Rabbi Schneider - God's Ultimate Kindness

TOPICS: Identity and Destiny, Kindness

You need to hear beloved, that these are very biblical themes; you can't just dismiss this and say you don't believe it, because to simply say you don't believe it beloved, is to reject the words of Jesus and to reject the words of the Scriptures. Paul said in many different places in the Bible, including Romans chapters 9, Romans chapter 11, on, and on, and on, Paul said many times that he's ministering to those that had been chosen by the Lord. In fact, in Acts chapter number 13:48, Paul went into a city and preached the Gospel and in Acts 13:48 Paul said: And as many as had been appointed to eternal life, believed. In another portion of Scripture, the writer says that he had, was enduring all things for the sake of the chosen.

This is what Jesus was talking about in John 6, John 10, and John 17, where he spoke about he was here to save the sheep that the Father gave him. John chapter 6 he's saying: All the Father gives me, will come to me. No one can come to me unless it's been granted by the Father. Jesus you did not choose me, but I chose you. In John chapter 10, Jesus said: You believe not, because you're not my sheep; I know my sheep, my Father's given them to me. In John chapter 17, Jesus said: Father, I manifested your name to those that you gave me out of the world; I ask on their behalf, not on behalf of the world. Last week I showed you in Deuteronomy chapter 7 that God chose Israel alone out of all the peoples on the face of the earth. And Paul tells us: So too at the present time, in Romans chapter 11, there's a remnant, not everybody, just like Israel, Israel was a remnant, right? The Amorites weren't chosen, the Hittites weren't chosen, the Jashubites weren't chosen, the Amalekites weren't chosen, just to name a few; only Israel was chosen.

So the Lord said to Israel in Deuteronomy chapter 7 verses 6 and 7: I've chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be mine. And then God actually had Israel, what? Driving out the other nations; he didn't treat them all the same, did he? Did God treat Israel the same way he treated the Amalekites? No. Did God treat Israel the same way he treated the Jezubites? No. Did God treat Israel the same way he treated the Hittites? No. Israel was God's people. God actually told Israel to drive these other nations out. God drove these other nations out, and God said to Israel: I didn't choose you because you were great, but I chose you because I loved you. And Paul says: So too at the same at the same time, there's a remnant chosen by God's grace, and if it's by grace Paul said in Ephesians, it's no longer on the basis of works, less grace would no longer be grace.

Paul told us in, in Romans chapter 9, he said now consider Rebecca, she had twins in her womb by Isaac, and they were Jacob and Esau, and Paul said before the twins were born, neither having done anything good or bad, God chose one and not the other: Jacob I love, and Esau I hated. That it would not depend on what either of them did, but rather on God's choice. Paul says: I know you're not gonna think that's fair, you're gonna say to me is there injustice with God? You're gonna say to me, how can God find fault if he acts like this? But Paul said: Who are we that answers back to God; the potter has the right to make from the same lump of clay, one vessel for honor, and another for common use or for dishonor. So beloved, the point of all this is that this is a series designed to bless you, called Identity and Destiny. And when you know you've been chosen by God to be a son, to be a daughter, and to be a priest; that you weren't the one that chose him, but that he chose you.

Remember, Jesus said you did not choose me, I chose you, then you'll have an identity. You're identity will be one that has been chosen by God, one that belongs to God, and you'll also know what your destiny is. That's why Paul prays in the Book of Ephesians: I pray that your eyes of your heart will be enlightened to understand the hope of your calling. When you know that you've been chosen by God, beloved; that God didn't choose everybody, but that if you know him, he chose you. Remember, Jesus said in John 10: You don't believe, because you're not my sheep. Okay? When you know that God choose you beloved, it's gonna radically change your life. You're gonna be a bold witness for Jesus. 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.

Now, just a few final comments about this: Some might ask, well if God chooses people and predestinates people, then why witness? Well beloved, the way that God reaches his chosen people is through the witness of the church. That's why Paul said in Acts 13:48: He went into the city, he preached the Gospel, and every one that had been appointed to eternal life: believed. That's why the writer of Scripture said, he endured all things for the sake of the chosen. That's what Jesus was doing, beloved. He was, he was enduring going to the cross beloved, knowing that the sheep that God had given him would be saved through his death and resurrection, even though this death beloved, was sufficient to save the entire world. So I hope that you can be blessed by this beloved. It's a, it's a doctrine that's difficult for people to accept, because they think it's not fair, but it's the clear teaching of Scripture.

