Messianic Perspectives

Guest (Female): There are many contrasts between the old and new covenants. One concept that is unique to the new covenant is that of the indwelling Holy Spirit. Join us as Dr. Gary Hedrick discusses the subject Christ in Us today right here on Messianic Perspectives.

Shalom and welcome to Messianic Perspectives, a daily program where we look into the scriptures from a distinct first-century Jewish point of view. This is Liz Aiello. Our Bible teacher is Dr. Gary Hedrick, and his subject today is Christ in Us. I'll be back a little later with information about a special offer, so have your pencil and paper ready. And now, with today's installment, here is Gary Hedrick.

Dr. Gary Hedrick: Thank you and welcome listening friend to another edition of the program. It's good to have you with us today as we continue our series of studies dealing with the subject Christ in Us. And what we're talking about is new covenant distinctives: benefits and blessings that we have by virtue of our having entered into the new covenant.

Sometimes people say, well, I thought the new covenant was just for Israel. And it is for Israel. Listen, these people who say the church has inherited the new covenant because God has cast off his people Israel and that the church has replaced Israel in God's plan are wrong. In fact, let's go back to the Old Testament so I can show you something in Jeremiah chapter 31.

This is where the Lord is explaining the new covenant. And he says here in verse 31, "Behold, the days are coming, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah." Notice what he said. He said, "Behold, the days are coming, saith the Lord." In the Hebrew, that's an eschatological formula, which in this case designates the end of the age, the end of the world as we have known it.

And he says at the end of the age, he will make a new covenant with Israel and with Judah. Now, let me show you the hole the amillennialists and the reconstructionists dig for themselves when they try to make this apply to the church. They'll say that when God inspired the prophet Jeremiah to write Jeremiah 31, he was using Israel to symbolize the church.

But look what he says in the next verse, verse 32. He says, "not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; my covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, saith the Lord." Now let me ask you a question, my friend. When did God lead the church out of Egypt? And when did the church ever break the Mosaic covenant?

How could the church break the Mosaic covenant since the Mosaic covenant was not made between God and the church, but between God and Israel? So then the amillennialists will say, well, Egypt symbolizes the world. So this is God taking the church by the hand and calling her out of the world. But what happens is, by the time they're done symbolizing everything in the passage, the original meaning of the passage is lost.

They end up with a confusing morass of interpretation where nothing makes any sense. Listen, if you want a perfect example of what a mess you can get yourself into when you try to get rid of Israel and you try to symbolize these Old Testament passages, just read Harold Camping's book 1994. He's an amillennialist, and I've never in my life seen more baloney crammed into 550 pages.

You say, Gary, it's not nice to say those things about our amillennial brethren. Well, maybe it's not. But you can be sure of one thing, my friend: it grieves the heart of God when we say that he is finished with his people Israel. Because he has told us over and over again, not just once, not just twice, but many times, that he is not finished with Israel, that he has not cast away his people Israel.

That's why God is always so careful to distinguish between Israel and the church. He says the church is Abraham's spiritual seed while Israel is Abraham's physical seed. He says the church is the bride of Christ while Israel is the wife of Jehovah. So God's plan for the church and God's plan for Israel run right along side-by-side throughout scripture, and one does not cancel out the other.

In fact, all you have to do is continue reading right here in Jeremiah chapter 31 and you'll see that God has not cast off his people Israel. Verse 33, look at it. "But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel: after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts; and will be their God and they shall be my people."

Verse 34, "And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more." Now watch this. The Lord wanted to erase any doubt as to whether or not he would ever cast off his people Israel.

It's as though he foresaw more than 2,500 years ago the theological battle that would be raging in our day over this question of whether or not God has cast off his people Israel. And so here's what he says, verse 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."

You see, he wants them to know who this is talking. This is not just Jeremiah's opinion or interpretation. This is the word of the living God, the Lord of hosts. In the Hebrew, Yahweh Sabaoth: the Lord of hosts. And what does he say? Look at the next verse, verse 36: "If those ordinances depart from before me, that is, if the sun which giveth light by day and the moon and the stars which give light by night, if those ordinances depart from before me, if they cease to exist," God says, "then the seed of Israel also shall cease from being a nation, from being a people before me forever."

