Why Does the Bible Call Israel the Church?

Les Feldick Lecture 1 Now here's your host, Les Feldick. This is a Bible study program, and we've got a lot of ground to cover. We'll just keep going until the Lord either comes or takes us off the scene, whatever may come first. We are in Philippians still, Paul's prison epistles, and again for those of you who have just tuned in maybe in the last few weeks, we always like to emphasize first and foremost Paul's apostleship to the Gentiles. If I don't get around to it today, I may in a future program delineate again how we are to divide the Scriptures in such a way that we don't have everything all mixed and jumbled up. And that's the key of course to understanding the Bible. I had to point out to a young lady again the other day, where she had a question on something that Isaiah had written, and definitely you could tell from the text it was written to the Jews. And I just pointed it out to her, and she said, well now I never saw that before. I said, you can't take things like that and say, well that's for us, because that was written to the nation of Israel under the Law, and we're not under Law, we're under grace. And so a lot of these basic fundamental truths get mixed up with that which didn't even pertain to the church age believer, and consequently we do have so much confusion. So Philippians is one of Paul's prison epistles, as we pointed out when we began with the Ephesians, that these prison epistles just sort of step up into a higher plane of theology, because his earlier letters are pretty elementary and fundamental so far as salvation and so forth. But when we get into these prison epistles of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon, this is deeper water, this is higher ground, and Paul is dealing primarily now with our position in Christ. What are we in the Body of Christ? We are somebody, and regardless of our station in life, the secular world, yet in God's eyes we are somebody special, and I've said it to my class in Oklahoma over and over. Every one of us have somebody out there that no one can reach but you or I, and we have to be ready, and the only way you can be ready is to know the Scriptures, be skilled in the Word of God. All right, so now let's continue on where we left off in our last taping, and that was in Philippians chapter 3, and we got down through verse 3, but let's just start reading in verse 1, just to pick up the flow. Philippians 3 Finally my brethren, rejoice in the Lord. Now remember the circumstances that Paul is writing in. He is in prison right next door to Nero's palace, and the guards that are actually chained to him in rotation no doubt, were some of the most vicious Roman soldiers who had probably survived some of the great military campaigns. These were tough characters, but yet after being chained to the apostle for maybe 24 hours, they became believers. And as we'll see again toward the end of the book, how the apostle Paul's ministry actually penetrated right into the inner halls of the wicked man Nero. And so never forget that he's in prison, he's chained to a Roman guard, but yet he can say, Rejoice! So he says, to write the same things to you, to me indeed is not grievous, but for you it is safe. In other words Paul says, all these things just simply make sense to you. But now he comes into verse 2, and here comes a word of warning, and it's just as appropriate today as it was when he wrote it in about 64-65 A .D. Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision, now of course the concision there I'm sure he was making reference to the Judaizers and their constant promotion of the circumcision of the flesh. Then verse 3, with that in mind, that he had the circumcisers of the flesh that were constantly besieging his little congregations of grace believers, we are the circumcision, who worship God in the Spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh. Now this circumcision of course is a spiritual circumcision, which he refers to in one of the letters, which is the cutting off of the old Adam, which was superfluous, and you and I don�t need old Adam, we have the new nature. So Paul alone deals with that old Adam, or as we call it, the old sin nature. So he says beware of those things, because we�re not concerned about circumcision in the flesh, we�re concerned about the spiritual circumcision, which of course is something only God can do. Now let�s move on into New Ground, verse 4. Ephesians 4. Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. Now you want to remember that whenever the Jews in Judaism promoted circumcision and keeping the commandments, what were they emphasizing? The flesh. What man can do of his own volition, and that�s as far as it could go. But we�re not under the fleshly influence, we�re under the influence of the Spirit. We�re in a whole new ball game. And so he says, Though I might have confidence in the flesh, and here he gives seven reasons again why he could boast in the flesh. Now whenever I look at things and I find seven, and we had seven of them back in Romans, then again I always have to be reminded of the intricacy of the inspired Word of God. Now Paul didn�t sit down here and rack his brain as he was writing, and asking himself, Now how can I lay out seven things? I don�t think that even entered his mind, but I think the Holy Spirit just let these things roll through his mind, and they came off his mind. Of course he used a secretary, and he dictated a lot of this, but nevertheless he didn�t have to stop and figure out, Now how can I make seven things out of this, because seven is a nice number in Scripture. No it just comes rolling out, and after the fact what do we get? Seven again, God�s perfect number. And here they are. Let�s look at them. If any man thinketh that he hath whereof, he might trust in the flesh I more. Now here they come. Verse 