Is Isolation Suffocating Your Faith? | Decoding the Torah

SPEAKER 03 : 0:01

Are you living your spiritual life independently of community? Are you just on your own solo journey with God, kind of doing your own thing? This, my friends, is a great sin. I am so inspired by the laws of the Torah. We’re going through 613 laws in the Torah. We’re not gonna hit every single one, but we’re gonna hit many. And what we’re doing is looking at what the laws meant to the ancient Israelites in their initial historical context, And then we’re looking for the deeper spiritual principle that relates to how we’re living today as followers of the way. Now, why do I say followers of the way? Did you know in the book of Acts, early Christians, the first believers, the Messianic believers were called followers of the way. They were labeled as those that belong to the sect of the way they were not looked at as a distinct religion from judaism they were looked at one of the sects of judaism and when i say sect i don’t mean like a cult i just mean during the time of yeshua during the time of jesus there were many different sects of judaism and there are the sadducees the pharisees the essenes and then the nazarenes or messianic believers those that belong to the way it’s just interesting Listen to that title of Messianic believers in the book of Acts chapter nine, verse one and two. Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked for letters from him to the synagogues at Damascus so that if he found any belonging to the way, both men and women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. But I just wanted you to catch if he found any belonging to the way. So this is helpful because it gives us an idea of how the first church and the first believers were Jewish and they were closely tied to the Torah and to the laws of the Torah. So it’s very helpful for us if we’re to fully understand the New Testament in a deeper way, and I’m using the word way there in a different sense, but if we’re to understand the Torah and the revelation of God more fully, and be able to interpret it in a way that helps us as New Testament believers, we have to appreciate the fact that the New Testament was written by Jews, that the first church in Jerusalem was all Jewish, and that the writings of the New Testament were built upon the writings of the Hebrew scriptures. So knowing that helps us to look deep into the Hebrew Scriptures to find out how they apply to us today as New Testament believers. As we go through these laws of the Torah, and most of you know the Torah is the first five books of our Bible, Genesis through Deuteronomy, and we look at these laws individually, you’re going to find… a great enhancement to your walk. You’re gonna learn how to better walk in tune with the Lord, because there’s a lot of things that the laws of the Torah define about how to walk with God that aren’t defined in the New Testament. Why aren’t they defined in the New Testament? Because the New Testament’s built on the Old Testament. The Old Testament foundation was already given, so there was no need for the laws to all be repeated in the New Testament. God had already laid it. So today, as we’re gonna be looking at a specific law in the book of Exodus, chapter 12, verse six, I wanna ask you this question. Are Christians committing This sin. Now I know that sounds kind of out of context. Out of the blue, I’m asking a question that doesn’t seem related to what I’ve talked about, but I’m setting up the law that we’re gonna be looking at in the Torah today. The law that we’re gonna be looking at, once again, comes from the book of Exodus or Shemot, chapter 12, verse six. And it’s this, this is the law. This is the law. All of Israel was to participate in slaughtering the first Passover lamb. Let me say it again. All of Israel was to participate in slaughtering the first Passover lamb. Let me read the scripture. It comes from Exodus 12, verse six. The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill the lamb at twilight. The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it. At twilight, I want you to focus your attention on the words, the whole assembly. When that first Passover lamb was slaughtered, beloved, it wasn’t just done by individuals. It wasn’t done by people that each one was on their own solo journey with God. They did it as a community. The whole congregation, all of Israel, was participating in slaughtering the lamb. And this united them together as a people. And so the sin that I’ve asked you about, are you committing this sin, is this. Are you living your spiritual life independently of community? Are you just on your own solo journey with God? Are you just kind of doing your own thing? Like I sometimes ask people if they’re a believer in Jesus, and they answer me by saying they have their own religion, they have their own way. And many people that do believe in Yeshua, they would answer the question in that same fashion. They would say, well, I have my own approach to God, or I have my own way. They’re not in community with other believers. They’re not part of any local fellowship or body. They’re just on their own solo journey. And this my friends is a great sin. The reason it’s such an important issue is because God did not just call us as individuals, he called us as a people. Every book in the New Testament is addressed to a people. For example, the book of Ephesians was addressed to the whole church. at Ephesus. It wasn’t written to an individual, it was written to a whole community. The book of Philippians was not written to individuals, but it was written to the church at Philippi. So we need to start understanding that we are not just on solo journeys with God, as many of us have been living, but we’re called to be in relationship with his people. Now to better grasp this principle, let’s go back to the law. All of Israel was to participate in slaughtering the first Passover lamb. The whole assembly of the congregation of Israel is to kill it at twilight. Now, once again, As Israel came together to slaughter that first Passover lamb, they were participating together in their, listen now, shared redemption. The reason that Israel was in community with each other is because that Passover lamb united them together as a people. They understood themselves as a nation, as a community. They understood their interconnectedness. But many of us don’t think in these terms. We don’t think of our relationship with Messiah as being part of being interconnected with his people. But if we’re open and we look deeper into the New Testament, we read how important it was for us to be connected to each other. Yeshua prayed that we would be one that all of us as his people would be one, even as he is one with the Father. We’re members, Paul said, of one another. And so we need to open our hearts a bit because we’ve been raised in such an individualistic society, we need to open our hearts and recognize that God has not called us once again, just as individuals, but he’s called us as a people. And if we’re not connected to community, and if we’re not connected to other believers, If we’re not both giving and receiving, giving to the body the gift that we have, and also receiving from the body the gifts that other members of the body might have, we’re not really walking in the fullness of God’s calling on our life.

