Week 24: How Do the Jews Receive Eternal Life? | December 21, 2025 Sunday School

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The message you're about to hear was preached at Liberty Baptist

Church in Easton, MA. You can find out more about us

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message from God's word will be a blessing to you.

We're. So glad to have you this morning

for our Sunday school hour. Just a little bit of a

programming note for you. This will be our final session

looking at the world religions and cults for this year.

Next week, Lord willing, we'll be looking at the virgin birth

of Jesus Christ. I like going over that issue

every year or two and why the virgin birth is so important.

I know it'll be after Christmas, but that's OK.

We don't just have to talk about it before Christmas.

But I do think it's good for us to be able to review and

understand why Mary is so important, but yet that she is

also not held to the same regard that the Catholic Church does,

and to be able to look at those differences.

Next Sunday morning, the following Sunday morning, that

will be January 4th, and we'll be having Charles Parker Abbott

junior, who will be giving the message, preaching, teaching,

whatever he will be doing. He'll be speaking the word of

God to us. He'll be in town in a couple

weeks and looking forward to having Chucky with us.

And he'll be giving the Sunday school hour.

After that, we will be returning to the series.

But in the meantime. Looking forward to getting back

into it with you today. And we're asking ourselves this

question, as you could see on our first slide.

How did the Jews receive eternal life?

And I think. Is an important question for us

to look at this morning, to look at it not just from the

perspective of the Jews, but also to look at it from our own

perspective as well. We maybe put it this way from

the perspective of Christianity in general, maybe to dispel some

of the thoughts that is spoken of so primarily through general

Christianity. And by that I mean just the

broad general thought of Christianity, not even

necessarily who we are as Bible believing independent Baptists,

but then also of the Jews themselves and how they look it

themselves and comparing what they say about themselves to the

Bible. Now before we do that, we want

to remind ourselves of the 13 beliefs of which they hold to.

We looked at these last week and we saw first of all, God alone

exists and his creator. God is 1 and unique.

God is incorporeal and incomparable.

God is eternal. Both first and last we're to

pray to God alone and to no other.

The words of the prophets are true.

Moses was the chief prophet and Moses's prophecies are true.

The Torah, The first five books of the the Bible, or a Torah,

the Talmud were given to Moses and divinely preserved.

There will be no other Torah since it cannot be changed.

God knows all things, including the thoughts and deeds of men.

God will reward the righteous and punish the wicked.

The Messiah will come and 13 and finally the dead will be

resurrected. Now you'll hear these mentioned

in the video very close to the end of the lesson this morning.

So I want to review these with you because these are commonly

held by all of the Jewish. Groups and sects that there are

out there. Remember, we saw that there were

several of them. That are out there.

Perhaps the only, I would say The only exception that would be

secular Jews, those who are Jewish in ethnicity and hold to

that and maybe even observe the feast just out of, you know,

solidarity with their. Own ethnicity but yet really do

not hold to the beliefs of Judaism at large.

But in general you will find that these 13 beliefs are held

in common and I will say there's a lot as we mentioned last week

that we do have in common with those 13 beliefs is why we look

at the judeo-christian heritage that we have here in the United

States and sometimes put those together.

But the differences are real and the differences are enough that

well someone believing in that would not be able to spend an

eternity in heaven. Why?

Because they have denied who Jesus Christ is.

The Messiah will not come. The Messiah has already come.

And we saw that God will reward the righteous and punish the

wicked. And technically we do agree with

that. However, the part that's not

mentioned there is that there is none righteous.

No, not one. And we'll see again in the video

at the end the stark differences of which we believe and which

the Jews would hold to in all of those things.

But as the. Jewish practitioners themselves,

we ask ourselves this question today.

What is eternal life to the Jews?

How do they receive eternal life?

There's three things I want us to look at today.

I want you to get your fingers ready this morning.

Do this real quick. And the reason I want you to do

that, you know why we're. Going to be working through our

Bibles. All right, so we're going to be

doing that this morning and getting ourselves ready for

that. So let's look at this.

First of all, number one, are they saved because they're God's

chosen people? Number one, are they saved

because they're God's chosen people?

Now, this is more of a mistake in thinking of Christians more

than Jews themselves. The automatic assumption that

Jews must be saved because they are the chosen people of God.

And as I mentioned last week, and I want to mention again and

make it abundantly clear to all who are in this room and those

who are watching online, those who are listening later, I want

this to be abundantly clear. The Jews were, the Jews are and

the Jews will continue to be God's chosen people.

