Dr. Cecil A. Fayard - 2001 Sermons
Sunday, September 23, 2001   

Chapters 9-11 are chapters that deal directly with Israel. In each of these three chapters, Paul openly identifies himself with his people, the Jews; and he fervently expresses his concern and compassion for them (9:1-3; 10:1-4; 11:1-4).

In chapter 9: 4-5, Paul lists eight privileges that the Jews have and wonders how they could reject the Messiah seeing they are so blessed.

1. VERSES 1-3, PAUL’S CONCERN
   1. Verse 1, Paul begins by saying: “I speak the truth in Christ.”
      
      1. Paul is in Christ.
         
         1. He knows Christ personally and is not ashamed to say so even when speaking to the Jews (II Timothy 1:12b).
            
         2. Paul is assured of the presence of Christ in his life.
            
         3. Paul here calls upon the Lord Jesus his sovereign Master to affirm his love for the Jews.
            
            1. At the beginning of this letter to the Romans (1:9-10), Paul tells those Christians that God is his witness, his witness concerning his love for the church. Friends, it is hard to love the lost if you don’t first love the church.
               
            2. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:25b).
               
      2. “I lie not....” He did not exaggerate his love and concern. He was no hypocrite. What he said he meant in his heart.
         
      3. “My conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost”
         
         1. Paul’s conscience did not condemn him because his life was fully given to the Lord. He was completely sold out to the Savior. He sought first the kingdom of God (Matt 6:33).
            
         2. Paul lived what he preached. His conscience was clear (II Corinthians 1:12).
            
         3. Paul was not saying that we are to let our conscience be our guide for a conscience that is not led by the Spirit can become defiled (Titus 1:15) and seared (I Timothy 4:2).
            
         4. Even a child of God can have a clouded conscience when he gets away from God and God’s Word.
            
         5. Paul’s conscience was surrendered to the Holy Ghost, the indwelling Spirit of God, God the Spirit. “When we live in the Spirit, walk in the Spirit, and obey the Spirit, we can trust our conscience because it is under divine control” (MacArthur 10).

   2. Verse 2, Paul has “great sorrow and unceasing anguish of heart” (Stott 264) for his brothers and sisters, those of the Jewish race, his own race.
      
      1. Paul felt like the writer of Psalm 119:136 felt. “Rivers of waters run down mine eyes because they [Israel) keep not thy law.”
         
      2. Paul felt much like Jesus did when He wept over Jerusalem (Luke 13:34-35).
         
      3. Jeremiah the prophet, known as the weeping prophet, cries out for his people Israel to turn to God (Jeremiah 13: 15-17).
         
      4. Paul wanted his people to experience what he had experienced. Paul realized that it was all of the Lord on the Damascus road. That his salvation was all of grace; yet he did what every believer ought to do. He prayed for the lost.

   3. Verse 3, So deep is Paul’s hurt, his pain, his grief for the unbelieving Jews that he says: “For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
      
      1. He knows that it cannot be so (8:31-39); but if it were possible, he would give up his salvation for the Jews’ salvation. Oh, what compassion and depth of love. His words remind us of the words of Moses as he prayed for his people, the Jews (Exodus 32:32). Paul’s desire is to point the Jews to Christ Jesus the Messiah (Romans 3:24-25).
         
      2. Paul’s concern for, compassion for the lost should cause us to reach out to a dying world around us. We need to be touched by the lost condition of man without Christ.
         
      3. There are many Bible reasons for the child of God to seek the salvation of the lost.
         
         1. Sinners are perishing.
            
            1. Psalm 9:17, “The wicked shall be turned into hell...”
               
            2. Mark 16:16a, “He that believeth not shall be damned.”
               
            3. John 3:36a, “He that believeth not the Son shall not see life...”
               
         2. The harvest field is calling us.
            
            1. John 4:35, “Say not ye, there are yet four months, and then cometh harvest. Behold I say unto you lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.”
               
            2. Mark 9:37, “The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest.”
               
         3. Jesus has chosen us to seek others.
            
            1. John 15:16, 1 have chosen you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit.”
               
            2. We are chosen to go out with the Gospel seed. Psalm 126:6, “He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed...”
               
         4. Hell is requesting us to care (Luke 16:27, “The rich man cried, I pray thee father that thou wouldest send him to my father’s house: for I have five brethren that he may testify unto them lest they also come into this place of torment.”

2. VERSES 4-5, ISRAEL’S PRIVILEGES THAT SHOULD POINT THEM TO CHRIST
   1. Verses 4-5, the list of wonderful privileges that are given to Israel should be lights pointing them to Christ; yet they are blinded to the glorious Gospel (Romans 1:16).

   2. Verse 4, Privileges listed:
      
      1. The adoption— they have been adopted as:
         
         1. God’s firstborn (Exodus 4:22).
            
         2. God’s own possession (Exodus 19:5).
            
         3. God’s people, His chosen (Isaiah 43:20).
            
      2. “And the glory”-- the word glory indicates “the divine radiance.” Israel had seen God’s glory, His light, His fire.
         
         1. The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle when it was completed (Exodus 40:34).
            
         2. God’s glory was a cloud by day, a pillar of light by night (Exodus 14:20).
            
         3. When the temple was finished and dedicated, God filled it with His glory (II Chronicles 7:1,2).
            
      3. “The covenants”--
         
         1. First with Abraham (Genesis 12:15-17), the father of all who believe (Romans 4:11).
            
         2. At Mount Sinai, the covenant of law was given (Deuteronomy 29:30).
            
         3. With David, God made the covenant of the eternal kingdom (II Samuel 7:8-16).
            
         4. Through Israel came the covenant of redemption by God’s Son (Ezekial 33:26).
            
      4. “The giving of the law” — the very unique revelation of God’s will spoken by God to them and written down for them by His own finger.
         
      5. “The service of God”--
         
         1. The sacrifices
            
         2. The offerings
            
         3. The cleansings
            
         4. All of these pointing to Christ— what privileges.
            
      6. “The promises”--
         
         1. The promised Messiah
            
         2. The promised kingdom of Messiah
            
         3. The promise of eternal life to every Jew who is called, to everyone that believer (Acts 2:39). This is the promise preached to them (Acts 13:32-33).

   3. Verse 5, Privileges continued:
      
      1. “Whose are the fathers”--
         
         1. The patriarchs— Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Israel.
         2. Israel is beloved for the sake of the fathers (Romans 11:27-28; 15:8).
            
      2. “As concerning the flesh Christ came....”
         
         1. Christ was preordained to be a descendent of Abraham as is seen in the genealogies of Matthew one and Luke three.
            
         2. Jesus told the Samaritan woman: “Salvation is of the Jews....”
            
      3. “God blessed forever. Amen.”
         
         1. “Though he has a human nature, he also has a divine nature. He is God!” (Hendricksen 315).
            
         2. Paul confesses the deity of Christ saying He is over all; God blessed forever. Amen.”