SPEAKER 02 : 9:05

You’re listening to Discovering the Jewish Jesus with Rabbi Schneider, and he’ll be right back. But first, a quick announcement.

SPEAKER 01 : 9:13

In his new book, Decoding the Torah, Ancient Wisdom for a Modern World, Rabbi Schneider goes from Genesis to Deuteronomy, unpacking the historical context of the Hebrew laws. He’ll show how they were understood by the ancient Israelites and will reveal their spiritual significance for believers today. This book isn’t about legalistic observance, but about uncovering deeper spiritual truths that transform daily life. If you’re seeking a practical and insightful guide to understanding the Torah’s commandments, this book is for you. We believe it’ll help you walk confidently as a follower of Christ and deepen your ability to glorify God. In a world filled with mixed messages and half-truths, Decoding the Torah offers the spiritual clarity needed to stay on the narrow path.

SPEAKER 02 : 10:01

Get your copy of Decoding the Torah at discoveringthejewishjesus.com. Now back to Rabbi with the second half of today’s lesson.

SPEAKER 03 : 10:11

As we study the writings of the ancient Passover lamb that was slain for Israel’s salvation, of course we understand that Yeshua’s death on the cross was the Mosaic fulfillment of that. Yeshua fulfilled the Mosaic law that we just got done reading in Exodus 12, 6, that the whole assembly was to kill the lamb at twilight. The fulfillment of that Mosaic law is found in the person of Yeshua, who’s the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the entire world. And just as each of the Israelites had to actively participate in the slaughtering of that Passover lamb, because even though they were doing it as a community, every household had their own lamb, but they were all doing it together as a people. So every individual Israelite was participating in putting a lamb to death on that first Passover. In like manner, You and I all participate as a people, as the people of Messiah, as the people of God, in putting Yeshua to death. Yeshua is the lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. He fulfilled the requirement of the Mosaic law. And even as all Israel participated in putting a lamb to death, so you and I, as those that are part of the body of Messiah, each one of us played a role in crucifying Messiah, even as Israel each individually played a role in putting to death that Passover lamb. And the fact that each one of us put Messiah to death because it was for our sin that he was nailed to the cross, the fact that we all participated in his crucifixion because he took all our sin in his own body on the tree, this unites us, beloved ones, together as a people because we all share together in his sacrifice. And this is why when we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, which is the fulfillment of Passover, we do it in community. When we come together, Paul said, we partake of the Lord’s body and the Lord’s blood. So once again, you see in communion, as it’s related to Passover, this concept that we are community, that we’re coming together as a people. And so I wanna ask you once again, are you living a life where you’re just on your own solo spiritual journey. And I know that many of you are. You are. You might even have a disciplined Bible reading program where you’re reading a chapter in the Bible every day or reading a devotional every day. Maybe you go to church, you know, once a week, but the reality is too many of us are not connected to one another. We’re not connected to other believers, but we are called, my friends, to be a people, to be one with each other. And some of us need to work harder at being connected. You’ve heard the saying before, if you want friends, be friendly. So if we’re gonna get more connected to the body, that means that we might be the one that has to initiate being more connected to the body. Maybe it’s developing more Christian friendships and being proactive in those relationships by having a habit of calling each other on the phone. Maybe it’s being part of a small group, which I really love small groups. Maybe your church has small groups that you can get connected to or get involved in and you haven’t yet taken that step. I want to encourage you strongly, get involved in a small group. Because in a small group setting, you have an opportunity to pray for one another, to minister to one another, and to be in community with each other. So before we close out of this particular law, the command for the whole congregation of Israel to slaughter the lamb and to share in that sacrifice together as a people, I wanna point out one other point that speaks to Messiah Yeshua’s fulfillment of this Mosaic law. Yeshua was crucified on Passover at the ninth hour. Now the ninth hour was actually 3 p.m. in the afternoon and it was the time of the evening sacrifice in the temple when the temple was standing. Let me read that for you from the book of Mark chapter 15. It’s also found in the book of Luke chapter 23 and Matthew 27. Hear the word of God. It was now about the sixth hour and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour because the sun was obscured and the veil of the temple was torn in two. I’m gonna read it again. It was now about the sixth hour and darkness fell over the whole land until the ninth hour because the sun was obscured and the veil of the temple was torn in two. And Jesus crying with a loud voice said, Father, into your hands, I commit my spirit. Having said this, he breathed his last. I mean, when I hear that, just hearing myself speak it, I feel like, wow, what did God release to me? What fullness of his grace was poured out upon us when Yeshua gave his life for our life and breathed his last? But let me ask you a question. Are some of us possibly wasting some of the grace that’s been