Participants: Pastor Stephen Bohr
Series Code: CGC
Program Code: CGC000019S
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01:12 Shall we bow our heads for prayer?
01:13 Father in Heaven, thank You for this beautiful day. 01:18 Thank You for the privilege of being here once again to open 01:23 Your Holy Word, so that You can teach us, so that we can have a 01:28 closer walk with our beloved Savior Jesus. 01:31 We ask that as we study the story of Genesis 16 through 21, 01:36 that Your Holy Spirit will guide us and help us to understand 01:40 the great lessons that You have for us from these chapters. 01:44 And we thank You, Lord, for heaving our prayer, 01:46 for we ask it in Jesus' name, Amen. 01:50 I'd like to just do a little review of what we studied 01:54 in our last lecture, because it's foundational for what 01:58 we're going to discuss in our lecture today. 02:01 As you remember, this magnificent story of Genesis 02:07 chapter 22 is describing the fact that God was going to bring 02:13 a Seed into the world, and that Seed was going to be offered 02:20 as a burnt sacrifice, or as a burnt offering to save 02:26 the world from its sins. 02:30 Now this was presented to Abraham in symbol form, 02:35 as a shadow of the reality, which would come in the future. 02:40 And, of course, the shadow was what we studied; 02:43 all of the parallels between what happened then, 02:47 and what happened at the time of fulfillment when Jesus came. 02:53 The bottom line is that in this story God was telling Abraham 02:58 that He, that is God, was going to save the human race 03:05 by providing a substitute for sinners. 03:09 That is the key point. 03:10 And as we noticed in our study, Abraham 03:15 understood this very well. 03:17 I'd like to begin by reading John 8:56, where we find this 03:24 idea clearly expressed; that Abraham understood 03:29 what this was all about. 03:30 John 8:56. Here Jesus, speaking to the Jews says: 03:51 Did Abraham understand that God was going to provide a seed 03:55 who would bring the blessing, who would restore the earth, 04:00 who would bring about a multitude of redeemed people 04:04 that no one can number, and who would remove the curse? 04:08 Very clearly, Abraham understood that God was going to do this, 04:14 by a supernatural miracle. 04:17 Now the story that we're going to study in our lecture today, 04:22 is actually the story that comes immediately before the one 04:27 that we studied last time. 04:29 It's the story of two sons that Abraham had. 04:34 The first of those sons, of course, was Ishmael, 04:39 and the second of those sons we spoke about 04:42 in our last lecture. 04:43 His name was Isaac. 04:45 Now there's a lot of talk in the news today about the conflict 04:49 between the Israelis', and the Palestinians. 04:52 It seems like there's never peace over there. 04:55 There's always strife. 04:56 And when I got to Christian bookstores, I find an abundance 05:01 of books that have been written about the role of Israel 05:05 in Bible prophecy, and how the Arabs are all going to 05:09 get together, and they're going to come against the Jews 05:12 in the great battle of Armageddon, 05:14 in the Valley of Megiddo. 05:16 And there is book, after book, after book 05:19 and television evangelists who preach this idea that the great 05:24 final battle is going to be between the Jews and the Arabs, 05:28 perhaps allied with the Russians, and some think even 05:33 with the Chinese, and with the Japanese, whom they interpret 05:36 to be the kings from the east, in the story 05:40 of the battle of Armageddon. 05:41 Now the question is, is this really the scenario that Bible 05:47 prophecy presents concerning end time events? 05:50 I believe that the way that we can understand whether it's 05:55 correct or incorrect is by analyzing the story that we are 05:59 going to take a look at in our lecture today. 06:01 First of all, I underline again that God revealed to Abraham 06:07 that salvation was going to come through God bringing a Seed 06:13 into the world who would suffer a substitutionary sacrifice 06:18 in place of man, to save him from his sins. 06:22 In fact, God promised Abraham decades before Isaac was born 06:27 that He was going to provide a son, a son born by a miracle 06:31 of the Holy Spirit, who was going to bring the promised 06:36 Seed into the world. 06:38 Now the story of Isaac and Ishmael is very interesting. 06:44 It just so happens that God had promised Abraham a son. 06:50 But time passed and no son was born. 06:57 In fact, the story tells us that Sarah could 07:00 actually not get pregnant. 07:02 And so Abraham, knowing that God had promised that He was 07:08 going to give a seed, through whom The Seed 07:11 would eventually come, Abraham jumped the gun and he said, 07:15 God's promise is in jeopardy. 07:18 This promise is never going to be fulfilled, because Sarah 07:22 cannot have children. 07:23 And so Abraham says, maybe what I need to do is to have a child 07:32 that I can have with my slave, Hagar. 07:38 And, by the way, the person who suggested it was Sarah. 