Baptists Believe In Israel cont.

Genesis chapter 12 in your bibles and we'll continue with Baptists believe in Israel. Now I mentioned this last week just a couple of clarifications. I am not speaking necessarily in support of or in opposition to the current administration or specific policies of the nation of Israel nor certainly of Judaism as a religion seeing it clearly rejects Jesus as the Messiah. There's a lot going on in the world today in regards to Israel. Some of it is good, some of it is bad, some of it is political in nature.

We're not talking about the politics this morning. We're talking about the promises found where? The promises found in in the word of God. When we say baptists believe in Israel, I mean we believe in the promises that God has made to Israel as a people. Both of heritage and of faith.

Concerning the past and future of the kingdom of Israel, the holy city, Jerusalem that in the song a few minutes ago, we called what? Zion. In the believing remnant of Israel and the Gentile believers who are blessed to be grafted in by the grace of God to inherit the kingdom in which we will reign with Christ for a thousand years. That's what we're talking about this morning. The fact that Israel still exist today as a nation of people and Jerusalem as a city is proof positive that God has not forgotten his promises which he made unto them and is certainly not done with them yet.

Furthermore, their existence is a reminder that the day of Christ return is close at hand and we need to be ready. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, we thank you for this opportunity today to study your word. Pray Lord that you would guide and direct as I preach and Lord as we worship today that you might give us understanding and wisdom and Lord that we might know how to apply it to our life. Lord, that you might encourage us and challenge us in our service.

Lord, we live in a lost world that needs Jesus. One day, you will come back to take your children home, then you will return to establish your kingdom. Lord, we pray that you would help us to glorify you in this world. Lord, to be the salt and light that you have called us to be. That we might draw other people's attention.

To our glorious Lord and savior Jesus Christ that they may too be saved and become part of your family and your kingdom. In Jesus name, we do pray. Amen. This verse I read out of the bulletin a few minutes ago sort of my main text from which we launch off of off of. It says, there, blessed be the Lord that hath given rest unto his people, Israel And according to all that he what?

Promised. Promised. There hath not failed one word of all his good promise which he promised by the hand of Moses' servant. Any any one word that kind of sticks out in that verse to you? The word promise.

That's right. The word promise is three times in that one verse and and what is the Lord saying to us? He's saying, I keep my promises. I keep my promises. I keep the promises I made unto Abraham and to Moses and I will keep the promises that I have also made to you.

We can be assured God will keep his promises and in particular, we're looking at the promises here that he made to Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and Moses and Israel as a nation and and how that affects us as well this morning. We're gonna start again in Genesis chapter 12. If you would look with me in Genesis chapter 12, we'll see the first specific promises that God made to Abraham and to the nation of Israel, the descendants of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob. Now, the Lord said unto Abram, get thee out of thy country and from thy kindred and from thy father's house unto a land that I will show thee and I will make of thee a great nation and I will bless thee and make thy name great and thou shalt be a blessing. I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee and in thee shall what?

All the families of the earth be blessed. God said to Abraham, he said, you leave your homeland, the earth, the Chaldees, you leave Heron where your father's homeland and you follow me to the land that I will show you and there I will make of you a what? A great nation. Now, at the time, Abraham or Abraham as he's called here didn't have any children and yet God said, you follow me even at your late age. I will make of you a great nation.

I will give you this land to which I will take you. I will make in for other promises. He's I'll make your your descendants as the the the sand on the seashore, the the stars in the heavens. And he promised to give him the land of Canaan. We call it the what land?

The promised land, okay? The land that God promised to Abraham but he goes on further to say that in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed and get a little bit ahead of myself this morning but how are we all all the families, all the peoples of the earth blessed in Abraham? Well, among other things, we are blessed particularly through the descendant of Abraham and his humanity and that is who? That is Jesus Christ who came and died on the cross for our sins. The son of Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and David.

Who died that we might have life, who rose again from the dead, and one day will do what? Will, one day, he will return. To fulfill all promises that God has made concerning him and concerning the descendants of Abraham. Psalm 135 verse four says, for the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself and Israel for his peculiar treasure. God chose a man and his descendants, Abraham and then Isaac and then Jacob whose name was changed to Israel.

His 12 sons became the 12 tribes of Israel. God made many promises unto them as his peculiar treasure. Many of those promises have already been fulfilled. Some of those promises have not yet been fully fulfilled. And God is not done with Israel yet.

