Sunday Sermon: Not as Though the Word of God Has Failed (Romans 9:1-5)

Romans 9 and the Burden for Unbelieving Israel

You're listening to the preaching ministry of Gabriel Hughes, pastor of Providence Reformed Baptist Church in Casa Grande, Arizona. Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday on this podcast we feature teaching through a New Testament book, an Old Testament book on Thursday and our Q &A on Friday.

Each Sunday we are pleased to present our sermon series. Here is Pastor Gabe.

Well good morning.

Good morning.

As the offering continues to come around, I invite you to turn in your Bible to Romans chapter 9. We spent, I know we're moving on from chapter 8. We spent three and a half months in Romans 8. From October to last week when we finished up, that was 14 total sermons.

And I tell you folks, I could preach 14 more sermons out of Romans chapter 8. I hope that that was a blessing to you and is a wonderful encouragement to me as well. But we have to move on. 9 comes after 8.

And as you are surely familiar with Romans 9, it can be a minefield. Even for those of us who are Reformed Baptists and probably all would fall under the same confession of faith, we would agree with what the Second London Baptist Confession has to say regarding things concerning the election of God and His even destiny for those who are reprobate.

We are going to come into some of those things, of course, as we go through Romans 9. And I would love to even share with you some of the stories that I've had or some of the adventures I've had in preaching through Romans 9.

But that will be for another week. We have Paul kind of setting the stage for what he is going to unfold here, the doctrine that we're going to be reading of as we get deeper into this chapter. And it begins with him expressing an anguish for the Jewish people right here at the start of chapter 9.

Those that he knows are in rebellion against God because they will not accept that Jesus is the Christ. And he says, there is unceasing anguish in my heart for them and desiring for them to come to know the Lord.

And so the same should be for us, not just for the Jewish people, but even for those whom we know that are lost, that have heard the gospel and yet will not come to faith.

And believe.

And we'll consider that even in our application as we come to this today. I was reminded of what is said in the Westminster Larger Catechism in an answer to question 191 in the WLC. It says, We pray that the kingdom of sin and Satan may be destroyed, the gospel propagated through the world, the Jews called, and the fullness of the Gentiles brought in.

And may we desire to see that in Christ's church, Jew and Gentile worship together in the name of Christ. As we come into Romans chapter 9, let's stand in honor of the reading of God's word. Romans chapter 9, I'm going to begin by reading verses 1 through 6.

This is from the English Standard Version. Hear the word of the Lord. I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart, 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.

They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises. To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever.

Amen. But it is not as though the word of God has failed, for not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel.

Amen.

You may be seated as we pray. Heavenly Father, as we come into the Scripture this morning, I pray that you would guide us wisely through your text. That we would handle these things in an appropriate manner.

And we would see not just the given context in which these things are stated as Paul wrote them to the church in Rome, but we would understand even application to our present time and place. There are no doubt for many of us here, people that we have in our lives that we would desire with unceasing anguish in our hearts to come to know the Lord.

And so certainly in that sense, we can relate to the Apostle Paul who expresses this grief in his heart, that his own kinsmen, who were the first to receive the oracles of God as we had seen previously in Romans chapter 3, that they would come to repentance.

That they would desire to see and know Christ and Him crucified for our sins. Lord, I pray that we do not become arrogant in the knowledge that we have been given. But understanding that none of us are deserving of even knowing Christ.

None of us are deserving of the kingdom that we are promised in Christ. And yet these are the promises that you have made with us as we have just read about going through Romans chapter 8 and knowing that nothing can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

But none of this is acquired by our ability or will. But as said in 1 Corinthians 1 .30, it is His doing, your doing, Lord, that we are in Christ.

Jesus.

So, may we not become arrogant in the sense of what we believe and somebody else doesn't. But we are humble and tremble with fear before the God who loves and who judges all to the pleasure of His great name.

It's in the name of Christ that we pray and all God's people said, Amen. If you are familiar with the Old Testament at all, then you certainly know of the number of times that Israel fell away from faith in God.

