Acts Chapter 1 Part 2

Shalom and welcome to via hafte yes Ryan a Hebrew phrase which means you shall love Israel we hope you'll stay with us for the next 30 minutes as our teacher dr. Baruch shares his expose Ettore teaching from the Bible dr. Baruch is the senior lecturer at the Zahra Avraham Institute based in Israel although all courses are taught in Hebrew at the Institute dr. Baruch is pleased to share this weekly address in English to find out more about our work in Israel please visit us on the web at love Israel you are G that's one word love Israel dot o-r-g now here's baroque with today's lesson well we know that God wants to use individuals he wants us to realize that we are people set apart and that we have been set forth for ministry and in the passage of Scripture that we're going to look at today we are seeing how God's order was made known how he assembled a group of individuals that he might begin this this manifestation of his truth his gospel his power and a proclamation of his coming Kingdom to the ends of the earth so with that said to get your Bible we began last week a new study a study in the book of Acts and we got through the first half of chapter one and now in this lesson we want to finish up this first chapter of the book of Acts and what a privilege it is to be able to study this book together a a historical book where we see the faithfulness of God where we see the manifestation of the Holy Spirit and and through the life of others that we might see the great potential that we have as the body of Messiah today and a unique and I believe significant times that we're living within now will recall last week that Messiah he ascended up into the heavens and literally we need to understand that as his return the way the scripture unfolds it realizes and it wants us to realize that he is God and he came sent by his family father to do work the work of redemption and now he's returning faithfully there was never time that Messiah did not perfectly carry out the will of his Heavenly Father so he's ascended but he commanded those disciples that they would not depart from Jerusalem until and here's what I liked until the promise of the Father should come so we are a people who had been prepared empowered and enlightened by and through the promise of God so we read this last week when I want to pick up once more in verse 12 where we see their response to the words of Yeshua before he ascended and their response to these two angels that that put in proper perspective what had happened and what will happen and that is the return of Messiah and now we're seeing how the people responded between those two epochs of time from the time that he ascended until the time that he returns what are we supposed to be doing well that's what this book is about so then they return these disciples they return to Jerusalem from the mountain which is called olive the Mount of Olives we talked about the significance of that place prophetically in regard to Messiah and the scripture says which is near to Jerusalem and most of the time it says that sabbath day journey now what do we mean by a sabbath day journey well according to Jewish law once a person left the boundaries of a city there was a limit to how far they could go and what was that limit which is called in Hebrew to whom Shabbat well it's about two to three kilometers what I would want us to realize it's the distance from today the walls of Jerusalem to the top of the Mount of Olives and what's interesting here we talked about this last week is that the way that that phrase a Sabbath day journey is written in Greek it literally is that way of Shabbat and Shabbat is a kingdom word so we're learning here about the way of the kingdom and therefore they return to Jerusalem and notice what happens let's begin a new verse verse 13 and when they entered they went up into the upper room where they abided so they abided in this place in expectation now let me share with you that when you walk in obedience when you respond to the Word of God you can can abide in expectation because when you are responding obediently to the admonitions of God through his word through the Holy Spirit we are going to be an expectant people we are going to believe and expect things to happen so here we find that they are abiding in that place in Jerusalem and who's our doing that well it says and Peter also Yaakov probably your Bibles translated James usually Yaakov as is Jacob but there's a in Greek it is pronounced James and John and Andrew Philip and Thomas or Thomas Bartholomew and Matthew and then once again Yaakov or Jacob or your bible will say say james of Alphaeus and shamone the zealot also judas who's the brother of Yaakov or James so we have these individuals who were back in the upper room and what we should see is this this is time this event that we're going to focus in on next work when next week when we're studying the feast of shovel and Pentecost they're one in the same I'll talk more about that next week but they are in that location where they observed the Passover and it's to tie what's going to happen on Pentecost were shoveled with the Passover experience there are basically two ends of that same experience so this group of disciples were at that location and notice what they did look now to verse 14 it says all of these were doing something now I want to translate this very literally because many times it's the literal illness where the wisdom is where we can understand the revelation is so when we look at this passage of Scripture it says that they were doing something they were and the best way to understand this is that they were diligently they were doing so in a very committed fashion and this diligence was just not with one or two of them but the next word means in one mind or in unison s' unanimously and they were doing it at the same time so we need to unravel that when we look at the Greek term it means that they were abiding in this place and they were diligently in one Accord in