God Has Not Failed
Notes
Transcript
Intro: Good morning FE we are glad you are here this morning, for those watching online, we are glad you have joined us and if you have never visited us in person, we would love to meet you.
Intro: Good morning FE we are glad you are here this morning, for those watching online, we are glad you have joined us and if you have never visited us in person, we would love to meet you.
This morning we begin our journey through Romans 9-11, some scholars see these chapter as disconnected from Romans 1-8 and 12-16. I disagree with that view, if you remember 2 weeks ago Pastor John taught us the Golden chain of salvation;
Romans 8:29 - 30
For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.
29 Porque a los que de antemano conoció, también los predestinó a ser hechos conforme a la imagen de su Hijo, para que Él sea el primogénito entre muchos hermanos; 30 y a los que predestinó, a esos también llamó; y a los que llamó, a esos también justificó; y a los que justificó, a esos también glorificó
Pastor Alfredo reminded us last week, “if God is for us who can be against us?” and that “nothing can separate us from the love of God.”
These truths are wonderful but they would lead many to ask, if God has chosen to work through Israel and if nothing can separate us from the love of God, what about Israel, why have they rejected Jesus the messiah, has God failed to keep his promises? Romans 9 - 11 answers those questions and more.
At the beginning of each of the chapters in Romans 9-11, we see Paul write from his heart. We will see how the truths have impacted Paul internally, how these truths lead Paul to action and how he concludes that God has not failed.
This week, we will see Paul’s genuineness, Paul’s heart break, Israel’s privilege and we will see that God has not failed.
Let’s jump in to Romans 9
I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit—
Digo la verdad en Cristo, no miento, dándome testimonio mi conciencia en el Espíritu Santo
We see
Paul’s Genuineness Expressed
Paul’s Genuineness Expressed
Notice Paul states it Positively first, I speak the truth then he states it in the negative, I am not lying. Paul is doing this to emphasize the seriousness of the truth he is about to explain. But he is also expressing his genuineness. Paul is saying guys, I am about to drop some hard truths on you, I see the truth and my conscience bears witness to these truths.
Paul expresses his genuiness, by saying I speak the truth, I am not lying, but Paul also says the the truth he speaks originates in Christ. In other words, Paul is saying this is not something I made up, the truth I am about to speak originates in Christ. This is not Paul’s truth, or Josue’s truth or Samuel’s truth, this is the truth of Christ.
To emphasize this even further Paul says that the Spirit bears witness to the truth to convince him, assure him that what he is writing is the truth, this is inspiration from God.
Paul is explaining all this because the truths in Rom 9-11, may be hard to accept, they may be difficult to comprehend, we may not even like the outcomes of the truth. We will even see Paul’s heartbreak as he is writing these truths. But what he writes is still truth. As we read and study these chapters Paul displays for us how to accept hard truths, which originate form Christ and the Spirit bears witness and inspired these truths.
What we see from Paul is that the truth he is about to speak about leads to
Paul’s Heartbreak Being Exhibited
Paul’s Heartbreak Being Exhibited
that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.
2 de que tengo gran tristeza y continuo dolor en mi corazón. 3 Porque desearía[a] yo mismo ser anatema[b], separado de Cristo por amor a mis hermanos, mis parientes[c] según la carne,
Have you ever been to an exhibit? Maybe at a museum, or an art show, or a conference where the speaker is selling his books. The purpose of the exhibit is for display. What we see in these verses is that Paul’s heart break exhibited and on display. Paul says he has great sorrow, and unceasing anguish, his heart is broken. These truth are causing internal, emotional, mental suffering and his heart is breaking.
The question is what is breaking Paul’s heart?
Paul’s heart is broken because his people, the people of Israel, have rejected Jesus the Messiah and because they have done so they are accursed and cut off from Christ.
What does accursed mean?
Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
3 Por tanto, os hago saber que nadie hablando por el Espíritu de Dios, dice: Jesús es anatema; y nadie puede decir: Jesús es el Señor, excepto por el Espíritu Santo.
If anyone has no love for the Lord, let him be accursed. Our Lord, come! 22 Si alguno no ama al Señor, que sea anatema. ¡Maranata!
Accursed means, that you have not been transformed by Christ, you do not love Christ. A person transformed by Christ will proclaim Jesus is Lord and his life will exemplify that he is Lord of your life, which means you will have love for Jesus.What does love for Jesus look like? A life empowered by the grace of God to obey his commands, “if you love me you will keep my commandments” But if your life exemplifies a heart that rejects Jesus and has no love for Jesus what does Paul say, “let him be accursed” Which means separated and cut off from Christ. Paul’s heartbreak is that his people, his country men are accursed, they are cut off from Christ because of their rejection of Jesus as the way the truth and the life.
We need to understand, Paul’s countrymen persecuted him, they were against Paul for preaching that Jesus was the power of God for Salvation. Listen to what Paul says,
Five times I received at the hands of the Jews the forty lashes less one. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked; a night and a day I was adrift at sea;
24 Cinco veces he recibido de los judíos treinta y nueve[a] azotes. 25 Tres veces he sido golpeado con varas, una vez fui apedreado, tres veces naufragué, y he pasado una noche y un día en lo profundo[b].
