Are you a Jew? That's the title
of my message this morning. Are you a Jew? Jews are a very
special people. The word comes from a word that
means celebrated. Are you a Jew? One celebrated. If you're a Jew, I have this
word with which to give you great joy. You have reason to celebrate
and you shall be celebrated by God himself. Are you a Jew? The history of the Jew is remarkable. Jews are a people scattered by
the hand of God in providence among all other peoples. You
find them in every nation among all people, yet they're incorporated
with none. They're known by all but connected
with none. They have been throughout history
despised, hated, persecuted by all other people. But the Jews
are a people distinctly marked by God and forever under the
protection of the Almighty. Are you a Jew? If you are, the
Lord God has made a very special promise to you. We read one in
Romans chapter 11. Turn back to Isaiah chapter 59.
Isaiah 59. This is where Paul quotes, the
text from which Paul quotes in Romans 11. This is a promise
that applies to you who are Jews. No one else, just the Jews. Isaiah
59 verse 20. The Redeemer shall come to Zion. and unto them that turn from
transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord. As for me, this is
my covenant with them, saith the Lord. My spirit that is upon
thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart
out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out
of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth
and forever. Now obviously you understand
that promise is not and cannot possibly be referring to those
who are Abraham's physical seed. Those who are Jews physically.
It refers to another people. Some are among Abraham's physical
seed. Others are scattered among all
the nations, peoples, tribes, and tongues of the earth. But
it is the promise given only to those who really are Jews. We read it earlier in Romans
chapter 11. And so all Israel shall be saved. When you read
that in Romans 11, 26, you can put it this way. And so all God's
elect shall be saved, as it is written. There shall come out
of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is my covenant unto
them, when I shall take away their sins. All right, our text
this morning is Romans chapter 2, verses 28 and 29. I'm hunting for Jews. Real, true,
bona fide Jews. Are you a Jew? I know this, Romans
2, 28. He is not a Jew. He is not a Jew, which is one
outwardly. He is not a Jew who looks like
a Jew. He is not a Jew who is of the
physical seed of Abraham. He is not a Jew who lives over
in Israel. He is not a Jew who lives under
the law. 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, in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not
of men, but of God. In John chapter 4, our Lord Jesus
tells us that the Lord God is seeking out and hunting for these
Jews, those Jews whom he has scattered among all the nations
of the earth and among all peoples in the world. Oh, may he be pleased
to find you out today and bring you into the enjoyment of his
covenant in union with Christ. Listen to this. The hour cometh
and now is. from true worshipers shall worship
the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to
worship him. There is only one nation in the
world in which the God of glory has any interest. There is only one nation in the
world in which the God of glory has any interest. It is not the
United States of America, and it is not the nation of Israel. Well, preacher, what nation is
it then? It is that nation described in this book as the Israel of
God, that holy nation, that peculiar people, ordained of God to show
forth his praises, his praises who has called us out of darkness
into his marvelous light. In Exodus 3, verse 18, the Lord
God, the Lord Jesus Christ, our Savior, describes himself this
way, Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews, the Lord God of the
Hebrews, distinctly, particularly the God of the Hebrews. Not the
God of the Egyptians, though he is God over the Egyptians.
Not the God of all the world, though he is God over all the
world. He is distinctly and particularly
the God of the Jews and of the Jews only. So I ask you again,
are you a Jew? Who are the Jews? Who are the
Hebrews? Are you? Am I one of them? Let's look into this book and
find out. The question is a matter of immense
importance because everything in the Word of God, everything
in this book is connected with the fact that the God of glory
is distinctly the God of the Hebrews. Until we know who the
Jews are, we cannot understand God's Word, or God's promises,
or God's covenants as they're revealed in this book. The Word
of God declares that God is in his providence, day by day fulfilling
his promises, promises made specifically to these people who are the people
of his covenant, the people of whom he speaks when he says,
I am the Lord God of the Hebrews. God does everything just for
the Jew. God does everything just for
the Jew. Now multitudes read this book
with the idea fixed in their minds that the Jewish nation
is the centerpiece of God's purpose and the apple of his eye. When
they read the covenant promises and the prophecies of scripture
relating to Israel, they've ignorantly presumed that those promises
and those prophecies and those covenants have reference to Abraham's
physical seed. to the physical descendants of
Abraham, to the nation of Israel, to that Jewish state. Nothing
could be further from the truth. God's promises, God's covenants,
and God's works are for those who truly are Jews, the Israel
of God, as they're described in Galatians chapter 6 and verse
16. God's covenant, God's promises,
God's works are specifically for the sons and daughters of
Abraham, the Jews, who are the Let's carefully follow the Word
of God and find the answer to the question. Remember what God
the Holy Ghost tells us in our text. He is not a Jew which is
one outwardly, but he is a Jew which is one inwardly. In the
ninth chapter of Romans, if you want to look at it, Romans chapter
9, beginning at verse 4, the Apostle Paul, writing by divine
inspiration, raises the question. Who are the Israelites? Who are these people called the
Israelites? To whom pertaineth the adoption,
and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and
the service of God, and the promises? Whose are the fathers of whom
concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all God blessed forever? Who are these people? So when
we hear the spirit of God declare, he is not a Jew, which is one
outwardly. Neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh.
