WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.439 We're gonna go straight to the Word, so grab 00:00:01.439 --> 00:00:04.459 your Bibles. Let's turn to the book of Acts, 00:00:04.559 --> 00:00:07.320 chapter one. Good morning, by the way. Good morning, 00:00:07.339 --> 00:00:10.179 good morning. Welcome officially to Advent season 00:00:10.179 --> 00:00:12.859 here at Oak Hill, as Grant introduced so well. 00:00:13.119 --> 00:00:16.339 This is one of our favorite seasons on the calendar. 00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:18.620 We get to come together as a church family and 00:00:18.620 --> 00:00:22.440 count down the weeks until our traditional celebration 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:25.339 of Christmas. As you can see on the screen, we 00:00:25.339 --> 00:00:28.579 have a series title called Savior for the Nations. 00:00:29.289 --> 00:00:32.149 And that is, by design, a foundational concept 00:00:32.149 --> 00:00:34.890 that was chosen specifically by our elder team 00:00:34.890 --> 00:00:39.090 out of this passage in Acts chapter 1. Now, you've 00:00:39.090 --> 00:00:41.509 already heard the primary passage for the whole 00:00:41.509 --> 00:00:44.189 series read this morning by Grant in our call 00:00:44.189 --> 00:00:47.210 to worship. Let me highlight the key verses from 00:00:47.210 --> 00:00:49.909 that passage, which you can find in your Bible. 00:00:49.950 --> 00:00:51.950 I'll also put them on the screen. They're verses 00:00:51.950 --> 00:00:55.750 6 through 8. So you can look in your Bibles, 00:00:55.770 --> 00:00:57.210 you can look at the screen. We're going to break 00:00:57.210 --> 00:00:59.450 this down, verses 6 through 8 in Acts chapter 00:00:59.450 --> 00:01:04.329 1. Here's what God says. So when they, and that 00:01:04.329 --> 00:01:07.810 is the remaining 11 disciples, correct? When 00:01:07.810 --> 00:01:10.349 they had come together, they were asking him, 00:01:10.810 --> 00:01:14.689 Jesus, saying, Lord, is it at this time that 00:01:14.689 --> 00:01:17.829 you are restoring the kingdom to Israel? Now, 00:01:17.870 --> 00:01:20.209 that is not only an important question to ask, 00:01:20.269 --> 00:01:22.650 but a very logical one as well. In fact, I'm 00:01:22.650 --> 00:01:25.489 guessing that if any of us had been in that moment 00:01:25.489 --> 00:01:28.469 with Jesus at that time, we would have asked 00:01:28.469 --> 00:01:31.010 the very same question. Remember what's going 00:01:31.010 --> 00:01:33.569 on here. They're standing there with the resurrected 00:01:33.569 --> 00:01:38.670 Lord. He had been crucified. He was physically 00:01:38.670 --> 00:01:42.310 dead. And yet here he was now standing with them, 00:01:42.370 --> 00:01:45.290 speaking to them. So there's no longer any question 00:01:45.290 --> 00:01:48.430 in the minds of the disciples. that this is Israel's 00:01:48.430 --> 00:01:51.609 Messiah. He is the king who would sit on the 00:01:51.609 --> 00:01:55.010 throne of David forever as prophesied in the 00:01:55.010 --> 00:01:57.849 Hebrew scriptures. And by the way, at this point 00:01:57.849 --> 00:02:00.730 Luke tells us, Jesus had been risen from the 00:02:00.730 --> 00:02:04.489 dead and with his disciples for 40 days, specifically 00:02:04.489 --> 00:02:06.989 talking about the matter at hand, which is the 00:02:06.989 --> 00:02:10.449 kingdom of God. So it's entirely logical for 00:02:10.449 --> 00:02:12.530 us to see this. Sometimes we make fun of the 00:02:12.530 --> 00:02:15.030 disciples for being clueless, but this is totally 00:02:15.030 --> 00:02:19.159 logical. Is it now, Lord? After 40 days, is it 00:02:19.159 --> 00:02:21.419 now? Is this the moment when you are going to 00:02:21.419 --> 00:02:25.340 restore the kingdom to Israel? Verse 7 says, 00:02:25.620 --> 00:02:38.120 Notice in that what Jesus doesn't say. He doesn't 00:02:38.120 --> 00:02:41.099 deny that a restoration of the kingdom in Israel 00:02:41.710 --> 00:02:44.969 will come at some future point. He only warns 00:02:44.969 --> 00:02:47.310 them, don't get caught up in the timing of all 00:02:47.310 --> 00:02:50.430 this. That's the Father's prerogative. And then 00:02:50.430 --> 00:02:53.069 he redirects their focus, not to the distant 00:02:53.069 --> 00:02:55.990 future, but to the immediate future, to the mission 00:02:55.990 --> 00:02:58.129 that lays before them, the spreading of the gospel. 00:02:58.469 --> 00:03:01.629 Verse eight, but you will receive power when 00:03:01.629 --> 00:03:04.229 the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall 00:03:04.229 --> 00:03:07.849 be my witnesses, both in Jerusalem and all Judea 00:03:07.849 --> 00:03:11.979 and Samaria, even to the remotest part. So look 00:03:11.979 --> 00:03:14.919 at those locations for a second. Jerusalem and 00:03:14.919 --> 00:03:16.900 Judea, that's where they were standing in this 00:03:16.900 --> 00:03:20.620 very moment, right? Samaria, which is the territory 00:03:20.620 --> 00:03:24.840 just to the north of Judea, and then this massive 00:03:24.840 --> 00:03:28.919 leap from lands nearby to the very ends of the 00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:30.840 earth. Imagine for a second I got up here and 00:03:30.840 --> 00:03:33.199 I say, guys, I have an instruction for you. We 00:03:33.199 --> 00:03:35.460 are going to all go out and be missionaries together 00:03:35.460 --> 00:03:38.719 in Santa Clarita, in the San Fernando Valley, 00:03:38.879 --> 00:03:43.120 and all the way to India. You'd be like, whoa, 00:03:43.219 --> 00:03:46.280 Jeff, calm down. Slow down. All the way to India, 00:03:46.360 --> 00:03:49.159 that's kind of a big jump. But that's the point. 00:03:49.400 --> 00:03:52.580 This is a big mission that Jesus is laying before 00:03:52.580 --> 00:03:56.020 his guys. In that moment, it was a simple way 00:03:56.020 --> 00:04:00.280 for him to communicate to these 11 novices, soon 00:04:00.280 --> 00:04:03.900 to be missionaries, that God has a heart for 00:04:03.900 --> 00:04:07.620 every nation on the globe. It's a big mission. 00:04:08.030 --> 00:04:10.870 God has a heart for every nation of the world, 00:04:10.949 --> 00:04:14.569 not just for Jews, not just for Samaritans and 00:04:14.569 --> 00:04:19.129 Gentiles, the whole world. In fact, he has in 00:04:19.129 --> 00:04:22.199 mind, because he's God in the flesh, people groups 00:04:22.199 --> 00:04:25.319 that the disciples couldn't even fathom in their 00:04:25.319 --> 00:04:27.899 minds, where they were located, what they're 00:04:27.899 --> 00:04:30.500 called, what languages they speak, but people 00:04:30.500 --> 00:04:32.800 from every land, every tribe, and every language 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:35.480 across the globe. That's what Jesus has in mind 00:04:35.480 --> 00:04:37.980 here, even if the disciples can't process all 00:04:37.980 --> 00:04:40.699 that in this moment. Now, at Christmas time, 00:04:40.800 --> 00:04:42.899 we naturally turn our attention to the incarnation, 00:04:43.240 --> 00:04:46.519 and rightfully so. Because along with the cross 00:04:46.519 --> 00:04:49.420 and the empty tomb, the incarnation sits at the 00:04:49.420 --> 00:04:52.480 very center point of human history. And at the 00:04:52.480 --> 00:04:55.720 center of the incarnation is this concept of 00:04:55.720 --> 00:04:59.240 God giving a gift to mankind. This is why we 00:04:59.240 --> 00:05:02.040 exchange gifts at Christmastime, right? Because 00:05:02.040 --> 00:05:05.199 God is the greatest giver. He gives a gift to 00:05:05.199 --> 00:05:07.439 mankind. This is what Isaiah talked about. We 00:05:07.439 --> 00:05:09.519 know this passage, but look at the language. 00:05:09.660 --> 00:05:12.500 A child will be born to us, he prophesies. A 00:05:12.500 --> 00:05:17.079 son will be given. to us as a gift. He'll be 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:20.319 given to mankind. And then later, John famously 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:24.300 confirms that very truth in John 3, 16. For God 00:05:24.300 --> 00:05:29.040 so loved the world that he gave to us his one 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:32.339 and only son. And so the old and the new connect 00:05:32.339 --> 00:05:35.180 here in this gift that God gives to us. And if 00:05:35.180 --> 00:05:36.680 you think about it, this is an amazing thing 00:05:36.680 --> 00:05:39.839 that God has a love for this fallen world that 00:05:39.839 --> 00:05:42.160 is filled with people who have completely turned 00:05:42.160 --> 00:05:46.089 their back on him. who live in rebellion. But 00:05:46.089 --> 00:05:47.750 this is the wonder of the gospel. This is what 00:05:47.750 --> 00:05:50.449 makes the gift so amazing, that into such a place 00:05:50.449 --> 00:05:52.649 of rebellion, the father was not only willing, 00:05:52.689 --> 00:05:56.589 but pleased to send his son on a rescue mission. 00:05:58.149 --> 00:06:00.910 Don't lose sight of that, ever, and especially 00:06:00.910 --> 00:06:04.050 at Christmas. This is the heart of the gospel 00:06:04.050 --> 00:06:06.290 that we celebrate every Christmas, God's heart 00:06:06.290 --> 00:06:08.629 for the nations. By the way, this was not a new 00:06:08.629 --> 00:06:11.230 teaching for the Jewish men that were listening 00:06:11.230 --> 00:06:14.550 to Jesus in that moment. We look at the Psalms. 