Episode Transcript
Jesus said in Matthew 28:19, go therefore, and teach all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Welcome to go teach all nations, bringing you Christ's teachings through australian and international speakers. And here is today's presenter, Pastor Warren Strawbridge.
It's always a privilege to be able to stand and speak something that the Lord has put on your heart. And today I wanted to preach, not particularly this sermon, but a sermon like this for some time. I felt impressed to share a message on the kingdom of God and what the kingdom of God is and what the kingdom of God isn't.
You know, when Jesus came to this earth the first time as a baby and he grew up, and finally when he was baptised and anointed and became the Messiah, there was much confusion about the kingdom. The people were looking forward to the kingdom of God. They were looking forward to the Messiah coming because they wanted to be rid of the Romans.
They hated the fact that they were controlled by another power and they were looking forward to a Messiah who was going to come and drive these Romans out of their land, or so they thought. Ellen White says about the SDA Church that we are very much that Israel is a picture of us. And there were times where Israel was faithful and there were times that they weren't.
There were times where they understood and there were times that they didn't understand. And definitely in the time of Christ, the church very much didn't understand what the kingdom of God was about. So the question is, do we understand what the kingdom of God is about? And today I want to share what the kingdom of God actually was in the time of Christ and what it is today.
You know, the people wanted to make Jesus the king, they wanted to crown him. And when they saw the miracles that he did, it gave them confidence that here was a Messiah that could do miracles, who could feed people, the feeding of the 5,000, the feeding of the 4,000, he could heal people. And so they had confidence that here was a person that was going to help them set up the kingdom of heaven here on earth and drive out the hated Romans.
However, what kingdom did Jesus refer to when he talked about his kingdom? You know, many times he spoke about the kingdom that he was setting up. But people, because of their thinking, could not see what kingdom Jesus was going to set up. You know, in the Lord's Prayer in Matthew chapter six, it says, our Father, which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name, Thy kingdom come.
You know, what kingdom do you think that's referring to. Most people would say it's the kingdom, the second coming. When Christ returns, it's going to be when the kingdom comes to this world.
And that's certainly what the people thought. They thought this kingdom was coming, but they thought it was a physical kingdom. And today, most people think it's the second coming.
That's the kingdom that is referred to in the Lord's Prayer. You know, even John the Baptist struggled with understanding what this kingdom was because he couldn't understand why was Jesus not taking control, why was he not driving out the Romans. And, you know, after the feeding of the 5,000 and after the triumphal entry, the people tried to crown Jesus.
They wanted to make him king. Because, you see, they only thought in the physical, in the fleshly. And today we can be like that too.
We can only see things in the flesh. But you see, God's kingdom isn't a kingdom of flesh. God's kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.
You know, when the rich young ruler came to Jesus, he knew he lacked something. Jesus challenged him about the commandments, and he said, well, I've kept them all. What do I still lack? He knew he lacked something.
Jesus touched on the point of his problem, which obviously was his money, his wealth, his power. And he walked away very sorrowful because he wasn't prepared to give that up. You know, the thief on the cross, he expressed faith.
He expressed faith in Jesus. And Jesus said to him, today, today you will be with me in paradise. Today you will be with me in my kingdom.
Now, here was Jesus hanging on a cross. And to everybody then they thought he was a failure. He had failed them.
It looked like his kingdom was a failure. But today, with hindsight, as we look back, that was the crowning of God's kingdom. When Jesus died for each one of us that his sins, that sorry that our sins were able to be forgiven.
Because Jesus died, Satan thought he had won the battle with Christ. He lost the battle that day when Jesus died on the cross. You know, the Bible says that spiritual things are spiritually discerned.
And unless we are spiritual, we cannot understand spiritual things. They seem like mumbo jumbo. You know, the Bible says that the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to those who are being saved, it is the power of God.
The apostle Paul says that things that are seen are only temporary. So what can we see now? We can see this building. Is this building gonna stand forever? Is this town, Masterton, gonna stand forever? We know that's not gonna happen.
