I think many Christians have this idea of the Bible that the God of the Old Testament is the Father, and now the Son is here, and he reveals the Father to us more but he wasn’t really around that much before. However, Jesus is all over the Old Testament. Jesus is the God of the Old Testament. God the Son, God the Holy Spirit and God the Father are there, all throughout. They are just explained in more detail in the New Testament....
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Today we are going to start to look at Matthew 21 where Jesus is going to survey his vineyard. He is going to escalate his confrontation with the leaders of Israel from here on in, until it leads to them killing him. But the message he wants them to understand is that if they were truly God’s people they would be bearing fruit. This is the same message Jeremiah preached, that Isaiah preached and so many other prophets. I want you to hold an image of a tree in your head. A tree with fruit bearing branches and barren branches, because we will come back to that. Let’s see how Jesus warns those who do not bear fruit?
It Will Be Taken Away (vv. 45-46) – Let’s begin at the end of this chapter, Jesus is here to tell them that the kingdom is no longer theirs.......
https://revmatthewlittlefield.substack.com/p/episode-23-what-does-god-replace?publication_id=1182452&utm_campaign=email-post-title&r=y7h5a&utm_medium=email
...Listen carefully, because if you go wrong here you go wrong on most of the scriptures. God is teaching us that the promises of God were only ever for the children of faith, not the children of the flesh.
John the Baptist got it:.....
.....Application – This is where I drive it home and personalize this message for you: are you are fruit bearing branch? If Israelites, who were descended from Abraham, who did not bear fruit could be cut out of the tree, how much more could you an Australian, or South African, or Indian, or Brit, or European, or whoever you are be cut out if we do not bear fruit?
Do you know what God did when he destroyed the temple in AD 70? He removed the lampstand from the physical nation of Israel. But he also prophesied to the 7 churches that he would do the same to them if they did not bear fruit in keeping with repentance.
If you want to determine who the people of God are, you can’t look to a modern nation that claims the name Israel. I know some people really struggle with this. This happens because God’s people have always struggled not to see with eyes of flesh. But Jesus gives us to key to know where his people are: You have to look at who is bearing fruit. Only fruit bearing branches are truly of God.
Every generation has had to hear this same warning: only fruit bearing branches will inherit the kingdom. Because bearing fruit comes through faith, not the flesh. “43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits.”
So, are you bearing fruit? Are you a truly believing fruit bearing branch? Because God will never replace his people. But he will replace branches that do not bear fruit with those that do.
Conclusion – Now you know where I am coming from on this. And why I will stick to this message. Flesh counts for nothing in God’s economy. He wants us to be people of faith. Let’s pray that he increases our faith and the fruit in our lives. Let’s pray.