1 00:00:01,400 --> 00:00:05,240 Jesus said you shall know the truth and the truth shall do 2 00:00:05,240 --> 00:00:07,840 what set you free. Amen. 3 00:00:08,119 --> 00:00:11,440 May freedom be known today as we come to the truth of God's Word. 4 00:00:11,880 --> 00:00:15,280 Meet me in Mark chapter 15. We're going to be looking at the 5 00:00:15,280 --> 00:00:20,000 1st 5 verses only. But I'm sure you're aware that 6 00:00:20,000 --> 00:00:22,880 this is not the only place where we will be today in the Bible. 7 00:00:23,880 --> 00:00:26,480 Keep your Bibles closed. Keep your Bibles open. 8 00:00:28,520 --> 00:00:31,480 We have many things to touch on today because I want God's Word 9 00:00:31,480 --> 00:00:35,560 to speak always, especially on this matter, because my goal 10 00:00:35,560 --> 00:00:39,320 with this message is to address a single question, just one, 11 00:00:39,960 --> 00:00:44,600 since it is based on the central theme of this passage, I'm going 12 00:00:44,600 --> 00:00:46,080 to read it. Maybe you'll see it and. 13 00:00:47,000 --> 00:00:50,760 Then we'll reflect together. Mark 15 beginning in verse one 14 00:00:51,680 --> 00:00:55,400 and as soon as it was morning. The chief priest held a 15 00:00:55,400 --> 00:00:57,920 consultation with the elders and the scribes and the whole 16 00:00:57,920 --> 00:01:01,960 council, and they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered 17 00:01:01,960 --> 00:01:06,640 them over to Pilate. And Pilate asked him, Are you 18 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:13,640 the king of the Jews? And he answered them, You have 19 00:01:13,640 --> 00:01:16,680 said so. And the chief priest accused him 20 00:01:16,680 --> 00:01:21,120 of many things, and Pilate again asked him, Have you no answer to 21 00:01:21,120 --> 00:01:23,920 make? See how many charges they bring 22 00:01:23,920 --> 00:01:27,400 against you. But Jesus made no further 23 00:01:27,400 --> 00:01:31,520 answer, so that Pilate was amazed. 24 00:01:33,040 --> 00:01:40,160 Up to now the title, the reference King of the Jews has 25 00:01:40,160 --> 00:01:42,080 not appeared in the Gospel of Mark. 26 00:01:43,000 --> 00:01:47,280 We find it here appearing for the first time and it is 27 00:01:47,280 --> 00:01:52,080 actually repeated a total of 6 times in the entirety of the 28 00:01:52,080 --> 00:01:57,320 wider section of this text. We saw it in verse 2, Pilot 29 00:01:57,320 --> 00:01:59,560 asking Jesus, are you the King of the Jews? 30 00:01:59,800 --> 00:02:03,600 Now Scroll down to verse 9. And he answered them, saying, do 31 00:02:03,600 --> 00:02:08,120 you want me to release for you the king of the Jews? 32 00:02:08,600 --> 00:02:12,800 Verse 12 And Pilot again said to them, Then, What shall I do with 33 00:02:12,800 --> 00:02:17,160 the man you call the king of the Jews? 34 00:02:17,800 --> 00:02:23,160 Verse 18 And they began to salute him, Hail King of the 35 00:02:23,160 --> 00:02:30,120 Jews. Verse 26, An inscription of the 36 00:02:30,120 --> 00:02:35,520 charge against them, Read The King of the Jews, and verse 32 37 00:02:35,520 --> 00:02:37,680 counts. If king of Israel is synonymous 38 00:02:37,680 --> 00:02:40,360 with King of the Jews, which it is, look at it with me. 39 00:02:40,600 --> 00:02:44,200 Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the 40 00:02:44,200 --> 00:02:47,120 cross, that we may see and believe. 41 00:02:47,400 --> 00:02:50,760 Those who are crucified with Him also reviled him. 42 00:02:52,720 --> 00:02:56,240 There is no doubt in our minds that the Holy Spirit seeks to 43 00:02:56,240 --> 00:02:59,480 emphasize this theme as a relates to the person of Jesus. 44 00:02:59,480 --> 00:03:02,640 Christ. So with this observation in 45 00:03:02,640 --> 00:03:08,360 mind, the question we will seek to answer is this is Jesus 46 00:03:08,360 --> 00:03:12,800 Christ of Nazareth, the King of the Jews? 47 00:03:13,400 --> 00:03:18,960 That the sum the answer is obvious and to others the 48 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:22,840 question in itself doesn't seem to be worthy of a full 49 00:03:22,840 --> 00:03:25,560 discussion. However, my aim today is to 50 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:31,600 demonstrate that this discussion is extremely significant, and 51 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,000 examining the answer will reveal its importance. 52 00:03:35,000 --> 00:03:40,000 This is the question that Pilate asked Jesus after the Sanhedrin 53 00:03:40,960 --> 00:03:43,560 brought him. The morning after the Lord stood 54 00:03:43,560 --> 00:03:48,360 before the Jewish courts, and according to both the Scriptures 55 00:03:48,360 --> 00:03:53,600 and secular historical sources, Pontius Pilate was the Roman 56 00:03:53,600 --> 00:03:59,200 governor assigned to manage the Judean province, and he did so 57 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:04,840 for 10 years, from 8026 to 36. His main responsibility was to 58 00:04:04,840 --> 00:04:09,120 maintain law and order, and it's very likely that Pontius Pilate 59 00:04:09,120 --> 00:04:13,840 was in Jerusalem at this time so that he can supervise the events 60 00:04:13,840 --> 00:04:18,279 during the Passover celebration. And you might be wondering why 61 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,079 the religious leaders brought Jesus to Pilate. 62 00:04:21,399 --> 00:04:24,040 And there are different reasons, and one of them is because they 63 00:04:24,040 --> 00:04:28,520 sought to distance themselves away from Christ's death and one 64 00:04:28,520 --> 00:04:32,040 of the Romans to be held responsible for his execution. 65 00:04:32,360 --> 00:04:35,080 And there are many other things that we can say about Pilot. 66 00:04:35,240 --> 00:04:37,480 And there are many other things that we can say about the Jewish 67 00:04:37,480 --> 00:04:41,400 leader strategy. But for the sake of time, let us 68 00:04:41,400 --> 00:04:47,880 think over Pilots first recorded words in this gospel, the Gospel 69 00:04:47,880 --> 00:04:53,120 of Mark. What caused them to ask Jesus if 70 00:04:53,120 --> 00:04:57,440 he was the king of the Jews? You don't have to guess. 71 00:04:58,160 --> 00:05:02,400 Luke tells us and gives us a more detailed account of why 72 00:05:02,400 --> 00:05:12,040 this was important to discuss. And Luke 23 verse 2 we read, and 73 00:05:12,040 --> 00:05:15,040 Luke 23 two. Then the whole company of them 74 00:05:15,040 --> 00:05:19,200 arose and brought him before Pilate, and they began to accuse 75 00:05:19,200 --> 00:05:22,840 him, saying we found this man misleading our nation and 76 00:05:22,840 --> 00:05:26,640 forbidding us to give tribute to Caesar, and saying that he 77 00:05:26,640 --> 00:05:32,160 himself is Christ a king. Pause, reflect, take your time. 78 00:05:33,640 --> 00:05:37,200 Here you have the Jewish Council bringing a case against the Lord 79 00:05:37,200 --> 00:05:39,920 Jesus before the Roman government. 80 00:05:40,280 --> 00:05:43,480 And if you pay attention, there are three specific allegations 81 00:05:43,480 --> 00:05:45,040 that are being made against Christ. 82 00:05:45,920 --> 00:05:49,320 The first one is that he is misleading, misguiding the 83 00:05:49,320 --> 00:05:54,800 nation with his teaching. Second, that he was forbidding 84 00:05:54,800 --> 00:05:57,960 the people of Israel of paying their taxes to Caesar. 85 00:05:58,760 --> 00:06:02,800 Finally, he was declaring himself to be Christ. 86 00:06:04,200 --> 00:06:09,960 Christ is not Jesus's last name, you know that right? 87 00:06:10,520 --> 00:06:15,640 It's the Greek word for anointed 1 and in the Jewish context it 88 00:06:15,640 --> 00:06:20,360 is synonymous with being a king. Now here's what's fascinating to 89 00:06:20,360 --> 00:06:24,040 me. Pilate does not even entertain 90 00:06:24,040 --> 00:06:27,920 the 1st 2 accusations. He goes straight for the last 1. 91 00:06:29,200 --> 00:06:31,160 He asked him, are you the king of the Jews? 92 00:06:31,680 --> 00:06:35,440 He's more interested in that than not paying taxes to Caesar 93 00:06:35,440 --> 00:06:39,480 potentially, or him misleading the people of his time. 94 00:06:40,240 --> 00:06:44,080 What was it? I wonder if Pilot was alarmed 95 00:06:44,920 --> 00:06:47,720 like Herod was. You remember when the Magi came 96 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:51,400 from the east and they paraded in Jerusalem and they were 97 00:06:51,400 --> 00:06:58,000 asking about he who was born to be the king of the Jews? 98 00:06:59,560 --> 00:07:02,800 Was Pilot scared that his antennas go up? 99 00:07:05,120 --> 00:07:10,560 Was Pilot being sarcastic as he asked this question to Jesus, 100 00:07:10,760 --> 00:07:16,480 who stood before him, bloodied, bruised, battered? 