The King and the Kingdom VI

Wednesday 10/07/15

Series: The King and the Kingdom VI

Message – Promises made….promises kept I

Last week we ended with…One Kingdom – Two expressions

God promised a natural land and kingdom under very specific conditions to Israel several times in scripture. This kingdom has historically NEVER happened yet.

During the millennial reign of Christ, Israel will inhabit the full measure of their promised land and it will be very much like God intended the Garden of Eden to be at the beginning.

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The promised land IS to include…all of the land modern Israel currently possesses, plus…

all of the land of the Palestinians (the West Bank and Gaza)
some of Egypt and Syria
all of Jordan
some of Saudi Arabia and Iraq.

So, Israel currently possesses only a fraction of the land God has promised.

God Promises Israel a Home land

Tonight we simply began a leisurely track through scripture reading and commenting on the various promises God has made over the years to Israel which will come to pass during the millennial reign of Christ.

Now it is important to see one thing before we continue. Though God knows the future actions of every person and nation and while He may predict what they may do and the consequences of those doings, He does NOT force those outcomes. We MUST remember that it is God’s will that NONE perish but that ALL come to the knowledge of the truth!

1Timothy 2:3-4,
“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

2Peter 3:9,

“The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

With that in mind, God intended for Israel to walk in His ways, delight in His law, embrace their Messiah and be the PRIMARY voice of the Gospel to the whole world and in that way, all nations of the earth would be blessed in them and all nations would come to them to learn God’s ways. As it is, Israel largely rejected God’s law, desired to be like the other nations, were time and again placed into exile and bondage as a result and in the end they rejected their Messiah and spurred His gospel. So in order for God to keep His promise to Israel, He has appointed a future day which He told to the Patriarchs directly and had spoken through the mouths of His prophets to Israel at large.

The following verses are just a few of the promises God made concerning Israel and the Millennial Kingdom.

2 Sam. 7:12-16
Ps. 132:11-18
Isaiah 2:2-4
Isaiah 60:13-22; 65:18-25
Ezek. 36

These truths are SO important for modern Christians to know and I strongly encourage you to listen to these messages. NOT because I am the most eloquent minister or even the most accurate, but that the scriptures we are covering will help place the nation of Israel in the honored position they belong, for even now we are still their debtors for it was through them that the Messiah came!

Pray for the peace and restoration of Israel!!

Blessings!

I hope this teaching will challenge you and encourage you to place your trust in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord.

You have a special place in God’s family & kingdom. If you do not know Him, please use our ‘Contact Us‘ page and reach out so we may have the privilege of introducing you to the Lord. Attendance at our church will NOT even be mentioned nor will money.

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Blessings!

Pastor Mark

View posts by Pastor Mark

Hi my name is Mark and though I am opposed to titles, I am currently the only Pastor (shepherd/elder) serving our assembly right now.

I have been Pastoring in one capacity or another for nearly 30 years now, though never quite like I am today.

Early in 2009 the Lord revealed to me that the way we had structured our assembly (church) was not scriptural in that it was out of sync with what Paul modeled for us in the New Testament. In truth, I (like many pastors I am sure) never even gave this fundamental issue of church structure the first thought. I had always assumed that church structure was largely the same everywhere and had been so from the beginning. While I knew Paul had some very stringent things to say about the local assembly of believers, the point of our gatherings together and who may or may not lead, I never even considered studying these issues but assumed we were all pretty much doing it right...safety in numbers right?! Boy, I couldn't have been more wrong!

So needless to say, my discovery that we had been doing it wrong for nearly two decades was a bit of a shock to me! Now, this "revelation" did not come about all at once but over the course of a few weeks. We were a traditional single pastor led congregation. It was a top-bottom model of ministry which is in part biblical, but not in the form of a monarchy.

The needed change did not come into focus until following 9 very intense months of study and discussions with those who were leaders in our church at the time.

We now understand and believe that the Bible teaches co-leadership with equal authority in each local assembly. Having multiple shepherds with God's heart and equal authority protects both Shepherds and sheep. Equal accountability keeps authority and doctrine in check. Multiple shepherds also provide teaching with various styles and giftings with leadership skills which are both different and complementary.

For a while we had two co-pastors (elders) (myself and one other man) who led the church with equal authority, but different giftings. We both taught in our own ways and styles, and our leadership skills were quite different, but complimentary. We were in complete submission to each other and worked side-by-side in the labor of shepherding the flock.

Our other Pastor has since moved on to other ministry which has left us with just myself. While we currently only have one Pastor/Elder, it is our desire that God, in His faithfulness and timing, may bring us more as we grow in maturity and even in numbers.

As to my home, I have been married since 1995 to my wonderful wife Terissa Woodson who is my closest friend and most trusted ally.

As far as my education goes, I grew up in a Christian home, but questioned everything I was ever taught.

I graduated from Bible college in 1990 and continued to question everything I was ever taught (I do not mention my college in order to avoid being labeled).

Perhaps my greatest preparation for ministry has been life and ministry itself. To quote an author I have come to enjoy namely Fredrick Buechner in his writing entitled, Now and Then, "If God speaks to us at all other than through such official channels as the Bible and the church, then I think that He speaks to us largely through what happens to us...if we keep our hearts open as well as our ears, if we listen with patience and hope, if we remember at all deeply and honestly, then I think we come to recognize beyond all doubt, that, however faintly we may hear Him, He is indeed speaking to us, and that, however little we may understand of it, His word to each of us is both recoverable and precious beyond telling." ~ Fredrick Buechner

Well that is about all there is of interest to tell you about me.

I hope our ministry here is a blessing to you and your family. I also hope that it is only a supplement to a local church where you are committed to other believers in a community of grace.

~God Bless!