Sermon Brief
Date Written: May 31, 2012
Date Preached: Jun 03, 2012
Where Preached: OPBC (AM)
Sermon Details:
Sermon Title: A Passion for the Lost!
Sermon Text: Romans 9:1-5 [HCSB]
Introduction:
1With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it. 2My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief 3for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them. 4They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. God revealed his glory to them. He made covenants with them and gave them his law. He gave them the privilege of worshiping him and receiving his wonderful promises. 5Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob are their ancestors, and Christ himself was an Israelite as far as his human nature is concerned. And he is God, the one who rules over everything and is worthy of eternal praise! Amen.
Did you know that June 1st marks the beginning of a season we go thru every year… a season most of us dread like the plague, and that is Hurricane Season!
But did you know that even before the ‘official season’ began that we have already seen 2 officially named storms form in the Atlantic and Beryl made landfall this past week dumping tons of rain on the East coast.
Why do I mention this? Why would I talk about hurricane season when we are about to launch off into one of the most difficult books of the Bible in Romans 9?
Well, I believe the imagery is clear… there IS a problem! We face a problem in our weather each and every year at this time, some yrs it is more and others it is less, but it is a problem! The storms are coming… it is not IF they are coming but it’s when they are coming!
Today we begin a chapter in Romans where Paul leads out this chapter with the same outlook… his view is that THERE IS A PROBLEM here… that problem is the rejection of Christ by the Jewish nation!
Several Jews had surrendered to Christ and many more each day were coming to know Christ as Savior, but Paul was experiencing an overall REJECTION of Christ as Messiah from the Jewish community as a whole…
The religious leaders who were supposed to know so much about the Messiah… were rejecting Jesus as Messiah and Savior because He did not match what they had built up in their tradition as to what MESSIAH would look like and BE like…
To them Messiah was going to be an earthly victor who restored Israel to its former glory… but TRUE Messiah was NOT about restoring Israel to its former glory, but it was about restoring God’s creation to its created beginnings… to be intimately communing with God!
Messiah was and is about redeeming the WORLD to God, not a nation to its glorious past. So Paul is stating here that there IS a problem in their rejection of Jesus as Messiah!
Paul’s sentiment was a heart-felt compassion and a heart broken burning in knowing that his fellow Jews were rejecting Jesus as Messiah.
Paul knew their rejection would result in them being eternally lost and outside of God’s new covenant… they believed that they were secure in God’s covenant because they were Jewish by birth…
But as Jesus said in John 3… to be part of God’s kingdom, you must be born AGAIN… born of the Spirit of God! Jewish ancestry was did NOT and still DOES NOT guarantee God’s salvation! Salvation only comes through the one true Messiah, Jesus Christ!
They were resolved in the knowledge that God had formed a covenant with their forefathers and they believed that covenant was their saving grace…
But Jesus made it clear that the covenant of the Old Testament was not complete and that He had come to fulfill where it was lacking…
The original covenant of God was NOT ever meant to be a complete picture and solution for salvation… in fact it was meant to show just how futile humanity is when it comes to sin and sin nature!
The original covenant reveals humanity’s inability to measure up… BUT the new covenant in Jesus was the saving Grace to which Paul preached! Where the old covenant was inadequate, thru Jesus and the new covenant we can be made complete in Christ and fully acceptable to God!
We learned about this when Paul taught us about justification… being in a right standing before God! Outside of Christ we are NOT in right standing with God and therefore an enemy of God.
1With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it.
When we look at v.1 we see that Paul is fully aware of the situation… Paul says, “With Christ as my witness, I speak with utter truthfulness. My conscience and the Holy Spirit confirm it…”
Here Paul wants these people to understand the gravity of the situation… this was an important truth revealed to HIM by the Holy Spirit and he did NOT want them to miss out on it…
Paul understood that the Jews believed they would be saved because God had long ago chosen them – thru the OLD COVENANT… first with Abraham, then with Jacob and then with Moses.
They believed that through their strict adherence to the Law that they would measure up to God’s standard… but Paul knew 2 basic things about the shortfalls of the Law:
The sacrifices required by the Law were inadequate to redeem. Sin was not cured but pushed forward into the future!
They would NEVER be able to keep the Law. All would come to a point where they would chose to break the Law of God. God’s law was given to reveal the fragile and weak nature of the human condition… although all is spelled out for humanity, we cannot do it on our own!
Paul knew that based on these facts… that God had sent Jesus to be the fulfillment of the Law… He WAS and IS Messiah and he WAS and IS completion of the Jewish faith.
So, where the law was inadequate to redeem… Jesus was able to COMPLETELY redeem of all humanity… that is all who would believe in Him. This is why Jesus said “…whoever believes in Him [Jesus] should not perish but have eternal life…”
Paul knew that only by accepting and believing in Jesus (New Covenant) that it was the only way to experience what the Jewish nation had sought for generations under the Law (Old Covenant) but they had never been able to experience it because the Law was incomplete… What were they seeking to gain and experience? It was and is a total peace with God and total redemption FROM sin by God! The law was not capable of doing this… and it NEVER was!
