The Tragedy of Unbelief (Rom. 10:1-5)

The Tragedy of Unbelief

(Rom. 10:1-5)

In the book of Romans, Paul addresses a sincere desire, a great passion to see salvation come to his fellow Jews. Now, there were many Jews who had become Christians (but the majority of Israel was lost) but Paul had a heartfelt desire to see those lost Jews to receive Jesus as Messiah. The nation of Israel rejected Jesus and it was this rejection of God's love that grieved the heart of Paul. Paul even makes the statement that if he could become accursed and separated from Christ that he would if he could bring the lost of Israel to Christ. Israel's unbelief is a great tragedy, it has cost them much and for now Israel has been set aside for the Church but God has not forgotten Israel and His promises to Israel is still in effect and will come to pass. Through Israel's unbelief salvation has come to the Gentiles, now that's us (Rom. 11:11 - “I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles.”). Today will look at the tragedy of unbelief.

I. Paul's Concern for their Unbelief (v. 1-3 - “I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh”).

Look at how the Apostle Paul grieved for his lost countrymen. He had a great desire to see the lost saved especially those of the lost house of Israel. Paul was greatly moved about their unbelief desiring that they would believe the Gospel and receive Jesus as Lord. Paul was the apostle to the Gentiles but his hearts desire was to see the lost of Israel come to Christ. If you study the book of Acts you will see that when Paul went into a Gentile city that he would find a Jewish synagogue to begin teaching and preaching about Christ and when as usual most of the synagogues would kick him out (literally and figuratively), it is then he would gain an audience with the Gentile population and churches would be started with Gentile and, hopefully, Jewish believers. Paul saw and understood the great blessings and wonders of Christ being made known to all nation, tribes, tongues, and peoples but he had a burden for his lost countrymen, the Jews. Paul went to many foreign lands and cities and has lead so many to Christ but he is still so greatly concerned for the lost of his people. It is an awesome thing to be concerned for the lost Filipino or the lost Chinaman or lost African but what about our own nation? Look at the state of America, look at our leadership, look at our entertainment, look at our cities, look at our neighborhoods, and look at our fellow citizens and see how far from God our nation is from God. We have a president and leadership in the House and Congress and in the Supreme Court that ignore and despise God and God's word. America's entertainment industry despises the name of Christ and our society has rejected the holy law of God and has called evil good and good evil. So, how about our nation? Are the churches of America concerned about the unbelief and sinfulness of America? Do we grieve for our fellow countrymen like the Apostle Paul did for his own people? It is a great thing to send missionaries to foreign lands and it's a great thing for our church to build churches in the Philippines but what about the people that live up and down our streets, those who are lost in our families, those who speak our language, who live in our neighborhoods and towns and cities, and who live in this great land who still don't know about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We, as part of the Christian church in America who might send out missionaries to the heathen in foreign lands what a great tragedy that we have forgotten the heathen, the lost that live among us and work around us everyday. We are to be interested in the foreign mission field but we should not be blind and indifferent to the lost that's around us. We have a modern society that knows a little about everything and a whole lot about nothing. And when it comes about spiritual matters, today's American would rather trust Oprah rather than Jesus. There is a famine of spiritual truth today and America is ignorant of Jesus and the Bible. Most of America is lost will we grieve and will intercede to God on behalf of our nation for Him to save the lost. America is now in a post-Christian era. America believes in the religion of self-help and their god is their own self. Paul when he is grieving over the lost nation of Israel states that the problem of Israel was like the problem of America and that they trusted in their own selves and their power and works and false religion to save them instead of trusting solely in God through Christ (Rom. 10:1-4 - “Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes”). We must see the example of Paul to be concerned, to be burdened for our lost neighbors and families for our nation that's fallen into unbelief.

II. Paul's Recollection of God Revealing Himself to that Nation (v. 4-5 - “who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises, whose are the fathers, and from whom is the Christ according to the flesh, who is over all, God blessed forever. Amen.”)

Paul tells us of all that God did to reveal Himself to Israel. That God called out a specific people that came through the lineage of Abraham. The privilege to be Israelites, the descendants of Abraham because Israel was separated out to be God's special and unique people (Ex. 19:6 - “you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation”).

Secondly, God is called the Father of Israel. He has a special plan still for lost Israel. God has not altogether forsaken that nation. That nation had a special calling and blessing that God had bestowed on it but Israel as a whole had forsaken that calling. The Old Testament showed God as the Father of the nation Israel unlike the New Testament which refers to God being the Father of individual Christians. Still, it was a great honor to be chosen by God but Israel wasted that privilege through rebellion and unbelief.