00:06:14.550 --> 00:06:17.949 We see Psalm 96 .3, for example, says, tell of 00:06:17.949 --> 00:06:20.350 his glory among the nations, not just Jerusalem, 00:06:20.529 --> 00:06:23.610 not just Israel, among the nations, his wonderful 00:06:23.610 --> 00:06:27.730 deeds among all the peoples. And in Psalm 67 00:06:27.730 --> 00:06:30.269 .4, let the nations be glad and sing for joy. 00:06:31.040 --> 00:06:33.560 For you, Yahweh, will judge the peoples with 00:06:33.560 --> 00:06:36.879 uprightness and you will guide the nations on 00:06:36.879 --> 00:06:40.100 the earth. This is an Old Testament teaching 00:06:40.100 --> 00:06:43.019 as well. But in that moment in Acts 1, when the 00:06:43.019 --> 00:06:45.720 disciples are in this mode of, okay, is the kingdom 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:48.980 starting right now? Jesus needs to refocus them 00:06:48.980 --> 00:06:52.100 and let them know, look, the kingdom is so much 00:06:52.100 --> 00:06:54.439 bigger than you can imagine. It's so much bigger 00:06:54.439 --> 00:06:56.939 than what's in front of you. My love for the 00:06:56.939 --> 00:06:58.740 nations is so much greater than you can even 00:06:58.740 --> 00:07:01.459 fathom. So here's what I want you to do. Stay 00:07:01.459 --> 00:07:04.199 in Jerusalem. The Holy Spirit's gonna come upon 00:07:04.199 --> 00:07:07.339 you soon, and then you will be empowered by him 00:07:07.339 --> 00:07:10.279 to do something you cannot do on your own, to 00:07:10.279 --> 00:07:12.980 go out and be my witnesses to the goodness of 00:07:12.980 --> 00:07:16.500 the gospel all across the world, to every nation. 00:07:17.399 --> 00:07:20.339 This is a foundational passage, you guys. You 00:07:20.339 --> 00:07:22.300 should know this passage in Acts chapter one. 00:07:23.100 --> 00:07:25.079 So as Grant said this morning and over the next 00:07:25.079 --> 00:07:26.819 three weeks until Christmas Day, we're going 00:07:26.819 --> 00:07:29.199 to walk through God's heart for the groups of 00:07:29.199 --> 00:07:32.100 people described in this passage. Each one of 00:07:32.100 --> 00:07:36.379 them is unique, right? Jews, Samaritans, Gentiles, 00:07:36.399 --> 00:07:38.040 and ultimately we're going to go beyond that 00:07:38.040 --> 00:07:40.439 and we will talk about life beyond this world. 00:07:41.279 --> 00:07:43.779 Life with Christ in eternity in the heavenly 00:07:43.779 --> 00:07:46.730 realms. But today we're going to start in this 00:07:46.730 --> 00:07:48.970 foundational place, to the very place that Jesus 00:07:48.970 --> 00:07:51.449 is talking to the disciples in Acts chapter 1 00:07:51.449 --> 00:07:55.050 in Jerusalem and Judea, and we'll talk about 00:07:55.050 --> 00:07:57.870 God's heart for the Jewish people. Flip over 00:07:57.870 --> 00:08:02.149 in your Bibles to Romans chapter 1. Romans chapter 00:08:02.149 --> 00:08:07.170 1, and I want you to find verse 16. Very important 00:08:07.170 --> 00:08:11.829 verse. In Romans 1, the Apostle Paul is writing 00:08:11.829 --> 00:08:14.629 about the good news of salvation, the very salvation 00:08:14.629 --> 00:08:17.490 that the disciples were now going to take into 00:08:17.490 --> 00:08:20.870 the world. And in verse 16, he writes something 00:08:20.870 --> 00:08:23.310 very important. I'll put it on the screen, or 00:08:23.310 --> 00:08:25.949 you can look at it in your lap there. In verse 00:08:25.949 --> 00:08:28.449 16, he writes this. I'm not ashamed of the gospel, 00:08:28.689 --> 00:08:32.009 Paul says, and there's no question that in the 00:08:32.009 --> 00:08:34.700 Greek world, he was being mocked. for the fact 00:08:34.700 --> 00:08:37.820 that his Messiah, his Savior, had been crucified 00:08:37.820 --> 00:08:40.980 on a cross, which in the Greek world was a shame. 00:08:41.080 --> 00:08:42.899 But he says, I'm not ashamed of the gospel, for 00:08:42.899 --> 00:08:46.120 it's the power of God for salvation to what? 00:08:46.279 --> 00:08:49.200 To everyone who believes. Good, everyone. That 00:08:49.200 --> 00:08:52.120 means all people groups, all nations, all who 00:08:52.120 --> 00:08:54.519 believe. But then look at the peculiar phrase 00:08:54.519 --> 00:08:59.759 he puts at the end. To the Jew first, and also 00:08:59.759 --> 00:09:04.830 to the Greek. The power of God, To salvation, 00:09:04.909 --> 00:09:06.870 to the Jew first. What does he mean by that? 00:09:09.149 --> 00:09:10.929 What did he mean? And what are the implications 00:09:10.929 --> 00:09:14.129 of it as we look at the scriptures and look at 00:09:14.129 --> 00:09:15.990 the gospel? Well, the word first there in Greek 00:09:15.990 --> 00:09:19.570 is the word proton, and it has two standard meanings. 00:09:19.710 --> 00:09:24.110 It can mean first in sequence or time. That's 00:09:24.110 --> 00:09:29.720 one meaning. Or first in rank or honor. So Paul 00:09:29.720 --> 00:09:32.480 could be speaking of first, well, this is a sequential 00:09:32.480 --> 00:09:35.799 thing that historically, chronologically, the 00:09:35.799 --> 00:09:37.980 gospel of salvation goes out to the Jewish people 00:09:37.980 --> 00:09:40.700 first, and then it moves on to the Gentiles. 00:09:40.779 --> 00:09:43.480 And that is historically true, right? The earliest 00:09:43.480 --> 00:09:46.480 followers of Jesus were Jewish. The earliest 00:09:46.480 --> 00:09:49.159 converts were Jewish. The early church was mostly 00:09:49.159 --> 00:09:52.259 Jewish. So it could be said that Paul is saying, 00:09:52.320 --> 00:09:54.600 well, look, the gospel of salvation goes to the 00:09:54.600 --> 00:09:56.740 Jews first and then sequentially goes out to 00:09:56.740 --> 00:09:59.450 the Greeks. But there's actually a problem with 00:09:59.450 --> 00:10:01.710 that interpretation, and this is why you have 00:10:01.710 --> 00:10:04.090 to have hermeneutical principles when you look 00:10:04.090 --> 00:10:06.149 at Scripture, because Scripture interprets Scripture. 00:10:06.889 --> 00:10:09.029 There are two other places where we see this 00:10:09.029 --> 00:10:11.350 phrase, and they're found in the second chapter 00:10:11.350 --> 00:10:14.649 of Romans, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 00:10:14.950 --> 00:10:18.129 And in those two places, it does not mean sequential. 00:10:18.169 --> 00:10:21.909 It does not mean time. Let's take a look at this. 00:10:21.950 --> 00:10:28.470 Flip over to chapter 2, verses 9 and 10. So again, 00:10:28.529 --> 00:10:31.409 this is the very next chapter. So back then, 00:10:31.490 --> 00:10:33.350 Paul was writing a letter. There weren't chapter 00:10:33.350 --> 00:10:35.529 divisions. This is all one flow of thought that 00:10:35.529 --> 00:10:38.429 he has here. Verses nine and 10, it says, there 00:10:38.429 --> 00:10:41.529 will be tribulation and distress for every soul 00:10:41.529 --> 00:10:45.529 of man who does evil of the Jew first and also 00:10:45.529 --> 00:10:49.570 of the Greek. That is not sequential. But glory 00:10:49.570 --> 00:10:51.629 and honor and peace to everyone who does good 00:10:51.629 --> 00:10:56.419 to the Jew first and also to the Greek. Paul's 00:10:56.419 --> 00:10:58.379 using this phrase, he's not speaking merely about 00:10:58.379 --> 00:11:01.100 sequence, he's talking about honor or prominence. 00:11:01.480 --> 00:11:04.179 That the gospel of salvation goes out especially 00:11:04.179 --> 00:11:07.860 to the Jews, and we'll find out why in just a 00:11:07.860 --> 00:11:11.139 second, but also to the Greeks. But to be consistent 00:11:11.139 --> 00:11:13.120 in our interpretation, we have to say two things 00:11:13.120 --> 00:11:15.860 are true then. The gospel is especially for the 00:11:15.860 --> 00:11:18.759 Jew, it goes first there, and also the Gentile, 00:11:18.759 --> 00:11:24.019 but also judgment goes first to the Jew and then 00:11:24.019 --> 00:11:26.519 to the Greek. And what that means is God has 00:11:26.519 --> 00:11:29.659 declared that the Jewish people are, A, especially 00:11:29.659 --> 00:11:34.539 privileged, but also especially accountable before 00:11:34.539 --> 00:11:37.200 him. That's what he's saying in Romans chapter 00:11:37.200 --> 00:11:39.899 2. Now, why? Well, for a whole series of reasons, 00:11:39.980 --> 00:11:42.399 beginning with this. Because, first of all, they're 00:11:42.399 --> 00:11:45.279 unique calling. That goes back to the Torah, 00:11:45.379 --> 00:11:47.879 goes back to the prophets. Listen to the language 00:11:47.879 --> 00:11:51.139 in Deuteronomy 14 too. Speaking through Moses, 00:11:51.299 --> 00:11:54.879 Yahweh says to Israel, you are a holy people 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:58.659 to the Lord your God, and the Lord has chosen 00:11:58.659 --> 00:12:02.379 you to be a people for his own possession out 00:12:02.379 --> 00:12:05.720 of all the peoples who are on the face of the 00:12:05.720 --> 00:12:07.740 earth. He could have chosen anyone he wanted, 00:12:07.879 --> 00:12:12.720 but he's chosen you. So this is Israel's covenantal 00:12:12.720 --> 00:12:16.840 status as being uniquely chosen by God. And Paul's 00:12:16.840 --> 00:12:19.960 statement in Romans 1, I believe, is an affirmation 00:12:19.960 --> 00:12:23.259 of the irrevocable nature of that divine choice 00:12:23.259 --> 00:12:26.360 that God made. Even the point he makes about 00:12:26.360 --> 00:12:29.259 judgment in Romans 2 speaks to that unique standing. 