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You can turn with me in your 
Bibles to John's Gospel, John chapter 15. John 15, I'll read verses 1 to 
8, but we're going to focus again only on the first part of verse 
1. So this is part 2 of a sermon on John 15 1a. So here now the 
word of God, I am the true vine and my father is the vine dresser. 
Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, 
and every branch that bears fruit he prunes, that it may bear more 
fruit. You are already clean because 
of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in me and I in 
you. As the branch cannot bear fruit 
of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless 
you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. 
He who abides in me and I in him bears much fruit. For without 
me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in me, 
he is cast out as a branch and is withered. And they gather 
them and throw them into the fire and they are burned. If you abide in me and my words 
abide in you, you will ask what you desire and it shall be done 
for you. By this my Father is glorified that you bear much 
fruit. So you will be my disciples. Amen. Well, let us pray. Our 
gracious God and Holy Father, we thank you for your word. We 
thank you that it's the God-breathed word and the Spirit who inspired, 
the Spirit who gave it to us is the Spirit who now illumines 
our minds and hearts. And we pray, Lord Jesus, you 
promise not to leave us as orphans. Send the Spirit even now in a 
powerful way that we may see what this passage declares concerning 
the Son of God, who assumed our humanity, who lived for us, who 
died for us, and who was raised again for us. in fulfillment 
of all the promises of God, which are yea and amen in him. Do forgive 
us now for all sin, cleanse us in the precious blood of the 
Lord Jesus Christ, extend mercy to needy sinners today and save 
them by your grace, and sanctify and edify and build up your people, 
that we may grow in the grace and in the knowledge of our Lord 
and Savior, Jesus Christ. And we pray in his most blessed 
name, amen. Well, I just wanted to provide 
a brief review. As I said, this is part two on 
verse 1a. Jesus says, I am the true vine. I mentioned last week that when 
you consider theology, there's four primary branches. You have 
exegetical theology, you then have historical theology, you 
have systematic theology, and practical theology. So exegesis 
or exegetical theology gets at what does the text mean? What 
does the text say? What did the Spirit intend for 
us to understand? We then move over to historical 
theology to sort of ask the church of old, what do you believe that 
the church or rather what the text means? Systematic theology, 
we logically connect the doctrines of the Bible, we put it together 
in a in a confession or in a creed or in a systematic theology, 
and then practical theology flows from that. Based on what we know, 
this then is how we ought to live. Well, when we look at exegetical 
theology, we notice that there's a subset. There's biblical theology 
and covenant theology. disciplines that help us get 
at the meaning of the texts in Scripture that the Spirit intended 
for us. We've focused a lot on exegesis 
and systematic theology in the formulation of the Christian 
doctrine of the Trinity as we've moved thus far in our study in 
the Upper Room Discourse. But I wanted to invoke biblical 
and covenant theology as we consider the words of our Lord Jesus here 
in verse 1a, I am the true vine. And the argument that I seek 
to make this morning is very simple. Adam was a type of Christ. Paul tells us that in Romans 
5, 14. But so was Israel. What Adam failed to do in the 
Garden and Israel failed to do in the Old Covenant, the Lord 
Jesus Christ came as the last Adam and true Israel to fulfill 
what they had failed in. And so when Jesus says, I am 
the true vine, he is making a pretty incredible statement when we 
look back in redemptive history to this vine metaphor that Jesus 
invokes. But remember the convention. 
He says, I am the true vine. There are several times in John's 
gospel where Jesus says, I am without a predicate, just simply 
I am. And when he does that, he is 
stressing his essential nature. He is stressing that he's the 
only begotten son of the Father. He has the entirety of the divine 
essence. And that language of I am is 
reminiscent of Exodus 3.14, where God reveals himself as I am who 
I am. So the Jews understood that, 
the religious leaders at Jesus' time understood that, the claim 
that he was making, and in two instances, they pick up stones 
to throw at him because he, being a man, made himself equal with 
God. But then along the way, there are several I Am statements 
with a predicate. In fact, there are seven of them. 
We see, I am the bread of life, in John 6. I am the light of 
the world, in John 8 and 9. I am the door of the sheep, in 
John 10. I am the good shepherd, John 10. I am the resurrection 
and the life, John 11. I am the way, the truth, and 
the life, John 14. And then I am the true vine. So Jesus uses 
metaphor, Jesus uses imagery, Jesus uses figures to underscore 
something about him and his work. He uses vines, he uses doors, 
he uses various conventions to communicate truth to the disciples. As Klink says, the seven formal 
I am statements are emphatic descriptions of the person and 
ministry of Jesus and cumulatively form a detailed picture of Jesus 
Christ. But as I mentioned last week, 
it's not only a metaphor invoked for the instruction of the disciples, 
oftentimes they're metaphors drawn from the Old Testament 
to set forth a parallel, or rather, a fulfillment. For instance, 
when Jesus says, I am the good shepherd in John 10, we really 
should remember Psalm 23 verse one, the Lord is my shepherd, 
I shall not want. When Jesus predicates that to 
himself, he is speaking a mouthful of good solid theology. And again, 
the argument is that that's what he's doing here when he says, 
I am the true vine. So then we looked at the identification 
of Jesus as the true vine. We started in Matthew's gospel. 
Matthew makes a link between the Lord Jesus and Old Covenant 
Israel by referring to Jesus as the firstborn. Remember in 
Exodus chapter 4, God calls Israel, my firstborn. It doesn't mean 
they're the first one on the scene. It doesn't mean they're 
the first nation that had been convened together, but it means 
preeminence. It means priority of status. We see that language applied 
to Jesus by Paul in Colossians 1.15. He is the first born from 
the dead. This language of firstborn links 
Old Covenant Israel and Jesus Christ together. I used several 
illustrations last week and I forgot, I think one of the most important 
ones or powerful ones in the language of the firstborn. In 
Genesis 41, verses 51 and 52, and then again in Genesis 48 
at verse 14, we learn that the sons of Joseph, Manasseh and 
Ephraim exited the womb in that order. It was Manasseh that was 
the firstborn chronologically, and then Ephraim came after him. 
