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This podcast is a production of Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas, USA. Watermark exists to be and make more fully devoted followers of Christ, looking to God's Word as our only authority, conscience and guide.
Good morning, Watermark. How are we doing today? Good to see you. It's going to be a fun one this morning. I'm glad you made it. If this is your first time ever with us on a Sunday morning, thanks for trusting us with your time. I really do hope this place can feel like home and that it can be a place where you can take either your first or next step with Jesus Christ.
We're going to jump into the Word of God this morning. Before we do, I just want to give everyone an opportunity to pause and pray and ask God to speak to you. So, will you do that really quickly? Just pray and say, "God, would you speak to me this morning?" Then, would you pray for the people around you and ask God to speak to them as well? Then, I want to ask you to pray for me. Ask God to speak clearly through me to you.
Lord, we're here to meet with you. God, you're so kind that you've given us your Word, and you've given us your Spirit who lives inside of us, who leads and guides us into all truth. So, Holy Spirit, you're welcome here, and I just want to ask and pray that you would glorify Christ in our hearts and in our minds through your Word. We love you. In Jesus' name, amen.
During my time away in July, my family had a special opportunity to go to Europe with my dad. We spent some time in London, and then we spent some time in Paris. People have asked me, "What was the highlight of the trip?" My response is very easy. There's no question in my mind. The highlight of the trip, for me, was that we were in Paris for the final stage of the Tour de France.
When I tell people that, I can always tell immediately by the look on their face whether they care at all about the Tour de France or not, because either their eyes light up, like, "That's incredible," or you can see the gears jamming up, like, "Which one is that again? Is that golf? Is that a car race?" People don't know.
As I've thought about the Tour de France, there are people all over the spectrum. There are people who are truly all in on the Tour de France. They love it. They don't just watch the NBC recap on YouTube; they watch the hours-long actual race. They've watched all of the seasons of the documentary on Netflix. They might even travel to France to follow the tour. There are some crazy people out there who will put on Speedos and run along the side of the race on the camera. I'm like, "No, thank you." There are people who are just all in.
Then there are people who know about it and kind of like it. They've watched, like, one season of the documentary, and they've watched it from time to time, but honestly, anytime they turn it on, they think it's great, but they still have no clue what's going on. Like, it's confusing enough. There are enough competitions within the overall competition that you kind of don't know what's happening. Then there are the people who just don't know and don't care.
I tell you that to say that is just like the topic we're talking about today. For some of you, the topic we're talking about…this is your topic. You're all in on it. You love this topic. You are very passionate about this topic. It bothers you that other people aren't as passionate about this topic as you are, and you'll arrange your travel schedule around this topic.
Others of you know some about this topic. You care some about this topic. You've maybe watched something or listened to something on this topic, but honestly, you have just scratched the surface, and it's still very confusing to you, and you still kind of don't know. Others of you…honestly, a lot of you…don't know and don't care.
What's the topic? Today, we're talking about how to understand Israel in the Bible. The reason we're talking about it is because we just finished the book of Ezekiel. If you are tracking with the Journey, then all throughout Ezekiel, you see all of these prophecies about a future restoration of Israel. As we get into the book of Daniel, there are going to be more prophecies.
Last week, we looked at the valley of dry bones where you see this massive revival among the nation of Israel. Ezekiel is full of hope for the future of Israel. Here's the problem: The problem is that godly and faithful scholars have very different understandings of how the passages we've been reading in Ezekiel and what we _will_ read in Daniel… There are very godly, very faithful scholars who have differing opinions on how passages like these fit together with what we're going to read in the New Testament in the coming months.
It brings up questions like, "Is the hope we read about in Ezekiel only for ethnic Israel? Does any of that hope also impact the church? How do the Israel of the Old Testament and the church in the New Testament relate to each other? _Do_ they relate to each other?" It's important for us to talk about this now before we move any farther into the study of the Scripture and before we get to talking about eschatology.
So, if you have a Bible, I want you to turn with me to Genesis, chapter 12. Genesis 12 is where we're going to start, but we're going to jump all over the Scripture today. Before we jump in, I want to ask everyone to listen to me really quickly. This is so important. I can't have anyone half listening right now. Okay? I need to make sure that people in here don't confuse a theological conversation with a geopolitical conversation. Those are two different things.
