Temple Baptist Church - 10-21-2018
Romans 9:30-10:4
Introduction:
A. We have studied the Selection of the Nation of Israel. A Nation much loved by God but one that became marred in the hands of the Potter. As we end chapter 9, we must remember that chapter divisions are manmade and were not in the original manuscripts.
B. The breakdown that I have used (Chapter 9-The Selection of Israel; Chapter 10-The Rejection of Israel; Chapter 11-The Restoration of Israel) could be a little misleading as these three chapters are one continuous passage. I gave them as a general outline but the chapters overlap.
C. When Israel became marred in the hands of the Potter, the Potter set that piece of clay (Israel) aside and made a new lump (Gentiles) into a vessel of mercy. The Church Age.
D. What caused Israel to “stumble?” Israel stumbled because their position on salvation had changed and their view of the Saviour also changed.
E. Israel’s Ignorance of Self. At some point in time, Israel went from God-dependent to Self-dependent. I normally go back to the 400 Silent Years between Malachi’s Prophecy to Matthew’s Gospel and the Voice Of One Crying In The Wilderness, John the Baptist.
F. During the times of the Maccabee’s, the sects of the Sadducees and Pharisees arose. They stress the outward instead of the inward and believed that they were right with God because of their separation from the world instead of being right with God through the faith of Abraham. Biblical separatism and Phariseeism are not the same!
G. This self-righteousness has continued until our day as there are many who believe that they can live good enough to go to heaven or can live good enough to keep their salvation. Paul said that Israel had a “zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.”
H. Romans 11:17-21 gives a warning to the Gentiles. As Israel turned from God and the natural branch was broken off, so will the Gentiles be cut off if they follow the same pattern of apostasy. There are two things that caused Israel to fall and I want to look at them in verses 30-33 of chapter 9.
I. IGNORANCE OF GOD’S RIGHTEOUSNESS. Chapter 10.
1. Ignorance of God’s Righteousness. Vs. 3. “not according to knowledge…ignorant of God’s righteousness”
Psalms 71:19 Thy righteousness also, O God, is very high, who hast done great things: O God, who is like unto thee!
Ignorance is not necessarily a bad word as it means that one has not learned. In Romans 10, I believe that the ignorance was willful. Israel was familiar with the Old Testament and especially the Pentateuch. One of the greatest of Old Testament truths found in these first 5 books was that of the holiness of God. Mt. Sinai should have left a lasting impression upon the nation of Israel as God thundered from a mountain that was on fire. Israel’s ignorance was willful! The world of today tries to bring God down to man’s level and man up to God’s level.
2. Impeccability of God’s Righteousness. Vs. 3. “God’s righteousness” The Bible declares that God dwells in a light that no man can approach unto. He is absolutely holy. He is immutably holy. He said, “I am the Lord, I change not.”
1 Timothy 6:15-16 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; (16) Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen.
Salvation must always be by grace through faith because God demands absolute holiness and He alone is holy.
3. Impossibility of God’s Righteousness. Vs. 3. “going about to establish their own righteousness.”
Ecclesiastes 7:20 For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good, and sinneth not.
1 John 1:8-10 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (9) If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (10) If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us.
One fact that every saved person understands is that of personal sinfulness. There are those who believe that they are sinless, but they are deceived and lost. No conviction of sinfulness means there is no Holy Spirit there to convict. Men everywhere are trying to be right with God with what they do instead of what He did.
4. Insubordination to God’s Righteousness. Vs. 3. “have not submitted themselves”
Galatians 3:1-3 O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? (2) This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (3) Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
Along with recognition of God’s righteousness must come obedience to the holiness of God’s demand: obedience to the gospel. Vs. 16. Romans 1 shows the progression of the knowledge of God rejected: a) When they knew God, they glorified Him not as God - God gave them up) b) They changed the truth of God into a lie - God gave them up again c) They did not like to retain God in their minds - God gave them over to a reprobate mind.
5. Imputation of God’s Righteousness. Vs. 4. “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.” Salvation is a result of God’s righteousness being imputed to the believer through propitiation and faith.
Jude 24-25 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, (25) To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
“Dressed in His righteousness alone; faultless to stand before the throne.” “When He sees me, He sees the blood of the Lamb; He sees me as worthy and not as I AM!”
J. IGNORANCE OF GOD’S MESSIAH.
1. Israel stumbled at Christ because of the way He was born, the Virgin Birth.
Isaiah 7:14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. (They should have known the prophecy of Isaiah.)
John 8:41 Ye do the deeds of your father. Then said they to him, We be not born of fornication; we have one Father, even God.
I believe that this statement was an indictment of the conception of Jesus. They believed that He was born of fornication, not born of God.
2. Israel stumbled because of where they perceived that Christ was born, Nazareth.
Micah 5:2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
Matthew 2:1 Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem,
John 1:46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
Luke 2:16-18 And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger. (17) And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child. (18) And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
Micah’s Prophecy foretold the birth of the Messiah would take place in Bethlehem. The Jews knew that Jesus came from Nazareth, not Bethlehem. The shepherds announced His birth in Bethlehem.
3. Israel stumbled because of what Christ preached.
John 5:40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
Matthew 23:13 But woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye shut up the kingdom of heaven against men: for ye neither go in yourselves, neither suffer ye them that are entering to go in.
Eight times in Matthew 23, our Lord said “Woe” unto the scribes and Pharisees. Christ Jesus continually preached and rebuked these self-righteous men for their wickedness.
4. Israel stumbled because of what Christ came to do.
Mark 11:8-10 And many spread their garments in the way: and others cut down branches off the trees, and strawed them in the way. (9) And they that went before, and they that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna; Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord: (10) Blessed be the kingdom of our father David, that cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest.
John 19:14-15 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King! (15) But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
John 1:29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
They looked for a King instead of a Lamb.
5. Israel stumbled because of those whom Christ preached to.
Luke 7:34 The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners!
Luke 7:39 Now when the Pharisee which had bidden him saw it, he spake within himself, saying, This man, if he were a prophet, would have known who and what manner of woman this is that toucheth him: for she is a sinner.
Luke 18:11-13 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. (12) I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. (13) And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner.
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
The Pharisees remained distant from “sinners” lest they be defiled. Christ Jesus loved sinners for whom He died!
6. Israel stumbled because Christ peached the message of repentance.
Matthew 3:1-2 In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea, (2) And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand. (John the Baptist preached repentance.)
Luke 13:2-3 And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things? (3) I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish. (Jesus preached repentance.)
Acts 2:38 Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (The disciples preached repentance.)
Luke 24:46-47 And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: (47) And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. (Repentance was to be preached among all nations.)
Self-righteous Israel thought they needed no repentance.
7. Israel stumbled because salvation is through faith in Christ alone.
John 3:16-18 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Acts 16:30-31 And brought them out, and said, Sirs, what must I do to be saved? (31) And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
The Jews, as a nation, rejected their lost condition.
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