God has worked through the Jews. God is continuing to work from

the Jews, although they are far from God today, and He will

continue to work through the Jews in the in the future as

they figure very large in the prophecy and into the Book of

Revelation. As we saw last week that it says

in Romans chapter #11 that there will come a time when the Jews

as large in the end of the tribulation period will come to

trust Jesus Christ as their Savior, realizing He was the

Messiah that they had rejected for so long.

Now remember that when we say that they are God's chosen

people, that does not mean they are better than everyone else.

We made this clear last week. They are chosen chosen because

they have been chosen for a particular task, just as I could

take one of my children and choose them for a particular

task. I just saw this morning we had

or experience this morning in our home getting ready.

AJ, you need to take care of the dishes.

He loves loading the dishwasher note and loading the dishwasher.

Let me tell you, he loves that. If you don't get the sarcasm

from what I'm saying right now, then I am not laying it on

thickly enough. He loves I say it's time to

unload and he already says not load, right?

Because he knows that after he unloads he's got to load it back

up. With the stuff in the sink, he's

already bargaining with me before we start.

I've chosen him to do that. Peyton, there were a few dishes

that were left that we can't put in the dishwasher.

And so I asked her, I said when you when AJ is done, will you

wash the things that can't go in the dishwasher and put him in

the drying rack? Now I chose AJ to do something.

I chose Peyton to do something. That does not mean that I love

more, one more or one less. It just means, well, I chose

them to do what they have been prepared to do.

And that's the same with the Jews, that they have been chosen

for a particular task. Now we ask ourselves this

because a lot of what we're looking at this morning is not

just me saying these things, but why does the Bible teach these

things to be true? How do we know that they are

God's chosen people? Well, we learned that in

Deuteronomy Chapter 7. So why don't you go ahead and

Deuteronomy 7 · chapter mention

turn to Deuteronomy chapter #7 this morning to be the first

place that we look at Deuteronomy Chapter 7 verse #6

Deuteronomy 7 · chapter mention

again. They are chosen not because they

are loved more than anyone else. They are more beloved.

By God, but rather because they have a particular task now, they

are loved by God. There is no doubt of that.

But then again, we all are loved of God.

That's why Jesus Christ died on the cross for.

God So what love the world and we know that to be true a theme

throughout Scripture that it was his love that sent Jesus Christ

to be born as a baby. It was his love that sent Jesus

Christ to the cross. It was his love that caused his

precious blood to flow down from that cross and so that we could

be washed in his blood. Remember, we saw that we were

washed. We are justified.

We are sanctified. We saw that on Wednesday night.

That's. All through the process of which

God has made. But we see in Deuteronomy

Deuteronomy 7 · chapter mention

Chapter 7 Let's. Begin with verse #6 where God is

saying this, For thou art a holy people unto the Lord thy God.

The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto

himself, above all people that are on the face of the earth.

Now take a brief time out. I don't want to go too far off

the path here for just a second, but I do want to remind you that

it does say in Titus chapter 2 verse 14.

Titus 2:14

And I know I've said this before, that we are in the New

Testament as believers called to be peculiar people, zealous of

good works. And again, that whole peculiar

thing doesn't mean that you walk around.

Hey, I'm peculiar. All right, it doesn't have to be

like that. And some of us, I know we are

pretty peculiar. I know I can only look at

myself, but it's not just talking about acting strange or

acting funny. It means that we have been

chosen to be different in this world.

We've been chosen to be salt and light.

And so in this New Testament era, we are also chosen people,

you know, not these chosen people.

We have not replaced the Jews. There's some really bad

theology, replacement theology that is out there that would say

that the church has replaced the Jews.

Listen, that is so far from what the Word of God teaches.

Stay away from that type of theology.

It leads to anti-Semitism. It leads to bad decisions about

the end times and bad theology about the end times.

Stay away from that. But we have also been chosen to

be lights for Jesus Christ in this New Testament period of

which we live in. Now getting back to where we

were. Verse #7 The Lord did not set

his love upon you, nor choose you, because you were more in

number than any people, for you were the fewest of all people,

but because the Lord loved you, and because He would keep the

oath which He had sworn unto your Father's.

Had the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeem

you out of the House of bond them for the hand of Pharaoh,

king of Egypt. Know therefore, that the Lord

thy God, He is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and

mercy with them that love him, and keepeth his commandments to

1000 generations. By the way, with 1000

generations cover the Jews until today.