In Jeremiah the prophet, specifically in chapter 31 at verse 9, God 
refers to Ephraim as my firstborn. So it's not a chronological indicator 
all of the time. Of course, in our families, our 
firstborn child is our firstborn child chronologically. But when 
God speaks of Old Covenant Israel as my firstborn, when he speaks 
of Jesus, who I argue is the New Covenant Israel, as my firstborn, 
he is speaking of preeminence and priority of status. We saw then that Matthew links 
Jesus with Old Covenant Israel in a whole host of ways in the 
opening of his gospel. First, the physical and covenantal 
connection to Abraham and David. Matthew 1.1, right out of the 
chute, Matthew connects Jesus to David and to Abraham. Secondly, 
the application of Hosea 11 to Jesus in Matthew 2. Hosea 11, 
God calls his firstborn out of Egypt. We know that happens in 
redemptive history. We know that's a truth that Hosea 
is commenting on, but Hosea is also prophesying concerning the 
truth that the firstborn son of God will go into Egypt and 
will be called out of Egypt, and Matthew makes that clear. 
From that vantage point, after he comes out of Egypt, what does 
Jesus do? He passes through the water of 
baptism after having been called out of Egypt. That's exactly 
the movement in Old Covenant to Israel. They come out of Egypt, 
they cross the Red Sea, the waters of the Red Sea, and then the 
next step corresponds as well. Israel finds themselves in a 
wilderness, and there they complain about food, they complain about 
a whole host of things. They're there for a period of 
40 years. Well, after passing through the waters of baptism, 
the Spirit leads Jesus out into the wilderness. There He's there 
for 40 days. There he is as well tested and 
tempted by the devil. One of the particular temptations 
was food. You've got to be hungry, change 
these stones into bread so that you can eat. Well, Jesus repels 
him by invoking Deuteronomy 8, the lesson that Israel was supposed 
to learn in that wilderness context. Man doesn't live by bread alone, 
but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. So then 
that brings us then to the declaration in John's gospel, I am the true 
vine. So first I wanna connect it to 
the Old Testament and then secondly, demonstrate the New Testament 
revelation as we move through the scriptures to see the verity 
of what Jesus says here and the significance when he says, I 
am the true vine. So if you would turn back with 
me to the book of Psalms, Psalm 80 specifically. And the point 
that I want to make here is the fact that Old Covenant Israel 
was the vine. The fact that Old Covenant Israel 
is identified as a vine by God Himself. Notice in Psalm 80, 
specifically at verse 8, You have brought a vine out of Egypt. 
You have cast out the nations and planted it. You prepared 
room for it and caused it to take deep root, and it filled 
the land. The hills were covered with its 
shadow and the mighty cedars with its boughs. She sent out 
her boughs to the sea and her branches to the river. Why have 
you broken down her hedges, so that all who pass by the way 
pluck her fruit? Notice as well in the prophet 
Isaiah, Isaiah chapter 5. We're going to be moving through 
some texts as we do biblical and covenant theology. We take 
sort of a whole orb of view, a whole overarching view of all 
of scripture. This won't be all of scripture, 
so you will get to eat today, but notice in chapter 5, specifically 
in verse 1. Now let me sing to my well-beloved 
a song of my beloved regarding his vineyard. My well-beloved 
has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. He dug it up and cleared 
out its stones and planted it with the choicest vine. He built 
a tower in its midst and also made a wine press in it. So he 
expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth 
wild grapes. And now, oh, inhabitants of Jerusalem 
and men of Judah, judge, please, between me and my vineyard. What 
more could have been done to my vineyard that I have not done 
in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, 
did it bring forth wild grapes? And now please let me tell you 
what I will do to my vineyard. I will take away its hedge, and 
it shall be burned, and break down its wall, and it shall be 
trampled down. I will lay it waste, it shall not be pruned 
or dug, but there shall come up briars and thorns. I will 
also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it. For 
the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the 
men of Judah are his pleasant plant. He looked for justice, 
but behold, oppression. For righteousness, but behold, 
a cry for help. You can turn to the prophet Isaiah 
chapter 27. Isaiah chapter 27. Specifically 
in verses two to seven. Isaiah 27, I'm sorry, two to 
six. Isaiah 27, two, and that day sing to her a vineyard of 
red wine. I, the Lord, keep it. I water 
it every moment, lest any hurt it. I keep it night and day. 
Fury is not in me. Who would set briars and thorns 
against me in battle? I would go through them. I would 
burn them together or let him take hold of my strength that 
he may make peace with me. And he shall make peace with 
me. Those who come, he shall cause to take root in Jacob. 
Israel shall blossom and bud and fill the face of the world 
with fruit. You can turn to Jeremiah, Jeremiah chapter 2. Jeremiah 
chapter 2, and when it rises up in you to say, okay, we see 
the link, keep saying the link. What Jesus says in 15.1a is significant, 
not only for who he is and his temporal mission, but also with 
reference to his people. We need to understand what the 
scripture says in this new covenant setting, who the people of God 
are. And I think when we answer the question, is Jesus the true 
vine, the answer is yes. The answer to the other one necessarily 
follows. Notice in Jeremiah 2, specifically 
in verse 21. Turn to the prophet Ezekiel, 
Ezekiel chapter 15. Ezekiel chapter 15, specifically 
in verses 2 to 8. Son of man, how is the wood of 
the vine better than any other wood? The vine branch, which 
is among the trees of the forest, is wood taken from it to make 
any object? Or can men make a peg from it to hang any vessel on? 
