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Weekly Reminder...
The Weekly Reminder is an informative tool to help people who read it consider what the man of God has said. This weekend’s articles are based on what was heard on February 21 & 22, 2009 in the Westbury assembly.written by Br. Samuel Philogene
“Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not” (1 John 3:1).
Last weekend once again we learned how we have to show our appreciation for the blood of Jesus on Calvary. Jesus made the sacrifice of His blood to bring us to the Father (Romans 5:10). Br. Junior was talking about our genesis as people of God, Gentiles. We have to always remember that in times past we didn’t have this privilege to be called God’s people; we were alien, and there was a veil between God and us. It took the grace of God and the precious blood of Jesus our Savior to give us today the privilege to be able to participate in what God is doing. We shouldn’t take that for granted but we have to acknowledge the grace that was bestowed upon us to be called child of God. We saw that in the beginning only the Jews were God’s people, they were chosen by God among all the nations to be His treasure. Israel was chosen by God; if they keep His commandments then they shall be a peculiar treasure unto God above all people (Exodus 19:5). God did that because He remains faithful concerning His promise unto Abraham (Deuteronomy 7:6-10). So all the blessings were for His chosen, we as Gentiles were left aside without hope, we couldn’t pray God.
When Jesus came on the earth He did the same thing, He went to the Jewish nation with the Gospel of deliverance and salvation, He went to His own. That is why when Jesus sent His disciples in Matthew 5:10 He told them “Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not. But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel”. So we didn’t have the privilege to receive the Gospel, to be delivered from our sins, to be healed from our sicknesses. But thank God His own received Him (Jesus) not; then the door was opened for us. “To the fall of them were the riches of the world and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles” (Romans 11:12). When Israel rejected the Messiah it was in the plan of God for us to enter and be partaker of the Gospel of salvation. Before Jesus went back to heaven, he gave the disciples another order, “But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth” (Acts 1:8); another order not because Jesus changed (James 1:17), but the time to fulfill God’s promise unto Abraham came (Genesis 22:18). Now all nations either Jews or Gentiles have to receive the Gospel of deliverance and salvation. So let us never forget as Gentiles that we have been grafted onto the olive tree (Romans 11:17), we are not of Isaac, son of Sara (Israel) but we are Ishmael, son of the servant Hagar (Gentile).
There will come a time when Hagar and her son will be sent out of the house. This is the great image we see in Genesis 21:9-21, where Sara cast the servant and her son out, spiritually also there will be a time that Isaac a type of the people of Israel will be mature and Ishmael (the Gentile church) will have to leave the house, leave the gospel. We read in Galatians 4:1-2, “That the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father”. There is no time to lose it is time to accept the word and make the necessary changes in our lives so when the time comes to give the Gospel back to those it belong to we shall be ready.
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written by Br. Samuel Damus
“For the scripture saith, ‘whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed’. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Romans 10:11-13). I thank the Lord for the mercy given unto us that we might just believe [trust and rely solely] in Him that we might be saved.
This mercy was shown to us in Matthew 15:21-28, where a Gentile woman cried out to Jesus for help. Her daughter was possessed by a devil and came to Jesus to ask for deliverance. I’m sure that she had heard all the news that was going around the country how the Messiah and His disciples were healing the sick and casting out demons so she came to Jesus because she was in need. Her belief in Jesus was not just in knowing that He can help her but it was her reliance on Him, knowing that only He can help her that enabled her to have her blessing. When she first cried out to Him, He did not answer her. When He told her, “I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel”; she worshipped at His feet and continued to cry even more. When He said, “It is not meet to take the children's bread and to cast it to dogs”; she humbly replied, “Truth, Lord: yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their masters' table”. She was showing us that her need was so great that “the crumbs” from the Master would of been suffice. Although she was not of the lost sheep of Israel, the Lord granted her wish.
When Jesus empowered His disciples and sent them out to preach the Gospel, to heal the sick, raise the dead and cast out devils, He commanded them not to go to the Gentiles or any city in Samaria (Matthew 10:5-8); for He was sent to the lost sheep of Israel. Jesus came unto the Jewish nation, His own people with the gospel that His Father had given to Him for them but they did not receive Him (John 1:11). It’s because of this rejection that we as Gentiles have been blessed to be partakers of God’s plan (Romans 10:19-21). This is why when many of the Jews rejected Him and called Him names (John 8:47-48) the Samaritans received Him and believed that He was the Son of the living God (John 4:3-42).
This is why the chorus of “Amazing Grace” should have new meaning for us. For one time we were without Christ, living unto ourselves. Now because of His precious blood we can become sons of God (Ephesians 2:11-19). If we keep His commandments and obey His statutes we will be His people and He will be our God. Let us always remember this grace that was given to us freely (Ephesians 2:8) and every time we come to church to worship and praise the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ just like the Samaritan who showed gratitude for what Jesus had done for him (Luke 17:11-19).
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