A Heart for God’s People

Introduction

As we begin to delve into the depths of Romans 9-11, it is important to remember that the primary focus in this chapter is the corporate election of the people of God. If you weren’t here last week, I highly recommend going back and listening to that sermon as I sought to lay this foundation for the third section of the book of Romans. Paul is seeking to show that the gospel does not invalidate all of God’s promises to Israel as a nation. The question we are really asking here is does God have a place and a plan for Israel now that the Church exists.

This question was highlighted in an interview between Ted Cruz and Tucker Carlson recently. Ted Cruz began the interview with a statement that he grew up being taught that those who bless Israel will be blessed. This belief was used as support for standing with Israel even when we may not agree with some of their decisions. Tucker Carlson clearly didn’t agree and did some manipulation of the conversation. Multiple times he did a bait and switch and inserted the word government of Israel. This was even after Ted Cruz clearly said the promise is for those who bless the people of Israel not necessarily the government of Israel. Even in Bible times it was possible to support the nation of Israel without condoning the actions of lets say Manasseh. but Tucker was trying to force a point that the promise in his opinion only applied to Israel during bible times and that the Israel of today is different than the Israel of back then; so the promise doesn’t apply. I’m not saying Tucker Carlson is an antisemite, but certain streams of conservatism have become friendly with people who are outright antisemites and white nationalists. So the real question Tucker was asking is does God have a plan for Israel today?

It is possible that Paul had been accused of anti-semitism because of his ministry to the Gentiles and his denial that Christians must keep the law. Such an attack would make sense of what Paul says in Romans 9:1-5 (read the verses). The accusation would be like saying the Youth Pastor doesn’t have a heart for the people of the church because he is constantly ministering to the Youth. It isn’t that he doesn’t love the people of the church, but his particular calling is to work with the Youth. This potential accusation takes on even more seriousness if we remember that some of the Gentiles in Rome were boasting against the Jews according to Romans 11. This morning we are going to take a look at Paul’s opening statements about God’s plan for the Jews as he expresses his heart for his people.

Paul’s Heart for His People

Romans 9:1–3 “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:”

I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness- Paul says essentially the same thing in three different ways at the beginning of the chapter: I say the truth, I’m not lying, my conscience bears witness to the truth of what I am about to say. The jist of what Paul is saying is that What he says is completely true. But why say it three times? Repetition is often used for emphasis. It is like when you kids want you to make them a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. You might be doing the dishes or playing piano, but they come along and say “Mom, Mom, Mom!” Why are they repeating it? They really want to get your attention and to get you to hear what they have to say. Paul is basically saying I really, really, really want you to know my heart.

Paul even brings three witness to prove the sincerity of his heart: in Christ, my conscience, in the Holy Ghost. The words in Christ almost add an oath like quality to what he is about to say. It’s like swearing on a bible before you take the witness stand. Paul says Christ knows the truth of his heart. Also his conscience proves he is telling the truth. Paul knew deep inside that what he was about to say was true. But our conscience can sometimes be wrong, so Paul adds a third witness: the Holy Ghost who works through Paul’s conscience.

So the summary so far is Paul really truly feels this contrary to what others might say. God knows the truth of his heart. But what is it on Paul’s heart? Paul is concerned about my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. Paul has a deep concern for his fellow Jews: the nation of Israel. Ultimately he desires that they would be saved.

Paul says he has great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart. Heaviness speaks of emotional pain. His emotions are racked over this. Sorrow in this passage speaks of mental anguish. It is constantly on his mind and he cannot get it off his mind. The other night, I was deeply burdened about a situation. It emotionally wrecked me. There was worry, distress, discouragement. But I was also in mental anguish. My mind would not let go of these thoughts. I was awake until 4 am wrestling emotionally, mentally and in prayer over this.

This depth of feeling shows that Paul cares. One thing is true of someone who doesn’t care about you; they won’t even bat an eye or spare a thought about the hurt or pain in your life. It doesn’t phase them because you don’t matter to them. The very fact that Paul is wrestling at this level shows the depth of his love for his people. How many of us have this kind of heart for lost people around us. When we see the evil in America, do we grieve over the lost.