God made promises to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob. He made promises, made a covenant with Moses. We read about that last week in Leviticus. The covenant that he made to Abraham was solely dependent upon the faith of who? The faith of Abraham.

He said, Abraham, if you'll follow me, I will make of you a what? A great nation. Did Abraham follow him? Yes, he need to be faith in him. Yes, he did.

And God said, in response to Abraham's faith, I will give your descendants this land and I will make of them a great nation. Did God do that? Yes. Did he do that because of the great faith and and faithfulness of Abraham's descendants? No, not particularly.

God made a promise to Abraham. God will fulfill, I believe, that promise he made to Abraham. He made another covenant at Sinai with Moses. He said to Moses and the children of Israel, if you will obey my commands, if you will keep my covenant, if you will turn away from idolatry and keep only to me, I will not only give you this land but I will keep you in this land forever. But if you depart from me and go to worship idols and follow after other gods and break my covenant, I will scatter you across the world.

Rip you out of this land and leave it desolate. And eventually, what happened? Well, they they turned idols. Again and again, God was merciful. He gave them judges and deliverers.

He gave them kings and prophets. But time after time after time, Israel turned away from their God. Eventually, God brought destruction on the nation of Israel. The Assyrian Empire to destroy the North and carry away the people captive. Babylon and Nebuchadnezzar to destroy the South and to carry the people away captive.

And yet amongst all of those warnings and all of that judgment we read passages like this one in the book of Isaiah. It says, for unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given. The government shall be upon his shoulder. His name shall be called wonderful, counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting father, the prince of peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end.

Upon the throne of David and upon his kingdom to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even what? Forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. The people of Israel failed. They failed God.

They failed the covenant. They failed Moses. But God said, I'm still not what? I am not finished with you yet. They failed but will God fail?

No. God will not fail and he promises here to send the Messiah, the child who is to be born who will rule on the throne of David which is in Jerusalem for how long? That's the promise of God. And when the fullness of time was come, God sent forth his son. Galatians four, made of a woman, made under the law to redeem them that were under the law.

But how did God's people, how did Israel respond? He was in the world and the world was made by him and the world knew him not. Furthermore, he came unto his own. I believe that's the people of Israel and his own received him not. But praise God as many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons or the children of God even to them that believe on his name.

He came into the world. The world didn't recognize its creator. He came to his own people, the children of Israel and they denied him. They denied him during his ministry. Many of them, the leadership, They denied him as they cried out, crucify as he hung there on the cross.

They denied him after his resurrection. They denied his apostles. They persecuted them. They ran them out of the country. But praise God as many as received him.

Jew or Gentile alike, to them gives he power to become a child of God. To them that what? Believe on his name. Praise God. We who are Gentiles have been grafted in to the promises made to Abraham.

Into eternal salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, his son. But as a result of Israel's rejection, this is what Jesus had to say. Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which sent, which are sent unto thee. How often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings? And you would not.

Behold your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, you shall not see me henceforth till you shall say, blessed is he that cometh in the name of the the is is who one one one who that he was was would judge them and that he did but as we read in Romans 11 last week, God is still has a remnant and God is not through. With Israel yet. Why is he not through with Israel yet? I believe because they have not yet fulfilled all of the purpose for which God made them, for which God chose them and God hasn't finished fulfilling all of those promises that he made unto them.

So, God is not done with Israel yet. What is the purpose of the nation of Israel? Why? Why did God choose them? Four things come to mind.

God chose them to demonstrate the grace of God. God chose them to demonstrate his grace. Genesis fifteen six, speaking of Abraham and he believed in the Lord and the Lord counted it to him for what? Righteousness. Did he have righteousness in himself?

No. He needed the righteousness of his God. Righteousness which he could not attain to. A righteousness which he could not earn. But when he believed God, the Lord counted that to him for the righteousness that he did not have.

And received him as his child. So, we see in the beginning of the story of Abraham. It is a story of grace and of faith. Of grace and of faith. Sometimes, we call the church age, the age in which we live, the age of what?

The age of grace but grace did not begin with Jesus Christ. Grace and faith have been God's way of salvation throughout the entirety of scripture. The Bible is a story of the grace of God and his mercy and the way to him which is only by what? Which is by faith. The nation of Israel demonstrates the story of God's grace.