5. "...circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law of Pharisee, concerning zeal, persecuting the church, and touching the righteousness which is in the law, blameless. Seven things that he had going for him as a good Jew, now of course remember that the is going to count all that as dung in the King James, or trash is probably a better word. But let�s go back up and see what the man is talking about, that he has so much going for him in the flesh as a good Jew, and yet it amounted to nothing when it came to the Spirit. Let�s look at verse 4. I might have confidence in the flesh, if any other man thinketh that he hath whereof, he might trust in the flesh, I more. In other words he was just about at the top of the heap when it came to religious people. There just wasn�t anybody more religious than Saul of Tarsus. And so he lists these seven things then that coincided with that position as a good religious Jew. Verse 4. Saul circumcised the eighth day, according to the law of the stock of Israel. Now that word stock when you chase it down, you know what that really implied? He wasn�t just a half Jew, it wasn�t just his father who was a Jew, but both, father and mother. He was a Jew through and through. Now keep all this up here in your computer, because it�s going to really come to a boil when we get down and he says that he�s chucked all of this. So here he is, of one of the primary families of Israel, not just from a father or from a mother�s side, but from both, of the tribe of Benjamin. Now not many Jews were able to name their tribal ancestry, but for some reason or other Saul of Tarsus still could. He knew that he was still of the tribe of Benjamin. Now that brings something to thought, I didn�t plan to do this, so I hope I can find it. You know I always say, I walk into a buzz saw on some of these things, and some day it�s going to get me, but hopefully this one won�t. Let�s go back to Genesis chapter 49. Now I can�t just dogmatically say that this is what he�s talking about, but I sure think in my own mind it�s ringing a bell of some kind. Back to Genesis chapter 49, where Jacob pronounces his blessings on the twelve sons, and he goes through the whole list from the eldest, which of course was Reuben up there in verse 3, and he brings you all the way down to the youngest, which was Benjamin. Verse 27. Now you know the main reason I like to teach is to get people to think about things they may never otherwise think about. Now keep Saul of Tarsus and the kind of a man that he was, as a great religious persecutor of Israel, and how I�ve referred to him oftener than not on his way to Damascus like a raging bull, couldn�t get there fast enough to put those little Jewish believers to death or take them back as prisoners. Now look at Genesis chapter 49, as Jacob looks down the halls of time and he says, Genesis 49. Isaiah 45. Isaiah 45. Is that ringing a bell? Wasn�t that old Saul of Tarsus? I believe this is exactly what the Lord had in mind, that there was a Benjamite coming one that would fulfill this to the exact degree, that Benjamin shall raven as a wolf, and in the morning he shall devour the prey." What do you suppose that�s a reference to? He�s persecuting. How he just ravaged those Jewish believers. And in the morning he would devour the prey, and at night he shall divide the spoil. Do you know what I think that is? That�s a reference to the reward the man is going to get for having gotten Christianity off the ground. Now you may not agree with me, but I have to think that this was already back in the mind of God as Jacob was rehearsing the prophecies concerning the Twelve Sons. Well that�s just a little free for nothing. Now let�s look at another verse where he says much the same thing. Come back to 2 Corinthians chapter 11, and I always say that when the Scriptures repeat themselves, whether it�s in a matter of a verse or two, or even if it�s a matter throughout a book or two, it�s there for a distinct purpose of repetition, and repetition is the mother of learning. So we have to understand the makeup of this verse. Now I thought you knew that when you give the chapter, you also give me the verse. Well you all know that I�m real lax on that, and then she has to hurry up and find the chapter 11. He�s concerning himself with the divisions in the Corinthian Church. Some said, well we�re not going to follow that guy, we follow Christ. Others said, well we�re going to follow Peter. Still others said, we�re going to follow Apollos. So he has to come back in this 2 Corinthians especially, and as I�ve put it over and over on the program, he�s defending his apostleship, his authority. And here is one of the primary ones. Are they Hebrews? What�s the answer? So am I. Are they Israelites? People like to twist the meaning of Hebrews and Israelites, and sort of make a division between them, but Paul makes it real plain here. There�s no difference. A Hebrew is an Israelite, and an Israelite is a Hebrew, and the twain will always be together. So he says, Are they Hebrews? So am I. Are they Israelites? So am I. Are they the ministers of Christ? I am more. So where does that put him? Head and shoulders above everybody else. He is the apostle of the Gentiles. Now back to Philippians. So he repeats it now in this letter, that he is an Israelite. He�s a Hebrew of the Hebrews, as touching the law, and remember the law was fleshly. What was he? A Pharisee. Now you all know what a Pharisee was. He was as self righteous, pulled his robes around himself, and said, I don�t commit sin, I�m above all that, and consequently they showed their utter depravity in doing it. But this was Saul of Tarsus. He was a religious Jew to the hilt. He loved temple worship, he loved his Old Testament, but he loved it with a blind ignorance. This is what�s so true of so many people today. Oh they�re religious, they love their religion, they�re sincere, and I respect them for that. But