Shabbat Shalom! Our Bible reading for today will be from Ephesians chapter 4. We're going to read today the first 10 verses of Ephesians chapter 4. We have covered the first three chapters of the book of Ephesians. A letter that Shaul, Paul wrote to their brothers and sisters at Ephesus. In the first three chapters, Paul spoke about the beautiful, the precious, the very unique blessings that the Ephesians have been blessed with. They have been brought into such a favored place and been seated with the Messiah, because of the finished work that he has accomplished for them. And you and I, of course, as believers in Yeshua the Messiah, are seen positionally seated with Yeshua, with Christ, in heavenly places.

But now he's coming down from this heavenly scene in the next three chapters. Ephesians 4, 5, 6. The Apostle Paul is taking the Ephesians into the here and now. From doctrine to duty. From position to practice. And here is where the rubber meets the road. Here we really can say how much grace and help we need from the Lord to live here and now in light of all the blessing that we have been brought into. So, let's read Ephesians chapter 4, the first ten verses, and please follow me. And Paul is writing and he says, I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love, delivering to keep the unity of the spirit in bond of peace.

There is one body and one spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace, according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, when he ascended upon high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. Now, that he ascended, what is it, but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth. He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.

I'm going to stop with verse 10, even though we could continue on to read up to verse 16, but it's sufficient for us today with the first 10 verses of chapter 4. Now, as I mentioned before, beloved brothers and sisters, here the Apostle Paul is moving from doctrine to duty, from position to practice. And you remember, he mentioned earlier in the first three chapters of the unique place that those believers have been brought into. Imagine, every one of us realized, Jew and Gentile, but specifically he was writing to the Goyim, to the Gentiles who became believers, that we have been chosen in Mashiach, in Christ, before the foundation of the world, and we have been brought in time into that relationship, into this union of this wonderful place of being linked with the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah.

So in chapter 1, he was speaking about this wonderful place that he had called them into that blessed, favorite place. Chapter 2, you remember, he said to them that they were dead in sins and God had quickened you, made you alive because of our Lord Jesus, the Messiah, and be brought into this favorite place. Chapter 3, he was speaking about that mystery that was not revealed in time past, but now is revealed unto us in this present day, that the Gentiles and the Jewish believers in Yeshua will be part of this one body. So he finalized these three chapters by praying. And you remember how he prayed for this cause.

Chapter 3, in verse 14, "I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah." And he went to do this beautiful prayer, which we have covered in our last meeting together. So now, chapter 4, he began to talk about the walk, the practical aspect of the believer's life. And I want you just to notice how many times he used the word "walk" here. Notice that he began in verse 1, "I therefore, a prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk." Notice that word for "walk." It's mentioned quite a few times here. In chapter 4, in verse 17, again, he says, "This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk in vanity of their mind." In other words, walk differently.

Your life as a believer ought to be different than the way you have been walking in the past. Note that in chapter 5, in verse 2, he said, "Walk in love as the Messiah also have loved us." Again and again, he used this expression, "to walk." Notice, if we'll go one more verse a little bit later on, he's again speaking about the necessity to walk in such a way that it is pleasing to the Lord. I have a line up of verses that deal with the necessity to walk different in a way that we have walked in the past. Notice in verse 8 of chapter 5, "For ye were sometimes in darkness, but now ye are light in the Lord walk as children of light." Notice verse 15 of chapter 5, "See then that ye walk carefully, circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise." The epistle of Ephesians is filled with this word walking in love, walking in light, walking carefully.

That is where the Apostle Paul brings us now from heaven, the position, to the practical walk of the believers. So now, in these first 10 verses, we have three major points that I would like to emphasize today in this ministry meeting. The first thing is we are called to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit. You will see that in verses 1, 2, and 3. Secondly, in verses 4, 5, and 6, the Apostle Paul presents before the Ephesians the sevenfold facts of the unity of all believers. And finally, in our message today, the Apostle Paul presents before us the gift giver and his work on our behalf. How did we become part of this body?

And how did he, the Messiah Yeshua, gave us gifts to be used for the benefit of the people of God? And so, let's read this text, one verse at a time, and let us look over. By the way, the Greek word for walk is P-E-R-I-P-A-T-E-O. Peripato. In Hebrew, it's simply the word lehit ha-lech. Lalechet in Hebrew, lehit ha-lech means to walk here in this world. Lehit ha-lech is where we live down here on earth. We take our steps forward. Wherever we go here in this world, we are walking here in this world. We live our lives in our homes, in school, at work, on the job.

Wherever we are in our common relationship with people around us, the Hebrew word lehit ha-lech means to walk in a way in which we would conduct ourselves that it is pleasing to the Lord. So, the Apostle Paul began here in the very first verse of our chapter. And he says, I therefore, prisoner of the Lord, beseech you, notice here he used the word to walk, that ye walk worthy of the vacation wherewith ye are called. Now, let me highlight some words here in this first verse. He used, first of all, the word therefore. Again, I mention every time when the Apostle Paul used the word therefore, or for this cause, he's taking us back to what he had already said before.

What did he say? We have already pointed out that we are such a blessed people and have been brought into such a favored place in the presence of the Lord positionally in light of this. Therefore, in view of this position, I want you to understand what you got to do here upon the face of this earth. And he said, therefore, in light or on the basis of what you are positionally, now I want you to have your life suitable in connection with your position. And he says, I, the prisoner. Now, notice again, as I mentioned before, he already said that he's a prisoner in chapter 3 and verse 1.