Romans four thirteen. For the promise that he should be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law but through the righteousness of what? Faith. Okay? Let me read that again.

For the promise that he should be heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through what? The law. Okay. It was not to Abraham and to his seed through keeping the what? Through keeping the law.

That was not the means to attain the promises of God. The means to attainment of the promises of God was through the righteousness which is found only by what? Only by faith and we see the grace of God that is received by faith. To Israel and to the church today. God chose Israel to demonstrate his grace and boy did he show his grace to them.

Time and time again, they would repent and he would what? He would restore them. He would deliver them. Time and time again and I believe as I said, he isn't quite done. With that yet.

Second of all, to demonstrate the holiness of God. Why did God choose Israel? To demonstrate his holiness. To whom was the law given? The law was given to Israel.

The 10 commandments that we hold so dear were given to Israel at Mount Sinai. It says in Romans three nineteen and twenty, now we know that what things whatsoever we try it again and we know that what things so ever the law say it, it say it to them who are under the law that every mouth may be stopped and all the world may become what? Guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in his sight. For by the law is the knowledge of sin.

What does the law that was given to Israel tell the world? It tells the world this. We are sinners in need of a what? We are sinners in need of a savior because there is a holy God in heaven who created us and who expects us to live in holiness. We have failed.

We have fallen short. Wherefore as by one man sin entered the world and death by sin, so death passed upon all men for that all have sinned. We are sinners and he is righteous and holy. And God gave us Israel not only to show his and demonstrate his grace but also to demonstrate his holiness. He is a god who demands holiness.

He is a god who deserves holy children The only way for us to be made holy is through whom? Is through Jesus Christ. So, he's he gave us Israel to demonstrate his grace, to demonstrate his holiness, to demonstrate the sovereign power of God. This is one of my favorite passages in all of the Old Testament. David says as he stands before Goliath this day, he is explaining to Goliath before he slays him and to the Philistines, before he defeats them what he's about to do, why he's doing it, and how he's going to do it.

Because essentially it's not him, it's God. He said, this day will the Lord, all capitals, Jehovah, Yahweh, however you pronounce This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand and I will smite thee and take thine head from thee and I will give the carcasses of the host of the Philistines this day to the fowls of the air and to the wild beasts of the earth that all the earth may know that there is a what? God in Israel. David said I'm doing this so that all everybody here will recognize that there is a all powerful, almighty, sovereign God. He is the God of Israel whom you have defied and he is going to demonstrate him's power and who he is through me.

That all this assembly shall know that the Lord save it not with sword and spear. For the battle is the Lord's. He will give you. Into our hands. As we read through the Old Testament again and again we see the sovereign power of our creator God and how he is able to step in any time he so desires in behalf of those who love him and serve him.

To do as he so pleases in blessing or in judgement. He is the sovereign creator of this world. He is the almighty God. Almighty in behalf of those who love him. Almighty in judgement of those who reject him.

Why did God choose Israel to demonstrate his grace, to demonstrate his holiness, to demonstrate his sovereign power. As they conquered the land of Canaan, as he made the sun to stand still, as he brought down the walls of Jericho, as he hung on a cross to die for the sins of mankind. And then to demonstrate the love of God. To demonstrate the love of God. Turn with me if you would.

Deuteronomy, I I think I have the the reference up there. Deuteronomy seven. So, if you're in Genesis, turn if you would to Deuteronomy seven. Deuteronomy chapter seven and look if you would in verse six There we read thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God. This is Israel.

The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself. Above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you nor choose you because you were more in number than any people for you were the fewest of all people but because the Lord loved you and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers. At the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, redeemed you out of the house of the bondman, from the hand of pharaoh, king of Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them and love of them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations.

Look back if you would in verse seven. It says, the Lord did not set his love upon you because you were the greatest of all peoples but verse eight, but because the Lord loved you, the the Lord chose to what? To love you. What is the purpose of the nation of Israel to demonstrate the what? To demonstrate the love of God.

God's love does not fail. God's mercy is our new what? Every morning. The nation of Israel despite its chastening at the hand of God. Despite its unfaithfulness to him.

Reveals to us the nature of God in his never ending love. Turn with me if you would to the book of Hosea. Hosea chapter three. I'll give you a minute to find that might might take you a little bit longer than Deuteronomy did. Hosea chapter three.

