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Sabbath 12/13/14 Daytona Seventh Day BAPTIST Pastor Wray “The Light for the Gentiles” Luke 2;25-32, Isaiah 42;1-3
I want to talk about the light for the Gentiles. There is a story of a Sabbath school teacher who gave her class an assignment to read a chapter of Isaiah. The next week she asked her class who had read it and they all said yes they had read it. It later was found that they had not read it. She asked them questions and they had no right answers. Isaiah 9:2 says the people walk in darkness and they have seen a great light. In our text Simeon, the old man, met the baby Jesus in the temple. God had told Simeon that he would not die before he saw the Lord’s Messiah. This leads us to believe that Simeon was old. God had promised him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. Simeon was in the temple searching for the Messiah, looking in the faces of the people. When he finally sees the 8 day old baby Jesus, it clicks and he knows that this baby Jesus is the Messiah. Simeon speaks to the parents and prophesied what the baby Jesus would do.
Simeon says the Messiah would be a light of revelation for the Gentiles. Isaiah 42:1-3 is where God says the Messiah, Jesus would be a light to the Gentiles and bring justice to the nations in faith. God promises the Messiah would be a covenant and light to the Gentiles. Isaiah 49:1-6. God said it again that He would be a light for the Gentiles. In the book of Acts, Paul’s gospel for Jesus was rejected by the Jews so Paul said he would go to the Gentiles and Paul quoted Isaiah. Acts 13:47. Jesus came for the Jews and for the Gentiles. Questions to be asked by us are:
1. What is a Gentile?
Anyone who is not a Jew, not born of the tribes of Israel is a Gentile. In the biblical days, the Jews hated the Gentiles and had nothing to do with them. Their special name for Gentiles was dogs. Jews thought Gentiles were losers, outsiders, worthless and dogs. The Gentiles were not considered part of the family of God. Only the Jews had a special relationship with God. The Gentiles had no hope of salvation. In the text in Isaiah, God is saying that when the Messiah comes, He would be a light for the Gentiles and they would be part of God’s plan and His family. Paul preached Jesus to the Gentiles and churches were planted in many cities of the Gentiles. This was the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Many people today believe that the Gentiles were an afterthought and the Jews were first in God’s plan. But when the Jews rejected Jesus, then God added the Gentiles in. This is not true because God’s plan was to bring EVERYBODY into His family! Jews, Gentiles-EVERYBODY! In Isaiah 49 God says that the Gentiles were always part of His plan from the beginning. If God’s plan had been for the Jews only, it would have been too small and too trivial for God! Jesus was to come for the Whole World! The Whole World and not just a little group of people. Not just the Jews, not just the Baptist. God so loved the WORLD!!
2. Why Should We Be Interested in This?
If you don’t understand what God’s doctrine is, you will become easy prey for bad doctrine. Bad teachers take scriptures out of context and suck you in and draw you in and lead you away from what God has taught. Why would you want bad stuff when you can have good stuff? Don’t misuse scripture or be swayed by people who misuse scriptures.
3. Who Deserves to Be Saved?
Neither the Jew or the Gentile deserve to be saved. No one deserves to be saved but thru the Grace of God, the Gentile is a fellow heir with the Jew. It is a mystery of God that the Gentiles are saved thru Jesus Christ. God planned to save the Gentiles and it is a mystery why God chose to save you and me. God decided to save us and Praise the Lord and Thank God! Jesus came to die for folks with weird haircuts and people that don’t fit into our mold. They don’t look like me and don’t dress like me. This means nothing because Jesus came to save everybody! We need to tell everybody about Jesus, prostitutes and street people included! The Lord came to save sinners-not a specific type of sinners but all types of sinners. It doesn’t matter what type of church you have. Don’t forget Jesus came to save ALL people, not just those we are comfortable with.
Jesus came for the losers, outcasts, the Gentiles and the loser without hope! Jesus came for EVERYBODY to be saved! EVERYBODY! Jesus came to give light to the Gentiles. We need to remember why Jesus came. He didn’t come to be just a little baby. He was God coming in human form to grow up into a man who would welcome the outcast, welcome the lost poor and to die so their lives would be changed. So today we must know that Jesus died for the Jews, the Gentiles, the upper class and the lower class. Jesus bids us to come unto Him. If we come to Jesus, we can put our trust in Him. Salvation is open to whosoever will believe in Jesus Christ.
