'The Remnant of Israel: Past, Present, Future'

In recent years, there has been a marked rise in antisemitism around the world, and much of the church has misunderstood Israel and God’s dealings with His covenant people. In view of this, it is important to know that, throughout history, God has always preserved a faithful remnant of Israel.

 

In the past, after his victory over the prophets of Baal, Elijah believed he was the only faithful follower of Yahweh left. But God assured him, “I have reserved seven thousand in Israel, all whose knees have not bowed to Baal” (1 Kings 19:18). The remnant was small, but it existed. What an important reminder for us that success in ministry is not measured by numbers or outward appearances, but by faithfulness to God. In the present, both in Paul’s day and in our own, God continues to have a faithful remnant of Jewish people who believe in their Messiah—and ours. The apostles were Jewish, Paul was Jewish, the early church in Jerusalem was Jewish, and the gospel was first proclaimed to the Jews. Today, only a small minority of Jewish people around the world, including in Israel, believe in Jesus. However, praise God, that minority is growing. It is also important to emphasise that there is no separate way of salvation for the Jewish people. Jew and Gentile alike are saved by grace through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Looking ahead to the prophetic future, the current partial spiritual blindness upon Israel will one day give way to glorious light when the nation finally receives its Messiah. Scripture speaks of how difficult days lie ahead for Israel, culminating in “the time of Jacob’s trouble” prophesied by Jeremiah. Zechariah tells us that two-thirds of the nation will perish, while one-third will survive and be refined through the fire. Then, at the end of Daniel’s seventieth week, Jewish people will turn to Jesus, and “so all Israel will be saved” (Rom. 11:26). The remnant will become the whole. What a glorious day that will be! God’s covenant people – a nation uniquely called by Him and beloved for the sake of the patriarchs – will be reconciled to their God. As Paul says, it will be nothing short of a resurrection: “For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?” (Rom. 11:15). The Millennium will be a time of unparalleled joy in earth with Israel, in right relationship to her God, the pre-eminent nation pointing everyone to God.

 

It is important to understand God’s prophetic plans and purposes, including His purposes for the Jewish people. In doing so, we are reminded of one of the great themes of Scripture: God is faithful. Faithful to His promises. Faithful to Israel. Faithful to His church. Faithful to you and me.

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'What Are You Praying For?' - Ephesians 1:15-23​​

Prayer, like oxygen, is essential to the Christian life, and we should all seek to grow as faithful people of prayer. Paul’s prayer in Ephesians provides a wonderful example of the kinds of requests we can pray for ourselves and for others. He prayed for spiritual illumination and understanding, that our eyes would be opened and our hearts softened to the spiritual realities of all that God has done for us in Christ. How we need the Holy Spirit to work in our lives, helping us understand who we are and all that we have in Christ!

 

Paul specifically prayed that believers would grasp three great spiritual realities. First, that we would “know what is the hope of His calling”. Christian hope is not a vague wish or a fingers-crossed ‘I hope so’ kind of hope. It is a sure and certain expectation of what God has promised but has not yet fully brought to completion. This is the hope of our final redemption, the full revelation of our adoption as God’s children, our eternal inheritance, and everlasting joy in God’s presence. What a glorious hope we have in Christ! Second, that we would know “what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints”. If you ever find yourself questioning your value, worth, or purpose, remember that God describes His people as His inheritance. You are precious to Him, and He has demonstrated the value He places on you by sending His Son to redeem you. What an amazing privilege to belong to God and to be treasured by Him! Third, that we would know “what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe”. There is no power shortage with God. The very power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead, exalted Him, and seated Him at His right hand is at work in the lives of His people today. Whatever challenges, weaknesses, or needs you face, God has all the strength and power you require, and He invites you to come to Him and depend upon Him for it.

 

May we all learn from Paul’s prayer and be encouraged to pray with greater understanding and confidence, rejoicing in every spiritual blessing that is ours in Christ. And may we come to know these blessings, and the certainty of them, more deeply in our daily lives.