Instead, it is thrown into the fire for fuel. The fire devours 
both ends of it, and its middle is burned. Is it useful for any 
work? Indeed, when it was whole, no 
object could be made from it. How much less will it be useful 
for any when the fire has devoured it and it is burned? Therefore, 
thus says the Lord God, like the wood of the vine among the 
trees of the forest, which I have given to the fire for fuel, so 
I will give up the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And then the prophet 
Ezekiel in chapter 17. Ezekiel chapter 17, specifically 
at verses 5 to 10. Ezekiel 17.5 Then he took some 
of the seed of the land and planted it in a fertile field. He placed 
it by abundant waters and set it like a willow tree, and it 
grew and became a spreading vine of low stature. Its branches 
turned toward him, but its roots were under it. So it became a 
vine, brought forth branches, and put forth shoots. There was 
another great eagle with large wings and many feathers, and 
behold, this vine bent its roots towards him and stretched its 
branches toward him from the garden terrace where it had been 
planted that he might water it. It was planted in good soil by 
many waters to bring forth branches, bear fruit, and become a majestic 
vine. You see an emphasis like that 
in chapter 19. Chapter 19, specifically at verse 10. Your mother was 
like a vine in your bloodline, planted by the waters, fruitful 
and full of branches because of many waters. She had strong 
branches for scepters of rulers. She towered in stature above 
the thick branches and was seen in her height amid the dense 
foliage. But she was plucked up in fury. She was cast down 
to the ground, and her east wind dried her fruit. Her strong branches 
were broken and withered. The fire consumed them. And now 
she is planted in the wilderness in a dry and thirsty land. Fire 
has come out from a rod of her branches and devoured her fruit 
so that she has no strong branch, a scepter for ruling." Now, intriguingly, 
when Jesus says, I am the true vine, I'll argue in a few minutes 
that he's making a contrast. He's the true vine. All the passages 
that I just read you from the Psalter and the Prophets are 
passages of judgment. This was God's special people, 
Old Covenant Israel. He tended to them like a vineyard. 
He tended to them like a vine. He tended to them with loving 
care and compassion and kindness, but what were they? They were 
rejecters. They were despisers. They were 
incorrigible. They were sinful and rejected 
the terms of the covenant that God had made with them. So those 
were passages announcing judgment to befall Old Covenant Israel. 
So when Jesus says, I am the true vine, He's making a contrast. Remember, the first Adam sinned. The vine sinned, but Christ as 
last Adam and true vine fulfills the covenant obligations placed 
upon Him by God the Father so that He may save His people from 
their sins. Now, as we move to the New Testament 
to further this connection, I would suggest first the declaration 
of Jesus here in verse 1a and then again in verse 5. I am the 
true vine. Verse 5, I am the vine. You are 
the branches. Secondly, we need to give a glance 
back to systematic theology and understand what we're talking 
about in terms of Jesus as the true vine. This is his temporal 
mission as the mediator of the new covenant, the one who assumed 
our humanity. As one man says, there are two 
natures in Christ, the divine and the human. Because of this 
human nature, he is like us and is less than the Father. Because 
of his divine nature, he is like God and above us. Thus he is 
the true vine insofar as he is the head of the church, the man, 
Christ Jesus. Thirdly, the connection made 
by Jesus himself. Again, he's not talking to 21st 
century North American Christians who are adults when it comes 
to their understanding of Scripture. You don't think that when Jesus 
says, I am the good shepherd, he knows what that's going to 
evoke amongst those around him? When he says, I am, you don't 
think that he doesn't know the controversial nature of such 
a claim with his enemies and a time to worship and praise 
and adore him with reference to his friends? When Jesus says, 
I am the true vine, he's not dealing with ignorant men. He's dealing with men that were 
conversant in the Old Testament. And so when Jesus says, I am 
the good shepherd, they would have picked up what he was putting 
down. When Jesus says, I am the true vine, they would have picked 
up what Jesus was putting down. With reference to this, the emphasis 
or accent falls on true. I've already mentioned this, 
the disobedience of Adam, the disobedience of old covenant 
Israel. They forfeit the promised blessings 
attached to covenant. Jesus is the last Adam. Jesus 
as the true vine or true Israel doesn't forfeit. He obeys perfectly 
all that the father had laid upon him and he brings success, 
he brings salvation, he brings eternal life for all those whom 
the father had given him. One man says, the accent here 
on I am the true, this man says to distinguish himself from the 
deformed or spoiled vine, which is the Jewish people. That then 
brings us fourthly to the illustration given by Jesus himself in Matthew 
21. You can turn there. Matthew chapter 
21. Again, just trying to strengthen 
that connection, trying to demonstrate that Jesus is the true vine in 
contrast of, or rather fulfillment of, the vine of Old Covenant 
Israel that was told specifically how they were to function, and 
they disobeyed God. So Jesus, in Matthew 21, I just 
want to say this by way of a corollary. If you really want to understand 
Matthew 24, you've got to start in Matthew 21. If you're familiar 
with the scripture, you'll know that Matthew 24, Luke 21, and 
Mark chapter 13 is referred to as the Olivet Discourse. There 
Jesus prophesies the destruction of the temple. And if you don't 
get beginning in chapter 21, all the background, you're gonna 
stumble when it comes to Matthew 24. And so in Matthew chapter 
21, we have the triumphal entry. Jesus comes triumphantly into 
the city of Jerusalem. Remember, he curses the fig tree 
so that no fruit will ever grow on it again. Is he anti-environment? Is he vicious and cruel and mean? So you just roam around and want 
concrete. No, the fig tree represents old 
covenant Israel. He indicts them and he upbraids 
them and he visits upon them the covenant curses specified 
in the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy. So then Jesus starts 
to teach in parable with reference to his opponents. You can see 
the opponents, notice in chapter 21, verses 23 to 27. They want 
to know, by what authority do you do these things? What gives? What gives you the right to come 
in here and to do these things? Who do you think you are? Then 
Jesus tells the parable of the two sons. The father had two 
sons. One said, I'm not gonna do what 
you tell me to do. The other said, of course, father, 
I'm gonna do what you told me to do. Well, what happens? The 
one who said, I'm not gonna do what you told me to do actually 
does what he was told to do. Now, the son who said, I'll do 
it, father, doesn't do it. Huh, kind of an interesting statement. What's the application? Jesus 
comes to his own, but his own receive him not. But harlots 
and tax collectors are entering the kingdom of heaven and you 
are not. And then that brings us to Jesus 
rehearsing the history of Old Covenant Israel. It really couldn't 
be clearer. I don't know how come so many 
people mess up here, but notice in verses 33 and following. Kind of an interesting illustration, 
especially in light of Isaiah 5. God has a vineyard. God wants fruit from that vineyard. 