And they are not all Israel, which are of Israel. We ought
immediately to presume, immediately, we ought to presume that when
God speaks of himself as the Lord God of the Hebrews, he's
not talking about a physical nation or a physical people.
He's not talking about somebody who can be identified with the
eyes of the flesh and with the knowledge of things natural.
He's talking about a spiritual kingdom, the spiritual descendants
of Abraham. The words Jew, Israelite and
Hebrew are used as synonyms throughout the scriptures. You remember
that God called Jacob by the name Israel. He said, because
you're a prince and you prevail with God. The word Israelite
means prince, specifically prince with God. The word Jew, as I
mentioned earlier, means celebrated. The word Hebrew is a word that
means one from beyond, one who passes over, one who lives beyond. That's a pretty good description
of God's people. God's people are princes with
God. God's people are celebrated,
celebrated by God himself. And God's people are people from
beyond. They are people who are brought
into this world in the flesh because they're one with Christ
from eternity. They are people who are passing
over, passing over the sea of time to eternity. They are people
who live beyond. We live not for the earth or
by the earth or for the things on the earth But we live for
eternity for heaven and by the things of heaven and eternity
We are God's people if you read the scriptures with honesty You
simply can't question the fact that Abraham's physical descendants
are not now and never had been the centerpiece of God's purpose
the apple of his eye Now I sympathize with that nation of Israel that's
now undergoing attack as it has been for so many years. I sympathize
with them. I don't blame them in the least
for retaliating as they have and protecting themselves just
as any other nation rightly should. But those people over in that
land are not the seed of Abraham in the spiritual sense of which
the scriptures speak. When the Lord Jesus Christ declares
himself distinctly and peculiarly to be the God of the Hebrews,
he's talking about Abraham's spiritual descendants, those
who are not after the flesh but after the spirit. Turn to Galatians
chapter 3 and just stay there for a little bit. Galatians chapter
3 verse 7. Know ye therefore that they which
are of faith, not just any faith. People say this, they are people
of faith. What does that mean? Faith in Buddha? Faith in Muhammad? What's that talking about? It's
talking about faith in Christ. The children of Abraham. The
children, they which are of faith, faith in Christ, the same are
the children of Abraham, verse 8. And the scripture foreseeing
that God would justify the heathen through faith. Watch this now.
The scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen. That's talking about you and
me. That's talking about Gentiles. Seeing that God would justify
the heathen through faith, that is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
preached before the gospel unto Abraham saying in thee. In thee shall all nations be
blessed. So then they which be of faith,
they who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, are blessed with
faithful Abraham. Abraham's physical descendants,
who do not trust Christ, have the devil for their father, not
Abraham. Our Lord Jesus made that distinction
clear in John the 8th chapter. The Pharisees boasted themselves
being children of Abraham. Our Lord said, don't boast that
Abraham's your daddy. Just because he sired you physically,
he's not your father. You are of your father the devil.
They which are of faith, they and no one else, the same are
the children of Abraham, whom God the Holy Spirit calls the
Israel of God. The true Israel of God. is not
Abraham's natural seed. They're not natural descendants
of Abraham, but the spiritual seed, the spiritual descendants
of Abraham. Abraham was the father of the
nation from whom Christ sprang after the flesh, who is the author
and finisher of our faith. And all God's children are the
children of faith. As the Spirit of God puts it
in Philippians 3, we'll look at it again tonight as we have
several times in the last several weeks. We are the circumcision.