They were continuously disobedient, continuously rebellious. So much so that the Jews even sang about it in their songs. There are numerous Psalms that recall the times in which Israel fell into unfaithfulness and God had to judge them because they turned to false gods and worshiped idols instead of the true God.

And these things come up in the songs of the Jews so that they would be reminded not to follow in the ways of their forefathers who had gone into such error. Psalm 106 is a psalm that is dedicated to such a story.

It begins with saying, praise the Lord. Oh, give thanks to the Lord for He is good. For His steadfast love endures forever. A very common refrain we hear of in the Psalms. Who can utter the mighty deeds of the Lord or declare all His praise?

Blessed are they who observe justice, who do righteousness at all times. Remember me, O Lord, when you show favor to your people. Help me when you save them. That I may look upon the prosperity of your chosen ones.

That I may rejoice in the gladness of your nation. That I may glory with your inheritance. And now here's the turn at verse 6. Both we and our fathers have sinned. We have committed iniquity. We have done wickedness.

Our fathers when they were in Egypt did not consider your wondrous works. They did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea at the Red Sea. Skipping ahead to verse 13.

They soon forgot His works. They did not wait for His counsel, but they had a wanton craving in the wilderness and put God to the test in the desert. Verse 19. They made a calf in Horeb and worshiped a metal image.

Verse 24. They despised the pleasant land, having no faith in His promise. Verse 28. Then they yoked themselves to Baal and ate sacrifices offered to the dead. Verse 32. They angered Him at the waters of Meribah, and it went ill with Moses on their account, for they made His spirit bitter, and He spoke rashly with His lips.

Verse 40. The anger of the Lord was kindled against His people, and He abhorred His heritage. Many times He delivered them, but they were rebellious in their purposes, and they were brought low through their iniquity.

Nevertheless, as we see the mercy of God in verse 44, He looked upon their distress when He heard their cry. For their sake, He remembered His covenant and relented according to the abundance of His steadfast love.

He caused them to be pitied by all those who held them captive. Save us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations that we may give thanks to Your holy name and glory in Your praise. Over and over again, this people doing wickedly, but over and over again, God showing Himself faithful and forgiving and restoring even those who had rebelled.

When they repented, when they turned back to the Lord, He forgave. And blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting, and let all the people say, amen. Praise the Lord. So even through God's mercy that He showed to Israel, we see the kindness and love of God.

As we come into this passage this morning, again, we see a very personal outpouring of the Apostle Paul in a very pastoral manner. The anguish in his heart that he has for his kinsmen. These very men that he had grown up with, that he had studied with, and now he is called to be an apostle, but they continue to rebel.

And the very people that he shared in his zeal with, wanting to persecute Christians, he became a minister to believers and an apostle even to Gentiles while the Jews continued to rebel. And now they who were once previously in fellowship with Paul would want to put him to death.

But his heart for them is not hatred. Oh, those idiots, what are they doing? We should judge them and put them to death so they would not cause anguish upon anybody anymore. That is not Paul's attitude.

But his attitude being, what would it take for me to save my brethren if I could? And as far as application goes, we're going to consider that as well as we come into this text. I'm going to break this up into three parts as you're used to me doing.

In verses 1 through 3, we read of Paul's painful burden. In verses 4 and 5, we read of the privileged blessings that the people of Israel received and yet, or were given rather, and yet would not receive.

And then finally, in verse 6, we read of the perfect word. It's not as though the word of God has failed. It's not as if the promises that God had given to these would not be fulfilled. And then that's setting the stage for what else we will read as we continue on in Romans 9.

So once again, verses 1 through 3, we read of Paul's painful burden. In verses 4 and 5, we read of the privileged blessings that were extended to Israel. And then finally, we consider the perfect word and we'll give application to those things as well toward the end of the message.

So let's come back to the very start here. In chapter 9, verse 1, I am speaking the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit. Now, Paul is not swearing an oath here.

