In this episode, Rabbi Schneider breaks down the walls of division between Jew and Gentile, revealing the power of unity through Christ. Dive into an inspiring discussion on how the Holy Spirit invites us into a deeper relationship with God, transcending all barriers. With insights on spiritual maturity and stewardship, this episode empowers believers to live fully in their faith, as one with the Divine.
Welcome to Discovering the Jewish Jesus with Rabbi Schneider. I’m your host, Dustin Roberts, and today we’re discovering why we’re all God’s workmanship. Have you ever felt like you’re in a season of life when you’re just coasting through on autopilot and you’re not really in control of what’s actually happening? Well, today, Rabbi Schneider, he’s going to take us into a deep study in the book of Ephesians to show us how we can transform our approach in our daily life. Our message, it’s titled, We Are His Workmanship. And if you’ve missed any of these messages, I want to encourage you, catch up online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And now, here’s Rabbi Schneider.
SPEAKER 02 :
I’m excited to continue today our journey in deep revelations from the book of Ephesians. And I left off last time with this verse. And there’s just a few more things that I’d love to share with you. Ephesians 2.10. Paul says, for we are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus for good works. Now, I want us to just think for a second, my beloved friend, brothers and sisters. I want us to think about this. We are his workmanship. workmanship. Who’s the His? Obviously, that’s our Creator. So we’re God’s workmanship, we’re the Father’s workmanship. But how many of us, and I want you to really open up your heart, I want you to think about this for a while, how many of us really look at our lives as belonging completely to our Creator, to Father God? I think the truth is many of us live as if our lives belong to ourselves. But the Bible says we’re His workmanship. The Bible says that we ought to dedicate ourselves as a living sacrifice to Him. In other words, it no longer should be focused on us, it should be focused on Him. We’re His workmanship. The Bible says that we become the temple of the Holy Spirit, but how many of us really think about our bodies as being the temple of the Holy Spirit? When you eat, I’m speaking about physical food now, do you eat for self enjoyment only? Or do you eat thinking about the fact that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we can’t misuse it? How many of us really consider ourselves as being the possession of our Creator that were owned by Him. Jesus said He did nothing by His own initiative. Jesus said that His only purpose was to do the will of the Father. Jesus came to earth as, listen, the servant, the servant of the Father. What’s a servant? A servant’s purpose, listen, is to do the will of somebody else. But you know what? I fear for all of us that we’re not living that way. That is not our paradigm. That is not the way we perceive reality. Rather, we look at God as a magic genie that exists just to grant us our desires, just to answer our prayers, many of which are fleshly. This is the exact opposite of recognizing that we belong to him, that we’re his workmanship, that we wake up in the morning. And it’s not just about what we want that day. We’re looking to him that day to fulfill his will, to walk in his footsteps, to be obedient, to put him first. We’re his workmanship. That’s how Paul saw himself. In fact, Paul begins the book of Ephesians as the apostle of Christ Jesus, and he’s one that came to serve the Father. In some of his letters, Paul introduces himself as a bond slave of the Lord. And so we just got done looking at this verse that reveals to us we’re God’s workmanship. We don’t belong to ourselves. I want to challenge you today. Would you put your hand over your heart? Let me pray for us because something needs to be sliced through in our heart. We get separated unto God. This is sanctification. We’re separated unto him. This is what it means to be holy, to be separated unto him. We no longer belong to ourselves. We belong to the one that lived and died and rose on our behalf. So Father God, I pray now on behalf of all of us, Father God, we long to cross the Jordan and enter into a life that’s completely given over to you. Father, deliver us from thinking and from living in a way that’s about feeding ourselves rather than getting our food from doing your will. Father, I pray that Your Word would go forth right now, even as I’m praying, sharper than a two-edged sword and living fire, separating the soul from the spirit. Separate us unto You. Let us perceive our existence, Lord, as those that are Your possession. and live in that way, not as if our lives belong to ourselves, but to, Father, recognize that we’ve been purchased for you by the blood of Jesus. Father, that we belong to you, that we’re your possession and we’re your workmanship. Help us, Father God, to put you first. In Yeshua’s name, amen. In Jesus’ name, amen and amen. So let’s continue on now. Paul now goes on to shift the dialogue a bit, and he begins to talk about the mystery of how the Gentiles, those that were not born from descendants of Israel, the Gentiles, how they were once far off from God, because up until Yeshua came, the only ones that had the revelation of the one true God were the Jews, the Israelites. The rest of the world didn’t know who the one true God was, but now through Christ Jesus, the message of the one true God, the message of the creator spread beyond Israel, even to the remotest parts of the earth. So Jesus broke down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, and he brought now into the family of God those outside the nation of Israel. So this is where Paul goes now in his dialogue in verse number 11. He’s speaking to the Gentiles. He says, therefore, remember that formerly you, the Gentiles in the flesh who are called the uncircumcision by the so-called circumcision, which is performed in the flesh by human hands, remember that you were at that time separate from Christ or the anointed one, separated from God, excluded from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers to the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world. In other words, we have BC, right? And AC, before Christ and after Christ. So now Paul is saying before