God sends people to that vineyard to ensure and make sure that 
fruit comes from the vineyard. Sounds just like Yahweh through 
Isaiah to the nation of Israel in Isaiah five. Again, brethren, 
if we miss that, you can bet assuredly that his contemporaries 
didn't. And you see that as the passage 
evolves. So first, notice the landowner 
sent his servants to collect the fruit or payment, according 
to verse 34. Again, similarly to Isaiah 5, 
verse 2. So he expected it to bring forth 
good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes. Verse 4 in Isaiah 
5, why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, 
did it bring forth wild grapes? And then again in verse 7, he 
looked for justice, but behold, oppression, for righteousness, 
but behold, a cry for help. The expectation of fruit from 
the vineyard is rampant in the teaching ministry of our Lord 
Jesus in Matthew's gospel. He expects fruit from the covenant 
people of God. Notice as well the vinedressers 
beat, kill, and stone the servants. I wonder who those were. They 
were the prophets. This is old covenant Israel. This is what happens. Notice 
in verse 35, the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, 
killed one and stoned another. Micaiah is slapped and thrown 
into prison because Ahab doesn't like what he has to say. Jeremiah 
ends up in straits. We see the killing of prophets 
by Ahab's wife Jezebel, the killing of Uriah, as well the stoning 
of Zechariah according to 2 Chronicles chapter 24. But then notice in 
verse 36, again he sent other servants, more than the first, 
and they did likewise to them. Again, the other Old Testament 
references to the rejection of prophets by Israel, there's a 
lot in there. But then consider in the New 
Testament. Look at Luke 13. Leave your finger there and look 
at Luke 13. Actually, that's not a command. 
You can do whatever you want. You don't have to put your finger 
there. You don't even have to, you know, Put a piece of paper 
there. Look at Luke 13, 35, and note 
what Jesus, I'm sorry, Luke 13, 33, and notice what Jesus says. Luke 13, well, 32, and he said 
to them, go tell that fox. He's talking about Herod. Behold, 
I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and 
the third day I shall be perfected. Nevertheless, I must journey 
today, tomorrow, and the day of following, for it cannot be 
that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. How? It cannot be that a prophet should 
perish outside of Jerusalem. It's on the heels of that that 
Jesus laments then over Jerusalem, which we find parallel in Matthew 
23. But back to the history of Israel. 
We notice as well the emphasis in this particular context. Note 
verse 36, again he sent other servants, more than the first, 
they did likewise to them. That happened with Jesus. That 
happened with the New Testament apostles. That rejection was 
widespread. What does Jesus upbraid the religious 
leadership with specifically in Matthew 23? when he pronounces 
woes upon them. He calls them broods of vipers. 
He condemns specifically their hypocrisy, their culpability 
for the sins of their forefathers because they were duplicating 
them. And then he pronounces judgment upon them, an unequivocal 
language, in 23, 37, and 38. So back to the history, notice 
in 21, 37. The father then says, then last 
of all, he sent his son to them, or Jesus says of the father, 
then last of all, he sent his son to them saying, they will 
respect my son. Now you're all following this, 
right? You're all getting this. Who's 
the son? The son is the one that's indicting 
them. The son is the one sent by the father. The son is the 
one to usher in the blessing of God upon people. But as I 
said, he came to his own, his own received him not. Now notice 
what they do. So the supposition is, and it's 
spoken in the manner of men. God knew precisely what was going 
to happen in the sending of the son of his love. He knew, of 
course, that he would be despised, he would be rejected. He records 
that for us in the prophet Isaiah, a man of sorrows and acquainted 
with grief, all that. He's writing or he's talking 
or he's speaking in the manner of men. So there's this supposition 
that, of course, they'll respect my sign. Of course, they may 
have had a problem with my hired men, they may have had a problem 
with my prophets, but the sign that they really must receive 
with open arms and provide the fruit that is necessary for the 
vineyard. Notice in verse 38, but when 
the vine dressers saw the son, they said among themselves, this 
is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize 
his inheritance. So they took him and cast him 
out of the vineyard and killed him. And then note how it then 
turns. Verse 40, therefore, when the 
owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine 
dressers? This is an instance where they properly understand 
the interpretation of the parable. Note 41, they said to him, he 
will destroy those wicked men miserably and lease his vineyard 
to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their 
seasons. Jesus said to them, have you 
never read in the scriptures, the stone which the builders 
rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's 
doing and it is marvelous in our eyes. Of course they had 
read that. Of course they had sung it, of 
course they had chanted it, but when the embodiment of the Psalter 
is standing before them, the very Son of God sent by the Father 
to bring blessing upon sinners, they seize Him, they cast Him 
out, they ultimately crucify Him. Jesus says, this is according 
to the prophetic word as found in the book of Psalms. Now note 
the very specific application of our Lord to these people, 
verse 43. Therefore, I say to you, the 
kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation 
bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone 
will be broken, but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to 
powder. Did they have a change of heart? 
Were they repentant? Did they say, oh, we better, 
you know, reform our ways? No, verse 45, no, when the chief 
priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they perceived that 
he was speaking of them. I don't know why we in the church 
today don't perceive that he was speaking of them, but that's 
one of those quite interesting conundrums in biblical interpretation. 
But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitudes 
because they took him for a prophet. Then that brings us, fifthly, 
in terms of our broad walk-through New Testament revelation, the 
judgment pronounced by Jesus. Again, look at verse 43, "...therefore 
I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and 
given to a nation, bearing the fruits of it." Huh? What's he 
talking about? Well, just listen to the text. 
