Israel and the Gospel
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1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.” 12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” 14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
15 And how shall they preach unless they are sent? As it is written: “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, Who bring glad tidings of good things!” 16 But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report?”
Going back to our roots
In many ways, this is what Paul is doing in this passage:
Paul presents lessons from Israel’s Rejection:
The futility of False Righteousness.
2. The Effectiveness of Righteousness Through Faith.
3. The Call to Spread the Faith.
Lessons from Israel’s Rejection
The futility of False Righteousness.
Having presented the Gospel to the Romans as found only in the Lord Jesus and God’s universal offer of salvation.
Paul goes back to the question of Israel, how about Israel, he devotes Chapters 9 to 11.
He expressed his fervent desire for the salvation of the Jews:
1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. 2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
Talk about zeal, Israel’s ignorance
Ignorance of the truth
They have the knowledge
Misguided Knowledge Leads to Ignorance.
(talk about licentiousness, address our young people)
Paul talked more about this ignorance:
3 For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.
Not following the law, or do’s and don’ts.
There is a problem, we are imperfect beings and cannot follow the law perfectly
Jesus fulfilled the law (Matthew 5:17)
We cannot obey the law perfectly, therefore it is futile to attempt to be righteous by following the law.
No one obeyed the law to perfection except one PERSON - The Greatest of ALL TIME - The Lord Jesus Christ.
But, we are gentiles, we do not really follow the law..
You know the Ten Commandments…
there is also the universal call to righteousness - our conscience:
14 for when Gentiles, who do not have the law, by nature do the things in the law, these, although not having the law, are a law to themselves,
“As long as I don’t step on anyone’s toes”
“As long as my good works outweigh my bad”
“As long as I help the poor”
“As long as I follow my path to God” (there are many paths because all roads lead to heaven)
People have lowered the bar of God’s righteousness.
2. The Effectiveness of Righteousness Through Faith.
What Jesus did is enough.
5 For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” 6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). 8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach):
What is Paul actually saying here? (stay with me)
He is actually referencing a verse of scripture in the Old Testament:
In his exhortation to the people of Israel, Moses said this:
11 “For this commandment which I command you today is not too mysterious for you, nor is it far off.
12 It is not in heaven, that you should say, ‘Who will ascend into heaven for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 13 Nor is it beyond the sea, that you should say, ‘Who will go over the sea for us and bring it to us, that we may hear it and do it?’ 14 But the word is very near you, in your mouth and in your heart, that you may do it.
Explain, Jesus is the WORD of God
6 But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, “Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will ascend into heaven?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ down from above)
We do not have to work our way up to heaven, Jesus already came!
7 or, “ ‘Who will descend into the abyss?’ ” (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead).
We do not have to be among the dead, Jesus has already been raised from the dead.
“We were buried with Jesus through baptism into death…” (Romans 6)
The interplay of the heart and of the mouth. (not metaphysical the power of the tongue kind of deal)
But if God has done the work, and saving faith has come to someone:
8 But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach): 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.
Correction of confession:
Confession of Faith unto allegiance of His Lordship.
Kyrios Christos (talk)
10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
3. The Call to Spread the Faith.
While all have sinned (Romans 3:23)
there is a universal offer of salvation:
11 For the Scripture says, “Whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
12 For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich to all who call upon Him.
Aren’t you thankful that you can come just as you are to God today?
13 For “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.”
DELIVERANCE
"Do not tell me there is no immediate salvation in this life, for my own conversion is a living proof that there is. I cried to the Lord with my voice, and He heard me out of His holy hill." - (Charles H. Spurgeon)
Now, the next verses are critical, this is why we do frontier missions:
14 How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
FRONTIER MISSIONS!
This is the key verse for a church to get involved in frontier missions. Why we do what we do.
God has a heart for the unreached peoples of the world. This is a faithful interpretation (exegesis versus eisegesis)
How???
Let us be united in this. Cafe. Ministry Center Vision.
Not to neglect our local mission here, but the local mission should not delay or hamper our frontier missions.
Timothy Mission vs. Paul Mission.
It should be simultaneous — we are lacking in the Pauline ministries.
God is on the move in the nations, let us ride the next great move of God!