The Bible Provocateur
The Bible Provocateur
LIVE DISCUSSION: All Promises to National Israel - FULFILLED (Part 1 of 5)
Paul's letter to the Galatians delivers one of Scripture's most powerful defenses of salvation by grace through faith alone. This message explores the heart of Galatians chapter 3, where Paul confronts believers who have been "bewitched" into abandoning the pure gospel for one corrupted by legalism.
The sorrow and astonishment in Paul's voice resonates through his words: "Who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth?" He marvels at how quickly they've turned from the doctrine of justification by faith alone to embrace a distorted gospel that adds human effort to divine grace.
At the core of this teaching stands Galatians 2:16—"knowing that a man is not justified by works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ." This verse serves as the theological cornerstone not just for Galatians but for understanding salvation itself. Paul emphatically declares that "by works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Any attempt to add requirements to faith fundamentally corrupts the gospel message.
Salvation emerges as entirely God's work—the Father elects, the Son redeems, and the Spirit regenerates. Even our response of faith and repentance are divine gifts, not human achievements. This complete dependence on God runs counter to our natural desire to contribute something to our salvation.
The discussion extends to God's promises to Abraham and Moses regarding Israel—promises of land, rest, national establishment, and covenant fulfillment. Contrary to popular theological systems that position these promises as unfulfilled, Scripture itself declares their historical completion.
If you've struggled with the temptation to add anything to faith in Christ for salvation, this message offers liberating clarity on the sufficiency of God's grace. The gospel of grace stands alone—pure, complete, and powerful to save all who believe.
Christians.
Speaker 1:I'm going to continue my exposition on the book of Galatians, on the book of Galatians, and so far I have gone through the beginning of the book of Galatians. And so far I have gone through the beginning of the book of Galatians and I've gone through Galatians, chapter 3, through verse 5. But now, as I deal with the next few verses, I need to sort of add a parenthetical discussion into this, to add a little bit more of a gloss onto the things that I have already discussed and those things of which I intend to discuss further and at length. So now I started off in Galatians, chapter 3, verse 1, where Paul says O foolish Galatians, who has bewitched you that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ has been evidently set crucified among you? And when he says, you foolish Galatians, these are very stark terms, they're harsh, they're harsh. And he says who has bewitched you? In other words, who has charmed you, who has deluded you, who has convinced you into deviating from the truth, as you know, has been set clearly before you deal with this subject matter where Paul is telling the Galatian churches that they have gone astray by frustrating the grace of God, by adding to the gospel that which is not a part of the gospel. In fact, the addition of these things turned the gospel into that which is not the gospel. What were the things that were added? Legalities Legalities, things that are attempted or accomplished in the minds of whoever, it doesn't matter, but they're the result of human effort, obeisance to any law, ceremonial, moral or civil, whatever they may be, none of which can be added in the slightest degree to the gospel of grace in order to salvation or as a means to salvation, or leading to salvation or a requirement of salvation.
Speaker 1:And so he takes a very simple theme and it says that he marvels, he's astonished, he's amazed at how soon the Galatians were removed from the truth of God as it had been presented to them, which is a salvation of justification by faith alone, apart from any works of any law.
Speaker 1:So I said in the previous messages, and I'll say it again, the centerpiece, the mantle piece of Galatians is found in Galatians, chapter 2 and verse 16, and every message. While I'm in the book of Galatians I will bring this up. This is not only the heartbeat, the centerpiece of the book of Galatians, but this verse is also the crux of what it means and how it is that a person is truly, genuinely saved. And he says in verse 16 of chapter 2 of Galatians Paul says knowing that a man is not justified by any works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ. Even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law and here's the important part by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified.
Speaker 1:No flesh shall be justified by any works of any law. This is the point that Paul is making. This is the point that needs to be understood when it comes to understanding salvation, you have so many people who are out there who want to sound deep and profound. They want to tell you all the various and varietal ways whereby a person can be needs to be justified, even though it be by grace. There's also something else that needs to be in addition to it in order to be complete. Paul says that anyone who adds to the gospel, let them be accursed. Let them be accursed. Let them be accursed Christians. So let me tell you something Anyone who tells you that salvation comes by any other means other than by faith, other than by faith, if anyone tells you that justification is by anything other than faith or anything in addition to faith, they are clearly lying to you.
