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Refuge Church Of San Antonio
Two Questions Every Believer Should Ask About Israel
What is antisemitism? Where did it start? When did it start? Why did it start? These questions and more are going to be answered.
Locations & Times
Refuge Church Of San Antonio
696 Gulf St, Cibolo, TX 78108, USA
Thursday 10:00 PM
Tuesday 10:00 AM
Should Christian Be Supporting Isreal…AND...Are The Still God’s Chosen People?
Two Questions that many people and especially Christians are wrestling with today.
One…should Christians be supporting Isreal in all it does because the Bible might say so….(so theologically supporting Isreal)?
And two…are the Israeli people still considered God’s chosen people?
QUESTION ONE: SHOULD CHRISTIANS BE SUPPORTING ISREAL?
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3 NLT
- lets do a little digging here…lets go to the New Testament in Galatians
Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case.16 God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ.17 This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.18 For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise. Galatians 3:15-18 NLT
- Look closely…this promise was given to one specific offspring…and that was Jesus…
God’s Children through Faith
23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. 24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. 26 For you are all childrenof God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true childrenof Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. Galatians 3:23-29 NLT
- Paul is saying here in this passage that Jesus IS…the Isreal of God…
- And because of your FAITH…you are now IN CHRIST...So…if we have Jesus as our Savior…we are now a part of this PROMISE…
- NOW…because of Jesus…whether you are a Jew or Gentile…if you accept Jesus…you are now adopted in…grafted in to this FAMILY…this family HE CHOSE… and into this promise…
- This is INCREDIBLE NEWS…
- BUT what is the distinction between…the Jew and Gentile…Look at verse 28 of Galatians 3.
There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true childrenof Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. Galatians 3:23-29 NLT
- This is specifically referring back to the promises God gave Abraham…in Genesis 12 and Genesis 15…
- This PROMISE…applies to the New Testament Christians…who came, have come and will come to FAITH in Jesus.
MORE PROOF: Romans 11:1-2
God’s Mercy on Israel
I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Romans 11:1-2 NLT
- Yes…many Jews turned their backs on Jesus…and may didn’t …yes, many wanted Him crucified…but many didn’t…yes, many celebrated His death…but many didn’t…
It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israelhave remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them.6 And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved. Romans 11:5-6 NLT
- God is a God of mercy…just take a look at your life…do you and I sin and struggle and set God to the side at times and yet He gives us grace and mercy…
And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. Romans 11:23 NLT
- So all of us…Jews and Gentiles still have a chance…if we will receive God’s grace and mercy and REPENT…TURN to God.
ANSWER: So to answer this question:
Yes…we should support Isreal…we might not like some of their leaders, they may not even know Jesus…but id God is still using them, blessing them Choosing them…then we should do Genesis 12:3
3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt…Genesis 12:3
KNOWING THE TRUTH IS FREEING AND LIFE CHANGING
The Bible tells us to do this in 2 Timothy 2:15:
Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 NLT
- It’s important that you know where you stand and know the truth about where your standing…if not…it will just be your opinion..
QUESTION TWO: SO…ARE THE PEOPLE OF ISREAL…STILL GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE?
In Revelation 7:1-8 we see the sealing of the 144,000. God chooses…12,000 people of His choosing…which just happen to be the original people He chose…(the Jews / the twelve tribes of Israel) as those who will be protected and will proclaim Him to the rest of the world during the tribulation period.
God’s People Will Be Preserved
7 Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea, 3 “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.” 4 And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel: 5 from Judah 12,000
from Reuben 12,000 from Gad 12,000 from Asher 12,000 from Naphtali
12,000 from Manasseh 12,000 from Simeon 12,000 from Levi 12,000 from Issachar 12,000 from Zebulun 12,000 from Joseph 12,000 from Benjamin. Revelation 7:1-8 NLT
QUESTIONS WE NEEDED ANSWERING:
One…should Christians be supporting Isreal in all it does because the Bible might say so….(so theologically supporting Isreal)?
And two…are the Israeli people still considered God’s chosen people?
The answer to both…as we have seen in scripture is YES.
- Choose Him and be grafted into His promise of eternal life and blessing…
- Reject Him…resist Him and forget Him and you will be cursed…whether you are a Jew or a Gentile.
Two Questions that many people and especially Christians are wrestling with today.
One…should Christians be supporting Isreal in all it does because the Bible might say so….(so theologically supporting Isreal)?
And two…are the Israeli people still considered God’s chosen people?
QUESTION ONE: SHOULD CHRISTIANS BE SUPPORTING ISREAL?