His people persecuted him because he preached the Gospel, they were his enemies. Yet even after all the persecution Pauls love for his people and Pauls desire for his people to hear the Gospel was strong. When Paul was travelling, he would go to the synagogue first and share the Gospel, knowing they may persecute him. Then he would go to the Gentiles. Paul’s heartbreak was that many people from the nation of Israel rejected Christ. His heartbreak is exhibited for us, because Paul says I would rather I be accursed and cut off from Christ if it meant my country men, my people, would love Christ. Paul said if I could, if it were possible, substitute my life in Christ for theirs, this is how Heart broken Paul is.
We have seen this before, when the Lord’s anger burned against the people of Israel after they built and worshipped the golden calf, the Lord’s anger burned against the people, and the Lord told Moses I will destroy the people and start over with you Moses, here are Moses’ words
But now, if you will forgive their sin—but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written.”
32 Pero ahora, si es tu voluntad, perdona su pecado, y si no, bórrame del libro que has escrito.
Moses pleaded for the people of Israel, and he said if you will not forgive, blot me out as well.
The ultimate example of this is Jesus, God himself became human flesh to become the curse for us so that we would not be accursed and cut off. We must come to him by turning from our sin and trusting in him to make us right with God. Jesus took the curse and penalty of sin in our place so that sinners may become saints.
Philippians 2 says let this mind be in you, this humble, self sacrificial, loving mind be in you that was in Jesus. As I was studying this passage I came across some questions written by James Montgomery Boice that I have been meditating on for a few weeks now and I want to share them with you, so you can meditate on them as well
1. Do you anguish over others?
2. Do you anguish over those closest to you, the members of your own family?
Charles Spurgeon knew a story that is like this. A girl who was not in good health approached her pastor with thoughts about her coming funeral. She spoke of her father, who was an unbeliever and who had never accepted an invitation from her to go to church. “Pastor, you will bury me, won’t you?” she asked. “My father will have to come to my funeral and hear you speak, and you will speak the gospel. Please speak it clearly. I have prayed for him a long time. I know God will save him.” According to Spurgeon, the father came to her funeral and was converted. The girl did not die in her father’s place, as Jesus died for us. But she had the spirit of Christ in that she was willing to die if her death might cause the conversion of one close to her whom she very much loved.
3. Do you anguish over those who are your enemies?
4. Do you anguish over those who are great sinners?
5. Do you anguish over those who have great privileges?
Paul will show us that Israel had great privileges, yet still rejected the greatest privilege of all, Jesus. Let’s read
They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen.
4 que son israelitas, a quienes pertenece la adopción como hijos, y la gloria, los pactos, la promulgación de la ley, el culto y las promesas, 5 de quienes son los patriarcas, y de quienes, según la carne, procede el Cristo[d], el cual está sobre todas las cosas, Dios bendito por los siglos. Amén.
In these verses,
Israel’s Privilege Explained
Israel’s Privilege Explained
Adoption - This is not like the adoption as sons and daughters that we have in Christ. When Paul uses adoption here, Paul is referring to Israel being chosen to accomplish his purposes. God could have chosen any nation he wanted but the Lord says
‘Thus says the Lord, Israel is my firstborn son, «Así dice el Señor: “Israel es mi hijo, mi primogénito.
When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
Cuando Israel era niño, yo lo amé, y de Egipto llamé a mi hijo.
The Glory - Israel experienced the Glory in amazing ways, the pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. The glory of God filling the the tabernacle and the temple.
The Covenants - They were blessed to enter into covenants with the Lord of all, there is the Abrahamic covenant that through the Abraham the nations will be blessed, the Mosaic covenant which is the giving of the moral, civic and ceremonial laws with blessings and curses attached to the covenant, and the Davidic covenant which states that someone from the line of David will rule forever.
The giving of the law and the worship - which is outlined in the Mosaic covenant of how to live and and how to come to the Lord in worship.
The promises - which were all the promises the Lord has given Israel and the messianic prophecies of one who will come and deliver them from their sin and bring liberty.
Th patriarchs - Their heritage is Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses, David, the prophets and so much more.
The greatest blessing of all - Jesus the Messiah, who is blessed and God forever will come through Israel.
All of this privilege, the people who should have known, yet they rejected Jesus Christ. There may be some sitting here in the same position, people who have grown up in church, have heard the Gospel preached Sunday after Sunday, have been to classes and conferences about the Gospel, have a godly heritage, yet they are accused and cut off from Christ because by the words and their life, they have rejected Jesus as Lord. If privilege cannot save Israel, it cannot save you, its not too late to turn from your sin of rejecting Christ, trust in Jesus and enter in a right relationship with the Lord.
What Israel failed to see is that Jesus provided
A better adoption - a member of the household of God.
A better Glory - In Jesus we see the glory of the father full of grace and truth
And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
The fulfillment of the Old Covenants and the the implementation of a new Covenant - which the book of Hebrews says is a Better covenant.