He's mentioning again that he's a prisoner, but he's not a prisoner of Rome, though he was a prisoner of Rome indeed. But he says, I'm a prisoner of the Lord. The Lord have attracted him so much. He captured him so much that he was a willing prisoner on behalf of the Lord Jesus, Yeshua the Messiah. Even though he was locked in Rome and chained in Rome, he was really chained in his heart to the Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Then notice another thing, beloved brothers and sisters, that he doesn't commend the believers. He doesn't say, I commend you to do such a thing. No, but he beseeched the brethren.

The Greek here for the word beseech is like begging. Brothers and sisters, I beseech you. I beg you. He doesn't commend because he's actually appealing to the heart of the conscience of the believers. You see, we cannot live the life of Mashiach, the life of Christ or the Christian or the messianic life by force. It is the wooing of the Spirit of God that woo us because of the love of the Lord. And that's what our pastor Paul does. He says, I beseech you, brothers and sisters, beloved saints at Ephesus. He's saying to us, I beseech you, brothers and sisters in the fellowship of Holy Scriptures in Israel.

I beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called. The word for vocation means a calling. You know, we have been called from above. God have called us. He has saved us. He has brought us to himself and he's calling us to live in this world for his own pleasure and for his own blessing. And that's why the apostle Paul, he says, I am a prisoner. I beseech you that you walk worthy of the calling. We have been called by God to be part of the heavenly company and we are to live our lives in a suitable way that will bring honor to the Lord.

Now, what happened? Can you imagine when a person is called by the Lord? He is saved or she is saved, but they do not seek to live a life in light of the calling in which we have been called. Imagine how does that displease the heart of God. That's what happened when we at times are not living in this light or don't have this desire to live for the Lord. Not only that it is dishonoring him, but it displeases his heart. He's not finding rest and satisfaction with the people whom he called. So Paul beseeching us. He did the same thing, beloved brothers and sisters, when he beseeched the Romans.

In verse one of Roman 12, I beseech you, therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. Here he's telling to the Ephesians, I beseech you, therefore, that you walk worthy on the basis of your calling. He had called us. He had chosen us. He had made us a people that belong to him in glory. And therefore, we are to walk worthy of the calling wherewith we have been called. Now, if we have been called by God to be part of the body of Mashiach, the body of Messiah, how are we going to walk?

What kind of way, what manner are we going to walk? Are we going to walk now in the way we used to walk in the past? Are we going to conduct ourselves the way we used to conduct ourselves before we became believers in Yeshua? The Messiah, the answer is definitely resounding no, no more. We used to be this way, but there ought to be a change in the life of the believer in a practical way. And so he gives us, in verse 2, the spiritual qualities of which every one of us ought to walk. The spiritual quality for a worthy walk, in verse 2. You notice that he gives us this list of four things that he mentioned here in verse 2.

Let me read them. First of all, with all lowliness. Secondly, with all meekness. Thirdly, with all long-suffering. And fourthly, with all forbearness. Forbearing one another, and to do so in love. Now, those four words that I mention here in this verse 2 are exactly the opposite of what we are by nature. Notice the expression, lowliness, meekness, long-suffering, and forbearness. Now, how are we going to live together as believers in the body of Messiah if we will not have those four graces or four qualities for a worthy walk? It's not possible. Because we all have sin nature. We all are proud by nature. We all have the inclination to exalt ourselves.

We cannot bear much suffering. And we are all often not willing to forbear with one another. How are we going to be able to live the lives of the believers in the body of Messiah, in the body of Christ? Well, he gives us these four things. Well, just the first one, you notice the expression, lowliness, is really another word for humility. It's very difficult for us to be humbled, because we are by nature proud. You know how sin came into the world? Exactly by pride. God, Adam said in his mind, I didn't hear him say it, but he said it in his mind, You have given me everything to the north, to the south, to the east, and to the west, but you didn't give me that fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

And I want that. And by disobedience, in pride, he have taken of the fruit, and he have plunged the human race into sin. How do you think Satan, Lucifer, fell in the judgment when God judged him? Isaiah 14, Ezekiel 28, he have lifted up himself, and he says, I will be like the Most High. And therefore, God judged him. Pride comes before fall. And it is so difficult for the human nature to humble himself, to take the place of humility among the people of God. Can you imagine what would happen if we are all going to have this attribute, we might say, or this grace to be humble, to be willing not to push my way around, and not to get my own way?

Can you imagine what a blessing, how much harmony among the people of God would be, when God's people will take a place of humility, as it says here in our verse, to have lowly, not to exalt oneself, but to humble ourselves. There are many verses that we can look in the scripture, but you remember what we read, humble yourself under the mighty hand of God, and he will exalt you in due time. God resists the proud, but he gives grace unto the humble, unto the lowly. One of the most beautiful verses in the Bible was verses that spoke concerning our Lord Yeshua the Messiah. Remember what he said about himself in Matthew chapter 11, just turn there for a second.

