G-d Above Our Plans

0:00 Briefly, I will just do what I have done now for five and a half months and remind you that there still remain in captivity as hostages more than 130, who still have yet actually to be seen by even the Red Cross in five and a half months. I, I just was thinking about it as I was thinking about what I was going to say. They have gone from fall through winter and now into spring, and we're not even sure if they've seen the light of day.

0:48 There remains in captivity, a baby 14 women, elderly. I think I just read a story this week about it. I think he's 86, I think he was 86 or maybe he was 92. One of the, somewhere in that range who was taken as a baby and escaped from the Holocaust and is now being held in captivity in Gaza. I, it it's things that are, are unthinkable, unspeakable,

1:33 and yet they continue to exist and it's our duty to continue to remember them and pray for them and make sure others do not forget. Because I'll tell you, it seems as if the world has forgotten how this started. It seems to me that the world forgets that on one joyous Shabbat morning on, on really the most joyful day of the year on the Jewish calendar, the an invasion into Israel happened

2:21 by land, by sea and by air. And from that, from the thousands that invaded Israel, they took hostages and went back into Gaza and, and have hidden themselves away. So I just wanted to remind us because this isn't now what I do every Shabbat, uh, until, until I don't have to anymore. Uh, so hopefully soon, uh, but in the meantime, it has been five and a half months and we continue to pray and place our hope in the Lord because I can tell you my hope is not in the nations,

3:08 not in any government, but our hope is in the Lord. So I'd like to invite Rabbi Sean to come and share with us today as we continue our series on the book of Acts Ave. May our Father in heaven. Lord, I thank you for Rabbi Sean. Lord, I thank you for his dedication to study and to delve deep into your word. Lord, I pray that you would speak to us today through Rabbi Sean's preparation. We bless you and praise Union Shu his name. Amen. Amen. Thank you Rabbi Ari.

3:58 Jealousy can be an ugly emotion. There are a few positive associations. For instance, God is jealous over Zion. This refers to God's intense love and protectiveness over his people. As a parent and spouse, this type of emotion can be helpful in certain circumstances. It can cause us concern for our children's safety or lead us to show devotion to our spouse. However, even within our family relationships, jealousy can easily lead us to unhealthy places

4:47 while God's jealousy is all together righteous and pure. Our jealousy is often mixed in with fear and insecurity. Unchecked feelings of jealousy can destroy trust in our marriages, families and friendships. In perk a vote, the ethics of the Fathers, we encounter the following question and response. Who is rich? One who is content with their own portion. In other words, we all have a choice as to whether to be satisfied with what we have.

5:34 The need for such a saying alludes to the fact that it is easy for any of us to become dissatisfied with our own portion or to become envious of others. Social media can also feed this discontent. Influencers posture themselves for the camera and others build up their image while they carefully choose what they display and what they conceal. Viewers can grow disillusioned by their own weaknesses, struggles and failures, while constantly having the prosperity and abundance of the seemingly powerful and successful dangled before them.

6:22 We fail to realize how rare these wild success stories are. We fail to realize that they have difficulties. Also, we fail to realize that the desire for excessive wealth, status and influence is often driven by fear and insecurity. Simply put, when we begin to compare ourselves to others, it tends to make us feel dissatisfied. Have you ever taken the time to look up people that you used to know on the internet? Yes. Raise your hands high if you have.

7:08 A few of you might not feel so proud about that. I have looked up old friends on the internet. Out of curiosity, many of my childhood peers have died, ended up in jail, addicted to drugs, or have otherwise failed to realize their potential. Should it make me feel happy to see others suffer? If seeing the suffering of others makes us feel better about ourselves, perhaps this only reflects our own selfishness. To take this a step further, when I attended seminary, I found myself surrounded by peers who were smart,

7:54 gifted and called by the Lord. I met many wonderful and inspirational people. However, if I'm honest with myself, I also faced moments of jealousy. God was choosing to use other people in ways that seemed more important than the ways that God was using me. For instance, I have a friend John. He is a scholar. He is hardworking and astute. He went on to complete his his PhD at Hebrew Union and is serving as a professor. While we attended classes together and enjoyed one another's company, we realized

8:42 that we were called in different directions. I admire my friend and the way that God has gifted him. While I would love to be the great scholar that John is, the better path is for me to appreciate the way that God has blessed me and the way that God has blessed John and perhaps it is easier to appreciate the gifts of our friends. I can remember one student, Mike. We weren't close friends and we liked one another at some level. However, we also had a very similar set of gifts. We would find ourselves reaching

9:28 for the same cookie on the plate, so to speak at different times during our seminary days. For instance, a work study position opened up to run the sound board during chapel service. Mike and I both applied for that same position. I ended up receiving it. Though I am fairly positive that he would've been more qualified. He was also a musician and we had preaching classes together. I do think that these kind of rivalries can be mutually beneficial. However, they can also cause us to be petty, jealous and insecure.

