Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20061224.htm

CHRISTMAS SPECIAL: GOD'S MIDEAST SOLUTION GIFT
Part III: God's Mideast Solution Gift Relative To Christendom
(Luke 1:26-38)

Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

The Middle East crisis threatens the welfare of world peace this Christmas Season, so gaining a comprehensive solution to it is a chief aim of many world leaders.

However, to produce a true, long-term solution, one must know how to respond to Islam, Judaism and Christendom, three deeply ingrained and differing religious systems that underly the crisis. [We use the term "Christendom" to mean that body of professing Christians who mix truth with error as opposed to "Biblical Christianity"!]

A significant problem in this crisis is the competitive nature Christendom has expressed toward Judaism concerning which religion has the right currently to be the ruling "Kingdom of God" on the earth. On the one hand, (Orthodox) Judaism has long waited expectantly for its Messiah to come in accord with Old Testament promises to institute a world messianic rule to which all Gentile nations will be subject (Isaiah 60:1-3 in our Old Testament and the Jewish Torah).

However, various groups in Christendom have held that the Church has replaced Israel in God's program as the "spiritual Israel" so that "Christ is now seated on the throne of David in heaven and is fulfilling to the church the necessary essence of the Old Testament promises," cf. John F. Walvoord, The Blessed Hope and the Tribulation, p. 12-13; Charles C. Ryrie, A Survey of Bible Doctrine, p. 163-164; Dave Hunt, "A Call To Repentance," The Berean Call, November 2006, p. 1.

Accordingly, many in Christendom have viewed the Jew as being in unjust competition with Christendom for God's rule over the earth, and this viewpoint has repeatedly erupted into the persecution of Jews by Christendom (Loraine Boettner, Roman Catholicism, p. 416). After centuries of such persecution, the State of Israel was begun in 1948 in the Holy Land as many formerly persecuted Jews felt the need to protect themselves rather than trust so-call "Christian" nations!

So, in view of the problem that even CHRISTENDOM has presented for the Jewish people, and the distrust that many Jews naturally have for Christendom due to centuries of such persecution, IS there any HOPE of peace in the Middle East that can come from US Biblical CHRISTIANS at NEPAUG BIBLE CHURCH?

(We turn to the sermon "Need" section . . . )

Need: "With the tension between Jews and Christendom over vying for Kingdom of God' power, does GOD offer HOPE for peace in the Middle East this Christmas? If so, what is it so I may promote it?!"
  1. Due to mishandling Scripture, Christendom has oppressed the Jew:
    1. Alexandrian Christians (3rd cent.) tried to fit theology with Platonic philosophy by viewing Scripture nonliterally, Ibid., Walvoord, p. 12.
    2. This led to the view that the Church replaces Israel as the recipient of God's promises to Abraham (Ibid., Ryrie, p. 164) and that Jesus sits on David's throne in heaven ruling through the Church (Ibid., p. 13) so that there is no future millennial (1,000 year) reign of Christ, Ibid.
    3. Well, "amillennialism" led Christendom to see the Jew as a rival to its rule in God's "will," making it easy to persecute him, Ibid., Boettner.
    4. The oppression of Jews via amillennial thinking climaxed in WW II:
      1. Hitler called his reign the "Third Reich", successor of two German empires -- first of the Hohenstaufens of the Middle Ages, then of the Hohenzollern Kaisers, E. M. Burns, West. Civ., 6th ed., p. 889.
      2. Well, "First Reich" king Frederick Barbarossa with an amillennial bent claimed Germany and Italy made up the Holy Roman Empire set up directly by God as equal in rank to the church (Ibid., p. 334).
      3. Thus, when Hitler in his "Third Reich" tried to destroy the Jews, many Jews lost trust in "Christian" nations and formed the State of Israel, W. W. Sweet, The Story of Religion in America, p. 369f!
    5. More tension came with the rise of reconstructionist amillennialism:
      1. After the Protestant Reformation, postmillennialism, a new kind of amillennialism, arose that held the Church would set up a 1,000 yr. reign that would climax in Jesus' return, Ibid., Walvoord, p. 13-14.
      2. Some postmillennial "reconstructionists" believe the Church must extend its rule by evangelism and political and social activism, cf. Renald Showers, Israel My Glory , April-May 1991, p. 22.
      3. Thus, "dozens" of Evangelical leaders with a reconstructionist bent TODAY affirm that "Israel has no special title to land in the Middle East, having been replaced by the Church." (Ibid., Hunt)
    6. Also, the Alexandrian nonliteral view of the Bible has led Liberal Theology to deny God's kingdom is only future, so it denies Israel is to rule the Holy Land! (Walvoord, Jes. Christ Our Lord, p. 12-13, 15).
    7. Then, British Israelism arose via more nonliteralism, adding stress:
      1. Some have taken God's Leviticus 26:18, 21 and 28 warning about Israel's suffering "seven times" out of context to mean the length, not the intensity of Israel's suffering, and by added nonliteralism claim Israel's Babylonian Captivity ended after 2,500 years in the 19th century A. D. ( Van Baalen, The Chaos of Cults, p. 162-166)
      2. Then, they suggest Israel's ten northern tribes never returned to the Holy Land, but migrated to Britain and then on to North America to comprise the Anglo people groups of that continent, Ibid .
      3. David's throne is held to be the British throne, so some cults and some Evangelicals deny Israel's right to rule the Holy Land, Ibid.
  2. Thus, relative to Christendom, God's Mideast solution gift involves its REPENTING of MISHANDLING the Bible and HEEDING it:
    1. The Early Church used the "normal" litero-grammatico-historical way to view Scripture to see it teaches a future 1,000 year reign of Christ over JEWISH Israel -- the premillennial view, Ibid., Showers, p. 24.
    2. Indeed, Gabriel's message in Luke 1:32-33 as read normally supports the premillennial belief, NOT the amillennial, postmillennial, reconstructionist, Liberal Theology or British Israelism views:
      1. Christ's current rule on the Father's heavenly throne is never seen in Scripture to be David's earthly throne, so Jesus' Luke 1:32-33 reign is still future , Ryrie Study Bible, KJV, 1994, ftn. to Lk. 1:33!
      2. Luke 1:32-33b claims Jesus' rule on David's throne will have as subjects the "house of Jacob", a term never used of the Church, BUT of Jacob's seed, the Jewish people, Ibid.; Genesis 49:1, 28!
      3. In Acts 26:1-7, Paul implied the twelve tribes then lived in Israel, so ALL twelve went there from Babylon; British Israelism errs, and the Luke 1:33 "house of Jacob" is ALL twelve Jewish tribes!
    3. Then, John 3:16 teaches all men enter that reign by faith in Christ or else they eternally perish, and Matthew 28:19-20, Romans 8:3-4 and 13:1-2 call believers meekly to disciple the world in God's power -- not to control the lost nor resort to social and political activism.
Application: To promote God's solution in the Middle East, (1) may WE at Nepaug Bible Church trust in Christ for salvation (John 3:16) and, as TRUE Christians, (2) disciple others by God's power (Matt. 28:19-20) VERSUS using activism or controlling the lost!

