“Salvation is of the Jews”Rugby – 14th June 2009

What did Jesus say?• Jesus said to a Samaritan woman:

“Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.” John 4:22

• The context of this statement:– The Jews did not mix with the

Samaritans– The Samaritans did not worship the one

true God as revealed in the Bible– In false gods there is no hope

2Salvation is of the Jews

The futility of contemporary religions in the time of JesusIsaiah 44:13-15

“The carpenter stretcheth out his rule;... He heweth him down cedars...Then shall it be for a man to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself; yea, he kindleth it, and baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven image, and falleth down thereto.”

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...and also in our own day

• The worship of material wealth and possessions

• The worship of fame and the cult of celebrity

• The desire for power and status

• All just as futile...

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So what did Jesus mean?• Jesus brought the Gospel of the

Kingdom of God and salvation (Matthew 9:35)

• Jesus’ coming was the fulfilment of the promise (covenant) made to Abraham (Luke 1:67-73)

• Salvation is by association with those promises (Galatians 4:27-29)

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What were the promises?• First made when Abram called out

from Ur of the Chaldees (Genesis 12:1-3,7)

• Repeated when he arrived in Canaan (Genesis 13:14-17)

• Abraham received no inheritance (Acts 7:2-5)

• But Abraham trusted in those promises (Romans 4:20-22)

• Christ is the promised seed (Galatians 3:16)

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So salvation is of the Jews• Abraham was the father of the Jews,

through Isaac his son• The promises of salvation were made

to Abraham and his descendants• Jesus was born a Jew, the promised

seed• Through Jesus the promises to

Abraham will be fulfilled• So through Jesus, God’s purpose

will be fulfilled and all the nations of the earth will be blessed

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But where does this leave us?• We are not Jews but Gentiles• So if we are not Jews how can we

inherit the promises?• Are not Gentiles aliens to the

Commonwealth of Israel?• Yes, we were but things have changed

(Ephesians 2:11-13)• In Christ, a Jew is someone who is

faithful and obedient (Romans 2:28-29)

8Salvation is of the Jews

Salvation open to all in Christ

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek [Gentile].

For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.”

Romans 1:16-17

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But salvation is conditional

• Only available through Jesus Christ (Acts 4:10-12)

• Action is required if we are to have the hope of salvation (Acts 2:36-41)

• Salvation is personal (Philippians 2:12)

• Being in Christ is a life long commitment (1 Corinthians 15:57-58)

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Paul’s commitment

“Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith: That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death; If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.”

Philippians 3:8-11

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12Salvation is of the Jews