And Hosea was a prophet in Israel in the days leading up to God's judgment of the nation. And their captivity and God told Hosea to go marry a wife that would be unfaith to him. Her name was Gomer and God told him to take unto himself this unfaithful, adulterous wife. And he did and she was unfaithful to him. She left him for another.

But after a time, God told Hosea, you go and you bring her back. Despite her unfaithfulness, you bring her back to be your wife once again. An illustration of the relationship between God and who? The people of Israel. When God chose them, he knew they would be what?

He knew they would be unfaithful and yet he chose them and he loved them. And despite their unfaithfulness, he brought them back In Hosea chapter three verse one, it says, then said the Lord unto me, go yet love a woman beloved of her friend, yet an adulteress. According to the love of the Lord toward the children of Israel who look to other gods and love flagons of wine. Look in verse four, for the children of Israel shall abide many days without a king and without a prince and without a sacrifice, without an image, without an ephod, and without teraphim. Afterward, shall the children of Israel return and seek the Lord their God and David their king and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the what?

In the latter days, in the latter days. Now, I don't think that's talking about their return to Jerusalem after the seventy year captivity. I believe that's talking about the latter days, the latter days being the days in which we live and the days of the kingdom of Jesus Christ when he returns to set up his kingdom and to rule from what city? The city of Jerusalem from Zion. God has said for a long time and for a long time, Israel has been unfaithful.

When Jesus came the first time, they rejected him. And they still as a nation reject him today but one day, that's going to what? One day, that's going to change. There will be a remnant who will return. And who will be ready and prepared to receive.

Their king. Why do I believe that? Because God has said in his word. That that will be that will come to pass because God is not through with Israel yet. He hasn't fulfilled all of his promises because his promises concerned an eternal kingdom.

And the Bible speaks of two things as we conclude here this morning. And that is Israel's return to their God and their gods return to them. Matthew, I mean, Malachi three seven, I think it's 17 and not seven. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts. In that day, when I make up my jewels and I will spare them as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.

Then shall you return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not. This was about three hundred years before the coming of Jesus Christ when they rejected their Messiah the first time. But when he comes the second time, things will be different. Jeremiah 24 verse seven, I mean, verse, yeah. And I will give them an heart to know me that I am the Lord and they shall be my people and I will be their God.

For they shall return unto me with their what? With their whole heart. Jeremiah 30 and verse three, for low the days come, saith the Lord that I will bring again the captivity of my people, Israel and Judah, saith the Lord and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave their fathers and they shall what? They shall possess it. And you say, well, they returned after the captivity.

They returned to Jerusalem. But they never truly what? Possessed it. They were under the thumb of Persia. They were under the thumb of Greece.

They were under the thumb of Rome. But one day, Jesus will return. And he will rule and reign on the throne of David and fulfill all of God's good promises. Look if you would to Deuteronomy chapter 30. Deuteronomy chapter 30.

Turn back there if you would with me. I know you're having to turn some this morning but I think sometimes maybe I overdo it with the verses but I I I want to I want you to see this isn't one verse we're taking out of context. God is clear in his word. And we believe that God will finish what he started with Israel just like he finished what he starts with you. Deuteronomy chapter 30.

Look if you would in verse one. It shall come to pass when all these things are come upon thee. The blessing and the curse which I have set before thee and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations whether the Lord thy God hath driven thee and shalt return unto the Lord thy God and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day. Thou and thy children with all thine heart and with all thy soul that then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity and have compassion upon thee and will return and gather thee from all the nations whether the Lord thy God has scattered thee. If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee and from thence will he fetch thee and the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed and thou shalt possess it and he will do thee good and multiply thee above thy fathers.

Above thy father. Above David and all of those. And the Lord thy God will circumcise thine heart and the heart of thy seed to love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul that thou mayest live. God said after I've scattered you all across the world one day I'm gonna do what? I'm gonna bring you back and I'm going to give you a heart, a heart to love me that will not stray, will not stray forever.

In in this verse here in Matthew 24, concerning the return of Jesus Christ, not the rapture but the day when he returns to establish his kingdom, it says and then shall appear the sign of the son of man in heaven and then shall the tribes of the earth mourn and they shall see the son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and glory and he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet and they shall gather together his elect from the what? From the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other. Does it sound like what we read in verse six of Deuteronomy 30? Indeed, it does. When Christ comes back, he's going to finish what he started with Israel And he will bring them back to himself as he returns to set up his kingdom.