In Matthew chapter 11, Yeshua invited people to come to him. And he said this at the end of the chapter, Matthew chapter 11, and in verse 28, he says, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and heavy laden, and I will give you rest." Verse 29, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me, for I am meek," and here's the word, "and lowly in heart." That's the same word, "lowly" here, that we have in Ephesians chapter 4, that we are to walk with all lowliness. Now, why do you think there are so many frictions in many homes, in many friendships, in many local church groups and congregation groups? You know, most of the divisions that occur among God's people, it's because of pride.

Most of the divisions, not because of doctrine, though doctrine is essential and important. But most of the divisions and broken relationships occur in our lives because of pride. And here is the glorified Son of God, telling us through these servants of his, Shaul Paul. Listen, he says, if you are going to conduct yourself in the right way, you must develop this in your own personal life. This grace, you might say, or a quality that is so needed today to have simply lowliness, humility in the lives of every believer in Yeshua, the Messiah. I mentioned James 4:6 and 1 Peter 5, verses 5 and 6. And we can just go on and go on many verses that we have in Scripture concerning the necessity to have a lowliness, a humility, a humble heart in the life of all believers.

If we are going to practice this among ourselves, you'll see what a difference it's going to make among the people of God. What a joy it will be to be in the midst of the people of God. But he doesn't stop here because that's only the first thing he's mentioning in the same verse, verse 2, not only all loneliness. By the way, you notice he used the word all, he doesn't say some. You know, we might say, you know, I'm willing to have some lowliness or some humility up to here and that's all. No, he says with all because he cannot give us any lower standard.

He gives us the standard of the person of our Lord Yeshua, the Messiah, with all lowliness. Secondly, notice he used the word for meekness. You know, sometimes we think of the word meekness. The word meekness, it is power under control. We have to understand that meekness, it's not weakness. Meekness, it is power under control. You remember when Moshe, Moses, in the book of Numbers, we read of him in chapter 12 and verse 3, where his brother Aharon and his sister Miriam spoke against him. And the Bible does say, and it's actually Moshe himself who wrote the book of Numbers. He gave us this expression that is mentioned.

It says, now the man Moshe was very meek above all the men which were upon the face of this earth. His brother and sister spoke against him and he, in his meekness, he didn't sought to empower himself against his brother and sister to speak against him and to act against them. In meekness, he simply allowed them to speak. And the Lord himself who came and spoke on his behalf. So meekness, it is really power under control. You know, we don't have to always get our own way. Meekness is one of the most precious attributes or precious spiritual qualities for a worthy walk here in this world.

And so we read of the Lord himself in the gospel that he was meek and lowly in heart. We read earlier lowliness, but Yeshua the Messiah himself was a meek man, a man that humbled himself and went all the way to the cross. And what a lesson to learn with respect to meekness, to have the power to walk with the Lord, but to have it under control. We don't have to force our own way. Thirdly, notice this third expression in verse two is long suffering. You know, to suffer long, to be willing to bear with each other. As it says here, to have that long suffering among the people of God in this world in which we live in.

This is again another spiritual quality for a worthy walk. To be willing to be patient and not to force one way all the time. Long suffering. Now, sometimes we wonder, we ask, well, how long, how much can we take it? Well, notice the apostle says he doesn't give us a limit. He doesn't set a limit. He says up to here and no more. No, but to be long suffering, to bear with one another as long that is needed in order to benefit the people of God. So that expression long suffering is mentioned so many times in scripture in Colossians chapter three and verse 12 says this.

Put on therefore as the elect of God, holy and beloved bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long sufferings. Another word for long suffering is simply patience. We need so much patience as we walk here in this world. Well, if we don't have patience, well, don't ask God, God, give me patience and I want it now. You know how God going to give you patience? Tribulations, Romans, work as patience. Do you want to learn patience? Well, patience you learn through trouble. The Lord going to send us trouble so he will teach us patience, long suffering. Well, we learn it by experience. When we rub shoulders with each other, when we deal with all sorts of issues in life, how much the Lord want us to have this quality, this spiritual grace, spiritual qualities to enable us to have a walk that is worthy of our calling.

This is in verse two. Now, the fourth thing, of course, is connect with that. And it says forbearing one another in love. The fourth word is forbearness. And again, we've mentioned it in Colossians chapter three and verse 13, forbearing, bearing with each other. You know, we are coming from various walks of life, various background, the Ephesians as well. There were Gentiles, believers who got saved and became part of the body of Messiah. And now they are living together. They are part of this local assembly in the city of Ephesus. Well, they had friction. They had issues to deal with. How they can continue to live with each other, to be able to function as a local assembly, to communicate with the world around them.

Well, they needed also forbearing with one another. And it's beautiful that Apostle Paul added the word in love. Well, love covers multitude of sins. Love is the glue whereby we are able to be a blessing to each other. Love is what's needed. It's unconditional love. It does not depend if he or she will respond to me in one way or another. If they will do what I say. If they will want what I do want. No, but love is that which enables us to forbear with one another and continue to have this walk that is worthy of our calling. So, Paul gives us here those four spiritual qualities or spiritual graces to enable us to walk the worthy walk.

The walk of the believer. Well, now notice that in verse three, he is telling them, if you are going to be able to walk together brothers and sisters of the Ephesians. Well, look what you need to do. He says in verse three, you are to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in bond of peace, in bond of shalom. Now, this is an important thing to learn. Oftentimes people are trying to make unity. Notice that possible doesn't say to make unity, but he says to keep the unity. Secondly, he doesn't say to make the unity of the body, but he says to keep the unity of the spirit.

