“Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem” — Mission Forgotten

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We have a few brief hours to embrace an aspect of our mission that I think we’ve largely forgotten, namely, praying for the peace of Jerusalem. What does it mean to pray for the peace of Jerusalem? Jerusalem will never have peace until they recognize the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6). Some we can reach now, in which case they become a member of the Church. Some will not believe until it’s the last hope in a very, very dark, and painful world after the rapture of the Church. Let’s make sure that we have uttered a prayer for that nation. They are surrounded by enemies. They are facing from a human point of view, certain annihilation. You know, Henry Kissinger said in ten years there will be no nation of Israel. That’s the best joke I’ve heard in a long, long time. They will never be driven out. So how can you know? I’m asked this question all the time. How can you know? How can you know that they won’t be driven out and scattered again and things that go on for a thousand years? Well, I have good news and bad news. The good news is they’re there to stay. The bad news is you don’t have another thousand years. We’d like to think that we do. But we are are at the conclusion of our short paragraph in history.

Check out Isaiah 11:11. The prophet foresaw that there would be two dispersions and two returns, and “after the second time” God will re-gather them and then will return. And, folks, it has happened! And He’s coming. Israel is not going to be driven out, but it’s going to be painful in the extreme. A third of those who survive into that time are going to believe (Zechariah 13:8).

We have a mission mandate, and that mandate is to all the nations of the world. But I do believe that there is a specific focus of that mandate and that that aspect of the mandate is with special attention to the children of Israel. Israel is a burning passion in the heart of the impossible and should be to you and me. You remember that Paul in Colossians 1:24 that it was his pleasure “to suffer on their behalf because he was filling up that which was lacking in the sufferings of Christ.” Paul saw very clearly that it was his responsibility as a member of the Body of Christ to continue what His Lord had begun, what Christ came to do. That’s what Paul was here for, and what Christ died for. That was what Paul was willing to die for and therefore to carry on Christ’s ministry. And Paul, in Romans 10:1, we see how he makes this a little bit more specific. “ Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.”

You know, my friends, the Bible commands us to “pray for the peace of Jerusalem” comes from Psalm 122. What does it mean to pray for the peace of Jerusalem? When you and I pray for the peace of Jerusalem, there will be no peace in Jerusalem until Jerusalem and Israel receives the prince of peace. And therefore, we pray for the opening of their eyes. Have you ever thought that a prayer that you utter today could impact the soul of someone who will live in the next dispensation? A thousand years before Christ, David prayed for us in the Psalm 102. This is similar to when Paul says, “My heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.” Don’t you think, Paul, being doctrinally accurate and having the mystery of a new creation revealed to him would just say, “Who cares about them?” And “we’re done with them.” “We’ve moved on to new ground.” A thousand years before Christ came, there was someone praying for you.

David, by the way, often praise as an expression of the trials of Messiah when He would come. I like the way Dietrich Bonhoeffer puts it. He said, “When you read the prayers of David, you are reading the prayers of Messiah, because the prayers that David prayed, Messiah prayed when he was here.” Interesting thought, isn’t it? Psalm 102 is picturing the whole history of the nation of Israel, which is summarized in brief in Revelation Chapter 12, which tells us that “the woman will conceive and bear a child,” and because of that child that she brings, she “will be driven into the wilderness.” The hatred against the nation of Israel that existed in David’s day and the hatred that existed against Israel in the time of Nazi Germany, and that exists today comes from the same source. It’s satanic in origin because Satan still knows that God’s plan for those people is not done. And so Satan stalks to the woman who is in travail. Psalm 102 says in part, “But you all Lord shall endure forever, And the remembrance of your name to all generations. You will arise and have mercy on Zion for the time to savor her. Yes, the time that was set has come.” What time is he talking about? Jesus Christ’s Second Advent, right? The Psalmist continues, “Your glory for the Lord shall build up Zion. He shall appear in His glory. He will regard the prayer of the afflicted. He will not despise their prayer.” Did you get the message that he just said this that is promised is going to happen? “He will not despise their prayer.”

Now, get this, because here is the kicker in Psalm 102:18, “This will be written for a generation to come. There are people yet to be created, may praise the Lord.” Do you see the church there? He’s not just talking about the next generation of Jews. He’s not just talking about another generation. He’s talking about a new people. Generation is often used for race that are race yet to come of people yet to be created. I believe that David here anticipated, and maybe because of something He saw in the writing of Moses, Moses knew there was more to be revealed, but he knew that it was not for the children of Israel, it was for someone else. David knew that the things he wrote would be an encouragement and a strength to a people who did not yet exist. He didn’t know who they were. He didn’t know what they would be called. The idea of church never entered his mind. The concept of being in Christ was beyond his ability to comprehend. Although I would say that of all the prophets of the Old Testament, no one came as close to church age truth as did David in the Psalms. The Psalms are timeless and express the prayers of Christ. I would even be willing to bet that the Lord Jesus Christ had the entire Psalms memorized and uttered each of them at their proper place throughout the time of his pilgrimage on this earth may be continues to pray them. Who knows? He intercedes in our behalf. If David had a concern for a people that would not yet be created, how much concern can you and I have for a people who preceded us?

