“The Israel Of God”

‘A New Creature’

Galatians 6:14-18

14) But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.

15) For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision, but a new creature.

16) And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the Israel of God.

17) From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

18) Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

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oday's topic does not refer to the Israel of old; but rather, to a "new creation." Since God is not like Man and all that He does, He does with a purpose, He would never have sacrificed Himself to redeem Man and then, allowed Man to remain the same.

God differs from Man in that whereas His purpose is always spiritual, usually ours is to preserve our flesh and to amass accomplishments on our own behalf.

These efforts are always wasted, for God has already done all things that would ever need to be done on our behalf. We go without simply because we will not accept. Simply by doing so, we would come to know that He has already made provision. Anytime we persist in our own efforts, we can be sure that we are attempting to do something outside of God.

From the beginning, God intended to call a "people from (out of) a people." You see, though the children of Israel were called forth from the mouth of God, Himself, once they rejected him, it became necessary to prepare another people to represent Him. Those are known as the "redeemed"—those called by His name, baptized in both the water and His Spirit. Now, we have reached a period in the history of the Church when the Lord has been rejected yet, again by those professing to be His people. This has made it necessary once again, to "separate" those who really belong to Him from those who are simply "pretenders."

We notice an interesting phenomenon amongst apostolics, today. One will hear many extol the virtues of Jews simply because they are considered "chosen." Though we are they who have obeyed His commandment of salvation, many of the people of God believe them to have an advantage simply because they are of the nation, of Israel. The truth of the matter is that all were the same both before and after the Flood because before the Flood, all were from Adam and Eve and after, all were from Noah. The "separation" in the family came only after the Flood when the people of the earth were dispersed.

Abraham was an idol-worshipper plucked from Ur of the Chaldees, who, when approached by God, agreed to do as he was bidden. The circumstances surrounding his "call," would, no doubt, subject him to a trip to the Hilltop, today. You see, he was "hearing voices" before doing so was "popular" or an "excuse." And, he was "crazy" enough to understand that the One Who had spoken to him, though unknown to him, was worthy of his trust!

We would do well to understand that when we listen only for that we determine to be "in our best interest," we destroy our faith. What we deem to be for us is that which allows us to do what’s fleshly—in other words, to do what pleases us.

In our text, today, the Lord declares that the "way" to Jesus is through regeneration—that is, becoming a "new creature." He further declares that anyone who will accept this will receive peace and mercy and be considered "the Israel of God."

Yes, Jacob (Israel) was "called" and all of his descendents were blessed. Just as we are required to become new creatures, God gave us an example in Jacob, changing his name and making of him a new nation.

Jacob obtained his name by entering a contest with an angel. Contrary to what even Jacob may have thought, his encounter was really about teaching him something as opposed to what he was able to get for himself. For most of us, this would mean that we would have walked away having .learned nothing and having

been changed even less.

Perhaps the greatest lesson to be learned from the story of Jacob is that too many give up too quickly. Jacob was tenacious, being determined that the angel with whom he fought would not be allowed to leave him until he left him a blessing. So, Jacob got that which he desired—but it was not without a price. In order to get the "sweet," he had to accept the Lord's terms. In his case, it was that he was left with a limp, illustrating that a change must be made in order for one to be "born" into a new life with a "new name" and a "new direction."

Jacob, now Israel, was called upon to perform a monumental task of being responsible for an entire nation of people. He could very well have asked, "How can I do what God is asking me to do?" His answer would have been the same as ours: We are to "do" nothing! You see, God gives us tasks that we cannot do that we might recognize our need of Him. This is precisely because as a jealous God, He will get the glory that He deserves—one way or another!

"The Israel of God" is not limited by her situation because God is limited by no situations. Whether that situation is good or bad, He is in control of all Usually, our concern is not for the Lord and how He looks, but rather, how we look. It matters not even if we "fall on our face(s)"—as long as we have an opportunity to point others to Him!

"Stepping out on faith" requires us to take a "blind" step. We cannot necessarily see the outcome; we cannot know the direction in which we might be taken, but we do know one thing—that "if God says it, it is a 'done deal!"

It is time for "the Israel of God" to accept that they are exactly that. Israel "suffered" from listening to other gods, other people and themselves. It should be clear to us by now that it is better to believe what God says is true even if it kills us—rather than believe what others say.

Israel constantly looked for change—but she looked for God to change rather than for the change to come from her. She never learned the lesson necessary for "success": that in order to change one's life and the circumstances in his life, the individual must exercise faith, or it will not be done.n