We know that one day they will pass away. But the things that we can't see are the things that are gonna last forever. Can we see God's kingdom? We can't see a physical kingdom, can we? It's by faith that we trust that when we are born again, we are born into this kingdom that we cannot see.
That's why if you're not spiritual, this all sounds like mumbo jumbo. You can have all the knowledge you like, you can know all the truth you like, but none of that will save you unless you belong to God's kingdom. God's spiritual kingdom.
So how do we enter this kingdom? The Bible says through the door. Through the gate. And what is the door and the gate? It's Jesus Christ.
We enter into the spiritual kingdom through Jesus Christ. There is no other way to enter into God's kingdom except through his son, Jesus Christ. And today we're going to look at this particular subject.
And so I just invite you to bow your head and as I pray. Father in heaven, we thank you that you have blessed those that live in New Zealand. Here you have blessed us with a beautiful country.
You've blessed us with freedom. Father, we see some of those freedoms are being taken away and there are many people who are worried and concerned about what is happening in this world. Father, we know that you have promised that Jesus will return again.
But Father, I just pray that today as we look at the importance of belonging to the spiritual kingdom that Jesus set up when he came to this world, the kingdom of grace, I pray that you will open our hearts and minds to the spiritual kingdom. And I pray that each one of us will enter into the spiritual kingdom. And so my prayer is that each heart and each mind will be spiritually open to understand this message that you have for us today.
For I ask and pray it in Jesus name, Amen. You know when Jesus came into this world and he was living as a messiah and he talked about his kingdom, nobody understood. His disciples didn't understand.
They wanted to crown him king. They were arguing about who was the greatest. The leaders certainly didn't understand Jesus nor did they understand his kingdom.
In fact I'll show you that nobody understood even John the Baptist, who was the pre runner of Christ himself. He said. Then the disciples of John reported to him concerning all these things.
And John calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to Jesus saying are you the coming one or do we look for another? Because Jesus didn't seem to be setting up a kingdom on earth, everybody started to doubt that Jesus was the Messiah. But you see, friends, Jesus didn't come to set up a physical kingdom. Jesus came to set up a spiritual kingdom, the kingdom of grace.
That's what he came here to do. And in fact, today, most people do not realise this. They do not realise that God's kingdom is a spiritual kingdom.
But I want to read from 1 Corinthians 2, and I haven't put this on the screen because I wanted some of you to open your Bibles. And it's a rather long piece which I didn't want to put up on the screen as well. But it's Second Corinthians.
Sorry, it's not Second Corinthians, it's 1 Corinthians, First Corinthians, chapter two. So First Corinthians, chapter two, First Corinthians, chapter two. And I'm going to read from verses 10, 10 to 16.
Okay? So 1 Corinthians 2, 10, 16. The Bible says, but God has revealed them to us through his Spirit. For the Spirit searches all things.
Yes, the deep things of God. For what man knows the things of a man, except the Spirit of a man which is in him. Even so, no one knows the things of God except the Spirit of God.
Now we have received not the Spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things which have been freely given to us by God. These things which we also speak not in words, which man's wisdom teaches us, but which the Holy Spirit teaches. Comparing spiritual things with spiritual.
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he who is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself as righteous is judged by no one. For who has known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him.
But we have the mind of Christ. It's clear that we cannot understand the spiritual things of God unless the Holy Spirit is given to us to understand them. And a little later, I'm going to talk about how we receive the Holy Spirit.
Clearly, spiritual things are spiritually discerned. You know, Jesus had an interview with a Pharisee, or in other words, a leader of Israel. And Jesus answered.
And he was speaking to Nicodemus. Here he said, most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God. That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.
You know, Nicodemus had said, do I have to go inside my mother and be born again? He didn't understand the spirit, he didn't understand spiritual things. And it is for many of us today, we do not understand spiritual things. We only stand the things that we can see, the fleshly things.
And yet there is so much more to it. Let's perhaps go to John. John, chapter three, John three.
I'll just read through some of these verses, John three, and I'm going to start in verse three. Jesus answered and said to him, most assuredly I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, how can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born? Jesus answered, most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh and that which is born of the spirit is spirit. Do not marvel that I said to you, you must be born again. The wind blows where it wishes and you hear the sound of it, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it goes.
