GENTILES NOW BLESSED

Sunday Morning:  May 4, 2003

Text: Galatians 3:13-14  "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: 14. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

REDEEMED FROM THE CURSE

Galatians 3:13  "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"

LIFE OR DEATH

Deuteronomy 30:19  "I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live:"

GENTILES COULD NOT COME NEAR

Numbers 18:4  "And they (sons and his father’s house) shall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregation, for all the service of the tabernacle: and a stranger shall not come nigh unto you (Aaron the high priest, verse 1)."

THE LAW AGAINST GENTILES

Numbers 18:7  "Therefore thou and thy sons with thee shall keep your priest's office for every thing of the altar (of incense), and within the veil; and ye shall serve: I have given your priest's office unto you as a service of gift: and the stranger that cometh nigh shall be put to death."

THE SENTENCE OF DEATH

Deuteronomy 21:22-23  "And if a man have committed a sin worthy of death, and he be to be put to death, and thou hang him on a tree: 23. His body shall not remain all night upon the tree, but thou shalt in any wise bury him that day; (for he that is hanged is accursed of God;) that thy land be not defiled, which the LORD thy God giveth thee for an inheritance."

GENTILES EXCLUDED

Matthew 10:5-7  "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand."

GENTILE DOGS

Mark 7:26-29  "The woman was a Greek, a Syrophenician by nation; and she besought him that he would cast forth the devil out of her daughter. 27. But Jesus said unto her, Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and to cast it unto the dogs. 28. And she answered and said unto him, Yes, Lord: yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs. 29. And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter."

AGAINST THE LAW

Acts 10:28  "And he said to them, "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a man who is a Jew to associate with a foreigner or to visit him; and yet God has shown me that I should not call any man unholy or unclean."

GENTILES DEFILE THE TEMPLE

Acts 21:28-29  "crying out, "Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who preaches to all men everywhere against our people, and the Law, and this place; and besides he has even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place." 29. For they had previously seen Trophimus (Gentile) the Ephesian in the city with him, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple."

 
 
BLESSING OF ABRAHAM

Galatians 3:14  "That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith."

EARTHLY INHERITANCE

Ezekiel 47:22  "And it shall come to pass, that ye shall divide it by lot for an inheritance unto you (Israel), and to the strangers that sojourn among you, which shall beget children among you: and they shall be unto you as born in the country among the children of Israel; they shall have inheritance with you among the tribes of Israel."

GENTILES WERE ALIENS

Ephesians 2:11-12  "Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, who are called Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by hands; 12. That at that time ye were without Christ (Messiah), being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope (of inheritance), and without God in the world"

OUR HIGH PRIEST

Hebrews 9:11-15  "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; 12. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal [agelasting] redemption for us. 13. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: 14. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? 15. And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal [agelasting] inheritance."

REDEEMED FROM THE CURSE

Galatians 3:13  "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse (can’t draw near) of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:"

NOW MADE NIGH

Ephesians 2:13, 17-19  "But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. 17. And came and preached peace to you which were afar off (Gentiles), and to them that were nigh (Jews). 18. For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. 19. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God;"

GENTILES, PARTAKERS OF THE PROMISE

Ephesians 3:4-6  "Whereby, when ye read, ye may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ) 5. 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; 6. That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel:"

NOW THE PEOPLE OF GOD

1 Peter 2:10  "Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy."

BOLDNESS BRETHREN

Hebrews 10:19-22  "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20. By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; 21. And having an high priest over the house of God; 22. Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water."

OUR HIGH PRIEST

Hebrews 4:14-16  "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. 15. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. 16. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need."

ALIENATED GENTILES

Colossians 1:21-23  "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled 22. In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: 23. If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister;"