benediction it offers love protection and peace you can discover how the ironic blessing can transform your life with our free bundle including a pdf and mp3 teaching Claim your free gift now at myfreegift.com forward slash peace. We are so thankful for everyone who gives a financial gift of support to this ministry. And perhaps today is the day that you decide that you would like to deepen your commitment to discovering the Jewish Jesus. The best way to do that is to sign up to become a monthly partner at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. or you can call us at 800-777-7835. Together we can help others prepare for Jesus' return. And now let's get back into the second half of today's message.
SPEAKER 02 :
So are you living your life for the world? Are you always looking around at somebody else wondering what they're thinking about you? Are you always looking around wondering how you look to somebody else? Wondering what impression you made on somebody else? Are you living your life, beloved ones, through the vain imagination of what you think somebody else is thinking about you? Now, these are the profoundest questions in life. People can run from these questions. They can ignore these questions. They could try to laugh these questions off because it makes them nervous and they don't want to deal with them. But the question begs to be asked still. And I want to ask you, where are you going to go when you die? Where are you going to go when you die? Who are you? Where did you come from? And where are you going to go when you die? That's a reality. We all die. Where are we going to go when we die? Is it just over? Do we just cease to exist? Is it like we never were other than the memory that other people have of us? Or is there a part of us that continues on even after our heart stops beating and our mind stops working? Is there more to us than the physical body? The Bible teaches that man has a soul and that the soul of man will continue to live when the body dies, when the body disintegrates. And I want to challenge you today, beloved, with this. If what I'm going to share with you today is wrong and yet you believe it anyway, you'll be nothing but a person that's better off from having received God, received the gift of His Son, and living a higher quality life as a result. But if what I'm telling you today is true and you reject Jesus and you die and end up going to hell as a result, it's going to be the most catastrophic mistake you could have ever made in your entire life. You see, Jesus said that he was the only way to God. If when we die, we either go to God or the place that the Bible calls hell, And if the only way to God is through Jesus, you would do well to pay attention. And you could not do your friends and loved ones a bigger favor than by telling them about God's gift of salvation to us in His Son, the Lord Jesus. I'd like to try to explain it this way. If we lead a life on earth that is for ourselves, if we lead a life on earth and we're not living our lives for God, we wake up in the morning, we don't think about God, we get dressed, we go to work, we do our thing, We're trying to get the most we can out of this world. We're indulging ourself in the best that this world can give us, the best foods, the most money we can make, the greatest types of what we feel are going to be fulfilling experiences, and we just go out trying to fulfill all our own desires. What happens is when one leads a life like that, that's on a trajectory, it's on a path that is not Godward, but it's opposite of Godward, it's selfward. It's bent on fulfilling that person's own desires. It's bent on fulfilling that person's own lust. It's bent on fulfilling that person's own indulgences to try to satisfy themselves with the things of the world. than submitting themselves to God. What happens is when that person dies, the motion that their soul was on in this world which was away from God, the motion of their soul just continues when they die in that same path and it just keeps on carrying them farther and farther away from God after death. And Jesus described it as a place in the New Testament of outer darkness where he said there's weeping and gnashing of teeth. So let me say it again this way, the soul that dies that's not in relationship with God, that doesn't know Jesus, the soul that's died, that's in a trajectory away from God because they never bowed their knee to God and made Jesus the Lord of their lives. When they die, their soul continues along that same direction. Jesus said that they end up in a place where there's outer darkness and gnashing of teeth, separated from God forever, trapped in darkness where there's no longer any satisfaction at all. You can't get satisfied in the outer darkness. You can't eat your hunger away. You can't be involved in sexual experiences that will make the lust go away. You can't fill your soul, beloved, which that which will really satisfy because the soul was meant for divine relationship with the one that created it. And so a person that doesn't live their life on earth to be in relationship with the one that created it, God, above all else, when they die, their soul just goes the same direction it was in on earth and they end up being projected, being cast, Jesus said, into a place of outer darkness where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth. On the other hand, the soul that bows their knee to the Lord Jesus on this earth is and says, Lord Jesus, come in and save me. I believe, Jesus, that you are the way, the