I see it like this… in the days before the inner-combustion engine, things were done differently. Mule and horses were the power behind 99% of any transportation…
In fact, power was rated by how many ‘horses’ it would take… The faster you wanted to go… the more ‘horses’ you would have to add to your wagon. There was only SO FAR this could take them…
Then came the inner-combustion engine that took the place of the ‘horses’… it was rated by ‘horse-power’ so that the public would know it strength… but it was a radical change from the status quo…
The ‘experts’ of the day said that this new contraption would never take the place of a horse or be practical for all people to use… Well we know how that turned out!
My point is this… the priests and Pharisees saw the Law as the COMPLETE revelation of God and the COMPLETE plan of God. But… God says that the Law was NOT complete and that Jesus had come to ‘fufill’ the law… Jesus came to make the “law” complete!
Just as the inner combustion engine did not eliminate the need for the horse… Jesus did not eliminate the validity of the Law. The Law was still important, but it was revealed that only thru Christ would the law be complete!
So, here is Paul… wrestling with how to share this with his fellow Jews… you see, Paul knew that those who rejected Jesus were rejecting God’s plan! Paul also knew that rejecting God’s plan would ultimately bring about God's wrath…
[be sure this paragraph is communicated well…IMPORTANT!!]
I believe Paul understood just how harsh God’s wrath was going to be toward those who rejected Jesus and insisted on trusting in an incomplete and insufficient covenant that was manifest in their Law…
Paul knew just how harsh God’s wrath would be toward those who rejected Jesus… God’s answer to the incompleteness of the Law! Jesus is the completion and perfection of what they had so long sought after…
So we can get a picture of Paul’s understanding of the situation… His fear of God’s wrath on those who rejected Jesus and we can also see how most of the Jews remained firm in a misplaced faith and confidence in the Old Covenant...
So in v.2 we find Paul lamenting this knowledge and here he breaks off into a short ‘aside comment’ where he lets his readers see a part of his heart…Paul says,
“…My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief…”
It is evident here that Paul is revealing the true passion of his heart! He is yearning for those who do not know Christ as Savior… to come to know Him. He is worried about the souls of those who were openly rejecting Jesus as Savior!
When Paul saw people reject the Gospel of Jesus, it literally broke his heart! So much so that in v.3 Paul poses a literal IMPOSSIBILITY as a hypothetical to his readers… this is what we may refer to as hyperbole in the English language…Paul said…
…I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.
Hyperbole is defined as a deliberate and obvious exaggeration used for effect! Paul knows that what he is suggesting would NEVER actually bring salvation to anyone…he knew his actions could not save...
BUT what this DOES reveal is the burning passion of his heart! What Paul is saying is IF he could, he would give up his own redemption to save all those who rejected Christ…how do you feel about the lost? Do you have this same heart wrenching passion?
This hyperbole put forward by Paul is similar to what Jesus taught when he said, if your eye leads you to sin… TEAR it out! Jesus said that it was better to have one eye and be redeemed than 2 eyes and perish!
Well what we know is that Jesus was NOT suggesting you tear out your eye, but He was using a hyperbole or an exaggeration for effect!
Likewise Paul does the same thing here…using exaggeration to make a point! His point is that there is a problem in that people are lost and turning away from Jesus…
Paul’s message is that the ONLY solution is Jesus and what this does is EMPHASIZE the importance of having a passion in our hearts for those who do NOT know Christ!
The reason for Paul’s passion is the fact that WITHOUT Jesus there is NO hope for anyone! You see… Paul points out in v.4-5 that if any people had a reason to think that they had an inside track it WAS the Jews…
[read v.4-5 here]
They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the Law, the Temple service and the promises. The ancestors are theirs, and from them, by physical descent, came the Messiah, who is God overall, praised forever, Amen.
This was Paul way of saying that if any particular people group had the right to think they were God’s chosen it WAS the Jews… he knows this because it WAS true… they were chosen by God.
Through Abraham (called out by God) thru Isaac and his son Jacob (whose name was changed by God to ISRAEL…) The children of Israel were the chosen children of God!
Paul goes on to point out so rather fascinating truths about the Jews…
He first says… they were Israelites… in other words they sprang from the lineage of Jacob the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham… this was the lineage God had chosen… being an Israelite meant your bloodline was chosen by God!
Chose by God for a specific reason… look what Paul points out next – chosen for ADOPTION! Adoption into the family of God!
Long the human race had been on the outside looking in…
Long after the curse in the Garden and Adam and Eve were exiled out of the Garden…
Humanity had LONGED for God and God desired the relationship to be restored… God provided a way of adoption, through the Law… Through His providential choosing!
Adoption and then Paul says, glory…. The glory belongs to the Israelites because God had chosen them… The covenants were theirs because the covenants were directly from God who had CHOSEN them to live out the covenant life…
The giving of the Law to the Israelites was so they could know what God expects and that God would give them proper and good boundaries in which they could live…
The Temple service was given to the Israelites to show the world the God had a plan and a purpose for His people… to SERVE Him! Finally Paul mentions the promises… the promises of God were reserved for the people of God and the Israelites were the people of God and God’s promises to them were real.
