God Loves the Nations!

Psalm 98

Good morning! This is Pastor Jerry Ingalls from New Castle First Baptist Church and today is Thursday, July 20.

God loves the nations! Yet, throughout history, people have used the Bible to support their exclusion of the other. It happened in our nation when theology was used to support our evil practice of slavery. It happened in South Africa to undergird Apartheid. The truth is that neither of these atrocities fit within God’s vision to bless all the nations with His salvation, as Psalm 98:3-4, and 9 declare:

He has remembered His lovingkindness and His faithfulness to the house of Israel; all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Shout joyfully to the Lord, all the earth; break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. … Before the Lord, for He is coming to judge the earth; He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.

God is the King over every nation and desires to bring all people under His rule. While His faithfulness came first to the house of Israel, intending them to be a conduit of blessing for all the families of the Earth (Genesis 12:3). While His favor now rests upon the church, purposing for us to bring the good news to the ends of the earth (Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8). Revelation 7:9 captures the heart of God for the nations, as proclaimed to Israel in Psalm 98, and as fulfilled by Jesus Christ:

After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, “Salvation to our God who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb.”

Seize the moment and pray Psalm 98, meditating upon the far-reaching invitation of God’s salvation – “I bring you good news of great joy which will be for all the people” (Luke 2:10). Who can you embrace with the gospel today?

God bless you!

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YOUTUBE:

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