So was everyone who was born of the Spirit. Nicodemus answered and said to him, how can these things be? Jesus answered and said to him, are you a teacher of Israel and you do not understand these things? Most assuredly I say to you, we speak what we know and testify what we have seen, and you do not receive our witness. If I had told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things? Friends, the only way that we can understand the things of God is through the Holy Spirit.
No other way. And yet the people didn't recognise Jesus mission. Why didn't they recognise his mission? Because they were too focused on self.
What were the disciples talking about? A lot of the time they were arguing about who was the greatest. And today many of us are so focused on ourselves instead of Christ. Actually, the person preaching last week at Levin, and I've never heard anyone say this, but I thought it was a very good point.
He said, focus on Christ, not the clock. I thought that was really quite a good thing to say, focus on Christ, not the clock. You see, if we focus on ourselves, we will never be able to enter into the kingdom of God.
The only way that we can enter the kingdom of God is to focus on Jesus. And as we focus on him, as we focus on Christ, our minds are taken away from ourselves into God's kingdom. You know, when Jesus gave the sermon on the Sermon on the Mount, the Beatitudes, the disciples knew that something big was coming.
And they figured that Jesus was now going to step forward and announced the kingdom that he was about to set up. And so they were confident that they were going to be part of this kingdom, that they were going to be rulers themselves. But Jesus in Matthew 6, sorry, Matthew 5, so I'm going to read this and most of you know this, but I'm going to read it nevertheless.
From Matthew, chapter five, the central part of the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus talked about what it would take to enter his kingdom. He started off by saying, blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the poor in spirit.
These people were proud individuals, they were not poor in spirit. Jesus went on to say, blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. It's not talking about mourning for the dead, it's talking about mourning for sin that's in our life.
He went on to say, blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Jesus was talking about the spiritual kingdom that he had come to set up and what it would take to enter into that spiritual kingdom. I wanted to go back to this quote. My daughter actually shared this quote with me the other day and I thought it was a great quote.
Elizabeth Ann Seton was a lady that lived from the late 1700s and died in the early 1800s. And I thought, this is so true. The gate of heaven is very low.
Only the humble can enter in. You know, in my life, when I was living in the world away from God, being humble seemed foolish. It was the assertive.
It was those who took life by the scruff of the neck. It was those that made money, it was those who got ahead. That's what life was about, or so I thought.
And that's what I did. Built up a successful business in life, made money, travelled the world, did all those things, thinking that was what life was all about. But I could never find this peace, this inner joy.
My life was just always in a turmoil. What was the purpose of life? I used to think the more money I made, the more I needed to make. I could Never be happy.
I used to play golf. I got down to about a 7 handicap, but that wasn't good enough. I wanted to be down on a five.
And then it would have been a three. And then a scratch would never have been satisfied. You see, the way of the world does not satisfy.
It does not bring peace. It does not bring an inner joy. And I knew that I lacked something, but I just had no idea what it was.
Just like the rich young ruler, I knew I lacked something, but I just didn't know what I lacked. The more I had, the more I wanted. Never satisfied.
Going back to the Lord's Prayer. You know, it says, in this manner, therefore pray. Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. And most people think that it's talking about the second coming, but here it's talking about the kingdom of grace, that when Jesus came to this world, he brought God's grace into this world. He bought a spiritual kingdom that he set up in this earth.
The thing is, how do we enter this kingdom? And I guess that's a question that most people would ask, you know, when the thief next to Jesus was dying on the cross, he said to Jesus, lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom. And Jesus said to him, assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. You see, Jesus had already set up his kingdom, a spiritual kingdom.
And that's why he could say, today you will be with me in paradise. The thief that by faith. Do you know that every time that a person in faith spoke to Jesus, that he healed them, he helped them? And here was a man who was being crucified next to Christ, called out to him, lord, remember me.