Some of you, when you heard I'm talking about how to understand Israel in the Bible, are now waiting to see if I'm going to declare that Watermark is pro-Israel or not. That's actually a geopolitical conversation about the modern state of Israel. Today really isn't a conversation about the modern state of Israel, in which less than 1 percent of Jews are currently Christians, just so there's no confusion. We are talking about how to understand Israel in the Bible.
But I want to be clear, in case there's any concern or question. Let me just answer this question. This is, honestly, a side conversation, but let me go ahead and say it. Does the modern state of Israel have the right to defend itself against any threat or evil act? Does the modern state of Israel have the right to exist? Of course it does.
Are there geopolitical reasons why the United States should see the modern state of Israel as an important ally? Of course there are good reasons for that. That's not what we're talking about today. So, I'm just making sure. Please don't confuse a geopolitical conversation with a theological one. Okay? Are you guys still with me? Okay.
Now, I'm just going to warn you. This is going to feel like stepping into a seminary classroom, and there's a reason the majority of you didn't go to seminary. You don't _want_ to be in a seminary classroom. Welcome to a seminary classroom. You're going to love today. Some of you are going to be like, "I can't believe I invited my friend to _this_ one." I'm sorry. If you _are_ visiting, please come back. Okay. Here we go.
Here's the question that gets debated among scholars. It's a question around how much continuity or discontinuity there is between the Old Testament and the New Testament regarding Israel and the church. Now, if some of you have done enough study just to be dangerous, then you know there are two primary camps when you're talking about continuity and discontinuity between the relationship of Israel and the church.
The names of those two camps (here's a big word that you can go and impress your friends with at lunch)… One camp is known as _dispensationalism_. Show of hands. Who has heard that term before? Okay, several of you. That's one camp…dispensationalism. The second camp is known as _covenant theology_.
_Dispensationalism_ is known more for discontinuity. Dispensationalism advocates for a distinction between Israel and the church. _Covenant theology_, on the other hand, is known more for continuity. Covenant theology sees Christ as the true Israel; therefore, all who are in Christ make up the Israel of God. Now, you might say, "Okay. There are only two options. I already have decided which option is mine." It's not that easy. It's actually more complex than that.
If you're sitting there saying, "I already know I'm a dispensationalist," well, let me ask you… What kind of dispensationalist _are_ you? Are you a classic dispensationalist, are you a revised dispensationalist, or are you a progressive dispensationalist? You know. Right? If you're a covenant theology guy, well, are you more of a classic covenant theology guy or have you leaned into progressive covenantalism? You know. Right? There are several different options.
I tell you that just to say, if you've watched one YouTube video and been like, "I know what I think," that's like watching one episode of the Tour de France, like, "I get it. I totally get it, and I'm all in." It's not that simple. So, let's dig a little deeper. We're still in the seminary classroom. Let me give you better ideas of what I'm talking about for four of the five viewpoints I just mentioned. You should see these as existing on a spectrum, moving from discontinuity to continuity.
_Classic dispensationalism_. When I say, "Classic dispensationalism," you can think Scofield reference Bible, for the more mature people in the room. Meaning, you've been around longer than anyone else in this room. That's what I mean by that…the people with gray hair or no hair. It's what we're talking about: classic dispensationalism. It's kind of that _Left Behind_ version of dispensationalism.
It teaches that the Israel in the Old Testament and the church in the New Testament are two distinct peoples with no overlap. Israel is God's earthly people, the church is God's heavenly people; therefore, the Bible has two different people, two different stories, two different new covenants, two different roles, two different kingdoms, and honestly, two different destinies. The church is a parenthesis to God's dealings with Israel. That's classic dispensationalism.
_Progressive dispensationalism_ moves closer on the spectrum. It moves from discontinuity toward continuity. Progressive dispensationalism is the most prominent view among dispensationalism today. It teaches that Israel and the church are distinct but still one people…one people with two dimensions. God's one-kingdom program unfolds in stages so that both Israel and the church presently share in Christ's new covenant blessings while Israel's national promises still await future fulfillment. Okay?
That's classic and progressive. Some of you are like, "Now I _really_ don't care." So, we're moving along the spectrum. We're now toward the middle, progressive dispensationalism. When you hear _progressive_, don't think more liberal. That word is used to say that God's kingdom plan progresses throughout Scripture.
