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Missions in the OT

From the beginning of the revelation of God to mankind His has shown His commitment to reconciling His fallen creation back to Himself

+Why would anyone give up his life to be a missionary? Need to help people (the privileged helping the under-privileged)

A feeling of compassion (feeling sorry for someone – could be a response of guilt)

Spirit of adventure, a new experience, or see the world (quickly fades into routine and normal, ceases to be exotic)

Prove something to somebody, be somebody important (selfish motivation)

The heart of God becomes our heart (unselfish motivation)

The expressed will of God (desire to please God and be obedient)

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+Purpose of God in the OT

God created the world and mankind to share it with Him in perfect harmony

God foreknew sin would exist, so He allowed it and planned the solution once and for all

Sin was so horrible and detestable to God that one sin condemned the entire human race and all creation

Sin was so wicked that the only satisfactory payment was God Himself suffering His own just wrath

Sin is so pervasive that only a gift of God’s righteousness, accepted by trusting His Word, would be acceptable

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+2-fold Purpose of Israel’s election

Serve the family that would bring the Messiah (Gen 12:1-3) “Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go out from your country, your relative, and your father’s household to the land that I will show you. Then I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you, and I will make your name great, so that you will exemplify divine blessing… and all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Be a spiritual light to the rest of the world (Isa 42:6-7) “I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I will protect you and make you a covenant mediator for people, and a light to the nations, to open blind eyes, to release prisoners from dungeons, those who live in darkness from prisons.

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+Protoevangelium

God told Adam He would send a “seed of the woman” who would destroy Satan and sin (Gen 3:15), “I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring, her offspring will attack your head, and you will attack her offspring’s heel.”

This Word from God could be trusted and shared worldwide

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+Summary of OT revelations of God1. He is the God of history – which is not a flow of

random events, but God working out a plan which was conceived in eternity past and will be fulfilled in the future time and eternity.

2. He is the God of the covenant – He makes and keeps His promises in His time.

3. He is the God of blessing – “I will bless you” (Gen 12:2)

4. He is the God of mercy – Heaven will contain the company of the redeemed “a great multitude which no man could number”

5. He is the God of mission – The nations are not gathered automatically. God promised to bless “all the families of the earth”, through “Abraham’s seed” (Gen 12:3; 22:18) – We are the “seed of Abraham” by faith and the families of the earth are waiting to be blessed.

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+Missions in the OT

Noah’s command: “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth” (Gen 9:1) – but man disobeyed by congregating and refusing to disperse – too risky?

By 2000 BC God revealed Himself to Abraham: “in you all the families of the earth will be blessed” (Gen 12:3)

He would become a “father of nations” by sharing his promise of “righteousness” by faith (Gen 15:6NIV, “Abram believed the Lord , and the Lord credited it to him as righteousness.”)

Israel missed this vital concept that Paul clarified in Rom 4:5-10

Job and Abraham were contemporaries – knowledge of God was significant

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+Missions in the OT

600 years later God calls Moses to lead people out of Egypt,(1400 BC) “in order to show you my power and in order to proclaim my name through all the earth” (Ex 9:16).

God wants His name known because of what it provides: perfect righteousness and full acceptance.

God gave the law to force men to seek a solution outside themselves Gal 3:24, “the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith”

900 years of Historical Books (Joshua to Nehemiah) God providential reveals His help, so “all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the Lord is mighty…” (Josh 4:24)

At the Temple dedication, Solomon said, “in order that the peoples of the earth may know Your name” (1 Ki 8:41-43)

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+Missions in the OT

400 years of Major and Minor Prophets (800-400 BC) were to “make known His deeds among the peoples; make them remember His name is exalted” (Isa 12:4). God has authority over the world Judgment is inescapable if He is disobeyed

Righteousness and acceptance is promised if He is believed

Pagan religions and practices became more known to Israel, than the true God became known to the world!

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+The Biblical Mandate

“The non-negotiable responsibility of all those who receive the benefits of God’s covenant with Abraham, to share those same benefits with the other families (nations) of the earth.” (Perspectives, 4th edition, John Stott)

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+God’s missionary message

God reveals Himself to a few then they are to share it with everyone and all future generations

Three key texts reveal God’s commission to Israel to world:1. God’s Plan to Bless the Nations: Gen 12:1-3 – the FAITH of

Abraham that brought God’s righteousness was to bless the nations

2. God’s Priesthood to proclaim His Blessing: Ex 19:4-6, “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt and how I lifted you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. And now, if you diligently listen to me and keep my covenant, then you will be my special possession out of all the nations, for all the earth is mine, and you will be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation….”