And Jesus instantly, even though he was wracked with pain and dying, he said, assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise. And Jesus says to every one of us today, just as he said to the thief on the cross, if you will give your life to me today, you will be with me in paradise. You see, eternity starts the day that we accept Christ, the day that we invite Jesus unreservedly into our hearts is the day that eternity starts for us.
Not at the second coming, it starts today. And that's what Jesus said to the thief on the cross. So how do we enter into the spiritual kingdom? Jesus answered and said to Nicodemus, assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of the water and the spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. You see, friends, we were all born sinners. We were all born of the flesh.
But to be born again is a choice. And most of us here are probably baptised by the water, and that's a prerequisite for heaven, to be baptised by the water. But being baptised by the Spirit and born of this and the Spirit, that's where most of us fall down.
We get baptised, but we've never been baptised by the Spirit. And so until we are baptised by the Spirit, we haven't truly entered into the kingdom of God, the spiritual kingdom. You know, today, the world is spinning out of control, and to be honest with you, most people are worried.
But as Christians, while we can be concerned about the things that are happening, we can be concerned about our family, we can be concerned about people that are close to us. We shouldn't be worried, should we? If we've been born again, we know that Jesus has our back. We know that he is in control of our lives.
I'd like to turn to 2nd Corinthians. 2nd Corinthians 4:18. The apostle Paul is speaking to the Corinthians in a letter, and I could read the whole section, but just for the sake of time, I'm just going to read 2 Corinthians 4:18.
Paul says, While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen, for the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. Friends, if we focus on what we can see, if we focus solely on our own lives, we focus on the flesh, on getting ahead, we're not going to enter into the spiritual kingdom that God wants for each one of us. I'm also going to turn to Colossians 3 and read verses 1 to 4.
So that's Colossians 3:1, 4. And the apostle Paul says, if then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is sitting, at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things above, not of things on the earth.
For you died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, appears, then you will also appear with him in glory. Paul says, focus on Christ who is in heaven.
Focus on heavenly things. Some of us get so caught up, we're worried about this or we're worried about that. You see, friends, if we focus on fleshly or worldly things that we can see, we're not focusing on the spiritual things that we should be focusing on which is Christ.
I almost use this Bible verse in every sermon I ever preach, which means, obviously it's one of my favourites, but it is just. This is the gospel, friends, in one verse. This is the gospel.
I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh.
I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. You see, friends, when we invite the Lord Jesus Christ into our life, we need to crucify the old man. Not only do we need to repent, but we need to invite the Lord to crucify that old man, that old man of sin that dwells in us.
Because Christ cannot dwell in us unless we give him permission to crucify the old man that dwells in us. So as we crucify the old man, as we say, lord, I give you my life. And now Christ comes and dwells in me and the life that I live in the flesh now, I live by faith in the Son of God.
I don't live in faith in myself, trusting in myself. No, I live by faith. Where are we by faith in the Son of God.
That's where my faith is. I trust in Jesus. Some of us, we only call on Jesus when we get into trouble.
When there's a problem, then we call upon him. And I've been guilty of that myself. I know I had lost a couple of photo albums and I'd spent about two or three hours looking for them in our house because we had moved and I couldn't find them.
And I had preached a lot of sermons on prayer at that particular point. And I was starting to become a little frustrated because I couldn't find these photo albums. And Irene, my wife, said to me, you're always preaching about praying.
Why don't you pray yourself? So I did. Straightaway in my mind, God showed me where they were. I walked straight to where God had shown me where they were.
And here they were. You know, God meets us where we are. He doesn't expect us to become spiritual giants overnight.
It takes time. God meets every person where you are, even if you only have that much faith. That's all you need.
God will help you. God is for you. He's not willing that any should perish, but that all should be saved.
You know, Once we've invited Jesus into our life, what happens? Jesus prayed for us when he was here on Earth, not only for his disciples and for his people, but for everybody that would Ever live. And I will pray the Father and he will give you another helper that he may abide with you forever. The Spirit of truth, in whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him.
But you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you. You see, it's the Holy Spirit dwelling in us is what makes us spiritual. But that only happens as we seek Jesus.