Speaker 1:And this is what the Apostle Paul is maintaining, and this is the reason why so many people in the world, in these religious discussions that are being had amongst religious folk, this is why they hate Paul and this is why they try to draw a wedge between Christ and Paul when there is no wedge at all. Paul is only teaching and preaching what he himself heard from the grace that pours out of the lips of our Lord and Savior, jesus Christ. You see, the whole aspect of salvation can only be truly realized and appreciated when you realize that man has nothing to do with it. This is the strange mystery that men must believe in order to be justified by faith, that there is nothing on the part of man that warrants salvation. There is nothing on the part of man that earns not only salvation but earns no part of salvation. Salvation is wholly a work of God. Salvation is wholly, completely a work of God, through and through, from beginning to end. The Father elects. His role in our salvation is election, the Son, his role in our salvation is redemption. God, the Holy Spirit. His role is regeneration. The Father election, son redemption, the Holy Spirit, regeneration, election, son redemption, the Holy Spirit, regeneration. No part of this is man, and the only thing, if you say anything, if there's anything that man contributes to his salvation, is the acknowledgement that he has been made to see that he is a sinner in need of a Savior, and even the Holy Spirit must make him aware of this very fact. Only the Holy Spirit can make him aware.
Speaker 1:Even repentance is a gift from God. Just go read Acts 11, 18. Go read Acts 13, 48. Go read 2 Timothy 2, chapter 2, verse 25. Even repentance is a gift from God. Faith is a gift from God. To be elected and predestined in Christ to be saved is a gift from God. To be spared from wrath is a gift from God. And yet you have so many unbelieving Christians who want to believe that their salvation somehow has something to do with what they do. And Paul in Galatians is making the case that there is no element, no element of human effort on any level in compliance to any law that takes part in his salvation. And if it does, the salvation that he is talking about or she is talking about is not the salvation that the Lord is talking about, plain and simple. In Galatians, chapter 3,.
Speaker 1:I concluded my discussion yesterday, ending in Galatians, verse 5, where it says where Paul asked the to you the spirit and worked miracles among you, did he do this by the works of the law or did he do this by the hearing of faith? And now you see this in verse two of Galatians three. You see it in verse two of, uh, galatians three. You see it in verse two. And you see a similar refrain in verse three where he says are you so foolish? In other words, are you so stupid? Having begun in the spirit, are you now made perfect or complete by the flesh? He's asking a rhetorical question which demands emphatic no, an emphatic negative. In verse five he says again he therefore that ministered to you the spirit and works the miracles among you. Did he do this by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith, clearly establishing that there is a separation, there is a great chasm that is fixed, like the chasm between heaven and hell that is fixed, whereby you can only be justified by the law, if you can, or by the hearing of faith, if you can, if you can. And he is asking when you came to faith and if you came to faith by grace, through faith, how did this take place? Was it the result of the works of the law or was it the result of the hearing of faith? And this is the big, and this is the big and this is the big dress.
Speaker 1:This is the question that needs to be addressed and it should be a very, very simple answer, but people have a tendency to want to make it difficult to understand. They want to make it difficult to understand. They want to make it difficult to understand. So now, in Galatians, chapter 3, let's deal with something here Abraham, it says, or Paul says in Galatians 3, verse 6, and I'm going to read through Galatians 3, verse 6, and I'm going to read through Galatians 3, verse 6, and verse 7. Paul says Even as Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, know ye, therefore, that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham.
Speaker 1:Now, as I said at the outset, as I said at the outset, I want to make something clear. As I said at the outset, I want to make something clear In order before I'm able to go on to dealing with these two verses. Abraham believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness, and to know, therefore, that they which are of faith the same are the children of Abraham. I need to understand, bridge what I have discussed in Galatians, chapter 1 through Galatians 3, verse 5. I need to add a parenthetical aspect into this.
Speaker 1:So, before I deal with these two verses, which I won't deal with today solely.
Speaker 1:I need to deal with another aspect of the scriptures in order to make this make sense, because much has been said about the promises of God that were made not only by Abraham, but also that was made by God to Moses by Abraham, but also that was made by God to Moses. So what I want to deal with today is this what were the promises that God made to Abraham and Moses? What were the promises that he made? This is a big deal. What were the promises? And the reason why this is important to discuss before I go on is because we also need to understand what was not included in these promises that God made to Abraham and Moses, and I trust and hope that it will be easily understood when I go through this, where I'm going, where I'm going with this, and so, that being said, what I want to do is open up the panel that I have so far and get your opening remarks on the subject matter. So I will start with superbly, not Super Bowl superbly.
Speaker 3:Good evening.
Speaker 1:So, brother, how are you doing tonight?
Speaker 3:I'm doing well. How are you?
Speaker 1:I'm doing all right. How about yourself?