Now, what is the difference? The difference is simply this. You see, you and I do not make the unity of the body of the Messiah. The unity of the body of Messiah had been done by our Lord Yeshua himself in the power of the Holy Spirit of God. But what happened is that once we become part of this body, we are not to keep the unity of the body. He does this keeping of the unity of the body. But the believers are to seek to keep the unity of the spirit. In other words, the believers are not called to start to form all sorts of bodies, but to seek to keep the unity that was made already by the spirit of God.

You see, this is amazing. You know, oftentimes people say, you know, why are we so divided? Let us get united together. All what we need is simply to love one another. Make a unity out of one thing, out of loving each other. We can make one unity. But the Lord is saying, no, the unity of the body is being done by the Lord. We are to keep or to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit, not the unity of the body. And that's why you find yourself having many names today in various groups of professing Christians. That's why we have all those names, whether it is Catholic or Protestant or all those names that men make as if there is one body but called by this name and there is another body called by that name.

No, we don't have many bodies. There is only one body. But the believers are to keep the unity of the spirit. And this is important. And we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit. We are to work hard at that. Sometimes there are people who are not in our midst, who are not with us. Does that mean that I'm supposed to shun them and treat them in a wrong way? No. We are to be gracious, to seek to be a blessing to them. But it is not the unity of the body. It's the unity of the Holy Spirit of God, which we are to seek to keep.

Now, what about many groups who are forming certain bodies or certain groups on a basis of certain doctrine? What about if somebody does not teach sound doctrine? Can I be united with somebody who teaches that Yeshua is not God? Can I be united with someone who believes that Yeshua can sin? Can we be united with those who teach, for example, that there was no incarnation? We are not to unite with everything and everyone. Can we be united with someone who denied the fundamental of the truth of the word of God? We can't. And that's why we are not called to keep the unity of the body, but we are to keep the unity of the spirit in bond of peace.

So it is very important to understand it here that Pastor Paul is saying we are to endeavor, we are to work hard on it. We are to labor, to make haste in seeking to keep the unity of the spirit in bonds of peace, in shalom. But we cannot, beloved brothers and sisters, agree with every doctrine that they are not right, not sound doctrine, not fitting to the word of God. This is important for us. Let me, for example, just show you a verse. Turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. How does someone become part of this one body? It is the spirit of God who places every true believer in the body of Messiah.

And so the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 13. Notice that he says, For by one spirit we are all baptized into one body. We don't make the body. It is he who places believers into one body. Every one of us that become part of the family of God, we have been placed into this unity of the body is a work of the Lord, not the work of yours or mine. But we are to keep the unity of the spirit. We are to have an attitude, a way whereby we are seeking to keep the unity of the spirit. That there will be harmony among the people of God.

That there will be a right attitude among the people of God. That there will be a right behavior among the people of God. We should set this example. But we cannot keep the unity of the body. He does it on his own, the Lord himself. And if it will depend upon us to keep the unity of the body, we will definitely come short of what God is expecting from us. And therefore we are not called to keep the unity of the body, but we are called to keep the unity of the spirit. Verses 1, 2, and 3. The Apostle Paul appeals to the believers at Ephesus that they will endeavor to keep the unity of the spirit in bond of peace.

You notice the word in bond of peace. In other words, seek to do whatever you do to seek to have peace among the people of God. Oftentimes there is no peace among the people of God. Look what James says. Let me just read that because I think it is a suitable verse to read. James chapter 3. Look at the last verses of chapter 3. It says, Because who is wise? Verse 13. And endued with knowledge among you, let him show out of a good manner of life his works with meekness of wisdom. But if ye have bitter envying and strives in your hearts, glory not and lie not against the truth.

This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work. But then he says in verse 17 and 18, But the wisdom which is from above, first is pure, then is peaceable, gentle, easy to be entreated, full of mercy, and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy. And the fruit of righteousness righteousness is sown in peace, of them that make peace, that make shalom. And you notice brothers and sisters, if we are to endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit, we are to have that wisdom which is from above, as James says in chapter 3 verse 17, which is pure, which is gentle, which is easy to be entreated, which is full of mercy.

This is the fruit of righteousness, which is sown in peace, in shalom. And so this is very important, as the Apostle Paul presents before the Ephesians, the importance of endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in bond of peace. But now he continues, and here he is now giving them the sevenfold facts of the unity of all believers. Now when we look around at the professing Messiah followers, we look at the world and we see the whole professing groups, and everyone seems to go with another flag. We have different flags. But as far as God is concerned, notice that there is a sevenfold facts of the unity of all believers.

Notice the sevenfold. Let me read them to you quickly, so you can first have them before you. Verses 4, 5, and 6. There is one body. There is one spirit. There is one hope. There is one Lord. There is one faith. There is one baptism. And there is one God. If we say it in Hebrew, There is Gouf Echad. There is Ruach Echad. There is Tikva Echad. There is Adon Echad. There is Emunah Echad. There is Tvila Echad. And there is Elohim Echad. They are not more than one body, or more than one spirit, or more than one hope, or more than one Lord, or more than one faith, or more than one baptism, or more than one God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah.