07:41 Maybe I can have a child through Hagar, and that will be the 07:45 child of the promise. 07:47 And so Abraham took matters into his own hands, and he actually 07:52 was believing that he was going to bring salvation through 07:56 his efforts rather than through the promise that God had made. 08:02 In other words, Abraham tried to bring 08:05 salvation by his efforts. 08:08 He tried to bring salvation by his own works. 08:13 And that's the reason why in the book of Galatians, chapter 4, 08:17 which we're going to go to in a few moments, we are told that 08:21 Ishmael was the son who was born according to the flesh, 08:26 simply because he was the product of the efforts of 08:32 Abraham to bring salvation through the promised Seed 08:36 on his own, through his own works, when God had said, 08:41 It's not you who's going to do it. 08:43 I will provide a miraculous son, and he will bring the seed 08:47 who will save the human race by offering His life 08:51 as a substitutionary sacrifice. 08:54 And so Abraham took things into his own hands, 08:58 and he tried to bring about salvation by his own works. 09:03 Now the interesting thing is that Hagar was a slave, 09:08 and therefore the son that she had, Ishmael, was also a slave. 09:15 He was not a son, technically speaking he was a slave. 09:20 And, of course, being a slave he had absolutely no rights 09:27 of inheritance, because slaves do not inherit, sons inherit. 09:34 And so you have this son who is born first, incidentally. 09:39 He's born according to the flesh. 09:41 He's born into the world through the works and the 09:47 efforts of Abraham. 09:49 He's born from a slave woman, which means that he's not a son, 09:54 because Isaac was Abraham's only son, as we noticed. 09:58 And, therefore, not being a son, he had no rights 10:01 to inherit anything. 10:04 And then, of course, a little bit later on Isaac was born. 10:12 He was the second, the son of the second birth we might say. 10:17 And in Galatians chapter 4 we are told that Isaac was born 10:21 according to the Spirit. 10:23 So you have one son who is born according to the flesh, 10:27 who is the product of human works, and you have another son 10:30 who is born by the Spirit, who is the product of a miracle 10:35 of God, who comes as a result of the promise that God had given. 10:39 And, of course, Isaac was Abraham's yacheed son, 10:46 in other words his only son, his only begotten son. 10:49 And because Isaac was a son, he had every right to inherit 10:55 that which belonged to his father. 10:58 Now when Isaac was born into the household, 11:03 shortly thereafter strife came into the household. 11:08 You see, the son that was born according to the flesh 11:12 could not coexist with the son who was born 11:15 according to the Spirit. 11:16 The son of the first birth could not coexist with the son 11:20 of the second birth. 11:21 They were at each others throats. 11:24 In fact we are told in Galatians 4:29 that the son who was born 11:29 according to the flesh was actually seeking to kill 11:33 Isaac, his brother. 11:34 And so God gave Abraham some counsel. 11:37 He said to Abraham, the only way that this is going to work 11:41 is if you cast out the son of the slave woman. 11:46 If you exile and get rid from the household of the son who 11:51 was born according to the flesh, the son who is the slave, 11:55 who's not technically a son. 11:56 You have to send him away from home so that the child 12:01 of the promise, the child who was born according 12:04 to the Spirit can subsist. 12:06 And, of course, we find there in Genesis 16... 12:09 I'm summarizing this story because we don't have time 12:12 to read all of the verses. 12:13 I would suggest that you read Genesis 16 through 21. 12:16 There you have all of these details. 12:18 When God told Abraham to exile his son, and Hagar, that is not 12:23 technically his son, but the bondservant's son. 12:26 Abraham said, how can I do that? 12:29 Oh that Ishmael might live before You. 12:34 In other words, may the son of my works 12:37 be the promised Savior. 12:39 And God says, that's not the way it works. 12:43 Exile him from home. 12:45 And so the Bible tells us that Abraham expelled Ishmael, 12:52 and expelled Hagar, the bond woman and the son slave 12:59 of the bond woman. 13:01 Now the question is, why did God give this story 13:06 in Genesis 16 through 21? 13:09 Before I go to the New Testament and show you clearly that God 13:14 gave this story as a prophetic story, allow me to review 13:18 the key points once again. 13:20 God had promised that He was going to bring the Seed 13:25 into the world by a miracle of the Holy Spirit. 13:29 That child of the miracle, born of the Spirit, was going to 13:34 bring, eventually, the Seed into the world who would save 13:39 the human race from its sins. 13:41 Abraham disbelieved the promise, and he tried to bring, 13:47 and actually brought a child into the world, his first born 13:51 son, so to speak, into the world by his own works, 13:57 by his own efforts. 