And I just wanna say one last time: God did not choose you, because he knew foreknew that you would choose him. In the Book of Romans chapter, right, when the Scripture says: Whom he foreknew, he also did predestinate. Paul is not saying that he foreknew that you would choose him, but rather what Paul is saying is, he foreknew you, there's a big difference. Remember Paul got done saying in Romans chapter 9 that neither of the twins had been born, and neither had done anything either good or bad, they were still in the womb, and yet while they were still in the womb, neither having done anything good or bad; God chose one and not the other, that it would not be on the basis of works Paul said, but on the basis of him who calls. And so when the Scripture says: whom he foreknew, he also did predestinate; it doesn't mean he foreknew your works beloved, it means he foreknew you, he loved you in advance.

This is what Paul is saying in Ephesians chapter 1: Blessed be the God and Father of Yeshua HaMashiach, who chose us in him before the foundation of the world, and predestinated us to adoption as sons. Okay? I hope this can be a blessing for you, its meant so much to me, its meant so much to me as a Jewish person to know that Jesus appeared to me beloved, in the middle of the night back in 1978. Listen, he didn't appear to all the other Jewish people that I, that I knew growing up, in the same way that he appeared to me. When people ask me, did you believe? When he appeared to me beloved, in 1978, it wasn't even a question as to whether I believed or didn't believe, I knew, I mean God gave me that type of faith. That was the same thing with the Apostle Paul. Remember, the Apostle Paul was on his way to arrest any Jew that believed in Jesus, and as he's on the road to Damascus, a bright light appears from heaven, knocks him off his horse, he's laying on the ground, he can't see and he says who art thou, Lord? And Jesus says I'm Jesus of Nazareth whom thou art persecuting; now get up and it will be told what you must do for me.

See, Paul was saved sovereignly by the grace of God. He was known beloved, before the foundation of the world, just like all of us are beloved, that have truly been born again through the power of the Holy Spirit activated in our life through the choosing of God the Father. The Scripture says God chose us from the beginning for salvation through the sanctifying work of the Spirit. In other words, God chose us from the beginning to be saved, and the way, the way that he did it was through the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit's operation in our life; that's why Jesus said in John 6: No one comes to me, unless the Father draws them. I'm trying to encourage you, I'm trying to encourage you; if you can accept the fact beloved, that the reason you believe and the reason so many others don't believe, its cause God chose you, and when you know that beloved, you'll understand your destiny and your calling. You'll understand what your identity is.

That its not your boss that defines who you are beloved, its not somebody else that you've encountered in life that mistreated you that defines who you are; your definition beloved, that which defines you is the God beloved, that chose you before the foundation of the world to be his. That's your identity and when you know that, you'll also know what your calling his. And one of your, one of the features of your calling beloved, is to be a witness for him on this earth. That's why Jesus said in the Gospel of John: If you were of the world, the world would love, but because I chose you out of the world, the world hates you, and Jesus said I appointed you out of, and so that you would go and bear fruit.

And so we have a destiny now and a calling to know the Lord. We've been called by him beloved, and chosen by him to know him, and to love him, to stand before him holy and blameless before him in love. Our purpose in life beloved, those of us that have been chosen by him, our purpose in life beloved, is to seek Jesus, to find Jesus, to fall in love with Jesus; its all gonna culminate in the Book of Revelation with the marriage supper of the Lamb. God chose you beloved, listen now, for himself, just like we read in the Book of Deuteronomy chapter 7, that he chose Israel for himself. So that defines who you are: you've been chosen by God beloved, for him. And what's your calling on this earth beloved? To seek him, to grow in grace, to love him, to lay a hold of him, even as he laid a hold of you, listen now: and to be a witness for him beloved, on the earth. Even when that means being rejected by people, cause Jesus said a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they'll persecute you, but that's our calling beloved, to suffer reproach with him outside the city gates.

In other words, if they rejected Jesus; Jesus said don't think that you're gonna go through this world and no ones gonna reject you, because if your faithful to me Jesus said, you're gonna suffer some of the same kinds of persecution that, that I suffered. Listen: if you're never being rejected, it's because you're, you're a lukewarm person in the Lord. We should be lifting up the name of Jesus beloved. Wherever we're going, we should seek to lift up the name of Jesus, because this is what we were chosen for beloved, to love him, to know him, and to be his witnesses. You see, Jesus tells us in the Book of Revelation chapter 1, that he bought us with his own blood, listen now, to be a priest. And he chose us beloved, out of the world to be a priest. God said to Israel in Exodus 19:6: That he chose them out of the world to be a kingdom of priests.

