"On the Way or In the Way?"

Scripture Reading:

ROM 9:22-33 KJV

The scripture reading for today comes from Paul’s Epistle to the Church in Rome. I would like for us to look at Romans 9:30-33. If you would like to follow along, I’ll give you a moment to find the passage in your Bible.

30What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;

31but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.

32Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone,33just as it is written,

“Behold, I lay in Zion a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense,

And he who believes in Him will not be disappointed.”

The Word of the Lord.

Four verses. This passage is not great in length or volume; but these four short verses capture the full and plain meaning of the Gospel of Jesus Christ – That Salvation is attained or acquired by “Faith Alone in Christ Alone.”

In this passage we are looking at two different groups of people. On one hand we have the Jews (the People of Israel). On the other hand, we have the Gentiles.

This passage makes use of the analogy of Christ as a “stumblingstone.” We see that, of the two groups of people we are looking at, Jews and Gentiles, Jesus is only a stumblingstone to a majority of one of these groups. The Jews.

Finally, the passage ends in verse 33 with a reassuring promise that “whoever puts their faith in Christ shall not be disappointed.” Your translation may say “shall not be ashamed.”

What made me want to speak on this passage was this. I was reading through Romans a few weeks ago in a more modern paraphrase (The Message) and verse 33 hit me hard. Let me read it:

“Careful! I’ve put a huge stone on the road to Mount Zion, a stone you can’t get around. But the stone is me! If you’re looking for me, you’ll find me on the way, not in the way.” (Romans 9:33, The Message.)

“If you’re looking for me, you’ll find me on the way, not in the way.”

What can we say today about our individual encounters with Christ? – Do we find him ‘on the way’ daily as we go about our own lives? Or do we find Christ to be ‘in the way?’ A Stumblingstone.

If you have had children or grandchildren who were growing up sometime between 1949 until now, then I would be willing to bet that this has happened to you. You are awakened from sleep by the sound of crying. You get out of bed and stumble your way toward your child’s room in the dark, and it happens! While barefooted, you step down hard on a Lego block. I know I’ve done it.

This is the first image that comes to my mind when I read the verse about the stumblingstone; however, a more accurate image is this. Picture a very large boulder or rock in the middle of the road. One that, if it is in your way, is totally impassible. This is a road that all of us will have to travel. The question is “how will you interact with that rock?”

To understand Christ as this stumblingstone we need to look at how one of these two groups of people, the Jews, interacted with Christ, the Rock.

Verse 30 begins “What shall we say then?” We can tell from these first 5 words that we have been placed in the middle of an important discussion. The phrase “What shall we say then?” is a literary tool used by the Apostle Paul. It is not really a question but indicates that what follows is a conclusion or wrapping up of the discussion. He is providing an answer to the question at hand.

So, what is the question?

If we go back to verse 6, we see that the question being discussed was whether God has failed to fulfill or keep his promises to the people of Israel. We read in Genesis about God’s promise to Abraham. This promise was two-fold. Material and Spiritual. As far as the Material portion of the promise, God promised Abraham would be the (1) Father of many Nations, (2) That Kings would descend from him, and (3) That Abraham’s progeny would inherit the land of Canaan. Spiritually, the promise to Abraham was that “in his seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed.”

So where is the disconnect? Paul knows that in order to be blessed, truly blessed, one must be born again in Christ. The problem with this is that the Jewish people, for the most part, are rejecting the Gospel. The biological children of Abraham have rejected Christ. Instead of greeting the Messiah with open arms, the good news was met with violence, pride, arrogance, and disbelief. So, the Spiritual promise made to Abraham appears to be in jeopardy. If the Jews reject Christ, how can we say that in Abraham’s seed all the nations of the earth would be blessed?

Paul begins Chapter 9 prepared to be “accursed from Christ” to save the Jewish people. To get them to change their minds about the Gospel.

Paul was a Jew and he was proud of his Jewish heritage. Paul runs through his pedigree in Philippians 3:4-6 by saying:

4although I myself might have confidence even in the flesh. If anyone else has a mind to put confidence in the flesh, I far more:

5circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;

6as to zeal, a persecutor of the church; as to the righteousness which is in the Law, found blameless.

7But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ.

When Paul says that he “could wish that [he himself] were accursed” for the sake of his brethren, Paul was speaking from an evangelistic fervor, not from a theological view. However, this is a good example of how we all should be willing to suffer the ultimate pain for the salvation of souls. This is the epitome of evangelism! This is a picture of Paul’s love and concern for his kinsmen and a longing for their salvation.

It is Paul’s desire that his kinsmen put their faith in Christ so they can truly be the spiritual seed of Abraham – Children of the Promise.

But Faith in Christ is their stumblingstone!

So, back to the question in verse 6 – “Has God failed to fulfill his promises to Israel?” If the answer is “yes” then we all have a problem. If God fails to keep any promise he has made, then how are we to put our faith or trust in Him?

Paul clears this up within the passage. The seed of Israel to whom the promise was made is not those born to Abraham. The Children of the Promise are the Spiritual seed of Abraham. The promises were not made to a particular biological family line or to a particular race or nation of peoples. “For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel.” The promise is based on BELIEFnot BLOODLINE. Both Jews and Gentiles are the recipients or beneficiaries of the promise of God.