13:58 And by bringing him in by his own efforts, 14:02 he was really saying that salvation was going to come 14:06 through what he did, and not what God was going to do. 14:10 Of course, this son was not really a son, because he was 14:15 the son of a slave. 14:16 Therefore he was a slave. 14:18 He had no right to inherit anything that belonged 14:21 to his father at all. 14:22 He had no rights of inheritance. 14:24 And the presence of this first son in the household was a 14:29 source of conflict. 14:30 And then, of course, you have the second son, Isaac. 14:34 He was born by the promise. 14:35 He was born by a miracle of the Holy Spirit. 14:38 He was going to bring the promised Savior into the world. 14:42 Isaac was the son born according to the Spirit. 14:46 He was really a son, and therefore he had a right to 14:50 inherit all of the promises that God made 14:52 to his father Abraham. 14:54 But Isaac and Ishmael could not live under the same roof, 14:58 because the existence of the child of the 15:00 Spirit was endangered. 15:01 And so Ishmael was expelled from the household to safeguard 15:07 the existence of the child according to the Spirit. 15:11 Now why was this story given? 15:14 The apostle Paul gives us the explanation in the New Testament 15:19 of why God gave this story in Genesis. 15:22 Like all of the other stories in Genesis, 15:24 this is a prophetic story. 15:26 In other words, this is a story that has prophetic dimensions. 15:30 Now go with me to the book of Galatians, the book of Galatians 15:35 chapter 4, and let's examine the prophetic 15:38 dimension of this story. 15:40 Galatians, chapter 4, and I want to start reading, 15:45 ah, let's see here. Let's start reading at verse 24, verse 24. 15:52 Galatians 4:24. It says here, actually, let me see. 15:59 Let's start at verse 21. 16:00 Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear 16:06 the law, for it is written that Abraham had two sons. 16:09 The one by a bond woman, the other by a free woman. 16:13 But he who was of the bond woman was born according to the what? 16:19 There it is, to the flesh. 16:21 And he of the free woman through promise. 16:26 And then he says in verse 24: 16:32 Or an allegory, the King James Version says. 16:41 In other words, Hagar and Sarah, Isaac and Ishmael, 16:45 represent or symbolize the two covenants, and so it says: 17:00 Now notice, the first covenant is the covenant of Hagar, 17:07 the slave woman, and it's the one that is illustrated 17:10 by Mount what? by Mount Sinai. 17:13 In a moment we're going to see what this means. 17:15 Verse 25: For this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia. 17:30 Who was in bondage with her children? Jerusalem. 17:33 Now wait a minute! 17:35 The apostle Paul is saying, I don't know whether you caught 17:38 the point. He saying the first covenant, which is represented 17:42 by the son of the first birth, is represented by Hagar, 17:48 represents what happened at Mount Sinai, and represents the 17:53 Jerusalem that existed in his day. 17:57 Now if we want to know what that means, we have to go back 18:01 to Mount Sinai, and we have to understand what characterized 18:05 the Jerusalem of Paul's day. 18:07 Now lets go back to Exodus 19:7, 8, Exodus 19:7, 8. 18:16 Here God is about to give the ten commandments, 18:19 and He says to Israel, I want to make a covenant with My people. 18:22 I want to make an agreement, because a 18:25 covenant is an agreement. 18:26 I want to have a covenant with My people. 18:28 And I want you to go down, and I want you to talk to Israel, 18:32 and ask them if they're willing to enter into this 18:35 covenant agreement with me. 18:36 And so Moses, he goes down to the people and he says, 18:40 Hey, God has this covenant. 18:41 He has the ten commandments, and He wants to know whether 18:44 you're willing to obey the ten commandments. 18:46 And notice what Israel says. 18:48 Exodus 19:7, 8. It says here: 19:14 So Moses brought back the words of the people to the Lord. 19:19 And that's where the covenant was made. 19:21 What did Israel say? 19:22 All of the words that God speaks on this mountain we will what? 19:28 We will do. How long did their promise last? 19:35 A very short period of time. 19:37 In fact all of their pilgrimage in the desert was the story 19:42 of one rebellion after another, totally breaking God's holy law, 19:48 In spite of the fact that they had said, All that the Lord 19:51 has said, we will do. 19:55 You see they thought they could legalistically keep 19:58 the ten commandments. 19:59 But they could not keep the ten commandments unless their hearts 20:05 had been converted to the Lord. 20:07 By the way, later on in Jeremiah 31 God promises to make a 20:12 new covenant with Israel. 20:13 He says, I will make a new covenant with Israel. 20:16 Not like the first covenant that I made at Mount Sinai, 20:20 for they broke My covenant. 20:23 He says, But the covenant that I will make is that I will take 20:26 that law which they promised to obey, 20:29 which was on tables of stone. 20:30 I will take that law, and I will write it on their minds 20:34 and on their hearts. 