agreement at the same time they were doing what were they were diligent about prayers and also supplications with the women and also men the mother of yeshua and with the brothers and this can also include perhaps sisters in in many languages the male plural can refer to individuals of both genders and it's his brethren so his family so in this location were disciples and also others who were diligent in regard to prayers and supplications and they had an expectation that something was going to happen that God was gonna move to fulfill his promise so let me ask you does that describe you do you believe and are you diligent and is there other people United with you in that same commitment that same unanimous belief and expectation that the promises of God are going to be fulfilled when we doubt what does the book of James say the one who doubts he ought not think that he will receive anything from God we need to be people to live with a passionate expectation that the promises of God are going to be fulfilled in our life God loves to go beyond what what we think he does more and when we look at this passage of Scripture let's continue on look now to verse 15 it says and in those days now I don't have an answer for why it says in those days in the days of these if I were just to respond I would say that term speaks about a uniqueness something that's rare not necessarily something that has ceased but rather something that is rare and I believe what's rare and what's special about those days compared to most days is this diligence this unity that they were one Accord continuing on in this this Agreement this unison s' and therefore they had an expectation in the midst notice what happened Peter stood up in the midst of the disciples he said and at this time now there's an eruption in the biblical texts he begins to speak it says he said and then we have in an eruption the author wants us to know that there was a crowd that numbered at that time or at that group 120 and I think that's a very significant number I mean we had those 12 disciples the 12 tribes of Israel but now we have 12 times 10 and 10 is completion or that which is in its entirety wholeness and I think this number foreshadow something now even though a hundred and twenty individuals is a relatively small group of individuals but but from what's going on now we're going to see that the world is transformed it began with you sure his twelve disciples and now it membered at this time in Jerusalem the foundations of what we might say the early congregation the early church 120 people now it goes back to the narrative remember Peter spoke and now we find what he says move on in verse 16 he says men brethren it was necessary and that's an important word in the text necessary it means there was no other way it was absolutely a must it could not be anything other than this and what was that keep reading it was necessary that this word be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke beforehand so now when he says this word it has a prophetic context and notice who's speaking the Holy Spirit now when people speak under that anointing the power of that anointing the one and it's personal who gives these words are the Holy Spirit and as I've said over and over one of the major roles of the Holy Spirit is to bring order into this world into the body of believers into your life and my life so he gets up and he says men and brethren it was necessary absolutely necessary that this word would be fulfilled which was spoken beforehand by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David so now we know we're talking about a psalm concerning Judah and this Judah is the betrayer this is Judas Judas Iscariot is scariet as we often pronounced in in English so there was a prophecy about him in this prophecy is from the Book of Psalms and you can look at it in verse 9 and most Bibles in the Hebrew text it's verse 10 and what does it say here well as you keep reading it says this was spoken of by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of David concerning Judah that he had become a guide he had become a guide for those who sees yeshua and if we look at the scripture from from psalm 41 that's exactly what it tells us that there's going to be one who rises up to lead others against a man of peace very important that we see that it says in many places our friend but literally when we look at the Hebrew quotation it speaks about this man of peace it goes on and we read that he was numbered with us so this one meaning Judas he was numbered with us and he received his portion his lot in this ministry this service so we read here that one from within and I'm gonna just pause again and say that this is very significant that there was one from within that betrayed Messiah he had a portion of that ministry he was not there as an uninvited disciple he was chosen but never less he rebelled and what Scripture comes into my mind is the book of Matthew chapter 24 and verse 5 where it speaks about that there will be many who come in my name saying that Yeshua is the Messiah so the right way to understand this verse I believe and I thank my friend Gavin for sharing this with me is that the the in the last days much of the false teaching are going to be done from within just like Judas was from within and part of this ministry this work this calling this service so Judas was an outsider it's emphasized one from within and then look now to verse verse 18 it says and this one he purchased a field and how did he do that well this is speaking about the time after he realized what was happening and the role that he had he took that thirty pieces of silver blood money and he casted back into the temple Treasury and this is what this scripture is referring to when he purchased a a field notice what it says he purchased a field with the wages some Bibles might say reward but literally it's the word for wages of this unrighteous Act that's what literally says Adi caius middle of verse 18 and having fallen now some