The depth of Paul’s love is also seen in the hypothetical statement: I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren. The words could wish show that this is not a real possibility, but a the length Paul would be willing to go to if it were possible. The word accursed comes from the Greek αναθεμα which speaks of eternal damnation. Paul is saying if I could I would take their place in hell if it would allow the nation of Israel to be saved.

Lest anyone think that Paul and God have abandoned Israel, Paul has opened up his heart and shown us the depths of his feeling for his people.

The Reason God’s People Matter

His filial love for his people- Paul desires their salvation because they are his kinsmen. These are his people, his clan. There ought to be a familial love for those we are related to. There should be some sense of connection with the people group, nation we belong to. Paul’s desire to see them saved because they are in essence family.

The specialness of the people of God- We are going to unpack this reason in more detail in the next point, but the Jewish people were special to God so they should be special to us as well. Deuteronomy 7:6 “For thou art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of the earth.” When we struggle to have a heart for the things that God has a heart for, it reveals a disconnect in our relationship with Him. Our affections are not being molded and conformed to the image of Christ. Have you ever seen dating couples? Maybe a girl is dating a guy who is all about cars. She never really has cared or thought about cars in her life, but because he matters to her, she takes an interest in cars. The closer they get relationally, the more they love the same things.

God’s truthfulness- Paul has a concern that God’s truthfulness be defended. As we will see in the text, God has chosen a remnant of Jewish people who do believe and will receive all those blessings that God has promised the nation of Israel. When we witness to Jews, we are entering into a proof of God’s faithfulness to his people.

The Jewish people then and now still hold a special place in God’s plan of redemption and in his heart. They should hold a similar position in our hearts.

The Special Place of God’s People

The final two verses in Paul’s introduction give us 8 reason’s God’s People are special. He begins by asking the question Who are Israelites? Who are these Jews? Then he lists all the things that make them distinct and special in God’s plan.

Romans 9:4–5 “Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.”

Adoption- in reference to the Jews, it is different than that of the Christian. The Christian is adopted under the NC by which everyone knows the Lord, but the Jew’s adoption is under the Abrahamic Covenant under in which not every individual was a believer. The term is applied to the entire nation whether they are saved or not. Exodus 4:22 “And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn:” This statement was made before the giving of the law reiterating God’s promise made to Abraham. As a people, Israel was adopted, but not every individual was on their way to heaven.

Glory- Exodus 24:16 “And the glory of the Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days: and the seventh day he called unto Moses out of the midst of the cloud.” The glory of the Lord referred to the manifest presence of God in Israel that led them through the wilderness and ultimately settled in the Holy of Holies.

Covenants- the word is plural refers to all the covenants made to Israel- Abrahamic, Mosaic, Davidic.

Giving of the law- Out of all the nations of the earth, Israel was the one to receive the word of God. Romans 3:2 “Much every way: chiefly, because that unto them were committed the oracles of God.”

the service of God- this refers to the acts of public service or worship of God in the tabernacle and the temple

the promises- Romans 15:8 “Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:”

the fathers- they descended from the patriarchs- these promises were not just given to the fathers, but to all their descendents, the value of being a descendent of the fathers comes from inheriting those promises.

Jesus Christ- according to the flesh- only in his humanity, Paul doesn’t leave the verse with just a reference to Christ’s humanity. He also affirms his divinity in the following phrase. This Messiah, Christ, is over all- Jew and Gentile and He is God. Paul ends with the doxology giving christ praise finishing off his introduction to the section.

Conclusion

There are two applications to this message this morning: The Primary application is that we should have a heart for the salvation of the Jewish People. We ought to seek opportunities to share the gospel with them. Perhaps they might be part of the remnant. But they have a special place in God’s heart; so they out to have a special place in our hearts as well. The Jewish people do matter and God is not done with them yet.

But there is a Secondary Application. We should have a heart for the salvation of our people. Paul desired their salvation at the very least because they were his people. When I was younger, I never wanted to be a pastor because I didn’t think America deserved another chance. There are lost in other countries who have never heard so why preach it again to a people who ignore it. Growing up in Japan and traveling around the country I never really had roots here in this country; so it was a struggle, but the more and more I see the death and destruction that sin is brining about in our country, the more I grieve for the lost of our Country. There is only one answer to their problem. Donald Trump won’t fix it; some other politician won’t fix it. Social action won’t fix. The only solution is Jesus Christ.