20:35 Now let me ask you, is the difference between the two 20:41 covenants, the first covenant has law, 20:43 and the second covenant doesn't. 20:45 That's why many Christians say the first covenant was a 20:48 covenant of law, and the new covenant is a covenant of grace. 20:51 That's not what the Bible teaches. 20:53 The Bible teaches that the first covenant, 20:56 the reason why the first covenant was wrong, 20:58 is because the people were saying, we will obey the ten 21:01 commandments, but their hearts had not been changed. 21:05 You cannot keep God's holy law with a heart 21:08 that is enslaved by sin. 21:10 In the new covenant the law doesn't change, 21:15 it's the place where the law is written. 21:18 And so God says, I will write My law on their hearts, 21:22 and then He goes on to say nobody will need to teach them 21:25 that they're supposed to do this or do that, 21:28 because they will naturally do it, because the law 21:30 is written upon the heart. 21:32 And so in this first covenant, see what happened with Israel 21:37 is they did the same thing as happened with Abraham. 21:42 Abraham says, I'm going to bring salvation by my own what? 21:47 by my own efforts. 21:48 And Israel says, We will keep the law how? by our own efforts. 21:53 And, of course, both of them failed miserably. 21:57 Now, what was the Jerusalem of the days of the 22:03 apostle Paul like? 22:04 Because it's not only that Hagar and Mount Sinai are similar, 22:08 but the apostle Paul says that Jerusalem of 22:11 his day was the same. 22:13 Notice Romans 10:3, Romans 10:3 explains the condition 22:20 of Jerusalem in the days of the apostle Paul. 22:23 It says here: For they, that is the Jews... 22:41 What characterized the Jews in the days of the apostle Paul? 22:45 They tried to establish their own what? 22:47 their own righteousness. 22:48 Was that exactly what Israel tried to do at Mount Sinai? 22:51 All that the Lord has said, we will do? 22:53 Trying to keep God's law without a changed heart? 22:56 Absolutely! God says, that won't do any good. 23:00 Under the new covenant I'll take My law, the same law, 23:03 by the way, and I will write it upon the heart, 23:06 and then people will automatically do what 23:08 the law requires, not because they have to, 23:11 but because they want to. 23:13 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 23:17 And so the Jerusalem of Paul's day wanted to establish the 23:22 righteousness by their own works, and they were slaves. 23:25 In the same way at Mount Sinai Israel said, All that the Lord 23:29 has said we will do. 23:30 But they had an old heart, and with that old heart 23:34 they could not obey. 23:35 And with the story of Hagar and Ishmael; they were slaves, 23:41 and, therefore, they could not bring about 23:43 the promise of salvation. 23:46 Now lets go to Galatians 4:31, Galatians 4:31. 23:54 Here the apostle Paul contrasts another group with 23:58 the Jerusalem of his day. 24:00 Galatians 4:31 the apostle Paul says: 24:15 How many kinds of children are there 24:17 according to the apostle Paul? two. 24:20 The first type are what? those that are characterized 24:25 by Hagar and Ishmael; slaves to their first birth, 24:28 to their first nature, to their old nature. 24:31 It's just like Israel of Mount Sinai trying to keep the law 24:35 without a change of heart. 24:37 It's just like the Jerusalem of Paul's day, trying to establish 24:40 their own righteousness. 24:41 But the apostle Paul says that there's another group, 24:44 and this group are those who are children of the free woman. 24:48 Now lets take a look at this. 24:51 This is very, very important. 24:53 According to the apostle Paul, the Jews of his day 25:01 were children of whom? were children of Hagar. 25:06 You're not catching that point. 25:09 What the apostle Paul is saying; that the Jews of his day were 25:14 not Jews, because they were children of whom? of Hagar. 25:22 And the Jews come from Isaac. 25:24 Are you following me? 25:26 You try calling a Jew today an Arab, and you see what happens. 25:32 But that's what Paul is saying. 25:35 He's saying the Jews of our day in Jerusalem are not really 25:41 the covenant people. 25:42 They are really children of Hagar, because they are in what? 25:46 in bondage trying to work out their own what? trying to work 25:51 out their own salvation. 25:54 Now do you know that there are two births also 25:58 with respect to our life, according to the New Testament? 26:02 Go with me to John 1:12, 13, John 1:12, 13. 26:09 Lets apply this on a personal level now. 26:11 John 1:12, 13. It says here: 26:19 Has received whom? has received Jesus. 26:30 When do we become children of God? 26:32 When we what? when we receive Him, according to this. 26:52 Which son would that be? 26:54 That would be Ishmael. 26:58 But born of whom? born of God. 27:01 How many potential births are there in the Christian life? 27:04 There are two. What is the first birth? 27:08 The first birth is the one that I have from my mother. 27:10 And how am I born from my mother? 27:14 I am born according to the flesh. 