Bibles I don't know why will say having fallen long now we know another scripture says that he was hung he hung himself he committed suicide a very weak act he committed suicide but this scripture tells us that having hung himself notice what happened he fell down and it says the myths burst forth that is the middle part of him burst forward burst forth and all of his intestines or bowels gushed out end of verse 18 now verse 19 and it became known to all who dwell in Jerusalem that that this place is called that field is called by it by one's own dialect meaning in their own language it's called Akeldama what is I'll kill dem dama well Dhamma is Aramaic for blood so once more it's the field of blood and it says this is the fill the blood it translates it for us so what we find as we study this scripture is a a repetition of what we've known that Judas he betrayed Messiah but notice all of this was done in fulfillment of the scripture now we have to learn a very important theological truth people will misunderstand the significance of that and they'll take it to a theology that is very displeasing to God dishonouring of god and rejects the truth of so many other scriptures just because the scripture foretold it that leads many people to wrongly to conclude and we're going to talk more about this towards the end of this section that it leads people to wrongly conclude well because it was prophesied it had to happen no it had to happen because God knew it he prophesied it because he looked forward in history and he did that cause it he saw it happening and the word of prophecy simply alerts us to it it speaks about the omniscience of God that he's all-knowing but do not and this is very dangerous do not make the wrong assumption the wrong conclusion that because it's prophesied it had to happen no it was prophesied because God saw that it was going to happen not that he caused it do you think many people think that Judas well he was created for that purpose no he was not he was not created in a manner that fesses glory God is sovereign he can turn anything into something that is good but the ones who do that like in Judas case are serving God they are not an instrument of God they are an instrument of unrighteousness that's what the scripture says and it's amazing to me and I've heard so many teachers having gone to a place that embrace reformed theology academic institution I've heard many people use this scripture and they say see Judas was just being Judas he just did what he was predestined to do no siree notice what it says earlier we have to see the indicators of Scripture when Peter spoke of this he spoke of it as an unrighteous deed that's what the scripture says so and it says it in the middle of verse 18 so he did that which is unrighteous but God who is sovereign if he chooses he can take unrighteousness and he who is not the cause of it but he can turn it into something good but that does not mean that one who did that unrighteousness is is participating with God or that he should be thought of as doing something good because God ended up using it no no Judas what's said about him the context here is shame that he was passed down as what it says and his innermost that is the very foundations of himself burst Ford and his boughs were manifested his intestines all of that is a show shame so we need to let scripture interpret Scripture well notice something else that we read in this passage of Scripture go if you would to verse verse 20 where it says here movement moving on for it has been written in the scripture and where well it says in the Bible in the Book of Psalms and then it quotes from Psalm 69 around verse 25 and in the English 26 in Hebrew says here in this passage let no one let no one dwell or let his dwelling place meaning Judas become a desolation means barren also let no one dwell in it so this is from Psalm 69 I want to read it again let his dwelling place become barren or desolate and let no one well in it and then it says and it switches now to Psalm 109 and and verse eight or nine depending upon your translation we read here and his charge or his position it says let it be given to another so this is what this scripture is moving towards Judas position in the ministry as a disciple his position now is going to be as a fulfillment of prophecy it is going to be given to another individual now look at verse 21 we read here therefore it was necessary those men that had gathered with us from the beginning of all so they were part of all the time from where it says our Lord Yeshua coming in and going out now this is although it's written in Greek it is a Hebrew idiom and you need to realize that if you do a good study of linguistics many times foreign idioms make their way into a different language so there will be expressions that people bring from other countries their languages they'll translate it into this new language so let's say someone comes from let's just say Italy and they have some expression it will make its way into if they come to America into the English links and this is exactly what happened here but we need to understand what this this is speaking of what it speaks about these people who were with us from the very beginning of Yeshua the Lord as he came in and came out what does that mean well this is an idiom in Hebrew for leadership many times it spoke about the kings of Israel leading them out and bringing them back in so it speaks about choosing someone that's where we're going who has a history with Yeshua who were part who submitted to his leadership that's what verse 21 is speaking of and now it gets more specific look at verse 22 it says in regard to his ministry from the beginning from the baptism of John so beginning from the baptism of John unto the days of him being taken up from us now what are they wanting well we've already said we go back to what it says in Psalm 109 let a nother one be appointed in his place that's what they're doing so they say it needs to be among the men who were here