And I've actually heard and read from some commentaries that that's what Paul is doing, but he's not. He's not saying, I swear an oath that this is the truth in Christ. But rather, he is saying, my conscience bears witness to this that I am about to express, this anguish that I have in my heart for my kinsmen.

Because think about where we are, where we're sitting in our study of the book of Romans. What have we just read about? And I told you that we were going to come into this when we were reading about that golden chain of redemption, especially in Romans 8, verses 29 and 30.

Those whom he foreknew, he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his son in order that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. And those whom he predestined, he also called. And those whom he called, he also justified.

And those whom he justified, he also glorified. And I said, as we looked at these things, there were no doubt questions that were going to arise from those who would disagree with what Paul is saying.

And those questions are going to come up in chapter 9, and Paul's going to respond to them. But especially among the Jews, the question would come, well, didn't he call us? Didn't he call the Jews? Hasn't he called the Israelites?

So, if we have been predestined and called, then aren't we going to be justified and glorified? Why are we looking around and seeing Jews that are not in the faith, and they are not justified, and therefore, they won't be glorified, though we understood them to be called?

And so, that sort of argument is certainly what Paul has in his mind, even as he comes into discussing these things regarding God's sovereign election. As we enter into chapter 9, and election is the subject that he's going to be talking about here, because as we get to verse 11, he says, in order that God's purpose of election might continue, not because of works, but because of him who calls.

So, even as we considered when we were in that golden chain of redemption, the order of salvation, as we looked at it in verses 29 and 30, what does called mean, even? What does it mean that God has called to himself?

Yes, he called the nation of Israel, but again, as we get to verse 6, not everyone who is descended from Israel belongs to Israel. So, Paul will unpack this as we go, that we may understand what God's purpose of election is, and even what purpose Israel has served in this plan of redemption that God has set forth from before the foundation of the world.

I am speaking the truth in Christ, Paul says, I am not lying. My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit to what? Verse 2, that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. Now, what are the last words that we read at the end of chapter 8?

In all these things, we're more than conquerors through him who loved us, and nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Well, didn't the Jews have the love of God?

And we're seeing so many Jews now rebelling against the one whom God had sent. They have not accepted his son. By and large, the Jewish nation is rejecting his son. And surely, there are people that know that Jesus has even forecasted, he has foretold of the judgment that's going to come upon them, not too much more than a decade from now, from what we're reading right here.

The Jewish-Roman War that would come upon Jerusalem in the late 60s and then result in the destruction of the temple in 70. This judgment that is to come that our Lord has even told us about, are the Jews going to perish?

Are they separated from the love of God? Though he had called them out of Egypt and made a people for himself, and yet they continue to rebel against God. And so, after saying that nothing will separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord, as Paul is going to go into talking about it, about these things, he begins with expressing his sorrow over the fact that the Jews are rejecting Christ.

Now, I've always found it fascinating, and I've not really done much study into why, but there is not a transitional phrase at the beginning of chapter 9. We're coming into chapter 9 because you're looking into your English Bible, and there's a big number 9 right next to it.

But when the apostle Paul wrote this, he didn't write it with chapters and verse markers. We added those later for our benefit that we can make references and follow along in the text, and I can tell you where to turn and you know where to go.

But Paul wasn't writing chapters out as he was writing this letter to the Romans. So, if you just take out all of like the bold headings and the verse markers and even the chapter there, you understand Paul going straight from saying that there is nothing in all creation that will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus, our Lord, and with no transitional phrase, nothing like a therefore or nevertheless.

He just goes, I am speaking the truth in Christ that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

Why?

Because these people are separated from the love of God. But again, we'll understand this as we keep going, that not all who are descended from Israel belong to Israel. So, there's a caveat there. There's an explanation that Paul is going to give.

But these people who are in rebellion against God and will not accept Christ are not in the love of God. They're separated from the love of God. Remember back to what I said when we were in Romans 8 .28.

Remember that wonderful beloved verse and what a blessing that was for us to read it and consider. We know that for those who love God, all things work together for good for those who are called according to his purpose.