27:18 I am in bondage. We find David saying in Psalms 51 that in sin 27:26 did my mother conceive me. 27:28 I'm born with a sinful nature that sins. 27:32 Can I keep God's law with that nature? 27:35 Can I be saved? Can I earn enough brownie points to be 27:39 saved with that nature? 27:41 Absolutely not! So what must happen with me? 27:45 I must have a second birth, and that's what Isaac represents. 27:51 Go with me to John 3 and see how Jesus refers to this. 27:56 John 3 and let's read. 28:01 Here Jesus, by the way, is speaking with Nicodemus, 28:04 a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin, a very studied Jew. 28:08 And it's interesting that he didn't even have the foggiest 28:12 idea what true religion was all about. 28:16 Notice John 3:3, and then we'll jump down to verses 5 and 6. 28:35 So is there something wrong with our first birth? 28:38 How were we born in our first birth? 28:40 Like Ishmael was born in his first birth. 28:44 How? slaves to sin. 28:47 Can we bring about salvation through our own efforts, 28:51 the way Abraham thought? 28:53 No! So what do we need to experience? 28:57 We need to experience a second birth, represented by which son? 29:01 Isaac, who was born according to the Spirit. 29:04 Notice verses 5 and 6: 29:20 See the same terminology as Galatians 4? 29:29 So when we're born the first time we are Ishmaelites. 29:34 We are slaves! We have no rights of inheritance. 29:40 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 29:43 We are dispossessed. 29:45 We cannot inherit the covenant promises. 29:48 In fact we cannot be subject to the law of God 29:51 no matter how much we try. 29:52 Our bondage will not allow us to live as free people. 29:57 And so we have to be born again. 30:00 We have to have a second birth, like Isaac was born second. 30:05 And I want you to notice what happens as a result. 30:08 Galatians 4:4-7, Galatians 4: 4-7. 30:14 Here the apostle Paul is picking up on this idea of Hagar 30:19 and Sarah, Ishmael and Isaac. It says here: 30:54 So what do we become as a result of what Jesus has done, 30:57 when our heart is converted? 30:59 We become Sons of God. 31:03 Do we have a right to inherit everything that belongs to God 31:07 through Jesus? Notice verse 7,. it says: 31:13 See how He's discussing this issue of Genesis? 31:26 Now go with me to Romans 8:7-9, where the apostle Paul discusses 31:33 the same issue, Romans 8:7-9. 31:38 Here the apostle Paul says this: 31:45 This is the mind of the first birth, by the way. 31:48 This is the mind that is alienated from God. 31:50 It's the slave mind. 31:51 It's the mind that cannot be subject to the law of God. 31:54 It's the mind that even though you try to work out your 31:57 salvation by your own works, and your own efforts, 32:00 you're attempting an impossibility, 32:02 because you are a slave. 32:05 And so he says, in verse 7: 32:16 Do you see that? Because it's a slave. Verse 8: 32:43 And, by the way, when we become Sons, by receiving Jesus, 32:47 the Son of the promise, the Son who was born according to the 32:51 Spirit. We find in verse 17 that the apostle Paul says, 32:55 Romans 8:17, and if Children then what? there it is, 33:01 then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with whom? 33:07 with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him that we also 33:11 may be glorified together with Him. 33:14 So let me ask you, who is the only true Seed of Abraham? 33:20 That's Jesus, who only is the One who deserves 33:26 to inherit the promises that were made to Abraham. 33:29 The promises were made to Abraham and his Seed. 33:32 It does not say to seeds as of many, but your Seed, 33:36 which is One who is Christ. 33:38 In other words there is only One Seed to whom the 33:41 promises were made. 33:42 But let me ask you, can those promises be mine also? 33:44 It says in Galatians 3:29, If you are Christ's 33:50 you are Abraham's Seed, and heirs according to the promise. 33:54 Let me ask you then, those Jews who live over in the holy land 33:57 today, so called holy land, who reject Jesus Christ the Lord. 34:01 Are they children of Abraham? 34:04 So is prophecy going to be fulfilled with them? 34:08 With whom is prophecy fulfilled? 34:12 The final battle is between Israel and Babylon. 34:17 I suppose that Babylon, you have to go over to Iraq to find 34:21 Babylon. And you have to go over to Jerusalem to find Israel. 34:26 No way, because Israel are those who have joined Jesus, 34:30 who have been born again. 34:32 Which means that if Babylon comes to war against Israel 34:35 it's not coming to the Middle East. 34:37 It's coming to where those who have accepted Jesus are. 34:42 Are you following me, or are you not following me? 34:46 Now, do you remember that Abraham was told to expel 34:50 his first born son? 34:52 What are we supposed to do with that old carnal nature 34:55 that we're born with? 34:56 The apostle Paul says in Galatians 5:24 that we are 35:02 supposed to crucify the old nature. 35:05 We're supposed to get rid of the old nature, 35:08 just like Abraham was told, Get rid of that bond woman's son. 35:14 It sounded very drastic. 