101 00:07:18,360 --> 00:07:24,280 Are you the King of the Jews? It could be a mixture of things, 102 00:07:24,680 --> 00:07:27,280 but what's more important is determining the implications of 103 00:07:27,280 --> 00:07:32,280 a positive answer. As we read, Christ was silent 104 00:07:32,280 --> 00:07:34,200 with many of the accusations that came against him. 105 00:07:34,200 --> 00:07:39,840 But when Pilate asked him, Are you the King of the Jews, he was 106 00:07:39,840 --> 00:07:43,440 undeniably clear. What did he say back in Mark 15 107 00:07:43,440 --> 00:07:46,360 verse 2? And Pilate asked them, are you 108 00:07:46,360 --> 00:07:49,040 the king of the Jews? And he answered them, you have 109 00:07:49,040 --> 00:07:53,800 said so. Now some really like to massage 110 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:58,200 certain verses to mean something that it's not or to cause 111 00:07:58,200 --> 00:08:00,880 confusion. And so they would say that Jesus 112 00:08:00,880 --> 00:08:05,720 answer here is quite ambiguous and he he is suggesting that he 113 00:08:05,720 --> 00:08:09,880 is, he is saying that he is the king of the Jews, but he's kind 114 00:08:09,880 --> 00:08:12,920 of placing it on pilot as though he's saying that's what you're 115 00:08:12,920 --> 00:08:16,920 saying so that he can suddenly confirm it while not 116 00:08:16,920 --> 00:08:21,680 incriminating himself. Jesus is being very 117 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:23,720 straightforward here. And if you have any doubt about 118 00:08:23,720 --> 00:08:24,760 that, you don't have to turn there. 119 00:08:24,760 --> 00:08:28,480 But when John tells us about this interaction, Jesus is 120 00:08:28,480 --> 00:08:31,880 something that most of you know, he elaborates on his answer and 121 00:08:31,880 --> 00:08:36,480 he says what? My Kingdom is not of this world. 122 00:08:38,760 --> 00:08:41,280 So if you say you have a Kingdom, what does that mean 123 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:43,840 about you? You're a king. 124 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:49,560 There is no confusion here. Jesus is being very clear, no 125 00:08:49,560 --> 00:08:51,640 ambiguity. He is affirming that he is a 126 00:08:51,640 --> 00:08:56,120 king, although the origin and the purpose of his Kingdom 127 00:08:56,120 --> 00:08:58,440 differ from those of worldly governments. 128 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:03,240 But as Jesus answer merely a historical one, here's where it 129 00:09:03,240 --> 00:09:07,880 gets relevant. Is this just a history study? 130 00:09:08,680 --> 00:09:11,440 Does it only carry repercussions for the Jews and the Romans of 131 00:09:11,440 --> 00:09:13,960 his time? Absolutely not. 132 00:09:15,560 --> 00:09:18,640 Jesus being the King of the Jews is highly significant for all of 133 00:09:18,640 --> 00:09:23,400 us in this room and beyond these four walls, and I want to share 134 00:09:23,400 --> 00:09:25,760 why that is the case. I want you to consider 3 135 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:30,480 dimensions of this. Jesus being the King of the 136 00:09:30,480 --> 00:09:34,600 Jews. Fulfilling that role satisfies 137 00:09:34,640 --> 00:09:42,760 #1 past predictions #2 it carries present implications. 138 00:09:44,080 --> 00:09:47,200 And lastly, it calls us to future anticipation. 139 00:09:48,200 --> 00:09:52,400 Past, present, future, past predictions, present 140 00:09:52,400 --> 00:09:54,440 implications, future anticipation. 141 00:09:55,160 --> 00:09:57,120 Let's talk about it. You ready for Bible study? 142 00:09:57,640 --> 00:10:01,600 Ready or not, here we go. Mimi in Genesis, go to chapter 143 00:10:01,600 --> 00:10:04,440 49. Many centuries before Christ 144 00:10:04,440 --> 00:10:08,400 entered into the world, God called a man named Abram to be 145 00:10:08,400 --> 00:10:11,760 in covenant with him. Abram later named what? 146 00:10:12,320 --> 00:10:13,160 Abraham. Good. 147 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:15,040 This is going to be a little bit more interactive. 148 00:10:15,880 --> 00:10:20,160 Abraham and he was promised in this covenant to be a great 149 00:10:20,160 --> 00:10:24,520 nation, a nation that would be blessed so that all nations 150 00:10:24,520 --> 00:10:28,240 could be blessed. And Abraham, receiving this 151 00:10:28,240 --> 00:10:32,760 promise, was also promised a son named Isaac, who would be the 152 00:10:32,760 --> 00:10:36,440 channel to bring that promise closer to reality. 153 00:10:36,840 --> 00:10:40,480 So Isaac is born, but it would not be further realized until 154 00:10:40,480 --> 00:10:44,240 one of Isaac's sons named Jacob was born. 155 00:10:44,680 --> 00:10:49,280 And as Jacob became a man, he himself had many children. 156 00:10:50,480 --> 00:10:55,200 He had twelve sons and those 12 sons would later become the 157 00:10:55,200 --> 00:10:59,200 tribes that would constitute this nation called Israel. 158 00:10:59,440 --> 00:11:03,400 Israel is a name that God gave to Jacob. 159 00:11:03,840 --> 00:11:07,240 The name itself has been issued and declared by God. 160 00:11:09,560 --> 00:11:13,120 The significance of this is that at the end of Jacob's life, he 161 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:16,800 called his twelve sons to come near before his departure, and 162 00:11:16,800 --> 00:11:19,320 he prophesized over each of them. 163 00:11:20,800 --> 00:11:24,440 Some of these prophecies were uplifting and encouraging, and 164 00:11:24,440 --> 00:11:28,720 some other prophecies were punitive because of how some of 165 00:11:28,720 --> 00:11:33,640 these sons sinned. So Jacob, in declaring these 166 00:11:33,640 --> 00:11:36,400 prophecies, not only speaks about what's going to take place 167 00:11:36,400 --> 00:11:40,000 in the lives of his sons, but its main purpose, its primary 168 00:11:40,000 --> 00:11:42,800 goal, is to declare what's going to take place with each of their 169 00:11:42,800 --> 00:11:47,480 descendants. And so Jacob, in his old age, 170 00:11:47,480 --> 00:11:53,920 begins. He prophesized over Reuben, then 171 00:11:53,920 --> 00:12:00,800 he speaks to Simeon, then he proclaims something over Levi, 172 00:12:02,280 --> 00:12:05,440 then he comes to the fourth in line, Judah. 173 00:12:07,200 --> 00:12:08,200 And that's where we want to look. 174 00:12:08,200 --> 00:12:12,200 We want to look at what God spoke through Jacob for this 175 00:12:12,200 --> 00:12:15,040 particular tribe, Judah. We won't read the prophecy in 176 00:12:15,040 --> 00:12:18,680 its entirety, but with me rather in verse 8 of chapter 49. 177 00:12:19,040 --> 00:12:25,200 Genesis 49, Verse 8 Judah, your brothers shall praise you. 178 00:12:26,240 --> 00:12:29,560 Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies. 179 00:12:29,920 --> 00:12:33,000 Your father's sons shall bow down before you. 180 00:12:33,640 --> 00:12:37,880 Judah is a lion's cub. You have gone up from the prey, 181 00:12:37,880 --> 00:12:40,520 my son. He stooped down. 182 00:12:40,720 --> 00:12:44,520 He crouched as a lion and as a lioness. 183 00:12:44,880 --> 00:12:49,280 Who dares rouse him? The scepter shall not depart 184 00:12:49,280 --> 00:12:54,720 from Judah, nor the ruler staff from between his feet, until 185 00:12:54,720 --> 00:12:59,240 tribute comes to him, and to him shall be the obedience of the 186 00:12:59,240 --> 00:13:03,000 peoples. I can just imagine the shock on 187 00:13:03,000 --> 00:13:07,120 the faces of those brothers when he said this. 188 00:13:07,760 --> 00:13:10,680 Remember, Israel and his sons were only few in number at this 189 00:13:10,680 --> 00:13:12,280 point. They are not living in the 190 00:13:12,280 --> 00:13:14,360 promised land. They're living in Egypt, away 191 00:13:14,360 --> 00:13:18,320 from the Promised Land. However, Judah is told something 192 00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:21,560 incredible. He is told that his descendants 193 00:13:21,560 --> 00:13:24,480 will have preeminence in that they will possess a ruling 194 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:27,760 position among his brothers. And that's why I'm bringing your 195 00:13:27,760 --> 00:13:31,760 attention to this, because it's one of the earliest prophecies 196 00:13:32,080 --> 00:13:37,360 of royalty in connection to the people of Israel. 