Third, God revealed to Israel His glory. God's shekinah glory was seen by Israel as it lead them through the wilderness, as it was seen on Mt. Sinai, in and on the Tabernacle and later on the Temple in Jerusalem in the Holy of Holies residing between the cherubim wings on the mercy seat of the Ark.

Fourth, Israel had been given the covenants of Abraham, Moses, and David. But the greatest covenant of them all came through Israel and that of course is the covenant of redemption through Jesus, His Son.

Fifth, they had the privilege of being given the Law of God through his servant Moses. In it the 10 Commandments, the principles and precepts and standards that God demanded of those who were truly His own. Not only were they given that blessed Law but also the privilege of being custodians of the books of Moses, of King David and Solomon, and of the holy prophets of God which became what we know to be Old Testament.

Sixth, Israel was given the privilege to worship in service of the tabernacle and Temple.

Seventh they were given the promises of God concerning the promised Messiah and His everlasting kingdom and even eternal life.

Eighth, the fathers or patriarchs of Israel: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Through these men God chose to use, came the blessings to Israel and the whole world. Finally ninth, and the greatest blessing of all that came from Israel was our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. It is through the person and work of Jesus Christ that salvation has come to this world.

But in all those blessings and revelations of God, Israel rejected the Gospel and Jesus Christ their long-awaited Messiah. Having the great and awesome revelations and oracles of God given to them, they rejected Him for a false system of works-righteousness. They chose darkness rather than light (John 3:19-20 - “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds should be exposed”). The reason that Jesus so viciously attacked the Pharisees every time they came around was because they were false teachers and they were responsible for keeping the people in darkness by teaching works-righteousness. Israel's unbelief in Jesus was because they chose the false over the true. Now, what about our nation? I know that America is not Israel but what America was founded upon was very important to the birth and greatness of our nation. When the founding fathers of America laid the foundation of Christian principles and God blessed them to let this nation be born and the people of this nation regarded God and His holy Word with reverence and fear. The people of this nation looked with disdain and distaste at sin and immorality. If God judged Israel sins and disobedience by giving up them up to their sins and the consequences of their sins by bringing them into captivity and destruction (remember that was God's chosen nation), what will He do to America. How will He judge us? I believe America is seeing the wrath of God abandoning this nation to our vile sins. Church are we willing to warn our nation? Are you willing to tell your neighbor that only Jesus can save their souls? I believe that we as God's people must individually and corporately pray and intercede for our country and our lost countrymen. We must become just as concerned to turn around the heart of this nation back to God. We must pray and we must be concerned enough to tell this lost nation that Jesus still saves and there is no other way.

Today, as we see Paul's concern for the lost of his fellow countrymen and how even lost Israel knew the truth once but forsook it for false religion. We must again as the church in America be burdened enough to witness to our family and friends and burdened enough to pray for the heart of this nation to turn back to God in fear and reverence.

No Condemnation (Rom. 8:1-4)

No Condemnation

(Rom. 8:1-4)

Last sermon from Romans 7 dealt with our conflict with ourselves, that as Christians we will always be at war with sin in our lives. Here in the beginning of chapter 8, we will see a provision has been made in the promise of salvation for the believer. It is summed up in Rom. 8:1, “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus”, there is no judgment for those in Christ. We are going to look at the reality of that promise, the way it has been provided, and the result of walking in the path of salvation. Today's sermon is “No Condemnation”.