35:15 But the new nature is in danger when the old nature 35:19 is present in the house. 35:20 And the same is true with our spiritual life. 35:23 The flesh must be crucified. 35:25 It must be overcome. 35:27 It must be exiled, that the Son of the Spirit might excel, 35:32 and might proliferate. 35:34 Now lets go to Galatians 3, Galatians 3. 35:41 I want you to remember what we're studying this evening, 35:43 because this is the foundation for most of what we're going 35:45 to discuss concerning Bible prophecy. 35:47 See the big issue in the interpretation of Bible prophecy 35:52 folks, is who is Israel? 35:55 If you get that straight, Who is Israel, 36:00 you'll get prophecy straight. 36:02 If you don't understand who is true Israel, 36:05 you will get prophecy wrong. 36:06 You see, Israel is not those who live in the Middle East, 36:12 who live in Jerusalem, whose last name is Goldstein, 36:16 who have the literal blood of Abraham flowing through their 36:20 veins. True Israel are those who have joined Jesus. 36:25 Now notice Galatians 3:26, Galatians 3:26. 36:31 Here the apostle Paul says: 36:35 See he picks up on this idea of sons of God. 36:40 How do we become sons of God? 36:48 And then he says that all ethnic and national 36:53 distinctions disappear. 36:55 Doesn't mean that there's still not people from 36:57 the United States, and people from Israel, 37:00 and people from Egypt. 37:01 What it means is that in the sight of God national 37:04 distinctions mean nothing anymore. 37:06 Verse 28. It says there: 37:18 Verse 29. 37:26 Who are going to inherit all of the promises 37:28 that God made to Abraham? 37:29 Those who are Christ's. 37:32 So my question is, are any of the promises being inherited 37:36 today by those who reject the Lord in the Middle East? 37:39 Absolutely not. And I'll tell you what, the apostle Paul 37:43 says that the Jews of his day were actually 37:45 children of the bond woman. 37:47 They were not Israelites at all. 37:50 In fact the apostle Paul underlines this same idea in 37:55 several places in his writings. 37:56 Go with me to Romans 2:28, 29, Romans 2:28, 29. 38:06 Here the apostle Paul says something which is almost 38:10 totally ignored by people who tried to 38:12 interpret Bible prophecy. It says there: 38:20 Are there Jews who are not Jews? Yes or No? Yes! 38:37 That's the first verse, by the way. 38:57 What is true circumcision? 38:59 It's a change of what? of heart. 39:02 And what does God write in the heart when He changes the heart? 39:05 He writes His Holy Law. 39:07 So much for the idea that in the Old Testament God expected 39:11 people to keep the law. 39:12 But in the New Testament, because we're under grace, 39:14 we don't have to keep the law anymore. 39:15 The law does not change. 39:18 What changes is the place where the law is written. 39:21 The law on tables of stone, no matter how much I try to measure 39:25 up, I can't, but when the law is in the heart, I can measure up 39:29 because it's not imposed on me. 39:30 It comes forth from me because I love Jesus. 39:34 And he who says he loves Jesus, he who says he knows Jesus, 39:39 and does not keep His commandments is a liar, 39:41 because if the law was in his heart he would keep 39:43 the commandments of God. 39:45 And that's why in Revelation it says that the final war 39:48 of Satan will be against those who keep the commandments 39:51 of God. Not to earn salvation, but because they know Jesus 39:56 and they say, I will be loyal to my beloved Jesus, 39:58 even to the point of death if necessary. 40:01 Are you following me? 40:04 Now let's notice also Romans 9: 6-8. 40:09 The apostle Paul picks up on this many times. 40:11 Romans 9:6-8. Here the apostle Paul says: 40:31 That's a strange... Not all Israelites are Israelites. 40:34 What does he mean? 40:38 Let's read verse 7. 40:44 Is everyone who is the literal seed of Abraham a child of God? 40:48 No! 40:53 See, not in Ishmael, but in whom? in Isaac. 40:56 The second birth. The birth according to the spirit. 41:01 The birth where God writes His law on your heart. Verse 8: 41:10 Who are those? the literal Jews. 41:28 Could the apostle Paul be any clearer? 41:31 I don't know how the apostle Paul could be 41:33 any clearer than this. 41:35 That not everyone who claims to be Israel is really of Israel. 41:40 Now go with me to John 8, to where Jesus 41:43 picks up on this idea. 41:44 And, by the way, Jesus is talking here about Abraham 41:48 back in Genesis. Notice we're going to move through John 8, 41:54 and I'm just going to read certain verses because 41:56 we can't read them all. 41:58 We'll read verses 32 and then we'll jump down to verse 36. 42:02 John 8:32. Jesus says: 42:11 If the truth makes us free, it's because before we were what? 42:15 we were slaves, of course. 42:18 Now what does that mean, you will know the truth, and the 42:20 truth will make you free, or children of the free woman? 42:23 Notice verse 36. Jesus says in verse 36: 42:32 How do you become a son of the free woman? by receiving whom? 42:38 Jesus. If you reject Jesus whose son are you? 42:42 You are the son of the slave woman. 