00:12:29.399 --> 00:12:32.720 There is still an ongoing covenantal relationship 00:12:32.720 --> 00:12:35.799 between Israel and Yahweh that will play out 00:12:35.799 --> 00:12:39.580 even at the judgment seat of Christ. This principle 00:12:39.580 --> 00:12:41.639 then gets confirmed by the prophet Amos, where 00:12:41.639 --> 00:12:44.019 Yahweh says to the sons of Israel, look at this, 00:12:44.139 --> 00:12:48.659 you only, you only have I chosen among all the 00:12:48.659 --> 00:12:52.940 families of the earth. Romans 1, but look at, 00:12:52.960 --> 00:12:56.700 he says next, therefore, therefore, I will punish 00:12:56.700 --> 00:12:59.639 you for your iniquities. Because judgment begins 00:12:59.639 --> 00:13:02.940 at the household of God, doesn't it? That lines 00:13:02.940 --> 00:13:04.860 up with Romans 2, because of Israel's unique 00:13:04.860 --> 00:13:06.779 calling, there will be tribulation and distress. 00:13:07.500 --> 00:13:10.159 for those who do evil, first for the Jew and 00:13:10.159 --> 00:13:13.080 also for the Greek. So God is consistent in this 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:16.820 prominence, this honor throughout Scripture from 00:13:16.820 --> 00:13:19.960 the old to the new. The second reason why the 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:22.700 Jews are especially accountable to God is because 00:13:22.700 --> 00:13:26.259 of all the advantages they've been given over 00:13:26.259 --> 00:13:29.700 the Gentiles. And Paul talks about this also 00:13:29.700 --> 00:13:31.720 in the book of Romans. Starting in chapter 3, 00:13:31.860 --> 00:13:35.419 he says, what advantage has the Jew? Great in 00:13:35.419 --> 00:13:38.200 every respect. First of all, he says, they were 00:13:38.200 --> 00:13:41.700 entrusted with the oracles of God. They were 00:13:41.700 --> 00:13:45.200 the unique possessors and guardians of God's 00:13:45.200 --> 00:13:47.419 revelation in the Old Testament scriptures. They 00:13:47.419 --> 00:13:50.440 had the Torah. They had the prophets. They had 00:13:50.440 --> 00:13:53.480 the writings. All of the shapes and shadows that 00:13:53.480 --> 00:13:56.120 pointed them forward toward the coming of Messiah. 00:13:56.200 --> 00:14:01.679 They had that. They were drilled in it. And even 00:14:01.679 --> 00:14:04.299 more, in Romans 9, Paul lays out even more advantages. 00:14:04.460 --> 00:14:07.580 He talks about who are Israelites to whom belong 00:14:07.580 --> 00:14:12.179 the adoption as sons, the covenants, the giving 00:14:12.179 --> 00:14:15.120 of the law, the temple service, the promises, 00:14:15.120 --> 00:14:19.139 and the fathers or the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac, 00:14:19.240 --> 00:14:22.379 and Jacob. Look at all those advantages. that 00:14:22.379 --> 00:14:24.940 had been given to the Jew. What's really significant 00:14:24.940 --> 00:14:27.379 there in Romans 9 is that Paul doesn't use the 00:14:27.379 --> 00:14:30.500 past tense. He doesn't say all these things that 00:14:30.500 --> 00:14:33.580 once belonged to you. He uses the present tense. 00:14:34.100 --> 00:14:38.940 Who are Israelites to whom belong these advantages? 00:14:39.919 --> 00:14:43.299 Present tense. So more than any other people 00:14:43.299 --> 00:14:46.299 group on the earth, the Jews, even today, are 00:14:46.299 --> 00:14:51.379 without excuse. Make sense? But let's leave Romans 00:14:51.379 --> 00:14:53.379 2 and go back to the honor and prominence that 00:14:53.379 --> 00:14:56.799 Paul ascribes to the Jews in Romans 1. The gospel 00:14:56.799 --> 00:15:01.679 of salvation is first for them. Why? Well, obviously 00:15:01.679 --> 00:15:04.240 the promise of Messiah is coming and the salvation 00:15:04.240 --> 00:15:06.860 that he brings with him was communicated to them 00:15:06.860 --> 00:15:11.419 first in the Hebrew scriptures. Right? They got 00:15:11.419 --> 00:15:13.360 the word about the coming of Messiah. And in 00:15:13.360 --> 00:15:16.240 case you didn't know this, Jesus was Jewish. 00:15:19.819 --> 00:15:22.139 Jesus was, you know what? It's funny, on Twitter, 00:15:22.220 --> 00:15:26.340 that's become controversial. Because of the post 00:15:26.340 --> 00:15:29.360 -truth world we live in, that's actually on social 00:15:29.360 --> 00:15:32.440 media become controversial. Do not, just don't 00:15:32.440 --> 00:15:39.360 go on there. In case you didn't know that, he 00:15:39.360 --> 00:15:43.559 was Jewish. The Son of God became flesh as a 00:15:43.559 --> 00:15:47.690 Jewish man born of a Jewish woman, right? When 00:15:47.690 --> 00:15:49.690 you look at the Christmas narratives in Matthew 00:15:49.690 --> 00:15:52.690 1 and 2 and Luke 1 and 2, everything about the 00:15:52.690 --> 00:15:55.309 stories about Christmas is thoroughly Jewish. 00:15:56.250 --> 00:15:59.509 The setting, the language, the people involved, 00:15:59.769 --> 00:16:02.629 the customs, all the allusions to Old Testament 00:16:02.629 --> 00:16:06.950 scripture being fulfilled, it's all Jewish. Jesus 00:16:06.950 --> 00:16:09.690 was born, raised, he lived as a Jew under the 00:16:09.690 --> 00:16:12.509 law. Virtually all of his public ministry took 00:16:12.509 --> 00:16:16.009 place within the boundaries of Israel. He chose 00:16:16.009 --> 00:16:18.029 disciples that were all Jewish. He taught in 00:16:18.029 --> 00:16:20.889 Jewish synagogues. He went up to the temple to 00:16:20.889 --> 00:16:24.389 celebrate the Jewish feasts and festivals. All 00:16:24.389 --> 00:16:26.809 the titles that he has, Messiah, Son of David, 00:16:26.870 --> 00:16:29.049 Son of Man, all come out of the Jewish scriptures. 00:16:30.289 --> 00:16:34.090 It's thoroughly Jewish. But it even goes beyond 00:16:34.090 --> 00:16:36.049 those obvious things. Here's a prime example 00:16:36.049 --> 00:16:39.129 of God's heart for the Jewish people. Jesus explicitly 00:16:39.129 --> 00:16:41.669 said that his mission in coming to the earth 00:16:41.669 --> 00:16:45.799 was uniquely for who? The lost sheep of the house 00:16:45.799 --> 00:16:50.740 of Israel. He said that. Especially to the Jew. 00:16:51.600 --> 00:16:54.720 And the Greek. But especially to the Jew. Jesus 00:16:54.720 --> 00:16:57.259 said it himself. In fact, in Matthew 10, he looked 00:16:57.259 --> 00:16:59.059 at the 12 before sending them out and he said, 00:16:59.179 --> 00:17:02.779 don't go in the way of the Gentiles. Don't go 00:17:02.779 --> 00:17:04.400 in the way of the Gentiles. And do not enter 00:17:04.400 --> 00:17:07.099 any city of the Samaritans, but rather, I want 00:17:07.099 --> 00:17:09.420 you to go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 00:17:11.339 --> 00:17:16.220 To the Jew first. and also to the Greek. So his 00:17:16.220 --> 00:17:18.180 focus during his earthly ministry was the Jewish 00:17:18.180 --> 00:17:20.819 people. They were his priority. And I think you 00:17:20.819 --> 00:17:23.759 see the reason for this. When Jesus does come 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:26.680 into contact with a Samaritan woman in John 4, 00:17:26.900 --> 00:17:29.539 the woman at the well, he says to her what? He 00:17:29.539 --> 00:17:33.559 says, you worship what you don't know, Samaritans. 00:17:33.700 --> 00:17:37.660 We Jews worship what we do know, for salvation 00:17:37.660 --> 00:17:43.779 is from the Jews. Honor and prominence. Jesus 00:17:43.779 --> 00:17:48.740 came especially for the house of Israel. Salvation 00:17:48.740 --> 00:17:51.880 is from the Jews. He said it himself. And the 00:17:51.880 --> 00:17:54.279 anti -Semites in the church today need to hear 00:17:54.279 --> 00:17:57.700 that loud and clear. Salvation is from who? It's 00:17:57.700 --> 00:18:00.940 from the Jews. The Jews are the stream and the 00:18:00.940 --> 00:18:03.660 vehicle by which God's revelation about salvation 00:18:03.660 --> 00:18:07.359 has come to the rest of the world. Without that 00:18:07.359 --> 00:18:10.900 Jewish foundation, we would not be here as Gentiles. 00:18:12.420 --> 00:18:14.799 Israel is, as Paul will tell us in Romans 11, 00:18:14.960 --> 00:18:17.640 the olive tree and the root into which all non 00:18:17.640 --> 00:18:21.339 -Jews are grafted into so that they can be saved. 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:25.220 The Jews are the natural branches of that tree, 00:18:25.299 --> 00:18:27.640 Paul's going to say. So they have the honored 00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:29.779 first position when it comes to the gospel of 00:18:29.779 --> 00:18:32.359 salvation. And by the way, I think this is the 00:18:32.359 --> 00:18:35.500 only way that you can explain how Paul operates 00:18:35.500 --> 00:18:39.380 on his missionary journeys. Remember, Paul was 00:18:39.380 --> 00:18:41.440 sent out into the Greek world, right, to Asia 00:18:41.440 --> 00:18:43.240 Minor and to Greece, and he's called the apostle 00:18:43.240 --> 00:18:48.240 to the Gentiles. And yet, where does he go first 00:18:48.240 --> 00:18:52.319 every time he comes to a new city? To the synagogue. 