Galatians chapter 3. I want to read verses 6 and 7 of
Galatians chapter 3. Even as Abraham believed God,
and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye, therefore,
that they which are of faith, the same are the children of
Abraham. Who are the children of Abraham? Let's pray. Lord, how we thank you for who
you are, how we thank you for the. Salvation that's in your
son. How we thank you for the complete
acceptance we have in him that we're accepted in the beloved
Lord, we ask in Christ's name that your gospel would be preached
in the power of your spirit and that. These words from your word
will come to us as good news from a far country. meet with us. Lord, those of
our number that are sick, we pray for your continued healing
hand upon them according to your will. Be with all your people
wherever they meet together, in Christ's name we pray, amen. Who are the children of Abraham? Now, Paul says very plainly in
verse seven, Know ye therefore that they which are of faith,
the same are the children of Abraham. There we have the answer.
They which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. Not physical descendants. But
those people who believe the gospel, they're the true Jews.
They're the true children of Abraham. Look in verse 29 of
this same chapter. And if ye be Christ's, then are
you Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. Now turn with me for a moment
to Genesis chapter 18. Hold your finger there and turn
to Genesis chapter 18. I hate to admit to this, but
when I was a young man, I used this passage of scripture some
30 years ago to bring a message on good parenting. And I'm all
for good parenting. But I missed, and somebody says,
well, why should I be listening to you if you missed that bad?
I don't know, but I missed that bad on this one. Look in Genesis
chapter 18, verse 17. Now give me a break, this was
like 35 years ago when I did this. I was a young man, ignorant. You know, I started pastoring
this church. Well, we started this church when I was 22 years
old. That's incredible. I wouldn't listen to somebody
22 years old. Genesis chapter 18, verse 17,
and the Lord said, shall I hide from Abraham that thing which
I do, seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great And mighty
nation and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in
him." Speaking of the seed that would come through him. And look
what it says in verse 19. This is the Lord speaking. He
says, for I know him. that he will command his children
and his household after him and they shall keep the way of the
Lord to do justice and judgment that the Lord may bring upon
Abraham that which he hath spoken of him. Now this is talking about
Abraham's spiritual seed. Not his physical seed, his spiritual
seed. They will keep the way of the
Lord and do justice and judgment. Those who are born of the spirit
of God. Now turn to Romans nine. I'm
gonna ask you to look at several scriptures that set this up.
Romans chapter nine. Verse six. It's not as though
the word of God has taken none effect, for they are not all
Israel, which are of Israel." Now, let me say this before I
go on reading. Most people think that God's got two plans, one
for Israel and one for the Gentiles. No, He doesn't. He's always only
had one purpose. Verse six, not as though the
word of God has taken none effect for they are not all Israel which
are of Israel, neither because they are the seed of Abraham
are they all children, but in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
That is they which are the children of the flesh. These are not the
children of God. These people who were born Israelites,
they're not the children of God, but the children of the promise
are counted for the seed. And if you go on reading, you're
gonna find out the children of the promise are the elect. They
are the ones who are counted for the seed. After the Lord made himself known
to Zacchaeus, Zacchaeus said, behold, the half
of my goods I give to the poor. And if I've taken anything by
any man by false accusation, I restore unto him fourfold,
And you know what the Lord said? This day of salvation come to
this house, not because of the good things he did, but because
he is a son of Abraham. That's why salvation has come
to this house. He's a true son of Abraham. Remember the Gentile
woman that came to the Lord and the Syrophoenician woman, and
she came asking for mercy and he answered her, not a word.