Now, on the other side, which is more dealing with continuity, you have _progressive covenantalism_. Progressive covenantalism teaches that Israel and the church are part of the one people of God in Christ, with Old Testament promises to Israel fulfilled in Jesus and extended to all believers, while still recognizing the progressive unfolding of God's covenants across redemptive history.
Then, if you move all the way to the other end of the spectrum in terms of continuity, you have _covenant theology_. Covenant theology teaches that Israel and the church are one people of God across history, with the church being the continuation and fulfillment of the true Israel under the unifying covenant of grace. Okay? So there you go. Now you completely understand it. Some of you guys are so giddy right now. You're like, "This is what church should be like every week." Others of you are like, "We can make it to Costco by 10:00 a.m. if we leave now."
Why are we talking about this? What's the point? Why are we going into all this detail? It's important. It matters. The reason it matters is because, as we've read different prophecies in Ezekiel (and there's more to come in Daniel), how you understand the relationship between Israel and the church in the Bible will impact your understanding of eschatology and what future plans God has for ethnic Israel.
So, here's the point in the service where the majority of you look at me and say, "So what's the right answer?" Isn't that what you want? You just want me to do the work for you. Right? You're like, "Just tell me. Which one is it?" Well, I'm not going to do that, because that wouldn't be any fun. I'd rather have a lot more fun and invite you into the rabbit hole with me.
Here's what I want to do. I first want to show you how different godly, faithful scholars arrive at different places. The message today is going to feel different than most messages. I have some points. They're toward the end of the message. But today, we're just going to read a bunch of Scripture. We are going to trust that God can do incredible work by the power of his Spirit when we just read his Word together, that God will bless the public reading of the Word.
So, if you want to track with me, you can. If you want to sleep, that's an option, but I would encourage you to track with me. First, I want to show you how a lot of people have the conviction that there is a distinction between Israel and the church, which is the camp known as _dispensationalism_. Genesis 12:1-3 says this:
**"Now the Lord said to Abram, 'Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.'"**
You need to know Genesis 12. It is one of the most important passages in the entire Bible when it comes to actually understanding the Bible. In Genesis 12, God promises Abraham three things: land, seed, and blessing. It's very important. We've already talked about it, but if you remember, if you've been tracking along with us this year, you know in Genesis 3, sin fractured humanity's relationship with God.
Yet, while humanity could have been hopeless, God, in his kindness, promised that a Serpent crusher would come. One would come who would reverse the effects of the fall and restore what was lost in Eden. Right after Genesis 3, we turn the page to Genesis 4, and we start thinking, "Is the Serpent crusher going to be Cain or is it going to be Abel?" Nope. Neither. The infection of sin just gets worse and worse and worse to where we see, in Genesis 6, all of humanity is infected by sin.
Our eyes are still looking for the Serpent crusher, but right now we're looking amidst all humanity. Genesis 12 says, "Look for the Serpent crusher amidst one family. It's Abraham's family. That's where the Serpent crusher is going to come, the one through whom the entire earth will be able to once again experience God's blessing instead of God's curse. The curse from the garden will be restored to humanity, and it's going to come through Abraham's family."
God promises Abraham that he's going to make of him a nation. We now know that nation to be the nation of Israel. That's why the entire Old Testament is about the nation of Israel. That's what the whole Old Testament is about. Genesis 12:7 says, **"Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, 'To your offspring I will give this land.' So he built there an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him."**
This is important. Remember, from the beginning, it has always been God's intention to have his people in his place, enjoying his presence, accomplishing his purposes. We see those ingredients right here. God comes to Abraham and gives him the promise of a people who will enjoy his place with his presence, accomplishing his purposes. Genesis 17:7 says, **"And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant…"** So, God's covenant to Abraham has everlasting implications.
Now you can turn with me to 2 Samuel, chapter 7. Remember, I'm just showing you a bunch of different passages. Genesis, chapter 12, is known as the _Abrahamic covenant_; 2 Samuel, chapter 7, is known as the _Davidic covenant_. Covenants throughout the Old Testament form what I would call the _backbone of the Bible_. This is known as the covenant God makes with David. Listen to what it says, starting in verse 8.
