Post by WatchmanRay on Jun 19, 2011 8:45:10 GMT -5
PRESENT TRUTH
SECTION II OF PART 1
HOLY NATION
THE CHURCH EXPLAINED BY JESUS
DR. FRANK HUDSON
2010
In this next section of God’s Nation, the True Nation that God had chosen, not that man has chosen or the Church has seen but the one that God saw before the foundations of the earth.
We’re going to take a look first of all at really what God was doing in restoring the Truth that is present with us. One of the Truths, the main Truth, that we need to see, is the Nation that God is actually working with and dealing with today.
It is hard for us to see how we fit into present day truth if we don’t understand WHO WE ARE.
We began looking first of all at the Nation that God has selected and chosen. We looked also at showing that the actual intent of God for the Church was before the foundations of the earth and was even revealed and seen very clearly throughout the Old Testament. That brought us into, although it was concealed through shadow and type, now through the revelation of the New Testament, or the New Covenant, we can go back and look and see how precious it was that God was communicating that Word to keep faith alive concerning the promise that God had. Although those who heard it did not understand really to whom it was being communicated. That they would be this particular manifestation of the Truth and the presence of God, although they didn’t understand it, they received it and believed it and there was a misappropriation on their part but yet it was kept alive by those that did believe and now the manifestation has come.
Let’s take a look now in Section II of really identifying the Nation of God. We are going to look at some of the things that Christ actually through the Lord Jesus communicated to us about “The Church”.
One of the biggest things is, I guess, that the very first mention anywhere in the scripture, specifically “the Ecclesia” or The Church was made by Jesus on His own. He’s the one that used the word Church in His teachings. He basically refers to two (2) very specific aspects of the Church. We want to look at both of those because it is vitally important. I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time recapping and going back over some of the things we discussed in the previous section. There is just too much that God has given us to do to really devote the kind of time it would take to rehearse those things. I want you to go back and if you don’t know where we are at now and you don’t understand what I am talking about, go back and read it over because it lays the foundation to help get you to where you can hear what I am saying now. It is important to hear what the Spirit is saying because when you hear what the Spirit is saying, the faith of God is in what He is saying and when you receive what He is saying, you receive the Faith of God who is the author and the finisher of our faith and when you receive the faith of God then He is empowered in you to produce and bring you into the knowledge of the Truth that will bring the manifestation in you, establishing you in the Truth that is present with you! Glory!
Let’s now take a look at these two (2) aspects that Jesus was telling us about the Church itself.
In Matthew 16:16-18-Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou are the Christ, the son of the Living God.” Jesus had been asking them and asking them: Who do men say that I am? They said, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Some say that you are Elias and other Jeremiah or one of the prophets. In Verse 15: He said to them, “But who do you say I am?” Verse 16: Thou art the Christ, the son of the Living God. Verse 17: Jesus answered and said unto him, “Blessed are you Simon, for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Verse 18: And I say also unto you that thou are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
This is the very first reference. If you went in and ran a search throughout the New Testament or the Old Testament, any where in this Bible, this is the first place you’re going to find the word, “Church”. What you are going to find out is that Jesus is the one that mentioned it. Jesus says a lot of things about the Church and I want to cover a few of those points that are very important.
This first reference to the Church that Jesus makes is not of a specific local Church or anything like that. It is more of the generalized universal church speaking of “the Church’, not only the Church of our generation but the Church of all generations and all ages. This is some of the things that we need to pull out of what Jesus was saying in regard to the Church that He would build.
The first thing He says is that we need to get this into our mind. There are so many people that talk about “their Church”! I am going to tell you that it is NOT your church. It is not your pastor’s church. It is not your parents’ church. It is not the denomination’s church.
IT IS HIS CHURCH! IT IS CHRIST’S CHURCH! That has to really sink in. It is Christ’s Church! First!
Second, it is ONE CHURCH! Not a bunch of different ones. It is not a divided multi-sectional body. It is one Body! Not plural!
Third, that HE would build His Church. That Christ would build His Church. We don’t have to go out and come up with the programs and plans and everything. We need to submit to the Head. To Christ. Obey Him. Yield to Him and let Him build His Church!
To build a church has nothing to do with numbers. It has everything to do with obedience to the Spirit and the Word. The building is done by Christ. If He needs new vessels or new instruments, He is fully capable of bringing them in. If He sets you to begin to speak to those around you about the things that God is doing and encouraging them, then do it! That is Christ doing it through you! To think that you need to do a work for God and go out and invite people in, that is not necessarily true. You need to allow the Spirit of God to communicate that through you and to you because when it is energized by the Spirit then it will work. Unless the Spirit draws them they cannot be converted. They cannot come to the Father except the Spirit draws them. Sure the Spirit is in you but the Spirit is not at your beckon command. You are at the beckon command of the Spirit. We just have to keep things in order. He is the one that builds the Church!
Fourth, it is built on the Rock! Not a spiritual locality but He is built on the rock. The rock is established on Jesus Christ. The Church is established on who Jesus is, what He accomplished, provisions that came forth, what He implemented, the authority and the power, the government, the mission and everything is built on the rock which is Jesus Christ!
Fifth, it is built on the basis, initially as a revelation of who Jesus Christ is. Flesh and blood has not revealed that unto you, but my Father which is in heaven. It is built on the basis of revelation of who Jesus Christ is! It is not your perception. It is not your interpretation. It is through revelation of who He is. A lot of people think Jesus Christ, “Well, He died for our sin and now He has gone off to heaven and one day He will be back.” Now if that is the way you see Jesus Christ then I am going to tell you that YOU MISSED IT! You have really missed it because there is a heck of a lot more to Jesus Christ than just what He accomplished as Messiah on the cross.
This same Messiah, Jesus, has now became Lord and Christ! (1) The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of His Lord and Christ. There is a lot that is going on. (2) He rules and reigns now. (3) He leads and guides us by His Spirit. (4) He’s the Head and we are the body. (5) The government is on His shoulders which is the body. (6) We are going forward. He rules things with a rod of iron. I could go on and on about the things He is doing. (7) He is still healing the broken hearted. (8) Setting the captives free. (9) Opening the blinded eyes. (10) Opening prison doors. (11) Causing the lame to walk. (12) The deaf to hear. These are the things that He is operationally functioning through and in right now just in a nut shell.
There is so much more but the actual Church itself is built on the revelation of who Jesus Christ is! That is the initial foundation. That is why He said, “We are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ being the Chief Cornerstone. Everything else comes in line with Him.
Sixth, another thing He reveals is that Jesus Himself reveals about the Church that He would build; The Church, One Church. That it would be triumphant over the gates of hell; that the gates of hell would not stop it. It is not that the gates of hell would overpower it; it would overpower the gates of hell. The gates of hell could not cause it to be ineffective. That the Church would be able to seize up the authority and the power that the gates of hell possessed and be able to assault or to trample upon the gates of hell or the entrance ways or the boundary or the things that have been set. The pathways of hell would be trampled and broken down by the Church because the Church had a responsibility to basically trample down the gates of hell and set the captives free, opening those prison doors, etc. We will get into that more later. This is what Jesus is revealing about the Church.
Seventh, also THE CHURCH was TO HAVE AUTHORITY in Matthew 16:19 to bind and to loose. He says in Verse 19: And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Now why would He ever give Peter and why would He ever give the Church the keys of the Kingdom of God? Because we were the ones going to be operating in the Kingdom of Heaven or in the Kingdom of God. We were the ones that were basically going to be utilizing the tools and the rooms in all the different places and the provisions that the Kingdom of God actually possessed! As a matter of fact, Daniel through revelation said that the Kingdom of God would be established. That the God of Heaven would set up a kingdom that would endure forever and ever and the saints of God would take that Kingdom and possess it forever and ever. Here we see the confirmation that Jesus is saying that the keys of the Kingdom belong to you! Whatsoever you bind on earth is bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth is loosed in heaven.