I would certainly say so. And beyond verse 10 And repayeth

them that hate them to their face, and destroy them.

He will not be slack to him that hateth him.

He will repay him to his face. Thou shalt therefore keep his

commandments, the statutes, the judgments which I command thee

this day to do them. God says I have chosen you.

I have selected you for a very particular task, not because you

were bigger or better than anyone else, because I have laid

my affection upon you to do this, and I'm preparing you to

do this. But he says this.

Obey my commandments, obey what I have told you to do.

And we know that they have been unfaithful by the way.

By and large, they remain unfaithful today.

Remember we saw last week they have stiff armed Jesus Christ

even today. By and large, not every Jew,

we're not talking about them all, every single one of them.

We can't say every single person's that way.

There are Messianic Jews, those who believe in Jesus today.

But by and large the Jews have pushed out and pushed away Jesus

Christ as a heretic, as one who is not from Jehovah.

But we do see this, that although they are not faithful,

God is faithful. It says that right there.

That's a good time for that, Ralph.

All right. Verse #9 Even though they have

not kept their end of the bargain, that God still keeps

His bargain to them, if you want to put it that way.

It says He keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love Him

and keep His commandments to 1000 generations.

And you say, well, they don't love Him today.

And certainly that is true. But we find that still He keeps

His covenant, and He reminds us throughout the Old Testament

that even if you're not faithful, I'll be faithful.

And His love will still be there to those who turn to Him from

the Jews at any given time that He will be there and He's still

going to. When they turn to Him, they will

restore the Kingdom and preserve all that which He said He will

do. Now again, we saw last week,

this does not mean just because they're God's chosen people that

all the Jews are saved. There is a difference when it

comes to salvation. We're not talking about the

redemption of their people by large.

We are talking about the redemption of each individual

soul. Now what did John the Baptist

say about this? What did John the Baptist say

about the Jews being saved just because they're God's chosen

people? Well, you put it this way in

Luke chapter 3, verses 7 through 9.

Luke 3:7–9

Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized

of him, O generation of Vipers, who hath warned you to flee from

the wrath to come? Bring forth therefore fruits

worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves.

Listen, he says, don't say this. We have Abraham, it's our

father. For I say unto you, that God is

able of these stones to raise up the children unto Abraham.

And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees.

Every tree, therefore, which bringeth not forth good fruit is

hewn down and cast in the fire. John the Baptist says, don't

think that you are redeemed simply because you are a Jew.

Don't think you're redeemed simply because you are the sons

and daughters of Abraham. He says the preaching that is

being laid out to you now is laying the axe to the root of

the tree. We're getting to the heart of

the matter. You need to be saved and the way

that you are living your life lends you to be more like a

generation of Vipers than a generation who has been redeemed

by the Messiah. Jesus put it this way in Matthew

Matthew 15:24

15 verse 24. But he answered and said, I am

not sent unto the lost sheep. Of the let.

Me try that again, I'm sorry, but he answered and said I am

not sent but unto the lost sheep of the House of Israel.

And he's speaking about this in his earthly ministry.

Who was he primarily trying to reach the Jews.

It's not that he, he had no care for the Gentiles.

We see that he healed A Syrophoenician woman.

She certainly would have been a Gentile.

We see as care for the people of Samaria.

They were half Jews. But we also understand that he,

his ministry was focused on the lost House of Israel.

Well, why were they lost? Well, because they did not

accept him by and large as their savior.

He knew they needed to be redeemed, even though they were

God's chosen people. Well, what's the ramifications

of that? Go to Romans chapter. 10 Romans

Romans 10 · chapter mention

chapter 10. You'll recognize some of these

verses. Romans 10 verse #9 I'd encourage

you write some of these verses down and look at them later.

I know that we go over them very quickly, but if you can write

them down and look at them and study these out for yourself.

Romans 10 verse 9 says this, Well you probably are familiar

Romans 10:9

with this, that if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord

Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart, that God hath

raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved.

For with the heart man believeth in the righteousness, and with

the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

For the Scripture sayeth, Whoever believeth, whosoever

believeth on him shall not be ashamed.

Listen, for there is no difference between the Jew and

the Greek. For the same Lord over all is

rich unto all that call upon him.

And verse 13 we're also familiar with, for whosoever shall call

upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

So what is made abundantly clear here?

This is the plan of salvation for the Jew and the Gentile.

This is the way of salvation, to call upon the name of the Lord,

to trust in the Lord Jesus. This is where salvation lies.