As I mentioned at the outset, we are talking about two different groups of people and how they responded differently when they encountered Christ.

Verse 30b – 33 reads:

“That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, even the righteousness which is by faith;31but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law.”

Remember, it was the Jews who pursued righteousness. Righteousness was a very important concept to the people of Israel. So, how did the Jews go about seeking righteousness? By their obsession with attempting to keep the law of Moses and all the Traditions and doctrines that go along with that.

According to Jewish tradition, there were 613 commandments in the Torah (The Law of Moses.) We have to understand that the Jews were the people of the Law. They had a deep seeded mindset that if they worked hard enough at obeying God’s law, they would garner God’s favor and be recognized or rewarded for it. This was a doctrine of works.

We can see a fine example of this “mindset” in the account of an event recorded in Matthew 19:16-22.

16And someone came to Him and said, “Teacher, what good thing shall I do that I may obtain eternal life?”

Here we see it – the rich young man asks Jesus “What good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?” This rich young man was suffering from a misdirected or incorrect mindset that he could do something that would make him righteousness enough for God.

To understand how to find Christ “On the Way” we need to look at how our other group, the Gentiles, interacted with or responded to Christ, the Rock.

How DID the Gentiles gain righteousness? First and foremost, they responded to the Gospel by belief in Christ. Ultimately, they attained righteousness by the only method or means we will EVER have to attain righteousness: By the imputed righteousness of Christ.

Corinthians 5:21 says “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

This was not a new concept. Remember, Abraham “believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” It wasn’t that Abraham was, of himself, righteous. He was deemed righteous because of his faith.

Our faith does not make us righteous! Again, we are deemed righteous. We all remember the passage from Ephesians 2:8-9, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” We did nothing to gain God’s favor. Christ did the work for us.

It is by believing God . . . their faith in Jesus Christ . . . by this, the Gentiles were deemed righteous, they were covered by the righteousness of Christ.

God sees in them and in us, the righteousness of Christ, just as God sees in Christ all the sins of mankind which Jesus took upon himself unto death – even death on a cross.

Where is Christ in your life today?

Do you, like the Jews stumble at the stumblingstone. They allowed some things to get in their way: (1) Pride: They were a very proud people with a storied past of grand miracles and wonders. They had a special relationship with God as God’s Chosen Nation or People. (2) Position: Christ represented a threat to the position and prestige of the Jewish leaders. (3) Self-reliance: The Jewish people didn’t need Christ. They had Abraham and the law. (4) Mindset: By default, this was burned into who they were – their doctrine of works. (5) Disbelief: We haven’t really talked about this one, but it is on the list. It affects all of us to some degree. (6) Ignorance. Just not knowing.

We have an idea of what “in the way” or “in our way” looks like now. What does it look like to find Christ “on the way?”

For all of us, saved or lost, we are instructed that the work or will of God for us is “that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.” John 6:29

For the Christian, finding Christ “on the way” should be reflected by a life that is accompanied by the fruits of the spirit. (Gal. 5:22-23). (1) Love, (2) Joy, (3) Peace, (4) Patience, (5) Kindness, (6) Goodness, (7) Faithfulness, (8) Gentleness, and (9) Self-control. And one more thing. It means not being a stumblingstone to others in need of Christ. *

In the words of Christ – we are to “abide in him” as a branch abides in the vine, for apart from Him, “we can do nothing.” (Jn. 15)

In the words of Paul in chapter 3 of Colossians:

12So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience;

13bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so also should you.

14Beyond all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity.

15Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body; and be thankful.

Where is Christ in your life today? How do you find him?

First, if you are a Christian and find yourself stumbling when it comes to obedience to Christ: Reaffirm your love for him. Stay in his Word. Prayerfully allow the Holy Spirit to instruct your heart. Re-dedicateyourself as His and submit to His lordship. This isn’t a once and done thing. This is a daily commitment.

Second, if you are not a Christian and find Christ and what he stands for to be “in the way,” don’t allow pride, position, self-reliance, a flawed mindset, disbelief, or ignorance rob you of the grace that is right in front of you. There is no reason to wait. There is nothing you can do to put yourself in a better position to say yes to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The offer has been made.

“If you’re looking for me, you’ll find me on the way, not in the way.”

The key for all of us today is that we need to be looking for Christ. This is how we find him on the way.

Let us Pray:

Holy and Sovereign God, we thank you for your mercy. As recipients of your grace, we rejoice that in Christ we have been deemed righteous. May we, as the Psalmist, lift our voices saying:

19Open to me the gates of righteousness;

I shall enter through them, I shall give thanks to the Lord.

20This is the gate of the Lord;

The righteous will enter through it.

21I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,

And You have become my salvation.

22The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief corner stone.

23This is the Lord’s doing;

It is marvelous in our eyes.

[Psalm 118]

Help us daily as we “look for you” that we may find you on our way.

In the name of Jesus, our Savior and Lord. Amen.