He continues to butt heads with the religious leadership in chapter 
22. He gives the parable of the wedding 
feast, and then there's direct confrontation in terms of question 
and answer. They hit him with questions. 
He answers. He turns on its head at the end 
of chapter 22 and says, I've got a question for you. Who is 
Messiah? Who is Messiah? Verse 43, he 
said to them, how then does David and the Spirit call him Lord, 
saying, the Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand till I make 
your enemies your footstool. That brings us into chapter 23. What happens there? Tea time? 
Let's have a nice little chat. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, 
hypocrites, over and over and over and over again, culminating 
in another declaration of judgment upon that generation. Notice 
in 2331, therefore, you are witnesses against yourselves that you are 
sons of those who murder the prophets. Fill up then the measure 
of your father's guilt, serpents, brood of vipers, Brethren, this 
is not characteristic of our Lord according to His humanity 
on His temporal mission. When He's walking down the street 
and He sees a Samaritan woman at the well, He doesn't say, 
you brood of a viper, you hypocrite, you horrible monster, you ghoul 
of ghouls. He doesn't do that. He doesn't 
excuse her in her sin, go call your husband, that's right, you've 
had several, and the one you're with is not your husband. But 
he reserves this hard language for the religious leadership 
that knew the covenant of God, knew the prophecies of God, of 
the sending of the Son of His love, and when the Son of His 
love came, they crucified the Lord of glory. Jesus upbraids 
them. Notice again, verse 33, serpents, 
brood of vipers, how can you escape the condemnation of hell? 
Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men and scribes. Some of them you will kill and 
crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues 
and persecute from city to city. Again, read the book of Acts. 
It's all you have to do. It's right there. Book of Acts. 
And then notice in verse 35, a pronouncement of judgment specifically 
upon them. That on you may come all the 
righteous blood shed on the earth from the blood of righteous Abel 
to the blood of Zechariah, son of Arachiah, whom you murdered 
between the temple and the altar. In English, this plays well. 
A to Z. Abel to Zechariah. It plays well 
in the Hebrew canon as well. The first book of the Bible, 
Genesis, in the Hebrew canon. Genesis, Abel. What's the last 
book in the Hebrew canon? 2 Chronicles, Zechariah. Jesus is lowering the boom upon 
these people. Notice, he then tells us Again, 
unequivocally, with no room to wriggle out of it, when this 
is going to happen? Verse 36, Assuredly, I say to 
you, all these things, what things, Jesus? The things I just said, 
huh? All these things will come upon 
this generation. From this, the Lord Jesus, again, 
according to his humanity here, the prophet, comes to lament. Oh, Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the 
one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to 
her. How often I wanted to gather your children together as a hen 
gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 
See, your house is left to you desolate. For I say to you, you 
shall see me no more till you say, blessed is he who comes 
in the name of the Lord. Now we come to all of it. We 
come to the prophetic statement concerning the absolute destruction 
of this city and temple. So verse one, then Jesus went 
out and departed from the temple and his disciples came up to 
show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, 
do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not 
one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be 
thrown down. It's special pleading, brethren, 
and bad exegesis to read a rebuilt temple into Matthew 24. Jesus 
is talking about the then standing temple. And just so we understand 
what he's talking about, after showing them the horror show 
of what we'll obtain in AD 70, when the city is surrounded by 
the Roman armies and decimated, the city and their temple, Jesus 
again gives us another understanding as to when this will happen. 
Look at verse 34, "...Assuredly, I say to you, this generation 
will by no means pass away till all these things take place." 
He's prophesying the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem in 
AD 70. And again, if you've got a mind for the Old Testament, 
this ain't new. What's God's covenant curses 
associated with disobedience upon the old covenant people 
of God, Leviticus 26 and Deuteronomy 28? Destruction, decimation, 
exile. Did God ever do that? Yes, he 
did it in 722 BC, when the northern tribes went a-whoring from God, 
he raised up Assyria to be the chasing hand of God upon them. 
They didn't learn from that, because in 587-86, we see them 
going astray. They had been pleaded with by 
prophets. God raises up Nebuchadnezzar, 
whom he calls, my servant, and the Babylonians to go decimate 
Jerusalem and her temple. And lo and behold, the same sorts 
of sins are obtained in this particular section. And Jesus 
prophesied the very similar destruction and decimation upon that generation. J.C. Ryle said, a time came when 
the long-suffering of God towards the Jews had an end. Forty years 
after our Lord's death, the cup of their iniquity was at length 
full, and they received a heavy chastisement for their many sins. 
Their holy city, Jerusalem, was destroyed. Their temple was burned. 
They themselves were scattered over the face of the earth. The 
kingdom of God was taken from them and given to a nation, bringing 
forth the fruits thereof. This isn't tough, brethren. What's tough is when we have 
a pre-commitment to an eschatological scheme and then we read that 
into various texts. We take our eschatology from 
the text of Scripture. We don't place it upon the text 
of Scripture as if it then is the controlling feature that 
we have to make text fit in order to sustain our particular eschatological 
approach. Spurgeon makes a similar observation. As a class, the religious leaders 
of the Jews were guilty of the blood of a long line of prophets, 
and they were about to crown their long career of crime by 
the murder of the Son of God himself. In the destruction of 
Jerusalem, the God of heaven visited them and dealt out just 
punishment to them. The siege of the city and the 
massacre of the inhabitants was a terrible avenging of the innocent 
blood which the people and their rulers had shed. For just some 
bonus points, I would like to add that I think that the book 
of Revelation corresponds to the Olivet Discourse. What's 
John's point in the Revelation? the destruction of Jerusalem 
and the theological implications associated with that. There's 
two beasts, brethren, in Revelation 13. There's a beast from the 
sea, I think, that represents the civil government. The Roman 
Empire is the background. But the beast from the land? 