We are God's true covenant people. We are God's elect. We are the
children of promise who worship God in the Spirit and rejoice
in Christ Jesus and have no confidence in the flesh. It is true. God
made certain promises to Abraham's physical seed. promises that
were all fulfilled to the letter. People say there's certain promises
in this book to the Jews God hadn't yet fulfilled. Oh, no,
not a word You read Jeremiah chapter 21 and chapter 23 or
Joshua 21 and 23 and you will hear Joshua declare the Lord
God I bet I take you to witness you you were standing in front
of me God has this day fulfilled every promise he made to your
father Abraham and Speaking of the physical font promises those
promises were fulfilled when the children of Israel came to
possess the land of Canaan Yet throughout the Old Testament
God's prophets continually spoke of God's salvation the salvation
of his elect in this gospel day in Connection with the gathering
of his people into their land You read the Old Testament scriptures
where God promises I'll have mercy on you and I'll gather
you to this land I'll bring you to this place. I'll cause you
to inherit this land. He's using the land of Canaan
which the children of Israel, after Abraham's physical seed,
inhibited when they took possession of it, as a type of our eternal
salvation in Christ. So the Lord God says, I'm going
to gather my elect into the land of my promise, into the land
of my blessing, into the land of my grace, gather them unto
saving faith in Jesus Christ. Paul clearly asserts that Israel
after the flesh is not the true Israel, but rather Israel after
the Spirit. God, the Holy Spirit, then, holds
Abraham before us as the father of them that believe. We're here
in Galatians chapter 3. Look again at verses 6 and 7.
Because Abraham is our father, God gives us certain marks, certain
identifying characteristics of Abraham by which God's elect
are identified in this world. Here, Paul gives us distinctly
two divinely inspired statements concerning Abraham's faith. And
by these two statements, he destroys all carnal hope, both for Jews
and Gentiles. That is all hope in the flesh.
Just because Abraham is your physical father, that doesn't
mean you've got a claim on God. I know that I speak directly
contrary to many men that I greatly admire, both past and present. The folks have the idea that
since a person is a Jew, There is a time coming when God's going
to again show them favor and be merciful to them and give
them a kingdom because they're Abraham's physical seed. That
concept and that doctrine is totally contrary to the scriptures. No man has a claim on God because
of his carnal experience or his carnal pedigree, neither Jew
nor Gentile. Abraham was justified by faith
before he was circumcised. Look at verse 6. Abraham believed
God and it was counted to him for righteousness. He was justified
without works of any kind, not even being circumcised in the
flesh. He was justified years before he was circumcised. Abraham
believed God. The object of his faith was Jesus
Christ, God's darling son, revealed to him. Well, brother Don, Christ
hadn't come into the world yet. The Lord Jesus stood before Abraham
and revealed himself to Abraham. He was the angel of the Lord
who spoke to Abraham. He's the one who was worshipped
by Abraham. Our Savior said so. He said, Abraham rejoiced to
see my day. He saw my day and rejoiced to
see my day. The apostle declares, know ye
therefore they which are of faith, The same are the children of
Abraham, Galatians 3, 7. So physical lineage from Abraham
guaranteed no spiritual blessings to the physical descendants of
Abraham. John the Baptist was baptizing and the Pharisees came
to him to be baptized. They wanted to get in on this
thing everybody else was doing. John, after all, was a Jew too.