truth, and the life, and no one comes to God but by you. I believe, Lord Jesus, that you died for my sin, and I ask you to forgive me, and I thank you for dying in my place. And I receive you now as my Savior, and I receive you now as my Lord. And from this moment forward, I'm going to seek to follow you. I'm going to seek to make you the Lord of my life. I'm going to seek to overcome everything, Lord Jesus, to be one with you." The person, beloved, that prays that prayer and really means it and really puts that into action, their momentum on earth, the trajectory of their life on earth, the trajectory of their soul is now upward. It's Godward. And so when that person dies, that's made Jesus the Lord of their life, what happens to that person is their soul continues on the same trajectory, the same path that it was on in earth. They go, beloved, right up to God and into his heaven, into his paradise. So you can understand what happens in death by understanding it in the way of trajectory. If a person is walking away from God on earth, when they die, their soul continues to be brought away from God into a place of outer darkness where there's weeping and gnashing of teeth. If a person's soul was directed Godward on earth and they were loving God on earth and seeking to please God on earth, making Jesus the Lord of their life, their soul continues on that same trajectory. When they die, their soul goes upward, hallelujah, into the paradise of God. Beloved, I pray that God will make us stronger witnesses. And that if you do not know Jesus, that you'll get down on your knees right now and ask him to save you. It's a free gift. God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Beloved, I remember over 40 years ago reading in the book of Ephesians that I had been raised up with Christ and was seated with Him there in heavenly places, and that literally changed my life. It brought me from looking down in defeat to looking up, realizing that I had victory in Jesus. And the same is true for every one of us that are His. I want to encourage you today, beloved ones, if you're being blessed by the Lord through this ministry, to financially support it. The Bible tells us that when Abraham was called to offer up his son and he obeyed, the Lord's response to him was this, because you have done this thing, Abraham, I will greatly bless you. And, you know, Jesus said to us that when we honor him with our finances, it comes back to us pressed down, good measure and running over into our lap. We're instructed to financially support the teachers that are feeding us. I want to ask you today in sincerity and truth, if God's blessing you through this ministry, please honor him with your finances through this ministry so we can continue to reach the world.
SPEAKER 03 :
Amen. Thank you, Rabbi. And friends, I want to encourage you, keep listening because Rabbi will be right back shortly with a sacred blessing. But right now, if the Lord is leading you to financially support discovering the Jewish Jesus with a gift of any amount, then please reach out to us today. You can call us at 800-777-7835. And if it's easier for you, go online to our website. It's discoveringthejewishjesus.com, and you can give there. Or you can also send your gift in the mail. Our address is Discovering the Jewish Jesus, P.O. Box 777, Blissfield, Michigan, 49228. And I'd like to share with you now about Rabbi's revised edition of the book of Revelation Decoded. You know, a lot of people find the book of Revelation intimidating and often confusing. But through Rabbi's guide in the book of Revelation Decoded, he's going to help you understand what Scripture really says about the end times and how it applies to our world today. The revised edition of this book, it addresses recent world-shaking events like the October 7th attack on Israel. And Rabbi also reveals how the ancient Hebrew prophets and the book of Revelation, how they together provide a roadmap for understanding the end of days. You'll discover how the Old and New Testaments work together to reveal God's divine plan and It's a wonderful resource. It's available for purchase at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. You can also request it on the phone when you call 888-697-2224. And if you visit us online or give us a call, would you also consider supporting us when you give? You are helping us share God's love. and His truth to those who need it the most. Give today, discoveringthejewishjesus.com or call 800-777-7835. Thanks so much for joining us today. And now let's turn things back over to Rabbi again so he can send us off with God's sacred and special blessing.
SPEAKER 02 :
In the book of Numbers chapter six, the Lord gave instructions to Moses and Aaron to speak this blessing over his people. And the Lord said, when you speak these words over my people, I will place my name on them and bless them. Receive the impartations of the Lord's blessings.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yevarechei Yahweh vayishmarecha Ya'er Yahweh, P'navei Lecha, Vichu Ne'echa Yissa Yahweh, P'navei Lecha, Ve'asem Lecha Shalom.
SPEAKER 02 :
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with his countenance and the Lord give you, beloved one, his peace. God bless you and shalom.
SPEAKER 03 :
I'm your host, Dustin Roberts, and this program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. Join us again next time when Rabbi Schneider explains the accuracy of Scripture. Hear more this Friday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.