I. The Reality of Salvation's Promise (v. 8:1a - “There is therefore now no condemnation...”).

The word “therefore” is there to show us a some sort of result or it sums up to a conclusion. The conclusion here is a single, simple statement of the result of one being saved from their sins by their faith in Christ. The concluding statement is that for a Christian there is no condemnation (or judgment). The entire previous seven chapters dealing with our sin, our sin nature, our judgment, our savior, and our salvation received through faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. All that said and taught by the Apostle Paul and he sums it all up with this statement “there is no condemnation”. We know and understand from the previous study of the earlier chapters of Romans, that our condition before we knew Christ Jesus as Lord was that we were under the judgment of God. All of mankind was born sinful and separated from God by our sinful nature (Romans 3:23 -“For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God”), and it describes us in our sins in Eph. 2:3 as being “by nature children of wrath”. In our study of Romans in chapter 1 that we talked about the wrath of God. The wrath of of our holy God is His righteous anger and hatred of sin and evil and it is the basis of His condemnation of sin. In our sinfulness, without Christ, we were under the condemnation for our sins and for breaking God's holy Law which is death (Rom. 6:23 - “the wages of sin is death” and Ezek. 18:4 - “the soul that sins shall die”), that is our verdict. Just like the man on death row, judged and sentenced to death, the day of judgment set and justice not satisfied until the penalty for guilt is met. That is all of us without Christ. But here in Rom. 8:1, Paul declares that there is “no condemnation”, what wondrous and amazing good news for the Christian, “no condemnation”. Jesus has completely and permanently paid the debt of sin and the penalty for breaking God's Law. Our sins and our penalty for trespassing God's Law was not overlooked by God. It was not passed over or forgotten, it was paid, once for all, by the perfect, sinless sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. Death was the price and only Jesus' death could set us free from the death sentence that was pronounced on us. Jesus Christ died for us, in our place, and it was the only sacrifice accepted by the Father in our behalf. For those who have or will place their faith and trust in Christ and what He did on our behalf “there is therefore now no condemnation”. The freedom from condemnation and judgment is realized only in Christ and we must recognize that we will never face condemnation for our sins be they past, present, or future. Jesus' death on the cross dealt with our sins once and for all, that is the glorious power of salvation in Christ. In Heb 10:14, it says, “For by one offering [Christ's death on the cross] He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified”, those being sanctified are all who have separated unto God by salvation in Christ, their sins are forgiven and their condemnation, their judgment removed because of Jesus Christ taking their judgment on Himself. The penalties for our failures in this life was paid for by Christ.

We are not perfect, we are not sinless and we understand from last week's sermon that we will always have to deal with sin as long as we are on this earth and in this body. But just because we are free from divine judgment (condemnation), it does not mean our heavenly Father will not give us divine discipline for our moral failures as Christians (Heb. 12:6 - “For whom the LORD loves He disciplines, And scourges every son whom He receives”). We are still accountable for our actions to our Father even though we will not be condemned for our sins that Christ has forgiven and cleansed us from.

II. The Reason for Salvation's Reality (v. 1b-3 - “for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh.”)

As we have already discussed, the no condemnation is the direct result of “those who are in Christ Jesus”. In chapter 7, all Christians, even the Apostle Paul, are not exempt from conflicts and struggles with sin. But we have read right here in this chapter (chap. 8) that all Christians are eternally free of the condemnation of sin. Even if we stumble and fall, all Christians from the strongest to the weakest will not experience condemnation for there sins but will experience ultimate victory over sin in the life to come. We are not merely identified outwardly with Christ, but also we are identified as being part of Christ. It says right here we are in Christ and being in Christ is what makes us acceptable to our Father God; 1 Cor. 12:13 declares that we “by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body; whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free; and have all been made to drink into one Spirit”. The Spirit of God places us into Christ, we become part of the body of Christ. Christ's life now flows into our lives and we must began to understand is that we live because He lives in us (Gal. 2:20 - “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me”). The freedom in Christ gives us total and permanent deliverance from sin's power and penalty and when we are glorified one day, then will freed from it's presence. Let's look further in v. 2, it says that, “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death”. In Titus 3:4-6, it says, “when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior”, the Holy Spirit of God is the one who gives spiritual life to the one who places His trust in Jesus Christ. Only the Spirit of God can give spiritual life to a spiritually dead heart. He is the One that frees us from sin and death, gives spiritual life for our sinful, spiritually dead spirit, we are free from the power of sin and it's dominion because of the powerful work of salvation made possible through Christ. In verse 3, it says that “For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh”, it is reason why the eternal Son of God came and added humanity to His Deity and was born of a virgin. Flesh could not fulfill the righteous demands of God's Law, flesh was inferior and weak and sinful, it was incapable of not sinning and relished in breaking all of the holy commands of God's Law. Because God was holy and just, He can never pass over sin but must punish it. But because was loving, merciful, and full of grace, He extended His hand of forgiveness and grace through the incarnated Son of God, through His perfect sacrifice on the cross. It was through this holy and righteous Son of God, Jesus Christ, that His death condemned sin in the flesh of those who were condemned by sin. Those who by faith place their trust in the work that Christ has done on the cross have been justified and forgiven, their condemnation removed. Christ was sinless even though he lived in a body like ours, Jesus never sinned. The Law only exposed man's unrighteousness and no man or woman ever lived up to it's righteous requirement but Christ alone. In His sinlessness, He died as the perfect sacrifice to perfectly save us all. Is. 53:4-5 - “Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed”. Because of Christ we are free from sin and condemnation of sin.