God chose you, Revelation chapter 1 beloved, before the foundation of the world to be a priest. What does a priest do? A priest that's been chosen, listen now, to draw close to God. There's your first purpose in life, to draw close to God, to seek God, to wake up early every morning, to seek his face, to seek, to seek, to seek. Everyone that seeks, finds. He that knocks, the door will be opened beloved, everyone that asks, receives. Our first purpose in life as a priest beloved, is to draw near to him. The second purpose of our life as a chosen priest beloved, is to offer up our lives to em, to do in our life whatever he wants to do. See the priesthood, what do they do every day? They offer up the sacrifices. Our sacrifice is our own life, beloved, Romans chapter 12:1. And the third function of the priest beloved, listen now: is to minister to the world on behalf of God. Oh, when you know that you're chosen, when you know that God loved you, you didn't choose him, he chose you, and when you know that beloved, I'm telling you; you'll fall deeper in love with Jesus, you'll become more secure in your walk with him, you'll fall deeper in love with him beloved.

I want this to be a blessing to you. So with all that said, if you'd like to, again you can review some of the Scriptures that I've quoted on your own, but we're gonna press on now to some other material. Why did he do this for us? The Apostle Paul tells us in verse number 5: That he did it according to the kind intention of his will; he just desired to show kindness to us. That's why Paul quotes the Lord in Romans chapter 9 by saying, he shows kindness or he has compassion Paul says, on whomever he'll have compassion on. In other words, he just wanted to bless us. He did it according to the kind attention of his will, in verse number 6, he did it, listen now: to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. In other words, for the rest of our lives, those of us that are his, we're gonna be praising him. He did it beloved, to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. In other words, we've been, we've been chosen beloved to praise him forever, and ever, and ever. Forever and ever, we're gonna praise the Lamb.

You know we read in the Book of Revelation that the redeemed forever are praising the Lamb: worthy art the, is the Lamb that was slain to receive honor and glory, and dominion and power, for he purchased men for God with his own blood. Forever we're gonna be like those angels in heaven, blessing the Lord: Holy, Holy, Holy, thanking him, loving him, adoring him beloved, for saving us, and for giving us the privilege of being his sons and daughters, and being with him in his eternal heaven. So he did this beloved, to the praise and the glory of his grace, because all things are from him, and through him and to him. God created all things beloved, and all things are listen: from him, and through him, and to him are all things. So why did he do this for us? The Bible tells us in the Book of Ephesians chapter 1 verse number 6: To the praise, remember all things are from him, and through him, and what? And to him. And so it says in Ephesians 1:6: To the praise of the glory of his grace, which he freely bestowed on us in the beloved. It's a free gift, beloved. Awesome, we bless the name of the Lord.

We continue on now in the 7th verse: In him, in Messiah Yeshua, in Jesus, we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, once again, according to the riches of his grace. God forgave you and me beloved, because he loves us. According to the kind intention of his will, we have redemption and forgiveness. The forgiveness of our trespasses and sins, through his blood, beloved. I'm gonna read it once again. In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses according to the riches of his grace, which he freely lavished upon us in our wisdom and insight. It's an awesome, we're forgiven beloved, holy and blameless. You can look in the mirror, because of what Jesus did for you. Because the knowledge that God loved you before the foundation of the world, he chose you in him, you're saved. The Bible says we were by nature, children of wrath, in Ephesians chapter 2, even as the rest, but God.

Listen to that again, Ephesians chapter 2: We were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest. We were in the flesh, no different than anybody else Paul said, we too were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest, but God, because of the great love with which he loved us, made us alive together with Messiah, by grace you've been saved. Hallelujah and glory to the Lamb. And so we continue on here, he made known to us in verse number 9, the mystery of his will. In other words, he revealed Jesus to us. Remember what Yeshua said to Peter, who do they say that I am? And Peter said, well some say Elijah, some say John the Baptist. Jesus said well, well who do you say that I am? And Kephas said well, you're the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Jesus said blessed art thou, Simon son of John, for flesh and blood has not revealed, revealed, get that word, revealed this to you, but my Father, who is in heaven. That's how he saves us, through revelation.

So listen what it says here in the 9th verse of Ephesians 1: He made known to us, he revealed to us. Jesus says, no one knows the Father, but the Son; and no one knows the Son, but the Father, and no ones gonna know the Son or the Father, Jesus said, unless we reveal our self to him. Just like with Abraham; how did Abraham know the Lord? God came to him in the book of, in the Scriptures, in Genesis chapter 18, and revealed himself, so it's been with us. God is coming, he's revealed himself to us by his indwelling Holy Spirit, so he said he made known to us, in verse number 9, he revealed himself to us, the mystery of his will according to his kind intention, which he purposed the Messiah.

