Full transcript
0:01Welcome back to the series, Can
0:02Outsiders Be Israel? This is the
0:04Tanakh's final answer. Welcome to
0:07Joining Israel, stories of outsiders who
0:09chose God. Now, can someone who wasn't
0:12Jewish truly become part of Israel? The
0:15Tanakh answers with a yes, and we're
0:17going to walk through Isaiah's open
0:19invitation, Ezekiel's vision of priestly
0:22loyalty, and Moses's final call to
0:24choose life. This message is for anyone
0:27from any background who wants to join
0:29themselves to the God of Israel and keep
0:31his co covenant.
0:34So the first section I want to talk
0:36about is Isaiah's promise that God's
0:38house is open. In Isaiah's time, many
0:41foreigners who had joined Israel asked,
0:43"Will God always keep me separate?" But
0:46God responds clearly, "Let not the
0:48foreigner who has joined himself to the
0:50Lord say, the Lord will surely exclude
0:53me from his people." Isaiah 56:3.
0:56And then he gives this powerful promise
0:59in Isaiah 56: 6-7. As the foreigners who
1:04attach themselves to the Lord to
1:06minister to him and to love the name of
1:07the Lord, to be his servants, all who
1:10keep the Sabbath and do not profane it,
1:12and who hold fast to my covenant, I will
1:15bring them to my sacred mount and let
1:17them rejoice in my house of prayer. For
1:19my house shall be called a house of
1:20prayer for all peoples. That's not a
1:23loophole. That's the heart of God.
1:28So, we know that all foreigners
1:32will be welcome during this time. And
1:35what does this mean for you?
1:38It means that you belong by faith, not
1:40by birth. In Genesis 2:7, it says, "The
1:43Lord God formed man from the dust of the
1:46earth. He blew into his nostrils the
1:48breath of life." In Isaiah 43:1 it says,
1:52"I I am the Lord and besides me there is
1:55no savior." In Isaiah 55:7 it says, "Let
2:00the wicked give up his ways and he will
2:02forgive in abundance." So your origin
2:04doesn't define your destiny. Your
2:07decision does.
2:09Will you go to God directly and repent?
2:13Ask for forgiveness with a heart of
2:15sincerity. Will you accept that God
2:17alone is the savior and there is no
2:19other? And will you accept that God
2:22formed man from the dust of the earth?
2:24God is the one that gave you life.
2:29In Ezekiel 44, we see that even within
2:32the Levites, not all were honored.
2:35So the Levitical priests,
2:38only the sons of Zadok remained faithful
2:40when the rest of Israel strayed. It
2:43says, "But the Levitical priests, the
2:45descendants of Zadok, who kept charge of
2:48my sanctuary when the people of Israel
2:50went astray from me, they shall approach
2:52me to minister to me." And that's in
2:55Ezekiel 44:15.
2:57So they were chosen not just because
3:00they were tribal lead, but because they
3:02stayed faithful. So, it's one thing you
3:05have to be through the genealogy to be a
3:08Levitical priest, but if you're um
3:11through the genealogy and you're a
3:13Levitical priest, but you're not
3:15faithful, then you're not going to be
3:17accepted. So, you have to have both in
3:19this situation.
3:23Now, if you are a a foreigner and you
3:26have no genealogy or or no Jewish
3:29ethnicity,
3:31you will still be accepted on the holy
3:34the houses of prayer that we talked
3:36about into Isaiah chapter 56. So, you
3:40will be accepted into that. You could
3:42still become a part of God's people
3:46but through genealogy you have specific
3:49things like for example to be a
3:50Levitical priest or for example to be
3:54the Messiah uh from from King Solomon to
3:57be a descendant from him. So those
4:00require both genealogy and your faith.
4:04It it requires both. But to become part
4:07of God's people, it only requires your
4:10faith and that's it.
4:16So in Isaiah 66:2, it says, "This is the
4:19one to whom I will look. He who is
4:21humble and contrite in spirit and
4:23reverent of my word. The sons of Zadok
4:26prove that loyalty to God's covenant
4:29sets you apart." So what is the Carite
4:32takeaway here? Because you know,
4:34obviously I'm Joseph the Kerite. So I am
4:36a Kerite Jew.