Apostle Paul presents now, before the Ephesians, the true sevenfold facts of the unity of all believers. And he began, you notice with the word, there is one body. The one body is a composition of all believers. There is only one body. That body is a composition of every person that have accepted that Yeshua is the Messiah. He or she has been placed into this one body, universal body. Everywhere in this world, every true believer in our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, he is part of this one body. Jewish believers, gentle believers, living in one country or another country, there is only one goof, one body, no more.

And this one body is a composition of all true believers. I read already in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 13, it says, "For by one spirit we are all baptized into that one body." Paul actually takes an illustration from the human body. We have many, many members in our bodies, hands and feet and head and eyes and ears and nose. We have many, many members in our human body. But there is only one body. Every one of us is occupied only one body, no more than one. Well, among the people of God, the spiritual body of Christ, body of Messiah, there is only one body, no more.

There is no body for the Jews and bodies for the Gentiles. There is no body for this country man or this country man. There is only one body, a composition of all true believers. Secondly, he used the word, one spirit. You notice? And one ruach, one spirit. There are not three or four or more than one Holy Spirit. It is one Holy Spirit of God that placed us all into that one body. This is again, 1 Corinthians, chapter 12, and verse 13. There is no more than one Holy Spirit. You remember what the Apostle Paul said in other passages, "If any man has not the spirit of the Mashiach of Christ, he does not belong to him." In other words, every one of us, if we do not possess the Holy Spirit of God to indwell us, we do not belong to him.

1 Corinthians 6 says, "Don't you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Don't you know that you are not your own? You have been bought with a price." There is only one Holy Spirit that indwell in every one of us. You know, I am sometimes amazed when I think about how the very same Holy Spirit of God, one person, divine person, is indwelling every believer. We cannot fathom that. But there is only one Spirit. You don't have one kind of a Spirit and another one another kind of the Spirit. There is only one Ruach HaKodesh, Holy Spirit of God, that is dwelling in every believer.

And if one does not have the Holy Spirit of God, he or she do not belong to the Lord Yeshua, the Messiah. Romans chapter 8 and verse 9. It says, "Ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if or sin so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Mashiach, he is none of his." Every person who belongs to the Lord is indwelt by the very same Holy Spirit of God. There is not more than one Holy Spirit of God. There is only one Spirit. Thirdly, you don't understand. He is saying, "Even as ye are called in one hope of your calling." There is only one hope.

What is the hope of the body of Messiah? Yeshua said in John chapter 14 and verses 1 to 3, He said, "Let not your heart be troubled. Ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house there are many mentions, and I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again. And I will receive you unto myself that where I am, there ye may be also." The Hebrew word for hope is tikvah. We have a hope, beloved brothers and sisters, and our hope is the same. Every believer in the whole world today who became part of the body of Messiah has a hope.

What is a hope? We have the blessed hope that Yeshua will come and take us to be with Him. Of course, Israel, our nation, had the hope of the restoration to the land. The restoration to Kna'an where the Messiah will come and establish the Messianic Kingdom in a future day. This is the hope of the nation of Israel, the hope of our Jewish people who have not yet become believers in Yeshua today in the present-day dispensation. But for us, as believers already today, we have that one hope. The hope that we are going to be with the Lord. The Lord is going to come to take us to be with Him in glory.

What a wonderful hope we have. I trust that you have today in your heart this glorious hope of the coming of the Lord. And He will come very soon and will take us to be with Him in glory. There are many, many verses that we can mention here from Scripture. But I want to read one verse in Titus. Listen to what Paul said to Titus in chapter 2 and verse 13. He says, Looking for the blessed hope. And the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior, Yeshua the Messiah, who gave Himself for us that He might redeem us from all iniquity and purify unto Himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.

Looking, as it says here, for the blessed hope. Do you know, beloved brothers and sisters, we are awaiting the coming of the Lord. He might come even today as we are in this meeting this Shabbat afternoon. Because the next thing in God's program is the snatching of the church. Is the coming of the Messiah to meet His own in the air. He might come today. This is the hope. Our hope is not to live longer and longer and longer and longer in this world and to get older and older and more pain and sorrow and trial. Our hope is to meet Him in the air and to be taken out of here.

So this is the hope. There is not two hopes. There is one hope. Do you know that believers in Taiwan, believers in Chicago, believers in Jerusalem, and believers in Egypt, in Cairo, have the very same hope? What is the hope? You ask every believer. I am longing for the coming of the Messiah. I want to be with Him. I want to go to be where I belong because He had saved me and He had brought me into this wonderful relationship. This is the hope of every believer who possesses the Spirit of God and who is part of this one body. There is one body. There is one spirit.

There is one hope. Look at the fourth thing that He mentioned here. Notice verse 5. He says there is one Lord. Adon Echad in Hebrew. Not two lords. Not three lords. But there is one Lord. You notice that He is mentioning here the Hebrew word of course is Adon. But you know that the Bible is very clear. If Jesus, if Yeshua is not Lord, He is not Lord at all. He must be Lord. If you shall confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord and believe in your heart that God had raised Him from the dead. Romans 10:9 You shall be saved. You know the Hebrew word Adon simply means that He is Master.

I know that we fail Him many times and we don't allow Him to be the Lord over our lives. But that doesn't change the fact that there is only one Lord. He is Lord. In fact the Bible said to us very clearly I mentioned Romans 10:9 The basis of our salvation is acknowledging the Lordship of Yeshua the Messiah. But notice what we read in Philippians chapter 2 that at the name of Yeshua every knee should bow things in heaven things in earth things under the earth and that every tongue should confess that Yeshua the Messiah is Lord to the glory of God the Father. You know God made Him Lord.

