Mary’s Lamb – 3 December 2016, Anno Domini

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29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.  (John 1:29-30)

35 Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36 And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!  (John 1:35-36)

            Consider the great astonishment of the multitude as John the Baptist pronounced this truth of prophecy. There were many poor and lowly people present who had no knowledge at all of prophecy and its meaning. They had relied upon the corrupt and cunning rulers of Israel to ‘tell them what they wanted them to believe’ much as the multitudes of today rely upon false evangelists and ministers to tell them what they want to hear instead of confirming all things through dedicated Bible study. So those gathered about the Banks of Jordan had no idea what John could have meant by referring to a person (Jesus) as a Lamb, and particularly the Lamb of God.

            These people had faithfully kept the Passover Feast for all of their conscious lives, but never fully comprehended the significance of this Feast. These had not been taught the deeper things of God, and could not have understood that the lambs, goats, and oxen sacrificed at the Temple were only faint and unworthy types of that greater Lamb that God would be offered to absolve the believer of sin and wickedness. The Ram, whose horns were caught in the thicket of briar, was a direct shadow of the true substitute to follow in the fullness of time in the form of the Lamb of God. 3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: 4 But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, 5 To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. 6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. 7 Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ. (Gal 4:3-7)

            Now there was a young girl who was a virgin living in the remote province of Israel (Galilee) who would not have understood John’s proclamation had she not known sooner by the Annunciation of the Archangel some thirty years removed from John’s words by Jordan Waters. She was by no means a girl of popular society. Nazareth was a small hamlet of Galilee derided by the Jews as one of total insignificance. Many times, those people and places of insignificance to the world are the very people and places that are central to the heart of God. So it was with Mary. God had known this young woman from the remote ages of Eternity, and arranged that this young virgin would be mother to His only Begotten Son through the agency of the Holy Ghost.

            I was blessed in the first grade to have a wonderful and Godly teacher, Mrs. Dorothy Painter, who reinforced that same faith taught in my home and in church concerning the fundamentals of the Christian faith. For doing the same today, she would probably be scourged, ostracized and banned from further teaching as a ‘child abuser.’ She not only had her first graders recite the pledge of allegiance each morning, but also to read, and memorize, selections from the Psalms. One lesson I vividly remember was that of Mary’s Lamb.

            Almost every man or woman my age will remember Mary’s Lamb written by a famous and influential writer and editor of the 1800’s named Sarah Josepha Hale (1788-1879). Mrs. Hale was the main proponent in convincing Abraham Lincoln to declare Thanksgiving Day as a national holiday to be observed throughout the United States.  She wrote these words that are as applicable today as they were when written at a time of national crisis when our country was involved in the War Between the States: Everything that contributes to bind us in one vast empire together, to quicken the sympathy that makes us feel from the icy North to the sunny South that we are one family, each a member of a great and free Nation, not merely the unit of a remote locality, is worthy of being cherished. Her famous child’s poem was published in a collection of children’s poems in 1830. Her poem was later made into a song which every school child could sing by heart:

Mary’s Lamb

Mary had a little lamb,

Its fleece was white as snow;

And everywhere that Mary went

The lamb was sure to go.

It followed her to school one day,

Which was against the rule;

It made the children laugh and play

To see a lamb at school.

And so the teacher turned it out,

But still it lingered near,

And waited patiently about

Till Mary did appear.

Why does the lamb love Mary so?

The eager children cry;

Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know,

The teacher did reply.

            Mrs. Painter was able to discover truth and beauty that often evaded those who were looking too low to find it. Yes, Mary had a little lamb whose fleece was white as snow, taught Mrs. Painter.  6 And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. 7 And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.  (Luke 2:6-7) And, yes, its fleece was white as snow because it was the Lamb of God without spot or blemish. Remember that first Passover in Egypt: 5 Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6 And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. 7 And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. (Ex 12:5-7) That vertical and horizontal application of the blood of an innocent Lamb foreshadowed the vertical and horizontal bar of the Cross of Calvary upon which the blood of the Lamb of God was shed for us as the Passover of the Lord. 7 Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our PASSOVER is sacrificed for us. (1 Cor 5:7)

            The Lamb followed Mary everywhere, even to the Feast of the Passover in Jerusalem. 41 Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the feast of the passover. 42 And when he was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem after the custom of the feast. (Luke 2:41-42) Do we go with Jesus everyplace, or do we wander away as a lost lamb at frequent moments?

