The Servant Of The Lord - Part 3

Last week's message established Israel or the Jewish People as a corporate Servant Of The Lord. Isaiah 44:1,2 says, "But now listen, O Jacob, My servant, Israel, whom I have chosen. This is what The Lord says - He who made you, who formed you in the womb, and who will help you: Do not be afraid, O Jacob, My servant, Jeshurum, whom I have chosen."

We also established that Israel is called by Jehovah God to bring salvation to the world. Isaiah 44:8 says, "Do not tremble, do not be afraid. Did I not proclaim this and foretell it long ago? You are my witnesses."

These declarations may have come as a surprise to some readers. After all, we currently know that most of God's Chosen People do not know the identity of their Messiah. This message concentrates on answering these questions.

"Remember these things, O Jacob, for you are My servant, O Israel. I have made you, you are my servant; O Israel, I will not forget you. I have swept away your offenses like a cloud, your sins like the morning mist. Return to Me, for I have redeemed you." - Isaiah 44:21,22. Jehovah God proclaims twice that Israel is His servant, that He will not forget them. However, God also says "Return To Me." There is a problem! Israel had turned away from God.

Isaiah 45:5 says, "I am The Lord and there is no other; apart from Me there is no God. I will strengthen you, though you have not acknowledged Me." This verse shows God declaring He is Lord and there is no other god besides Him. Then He proclaims, "You have not acknowledge Me." There is a problem!

Lastly, Isaiah 46:12 says, "Listen to Me, you stubborn-hearted, you who are far from righteousness." Jehovah God is describing His Chosen People as being stuborn hearted and far from righteousness. There is a problem!

Israel, the Corporate Servant Of The Lord, to a large degreee, has not fulfilled its mission from God to be a "Light To The Gentiles."  Next week's message will start identifying the individual Servant Of The Lord who  brought salvation to the world. Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Bless You And Keep You This Day And Every Day,

Frank

   

The Servants Of The Lord - Part 2

Last week's message announced the start of a new series entitled "The Servant Of The Lord." The primary purpose of this new series is to answer the following questions:

Who Is The Jewish Messiah?

Why Is It So Difficult For The Jewish People 

To Recognize Their Messiah?

We need to start by recognizing that the Word Of God refers to "The Servant Of The Lord" in both a corporate and an individual sense.  Isaiah 41:8,9 says, "But you, O Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham My friend. I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, 'you are My servant'; I have chosen you and have not rejected you." Jehovah God is saying to Israel or the Jewish People "You Are My Servant" not once but twice.

Genesis 12:2,3 shows God speaking with Abraham and his descendants proclaiming that He is going to bless them and He is going to make them a blessing to all the nations of the earth. This is precisely why the Jewish People are called "God's Chosen People." They are chosen by Jehovah God for a particular mission - to be a blessing to all people of the earth. In this process, they are referred to as "The Servant Of The Lord."

Jehovah God established a Covenant Relationship with Israel through Abraham. Israel as "The Servant Of The Lord" was chosen to redeem people from every nation by ultimately bringing salvation to these nations. Notice in Isaiah 43:10,12 and Isaiah 44:8 God declares about Israel that "You Are My Witnesses."

How will all this be accomplished? Does Israel have an individual "Servant Of The Lord" to assist them in accomplishing this critically important mission from Jehovah God? Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Bless You This Day And Every Day,

Frank

 

The Servant Of The Lord

Romans 10:1-3 says, "Brothers, my heart's desire and prayer to God for the Israelites is that they may be saved. For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge. Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God's righteousness."

We have just finished a two month series of messages designed to cause all of us to determine whether we are saved. The above verses from Romans 10 illustrates Paul desiring that his people, the Israelites, would be saved. He shows that his people have established their own righteousness based on keeping the Law and not based on righteousness through Jesus Christ as their Savior or Messiah.

The Apostle Paul continues his message by trying to determine why the majority of his people have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Messiah. Romans 10:16-18 says, "But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, 'Lord, who has believed our message?' Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message and the message is heard through the word of Christ. But I ask, did they not hear? Of course they did." As we can see, it was not because they have not heard the message of Jesus Christ as their Messiah!

Additionally, Romans 10:21 says, "But concerning Israel He says, 'All day long I have held out My hand to a disobedient and obstinate people.'" Was it because they did not desire to believe the message of Jesus Christ as their Messiah?

Lastly, Paul raises the question, Did God reject His people? Romans 11:1-2 says, "I ask then, did God reject His people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject His people, whom He foreknew." God has not rejected the Jewish People!

Our message this week has raised a number of questions. The most important question to be answered is, How can the Jewish People recognize their Messiah? Next week will start a new series entitled "The Servant Of The Lord" that will answer this very important question. Stay Tuned!

May The Lord Bless You This Day And Every Day,

Frank