10:17 In recent years, I looked up Mike and had an ego check. He is doing exceedingly well. Perhaps because his gifts are similar to my own, I feel it more I needed to take the time to process why his success made me feel insecure. I was eventually able to come to a place of being genuinely happy for him and praying that God continues to expand his platform and prosper his ministry. But I must admit, admit I had to face my own jealousy and selfishness First. As I said, jealousy can spur us on to good works,

11:05 but it can also rob our joy if we are not careful. In Acts chapter five, verses 17 through 26, spiritual jealousy causes the temple leadership to take action against the emissaries. God sits above your plans. What's great about following the Lord is that he lets us on to what he is doing. To some extent, we get a glimpse. We get inspired. We find ourselves in holy moments. What's even better about following the Lord is that we only have a glimpse,

11:51 but there is no boundary to God's magnitude. His plans and purposes are infinitely greater than what we can see or understand. This points both to the majesty of God and to the fact that we can become easily disillusioned due to our limited perception of what He's doing through us and around us. I once sat in a room where Dr. Mark Kinzer prayed that we would experience something he called blessed disorientation. I agreed with his prayer and asked God for this. Sincerely, I must admit

12:36 that God answered this prayer fully. Over the past two years, he has given me plenty of blessed disorientation. At times, I have felt like I was in a tailspin, but I have sensed the presence of the Lord throughout a good deal of what I thought I knew has been challenged. I have learned that after 20 years of seeking to follow Yeshua, there is so much more to learn about myself and infinitely more to learn about him.

13:22 I have found more contentment though I realize that I only understand a fragment of what the Lord is doing. The title of my message today is God. Above Our Plans. I would like to ask you three questions in response to Acts chapter five verses 17 through 26. First, can you appreciate what God is doing through others? Second, can you appreciate what God is doing through you? Lastly, how is God leading you towards blessed disorientation? My notes can be found on the YouVersion app

14:08 and I will be reading from the Tree of Life version Acts chapter five verses 17 through 21. A read as follows, but the Koen Gaal rose up and all those with him that is the sect of the Sadducees and they were filled with jealousy. They grabbed the emissaries and put them in a public jail, but during the night, an angel of NAI opened the prison doors and leading them out. He said, go stand in the temple and speak to the people. The whole message about this life.

14:54 Now, when they heard that they entered the temple at daybreak and began teaching, can you appreciate what God is doing through others? In some sense, I have chosen to identify with the antagonists in this passage, namely the Chief priest San Heran and Council of Elders. Why do I take this approach? First, I wasn't always a believer in Yeshua and there was a time when I wanted nothing to do with Yeshua so I can sympathize. Second, even in the Emissary's defiance

15:40 of the San Hen's instruction not to speak about Yeshua, the Emissary's demonstrated respect of the authorities. They sought to demonstrate integrity rather than to insult. Lastly, even if one might argue that em had become corrupt, they were the authorities over the house of God and an important part of the people of Israel. As we will see in coming weeks, there were those who had ears to hear Yeshua's words. Even within the Sanhedrin. I also know that jealousy is a tough emotion to deal with.

16:26 On one hand, jealousy is an ugly emotion that can lead us to do spiteful things. On the other hand, the temple authorities were right to be jealous of the emissaries. While I don't know the precise motivation of each individual, God was moving through the emissaries and perhaps some of the EM wished that God would work through them. In this way, I'm sure there were also those who were upset that they were losing power and influence among the people. The spiritual fabric of the temple leadership was being tested.

17:11 As I reflect back on my seminary days and some of my peers who evoked jealousy in me, I think it was helpful to some degree. It was good that my friend John challenged me to be a better scholar. Although my calling is different than his, he challenged me to take steps that I would not have taken if I didn't know him. Through his gift of scholarship, he has caused me to be a better scholar than I was before. To compare myself to John doesn't help either of us to be inspired by his gift, however, is helpful and good. Paul encouraged the followers of Yeshua

17:58 to provoke Jewish people to spiritual jealousy. This is not provoking Jewish people to anger through claiming to have superior knowledge. Rather, this is a demonstration of the character and integrity of Yeshua that impresses others and causes them to desire that same quality of life. Even Mike with whom I had a friendly rivalry had a good impact on me. As his gifts were more similar to my own, I tended to think that he was full of it. However, his success in ministry and family checks my ego and makes me realize that we need more people like Mike

18:46 that are gifted, passionate, and successful in relating the ways of Yeshua to others. The test for each of us is whether we can be provoked to a godly jealousy which results in good works rather than envy, which results in inferiority, dejection, depression and retaliation. The ruling parties decided to lock the emissaries in a public jail. Oops. Miraculously, an angel released them to continue their teaching.

