Rabbi Schneider - God, The Perfection of Beauty
Isn’t God beautiful? I love God’s beauty. David said, «One thing I’ve desired of thee and one thing do I ask to be in Your sanctuary and to behold Your beauty all the days of my life». One of the attributes I love most about God is His beauty. I mean, God is a multifaceted diamond. There are so many attributes of the Lord. The Godhead is like a diamond. You know, He’s all powerful and He’s holy and He knows everything. He’s compassionate and His glory is all this. One of His attributes that sometimes we don’t think about as much is He’s beautiful. A lot of times when people think about God, they think, Oh, He knows everything. Or they think, He’s always been. Or they think, He’s the creator. Or they think, He’s all-powerful.
And of course, all of that is true. But sometimes what doesn’t occur to people when they think about God is that God is beautiful. He’s the perfection of beauty. And I remember years ago, the Lord spoke to me in a dream and He said to me, «Whenever you feel lonely, focus on my beauty». And I found that like when I go outside and I look at God’s beautiful creation, I know that God’s here. I feel his beauty. It just feels like His lovingkindness is wrapped around my heart. And Paul told us in the book of Romans that even though we can’t see God, obviously, Paul says we can know who He is through his creation. The words that Paul uses that is that His invisible attributes.
In other words, we can’t see God’s attributes. They’re invisible. Paul says in Romans, His invisible attributes and eternal glory are clearly seen by the things that He’s made. And so what this means is, is that we can get a sense of who God is by looking at His creation because it’s clearly seen by what’s been made. And so if you look at the world and you just observe what’s been made, you look at the beautiful baby animals. Obviously, you could a newborn child. You look at color. Just color is so beautiful. You look at flowers, right? The beautiful bodies of water, the oceans and the rivers and the rainbows and the mountains and the birds. I mean, it’s beautiful. Why are we seeing this beauty? How is it here? Because our Maker is displaying to us his beauty. Amen. He’s beautiful.
So I just love to focus on God’s beauty. And that song Thy Loving Kindness that we just sang, I just feel God’s beauty when I sing that song. Hopefully, you felt a little bit of it too. Well, we are continuing our study in a series that we’re calling Deep Revelations from the Book of Ephesians. In chapters one and two, Paul has been concentrating on the Jew and Gentile have been made one in Messiah, that we both come to Him now the same way. Jews don’t come one way and Gentiles another way. There’s only one way to the Father.
Yeshua said, «I am the way, I am the truth and I am the life. And no man comes unto the Father, but through Me». And Paul continues to teach on the same concept in the Book of Ephesians 3. And what Paul is telling us is that through his life, a great mystery has been revealed. And the mystery is that Jew and Gentile are now on equal footing in God’s presence. Why is that a mystery? Because up until this time, Gentiles were excluded from the commonwealth of Israel. The only way a Gentile, according to religious thought at the time before Yeshua came, the only way a Gentile could go to heaven was by converting to Judaism. But now Paul comes and he reveals a new revelation, a new mystery, something that was hidden in the past and has now been revealed. That through the new covenant, Gentiles have equal access to the Father. And they don’t have to become Jews. They don’t have to become Torah observant. They come to the Father on the basis of faith.
So Paul speaks about this as a mystery and a revelation that’s been given to him. So verse number three of chapter three says, «…By revelation there was made known to me the mystery, as I wrote before in brief». That was in chapter two. «By referring to this, when you read you can understand my insight,» listen now, «into the mystery of Christ, which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men…» And that is referring to what I just explained. That up until this point, we didn’t realize that Gentiles could have a relationship with God, except if they converted to Judaism. But Paul now has been revealing to us this new access, this new way that’s been opened to both Jew and Gentile alike.
And so he says, «In other generations was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the spirit». Now listen to the next verse. «…to be specific, that the Gentiles are fellow heirs and fellow members of the body, and fellow partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel…» We’ve been talking about this. If you have not seen the last episode, I went deep into this. And you can go back and watch that. Paul continues on now in verse number 10. «…that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places».
So now Jew and Gentile have been made the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that through us, Jew and Gentile alike, those of us that are born again, we are declaring the victory of Yeshua HaMashiach to the principalities and powers that surround the entire world. In other words, you and I are emanating the resurrection and ascended victory of Messiah Jesus, who is now seated at the right hand of the Father. That victory is now being made manifest through our lives, those of us that are walking in the spirit, in victory, in joy, in peace, in the wisdom of God, trusting in Him, resurrection power flowing from our lives. This is being broadcast to all the powers of the air. All the demons see the victory of Jesus emanating through our lives.
He says, «Through the church to the rulers and authorities in heavenly places. This was in accordance with the eternal purpose which He carried out in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and confident access through faith in Him». I want you to be confident, child of God, of who you are. Don’t look at yourself through your own eyes. Look at yourself through Messiah’s eyes. You’ve been justified. You’ve been sanctified. You’ve been declared righteous through the blood of Jesus over your life. He that knew no sin became sin on our behalf, that we might become the righteousness of God. We are righteous in Messiah.
So Paul says you have bold access now to the Father through faith, through the blood of Messiah, Jesus. He says, «Therefore I ask you not to lose heart…» And he continues with «my tribulations on your behalf». So don’t be discouraged. Don’t be discouraged. Don’t be discouraged. And then Paul continues, «For this reason I bow my knees before the Father». So Paul’s going into a prayer here now. He’s just rejoicing at what God has done. He has moved in his love for us, because he knows the Father’s love for us. He’s so compassionate, so sympathetic, so empathetic. He feels such fondness for you and me, that he can’t help himself but get down on his knees and pray for us because he’s feeling the Father’s love, beloved one, that’s born again, for you and me.