Speaker 3:Not too bad. Not too bad. Did a lot of work outside, so I'm kind of beat, but I'm hanging in there, All right.
Speaker 1:I don't envy you about that right now because I hate yard work, especially in the heat, but I hear you. So what are your opening thoughts, your opening remarks so far?
Speaker 3:Well, I just came on, so I'm just going to follow where you're leading here. As far as what the promises were to Abraham and Moses, I'm stewing on that. I'm thinking about them because I want to be correct about it, not that I'm afraid of being wrong, but I'm stewing on that. I'm thinking about them because I want to be correct about it, not that I'm afraid of being wrong, but I'm trying to think of what the promises were and I think I've got it at least one, so I'd just like to see how far we can get in the study tonight.
Speaker 1:Alright, we're looking forward to it, brother, looking forward to it. Okay, meg, your thoughts, your opening remarks so far.
Speaker 4:My opening remarks are you're going to laugh, brother Jonathan. So if I'm on another live and you come on, my husband will come in the room and he'll be like Brother Jonathan's on. You need to get off because we're in the same house and he listens to you too. He's probably listening now and laughing at me, but he listens to you every night with me. He's like you need to get out of that live Brother Jonathan's on. I was like, okay, I'm getting off.
Speaker 1:I like your husband already.
Speaker 4:He's so sweet. But, yeah, I think this is going to be really good tonight. I'm excited, I know the promises, but we're not going to let the cat out of the bag yet.
Speaker 1:All right, well, you can open up that bag a little wider. When I get to it, brother Jeffrey, opening remarks.
Speaker 2:Well, good evening Jonathan. Good evening panel. Jonathan, I'm happy to let you know I've got Miss Joni here with me tonight.
Speaker 1:My sister. Yay, I'm awake.
Speaker 2:We're awake. Yeah, for a couple of old people, we're doing pretty good. The promises to Moses, jonathan. What comes to the top of my head here first my old head, I should say is that God promised Moses he would always be with him. He would not leave him nor forsake him when he was telling him to get ready to go to return to Egypt to speak to Moses and begin the process of freeing the children of Israel. Right to speak to Moses and begin the process of freeing the children of Israel. That's my initial thought, but I'm sure there's something much deeper here that I'm not seeing yet. But with a little bit of help from you, I will get there.
Speaker 1:All right, no problem, brother. Operator Wood, I think it is. I can't really see the name. Operator Woody, how are you doing?
Speaker 5:tonight.
Speaker 1:Operator Woody, you there.
Speaker 5:Yep, I'm doing good. All right, well, welcome. What are your opening remarks so far? Well, I can tell you that this life is everything that we make it. This life is everything that we make it and the people we surround ourselves with yeah, I mean, I think the Bible a lot of it was changed over the years.
Speaker 1:Well, let me stop there for a second.
Speaker 5:What do?
Speaker 1:you mean it was changed? Well, and now, before now, before you answer that, I'm going to let you speak. But let me qualify this for a second. If you're going to say the Bible has changed, defend the position. Yep I will All right. How did the Bible change Back before?
Speaker 5:Listen, I'm going to tell you a lot of this. Things that we see around us are fake and how did the bible change? Well, the bible changed back in like 1300s, uh, with the Romans, and then you ended up with the King James in the 1500s, and they, they manipulate everything around us. So let me, so hold on hold on hold on Cause.
Speaker 1:I want to, I don't. I want to make sure we don't go off into a rabbit hole.
Speaker 5:I don't want to go to rabbit hole either, all right, so let's so.
Speaker 1:Let's stick to. Let's stick to how the Bible changed. How and where did it change? What?
Speaker 5:changed in the Bible. They changed the matter of facts, of what God was trying to teach Everybody, which was what. Within us. We are our own selves. We make what's in front of us. We make that.
Speaker 1:Everything. Let me ask you a question. You got to be more specific than that, because you're speaking in general terms and I don't know what you're talking about. So when in the Bible Is something stated that was?
Speaker 5:changed from what it was never stated, that was changed. If you go back and look up like an old text and stuff it will, you will understand how they changed it.
Speaker 1:So you have no specifics.
Speaker 5:Look at what the Vatican has and brother hold on, Hold on.
Speaker 1:Hold on, forget about the Vatican. Forget about the Vatican or 13th century, whatever. Here's what I'm asking, and I'm being respectful. I want to. I want to respect your, your, your view. So what I'm asking is this do you have any places in scripture that you're saying is different than what, different now than what it used to be? And if, so where?