In today's episode, we challenge modern notions of morality and tolerance, posing questions that are central to one's relationship with Jesus. Triggered by a poignant experience of a friend's untimely passing, Rabbi Schneider reflects on salvation, the path to heaven, and the critical importance of a committed Christian life. Uncover the truth behind the teachings of the New Testament and redefine your faith journey with insights on how to live passionately for the Lord.
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Discovering the Jewish Jesus with Rabbi Schneider. I'm Dustin Roberts, your host, and today we're looking at life's most important questions. So what are they? Let's find out. Jesus himself was Jewish, his disciples were Jewish, and they celebrated Jewish holidays, but they continued to follow Christ. So how is it possible to be Jewish and Christian? Well, Rabbi Schneider, he's going to help us understand that question as he looks at how Judaism and Christianity intertwine together. Today's message is The Foundation of Life's Greatest Question. And if you want to find out more about Rabbi or this ministry, I encourage you, check us out at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And now here's Rabbi with a powerful lesson.
SPEAKER 02 :
Father God, we bless you today and we love you today. And Father, we know that right now, this second, that you're here, that you're alive, that there's potential in this moment. And so, Father, we ask you to work in our hearts right now. that you will open up our hearts to you and gain deeper entrance into our lives and into your love. Father God, we bless you in the name of Jesus. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done, we pray, Father, in our lives, even as it is in heaven. Well, beloved, before we begin today, I want to just clear up a few things. Many times people don't understand what this broadcast is about or who I am. So for the purpose of those that may be confused, I'm a Jewish believer in Jesus. Some may not realize that Jesus himself was a Jew. Jesus in John 4, 22 said to the woman of Samaria that was not Jewish, he said, woman, you don't know what you're worshiping. We know we worship for salvations from the Jews. In fact, Jesus died with the sign over his head that said, Yeshua of Nazareth, King of the Jews. And he's coming back, according to the book of Revelation, as the offspring of David. He's the root of David in his own words in the book of Revelation. Now, when we go to heaven, We're going to be going to a city that we find is called, once again, Jerusalem, which is the city of Israel's capital today. And the Father tells us in the book of Revelation that this heavenly city called the New Jerusalem is going to have 12 gates, and the 12 gates are going to have the names of the 12 tribes of Israel upon them. So our faith in Jesus is a very Jewish thing. Many people are confused. They say, are you Jewish? Are you Christian? Because you can't be both. But the reality is, beloved, you absolutely can be both. In fact, Jesus's own disciples, his first followers were Jewish. Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, they were all Jews. The first church in Jerusalem was all Jewish. Again, Jesus himself was a Jew. So being Jewish has nothing to do with whether one is a Christian or not. In fact, being Gentile has nothing to do with whether one is a Christian or not. In the Bible, there were two classes of people. There were the Jews, who were the 12 tribes of Israel, and there were the Gentiles, those that were not part of the 12 tribes of Israel. Being a Christian has nothing to do whether one is a Jew or a Gentile. Being a Christian simply has to do with whether one has made a decision to follow the Christ. Now the word Christ is simply the Greek word meaning the anointed one. It comes from the Hebrew word mashiach, which is the Hebrew word for the anointed one. The New Testament was written in Greek rather than Hebrew because God wanted the revelation of His love through Jesus to spread to the entire world. And the most common language of the world at the time, beloved, that the New Testament was written was Greek. And so let me just back up again. People are sometimes confused. They hear the title of the broadcast, the Jewish Jesus, and they put it at a distance because they think I'm not Jewish, so therefore this broadcast has nothing to do with me. And I'm simply trying to help you understand that nothing could be further from the truth. And so I just wanted to introduce that to you today. This broadcast, if you believe in Jesus, Or if you're curious about Jesus, this broadcast is for you. Now, let me also make this declaration. I heard people say, well, he doesn't believe that Jesus is the Son of God. He just believes that Jesus is a prophet, beloved. Nothing could be further from the truth. I believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the only begotten Son of God. I believe that Jesus, Yeshua HaMashiach, Jesus the Messiah, is the only way to God. I believe that Jesus died for our sins and He's the only atonement that God has made for man's sin. So this is, Traditional Christian Orthodox doctrine. What I'm helping you to do is to understand how the Old Testament connects to the New Testament. You see, Jesus said in the book of Matthew, don't think I've come to abolish the law. For I have not come to abolish, but to fulfill, to fill it up with meaning. Jesus didn't come to start a new religion, beloved. He came to fulfill that which was already prophesied. He is the climax and the culmination of the Hebrew Bible. In fact, the