In Jesus we have the fulfillment of the law, we have a new high priest who leads us into the most holy place so we can worship together before the throne of God.
We have the fulfillment of the promises
The one who the patriarchs pointed us to.
Jesus is the ultimate and final words to us today.
What we discover is that the word of God has not failed
But it is not as though the word of God has failed. For not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel, and not all are children of Abraham because they are his offspring, but “Through Isaac shall your offspring be named.” This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.
6 Pero no es que la palabra de Dios haya fallado. Porque no todos los descendientes de Israel son Israel; 7 ni son todos hijos por ser descendientes[e] de Abraham, sino que por Isaac será llamada tu descendencia[f]. 8 Esto es, no son los hijos de la carne los que son hijos de Dios, sino que los hijos de la promesa son considerados como descendientes[g].
God’s word has not failed
Because the Power and Promise of Gods Word is Effective
Because the Power and Promise of Gods Word is Effective
Look at what Isaiah says in,
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven
and do not return there but water the earth,
making it bring forth and sprout,
giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater,
so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth;
it shall not return to me empty,
but it shall accomplish that which I purpose,
and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.
Porque como descienden de los cielos la lluvia y la nieve, y no vuelven allá sino que riegan[a] la tierra, haciéndola producir y germinar, dando semilla al sembrador y pan al que come, 11 así será mi palabra que sale de mi boca, no volverá a mí vacía sin haber realizado lo que deseo, y logrado el propósito para el cual la envié.
Isaiah tells us the God’s word is effective to accomplish, exactly what is intended to accomplish. Paul’s argument is God’s word has not failed because God’s word is accomplishing what is intended to accomplish.
His first argument to prove that God’s word has not failed is that all those who descend from the nation of Israel belong to Israel. Just because someone is an offspring of Abraham, does not guarantee his salvation and it does not make them a part of Israel. To support his argument he uses the physical lineage of Abraham, we know that Abraham had Ishmael, and he remarried after Sarah died and had other children, where those offsprings of Abraham a part of Israel? No it was only those who came through the lineage of Isaac that the blessing and promises of God would be accomplished.
Paul takes this argument applies it spiritually, stating so the children of the flesh are not the children of promise, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring. The question is who are the children of promise?
Form these first eight verses, we can logically conclude that the children of promise are those who have trusted Christ. This is why Paul is heartbroken, because many of his country men have rejected Christ and are being cut off from Christ because of their rejection, which is why Paul says just because you descended from Israel biologically does not mean you are a part of Israel and part of the children of promise, that is reserved for those who have trusted Jesus, this is the same thing Paul taught in Romans 4, that those who trust in Jesus by faith are Abraham’s Offspring. This should cause us to pray for Israel and should cause us anguish like it casues Paul anguish.
This argument Paul is making is to prove why God’s word has not failed, what Paul is saying is the God’s word has not failed because it has accomplished exactly what God has intended it to accomplish, the salvation of those who are the children of the promise. And how does God accomplish the salvation of the children of the promise, through the proclamation and reading of God’s word. Listen to what Paul says in Romans 10,
So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
17 Así que la fe viene del oír, y el oír, por la palabra de Cristo
Faith in Christ comes from hearing the word of Christ. This is why Gospel proclamation and discipleship is part of our DNA here at Fellowship, because it is how God turns someone who is a child of the flesh to a child of promise. God’s word is proclaimed and taught and through the Spirit of God, brings transformation to someone’s life. This is why it is our goal to share the Gospel with everyone who walks through those doors, because without trusting in the Gospel of Jesus, we are all condemned and headed to eternal separation from God in hell for forever.
Peter writes this,
Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart, since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God; for
“All flesh is like grass
and all its glory like the flower of grass.
The grass withers,
and the flower falls,
but the word of the Lord remains forever.”
And this word is the good news that was preached to you.
22 Puesto que en obediencia a la verdad habéis purificado vuestras almas[a]para un amor sincero[b] de hermanos, amaos unos a otros entrañablemente, de corazón puro. 23 Pues habéis nacido de nuevo, no de una simientecorruptible, sino de una que es incorruptible, es decir, mediante la palabra de Dios que vive y permanece[c]. 24 Porque: Toda carne es como la hierba,
y toda su gloria como la flor de la hierba.
Sécase la hierba,
cese la flor,
25 mas la palabra del Señor permanece para siempre. Y esta es la palabra que os fue predicada
This is the words that are preached to you, the good news of the Gospel, and this good news of the Gospel, God’s word, has not failed, it will not fail, it cannot fail. It will accomplish what God sets out to accomplish the salvation of the children of promise.
For those of us who are followers of Christ, it our mission to preach the Gospel to all those who have not believed, we should have a heart broken for those who are not following Christ. It should be our mission to pray for and preach the Gospel, preach God’s words to all those who are not trusting Jesus because God’s word is effective, it is powerful and it will accomplish what God intends it to accomplish, it will transform those who are children of wrath to children of promise.