If Christ is not welcomed where your travels take you, perhaps you could reconsider the kind of places to which you travel: It followed her to school one day, Which was against the rule; It made the children laugh and play To see a lamb at school. I wonder when did it become against the rule for Christ to be taught in school. Certainly, Christ was taught in the schools of the author’s day as well as the days of my youth. But wherever Christ goes, even if against the rule, He brings joy and celebration to the hearts of the innocent.

 And so the teacher turned it out, But still it lingered near, And waited patiently about Till Mary did appear. In 1962, a godless US Supreme Court overruled the 1^st Amendment of the US Constitution by prohibiting prayer in public school. The original intent of the Framers was to protect religious faith from government, not government from religious faith. But wherever hearts are stayed on Him, Christ will not be vanquished, but lingers ever near. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Rev 3:20)

Why does the lamb love Mary so? The eager children cry; Why, Mary loves the lamb, you know, The teacher did reply. The lamb was sweet and innocent. It loved Mary at first glance, and that love was returned by Mary because Deep calleth unto Deep.  17 I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me. (Prov 8:17) Mary was young and innocent. The innocent respond easily to love. She loved the Lamb and the Lamb loved her. This is the simplicity of the Gospel in a single verse from Proverbs 8:17. If we love our Lord, it is unassailable evidence that we are His. Would it not be a great blessing if we had teachers such as Mrs. Painter today? God bless her and the greatest generation from which she sprang.

The Dumb Old Man Who Waited – 2 December 2016, Anno Domini

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1 Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. . . . . The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.  (Isaiah 40:1,3)

10 Go through, go through the gates; prepare ye the way of the people; cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up a standard for the people. 11 Behold, the LORD hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him. 12 And they shall call them, The holy people, The redeemed of the LORD: and thou shalt be called, Sought out, A city not forsaken. (Isaiah 62:10-12)

            The City which the Pilgrim Children of God seek is one not made with hands and not forsaken – the same City which Father Abraham sought out:  8 By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went. 9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. 11 Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised. 12 Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable. 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.  (Heb 11:8-16)

            That City has been in the making from the dawn of Creation, but conceived in the omniscient Mind of God in Eternity Past before there was a Garden at Eden, or a man to tend it. It is a splendid city with Gates of Splendor and bathed in eternal Light, and that Light is Christ!  1 And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. 2 And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. 3 And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. 4 And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. 5 And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are true and faithful. 6 And he said unto me, It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely.  (Rev 21:1-6)

            Now, the Architect and Engineer of that wonderful City not made with hands is our Lord Jesus Christ. The premises and superstructures were purchased at an exceedingly precious cost – the very blood of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. We are reminded that Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life. (John 14:6) In that reminder, Jesus said, I AM the Way, the Truth, and the Life. In every mention of the great I AM’s of Jesus, there is no past or future tense because He exists in the Eternal Presence – a concept that the feeble minds of men cannot fully grasp. But it is fully true and we must accept it on the face value of its meaning. He has ALWAYS been the WAY for Adam, for Abel, for Noah, for Abraham, for Isaac, for Joseph, for Moses, for David, etc. He is that endless Highway that emerges from the misty Eternity Past through our lives and into disappears beyond human eyes into the vast vapors of Eternity Future – ALWAYS the great I AM!

            In the process of time in the days of the prophets, God gave many evidences of the coming Redeemer, but principally to Abraham and his spiritual and even a portion of his lineal descendants.  THE WAY must be introduced in a manner in which the heart does not fail for the shock of the revelation. Man cannot behold the glory of the Heavenly Christ and live. Therefore God sent His Son as a gentle baby at Bethlehem – the Incarnated Word of God who is fully Man, and fully God at once. We can identify with our own kind in the flesh, thus came Jesus to us as the Word Made Flesh to dwell among us.

            Preparation must be made by the emissary of the King for His Coming into His Province. That emissary was John the Baptist, son of Zacharias and Elizabeth – both too aged to have children. (But with God, all things are possible). We remember that Isaac came by way of miraculous birth; so did John the Baptist and our Lord Jesus Christ. But Christ is very different since His miraculous birth was by the agency of the Holy Ghost through a virgin young woman named Mary.

            Perhaps the prophecy of Malachi had little impact on the imagination of a poor priest named Zacharias in the Temple at Jerusalem at the close of the dark and foreboding centuries of the silence of the prophets. There was nothing of particular note to cause him to believe that Malachi’s prophecy had anything to do with him in any special way. We are all like that. God has spoken by the prophets and often the prophecy applies directly to us, and we know it not until God must emphasize its meaning through correction or chastisement. 1 Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts. (Mal 3:1) What could this possibly have to do with aging Zacharias and his likewise aging and barren wife, Elizabeth? Well, it has altogether EVERYTHING to do with the two lowly servants of the Lord.

