Romans 9:30-10:21

Romans 9 and 10 mirror tension.

Romans 9 highlights the fact that God determines everything that happens. We spent a lot of time looking at things like election and predestination. Today we begin the next section it starts in Romans 30 and focuses on mankind especially Israel’s personal responsibility before God. I have said it before. The Jews (or us) are God’s people because God chose them and the Jews are God’s people because they chose Him.

Romans 9.30-10.21 Explains why the Jews are a small, tiny part of the people of God in the Gospel era.

You might cry out “Pastor but the Jews are God’s chosen people and we should bless them!”

Absolutely, I couldn’t agree more. I pushed to have a Jewish missionary. I support Israel any chance I get.

I do not believe the church has supplanted Israel, They are God’s chosen people.

The Jew needs Jesus! They have rejected their Messiah, their Messiah hasn’t rejected them. God will win them back. I long for that day.

The Church (Gentiles) have found righteousness by faith.

Romans 9:30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith;

The Church is the bride of Christ. We have accepted Jesus. We accept Him by faith that He is the Son of God.

Faith is believing that Jesus is God.

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.

The book of Hebrews is obviously a very Jewish book and in the authors defense that Jesus is better the climax of the book comes in Hebrews 11-12 what we commonly call the hall of faith. The author of the book is pointing the Jew to the thing that they lack, faith in Jesus. He has made the Case for Christ long before Lee Strobel did it. He describes what faith is, He directs us to the faith of all the Old testament Jews who had faith

Faith to save

Faith in a creator. (Faith in Creation)

Noah: faith to save from the flood. (saving faith)

Abraham and the patriarchs: faith in a heavenly city whose builder and maker is God. (A better home)

Abraham: Faith in God providing propitiation. (A better sacrifice)

Moses: faith to deliver Israel. (faith to deliver) (deliverance vs salvation)

The rest have faith that God will give them the victory. (Faith to overcome)

Jesus is the author and finisher of our faith

Hebrews 12:2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

He is the answer to real faith. Every topic in Hebrews 11 is ours in Jesus Christ. The Jews were the prototype the beta test if you will, but they need, Paul pleads that they will find the genuine real thing in Jesus Christ.

Israel’s problem is that they are chasing works for righteousness.

Romans 9:31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness.

God gave Israel the law on Sinai. The law is good but it really condemns all to death for all have sinned broken it. The Jews problem is preoccupation with the law. Tunnel vision and thinking that it is in the law that they get salvation. NOPE! We need not have the same tunnel vision. It is not in being better than your neighbor that you are saved. This isn’t a competition. We have sometimes made it that way. I want to highlight something that Bob Bowker said at a recent baseball game. I am not going to judge what you drink at the ball game but I will make you clean it up if you vomit in my car.

Bob showed grace that day. He didn’t view his Christian brother or sister by their actions, I know Bob isn’t going to drink and he has his reasons for that. He is a moral man who I aspire to be more like all the time BUT he didn’t have tunnel vision that people needed to meet his standard of morality in order to have Christian fellowship.

The Jew (and you) needs saving faith in Jesus.

Ephesians 2:8–9 For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast.

It’s not your works that get you to heaven but God’s grace. It is God that saves and it is our faith that seals the deal. Can you be good enough to get to heaven? NO

There are some ladies in our church who are perfect they sit so perfect. Does their righteousness earn them heaven, no it’s faith in Jesus

There are other ladies in our church who aren’t so sophisticated. They come into church and are them, I am not saying they are crude, (even though I have seen some of them) No they just aren’t polished. But Jesus loves them just as much.

Both are perfectly fine, neither is better than the other. UNLESS lady #1 is counting on her perfection to get her to heaven and #1 should not condemn #2 for being what they would consider uncouth

Jesus is a stumbling block to the Jew.

Romans 9:32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”

The Jew was so preoccupied by the law that they can not see Jesus for who He truly was the author and finisher of our faith.

Paul understands the Jewish problem because he had the same problem.

Philippians 3:8–9 Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith;

Paul can be critical and compassionate of the Jew during his day because he lived it. He was so law focused that He missed even persecuted those who followed Christ. It took a miracle to close his eyes to the world so he could focus on Jesus.

Jesus was to be the Jews cornerstone of faith.

Isaiah 28:16 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I lay in Zion a stone for a foundation, A tried stone, a precious cornerstone, a sure foundation; Whoever believes will not act hastily.”