Finally, Paul speaks about the lineage of the Jewish people… and that through the ancestors came the bloodline through which the Messiah was born…
The Messiah… is the Christ… Christ is Jesus! Here Paul tells us that Messiah is God over all… and that God should be praised at all times… then Paul ends this part of the letter to the Romans.
So preacher, Paul loved his country! So what? Well when Paul says he loves his fellow Jews this much it reveals his heart and the importance of them knowing about Jesus! But not only knowing but coming to salvation IN Christ Jesus!
Paul reveals that these people LACKED the love and passion of Christ… and as sad as it is to say this morning, that is EXACTLY what is lacking in Christianity today for the most part! There is ZERO passion for the lost…
What Paul is revealing is a selfish and self-centered view of God by the Israelite people! Basically what Paul is saying is that, “…gone are those who daily pray, and have a deep and passionate burden on their hearts and soul for those who are lost…”
Paul shares about what he was willing to do for his fellow countrymen… Paul was willing to give up EVERYTHING he had to make sure his people knew Christ!
What about this sort of passion? What does it say about a person who says, it doesn’t matter what happens to me… I want to see my family, friends and neighbors saved!
We see this quite often in the military… we have many stories of those who have willingly thrown themselves in harm’s way for the salvation of their friends… but the question for us here this morning is are WE willing to throw ourselves out there… all for the sake of the lost!
There are MANY of us sitting in this room today who will NOT take to the streets… who will NOT share their testimony or witness with another!
So, what does this say about us? There are many of us in this room who believe ourselves to be a good Christian and one who will share their faith when the opportunity arises in our lives…
Well we may think that way and FEEL that way… but what does our ACTION show? Are we LOOKING for those who are lost… or merely waiting for them to cross our path?
There are many here today who say that they want to see the lost saved, but their passion… which can only be revealed in their ACTIONs… is as about as genuine as cubic zirconium…
Oh they may LOOK the part… they may fool SOME people, but they KNOW themselves they are fake and their fake passion will one day be brought into the open! They will be seen for the frauds they are in Christ!
Paul was burdened for the Jewish people of his day… his heart burned with a passion for seeing them come to know Jesus and be saved! Let me ask you this question… what people is your heart burdened for? Who has Christ laid on YOUR heart to pray for and witness to?
Is it that neighbor across the street who never seems to give you the time of day? Is it that check out clerk who seems nice but troubled when you see her at the store? Is it that waitress who you know is struggling with a difficult life?
The question should NEVER be IF you have a passion or burning in your heart… but how deep that passion and burden for the lost goes…
The question for a believer should NEVER be “Are you willing to share your faith in Christ?” We should NEVER have to deal with the question, “Are you passionate about sharing your faith in Christ? Do you have a burning passion to see the lost come to Christ?”
If you are NOT willing to share your faith and you don’t’ have a burning passion for the lost… I want you to know that you are being WILLFULLY disobedient to Gods calling on your life!
And you may want to re-evaluate your relationship with God! If you don’t have a burning passion for winning the lost, I believe there has to be sin in your life that is preventing God’s spirit from manifesting itself and reaching out to others for Christ!
Oak Park members… I challenge you to SHOW your passion for Christ! I challenge you to REVEAL your burden for the lost through your witness to those around you! You may think you CANNOT do it… you may have convinced yourself that evangelism is a job for the pastor or others, but not you!
But that is NOT what Scripture tells us… In Acts 1:8 the Bible tells us that we will have the power of God infused into our hearts… People if you profess Christ as Savior in your life… then GOD has promised the power of His might!
Jesus is our power source and because of Him we are able to do anything! Paul said it in Phil 4:13… “I can do ALL things through Christ…” Jesus is the power and the source and the sustainer of our faith! Do you trust Jesus today to be there for you?
If you have NOT shared Jesus with anyone recently, I want to challenge you today to come to this altar and make things right with God.
Don’t be ashamed to come… don’t be too intimidated to come… come and surrender your pride to Him this morning! If you have NOT shared Jesus with anyone this past week… I encourage you to come and repent of your disobedience to God’s calling on your life!
As Bro Ken comes to lead us… Are you hear and do NOT know the loving, saving embrace of Jesus? If you have never experienced the liberating love and grace of God in your life… then this altar is open for you! I urge you… I BEG you… COME!
There is a problem in this world and it is SIN… we ALL sin, and sin is what separates us from God! God hates sin and does not wish to abide where sin is… but God has provided Jesus as a solution to the sin problem in this world!
Jesus came, died on a cross, and then rose again on the 3rd day… ALL FOR YOU! ALL to forgive your sin and provide you with eternal life with God! Do you want to know and experience the peace with God that Jesus can bring into your life? If you do, I urge you to step out and come to this altar…
If you know of a ministry God is leading you to participate in…but you are being disobedient… YOU COME surrender today!
If you are seeking a spiritual home with a group of loving and faithful believers… I urge you to consider Oak Park… come and submit your life in Christ to service here within the ministries of Oak Park BC…
Come and serve with us… come and love with us… come and GROW with us! Won’t you step out and come as Bro Ken leads us in our invitational hymn…