19:33 It is important to note that there was no criminal activity involved in this jailbreak. If so, it would've said that Peter knew a guy they escaped and took a ship to Cyprus. Rather, the angel instructs them to go directly to the temple and to teach the whole message about this life. In other words, they were not fleeing the ruling authorities. They would be right there as witnesses to the ruling authorities not acting in violence or insult, but demonstrating the character of Yeshua with integrity. They would open themselves up to further ridicule

20:19 and judgment from the temple authorities. They had demonstrated that they were willing to go to jail for the sake of the gospel. Through signs and wonders, God had demonstrated his presence among the emissaries. The authorities were then faced with a decision of how to respond to the reality that the spirit of God was with these individuals. Not only were the people of Israel responding to the ministry of the emissaries, but the ruling authorities were realizing that it would not be so easy to thwart this movement. Acts chapter five verses 21 B to 23 read as follows.

21:08 When the Koen and those with him arrived, they called together the Sanhedrin, even the Council of Elders of Benet Israel and sent to the prison to have the prisoners brought in. But when the officers came, they did not find them in the prison, so they returned and reported saying, we found the prison locked with maximum security and the guards standing at the doors, but when we opened up, we found no one inside. Can you appreciate what God is doing through you?

21:53 It may seem like a strange path for me to ask this question. In light of the verses that we just read, I will seek to demonstrate how I get here. In these verses, the ruling authorities find out that things have not gone according to plan. While they have been given a level of authority, there are obviously elements beyond their control. Again, if Peter and John had escaped as fugitives, it likely would've diminished the impact of their message. However, the angel sent them directly back to center stage where they would be easiest to find and would surely be subjected to the authorities.

22:41 Once again, you can think of this challenge from both sides. For Peter and John, after being placed in jail, they were directed to go to the temple and continue teaching the very thing that they had been asked to stop teaching In the previous chapter. Peter and John had made it clear that they would continue this teaching regardless of consequence. While we can view Peter and John as exemplary heroes of the faith from a human perspective, it must have been challenging to walk boldly into this scenario not knowing what would befall them.

23:27 It was a test of their faith and thankfully they responded well and set an example for those that would follow. However, to flip the coin, once again, I believe that God was also at work among the chief priest, San Heran and Council of Elders. Could they recognize and appreciate the movement of God when it contradicted their own plans? I believe that the Temple authorities continued to be the people of God even though they did not appreciate the move of God that was taking place in these verses. Furthermore, I believe that we as believers in Yeshua today,

24:12 can find ourselves in a similar scenario. We can fall into an erroneous way of thinking. We can begin to think that we are the people of God and that we understand everything God is doing around us. When things do not go according to our plan, we may fail to realize that God is thwarting our plans. I don't know about you, but there have been many times where I have felt led to do a particular thing in obedience to the Lord. It is very rare that the things that I have felt led to do went the way that I thought they would. More often than not.

24:58 When I have acted in obedience to something I felt the Lord calling me to do, the outcome has been wildly different than what I expected. I have often been surprised by grace where I had no idea what the Lord was doing. I could only see it after it happened, and even then I feel like I only see it in part. However, there have been many times where I have felt led to do things that did not go according to my plan. I believe that they went according to God's plan, but I didn't understand it clearly. For instance, from 2009 to 2014,

25:46 my family was in California. As ministry planters. We felt called by the Lord and I believe we were. However, if we had known how difficult those years would be, I don't think we would've done it. It was rough and most of the goals that I had in mind were not reached. A great deal was accomplished. During those years. There were many good things that happened. However, they were not our plans. They were the plans of the Lord and we knew almost nothing about them. The angel told Peter and John what to do. They did. The angel didn't tell Peter

26:31 and John what would happen when they did it. Peter and John had no control over the outcome. They didn't know whether the entire San Heran would come to faith in Yeshua or whether they would be stoned to death. Neither of these outcomes would happen at this point. They had to walk in trust with God obeying his direction without knowing the the outcome of their actions. Likewise, we are challenged to be representatives of the Lord. We are called to particular tasks and functions. Do we trust that the Lord is in control

27:18 when we feel led to take a particular course of action and it goes according to plan or even better than we thought? It's easy to have faith and trust God. However, when we feel led by the Lord to do something and it seems to fail in our estimation, it is difficult to hold on to our faith. I understand that this is a difficult word. What I'm saying is that if God alone is holy and righteous and reigns over the heavens and the earth, it is also necessary that his thoughts and plans are above our thoughts and plans.