released to us? You know, it’s interesting that one of the laws in the Torah alludes to this. When we read in the book of Exodus 12, 10, concerning that first Passover sacrifice, you shall not leave any of it over until morning, but whatever is left of it until morning, you shall burn with fire. the law from rabbinic judaism concerning this is actually titled this way none of the uneaten passover lamb could be left until morning in other words the sacrifice of that first passover lamb and the sacrifice of yeshua who fulfilled the mosaic law and became the ultimate sacrifice once again the lamb of god that takes away the sin of the whole world he’s so valuable He’s so priceless that none of his sacrifice can be treated with any type of commonality. It had to be entirely consumed. And so the question that we have to ask ourself is, have we entirely consumed the grace of God that’s been poured out upon us through Yeshua? Or are we like those that have compartmentalized our lives and we’ve got our regular life and then we kind of add Jesus onto our life on Sundays? Or in some other measure, we’ve added him on, we try to fit him in. But beloved, the sacrifice of that first ancient Passover lamb was to be regarded as so sacred and so holy that it either needed to be entirely consumed or burned with fire. It’s priceless in value. And we need to relate to Yeshua that same way in our lives. We need to esteem him by giving him our wholehearted devotion and wholehearted love. In fact, the next law in the Torah that I want to cover speaks to the same thing. When we read in the book of Exodus, chapter 12, verse 46, these words, speaking of the Passover lamb, that first Passover lamb, it is to be eaten in a single house. You are not to bring forth any of the flesh outside of the house. Now get this next part, nor are you to break the any bone of it. Even as that first Passover lamb had to be eaten or disposed of, consumed with fire, likewise, none of the bones of it could be broken, speaking to the completeness and the wholeness of the sacrifice. Even as that Passover lamb’s bone was not broken, most of us know that when Yeshua was crucified on the cross, there were two criminals crucified with him, one on the left, one on the right. Their bones were broken. but so that the scripture could be fulfilled, Yeshua’s bones were not broken. This, of course, was all part of God’s divine plan, showing us the completeness, the wholeness, and the sacredness of the sacrifice. And because our sacrifice, Yeshua died whole, His redemption of us is whole. We have been brought into complete reconciliation with God through the Lamb of God’s blood. And now you and I are spending our lives pressing into the grace of God so that we can be brought into the experiential reality of discovering more and more of eternal life. And what is eternal life? Jesus defined it in John 17, to know God and to know Jesus Christ, whom God has sent. Jesus is the fulfillment of the Mosaic law. He is the ultimate Passover lamb. And beloved, we need to value the gift that God’s given to us by giving God back our very best and our whole lives. The Hebrew prophets spoke about a time where there would be a famine for the word of God in the earth. And beloved ones, I think in a very real way, we’re in that time. I know there’s a lot of teaching out there, a lot of YouTubes, but so much of it’s based on spectacularism and the next quote prophetic word. But when it gets down to just sound teaching of the word of God, It’s pretty rare in the earth. And what grieves me even more is that so many of God’s people are not interested in just the line-by-line teaching of God’s Word. But here at Discovering the Jewish Jesus, that’s what we’re committed to do. And if this ministry is blessing you, I’d like to humbly ask you for your financial support because the truth is it cost us a lot of money to do what we’re doing. Everything costs money. And without you, my friend, I can’t do it. So if the Lord is using this ministry and my teaching to help you and bless you, would you offer up an offering to the Lord through Discovering the Jewish Jesus? Thank you for your support.

SPEAKER 02 : 21:12

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 for you, just give us a call. Our number is 800-777-7835. and as a token of our appreciation for your generosity we want to make sure that you receive our latest newsletter in the mail each issue contains additional insights and special moments from rabbi plus you’ll also be able to see the impact that your giving has around the world through testimonies our listeners send in. And we’ll also send you Rabbi’s exclusive monthly teaching booklet. I believe it’ll be a great blessing. And I want to remind you before we go today that we have a complimentary resource package right now available to you that explores the Aaronic Blessing. It’s a free gift and it includes Rabbi’s detailed PDF guide and an audio MP3 that offers a really fresh perspective on an ancient blessing. Download your free gift at discoveringthejewishjesus.com forward slash gift. And now, here’s Rabbi Schneider.

SPEAKER 03 : 22:29

The words from the Aaronic Blessing in the book of Numbers, chapter 6, verses 22 through 27, helps us to realize how good God is to you and I personally. So receive his blessing into your life, and then, beloved one, go bless somebody else in Jesus’ name today.

SPEAKER 04 : 22:47

Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yissa Yahweh, penavei lecha, ve’asem lecha. Shalom.

SPEAKER 03 : 23:38

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 02 : 23:56

I’m your host, Dustin Roberts, and this program is produced and sponsored by Discovering the Jewish Jesus. Be sure to join us next time when Rabbi Schneider explains how to create a legacy of faith. That’s Wednesday on Discovering the Jewish Jesus.