for all of time who were under his leadership those from the time of John's immersion his baptism unto the time that that that Yeshua was taken up and they want someone who's going to be part of the Apostleship and notice what it says let him be a witness of his resurrection very important in order to be a servant of God now this is one of the main apostles that's going to be one of the 12th but for anyone who is going to serve we are a witness we testify first and foremost of his resurrection and if you don't believe in a bodily resurrection and if you don't understand the implication of his resurrection you well first of all you're not saved secondly why would I say that see I can remember speaking at a congregation that was in Fort Lauderdale Florida and the leader there I didn't know him very well but he asked me when he went on vacation because our services were Friday night and on Shabbat Sunday I was free so he said can you come and share with my group Mike went there and I was informed that people who want to join their congregation all that was necessary was to say I believe in Yeshua that's all it was never ever discuss what you believe about him but it but if you want him to be your God that's all it was well that's not enough what does Paul say in Romans chapter 10 that you have to confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God has raised him that is raised schewe from the dead so salvation is is based upon a faith in messiahs resurrection and this is under Gort here in the book of Acts as a primary prerequisite for being a servant being a disciple in this case being one of those main apostles so that he would become a witness of his resurrection with us one of these meaning one of these men that were discussed in verse 21 now look at verse 23 and they literally stood - that's what it says but it speaks about two men were appointed meaning two men were were stood in the midst for one of them to be chosen so - were stood and they were Joseph who is called barsabbas and his his surname perhaps was justice and that's what it means here and also Mathias now notice what the scripture does and speaking about Joseph I mean we are called or we are told not only what he's also called but also another aspect so much more is given about Joseph and here again if you look at the commentaries and I'm speaking about some of the ancient ones from the Church Fathers what they will say is this that that Joseph was known the scripture speaks more about him meaning that people knew more about him they were more familiar with him and there was an assumption that he would be the one chosen and only one thing is said about Matthias that's his name that's it and what happened well notice what the scripture reveals verse 24 and we read here that they they prayed and said Lord says they prayed they said you O Lord now this is where we're going to return back to a very important theological truth and let me say to you theology is important it is vital that we had the right doctrine so that when we come across key theological passages we have a framework for understanding it and checking our interpretations now it's not hard these words don't really leave anything to the imagination we have to take them as they literally are given to us so these individuals are praying and notice what they say verse verse 20 for you O Lord and notice the word it is word car do you know stuff two words the first Greek word cardia what's cardia heart someone has a problem with the heart they're taken to the hospital they go to the car D attic kardi attic department so it comes from this same word cardia and the second word comes from word Guinness Co goodness Co is I know so you know Stas is knowledge and this is a now it's a noun that is used to scribe someone excuse me someone who is a knower of the heart and who are we speaking about well notice the son the prayer says here you Oh God who is God he is a knower of the heart and what does that mean he knows the thoughts of individuals now this is very important because there are people who now want to speak in a way and this is nothing new it goes back 500 years they want to speak about a biblical concept of election and they do it in a wrong manner they want to say that God in a vacuum elected people and did not elect others and he did it simply because he could he suffered he did it based upon he selection nothing else well here's the problem when we look at these passages that speak about election you know a word that appears there oftentimes that is word for knowledge very important and I can remember a friend of mine we were sharing in fact we weren't really sharing we were arguing and what we were arguing about was this concept I said to him very good we disagree but answer a question and that is what is the role of foreknowledge in election never get an answer from he asked me questions I wanted to respond to them written articles studies we would do but but never get a response because it undermines his preconceived theology what he had bought into and he was committed to even when he couldn't support it scripturally and here's a good example of that it says that God is going to choose someone this idea of casting Lots that we're going to see in a few minutes is for God's decisions and not man so what does it say god look again at verse 24 the second half you O Lord are a knower of the heart what's in the heart what the Bible says as a man thinks in his heart so God knows the thoughts so here's the key we read here you O Lord are a knower of the heart and it means of all you know all things because you're a knower of the heart manifests from these two these two selections whether it's going to be Joseph or Matthias manifests meaning to us which one are the two you have elected or chosen but it's the same word that we could get the phrase elected from an election simply means a choice by God and what I want you to see it's undeniable you can't come away with a different interpretation if you're honest this