And she continued to beg. And he said, I'm not sent, but
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That's the only people
I came for. the lost sheep of the house of
Israel. Now, I know this refers to the
elect, but it is the lost sheep of the house of Israel. That's
who he came to save. Acts chapter five, verse 31,
when Peter's preaching, he says, him hath God exalted to be a
prince and a savior to Israel. Now, he speaks of Israel. He's not talking about national
Israel. He's talking about spiritual
Israel. I'm a Jew. I'm an Israelite. Every believer is an Israelite. Now, somebody says, well, what
about the nation of Israel? God did do something for them,
but he didn't do for everybody else. He did. Exodus 11.7. God says, against any of the
children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against
man or beast, that you may know how that the Lord doth put a
difference between Israel and the Egyptians. So there was a
big difference, but it was given to illustrate this spiritual
difference, spiritual Israel. Now they are not all Israel,
which are of Israel. They're not true children. Now,
what I'd like to try to do is give you six passages of scripture
that teach us what a true Israelite is. Now Paul says, in plain terms,
know ye therefore that they which are of faith the same are the
children of Abraham, they're the true Israelites. Now turn
with me to Hebrews chapter eight. Verse six, but now he hath obtained
a more excellent ministry by how much also he is the mediator
of a better covenant. which was established upon better
promises. For if the first covenant had
been faultless, this is talking about the law, if it had been
faultless, is there any fault in it? Well, there wasn't any
error in it, but it couldn't save anybody. That's what he's
saying. For if the first covenant had
been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the
second for finding fault with them. He saith, God says, behold,
the days come, saith the Lord, when I'll make a new covenant
with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in
the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the
land of Egypt, because they continued not in my covenant, I regarded
them not, saith the Lord, for this is the covenant that I'll
make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord,
I will put my laws, plural, into their mind. and write them into
their hearts. Now, a true Israelite, a true
son or daughter of Abraham is somebody that God has taken his
laws and written them in their hearts. Now, God's writing is
effectual. He never erases. It's there for
good when he does this. Now, this is not talking about
the Ten Commandments. You were born into this world with the
Ten Commandments written in your heart, knowing the difference
between right and wrong. You don't have to teach somebody
it's wrong to lie, they know it, but they naturally do it
anyway, don't they? It's their nature, their sinful
nature, but you know it's wrong to murder somebody, you know
it's wrong to steal, on and on. That law is written in everybody's
heart. So what's he talking about when
he says, I'll write my laws in their hearts? Well, these could
very well be called the laws of the new nature. Paul called
it the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus, which has made
me free from the law of sin and death. These are the laws he
writes in the heart, the law of the spirit of life in Christ
Jesus. Now, I want to read Romans chapter seven. You can turn there
if you want to. Here's the first law. I find middle of verse 21. I
find in a law. You're not everybody finds this. Only the believer. An unbeliever
cannot really get ahold of this. It's not a intellectual problem. It's just that he's a stranger
to this because he doesn't have a new man. God's law has never
been written in his heart like this. I find in the law that
when I would do good, evil is present with me, for I delight
in the law of God after the inward man, but I see another law in
my members, warring against the law of my mind and bringing me
into captivity to the law of sin, which is in my members. If you're a believer, You are
well aware of a law of sin in you. A sinful nature. And you can't make that go away. It is still there. The law of sin, which is in your
members. Let me remind you, Romans 7 is
the healthy state of the believer. I remember one time a lady said
to me, we need to get out of Romans 7 into Romans 8. That's just plumb-dumb. You're
in Romans 7 all the time, you're in Romans 8 all the time. The
law of sin. And then we read in Romans 9
31 of the law of righteousness. the law of righteousness. Now
this is in every believer's nature. I can't find satisfaction in
anything but a perfect righteousness before God's holy law. If I don't
have that, I don't have any confidence. Now this is a law in every believer. You cannot rest in anything but
a perfect standing before God's holy law. You stand as righteous
before that holy law. And if you can't see that, If
you think you're missing something, you're not gonna have any assurance,
you're not gonna have any joy, you're not gonna have any faith,
but the believer sees Christ is the end of the law for righteousness. We stand before God perfect in
this law of righteousness. And then in Romans chapter three,
verse 27, we read of the law of faith. The law of faith. Now, do you know that if you're
a believer, you can't not believe? You can't. You always have unbelief
along with it. I believe, help thou mine unbelief,
but you can't not believe. You can't not believe that Jesus
Christ is the son of God. You can't not believe that he's
all you need. You cannot, now somebody's thinking,
well, I'm afraid I am. Well, maybe the devil's whispering
in your ear, but you can't not believe if you're a new man in
Christ Jesus. You have a nature, you see that
nature he's given you. causes you to believe. The law
of faith. And then we read in James 2.12
of the law of liberty. Now this is in a believer's DNA.