197 00:13:38,760 --> 00:13:41,920 And this idea of royalty is communicated by the imagery of a 198 00:13:41,920 --> 00:13:43,600 scepter. You've probably seen a scepter. 199 00:13:43,600 --> 00:13:47,640 It's an ornamented staff, and it symbolizes sovereignty. 200 00:13:49,080 --> 00:13:51,760 And in practical terms, then, this prophecy means that 201 00:13:51,760 --> 00:13:57,040 eventually kings were going to arise from the line of Judah. 202 00:13:59,080 --> 00:14:03,800 And what was in seed form when this was prophesied sprouted 203 00:14:04,520 --> 00:14:08,880 when God raised a man called David from the tribe of Judah. 204 00:14:09,680 --> 00:14:12,880 And the sprouting now would blossom more and more as 205 00:14:12,880 --> 00:14:15,760 succeeding kings would follow David. 206 00:14:15,760 --> 00:14:17,480 And that's what you and I are studying in the book of first 207 00:14:17,480 --> 00:14:20,960 and 2nd Kings on Friday. A little teaser for you to join 208 00:14:20,960 --> 00:14:26,240 us Bible study on Fridays. But there's an imperative peace 209 00:14:26,240 --> 00:14:28,880 to this prophecy that some some might miss. 210 00:14:28,880 --> 00:14:33,080 Look at verse 10 of Genesis 49. The scepter shall not depart 211 00:14:33,080 --> 00:14:36,680 from Judah, nor the ruler staff from between his feet, until 212 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:41,320 tribute comes to him, and to him shall be the obedience of the 213 00:14:41,320 --> 00:14:44,080 peoples. Now if you have any other, 214 00:14:44,080 --> 00:14:47,920 virtually any other word for word translation of the Bible, 215 00:14:47,920 --> 00:14:50,120 it's going to read differently. And some of you are probably 216 00:14:50,120 --> 00:14:53,560 seeing that in your Bibles. Most of us in here read the ESV. 217 00:14:53,560 --> 00:14:56,400 The ESV renders the second part of this verse a little 218 00:14:56,400 --> 00:15:00,800 differently, so this is what you might read if you have like a 219 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:03,720 King James, a new King James, or an NASB translation. 220 00:15:03,720 --> 00:15:06,320 The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor the ruler staff 221 00:15:06,320 --> 00:15:12,200 from between his feet. Until what Shiloh comes capital 222 00:15:12,200 --> 00:15:16,440 S, and to him shall be the obedience of the people. 223 00:15:17,600 --> 00:15:22,320 What's going on here? Well, the etymology of the 224 00:15:22,320 --> 00:15:25,000 Hebrew word Shiloh is a little complicated. 225 00:15:26,280 --> 00:15:29,360 There are a variety of possible meetings for that word, and one 226 00:15:29,360 --> 00:15:36,880 of the meanings of it is he to whom it belongs or that which 227 00:15:36,880 --> 00:15:40,080 belongs to him. And that's how the ESV renders 228 00:15:40,080 --> 00:15:43,680 it. So instead of giving the name 229 00:15:43,680 --> 00:15:48,440 itself, the ESV seeks to give one of the meanings of the name 230 00:15:48,440 --> 00:15:51,480 and applying it here. And we can say so much more 231 00:15:51,480 --> 00:15:53,640 about this word, Shiloh. But I don't want to park here 232 00:15:53,640 --> 00:15:57,920 too long because regardless of what translation you have, one 233 00:15:57,920 --> 00:16:02,160 thing is undeniable. This prophecy anticipates a 234 00:16:02,160 --> 00:16:06,160 particular individual from the royal line of Judah. 235 00:16:06,880 --> 00:16:09,920 Do you see that? Again, it says until tribute 236 00:16:09,920 --> 00:16:17,480 comes to him and to him shall be the obedience of the peoples. 237 00:16:17,640 --> 00:16:19,280 Do you understand the significance of this? 238 00:16:20,000 --> 00:16:24,560 So yeah, Judah can expect that there will be a royal dynasty, 239 00:16:25,800 --> 00:16:31,400 but they also should be expecting a particular king, one 240 00:16:31,400 --> 00:16:36,400 specific particular individual that will emerge from this royal 241 00:16:36,400 --> 00:16:38,680 line. Something is leading to a 242 00:16:38,760 --> 00:16:41,600 person, not just the government, not just a monarchy. 243 00:16:41,600 --> 00:16:42,920 That's not the only thing in view here. 244 00:16:42,920 --> 00:16:48,240 Primarily, what's in view here is a person until tribute comes 245 00:16:48,240 --> 00:16:51,320 to him, and to him shall be the obedience of all the peoples. 246 00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:56,240 This is confirmed by another prophecy, one that came from an 247 00:16:56,240 --> 00:16:59,320 unexpected person, a Gentile. Not just a Gentile, a wicked 248 00:16:59,320 --> 00:17:01,960 Gentile. You remember that after this the 249 00:17:01,960 --> 00:17:04,920 nation of Israel was delivered from Egypt. 250 00:17:05,040 --> 00:17:07,560 They were brought into the wilderness and they were being 251 00:17:07,560 --> 00:17:11,880 guided to the Promised Land. And along that journey there was 252 00:17:11,880 --> 00:17:16,680 a man named Balaam, who was hired by Bailek, the king of 253 00:17:16,680 --> 00:17:20,640 Moab. Moab saw this nation marching 254 00:17:20,640 --> 00:17:23,359 through the wilderness. The king was fearful, so he 255 00:17:23,359 --> 00:17:30,320 hires a man to curse them. And so Balaam attempts to 256 00:17:30,520 --> 00:17:33,200 pronounce a curse. And what does God do? 257 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:36,840 He turns it into a blessing. And he attempts to curse again, 258 00:17:36,840 --> 00:17:40,480 and he turns into a blessing. And he does this until his final 259 00:17:40,480 --> 00:17:43,560 Oracle, where he says something absolutely astounding. 260 00:17:44,840 --> 00:17:47,440 Can I, can I pause here and just say something? 261 00:17:48,560 --> 00:17:52,640 I'm worried that when we read verses like this, it doesn't 262 00:17:52,640 --> 00:17:56,160 grip us as much because we have such accessibility to the Bible 263 00:17:56,160 --> 00:17:59,680 and it's kind of digitized on our phones and so easy to just 264 00:18:00,080 --> 00:18:03,480 flip open. I want you to feel how amazing 265 00:18:03,480 --> 00:18:06,280 this is. We're touching ancient writings. 266 00:18:08,120 --> 00:18:13,400 These are historical things that have been dictated and preserved 267 00:18:13,720 --> 00:18:16,440 up until this point. We're dealing with God's Word 268 00:18:16,440 --> 00:18:19,640 here. From centuries and even 269 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:24,840 thousands of years ago. And these prophecies are making 270 00:18:24,840 --> 00:18:28,640 leaps throughout the timeline of history, and you're going to 271 00:18:28,640 --> 00:18:31,400 realize that they're harmonious. This is a supernatural book that 272 00:18:31,400 --> 00:18:34,320 we're holding today. Don't lose your awe of what 273 00:18:34,320 --> 00:18:40,200 we're touching on. Balin pronounces this Oracle and 274 00:18:40,320 --> 00:18:44,320 and tucked in the last Oracle is this incredible echo. 275 00:18:45,360 --> 00:18:47,640 Look at Numbers 24 verse 17 with me. 276 00:18:52,880 --> 00:19:06,710 Numbers 24 verse 17. I will wait for you, Balaam 277 00:19:06,710 --> 00:19:10,070 says. I see him, but not now. 278 00:19:10,830 --> 00:19:14,710 I behold him, but not near. Like how much more specific can 279 00:19:14,710 --> 00:19:18,750 you get in that it's going to be in a distant future? 280 00:19:19,350 --> 00:19:23,360 Who is he? A star shall come out of Jacob. 281 00:19:23,960 --> 00:19:28,320 Oh, look at this. And a scepter shall rise out of 282 00:19:28,320 --> 00:19:32,440 Israel, shall crush the forehead of Moab, and break down all the 283 00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:35,160 sons of chef. Notice here that this prophecy 284 00:19:35,160 --> 00:19:38,120 of a Kingdom emerging out of Israel is reinforced, but not 285 00:19:38,120 --> 00:19:40,920 just that. There's an individual in view. 286 00:19:42,280 --> 00:19:45,240 Him. I see him, but not now. 287 00:19:45,240 --> 00:19:49,880 I behold him, but not near so. So whoever this individual is, 288 00:19:50,080 --> 00:19:53,800 he is personified by two symbols of authority and prominence. 289 00:19:54,760 --> 00:19:59,520 He is a * and he is a scepter that shall rise from Israel. 290 00:20:00,400 --> 00:20:03,320 And in case there is any confusion of what this prophecy 291 00:20:03,320 --> 00:20:07,240 is conveying, Balaam makes it undeniably clear because it's a 292 00:20:07,240 --> 00:20:10,880 spirit speaking through Balaam. Look at verse 18 and 19. 