Lesson: God's GIFT of peace in the Middle East as announced by Gabriel to Mary in relation to Christendom affirms that, viewing the Bible LITERALLY, we know that lasting peace will come when GOD sets up Christ's reign on earth where each subject trusts in Him as Savior from sin. Thus, ALL in CHRISTENDOM and ALL who are affected BY it must HEED the LITERAL view of SCRIPTURE and so HEED it by trusting in Christ as Savior from sin and hell, and herald this truth to all VERSUS resorting to political ACTIVISM or CONTROLLING the lost!

Conclusion: (To illustrate the sermon lesson . . . )

When the late Reverend Walter Kalasnik, a retired pastor, ministered to the "Thomaston Group" of believers we know in the Terryville area, I was asked by Bobby Johnson, Jr. to attend a special presentation that was to be made there by a Pro-Life organization.

At the meeting, I found myself agreeing with the stance against abortion-on-demand promoted by the organization, but feeling very uneasy about its methods. Both the speaker and the film he showed displayed an aggressive, activistic approach that clearly "turned off" the opposing Pro-Choice folk. You could see from the film itself the intense anger many of the Pro-Choice people voiced at the Pro-Lifers, with one person in particular shouting at Pro-Life demonstrators in front of an abortion clinic something like, "Why are you trying to cram your Christian religion down our throat?!"

While this film was running, I glanced over to where Bobby and Reverend Kalasnik were sitting to see Walt whispering in Bobby's ear. I found this to be very interesting, for I knew Walt Kalasnik as a conservative Russian Baptist was very opposed to abortion-on-demand, as were also Bobby and the rest of the "Thomaston Group". Yet, I deeply respected Reverend Kalasnik's view on this issue, for the history of the conservative Russian Baptists was marked by suffering at the hands of unfriendly, anti-Christian government forces in Europe!

Later, I spoke with Bobby by phone about the incident, and he reported that Reverend Kalasnik had told him he opposed the Pro-Life movement's activities while lauding its stand. To Walter, the group's methods clouded the Gospel of God's grace to the lost, for these methods present Christians as trying to dominate rather than convert the lost. Walt felt we should see God regenerate the lost first, and then let Him by way of the Holy Spirit within change their errant views.

I agreed with Reverend Walter Kalasnik, for he opposed errant "reconstructionist" political and social activism!

May we thus NOT resort to activism or dominating others as has CHRISTENDOM so ERRANTLY done over the years! Rather, may we view the Bible LITERALLY, taking the stand that the JEW has a GREAT FUTURE ERA under JESUS in Christ's coming millennial kingdom; then, may we TRUST in Christ and GENTLY disciple all men, Jew and Gentile alike, to be subjects of our Lord and Messiah, Jesus Christ in His coming earthly reign!