What advantage has the Jew?

• History of Israel: • 1. Patriarchs: beginning of race—A. I. J. Abram. Covt ; • Abraham enters /Promised Land • 2. Period in slavery in Egypt--Jacob enters Egypt 1870 • 3. Moses: Exodus out of Egypt: beginning of Israel as a

nation bc 1440

4 Joshua enters the land bc 1400

• 5. Period of Judges down to bc 1050 • 6 Period of Kings down to 586 bc • 7. down to the cross 30 ad • But the history of Israel is not over: • a. last 7 yrs of 490 yrs promised –7 years of Tribul . • b. 1000 yrs. (Mill) Promised in Abram. 4 unconditional covenants & • this is what is at issue here in Rom. 3:1-8 • Positions regarding Israel's future: • 1. Postmillennial • a. The whole world will be converted & man will make the earth ready for His return everyone to live in peace & prosperity. • 2. Amillennial • a. This position says the Mill. is not literal & the promises made to Israel have been transferred to Church. Replacement Theology. • b. This view prevents a believer in the Church Age from being oriented to C-A. It is a combination of Law, Sermon on the Mt.; C-A, the Tribulation & millennium. • Most people are Non-Eschatological, take no view of the future, but one's view point of eschatology has an effect upon one's view of God & the Bible & life • 3. Pre-millennial • a. God promised 4 unconditional covenants to Israel, & these have never been fulfilled. Further, they cannot be fulfilled until Christ returns. • b. Pre- millennialist says Israel has a future! Answered by two questions. In Rom. 3:-14

• 1. There are advantages in each of these two questions: • a. Being a Jew has advantage if used properly; since they had the Scriptures-- spreading the gospel around the world. • b. Circumcision is a benefit, if it leads to faith in the coming Messiah. • 2. There are disadvantages to each of these questions. All they have to do is to distort these advantages. • This is true to all of us in C-A—God has give you advantages in life; I/HS; the Bible; Sp. Gifts; local church where truth is taught; husband/wife

etc…but you can turn all these blessings into not being a blessing

• 3. The Jews had an Advantage in /Age of Israel (OT) but after Pentecost there were no advantages read Eph. 2:11-15 • 4. Circumcision was a sign, a figure of teaching of giving adherence, but the Jews turned circumcision; & turned the Law into a means of Salvation; they were using these for something that they were never intended. • 5. Jews & Gentiles are under Sin---& the Law does not Justify, does not save. But the Church has done the same thing, turning things that God has given us into systems of Salvation or spirituality. • 1. History: all post diluvian races began with born again believers Sham—Ham—Japheth – Abraham. However the Jews received a pre-eminence, a racial advantage over all other races • This is why anti-Semitism started right from the beginning. Jealousy esp. from their cousins … the Arabs • 2. Then God made all Jews into a unique nation –called out of slavery & taken into their promised land. A called people into a nation with unique purpose—gave the Jews yet another advantage. • 3. A third advantage of /Jew is that God made them /custodian of Holy Scriptures …they were first to receive /Scriptures & be led to Sal. by Faith in coming Messiah. Then was their privilege to spread the gospel throughout the world • 4. Then God continued to give advantage to Israel by giving to them 4 unconditional Covenants & remember these are valuable to interpretation of history— God's Faithfulness Rom. 3:3 • 1.Abrahamic Cov't - Messiah made Israel a unique nation • throughout history— whoever blesses you I will bless & • whoever curses you I will curse. • 2. Palestinian cov't - land ; Gen. 12, 13, & 17 This is so important in history, no matter what happens throughout history, this promise guarantees Israel this land; fulfilled in /Mill.; the Arabs, the Muslims etc can all claim this land all they wish—but God's faithfulness is at issue in the future. • U.S.A. has never been promised land • You have never been promised land • /Church has never been promised land • But Israel has been promised land .

• God has unconditionally promised to Israel all the land from the Nile River to Euphrates & all the land from the Med. sea to tip of Persian gulf, all the Middle East—all this has been promised to Israel by the Sovereign, the Omnipotent Faithful God—no matter what the come lately Muslims or Arabs or Presidents or any other authority may say or think. • This is a unconditional Covt —it does not depend on the faithfulness of Israel but on the faithfulness of God. • 3. Davidic Covenant – 2 Sam. 7:12, Psa. 89:3-4; Jere . 33:22 & 25-26 land & Seed - Great Son—who will rule forever—Jesus Christ

Again this is unconditional –fulfilled in the Mill.

• 4. New Covenant Jere . 31:31-33 Spirituality in Millennium. • 5. The pre-eminence of Israel is seen in the continual survival of Israel under constant travesties of Anti-Semitism. The pre-eminence of Israel is related to fact they have survived & still survive the most concentrated of all Satanic attacks. Study history (Germany) • 6. The Advantages of Israel is seen Israel during the Tribulation & Mill. where Israel will be the Priest Nation on Earth. • 1. Anytime you talk of Circum. esp. the advantage of circumcision. just remember that circumcision is from the parents, not the male child who is circumcised he made no decision about his being circumcised. That was a decision by his parents. So this should be /first clue that there is no adv. to just being circum. • 2. The Jews lost any adv. of circum. by turning it into a system of Sal. • By just being circum they thought they were saved. Not unlike many today who think they are saved by just being a RCC etc. or by just being moral, or tithing, just doing some ritual –like baptism or Communion. & this is how you turn a blessing, an advantage into a disadvantage. And many Christians used many such things to restore them from sin into F/HS • Is there an advantage to having the Bible? Almost everyone would say yes, of course…but what if you read the bible where you have to do & do, for Salvation or spirituality is the bible of advantage then? You have turned that which is a advantage into a disadvantage. • 3. So, what benefit is circumcision? as long as you do not depend on circumcision. but allow it to take you to the Messiah by faith. As long as you allow it to be a reminder of your walk of faith then circumcision has an advantage As long as you use it to advance in Plan of God .