And what did we consider when we were reading that? That's for those who love God and are called according to his purpose. Not everything does work out together for good. For those who do not love God.

And so, Paul is even considering that as he comes into expressing this anguish in his heart. I have sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. They are separated from the love of God.

Why?

Because they don't love Christ. Because they have not accepted his son. Because they did not understand the scriptures that were given to them. They did not listen to what the prophets said. They have not listened to what the apostles have said now from Pentecost on, going on and explaining to the people how Christ is the fulfillment of everything that we have loved and valued in the law and the prophets.

It was all pointing to Christ. And yet, even given this explanation that has come from the apostles, yet they continue to reject it. And as the apostle Paul had expressed in Corinth when he went there, he goes into the synagogue as was his way.

He comes into a new city. He goes into the synagogue. He teaches there first.

Why?

Because remember that the commission that Christ had given to his disciples is, you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. They would go to the Jew first and then go to the Gentile.

We even heard it said at the beginning of this letter in Romans 1 .16, I am not ashamed of the gospel for it is the power of God for salvation to all who believe to the Jew first and then also to the Greek.

So, Paul is his way, goes into the synagogue. That's where the scriptures were. That's where the oracles, as he talked about in Romans 3, the oracles that were first given to the Jews, they have the word of God.

They have the law of God. So, he goes into the synagogue and preaches from their law and from the prophets to show them that Jesus is the Christ. He does this in Corinth. He ministers over several Sabbaths, but they will not accept that what he is saying is pointing to Christ.

And so, what's Paul's reaction to the Jews there when they continue to reject his word? He shakes his garment. And this was a symbolic gesture of, I'm shaking myself free of you. I have taught you the full counsel of God and you won't accept it.

And then his words next to them were, from now on, I'm going to the Gentiles. And when you read there of that account in Acts of Paul in Corinth, it wasn't as all the Jews rejected Paul. There were actually even some who were leaders in the synagogue who accepted what Paul was saying and became Christians.

They were persecuted by everybody else that was in the synagogue. But the majority of the Jews rejected it and would not accept what it was that Paul said, though this message was first to the Jews and then going out from there to the Greek.

So, he would always begin by preaching first to the Jews. His desire was to even see that his kinsmen would come to faith. But the Lord made him, as said in Acts 9, an apostle to the Gentiles. And so, he goes from there to the rest of the world, preaching even to all nations about the Christ.

And many had come to faith as a result of the proclamation of the gospel. But who would Paul love to see saved first? He would love to see the Jews, his own brethren, his own kinsmen, according to the flesh, he says.

And he goes on in verse 3 to express it this way, 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. What a statement.

I would go to hell for them if that would save them. I would be willing to be cut off myself, accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, if it meant that they would be saved. And they would spend eternity with God in glory.

They would receive all those wonderful things promised to us that we read about in Romans 8. If it takes me to be cursed and cast into hell, I would do it. And brethren, I mean, every time I read that, I'm floored by that.

Because I have people in my life and you surely have people in yours who are not.

Believers.

And you've heard me share my story with my own siblings. That my brothers and sisters, though raised in the gospel, are not walking with the Lord. But I cannot honestly say, no matter how much I desire in my heart, and when we pray together as a family, even my kids will bring it up, will say, let's pray for your brothers and sisters.

My aunts and uncles, that they would come to faith in Jesus Christ. I love their heart in that regard. That my kids are thinking about that. They want my siblings to be saved. And I cannot honestly say that as much as I want them to become Christians and be saved, and I would spend glory forever with them before our Lord in heaven, I cannot honestly say that I wish myself to be accursed and cut off for their sake.

I can't say that if I could go to hell for them for their sake, I would do it. I don't have that feeling in my heart for them. Now, I would do anything for them. I have expressed to my siblings, I've said this to them, the day that something happens for you, something clicks, and now suddenly I realize the truth that I've rejected for so long, that Jesus is the Christ and I need him, and by faith in him, I'll be saved.