00:18:53.039 --> 00:18:55.259 But wait, you're the apostle to the Gentiles. 00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:58.039 What are you doing that for? To the Jew first. 00:18:59.559 --> 00:19:02.319 And it says in Acts 17, this was his custom, 00:19:02.420 --> 00:19:06.200 to go first to the synagogue. Now, was he rejected 00:19:06.200 --> 00:19:09.609 every time? It appears that way. But he kept 00:19:09.609 --> 00:19:12.269 going first to the synagogue. That's his custom. 00:19:12.329 --> 00:19:16.589 We see it in Acts chapter 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 00:19:16.809 --> 00:19:24.210 and 28, in case you wondered. So, first to the 00:19:24.210 --> 00:19:28.130 Jew, prominence, honor. Also prominence and honor 00:19:28.130 --> 00:19:31.309 in judgment, accountability, because of the advantages 00:19:31.309 --> 00:19:34.440 that they have. This is how God has approached 00:19:34.440 --> 00:19:36.359 his people Israel. We should know that, even 00:19:36.359 --> 00:19:39.779 as Gentiles. Okay, I wanna spend some time this 00:19:39.779 --> 00:19:43.440 morning in my favorite Christmas verse that also 00:19:43.440 --> 00:19:46.420 talks about God's heart for the Jewish people, 00:19:46.500 --> 00:19:48.460 and it's not found in the Gospels. It's actually 00:19:48.460 --> 00:19:50.920 found in Galatians chapter four. So I want you 00:19:50.920 --> 00:19:57.680 to turn over there. Galatians chapter four. We're 00:19:57.680 --> 00:19:59.339 gonna work through this verse very slowly. We're 00:19:59.339 --> 00:20:01.279 gonna break it down phrase by phrase because 00:20:02.240 --> 00:20:06.359 This verse is carefully worded by Paul, and it's 00:20:06.359 --> 00:20:09.740 filled with Christmas theology that we should 00:20:09.740 --> 00:20:13.559 all be aware of at this time of year. Now, I 00:20:13.559 --> 00:20:15.640 can't explain the first, I don't have time to 00:20:15.640 --> 00:20:18.779 explain this whole pericope here. I want to look 00:20:18.779 --> 00:20:21.559 specifically at verse four and break down these 00:20:21.559 --> 00:20:23.480 phrases. The first one is this. When the fullness 00:20:23.480 --> 00:20:27.740 of the time came, what did God do? He sent forth 00:20:27.740 --> 00:20:31.490 his son. Now, there's so much in that statement 00:20:31.490 --> 00:20:34.369 about God. First of all, he's sovereign over 00:20:34.369 --> 00:20:37.269 the ages. He knows the beginning from the end. 00:20:37.329 --> 00:20:40.309 He is the author of earthly history. He is the 00:20:40.309 --> 00:20:43.609 guider and director of earthly history. And when 00:20:43.609 --> 00:20:45.970 he was satisfied that he had prepared the world 00:20:45.970 --> 00:20:48.690 in just the right way, put all the right conditions 00:20:48.690 --> 00:20:52.470 in place, in his infinite mind, the appointed 00:20:52.470 --> 00:20:55.890 time had arrived, and he sent forth his son. 00:20:57.119 --> 00:20:59.299 Again, look at what's not being said here. He 00:20:59.299 --> 00:21:01.859 doesn't say in the fullness of time Christ was 00:21:01.859 --> 00:21:05.039 born. It says in the fullness of time he was 00:21:05.039 --> 00:21:08.319 sent forth. That is a specific statement by Paul 00:21:08.319 --> 00:21:11.000 that points to the preexistence of God the Son. 00:21:11.359 --> 00:21:15.700 He was sent forth. He already was. And he was 00:21:15.700 --> 00:21:18.400 sent forth into time. In the beginning, before 00:21:18.400 --> 00:21:21.480 anything existed, God the Son was, John tells 00:21:21.480 --> 00:21:24.339 us, right? He was. He was with God. He was God 00:21:24.339 --> 00:21:28.069 before anything. Anything came into being. But 00:21:28.069 --> 00:21:30.269 in this moment of time, in the fullness of time, 00:21:30.490 --> 00:21:34.549 he is now sent forth by the Father. Not like 00:21:34.549 --> 00:21:36.650 a prophet, not like an angel. God had already 00:21:36.650 --> 00:21:39.390 sent prophets and angels to his people. This 00:21:39.390 --> 00:21:41.950 is different. This is unique. This is a one -time 00:21:41.950 --> 00:21:45.690 thing, his one and only son. And if he's a son, 00:21:46.529 --> 00:21:48.910 if he's a son, then he's a divine being himself 00:21:48.910 --> 00:21:51.930 because the son reflects the essence and attributes 00:21:51.930 --> 00:21:55.920 of his father. That's what's going on here. Now, 00:21:55.940 --> 00:21:58.180 the idea of this, that God has an eternal son, 00:21:58.339 --> 00:22:01.619 was a difficult proposition for Jews of that 00:22:01.619 --> 00:22:04.059 day. That's one of the reasons why we see so 00:22:04.059 --> 00:22:06.619 much rejection. But it shouldn't have been because 00:22:06.619 --> 00:22:09.859 Isaiah told them about this, didn't he? He said, 00:22:09.900 --> 00:22:12.920 a son will be given to us. And you might stop 00:22:12.920 --> 00:22:14.759 there and go, okay, good, a baby's born. No, 00:22:14.900 --> 00:22:17.460 this is not just a regular son because he goes 00:22:17.460 --> 00:22:20.640 on to say, this son is going to be called, wonderful 00:22:20.640 --> 00:22:27.980 counselor, mighty God. Mighty God, eternal father, 00:22:28.339 --> 00:22:31.519 prince of peace. Names and titles reserved only 00:22:31.519 --> 00:22:35.920 for Yahweh. So he left the heavenly glory that 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:38.859 he enjoyed with the father in eternity past to 00:22:38.859 --> 00:22:43.380 go on this mission from the father in the fullness 00:22:43.380 --> 00:22:47.299 of time. And he was what? Born of a woman. One 00:22:47.299 --> 00:22:49.099 of the great mysteries of scripture, right? The 00:22:49.099 --> 00:22:52.140 conception in the womb of the virgin by the Holy 00:22:52.140 --> 00:22:57.339 Spirit. God experiences a human birth. Think 00:22:57.339 --> 00:23:00.740 about that. And in that process, he assumes a 00:23:00.740 --> 00:23:02.940 second nature. He already has a divine nature 00:23:02.940 --> 00:23:06.900 from eternity past. He assumes a human nature 00:23:06.900 --> 00:23:11.059 that he derives from Mary. And this was necessary 00:23:11.059 --> 00:23:13.619 for several reasons. First of all, it fulfills 00:23:13.619 --> 00:23:16.599 the prophecy in Genesis 3 .15, the seed of the 00:23:16.599 --> 00:23:18.640 woman who's gonna crush the head of the serpent. 00:23:19.279 --> 00:23:21.839 And of course, the incarnation, so that Christ 00:23:21.839 --> 00:23:26.819 could die for man as a man. And that's essential, 00:23:27.079 --> 00:23:30.559 right? He represents us as a man, as our perfect 00:23:30.559 --> 00:23:33.880 substitute on the cross. And so Jesus is born 00:23:33.880 --> 00:23:37.079 the only one of his kind. He might say, he's 00:23:37.079 --> 00:23:40.720 a unicorn. There is nothing else. He is the God 00:23:40.720 --> 00:23:44.819 -man. And so when people try to say, well, is 00:23:44.819 --> 00:23:48.289 he God or is he man? We say, He's both. He's 00:23:48.289 --> 00:23:50.450 true God and true man. He is the one and only 00:23:50.450 --> 00:23:53.930 God man. Just keep that phrase together so that 00:23:53.930 --> 00:23:56.289 you don't get into error on either side. He is 00:23:56.289 --> 00:24:00.470 the God man. True God and true man. The born 00:24:00.470 --> 00:24:02.609 of a woman and then what? Born under the law. 00:24:02.829 --> 00:24:05.390 So here we see the uniquely Jewish aspect of 00:24:05.390 --> 00:24:07.950 the Christmas story. He is born a Jewish man 00:24:07.950 --> 00:24:11.170 to a Jewish mother and responsible for carrying 00:24:11.170 --> 00:24:16.549 out the law of Moses. Like any Jewish man. But 00:24:16.549 --> 00:24:19.789 like no man before him or after him, he obeyed 00:24:19.789 --> 00:24:22.569 it perfectly. The Bible says he was without sin. 00:24:23.869 --> 00:24:26.190 And therefore, he's able to bear the curse that 00:24:26.190 --> 00:24:28.069 the law brings, right? Isn't that important? 00:24:28.940 --> 00:24:31.759 He bears the curse of the law on the cross. He 00:24:31.759 --> 00:24:35.039 qualifies as our perfect sacrifice, a lamb without 00:24:35.039 --> 00:24:38.299 spot or blemish, and therefore able to take away 00:24:38.299 --> 00:24:40.859 your sin. If he's just another sinner who died 00:24:40.859 --> 00:24:43.579 2 ,000 years ago on a cross, just a man just 00:24:43.579 --> 00:24:48.279 like you and I, he cannot represent you. But 00:24:48.279 --> 00:24:50.740 as the perfect lamb of God, he can. He can bear 00:24:50.740 --> 00:24:54.359 that curse. And by trusting in him, we can have 00:24:54.359 --> 00:24:57.440 his righteousness credited to our account. So 00:24:57.440 --> 00:25:00.779 he's got to be. born of a woman, born under the 00:25:00.779 --> 00:25:04.380 law. Here's the purpose. So that, so that he 00:25:04.380 --> 00:25:08.519 might redeem those under the law. The law is 00:25:08.519 --> 00:25:12.559 a burden, isn't it? It can't be kept. So this 00:25:12.559 --> 00:25:14.980 idea of redemption is a commercial term that's 00:25:14.980 --> 00:25:17.480 used to buying a slave out of an ancient slave 00:25:17.480 --> 00:25:19.740 market. This is what Christ has done for us. 00:25:19.799 --> 00:25:22.400 He came to purchase men and women like you and 00:25:22.400 --> 00:25:27.130 I who were locked in slavery to sin. And he came 00:25:27.130 --> 00:25:29.490 to set us free from that slavery. Now, if there 00:25:29.490 --> 00:25:30.950 had been another way that we could have done 00:25:30.950 --> 00:25:33.490 it, if we could have done this ourselves and 00:25:33.490 --> 00:25:35.930 just gritted our teeth and fulfilled the law, 00:25:36.089 --> 00:25:39.509 then we wouldn't need a savior. But the reality 00:25:39.509 --> 00:25:43.230 is, is we couldn't do it. We were helpless. We 00:25:43.230 --> 00:25:45.970 were dead in our sins. And so he becomes the 00:25:45.970 --> 00:25:48.730 curse for us. He comes, thick picture this now, 00:25:48.890 --> 00:25:51.970 he comes to the slavery auction block of the 00:25:51.970 --> 00:25:57.390 earth and buys us. by his body, and by his blood. 