I've got to have liberty. If you put me under law, I can't
deal with it. I won't deal with it. I will
not. I've got to have liberty. What
is liberty? It means I don't owe anything.
It means I do what I want to do, not because of what I have
to do, but I'm doing what I want to do. There's a law of liberty. Stand fast in the liberty wherewith
Christ has made us free and be not entangled in that yoke of
bondage. Now, this is a child of Abraham.
He's got to have liberty, freedom. If you put me under a law that
I have to do, won't go there. I refuse. Every believer must
have liberty. All debt's paid and we're serving
Christ because that's what we want to do. I mean, his commandments
are not grievous, they're not heavy, they're not burdensome.
Liberty, freedom. And then James speaks in James
2.8 of the royal law of love. Every believer loves God as he
is, as he's revealed in his word. And they love their brethren.
It's their nature to do so. This is the law of the new nature. And then, of course, we have
in Galatians chapter six, the law of Christ. If a man's overtaken
in a fall, you which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit
of meekness, considering yourself, lest you also be tempted. Bear ye one another's burdens
and so fulfill the law of Christ. Don't you love that law? When
we were driving over here, I mentioned Lynn once again. Gene Rutledge made one of my
favorite all-time statements that a human being's ever made.
I've got far too many sins of my own to be worried about somebody
else's sins. Isn't that good? Considering yourself, lest you
also be tempted. Bear one another's burdens, put
up with one another, and so fulfill the law of Christ. Now that's the true Israelite. That's the true child of Abraham
whom God has put his laws, the laws of the new nature in their
heart. And the Lord said to Nathanael in John 147, behold an Israelite
indeed in whom is no guile. Now that's the true Israelite.
Same thing as David said in Psalm 32, 1 and 2, blessed is he whose
transgression is forgiven, whose iniquity is covered, blessed
is the man whom the Lord will not impute sin, and in whose
spirit there's no guile. Now, what is this no guile? This is before God. You are a dishonest, guileful
person if you claim to be anything other than that of being a sinner
before God. The only honesty anybody demonstrates
before God is when they see that in and of themselves they are
nothing but sin, period. If you say anything else, you're
dishonest. You're deceitful. You're not
being honest. Every believer is honest before
God. Now, does this mean you're never
a hypocrite? No, you're always a hypocrite.
Every one of us, to one degree or another, trying to project
some kind of image. I realize that. And we've got
this thing called the flesh. It's always there. But before
God, you're a sinner and you know it. And you're also before
God, perfectly righteous in the Lord Jesus Christ. That's the
godless spirit. In Romans chapter 2, turn there
with me and let me just read this. Who are the children of
Abraham? Verse 28. For he is not a Jew, which is
one outwardly. I don't know how many different
ways there are to take that. That he's not a Jew, which is one
outwardly. Neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh,
but he's a Jew, which is one inwardly. And circumcision is
that of the heart in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise
is not of men, but of God. God praises this true Jew. Why? Because it's his work. We are
his workmanship. God praises what he does and
he praises the true Jew whose circumcision is at the heart.
He's the one who performed this circumcision. That's the new
heart that he gives. Galatians chapter six, turn with
me there, please. Galatians 6 verse 16. And as many as walk according
to this rule. Peace be on them and mercy and
upon the Israel of God. This is the Israel of God who
walk according to this rule. Now, how many people will say
the law is the believer's rule of life? The Ten Commandments. I love the Ten Commandments. They glorify God. I love the
Ten Commandments. I would not in any way even think
disrespectfully of the holy law of God. Like Paul said, I delight
in the law of God after the inward man, the new man. I love God's
law. Is God's law my rule of life?
