Saturday June 12 730pm William Bell A Servant of the Circumcision Part 2

Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Welcome once again to the All Things Feel broadcast right here on the NOW Network. I'm William Bell with the Rangeroad Church of Christ, and we are delighted to be with you. In just a moment, we'll be back to make a few announcements, but before we get started, let's have a word from our sponsor. KTA, KTA, KTA Mobile. KTA, KTA, KTA Mobile. Technology worth sharing. It's the future. Thank you, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome back. We are going to be continuing our subject that we began the previous week on Jesus Christ, a servant to the circumcision. But before we get into the message, let's go ahead and make a few announcements. First of all, we'd like to welcome you to the All Things Feel broadcast right here on the NOW Network, and this broadcast airs every Saturday from 6.30 until 7 p.m. Central time, from 7.30 until 8 p.m. Eastern time. Be sure and tune in. 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Again, that's blogtalkradio.com forward slash fulfilled radio, where Dr. Don Preston and I, who also has a broadcast here on the NOW Network on Fridays called Morning Musings, and I believe it airs around 9.30 a.m., maybe 9 o'clock, so check both of those times, and I'll be sure and have an exact time for you next time. But you can tune into the broadcast as well. And so there's just a plethora of information that is available to you, and we want to make sure that you do take advantage of it. Now, let's, at this time, get into our message that we've been discussing on Romans chapter 15 and verse 8 through 12, where we're talking about Jesus Christ being a servant to the circumcision to confirm the promises of God made to the fathers, and that the Gentiles would glorify him for his mercy. Now, when we left off, we were dealing with 1 Corinthians 15, and what we were showing in that connection was the correlation between Acts chapter 20, Acts chapter 3, verses 25 and 26, actually all the way down through chapter 4 and verse 2, which are all a part of the same context. That's Acts chapter 3, verses 25 and 26, down through Acts 4, 1 and 2, because the text there is talking about the premise of Abraham that was made in Genesis chapter 12, where he said that I will bless those who bless you, I will curse those who curse you, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Now, in that connection, Peter takes up that prophecy in Acts chapter 3 as he is speaking to Israel, to the Jews, and tells them in that chapter that they were the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God had made with Abraham, saying to Abraham, and in your seed, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So, look at that promise, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. But he said in the next verse, to you first, God, having raised up his servant Jesus, send him to bless you in turning away every one of you from your iniquity. So, God's blessing, which is the promise of Abraham, was to the Jew first, but it was to turn every one of them from their iniquities. Now, I want you to see once again how this is connected to the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ, because notice he says to you first, God, having raised up Jesus. That means he's raised him from the dead, and that's what the gospel is all about, and that is where the text here is tied into 1 Corinthians chapter 15. Now, this is huge. This is very, very important, because what it's doing is showing us the nature of the resurrection, both here in Acts chapter 3, verse 25 and 26, as well as 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 2 and 3. So, if it's the turning away of Israel from their iniquities, which is the blessing of Abraham, that means the promise that God made to Abraham is the very same promise that is made in 1 Corinthians 15, because it involves the death, the burial, and the resurrection of Christ. As the scripture says, that Christ died for our sins, according to the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day, according to the scriptures. And ladies and gentlemen, that is so very, very powerful. It demonstrates beyond the shadow of a doubt that 1 Corinthians 15 is dealing with turning man away from iniquities. It's dealing with sin death, and not with biological death, as far as the resurrection is concerned, and that's why you see the reference to resurrection, even here in Acts 4, verses 1 and 2, where the scripture says that the Sadducees, the priests of the temple, etc., came upon them being greatly disturbed that they taught the people, taught them what? The gospel, and preached the gospel in Jesus, the resurrection out from the dead. Not raising dead bodies from the ground, but the resurrection out from among the dead, meaning of those who were alive. And what kind of resurrection was there for the living? It was a resurrection out of sin, out of sin death, turning them from their iniquities. So the scripture says, and you who were dead in trespasses and sins, he has made alive, having forgiven you all trespasses. That's what we should focus on. That's what's so important, and that was the promise of Abraham. Now, having seen that, in 1 Corinthians chapter 15, verses 3 and 4, we want to also focus in on the fact that the Bible says that this premise was made to all the families of the earth, but it was to the Jew first. And so what that does is it brings up the message that is found in Galatians chapter 3 verses 6 through 9. So let's go take a look at that in Galatians chapter 3 verses 6 through 9 and see how this promise expands and develops in those verses. The