28:05 God will use us in ways that we cannot comprehend. At times, God may even work in ways that we disagree with. Even as his followers, we may wish that he would only lead us to prosperity, comfort, and greater achievement. However, if we desire to be followers of Yeshua, we must also realize that we will face difficulty, disillusionment, discouragement and seeming failure even when we are seeking to follow him with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. We may look back upon the ministry of Peter

28:50 and John with rose colored glasses, but theirs was a difficult path. Even in spite of their persecuting the Messianic community. I believe that the temple authorities were also people of God. Yes, there was corruption. Yes, there was rejection of Yeshua and his followers. Yet even still in some sense, they remained his representatives. Many of them did not perceive what God was doing in their midst. Even as followers of Yeshua, I dare say that we don't fully understand what God is doing either his ways are beyond our ways.

29:37 All that any of us can hope to do is respond faithfully to the revelation that he has given us. Even as people of God, we may fail to realize that we are opposing the movement of his spirit. So now that we're all feeling encouraged, the ruling authorities did not understand what had transpired. They can only explain what they witnessed. The officers found the guards at their posts and the prison doors fully locked, but the men were not inside. It is funny that they don't even seem to try to figure out how this happened.

30:25 Rather they just respond to the situation at hand. As a parent of teenagers, I have found that it is sometimes easier to respond to the situation at hand than to try and figure out how it happened. Acts chapter five, verses 24 through 26, read as follows. When the captain of the temple and the ruling kohanim heard these words, they were perplexed about them wondering where this would lead, but someone came and reported to them, the men you put in prison are standing in the temple and teaching the people.

31:10 Then the captain went off with the officers and brought the emissaries, but not with force because they feared they might be stoned by the people. How is God leading you towards blessed disorientation? What unforeseen circumstances has God brought into your life and how are you dealing with that? For the temple authorities, they were perplexed and I think that that is a valid response. They did not know how to respond. They had to find a middle path.

31:58 They felt the need to respond, but not by force. The emissaries were making an impact upon the hearts of the people and the authorities recognized that it is not all that different from what has been happening in the chapters leading up to this one, Yeshua is revealed and people don't know what to do with it. It happened first with the emissaries. They Had to process what they witnessed and how they would respond. It started to spread through those inside and outside the community of faith. We see how the fear of God came upon the people

32:43 after the deaths of Ananias and Sapphira. Here, this caution and fear is extending even to the temple authorities. God is displaying his power so that all could know him, fear him, and walk humbly before him. It needed to travel from Jerusalem through all Judah and Samaria and to the ends of the earth. Remember, Peter too had to be humbled before he could start walking in the ways of the master. Jacob walked with a limp after wrestling with God, but the encounter was worth it. It was there that Jacob received the name Israel, the one

33:30 who wrestles with God. It's puzzling that the text says that Jacob prevailed. It seems to me like he got whooped. We do not win against the Lord. The victory is in the encounter with the divine. They've got a name for the winners in the world. Jacob said, I want a name when I lose. God called him Israel From him. We learned that there is great benefit to wrestling with God even when he knocks us on our

34:18 Can you identify an area in your life where God is kicking your, although it is surely not comfortable, it seems probable to me that the things that trouble us the most may indicate an area where God is challenging us in some way. We can be quick to assume that we are walking with God or that someone else isn't. However, this passage demonstrates that even the emissaries didn't know the future. All they could do was follow the Lord's guidance and trust him with the rest. They would face difficulties too. In fact, they would face the most difficulties.

35:06 On the contrary, we see that God is also at work among the temple authorities. He was troubling them in a different way. They were perplexed about what to do with this crazy sect of Jews and how to understand the fact that they seem to have favor with God and man, as we will see in coming weeks, God is actually at work in both groups. God is even working among those who we consider enemies. So in conclusion, God sits above our plans. Even our prophets know in part and prophesy in part.

35:52 If we wish to find contentment in our walk with the Lord, we could either be blissfully ignorant or choose to come to grips with the fact that he is not at our control. I leave you with these three questions. One, can you appreciate what God is doing through others? Two, can you appreciate what God is doing through you? And lastly, how is God leading you towards blessed disorientation? Shabbat Shalom, May the Lord bless you and keep you. May the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you. May the Lord lift up his countenance upon you and give you peace

36:50 Very. In the name of our Messiah, Yeshua Shabbat.