As we seek Jesus. Then the Holy Spirit comes. And as the Holy Spirit dwells in us, we enter into the spiritual kingdom.
This is taken from the Acts of the Apostles, page 49, and it's from chapter five. Look, I would encourage you all, if you have the book, the Acts of the Apostles, if you have the book, please go and read chapter five sometime. I've only been able to take one little quote out of it, but there's so much more that is said in this book that's just so beautiful about the Holy Spirit and I'll read it.
The promise of the Holy Spirit is not limited to any age or to any race. Christ declared that the divine influence of His Spirit was to be with his followers until the end. From the day of Pentecost to the present time, the comforter has been sent to all who have yielded themselves fully to the Lord and to his service.
To all who have accepted Christ as a personal Saviour. This Holy Spirit has come as a counsellor, as a sanctifier guide and witness. The more closely believers have walked with God, the more clearly and powerfully have they testified of their Redeemer's love and of his saving grace.
The men and women who, through long centuries of persecution and trial enjoyed a large measure of the presence of the Spirit in their lives, have stood as signs and wonders in the world. Before angels and men, they have revealed the transforming power of his redeeming love. You know, the Bible says in Romans 5, 5, that it is the Holy Spirit that pours the love of God into our lives.
So as we accept Jesus and we walk with him, the Holy Spirit pours the love of heaven into our lives. Friends, it's really quite simple. The first step is one.
We accept Jesus into our life and we invite him each day. Some people think, well, I got baptised 10 years ago. That was good enough.
No, it's not. Friends, we need to be born again. Every day, every morning, we need to invite Jesus into our life for that day and then the next day.
But you see, as the Holy Spirit comes into our lives, friends, it changes us. Before Jesus came into my life, before I invited him into my life. I'd been brought up in this church, but I never knew him.
But when I came back to the Lord in 2006, this whole process had happened before I even came back to church. I felt like I was walking on air. Everything in life seemed good.
I've got an aunty who's been a Christian for a long time. And when I lived in the world, I used to think there was something wrong with her. She was always happy, she always had this joy.
I used to think, what's wrong with her? Is she a cuckoo? Her husband left her and of course obviously that's going to bring some sadness. But the sadness didn't last very long. And finally in 2006, I knew what she had because I had it too.
I had this inner peace and this inner joy that I had no amount of money can ever buy. And I just want to say because I experienced and I don't usually like to pick out people in the congregation, but I want to share with about Leonie how God did that in her life and he can do it in everybody's life. If we would just walk by faith, by trusting in Jesus, inviting him into our lives each and every day, we too can experience this inner joy and this inner peace.
It's not our peace, it's not our joy. But while we walk with Jesus, we can have this in our lives. Oh, and by the way, you get eternal life as well.
Not only do you get paradise today, but you get eternal life given to you. You know, the devil has many counterfeits and I pointed some of them out before. Money getting ahead in life.
Alcohol, I could go on the list is really long. You know, some people say Christians, it's just a crutch. But at the same time they've got an alcohol problem, they've got a smoking problem, they've got a drug problem, they've got a self centred problem.
The most beautiful thing that has ever happened to me in my life is finding Jesus. It took 46 years to find it. But you know, God is so patient with us and God meets us wherever we are.
You see friends, Jesus died for you. He loves you. And even since I became a Christian in 2006, I've made many mistakes and so will you.
But as long as you keep your eyes focused on Jesus. You see, it's like Peter when Jesus was walking on the water, he got out and he was walking and he was looking good. And while he focused on Jesus, he was fine.
But as soon as he started looking around saying, look at me. I'm walking on the water. And he started looking at the big angry waves.
He took his eyes off Christ. He started sinking. The same thing will happen to you, friends, if you ever take your eyes off Jesus, you will start to sink too.
You know, you can be part of the spiritual kingdom. I was going to tell a story, but I don't have time. We've gone way too long.
But I've shared with you my story. You see, friends, I don't know where you all are spiritually, but it takes courage to be a real Christian because you've got to give up of yourself and surrender your life fully to Jesus Christ. And a lot of people just don't want to do that.