It is not due to a national identity of which the Jews carry

because they have been God's chosen people from the time of

Abraham, confirmed in the Law of Moses, and then carried on from

that time all the way until the very end times and beyond.

We find that this is what God's plan is.

But yet they still need to be saved the Bible way.

And we'll actually look into more of that here in just a

moment. So number one, are they saved

because they're God's chosen people?

And the answer to that is no, they are not simply saved

because they are God's chosen people.

But we ask ourselves number 2, are they saved because they

believe in Jehovah? Are they saved because they

believe in Jehovah? Now, this is a difficult

question for some because listen, for us to study Judaism

as we have is different from other world religions.

It's easy to look at the Muslims and say, listen, they believe in

Allah and we believe in Jehovah God.

And so we are not alike. They are a false religion.

That's fairly simple for us to say.

We can look at Buddhism, can't we?

And we can consider that Buddha is in the grave, he is dead, has

decayed and has not resurrected. We say, listen, we're different

from the Buddhists, aren't we? That they worship Buddha and

that we worship Jehovah God. And so it's easy for us to say

there is a difference. However, for those who practice

Judaism, listen, they will tell you that they believe in Jehovah

and well, we believe in Jehovah too.

And so there can cause some confusion, can't it, for us to

be able to consider these things because it would seem like you

have the great similarity of having the same God.

But listen, the main issue with this is that Judaism doesn't

truly believe in Jehovah because they don't believe in Jesus.

I'm going to run that by you one more time.

Although they give lip service to the fact that they believe in

Jehovah, they do not believe in Jehovah because they do not

believe in Jesus. Jehovah is the triune Godfather,

Son, and Holy Ghost. The way we can really separate

this and understand this would be to maybe go back in our minds

to even look at the Jehovah Witnesses and the Mormons.

If I was to go up to a Jehovah Witness witness and say, do you

believe in Jesus? What would they say?

Yes. If I was to go to a Mormon and

ask them, do you believe in Jesus?

What will they say? Yes, but we have to ask the

Jehovah Witness, well, what do you believe of Jesus?

And then we find, well, they don't believe that it's Jesus.

We asked the Mormon, what do you believe of Jesus?

And we find they don't really believe in Jesus.

And so we would ask the Jew. We would ask them the practicing

Jew, we would ask them, what do you believe of Jehovah?

And we will find that their answer will be lack, because

they do not believe that Jehovah is a triune Godfather, Son, and

Holy Ghost. faith in God must include faith in his Son,

because God has made Christ the exclusive mediator of salvation.

There is no other name by which men can be saved.

Acts 412 And listen, you can't say that you have regard for the

Father and then have hatred for the Son and believe that you're

saved. That's just not Bible.

We understand this, practically speaking, in our own lives.

I can't imagine someone coming to me and say, you know what?

I really like you, but I hate your wife and I hate your kids

and me saying something like this.

Hey, well, as long as you like me, it's OK.

I'll tell you this. You got a problem with my wife.

You got a problem with me 22 years yesterday.

You know what I'm saying? You got a problem with Diane,

You got a problem with me, you say is that you're throwing down

the gauntlet? No, I actually don't really

remember having a conversation with anybody like that because

most people like her better than me, all things considered.

But. I will say that.

You know, if, if you if you don't regard her, well, then you

don't have much regard for me because we're one flesh.

And if someone says, you know, I really like you and I like your

wife, but your kids. Now listen, I'm not saying that

our kids are perfect because nobody's kids are perfect.

There have been times people have come and said something

about our children. I've had to say, well, not only

you're right about that, but there's a lot more that you

don't know that if you didn't know, you'd be right about that

too. I'm not saying that.

What I'm just saying is you can't have withheld affection

for my children but yet have affection for me and truly say

that you love me because you don't, because we kind of come.

Can we put it this way as a package deal?

Could I put it this way, just put it down to the bottom shelf

so that we can all grab it this morning?

When it comes to Jehovah, Jehovah and Jesus are a package

deal. And you can't say that you

believe in Jehovah without believing in who Jesus Christ

is. You say, well, that I mean, who

are you to say that, pastor? I mean, who are you to lay down

the gauntlet in that way? And the answer is I wasn't the

one who laid that down. Here's who did Jesus, Jesus

himself was the one who said, you don't believe in me, then

you don't rightly believe in the Father.

And the book of John records this back and forth so many

times. We're going to read just a

couple of those places. So first go to John chapter 5.