And John said to him, go bring forth fruits of repentance and
works worthy of baptism. And he said, don't think to yourselves,
we're Abraham's seed. He said, God is able of these
stones to raise up children of Abraham. And he wasn't pointing
to the rocks by the Jordan River. He's pointing to those Gentiles
who were confessing Christ in baptism, whom the Jews commonly
called stones and dogs and such likes. He said, God's able of
the Gentiles to raise up children to Abraham. And being physical
descendants of Abraham, as that gives no claim on God for the
Jew. Being physical descendants of
godly parents gives no claim to Gentiles. There are multitudes
who imagine that because mama and daddy are saved, they're
going to be saved. A whole religious denominations are built on the
idea that when a baby is born, you bring that baby up here and
a preacher acts like a priest and sloshes a little water on
his face and the parents stand and believe God for that baby. Hogwash. No, sir, that's blasphemy. It teaches nothing but salvation
by works salvation by baptism. It's totally contrary to the
Word of God Because your mama believe God or your daddy believe
God because they faithfully serve God that gives you no claim on
God When I was in school, I had a friend with whom I worked who
was Somewhat inclined toward Presbyterian theology. I hope
he's learned better now And we were talking one day, waiting
on customers, we were just visiting, and he said, concerning his two
boys, he said, my sons are being raised in a house that fears
God. I believe God and my wife believes
God. Yes, I believe that gives my
sons a step up toward God. Oh, no. Oh no, oh no. Gives them great advantage, great
privileges, but no spiritual advantage, no spiritual privilege
unless God's pleased to reveal himself in them and give them
faith. Multitudes hope to go to heaven
on their parents' religion. It won't work. You'll find yourself
at last in hell. All spiritual blessings. Blessings
of grace Salvation and eternal life are in Christ and to come
to sinners by grace alone all who are of faith All who trust
Christ have the right to all the promises of God in all the
scriptures I was Raised in the midst of dispensational theology
and when I went to Bible College my first Week or two in college,
I learned real quickly that our textbook for theology was the
Schofield Reference Bible. And if you understood the doctrine
of Mr. Schofield's notes, you could
manage the theology pretty good. And it remained that way throughout
the years of college. Let me tell you something. The
idea that Genesis to Malachi, that's just for the Jews. And
Matthew through Luke or through John, that's just for the Jews
of the tribulation period. We can take Paul's writings from
Romans on and look at those as being for us. The writings of
Peter and James and John and the others, those are just for
the Jews. That leaves you about that much of the Bible. About
that much of it. Oh no, no, no. Every promise
of God given to all God's elect Every covenant is given to all
God's elect Every word is given to all who believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ They are the children of promise the children of the
covenant the seed of Abraham the sons and daughters of God
the Almighty The Holy Spirit tells us plainly here in Galatians
3 verses 8 and 9 that the gospel was preached to Abraham and because
God intended to have mercy upon the heathen, giving them faith,
even as he did Abraham. So then, they which be of faith
are blessed with faithful Abraham. For some reason, people have
a hard time with that. They're uncomfortable with it
because they don't understand the gospel. Multitudes really
do believe that God had one gospel for folks in the Old Testament
and another for folks in the New Testament. That God saved
people one way in the Old Testament and saves them another way in
the New Testament. Nothing, nothing like that is even indicated in
Scripture. Yes, Abraham saw Christ, knew
Christ, trusted Christ, just as believers do today. God promised
Abraham that the seed would be from his loins, who should be
the Messiah in and by whom all nations of the earth were blessed.
And Abraham believed Christ. He believed his Messiah, Redeemer. He believed God. And God promised
him that the messianic blessings were to be worldwide through
Christ the seed. And by his seed, all the seed
of Abraham would be blessed. He promised that all the nations
of the earth All the nations of the earth would be blessed
with his grace in Christ. Jesus, not everyone in those
nations, but a people chosen of God, a covenant people who
must be called out of all those nations in Galatians three, nine,
Paul was inspired of God to conclude. So then they, which are of faith
are blessed with faithful Abraham. What is Paul teaching here? He's
telling us that all God's people were chosen in Christ. He's telling
us that all God's people enjoy being clothed with the righteousness
of Christ. They have the very same righteousness