I chose Isaiah here on purpose because this is Paul’s text that he is going to refer to about Jesus being a stone. He is both the cornerstone of faith

I like that song “Christ alone Cornerstone, meek made strong in the saviors love through the storm He is lord, lord of all”

He is the foundation of the faith but Paul is going to make the point that he is also the stumbling block

Paul choses here to focus on Jesus as the stumbling block.

Isaiah 8:14 “He will be as a sanctuary, But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense To both the houses of Israel, As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.”

It is important that as we look at this passage to understand that not just for the Jew but for anyone Jesus is both the stumbling block the trap or the chief cornerstone the difference is faith. We get it For the Christian he is all in all. For the unbeliever oh yeah, JESUS His name is wonderful and a curse. It just depends on whose mouth is using it.

The Jews, the builders rejected Him.

Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.

I picture Jesus in the last week of his life, Palm Sunday Triumphal Entry “Hosanna” He was presented to the Jews the builders as the cornerstone of their faith.

Jesus looks to the temple. No stone will be left on each other. It happened like Jesus said. It was time to build a new faith house. I just listened to a book on the 1st 2nd and coming 3rd temple. People get excited about Jesus prophecy of the temple it was amazing. The wailing wall the dome of the rock position of the temple on Mt Moriah. Let me tell you. I decided I am leaving the details to Jesus and people smarter than me. I just know that the temple had to come down because Jesus was building the age of grace and he was the cornerstone

When they cried out Crucify Him but more importantly we have no kind but caeasar they rejected the stone.

Jesus is the chief cornerstone.

1 Peter 2:6–7 “Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, “Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.” Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,””

He is both the stumbling block and the chief cornerstone. The question is what have you done with Jesus. Paul’s problem is that they rejected Him and now they are stumbling over Him.

One day they will willfully embrace Him as their Messiah. The 144,000 are coming and the two witnesses and my prayer is that Israel will be saved.,

Pray for Israel.

Romans 10:1 Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.

I love this verse.

It pops into my head every week, I guarantee it. We all need to be praying for Israel. Every time they come into the news

Praying for the peace of Jerusalem is important.

Psalm 122:6–7 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you. Peace be within your walls, Prosperity within your palaces.”

Every time Hamas attacks or Iran threatens I pray for the peace of Jerusalem. That is all good, but we need to make our number one priority desire concerning Israel is that they will be saved. A Revival in the land of Israel.

Watchmen don’t quit praying for Israel.

Isaiah 62:6–7 “I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; They shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the Lord, do not keep silent, And give Him no rest till He establishes And till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth.”

Don’t quit praying for them. We all need to be more vigilant in praying for Israel, God’s timepiece of the end times. Don’t be silent keep on praying until the job is finished, until every last Jew is saved.

The dry bones are about Israel.

Ezekiel 37:11–14 Then He said to me, “Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel. They indeed say, ‘Our bones are dry, our hope is lost, and we ourselves are cut off!’ Therefore prophesy and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Behold, O My people, I will open your graves and cause you to come up from your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O My people, and brought you up from your graves. I will put My Spirit in you, and you shall live, and I will place you in your own land. Then you shall know that I, the Lord, have spoken it and performed it,” says the Lord.

Israel has had this happen to them over and over again.

Physical salvation of Israel (fulfilled) May 14, 1948

That is the story of the dry bones. From Auschwitz to Israel. The dry bones live again.

Pray that they may find spiritual salvation.

(Hint: It is coming!)

The Jews are passionate for God, but...

Romans 10:2 For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.

This is true of the Jew. Many of who are so close, but they miss Jesus

This could be said of the muslim, the jehovah’s witness, the mormon and others. They have a passion for God, but they miss Jesus. They miss the most important thing.

Jesus is the only way to God.

Acts 4:12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

John 14:6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

I put all these groups in here because they all acknowledge Jesus, but they deny that he is the only way to salvation. Even the Muslim teaches about Jesus as a prophet but deny him as the one and only Son of God. I appreciate the zeal of the muslim. I appreciate more than the apathy of the athiest. But they miss the point.

Let me tell you something. a lot times I feel sorry for the religious who don’t know Jesus. I pray for those in the Roman Catholic church the mormons and the jehovah witness. That some of them may truly be born again, they just don’t know how to escape those cults to find a completed fellowship abiding in Him without those who would distract them