08.02.2020 SER

Did you know that Romans chapter 9 follows after the first 8 chapters of Romans?

It does. In the first eight chapters, Paul identifies the power, grace, and mercy that is revealed in the gospel. This, grand, glorious Gospel, Paul announces,

Romans 1:16 (ESV) 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

This gospel is not only powerful to save the sinner, is priceless, for those who believe this gospel

Romans 3:24 (ESV) and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus,

It is priceless because gospel justifies the sinner before God, freely as the gift of God.

This Gospel, when it is believed, when faith is born in the heart, this gospel, not only justifies,

Romans 5:1 (ESV) Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.

This gospel when planted in the heart makes peace with God a present reality, as well as a future hope.

And this is God's greater story of mercy and grace and love. God doesn't want the sinner to die. No, This is the greater story which reveals the heart of our God, Who

Romans 5:8 (ESV) God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

God doesn't wait for the sinner to get their life right before Him. God demonstrates His greater love for us, by sending His Holy SON, Jesus to die for the unholy, unworthy, ungrateful sinner, you and me.

This is the greater story of amazing grace, that God makes a way for the sinners sins to buried.

Romans 6:3-4 (NIV) Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Baptized, into Christ, our sins are buried with Him. And simultaneously a new live begins.

A new life where,

Romans 8:1 (ESV) There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

When Paul turns the page from chapter 8, to chapter 9, everything he has written and revealed is not only true, but the promise of the Gospel, drives home a new reality. There are people he knows who don't believe the gospel and who will be lost forever.

Thus, in this ninth chapter Paul exposes his personal concern for the Jews, His brothers and sisters, his kinsmen.

Romans 9:2 (ESV) I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

Paul’s heart is filled with great sorrow and pain for the souls, which he fears will miss out on the eternal banquet. His concern drives him to prayer and this is Paul’s prayer,

Romans 9:3 (ESV) 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.

In spite of the fact, that Paul offers this prayer of thanksgiving to God for himself,

Philippians 3:10-11 (ESV) 10 that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead.

Yet, n compassion for the Jews, Paul would rather exchange his place of grace, faith and hopes in Christ, for the eternal wrath of God for himself, if only his "brothers" and "kinsmen" could know Christ and power of His resurrection in their lives. Such an exchange is neither possible nor necessary.

Faith is not like money. IF I give you MY MONEY, WHAT I GAVE TO YOU I now longer possess. But her in lies the paradox of the gospel. When I give it away to others, I get more for myself - more faith, and a stronger grip on grace.

When it comes to people in your life, Can you sympathize with Paul?

Is there a face of a person, or faces of people who come to mind, family members, maybe close friends who do believe that Jesus is the Son of God and they will be missing out on the greater story of God's forgiveness and eternal life, which He has prepared for those who love him?

Later in this letter, Paul writes how he tries to make his fellow Jews envious of the Gentiles who come to believe.

Romans 11:14-15 (NIV) in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. 15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?

Paul knows, Paul has seen a vision of the Christ. He writes, what He hopes his fellow Jews will have for themselves,

1 Corinthians 2:9 (NIV) However, as it is written: "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love him"--

Who is on your on your heart? Who are the people in your life that are you bringing to God in your prayers day after day until they know Jesus?

Should we be spending more time in prayer asking for God to show His mercy and grace unto the lost souls of the people we know, who don’t know Jesus right now.

Not too many years ago, before Advent & Christmas, I was praying, "Lord, how can I encourage our Faith family to pray for family and friends to invite people to know the Christ of Christmas, this year?

I got this idea. (That’s the Lutheran way of saying, "God was talking to me the other day".) By the way, I know when God is talking to me. Whenever I come up with something above my "pay grade" - my abilities, my intelligence, and my experience – I know that it all God. Anyway.

A number of years ago, I came with this idea, "what if we place a Christmas tree in our narthex and make paper bulbs available where we decorate the tree with our prayer bulbs, writing on each one, the names of people we know, love, and care about, who are prodigals who have left God's house, orphans who have never His love, people we know and love who may never know the joys of everlasting life, unless we bring them before our heavenly Father, praying individually and as a church for them during Advent, and then, we would invite them to come to Christmas services.

I shared the idea with our worship planning staff a number of years ago, and this was the concern or fear, "What if the people we prayed for came to church and saw their name on the paper ornament? What if they found out we, as a church, were praying for them, for them to know the Savior? My first thought was, and still is, “If I found out that someone, a church, was praying for soul, and I ended up connected to Jesus, my guess is, "I wouldn't be not be mad, or embarrassed, I’d be eternally grateful. Does anyone remember the year we did that? No? That’s because we never did.

In the parable of the Great Banquet, in Luke chapter 14, verse 15, When one of those who reclined at table with him heard these things, he said to him, “Blessed is everyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!” Luke 14:15

Can you imagine what kind of bread it will be? It will be HEAVENLY!

In the parable the master prepares the banquet and sends out invitations. When the invitations are returned with excuses, UNACCEPTED,

The master said to the servant, ‘Go out to the highways and hedges and compel people to come in, that my house may be filled. Luke 14:23 (ESV)

Why? Why Do that? Because God

1 Timothy 2:4 (ESV) “…desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

This IS THE GREATER story of our God, who loves the world so much, that He gave His son, so that all...

John writes,

John 1:12 (ESV) "...all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,

This is the greater story, a story that Paul was compelled to share because of the love of Christ.

2 Corinthians 5:14-15 (NIV) 14 For Christ's love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.

When you enter our sanctuary to worship and behold the cross, you canNOT say, "God doesn't love. God doesn't Care.

Romans 8:32 (NIV) He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all--how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

You can only say, as you stand at the foot of the cross, Oh, how He loves you and me. The hands and feet and side of our Jesus, tells us of our Father's heart. OH, how he loves us.

Do you suppose God is ready to write new chapter in His greater story of grace? God is inviting you and me, His church today, to bring Him in prayer, the names of people to be saved by His grace, mercy and love. The only question is who will bring to Him prayer?

God, my Father, place one soul upon my heart and love that soul through me, and may I gladly do my part, to lead that soul to thee. In Jesus’ name. Amen.