imputed to them that Abraham had. They have the very same
righteousness imparted to them that Abraham had. They're all
redeemed by Christ. They're all his sheep. They have
one fold and belong to one shepherd and belong to one fold. God's
people have their names written and recorded in one book of life
All the elect are predestined to the same glory and all shall
partake of the glories of the heavenly Jerusalem being perfected
together in Christ Jesus now Let's stay here in Galatians
3 look at verse 10 Those who are Jews Hebrews, Israelites,
like Abraham, are people passing over, people who live by faith,
not by law. For as many as are of the works
of the law, Galatians 3.10, for as many as are of the works of
the law, people are forever trying to get us to go back under the
yoke of the law. Now be careful, be careful. We
live by the commandments do you now we keep the Sabbath do you
now as? Many as of the works of the law
are under the curse For it is written Cursed is everyone that
continueth not in all things which are written in the book
of the law to do them That means if you hope to be saved by something
you do you're going to hell If you hope to be saved by something
you do, you're going to hell. Read verse 11. But that no man
is justified by the law. No man is justified by works
in the sight of God. It is evident for the just shall
live by faith. And the law is not a faith. How much plainer could scripture
be? The law is not a faith. But we in this day of grace,
believing on the Lord Jesus, are still obliged to live by
the law. It's a contradiction there. The law is not a faith. And the law is not a faith, but
the man that doeth them shall live by them. Any man who does
what's written in the law, he'll live by it. The fact is nobody
can. Only one person has, Christ Jesus
the Lord. And his righteousness, his obedience
to the law, his living by the law, his satisfying the law,
is that by which all the seed of Abraham is justified. We understand
the impossibility, then, of law righteousness. Every believer
does. Read the life of Abraham, as
is recorded in the book of God, and learn what it is to live
by faith. Let's look at some things. First,
we're told in Genesis 11 that Abraham, by faith, forsook his
own country to seek another. God called him out of Ur of the
Chaldees, called him out of that idolatrous land, and called him
out of that idolatrous world to go to a land that God would
show him. So it is with all who are called
of God. They're called out of the world,
called out of darkness, called out of Babylon. By faith, Abraham
forsook his family and followed Christ. We read about it in Genesis
12 and in Hebrews 11. He left his family. What a painful
thing. He left his family, left his
friends. For what? For Christ. For Christ. You're welcome to come go with
me, but if you don't go, I'm going anyhow. I want you to go,
but if you don't go, I'm going anyhow. By faith, Abraham separated
himself from Lot, because there was a strife between his herdsmen
and Lot's herdsmen. Why did he separate himself from
Lot? For the glory of God, lest there be any strife. By faith,
Abraham received a son. God said, about this time next
year, you're going to have a son. And Abraham laughed. And he didn't
laugh mocking God. He laughed because he was tickled
to death. God's going to give me a son. God's going to give
me a son. This old man, a hundred years
old, I will have a son. A son by whom the promised seed
of woman shall come. Christ will come and crush the
serpent's head and God will save his people. By faith, Abraham
sacrificed his son. His only son, Isaac, he took
to Mount Moriah and there sacrificed him. Slew his son upon God's
altar. and by faith received his son
from the dead." You don't really believe. You don't really believe
that story about Jesus being crucified and then rising from
the dead the third day, do you? Of course I do. Of course I do. The Son of God, I believe. I've received him as one risen
from the dead, and this one who rose from the dead now lives
in me. By faith, Abraham then sojourned
through this earth seeking a city, not receiving one parcel of land
for himself, but seeking a city whose builder and maker is God. That's how God's people live
here. not seeking the world. Now, please
don't misunderstand me. It is right for every man to
commit himself as a husband, as a father, to provide for his
family as well as he possibly can, industriously seeking to
care for his family. But here's where the rub is.
Bobby, you can't set your heart on it. If you set your heart on it,
you're gone. You can't set your heart on it. I'm living for another
world. How about you? I'm seeking a
city whose builder and maker is God and will gladly one day
leave this world. Shelby and I were talking just
yesterday, sometimes a fellow After a while, God lays him on
his bed of affliction and sickness. And you say, well, he's just
given up. Well, that's all right. There's nothing wrong with that.
That's what you expect from a fellow who's fixing to leave a place.