It's the godless, reprobate persons that continue to reject the Lord 
Jesus Christ as Messiah and continue their rampage against the church 
all throughout. So the Book of Revelation is 
the expanded version of the Olivet Discourse. Now we can disagree 
on this. I'm not going to say you're a bad person because you 
don't see it my way, but I think it makes the most sense. Even 
those from other interpretative schools say that the Olivet Discourse 
is the little apocalypse. That's right, it's the little 
apocalypse. You get amplification and theological 
implication and expansion with the big apocalypse, which is 
the book of Revelation. And then the sixth thing I want 
us to direct our attention to is the covenantal union between 
Jesus and the church explained by the apostles. So if Jesus 
is the true vine, I think the argument is simple. Those in 
him, are participants in the true vine. Right? So there's a lot that can be 
said and perhaps will be said, but you just need to see this 
identification. I think Westminster Larger Catechism 
number 31 asks a good question. With whom was this covenant of 
grace made? The covenant of grace was made 
with Christ as the second Adam, I put parenthetically, and true 
Israel, and in him with all the elect as his seed. So how do 
the apostles, treat this doctrine? How do the apostles treat this 
subject? You're probably familiar, if 
you've been here at any time, for any amount of time, you've 
heard the word dispensationalism. Dispensationalism is the view 
that is opposite to what I am preaching here. I'm not saying 
they're hell-bound. I'm not saying they're ghoul 
of ghouls. I'm not saying they're the vile sinners out there and 
reprobate. I'm not saying that. But it is a different interpretation 
of the biblical data, and what drives it is what they champion, 
called the literal hermeneutic. That's among many other things, 
but they're literal. In other words, if there's a 
promise made to ethnic Israel in the Old Covenant, that promise 
has to be fulfilled to ethnic Israel in the New Covenant or 
in the Millennial Kingdom. Those promises made to ethnic 
Israel are fulfilled in Jesus. In him, all the promises of God 
are yea and amen. What about the land promise? 
When Abraham is told to look north, to look south, to look 
east, and to look west, this was not just the physical confines 
of Israel. In the hand of the apostle Paul, 
the land promise pertains to the seed of Abraham, which is 
Jesus, that he would be the heir of the world, according to Romans 
4.13. What about Romans 2? Who's a 
true Jew, according to Paul? Is he one that is circumcised 
externally? Is he one that went to the moil 
and had the deed done? No, he's a true Jew who's circumcised 
inwardly. In other words, he's born again. As well, look at the book of 
Galatians. Galatians chapter 6. Galatians 
chapter 6. And I've seen the attempts to 
evade the clear meaning of Paul's words here, but they are not 
adequate to do justice to this text. Interestingly, that Paul 
is writing to predominantly Gentile churches in the region of Southern 
Galatia. And in Galatians 6.16, he says, and as many as walk 
according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon them and upon 
the Israel of God. What's Paul's point? Paul's point 
is that Jesus is the true vine. Jesus fulfills all that old covenant 
Israel was supposed to be. So ergo, Jesus is Israel. He's the prince with God. He 
is the one. He is the seed. Remember Westminster 
Larger Catechism? We in Him. So I would suggest 
that the terminology Israel of God is nomenclature or language 
or jargon that simply means the people of God. So Paul says, 
peace be upon the Israel of God. But notice what else Paul says 
in Ephesians, I'm sorry, Philippians chapter three. Philippians chapter 
three, he's combating Judaizing. What's Judaizing? Again, look 
at the book of Acts, look at the book of Galatians. You'll 
see that Judaizers were those who came to the churches that 
Paul had evangelized, Paul had founded, Paul had planted. And 
the Judaizer says, it's good that you believe that Jesus is 
the Messiah, but you need to get circumcised. You need to 
obey the Jewish calendar. You need to not only become Christians, 
but you need to become Jews. And that's what we had to do. 
We had to be circumcised. We had to obey the calendar. 
We still do. So therefore, the Gentiles that are being incorporated, 
they must do that as well. Again, Acts 15 rejects that notion. Acts 15 says, no, that's not 
the case. Acts 15 says, no, that's absolutely contrary to a gospel 
of free and sovereign grace. It's by faith alone. To notice 
in Philippians 3, his combatant is the Judaizer, and notice how 
he refutes it. Verse 1, Paul does not have an 
aversion to canines, except maybe pit bulls. Beware of dogs. If you're familiar 
at all, you'll know that the Jews would wake up in the morning 
and they would thank God for three things. Thank you that 
I'm not a woman. Thank you that I'm not a slave. And thank you 
that I'm not a Gentile. Thank you that I'm not a dog. 
That's what they would refer to the Gentile. I'm not picking 
on anybody. I'm just giving you the facts. Somebody's gonna go 
write the federal office and say, that was anti-Semitic. It's 
Bible exposition, brethren. is Bible exposition. People may 
not like to hear it, people may not enjoy it, but am I imposing 
on the text? He says, beware of dogs, beware 
of evil workers. Why are they evil workers? Because 
they're trying to add something to faith in Jesus to complete 
your salvation. And then he says, beware of the 
mutilation. That's a take on their practice 
of circumcision. They're just mutilating. They're 
collecting foreskins. And I know that sounds crass, 
but he says as much in Galatians 5. They're boasting in foreskins 
collected. Then notice what he goes on to 
say in verse 3, for we are the circumcision. Who's the we? Paul, a Jewish believer? The 
Philippians, Gentile believers? In other words, the people of 
God, they're the Israel of God. And so those conventions and 
those language tokens are applied to the new covenant people of 
God. This is why it's not wrong for us to speak of Zion or Jerusalem, 
because the prophets hold that out, but we make the spiritual 
application as we're led by the apostles to do. Notice in the 
book of Hebrews, and again, I think Paul wrote it, Paul wrote this, 
and again, notice what he says. Hebrews chapter 12, beginning 
in verse 18, we won't read the whole section, but notice in 
verse 18, for you have not come to the mountain that may be touched 
and that burned with fire into blackness and darkness and tempest, 
and the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words, so that those 
who heard it begged that the word should not be spoken to 
them anymore. That's Sinai, right? It's Old Covenant. It's the thundering 
and the lightning of Jehovah on Mount Sinai. Don't let anybody 
near this mountain or I will kill them, basically. Now note 
the contrast in verse 22, but you. You, Jewish believers to 
be sure, but Gentile participants as well. Paul wrote Hebrews, 
he knows that, because in Ephesians chapter two, he takes great pains 
to make sure that we don't separate the people of God. The glory 
of the coming of Christ is that he made the two into one new 
man. He didn't keep them apart. He 
brought them under His banner of love and grace. He brought 
them together to fulfill what had been a mystery, namely in 
Ephesians 2, Gentile inclusion in the covenant promises of God. 