42:45 And because of that you have no right to inherit any 42:49 of the promises which God made, because only Sons inherit. 42:54 Raise your hand if you're understanding what I'm saying. 42:56 This is critical for the understanding of prophecy. 42:59 Now go with me to John 8:33, John 8:33. 43:06 The discussion becomes very interesting. 43:08 They answered him... 43:14 The Old King James Version says, We are Abraham's Seed. 43:28 What were they claiming to be? 43:31 They said, We are the literal seed of Abraham. 43:33 Does Jesus consider being the literal fleshly seed of Abraham 43:38 of any significance? Absolutely not! 43:41 But they're saying, We are Abraham's seed. 43:43 We've never been in bondage, because as children of Isaac 43:46 we are sons of the free woman. 43:48 Now the discussion is going to become very, very interesting. 43:52 Notice verse 37. Jesus says: 43:58 But in a moment He's going to say, You're not really. 44:09 Are you understanding what Jesus is saying? 44:12 You say that you're children of Abraham. 44:14 I know you're children of Abraham physically speaking. 44:17 But now lets notice verse 39. 44:20 The discussion becomes very interesting. 44:23 They answered and said to him, Abraham is our father. 44:26 Jesus said to them: 44:33 Verse 40: 44:42 In other words, you're not acting like your father; 44:46 like the father you claim to have, 44:48 because he's going to say, He's not really your father. 44:52 You're not really the children of Abraham, 44:53 because you're rejecting Me. 44:55 Now notice verse 41. 44:58 You do the deeds of your father. 45:00 Then they said to Him, because they couldn't 45:03 answer His arguments, We were not born of fornication. 45:07 They're saying, We don't know who Your daddy is. 45:10 We have one father, God, they say. 45:16 And now notice what we find in verse 42. 45:19 Jesus said to them, If God were your father, you would love Me, 45:23 for I proceeded forth and came from God, nor have I come 45:27 of Myself, but He sent Me. 45:29 Why do you not understand My speech? 45:31 Because you are not able to listen to My Word. 45:34 And then verse 44 really gets heavy. Jesus says: 45:40 Were they Abraham's children? Yes and No. 45:46 They were Abraham's children, but according to Ishmael, 45:51 not according to Isaac. 45:53 And only through Isaac were the promises to be inherited. 45:57 So if the Jewish nation today is rejecting Christ, 46:01 they are in what? they are in bondage, and they are children 46:06 of the bond woman. 46:07 And because they are in bondage they have no right to inherit 46:11 anything that belongs to Abraham and to Isaac. 46:17 Are you understanding what I am saying? 46:18 Now am I saying that I am against the Jews? No. 46:21 Do you know what? That conflict in the Middle East would end 46:24 in an instant if Jews and Arabs received Jesus. 46:27 They'd have no more reason to fight, because both of 46:31 them would be Jews, according to the Biblical definition. 46:36 If the Palestinians said, we received Jesus as our Savior. 46:39 Even though they are physically sons of the bond woman, 46:44 because they received Jesus, they would be Israelites. 46:48 And the Israelites, who are also sons of the bond woman, 46:53 because they reject Jesus. 46:54 If they receive Jesus they would also be Israelites. 46:58 And then they would say, now you're an Israelite. 47:00 I'm an Israelite. What are we fighting about? 47:02 Are you with me? The key in prophecy is found in Jesus. 47:08 And it's not found in your national origin. 47:12 It is not found in the land that you live in. 47:15 So Jesus says in verse 44: 47:23 He's saying, you want to murder Me, so who's your father? 47:38 Wow! Did Jesus agree with the apostle Paul? 47:42 Who are the children of God? 47:45 Those who have received Jesus. 47:49 So who does the devil hate? 47:53 Does the devil hate Jesus? 47:54 Of course he does. 47:57 Now if he hates Jesus, who else is he going to hate? 48:00 Those who have joined Jesus. 48:03 So who is the final war going to be against? 48:05 Listen, the devil has the Jews in his pocket, 48:09 if they're outside Christ. 48:10 He doesn't have to worry about them because there's no 48:13 salvation outside Jesus. 48:14 But the devil has tried to make it appear like the Jews 48:20 are God's favorite people, as a theocracy, as a nation, 48:23 and that the devil hates them and God loves them. 48:27 Now I'm talking about them as a nation. 48:30 As individuals any of them can accept Jesus Christ. 48:36 And, by the way, any people from any nation that rejects 48:39 Jesus is in the same boat. 48:41 So I'm not picking on the Jews. 48:44 I mean it can be a Mexican, too. 48:47 A Mexican who does not receive Jesus is a son 48:52 of the bond woman. 48:53 A Columbian, an Indian, doesn't matter where you're from. 49:00 If you reject Jesus you are a son of the bond woman, 49:05 because you have not experienced the second birth, 49:08 the birth according to the Spirit. 49:10 Now go with me to Philippians 3: 4-8. 