New Testament begins in Matthew chapter 1 by saying this, This is the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham. So the first verse in the New Testament brings us all the way back to the first book of the Bible in the Old Testament, in the Torah, the book of Genesis. You see, Father God wants us to understand, beloved ones, how the New Testament and the Old Testament fit together like a hand in a glove. And that's what this broadcast is about. That's what Discovering the Jewish Geist is about. It's to help believers understand the Judeo roots of their Christian faith so that our faith can be established and advanced and so that we can become a more effective witness to both Jews and Gentiles. Now, with that being said, I'm going to be speaking today, beloved, life's most important questions. We're going to be talking, beloved, about the most fundamental issues concerning our relationship with Jesus. We're going to be talking about the simple, profound issues of salvation. What prompted me to preach this today was a funeral, beloved ones, for a friend of mine that died. He wasn't even 31 years old. No one knew he had any health problems. In fact, he had no prior health history. And suddenly, at 30 years old, he dropped dead of a heart attack. And doing that funeral caused me to just recognize how important it is for you and I to recognize how imperative it is that we're living our life in a sold out way for Jesus today. And not only do I plan on helping us to get back to the basics today through this message, but also, beloved, these series of broadcasts would be great witnessing tools for you to give to friends or family members that don't know the Lord. So Father God, I ask you to come today and fill us with your love and enlighten us with truth. And Father, cause us to become lovers of God and radical followers of your son, the Lord Jesus.
SPEAKER 01 :
You're listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus. And before Rabbi Schneider continues his teaching, he has a special message to share with all of us. Greetings in Messiah on this new year.
SPEAKER 02 :
You know, January comes, we think about things in our life that we want to change. One thing that perhaps some of you have thought about but never taken action on is creating or updating your will or trust. I want to encourage you, go to our website. We have a free tool there, just hit Wills and Estates, and we can help you update or create your will or estate trust gift. Listen, God bless you. I love you. Many of us have honored the Lord while we're living with our finances. Let's carry that over and remember the Lord with our finances when we pass by creating a will and a state so that finances can go to the work of the kingdom.
SPEAKER 01 :
What a meaningful way to honor God with our finances this year. And if you feel the Lord leading you to create a free will, visit us at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. It's free for you whether you support us or not. Now, let's return to Rabbi as he continues his teaching.
SPEAKER 02 :
People today, I think, are lifting up as the greatest moral attribute the attribute that they're calling political tolerance, which is more commonly understood as being politically correct. It seems today that the highest virtue that men are exalting in the Western world is the virtue of tolerance. that we should be tolerant of everybody regardless of how they live, what they believe, that the biggest virtue that we can have as a moral person is to be tolerant. And what people that have this mindset mean by that is that there are no absolute rights and wrongs when it comes to religion, sexuality, and other issues of morality. And so they would say, for example, it's okay for you to be a Christian because you can believe anything that you want to believe. But it's wrong for you to say that Jesus is the only way to God because that, they say, is not being tolerant. And if you say to somebody that Jesus is the only way to heaven and that people that aren't in relationship with Jesus are going to hell, which is what, beloved, the Bible teaches, it's what Jesus taught, then you are a hateful person and you're being judgmental and you're not being tolerant. And they're looking down upon us that are Christians for having an absolute standard. But I want to say today that we cannot back off the Word of God. The Bible clearly teaches that not everybody that dies goes to heaven. In fact, think about this. When was the last time you were at a funeral where the preacher didn't put the loved one that passed away in heaven? Did you ever go to a funeral when the preacher didn't make comments at the funeral as if the deceased was in heaven? The preacher seemed to always put everybody in heaven. But yet that doesn't line up, beloved, with what Jesus taught and what the Bible teaches. You see, Jesus said, straight and narrow is the way that leads to life. And he said, few there be that find it. And he also said, but broad and wide is the way that leads to destruction, and many there be that take it." You see, Jesus taught that more people will be in hell than will be in heaven. Paul speaks about this same phenomenon in the book of Romans when he's preaching the gospel, and so few of the Jewish community of his day were believing. And he cries out to the Lord and he says, Lord, they don't seem to be listening. And the Lord responds back to Paul. He said, Paul, remember the days of Elijah when Elijah cried out the same thing? They're not listening. And I responded back to Elijah that I've reserved seven thousand for myself that have not bowed to