The day that happens for you, the light bulb goes on. The Lord grants you repentance. You escape from the snare of the devil. You call me, I'll book a flight right now. I will be there, and however long it takes you, I will walk you through the scriptures that you may know Christ.

I will go to any expense to be there for my brothers and sisters that they may know the Lord, but I cannot say that the desire is in my heart for me to be cut off from Christ for their sake. This is quite a pledge from Paul.

This is an incredible pastoral declaration. This is how much I want my brothers to be saved. If I could go to hell for their sake, I would do it. But Paul, of course, says that knowing that's not what it takes to save a person.

It takes faith in Christ who took the wrath of God upon himself. Paul can't take the wrath of God for their sake. Christ has done it. Christ has taken the wrath of God. And if Paul, and certainly Paul knows this, and I'm, of course, he doesn't ever explicitly say this, but I don't think I'm going out of bounds by saying this on Paul's behalf.

He knows that going to hell wouldn't save his brethren. He knows that he can't take the wrath of God upon himself for their sake. It's Christ who has done it. And even if Paul were to do this for them, even if Paul were to go to hell so that they would be saved, it wouldn't be enough.

They have to believe in Christ. And remember the words of Jesus in Luke 16, if they won't listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe if someone should rise from the dead. And so these people who are walking in rebellion have rejected God in every way.

If there was anything Paul could do for them to be saved, he would do it. But what they need to be saved is not Paul going to hell on their behalf. It's Christ who took the wrath of God on our behalf.

When he died on the cross for our sins, when the wrath of God was poured out upon him, and he drank it down to the dregs, as expressed in the Psalms, then we who believe in Jesus Christ are under the wrath of God no longer.

But we are saved, saved from the judgment of God that we all deserve because of our.

Sin.

And it's this salvation that Paul desires for his brethren. Some of you might be aware of this, but there seems to be this increasing interest, especially among young men, especially among white young men, in anti-Semitism.

And it's growing. It's growing on the political right, as we would call it. Anti-Semitism being a hatred for the Jews. World Magazine, which is a Christian publication, has done two articles in two consecutive months now about the growing anti-Semitism among those who are professing Christians.

In November, they published an article entitled, The Refocusing of Right-Wing Anti-Semitism. And last month in December, an article that was entitled, Anti-Semitism Comes Out of the Shadows, in which they were even referencing pastors, even Reformed pastors, who were expressing in their sermons and in online discourse a hatred for the Jews.

Said one pastor, the New Testament is anti-Semitic. And so you need to be anti-Semitic too. He told his church that you need to hate the nation of Israel with a righteous.

Hatred.

And this is growing among young men in our nation. How could anybody read these words from Paul in Romans 9, 1 through 3, and come to that conclusion? That we should have hatred for the Jews. Now, don't get me wrong.

The Jews are not our brothers unless they have faith in Christ. When you go into Jewish teachings, they express abominable hatred for our Lord. In the Talmud, they call Jesus an evil man, a magician, and a fool.

And they claim that Jesus is now burning in hell. These are actual quotes from the Talmud. Jesus was a magician and a fool. Mary was an adulteress. Jesus was guilty of sorcery and apostasy. Mary was a whore.

Jesus was Balaam and an evil man. Jesus was sent to hell where he is punished by boiling excrement for mocking rabbis. These are all actual quotes about Jesus from the Talmud. I mean, hatred, blasphemous comments about our Lord.

Certainly. You know why? Because they're lost. These statements are not any different than you would hear from any other secularist in our culture or any other religious person that is opposed to Christianity.

They would all say abominable, awful things about our Lord. Friends, you know people that use your Savior's name as a curse word. And what should be our attitude about this? It should be heartbreaking to us that we hear people regard the Lord in this way.

I express to you, it should be doubly heartbreaking when the Jews do it. Because as Paul will say here as we go on, it's to them we're given all of these wonderful things by God and they have rejected it.

The first to receive the oracles of God and yet they don't understand what the Scriptures mean and who they point to. And so we really must have a humble attitude. When it comes to how we engage, not just with Jews, but anyone who is an unbeliever.