The Lord had said to Abram, “Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father’s family, and go to the land that I will show you.2 I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to others.3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you.” Genesis 12:1-3 NLT
- lets do a little digging here…lets go to the New Testament in Galatians
Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case.16 God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ.17 This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise.18 For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise. Galatians 3:15-18 NLT
- Look closely…this promise was given to one specific offspring…and that was Jesus…
God’s Children through Faith
23 Before the way of faith in Christ was available to us, we were placed under guard by the law. We were kept in protective custody, so to speak, until the way of faith was revealed. 24 Let me put it another way. The law was our guardian until Christ came; it protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. 25 And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian. 26 For you are all childrenof God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. 28 There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true childrenof Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. Galatians 3:23-29 NLT
- Paul is saying here in this passage that Jesus IS…the Isreal of God…
- And because of your FAITH…you are now IN CHRIST...So…if we have Jesus as our Savior…we are now a part of this PROMISE…
- NOW…because of Jesus…whether you are a Jew or Gentile…if you accept Jesus…you are now adopted in…grafted in to this FAMILY…this family HE CHOSE… and into this promise…
- This is INCREDIBLE NEWS…
- BUT what is the distinction between…the Jew and Gentile…Look at verse 28 of Galatians 3.
There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true childrenof Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you. Galatians 3:23-29 NLT
- This is specifically referring back to the promises God gave Abraham…in Genesis 12 and Genesis 15…
- This PROMISE…applies to the New Testament Christians…who came, have come and will come to FAITH in Jesus.
MORE PROOF: Romans 11:1-2
God’s Mercy on Israel
I ask, then, has God rejected his own people, the nation of Israel? Of course not! I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham and a member of the tribe of Benjamin. 2 No, God has not rejected his own people, whom he chose from the very beginning. Romans 11:1-2 NLT
- Yes…many Jews turned their backs on Jesus…and may didn’t …yes, many wanted Him crucified…but many didn’t…yes, many celebrated His death…but many didn’t…
It is the same today, for a few of the people of Israelhave remained faithful because of God’s grace—his undeserved kindness in choosing them.6 And since it is through God’s kindness, then it is not by their good works. For in that case, God’s grace would not be what it really is—free and undeserved. Romans 11:5-6 NLT
- God is a God of mercy…just take a look at your life…do you and I sin and struggle and set God to the side at times and yet He gives us grace and mercy…
And if the people of Israel turn from their unbelief, they will be grafted in again, for God has the power to graft them back into the tree. Romans 11:23 NLT
- So all of us…Jews and Gentiles still have a chance…if we will receive God’s grace and mercy and REPENT…TURN to God.
ANSWER: So to answer this question:
Yes…we should support Isreal…we might not like some of their leaders, they may not even know Jesus…but id God is still using them, blessing them Choosing them…then we should do Genesis 12:3
3 I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt…Genesis 12:3
KNOWING THE TRUTH IS FREEING AND LIFE CHANGING
The Bible tells us to do this in 2 Timothy 2:15:
Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth. 2 Timothy 2:15 NLT
- It’s important that you know where you stand and know the truth about where your standing…if not…it will just be your opinion..
QUESTION TWO: SO…ARE THE PEOPLE OF ISREAL…STILL GOD’S CHOSEN PEOPLE?
In Revelation 7:1-8 we see the sealing of the 144,000. God chooses…12,000 people of His choosing…which just happen to be the original people He chose…(the Jews / the twelve tribes of Israel) as those who will be protected and will proclaim Him to the rest of the world during the tribulation period.
God’s People Will Be Preserved
7 Then I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds so they did not blow on the earth or the sea, or even on any tree. 2 And I saw another angel coming up from the east, carrying the seal of the living God. And he shouted to those four angels, who had been given power to harm land and sea, 3 “Wait! Don’t harm the land or the sea or the trees until we have placed the seal of God on the foreheads of his servants.” 4 And I heard how many were marked with the seal of God—144,000 were sealed from all the tribes of Israel: 5 from Judah 12,000
from Reuben 12,000 from Gad 12,000 from Asher 12,000 from Naphtali
12,000 from Manasseh 12,000 from Simeon 12,000 from Levi 12,000 from Issachar 12,000 from Zebulun 12,000 from Joseph 12,000 from Benjamin. Revelation 7:1-8 NLT
QUESTIONS WE NEEDED ANSWERING:
One…should Christians be supporting Isreal in all it does because the Bible might say so….(so theologically supporting Isreal)?
And two…are the Israeli people still considered God’s chosen people?
The answer to both…as we have seen in scripture is YES.
- Choose Him and be grafted into His promise of eternal life and blessing…
- Reject Him…resist Him and forget Him and you will be cursed…whether you are a Jew or a Gentile.