scripture says in verse 6, just as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, therefore know that only those who are of faith, in other words, Abraham's physical descendants, are excluded from the premise. They are excluded in the sense that the promise does not come through physical lineage. Now, it doesn't mean that they can't take advantage of the promise because just as we mentioned in the previous week's broadcast, John 1 11 says that Jesus came to his own, but his own did not receive him. But as many of his own that received him, to them he gave the power to become the sons of God, which were born not of the flesh, not of blood, nor of the will of man, but of God. It means they were born of faith. And so the text here is saying, therefore know that only those who are of faith are sons of Abraham and the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles. So now we have someone other than Israel who is included in the premises of God and the scripture foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles. The nations by faith preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand saying in you all the families of the earth should be blessed. So do you see how the promise, the scope of the promise included not only Israel, but it also included the Gentiles. Now, sometimes people want to limit the Gentiles just to the Northern tribes of Israel, but that is not going to work. That is not what the Bible teaches. And we have several passages in the Old Testament to demonstrate that. For example, if you were to go to Ezekiel chapter 47, Ezekiel chapter 47, and we noticed verses 21 through 23, watch what the Bible says. Thus you shall divide this land among yourselves according to the tribes of Israel. It shall be that you will divide it by lot as an inheritance for yourselves and for the strangers who dwell among you and who bear children among you. They shall be to you as native born. They're not native born. They shall be to you as native born among the children of Israel. They shall have an inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel. And it should be that in whatever tribe the stranger dwells there, you shall give him his inheritance says the Lord God. Now this is also taken from Exodus chapter 12, Exodus chapter 12, where we again find God focusing on those who were the strangers among Israel. The speaking of the Passover, all the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover, when a stranger dwells with you and wants to keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. You see, they weren't Israelites. They weren't even circumcised. Let all his males be circumcised and then let him come near and keep it. And he shall be as a native of the land for no uncircumcised person shall eat it. See, they have uncircumcised people among them who were not native born. One law shall be for the native born and for the stranger who dwells among you. Thus all the children of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron. So they did. And it came to pass on that very same day that the Lord brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt according to their armies. So in Galatians, when the scripture says that it foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith in that he preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand saying in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. So it's the same promise that we find in Genesis in Acts 3, 25, and 26, and right here in Galatians 3, 6 through 9, which means that the promise is all about turning them from iniquities. And therefore it is the message of the gospel. Now here's something that's important when we speak about this particular promise in Galatians chapter 3 and verse 14, and we can look at verses 13 and 14 because the text says Christ has redeemed us from the law, from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. Now, when he says that Christ has redeemed us from the law, the us there would be the circumcision, the circumcision referring to Israel, to those to whom the gospel message was to be first preached. Christ has redeemed us from the law, from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. But notice, we now have a conjunction of purpose in the next sentence. There are actually two, so I want you to see both of them. They should be read in this manner, in order that. So it's the word that, but it should be read in order that. So in other words, Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, that's Israel, having become a curse for us for it is written, cursed is everyone who hangs from a tree or on a tree, in order that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles. So Jesus died, not just for the Jews, but he also died in order that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, not all the Gentiles, just like not all of the Israelites. They had to be in Christ Jesus. They had to be obedient to the gospel of Christ. They had to have faith in the Lord and savior Jesus Christ. He says in order that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles. Now this is so critical. It is so vitally important that if that gospel did not go to the nations, if it did not go to the Gentiles, if they were excluded from the gospel, which is what some people are teaching out there, like Israel only like Hebrew Israelites, if it were only to the Jews and excluded the Gentiles, guess what friends, not even the Jews themselves could be saved because God would save the Gentile in order for them to know how the Jews would be saved. And in order to save the Jews, that's what the text is teaching. Let's read it again. In order that starting at verse 14, the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus