1. The Role of the Nation of Israel Today The Winnebago Lesson Hebrews 6:13-14

2. For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, 14 saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”

3. Televangelist Jerry Falwell’s Words “God has raised up America in these last days for the cause of world evangelism and for the protection of His people, the Jews. I don’t think America has any other right or reason for existence than these two purposes…… …..To stand against Israel is to stand against God.” Is this Biblical?

4. 3 Categories of Biblical Promises 1.Promise fulfilled in a literal sense 2.Promise was conditional, and conditions were not met, thus voiding the promise 3.Promise had spiritual application and fulfilled in a figurative sense through Jesus Christ

5. Sermon Outline 1.God’s Covenant with Abraham 2.An Allegory 3.Peter’s Sermon from Acts 3 4.What is the Role of the Nation of Israel Today?

7. God’s Covenant with Abram God chose Abram, a descendant of Shem, to be the one through whom the Savior would eventually come. Consider God’s promise to Abram.

8. Genesis 12:1-3 Now the L ORD had said to Abram: “Get out of your country, From your family And from your father’s house, To a land that I will show you. 2 I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

9. Three Elements of the Covenant 1)Land 2)Nation 3)Blessing Did God fulfill these promises?

10. Land - Joshua 21:43 So the L ORD gave to Israel all the land of which He had sworn to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and dwelt in it. (Genesis 15:18) On the same day the L ORD made a covenant with Abram, saying: “To your descendants I have given this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the River Euphrates—

11. Land - Nehemiah 9:7-8 “You are the L ORD God, Who chose Abram, And brought him out of Ur of the Chaldeans, And gave him the name Abraham; 8 You found his heart faithful before You, And made a covenant with him To give the land of the Canaanites, The Hittites, the Amorites, The Perizzites, the Jebusites, And the Girgashites—To give it to his descendants. You have performed Your words, For You are righteous.

12. Two False Arguments Used Today Some believe today that God will fulfill this covenant in the future. Two arguments: 1)The land was given as an everlasting promise 2)Abraham himself did not take possession of the land, but rather his descendants

13. #1. “Everlasting or Forever” Consider the Sabbath Day ordinance. (Exodus 31: 16-17) Therefore the children of Israel shall keep the Sabbath, to observe the Sabbath throughout their generations as a perpetual covenant. 17 It is a sign between Me and the children of Israel forever

14. #1. “Everlasting or Forever” (Colossians 2:16) So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, 17 which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ. So is the ordinance of the Sabbath everlasting? Not according to the Apostle Paul.

15. #1. “Everlasting or Forever” Consider circumcision. (Genesis 17:13) He who is born in your house and he who is bought with your money must be circumcised, and My covenant shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

16. #1. “Everlasting or Forever” (Galatians 5:6) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love. Obviously, “everlasting” does not mean eternal. As with these other examples, we should understand this to mean until the end of the Jewish age.

17. #2. Possession by Abraham While Abraham himself did not possess the land, the promise was fulfilled through his descendants. While there is not another clear verse to prove this, consider King Saul. (1 Samuel 15:28) So Samuel said to him, “The L ORD has torn the kingdom of Israel from you today, and has given it to a neighbor of yours, who is better than you.

18. #2. Possession by Abraham After this statement, King Saul was still the King, and would remain so until his death. It was during the time of his descendants that David would become the King of Israel and this promise be completely fulfilled.

19. Acts 7:5 From Stephen’s Sermon: “And God gave him [Abraham] no inheritance in it, not even enough to set his foot on. But even when Abraham had no child, He promised to give it to him for a possession, and to his descendants after him.

20. Did God Fulfill His Promises? Land Nation Blessing FULFILLED

21. God will fulfill all His promises God is faithful and just to fulfill His promises. 1)Israel destroyed if disobedient (Lev 26:27-39) 2)Israel driven from the land (Deut 4:25-28) 3)Israel would cease to be a nation (Deut 8:19-20) 4)Israel would be taken to Babylon (Jer 25:8-13) 5)Israel would be returned (Isa 10:20-23) ALL FULFILLED

22. An Allegory Things have to make sense chronologically!

23. Peter’s Sermon from Acts 3 Let me set the stage as you turn in your Bible to Acts 3. Peter and John at the Temple Certain lame man healed – “Silver and gold have I none” Peter’s sermon to the Jewish onlookers

24. Acts 3:25 You are sons of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying to Abraham, ‘And in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’ This is a clear reference to Genesis 12:3 However, only part of the covenant is mentioned. What happened to the rest? LandNationBlessing

25. Logical Explanation It would only make sense for Peter to use that which still held incentive to his audience. The promise of the land of Israel and the nation of Israel had already been fulfilled, and thus no longer had any meaning. Things have to make sense chronologically! All that remained for his audience were the blessings possible through Jesus Christ.

26. Likewise Today! Likewise, all that remains for us are the blessings possible through Jesus Christ. As Christians, we have the right to be heirs of Abraham’s Covenant!

27. Galatians 3:26-29 For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. 27 For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. 28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.

28. Question: What is the role of the nation of Israel today? A: In the sense of salvation, nothing. Those who are waiting for the nation to be restored to its original strength and power simply do not understand the terms of the covenant God made with Abraham.

29. Jeremiah 19:11 “Thus says the Lord of hosts: “Even so I will break this people and this city, as one breaks a potter’s vessel, which cannot be made whole again…” The physical nation of Israel was destroyed by God, and cannot be made whole again.

30. The Hope of Israel There is only one hope left for Israel to receive the blessings of the covenant of Abraham – the blessings through Jesus Christ. (Acts 28:20) For this reason therefore I have called for you, to see you and speak with you, because for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain.

31. Conclusion God has fulfilled His covenant with Abraham The only part of the covenant that remains today concerns the blessings “all families of the earth” receive through the seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ Things must make sense chronologically There is no role for the nation of Israel today in terms of salvation Jesus Christ remains the “hope of Israel” to all men today – Jew and Gentile alike