Christ, you that were outside of Israel, you didn’t know God. You weren’t part of the covenant. You weren’t part of the commonwealth of Israel, but now through Messiah, Yeshua, the king of the Jews, now through the line from the tribe of Judah, you Gentiles that were once separated and far off, having no hope and no God in the world, you’ve now been brought near. You’ve been brought in, Jew and Gentile. are now one through Christ in Messiah. But now in Christ Jesus, you who formerly were far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ. For he himself is our peace, who made both groups into one and broke down the barrier, the dividing wall, by abolishing in his flesh the enmity, which is the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so that in himself, he might make two into one new man, thus establishing peace, and might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And he came and preached peace to you who are far away and peace to those who are near, for through him we both Jew and Gentile alike, have our access in one spirit to the Father. So I want you to get something very important now. The depth of this is the Jew and Gentile alike now participate in fellowship with God, get it now, through the Spirit. Listen to what Paul said again. Through Him, we both have our access in one spirit to the Father. The promise of the Father is the Spirit. The way that we know God is through the Spirit. The way that we fellowship with God is through the Spirit. His Spirit is in our spirit because we’ve been born again. And His Spirit in our spirit is even making groanings to the Father that are too deep for words. uniting us to Him. Our relationship, beloved, to the Father and the Son is through the Spirit. It’s not through keeping the commandments perfectly. The commandments are holy, righteous, spiritual, and good, but none of us can enter into eternal life through the commandments.
SPEAKER 01 :
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. 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 :
Remember the man that had tried to keep the commandments from his youth up? And he came to Jesus and he said, “‘Jesus, I’ve kept the commandments from my youth up.’ He said, “‘What can I do to enter eternal life?’ And Jesus said, go sell everything you have and give it to the poor. And the man walked away sad because he was a very rich man. Jesus said, it’s harder for a rich man to be saved than for a camel to walk through the eye of a needle. And the disciples said, well, who can be saved then? And Jesus said, what’s impossible with man is possible with God. And you’re probably like me. I used to think that that just applied to the salvation of the rich men. It’s really hard for rich men to get saved because they’re so attached to their money. But you know what? There’s something deeper there going on. All of us are like that rich man. None of us can be saved on our own. In other words, when Jesus said it’s impossible with man, but it’s possible with God, that’s true for all of us. None of us can be saved on our own. None of us can be saved by trying to keep the commandments on our own. All of us are in the same boat as that rich man. It would be impossible for us to get saved apart from the mercy and supernatural activity of God’s grace through the Holy Spirit in our life. We’re just like that rich man. You might not be rich. You might have an anger problem. And Jesus could say, you know what? It’s harder for an angry person to get saved than it is for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Whatever your problem is, you’re the same as that rich man. but thanks be to God that gives us the victory. And so Jesus then is bringing all of God’s elect into a relationship with the Father, not because of our works, not because of keeping the 10 commandments, being a good enough person, not because we speak Hebrew, not because we know Jewish traditions, Not because we’re good people, we do good things. No, it’s all by grace through faith. It’s a free gift. It comes to us because of Jesus’ blood, and we are given God’s spirit, Jew and Gentile alike, that brings us into relationship with God. And so this is what Paul is saying here, that he might reconcile them both in one body to God through the cross, by it having put to death the enmity. And he says in verse 18, for through him, through Yeshua, we both have our access in one spirit to the Father. Now, I want to speak to those of you today that are Gentile believers, and sometimes you get intimidated around Jewish people. And sometimes you feel like second-class citizens around Jewish people. You think the Jewish people are God’s chosen people. And you know what? We should have a deep love and appreciation for Jewish people, but you as a Gentile should never feel intimidated. You are not a second-class person. Jew and Gentile are equal before God. Because it’s only through God’s grace and atoning blood of Jesus making us righteous. And so Paul says in the next verse here, so then he’s speaking to Gentiles. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are, listen, fellow citizens with the saints and are of the household of God. So Jew and Gentile, one and Messiah, we should appreciate Jewish people, understand the special call that God has on their life. But listen, as a Gentile believer, you could become more spiritually mature than a Jewish believer if you sow to the Spirit. Because even though we’re saved by grace through faith, we’re still in partnership with God. We still have a free will in the sense that we have to choose to say yes to Him and no to the world, the flesh, and the devil every day. So even though we’re saved by grace and we’re chosen even before the foundation of the world, beyond that, it’s up to us to keep on choosing God every day, to keep on picking up our cross, denying ourself, and following Jesus every day. It’s up to us to overcome the flesh by the Spirit. And so what I’m saying to you, Mr. and Mrs. Gentile, that you could become more spiritually mature than a Messianic Jewish believer in Jesus if you put more into your walk with God. Because Jesus said, he that sows much is going to reap much. He that sows little is going to reap little. And he that sows the Spirit is going to reap love and joy and everlasting life. So I just want to encourage you today. You’re inferior to no one. We all stand before the cross on equal footing. And