John 5 · chapter mention

All right, John chapter 5 verse #19 John chapter 5 verse #19

John 5 · chapter mention John 5 · chapter mention

we'll start there. And the Bible says, this, This

is Jesus, you'll see, says, Then answered Jesus, and said unto

them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of

himself but what he seeth the Father do.

For what things so ever He do it, these also do it the Son

likewise. For the Father loveth the Son,

and showeth Him all things that Himself doeth, and He will show

him greater works than these that he may marvel.

For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them, Even

so the Son quickeneth whom he will.

For the Father judgeth no man, and but hath committed all

judgment unto the Son, that all men should honor the Son, even

as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son

honoreth not the Father which hath sent Him.

That seems pretty clear to me. Right?

Right there does it. It says that we are to honor the

Son, or men should honor the Son even as they honor the Father.

Listen, how is the Father honored?

It's only by worship. It's only by worshiping him as

God. So what is Jesus saying?

Basically saying this, you honor the Father is God, but you honor

the Son is God as well. Now the Jews didn't like that.

They didn't appreciate this type of talk.

Drop down to verse #39 it says this.

He tells those Jews who think that they know the Scriptures so

they know more about Jehovah than Jesus.

And he says this search the scriptures for in them you think

you have eternal life and they are they which testify me.

He says, listen, if you're not sure about what I'm saying, go

back and read your own scriptures.

Could I maybe put it to you this way this morning?

Go back and read the Torah. Go back because if you read the

Torah, it speaks of me. What do we say to the Jews

today? We say go back and look at your

Torah. No, no, don't worry about the

Talmud. That's not the Scriptures.

Go back to the Torah. What does the Torah say?

What does the Old Testament say? What are the first five books

say? They tell you who Jesus Christ

is, and yet they deny it. He continues and said, and he

will not come to me, that they might have life.

I receive not honor from them, but I know you, that you have

not the love of God in you. I am come in in my Father's

name, and ye receive me not. If another shall come in His own

name, Him ye will receive. How can ye believe which

receive? Honor one of another, and seek

not the honor that cometh from God.

Only do not think that I will accuse you to the Father.

There is one that accuseth you, even Moses, in whom he trusts.

For if he believed in Moses, ye would have believed me, for he

wrote of me. But if ye believe not his

writings, how shall ye believe my words?

And so Jesus consistently says, You Revere Moses, go back to

Moses. You Revere scriptures, go back

to the Scriptures. Don't say you believe in the

Father without believing in me, because as we see, I and my

Father are one. This is what Jesus says.

Get something. Me laying the gauntlet about who

Jehovah is. This is Jesus Christ who does

it. Now go to John chapter 8.

John 8 · chapter mention

Quickly turn to John chapter 8. Look at verse #42 A little bit

John 8 · chapter mention

of a longer section of Scripture here, but I want you to see

these for yourself. It's all right.

To read a lot of scriptures in Sunday school all right to read

law scriptures in church. I mean, if you're not going to

read the Bible in church, I don't know where you can Amen.

So John chapter 8, verse 42 and I think it's.

John 8:42

Important for us to read these because a lot of what I'm saying

this morning you already understand.

I would imagine there's nothing that I'm saying this morning

that's surprising to you. However, you may not know where

in the Bible to articulate these things because we don't know

where they are. I'd rather you get to them, see

them, write them down, maybe underline some things in your

Bibles. This is what I want us to do

this morning. So John chapter 8, look at verse

John 8 · chapter mention

#42 it says this. Jesus said unto them, if God

were your Father, he would love me.

For I proceeded forth and came from God.

Neither came I of myself, but He sent me.

Why do you not understand my speech?

Even because ye cannot hear my word.

Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye

will do. He was a murderer from the

beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth

in him. When he speaketh a lie, he

speaketh of his own, for he is a liar and the Father.

Of it and. And because I tell you the

truth, you believe me not? Which of you convince it me of

sin? And if I say the truth, why do

you not believe me? He that is of God heareth God's

words. You therefore hear them not,

because you are not of God. Then answered the Jews, and said

unto him, Say We not well, that thou art a Samaritan, and has

the devil. If you don't realize how low

regard they had for Samaritans, that ought to tell you a little

bit right there. And they said this Jesus said, I

have not a devil, but I honor my Father, and you do dishonor me,

for I seek not my own glory. There is one that seeketh and

judgeth. Verily, verily, I say unto you,

If any, or if a man keep my saying, he shall never see

death. And the Jews said unto him, Now

we know that thou hast the devil, Abraham is dead, and the

prophets. And thou sayest, If a man keep

my saying, he shall never taste of death.

Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead, and the

prophets are dead, who make us thou thyself?

Jesus answered, If I honor myself, my honor is nothing.

It is my father that honor with me, of whom you say that he is

your God, yet you have not known him.

Look at this, you have not known him, but I know him, and if I

should say I know him not, I shall be a liar like unto you,

but I know him. I keep a saying, Your father

Abraham rejoiced to see my day, and he saw it and was glad.

The Jews said unto him, Thou art not yet 50 years old, and hast

thou seen Abraham? And Jesus said unto them,

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.

Now he does two things here. He talks about his eternality,

because he's saying that he pre existed before Abraham.

Well, the only way he could do that is if he eternal.

We know he wasn't just simply saying, well, I'm about 2000

years old. He wasn't saying that.

He's saying that he was eternal. But he also used those two

powerful words at the end. What were those two last words?

I am. And the Jews know exactly what

He meant when He said I am, just as the Jews understood when they

asked if He is Jesus Christ in the garden.

And he said, I am. And they all fell backwards, the

power of who He was. They understood exactly what He

meant with this. And we know this because verse

59 confirms this. They took up stones to cast in

Him, but Jesus hid himself and went out of the temple, going

through the midst of them, and so passed by.

And So what do we see? We see that Jesus says this, If

you believe in Jehovah, you have to believe in me.

So the Jews can't rightly say that they believe Jehovah, but

then not lay claim to Jesus Christ, because again, I am my

Father or one. First John chapter 2, verses 23

1 John 2:23–25

through 25 confirm this. Whosoever denieth the Son, the

same hath not the Father, but he that acknowledgeth the Son hath

the Father also. Let that therefore abide in you

which he have heard from the beginning.

If that which he have heard from the beginning shall remain in

you, he shall continue in the Son and in the Father.

And this is the promise that he promised us.

Even eternal life, eternal life is through Father and Son.

Eternal life is understanding that we do not just believe in a

God, but that God is composed of Jesus Christ, Father, Son, and

Holy Ghost. And so we look at #2 are they

saved because they believe in Jehovah?

And we would take that and categorically deny it because

they truly do not believe in Jehovah, just as a Jehovah

Witness or a moment truly don't believe in Jesus.

Because when we get down to the definition of it, we realize

we're really not talking about the same thing at all.

Which brings us to our third question here today.

And this is perhaps the most important because it's the most

relevant to what the Jews believe of themselves.

Are they saved by their works? We ask ourselves this question

and they ask of themselves, are they saved by their works?

Now, we're going to show a video here in just a moment of a

conservative commentator. Last week, we saw a very brief

video from Ben Shapiro. This week we'll be looking.

At a brief video by another Jewish conservative commentator.

His name is Dennis Prager. You might be familiar with him

as he. Speaks of the differences

between Christianity and Judaism.

And once you listen very carefully, particularly of his

reference to the 13 beliefs that we saw at the beginning of our

lesson, but then also at how he believes eternal life is

achieved by Jewish believers. So if we could, let's roll that

footage. The biggest difference between

Judaism and Christianity is not the The Who is Jesus, but

obviously it's a difference. But that's not the biggest

difference. The biggest difference I think

is with regard to attaining salvation, if that, if that

means the afterlife, heaven, whatever term you wish to use

for for Christians, Although Catholics and Protestants don't

fully agree on this matter because Catholics do not believe

faith alone can save you, whereas Protestantism does.

Luther said that Catholics believe that the sacraments are

also necessary. So there's faith and works in

Catholicism and there's faith alone.

Since Luther who founded Protestantism for Judaism it is

works you which I'll use the term that really blows my

Christian friends mind you earn salvation Korean end of issue.

How you act determines whether you go to heaven or yes, Jews do

believe. Excuse me Jews don't Judaism

does Jews and Judaism differ a lot.

The the one of the 13 principles of the Jewish faith as compiled

by Maimonides, the greatest Jewish thinker whoever lived

according to nearly all Jews. One of them, one of the 13

principles, is that God rewards the good and punishes the bad.

And the exact same faith is for good Jews and good non Jews and

bad Jews and bad non Jews. Judaism holds that God judges

people by their behavior, not by their theology, their beliefs,

their faith. So when I had this discussion

with a with four Christians just this past week long dinner, one

of them was a pastor and I, when I mentioned that we have to

strive to be good and that God rewards the good and punishes

the bad. So he said, well, what is the

definition of good? So I asked the pastor, what do

you mean by what is good? You know what good is.