00:25:58.289 --> 00:26:02.130 He purchases us out of the slave market. He redeems 00:26:02.130 --> 00:26:08.569 us. Amazing. That we might receive the adoption 00:26:08.569 --> 00:26:10.569 as sons. We talked about this a couple weeks 00:26:10.569 --> 00:26:13.349 ago. It would be enough that we were redeemed, 00:26:13.390 --> 00:26:16.869 but God goes so far beyond that. He adopts us 00:26:16.869 --> 00:26:20.019 as his children. No longer are you helpless before 00:26:20.019 --> 00:26:23.140 the law. No longer are you a slave to sin. No 00:26:23.140 --> 00:26:25.079 longer, listen now, do you have to grit your 00:26:25.079 --> 00:26:28.099 teeth and morally perform in order to try to 00:26:28.099 --> 00:26:30.779 earn God's love. You are a son and a daughter. 00:26:33.900 --> 00:26:37.720 Hear that clearly. You are now a son or a daughter. 00:26:37.740 --> 00:26:40.680 You've gone from being a slave to being an heir. 00:26:42.420 --> 00:26:44.960 There's no greater status you can enjoy in this 00:26:44.960 --> 00:26:47.680 life or the life to come. It's greater than any 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:50.539 status an angel has. It comes with all the rights 00:26:50.539 --> 00:26:53.099 and privileges of God's family and inheritance 00:26:53.099 --> 00:26:56.480 beyond what you can imagine. These are the things 00:26:56.480 --> 00:26:58.380 we have to remember at Christmastime, right? 00:26:58.960 --> 00:27:01.980 What a beautiful statement. Galatians 4 .4 is 00:27:01.980 --> 00:27:04.279 such a great statement for God's heart for the 00:27:04.279 --> 00:27:07.299 Jewish people. A savior sent forth by the father 00:27:07.299 --> 00:27:10.759 to rescue and redeem his people who were suffering 00:27:10.759 --> 00:27:17.710 under the burden of the law of Moses. Now, We 00:27:17.710 --> 00:27:21.009 know how that turned out in the way the Jews 00:27:21.009 --> 00:27:25.069 did not receive him. So let's tackle one last 00:27:25.069 --> 00:27:27.470 thing, and it's not a small one. Let's flip back 00:27:27.470 --> 00:27:32.569 to the book of Romans and go to Romans 11. We're 00:27:32.569 --> 00:27:34.029 gonna work our way through, we're not gonna read 00:27:34.029 --> 00:27:35.750 the whole thing, but we're gonna work our way 00:27:35.750 --> 00:27:38.690 through the logic of this chapter. I will reference 00:27:38.690 --> 00:27:41.009 certain verses, so just keep it open on your 00:27:41.009 --> 00:27:46.099 lap. But here's what we need to remember. We 00:27:46.099 --> 00:27:48.759 know from the scriptures what it says about the 00:27:48.759 --> 00:27:52.400 Jewish people from ancient times. The whole story 00:27:52.400 --> 00:27:56.359 of the Old Testament is what? Rebellion. They're 00:27:56.359 --> 00:27:59.680 constantly called a stiff -necked people, refusing 00:27:59.680 --> 00:28:02.279 to submit to Yahweh's commands. But more importantly, 00:28:02.460 --> 00:28:05.779 what we find out is the Jews have stumbled over 00:28:05.779 --> 00:28:08.339 their own Messiah. They have failed to receive 00:28:08.339 --> 00:28:13.089 the one whom God sent forth to free them. They 00:28:13.089 --> 00:28:16.210 failed to receive him. But when we look closer 00:28:16.210 --> 00:28:17.910 at scripture, and this is the thing that blows 00:28:17.910 --> 00:28:20.769 our minds, we see that it was actually prophesied 00:28:20.769 --> 00:28:25.089 to happen that way. Both Paul and Peter quote 00:28:25.089 --> 00:28:27.750 Isaiah 700 years before the coming of Christ. 00:28:28.289 --> 00:28:31.349 They quote Isaiah in this. Behold, God says, 00:28:31.490 --> 00:28:36.150 I, God, lay in Zion, in Jerusalem, a stumbling 00:28:36.150 --> 00:28:39.130 stone and a rock of offense in the person of 00:28:39.130 --> 00:28:43.220 Christ. I do that, God says. And Peter then adds 00:28:43.220 --> 00:28:44.960 this statement, they stumble because they're 00:28:44.960 --> 00:28:48.240 disobedient to God's word and to this doom they 00:28:48.240 --> 00:28:52.779 were appointed. That's heavy stuff, isn't it? 00:28:53.259 --> 00:28:55.640 But the point is, God isn't surprised by the 00:28:55.640 --> 00:29:00.420 rejection. He's not surprised by any of it. So 00:29:00.420 --> 00:29:04.549 the Jewish people... They see Jesus. They listen 00:29:04.549 --> 00:29:06.789 to Jesus. They say, no, thank you. They stumble 00:29:06.789 --> 00:29:10.269 in their pride and disobedience. Everybody acknowledges 00:29:10.269 --> 00:29:12.150 that. There's no controversy in that statement. 00:29:12.190 --> 00:29:14.910 In fact, even today, even today, the remnant 00:29:14.910 --> 00:29:17.849 of Jewish believers in Jesus is a relatively 00:29:17.849 --> 00:29:20.630 small number of people. It's still happening. 00:29:21.430 --> 00:29:25.769 Less than 1 % of Israelis today are Messianic 00:29:25.769 --> 00:29:28.450 believers who trusted in Christ. Less than 1%. 00:29:30.509 --> 00:29:33.089 The question we want to ask in this is in light 00:29:33.089 --> 00:29:36.029 of that truth, of the stiff -necked nature, the 00:29:36.029 --> 00:29:39.410 rebellious nature of the Jewish people, the question 00:29:39.410 --> 00:29:45.390 is, does God still have a heart for them? Does 00:29:45.390 --> 00:29:46.890 God still have a heart for the Jewish people? 00:29:46.950 --> 00:29:48.529 Or we could ask it the way you see on the screen, 00:29:48.670 --> 00:29:51.069 is there still a future for ethnic and national 00:29:51.069 --> 00:29:56.269 Israel in God's plan? This has become a political 00:29:56.269 --> 00:29:59.890 hot potato, hasn't it? in light of world events 00:29:59.890 --> 00:30:02.730 right now. So we should know exactly what is 00:30:02.730 --> 00:30:05.250 said about this subject. In order to answer that 00:30:05.250 --> 00:30:07.430 question, what we have to do is answer some key 00:30:07.430 --> 00:30:10.930 questions about the stumbling. Here are the two 00:30:10.930 --> 00:30:13.890 key questions. First of all, have they stumbled 00:30:13.890 --> 00:30:19.990 temporarily for a time or forever? And secondly, 00:30:20.049 --> 00:30:23.609 for what purpose did they stumble? God has a 00:30:23.609 --> 00:30:25.509 plan in all of it, but for what was the reason? 00:30:25.569 --> 00:30:28.220 What was the purpose for it? And what's great 00:30:28.220 --> 00:30:30.880 is we have the answers to those questions in 00:30:30.880 --> 00:30:33.960 a single chapter. In the most, what I would call 00:30:33.960 --> 00:30:35.920 the most theologically significant book in the 00:30:35.920 --> 00:30:39.859 New Testament. In Romans 11. There's so many 00:30:39.859 --> 00:30:42.480 people today say, I don't want to read it. I 00:30:42.480 --> 00:30:44.359 just want to hold my opinion about Israel. I 00:30:44.359 --> 00:30:47.500 don't want to read this chapter. Because it answers 00:30:47.500 --> 00:30:49.400 the question. I'm amazed at how many people out 00:30:49.400 --> 00:30:51.279 there are claiming that the Jews don't matter 00:30:51.279 --> 00:30:54.920 to God anymore. They've been rejected forever, 00:30:55.160 --> 00:30:58.079 and they don't look at what Paul clearly says 00:30:58.079 --> 00:30:59.779 in Romans 11. So we're going to walk through 00:30:59.779 --> 00:31:03.599 this. The very first verse in the chapter says 00:31:03.599 --> 00:31:08.079 this. I say then, God has not rejected his people, 00:31:08.160 --> 00:31:13.900 has he? Paul answers, may it never be. Is there 00:31:13.900 --> 00:31:18.339 anything unclear about that? God has not rejected 00:31:18.339 --> 00:31:23.920 his people. Right? The last conclusion that we 00:31:23.920 --> 00:31:26.000 should come to is that God's purpose in the stumbling 00:31:26.000 --> 00:31:29.279 of Israel was a permanent fall into destruction. 00:31:30.940 --> 00:31:33.059 Now, the objection that's often raised to this 00:31:33.059 --> 00:31:34.819 is that, well, maybe Paul's talking about spiritual 00:31:34.819 --> 00:31:38.279 Israel here or believing Israel, not ethnic Israel. 00:31:38.640 --> 00:31:41.220 But Paul's concern throughout the book of Romans, 00:31:41.440 --> 00:31:44.680 and especially in chapters 9 through 11, has 00:31:44.680 --> 00:31:47.500 been ethnic Israel. In fact, he calls them his 00:31:47.500 --> 00:31:51.089 kinsmen according to the flesh. And in this very 00:31:51.089 --> 00:31:54.210 verse, in Romans 11, 1, he describes who he's 00:31:54.210 --> 00:31:56.910 talking about by listing his own ethnic heritage. 