**"Now, therefore, thus you shall say to my servant David, 'Thus says the Lord of hosts, I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel. And I have been with you wherever you went and have cut off all your enemies from before you. And I will make for you a great name, like the name of the great ones of the earth.**
**And I will appoint a place for my people Israel and will plant them, so that they may dwell in their own place and be disturbed no more. And violent men shall afflict them no more, as formerly, from the time that I appointed judges over my people Israel. And I will give you rest from all your enemies.**
**Moreover, the Lord declares to you that the Lord will make you a house. When your days are fulfilled and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your offspring after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever.'"**
So, for Abraham, the promises were land, seed, and blessing. The promises to David are kingdom, a house, and a throne. These are two extremely important passages. What we just saw is that as we look for the Serpent crusher among Abraham's family, among the nation of Israel, we're not just looking amidst the whole nation now; we're zeroed in on David's line. The Serpent crusher will come from David's line.
And what else are we promised? We're promised that God will establish an eternal kingdom with a Davidic king, who we now know is Jesus, and that people of that kingdom will be the nation of Israel in the land God gives them. Now turn over to Jeremiah 31. We studied Jeremiah 31 a few weeks ago. It's known as the _new covenant_.
So, we've looked at the Abrahamic covenant, the Davidic covenant, and now you get to the new covenant. The new covenant comes to the nation of Israel at a time when the nation is, for all practical purposes, dead. They have been living in idolatry, and God has promised judgment upon them. The kingdom has been split into two kingdoms. They are living in exile. And what does God promise?
**"Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, not like the covenant that I made with their fathers on the day when I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, my covenant that they broke, though I was their husband, declares the Lord.**
**For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, declares the Lord: I will put my law within them, and I will write it on their hearts. And I will be their God, and they shall be my people. And no longer shall each one teach his neighbor and each his brother, saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest, declares the Lord. For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."**
Do you remember us talking about this a few weeks ago? What are the promises of the new covenant? A new heart and a new start. This is incredible news. If you put it in context, this is God looking at a practically dead nation, saying, "Look. I'm not done with you. Actually, your best days are ahead. Do you know what I'm going to do? I'm actually going to put my Spirit in you. I'm going to give you new hearts so you can walk in obedience to me, unlike what you couldn't do under the Mosaic law, and I'm going to forgive your sins. Why? Because I love my people."
Then, watch how Jeremiah 31:35-36 go on. Watch the imagery. **"Thus says the Lord, who gives the sun for light by day and the fixed order of the moon and the stars for light by night, who stirs up the sea so that its waves roar-the Lord of hosts is his name: 'If this fixed order…'"** What's the fixed order? It's the light in the sky. It's the moon and the stars. **"If this fixed order departs from before me…"** Has it departed? Is there still a moon in the sky? Are there still stars in the sky? Yes, there are.
**"If this fixed order departs from before me, declares the Lord, then shall the offspring of Israel cease from being a nation before me forever."** His point is "I'm committed to my people, the nation of Israel, for forever." Then, as we read last week in Ezekiel… You see this picture, the valley of dry bones, where God resurrects the nation. That's all Old Testament. Then you turn over to Romans 11:25-29.
**"Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, 'The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob'; 'and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.' As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable."**
If you read through Romans 9-11, when God through Paul is talking about Israel, he's speaking of ethnic Jews. According to Romans 11, we're in a time when there is a partial hardening of the Jews, but a day is coming when God will turn his attention fully back to fulfilling the promises he has made to them. This is why many people say it's pretty clear God still has specific plans for ethnic Israel to return them completely to the land, to call the nation to himself, and to bless them and the nations through them.
So, those are all of those passages. Seems pretty clear. Right? Great. All you dispensationalists are like, "Let's pray and get out of here." Okay. Now let me show you why some have the conviction that the church is the continuation of or the fulfillment of Israel or the restored Israel. Remember, here's the point I'm trying to make: it's more complex than you think it is.
Listen to what Jesus says in John 15:1. He says, **"I am the true vine…"** That's interesting, because in the Old Testament, the nation of Israel is referred to as the _vine_ or the _vineyard_. So, many interpret Jesus' words to mean that _he_ is now the true Israel, that being a part of God's covenant people doesn't deal with ethnicity but union with Christ.
Turn over now to 1 Peter 2:9-10. Watch this. This is important, because Peter is talking to a predominantly Gentile audience. He says, **"But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light."** Watch the wording in verse 10. **"Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy."**
Each of those titles…_chosen race_, _royal priesthood_, _holy nation_…those were all titles God ascribed to the nation of Israel in the Old Testament, and now they're being applied to Gentiles in the church. Now watch Galatians 3:16. **"Now the promises were made to Abraham…"** What were the promises? Land, seed, and blessing. **"…and to his offspring. It does not say, 'And to offsprings,' referring to many, but referring to one, 'And to your offspring,' who is Christ."** So, who's the true offspring of Abraham? Jesus.