Everybody knows what good is. Did you, if somebody said

someone's a good lawyer or a good pitcher or a good

violinist, would you ask what does good mean?

No, you would know exactly what it means.

Same with a human being. Now, is it good enough?

I think that's what he meant to attain salvation, to use a

Christian term, or go to heaven, get rewarded in the afterlife.

That's for God to determine. I don't claim that I know what

is good enough. That's God's determination.

That's true. So then for the Christian, the

question would arise, well, then you're, you don't have any

assurance that you'll go to heaven, to which I would say

that's true. I don't have an assurance.

I think if God judges justly, I think I have lived a life that

has merited reward, but ultimately that is for God to

judge. That's true.

So there's a Jewish Christian difference.

I always speak of today a Christian values because our

values are so similar, but our theologies are different, which

doesn't bother me in the least, by the way.

That's fine. I have a lot to learn from

Christians and I hope they have a lot to learn from me.

There's a lot of that that's pretty sorrowful when you think

of, and I say sorrowful for those who would believe that

line of theology. And, and really a lot of it came

down to this. You know what good is?

Did you catch that? Well, you know what good is?

And the answer is, well, mankind doesn't know what good is unless

there is a code. It tells us what is good and

what is not, because what some think is good, others do not

think is good. We saw last week that there was

someone in the name of good in their religion went to Bondi

Beach and decided to be able to shoot 15 different people.

Shot a lot more than 15 people, but that 15 people perished on

that day and they thought they were doing such as good in the

name of their God. We would say no, that's not good

at all whatsoever. There would be others who would

say that. Very heinous crimes and very

awful ways of talking or acting would be good things to do in

their own mind because of their own twisted value system.

Could you imagine a judge here in the United States of America

not having any type of code of laws whatsoever, just that judge

was supposed to determine as two people came to him, well, what's

good and what's not? Well, you know what's good,

right? And the answer is no, of course

not. There's nuances and there's

differences, and that's why there has to be a code of laws

of ethics that's in place. And how much more so is that

true of God, that God has given us His word to tell us what's

good and what's not? And here's another major issue

with that. When we look at God's Word and

we see the laws of which is there, we don't see ourselves as

good. What do we see ourselves as?

Bad. We see ourselves as sinners.

That's what we understand that the law does not exonerate us.

The law actually finds US guilty, that all of us are

guilty before God. And so as we look at God's laws,

we don't find that, well, there is perhaps a possibility for

reward. We see that, well, there is no

possibility of reward without redemption.

And so that's what we find here. And it's so sad to be able to

hear that and hear someone to say, well, I think that my life

has merited favor. Well, my question is, well, if

you know what's good and what's bad, then you ought to know that

you have salvation. You ought to know that you

achieve eternal life. But even a man such as Dennis

Prager would have to say no, I have no assurance of that

whatsoever. But we realize that the.

Bible tells us we can. Have assurance of where we'll

spend eternity that we can know that where we'll spend an

eternity in heaven. I will say one of his arguments

that he made at the beginning is the understanding of the

difference between Catholic theology and what do you call

Protestant theology. I would call biblical theology

because even many Protestants don't believe what he said.

But the idea that work, salvation is sometimes found in

Christian circles. And the answer is that it is

found in Christian circles. But that's why we try to

differentiate as we're teaching what biblical Christianity is.

The Bible teaches that we do not trust in our own works

whatsoever. What do we trust in the finished

work of Jesus Christ on the cross?

That's where salvation is. Now, what does the Bible say

about this? We have a few more moments.

What does the Bible say about this?

Hebrews 911 through 4. 14 But Christ being come and high

priest of good things to come by a greater and more perfect

Tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not this

building, neither by the blood of goats or calves, but by His

own blood He entered into once in the holy place, having

obtained eternal redemption for us.

For if the blood of bulls and. Goats and the.

Ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the

purifying of the flesh. How much more shall the body of

Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without

spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to

serve the living God? Purge from what?

Dead works, works that can't save you, works that don't have

the ability to bring life, but rather works that in and of

ourselves only bring death. Turn to Galatians chapter 3 very

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

quickly. Galatians chapter.

Three, we're almost done. Galatians chapter 3, listen very

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

well this morning and we'll take a break and get ready for

service. All right, Galatians chapter 3,

Galatians 3 · chapter mention

look at verse #21. Galatians 321 says, Is the law

then against the promises of God?