293 00:20:11,960 --> 00:20:15,160 Edom shall be dispossessed, Sira also his enemy shall be 294 00:20:15,160 --> 00:20:17,880 dispossessed. Israel is doing valiantly, and 295 00:20:17,880 --> 00:20:23,080 one from Jacob shall exercise dominion and destroy the 296 00:20:23,080 --> 00:20:27,960 survivors of cities. No doubt that the same Spirit 297 00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:32,240 who guided Jacob to prophecy over Judah moved Balaam to 298 00:20:32,240 --> 00:20:38,200 remind us and all peoples of a distinct ruler metaphorically 299 00:20:38,200 --> 00:20:40,240 identified as a star and as a scepter. 300 00:20:40,240 --> 00:20:43,400 And if you're confused, still he's going to have dominion. 301 00:20:43,400 --> 00:20:46,040 And it will come at a future time. 302 00:20:47,680 --> 00:20:51,080 And as time goes on, the Spirit of God will become even more 303 00:20:51,080 --> 00:20:53,200 precise with this particular prophecy. 304 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:56,440 And as I mentioned earlier, the Lord will raise a man. 305 00:20:57,160 --> 00:20:59,760 We're told that he would come from not just Israel, not just 306 00:20:59,760 --> 00:21:01,920 Jacob, but from the tribe of Judah. 307 00:21:03,840 --> 00:21:08,080 And at some point when Israel established a royal monarchy, 308 00:21:08,320 --> 00:21:14,280 David was chosen to be the first king from the tribe of Judah. 309 00:21:15,080 --> 00:21:19,360 And early in his reign, David was approached by God. 310 00:21:19,360 --> 00:21:21,880 And God does something spectacular. 311 00:21:23,280 --> 00:21:27,520 He makes a covenant with him, and in that covenant He makes a 312 00:21:27,600 --> 00:21:32,800 more precise promise that has its roots from Genesis. 313 00:21:33,720 --> 00:21:36,720 He tells David this in second Samuel 7. 314 00:21:37,200 --> 00:21:39,720 And you don't have to turn there unless you are writing notes. 315 00:21:40,040 --> 00:21:44,160 Second Samuel 7 verse 12 and 13. This is what God says from His 316 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:48,840 mouth to this man. When your days are fulfilled and 317 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:53,560 you lie down with your Father's, I will raise up your offspring 318 00:21:53,560 --> 00:21:58,520 after you, who shall come from your body, and I will establish 319 00:21:58,520 --> 00:22:02,040 His Kingdom. He shall build a house for My 320 00:22:02,040 --> 00:22:04,880 name, and I will establish the throne of His Kingdom. 321 00:22:07,120 --> 00:22:09,840 So not only are we told that there is going to be a scepter 322 00:22:09,840 --> 00:22:13,560 that comes from Judah, not only are we told that He will come 323 00:22:13,560 --> 00:22:17,440 from Judah, but we are even told specifically that He will come 324 00:22:17,440 --> 00:22:21,680 through the seed of David, the Lion of David, the body of 325 00:22:21,680 --> 00:22:24,880 David. So again, we're progressing here 326 00:22:24,880 --> 00:22:27,120 in redemptive history and we're seeing the Lord getting more and 327 00:22:27,120 --> 00:22:30,880 more specific. And this section specifically 328 00:22:30,880 --> 00:22:37,440 verse 14 of Second Samuel 7 is confirmed to be about Jesus. 329 00:22:37,440 --> 00:22:40,120 You'll find that in Hebrews one, verse 5. 330 00:22:40,120 --> 00:22:42,160 But we're getting ahead of ourselves here. 331 00:22:43,880 --> 00:22:45,440 You can imagine how thrilling this was. 332 00:22:46,640 --> 00:22:49,560 You can imagine how exciting this was for David and for the 333 00:22:49,560 --> 00:22:52,120 people of Israel. He shows it in the same chapter. 334 00:22:52,120 --> 00:22:56,000 He's so overcome by emotion that he just pours out in praise and 335 00:22:56,000 --> 00:22:58,520 Thanksgiving that he would he would be found worthy to be 336 00:22:58,520 --> 00:23:02,000 chosen. And his descendants to have 337 00:23:02,160 --> 00:23:05,440 everlasting rule and dominion. That one of his sons will 338 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:11,440 exercise such authority. But the hope of that promise 339 00:23:11,440 --> 00:23:18,680 becomes increasingly dim after David's life, because one king 340 00:23:18,680 --> 00:23:25,160 after the next succeeding him will mar the Davidic dynasty 341 00:23:25,440 --> 00:23:28,560 because they will fail to uphold the righteous standard that God 342 00:23:28,560 --> 00:23:32,240 asked of his kings and of the nation as a whole. 343 00:23:33,120 --> 00:23:36,280 And if there was one king that that did come up and bring good 344 00:23:36,280 --> 00:23:38,920 to the land and bring religious reform, all it took was the 345 00:23:38,920 --> 00:23:42,480 following king to reverse and just bring down all the good 346 00:23:42,480 --> 00:23:48,960 that was preceding them. And so it got so bad. 347 00:23:49,480 --> 00:23:54,200 That God now begins to raise up more and more prophets to tell 348 00:23:54,200 --> 00:23:57,640 the people of Judah specifically, judgement is 349 00:23:57,640 --> 00:24:00,680 coming. You've rebelled against me. 350 00:24:00,720 --> 00:24:05,040 You refuse to repent. So here is my final act of 351 00:24:05,040 --> 00:24:08,120 chastisement. You're going to be removed from 352 00:24:08,120 --> 00:24:11,000 the land. I'm going to raise up a foreign 353 00:24:11,000 --> 00:24:14,160 nation, and they're going to take you from this place that 354 00:24:14,160 --> 00:24:16,080 I've promised you. Now you have to understand that 355 00:24:16,080 --> 00:24:18,880 to the average Jew, this was unthinkable. 356 00:24:18,880 --> 00:24:23,600 God gave them this land. God conquered armies and foes 357 00:24:23,600 --> 00:24:26,320 and kings to give them this piece of real estate. 358 00:24:27,720 --> 00:24:31,640 And now all of a sudden he's telling them you're going to be 359 00:24:31,640 --> 00:24:35,640 removed. Yes, I promise it to Abraham, 360 00:24:35,640 --> 00:24:40,680 Isaac and Jacob, but your sin. Will cause me to vomit you out 361 00:24:40,680 --> 00:24:46,440 of this place. And they dismissed it. 362 00:24:47,280 --> 00:24:50,120 They called guys like Jeremiah false prophets and there are 363 00:24:50,120 --> 00:24:51,320 other prophets, they were telling him. 364 00:24:51,320 --> 00:24:54,640 No, no, no. Peace, peace, don't worry about 365 00:24:54,640 --> 00:24:56,360 it. Such things are absurd. 366 00:24:56,360 --> 00:25:02,440 They will not happen. But the promise of exile was 367 00:25:02,440 --> 00:25:07,000 starting to be realized, and so there was growing fears that the 368 00:25:07,000 --> 00:25:12,200 certainty of Israel's future was not so certain. 369 00:25:13,960 --> 00:25:18,000 So the same prophets who pronounce judgment, exile, 370 00:25:18,720 --> 00:25:24,920 destruction from time to time would be called by God to give a 371 00:25:24,920 --> 00:25:28,680 message of hope and to remind the very same people who are 372 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:33,800 going to be disciplined of God's faithfulness despite their 373 00:25:33,800 --> 00:25:37,360 unfaithfulness. And one of the most, as you 374 00:25:37,360 --> 00:25:40,680 heard earlier, one of the most important prophets to declare 375 00:25:40,680 --> 00:25:42,480 that message was Jeremiah himself. 376 00:25:42,720 --> 00:25:46,200 I'm still reading Jeremiah, my personal reading, and it's 377 00:25:46,200 --> 00:25:50,440 incredible to see how much he talks about this very thing. 378 00:25:51,400 --> 00:25:53,480 Look at Jeremiah 23. This is somewhere where you 379 00:25:53,480 --> 00:25:57,040 should turn. Jeremiah 23, verse 5. 380 00:26:04,670 --> 00:26:08,230 Jeremiah 23, verse 5. Remember, what I'm about to read 381 00:26:08,230 --> 00:26:11,110 to you is given in the context of Judah being severely judged. 382 00:26:12,000 --> 00:26:14,520 To the point that they'll be removed from the promised land. 383 00:26:15,760 --> 00:26:18,320 But look what Jeremiah says in chapter 23, verse 5. 384 00:26:18,320 --> 00:26:21,560 Behold, the days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will 385 00:26:21,560 --> 00:26:26,240 raise up for David a righteous branch, and he shall reign as 386 00:26:26,240 --> 00:26:30,360 king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and 387 00:26:30,360 --> 00:26:32,960 righteousness in the land. In his days. 388 00:26:32,960 --> 00:26:36,600 Judah will be saved and Israel will dwell securely, and this is 389 00:26:36,600 --> 00:26:37,760 the name by which you will be called. 