He's just given up. That doesn't mean he despairs
of life. Not for a believer. He lives in hope of life. He's
no longer clinging to it because we seek a city whose builder
and maker is God by faith. Abraham was buried with his fathers. What a way to describe a believer. David, I hope to die by faith. Well, you're going to die whether
you believe or not, yeah, but I hope to die by faith. I hope to die
looking to Christ seeking Christ, holding to Christ. Abraham died
by faith. If we seek to live by the law,
Paul tells us plainly, we do not live by faith. If we seek
salvation by our works, we do not live by faith. If we seek
salvation by something we do, we do not live by faith. To embrace
the law as a principle of life is to abandon faith, abandon
grace, and abandon Christ. To embrace your works is to abandon
Christ. You understand that? To embrace
your works is to abandon God's grace. To embrace your works
is to abandon God's salvation. Totally. Absolutely. Brother
Milton Howard works as a chaplain in one of the federal prisons
down in Louisiana. And he told us the other day
he was talking to a prisoner. And the prisoner had a pretty
stiff sentence. And he was real upset. He said,
looks like the judge could have shown me some mercy. He said,
what did you do? He told him. He said, what did
the law call for? And he told him, what I got. And he said,
well, that's just right. Judge did right. He said, but
it could have shown some mercy. Milton said, did you plead guilty? He said, oh, no. Do you think
I'm crazy? He said, mercy is for the guilty. Did you get that? Mercy is for the guilty. And
until you stand guilty before God and abandon your works, trust
in Christ alone, you'll never obtain mercy. Redeemed sinners
are free from the curse of the law, free from the law's condemnation. We cannot and shall not be cursed
by the law. Look at Galatians 3.13. For Christ
hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for us. For it is written, Cursed is
everyone that hangeth on a tree. Christ redeemed us. Christ redeemed
us from the curse of the law when he was made a curse for
us. And he did so, look at verse 14, that the blessing of Abraham
might come on the Gentiles. Christ redeemed us that we might
live by the power and grace of his spirit. What a clear, unmistakable
statement this is about particular effectual redemption. Hold your
hands here in Galatians 3 and turn over a couple of pages to
Hebrews 2. Hebrews chapter 2. I want you to see this. Talking
about the coming of Christ into this world. Verse 16. For verily, of a truth. Amen. He took not on him the nature
of angels. Mark, there were some angels
that fell. A third of the heavenly hosts fell. They fell, led astray
by Satan's rebellion. They fell. But Christ left them
in the damnation, reserved in chains of darkness. No mercy,
no election, no love, just curse. He took not on him the nature
of angels. But he took on him, watch this now, he took on him
the seed of Adam. I've got one $100 bill in my
wallet. I'll give it to anybody who's
got a Bible that says that. He took on him the seed of Adam.
No, he didn't. He took on him the seed of Abraham. Christ redeemed Abraham's seed. Abraham are God's covenant people.
The seed of Abraham. The seed of Abraham. These are
God's elect. Christ died for them and redeemed
them. Now, there are multitudes who
are of Abraham's seed. Jews and Gentiles who have not
yet been called by grace. We're looking for them. People
were yet scattered among the nations of the world, of whom
God the Spirit declares in Romans 9, 27, a remnant shall be saved. And in Romans 11, 5, even so
then at this present time also there is a remnant according
to the election of grace. Thank God there is a remnant
who must and shall be saved. A remnant yet today who must
and shall be saved. And so all Israel shall be saved. When the fullness of the Gentiles
has been brought in, that is when God has saved the last of
his elect among the Gentiles, the nations of the world, then
all Israel shall be saved. Just as surely as the Lord God
of the Hebrews saved Abraham's physical seed out of Egypt, He
shall save his elect by the hand of Christ, by the power of his
grace. Israel shall be saved in the
Lord, Isaiah tells us, with an everlasting salvation. You shall
not be ashamed nor confounded, world without end. Israel shall
be saved. Now that promise is extended
to all Abraham's physical seed. There's a problem. There's a
real problem. Because Korah, Dathan, Abiram,
and Judas are all in hell. If it refers to all of Abraham's
physical seed, there's a problem. You'll just have to take the
book and throw it away. Because all Abraham's physical
seed is not saved. In fact, were told plainly that
of all the millions who left Egypt and came out across the
Red Sea, those who were 20 years old and upward, all of them,
except Joshua and Caleb, perished because of unbelief. Only Joshua
and Caleb entered into the land of promise. So there are multitudes
of Abraham's physical seed who perish under the wrath of God.
That's not talking about Abraham's physical seed. It's talking about
Abraham's spiritual seed. All Israel shall be saved. Israel,
prince with God, that's the name God gave Jacob. It's the name
by which God himself designates the people to whom he's gracious.
Are you one of those people? God calls Israel. Who are these
Jews who must be saved? Of whom he is distinctly and
peculiarly the Lord their God. Let me tell you who they are. They are a people of God's loving
choice. Who is a Jew? He is a man, a
woman, loved of God and chosen by God from eternity. God says,
Jacob have I loved. Esau have I hated. Who is a Jew? He is one who is specially redeemed. Specially redeemed. Distinctly
redeemed. Now people can talk about Christ
dying for everybody in the world all they want to. That means
his death doesn't mean spirit. If he died for everybody in the
world, his death doesn't mean spirit. It's as worthless as
spirit. It didn't accomplish anything.