Speaker 5:so there's? There's many different versions and certain versions don't have exactly. They don't want you to know that you are.
Speaker 1:I want you to tell us what it is we should know. What are we all missing? What?
Speaker 5:you should know is you are in control of everything in front of you. Yes, you have control of everything. So this whole reality that you see is only under your jurisdiction and God has nothing to do with it. And God has everything to do with it.
Speaker 1:Listen what you just said, brother, with all due respect, is a contradiction.
Speaker 5:No, it's not. If you pray and believe in yourself, you will feel guts. Your guts will tell you which way to go and which direction.
Speaker 1:So your Idea of faith is following your gut. Okay, then we have nothing else we can talk about 100%, I mean.
Speaker 5:That's the only way to do it.
Speaker 1:We have nothing else we can talk about. You and I are never going to come to a meeting of the minds here, never. We could always. No, we can't Not at all. Are you happy?
Speaker 5:Here's the thing, hold on, let me ask you a question, then you can kick me out, it's fine.
Speaker 1:I don't want to kick you out, I just want you to. You know I can't. I'm not going to say anything. Are you happy?
Speaker 5:Are you happy with what you see in the mirror or are you happy with your decisions every day in life? I'm happy with my faith in Christ. Okay, and Christ is what guides you. Correct, correct, not a book.
Speaker 1:The word of God. The word of God comes from where?
Speaker 5:Okay, hold on, let me Work with me here. Come on, brother.
Speaker 1:I got you.
Speaker 5:No, I'm not, I'll show you how to understand what God is.
Speaker 1:Brother, hold on. Let me say this real quick, okay? Yep, Most nights I do a live and we have a lot of really smart people who listen, who are on the panel and who listen and who we talk to.
Speaker 5:What are we supposed?
Speaker 1:to listen to. Just hold on. Here's the thing. You don't have to listen to anything.
Speaker 5:No, I mean, other people are listening to somebody talk about a book. Right, I'm telling you feel the gut, hold on for a second.
Speaker 1:Can you let me say something for a second? Absolutely, sir. Okay, this, right here. I need you to understand. This live that we're on right now is mine. I agree. If nobody wants to listen to it, it's still mine. Okay, that's fine. So what I'm asking you is this if the what I'm saying is this if the Bible is not the word of God and that's what you believe, I've never said it wasn't Well, what I'm saying? You're telling me that it says something different. That has changed.
Speaker 1:Brother brother, it says something different. That has changed, brother. Brother, hold on, I'm gonna, I'm gonna take one more minute to deal with this and then I'm gonna leave it out.
Speaker 5:Leave it on, or I'm gonna ask you let's just, let's do this the correct way, right, use your gut feeling and that's what you do. Everybody in this, anywhere, is listening needs to all right all right.
Speaker 1:No, I'm not gonna have people listening to this nonsense. You said. This is what you, and you can correct me if I'm wrong. So I want to be fair to what you said. You said the Bible today is not what it used to be, that it changed, am I?
Speaker 5:right or wrong. You say that's exactly what I said yes, all right.
Speaker 1:And I asked you right or wrong, I asked you where and how did it change?
Speaker 5:It changed two or three times, yeah.
Speaker 1:Yeah, and so far you haven't told me how or where.
Speaker 5:Well, King James changed it. I asked you how and where. And then it changed back when the Egyptian there was. Another time it changed.
Speaker 1:Brother, brother, brother, brother, we can't talk anymore, Okay, so I will kindly ask you to excuse me.
Speaker 5:I'm not going to listen to somebody that doesn't have an open mind. Thank you All right. No, I'm glad you did, I can't I can't an open mind.
Speaker 1:Thank you All right. No, I'm glad you did, I can't. I can't See, listen, I understand. I am always willing to give a person a chance to voice their perspective on something. If they come with a defense, I don't even care if it's if I it's going to be wrong or an error. I will give you a chance to state your case.
Speaker 1:But the lesson that we all must learn here is this when we are dealing with the word of God, we have a responsibility to be precise, not coming out on here and meandering ideologically in any direction we want to and say silly things, stupid things, like I'm going to follow my gut when it comes to the Bible.
Speaker 1:No, the Bible is an instruction manual to God's people, and the whole idea is for us not to follow our gut, but to find ourselves inclined to submit to God's will, not our own. So it is important for us to hear how silly something sounds like what we just heard, and so my thing is this I don't care to be opposed, I don't mind, I'm willing to be opposed. But if you're going to oppose me, come with the defense. Even if I think it's wrong, I respect you because you have a defense. So I'm not going to labor that issue anymore. But, like I said, I try to open the door up each night to somebody new to bring in and say something that, that that will contribute. But what he was talking about is utter BS, nonsense.