390 00:26:37,760 --> 00:26:42,320 The Lord is our righteousness. So in the midst of judgment, God 391 00:26:42,320 --> 00:26:45,800 is assuring His people that the promise He made to David would 392 00:26:45,800 --> 00:26:48,360 still stand. It would not be nullified, it 393 00:26:48,360 --> 00:26:51,280 would not be cancelled, despite the rebellion and their 394 00:26:51,280 --> 00:26:56,600 idolatry. You notice how this king is 395 00:26:56,600 --> 00:26:59,560 referred to this time not as a star, not as a sceptic, but as a 396 00:26:59,560 --> 00:27:04,080 what? Is it there as a branch? 397 00:27:06,400 --> 00:27:10,480 I could stop here and talk about the significance of that title 398 00:27:10,480 --> 00:27:13,760 branch and show you the handful of times that this title branch 399 00:27:13,760 --> 00:27:16,920 is mentioned in the Old Testament and how it amazingly 400 00:27:16,920 --> 00:27:19,160 points to the person and ministry of Jesus Christ. 401 00:27:19,680 --> 00:27:21,680 But you don't want to stay here for another hour, do you? 402 00:27:22,480 --> 00:27:24,080 Do you see the plight of the preacher? 403 00:27:24,080 --> 00:27:26,360 It's not what am I going to say? It's what I have to leave out. 404 00:27:27,560 --> 00:27:30,400 So we will not do that. We'll talk about Jesus, the 405 00:27:30,400 --> 00:27:34,880 righteous branch, another day. What we want to focus on is the 406 00:27:34,880 --> 00:27:40,360 promise. David is going to know a son. 407 00:27:41,040 --> 00:27:46,680 The Davidic line is going to be preserved, and we see here that 408 00:27:46,680 --> 00:27:52,120 the Lord addressed a misleading conclusion that was gaining 409 00:27:52,120 --> 00:27:55,080 traction. Again, they're being surrounded. 410 00:27:55,080 --> 00:27:59,720 The rumors are now becoming true and they're thinking we're done 411 00:27:59,720 --> 00:28:04,680 here and this is what was spreading, right? 412 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:06,320 The Lord pronounced this promise. 413 00:28:06,600 --> 00:28:10,760 But look at Jeremiah 33 and look at verse 24. 414 00:28:22,950 --> 00:28:27,630 Have you not observed that these people are saying the Lord has 415 00:28:27,630 --> 00:28:30,070 rejected the two clans that He chose? 416 00:28:30,630 --> 00:28:32,230 Pause. What does He mean by that? 417 00:28:33,520 --> 00:28:36,240 The two clans, Remember, Israel was divided at this point. 418 00:28:36,240 --> 00:28:37,880 There's a northern Kingdom and a southern Kingdom. 419 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:39,680 So those are the two clans that are being referred to. 420 00:28:39,680 --> 00:28:44,760 And what were people saying? People were saying that the Lord 421 00:28:44,760 --> 00:28:47,800 rejected the two clans. So in its entirety, its identity 422 00:28:47,800 --> 00:28:51,960 are the people of Israel. Are people still saying that 423 00:28:51,960 --> 00:28:55,400 today? Yeah, they are saying that 424 00:28:55,400 --> 00:28:58,920 today. Notice what the Lord says next. 425 00:28:58,920 --> 00:29:02,720 Thus they have despised my people so that they are no 426 00:29:02,720 --> 00:29:07,480 longer a nation in their sight. Are people saying that today? 427 00:29:08,360 --> 00:29:12,480 They are saying this today. So you have to understand that 428 00:29:12,760 --> 00:29:18,960 the Jews are despised by many and that they are regarded not 429 00:29:18,960 --> 00:29:21,120 as a true nation. That the Jews today are not the 430 00:29:21,120 --> 00:29:24,800 Jews in the Bible, that they don't deserve a sovereign state. 431 00:29:24,800 --> 00:29:30,240 That the Jews are to be rejected in many ways. 432 00:29:32,200 --> 00:29:36,360 What a mistake that is. Whether you are professing 433 00:29:36,360 --> 00:29:39,400 Christian or not, take note. God doesn't like that and 434 00:29:42,880 --> 00:29:45,200 defense he makes can be understood in this way because 435 00:29:45,200 --> 00:29:48,920 look what he says in verse 25. Thus says the Lord, if I have 436 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:52,520 not established my covenant with day and night and the fixed 437 00:29:52,520 --> 00:29:56,400 order of heaven and earth, then I will reject the offspring of 438 00:29:56,400 --> 00:29:59,440 Jacob and David my servant, and will not choose one of his 439 00:29:59,440 --> 00:30:03,080 offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and 440 00:30:03,080 --> 00:30:06,720 Jacob, for I will restore their fortunes and will have mercy on 441 00:30:06,720 --> 00:30:09,200 them. You see what he's saying there? 442 00:30:09,480 --> 00:30:12,440 Look at verse 25 again. If I have not established my 443 00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,640 covenant with day and night and the fixed order of heaven and 444 00:30:15,640 --> 00:30:19,280 earth, then I will reject the offspring of Jacob. 445 00:30:19,600 --> 00:30:21,600 Pause. You can translate it in this 446 00:30:21,600 --> 00:30:24,240 following way. There's a better chance for God 447 00:30:24,280 --> 00:30:29,400 to abandon his supervision of the order and the operations of 448 00:30:29,400 --> 00:30:32,520 the universe than for him to relinquish and deny his covenant 449 00:30:32,520 --> 00:30:40,830 with Israel. There's a better chance for him 450 00:30:42,230 --> 00:30:46,590 to remove himself from the governance of the affairs of our 451 00:30:46,590 --> 00:30:50,750 systems in this universe that for him to cast off. 452 00:30:50,910 --> 00:30:55,070 The people of Israel from being a nation and His people. 453 00:30:56,120 --> 00:30:57,720 You have a problem with that? You have a problem with the 454 00:30:57,720 --> 00:30:59,440 Bible, not with the preacher, my friend. 455 00:31:01,960 --> 00:31:06,520 And that's why he says something later on in Jeremiah 46, verse 456 00:31:06,520 --> 00:31:08,880 28. Why so much Bible? 457 00:31:08,880 --> 00:31:12,800 Again, deal with the Bible. I'm just telling you the Bible. 458 00:31:13,880 --> 00:31:17,320 So you deal with the Bible and faithfully interpret it. 459 00:31:18,080 --> 00:31:22,360 Jeremiah, 4628. He says in that passage, I will 460 00:31:22,360 --> 00:31:26,080 make a full end of all the nations to which I have driven 461 00:31:26,080 --> 00:31:29,960 you, but of you I will not make a full end. 462 00:31:31,080 --> 00:31:35,440 How do you deal with that? Isn't it amazing that throughout 463 00:31:35,440 --> 00:31:41,720 history kingdoms, empires, and civilizations have vanished, but 464 00:31:41,720 --> 00:31:46,000 the people of Israel remain, though they have in their long 465 00:31:46,000 --> 00:31:49,080 history experienced many calamities, even calamities that 466 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:51,120 have brought them to near extinction. 467 00:31:51,560 --> 00:31:53,120 God tells them, I will discipline you. 468 00:31:53,120 --> 00:31:56,920 God told them I will punish you, but I promise to never make a 469 00:31:56,920 --> 00:32:01,040 full end of you. What's at stake here? 470 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:03,840 I'll tell you what's at stake. Listen here, you professing 471 00:32:03,840 --> 00:32:05,640 Christians, I'll tell you what's at stake. 472 00:32:05,760 --> 00:32:10,840 God's character is at stake. This is not about race, this is 473 00:32:10,840 --> 00:32:12,920 not about this is not about favoritism. 474 00:32:12,920 --> 00:32:17,400 This is about what God said and he said I will never make a full 475 00:32:17,400 --> 00:32:22,760 end of you. But Israel were not only 476 00:32:22,760 --> 00:32:25,040 promised the preservation of their people. 477 00:32:25,920 --> 00:32:29,640 Notice again at verse 26, he says then I will reject the 478 00:32:29,640 --> 00:32:33,160 offspring of Jacob and David, my servant, and will not choose one 479 00:32:33,160 --> 00:32:37,440 of his offspring to rule over the offspring of Abraham, Isaac 480 00:32:37,440 --> 00:32:39,960 and Jacob. So it's not just about the 481 00:32:39,960 --> 00:32:42,840 people, it's about the royal line. 482 00:32:45,760 --> 00:32:51,520 God's program and plan for a king to still arise is in motion 483 00:32:53,240 --> 00:32:54,960 despite all that Israel has done. 484 00:32:55,640 --> 00:32:58,600 God says I made an unconditional promise to David. 485 00:32:59,360 --> 00:33:02,120 I'm going to keep it because I don't lie. 486 00:33:04,000 --> 00:33:08,360 A king is still coming. Or we can stay here for the next 487 00:33:08,360 --> 00:33:11,040 45 minutes and look at verse after verse and Isaiah and 488 00:33:11,040 --> 00:33:12,800 Jeremiah and Zechariah and Zephaniah. 