the knee of Baal. And then God went on to say to Paul, Paul, it's in the same way at the present time. There's a remnant chosen according to my grace. Think about this. Elijah's calling out to God because it seems like people are not receiving the message, and God responds back to Elijah and says, no, I've got 7,000. But how many were 7,000 out of the millions that were in Israel? Very few. And so Paul comes to the conclusion that it's the same thing today. There's a remnant that will believe. There's a remnant that will follow Jesus. Remember, Jesus said straight and narrow is the way and few there be that find it. The same truth we see in the time of Noah. How many people did God save on Noah's Ark? A remnant, a handful. And so I want you to understand, beloved, that the Bible never teaches and has never taught that everybody is in relationship with God, that everybody's in good standing with God. In fact, the Bible has always illustrated and taught us the opposite, that it's a few people, it's a chosen people, it's a remnant of people that truly are walking with God in salvation and will be saved. It was true in Noah's time, it was true in Paul's time, and it's true today. So something is wrong when preachers automatically put people in heaven when there was no evidence that the deceased loved Jesus. If the one that was deceased never went to church, never prayed, never talked about their love for the Lord, never read the Bible, never sold their finances into the kingdom, and there was no evidence in this person's life that they were a lover and a passionate follower of Jesus, then we have no right to put them in heaven at funerals. In fact, when we do that, all we do is make it easier for other people to go to hell because the people that are at the funeral look at the deceased, and they look at that person, and they say, you know what, I knew that person for 40 years, and they never said anything about Jesus other than when they used his name as a curse word, and the preacher just said he was in heaven, so if he can go to heaven being the way that he was, I guess I can go to heaven, they reasoned to themselves, even though I'm the way that I am, because he was no better than me. And it makes it easier, beloved, for people to ignore the claims of Jesus Christ, the claims of Yeshua the Messiah. But I want you to hear me today. If the words of Jesus are accurate historical record, you and I do well to pay attention. No one questions whether Jesus of Nazareth really lived. All historians are in agreement that there was a person that lived approximately 2,000 years ago, that his name was Yeshua in Hebrew. That was the name that they knew him as at the time. His name was Yeshua, or Jesus we say in English, of Nazareth. No one denies it. Everybody agrees that he was a historical figure. In fact, if you go to Israel today, you'll see all the evidence that archaeology has uncovered regarding Jesus and the fact that he had these followers and the fact that this movement began. No one can deny that. He was a real person. The question is, who was he? Who was this Jesus of Nazareth? We know that he lived, but who was he? Was he a liar? Was he a lunatic? Or was he the Lord? He could have only been one of those three persons. Number one, there's a possibility that it was a liar when Jesus said to them, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to God but through me. He was lying. He knew in his mind it wasn't really true. That's the first possibility. Was he intentionally lying to people and deceiving them? That's option number one. Option number two is, was he a lunatic? Did he think he was somebody that he wasn't? Did he have grander illusions? Did he imagine himself to be the Messiah because he was out of his mind? Was he a lunatic? That's option number two. Option number three is he was who he said he was, He's the Lord. Jesus said, I am the only begotten Son that's come down out of heaven. So option number three is he is who he said he was. He was either a liar, a lunatic, or the Lord. He couldn't have just been a prophet because a prophet wouldn't have made the claims that he made. A prophet wouldn't have said, there's no name under heaven which has been given unto men by which men can be saved, but my name, which he spoke through one of his apostles. C.S. Lewis originally coined that phrase, liar, lunatic, or Lord, but it boils it down to the options. There are no other options. You're deceiving yourself. If you are saying to yourself, he was a good man, he was someone to model my life after. Yes, he was a prophet. If you're deceiving yourself into thinking he was just a prophet, but you don't have to obey him. If you're deceiving yourself into thinking he was just a prophet, but he didn't really die for my sins, he was just another human being. Beloved, you're putting yourself in a position of potentially jeopardizing your soul into hell. Jesus claimed that he was the only way to God, and unless we received him, we would not go to heaven. I want to back this up for a minute. Let's consider this. How do we know about Jesus? The primary way that we know who Jesus is, beloved, is through the record of what he said about himself in the New Testament. So the question we have to ask ourself is this, is the New Testament an accurate historical record of what Jesus really said? The New Testament records for us the things that Jesus said. And so we have to ask ourself this question. When the New Testament records Jesus' words, when Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life, no one comes to the Father but through me, we ask ourself, the