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Sermon Notes

God's Beloved

Sunday 7 October 2018 Pastor Craig Ledbetter Romans 11:28
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I. Introduction

A. What’s the big deal about some unknown guy named Nehemiah going back home to a ruined city and rebuilding it?

B. Why waste time studying a nation that has consistently abandoned God and trashed their heritage?

C. Let’s listen to Nehemiah’s own words as he prays (Nehemiah 1:6,10)

Let thine ear now be attentive, and thine eyes open, that thou mayest hear the prayer of thy servant, which I pray before thee now, day and night, for the children of Israel thy servants. - Nehemiah 1:6

Now these are thy servants and thy people, whom thou hast redeemed by thy great power, and by thy strong hand. - Nehemiah 1:10

D. Did you notice?

  1. The nation of Israel, and its PEOPLE are:

    • The Servants of God
    • AND they are the People of God
    • Not WERE, but still are today, even though lost and without Christ!

  2. They are NOT just some obscure small group of forgotten people in ancient history

  3. No, these are the Israelites - a distinct people group still in existence

  4. They, above all other nations ARE the elect of God!

As concerning the GOSPEL they are enemies for your sakes, but as touching the ELECTION they are beloved for the father’s sakes. - Romans 11:28

  1. They are beloved of God - loved above all other peoples!

For thou art an holy people unto the LORD thy God: 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. - Deuteronomy 7:6

  1. And WE BIBLE believers have a duty to know what God is doing with them, and learn from them!

E. So, who are these people called Jews, and what is the world supposed to do with them?

II. Message

A. The Jews are THE most hated people of all time - antisemitism goes way back

  1. Example of Haman in the Book of Esther - attempted genocide of 2 million Jews

  2. The Roman Catholic Church held the Jews responsible for killing Jesus - their crime was called “Deicide” (God-killing)

  3. For 1900 years, the Jews were tolerated, and then driven from their homes, century after century

  4. The Protestants were no better at treating the Jews

    • The black death was blamed on the Jews poisoning wells
    • Economic collapses were blamed on Jewish government officials
    • When children would go missing, people usually blamed and slaughtered Jews

  5. 100 years ago, European and even American governments basically wanted nothing to do with the Jews

  6. Even born again Christians today pick up a bad spirit about the Jews - it is evil!

B. They have over 3,500 years of history as a distinct people group

  1. They have seen the rise and fall of the following empires:

    • Egypt
    • Assyria (Nineveh)
    • Babylon
    • Persia
    • Greece
    • Rome
    • Spain
    • And England

  2. Israel, as a people has outlasted them all!

  3. It is a verifiable miracle that they as a people still exist, and are in their own land

  4. That their language is still based upon the language of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, 4,000 years ago! ANCIENT HEBREW!

  5. They are NOT going away folks!

C. Who and What is “Israel”?

  1. Normally only think of Modern Israel

  2. Israel is more than just LAND in the Middle East

  3. They are God’s People

And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt. - Exodus 3:7

  1. People to whom God made many promises:

    • For their Promised Land
    • That they would expand until they could not be numbered
    • That from them would come the Messiah for the world

  2. Israel is specifically the descendants of a single man named JACOB

Thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy name. - Genesis 35:10

  1. Therefore, we have the special phrase, “God is the God of…”

    • NOT ENGLAND, or AMERICA, or IRELAND, but…
    • Abraham, Isaac, and JACOB - the God of ISRAEL

  2. Election - That PROVES that the descendants of Jacob are SPECIAL to God’s plan

For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name. - Isaiah 45:4

D. Two Kinds of Jews

1. Physical Jews - An Outward Jew

  • All physical Jews, even though scattered, are still descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob
  • Physical Jews are still elect/specially selected for God’s plan
  • And are STILL a special People that God never abandoned or replaced

God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew. - Romans 11:2

  • But being a physical descendant will not get you into God’s kingdom

2. Believing Jews - An Inward Jew

  • God looks on the heart of the Jew and seeks MORE than outward works

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart. - Romans 2:28-29

  • THAT is why God is able to look at the heart of a NON-Jew (a Gentile like us), and can find righteousness through faith in the Messiah

III. Preview of What We are Going to Study this Month from the Bible

  • This morning we have learned, Who and What is “Israel”
  • Every Sunday 6pm Meeting we will study about Israel in Romans chapter 9, 10 and 11
  • In two weeks, TEN Undeniable Truths About Israel
  • And then, God’s View of Israel and What He has Planned for Them
  • Don’t miss a single Church Service!

IV. Why Should We Care?

A. If you want to know God, you are going to have to look to the Jews

Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. - John 4:22

B. Because the JEWS are the centre point of God’s attention - NOT us!

For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God; 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. - Deuteronomy 7:6

C. Because they are to be watched and learned from, and not mocked and ignored (Romans 15:4)

  1. Don’t spend all your time just in the New Testament!
  2. “As goes the Jew, so goes the world.”
  3. You watch Israel if you want to know what is going to happen in the near future

D. Because their mess-ups allowed US Gentiles to get saved (Romans 11:11-15)

E. And because everything is about to change

  • With Israel heating up
  • The antichrist coming into power in Europe
  • The Jewish temple being rebuilt
  • The Tribulation starting

F. And just before all that, there will be a special shout

Heard only by born again believers, calling us out BEFORE all that hits the world!

G. And you had better be ready!

The wrath of God on this entire sin-sick world is coming!

H. If you are NOT ready, not saved, not born again, you are doomed!

Because, Jew or Gentile, Irish or German - JESUS said, you MUST be Born Again (John 3:3)

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