00:31:57.609 --> 00:32:01.029 He says, I'm an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham 00:32:01.029 --> 00:32:03.789 of the tribe of Benjamin. I'm talking about ethnic 00:32:03.789 --> 00:32:07.869 Israel. And God has not rejected ethnic Israel. 00:32:09.609 --> 00:32:12.509 May it never be. And then he repeats the truth. 00:32:14.349 --> 00:32:16.730 Of verse one and verse two, he says it very clearly. 00:32:16.910 --> 00:32:20.670 God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. 00:32:22.009 --> 00:32:24.569 In the Greek, that word prognosko in the Greek 00:32:24.569 --> 00:32:27.250 is a very powerful word. It doesn't just mean 00:32:27.250 --> 00:32:29.809 foreknowledge. It means to be foreloved. It's 00:32:29.809 --> 00:32:32.170 talking about election because I chose them. 00:32:32.650 --> 00:32:36.529 God says, I've not rejected them. I foreknew 00:32:36.529 --> 00:32:39.210 them. I foreloved them. I put my mark of love 00:32:39.210 --> 00:32:41.890 on them back in the day. That has not changed. 00:32:44.490 --> 00:32:47.250 Now, those Jews who have been chosen as part 00:32:47.250 --> 00:32:49.630 of the believing remnant, Paul says in chapter 00:32:49.630 --> 00:32:52.690 11, they've taken hold of the salvation in Christ. 00:32:52.789 --> 00:32:55.210 Praise the Lord for that. But for the rest, he 00:32:55.210 --> 00:32:58.430 says, their hearts have been hardened. Their 00:32:58.430 --> 00:33:01.329 hearts have been hardened. It's God who gives 00:33:01.329 --> 00:33:05.630 them, it says, a spirit of stupor, Paul writes. 00:33:06.230 --> 00:33:09.589 It's God who gives them eyes that... cannot see 00:33:09.589 --> 00:33:12.569 and ears that will not hear. He saved his remnant, 00:33:12.650 --> 00:33:14.609 but for the most of them, their hearts have been 00:33:14.609 --> 00:33:17.329 hardened. And then just in case you haven't been 00:33:17.329 --> 00:33:20.930 paying attention, for the third time, Paul says 00:33:20.930 --> 00:33:25.450 in verse 11, they did not stumble so as to fall, 00:33:25.549 --> 00:33:31.769 did they? May it never be. May it never be. So 00:33:31.769 --> 00:33:34.730 he's cleared up the first question. Is the stumbling 00:33:34.730 --> 00:33:37.269 of Israel temporary or is it permanent? It's 00:33:37.269 --> 00:33:40.440 temporary. He's been very clear about this. Now 00:33:40.440 --> 00:33:42.700 here's where we get to the purpose. So if that's 00:33:42.700 --> 00:33:46.160 true, if Israel has stumbled temporarily, why? 00:33:47.519 --> 00:33:50.740 What is God doing here? Well, Paul tells us this 00:33:50.740 --> 00:33:53.000 has been his plan from the beginning. Through 00:33:53.000 --> 00:33:55.579 the stumbling of the Jews, salvation has done 00:33:55.579 --> 00:33:59.960 what? It's gone out to Gentiles like me. Thank 00:33:59.960 --> 00:34:04.640 you, Lord. I would be helpless without it. I'd 00:34:04.640 --> 00:34:08.079 be lost in my sin without it. That's what he 00:34:08.079 --> 00:34:12.159 says. But that's not all. There's a circular 00:34:12.159 --> 00:34:15.139 process here. That salvation, going to the Gentile 00:34:15.139 --> 00:34:18.159 world, is part of God's ultimate plan to bring 00:34:18.159 --> 00:34:22.219 the Jews back front and center in his program. 00:34:24.019 --> 00:34:26.500 Paul recognizes that the Jewish people in that 00:34:26.500 --> 00:34:28.880 moment are hard -hearted. Everywhere he has gone 00:34:28.880 --> 00:34:31.199 in the Greek world, he has experienced it personally. 00:34:31.940 --> 00:34:35.619 Rejection after rejection. There's nothing but 00:34:35.619 --> 00:34:39.579 rejection. and they are bitter towards the believing 00:34:39.579 --> 00:34:42.880 church. Paul has seen it, but here was his hope. 00:34:43.199 --> 00:34:45.960 Are you ready? As the beauty of the gospel is 00:34:45.960 --> 00:34:49.480 revealed in the church, it's his heart that the 00:34:49.480 --> 00:34:51.960 Jews would see that and become jealous for it. 00:34:52.699 --> 00:34:56.519 I want that. If God would open their eyes, they 00:34:56.519 --> 00:34:58.559 would see the beauty of the gospel and even the 00:34:58.559 --> 00:35:00.920 Gentile church and say, that's what I want for 00:35:00.920 --> 00:35:04.059 my life, that he would make them jealous. You 00:35:04.059 --> 00:35:06.889 hear Paul's desperation. for this in chapter 00:35:06.889 --> 00:35:10.590 11, the heart for his fellow Jews, that they 00:35:10.590 --> 00:35:12.789 would be jealous of this, that he could break 00:35:12.789 --> 00:35:15.690 through those barriers and save more of his people. 00:35:16.869 --> 00:35:19.909 And then he adds this hope in verse 12. There 00:35:19.909 --> 00:35:21.369 it is, to make the Jews jealous. He adds this 00:35:21.369 --> 00:35:23.969 in verse 12. He says, if their transgression, 00:35:24.030 --> 00:35:28.829 if the Jews' stumbling is riches for the world, 00:35:28.969 --> 00:35:33.889 and if their failure in rejecting Jesus is riches 00:35:33.889 --> 00:35:37.789 for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment 00:35:37.789 --> 00:35:42.849 be? Did you catch it? He's presuming that a restoration 00:35:42.849 --> 00:35:46.710 is coming. How much greater will it be when they 00:35:46.710 --> 00:35:49.530 come around? He's presuming that this is gonna 00:35:49.530 --> 00:35:53.250 happen. If God gives this amazing gift to the 00:35:53.250 --> 00:35:56.550 Gentiles out of Israel's failure, how great will 00:35:56.550 --> 00:35:59.389 their restoration be someday? Do you see the 00:35:59.389 --> 00:36:03.449 argument? It'll be nothing short of, he says, 00:36:03.929 --> 00:36:08.250 Life from the dead. Oh, wait, that was us too. 00:36:09.050 --> 00:36:11.250 We were dead in our sins and trespasses until 00:36:11.250 --> 00:36:15.150 God made us alive. Oh, life from the dead, which 00:36:15.150 --> 00:36:17.849 is, if you're a Jew, you understand what Paul's 00:36:17.849 --> 00:36:20.349 referring to here, right? This is Ezekiel 37, 00:36:20.650 --> 00:36:25.289 the valley of dry bones, where God looks at Ezekiel 00:36:25.289 --> 00:36:28.030 and says, he says, look at this horrible place 00:36:28.030 --> 00:36:31.349 of death, nothing but dry bones. He says, son 00:36:31.349 --> 00:36:34.469 of man, can these bones live again? And what 00:36:34.469 --> 00:36:36.750 happens? Suddenly the bones start to rattle and 00:36:36.750 --> 00:36:40.389 they come to life and flesh comes up and muscle 00:36:40.389 --> 00:36:43.289 and sinew and tissue and all that. Out of death 00:36:43.289 --> 00:36:48.389 comes life. That's what Paul's expecting in Israel's 00:36:48.389 --> 00:36:53.030 future, is life from death. And then he turns 00:36:53.030 --> 00:36:54.969 to the example of the olive tree, which is such 00:36:54.969 --> 00:36:57.690 an obvious example of Israel. If you've been 00:36:57.690 --> 00:36:59.869 to Israel, you know this. The olive tree is the 00:36:59.869 --> 00:37:02.789 strongest, most durable, most valuable tree in 00:37:02.789 --> 00:37:05.170 all the land of Israel. In fact, its roots are 00:37:05.170 --> 00:37:09.250 so deep that tour guides will point to certain 00:37:09.250 --> 00:37:11.590 trees and go, that tree's 300 years old, 400 00:37:11.590 --> 00:37:15.550 years old. Olive trees are super meaningful in 00:37:15.550 --> 00:37:18.210 Israel. And the natural branches of the olive 00:37:18.210 --> 00:37:20.530 tree, he says, it's the Jewish people, obviously. 00:37:21.519 --> 00:37:24.300 But Paul acknowledges in verse 17, he says it's 00:37:24.300 --> 00:37:26.179 true that many of those branches, those natural 00:37:26.179 --> 00:37:28.300 branches, they've been broken off. They've been 00:37:28.300 --> 00:37:30.699 thrown into the fire, just as Jesus said they 00:37:30.699 --> 00:37:33.880 would be. And then Paul talks about a mystery, 00:37:34.019 --> 00:37:35.900 something that was hidden from view but now has 00:37:35.900 --> 00:37:39.059 been revealed. Look at verse 25. He says, I don't 00:37:39.059 --> 00:37:44.119 want you to be ignorant about this. Ignorance 00:37:44.119 --> 00:37:47.239 leads to error. Ignorance leads to ungodliness. 00:37:47.320 --> 00:37:49.840 He says, I don't want you to be without knowledge 00:37:49.840 --> 00:37:52.599 in this, so listen carefully. I'm telling you 00:37:52.599 --> 00:37:55.239 this so that you don't become wise in your own 00:37:55.239 --> 00:37:58.239 eyes and trust in your own opinion or the opinions 00:37:58.239 --> 00:38:02.960 of a podcaster somewhere, but that you'll trust 00:38:02.960 --> 00:38:07.320 in what I say in God's word because that's what 00:38:07.320 --> 00:38:10.880 matters. So lean in and listen, he says. The 00:38:10.880 --> 00:38:14.400 hardening of the Jewish people, is God's will. 00:38:16.079 --> 00:38:19.699 But there's a termination date to it. A change 00:38:19.699 --> 00:38:23.659 is coming. Until when, you ask? Verse 25, until 00:38:23.659 --> 00:38:27.099 the fullness of the Gentiles has come into the 00:38:27.099 --> 00:38:29.719 kingdom. That is the saturation point. When every 00:38:29.719 --> 00:38:33.219 single chosen Gentile has believed, then God's 00:38:33.219 --> 00:38:36.019 relationship with ethnic Israel will shift again. 