now it’s up to us to choose Jesus every day and put him first. And so then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but your fellow citizens with the saints and are part of God’s household. You’re of God’s household. Having been built on the foundation of the apostles, the prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone in whom the whole building is being fitted together and we’re growing into a holy temple in the Lord. I’m gonna go slow as I read that last verse once again. In whom the whole building, Being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together into, listen, a dwelling of God in the Spirit. So we are called the temple of the Lord. In verse 21, we’re being fitted together as the temple of the Lord. What is the temple? The temple is the place where God’s Shekinah glory dwelt. The temple was the place that hosted God’s presence. The temple is the place where the presence of the Lord and the Spirit of God inhabited. I want you to think about this. We are being fitted together as the temple. You know what it’s like when you come together with people that really love God and you’re passionately worshiping together? There is a beautiful anointing and power and presence that comes together because God’s people together, not one of us alone, but together, we’re the temple of the Lord. That’s why we feel that special anointing during corporate worship when we’re really worshiping with other people. And by the way, those of you that are going to churches and the worship’s going and everyone’s sitting there like a robot and no one opens their mouth, no one lifts their hand, everyone’s afraid to lift their hand. Oh, if I lift my hand, what are they gonna think? They’re gonna think I’m, you know what? You be the first one to lift your hand. You be the first one to open up your arms. You be the first one to say, praise God. You be the first one to let loose because everybody’s in bondage and it’s prohibiting the presence of the Lord from entering in the way that he wants to. Let’s break through, beloved. David danced before the Lord. Paul said, let men everywhere lift up holy hands and praise him. We’re the temple of God. There’s not going to be any silent worshipers in heaven. You’re not going to see people worshiping in heaven. No, we’re going to be like the angels. Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God Almighty. So if you’re in a church that’s quenched, you’d be the first one to break out. And maybe other people will follow when your church will experience revival. We’re the temple of the Lord. And then Paul says, finally, the last verse in this chapter, we’re being built together, listen to this, into a dwelling place of God. in the Spirit. Isn’t that awesome to consider that God wants to dwell in an even more weighty way in you? We need to continue to say yes to the Holy Spirit so that we can be transformed Because the more that we become like Jesus, the more weight of His Spirit can descend upon our soul. The more we become like Him, the more we’re going to experience us being His resting place, us being the temple of the Spirit and the dwelling place of God. Jesus said, if you love me, you’ll keep my word and my Father and I will come and make our home in you. We’re in a situation, those of us that are senior citizens or those of us that are above the age of 50, we were taught to honor the Lord with our finances. But America and many other nations in the world are not so Christian anymore. What that means is those of us that have learned how to tithe, those of us that have been instructed to honor the Lord with our finances, we need to be thinking about having an ability of whom are not tithing. When you honor the Lord by sowing financially into discovering the Jewish Jesus, you’re giving us an opportunity to continue to reach the younger people even after you and I have passed on. Even if they might not give like we do, we’re going to have enough that we have already to continue to reach them. I want to ask you to sow financially into this ministry so that we can reach, beloved, the next generation.
SPEAKER 01 :
Amen. And if you’d like to help us reach the next generation, then give a gift of any amount to Discovering the Jewish Jesus by visiting us online at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. And if it’s easier for you, give us a call. at 800-777-7835. You know, we love learning about all the people around the world who are exploring the depths of Scripture with us each and every day, and we could never, ever reach them without you. so thank you thank you for your generous financial support and faithful prayers and now i want to let you know about a unique opportunity to truly help reach the next generation that we have available it’s called free will and with it you can make a free will plan It’s a straightforward, easy-to-use resource, and I believe it’ll help empower you to make provisions for the future that’ll reflect your commitment to sharing the gospel. And for those of you who feel called to include discovering the Jewish Jesus in your will, we want to express our deepest gratitude. When you honor the Lord in this way, you’re not only ensuring that the good news continues to be proclaimed right now, but also in future generations. you’re paving the way for the return of Jesus. This tool is absolutely free, whether you give to discovering the Jewish Jesus or not. I’ve used it myself. I’ve went right through it. I’ve checked it to make sure it works out. And it’s simple. It was so easy. It took me about 10 minutes to go through it in a simple way. And if you’d like to learn more about free will, then visit us at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. You’ll find a link to it in our resources tab. I want to just take a second to say thank you for listening today. We love reading all your comments that you guys post online and all the testimonies that you send in. It’s such a blessing to connect with all of you each and every day. 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 :
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.
SPEAKER 03 :
yeah yahweh 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 Dustin Roberts. Join us again tomorrow when Rabbi Schneider explains more about a soul that carries the blessing. Does that include you? Well, find out Thursday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.