We see then that it is not only a triumphant church over the gates of hell, prevailing over the gates of hell but also that it has authority! It has authority to bind (forbid) and loose on earth and in heaven. We will get into all the binding and loosing later. It is vitally important! Just simply know that He gave that power and authority to the Church. This is Jesus’ first reference of the Church speaking about what He is doing.
Now when God the Father, speaking about the tabernacle and the temple, the tabernacle in the wilderness, He gave very specific details and these details were vitally important and had to be fulfilled and followed after to the very finest points. Well even so now in the new we have mention of the NEW TABERNACLE. The tabernacle that Christ has raised up, the head over his own house, whose house we are! The book of Hebrews reveals that. He has given us very specifics here in the first mention showing us it is His Church. It is one Church. It is built by Him. It is built on the Rock, Himself, the spiritual locality of it, and that the basis of it would be initialized by the revelation of exactly who Jesus Christ is. That it would be a triumphant Church, a building, a tabernacle that would triumph over the gates of hell and that they would have authority to bind and loose on earth and in heaven and then also Christ refers to the visible or the local Church in His second use of the word Church in Chapter 18:15-20.
So we see two very distinct mentions of the Church, which means there are at least two very distinct manifestation of the Church. You have the Church universal of all ages, past, present and future. You have the universal church that covers the entire face of the earth and then you also have a local expression of that Church.
In Matthew 18:15-20-Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against you, go and tell his fault between you and him alone. If he shall hear you, you have gained your brother. Vs. 16-But if he will not hear you then take with you one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. Vs. 17-And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to hear the Church let him be unto you as an heathen man and a publican.
Now obviously, He is talking about the Church. He’s talking about a local expression of the Church. There is no way that you could tell the entire church of the world or the universe all at one time except of course it be communicated by the Spirit. But this appearance is not before the universal church but a local expression of that universal church. Verse 18: Verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Verse 19: Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. Verse 20: For where two or three are gathered in my Name there I am in the midst of them.
So in that very brief passage, Christ tells us a great deal about the visible local church and how it is supposed to function! Some of the things we want to observe very quickly out of that are (1) The Church is one, composed of brothers and sisters or family, (2) It is involved very specifically in areas of discipline, (3) It is involved in areas of local government, (4) It is a defined body. We know it is a defined body because it is something you can be expelled out of, (5) It is a place that has power to bind and loose in heaven and earth, obviously over the place they had responsibility in of the things that God had given them to do, (6) It was a place of fellowship, (7) A place of gathering, (8) Identified with the Name specifically of Christ, “when you are gathered together there in My Name, (9) It is a place where Christ promised that He will be in the midst of them. There are a whole lot of other things that we could say but I think you get the point. There are two very distinct manifestations of the church that Jesus details with us. (1) First being that the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ that we read of in Matthew 16: 16-18, then also (2) We see the local expression of that universal church in Matthew 18: 15-20. Both described and characterized by Jesus and showing us both the universal expression and a local expression.
Some of the most incredible things that are not really understood at all about the Church are, (1) Jesus did not say that the Church was a building! It is very unfortunate that people, ministers and people alike, and if you say that you have never done this then I think you are just lying, because may people refer to the church as the building. “I am going to Church.” When they say “church” they are talking about going up to the building where the Church meets.
The Church is the local expression. They are the ones that are meeting in that building and it is not the building. What they call the sanctuary as being the place where the people all sit is not a sanctuary at all. The people are the sanctuary! The people are the place, the habitation and the dwelling of God! Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t think you should be able to just go crazy in the church building, a place where the Church meets, because you need to be responsible. There is a matter of money, upkeep, people cleaning that you don’t want to waste and just because the things that you have utilized, like building funds and gift offerings to actually take care of this building that corporately you agreed to upkeep, you don’t want to just destroy it because then you have to rebuild it.
Don’t ever, ever think that the building is Holy! It is not Holy! YOU ARE HOLY! Wood, stone, stained glass, metal and all the other things you can think of are not Holy! A piano is not Holy. The guitar is not Holy. The drums are not Holy. The speaker systems are not Holy. These things are not Holy. YOU ARE HOLY! You be Holy, even as your Father in Heaven is Holy! I know that sounds petty but we’re thinking here, “IN TRUTH”! PRESENT TRUTH!
One of the things that have to be restored is that “YOU ARE THE CHURCH!” The other is just a building where the Church meets. When you leave the building, God does not abide or reside there until YOU show up again. God is LIVING IN YOU! When God hits the building is when YOU show up! Let that sink in to your hearing! We will cover that more later as well. We need to get a better understanding of the Church. (1) What God has done, (2) What God has accomplished and (3) what God has brought to fulfillment!
Let us take a look at another section. How does the Jew of the Old Testament really relate to the Church that God has brought forth into the New Covenant or the New Testament? There is an application but we need to know what that application is and we know already and this, it really saddens the spirit, it saddens the heart and it is an incredible error of Truth. It is to try and promote the Jew, the natural descendent as an Israelite, to promote them over a CHILD OF GOD, because he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than all of them. There was never a greater born than John the Baptist, but Jesus said, “He that is least in the Kingdom is greater than that.” When people start trying to promote these natural ethnic people above what God has done for you and in you don’t listen to it. Not even for a second. There is not Jew, no Greek, there’s no Gentile. We are all one in Christ Jesus! Jesus is the Lamb for the whole world. He broke down the middle wall of petition so that all who come to God must come the same way! Through Jesus Christ! No other name under heaven by which man must be saved! To think that we have so many today announcing that there is a dual covenant. That the Jews have one covenant and we have another? Are you out of your mind? There is not the New Covenant and then another new covenant. NO! THERE IS THE NEW COVENANT! The New Covenant restores us to the EVERLASTING COVENANT. The Jews don’t need another covenant. They have the same Covenant! The old passed away. It waxed old and passed away. The New which is better, with better promises, better sacrifices, once and forever. They don’t have to stand and offer the same sacrifices that would never make the one that came perfect or whole or even cleanse or temporarily fix the but would never change them or their heart but could never infiltrate and empower and quicken a mortal body. An impossibility!
We need to establish that fact and realize that all who come to God, Jew or Gentile, (I didn’t say all who come to the Church), all who come to God must come, and all who come to the Father must COME THROUGH THE SON! THERE IS NO OTHER WAY! There is no other covenant out there. It is one covenant. Jesus made it. He was a Jew in the flesh. He cut the covenant on behalf of God’s plan and God’s purpose to bring in Jew and Gentile, tearing down the middle wall of petition.
The present day people of God are composed of believers regardless. Those who were not a people are now the people, believers who are joined together in Christ Jesus. It is a union brought by the Spirit and has nothing to do with your national, ethnic descendency or ancestry.
The only way for anyone to enter into the family of God is through the New Birth. In John 3 Jesus was talking to Nicodemus and He said, “Nicodemus, I need to talk to you.” (paraphrase). John 3:1 - There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. V2: The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God for no man can do these miracles that you do except God be with Him. (What an awesome revelation! What an awesome thing! This is Nicodemus; ruler of the Jews saying that He had to be from God and that there could be no other way.) Jesus answered and said, V3: “Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (Now Nicodemus was seeing some the things that God was doing through Jesus and Jesus said that you know you can’t really see these things unless you be born again). V4: Nicodemus said unto Him, “How can a man be born when he is old?” (That’s a logical question, but it is just that, logical. Now if somebody asked us that, we would say, “That’s kind of stupid. There is no way you can be born again.” Nicodemus asked the same question.) “Can you enter a second time into your mother’s womb and be born?” (This is rationalizing.) V5: Jesus answered, “Verily, verily I say unto you, except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. V6: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Jesus was saying, “I understand you have been born through your mother’s womb and that is a necessity in order to have a shot at this second birth! Because animals can’t get this. The only ones that can get this IS YOU. You have to be born of your mother but you don’t have to go back into your mother’s womb. The second birth, THE TRUE BIRTH, IS BY THE SPIRIT! That is what He was telling him. That which is born of flesh is flesh but that which is born of the Spirit is spirit!