489 00:33:12,800 --> 00:33:17,080 We can spend all day here looking at these things, but I 490 00:33:17,080 --> 00:33:23,080 think the picture is clear. A king is coming and nothing 491 00:33:23,080 --> 00:33:27,160 will change that, even the unfaithfulness of the people who 492 00:33:27,160 --> 00:33:30,880 were supposed to usher him in. And I'm speaking, I hope, to a 493 00:33:30,880 --> 00:33:34,240 group of people filling this room who believe that not just 494 00:33:34,240 --> 00:33:36,080 the king is coming. The king came. 495 00:33:37,480 --> 00:33:42,680 He arrived and this is what we see the Angel of Gabriel 496 00:33:42,760 --> 00:33:46,840 proclaiming to a virgin girl named Mary and Luke chapter 1 497 00:33:46,920 --> 00:33:51,000 and 31 to 33 where he said, behold, you will conceive a son, 498 00:33:53,000 --> 00:33:55,720 and his name shall be called Jesus. 499 00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:02,440 And this Jesus will take the throne of his father David, and 500 00:34:02,440 --> 00:34:06,760 his Kingdom will be established forever and ever. 501 00:34:08,840 --> 00:34:11,679 Now I want you to pretend that you have never read the New 502 00:34:11,679 --> 00:34:14,719 Testament. Imagine everything that you just 503 00:34:14,719 --> 00:34:17,360 heard in this past 45 minutes. I don't know how long it's been, 504 00:34:17,360 --> 00:34:21,400 but imagine everything that you just heard now was fresh to you 505 00:34:22,840 --> 00:34:25,159 up to the point of Luke chapter 131 to 33. 506 00:34:25,320 --> 00:34:32,920 Wouldn't you think God? No way the long-awaited king has 507 00:34:32,920 --> 00:34:35,800 come. Wouldn't you think that euphoria 508 00:34:35,800 --> 00:34:40,000 would sweep over the land after this angelic declaration? 509 00:34:41,520 --> 00:34:44,679 The people should be elated, especially in the context of 510 00:34:44,679 --> 00:34:48,080 when this was declared. They're under Roman oppression. 511 00:34:48,639 --> 00:34:52,520 They are succumbed to sin and corruption. 512 00:34:52,960 --> 00:34:55,239 He's here. He's. 513 00:34:55,239 --> 00:34:59,160 Come, but that's not what we see. 514 00:35:00,400 --> 00:35:04,200 Let me remind you how we open the service or specifically the 515 00:35:04,200 --> 00:35:07,440 sermon. This baby who would be born, his 516 00:35:07,440 --> 00:35:09,680 name would be called Jesus, would grow up to become a man. 517 00:35:09,880 --> 00:35:14,560 And this man would not just have a reputation of being the son of 518 00:35:14,560 --> 00:35:20,160 David. He proved it and they denied 519 00:35:20,160 --> 00:35:26,200 Him, and now he's standing before Pilate ready to be 520 00:35:26,200 --> 00:35:31,920 condemned to death. Which brings us to the present 521 00:35:31,920 --> 00:35:36,000 realization. The people who were promised him 522 00:35:36,800 --> 00:35:46,240 and were presented Him rejected Him, and as you heard Jesus here 523 00:35:47,560 --> 00:35:49,080 said, He is the King of the Jews. 524 00:35:49,080 --> 00:35:51,280 But what would now become of the promised king? 525 00:35:51,800 --> 00:35:56,800 How could a king be a king if the people that he's called to 526 00:35:56,800 --> 00:36:03,640 govern deny you? Jesus gives the answer to that. 527 00:36:04,240 --> 00:36:09,080 The next few verses I'm about to show you are absolutely 528 00:36:09,080 --> 00:36:15,040 imperative for you to grasp. Jesus gives the explanation to 529 00:36:15,040 --> 00:36:19,480 how He can be a king, though the people that he is called to 530 00:36:20,200 --> 00:36:24,760 govern denied him. Matthew 21 verse 43. 531 00:36:26,560 --> 00:36:28,840 Therefore I tell you He's speaking to the Pharisees and 532 00:36:28,840 --> 00:36:30,760 the religious leaders. Therefore I tell you, the 533 00:36:30,760 --> 00:36:34,000 Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a 534 00:36:34,000 --> 00:36:39,240 people producing its fruits. You reject me, I reject you. 535 00:36:41,080 --> 00:36:42,800 This is not immediate. This was after He'd done 536 00:36:42,800 --> 00:36:46,080 miracles, after He fulfilled prophecies, after he had shown 537 00:36:46,080 --> 00:36:51,400 them over and over again that He is the sinless son of David and 538 00:36:51,400 --> 00:36:53,680 they had nothing and wanted nothing to do with him. 539 00:36:56,040 --> 00:36:59,080 So let me tell you what Jesus words here doesn't mean. 540 00:36:59,080 --> 00:37:02,400 It doesn't mean that because the Jews rejected Jesus, that 541 00:37:02,400 --> 00:37:06,320 salvation that was once not available to the Gentiles is now 542 00:37:06,320 --> 00:37:09,280 granted to them. That's a gross misunderstanding 543 00:37:09,280 --> 00:37:12,680 of this verse, to think as though because the Jews denied 544 00:37:12,680 --> 00:37:17,120 Jesus, the plan being God's salvation is to give, to give us 545 00:37:17,200 --> 00:37:19,880 a chance, as though we Gentiles, if you're not a Jew here, you're 546 00:37:19,880 --> 00:37:23,480 a Gentile or an afterthought. Do you know how I know that to 547 00:37:23,480 --> 00:37:25,760 be the case? Because God from the beginning 548 00:37:25,920 --> 00:37:28,520 always had in mind the salvation of the nations. 549 00:37:29,360 --> 00:37:31,840 And throughout the Old Testament you have people who are Gentiles 550 00:37:31,840 --> 00:37:35,800 getting saved. So that's not what this means. 551 00:37:38,320 --> 00:37:40,920 Instead, what it means is that this is so important. 552 00:37:41,720 --> 00:37:45,720 By transferring the Kingdom from the people of Israel to another 553 00:37:45,720 --> 00:37:51,080 people, God is essentially removing the honorable position 554 00:37:51,080 --> 00:37:55,600 and privilege of being the vehicle that brings the message 555 00:37:55,600 --> 00:37:58,680 of salvation to the world. It no longer now belongs to the 556 00:37:58,680 --> 00:38:02,840 people in the nation of Israel, but is awarded to the Church. 557 00:38:05,840 --> 00:38:12,240 Israel failed to be the faithful witness, the light to shine, the 558 00:38:12,240 --> 00:38:16,680 means to draw people into the truth, because they have turned 559 00:38:16,680 --> 00:38:21,160 their back on Messiah. And So what the Lord says, if 560 00:38:21,160 --> 00:38:23,960 you read very carefully, is that he's going to take that 561 00:38:24,000 --> 00:38:28,240 privilege, that honorable responsibility, and give it over 562 00:38:28,240 --> 00:38:31,240 to another people who will constitute both Gentile and Jew, 563 00:38:31,320 --> 00:38:35,160 the entity called the Church of Jesus Christ. 564 00:38:35,960 --> 00:38:38,120 And that's why he says you're in the same verse, that the Kingdom 565 00:38:38,120 --> 00:38:41,040 of God will be taken away from you and given to a people 566 00:38:41,040 --> 00:38:46,400 producing its fruits. And that makes more sense now 567 00:38:46,400 --> 00:38:50,760 when you hear verses like First Peter 29 where Peter is speaking 568 00:38:50,760 --> 00:38:55,680 to Gentiles and he says, but you are a chosen race. 569 00:38:55,920 --> 00:39:00,480 You are what a holy nation you are what a people for his own 570 00:39:00,480 --> 00:39:03,040 possession. You are what a royal priesthood. 571 00:39:03,280 --> 00:39:06,960 All those identities were exclusive to Israel up to the 572 00:39:06,960 --> 00:39:11,040 point of the new covenant. Now it's shared with the 573 00:39:11,040 --> 00:39:13,160 Gentiles. But what do those identities 574 00:39:13,160 --> 00:39:16,120 mean? He finishes it here in First 575 00:39:16,120 --> 00:39:19,280 Peter 29, Your chosen race, your royal priesthood, you're a holy 576 00:39:19,280 --> 00:39:20,840 nation, you're a people for his own possession. 577 00:39:20,960 --> 00:39:21,520 Why? Why? 578 00:39:21,520 --> 00:39:22,480 Why? What does that do? 579 00:39:23,040 --> 00:39:26,840 This is what it does, that you may proclaim the excellencies of 580 00:39:26,840 --> 00:39:29,200 Him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous 581 00:39:29,200 --> 00:39:31,160 light. So you understand now, right? 