Now, how much clearer can God make it? He says, "I'll tell you when I'll consider cutting off my people Israel: when the sun stops coming up in the morning, and when the moon and the stars don't give light anymore, and when someone pulls the plug and drains the oceans dry. Then I'll consider giving up on my people Israel."

You say, wait a minute, Gary. All that verse says is that God won't let them cease from being a people. But that doesn't mean he won't cut them off spiritually. Oh, is that what it says? Then maybe we'd better read the next verse just to make sure. Verse 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."

Now, is that clear enough? You know what it sounds like to me? It sounds like God said, "Jeremiah, when we wrap up this discussion of the new covenant, I want to use the strongest language possible so there won't be any mistake about the fact that I will never give up on my people Israel. In spite of what they've done, in spite of their unbelief, in spite of their rebelliousness, in spite of their spiritual blindness, in spite of their rejection of the Messiah."

That's what it sounds like to me. So the new covenant was primarily between God and Israel. But the beauty of it is that God in his grace and in his mercy has made a way for the Gentiles to enter into the blessings of the new covenant even before Israel does. Because we're part of the church, we're part of the Messianic community: the Ecclesia, that called-out assembly of believing Jews and Gentiles.

You see, that's what the Ecclesia is. It's Messianic Jews and Messianic Gentiles together in the Messianic community. Our English Bible uses the word church to translate the Greek word Ecclesia. But so often when we use the word church, we think of organized religion with its huge cathedrals and pipe organs and priests and candles and traditions and pews and carpet and stained-glass windows.

But none of that stuff even existed in New Testament times. When the New Testament uses the word Ecclesia, it's talking about something entirely different. It's talking about the Messianic community. It's not buildings but people. There were no church buildings until at least 200 years after the time of Christ. Those early believers met in homes. In Jerusalem, it says the early believers also met daily in the temple.

It says in Acts 2:46 that they continued daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house. They didn't just meet on Sunday; they met every day. And they met in two places: first, in the Jerusalem temple and second, in their homes. That was the Ecclesia: the Messianic community. And let me tell you something: if you're a Gentile believer in Jesus Christ, you don't have to take a backseat to anybody.

Sometimes in our preaching and teaching, we put such an emphasis on Israel's place in God's plan, we forget the place of the Gentiles in God's plan. I had a letter not long ago from a gentleman who said he wished he was Jewish because the Jews are special to God. And while I understand the sentiment behind that statement, the fact is that you and I don't have to apologize to anyone for the way God made us.

If you're Gentile, my friend, you should be proud of it because that's what God made you. Listen, the Jewish nation rejected the Messiah 2,000 years ago. And do you know who has carried on the plan of God in this world since that time? Primarily Gentiles. The work of world missions, the spreading of the gospel, the work of Christ in this world for the past 2,000 years has been carried out and financed primarily by Gentile believers: Messianic Gentiles.

My Gentile friend, you have nothing to apologize for. But isn't it exciting to be alive at this prophetic juncture in history when God is once again turning to his people Israel? Well, that's it for today. We'll pick it up here next time. Until then, this is Gary Hedrick saying God bless you. Take care. Bye-bye.

Guest (Female): Thank you, Gary, and thank you, listening friend, for tuning in today. If you found today's program especially helpful and insightful, you'll be glad to know that we have placed the entire series of programs on compact disc. The title is Christ in Us by our Bible teacher, Dr. Gary Hedrick.

It's available for your gift of just $6 or more to help us keep this program here on your station. Just visit our secure online store at Messianicspecialties.com to place your order. If you would prefer to order by mail, just address your request to Messianic Perspectives, PO Box 345, San Antonio, Texas, 78292. To order by phone, use our toll-free order line. The number is 1-800-926-5397.

Even if you're one of our regular listeners, you still may not know that we're much more than just a radio program. Messianic Perspectives is sponsored by CJF Ministries, one of the largest missionary organizations in the world. We currently have missionary families serving the Lord all over the world, including in the United States, Canada, South America, England, France, and of course, Israel.

So when you write, consider helping us with a gift above the suggested amount. We'd be very grateful. And as always, when you're in touch with us, please mention the call letters of this station. If you're listening to our webcast or podcast, we need to know that too. I'm Liz Aiello. Join us next time, won't you, as Dr. Gary Hedrick continues our series of studies on Christ in Us right here on Messianic Perspectives.

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