I had the honour of sharing this message with the local church in Nikolaev that hosted the 3rd. Messianic Leader's Conference.
Both of the leaders of this local church, Volodia and Victoria are Jewish and work hand in hand with the local messianic congregation. They wanted to walk through the scriptures and understand what God was doing now that Israel was a prophetic reality.
Also, how do we walk with Jews from all over the world who are coming to know Yeshua and becoming part of local churches and messianic congregations.
THE JEWS, ISRAEL AND THE CHURCH
It is time to reflect on what the Spirit is saying to the churches about the Jews, Israel, the Church and the prophetic season we entered in 1948.
It is time to remove ignorance, anti-Semitism, and replacement theology, and add biblical understanding of what God is doing in the earth today.
1 Corinthians 4: 1-2
This is how one should regard us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God. 2 Moreover, it is required of stewards that they be found trustworthy.
1-е Коринфянам 4:1-2
1 Итак каждый должен разуметь нас, как служителей Христовых и домостроителей таин Божиих.
2О т домостроителей же требуется, чтобы каждый оказался верным.
The church, like every family, needs to know about her roots, her heritage, in order to be healthy.
Family - this is at the heart of the scriptures.
Adam & Eve represent the first family.
Abram - the one God used to begin His forever family line.
David - the one God used to unite His family from the 12 different tribes.
Jesus whose Hebrew name is Yeshua - removed the dividing wall between Jews and Gentiles and united us into the family of God.
ROOTS - Genesis 12:1-3 begins a covenant relationship God makes with Abram that ALL the families of the earth will be blessed.
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. 2 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. 3 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."
Бытие 12:1-3
1 И сказал Господь Авраму: пойди из земли твоей, от родства твоего и из дома отца твоего, в землю, которую Я укажу тебе;
2 и Я произведу от тебя великий народ, и благословлю тебя, и возвеличу имя твое, и будешь ты в благословение;
3 Я благословлю благословляющих тебя, и злословящих тебя прокляну; и благословятся в тебе все племена земные.
- it includes both a promise to Abram to bless all the families of the earth.
- his seed, the Jews, will be like the stars in the night sky.
- it also includes a promise of land for his people.
- today we call that land Israel.
COVENANT - is a reminder that the God we serve keeps His word to Abraham. The promise is heard and written down.
Covenant is about the character of God. Contract = equality of parties.
He is faithful and true - we are not.
God is a generational God - Abraham, Isaac and Jacob whose name is changed to Israel - prince with God.
Throughout scripture God reveals Himself, and His plan for man through the Jews.
Covenant - oral promises and traditions.
The Torah - His Word.
The Temple - meeting place of God and man. Heaven and earth. Guilt and forgiveness.
The Kingdom - David given an everlasting promise of a King on his Throne forever.
Daniel - a final King ruling over the kingdoms of men.
Ezekiel - a regathering of the Jews from all over the world to the land of promise.
New Creation - God’s Word will be written on our hearts and we will become new creatures.
God is at work in history and amongst all peoples.
He has a chosen people to show us how we must relate to Him and His desire for us. They tell us the story of salvation.
Jesus said, “salvation is of the Jews.”
Spring Festivals (Passover, First Fruits, Shavuot) were literally fulfilled to the day at Jesus's first coming.
Fall Festivals (Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot) will be literally fulfilled to the day at Jesus's second coming.
Passover - story of redemption/blood
First Fruits, Shavuot - gleaning of the harvest
Rosh Hashanah - head of the year, new beginnings
Yom Kippur - atonement
Sukkot - tabernacle with God/protector
The Messiah of Israel was prophesied coming from the Tribe of Judah, in the land of Israel. He was born a Jew, in Bethlehem, lived as a Jew in Nazareth, ministered in Israel as a Jew, was crucified in Jerusalem as the King of the Jews, died and was buried in Jerusalem and rose again and will return to the Mount of Olives and enter the city and temple at Jerusalem.
1948 - The State of Israel was born again.
Before 1948 commentaries were ignorant of the fulfillment of scripture about the return and restoration of the land.
After 1948 the clock started ticking for the Gentiles and Jews.
The fullness of the Gentiles would come.
The end-time purposes of God amongst the Jews had begun.
Israel and the Jews are a sign of the times. How well are you reading these signs and preparing yourself to be part of what God is doing?
1960’s and the emergence of Jews who recognize Yeshua as Messiah.
Jews reject them. Church doesn’t know what to do with them.
They are Jews first and God has placed inside of them a determination to remain Jewish culturally.
What do they do and where do they go when they are saved?
Luke 15 The story of the prodigal son.
It is the story of Israel - going away repeatedly and returning again and again only to be embraced by a covenant keeping Father.
It is really the story of a loving Father with two very different sons in his family.
If He loves His children, do we?
If He loves the Jews, do we?
If He yearns for them to be restored to Him and rejoices when they do, will we?
It seems easier for us to love the state of Israel than it is to love the Jews.
Who are we as members of the church?
Who are the Jews at this time in history?
they are God’s instrument through whom He has brought salvation to the world.
they are His end-time timepiece so the church will know the times and seasons it is in.
they are a reminder to the world that God keeps His word and will keep His word to the end.
Romans 11
11 So I ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous. 12 Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean!
15 For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?
25 Lest you be wise in your own sight, I want you to understand this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And in this way all Israel will be saved...
К Римлянам 11:11-12
11 Итак спрашиваю: неужели они преткнулись, чтобы [совсем] пасть? Никак. Но от их падения спасение язычникам, чтобы возбудить в них ревность.
12 Если же падение их--богатство миру, и оскудение их--богатство язычникам, то тем более полнота их.
К Римлянам 11:15
15 Ибо если отвержение их--примирение мира, то что [будет] принятие, как не жизнь из мертвых?
К Римлянам 11:25-26
25 Ибо не хочу оставить вас, братия, в неведении о тайне сей, --чтобы вы не мечтали о себе, --что ожесточение произошло в Израиле отчасти, [до времени], пока войдет полное [число] язычников;
26и так весь Израиль спасется, как написано: придет от Сиона Избавитель, и отвратит нечестие от Иакова.