Notice again, its all kindness towards you, notice again; it's all kindness towards us: Grace and peace to you, from God our Father, and Yeshua, the Messiah, Paul starts saying. He saved us according to the kind intention of his will; he made known to us the mystery of his will in verse number 9, according to his kind intention. And in verse number 10: With a view to the administration, suitable to the fullness of times, that is in the summing up of all things in Messiah: things in heaven and things upon the earth in him. In other words, the end of this thing beloved, is that everything beloved, is gonna find its conclusion in Messiah Yeshua. All creation beloved will end up praising Messiah Jesus. Whether they're in heaven or whether they're in hell, all creation, every knee shall bow and every tongue confess, hallelujah, that Yeshua HaMashiach is Lord to the glory of God the Father. It's all gonna be summed up beloved, with the name of Jesus being exalted: hallelujah, Jesus, we bless the name of Yeshua today.

We bless you Lord Jesus today, we worship you today, and we honor you, we exalt you, the living Jesus, the Exalted One, the one that reigns, the one that purchased with his own blood; we bless you today, Yeshua, hallelujah and Amen.

And we continue on here in verse number 11 that we have obtained an inheritance, lets once again that word, predestinated. Listen verse 11: We have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to his purpose who works all things after the counsel of his own will. So again I say to people that have a problem with the concept of predestination; your problem beloved, needs to be resolved by looking at the Word of God, because the Word of God clearly speaks about predestination. We continue on in verse number 12: To the end, the end of this is that we, who were the first hope in Messiah, should be able, we should be to the praise of, of the glory of God. He's just talking about once again, that we that believe in him, and those that come in later; it's all gonna result beloved, in worshipping and praising God. And then he says, and you too.

We were the first he was speaking, those first believers and now we're seeing others coming into the faith, and he's writing to them, and he says in verse 13: And you too, after listening to the message of truth, the Gospel of your salvation, having also believed, you were sealed in him with the Holy Spirit. And it's true beloved, we do have to believe, but the Bible says by grace you've been saved, in Ephesians chapter 2, listen now. We do have to believe. Paul said: You too, after listening to the message of your salvation, Paul said, having also believed, Paul said, we're sealed with the Holy Spirit. But you know what Paul said in Ephesians chapter 2? That the faith that we have was given to us as a gift from God, listen to this. In verse number 8 of Ephesians chapter 2: For grace you've been saved, listen to this now, through faith, through believing, for by grace you've been saved through faith, and that, listen to this, get this, and that, get this now: And that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God.

So Paul was saying: And you also having heard of the message, believed and you were saved when you believed, you received the Holy Spirit, because faith is the channel that God works through, but Paul says here that the believe that you have and the faith that you have, it didn't come for your self, it was given to you as a gift from God, and not all men have faith. So Paul says once again, verse number 8 of Ephesians 2: For by grace you've been saved through faith, and that not of your self, it's the gift of God, not as a result of works, lest any man should boast.

You see Paul says in Ephesians chapter 2 verse 1, this: You were dead in your transgressions and sins, in your trespasses and sins in which you formally walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, that is now working in the sons of disobedience. In other words, we were by nature Paul says, children of wrath. Among them, verse number 3 of Ephesians 2: We too all formerly lived, listen now, in the lust of our flesh, indulging in the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature, children of wrath, even as the rest. But get verse 4: But God, being rich in mercy, because of his great love of which he loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Messiah by grace, you've been saved. Isn't that an awesome thing? And you were raised up with them beloved, through faith in the Spirit.

Well Father, we just wanna bless you today and give you glory. Father, we recognize that Father, Jesus alone is the one that saved us. And Father, we recognize that we stand Father, by your grace. And we also recognize Father that but by the grace of God, there go we. We were also, your Word says Father, by nature children of wrath, but you saved us, because of your kind intention, which you purposed in Messiah for us before the foundation of the world. Now Father, we wanna commit our lives to you. We wanna serve you; we wanna walk worthy of our calling. We wanna love you Father God, so we ask you to strengthen Father, our inner man by your Spirit, by the Spirit of Jesus, Father, we ask you to strengthen our inner man Father God, that we would rise up in your Spirit Father God, that we would be radical lovers of you Father God, that we'll be radically obedient to you Father God. We wanna love you Lord Jesus, even as you love us. So Father, even as you loved us before the foundation of the world, and loved us with such affection that you sent your Son to die for us; Father, I our desire is to love you back with that same love.

Yevarechecha YHWH veyishmerecha.
Ya'er YHWH panav elecha veyichunecha.
Yissa Yahweh panav elecha ve'yaseym lecha, Shalom.

God loves you beloved, Shalom.