Not that it wasn't present in the Old Testament, the oracle 
of Noah. Japheth finds refuge in the tents of Shem. Well, you 
read down a little bit further, you'll see that Japheth is Gentile 
peoples. Psalm 117, the smallest, shortest 
psalm in all of this altar. What's it about? Gentile inclusion 
in the covenant promises of God. What do you think the promises 
to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob meant? In you, all the nations 
of the earth shall be blessed, all the families of the earth 
shall be blessed. That didn't ultimately focus on Abraham, 
Isaac, and Jacob, but on their seed, the true vine, the Lord 
Jesus, who did what Israel of old failed, and what Adam failed. 
Jesus is successful. So you have come to Mount Zion 
and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, 
to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assembly 
and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven. That's 
church language. And Paul includes Jews and Gentiles. Look at 1 Peter 2. 1 Peter 2. Specifically at verse four, coming 
to him as to a living stone rejected indeed by men, but chosen by 
God and precious. You also as living stones are 
being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood to offer up 
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 
Therefore it is also contained in the scripture behold I lay 
in Zion a chief cornerstone elect Precious and he who believes 
on him will by no means be put to shame Therefore to you who 
believe he is precious but to those who are disobedient the 
stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone 
and a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense They stumble 
being disobedient to the word to which they were also appointed 
or also were appointed now before I read the next verse I'm going 
to ask you to think about some of the concepts or terms you've heard 
thus far This is, verse nine is right out of Exodus. Verse 
nine is Exodus 19, five and six, applied to Old Covenant Israel. 
But look as well at that particular word there, or let's just read 
the text. But you are a chosen generation, 
a royal priesthood, a holy nation. who his own special people that 
you may proclaim the praises of him who called you out of 
darkness into his marvelous light, who once were not a people, but 
are now the people of God, who had not obtained mercy, but now 
have obtained mercy." What is Peter doing? What is Paul doing? They're telling us that by virtue 
of the true vine, which is Jesus, He is the fulfillment of all 
that old covenant Israel failed, and that in Jesus, the true Israel 
of God, all those who believe by grace are counted as the Israel 
of God, the people of God. Now that brings us then finally 
to some concluding thoughts, and I'll be quick here. And I'll 
put something that I was gonna do this morning, we'll put it 
up to next Sunday morning. Try to be mindful, I know you 
have little children, sometimes they get a bit fidgety, and I 
don't want them to get in trouble. So let's first look at the identification, 
not first, but let's just quickly run through the identification 
of the Israel of God. You need to remember first the 
apostasy of Old Covenant Israel. That's what Jesus is dealing 
with there in Matthew 21 to 24. Anybody could get that. I hope 
that you see that. As well, brethren, and this is 
kind of where I'm going because I know politically, the Middle 
East is charged right now. There's a lot going on in Israel. 
But theologically, there are persons who are believers that 
think it's perfectly appropriate to pray Genesis 12.3, blessing 
those who bless you and cursing those who curse you, for the 
modern political state of Israel. Now, I'm not suggesting don't 
pray for the modern state of Israel, but I'm suggesting that 
you learn your covenant theology. The system of religion that we 
call Judaism, it's not friendly to Christianity. It is antithetical. It is a denial of Jesus. For 
instance, references to Jesus in the Talmud. In terms of his 
origin, he's the bastard son of a harlot who had relations 
with carpenters. In terms of his ability, he was 
a magician, not a sage. In terms of his followers, they 
are to be rejected. And I'm not saying, you know, 
if you think about it, these are pretty brazen declarative 
statements in terms of their place relative to Jesus. He's 
repugnant, according to the Talmud. So I ask you, if we invoke Genesis 
12.3 and pray it for the modern political state of Israel, that's 
misguided, brethren. based on an eschatology that 
I think is incorrect. I think it's based upon a reading 
that does precisely what Paul does opposite in Ephesians 2. 
It separates what Christ has joined together. And it goes 
like this. God's dealing with the Gentile 
church presently, but a time is coming when she's gonna be 
raptured out of the way. There's gonna be this great travail 
or tribulation on the nation state of Israel. Depending on 
your particular brand or variety, Jesus comes after that and establishes 
an earthly kingdom. He rules from Jerusalem, and 
there's a great time of blessing upon the political state of Israel. Again, I ask you, is that the 
contours of Genesis chapter 12? Secondly, we need to remember 
what I would say is the legitimacy of covenant theology. Now, for 
those of you visiting on the one hand, I'm sorry, But for 
those of you who are with us, I'm not. We're a Reformed church, 
brethren. Reformed means covenant theology, 
or should mean it. The detractors of the view that 
I am preaching here, and again, there's a group called dispensationalists. I wanna make sure I qualify. 
I'm not saying they're going to hell for holding these positions. 
