Friday, August 22, 2008

An Old Baptist Outline

Isaiah 41:8 KJV
But thou, Israel, art my servant, Jacob whom I have chosen, the seed of Abraham my friend.
The old Baptist preachers were more willing to use Israel as a type of the church than we seem to be today. That may have something to do with the heresy of British Israelism and our desire not to fall into the same error. On the other hand, we probably need to be careful not to so separate ourselves from this early practice as to lose the application of the Old Testament to the New.

God says three things of Israel I want to be true of both myself and of the church I pastor

They were God's servant
As a nation; as a whole unit Israel was a servant of God. One of the ways they served God was as an example for us. We learn in Israel things both right ad wrong.
We see in their sins our own
We see in their tendencies the tendencies of our own flesh
We see in their spiritual pride the means of our own fall
We see in their great men, representatives of our own path to righteousness

May we be God's servant! As a church unit may we represent God to the world around us.

They were God's chosen
In a unique way, God chose Israel out of the world. It is described for us in Isaiah 41:2-4. The key to the text is that the Lord did it; not Abraham, not Isaac, not Jacob. God chose this man and God made of them the nation they became and will one day be.

May we never see ourselves as able in and of ourselves! If we have the grace of God in our lives it is because we have found grace in the eyes of the Lord. We are His to His glory and not our own.

They were the seed of Abraham, God's friend
And in this, we have New Testament authority to claim the same.
Galatians 3:29 KJV
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.

Christ proves His friendship with us, who believe, by disclosing His secrets to us
John 15:15 KJV
Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

No comments:

Post a Comment