III. The Result of Walking in Salvation (v. 4 - “that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”)

Because of Christ's death and resurrection, it has not only freed us from the power and penalty of sin, it has also freed Christians to live righteously. Christ set us free from sin and filled us with His Spirit not to live as we please but as our Lord pleases. The Spirit produces in us a desire to live for our Lord, to grow and mature as believers in Christ because our new spiritual nature is alive to Christ and we walk not according to the flesh(spiritually dead sinners do that) but according to the Spirit. When we become “sons (and daughters) of God”, it is then our lives will change for God's glory. We become enabled by the power of God to began living out righteously in our daily lives. This is the direct result of coming to faith in Christ. Christ's salvation will bring about an eternal change in each of our lives.

The glorious results of the amazing power of the Father's salvation through Christ of no condemnation of every believer's life and the powerful change and desire to know God and desire His will. Nothing in our flesh or by our power can affect this change; it is only the power of God through Christ.

A Convenient Season

A Convenient Season
(Acts 24:22-27; 26:27-29)

Today, we will see two of the most terrible statements ever made in the Bible. One is from a man named Felix and another is from a man named Agrippa. The one thing that both have in common is a man named Paul who preached to them the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We will read in these passages the most tragic words any man could ever utter. We will see today, two men who refused the Gospel call and the Spirit of God’s convicting power.