scripture says it is because God knows the hearts of all there's nothing in your heart there's nothing in my heart there's nothing in anyone's heart that God doesn't know completely fully and God's election of Mathias we'll see it in a moment was based upon that and you know what there are other things that go into election it doesn't happen in a vacuum we need to be very clear on the terms and use them in the way the scripture does and not how someone coined them as for example John Calvin did many hundreds of years ago in the 16th century so once more what do we find you O Lord you are a knower of all hearts we could say manifests from these two which one you have chosen and they cast the Lots of service this service to receive the portion I guess what it should say to receive the portion of this service and/or this ministry however you want to translate this word and Apostleship so they were choosing someone they plan on it to be God's choice who would take a portion in this ministry and Apostleship and what happens what says from which nods go to back talking to Judas from which and there's a very important word judas transgress or judas deviated it's the word literally para Bono now what this means is just to deviate just to the simplest weights translated if you look at a lexicon is to step aside so when we step aside from God's call his service his truth what are we doing we are transgressing but notice it says Judas did it it wasn't caused to do it he didn't have to do it he chose to do it so from which Judas deviated and he went to his own place now look at this Reis he went to his own place now there is a debate on who we're talking about who went to his own place some will say well this refers to Mathias but I disagree with it I believe because of the close proximity that Judas has to this next phrase that we're speaking of him he went to his own place what does that mean it means he went to the place that he belonged to based upon his transgression his choice his selection what he did that he succumbed to temptation that he was a lover of money that he acted in disobedience it will lead us to the place of disobedience we will be taken to the place of transgression that's what it's saying here that there is a consequence a serious consequence for when we step aside from the things of God now look at our last verse verse 26 now it says and they gave their Lots meaning they cast their Lots and it felt the lot fell upon Matthias and he was numbered with the eleven apostles so what do we see here we see how God's providence gods for knowledge the fact that God looks at the heart knowing all of our thoughts and God responds to who we are what we're like he renders and this is the truth from the book of Revelation that God renders to every man according to what he has done now it's faith important absolutely when you believe the right thing you are given a free gift of salvation not based upon works but having been saved faith your faith is going to manifest itself or the lack of faith is going to manifest itself so what's happening is this in this final verse we have Matthias being joined together with the other eleven so that there are twelve apostles now why is this word see we don't see too often here disciple we see Apostleship and Apostles being mentioned and it's a word Apostolou it means to be sent forth and that's what things are getting ready for people this twelve to be sent forth but before they can go forth they have to be what filled with the Holy Spirit what we're going to see is this without the anointing the indwelling without the baptism of the Holy Spirit we can't go forth in and it will be tenth way we are not prepared to fulfill the calling that God has put upon us so we're gonna see how the Holy Spirit play such a role in the formation of that early congregation and the word here for congregation is a word ecclesia usually it's translated into English as Church what does it mean comes from two words the word act meaning out and the word clio mean called so it has to do with God calling people out it is the same word that ecclesia is used in the Septuagint the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible it is used for that congregation in the wilderness that came out having a Passover experience so these terms all go back to Passover which is foundational to prepare us for a Pentecostal experience what does that mean for the fulfillment of the promise of God and that's what we're going to talk about next week when we focus in on Kaddish ever worked the feast of weeks the festival known as Shavuot in Hebrew mention prayer and that is this these appointed times all of them speak and Paul teaches us this in the book of Colossians or it says that these festival are a shadow of things to come what's to come the kingdom through these biblical festivals God's appointed times what do we learn we learn about the kingdom because God has another appointed time and that another appointed time is for the return of Messiah and the establishment of the kingdom and may we be ready for his appointed time when that Kingdom comes and we enter into a a experience where God is dwelling in a unique way with his people well we hope you will benefit from today's message and share it with others please plan to join us each week at this time and on this channel for our broadcast of love Israel org again to find out more about us please visit our website loved Israel dot o-r-g there you will find articles in numerous other lectures by Beru these teachings are in video form may download them or watch them in streaming video until next week may the lord bless you in our Messiah Yeshua that is Jesus as you walk with Him Shalom from Israel [Music]

Channel: LoveIsrael.org

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Keywords: Bible & Teaching, Creation, Israel, Missions & Ministry, Religion, Spiritual Growth, Education

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Length: 43min 44sec (2624 seconds)

Published: Fri May 25 2018