Let's take our Bibles and turn
with them to the book of Acts, Acts 28. This dear book that
we are now in the last chapter, the record of the early church as we know the forming
of the assemblies of these And we watch Acts 28. I want to speak tonight on the
subject of the hope of Israel. You know, when a believer is
bound to Christ in love, the sufferings of this life,
the Scripture sets forth. Scripture, the Word of God that
cannot lie. The Apostle Paul says these are
light afflictions. Light. And you know, we may look at
them and think, this is the worst thing that could happen to me.
Oh, no. Oh, no. Leave this world without a surety? Let me rephrase that. Leave this
world without Christ. The surety. That's the worst
thing. Verse 16 says, And when we came
to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain
of the guard. But Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier
that kept him. Now here was the Apostle Paul.
And here is a light affliction, light affliction. That is what
he said. Under the inspiration of the
Spirit of God, he said these light afflictions, here he is
chained to a Roman soldier, prison. But he was God's free servant. in Christ. It's like saying that,
you know, they don't allow you to pray in certain places. You can't stop a believer from
praying. How do you do that? A believer calls upon the Lord in his heart. And here was Paul
the Apostle, free to rejoice and free to behold the sufficiency
of God's grace. He knew, I'm where I am by the
grace of God. I'm who I am by the grace of
God. And it came to pass, verse 17,
that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together.
And when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren,
though I have committed nothing, against the people or customs
of our fathers? Yet was I delivered prisoner
from Jerusalem into the hands of the Roman who, when they had
examined me, would have let me go because there was no cause
of death in me. But when the Jews spake against
it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar, not that I had ought
to accuse my nation of. For this cause, therefore, have
I called for you to see you, to speak with you, because that
for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain." And they said
unto him, We need to receive letters out of Judea concerning
thee, neither any of the brethren that came showed or spake any
harm of thee. But we desire to hear of thee
what thou thinkest. Or as concerning this sect, we
know that everywhere it is spoken against. Now, the Apostle Paul,
the free servant of God, is bound to a Roman soldier. And he calls
a group of Jews, unbelieving Jews, evidence by what they just
said to him, ignorant men, ignorant of God's grace, ignorant of God's
mercy and compassion to the Gentiles. The reason I know that they were
ignorant is because of Paul having to call them and to explain to
them why he was there. They were ignorant of God's predestinating
dealings with His people. He came and he told them, he
said, I have not committed anything. against the people, the customs
of the fathers. I was delivered here prisoner
by the Romans. They were ignorant of the gospel
of God's grace. Because verse 22 that I just
read, we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest for as concerning
this sect. They're talking about Christians.
They're talking about believers. We know that everywhere it's
spoken against. They said, now we don't know
exactly what's going on. I mean, we really hadn't heard
a whole lot against you. Nobody spoke of you. But we do
know this, that what you're preaching, it's not going well with a lot
of the folks that we hang around with. That's what they're saying. Paul the Apostle knew that the
Lord had a people in all places. He knew that God had not forsaken
national Israel. You remember this. Paul is a
Jew, a national Jew. Romans 11.1 says, I say then,
hath God cast away his people? God forbid, for I also am an
Israelite of the seed of Abraham. He qualifies. He said, I'm from the lineage. I'm a Jew. I'm a Jew by birth. National, natural birth. Has God cast away? He said, I'm
of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away His people
which He foreknew. The Lord had not cast away those
that He had everlastingly loved in Christ and chosen out of the
nation of natural Israel, those to be spiritual Israel. He hadn't forsaken them. Here
is the Apostle Paul being wise as a serpent, harmless as a dove. If it be possible, this is what
the Apostle Paul said in Romans 12, 18, as much as life in you,
live peaceably with all men. Now he's in Rome, a Roman prisoner. And he has the liberty to be
able to, though chained to a Roman soldier, to be able to have people
come in and talk to him. Here's this Roman soldier that
he's chained to. There he was, bound to that Roman
soldier, but free to talk to anybody that came. And he talks
to this group of Jews. He wasn't unnecessarily offensive. You don't have to be unnecessarily
offensive. Be kind and considerate, but
under no circumstance are you to compromise the truth of the
gospel. We don't compromise on it. Paul
said, I'm not ashamed of it. That is the power of God unto
salvation. parties and gimmicks and we preach
the Gospel. That is the only thing that we
set forth, the Gospel of God's grace. He said back in verse
20, For this cause, therefore, have I called for you, to see
you, to speak with you, because that for the hope of Israel am
I bound with this chain. So Paul sets forth for the sake
of preaching Christ, for the glory of preaching Christ. That's
why he said, I'm right here. Three things I'd like to say,
three things, three questions about the hope of Israel. Number
one, who is the Israel of whom Paul speaks? Now I know that
there's a big push, especially if you watch any kind of religious
programming whatsoever. Everybody and their brother is
going to be saying you need to stick with Israel. You need to
stick with that country on the other side of the world that
is in that little piece of real estate. Go against Israel, you go against
God. Who is the Israel? Whose hope? The hope of Israel. What Israel? Paul said in Romans 9, 6, 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." Now, Almighty God, concerning
national Israel, has fulfilled all the promises to national
Israel. that He's ever going to fulfill.