3. God’s proof of His purpose to bless the nations: Psa 67, “May God show us his favor and bless us! May he smile on us! (Selah) Then those living on earth will know what you are like; all nations will know how you deliver your people. Let the nations thank you, O God! Let all the nations thank you! Let foreigners rejoice and celebrate! … The earth yields its corps. May God, our God, bless us! Then all the ends of the earth will give him the honor he deserves.”

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+Self-revelation of God

One God as Creator of Universe Deut 4:35, “To you it was shown that you might know that the Lord, He is God; there is no other besides Him.”

The first verse of the Bible refutes atheism, agnosticism, evolution, polytheism, materialism, and pantheism as well as animism – so His messengers must proclaim

A righteous God of judgment Gen 2:17, “But you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

Isa 59:2, “But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God. An your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear.”

No one entered into the Ark with Noah because they did not believe that God was serious about judging sin.

Post-Noahic people wanted “Let us make us a name” (Gen 11:4) – even the flood did not change man’s nature.

A gracious God who provides salvation Noah preached the righteousness of God for 120 years to a generation whose “every inclination of the thoughts of their minds was only evil all the time… and he was highly offended… I regret that I have made them … but Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord” (Gen 6:5,6,7,8NET)

If man does not listen to or hear from God’s Word, then he is only guessing (imagination)

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+

Missions in the OT Part 2From the beginning of the revelation

of God to mankind His has shown His commitment to reconciling His fallen creation back to Himself

+Revelation of man’s nobility and depravity Created in the image of God

Gen 1:26-27, “Then God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over … God created man in His own image, in the image of God he created them, male and female he created them”

This meant communications, understanding, choice of desires and accountability

Human race as a Unit Acts 17:26-27, “From one man he made every nation of the human race to inhabit the entire earth, determining their set times and the fixed limits of the places where they would live, so that they would search for God and perhaps grope around for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us.”

Sin and Depravity Universal All men inherited Adam’s sinful nature (Psa 51:5NET, “Look, I was guilty of sin from birth, a sinner the moment my mother conceived me.”)

Rom 5:12NET, “So then, just as sin entered the world through one man and death through sin, so death spread to all people because all sinned.”

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+Revelation of man nobility and depravity “Blessing” of Abraham is the only solution

Gen 15:6, “he believe the Lord and he credited it to him as righteousness”

2 Cor 5:21, “God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God”

Rom 4:5, “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness”

“Blessing” was designed for the whole world Rom 4:9, “Does this blessedness then come upon the circumcised only, or upon the uncircumcised also? For we say that faith was accounted to Abraham for righteousness”

4:10 shows that he was a Gentile when he was made righteous: 13 years before his circumcision – thus the “blessing” was for Gentiles too

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+Missionary Purpose

God’s covenant with Noah and sons and the world

Noah was a Gentile (hundreds of years before Abraham) yet in Heb 11:7, “Through faith he condemned the world and became an heir of the righteousness that comes by faith”

Noah was a “preacher of righteousness” (2 Pet 2:5), that is, the righteousness that he received by faith.

God established His covenant with Noah, “with you, and with your descendants after you” (Gen 9:8-9), that is, the whole human race = the righteousness given to Noah was the offer to his family and all descendants, if they would trust God’s Word

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+Missionary Purpose Israel’s election for the world

Election of Israel had nothing to do with salvation

“Children of flesh” (Israel) are not necessarily “children of promise” (Rom 9:8) though they remain the elect Israel.

Israel’s elect purpose was to “bless the nations” with the “blessing of Abraham” -- “will be blessed through you” (Gen 12:3)

Gal 3:8, “And the scripture, forseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, proclaimed the gospel to Abraham ahead of time, saying, “All the nations will be blessed in [“through”NIV] you.”

Repeated 6 times in Genesis

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+Missionary Purpose

God’s covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob God’s global concern is evident in listing 70 nations in Gen 10

Abraham’s family “served other gods” (Josh 24:2, also 24:14, 15)

Out of one nation he would call Abraham to bless the remaining nations: Gen 18:18NIV, “all nations on earth will be blessed through him” [Abraham]. (Also 22:17,18)

This was reassured to Isaac (Gen 26:2-4) and Jacob 28:12-14) of a universal blessing-purpose.

3-fold aspect of the Abrahamic Covenant: (1) Posterity, (2) land, (3) blessing.