Speaker 2:Oh foolish Galatians who bewitched you son.
Speaker 1:Absolutely. See, we have come to a point where men believe that they can just make up whatever they want. I know, let me see, I know everybody here other than Mr Bill, which I'm looking forward to hearing from, but I do know this Everybody else here, you know, I'm hoping this is the same with you, mr Bill. I'm saying that so I don't, I don't know you yet, but I'm hoping it'll be true, mr Bill's awesome People that so I don't know you yet, but I'm hoping it'll be true, mr Bill's awesome.
Speaker 1:People here love the word of God, we respect the word of God, and I know that most people here, we will all say something at any given time that may rub somebody else the wrong way, but it is not because there's not a love for the truth. It's because sometimes we have to haggle a little bit to establish firmly what that truth is. And so this is why we do this to get to the truth. To get to the truth, we investigate the word of God, we plow through the scriptures, we dig and we burrow deep in order to find these truths. Dig and we burrow deep in order to find these truths. But when you just come out there and say, oh, I think the word of God is not the same today that it used to be back then, and then I ask you well, what changed? And you go well, I don't know. It's just follow your gut, silliness, it's nonsense, it is. It just is have respect for someone who can at least make an attempt to deal with the issue, anyway. So let me go on. So, as I said, in Galatians, chapter three, in verses six and seven, we get that. We start talk. Six and seven we get that, we start talk. Paul starts to talk about Abraham and how and how he was, how the the righteousness of God was imputed to him for righteousness or, yeah, the righteousness of God was imputed to him. But I felt the need to bring in another area of consistency in the word of God, or the gospel of the grace of God and therefore, in so doing, corrupting the grace of God or frustrating the grace of God and turning that gospel into another gospel, which is not another gospel but ends up troubling the people of God. So I want to deal with the promises that God made to Abraham and Moses and determine what was included in those promises. And the point that I'm going to, that I intend to make with all of you, and what I intended to discuss with this august group of folks, is what is it contained in these promises that is missing or that is left out, because it is going to be relevant to what Paul is talking about in Galatians 3. And hopefully, if the Lord is with me, I will be able to be able to articulate my point Now.
Speaker 1:In the Old Testament, in the Old Testament, when it comes to Abraham and Moses collectively and to the people of Israel as a collective, there were four principal promises that were made. Four principal promises that were made. One, that the nation of Israel would have possession of the land. God promised them the possession of land. Number two, he promised them rest from their enemies on all sides. Number three, he promised them to be established as a nation. He promised their establishment as a nation. And then, number four, he promised them the fulfillment of the covenant that was made with the patriarchs. Number one was anything here that was left out in these promises of God that were somehow expected. In other words, are there things that people have introduced as expected promises that God was making to the nation of Israel that was not listed in these four?
Speaker 1:Now, intentionally, because I want to get through the whole process, I don't want to go through each and every one of the promises, because that's another message, another lecture or whatever we call this all together, because I want to get through these verses that show what the outcome of these promises were. Okay, this is what I want to do. So now, here's what I'm going to start with Joshua 21, in Joshua 21,. Now, before I say it, I want to say this these verses that I'm going to go through, there's five or six verses that I'm going to go through these verses that I'm going to go through. There's five or six verses that I'm going to go through. These are going to brush up hard against what those who teach the dispensational system hold to, and they say that the fulfillment of what God has promised to the nation of Israel are yet to be fulfilled. And what I'm going to do is read these verses one by one, and I'm going to ask people who are on this panel and people can feel free to write in the comments, whoever's listening to, just simply say what these passages mean and if they are as clear to you as they seem to me. Now, I know that there is going to be a certain collective who is going to say yes, that's what it means, but always happens, it's just par for the course course.
Speaker 1:So the issue here that we're going to be discussing is did God fulfill the promises that he made to Abraham and Moses with regard to the nation of Israel? Did God provide? Did he fulfill those things that he promised them? This is what we need to get down to. So now let me start with the first, brother Gravy. I'm glad to have you here, brother, now. So here's where we are Now. So here's where we are Joshua 21, verse 43 through 45. This is what it says Thus the Lord, he gave to Israel. He gave to Israel all the land that he swore to give to their fathers, and they took possession of it and they settled there, and the Lord gave them rest on every side, just as he had sworn to their fathers. Notice this, listen all their enemies into their hands. Look at this. Not one word of all of the good promises that the Lord had made to the house of God.