Same with the Jew. The Jew was born a Jew after the flesh not after the Spirit. That which is after the flesh is still flesh and that is all it is, but that which of the Spirit is spirit. Now that is awesome because one is earthly, corruptible, decayed and dies but the other is heavenly, spiritual, supernatural, incorruptible and LIVES FOREVER! It is phenomenal! Jesus tells him in V7: Marvel not that I said unto you, you must be born again. V8: The wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit. V9: Nicodemus answered and said unto him, “How can these things be?” V10: Jesus answered and said unto him, “Art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things?” V11: Verily, verily, I say unto you. We speak that we do know and testify that we have seen and you receive not our witness.” V12: If I have told you earthly things and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?” V13: “And no man has ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which IS IN HEAVEN.”
Here we see that Jesus was contending with him and showing that the family of God had to do with the New Birth experience not that which is born of flesh, the natural descendents, but a spiritual descendancy. It has nothing to do with being a natural, physical descendent of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. It had everything to do with being a spiritual descendent of the Seed of Abraham, CHRIST! That was the TRUE. That is what God had ordained. He gave the promise to Abraham and his Seed, one, being CHRIST. To be a new creature is exactly what it takes. That is why God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life! PHENOMINAL!
The Old Testament, natural Israel, was chosen to be the nation that would bring forth the Seed that would bless ALL Nations! Though they failed basically as a nation in their own self to accomplish what they thought they should accomplish, they actually fulfilled the promise of God in that they did bring forth Christ which is exactly what God had ordained them to do because the Promise that God had promised would be fulfilled IN CHRIST and the blessing of all nations definitely did that and Christ himself, Jesus, was actually of the tribe of Judah!
At the cross, God actually brought in and made manifest now a fuller expression of the Spiritual Kingdom to which the natural kingdom had always pointed. Where God had been with natural Israel, they actually possessed the Kingdom of God. They had the rule, the authority, the power and dominion of God. It was with them. We know that because in Matthew 21: 33-43 Jesus gives them a parable and in that parable He tells them that the Kingdom of God would be taken away from them and given to a Nation that would bring for the fruit it. How could He take it away from them except it had been given to them? If it had been given to them who is responsible for it? Who possessed it? Natural Israel did!
Here we have Jesus speaking to them, the rulers of Israel and telling them with no uncertain terms that the Kingdom was taken from the and given to a nation that would bring forth the fruit of it! He very clearly depicts and describes that Nation which we have already covered. Also in I Peter 2 He covers it and points to YOU! He says that YOU ARE THAT NATION! A chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a Holy Nation. The same promise that He had given to natural Israel in Exodus 19: 3-6. We see God, once again, speaking not only in concealed shadow and type but in absolute manifestation and identification. He said that if they would do these things then they would be this to him. Well they did not do those things and were not capable of doing those things being that to Him. But what God did do is bring forth CHRIST THE SEED who did bring forth that Nation who does do the things that God says and has become the manifestation that He said they would become. A chosen generation and royal priesthood and a Holy Nation! Glory!
We see then that the present people of God and what He is doing is comprised of all believers! Jew or Gentile is irrelevant. Spiritual unity. It is the spiritual family of God and what He intended from before the foundations of the earth. That’s the promise. That was the thing that was happening and hidden and concealed in the old that Paul said that those that came before us didn’t know but it is now revealed to the apostles and prophets the things that God had intended from before the foundations of the earth. It is brought forward to us. The Old Testament, natural Israel was chosen to be the nation that would bring forth the SEED of Abraham that would bless all nations and that was CHRIST!
As they brought forth Christ of the tribe of Judah, at the cross we see God brought in the spiritual kingdom which the natural national kingdom pointed to the whole time.
The Kingdom, of course, the Spiritual Kingdom is the KINGDOM OF GOD! It is the Kingdom of God’s dear Son! All who stand IN CHRIST who have been born again as Jesus told Nicodemus, those who are IN CHRIST are actually not only a part of the Spiritual Kingdom of God but they are possessors of the Kingdom of God. God has given the Kingdom to them to possess it.
In Matthew 16:19, God gave the keys of the Kingdom to the Church through Peter and Peter used those keys and they open the door all the time bring people in through the message of the TRUTH. He brought it on the day of Pentecost to a bunch of the ones that were gathered together on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. Three Thousand heard the message of the Spirit of God and the Truth about what Jesus did and they were converted in one day! And they were filled with the Spirit and they all began to speak in tongues. Tremendous! What God was doing and what He was bringing forth was phenomenal!
We are told that later that a lot of the priests also were obedient to the message that Peter had brought forward. What was he doing? He was utilizing the Keys of the Kingdom of God!
We see then that the ones that God had brought in of course who were initially Jews, they were now opening the doors to those that believed who were both Jew and Gentile. First of all it was only to the Jews. It wasn’t until sometime afterwards that Peter gets the call to actually go and take that to the Gentiles. We will speak about that a little later.
The Jews entered in through the open doors by the faith of God that was in Christ Jesus. It wasn’t by their faith. It was by the faith of God that He had place in Christ Jesus that Jesus would draw them to Him. The goodness of God would lead them to repent which means to change directions or to change their hearts. That is exactly what happened and those Jews that entered became a part of the true, Spiritual nation or house of God or the Spiritual Nation of God, His Holy Nation which was addressed in Galatians 6:16. Some of the other scripture references about when the priests and the others came in are Acts 6:7, Acts 10 where Peter was given a vision and he followed this vision that God had showed him and he actually took the message that God had given him to Cornelius’ house which showed that the keys or the authority and power, the ability to open and close and shut to be able to bring people and give them access into the incredible things of God was open to the Gentiles and the Gentiles now were also those who were permitted by God to cash in on the awesome work that God had accomplished. Because Israel had been faithful in the sense of bringing forth the SEED OF CHRIST and had been utilized by God and spent many, many years in captivity and slavery to be able to bring forth the SEED. Then what God also did was give them the manifestation of Christ in their seed line and for 3 ½ years He was sent to none but the lost sheep of Israel. The next 3 ½ years we see the exact same thing to where what He was doing was bringing forth and putting them in a position to where that they had the opportunity to hear the Gospel first before it was ever sent to the Gentiles. For the last seven (7) years of Daniel’s 70 weeks, I know that opens a can of worms for a bunch of people especially eschatologists and bible prophecy teachers out there but Daniel’s 70 weeks, that last 7 years, He confirmed the covenant to Israel for 1 week. For 7 years. Seven prophetic years. That is 7 Heptads and that’s exactly what He did and that is what was being accomplished and the keys were show operational in the Church because He was capable of doing that and He did do that and Peter used that as good as anybody ever did and then God raised Paul up also.
Now IN CHRIST, whether you are Jew or Gentile, rich or bond, there is no distinction IN CHRIST. No Jew has a corner on the Kingdom of God. The Jews that reject Christ are not God’s people. The Jews that rejected Christ were cast off from what was perceived to be the Israel of God. But the Gentiles that really accepted Christ, they were brought into the olive tree of God’s people and when you begin looking at Romans 9:8 and Ephesians 2:11-21, you begin to see what God was doing and how He brought the application in. Romans 9:8-That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the Children of God. I know that is difficult to hear and receive and believe because we have been taught so many crazy things from well meaning ministers and pastors, bible teachers, Sunday School teachers who thought they had an understanding but unfortunately they had not allowed the Spirit of God to build upon the Truth that was present with them. They actually took hand me down information and received the communication given to them by those that came before them. They did not submit themselves to the Spirit of God to bring forth the Truth.