4:38I do have genealogy and Jewish ethnicity
4:42through my father. Uh but both of my
4:45parents
4:47including me were raised evangelical
4:49Christian. I became a Kerite Jew through
4:52conversion of my faith.
4:56So what does the Kerite Jews of America
4:58remind us?
5:00Well, it reminds us that true standing
5:02before God is not maintained by labels,
5:05but by faithfulness to his commandments.
5:08In Kai Jewish University teaches, "A
5:11true convert is one who chooses Torah
5:13observance and covenant loyalty, just as
5:15Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Moses described.
5:18There is no man-made ritual required,
5:21only repentance, obedience, and a heart
5:23that clings to God."
5:27So Moses is closes with the Torah with a
5:31personal call to you and this is in
5:32Deuteronomy. This is the final word
5:34where it says choose life. So in
5:37Deuteronomy 30 11 and verse14 it says
5:41for this commandment which I command you
5:43this day is not too hard for you neither
5:45is is it far off. So the the
5:47commandments that God gives you wasn't
5:50they weren't given to you knowing that
5:52you weren't going to be able to do it
5:54and then have you believe in some kind
5:56of man-made ritual or sacrifice and
5:59that's the only way you can have
6:00forgiveness. No, no, no, no, no. That's
6:02that's not that's not the trap that's
6:04happening here. God had gave you these
6:07commandments and it's something that you
6:09can do. Um, but the word is very near to
6:12you in your mouth and in your heart that
6:14you may do it.
6:16And in Deuteronomy 30:1 19, it says, "I
6:19have put before you life and death,
6:21blessing and curse. Choose life." That
6:24choice is still yours, and it always has
6:26been.
6:28So, what has God done for you?
6:30All right. Well, he gave you life.
6:32Genesis 2:7.
6:35He brought his people out of Egypt in
6:36Exodus 20:2. What does that mean for
6:39you? Right? Because if you're not of
6:41Jewish ethnicity,
6:43then he didn't take your ancestors out
6:46of slavery. He took another
6:49your other ancestors out out of out of
6:52slavery. Well, what this could mean for
6:54you as a as a foreigner who has no
6:56Jewish ethnicity is that what God did
7:00for them, God could do for you. So,
7:02whatever you're going through in your
7:04life, uh, whatever slave type of slave
7:07that you were, whether it be a slave to
7:10sin or a slave to idolatry or or
7:13whatever, u perhaps drugs or maybe it
7:16was um addictions and or sex, whatever,
7:19God can take you out of that that sin of
7:23slavery and bring you into the promised
7:25land.
7:27And for them it was a real it's a real
7:30promised land at the promised land of
7:31Israel. And for for us now it is us for
7:36the promised land that we have look to
7:38look forward to when we are resurrected
7:41from the dead.
7:43He alone saves. Isaiah 43:1 He alone
7:48saves. God is the savior. God wants to
7:51save you. God loves you and God forgives
7:54abundantly as it says in Isaiah 55:7.
7:58And he promises to welcome you when you
8:00hold fast to his covenant.
8:03Let's pray together.
8:05Oh Lord my God, the God of Abraham,
8:08Ruth, and the sons of Zadok. I turn away
8:10from my sins and my idols. Forgive me
8:13for ignoring your Torah and cha chasing
8:15man-made paths. You alone are my
8:18creator, my redeemer, and my savior. I
8:20accept your Torah as my path for life.
8:23Write it on my heart and help me walk in
8:25it daily. Make me part of Israel, not
8:27just by my birth, but by my faith, my
8:30repentance, and my loyalty to you. May I
8:32be faithful like Zadok, courageous like
8:35Ruth, and obedient like Abraham. Amen.
8:38So, can outsiders be Israel? The prophet
8:41Isaiah says yes. Ezekiel says yes. The
8:43Torah says yes.
8:46The word is very near to you that you
8:48may do it. Deuteronomy chapter 30:14.
8:51You don't need a title. You don't need a
8:54special certificate. You just need a
8:56heart turned to God. And if this message
8:58gave you hope, please like, subscribe,
9:00and share it with someone seeking truth.
9:02May you walk in the steps of the
9:04faithful, and may you find your place in
9:06the covenant today.