Some people want to be a Christian, that they want eternal life, but they still want the world. You can't have both, friends. It's a full commitment and I encourage you to make that full commitment that God was very patient with me and he'll be patient with you.
But there is always a window of opportunity in life to make a choice. And so I pray that today you make that choice. I'm not going to ask you to stand, but I'm going to ask you to think about, think about this and take it seriously.
Because you see friends, this world is coming to an end very fast. And our time of opportunity, that window of opportunity will not last forever. God's spiritual kingdom is open for you today.
And I pray that you will choose to invite the Lord Jesus Christ into your life unreservedly and experience the fruit of the Holy Spirit, love, peace, joy and so on. And that can be yours today, my friends. And that's my prayer for each one of you.
And I pray that in Jesus name, amen. This message was made available by the Masterton Seventh Day Adventist Church. For more resources like this, visit mastertonsda.nz.
should Christians be focused and worried about this war in the Middle East? Much of the world have their eyes focused on what is happening in and around Israel at the moment. Many Christians are waiting with bated breath for what they believe will be a fulfilment of certain Bible prophecies and the initiation of a mighty end time battle. So should we be looking to Israel? The answer may surprise you.
Let's begin in Romans chapter 9, verses 6 to 8. But it is not that the word of God has taken no effect. For they are not all Israel who are of Israel, nor are they all children, because they are the seed of Abraham.
But in Isaac your seed shall be called, that is those who are the children of the flesh. These are not the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as the seed. The children of the flesh are only physical descendants of Abraham, but the children of the promise are counted as the true seed.
Today, any person, Jew or Gentile, can become part of this spiritual nation of Israel through faith in Jesus. Romans 2, 28, 29 Tell us. For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh.
But he is a Jew who is one inwardly. And circumcision is that of the heart in the spirit, not in the letter, whose praise is not from men, but from God. At the time of Jesus, the Jewish leaders relied heavily on their physical heritage.
But God wanted to show them that this was not what he was interested in. He was looking for a people who would be changed in heart. Notice what John the Baptist said to some religious leaders who came to see him in Matthew 3, 8, 9.
Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance. And do not think to say to yourselves, we have Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.
John wasn't one to mince words. Don't rely on your heritage. Rely on God and his ability to change you.
It's true that at the time of Jesus, physical Israel held some special privileges. They were custodians of the Scripture and they were to be a light to the world, preparing the way for the Messiah. But this was soon to change.
This is why Jesus was so adamant in his warnings to the people, like in Matthew 21:43. Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it in Matthew 21:45. Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that he was speaking of then you can't get much clearer than that.
Jesus loved the people of Jerusalem. Jesus himself was a Jew. He wept over the city.
He pleaded with the religious leaders to believe in him and have a heart change. He performed miracles. He taught them.
He healed the sick. Jesus did everything to help the people become a holy nation. In John 8, 39, 41, we read, they answered and said to him, abraham is our father.
Jesus said to them, if you were Abraham's children, you would do the works of Abraham. But now you seek to kill me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God. Abraham did not do this.
We can see Jesus doing all he can to turn this nation around. In Matthew 10, 5, 6. These 12 Jesus sent out and commanded them, saying, do not go to the way of the Gentiles, and do not enter a city of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
He tells the 12 to go out and try to reach the lost sheep of the house of Israel. Even after his death, Jesus told his disciples to begin their ministry at Jerusalem. He had not given up on the people of Jerusalem.
And this all came to a head three and a half years after Jesus death and resurrection. Stephen was a devout follower of Jesus. He was a leader in the early church.
And he was in the middle of sharing an impassioned sermon to the Jewish religious leaders, including the high priest who was there. He clearly shows how God led Israel and how Scripture pointed to Jesus. But they didn't want to hear it.
We pick up this story in Acts 7:57. Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears and ran at him with one accord. And then they killed him.
Notice they stopped their ears. They didn't want to hear anymore. They were done listening to the Holy Spirit.
When God saw what the Jewish leaders did to the leadership of his emerging church, he must have said in his heart, enough is enough. Go now and preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. And that's exactly what happened.