That is what I am submitting to you now by the Grace of God it is the Truth of God so that now you can your own ability of the Spirit weigh and make a decision whether to accept or reject the Truth that is present with you right now.
In Romans 9:7 it says: Neither because they are the Seed of Abraham are they all children. But in Isaac shall thy seed be called. V8: That is they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
What we see then is that God was and had intended from before the foundations of the earth that the promise was given to Abraham and His seed and that Seed was Christ! It’s not the children of the flesh. It’s not the descendents of the flesh, the seed flesh of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but it was the Seed in those (1) who were of the promise and (2) those who were of the blessing, those who were born again. Those are the ones who are counted for the Seed.
It is vitally important that we make that distinction when we are looking at how the Jew of the Old Testament and Jew of today relates to the Church. Then we need to understand that it was never the flesh. Never, ever, ever was it the flesh. So that’s Romans 9:7-9. You can go back and check all that out as you have opportunity.
Ephesians 2:11-21 is another one. V11: Therefore remember that you in times past once Gentiles in the flesh who were called uncircumcision by what is called circumcision in the flesh made in the flesh by hands. V12: That at that time you were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. V13: But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the Blood of Christ. V14: For He is our peace who has made both one, has broken down the middle wall of petition between us V15: having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances for to make in himself of two, one new man and so making peace, V16: and that He might reconcile both unto God in one Body, by the cross having slain the enmity thereby, V17: and came and preached peace to you which are a far off and to them that were nigh. V18: For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
V19: Now you therefore are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God, V20: and are built upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, V21: in whom all the building fitly framed together grows into a Holy Temple in the Lord.
There we see the association and the relationship that it has nothing to do with Jewish descendency of the flesh. It has everything to do with spiritual descendency. That is Jesus’ intent to bring both the Old Covenant people together with the Gentile, bring them through the cross, through the new covenant and bring them back to the everlasting covenant.
Also Acts 3:19-24-V19: Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sin may be blotted out as the times of refreshing comes forth from the presence of the Lord, V20: ad that He sent Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you, V21: whom the heavens received until the time of restoration of things which God had spoken of by the mouth of all of His Holy Prophets since the world began. V22: For Moses truly said to the fathers, “A prophet shall the Lord truly raise to you of your brethren like unto me. Him shall you hear in all things whatsoever He shall say to you. V23: And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people. V24: Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after as many as have spoken have likewise foretold of these days. Pretty awesome.
Romans 11:1-4 V1: I say then has God cast away His people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. V2: God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scriptures say of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, V3: “Lord they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? V4: But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
What the Lord was saying is a remnant, that although there were a bunch that were called and had opportunity, there are only a few who are actually going to hear and make a decision. But it was their decision, their choice. God made it available to them. So the ones that were cast off were never a part of the true Israel, the spiritual Israel of God anyway. It was the ones who heard and believed and the ones who followed after that were actually a true part of the body of what God was doing. In Romans 11:17-And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree. That shows the distinction and the unity of the two becoming one and that we all partake of the root together.
So whether Jew or Gentile is irrelevant. It is the new nation, the creature, the spirit being that makes the difference.
We see the relationship of the Old Testament and the New Testament, the New Covenant. Jew along with Gentile that they are one. There is no distinction! It is only Christianity today that tries to make a distinction and a dual covenant trying to come against the Truth of the Gospel from God had accomplished simply because they are trying to reconcile their eschatological views of what is suppose to happen in the end times based upon their prior commitment to what they profess to believe that the prophets meant when they spoke of the time of CHRIST.
We look at that and also in Romans 2:28-29, Romans 3:26 and Galatians 22:31.
The ultimate restoration really that comes to anyone whether it is a Jew or Gentile of course is the spiritual restoration that comes to all who receive Christ! The only way that any Jew or natural born Israelite can become part of the olive tree is by accepting Christ as Messiah. As he does this he becomes a member of the Body of Christ, the Church, the called out ones and that is exactly what God had intended before the foundations of the earth. Never a national, ethnic or natural nation, but instead a super natural spiritual creation. A nation of God’s Holy Nation, the Church, with Jew and Gentile!
Let us look at Ephesians 1:4 & 10-According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, we should be holy and without blame before Him in Love, V10: that in the dispensation of the fullness of time He might gather together IN ONE all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth-IN HIM.
Ephesians 3:5-6 - Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the spirit, that the gentiles are fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise IN CHRIST according to the good news.
Ephesians 3:10-11 – To the intent that now the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Peter 1:10-12 – Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-things which angels desire to look into.
So the present TRUTH about God’s nation, although we looked and really saw who that nation was and its relationship in the Old Testament revealed or actually concealed in the Old and revealed in the New, then you can go back and see the shadow and type pointed to the fulfillment and manifestation in the New.
We also see that the Jews relationship today, whether Israelite or Jew, Gentile or whatever, it is irrelevant, male or female there is no distinction. IN CHRIST WE ARE ALL ONE! The only way any Jew or Israelite whatsoever have any hope to the Kingdom of God, it has to come through the Messiah. The Lord Jesus Christ! There is no dual covenant and to try and give the Israelite, the Israel Nation a hope of a dual covenant, that they have a covenant that is outside the Covenant of God that He cut with His own precious blood sending His Son is ridiculous! It is a gross injustice not only to the Gospel but definitely to the men and women of Israel who may be descendents from those that were actually in the days of Christ. We need to come to the knowledge of the Truth and we need to run away from those that are trying to say that there is another covenant, another way to get to God except through Jesus, other than coming through Jesus. That is crazy! Don’t even think such a thing. There is no other covenant. Even Galatians warned us and said there are those that come and bring you another covenant but there is not another gospel which you could say is covenant. There is no other Gospel so whether an angel from heaven or any of the apostles or anyone else bring you another let them be accursed.
I am telling you that anyone else that brings another gospel or another covenant to you besides the on that you have received which is through the Lord Jesus Christ, run away from them. Get away from them. Tell them to be still. Tell them they need to repent and they need to call on the Lord Jesus Christ to free them from their captivity and their bondage, to be released into the Truth of God so that they can be established in the Truth that is present with them. I hope you are hearing what I am saying. I am sharing this out of love, out of compassion. I do believe that I have the heart and mind of God in this to bring the Truth to you concerning the things and the issues that are at hand. I bless you. God bless you.
That will end, I believe the 34d part of the True Nation that God has in establishing this present Truth with you.
We will look in the next session about the Church, the Body of Christ, a little bit more visible and invisible church and see if we can break that down a little bit more for you.
Father, I thank you for your awesome wisdom and mercy. I speak peace to all. Let us be established in the Truth that is present with us Lord and come into the knowledge and being made free from the cleverly devised fables and fantasies and all those strange stories that have been released about the Truth Lord. Help us to come and know the Truth story that you have put before us Lord. That we can walk not only in the knowledge of the Truth but we can walk in the manifestation of the Kingdom of God and begin to reveal and to bring others in the knowledge of the Truth. That they can be made free and become a portion of the True Israel of God, the True Nation of God, the Nation that you have set up and established to fill all things in all. The True Mt. Zion, the True Spiritual Israel, the mystery, the Church, the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ. I give you praise and thank you for it. Let everyone be established in this Truth NOW in Jesus Name.
SECTION II OF PART 1
HOLY NATION
THE CHURCH EXPLAINED BY JESUS
DR. FRANK HUDSON
2010
In this next section of God’s Nation, the True Nation that God had chosen, not that man has chosen or the Church has seen but the one that God saw before the foundations of the earth.
We’re going to take a look first of all at really what God was doing in restoring the Truth that is present with us. One of the Truths, the main Truth, that we need to see, is the Nation that God is actually working with and dealing with today.
It is hard for us to see how we fit into present day truth if we don’t understand WHO WE ARE.