He said this Jesus whom ye have crucified God made Him both Lord and Messiah and Mashiach Adon and Mashiach He is Lord. Sometimes we sing that song He is Lord. He is Lord. He is Lord. He is Lord of all. He is the one that is in charge of all things. God gave Him the authority over this universe, over this world. He is the Adon. He is the Master. He is the Lord. By the time we fail this Lord of ours but there is only one Lord. And if somebody haven't acknowledged Yeshua as Lord he or she are not saved are not forgiven. If you shall confess with your mouth Yeshua as Lord and believe in your heart that God had raised Him from the dead you shall be saved.

Beautiful to see. One body. One spirit. One hope. One Lord. And he continues to know this. Because there are seven full facts of the unity of all believers. In verse 5 he says there is also one faith. Emuna achat. Emuna achat. You know sometimes we hear people say you know you have your faith. And I have my faith. Why do you tell me that I have to have your faith? Well, I didn't say that you have to. God said. It's not what I say or what you say. What does the word of God say? The Bible says to us the importance of understanding there is only one faith.

One emuna. One belief. And one way in which one believes in order to enter into a relationship with the Lord. You know what the Bible calls it? In Jude. In verse 3. Jude said. Beloved. When I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation. It was needful for me to write unto you and to exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once and for all delivered unto the saints. Jude. He was writing to his Hebrew brethren. And he was telling them You know I want to tell you dear brother this is the common salvation. It's needful for me to write unto you and to exhort you beloved brothers and sisters you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

I love this expression because this expression the faith it's not a matter of now where God I believe but there is only one body of truth upon which we all have part in this common relationship in this body of Mashiach the body of truth the body of truth means simply this that there is only one way to be saved and to be forgiven that God provided this body of truth he loved the world he sent the Messiah the son who died on the cross paid for the penalty for our sins was raised be taken to glory and on the basis of this one single the faith we can become part of this family of God

this is not two faith not this Islamic I believe in this way and even our own Jewish people they believe through Moses they believe in the Torah but they reject the Mashiach Yeshua that is what makes the difference between Jewish believers and Jewish who do not believe in Yeshua the Messiah the faith is found in the Hebrew scripture and lead us ultimately to the person of Yeshua the Messiah we don't have to talk only about our Jewish people and Muslims we can talk about Hinduism and all sort of groups of people who have their own faith but there is only one faith and the Bible teaches us this is the faith which was once delivered

unto the saints Paul said this like this in Galatians chapter 2 in verse 20 I am crucified with the Messiah nevertheless I live yet not I but the Messiah liveth in me and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God who loved me and gave himself for me there are many other verses that can be added to that Acts 6 and verse 7 Acts 16 and verse 5 2nd Corinthians 13 and verse 5 they are speaking about the faith there is only one faith and this is faith in the Son of God who loved us and gave himself for us and that is why

brothers and sisters we might be called many times narrow minded people who think that they are only right and everybody else is wrong but there is no other faith there is only one faith and this is the faith of the Son of God the Messiah Yeshua who loved us and gave himself for us now notice number 6 as the apostle Paul writes to these Ephesians in number 6 he says there is only one baptism that is very interesting also and many Bible teachers talk about what does he speak about spirit baptism or water baptism now I am inclined to take the position that he is really speaking about the spirit baptism and not so much

water baptism because there are people who sprinkle and the other one is a double little here a double little there the other ones who keep under for a very long long time as you know there are all sorts of ways that people do baptism there are all sorts of expressions that people express themselves when they are doing baptism but I want to tell you the Bible teaches that by one spirit 1 Corinthians 12 verse 13 we all have been baptized placed under or put into the body of Messiah no one enter into the body of Messiah without the spirit of God placing us in that is the only way and while in verse 4 the

emphasis is the body of Messiah in verse 5 at the end the emphasis is on where did we enter into the body of Messiah the only ground where we all have been brought into the body of Messiah is by the very same Holy Spirit of God that's why the baptism hatvila or lehitavel simply means to be placed under to be put into to be deep into into that one body only one baptism and if a person have not been placed by the Holy Spirit of God into that body this the baptism of the Holy Spirit he or she are really not part of this body not part of the goof HaMashiach of the body of

the Messiah and so we already covered six of these and finally listen to this of the sevenfold facts of the unity of all believers we have in verse 6 one God and Father of all who is above all who is through all and is in you all notice that expression one God Elohim Echad and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and the Apostle Paul seems to love so much to express this word the Father he mentioned quite a few times God and Father if you notice throughout the scripture that we read even in the book of Ephesians he says blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and so on

verse 3 who have blessed us with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places Paul loved this expression of God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah notice in chapter 1 verse 17 and the God of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah the Father of glory will give unto you the spirit of wisdom and so on notice he often expressed this word the God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah so there is only one God really this God consists of sister of three persons the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit is no more than one God but here is emphasized not only that there is one God but God and Father as he mentioned