I want you to turn to Joshua chapter 21. Joshua 21,
verse 43 to 45. Joshua 21, And the Lord gave unto Israel all the land
which He swore to give unto their fathers, and they possessed it,
and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them rest round
about, according to all that He sware unto their fathers.
And there stood not a man of all their enemies before them.
The Lord delivered all their enemies into their hand, and
there failed not ought of any good thing which the Lord had
spoken unto the house of Israel, all came to pass. He promised national Israel He
was going to give them Canaan. He gave them Canaan. He promised
national Israel that He was going to bring them to that holy mountain. He did. He divided to them their
portion. He drove out their enemies. And this was all a type of his
faithfulness to spiritual Israel. Now all that Almighty God is
going to do and shall forever do for Israel, the spiritual
Israel, is in the Lord Jesus Christ. Outside of Christ, Almighty
God promises one thing, justice and wrath. How can a man be just
with God? One way. Apart from spiritual
Israel in Christ. Now, I'm not saying that the
Lord is not going to send back the Gospel. I believe He will.
That the day of the Gentiles will shift. It's like it went from the Jews
to the Gentiles and God will raise up. But I will tell you
this, it will all be spiritual Israel. All in Christ. All that He promised to national,
natural, historical, the country of Israel, He fulfilled. It all came to pass. Everything
that He promised, it came to pass. And now, just as Almighty
God has fulfilled all His promises, to physical Israel, He's going
to surely fulfill all of His promises to spiritual Israel.
So whenever somebody tells you, you better stick with Israel,
ask them, which Israel are you talking about? They're not all
Israel that are of Israel. In Isaac, has God forsaken Israel? No. Not those that He foreknew.
What about the rest? He forsook them. Only those in
Christ. Spiritual Israel is His elect. Jew and Gentile. They are all
spiritual Israel. It is for them that the Lord
Jesus Christ came into this world. It is for them that Christ lived
and died. It's always been the purpose
of God to gather His elect, His Israel, from the four corners
of the world. Look at Romans 11. Romans 11,
verse 25. Romans 11, 25. For I would not,
brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest we should
be wise in our own conceits, that blindness, in part, This
is what I was talking about a few minutes ago about the Lord that
will move upon national Israel again in a great calling out. I believe He will. I believe
this is what it teaches, that blindness in part is happened
to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles come in. And
so all Israel shall be saved. Does that mean all national Israel? You know it doesn't. Spiritual
Israel, for it is written, there shall come out of Sion the deliverer,
and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant
unto them, and I shall take away their sins. As concerning the
gospel, they are enemies for your sakes, but as touching the
election, they are beloved for the Father's sakes." And I want
you to notice the word Father's there. It starts with a little
f. It's not God the Father. is for
that everlasting covenant that He made with the fathers of Israel,
Abraham, Isaac, Jacob. It was that covenant that He
made with them that said, your seed will be. A promise that
God made. The true spiritual Israel. Those that are circumcised in
the heart worship God in the Spirit and trust the Lord Jesus
Christ for their salvation and they have no confidence in the
flesh, that is the true Israel. That's the Israel that I'm talking
about whose hope is the Lord Jesus Christ. So who is the Israel?
Spiritual Israel. Here's the second question. Who
is Israel's hope? For the hope of Israel. I don't
even need to answer this. You know this. Spiritual Israel's hope is a
person. It is the Lord Jesus Christ.
And tonight you either have Christ as your hope or you have yourself
as your hope. Either Christ is all-sufficient
for you or you are all-sufficient for you. And 1 Timothy 1 says this, Paul,
an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior
and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope, our confidence,
our expectation. This blessed title means our
anticipation. if by the Spirit of God He has
given me a settled expectation. If I by faith see Him and behold
with confidence that what He has said concerning me and has
given me a love for Him, I am settled. What can man do unto me? Christ is our hope. He has always
been the hope of Israel. Jeremiah 17, verse 13, O LORD,
the hope of Israel, all that forsake Thee shall be ashamed,
and they that depart from Me shall be written in the earth."
I thought, written in the earth? What does that mean, written
in the earth? I looked it up. It means like words written in
the dust. How long do you think that lasts?
Not very long. All that forsake me, All that
depart from Me shall be written in the earth, because they have
forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living waters." Who is the
hope of Israel? It is Christ. Who is Israel? Spiritual Israel. Who is the
hope of Israel? It is Christ. And thirdly, what
is the basis of our hope in Christ? Here's the bottom line. What do you have to base your hope on in Him? I think that's a good question.