582 00:39:32,000 --> 00:39:34,200 For the Kingdom to be transferred from the people of 583 00:39:34,200 --> 00:39:38,840 Israel to the Church means now the Church has been granted the 584 00:39:38,840 --> 00:39:42,920 responsibility and the honor of being ambassadors of this 585 00:39:42,920 --> 00:39:50,800 Kingdom. Ah, then this means that Israel 586 00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:55,640 is no longer relevant. And all those promises in the 587 00:39:55,640 --> 00:40:00,400 Old Testament can either be reinterpreted or disregarded 588 00:40:00,400 --> 00:40:05,080 altogether. No it doesn't mean that, because 589 00:40:05,080 --> 00:40:07,680 Jesus statement here doesn't teach that God has replaced 590 00:40:07,680 --> 00:40:14,120 Israel or erased Israel by giving the Kingdom of God over 591 00:40:14,120 --> 00:40:18,000 to another people. It just means that for a time, 592 00:40:18,760 --> 00:40:23,720 he has set them aside. But a time is coming when they 593 00:40:23,720 --> 00:40:27,920 will be grafted in again. So people often quote Matthew 594 00:40:27,920 --> 00:40:33,800 2143 to make a case that the idea of Israel as a people and 595 00:40:33,800 --> 00:40:37,960 as a state and as a national identity, it's just like it 596 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:41,520 means nothing. So what do you do with Matthew 597 00:40:41,520 --> 00:40:44,880 23? This is after Jesus gives a 598 00:40:44,880 --> 00:40:49,280 series of scathing woes to the same people and he says this at 599 00:40:49,280 --> 00:40:52,040 the end of Matthew 23. Look at verse 38 and 39. 600 00:40:58,580 --> 00:41:02,140 See your house is left to you desolate. 601 00:41:03,900 --> 00:41:06,780 So people also quote that verse. Your house is left to you 602 00:41:06,780 --> 00:41:09,100 desolate, but read verse 39 would you? 603 00:41:10,180 --> 00:41:14,260 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, blessed 604 00:41:14,260 --> 00:41:16,100 is he who comes in the name of the Lord. 605 00:41:17,940 --> 00:41:21,700 Until implying what? There is a time coming when the 606 00:41:21,700 --> 00:41:27,640 same people who have been removed from that place of honor 607 00:41:28,000 --> 00:41:32,120 in the world of being the channel of spiritual blessings, 608 00:41:32,680 --> 00:41:37,600 a people who, as we read earlier, his house has been left 609 00:41:37,600 --> 00:41:39,800 desolate. There is a time coming where 610 00:41:39,800 --> 00:41:42,920 their eyes will be open. They will see Jesus again and 611 00:41:42,920 --> 00:41:46,080 they will say he is our Messiah. That's coming. 612 00:41:46,080 --> 00:41:47,320 Whether you like it or not, it's coming. 613 00:41:47,320 --> 00:41:50,680 It's going to happen. I don't know why you would 614 00:41:50,680 --> 00:41:52,880 oppose that idea. That's a glorious thing. 615 00:41:54,760 --> 00:41:58,720 Underline that word until there's a time coming when 616 00:41:58,720 --> 00:42:02,800 national Israel will acknowledge Jesus Christ as their savior. 617 00:42:04,480 --> 00:42:07,840 And if you want to know exactly how that's going to happen, sit 618 00:42:07,840 --> 00:42:11,280 with your family around the dinner table in the living room 619 00:42:11,640 --> 00:42:14,200 and read Zechariah chapter 12 and 14. 620 00:42:14,640 --> 00:42:18,440 And you will see the play by play blueprint of how this is 621 00:42:18,440 --> 00:42:24,120 going to happen. And it is then where God will 622 00:42:24,120 --> 00:42:26,960 fulfill all his promises, the promises that he made to 623 00:42:26,960 --> 00:42:30,440 Abraham, the promises that he made to David and to the people 624 00:42:30,440 --> 00:42:33,120 of Israel as a whole. And this does not mean, of 625 00:42:33,120 --> 00:42:36,080 course, that Jews cannot be saved until that glorious 626 00:42:36,080 --> 00:42:41,040 revival comes. Jews have been getting saved. 627 00:42:42,640 --> 00:42:47,120 The early church was comprised of Jews and check this out. 628 00:42:47,320 --> 00:42:50,320 The church has been the means to draw the Jewish people into 629 00:42:50,320 --> 00:42:56,480 saving faith in Jesus Christ. And this is something for you 630 00:42:56,480 --> 00:43:01,440 and I to consider because it's all over the New Testament as 631 00:43:01,440 --> 00:43:03,880 individual Jews are coming in to be saved. 632 00:43:04,280 --> 00:43:07,440 It will culminate when Jesus Christ Himself will do the 633 00:43:07,440 --> 00:43:12,080 complete work and redeem the nation as a whole, that as a 634 00:43:12,080 --> 00:43:15,040 national identity and a corporate confession. 635 00:43:15,280 --> 00:43:18,760 They will hail Jesus as their king. 636 00:43:18,960 --> 00:43:23,760 Is Jesus the king of the Jews? Yes, but Israel has not realized 637 00:43:23,760 --> 00:43:28,760 it just yet. They will though, which leads us 638 00:43:28,760 --> 00:43:32,520 to the future anticipation. Here's our final verse together. 639 00:43:33,480 --> 00:43:37,800 Paul elaborates on this. In case you feel like this was 640 00:43:38,040 --> 00:43:51,060 more lopsided and Old Testament leaning Romans 11, I just want 641 00:43:51,060 --> 00:43:55,740 to read you one verse. The whole point of Romans 11 is 642 00:43:55,740 --> 00:43:59,980 really Paul echoing Jeremiah where the people of his day were 643 00:43:59,980 --> 00:44:02,460 saying God has cast off his people. 644 00:44:03,900 --> 00:44:06,020 Paul answers that precise question in light of the new 645 00:44:06,020 --> 00:44:08,760 covenant. What has become of the people of 646 00:44:08,760 --> 00:44:11,480 Israel since they have rejected Jesus Christ? 647 00:44:11,480 --> 00:44:14,280 If Jesus Christ is the king of the Jews, what has become of 648 00:44:14,280 --> 00:44:15,920 them since they have denied Jesus? 649 00:44:15,920 --> 00:44:17,360 And that's his thesis right here. 650 00:44:18,000 --> 00:44:20,000 But notice what he says here in Romans 11, verse 12. 651 00:44:20,240 --> 00:44:24,240 Now if there being the people of Israel, now if their trespass 652 00:44:24,240 --> 00:44:28,600 means riches for the world and if their failure means riches 653 00:44:28,600 --> 00:44:33,000 for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean? 654 00:44:34,960 --> 00:44:37,600 So Paul's argument here is absolutely brilliant. 655 00:44:38,320 --> 00:44:40,400 You got to take your time to understand what he's saying. 656 00:44:40,640 --> 00:44:42,360 Here's how he's breaking this down. 657 00:44:42,360 --> 00:44:48,640 If the Israelites unbelief led to their trespass, which in turn 658 00:44:48,680 --> 00:44:52,360 enrich the world, how did it enrich the world? 659 00:44:52,640 --> 00:44:57,040 Well, it was giving rise to the Church of Jesus Christ and the 660 00:44:57,040 --> 00:45:01,680 world has been blessed by the church's impact in the nations. 661 00:45:02,720 --> 00:45:07,840 If there's sin 'cause salvation to spread across the globe. 662 00:45:08,040 --> 00:45:10,440 Here's what Paul is saying. Then what will become of the 663 00:45:10,440 --> 00:45:16,440 world in their full inclusion if their denial did this? 664 00:45:16,680 --> 00:45:19,720 What will happen in their righteousness when they embrace 665 00:45:19,720 --> 00:45:21,880 Christ? You see Paul's train of thought, 666 00:45:24,320 --> 00:45:26,000 and it should leave you wondering, yeah, what would 667 00:45:26,000 --> 00:45:31,200 happen if we have, as Gentiles, benefited from. 668 00:45:31,760 --> 00:45:36,400 The Jews shutting their door in the face of Christ, what will 669 00:45:36,400 --> 00:45:41,920 happen to the Gentiles when that day comes and they open the door 670 00:45:42,200 --> 00:45:44,440 and say blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord? 671 00:45:46,080 --> 00:45:48,320 Well, This is why you have to understand Bible prophecy, and 672 00:45:48,320 --> 00:45:50,640 it makes it makes so much sense now. 673 00:45:51,240 --> 00:45:56,920 Because the nation of Israel accepting Jesus Christ as their 674 00:45:56,920 --> 00:46:02,640 Messiah coincides with Jesus Christ establishing His 675 00:46:02,800 --> 00:46:06,280 physical, literal reign on the earth. 676 00:46:09,240 --> 00:46:11,680 And this world will know universal peace. 677 00:46:12,400 --> 00:46:17,000 The Church will rule and reign with him, and both Jew and 678 00:46:17,000 --> 00:46:21,680 Gentile will behold the promise keeping God who fulfilled His 679 00:46:21,680 --> 00:46:27,560 word to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, David, and the Gentiles. 680 00:46:27,560 --> 00:46:34,520 That's what's coming. And so this was a lot to take 681 00:46:34,520 --> 00:46:39,160 in, perhaps in one sitting, and it was purely theological, 682 00:46:39,160 --> 00:46:43,200 wasn't it? So let me, let me tell you how 683 00:46:43,600 --> 00:46:46,720 studying this, not just in this past week but throughout the 684 00:46:46,720 --> 00:46:51,560 years has made an impact on me. Let's make this now applicable, 685 00:46:52,640 --> 00:47:00,720 and I hope it impacts you. 1 It just highlights the goodness and 686 00:47:00,720 --> 00:47:04,160 the faithfulness of God. When he says something, he means 687 00:47:04,160 --> 00:47:09,280 it, no matter who he said it to. So the same God who keeps his 688 00:47:09,280 --> 00:47:14,200 word to a person or people, I can trust that he'll keep his 689 00:47:14,200 --> 00:47:20,520 word for the church and for me as a follower of Jesus Christ. 