We began looking first of all at the Nation that God has selected and chosen. We looked also at showing that the actual intent of God for the Church was before the foundations of the earth and was even revealed and seen very clearly throughout the Old Testament. That brought us into, although it was concealed through shadow and type, now through the revelation of the New Testament, or the New Covenant, we can go back and look and see how precious it was that God was communicating that Word to keep faith alive concerning the promise that God had. Although those who heard it did not understand really to whom it was being communicated. That they would be this particular manifestation of the Truth and the presence of God, although they didn’t understand it, they received it and believed it and there was a misappropriation on their part but yet it was kept alive by those that did believe and now the manifestation has come.
Let’s take a look now in Section II of really identifying the Nation of God. We are going to look at some of the things that Christ actually through the Lord Jesus communicated to us about “The Church”.
One of the biggest things is, I guess, that the very first mention anywhere in the scripture, specifically “the Ecclesia” or The Church was made by Jesus on His own. He’s the one that used the word Church in His teachings. He basically refers to two (2) very specific aspects of the Church. We want to look at both of those because it is vitally important. I’m not going to spend a whole lot of time recapping and going back over some of the things we discussed in the previous section. There is just too much that God has given us to do to really devote the kind of time it would take to rehearse those things. I want you to go back and if you don’t know where we are at now and you don’t understand what I am talking about, go back and read it over because it lays the foundation to help get you to where you can hear what I am saying now. It is important to hear what the Spirit is saying because when you hear what the Spirit is saying, the faith of God is in what He is saying and when you receive what He is saying, you receive the Faith of God who is the author and the finisher of our faith and when you receive the faith of God then He is empowered in you to produce and bring you into the knowledge of the Truth that will bring the manifestation in you, establishing you in the Truth that is present with you! Glory!
Let’s now take a look at these two (2) aspects that Jesus was telling us about the Church itself.
In Matthew 16:16-18-Simon Peter answered and said, “Thou are the Christ, the son of the Living God.” Jesus had been asking them and asking them: Who do men say that I am? They said, “Some say you are John the Baptist. Some say that you are Elias and other Jeremiah or one of the prophets. In Verse 15: He said to them, “But who do you say I am?” Verse 16: Thou art the Christ, the son of the Living God. Verse 17: Jesus answered and said unto him, “Blessed are you Simon, for flesh and blood has not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven. Verse 18: And I say also unto you that thou are Peter and upon this rock I will build my Church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
This is the very first reference. If you went in and ran a search throughout the New Testament or the Old Testament, any where in this Bible, this is the first place you’re going to find the word, “Church”. What you are going to find out is that Jesus is the one that mentioned it. Jesus says a lot of things about the Church and I want to cover a few of those points that are very important.
This first reference to the Church that Jesus makes is not of a specific local Church or anything like that. It is more of the generalized universal church speaking of “the Church’, not only the Church of our generation but the Church of all generations and all ages. This is some of the things that we need to pull out of what Jesus was saying in regard to the Church that He would build.
The first thing He says is that we need to get this into our mind. There are so many people that talk about “their Church”! I am going to tell you that it is NOT your church. It is not your pastor’s church. It is not your parents’ church. It is not the denomination’s church.
IT IS HIS CHURCH! IT IS CHRIST’S CHURCH! That has to really sink in. It is Christ’s Church! First!
Second, it is ONE CHURCH! Not a bunch of different ones. It is not a divided multi-sectional body. It is one Body! Not plural!
Third, that HE would build His Church. That Christ would build His Church. We don’t have to go out and come up with the programs and plans and everything. We need to submit to the Head. To Christ. Obey Him. Yield to Him and let Him build His Church!
To build a church has nothing to do with numbers. It has everything to do with obedience to the Spirit and the Word. The building is done by Christ. If He needs new vessels or new instruments, He is fully capable of bringing them in. If He sets you to begin to speak to those around you about the things that God is doing and encouraging them, then do it! That is Christ doing it through you! To think that you need to do a work for God and go out and invite people in, that is not necessarily true. You need to allow the Spirit of God to communicate that through you and to you because when it is energized by the Spirit then it will work. Unless the Spirit draws them they cannot be converted. They cannot come to the Father except the Spirit draws them. Sure the Spirit is in you but the Spirit is not at your beckon command. You are at the beckon command of the Spirit. We just have to keep things in order. He is the one that builds the Church!
Fourth, it is built on the Rock! Not a spiritual locality but He is built on the rock. The rock is established on Jesus Christ. The Church is established on who Jesus is, what He accomplished, provisions that came forth, what He implemented, the authority and the power, the government, the mission and everything is built on the rock which is Jesus Christ!
Fifth, it is built on the basis, initially as a revelation of who Jesus Christ is. Flesh and blood has not revealed that unto you, but my Father which is in heaven. It is built on the basis of revelation of who Jesus Christ is! It is not your perception. It is not your interpretation. It is through revelation of who He is. A lot of people think Jesus Christ, “Well, He died for our sin and now He has gone off to heaven and one day He will be back.” Now if that is the way you see Jesus Christ then I am going to tell you that YOU MISSED IT! You have really missed it because there is a heck of a lot more to Jesus Christ than just what He accomplished as Messiah on the cross.
This same Messiah, Jesus, has now became Lord and Christ! (1) The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of His Lord and Christ. There is a lot that is going on. (2) He rules and reigns now. (3) He leads and guides us by His Spirit. (4) He’s the Head and we are the body. (5) The government is on His shoulders which is the body. (6) We are going forward. He rules things with a rod of iron. I could go on and on about the things He is doing. (7) He is still healing the broken hearted. (8) Setting the captives free. (9) Opening the blinded eyes. (10) Opening prison doors. (11) Causing the lame to walk. (12) The deaf to hear. These are the things that He is operationally functioning through and in right now just in a nut shell.
There is so much more but the actual Church itself is built on the revelation of who Jesus Christ is! That is the initial foundation. That is why He said, “We are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Jesus Christ being the Chief Cornerstone. Everything else comes in line with Him.
Sixth, another thing He reveals is that Jesus Himself reveals about the Church that He would build; The Church, One Church. That it would be triumphant over the gates of hell; that the gates of hell would not stop it. It is not that the gates of hell would overpower it; it would overpower the gates of hell. The gates of hell could not cause it to be ineffective. That the Church would be able to seize up the authority and the power that the gates of hell possessed and be able to assault or to trample upon the gates of hell or the entrance ways or the boundary or the things that have been set. The pathways of hell would be trampled and broken down by the Church because the Church had a responsibility to basically trample down the gates of hell and set the captives free, opening those prison doors, etc. We will get into that more later. This is what Jesus is revealing about the Church.
Seventh, also THE CHURCH was TO HAVE AUTHORITY in Matthew 16:19 to bind and to loose. He says in Verse 19: And I will give unto thee the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Now why would He ever give Peter and why would He ever give the Church the keys of the Kingdom of God? Because we were the ones going to be operating in the Kingdom of Heaven or in the Kingdom of God. We were the ones that were basically going to be utilizing the tools and the rooms in all the different places and the provisions that the Kingdom of God actually possessed! As a matter of fact, Daniel through revelation said that the Kingdom of God would be established. That the God of Heaven would set up a kingdom that would endure forever and ever and the saints of God would take that Kingdom and possess it forever and ever. Here we see the confirmation that Jesus is saying that the keys of the Kingdom belong to you! Whatsoever you bind on earth is bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth is loosed in heaven.
We see then that it is not only a triumphant church over the gates of hell, prevailing over the gates of hell but also that it has authority! It has authority to bind (forbid) and loose on earth and in heaven. We will get into all the binding and loosing later. It is vitally important! Just simply know that He gave that power and authority to the Church. This is Jesus’ first reference of the Church speaking about what He is doing.