New Testament says that Jesus said that, but did Jesus really say that? And can the New Testament's account really be trusted? Well, I want you to consider this. When we try to determine the historical accuracy of ancient documents, we have certain criteria that all historians have agreed upon to determine whether an ancient document is historically reliable. And when we look at ancient documents, some of the criteria that we look at is the people that are writing about this particular person or this particular event, how close to the time period when the historian wrote did he actually live to the person or the event? Now you consider that and compare them to the New Testament. The New Testament was written, beloved, not by people that lived a hundred years after Jesus died, but the New Testament was written by the people that lived with him. For example, John said, that which I have seen, that which I have touched, that which I have handled with my own hands, I proclaim to you. Peter said, we're not writing to you about cleverly devised fairy tales. Peter said, I was with him on the holy mountain when he was transfigured into light and the voice from heaven spoke and said, this is my beloved son. This is not a fairy tale, Peter said. I was with him. Who is Jesus and what does he demand? Who am I? Where did I come from? And what is my purpose on earth? Father God, we pray that you would ignite our hearts with fire. Father, we pray that you would pour your love into our hearts, that Father God, we would love you with such a fiery love that it would consume everything in our life that would get in the way of loving you. Father God, you're the one that's at work in our life, both to will and do for your good pleasure. And Father, we want to thank you today for everything that you've already done. And Jesus, we want to say to you today that we love you. I know that if you have an open heart and you just sat through me preaching, you've been strengthened. God's Word is life-giving. It's living and active and sharper than a two-edged sword. I'm going now as we close today, beloved ones, to the book of 3 John. I'm going there to the first chapter and the eighth verse. Hear the Word of God. John says, therefore, we ought to support such men that we might be fellow workers with the truth. What was going on here is John was encouraging God's people to support those that were faithfully preaching the gospel. Because you know what? The gospel can't be spread without God's people supporting it financially. I want to ask you, beloved, if you believe in me, if you're being blessed by discovering the Jewish Jesus, would you support us financially so that we can continue to feed you and in fact preach the gospel all over the world. Beloved, there's always a blessing when we put God first in our life. And when we put him first with our finances, it opens our heart to receive more. This is Rabbi Seder saying, I love you. Thank you for your financial support and shalom.
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen. And you can give a financial gift of any amount to Discovering the Jewish Jesus when you visit us online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And if it's easier, give us a call. Our phone number is 800-777-7835. You know, you enable us to reach further than we could on our own. So I want to encourage you, please give online today at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And as a token of our appreciation back to you, when you give, we'll make sure that you receive our latest newsletter. It is packed with exclusive additional content, exciting ministry updates, and even personal correspondence from Rabbi's wife, Ms. Cynthia. And also the testimonies that you'll find inside from people who've been touched through your giving are super special. And then before we wrap up today, I want to remind you that in addition to hearing these radio programs on the air, you also have access to these messages anytime on Roku TV, and it's absolutely free. You can experience Rabbi's dynamic teaching style in full HD right from the comforts of your living room. His biblical insights, they come alive on screen, and you'll even see when he records remotely, you'll see him in Israel, you'll see him in Africa, you'll see him all over the world. And we hope that you'll see scripture in a new and meaningful way that you've never seen it before as well. So to learn more, visit us at discoveringthejewishjesus.com or you can simply search for this program on Roku TV and you can transform your viewing experience today. And now I want to turn things back over to Rabbi again so he can send us off with God's sacred and special blessing.
SPEAKER 02 :
In the Old Testament book of Numbers, we find a blessing God speaks over His children through Moses and Aaron. It carries the idea of favor and expression. Open your heart to the Spirit and the Word today and receive Father's goodness into your life with confidence.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yevarechei Yahweh vayishmarecha Ya'er Yahweh, P'navei Lecha, Vichu Ne'echa Yissa Yahweh, P'navei Lecha, Ve'asem Lecha Shalom.
SPEAKER 02 :
The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you. The Lord lift you up with his countenance and the Lord give you, beloved one, his peace. God bless you and shalom.
SPEAKER 01 :
This program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. And I'm your host, Dustin Roberts. Join us again tomorrow when Rabbi Schneider shares the answers to life's most important questions. That's Thursday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.