2 690 00:47:21,400 --> 00:47:24,640 To pray and believe God for the salvation of the Jewish people. 691 00:47:25,520 --> 00:47:28,480 Yes, to to preach the the gospel to all nations. 692 00:47:28,480 --> 00:47:31,680 That's the Great Commission. But the church doesn't have the 693 00:47:31,680 --> 00:47:34,320 greatest history and how they have dealt and addressed the 694 00:47:34,320 --> 00:47:42,240 Jews. But to believe that God can do a 695 00:47:42,240 --> 00:47:46,200 work in their hearts, not just when he comes back and opens 696 00:47:46,200 --> 00:47:48,520 their eyes, but between now and then. 697 00:47:49,480 --> 00:47:52,400 Paul tells us in Romans 11 that salvation has come to the 698 00:47:52,400 --> 00:47:55,600 Gentiles for many reasons, and one of the reasons is to provoke 699 00:47:55,800 --> 00:47:59,120 the Jews to jealousy. I've shared this testimony so 700 00:47:59,120 --> 00:48:01,320 many times. I've always wondered how is it 701 00:48:01,320 --> 00:48:04,840 that the Jewish people would be provoked to jealousy through the 702 00:48:04,840 --> 00:48:06,800 church, by the church because of the church. 703 00:48:06,800 --> 00:48:08,880 And I remember hearing a testimony from a Jewish woman 704 00:48:09,160 --> 00:48:12,320 that gave light to this. She came to Christ as a Jew. 705 00:48:12,320 --> 00:48:14,800 She believed Jesus Christ as her Messiah. 706 00:48:14,800 --> 00:48:18,400 And one of the things that. Stirred her was when she knew 707 00:48:18,400 --> 00:48:21,600 Gentiles who knew the Old Testament and the Hebrew 708 00:48:21,600 --> 00:48:24,960 Scriptures better than her and she thought how is it that me as 709 00:48:24,960 --> 00:48:28,880 a Jew, I did not know my Bible like these Christians did? 710 00:48:29,600 --> 00:48:31,800 And when she come to find out is that she studied the word of God 711 00:48:31,800 --> 00:48:35,080 for herself. Jesus was the Messiah, you see. 712 00:48:37,800 --> 00:48:39,120 God is not done with this people. 713 00:48:39,360 --> 00:48:43,600 They will be saved and we have as a church the responsibility 714 00:48:43,600 --> 00:48:45,600 to preach the gospel to all nations, including them. 715 00:48:49,080 --> 00:48:53,600 And lastly, the feeling that I had in my heart when studying 716 00:48:53,600 --> 00:48:57,280 this for today, after gathering my thoughts and just seeing the 717 00:48:57,280 --> 00:49:00,080 Symphony of the Scriptures, is to push myself away from my 718 00:49:00,080 --> 00:49:07,400 desk, get before God and from my heart to hail Him as my King. 719 00:49:08,520 --> 00:49:13,640 You're my King, and not only are you my King, Lord Jesus, you are 720 00:49:13,640 --> 00:49:16,440 the King of kings and the Lord of Lords. 721 00:49:16,800 --> 00:49:20,320 And Revelation 11 promises that the kingdoms of this world will 722 00:49:20,320 --> 00:49:24,600 become the Kingdom of Jesus Christ. 723 00:49:25,000 --> 00:49:29,000 Is he your king? What did you hear in this past 724 00:49:29,000 --> 00:49:30,720 hour? Did you hear my thoughts? 725 00:49:30,960 --> 00:49:37,520 You heard ancient prophecies placed before you all pointing 726 00:49:37,520 --> 00:49:39,560 to unanimously the person of Jesus Christ. 727 00:49:39,760 --> 00:49:41,720 What are you going to do with that information, my friend? 728 00:49:42,920 --> 00:49:45,880 Like, how can you actually walk out of here and not come to a 729 00:49:45,880 --> 00:49:48,800 conclusion about where you stand on this issue? 730 00:49:49,760 --> 00:49:51,880 He is the king of the Jews. Now, here's my question to you. 731 00:49:51,880 --> 00:49:55,440 Is he your king? Because whether you like it or 732 00:49:55,440 --> 00:50:00,480 not, he is going to be the king of kings and the Lord of Lords. 733 00:50:00,560 --> 00:50:03,560 He is today, and he's going to demonstrate it in an undeniable 734 00:50:03,560 --> 00:50:08,320 way, perhaps very shortly. But you have to make him king 735 00:50:08,320 --> 00:50:10,840 today. He is the king of a spiritual 736 00:50:10,840 --> 00:50:13,200 Kingdom. We are part of that Kingdom. 737 00:50:14,440 --> 00:50:16,880 And one day he will come to rule and reign physically with his 738 00:50:16,880 --> 00:50:18,680 Kingdom. And you have to make a choice 739 00:50:18,680 --> 00:50:21,200 between now and then. Will I surrender? 740 00:50:22,120 --> 00:50:24,560 Will I love him? Will I receive him? 741 00:50:25,000 --> 00:50:27,360 Will I crown him? Oh, I pray that you would. 742 00:50:27,920 --> 00:50:30,720 The way that you crown him as king is by repenting of your 743 00:50:30,720 --> 00:50:34,200 sins and believing that this king who was promised a throne, 744 00:50:34,480 --> 00:50:37,200 we're also told, would suffer for the sins of his people. 745 00:50:37,760 --> 00:50:41,560 That's why the Jews. Missed him because they were so 746 00:50:41,560 --> 00:50:46,160 focused on the kingly aspect of him and not realizing that this 747 00:50:46,160 --> 00:50:49,200 king would also lay down his life and suffer for his 748 00:50:49,200 --> 00:50:54,280 subjects. And so you have the opportunity 749 00:50:54,280 --> 00:50:57,360 to understand that this king is not just coming with a scepter. 750 00:50:57,520 --> 00:51:01,280 He came first as a child and he grew up to be a man. 751 00:51:01,280 --> 00:51:04,720 And he was tempted in every way, but did not sin, not even once. 752 00:51:05,040 --> 00:51:09,720 And he was nailed upon a tree and he was coronated there with 753 00:51:09,720 --> 00:51:12,400 a crown of thorns and piercing in his hands and his side in his 754 00:51:12,400 --> 00:51:13,720 feet. And he bled. 755 00:51:13,760 --> 00:51:15,400 He bled. Why did he bleed? 756 00:51:15,680 --> 00:51:18,760 Is this the King of the Jews? Yes, it is the king of the Jews 757 00:51:18,880 --> 00:51:21,200 who died for the Jewish people and died for all nations. 758 00:51:21,560 --> 00:51:22,800 What are you going to do with that? 759 00:51:23,360 --> 00:51:27,960 What are you going to do with Christ crucified? 760 00:51:31,000 --> 00:51:36,600 There's no neutrality. He's either king by willing 761 00:51:36,600 --> 00:51:43,880 submission, or he will be king. By force He will be king and you 762 00:51:43,880 --> 00:51:49,440 become a part of His Kingdom, or He'll be king and expel you from 763 00:51:49,440 --> 00:51:54,320 His Kingdom for all of eternity. The bridge from condemnation to 764 00:51:54,320 --> 00:51:58,120 acceptance is faith. Believe. 765 00:51:58,520 --> 00:52:02,920 Today, make the decision to look at the Word, to realize that it 766 00:52:02,920 --> 00:52:06,600 is true, indisputable, and to realize that He is after your 767 00:52:06,600 --> 00:52:09,880 heart, for you to have your sins washed and for you to have a 768 00:52:09,880 --> 00:52:13,600 future with Him. Lord, we thank you for Your 769 00:52:13,600 --> 00:52:17,920 word, we bless Your holy name. We ask, Oh God, that You would 770 00:52:17,920 --> 00:52:22,080 grant us the eyes to see what Your Word says on all matters. 771 00:52:22,360 --> 00:52:25,760 And we pray today that if we're going to wrestle with anything, 772 00:52:25,760 --> 00:52:28,080 let it be with what the Scriptures have said. 773 00:52:28,520 --> 00:52:31,640 And we ask, oh God, that you would cause our hearts to 774 00:52:31,640 --> 00:52:35,440 remember that you are faithful. What you have said, you have 775 00:52:35,440 --> 00:52:38,000 done, and the things that you have not done yet you will 776 00:52:38,000 --> 00:52:40,240 accomplish. Nothing will stop you. 777 00:52:40,600 --> 00:52:45,880 Nothing will halt, nothing will keep you from performing your 778 00:52:45,880 --> 00:52:48,400 faithfulness. And Lord, we give you praise and 779 00:52:48,400 --> 00:52:50,200 honor. We rejoice in knowing that we 780 00:52:50,200 --> 00:52:53,200 are in the truth and that we are free because of this truth. 781 00:52:53,400 --> 00:52:58,440 In the precious name of our Lord and King Jesus Christ, we pray A 782 00:52:58,520 --> 00:53:00,320 men and Amen. Let's stand. 783 00:53:00,720 --> 00:53:04,680 We are going to sing and acknowledge that Jesus Christ is 784 00:53:04,680 --> 00:53:05,240 King.