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'To the Praise of His Glory' - Ephesians 1:7-14

The opening ‘word of glory’ in Ephesians is Trinitarian in both structure and emphasis, highlighting the united work of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in salvation. We might say that the Father planned it, the Son purchased it, and the Spirit imparts it. Here, I want to focus on one aspect of the Son’s work and one aspect of the Spirit’s work.

 

Concerning Christ the Son, we read that, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.” This is the blessing from which all other blessings flow. Everything we have in Christ begins with redemption and the personal reception of God’s forgiveness. The word redemption comes from the language of the slave market. We were slaves to sin, bound by it, chained to it, and utterly unable to purchase our own freedom. But Jesus did for us what we could never do for ourselves. His life was the ransom payment; His blood satisfied God’s righteous anger against sin; and through Him we are forgiven and set free. What grace God has shown us! His grace has been lavishly poured out upon us and “abound[s] toward us.” Concerning the Spirit, we read that we were “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance.” The Spirit’s presence within us assures us that God will complete His redeeming work. Having been sealed with His mark, we belong to God. The Spirit is given as a pledge, a down payment guaranteeing that our inheritance is secure and that Christ will return for His own. What grace God has shown! What assurance we have in Him! How worthy God is of all praise and glory!

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'Every Spiritual Blessing in Christ' - Ephesians 1:3-6

As Christians, we are blessed! Oftentimes we focus on blessings related to this life: blessings of God's provision, protection, good health, and family. And so we should! Every good thing in our lives comes from God. But the blessings spoken of in Ephesians are "spiritual blessings". They originate with God in the heavenlies and are ours because of our connection to Christ. It is so important to appreciate all that we have in Christ and to grasp, even just a little more, just how blessed we are!

 

WE ARE BLESSED not with a few blessings, nor with just some, but with "every spiritual blessing". These blessings are not temporary or potentially transient, as good health may be, but are higher, better, and more secure. WE ARE CHOSEN by God in Christ for salvation "before the foundation of the world". Doesn't this thought take your breath away? WE ARE HOLY. In choosing us, God purposed to call to Himself a people who would be separate, sanctified, holy. He has called us out of darkness and out of the world so that He might reveal Himself to the world through His holy church, in which He delights. WE ARE PREDESTINED specifically to "adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself". If God had only saved us from the power and penalty of sin and the hell we deserve, it would have been enough. But He has done so much more. Our Heavenly Father has adopted us into His family. We are His children, and He has predestined us to bear the family likeness and become more like His Son, Jesus (Rom. 8:29). Finally, WE ARE ACCEPTED. One of the great sorrows of life is to be rejected. God does not do that. Rather, He has "made us accepted in the Beloved". Our acceptance by God is not because of anything we have done or could ever do, but because Jesus, the perfect sacrifice for our sins, is fully acceptable to God, and we are in Him. So whatever blessings in this life you may or may not enjoy, be reminded again of just how blessed you are in Jesus!

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'Sit, Walk, Stand' - Ephesians 1:1-2

The saints at Ephesus were a well-taught church with a great pastoral pedigree. It is perhaps no surprise, then, that some of the richest and deepest theology in the New Testament is found in this book. Our Ephesians theme is SIT, WALK, STAND, and we see this progression throughout the letter.

 

Christ is seated at the Father’s right hand in the heavenly places, and spiritually we SIT there with Him. God the Father “has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.” How important it is for us to understand our position and all the blessings that we enjoy, even today as Christians, because we are united with Jesus. In response to who we are in Christ, we are to WALK in the way God has called us to. We are to walk worthy of our calling, to walk in love, to walk as children of light, and to walk circumspectly. Theology is wonderful, and we should all be growing in our knowledge of Christ. Right doctrine should lead to right living, and this will be a major focus of our time in Ephesians. Finally, there is a spiritual battle raging in the heavenly realm, and so we must STAND. God has given us everything we need to fight and be victorious in the Christian life, and an important part of this is putting on the whole armour of God. My encouragement to us all is to be praying for one another, that God would pour out His blessings upon us as we study this book together and learn what it means to SIT, WALK, and STAND in Christ.