Paul's Epistles Part 20 – Anguish Over Israel

Paul's Epistles

Part 20 – Anguish Over Israel

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org

INTRODUCTION

We are going to look at the Epistles of Paul in this series of sermons. In Chapter 6 we looked at Paul telling us to be Dead to Sin, and Alive in Christ and that we are Slaves to Righteousness, Released from the Law and Bound to Christ, That which I hate, I do, Life in the Spirit, Present Suffering and Future Glory, More than Conquerors.

Today we will take a look at Romans 9, and Paul's Anguish Over Israel.

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE Romans 9:1-9

I speak the truth in Christ—I am not lying, my conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit— ²I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. ³ For I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, ⁴ the people of Israel. Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises. ⁵ Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen.

⁶ It is not as though God’s word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. ⁷ Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.”^[b] 8 In other words, it is not the children by physical descent who are God’s children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring. ⁹ For this was how the promise was stated: “At the appointed time I will return, and Sarah will have a son.”

Here we read of Paul's anguish over Israel, and God's sovereign choice.

                   I.            PAUL'S ANGUISH OVER ISRAEL

a.      Paul begins by defending his preaching

                                                                         i.      Specifically against accusations he has hostility towards the Jews

                                                                      ii.      He has examined himself though!

                                                                   iii.      He had found that his conscience was in line with the Holy Spirit, he was speaking the truth.

b.     Paul had great heaviness and continual sorrow in his heart.

                                                                         i.       He grieved over Israel

                                                                      ii.      They were in this state because they had rejected Christ

                                                                   iii.      Today, there are churches who still reject Christ and the Cross

c.      Paul makes the claim that he wishes he could be cursed and cut off from Christ

                                                                         i.      To save all of his people (Israelites)

                                                                      ii.      However, this is a moot point, for Christ has already sacrificed for them

d.     Paul asks in verse 4, "Who are Israelites? Theirs is the adoption to sonship; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises."

                                                                         i.      to whom this adoption pertains

1.      Exodus 19:5 - The selection of Israel to be God's People

                                                                      ii.      and the Glory

1.      Exodus 16:7, 10; 24:16-17; Leviticus 9:6; Numbers 14:10, 21; Deuteronomy 5:24 - The Divine presence which was always with them, at least until the rejected God

                                                                   iii.      and the covenants

1.      Genesis 15:6 - The various covenants God made with Israel (Abrahamic, first of all promising Salvation by Faith!)

                                                                     iv.      and the giving of the Law

1.      The Mosaic Law

                                                                        v.      and the service of God

1.      Tabernacle, offerings, priesthood, etc...

                                                                     vi.      and the promises

1.      The messianic promises

e.      Verse 5, "Theirs are the patriarchs, and from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah, who is God over all, forever praised! Amen."

                                                                         i.      Referring to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Through the Jews, the very purpose was to bring the redeemer into the world.

                                                                      ii.      Jesus is the redeemer, who is God.

               II.            IT'S NOT GOD'S WORD THAT HAS FAILED

a.      Even though Israel failed, God's Word did not, and Jesus, the Redeemer came.

b.     For they are not all Israel, which are of Israel

                                                                         i.      There is the nationality of Israel, and there is the one who is redeemed by Christ.

                                                                      ii.      There is NO national Salvation

                                                                   iii.      NO ONE is saved simply because he is an Israelite!

                                                                     iv.      Paul says in verse 7, "Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children. On the contrary..."

                                                                        v.      Again, debunking the notion of national salvation because of race.

c.      But in Isaac, shall your seed be called...

                                                                         i.      Why in Isaac and not Ishmael?

                                                                      ii.      Because God said, "...you will have a son and name him Isaac..."

1.      Impatient, and thinking she was too old, Sarah convinced Abraham to have a child with Hagar, their hand-maiden.

2.      Ishmael was born. A "work of the flesh", and rejected by God as the fulfillment of His promise.

                                                                   iii.      Ishmael was not included, even though he was also a son of Abraham; this shows ALL WORKS of the flesh are rejected.

d.     Jews and Arabs

                                                                         i.      The sons of Isaac and Ishmael

                                                                      ii.      The Muslims claim because Ishmael was born first, the promise of God belongs to him, and they, his seed, are God's chosen people, and Islam the one true faith, Allah the one true god.

                                                                   iii.      Some Muslims claimed it was Ishmael Abraham took as a sacrifice to God, and claim the Jews have perverted God's Word, which is why the Bible cannot be trusted.

                                                                     iv.      There are a few Muslims who claim the deceit is, THEY are really the sons of Isaac, and the Jews are the sons of Ishmael.

                                                                        v.      Either way, the Muslims are wrong, and God is right, and this is why there will never be peace in the Middle East.

            III.            CHILDREN OF THE PROMISE

a.      Sons of Ishmael

                                                                         i.      “He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers” (Genesis 16:12 NIV).

                                                                      ii.      “His descendants settled in the area from Havilah to Shur, near the border of Egypt, as you go toward Asshur. And they lived in hostility toward all their brothers” (Genesis 25:18).

                                                                   iii.      Paul makes it clear in Galatians 4:21-30 that Jews who reject Jesus Christ are spiritually the sons of Hagar.

 ²¹ Tell me, you who want to be under the law, are you not aware of what the law says? ²² For it is written that Abraham had two sons, one by the slave woman (Ishmael) and the other by the free woman.(Isaac)  ²³ His son by the slave woman was born according to the flesh, but his son by the free woman was born as the result of a divine promise.

²⁴ These things are being taken figuratively: The women represent two covenants. One covenant is from Mount Sinai and bears children who are to be slaves: This is Hagar. ²⁵ Now Hagar stands for Mount Sinai in Arabia and corresponds to the present city of Jerusalem, because she is in slavery with her children. ²⁶ But the Jerusalem that is above is free, and she is our mother. ²⁷ For it is written:

“Be glad, barren woman,
    you who never bore a child;
shout for joy and cry aloud,
    you who were never in labor;
because more are the children of the desolate woman
    than of her who has a husband.”

²⁸ Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. ²⁹ At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. ³⁰ But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.”

b.     Who can be born of the FREE woman's son?

                                                                         i.      “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise” (Galatians 3:28-29).

c.      Paul continues to show the distinction between the two covenants

                                                                         i.      Old Testament, 10 commands, works of the flesh, slaves to sin, sons of Ishmael

                                                                      ii.      New Testament, 1 command, works of the Spirit, FREE from slavery, sons of Isaac

CONCLUSION

We are all born under the curse, of flesh, under the commands of the Old Testament, and the leading of our flesh.

We all have the opportunity, to come to the New Covenant, purchased in Christ's blood, to be FREE from the slavery to sin, lead by the Holy Spirit, and obtain the promise of God, to be in everlasting Paradise with the Lord for eternity.

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