Watch Galatians 3:29. **"And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's offspring, heirs according to promise."** So, some people would say Christians, both Jews and Gentiles, are now Abraham's offspring because Jesus is the true Israel. Now watch Romans 2:28-29. Look at what Paul says. This is just interesting. We have to wrestle with these things.
He says, **"For no one is a Jew who is merely one outwardly, nor is circumcision outward and physical. But a Jew is one inwardly, and circumcision is a matter of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter. His praise is not from man but from God."** So, in Romans 2, it's possible to look at this and say that Paul is saying true Israel is not defined by ethnicity any longer but by the heart, by circumcision of the heart by the Holy Spirit.
Then, finally, Romans 11:17. It's a big passage. After we get through this, we've read all the Scripture, for the most part. Watch what it says. **"But if some of the branches were broken off…"** That's referring to an unbelieving Israel. **"…and you** \[Gentiles\]**,** **although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree…"**
Do you see the picture here? It's a picture of Israel. Christ is the true vine, but it's a picture of Israel. Unbelieving Israel is not part of the root. Gentiles _weren't_, but now they've been grafted in. And what's Paul's message? Verse 18: **"…do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, 'Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.'"** This is talking about how God brought in the Gentiles when the Jews rejected them.
**"That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches** \[ethnic Israel\]**,** **neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God's kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.**
**And even they** \[ethnic Israel\]**,** **if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree."**
The olive tree is Israel. Jesus is the true vine, and on this one tree, representing Israel, you see both Jew and Gentile branches on the same tree. So, it's not that Israel is replaced; it's that Israel is expanded to include both Jews and Gentiles. Okay? So, now I've unpacked how both camps get to their conclusions. There are so many verses we haven't even touched. My point is it's more complex than you think.
So, what's the right answer? Well, it's not going to be what you want. The right answer is two things. First, it's to have the _right posture_, and secondly, it's to have the _right passions_. Let me talk about both. What do I mean by the _right posture_? I mean the right posture, when you're seeking to understand Israel in the Bible, is one of _humility_ and _charity_. The reason I say _humility_ is simply because it's more complex than you think it is.
Here is what I want to make sure everyone knows. Here in the West, we don't like messages like this where it's not just "You need to believe _this_ and not _that_," yet there are moments where we need to look at this and see, "Oh, you know what? Maybe you and I have been too simplistic in our thinking."
Here's what you have to understand: all of the viewpoints I have articulated are held by godly and brilliant scholars who absolutely agree on what is most essential. Every position I've articulated… All have a high view of Scripture. All uphold the inerrancy of Scripture. All are committed to faithful exegesis and expository preaching. All agree that salvation for all people, whether Jew or Gentile, is solely by grace through faith in Jesus Christ. All exalt Christ as Lord of all. All uphold the dignity and worth of all Israel.
Therefore, there is no room for anti-Semitism in any viewpoint, and no viewpoint gives way to liberalism. The reason I tell you that, and the reason I'm even talking about the right posture, is just in case _your_ experience is anything like _my_ experience. Let me just tell you my experience. I'm kind of an anomaly of a person. The reason I say that is because, first of all, I'm half Palestinian. I'm a Christian half-Palestinian. How many of _those_ do you know?
Not only that. I am a Christian half-Palestinian who spent the majority of my life in dispensational institutions. The church I spent the bulk of my childhood in, my church in college, the seminary I got a degree from, Dallas Theological Seminary…all of these are dispensational institutions. At no fault to anyone…it's only my fault…I reached a point where I began to believe two fallacies, and I want to make sure _you're_ not believing these two fallacies.
The first fallacy I began to believe was that those who held to a covenant theology belief were careless and even unfaithful with the Bible. The second fallacy I began to believe was that dispensationalism was the predominant view among evangelicals. Now that I'm older and much more educated on this topic than I once was, here's what I can honestly say.