here in verse 6 and he is the Father of our Lord but notice he says he is the God and Father of all here is where we have to realize he doesn't speak about the fatherhood of all humanity here no he is speaking about he is speaking about the fatherhood of all believers you hear this expression sometimes you know oh this God he is the Father of all of us all the human race well God is the God of all the human race but he is the God and Father of all the believers in Yeshua the Messiah John 1:12 says as many as received him to them he gave the right to be called the

children of God we became sons and daughters of the Father but only believers he is the Father the God and Father of all those that accepted his Son Yeshua the Messiah he is above all verse 6 he is through all verse 6 see and he is in you all in the believers there is only one God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah and you know we can call him today Abba Father my Father Abba my Father many times in prayer when we pray together we cry as Romans tell us and Galatians tell us we cry Abba Father we can look at him we can express our hearts towards him as our own Father

we don't even necessarily have to call him heavenly Father because he is at all time the Father of all those that have accepted Yeshua the Messiah we are the children we are sons and daughters of that God the Father and so beloved brothers and sisters these sevenfold facts of the unity of all believers all of us part of this one body all of us are indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God all of us believers have the same hope all of us believers have one Lord all of us have one faith the faith which was once delivered unto the saints all of us have been baptized into the same body by the same Holy Spirit

of God and all of us are part of this company that are called the children the sons of God as many as receive him to them he gave the right to be called sons of God sons of the Father the Father Yeshua called him himself before he went to the cross in John chapter 17 he said to him in verse 1 he called him Father in verse 11 he called him Holy Father in verse 25 he called him Righteous Father this is the very same God and Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah he is the Father he is a Holy Father he is a righteous Father in Hebrew we have the word Abba he

is our Abba the one who loved us and sent his son the Mashiach in order to save us and to bring us into a relationship with him now brothers and sisters the next verses verse 7, 8, 9, and 10 are very important because we are going to talk a little bit Lord willing about gifts that we have received remember we are to walk worthy of the calling which we have been called and so verses 7, 8, 9, and 10 the apostle directs us to the gifts giver himself and to the work that he has done on our behalf and so notice what he says here in verse 7 first of all to every one of

us is given grace according to the measure of the gifts of the Messiah now he is going to talk about the gifts that we have received now you know that every one of us that's why the underline here every one of us you know some of us say well I don't know I don't have gifts I'm part of the body yes I'm saved but I don't know if I have any gifts maybe this brother who is preaching there he has a great gift maybe this other sister working in this area and visiting she has a great gift but I don't have any gifts sometimes that's what we think and that's what we say but the

Bible is very clear beloved brothers and sisters everyone everyone everyone everyone young and old who are truly children of God sons and daughters of the Father every one of us according to verse 7 and to every one of us is given the grace this is the gift grace according to the measures of the gift of the Messiah in other words all believers without excuse have a gift you'll have to develop that gift to use that gift among the people of God now the gift that we have here are spiritual gifts it's not natural ability here he doesn't talk about natural ability when we were born into this world all of us have some natural talents

we might be gifted in one area or another but don't mix the natural ability with the spiritual gifts gifts the spiritual gifts were given unto us by our Lord Yeshua the Messiah in order to be used among the people of God and you will see we're going to talk about the gift that the Lord had given in a future ministry meeting but notice here everyone verse 7 Messiah himself have given to us spiritual gifts gifts and to every one of us gifts have been given at least one if not more at least one now again I'm emphasizing it is not natural ability it is spiritual gifts it is to everyone not to some elected people

but everyone there are many verses that we can read in 1st Corinthians 12 verses 8 and 11 use the word everyone in Romans chapter 12 and verse 3 he used the word everyone as well so that we are without excuse we all have gifts and the question is how do we use our gifts among the people of God or do we use it at all gifts are not given to keep for ourselves gifts have been given so we can benefit the body of Messiah in fact if we do not use our gifts we are only harming the growth and the development of the body of Messiah now notice that the emphasis is now not so

much about the gift but about the gift giver and what he have done in order to give us these gifts because in verse 8 9 and 10 we have the work that the Messiah have done in order to give us those gifts now notice that it says in verse 8 that the Lord Yeshua that the Messiah led captivity captive notice in verse 8 it says this and I'm reading wherefore he saith when he ascended up on high he led captivity captive and he gave gifts unto men notice this is so important verse beloved brothers and sisters it says that he notice the word he mentioned so many times in those verses he saith when he

ascended on high he led captivity captive and he gave gifts unto men it is all about him he is the one that gave the gifts but how did he give us this gift what was the process whereby he had given us this gift notice the three points that the apostle mentioned here in these verses the first thing he mentioned he says when he ascended up on high you remember Acts chapter 1 after Yeshua died on the cross and he was buried and he rose again and he was right facing the city of Jerusalem and the 11 disciples who were with him because Judah was no longer there they asked him will you now restore the

kingdom to Israel he said not for you to know the time the hour the father kept with himself but he said you shall be my witnesses and you are going to receive power and you are going to be my witnesses beginning in Jerusalem Judea Samaria and unto the uttermost parts of the earth this is verse 8 of Acts chapter 1 but then after he finished to tell them what he said to them immediately we find that he left them and you remember what it says in Acts chapter 1 in verse 9 it says when he had spoken these things they beheld and he was taken up and a cloud received him out of their sight

in other words when Yeshua finished to speak with his disciples there on the Mount of Olives Harazetim he was taken he was ascended and he went up to heaven a cloud was taking him to heaven and he was taken out of this world into the presence of the living God the presence of his father in glory now he ascended he had gone up and he had gone up to heaven we have here in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 8 he says when he ascended up on high and now the next expression in verse 8 is very important he led captivity captive many times people have no understanding we need the spirit of God to help

us to understand what does it mean he led captivity captive do you know brothers and sisters that up till the time that Yeshua the Messiah came and finished the work for us on the cross we were bound Satan bound men the human race were bound by Satan we were captive Satan held us captives we never had the freedom there was a fear of death what's going to happen when we die Satan kept us captive but you know what happened when Yeshua died and finished the work for us on the cross he led the one who held others captive he now hold him now captive himself now Satan became a captive of the Lord he bound