Now when God the Father, speaking about the tabernacle and the temple, the tabernacle in the wilderness, He gave very specific details and these details were vitally important and had to be fulfilled and followed after to the very finest points. Well even so now in the new we have mention of the NEW TABERNACLE. The tabernacle that Christ has raised up, the head over his own house, whose house we are! The book of Hebrews reveals that. He has given us very specifics here in the first mention showing us it is His Church. It is one Church. It is built by Him. It is built on the Rock, Himself, the spiritual locality of it, and that the basis of it would be initialized by the revelation of exactly who Jesus Christ is. That it would be a triumphant Church, a building, a tabernacle that would triumph over the gates of hell and that they would have authority to bind and loose on earth and in heaven and then also Christ refers to the visible or the local Church in His second use of the word Church in Chapter 18:15-20.
So we see two very distinct mentions of the Church, which means there are at least two very distinct manifestation of the Church. You have the Church universal of all ages, past, present and future. You have the universal church that covers the entire face of the earth and then you also have a local expression of that Church.
In Matthew 18:15-20-Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against you, go and tell his fault between you and him alone. If he shall hear you, you have gained your brother. Vs. 16-But if he will not hear you then take with you one or two more that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. Vs. 17-And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church but if he neglect to hear the Church let him be unto you as an heathen man and a publican.
Now obviously, He is talking about the Church. He’s talking about a local expression of the Church. There is no way that you could tell the entire church of the world or the universe all at one time except of course it be communicated by the Spirit. But this appearance is not before the universal church but a local expression of that universal church. Verse 18: Verily I say unto you, whatsoever you shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever you shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Verse 19: Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. Verse 20: For where two or three are gathered in my Name there I am in the midst of them.
So in that very brief passage, Christ tells us a great deal about the visible local church and how it is supposed to function! Some of the things we want to observe very quickly out of that are (1) The Church is one, composed of brothers and sisters or family, (2) It is involved very specifically in areas of discipline, (3) It is involved in areas of local government, (4) It is a defined body. We know it is a defined body because it is something you can be expelled out of, (5) It is a place that has power to bind and loose in heaven and earth, obviously over the place they had responsibility in of the things that God had given them to do, (6) It was a place of fellowship, (7) A place of gathering, (8) Identified with the Name specifically of Christ, “when you are gathered together there in My Name, (9) It is a place where Christ promised that He will be in the midst of them. There are a whole lot of other things that we could say but I think you get the point. There are two very distinct manifestations of the church that Jesus details with us. (1) First being that the universal church of the Lord Jesus Christ that we read of in Matthew 16: 16-18, then also (2) We see the local expression of that universal church in Matthew 18: 15-20. Both described and characterized by Jesus and showing us both the universal expression and a local expression.
Some of the most incredible things that are not really understood at all about the Church are, (1) Jesus did not say that the Church was a building! It is very unfortunate that people, ministers and people alike, and if you say that you have never done this then I think you are just lying, because may people refer to the church as the building. “I am going to Church.” When they say “church” they are talking about going up to the building where the Church meets.
The Church is the local expression. They are the ones that are meeting in that building and it is not the building. What they call the sanctuary as being the place where the people all sit is not a sanctuary at all. The people are the sanctuary! The people are the place, the habitation and the dwelling of God! Now don’t get me wrong. I don’t think you should be able to just go crazy in the church building, a place where the Church meets, because you need to be responsible. There is a matter of money, upkeep, people cleaning that you don’t want to waste and just because the things that you have utilized, like building funds and gift offerings to actually take care of this building that corporately you agreed to upkeep, you don’t want to just destroy it because then you have to rebuild it.
Don’t ever, ever think that the building is Holy! It is not Holy! YOU ARE HOLY! Wood, stone, stained glass, metal and all the other things you can think of are not Holy! A piano is not Holy. The guitar is not Holy. The drums are not Holy. The speaker systems are not Holy. These things are not Holy. YOU ARE HOLY! You be Holy, even as your Father in Heaven is Holy! I know that sounds petty but we’re thinking here, “IN TRUTH”! PRESENT TRUTH!
One of the things that have to be restored is that “YOU ARE THE CHURCH!” The other is just a building where the Church meets. When you leave the building, God does not abide or reside there until YOU show up again. God is LIVING IN YOU! When God hits the building is when YOU show up! Let that sink in to your hearing! We will cover that more later as well. We need to get a better understanding of the Church. (1) What God has done, (2) What God has accomplished and (3) what God has brought to fulfillment!
Let us take a look at another section. How does the Jew of the Old Testament really relate to the Church that God has brought forth into the New Covenant or the New Testament? There is an application but we need to know what that application is and we know already and this, it really saddens the spirit, it saddens the heart and it is an incredible error of Truth. It is to try and promote the Jew, the natural descendent as an Israelite, to promote them over a CHILD OF GOD, because he who is least in the Kingdom of God is greater than all of them. There was never a greater born than John the Baptist, but Jesus said, “He that is least in the Kingdom is greater than that.” When people start trying to promote these natural ethnic people above what God has done for you and in you don’t listen to it. Not even for a second. There is not Jew, no Greek, there’s no Gentile. We are all one in Christ Jesus! Jesus is the Lamb for the whole world. He broke down the middle wall of petition so that all who come to God must come the same way! Through Jesus Christ! No other name under heaven by which man must be saved! To think that we have so many today announcing that there is a dual covenant. That the Jews have one covenant and we have another? Are you out of your mind? There is not the New Covenant and then another new covenant. NO! THERE IS THE NEW COVENANT! The New Covenant restores us to the EVERLASTING COVENANT. The Jews don’t need another covenant. They have the same Covenant! The old passed away. It waxed old and passed away. The New which is better, with better promises, better sacrifices, once and forever. They don’t have to stand and offer the same sacrifices that would never make the one that came perfect or whole or even cleanse or temporarily fix the but would never change them or their heart but could never infiltrate and empower and quicken a mortal body. An impossibility!
We need to establish that fact and realize that all who come to God, Jew or Gentile, (I didn’t say all who come to the Church), all who come to God must come, and all who come to the Father must COME THROUGH THE SON! THERE IS NO OTHER WAY! There is no other covenant out there. It is one covenant. Jesus made it. He was a Jew in the flesh. He cut the covenant on behalf of God’s plan and God’s purpose to bring in Jew and Gentile, tearing down the middle wall of petition.
The present day people of God are composed of believers regardless. Those who were not a people are now the people, believers who are joined together in Christ Jesus. It is a union brought by the Spirit and has nothing to do with your national, ethnic descendency or ancestry.
The only way for anyone to enter into the family of God is through the New Birth. In John 3 Jesus was talking to Nicodemus and He said, “Nicodemus, I need to talk to you.” (paraphrase). John 3:1 - There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews. V2: The same came to Jesus by night and said unto him, “Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God for no man can do these miracles that you do except God be with Him. (What an awesome revelation! What an awesome thing! This is Nicodemus; ruler of the Jews saying that He had to be from God and that there could be no other way.) Jesus answered and said, V3: “Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.” (Now Nicodemus was seeing some the things that God was doing through Jesus and Jesus said that you know you can’t really see these things unless you be born again). V4: Nicodemus said unto Him, “How can a man be born when he is old?” (That’s a logical question, but it is just that, logical. Now if somebody asked us that, we would say, “That’s kind of stupid. There is no way you can be born again.” Nicodemus asked the same question.) “Can you enter a second time into your mother’s womb and be born?” (This is rationalizing.) V5: Jesus answered, “Verily, verily I say unto you, except a man be born of water and of the spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. V6: “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.” Jesus was saying, “I understand you have been born through your mother’s womb and that is a necessity in order to have a shot at this second birth! Because animals can’t get this. The only ones that can get this IS YOU. You have to be born of your mother but you don’t have to go back into your mother’s womb. The second birth, THE TRUE BIRTH, IS BY THE SPIRIT! That is what He was telling him. That which is born of flesh is flesh but that which is born of the Spirit is spirit!