Only the latter was for all the nations, but was therefore, the most important

If anyone believes today they are “Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise” (Gal 3:29NET) thus expected to fulfill Abraham’s purpose of blessing the nations with God’s righteousness

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+Missionary Purpose

God’s covenant with Israel continues through Moses Exodus 19:5-6 says: "... if you will obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my special possession among all peoples; for all the earth is mine, and you shall be my kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” A 3-fold purpose.

Required that individuals valued their personal faith and the gift of righteousness, instead of their own “goodness”

Humble recipients of “perfect righteousness” were to share the blessing with the world – the law was to put the world on equal level

Instead the law was watered-down, or turned into legalistic practices that supposedly fulfilled its demands, under Jewish interpretations of law = pride at this accomplishment killed the purpose

“So the law was put in charge to lead us to Christ that we might be justified by faith” (Gal 3:24)

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+Missionary Purpose

God’s global purpose in the United Kingdom– David wrote: “Let all the people of the earth acknowledge the LORD and turn to him! Let all the nations worship you!” NET

Psalm 22:27 “Let the whole earth fear the LORD! Let all who live in the world stand in awe of him!” NET Psalm 33:8

“All the nations, whom you created, will come and worship you, O Lord. They will honor your name.” NET

Psalm 86:9 Evidently they thought God was going to do it without them

Solomon dedicated the temple, when he made request in behalf of “foreigners, who do not belong to your people Israel, will come from a distant land because of your reputation. 42 When they hear about your great reputation and your ability to accomplish mighty deeds, they will come and direct their prayers toward this temple. 43 Then listen from your heavenly dwelling place and answer all the prayers of the foreigners. Then all the nations of the earth will acknowledge your reputation, obey you like your people Israel do, and recognize that this temple I built belongs to you” (1 Kings 8:41-43)

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+Missionary Purpose

God’s global purpose through the prophets

“Tell me! Present the evidence! Let them consult with one another! Who predicted this in the past? Who announced it beforehand? Was it not I, the LORD? I have no peer, there is no God but me, a God who vindicates and delivers; there is none but me. 22 Turn to me so you can be delivered, all you who live in the earth's remote regions! For I am God, and I have no peer.” NET Isaiah 45:21-22

“He says, ‘Is it too insignificant a task for you to be my servant, to reestablish the tribes of Jacob, and restore the remnant of Israel? I will make you a light to the nations, so you can bring my deliverance to the remote regions of the earth.’” NET Isaiah 49:6

If Israel would not communicate the message on purpose, God would send them against their wills to the ends of the earth

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+Missionary activity in the OT If God said the blessing to the world was through the seed of Abraham, then the honor of His Word is at play – Would Israel commit to what God said, just because He said it? Would Israel go against her prejudices to protect God’s honor?

Different mode of operation Israel never learned a heart for the Gentiles, even in the NT (Ac 19:11)

Israel only went to other countries when forced to by persecution

Israel’s view was CENTRIPETAL: draw the nations to come to Israel

NT view would be CENTRIFUGAL: going out to the nations Jonah

Reveal the deep resistance to care about the Gentiles (as Peter)

Jonah’s refusal was because he knew God cared about Assyria Jonah was like all who want God’s blessings without accepting responsibility to share it abroad.

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+Missionary activity in the OT: exile Exile and Dispersion

As a “Kingdom of Priests” God sent them throughout the world

722 BC Assyrian Captivity 606, 596, 586 BC Babylonian Captivities 30,000 returned in 536 BC to rebuild Jerusalem, but most remained

Most Synagogues had proselytes and “God-fearing” seekers “For Moses has had those who proclaim him in every town from ancient times, because he is read aloud in the synagogues every Sabbath," NETActs 15:21.

Godly Hebrew were raised to positions of influence: Daniel affected 4 different kings and their people; Esther and Mordecai were an influence to 127 nations under Persian rule; Nehemiah impacted kings and leaders in Babylon and Israel

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+Conclusion

“I pray that these words, "all the families of the earth," may be written on our hearts. It is this expression more than any other which reveals the living God of the Bible to be a missionary God. It is this expression too which condemns all our petty parochialism and narrow nationalism, our racial pride (whether white or black), our condescending paternalism and arrogant imperialism. How dare we adopt a hostile or scornful or even indifferent attitude to any person of another color or culture if our God is the God of "all the families of the earth?" We need to become global Christians with a global vision, for we have a global God” (Stott, 2000, p. 9).

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