And we read about this in the very next chapter in Acts 8:4. Therefore, those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the Word. And again in Acts 13:46.
Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said it was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first. But since you reject it and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. Although many Jews accepted Jesus as their Messiah, and many do today as well praise the Lord.
We are given a true definition of what it means to be a spiritual Israelite, a descendant of Abraham in Galatians 3:29. And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise. The Bible says that if you belong to Jesus, then you have access to all the promises once made to Abraham and his people.
The Jews have not been abandoned or cursed as individuals. Every Jew who accepts Jesus Christ as their Messiah and Lord also has total access to the promises of God. But now we find that it is the church of Jesus who are according to 1 Peter 2:9.
They are the chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, his own special people that you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his marvellous light. The final battle is not between the physical nation of Israel and other world governments. The final battle is between those who choose to follow Christ, spiritual Israel and the powers of darkness.
Now that would be a nice spot to finish this devotional. You might even be feeling pretty smug at the moment. I've accepted Jesus.
I'm Abraham's true seed. I'm an heir according to the promise. I'm certainly not like those religious leaders in Jesus Day.
Hold up a minute. Notice the warning that Paul gives to us. Paul uses the analogy of an olive tree to explain that all Gentiles who are saved are grafted into the stock of Israel in Romans 11:17.
And if some of the branches were broken off and ewe being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, and then carrying on in verse 20 because of unbelief, they were broken off. And you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear, for if God did not spare the natural branches, he may not spare you either.
In other words, don't make the same mistake they did, lest you suffer the same fate. We could spend all eternity discussing what went wrong and why so many of the leaders rejected Jesus as the Messiah, why they missed all those prophecies about Christ's first appearing. But I think two points are particularly relevant for us today.
These are. Firstly, in John 7:17 we read, if anyone wills to do his will, he shall know concerning the doctrine whether it is from God or whether I speak of my own authority. In order for God to reveal truth to us, we must be willing to follow him wherever that leads, even if God points out things that need to change in our lives.
Jesus cut to the core of many of the cherished sins of the leaders. Sins that they simply were not willing to give over to God. And because of that, they were not able to understand scripture.
The key to understanding scripture is to have a heart that is willing to put into action the things that you learn. We need to will to do his will, as the scripture says. The second point is this.
Remember when the chief priests were plotting to kill Jesus, Caiaphas the high priest, said these telling words in John 11:50. He said, it is expedient for us that one man should die for the people and not that the whole nation should perish. Caiaphas wanted Jesus to die so that everything could carry on just as it had always been.
Caiaphas wanted Jesus to die so they could carry on in their sin. But that's not why Jesus came. Matthew 1:21 and she will bring forth a son.
And you shall call his name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins. Jesus came to save us from our sins, not just to leave us in them. The gospel is a message of victory when Jacob was named Israel by God.
Notice why God made that change in Genesis 32:28. And he said, you, name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have struggled with God and with men and have prevailed. This is what it means to be a true Israelite.
He who struggles and prevails with God. I pray that your experience would be one of prevailing with God. God bless you.
Let's listen to William Acland as he shares a psalm from his paraphrase of the Bible called the gift. Psalm 137 has a theme of yearning for Zion in a strange land. We sat down beside the rivers of Babylon.
We sat down there and wept when we remembered Zion we hung our harps on the willows beside those rivers. Our conquerors who took us to that land demanded we sing for them. Those who plundered our city and the temple insisted we sing a song to make them laugh for they said, sing us one of the songs of Zion.
O how long shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land? I do not remember you anymore, O Jerusalem. May my right hand forget what it can do if I forget the city of my homeland Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth so that I cannot sing if I do not magnify Jerusalem, the city that is my great joy. Remember, O Lord, what the Edomites said when Jerusalem was attacked.
They said, destroy it until not one stone is left upon another. Raise it to the very foundation. O daughter of Babylon, you who are to be destroyed, what a just retribution you shall suffer.
Happy shall he be who repays what you did to us
This programme has been brought to you by 3ABN Australia radio.