Satan and Satan no longer can do what he have done prior to the finished work of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah you remember we read Psalm 68 when Paul was quoting Ephesians chapter 4 he was really looking at Psalm 68 and in Psalm 68 and verse 18 he says you have ascended on high and you have led captivity captive in other words what happened when Yeshua finished the work on the cross on the tree and he was taken up to heaven after his resurrection what happened he held captive Satan who once held us captive that's what really happened through the work of the cross where Yeshua finished the work on the cross he's now led

captivity to be captive he's now abound Satan and Satan is limited he's no longer was able to do prior to the finished work of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah you know Deborah the judge of Israel sang this song in chapter 5 and look what she said and I want to read this to you as well all these thoughts that Shaul Paul have presenting now to the Ephesians he's taking it from his knowledge of the Hebrew scripture as a Hebrew he's writing to them and notice what Deborah said to Barak in Judges chapter 5 and verse 12 awake awake Deborah awake awake utter a song arise Barak and lead thy captivity captive thou son of Avinoam

you see the people of Israel were captives of Yavin the king of Knaan and now by the strength that God had given unto them he now defeated the king of Knaan and he led the one that once captivated Israel he led him captive and he defeated him and you know what happened at the cross Yeshua defeated Satan Yeshua won the victory over Satan who held us as those that were in bonds being captivated unto him please bear with me Hebrews chapter 2 verse 14 for as much as the children are partakers of flesh and blood he also himself likewise took part of the same that through death he might destroy him that had the power

of death that is the devil and he delivered them through fear of death were all their lifetimes subject to bondage do you know before Yeshua died a person never knew what's going to happen after death he was all his lifetime he was in bondage to fear because he was not sure what's going to happen after death but when Yeshua finished for us the work on the cross on the tree for the believer death is a servant to lead us absent from the body to the presence of the Lord that's what we really learn here he led captivity captive Satan is no longer cause us to be afraid of death because death become a servant for

the believer to usher us to the presence of the Lord he ascended he led captivity captive he defeated Satan and now there is that beautiful third statement here in Ephesians chapter 4 in verse 8 he said and he gave gifts unto men and that is again where the apostle Paul is quoting psalm 68 in verse 18 thou has ascended on high thou has led captivity captive but then he said thou had received gifts for men but in Ephesians chapter 4 in verse 8 he said you gave gifts unto men in other words really it is amazing to see how the scripture is so accurate well once he finished the work on the tree and he

had been ascended up to heaven he receives gifts from the father and now he can give those gifts to those that belong to him in the present day dispensation of the church age in which you and I are part of so as we read here he ascended he led captivity captive and he gave gifts unto men you know in order for you and I to get those gifts the spiritual gifts that we have he had to go to the cross he had to pay the penalty for sin in order that you and I will be able to have these gifts that we can use for the benefit of the people of God and he is

now elaborating and I'm going to close with this in verses 9 and 10 look at the process which Yeshua had to undergo in order that he will give us those gifts it says and he's mentioning this in verses 9 and 10 he said now now now now now that he ascended what is it but that he also descended first into the lower part of the earth he that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens that he might fill all things in other words before he ascended to heaven according to verse 9 he first of all had to descend into the lowest part of this earth now there are many bible

teachers who takes various views on this expression he descended to the lowest part of this earth many bible teachers connect with this verse 1st Peter chapter 3 verses 18 19 and 20 that has to do with the Lord going unto Hades and emptying the good part of Hades and bringing out the believers to be with him in glory as we know it from 1st Peter chapter 3 and other passages but I will simply take this text and say simply this the one that ascended to heavens he first of all descended into the lower part of the earth simply means that he became a man in his incarnation and he died the death substitute he was

placed in the grave and he rose on the third day and then he was ascended to be back from where he came to this world the same one that descended he went all the way to the lowest part of the earth he doesn't talk about beyond this earth he was buried after his death but then he rose on the third day and he was taken up to heaven the same one that he ascended he first of all had to descend and that's what brothers and sisters make it so special for you and I we are saved because he died we are saved because he was buried and resurrected we are saved and a part of

the family of God because of his finished work on the cross had he not done that we would have no hope we would not be part of this one body we would not have that one spirit indwelling in us we would not have any hope we would not have one Lord we would not have one faith we would not have this baptism of every one of us who are part of this redeemed people the family of God all this cost him to die and to be buried and to pay the price for our sins but God raised him and took him to be with him in glory and he is now seated at the right

hand of the father defeated this enemy Satan and he gave us gifts that he want us to use in the present day among the people of God and we are going to talk Lord willing about those gifts and how important they are to be used among the people of God may the Lord bless these thoughts