First, some of the most respected and brilliant conservative evangelical scholars of our day hold each view I've mentioned. Secondly, the dispensational view is actually the minority view. That doesn't mean it's wrong; I just didn't know that, because I had been told, "This is the only way to think." So, here's what I'd say. It's okay to have strong personal opinions about this topic, but don't make someone's biblical understanding of Israel in the Bible the litmus test of their faithfulness to the Scriptures.
This topic is not worth breaking fellowship over. I'll give you an example. Tom Schreiner is one of my favorite scholars. He's truly one of the most respected scholars of our day. He's not a dispensationalist, but he was invited to speak to the faculty of Dallas Theological Seminary just two weeks ago. DTS is the leading dispensational seminary in our nation. What does that show you? It shows you we're on the same team.
Here's my encouragement to you. Look. If you want to know the right answer, if you want to know where I stand, here's what I'd say. I'm more toward the middle. You're not going to find me at either end of the spectrum. You're not going to find me over _here_ in classic dispensationalism. Honestly, that belief system or that form of dispensationalism is on the decline and not taught widely anymore. But you're also not going to find me at _this_ end of covenant theology.
What has been really encouraging is you see a move toward the middle with progressive dispensationalism and progressive covenantalism. We're seeing that there's more similarity than there is difference now. So, what I want to encourage you to do is to keep praying and studying, especially as we talk eschatology next week.
Here's what I would say. I have studied this topic a lot over the years, and even as I studied over the past week, I found my convictions being refined. Isn't that interesting? I've studied this for a long time, and even this week as I studied, I felt my convictions being refined. You know what? It felt like maturity. As I studied, my grip was loosening instead of tightening. Something felt mature about that. The more I knew, the more I realized, "Hey, this is complex."
I could get to the end and God is like, "Yeah, you got it wrong, man, and so did all of them." But I want to be faithful to look at his Word and to study it and to operate as faithfully as I can. So, here's my encouragement to you: Keep praying. Keep reading. If you want a few books to check out, I'd encourage you to read three different books.
One is called _Discontinuity to Continuity_ by Benjamin Merkle. It will give you an overview of each of the positions I talked about. There's _Progressive Dispensationalism_ by Craig Blaising and Darrell Bock, two very respected people, and then _Progressive Covenantalism_ by Stephen Wellum and Brent Parker. I'd encourage you to read all of these. Prayerfully consider how to rightfully divide God's Word.
So, that's the right posture: humility and charity. Then, I want to encourage you to have the _right passions_. Here's what I mean by that. The good news is there are actually things among a few of the main views we talked about where there's widespread agreement. So, let me identify the places where there's widespread agreement, and I want to encourage you to let your passions be primarily there.
The first place where there's widespread agreement is this: In some way, the promises to Israel have been extended to the church through Christ. Key wording: _in some way_. What we're specifically talking about is in regard to the new covenant, which we talked about a few weeks ago. The promises in the new covenant that God would send his Spirit, that he would give his people a new heart, and that he would completely forgive them… Those promises have been extended to the church, and that's good news.
If you're here and you're not Jewish, that should cause you to celebrate. The promises of the new covenant have been extended to you as well. Let me just say this. If you're here this morning, and you're not a Christian, and you're like, "Man! I feel like I could have come on a better Sunday than this…" Well, here's the reason God brought you here today. He wants you to know that Jesus Christ, who was and is God, left heaven for you. He came to earth and lived perfectly for you. He came and died for you. He came and rose from the dead for you. Why? Because he wants you.
He can forgive you. He can make you new. He can give you a new start, and you can enjoy eternal life with God in heaven for all of eternity through faith alone in Jesus Christ. It's available to you. I don't care where you've been. I don't care what you've done. I don't care what's in your past. If you knew my past, you'd be like, "I guess I really can be forgiven."
Everyone has the opportunity, because of what Christ has accomplished through the new covenant, to know Jesus Christ. So, what does this mean? It means be passionate about holy living. God has put his Holy Spirit inside of you. Be passionate about evangelism. If people know your thoughts on Israel more than they know the gospel, you're missing it.
The second place where there's agreement is this: There is widespread agreement that God _does_ have a future plan for ethnic Israel. Here's what I mean. Romans 11:25-26: **"Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved…"**
People debate the extent of God's future plans for ethnic Israel, but there is widespread agreement from people holding differing views that, at some point in the future, there will be a massive, nationwide conversion of Jews. That's incredible news. That's really incredible news. We should long for that day. We should pray for that day where God saves a massive number of Jews.