I think they should go back to Sunday school and then learn 
these positions, but that's a different story. They call what I'm espousing 
replacement theology. The church has replaced Israel. I prefer fulfillment or covenant 
theology. The drift of redemptive history 
in the old covenant lands on Jesus and his church. That's 
not replacement, that's fulfillment. That's Paul saying all the promises 
of God are yay and amen in him. As well, the detractors of the 
view that I'm preaching based on a literal hermeneutic Again, 
they say that promises made to old covenant Israel, ethnic Israel, 
must be fulfilled with ethnic Israel. That's curious in light 
of what John the Baptist says when he rebukes those who are 
coming to him. And in Matthew chapter three, 
verse nine, he says, do not think to say to yourselves, we have 
Abraham as our father. For I say to you that God is 
able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones. If he can take stones and make 
them sons of Abraham, he can take a ragtag band of Gentiles 
and make them sons of Abraham. As well, the patriarch Abraham 
would approve our praying, I'll argue, and I'll maintain this, 
and if in heaven I'm wrong, he'll correct me. He would see it very 
appropriately to pray Genesis 12.3 for the church. The people of God, the Israel 
of God, the blood-bought children of the true vine, the one who 
fulfills what Adam forfeit, the one who fulfills what Old Covenant 
Israel forfeit. Thirdly, when you look at the 
Apostolic hermeneutic in the New Testament, it yields this 
view. Again, Romans 4.13, he inherits 
the world. the application of promises made 
to Old Covenant Israel, taken right out of Exodus 19 and applied 
to the church in 1 Peter 2. A couple of the churches in Asia 
Minor, according to the book of Revelation, there were churches 
that were faced with synagogues of Satan. That's curious language, 
not mosques of Islam. I know that would come later, 
I'm not adult. Not the Roman Catholic temples or tabernacles 
or churches. But the synagogue of Satan? Why? Because that was who was trying 
to extinguish the early Christian movement as they profess faith 
in Jesus as the Messiah of Israel. As we see in the life and ministry 
of Jesus, they did not take kindly to his claims of divinity. They 
did not take kindly of his claims in terms of temporal mission. 
They didn't like him calling the father, my father. That didn't 
change in the book of Acts. I mean, Paul would go to synagogues, 
and what would happen? Oh, we love you and thank you, 
Paul, for bringing this light to us. Nope, nope, and nope. I would suggest, fourthly, there's 
a challenge presented, and I don't want to deal too long with this, 
but I just want you to know that I'm conscious of this challenge, 
the challenge of Romans 11. Romans 11 seems to indicate a 
mass conversion of ethnic Jews. I will say that there are two, 
within the realm of the Reformed history, two good approaches 
to Romans 11. One I would call the Puritan 
hope view, which is espoused by Ian Murray, and it basically 
says that after a lot of Gentiles are saved, then a lot of Jews 
will be saved. And then there's old Palmer Robertson, 
again, within the reform community, that basically argues that Paul 
is dealing with the present. In other words, Paul's time. 
And that what Romans 11 is not doing is demanding a specific 
eschatology relative to what he's teaching. Now, I just throw 
that out there to further confuse, but I will tell you, if there's 
a challenge of Romans 11, I would say fifthly, there is the clarity 
of Romans 11. And the clarity is this, that 
whichever view you happen to adopt, whatever way you read 
Romans 11, Whichever you feel best represents what Paul wrote 
in Romans 11, neither view espouses a salvation based on race. It does not espouse a geopolitical 
future for national Israel. Now, if that happens, it's under 
the providence of God, but it's not tied to biblical prophecy. Why? Because all the promises 
of God are yea and amen in Jesus. The true Israel, the true vine, 
the elect in him, using that constant biblical language with 
reference to family of God is the Israel of God. If we are 
Gentiles, by race, believing on the Lord Jesus Christ through 
grace, then Scripture says we're the Israel of God. Conversely, 
ethnic Israel, ethnic Jews, resisting and rejecting the Lord of glory 
now, like they did when He came, like they did in the book of 
Acts, they're not the Israel of God. So it's a very simple 
identification. And I'll end here. What then 
ought to be our exhortation to ethnic Israel today or to ethnic 
Jews today? Well, let me turn you to the 
book of Acts. Acts chapter two, and this is a good place to end. 
Acts chapter two. Peter preaches on the day of 
Pentecost. Peter is preaching to Jerusalem 
sinners. Peter is preaching to those ethnic 
Jews who did not receive Jesus. He's preaching to guilty sinners. He's preaching to vile sinners. He's preaching to horrible sinners. 
And again, if we were there, we would have participated in 
it. We're wretched too. I'm not saying that we're not 
sinful, but notice he brings the sermon to a conclusion in 
verse 36. Therefore, let all the house of Israel know assuredly 
that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord 
and Christ. Doesn't want them to forget their 
sin, doesn't want to forget their transgression. So what do we 
do then? That's it, you're done, it's 
over, you're reprobate. No, that's not what Peter does. 
Now, when they heard this, they were caught to the heart and 
said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, men and brethren, 
what shall we do to be saved or what shall we do? And Peter 
said to them, repent and let every one of you be baptized 
in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you 
shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit for the promises 
to you and to your children and to all who are far off, as many 
as the Lord our God will call. What's the answer to ethnic Jews 
today? What's the answer to those practicing 
Judaism? Repent, believe on the Lord Jesus 
Christ, and don't think for a moment that because of your old covenant 
pedigree, you're going to be included in some future promise 
apart from faith in Jesus Christ. We're doing them a disservice 
when we're just praying God's blessing upon them as if they 
are already his people. That is disservice, brethren. Jews need to hear that Jesus 
is the Messiah, that He is the answer to all of the promises 
of God, and that He is the answer to guilty, vile, helpless sinners, 
that whoever looks to Him in faith will have everlasting life. Let us pray. Our Father in heaven, 
we thank you for your word. We thank you for the glory of 
our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the true vine. And that shows 
us so much, metaphorically, about our connection to him as the 
branches, but as well, theologically, his connection to Old Covenant 
Israel and how he fulfills all that was laid upon them. We bless 
you and we praise you that as a result of that, we have been 
blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places 
in Christ Jesus. Be glorified, bless the proclamation 
of your truth as it goes forth throughout this earth. We do 
pray for ethnic Jews, for those practicing Judaism, those practicing 
Islam, those practicing a whole host of false religions, that 
you would send forth your gospel, conquering and to conquer, and 
call them out of darkness into marvelous light. And we pray 
this through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen. Well, we'll close 
our service now by singing.