Oh no, his death is for a distinct Particular people called the
Israel of God when you read the book of Exodus and you get to
as a chapter 12 where God told Moses go and Tell this to the
children of Israel Don't don't even tell the Egyptians about
it Don't even tell favor what you do it tell this just in the
ears of my people take a lamb sacrifice the lamb Take his blood,
put it on the doorpost in the lentil. Eat the lamb. Tonight,
you're going out of Egypt by the blood of that lamb. And the
children of Israel, redeemed by blood, saved by power, crossed
the Red Sea, saved by God's grace. The sons of Jacob, he who is
a Jew, is one specially loved and chosen of God, distinctly,
particularly, effectually redeemed by the blood of Christ. Turn
to Genesis 28. Genesis chapter 28. Who is a
Jew? A Jew is one who's given a special
revelation. The Lord God revealed himself
here to Jacob at Bethel. He revealed himself in the person
of his son. Look at it, verse 10. Jacob went
out from Beersheba and went toward Haran and he lighted upon a certain
place and tarried there all night Because the Sun was set and he
took of the stones of that place and put them for his pillows
and he laid down in that place to sleep and he dreamed and behold
a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reached to
heaven and Behold the angels of God ascending and descending
on it Behold the Lord stood above it and said I am the Lord God
of Abraham thy father the God of Isaac The land were on their
last to thee will I give it and to thy seed and thy seed shall
be as the dust of the earth and thou shalt spread abroad to the
west and to the east and to the north and to the south and in
thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed not seeds seed And behold, I am with thee, and will keep
thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again
into this land. For I will not leave thee until
I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. And Jacob
awaked out of his sleep and said, surely the Lord is in this place. And I knew it not. And he was
afraid. And he said, how dreadful is
this place. This is none other than the house
of God and the gate of heaven. God's people, God's Israel. He who is a Jew is one to whom
Christ Jesus is specially revealed. You see, salvation comes not
by a decision, not by signing a little card a preacher gives
you, not by saying amen at the end of a prayer, not by walking
down a church aisle. Salvation comes to sinners by
the revelation of Christ in you. When Christ is revealed in you,
you believe on the Son of God. They are a people converted by
God's grace. Grace conquered Jacob. Grace
forced Jacob to acknowledge himself as Jacob, a sinner, supplater,
tricky, deceitful. And grace compelled Jacob to
surrender to Christ. You remember the man who wrestled
with Jacob? He wrestled with Jacob, and pinned him, and said,
who are you? And Jacob said, I'm Jacob. And
he said, no more. Now you're Israel. You're a prince
with God. Who are the sons of Jacob? Who
are these Jews? They are a people of distinct
and peculiar God-given faith. They believe on the Son of God. And they are under God's peculiar
care and watch all the time. I am with thee. I will keep thee. I will never leave thee. And he blessed him. Those are
God's promises. Israel shall be saved. All Israel
shall be saved. They shall be saved in the Lord. Saved with an everlasting salvation
and shall never be ashamed and never be confounded. What's your
hope before God? How do you live before God? What's the basis of your hope
of eternal life? Jesus Christ crucified. That's all. That's all. But what about your works? Oh,
no, just Christ. But what about your feelings? No, no, just Christ.
But what about your food? No, just Christ. That's all my
hope. That's it. That's it. I trust him. Trust in Christ. You will never
be confused. You will never be ashamed. You
will never be confounded. But I promise you, I promise
you, if you start to lean somewhere else, your works, your fruit,
your goodness, your prayer life, your Christian life, your devotion,
your righteousness, whatever it is, your feelings, your experience. I trust Christ. But I don't,
but I, but I, but I, well you're going to be confused. You're
going to be confounded. And you're going to be put to
confusion. But even in the day of judgment, trust in Christ.
You shall not be confounded. You shall not be ashamed. You
shall not be confused. Would you be of this number,
partaker of this everlasting salvation? Look unto me. And be ye saved, all the ends
of the earth, for I am God, and there is none else. Happy art
thou, O Israel, who is likened to thee, O people saved by the
Lord. Are you a Jew? Am I? Yes, I am. Yes, I am. I know I am because Christ has
been revealed in me. I trust him, his blood, his righteousness,
his grace. And I celebrate his salvation. I am celebrated by him who sees
in me the travail of his soul and is satisfied. And in the
third chapter of Zephaniah, I read that there's a day coming When
the Lord God himself in the midst of us who is mighty will rejoice
and sing over us. Imagine that Bobby. The triune
God will celebrate you and me as trophies of his grace for
his glory forever. Believe on Christ and you too
are a son of Abraham. Amen.