In Zechariah fourteen three and four, it says, then, shall the Lord go forth and fight against those nations as when he fought in the day of battle. His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount Of Olives. That's the hill just outside Jerusalem across from the Temple Mount. Which is before Israel on the East and the Mount Of Olive shall cleave in the midst thereof toward the East and toward the West and there shall be a very great valley. Half of the mountain shall remove toward the North.

Half of it toward the South. And it shall be in that day that living waters shall go out from Jerusalem. Half of them toward the former sea and half of them toward the hinder sea and summer and winter shall it be and the Lord shall be what? King. Over all the earth.

And that day shall there be one Lord and his name one. In Revelation 19, we read about the return of the king. And I saw heaven open and behold a white horse and he that sat upon him was faithful and true. In righteousness, he just judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire on his head were many crowns and he had a name written that no one knew but he himself.

He was closed with a vesture dipped in blood. His name is called the word of God. The armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth go with a sharp sword and with it, he should smite the nations and he shall rule them with a rod of iron and he treaded the wine press of the fierceness of the wrath of almighty God and he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, king of kings and Lord of lords and to what city does he return? The city of Jerusalem.

To what people who will mourn when they see him for their rejection and will receive them finally whom they have pierced. As their Messiah. And as their Lord. In Daniel two forty four, it says, and in those days, in the days of these kings shall God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed. The kingdom shall not be left to other people but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms and it shall stand how long?

Forever. The fulfillment of God's promise to Abraham, to Isaac, to Jacob, to David, to Isaiah, unto you a child is born unto you. A son is born to you, a child is given. And he shall reign on the throne of his father, David, for how long? Forever and forever.

Is God done with Israel yet? No, he is not. And praise God, we who know Christ as savior have been grafted in and the Bible tells us in Revelation 26 that we will reign with him in that kingdom. For a thousand years Abraham believed God and it was counted to him for what? Righteousness and God has kept and will continue to keep all of his promises to Israel and to Abraham and he will do so also for everyone who cometh to him as Abraham did.

For all who come to him in faith and receive Jesus Christ as Lord and savior. He says that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth, the Lord Jesus shall believe in thine heart that God has raised him from the dead, thou shalt be what? Thou shalt be saved. And in John three:three going back to the song we sang earlier, Jesus answered and said unto Nicodemus who was asking concerning the kingdom. He said, verily verily I say unto thee except a man be born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Verily verily I say unto you, ye must be born again. You too can be part of God's kingdom. You too can be saved from eternal death. You too can be saved from the pits of hell. You too can be forgiven and receive the gift of eternal life.

If you like Abraham, will put your faith and trust. In God, in Jesus Christ as your only Lord and savior. As many as received him, to them gave you power to become the sons of God even to them that believe on his name. That offer is for you today. Have you received God's gift of eternal life?

Have you humbled yourself and called on him to be your only Lord and savior? If you have, God has made a promise to you. He will keep you. He will deliver you. He will perform all the good promises he's made to you.

And one day, you will be with him. For how long? But if you're here today and you put your trust in other things or you've put God off and said, I'll do it tomorrow or the next day or the next day. One day, there will not be a what? There will not be a tomorrow.

There will not be a next day. Have you humbled yourself? To receive Jesus as your Lord by faith. If you haven't, you can And we plead with you today. To do so.

We're going to sing a hymn of invitation in just a moment. You never trusted Christ as Lord and savior. If you have any doubts, would you just come forward? Meet me down here. I will love to show you today.

How you can know Christ as savior. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, we thank you Lord. We thank you Lord for your word and how we have seen your promises fulfilled in Israel in Jesus Christ and Lord, we we trust, Lord, that you will complete all of your good work. In Israel and in us, who have made Jesus Christ, our Lord, who have received your offer of salvation.

And who have put our trust in the God of Israel and in Jesus Christ, our savior. We pray Lord if there be one today that's has put off this decision. Who is unsure of their standing before you. That they today would make that choice and by faith would receive you. As their savior and Lord, to wash away their sins, to give you everlasting life.

In Jesus name, we do pray.