AMEN
I want to talk about the light for the Gentiles. There is a story of a Sabbath school teacher who gave her class an assignment to read a chapter of Isaiah. The next week she asked her class who had read it and they all said yes they had read it. It later was found that they had not read it. She asked them questions and they had no right answers. Isaiah 9:2 says the people walk in darkness and they have seen a great light. In our text Simeon, the old man, met the baby Jesus in the temple. God had told Simeon that he would not die before he saw the Lord’s Messiah. This leads us to believe that Simeon was old. God had promised him that he would not die until he saw the Messiah. Simeon was in the temple searching for the Messiah, looking in the faces of the people. When he finally sees the 8 day old baby Jesus, it clicks and he knows that this baby Jesus is the Messiah. Simeon speaks to the parents and prophesied what the baby Jesus would do.
Simeon says the Messiah would be a light of revelation for the Gentiles. Isaiah 42:1-3 is where God says the Messiah, Jesus would be a light to the Gentiles and bring justice to the nations in faith. God promises the Messiah would be a covenant and light to the Gentiles. Isaiah 49:1-6. God said it again that He would be a light for the Gentiles. In the book of Acts, Paul’s gospel for Jesus was rejected by the Jews so Paul said he would go to the Gentiles and Paul quoted Isaiah. Acts 13:47. Jesus came for the Jews and for the Gentiles. Questions to be asked by us are:
1. What is a Gentile?
Anyone who is not a Jew, not born of the tribes of Israel is a Gentile. In the biblical days, the Jews hated the Gentiles and had nothing to do with them. Their special name for Gentiles was dogs. Jews thought Gentiles were losers, outsiders, worthless and dogs. The Gentiles were not considered part of the family of God. Only the Jews had a special relationship with God. The Gentiles had no hope of salvation. In the text in Isaiah, God is saying that when the Messiah comes, He would be a light for the Gentiles and they would be part of God’s plan and His family. Paul preached Jesus to the Gentiles and churches were planted in many cities of the Gentiles. This was the fulfillment of God’s promises.
Many people today believe that the Gentiles were an afterthought and the Jews were first in God’s plan. But when the Jews rejected Jesus, then God added the Gentiles in. This is not true because God’s plan was to bring EVERYBODY into His family! Jews, Gentiles-EVERYBODY! In Isaiah 49 God says that the Gentiles were always part of His plan from the beginning. If God’s plan had been for the Jews only, it would have been too small and too trivial for God! Jesus was to come for the Whole World! The Whole World and not just a little group of people. Not just the Jews, not just the Baptist. God so loved the WORLD!!
2. Why Should We Be Interested in This?
If you don’t understand what God’s doctrine is, you will become easy prey for bad doctrine. Bad teachers take scriptures out of context and suck you in and draw you in and lead you away from what God has taught. Why would you want bad stuff when you can have good stuff? Don’t misuse scripture or be swayed by people who misuse scriptures.
3. Who Deserves to Be Saved?
Neither the Jew or the Gentile deserve to be saved. No one deserves to be saved but thru the Grace of God, the Gentile is a fellow heir with the Jew. It is a mystery of God that the Gentiles are saved thru Jesus Christ. God planned to save the Gentiles and it is a mystery why God chose to save you and me. God decided to save us and Praise the Lord and Thank God! Jesus came to die for folks with weird haircuts and people that don’t fit into our mold. They don’t look like me and don’t dress like me. This means nothing because Jesus came to save everybody! We need to tell everybody about Jesus, prostitutes and street people included! The Lord came to save sinners-not a specific type of sinners but all types of sinners. It doesn’t matter what type of church you have. Don’t forget Jesus came to save ALL people, not just those we are comfortable with.
Jesus came for the losers, outcasts, the Gentiles and the loser without hope! Jesus came for EVERYBODY to be saved! EVERYBODY! Jesus came to give light to the Gentiles. We need to remember why Jesus came. He didn’t come to be just a little baby. He was God coming in human form to grow up into a man who would welcome the outcast, welcome the lost poor and to die so their lives would be changed. So today we must know that Jesus died for the Jews, the Gentiles, the upper class and the lower class. Jesus bids us to come unto Him. If we come to Jesus, we can put our trust in Him. Salvation is open to whosoever will believe in Jesus Christ.
AMEN