THE TRUE ISRAEL OF GOD

Pastor Art Watkins of Coden Bible Church (Coden, Alabama)

January 19, 2017

Jeremiah 31:35-37
35 Thus saith the Lord, which giveth the sun for a light by day, and the ordinances of the moon and of the stars for a light by night, which divideth the sea when the waves thereof roar; The Lord of hosts is his name:
36 If those ordinances depart from before me, saith the Lord, then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation before me for ever.
37 Thus saith the Lord; If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, saith the Lord.

God said, that if the sun stops shinning and the moon no longer gives off its light then Israel will cease from being a nation before him. That’s never going to happen; therefore there will always be a true Israel of God.

He also said, that if you can measure the heaven above and measure the foundations of the earth beneath then he would cast off Israel from being a nation. That can’t be done; therefore he will never cast the whole nation off.

There is a holy nation of Jews today, but it is not the nation or state of Israel located in the Middle East. The true Israel of God are the Jews who believe on Christ throughout the world and not the lost blinded Jews who reject Christ in the nation or state of Israel in the Middle East. They are saved, born again Jews throughout the world. Their numbers are small for they are a remnant, but they are here and gentiles like us are members of the body of Christ with them and also share in the spiritual promises God made to them according to Romans 15:27.

*They are the little flock of Luke 12:32 and the nation bearing fruit of Matt. 21:43.

*They are the election of grace of Rom. 11:1-7.

*They are the branches in the olive tree that were not broken off that we were grafted into and among. Rom. 11:16-17.

*They are the Jews who first trusted in Christ of Eph. 1:12.

*They were those who were nigh to God in Eph. 2:17.

*They are ½ of the twain or two of Eph. 2:15.

*They are members of the new man in Eph. 2:15.

*We gentiles are reconciled together with them in one body in Eph. 2:16.

*They are the saints and household of God in Eph. 2:19 that we gentiles are now fellow citizens with.

*We are fellow heirs and members of the same body with them in Eph. 3:6.

*They are a part of the fellowship of saints that was a mystery from the beginning of the world in Eph. 3:9.

*They are the chosen generation and holy nation of 1 Peter 2:9.

*They are the true Israel of God in Galatians 6:16 which say: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature. And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

From the call of Abraham till now, there has always been a true Israel of God. The true Israel of God is the Jews throughout Bible history who have believed what God says. They were the Jews in the Old Testament who believed what the Prophets said. They are the Jews in the New Testament who believed what Christ and the Apostles said concerning Jesus Christ; that he was the Son of God and their Messiah and that he died for their sins and raised again from the dead. The Israel of God began with Abraham and continues until this day. There is an unbroken line of Jews in Bible history who has always believed what God said.

Today gentile believers are members of the same body with them and partake of the spiritual promises God made to them. They were not made rich through us, but rather we were made rich through them. They did not gain anything through us, but we gained everything through them. They were the ones who had all the blessings and promises and not us. God grafted us gentiles into their olive tree so we could partake of their root and their fatness and their riches. We were worthless wild olive branches fit for nothing but burning. For this reason we should not think we are something special or different from them. It’s only by the grace of God we were grafted into the good olive tree and became partakers of the true Israel of God spiritual blessings and promises.