00:38:36.650 --> 00:38:39.210 and the stupor will be lifted, and the eyes will 00:38:39.210 --> 00:38:42.030 see, and the ears will hear. They will look upon 00:38:42.030 --> 00:38:45.210 the one that they've pierced, it says in Zechariah, 00:38:45.250 --> 00:38:49.010 and they will mourn, and they will repent. And 00:38:49.010 --> 00:38:52.130 as Paul puts it in verse 26, all Israel will 00:38:52.130 --> 00:38:58.170 be saved. What a beautiful truth. This harkens 00:38:58.170 --> 00:39:00.449 back. In chapters eight and nine of Romans, Paul 00:39:00.449 --> 00:39:03.070 talks about the Jews in light of this everlasting 00:39:03.070 --> 00:39:05.849 covenant that God made with Israel, their divine 00:39:05.849 --> 00:39:08.630 election as a people. And I want you to hear 00:39:08.630 --> 00:39:10.730 this loud and clear this morning, friends. God 00:39:10.730 --> 00:39:14.349 doesn't turn his back on those things. Don't 00:39:14.349 --> 00:39:16.489 you dare think that God abandons his covenants. 00:39:17.960 --> 00:39:21.179 In verses 28 and 29 of 11 here, Paul says, and 00:39:21.179 --> 00:39:23.679 I'll paraphrase, the Jews may be hostile to the 00:39:23.679 --> 00:39:26.320 believing church right now, but because God chose 00:39:26.320 --> 00:39:30.539 them, they are still beloved. They're still beloved. 00:39:30.960 --> 00:39:33.179 When we get to the Gentiles, we'll talk about 00:39:33.179 --> 00:39:35.480 how we should approach this. That's a future 00:39:35.480 --> 00:39:39.679 message. For the sake of the promises Yahweh 00:39:39.679 --> 00:39:43.000 made to the patriarchs, he writes here, the gifts 00:39:43.000 --> 00:39:45.579 and the calling of God on the Jewish people are 00:39:45.579 --> 00:39:53.360 irrevocable. It cannot be revoked. Cannot be. 00:39:54.219 --> 00:39:56.059 And I'm telling you guys, this should be one 00:39:56.059 --> 00:39:58.059 of the most comforting passages in all of the 00:39:58.059 --> 00:40:01.659 New Testament. Think about this. When the Lord 00:40:01.659 --> 00:40:05.199 gives a gift, it's irrevocable. When he calls 00:40:05.199 --> 00:40:07.659 a person to salvation, the calling is final. 00:40:07.780 --> 00:40:10.179 He doesn't take it back. He doesn't fail to fulfill 00:40:10.179 --> 00:40:13.219 his promises. So I would say, woe to any Christian. 00:40:14.500 --> 00:40:16.440 And there's so many of them out there right now. 00:40:17.250 --> 00:40:19.889 Woe to any Christian who arrogantly says, well, 00:40:19.909 --> 00:40:22.250 look, I've been called, I've been chosen, and 00:40:22.250 --> 00:40:24.429 now nothing can separate me from God's love, 00:40:24.670 --> 00:40:27.309 but then turns around and says, yeah, Israel 00:40:27.309 --> 00:40:29.730 was at one time chosen, and they were at one 00:40:29.730 --> 00:40:33.389 time called by God, but now they've fallen away 00:40:33.389 --> 00:40:37.230 from God's love. Do you see the inconsistency? 00:40:40.789 --> 00:40:45.500 God does not give up on his promises. He made 00:40:45.500 --> 00:40:47.860 promises to his people Israel. For the sake of 00:40:47.860 --> 00:40:49.900 Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, he gave them amazing 00:40:49.900 --> 00:40:51.920 gifts. We've already looked at what those gifts 00:40:51.920 --> 00:40:54.340 were, right? The oracles of God, the adoption 00:40:54.340 --> 00:40:56.579 of sons, the covenants, the temple service, all 00:40:56.579 --> 00:40:59.079 of those things. And so he is a people after 00:40:59.079 --> 00:41:01.860 God's own possession, and those gifts and calling 00:41:01.860 --> 00:41:05.880 are irrevocable. And so Yahweh will one day bring 00:41:05.880 --> 00:41:08.599 his mercy to this disobedient and stiff -necked 00:41:08.599 --> 00:41:11.440 people and he will save them. That's his promise 00:41:11.440 --> 00:41:14.139 in verse 26. For his own glory and according 00:41:14.139 --> 00:41:16.860 to his redemptive plan, what does he say? I will 00:41:16.860 --> 00:41:20.579 remove ungodliness from Jacob. Do you doubt God 00:41:20.579 --> 00:41:24.179 can do that? Oh, but I look at the world, Jeff, 00:41:24.260 --> 00:41:25.880 and I don't understand how they can possibly 00:41:25.880 --> 00:41:29.820 be saved. God says, I will come and I will remove 00:41:29.820 --> 00:41:32.980 ungodliness. From Jacob. How? By what means? 00:41:33.019 --> 00:41:36.639 Verse 26. My deliverer, Jesus, Israel's savior, 00:41:36.780 --> 00:41:39.340 will come out of Zion and he will do this. He 00:41:39.340 --> 00:41:41.880 will remove ungodliness from Jacob. He won't 00:41:41.880 --> 00:41:43.840 come from Gentile lands. He ain't coming from 00:41:43.840 --> 00:41:49.599 America. He comes from Zion. So just in case 00:41:49.599 --> 00:41:51.940 you thought the land didn't matter. Make sure 00:41:51.940 --> 00:41:54.619 you see this. The same place where the stumbling 00:41:54.619 --> 00:41:57.639 stone was placed by God in Zion, the city that 00:41:57.639 --> 00:42:00.820 he loves, the city he's chosen for himself, that 00:42:00.820 --> 00:42:04.139 is where Jesus will return to remove ungodliness 00:42:04.139 --> 00:42:07.179 from Jacob. And look at the reason why he will 00:42:07.179 --> 00:42:10.679 do this. Verse 27. Why? Because of the covenant 00:42:10.679 --> 00:42:14.280 that he made with Jacob, a covenant to take away 00:42:14.280 --> 00:42:16.760 their sins. It's right there in black and white. 00:42:17.599 --> 00:42:21.250 That's why. The covenant. So yeah, it's true. 00:42:21.329 --> 00:42:24.130 Today, Jacob lives in disobedience, but God is 00:42:24.130 --> 00:42:26.090 going to turn them back at some point in the 00:42:26.090 --> 00:42:29.570 future. Why? Because they're owed a second chance? 00:42:29.809 --> 00:42:33.929 No. No. Because of God's mercy, because of the 00:42:33.929 --> 00:42:36.250 covenant, because of the promises, because of 00:42:36.250 --> 00:42:38.989 God's electing grace. And the same is true of 00:42:38.989 --> 00:42:42.349 us. The only reason you're found in Christ is 00:42:42.349 --> 00:42:44.429 for those very same reasons, because of God's 00:42:44.429 --> 00:42:47.760 promises, because of his electing grace. So how 00:42:47.760 --> 00:42:49.900 dare we say, oh, we got that, we've received 00:42:49.900 --> 00:42:53.460 that, but Israel can't. The Jews can't. They're 00:42:53.460 --> 00:42:59.980 done away with. And so all Israel will be saved, 00:43:00.019 --> 00:43:02.920 Paul says. Does that mean every, by the way, 00:43:02.920 --> 00:43:05.019 does it mean every single Jew in the whole wide 00:43:05.019 --> 00:43:08.179 world is gonna see Jesus, repent, and believe? 00:43:08.360 --> 00:43:10.880 No, I don't think so. You guys know this, we've 00:43:10.880 --> 00:43:12.639 talked about it before. The word all in scripture 00:43:12.639 --> 00:43:15.070 can be tricky to handle. It doesn't mean the 00:43:15.070 --> 00:43:17.070 same thing oftentimes that we mean in English 00:43:17.070 --> 00:43:19.849 when we say each and every person. What I believe 00:43:19.849 --> 00:43:22.130 is happening here is there's going to be a mass 00:43:22.130 --> 00:43:25.409 outpouring of salvation upon ethnic Jews living 00:43:25.409 --> 00:43:29.449 in the land when Jesus returns. Every individual 00:43:29.449 --> 00:43:32.650 whom God has chosen, Jew and Gentile, will be 00:43:32.650 --> 00:43:36.030 redeemed. But in that day, and I believe the 00:43:36.030 --> 00:43:38.250 rapture will have already happened at this point, 00:43:38.329 --> 00:43:40.690 the tribulation, the purpose of the tribulation 00:43:40.690 --> 00:43:44.510 is to refine God's people Israel. And when Christ 00:43:44.510 --> 00:43:47.610 finally returns, that's when Zechariah gets poured 00:43:47.610 --> 00:43:49.650 out. They will look on the one that they pierced 00:43:49.650 --> 00:43:52.550 and they'll go, we missed it the first time. 00:43:54.070 --> 00:43:56.110 And there will be this great outpouring of salvation. 00:43:57.409 --> 00:44:00.050 God has a heart for the Jewish people. Even today, 00:44:00.230 --> 00:44:03.309 folks, please don't let the anti -Semitism that's 00:44:03.309 --> 00:44:07.050 floating around in the church impact you. Reject 00:44:07.050 --> 00:44:11.829 that stuff. Now, I want to clear up some misconceptions 00:44:11.829 --> 00:44:15.420 as well. Because sometimes evangelicals get carried 00:44:15.420 --> 00:44:18.739 away about Israel. So let me wrap up our time 00:44:18.739 --> 00:44:21.280 together this morning by saying, if we hold to 00:44:21.280 --> 00:44:23.420 this view of Israel, there's some pits that we 00:44:23.420 --> 00:44:25.360 can fall into and we should avoid these things. 