Same with the Jew. The Jew was born a Jew after the flesh not after the Spirit. That which is after the flesh is still flesh and that is all it is, but that which of the Spirit is spirit. Now that is awesome because one is earthly, corruptible, decayed and dies but the other is heavenly, spiritual, supernatural, incorruptible and LIVES FOREVER! It is phenomenal! Jesus tells him in V7: Marvel not that I said unto you, you must be born again. V8: The wind bloweth where it listeth and thou hearest the sound thereof but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth. So is every one that is born of the Spirit. V9: Nicodemus answered and said unto him, “How can these things be?” V10: Jesus answered and said unto him, “Art thou a master of Israel and knowest not these things?” V11: Verily, verily, I say unto you. We speak that we do know and testify that we have seen and you receive not our witness.” V12: If I have told you earthly things and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?” V13: “And no man has ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of Man which IS IN HEAVEN.”
Here we see that Jesus was contending with him and showing that the family of God had to do with the New Birth experience not that which is born of flesh, the natural descendents, but a spiritual descendancy. It has nothing to do with being a natural, physical descendent of Abraham, Isaac or Jacob. It had everything to do with being a spiritual descendent of the Seed of Abraham, CHRIST! That was the TRUE. That is what God had ordained. He gave the promise to Abraham and his Seed, one, being CHRIST. To be a new creature is exactly what it takes. That is why God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life! PHENOMINAL!
The Old Testament, natural Israel, was chosen to be the nation that would bring forth the Seed that would bless ALL Nations! Though they failed basically as a nation in their own self to accomplish what they thought they should accomplish, they actually fulfilled the promise of God in that they did bring forth Christ which is exactly what God had ordained them to do because the Promise that God had promised would be fulfilled IN CHRIST and the blessing of all nations definitely did that and Christ himself, Jesus, was actually of the tribe of Judah!
At the cross, God actually brought in and made manifest now a fuller expression of the Spiritual Kingdom to which the natural kingdom had always pointed. Where God had been with natural Israel, they actually possessed the Kingdom of God. They had the rule, the authority, the power and dominion of God. It was with them. We know that because in Matthew 21: 33-43 Jesus gives them a parable and in that parable He tells them that the Kingdom of God would be taken away from them and given to a Nation that would bring for the fruit it. How could He take it away from them except it had been given to them? If it had been given to them who is responsible for it? Who possessed it? Natural Israel did!
Here we have Jesus speaking to them, the rulers of Israel and telling them with no uncertain terms that the Kingdom was taken from the and given to a nation that would bring forth the fruit of it! He very clearly depicts and describes that Nation which we have already covered. Also in I Peter 2 He covers it and points to YOU! He says that YOU ARE THAT NATION! A chosen generation, a royal priesthood and a Holy Nation. The same promise that He had given to natural Israel in Exodus 19: 3-6. We see God, once again, speaking not only in concealed shadow and type but in absolute manifestation and identification. He said that if they would do these things then they would be this to him. Well they did not do those things and were not capable of doing those things being that to Him. But what God did do is bring forth CHRIST THE SEED who did bring forth that Nation who does do the things that God says and has become the manifestation that He said they would become. A chosen generation and royal priesthood and a Holy Nation! Glory!
We see then that the present people of God and what He is doing is comprised of all believers! Jew or Gentile is irrelevant. Spiritual unity. It is the spiritual family of God and what He intended from before the foundations of the earth. That’s the promise. That was the thing that was happening and hidden and concealed in the old that Paul said that those that came before us didn’t know but it is now revealed to the apostles and prophets the things that God had intended from before the foundations of the earth. It is brought forward to us. The Old Testament, natural Israel was chosen to be the nation that would bring forth the SEED of Abraham that would bless all nations and that was CHRIST!
As they brought forth Christ of the tribe of Judah, at the cross we see God brought in the spiritual kingdom which the natural national kingdom pointed to the whole time.
The Kingdom, of course, the Spiritual Kingdom is the KINGDOM OF GOD! It is the Kingdom of God’s dear Son! All who stand IN CHRIST who have been born again as Jesus told Nicodemus, those who are IN CHRIST are actually not only a part of the Spiritual Kingdom of God but they are possessors of the Kingdom of God. God has given the Kingdom to them to possess it.
In Matthew 16:19, God gave the keys of the Kingdom to the Church through Peter and Peter used those keys and they open the door all the time bring people in through the message of the TRUTH. He brought it on the day of Pentecost to a bunch of the ones that were gathered together on the Day of Pentecost in Jerusalem. Three Thousand heard the message of the Spirit of God and the Truth about what Jesus did and they were converted in one day! And they were filled with the Spirit and they all began to speak in tongues. Tremendous! What God was doing and what He was bringing forth was phenomenal!
We are told that later that a lot of the priests also were obedient to the message that Peter had brought forward. What was he doing? He was utilizing the Keys of the Kingdom of God!
We see then that the ones that God had brought in of course who were initially Jews, they were now opening the doors to those that believed who were both Jew and Gentile. First of all it was only to the Jews. It wasn’t until sometime afterwards that Peter gets the call to actually go and take that to the Gentiles. We will speak about that a little later.
The Jews entered in through the open doors by the faith of God that was in Christ Jesus. It wasn’t by their faith. It was by the faith of God that He had place in Christ Jesus that Jesus would draw them to Him. The goodness of God would lead them to repent which means to change directions or to change their hearts. That is exactly what happened and those Jews that entered became a part of the true, Spiritual nation or house of God or the Spiritual Nation of God, His Holy Nation which was addressed in Galatians 6:16. Some of the other scripture references about when the priests and the others came in are Acts 6:7, Acts 10 where Peter was given a vision and he followed this vision that God had showed him and he actually took the message that God had given him to Cornelius’ house which showed that the keys or the authority and power, the ability to open and close and shut to be able to bring people and give them access into the incredible things of God was open to the Gentiles and the Gentiles now were also those who were permitted by God to cash in on the awesome work that God had accomplished. Because Israel had been faithful in the sense of bringing forth the SEED OF CHRIST and had been utilized by God and spent many, many years in captivity and slavery to be able to bring forth the SEED. Then what God also did was give them the manifestation of Christ in their seed line and for 3 ½ years He was sent to none but the lost sheep of Israel. The next 3 ½ years we see the exact same thing to where what He was doing was bringing forth and putting them in a position to where that they had the opportunity to hear the Gospel first before it was ever sent to the Gentiles. For the last seven (7) years of Daniel’s 70 weeks, I know that opens a can of worms for a bunch of people especially eschatologists and bible prophecy teachers out there but Daniel’s 70 weeks, that last 7 years, He confirmed the covenant to Israel for 1 week. For 7 years. Seven prophetic years. That is 7 Heptads and that’s exactly what He did and that is what was being accomplished and the keys were show operational in the Church because He was capable of doing that and He did do that and Peter used that as good as anybody ever did and then God raised Paul up also.
Now IN CHRIST, whether you are Jew or Gentile, rich or bond, there is no distinction IN CHRIST. No Jew has a corner on the Kingdom of God. The Jews that reject Christ are not God’s people. The Jews that rejected Christ were cast off from what was perceived to be the Israel of God. But the Gentiles that really accepted Christ, they were brought into the olive tree of God’s people and when you begin looking at Romans 9:8 and Ephesians 2:11-21, you begin to see what God was doing and how He brought the application in. Romans 9:8-That is, those who are the children of the flesh, these are not the Children of God. I know that is difficult to hear and receive and believe because we have been taught so many crazy things from well meaning ministers and pastors, bible teachers, Sunday School teachers who thought they had an understanding but unfortunately they had not allowed the Spirit of God to build upon the Truth that was present with them. They actually took hand me down information and received the communication given to them by those that came before them. They did not submit themselves to the Spirit of God to bring forth the Truth.