Yet, here's what you need to know. As you're praying for the day of salvation for the Jews, you need to understand that fewer than 1 percent of Jews in Israel are Christians. The soil right now among Jews is pretty hard. Jews need the gospel now. So, pray that the gospel would go out. One of my friends, Mitch Glaser, is the CEO of Chosen People Ministries. Mitch and I text each other and email each other from time to time.
It's so cool, because being half Palestinian, when everything broke out with the horrific things that happened on October 7, it would have been easy for us to go our separate ways, yet we've been texting and emailing. "Praise God that you're my brother in Christ." It has been so sweet. Chosen People Ministries is committed to taking the gospel to the Jews. The good news is that Jews are coming to Christ now. We should pray for their salvation. You know what? If you have unbelieving Jewish friends, you should seek to engage them and share the gospel with them.
Finally, Christ is our hope. There's widespread agreement that Christ is King. A day is coming when his kingdom will be fully established on the earth, and in the end, Christ will make all things new. So, let's be clear. Christ is the ultimate offspring of Abraham. He's the true Davidic king who has initiated a new covenant that has birthed a new creation that will one day result in God's people experiencing a full restoration of what was lost in the garden of Eden. A day is coming when, for all of eternity, God's people will live in God's place, enjoying God's presence, while accomplishing his purposes. That's why I say that Christ is our hope.
Let me just speak for a moment to what's happening in the Middle East right now. Our hearts should be grieved by what is happening in the Middle East right now. What Hamas did on October 7 was absolutely horrific. The fact that hostages have still not been returned to their families is gut-wrenching. As a Palestinian, watching the ruins and the starvation and the lives being lost in Gaza is absolutely heartbreaking.
I don't know if you know this. We have brothers and sisters in Christ, Christian Palestinian brothers and sisters in Gaza, who have lost their lives. It's all devastating. Our hearts should break with that. But let's be clear. The only hope for Jews and Palestinians is, in fact, Christ. The good news is we have to remember that the gospel is actually a message of reconciliation.
I love that one of my second cousins who lives in Israel… She's a Christian Palestinian, and she married a Messianic Jew, and together they worship in a church filled with both believing Jews and Arabs. That is a small picture of heaven, and that's what we need more of. We should pray for more of this, because Christ is the only hope of peace and reconciliation. I think about what we read yesterday in the Journey, if you were reading Ezekiel 47. Watch it. I don't know if you missed this.
**"So you shall divide this land among you according to the tribes of Israel. You shall allot it as an inheritance for yourselves and for the sojourners who reside among you and have had children among you. They shall be to you as native-born children of Israel. With you they shall be allotted an inheritance among the tribes of Israel. In whatever tribe the sojourner resides, there you shall assign him his inheritance, declares the Lord God."**
Look. A day is coming when people from every tribe, every tongue, every people group and nation, both Palestinians and Jews, will surround the throne and declare, "Salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne and to the Lamb." Let's pray together.
There's an opportunity on the table for some of you today to put your trust in Jesus Christ. Maybe God brought you here today just to tell you he wants you. He wants to forgive you, he wants to make you new, but it's only going to come through faith in Jesus Christ. If that's you, I just want to give you an opportunity right now.
Maybe you're ethnically Jewish, and God brought you here, and today you're going to become a truly biblical Jew, one who has been circumcised in your heart. Right now, if that's you, I just want to invite you. Say, "Lord Jesus, would you come into my life today? Thank you, Jesus, that you died for me. Thank you, Jesus, that you rose for me. Would you come into my life? Would you forgive me of my sins? Would you lead me in a new life?"
Lord, I pray that you would give us wisdom and understanding. Thank you for your Word. Your Word is faithful. It's trustworthy. It's true. We anchor ourselves in your Word, yet we acknowledge that there are godly scholars who are smarter than all of us who still see things differently. So, would you just give us wisdom and understanding? Lord, we can sit here today and just pray. We pray for the salvation of the Jews.
Lord, we pray that today you would call many Jews to yourself, that they would put their trust in you and find their hope in you, God. Lord, I pray that today you would reveal yourself in a way that would bring hope and healing. I pray for your gospel of reconciliation that can bring peace between Jews and Palestinians. We just want to ask for it, Lord. Finally, we just say thank you for our salvation. We praise you for the salvation that is available solely through Jesus Christ. We love you. In Jesus' name, amen.