that there's another conjunction of purpose to be read in order that we, who is the, we in the text, those are the Jews. So the blessing had to come upon the Gentiles in order that we Jews might receive the promise of the spirit through faith. So what that's telling us is this, if that promise did not extend to the Gentiles, as the gospel was preached before to Abraham, that God would justify the Gentiles through faith. Then there is no salvation for the Jew. There is no salvation for Israel. There is no salvation for the people to whom the covenants were made. So we cannot exclude them. We cannot limit them to simply the Northern tribes of Israel, but they have to be the stranger, the uncircumcised who were dwelling among them. And we know that all the tribes were circumcised at the time of the Exodus. So a native born with those who were outside of the covenant. Now, this is also taken up in Romans chapter four in the fourth chapter of Romans. We see the very same promise that is made. The Bible says when it speaks about Abraham, he says, does this blessedness come upon the circumcised only Romans chapter four in verse nine. Now watch this blessedness would be those whose sins are covered. It would be those to whom the Lord does not impute or reckon or count their sins against them. He says, blessed verse seven, or those whose lawless deeds are forgiven and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin. Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only that would be the Jews that would be Israel or upon the uncircumcised also. So it's coming upon the uncircumcised in addition to the circumcised. For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness. How then was it counted or counted while he was circumcised or uncircumcised? You see when God blessed Abraham, Abraham was himself uncircumcised and that is proof positive that God would bless the uncircumcised. And so he says not while circumcised, but while uncircumcised and he received the sign of circumcision, a seal of the righteousness of the faith, which he had while still being or while still uncircumcised that he might be the father of all. So when the Bible says all it's referring to the Jew, to the circumcised and it's referring to the uncircumcised. It's referring to all that he might be the father of all those who believe though they are uncircumcised in order that there's another conjunction of purpose. Righteousness might be imputed. Watch this to them also in order that righteousness might be imputed to them. That's the uncircumcised also in addition to the Jews. And so, and the father verse 12 of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith, which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. So his point is if God could justify Abraham while he was uncircumcised and the Jews accepted that readily, he could also justify the Gentiles who were uncircumcised. And hence verse 13 for the premise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, meaning the circumcision only, but through the righteousness of faith. For those who are of the law are heirs. If they are the only heirs, he says faith is made void and the promise is made of no effect. You see, Israel can't get their own promise. If the circumcised, the uncircumcised does not share in that promise as well. Now we're going to take just a moment and have a word from our sponsor. We'll be back in just a minute. So let's go ahead and complete our message for today. The Bible says the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For those who are of the law, that is the circumcised only are heirs. Faith is made void and the promise made of no effect. So there is what's included in the all that God was speaking about as far as the gospel was concerned. So important that this take place for both Israel. I want to end on a couple of passages from the 15th chapter of the book of Acts that expresses this as well, because there were some of the brethren during that time who came down from Antioch, Syria, and who caused a great dissension among the church in Jerusalem, uh, even in Antioch. And they were saying that unless you were circumcised, according to the custom of Moses, you cannot be saved. They were trying to impose the law, but here's the message that Peter had for them. He said, God, verse eight, who knows the hearts according, acknowledge the Gentiles, because God had through Peter's mouth, preached the gospel to the Gentiles, that they would hear the word of the Lord and believe. So let's see what God required of them. The Bible says, so God who acknowledged the hearts, acknowledge them. God acknowledged them. He acknowledged the Gentiles by giving them the Holy spirit, just as he did to us. And that's Acts chapter 10, when Peter goes to the household of and also chapter 11, verses 15 through 17 and watch and made no distinction between us and them purifying their hearts by faith. So God blessed and saved these Gentiles apart from circumcision. He says there was no difference because he purified them through faith. The very promise of Abraham. Now, therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples, which neither our fathers, nor we were able to bear, but we believe that through the grace of the Lord, Jesus Christ, we that's the Jews shall be saved in the same manner as the Gentiles. What does that mean? Apart from circumcision, Jesus Christ became a servant of the circumcision for the truth of God in order that the Gentiles might glorify him for his mercy. That's our message. We'll see you on next week to continue this subject. May God bless and keep you on William Bell with the rains road church of Christ saying you have a very pleasant