            It is interesting God most often uses the lowly and common to achieve His purposes. The great Angel Gabriel appeared to a lowly young lady who was a virgin for the highest calling with which any woman could have conceived. That same Angel appeared to the lowly shepherds (not the king and priests of Israel) on the hills overlooking Jerusalem the night of the Nativity. God brought strangers from the East (Wise Men) following a Star that seemingly escaped the sight of the locals of Israel. And now, Gabriel – the Archangel, appears to Zacharias while he is executing his priestly office in burning incense in the Temple as the people waited without. The appearance of so majestic a heavenly figure is quite noteworthy. 8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course, 9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the Lord. 10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense. 11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the altar of incense. 12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.  (Luke 1:8-12)

It is not likely Zacharias had been confronted by an Archangel on a daily basis. Of course, he was stricken with great fear. When we are confronted by God’s Holy Angels as messengers in our own lives, we could be pardoned for our fear.  Men often fear God most when He comes near to them in beneficent love. But God ALWAYS takes our fears away with gentle words and remonstrations. He tells us to “Fear not!” 13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. (Luke 1:13-17) Well that should have satisfied the priest, but man always has a habit of making conniving objections – even to God!  18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. (Luke 1:18) It is never a good idea for us to question God and His Word. We may bring much trouble on our souls when we do so, and no less did Zacharias bring upon himself. If it is not wise to argue with a police officer, how much less an Archangel!

19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings. 20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season. (Luke 1:19-20) So poor Zacharias, though a good and righteous man, was struck dumb for his doubt. Perhaps that is why so many ministers are dumb when it comes to sin in the society about them today – they question the wisdom of God’s Word. Once we have come into close contact with God, we are changed even if it means we are struck dumb: 21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple. 22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless. (Luke 1:21-22)

            When we question God’s Word, and are made certain later, we may desire to share, but are dumb to speak. When we have healthy tongues to proclaim the Gospel that has set us free, why do we choose to remain dumb as was Zacharias? The words of the Mighty Angel were fulfilled in Elizabeth!

            23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house. 24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, 25  Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men. (Luke 1:23-25) The woman who was barren, old and could not conceive DID conceive as the mother of the greatest of prophets. How strange, but nothing is impossible with God. Can you imagine how fervently Zacharias wanted to boast of the good news, but his doubt had made him dumb to speak it!

            Just as Sarah questioned and laughed, so had Zacharias questioned. But please note that though we may pay a penalty for our doubt, God does not change in His purpose. Sarah, despite her questioning laughter, did, indeed, conceive a son at the age of 90 years. Though Zacharias questioned the logic of the Archangel, Elizabeth nevertheless conceived and bore John the Baptist in her old age and barrenness. She thought the pregnancy so ridiculous that she hid herself away for five months until the pregnancy was beyond doubt. Once the child was born, Zacharias was restored his voice to speak.

            11 Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.  (Matt 11:11)

            When it is the will of the Lord, we may have no choice but to standby and wait to see His marvelous works.

The Seed – 1 December 2016, Anno Domini

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Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. (Gospel of Saint John 12:24)

          The matter of the promised Seed of Abraham is vitally important for us to understand if we will not go down with our lights darkened and alone at the coming long sleep of death. I can think of no greater sorrow than to die alone and without a Friend beyond Jordan Waters upon whom we may hang our hopes as did Israel on the willows by the rivers of Babylon. (Psalm 137:1-2) The context of today's leading verse is found in the verses which embrace it:

                21 The same came therefore to Philip, which was of Bethsaida of Galilee, and desired him, saying, Sir, we would see Jesus. 22 Philip cometh and telleth Andrew: and again Andrew and Philip tell Jesus. 23 And Jesus answered them, saying, The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit. 25 He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life in this world shall keep it unto life eternal. 26 If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father honour. 27 Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. 28 Father, glorify thy name.  (John 12:21-28 (KJV)

            From this text, the Seed is revealed though veiled in mysteries that only the redeemed can fully grasp. This text is preceded by the announcement that certain Greeks came down for the Passover feast inquiring of Philip to see Jesus. We are reminded in our Lord's response that the hour comes when it will be too late to seek our Lord. Just as the five virgins without oil in their lamps arrived too late to be admitted to the Marriage Banquet and found the door closed and barred; so will the day come when time will be no more and appeal can no longer be made to the Throne of Mercy. The Greeks come too late, for it is the time of the Lord's Passion.