00:44:26.239 --> 00:44:28.360 Number one, and I said this several months ago 00:44:28.360 --> 00:44:30.880 in another sermon, I'll say it again today because 00:44:30.880 --> 00:44:34.280 it's a hot button issue. Because we see a future 00:44:34.280 --> 00:44:38.139 for Israel in the scriptures, that does not mean 00:44:38.139 --> 00:44:40.760 that we have to unconditionally support everything 00:44:40.760 --> 00:44:43.909 that Israel does. or everything that the Israeli 00:44:43.909 --> 00:44:47.610 government chooses to do. Israel is just as capable 00:44:47.610 --> 00:44:50.929 of being wicked as any other nation. In fact, 00:44:50.949 --> 00:44:53.710 they're a nation of unbelievers. Less than 1 00:44:53.710 --> 00:44:56.849 % trust in Christ. They are a wicked nation, 00:44:57.010 --> 00:45:01.480 as we are. They're just as capable of wickedness 00:45:01.480 --> 00:45:04.599 as America is. So we don't just go, oh, well, 00:45:04.739 --> 00:45:06.840 there's a future for Israel. Therefore, whatever 00:45:06.840 --> 00:45:09.400 Israel does is fine. That's not true because 00:45:09.400 --> 00:45:11.659 on the side of good and evil, we're on the side 00:45:11.659 --> 00:45:15.400 of God, not any country. We're on the side of 00:45:15.400 --> 00:45:19.679 what God's word says. So, oh, and by the way, 00:45:19.719 --> 00:45:23.179 it's not automatically anti -Semitic to say Israel's 00:45:23.179 --> 00:45:26.789 doing wicked things. It might be, by the way, 00:45:26.829 --> 00:45:28.409 it might be. That's why we check our hearts, 00:45:28.510 --> 00:45:30.730 right? It's about the heart motivation. But it's 00:45:30.730 --> 00:45:33.510 not automatically anti -Semitic to say, I condemn 00:45:33.510 --> 00:45:38.349 what Israel's doing right now. Come talk to me 00:45:38.349 --> 00:45:40.650 afterwards. Adam's going to be like, really? 00:45:40.789 --> 00:45:44.210 Yeah. Second thing, and this is pretty straightforward, 00:45:44.409 --> 00:45:46.469 but it should be said out loud. Being ethnically 00:45:46.469 --> 00:45:49.230 Jewish does not give someone greater merit in 00:45:49.230 --> 00:45:54.710 God's eyes. As Paul says in Romans 3, there is, 00:45:55.099 --> 00:45:57.500 No distinction. All have fallen short of the 00:45:57.500 --> 00:46:00.179 glory of God. That puts Jews and Gentiles on 00:46:00.179 --> 00:46:02.980 an equal footing before God and in equal need 00:46:02.980 --> 00:46:06.219 of redemption. Third thing, and this should be 00:46:06.219 --> 00:46:08.920 obvious, but sometimes we are unfairly attacked 00:46:08.920 --> 00:46:11.579 for believing that Jews, just by being ethnically 00:46:11.579 --> 00:46:13.980 Jewish, have a different path to salvation than 00:46:13.980 --> 00:46:16.340 Gentiles, like a simpler path because they're 00:46:16.340 --> 00:46:18.860 ethnically Jewish. Nothing could be further from 00:46:18.860 --> 00:46:22.079 the truth. All of humanity are saved by God's 00:46:22.079 --> 00:46:25.500 grace and by faith alone in Jesus Christ. No 00:46:25.500 --> 00:46:28.380 one, Jew or Gentile, comes to the Father except 00:46:28.380 --> 00:46:31.059 through him. There are not two paths. There is 00:46:31.059 --> 00:46:34.820 one path for Jew and Gentile. Make sense? Last 00:46:34.820 --> 00:46:37.360 thing, number four, we need to be careful about 00:46:37.360 --> 00:46:40.000 seeing the Jewish people as nothing more than 00:46:40.000 --> 00:46:42.679 a practical stepping stone to ushering in the 00:46:42.679 --> 00:46:48.219 end times. Okay? It's so easy to see the restoring 00:46:48.219 --> 00:46:52.139 of Israel in 1948 and the return of so many ethnic 00:46:52.139 --> 00:46:54.719 Jews to the land, and then we turn on the TV 00:46:54.719 --> 00:46:56.559 and watch the news and we start plugging things 00:46:56.559 --> 00:47:01.349 into Scripture. Be careful. God is clearly at 00:47:01.349 --> 00:47:03.409 work in the land of Israel. The land matters 00:47:03.409 --> 00:47:07.269 to him. 1948 was important. I think it was because 00:47:07.269 --> 00:47:09.809 God's starting to put things in place. Now, we 00:47:09.809 --> 00:47:11.389 don't know when Christ is returning. It could 00:47:11.389 --> 00:47:13.429 be next week. It could be 100 years from now. 00:47:13.510 --> 00:47:15.789 I don't know, but God is always putting things 00:47:15.789 --> 00:47:18.489 in place for his ultimate plan, right? So it 00:47:18.489 --> 00:47:21.809 matters. But if Paul is rightly describing Israel 00:47:21.809 --> 00:47:25.449 in Romans 11, we should expect that Israel today 00:47:25.449 --> 00:47:27.889 would be a hard -hearted, unbelieving nation, 00:47:28.090 --> 00:47:32.230 which it is. Wouldn't it make sense for God to 00:47:32.230 --> 00:47:34.269 say, I'm putting my people back in the land. 00:47:34.449 --> 00:47:36.369 They're going to still be stiff -necked. They're 00:47:36.369 --> 00:47:37.889 still going to be unbelievers. There's still 00:47:37.889 --> 00:47:40.610 going to be wickedness in order to prepare them 00:47:40.610 --> 00:47:44.550 for the coming of their Messiah the second time. 00:47:44.909 --> 00:47:52.699 It makes sense. That's what they are today. So 00:47:52.699 --> 00:47:55.079 in light of all this, I'm sorry, if you sense 00:47:55.079 --> 00:47:57.199 my frustration, I've had so many of these conversations 00:47:57.199 --> 00:47:59.820 in the last few months with people. So I don't 00:47:59.820 --> 00:48:02.119 mean to be impatient. We just, we need to get 00:48:02.119 --> 00:48:07.179 this right. In light of all this, here's my exhortation 00:48:07.179 --> 00:48:09.699 I'll close with. Have a heart for the Jewish 00:48:09.699 --> 00:48:12.820 people that matches the heart that God has for 00:48:12.820 --> 00:48:16.900 them. Have a heart for the Jewish people that 00:48:16.900 --> 00:48:19.099 matches the heart God has for them. That means 00:48:19.099 --> 00:48:21.360 a number of things. First of all, it means, yes, 00:48:21.400 --> 00:48:25.119 rejecting true anti -Semitism. First, in your 00:48:25.119 --> 00:48:27.780 own heart, if it's there. Second, if you see 00:48:27.780 --> 00:48:31.420 it pop up. True anti -Semitism, confront that. 00:48:32.280 --> 00:48:35.239 It means affirming the principle of to the Jew 00:48:35.239 --> 00:48:38.380 first, recognizing God's ongoing covenant love 00:48:38.380 --> 00:48:41.340 for Israel and for the land in spite of their 00:48:41.340 --> 00:48:44.789 disobedience. And it means remembering that God 00:48:44.789 --> 00:48:47.250 is always faithful to his promises, his gifts, 00:48:47.309 --> 00:48:50.150 and his calling. And to know that those promises 00:48:50.150 --> 00:48:53.269 given to Israel to this moment are irrevocable. 00:48:54.969 --> 00:48:56.730 Finally, friends, it means praying for the Jewish 00:48:56.730 --> 00:49:00.210 people. Right? Sometimes, again, we see them, 00:49:00.230 --> 00:49:02.369 well, that's just a step to getting Jesus back. 00:49:02.469 --> 00:49:05.889 No, these are people with souls. We need to pray 00:49:05.889 --> 00:49:08.349 for the Jewish people. We need to pray that the 00:49:08.349 --> 00:49:11.329 gospel reaches those hard hearts, not just in 00:49:11.329 --> 00:49:14.110 Israel. but Jews in America and all over the 00:49:14.110 --> 00:49:17.550 world. The good news of the gospel about Jesus, 00:49:17.570 --> 00:49:20.869 the Messiah, it started right here in Jerusalem 00:49:20.869 --> 00:49:25.210 and Judea. May it continue to ring out to every 00:49:25.210 --> 00:49:27.570 nation of the world and may, let's just say it, 00:49:27.590 --> 00:49:31.750 may Jesus return to Zion quickly and remove ungodliness 00:49:31.750 --> 00:49:35.309 from Jacob in that day. Amen? Let's bow our heads. 00:49:47.719 --> 00:49:50.119 Father, these are confusing times that we live 00:49:50.119 --> 00:49:53.460 in, and sometimes when we read a difficult book 00:49:53.460 --> 00:49:56.679 like Romans, and especially in this section of 00:49:56.679 --> 00:49:58.920 9 through 11, Lord, it can be hard to navigate 00:49:58.920 --> 00:50:03.260 through. So my prayer for myself and for my brothers 00:50:03.260 --> 00:50:06.119 and sisters this morning is that you will continue 00:50:06.119 --> 00:50:08.880 to enlighten us by your Spirit, make things clear 00:50:08.880 --> 00:50:13.340 for us so that we have a right posture towards 00:50:13.340 --> 00:50:16.519 the world, so that we have a right mindset towards 00:50:17.159 --> 00:50:20.880 our Jewish friends, that we have a right concept 00:50:20.880 --> 00:50:23.159 of what you're doing in the land of Israel right 00:50:23.159 --> 00:50:26.380 now and that we would stay biblical on this and 00:50:26.380 --> 00:50:30.119 not allow politics and the chaos of this world 00:50:30.119 --> 00:50:34.440 to infect our thinking. Father, thank you for 00:50:34.440 --> 00:50:36.820 laying these things out for us. When we need 00:50:36.820 --> 00:50:39.559 that truth, God, you always come through and 00:50:39.559 --> 00:50:43.659 you say, don't be wise in your own eyes. Take 00:50:43.659 --> 00:50:46.320 a look at what I've declared. And so we can do 00:50:46.320 --> 00:50:47.880 that. And so we thank you for the time to be 00:50:47.880 --> 00:50:50.059 able to do that this morning together. Lord, 00:50:50.119 --> 00:50:52.420 as we start to think more about Christmas, we 00:50:52.420 --> 00:50:54.480 think about your heart for the nations, for Jews, 00:50:54.679 --> 00:50:58.519 Samaritans, for us Gentiles. Lord, continue to 00:50:58.519 --> 00:51:00.900 show us what you want us to see in this preaching 00:51:00.900 --> 00:51:03.440 series. And may you be glorified by all that 00:51:03.440 --> 00:51:04.539 we pray in Christ's name.