Well, is the law bad? Is the law wrong?

Well, God forbid it says, For if there had been a law given which

could have given life, verily righteousness should have been

by the law. If the law could give life, God

would have done that. But that's not what the law is

for. But the Scripture hath

concluded, Listen all under sin. Why, that the promise by faith

of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.

But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up

under the faith which should afterwards be revealed.

Wherefore the law? We've said this before.

It was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be

justified by what faith. But after that faith has come,

we are no longer under a schoolmaster.

For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus.

Now look at this. For as many of you as have been

baptized into Christ have put on Christ.

There is neither what Jew nor Greek.

There is neither bond nor free. There is neither male nor

female. For ye are all one in Jesus

Christ. And if ye be Christ, then ye be

Abraham's seed and heirs according to the promise meaning

this, if you belong to Christ, then you are with all of those

together, whether they are Jew or Gentile, bond or free, male

or female, that we all belong. We are all one in Jesus Christ.

The Real issue of mankind, as we'll see this morning in the

morning service that has divided mankind is really this.

What do you think of Christ? That is the real issue that has

divided mankind through the ages.

And so are we believing that works could save someone?

The answer is no. To say that you're saved by your

works is really a gross misreading of the Old Testament.

Do you think Lot would have been saved by works?

Consider Lot. We see him as a pretty sad state

of affairs, don't we? But yet second Peter chapter 2

2 Peter 2:7

verse 7 says that he was a saved man.

It calls him just Lot. In fact, I preached on that few

years ago that he was just Lot, that he was saved.

But that was about all it all he was in his life, he was just, he

was just Lot. But it does say he was justified

before the Lord. I don't know that I understand

all of it other than the fact that's what the Bible says.

What about David, he did some pretty bad things didn't he?

What about Samson, he did some pretty bad things, didn't he?

But yet we see David and Samson named in Hebrews Chapter 11 in

Hebrews 11 · chapter mention

the Hall of Faith. Why?

Because they were looking forward to Messiah, they were

looking forward by faith, that which they could not see, but

yet they believed Him. Salvation in the Old Testament

and the New Testament has always been about the Messiah.

In the Old Testament they look forward to him.

Here in the New Testament we look back toward Him.

Hebrews 11 verses 39 and 40. And these all, having obtained a

Hebrews 11:39

good report through faith, receive not the promise.

God having provided some better thing for us, that they without

us should not be made perfect. Listen, these 3 truths have

never Salvation always rests on Christ's work that has never

changed. Salvation always requires faith

that never changes. The content of faith became

clearer after Christ came, meaning this Old Testament

believers did not know the details of Christ's life and

death, but yet they promised God's.

They trusted God's promise of a Redeemer, which is the same

Messiah revealed in the New Testament.

That's what Hebrews 11 is all about.

So ask ourselves this question just for a couple couple more

minutes and let's tie this up together to be done in the end.

How are the Jews saved? Remember we saw.

How do they receive eternal life?

Well, the answer is they don't think they need saving.

This is what it comes down to. They don't think they need

saving in the way that we would use the term salvation.

They believe nationally they need deliverance.

They believe naturally they need deliverance, but they also are

looking personally for eternal reward in peace.

That's what they look at. They come from the fundamentally

different thought process that they are good and must do good

things, and we come from the process where the Bible says the

heart is evil and desperately wicked.

Who can know it that our righteousnesses are like filthy

rags and we need salvation that only Jesus Christ can provide.

We're talking about two completely different thought

processes. Jews generally do not conceive

of salvation as atonement through a sacrificial Messiah,

but rather as being in a right relationship with God, living

faithfully under the covenant, and participating in God's

promises. Yet God's Word makes clear they

need to be saved. I leave you with these verses

Romans 116 and 17. For I am not ashamed of the

gospel of Christ. For to the power of salvation

unto the power of God, unto salvation to everyone that

believeth. Listen to the Jew first, and

also to the Greek or the Gentile, for therein is the

righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith.

The just shall live by faith. What's the plan for the Gentile?

The just shall live by faith. What's the plan for the Jew?

The just shall live by faith. Thank you for listening to the

sermon from the pulpit of Liberty Baptist Church.

If this message was a blessing to you, or if there's any way we

can serve you, please let us know by contacting us at

[email protected]. Or you can visit us this Sunday

at 800 Washington St. in Easton, MA.

May the Lord bless you as you grow in His Word.