I. Foolish Felix (Acts 24:25- And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.)
Here in Acts 24, we see Paul is a prisoner in the Praetorium of Caesarea, the Roman capitol of the Judean province, and Paul has been called before the appointed Roman governor Felix. The Apostle Paul is called to the audience of Felix and his wife Drusilla (Bible refers to her as a Jewess). Paul had earlier in this chapter defended himself against false accusations of the Jews earlier but now is given audience to Felix and Drusilla to hear him explain his ‘new‘ religion “concerning the faith in Christ”. They were interested in hearing about the miracle worker Jesus Christ, I’m sure they had heard the stories and what attracted people to this new religion. But Apostle Paul always recognized an open door of opportunity from God and he begins to preach the Gospel message of Jesus Christ. I imagined it was not as they expected, they were expecting a nice little presentation of a new philosophy but what they got was the uncompromised preaching of the Word of God. The Bible says as Paul preached that Felix trembled. Paul is the one on trial and in chains and imprisoned. Paul is the accused and prisoner standing at the bar and Felix is the judge. But Paul is not the one who is trembling, it’s Felix. Felix is the one who is in the position of power and influence whose subjects lives are in his hands but he is the one trembling that day. He is trembling before Paul because of the message about the condition of his soul as seen before the God of heaven and earth. Felix and Drusilla were expecting Paul to recount some kind of new mystical religion. Some kind of new age experience or philosophy that would tickle there ears and stroke their sinful egos. They wanted to be entertained by some fantastic story of this prophet and troublemaker named Jesus that Paul worshipped. But Paul simply and powerfully preached the holy Word of God. It says that as he preached that “he reasoned about righteousness, self-control, and the judgment to come”. The Apostle Paul although he was before the one who was an earthly judge over him became the one who brought Felix before the One who stood as Judge over all. Paul revealed through the scriptures just how Felix stood spiritually before God and that was like anyone else, he stood before God as a sinner. A sinner that was in need of a Savior because we all will stand before God when we die and we will be judged (Heb. 9:27 - “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment ”). Paul preached the Gospel to this man and showed him the One that could save him from his sins and the judgment to come and it says that Felix trembled at the preaching of God’s Word. The Spirit of God was convicting Felix of his sins, the Holy Spirit was drawing this man to a place of an eternal decision, and He was telling Felix that this was his day and hour to come to Christ. Felix trembled under the mighty call of the mighty God. It came to the time of decision and what was Felix’s answer? It would have been glorious if he said, “Paul, I give my heart to Jesus!”, but those words never came from his lips. Felix’s answer was one of the most terrible words that can be spoken by anyone, it was his answer, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee, some other time Paul, some other day. When the time is right for me but not right now”. Felix simply refused the hand of God’s mercy and grace that was extended to him through the convicting power of God’s word and God the Holy Spirit. Paul presented Christ the Savior for his soul and Felix refused the Son of God. The opportunity of grace and mercy with God’s arms open wide to receive him through Christ and he refused the his appointment with destiny. There is no record of Felix ever coming to a saving knowledge of Christ but the Bible says that two years later he was replaced by Festus. Other historical sources record that Felix was recalled back to Rome in disgrace by Emperor Nero where he was never again given any title or position and that he ended his life by suicide. Felix’s convenient season never came. God’s call to repentance came that day, God’s day of salvation was offered to this man, and the conviction of that man’s heart was that day and he refused the Spirit of God. What a dangerous thing to do and how easy the words came, “No, some other day God”. He preferred to be lost and without God, willfully and foolishly rejected the call of the Spirit of God, and went into eternity to his judgment in Hell. Hebrews 10:26-27 says this, “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a certain terrifying expectation of judgment, and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries.” This was the result of Felix missing God’s convenient season.
II. Almost There Agrippa (Acts 26:28 - Then Agrippa said to Paul, "You almost persuade me to become a Christian.")
Paul was imprisoned at Caesarea right around 3 years and Paul used every opportunity to preach Christ to the lost. When given another opportunity to testify on his own behalf before governor Festus and King Agrippa II, Paul used it to give his personal testimony of how Jesus saved him. Paul boldly preached Christ to these two powerful leaders. Paul told of his training as a Pharisee, how he persecuted the church, about how he met and talked with Jesus on the road to Damascus, and how he was saved through faith in Christ. Festus openly mocked Paul and did not believe Paul’s testimony of Christ. But Agrippa’s remark to Paul was interesting. Paul directly asked Agrippa this question, “do you believe the prophets? I know that you do believe”. Paul appealed to Agrippa’s raising in Judaism to bring him to a place of decision spiritually. Paul had preached to him the Gospel of Christ and now directing him to a place to believe in Jesus as Savior. Agrippa’s answer was this, “You almost persuade me to become a Christian”, so close yet so far away from the One who could save his soul. Agrippa is like so many who are in churches today hearing the gospel message of Christ. They know and believe God’s word but never came to the place of decision to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. They’ve been raised in church, still go to church, and probably like the preacher but they are as lost as a goose. They have been so hardened to the gospel that they hardly even hear it anymore, their almost persuaded.
III. God’s Convenient Season (2 Co. 6:2b - Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.)
Paul wrote in 2 Cor. 6:2, “Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation”. I think he wrote that in remembering all the times those who so foolishly rejected the Gospel of Jesus Christ. When Jesus is preached that He suffered and died on that old rugged cross to shed His blood to cleanse us from our sins and three days later physically arose from the tomb alive forever more to save us from our sins and give us eternal life in Him that’s the Gospel message. Romans 1:16 says that the gospel of Jesus Christ “is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes”, and in Rom. 10:17 tells us that, “…faith (saving faith) comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God”. The Holy Spirit moves upon the hearts of men by convicting us through the preaching of God’s word. That’s why when we Christians heard the gospel of Jesus Christ that we were drawn by the Spirit of God to saving faith in Christ. The Holy Spirit brought us to the cross of Christ and produced in us the faith to receive salvation in Christ. When people refuse the word of God and the Spirit of God they are putting themselves into dangerous place. When God calls you and draws you to Christ that just might be the last time. We don’t know our appointment with death. When God calls you that is the day of salvation. Salvation is not on your terms or in your time, it’s when God calls your name because your not promised another call. Today if God is calling you to salvation in His Son Jesus Christ don’t refuse Him, don’t harden your hearts (Heb. 3:15 - Today, if you will hear His voice, Do not harden your hearts). Listen to these words from the hymn “Almost Persuaded”:
“Almost persuaded” now to believe;
“Almost persuaded” Christ to receive;
Seems now some soul to say,
“Go, Spirit, go Thy way,
Some more convenient day
On Thee I’ll call.”

“Almost persuaded,” harvest is past!
“Almost persuaded,” doom comes at last!
“Almost” cannot avail;
“Almost” is but to fail!
Sad, sad, that bitter wail—
“Almost,” but lost!

Friends, today is the day of salvation in Christ. Today is the day that He can change your life. Don’t be a Foolish Felix or an Almost There Agrippa. Come if Christ is calling you today.