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.”
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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