That is what I am submitting to you now by the Grace of God it is the Truth of God so that now you can your own ability of the Spirit weigh and make a decision whether to accept or reject the Truth that is present with you right now.
In Romans 9:7 it says: Neither because they are the Seed of Abraham are they all children. But in Isaac shall thy seed be called. V8: That is they which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God but the children of the promise are counted for the seed.
What we see then is that God was and had intended from before the foundations of the earth that the promise was given to Abraham and His seed and that Seed was Christ! It’s not the children of the flesh. It’s not the descendents of the flesh, the seed flesh of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob but it was the Seed in those (1) who were of the promise and (2) those who were of the blessing, those who were born again. Those are the ones who are counted for the Seed.
It is vitally important that we make that distinction when we are looking at how the Jew of the Old Testament and Jew of today relates to the Church. Then we need to understand that it was never the flesh. Never, ever, ever was it the flesh. So that’s Romans 9:7-9. You can go back and check all that out as you have opportunity.
Ephesians 2:11-21 is another one. V11: Therefore remember that you in times past once Gentiles in the flesh who were called uncircumcision by what is called circumcision in the flesh made in the flesh by hands. V12: That at that time you were without Christ being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world. V13: But now in Christ Jesus you who sometimes were afar off are made nigh by the Blood of Christ. V14: For He is our peace who has made both one, has broken down the middle wall of petition between us V15: having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances for to make in himself of two, one new man and so making peace, V16: and that He might reconcile both unto God in one Body, by the cross having slain the enmity thereby, V17: and came and preached peace to you which are a far off and to them that were nigh. V18: For through Him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
V19: Now you therefore are no more strangers and foreigners but fellow citizens with the saints and of the household of God, V20: and are built upon the foundations of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, V21: in whom all the building fitly framed together grows into a Holy Temple in the Lord.
There we see the association and the relationship that it has nothing to do with Jewish descendency of the flesh. It has everything to do with spiritual descendency. That is Jesus’ intent to bring both the Old Covenant people together with the Gentile, bring them through the cross, through the new covenant and bring them back to the everlasting covenant.
Also Acts 3:19-24-V19: Repent ye therefore and be converted that your sin may be blotted out as the times of refreshing comes forth from the presence of the Lord, V20: ad that He sent Jesus Christ which before was preached unto you, V21: whom the heavens received until the time of restoration of things which God had spoken of by the mouth of all of His Holy Prophets since the world began. V22: For Moses truly said to the fathers, “A prophet shall the Lord truly raise to you of your brethren like unto me. Him shall you hear in all things whatsoever He shall say to you. V23: And it shall come to pass that every soul which will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people. V24: Yes, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after as many as have spoken have likewise foretold of these days. Pretty awesome.
Romans 11:1-4 V1: I say then has God cast away His people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin. V2: God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scriptures say of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, V3: “Lord they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? V4: But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”
What the Lord was saying is a remnant, that although there were a bunch that were called and had opportunity, there are only a few who are actually going to hear and make a decision. But it was their decision, their choice. God made it available to them. So the ones that were cast off were never a part of the true Israel, the spiritual Israel of God anyway. It was the ones who heard and believed and the ones who followed after that were actually a true part of the body of what God was doing. In Romans 11:17-And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree. That shows the distinction and the unity of the two becoming one and that we all partake of the root together.
So whether Jew or Gentile is irrelevant. It is the new nation, the creature, the spirit being that makes the difference.
We see the relationship of the Old Testament and the New Testament, the New Covenant. Jew along with Gentile that they are one. There is no distinction! It is only Christianity today that tries to make a distinction and a dual covenant trying to come against the Truth of the Gospel from God had accomplished simply because they are trying to reconcile their eschatological views of what is suppose to happen in the end times based upon their prior commitment to what they profess to believe that the prophets meant when they spoke of the time of CHRIST.
We look at that and also in Romans 2:28-29, Romans 3:26 and Galatians 22:31.
The ultimate restoration really that comes to anyone whether it is a Jew or Gentile of course is the spiritual restoration that comes to all who receive Christ! The only way that any Jew or natural born Israelite can become part of the olive tree is by accepting Christ as Messiah. As he does this he becomes a member of the Body of Christ, the Church, the called out ones and that is exactly what God had intended before the foundations of the earth. Never a national, ethnic or natural nation, but instead a super natural spiritual creation. A nation of God’s Holy Nation, the Church, with Jew and Gentile!
Let us look at Ephesians 1:4 & 10-According as He has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, we should be holy and without blame before Him in Love, V10: that in the dispensation of the fullness of time He might gather together IN ONE all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth-IN HIM.
Ephesians 3:5-6 - Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the spirit, that the gentiles are fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise IN CHRIST according to the good news.
Ephesians 3:10-11 – To the intent that now the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom of God according to the eternal purpose which He purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
1 Peter 1:10-12 – Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. To them it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven-things which angels desire to look into.
So the present TRUTH about God’s nation, although we looked and really saw who that nation was and its relationship in the Old Testament revealed or actually concealed in the Old and revealed in the New, then you can go back and see the shadow and type pointed to the fulfillment and manifestation in the New.
We also see that the Jews relationship today, whether Israelite or Jew, Gentile or whatever, it is irrelevant, male or female there is no distinction. IN CHRIST WE ARE ALL ONE! The only way any Jew or Israelite whatsoever have any hope to the Kingdom of God, it has to come through the Messiah. The Lord Jesus Christ! There is no dual covenant and to try and give the Israelite, the Israel Nation a hope of a dual covenant, that they have a covenant that is outside the Covenant of God that He cut with His own precious blood sending His Son is ridiculous! It is a gross injustice not only to the Gospel but definitely to the men and women of Israel who may be descendents from those that were actually in the days of Christ. We need to come to the knowledge of the Truth and we need to run away from those that are trying to say that there is another covenant, another way to get to God except through Jesus, other than coming through Jesus. That is crazy! Don’t even think such a thing. There is no other covenant. Even Galatians warned us and said there are those that come and bring you another covenant but there is not another gospel which you could say is covenant. There is no other Gospel so whether an angel from heaven or any of the apostles or anyone else bring you another let them be accursed.
I am telling you that anyone else that brings another gospel or another covenant to you besides the on that you have received which is through the Lord Jesus Christ, run away from them. Get away from them. Tell them to be still. Tell them they need to repent and they need to call on the Lord Jesus Christ to free them from their captivity and their bondage, to be released into the Truth of God so that they can be established in the Truth that is present with them. I hope you are hearing what I am saying. I am sharing this out of love, out of compassion. I do believe that I have the heart and mind of God in this to bring the Truth to you concerning the things and the issues that are at hand. I bless you. God bless you.
That will end, I believe the 34d part of the True Nation that God has in establishing this present Truth with you.
We will look in the next session about the Church, the Body of Christ, a little bit more visible and invisible church and see if we can break that down a little bit more for you.
Father, I thank you for your awesome wisdom and mercy. I speak peace to all. Let us be established in the Truth that is present with us Lord and come into the knowledge and being made free from the cleverly devised fables and fantasies and all those strange stories that have been released about the Truth Lord. Help us to come and know the Truth story that you have put before us Lord. That we can walk not only in the knowledge of the Truth but we can walk in the manifestation of the Kingdom of God and begin to reveal and to bring others in the knowledge of the Truth. That they can be made free and become a portion of the True Israel of God, the True Nation of God, the Nation that you have set up and established to fill all things in all. The True Mt. Zion, the True Spiritual Israel, the mystery, the Church, the Body of the Lord Jesus Christ. I give you praise and thank you for it. Let everyone be established in this Truth NOW in Jesus Name.