            The greater mystery revealed here is of the Seed of Promise made to Abraham and reaffirmed through the lineage of David the King - Jesus Christ. Jesus makes reference to Himself as the corn of wheat (or seed) that must fall into the earth and die if newness of Eternal Life is made available to those who are the Elect of God. The death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord has borne fruit far greater than one hundredfold.  Now it is this Seed of which our devotion is written today. We too must die to self and live for Christ as He died for us and rose for us.

            Remember when the Sower of Matthew 13 went forth to sow - observe what happens: Behold, a sower went forth to sow; And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:  Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:  And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:  But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear. (Matt 13:3-9)

            The four different types of soil represents the different kinds of heart that receive the Word of God (Seed). Jesus clearly expresses this: Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.  When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.  But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;  Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.  (Matt 13:18-23)

            Well, now, what is the Word of the Kingdom? It is none other than the Eternal Word of God pre-existent from all eternity past - that Word which was made flesh and dwelt among us. That Word is the fruitful Seed promised to Abraham. Please bear in mind Isaac came by miraculous birth. He was placed on the altar by his father as an offering to God. Any offering placed on an altar is holy and dedicated to the Lord - thus the spiritual descendents of Isaac (you and me) who believe in the miraculous "new birth" in Christ.

            We all know that Jesus is the lineal descendent, according to the law of descent, of King David. There are two lines of descent given in Scripture for the 'legal' descent of Christ who was the only Begotten of the Father in reality. The first lineage given in Matthew renders the legal lineage of Christ through the Royal line of David and Solomon. That given in the Gospel of Luke provides the priestly and prophetic lineage of Christ through Nathan. Interestingly, there is one harlot (Rachab) and one Moabitess (Ruth) included in the lineage of Jesus. Matthew's lineage begins at Abraham to whom the Promise of a Redeemer was given, and descends down to Joseph - the 'presumed' father of Jesus. Luke's Gospel begins with Jesus and goes all the way back up to God because He made the privileges of Heaven available to His people and ascended to the Father.

            In all of this, we see the Seed of Promise being fulfilled and culminated in Christ. Please note the mathematical precision of biblical prophecy: So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. (Matt 1:17)

            Knowing that the Word is the Incarnated Christ, we must love every single word of it without omission, and every jot and tittle thereof. Each Word of the Bible is a direct reflection on the greater Masterpiece of which the image of our Lord is comprised. So the Word is also the Seed of Promise made to Abraham.

            Let us examine a few germane verses on the topic:

21 Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law? 22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. 23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise. 24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar. 25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children. 26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. (Gal 4:21-26) The child of Hagar was carnally conceived, but Isaac was the child of promise which was forerunner to the miraculously conceived Lord.  We are subject to one of two covenants - that of the Law, or that of Grace. If that of the Law, we are doomed for none can be perfect in obedience. If by Grace, then none of our works or actions could satisfy God's justice. Therefore we are drawn according to the Grace of God to the Throne of Mercy.

23 Of this man's seed (David) hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel (both the Old testament Church as well as the New)  a Saviour, Jesus. (Acts 13:23)

13 For the promise, that he should be the heir of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: 15 Because the law worketh wrath: for where no law is, there is no transgression. 16 Therefore it is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise might be sure to all the seed; not to that only which is of the law, but to that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us all. (Romans 4:13-16) When these verses are read without some theological bias, one can see clearly that no race of people stands in favor with God apart from Faith in His only Begotten Son. Many of national Israel felt they were children of God by right of carnal descent, but God does not view the matter that way. We are heirs and children of Abraham through faith in the promise made to Abraham of the Redeemer who has now come.

6 Not as though the word of God hath taken none effect. For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel: 7 Neither, because they are the seed of Abraham, are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be called. 8 That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are counted for the seed. 9 For this is the word of promise, At this time will I come, and Sara shall have a son. 10 And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac; 11 (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of God according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth.) (Romans 9:6-11) Does God here say anything about a chosen race apart from the varied peoples, nations, and tongues that have believed the promise made to Abraham? 6 Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. 7 Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. (Gal 3:6-7) What did Abraham believe? The Promise! Through the eyes of immeasurable faith, Abraham believed. Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad.  (John 8:56) Our Father is not the God of the dead, but of the LIVING!

18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 
19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.  (Gal 3:18-19)

Are we of the modern true church the children of Abraham? I hope so for the Bible clearly tells us: 29 And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. (Gal 3:29) Does the world, and her worldly church, hate us? Yes, they may, but what a blessed hate it is! 28 Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. 29 But as then he that was born after the flesh persecuted him that was born after the Spirit, even so it is now.  (Gal 4:28-29)

            Yes, even so now does the fleshly people of the world and of the church persecute the children of promise - the children of the Promised Seed of Abraham.