If the last are going to be first, how great will they be? Paul asked the question in Romans 11 If their casting off is the salvation of the world, what will their reception be but a resurrection from the dead? It’s going to be something amazing. Pray for the opening of their eyes. Our nation is no longer a friend to Israel as we have been. But somewhere there has to be a people that will not only pray for that nation and speak out for that nation, but if necessary, shelter that nation. Those Christians who fought in the resistance for the sake of the Jewish people, they did what the church is supposed to do. And through their dedication and devotion, many, many people of the Jewish nation have come to Christ. Many people will yet come to Christ. How many will come to Christ because you played your part?

Let’s pray that you and I can play the part through our prayers. Stand up for them, be their advocate, be their defender, and above all, be their intercessor. It will make a difference. The priesthood after the order of Melchizedek. See the previous video “I will bless those who bless you – Mission Forgotten” for more detail.

Gene Cunningham - August 24, 2022

"When Jesus heard it, He marveled..."

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Matthew Chapter Eight contains one of my favorite stories. “When Jesus entered Capernaum, a centurion came to him...” To be a centurion, you had to be a commander proven on the battlefield. This man is a warrior and a Roman gentile. “A centurion came to Him pleading with Him, saying, Lord, my servant is lying at home, paralyzed and dreadfully tormented.” How many military commanders in the ancient world in Rome, which had 60 million slaves could care less about their servant? Most servant masters would’ve just killed him and acquired another one. That was the typical attitude in those days. There's something different about this man. His faith was working through love. Don't ever forget it. Faith doesn't work through fear. Faith works through love. If you want to serve the Lord, you develop a love for Him through His word and through letting His love come into you through his word. Do that and you won't have to wonder if you are doing enough for the Lord. You’ll just live your life in gratitude, and you'll serve Him just fine. “Jesus said to him, ‘I will come and heal him.’ The centurion answered and said, ‘Lord’.” That tells us something right there. He continues, “I am not worthy that you should enter my roof.” I'm not worthy. Most of us in those days, if we went to the Man that the whole nation was talking about -- the miracle worker, the preacher that moved multitudes -- and he said, “I will come.” You're thinking, “I hope the wife has the house clean. I hope she's got something that we can feed Him. You’d think, “Won’t my neighbors be impressed when I come down the street with the Prophet from Nazareth.” Right? This centurion is so humble and lets us have an insight into his thinking. The centurion said, “Only speak a word and my servant will be healed.” Do you think this centurion believed in the power of the Word of God? Do you think that you and I can go to the Lord Jesus Christ through the power of the Holy Spirit as we address our prayers to the Father and say, “Lord, I have this problem. I've got a financial problem. I've got a health problem. All you must do is speak the word, and it's gone.” And if you pray that prayer and it's not gone, and the Lord didn't speak the word, are you willing to accept that? Because if you're not, you're not humble you and you're not living by faith. Most Christians believe that God can do everything they want him to do. To some he's Santa Claus or a miracle worker or a magician. The centurion lets us in on something else. He said, “I am also a man under authority.” Notice that he doesn't say I am a man “in authority.” What a difference to have someone, who is in the hierarchy of the Roman Empire, who has many, many levels of authority over him and many under him, but his focus is the authority over him. The centurion is authority oriented. By his understanding of the Lord, the centurion saw a correlation to authority within the Roman military and authority under the God of heaven. He continued, “I am a man under authority having soldiers under me. And I say to this one, ‘Go’ and he goes and to another, ‘Come’ and he comes.’” So why do those under him obey him? Not because of who he is or because of his authority, but because of the authority above him. “And I say to my servant, do this. And he does it. When Jesus heard it, He marveled and said to those who followed, ‘Assured I say to you, I have not found such great faith, not even in Israel.’” Imagine today that if you and I began to live by the faith this centurion had. He didn't know nearly as much as most of you know. We could say it's not how much you know, it's WHO you know. Right? Most of the great heroes of the Bible knew so much less than you know, and they had enough faith to work mighty, mighty works. Joseph, for example, went down to Egypt. His brothers hated him. They tried to kill him. They sold him into slavery. He moves into the house of Potter. He's falsely accused. He ends up in prison. He keeps trusting and finally ends up in a position second to the prime minister of Egypt. Then when he delivers his family and his brothers, when Jacob dies and they're afraid he's going to take revenge, he responds, “You intended to me for evil. But God intended it for good.” He had faith like this, a faith that says, “God is in control, and I trust Him.”