Well, I've not kept one commandment one time, and neither have you. What is the believer's law then? Well, look what he says in verse
14 of Galatians chapter six. But God forbid that I should
glory save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the
world is crucified unto me and I unto the world. For in Christ
Jesus, neither circumcision avails anything nor uncircumcision.
but a new creation. As many as walk according to
this rule. What rule? Well, this talks about the work
of Christ for us and in us. Gloring only in the cross and
understanding that his work in us is that of a new creation,
something that was not there before he put it there, that
he created, ex nihilo, brought in, created something from nothing.
And put it there, as many as walk according to this rule,
this is the believer's rule of life. Not glory in anything but
the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ and understanding you're the
creative act of God. Nothing you can glory in, is
there? He did it all and you love it that way. Turn to Philippians
chapter three. Who are the children of Abraham? Who are the true Jews? Who are
the true Israelites? Philippians chapter three, verse
three. Four, we are the circumcision. Now there's his announcement.
We are the circumcision. We are the true Jews. We are the children of Abraham. which worship God in the spirit
and rejoice in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. Now here's the true Jew. He worships
God. He worships God for who he is. You know, you'll only worship
an absolute sovereign where you're in his hands. He's not in your
hands. You're in his hands. And you bow before him as he's
revealed in his word. We worship God in the spirit, not in the flesh. in the spirit. That's in that spiritual nature
that he has given birthed by the spirit of God. When you're
birthed by the spirit of God, you have a spiritual nature. That's what Paul is talking about
when he says the flesh lusts against the spirit, the spirit
lusts against the flesh. It's not talking about the Holy
Spirit. It's talking about the new spiritual man in Christ Jesus. We are the circumcision which
worship God in the spirit. A natural man cannot worship
God. That's why I never say to somebody
that's an unbeliever, come worship with us. I'll say, come hear
the gospel. Come hear the glorious gospel
of the blessed God. believe the gospel, but I don't
say come worship with us because only someone with a spiritual
nature can worship. Worship is impossible unless
God gives me this spiritual nature spoken of. They that worship
him must worship him in spirit and in truth. That's what the
Lord said. You can't worship without this
spiritual nature. Now what, how do I know if I have the spiritual
nature? I mean, this is way above the flesh. How can I know if
I have this spiritual nature? Look with me in Philippians 3,
3. For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit
and rejoice in Christ Jesus. Now that word rejoice. is the
same word that we have already looked at in Galatians 6.14.
God forbid that I should glory save in the cross of the Lord
Jesus Christ. Here's what spiritual worship is. It's glorying only
in Christ Jesus. It's not spiritual worship if
it's not that. Spiritual worship glories. Like
Paul said, God forbid that I should glory, that I should have confidence
in, that I should boast in, that I should take credit for anything
save the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's spiritual worship. Looking only to Christ. Anything
else is fleshly. That's all it can be called.
Fleshly. Of the flesh. Evil. Ungodly. Wicked. We may call
it worship, but that's not what God calls it. Only they who rejoice
only in Christ Jesus are performing spiritual worship. Well, how
do I know if I'm looking only to Christ? Well, here's a third
mark. It means you have no confidence
in the flesh. Here's spiritual worship. By the Holy Spirit. looking only
to Christ, and the only time you look only to Christ is when
you have absolutely no confidence in the flesh. That's spiritual
worship. That's the truth as it is in
Christ Jesus. Now, the last mark I would give
of a true Jew, a child of Abraham,
the seed of Abraham who will keep justice and judgment is
this. What was written over the head of the Lord Jesus Christ
as he hung on the tree? Jesus of Nazareth, the King of
the Jews. He truly is the King of the Jews,
isn't he? A true Jew is someone who sees
Jesus Christ as king of kings, lord of lords. He's king. I don't mean like
an earthly king with borrowed authority. He inherently is king. He's my king. He's my king. That's true of every believer. Who are the true Jews? Who are
the true children of Abraham, seed of Abraham? They which be
of faith, the same, are the children of Abraham. You're looking at
a Jew.