49:15 Are you catching a picture here? 49:16 Yeah? Come on, talk to me, Yes? 49:20 Philippians 3. The apostle Paul had this experience. 49:25 He was quite a Jew. 49:28 We'll start reading at verse 4, Philippians 3:4. 49:34 The apostle Paul says, Though I also might have confidence 49:38 in the flesh. See, I might have confidence in the flesh. 50:11 Was he lost? Was he really a Jew? 50:15 In this condition, was he really an Israelite? 50:18 Not according to Paul's own definition. 50:22 Because he has said, It is not a Jew who is one outwardly, 50:26 but inwardly. A Jew is one who is according to the promise. 50:29 According to Paul's own definition he was lost. 50:32 He was in bondage because he tried to measure up 50:36 and he couldn't. Now notice what he says in verse 7: 50:42 But what things were gain to me, these I have 50:45 counted loss for Christ. 51:08 At this point was Paul really a Jew? 51:12 Was Paul an Israelite indeed? 51:15 And, of course, he suffered many persecutions as a result. 51:21 See before he knew Christ he was the persecutor. 51:24 When he knew Christ the devil says, This guy I hate. 51:28 And he becomes the persecuted. 51:29 Are you catching a picture here? 51:33 Now lets go to John 1. 51:39 John 1 and lets read about one of the lesser known apostles 51:47 of Christ. His name was Nathaniel. 51:50 When Andrew comes and he says, We found the Messiah, 51:55 Nathaniel says, Where is He from? 51:59 From Nazareth. No! Can anything good come from Nazareth? 52:05 Be real! But then he makes a confession which is amazing 52:10 in the light of the fact that he's just discovered 52:12 that Jesus is from Nazareth. Notice John 1:47: 52:27 I guess that if there are Israelites indeed, 52:30 there are Israelites not indeed. 52:32 An Israelite indeed in whom is no deceit. 52:40 Now why was he an Israelite in the sight of Jesus? 52:42 Notice verse 49: 52:53 Did he receive Jesus as the Messiah? Yes, he did. 52:57 And therefore he was an Israelite how? 53:01 an Israelite indeed. 53:03 Now do you remember the conversation that Jesus had 53:07 with the Samaritan woman? 53:09 It's found in John chapter 4. 53:13 Jesus is in Samaria and the Samaritan woman says, 53:20 You know, the Jews say that we're supposed to worship 53:23 on the holy mountain in Jerusalem. 53:27 And we believe that we're supposed to worship 53:30 here at this mountain. 53:31 What do You say? 53:34 And I want you to notice what Jesus says. 53:37 John 4:21-24, John 4:21-24. 53:48 Very significant words! He says this: 54:03 Do you know what Jesus is saying? 54:06 No more holy city, no more holy mountains, no more holy temples. 54:12 Because now everything is shifting to the heavenly 54:16 Mount Zion, to the heavenly Jerusalem, and to the heavenly 54:20 temple where I am going to go to minister. 54:25 By the way, do you know that Jesus said where there are two 54:28 or three gathered in my name, there I am in their midst? 54:31 See, Zion, Mount Zion is where Jesus is. 54:43 Jesus is not where Mount Zion is. 54:47 In other words, you want to know where Jerusalem is today, 54:52 where Mount Zion is today, where the temple is today. 54:55 All you have to do is discover where Jesus is. 54:57 And, by the way, can we enter by faith into Jerusalem, 55:02 into the temple? Can we go to the temple today 55:05 and worship in spirit and in truth? 55:07 The whole book of Hebrews says that we can approach 55:09 the throne of God through faith. 55:11 We can approach boldly the throne of grace. 55:15 That's not over in Jerusalem, but it's the temple in Heaven 55:21 where Jesus ministers. 55:22 And now notice, Jesus says, we're not going to worship 55:29 in Jerusalem or on this mountain the Father. 55:38 And what He means is that salvation came as a result 55:41 of God calling Abraham, and the Jewish nation. 55:43 Jesus the Messiah came from Jews. 55:45 It's not that the Jews save, it's that the Savior 55:50 came from the Jews. 55:51 And then notice what we find in verse 23: But the hour 55:56 is coming, and now is,... 56:04 In spirit and in truth. 56:07 Did you catch that? 56:11 God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him 56:15 in Spirit and in truth. 56:18 Where is Mount Zion today? 56:20 Where Jesus is. And where is Jesus? 56:25 Where two or three are gathered in My name, 56:28 there I am in their midst. 56:31 So in what geographical locality is the final battle 56:35 going to be fought? 56:36 It's going to be fought against Zion and Jerusalem. 56:39 But where is Jerusalem? 56:40 Where Jesus is. And where is Jesus? 56:44 Where two or three are gathered in His name, 56:46 which means that the final battle is going to be a battle 56:49 against God's people where? all over the world. 56:54 And they're going to be attacked by a system known as Babylon, 56:59 which is also a worldwide system. 57:00 In other words the final battle is not between 57:04 the Arabs and the Jews. 57:06 It's between those who have received Jesus, on a worldwide 57:10 scale, and those who rejected Christ, or claimed to have 57:15 accepted Christ, but are in bondage because they're trying 57:18 to bring about salvation on their own. |
Revised 2019-12-31