What do you have? Do you know what it is? It's His Word. His Word. That's all we got. That's all
we need. That's all you've got? That's all we want. His Word
is not going to return void. His Word. His Word. 1 John 5, 12, 13 says, He that
hath the Son hath life. He that hath not the Son hath
not life. These things have I written unto
you that believe on the name of the Son of God, that you may
know that you have eternal life that you may believe on the name
of the Son of God." His Word. God's Word. The Lord Jesus Himself. In the beginning was the Word,
and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. When I say,
what do you have? You have the Word of God. You
have Christ. You know, there's few people
There's many sitting here tonight that I feel this way about. But
there's few people that you can really say, you know, if he tells
you something, just take it to the bank. If they tell you something,
depend on it. Now there's many that we know
they tell you something just, I don't believe you. You know,
you've been so untruthful to me so many times, I don't believe
anything you say. But, buddy, to have one that's
truthful, truthful. He said, I am the way, the truth,
and life. No man cometh to the Father but
by me. Do you know what a believer says?
This is what I've got. This is the basis of my hope
in Christ. He said He's the way. And He's
given me a heart to believe Him. And a believer rests his soul on the Word of Christ Himself. To be able to say that I am so able to just rest in it
without any waverings or doubts or fears, I'd be less than truthful because I'm just like you are.
I wrestle every day and I struggle every day. I can remember a time in my life
when I thought, man, I tell you what, I wish I could be like
that preacher right there. Man, I tell you what, I wish
I could be like him. I'm sure he never doubts. Man, I tell
you what, he must walk at least six inches above the ground because
there's no possible way that he could ever think anything
that would cause any kind of waverings. No. But I do have hope. And my hope
is not, Carl, in the best that I can do. It's not in the best
that I can think or I can figure out. This is my hope. God Almighty has had mercy toward
me, given me hope, given me a confidence. A believer has confidence. And
I'll tell you why. He's like blind Bartimaeus. He continually finds himself
crying out, Jesus, thou Son of David, have mercy on me. I've
said this before. It amazes me. An unbeliever acts
as though that there's never anything wrong. There's never
anything wavering. There's never a problem. And
a believer You find them struggling all the time. Every time they
hear the gospel of free grace, it's like they're, you know,
I don't want to miss what you're saying. And be truthful with
me. You tell me what Almighty God
has got to say because that's the only thing that matters. That's all I've got. Regenerated
sheep. have confidence in the fact that
where He is, we are going to be with Him. And shall behold
His glory, see Him as He is, be like Him, and all that He
has obtained by His obedience to the Father, all that He has earned as the obedient servant, the
Man, Christ Jesus, the Son of Man, all that this Man, the Lord
Jesus Christ, the God-Man, totally God, totally Man, all that He
has wrought out in absolute righteousness and the reward that the Father
has given Him. He who is the obedient Son. This is my beloved Son in whom
I am well pleased. He who is the heir of all things. We are joint heirs with Him. Now I will tell you something.
In all of my trials and tribulations and troubles and doubts and fears,
it's just like for a minute, just maybe, let me get it down
to a second, maybe a half a second, Bob. For just a half a second,
it seems like I could, I think on that. It's like I have a moment,
a gene of comfort. Just that quick. And then I find
myself. Is that the way it is with you?
I think so. But there's coming a day when what I have thought that
I've been able to perceive for just a moment, what I thought I entered into
for just a second, will be immeasurably opened up. And for all of eternity
shall behold Him as He is and be like Him and reign with Him." That gives joy to my heart. One day I will truly understand. all that His glorious humanity
is, we have by virtue of our union with Him. John 17, 22,
And the glory, the Lord Jesus Christ said, which thou hast
given Me, I have given them, that they may be one, even as
We are one. Let me read this for you in closing. Lamentations 3, verse 21 to 26. This I recall to my mind, therefore
have I hope. It is of the Lord's mercies that
we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They
are new every morning. Great is thy faithfulness. The
Lord is my portion, saith my soul. Therefore will I hope in
Him. The Lord is good unto them that
wait for Him, to the soul that seeketh Him. It is good that
a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the
Lord. Paul told that group of unbelieving
Jews. They came to him and they told him. They said, well, we hadn't heard a whole lot of
things about you personally, but we've heard about what you're
preaching. And we know this, that it's evil spoken of. for the hope of Israel am I sent
to this place." The hope of Israel. Who is Israel? It's God's elect. All the promises of God Almighty
that have been, are being, and shall be fulfilled is for God's
elect. Who is their hope? It's the Lord
Jesus Christ. And what is the basis of their
hope? The Word of God. His purpose. His will. His covenant. His good pleasure. What do you
base all your hope on? God Almighty has been merciful
to me. that He has looked upon me in
kindness and given me a hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. Tell
me that story one more time because I'm so prone to forget.