Listen to what Paul says. «For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and earth derives its name». That’s people in Africa. That’s people in Asia. That’s people in every part of the world that are His. Now here’s what he prays, «That He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory…» He’s got so much to give. He’ll never run out of resources. It’s overflowing. When Jesus said, «I’ve come to give life and give it more abundantly, it’s an abundance that never stops giving».
God never stops bubbling up with a new gift, a new emanation of His love and power and glory and fulfillment of His promise. It’s overflowing, abundant. My cup runneth over. «…that he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inner man…» It’s interesting that the first thing that the apostle Shaul or Paul was led to pray for, for you and I, is that we would be strengthened, strengthened with power by the Ruach HaKadosh, by God’s Spirit in our inner man.
Remember when the Holy Spirit came, He fulfilled Yeshua’s promise, when Yeshua instructed His disciples to go wait in Yerushalayim in Jerusalem, where I’m at right now, that they would receive the promise of the Father and be baptized with the Holy Spirit — and what? Power. Why is the first thing that Paul asked for us, why is it power? And why when Yeshua said that the baptism of the Spirit would produce power, why is this so important? Because without power, none of the other giftings of the Spirit, none of the other emanations of the Lord’s glory can manifest through our soul. Power is what we need first of all. Power to be happy. Power to walk in confidence. Power to love. Power to release healing. Power to have compassion. Power to see in the Spirit. Power to rise up and ascend over and through the forces of darkness. Power, beloved, will set us free.
Many of you heard the story that years ago the Lord spoke to me and He said to me, «When you get strong, then you’ll be happy». And the power that we receive from the Spirit is made perfect in our weakness. A lot of people have naturally powerful personalities, right? We’ve all met people that have what we call bigger-than-life personalities. They walk into a room and their presence just kind of fills the space. But I’m not necessarily talking about that kind of power, because that kind of power can just come from the natural. The type of power that we need, the resurrection of power that we need to drink from can only be received, get this truth now, beloved one, in our weakness.
Paul told us that God revealed to him that God’s power is made perfect in our weakness. Some people act like they have God’s power, but it’s just an act. It’s all coming from the outside. It’s all coming from the natural. It’s all coming from their persona. It might look powerful, but Paul said it’s a form of godliness that’s devoid of power. Some people think that by talking loud they’re powerful. Some people pray for people and they lay their hands on them because they’re looking for a manifestation of the Spirit. When people go out under the power of the Spirit, which does genuinely happen at times, but a lot of times we see ministers literally pushing people over. That’s not necessarily God’s power at work, right? No. The power that we receive is, first of all, a gentle power.
The fruit of the Spirit is gentleness. We can be loud, but God’s Spirit is primarily a Spirit that operates in gentleness. So true power will have a gentle touch to it. When people met Jesus that were truly humble, they didn’t encounter a rough Jesus. They felt His love and His gentleness. There’s a time for everything, but I’m just wanting you to understand that beloved power is the first thing Paul prays for that we receive. And this power, Paul is going to tell us, is the same power that raised Yeshua of Nazareth from the dead.
Let’s continue on. «…that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ might dwell in your hearts through faith; and that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you might be filled up with the fullness of God».
So this power that Paul was praying that will be increased in, produces faith. And the faith stretches our soul so that we can comprehend the love of God, which then produces in our life the ability to experience God’s fullness. I know that’s a mouthful, but let me read it again, and you’ll put it together. Power produces faith, and faith gives us the ability to comprehend and receive, and walk in the fullness of God’s love, and to walk in the fullness of God.
So listen how this transpires once again. «…that you would be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man, so that Christ might dwell in your hearts through faith…» So power brings faith. Power roots us and grounds us in the eternal realm of faith. And then he goes on to say the result of this is that you will be rooted and grounded in love. When you have faith, you’re able to comprehend God’s love. That you’ll be able… Paul continues in the next verse, «…to be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth,» speaking of God’s love, «and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge…»
It’s not something that we can just hear about. It’s not something that we can memorize. It surpasses intellectual capabilities. It’s something that’s in our heart, produced supernaturally. «…you’ll be able to comprehend the love of God, to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you would be filled up with all the fullness of God. Now to Him who’s able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to Him, to Father God, to the Father of all, be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever».
So, Father, now we ask you to strengthen us with power. Father, we ask you to strengthen us with that same power that you wrought in Christ when you raised Him from the dead and caused Him to ascend through and over the darkness to be seated at your right hand. That power, Father God, that has authority over all. Father, release that power that’s ours in Christ into our inner man right now. And Father, root us and ground us in faith. Not simply mental agreement, but Father, supernatural faith in our soul, that we just would believe, that we would believe You’re good, that we’d believe in Your love. Father, that we would have emunah. The supernatural word, beloved one, for faith. That we would have emunah in You. And to know, Lord, that You’re Adon Olam, that You’re master of the world, that You’re master of You’re creation, that You’re master over every circumstance, that the number of hairs on our head are numbered, that You know just where we’re at right now, that You know our thoughts, that You know what we’re dealing with, and that You love us, God, and that You’re sensitive towards us and compassionate towards us, because You, Yeshua, know what it’s like to be a human being, and You are tempted just like we are, and that You know, Father, that we were made from dust. So Father, give us that supernatural faith in Your love, that we would know that You’re always with us, that You’re tender for us, and that You’re supervising our life and our master over every circumstance. That Lord, Abba, Father, Daddy, you’re with us right where we are, involved in every situation in our life, that You know every thought, and that You have compassion on us, even as a mother and a father have compassion on their child. Father, help us to know Your love and Your tenderness for us, and give us confidence, Lord, in Your power over all creation that’s being exercised individually in each one of our lives through Messiah Jesus.