The Apostle Paul confronted the Corinthians in this, in 1 Corinthians chapters 1 -4. The arrogance that they had because they thought, I'm better than everybody else, I'm a follower.

Of Jesus Christ.

Yeah, as I expressed in my prayer. It's because of Him that you are in Christ Jesus. Not because of anything that you've done, but because of what He has done. So as Paul says in 1 Corinthians 1 -31, let he who boasts, boast in the Lord.

Paul will even say as we continue on in this section of Romans chapters 9 -11, when we get to chapter 11, he's going to say there, don't become arrogant toward the branches that God has cut off. Because if He's cut them off, He'll cut you off.

So none of us should ever get into this arrogant attitude of thinking that I've done something greater and smarter than these people did. God had mercy on you and me, brethren. And may we pray that He would have mercy on others that we know who do not believe.

So going on to this next part where Paul does count down sort of, I guess you would say, the privileged blessings that were given from God to the Jewish people. Look at verse 4. They are Israelites. Who is Paul talking about?

Names them expressly, they're Israelites. They are, they are the people of God. That name Israel, meaning one who wars with God and man, who struggles rather with God and man. They are Israelites and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship and the promises, nine special privileges that he lists here that they have received.

To them belong the patriarchs and from their race, according to the flesh is the Christ who is God over all, blessed forever. Amen. So let's consider again what he's saying there in verse 4. They are Israelites.

To them belong the adoption. We've just read about the adoption in chapter 8. Remember what we read about our adoption? In chapter 8 verse 15, you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry, Abba, Father.

We can call upon God as our Father, being adopted into the family of God by faith in Christ and sealed with his Holy Spirit. And it's with the Holy Spirit dwelling within us that our hearts would be driven before the Lord to call upon him as our Father.

We have received adoption by faith in Jesus Christ. As said in 1 John 3, 1, how great is the love of the Father that he has lavished upon us that we should be called the children of God. And so we are.

But the adoption was first given to the Israelites. To them belong the adoption. All throughout the Old Testament, you find God referring to Israel as his son. In fact, one of the great verses that's quoted in Matthew as being seen fulfilled in Christ, Hosea 11 .1, out of Egypt I called my son.

And Israel being an adopted son to God through whom he would show his very great and precious promises. To them belong the glory. As we've read about in verse 30, that in Christ Jesus, those whom he justified, he's also glorified.

Well, it's first been promised to the Jews that they would receive the glory of God. They even were privileged to behold the glory of God as it entered into the temple, as it guided them through the wilderness, as it descended upon the mountain of Sinai.

And they heard the very word of God, the law of God proclaimed. To them belong the covenants. Now we're going to see as we go through Romans chapter 9, that even the covenant that was given to Abraham has been extended to us.

All who are in Christ Jesus, as Paul says in Galatians chapter 3, are children of Abraham. It is the children of faith who are the children of Abraham. And so those covenant promises we will see extended even to us.

God's promise and covenant with David that on his throne he would establish his kingdom forever. All these covenants that we read about in the Old Testament belong first to the Jewish people because it was to them it was made.

The giving of the law, as I mentioned before, the Jews, Israel gathered at Mount Sinai to hear God proclaim in his voice the law that they were to obey and follow. And then when rejecting hearing the voice of God coming from the mountain, it was Moses who went up and received the rest of the testimony of the law and came back to the people and gave it to them.

The very word of God, the very command of God, that they may know how the creator of all the universe is to be pleased. In the book of Deuteronomy, it said that this law would be the envy of all other nations that live around you.

Because they're going to look at you and they're going to go, what great God would love this people so much as to give them a law, as to give them his law to follow. Why would they be in so awe, why would they be in such awe?

Well, they worship God's too. Did their God speak to them?

No.

And they would do all manner of ridiculousness to try to get their God's attention that doesn't even exist. And here they're looking at the Hebrew people, their God has spoken to them and given them a law.

How do I do that? To them the law was given. And we even know the law of God today because the people to whom it was given preserved.