they�re sincerely wrong, and as Saul of Tarsus had to find out when he met the risen Christ on the road to Damascus, he melted like hot butter. Why? Because all of a sudden he was confronted with the same God that he thought he was trying to stamp out. And now he has to come back with a whole new approach to his previous lifestyle, as a Jew of the Jews, as touching the Law of Pharisee. Next verse. Ephesians 1.2-3 learning zeal, persecuting the church. I�ve taught this over and over for the last 9 years on television, that the word church is not always the same group of people. I guess maybe I should take the time again today, because I think if there�s anything that confuses the masses, it�s this one word, Ecclesia. Now I usually use the C�s, but Ecclesia is always translated church, or in one place in Acts it is translated I think correctly as an assembly. But see this assembly was a group of Ephesian rioters, they were pagan, they certainly weren�t church, and so the word church, Ecclesia, really the true definition is a called out assembly. In other words, a group of people that are no longer part and parcel of the masses, but they�ve been separated from the masses. Now let�s go to Acts chapter 7, that�s one of the best ones to show exactly what I�m talking about. Acts chapter 7, and see here again I think this is all part and parcel of what Paul says, �Rightly divide the Scriptures.� Don�t just take the word church and consider it as the same group, they are different, and you separate them, and here of course is the most obvious. Acts chapter 7, and let�s start with verse 36. Stephen is rehearsing Israel�s history, and goes all the way back to the call of Abraham, and now he�s coming out of Egypt. Verse 36, And he brought them out of Egypt. After that he had showed wonders and signs in the land of Egypt, and in the Red Sea, and in the wilderness forty years. This is that Moses, who said unto the children of Israel, A prophet shall the LORD be, and the LORD your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me, him shall you hear. Now the next verse, this is He, speaking of Jesus of Nazareth the crucified Christ. This is He that was in the church in the wilderness, and the angel which spoke to Him in Mount Sinai, and with our fathers, who received the living oracles to give unto them. In other words all the way up through the Old Testament, whenever there was a person of the Godhead speaking or dealing with some element of humanity, who was it? It was God the Son, it was Christ, always. And here it�s so evident. Go back up to verse 37. This is that Moses, who said to the children of Israel, A prophet shall the LORD your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me. Well how did Moses know what to say, except that the Lord had implanted it in his thinking. So it�s always the personality of God the Son who is speaking. Now in verse 38 again. So it�s this same Christ, the one that you crucified, that was in that New Testament church. I�ve only heard one guy that tried to make it a New Testament church, and he tried desperately. He twisted every Scripture you could think of, but it didn�t succeed. It just won�t fly. This is not a New Testament church. It�s a called out assembly of what kind of people? Jews. So this assembly that was called out of Egypt is the nation of Israel under Moses� leadership, and here the word Ecclesia, instead of translated the Church, should have been translated a called out assembly, and that�s what Israel was. Now let�s go back to chapter 2. Here�s another one where it�s so often interchanged with what Paul calls, the Church which is his body. But Acts chapter 2 doesn�t include the words, which is his body, in chapter 2 verse 47. So these Jewish believers were continuing daily with one accord in the Temple, and the breaking of bread from house to house, they did eat their food with gladness, and singleness of heart, praising God, having favor with all the people, and the Lord added to the Church, or even gone the whole nine yards. They were added to the called out assembly, but where were they called out from? The vast majority of Jews who had rejected Jesus of Nazareth. But this little assembly of believers had recognized Him for what He was. He was the Christ, the Messiah, and that�s all Peter proclaimed. So this called out assembly cannot be called the Church which is his body, and it doesn�t. But it just simply says, and the Lord added to the Church, the Ecclesia, or He added to that called out assembly of Jews, people that were becoming believers. Now let�s look at the other one that really shakes up this translation, and that would be in Acts chapter 19. And of course here we�re in Ephesus, and as a result of Paul�s preaching, so many of those idolaters were becoming believers, and they were throwing away their idols, and they were literally wrecking the business of the idol makers, the silver craftsmen, and so it was causing a riot. And the whole city of Ephesus was filled with confusion. Now you remember those theaters back in the ancients had doors, much like our football stadiums and everything, but they were ground level, and so I can just see this mass of people just filing into that open air theater, and when Paul would�ve entered in unto the people, that is probably taking the stage at that theater, his disciples or his followers, this certainly is not the twelve, I hope you know that. Whenever people see the word disciples they think it�s the twelve, no a disciple is just simply a follower. So what we have here are the followers of Paul�s teaching. Now then, some therefore cried one thing and some another, for the Ecclesia was confused, but here they translated it as assembly. They could�ve just put in the word church, no more obnoxious than they did with the called out Jews from Egypt. But here is a good way to chase down words, and realize that they don�t always mean the same thing.