Advantages And Logic: No Substitute For God's Grace Series

Advantages and Logic: No Substitute for God’s Grace

(Romans 9:1-6a)

Romans Review:

Chp.1-3:23 The Doctrine of Sin

„h Gentiles are lost Sinners

„h Jews are lost Sinners

„h Everyone is a lost sinner

Chap. (3:24) 4-5 The Doctrine of Salvation

„h Christ¡¦s atoning death on the cross its objective basis

„h Faith (trust) alone is how we subjectively make the work of Christ ours

Chap. 6-8:27 (8) The Doctrine of Sanctification

„h Our baptism sets the tone for a new life pursuing God, not sin

„h We cannot overcome sin in our own power; we still have a sinful nature that resides with our newly softened heart

„h By the power of the Holy Spirit, we can successfully walk in the Spirit

Chap. (8:28) 9-11 The Doctrine of Sovereignty

„h God chooses individuals for salvation apart from anything good in them; those whom He saves cannot be separated from Him¡K

„h If God is Sovereign and He has announced He will favor His nation Israel with the New Covenant, how come most Jews reject Jesus? And where do believing gentiles fit into all this? „²--We are here!

This last section is what we are beginning today. It is detailed and will take us through chapter 11.

No matter how many advantages you have in this life: material, physical, social, mental, relational, and even spiritual, only one issue matters for all eternity: Is Jesus Christ your personal Lord and Savior.

Many of us are concerned about our family members. Remember, each one of us must covenant individually with God. When it comes to His purposes, God can choose nations or groups. When it comes to salvation, God chooses individuals.

MAIN IDEA: Even people with all the spiritual advantages will not open their hearts to Christ apart from the Sovereign Grace of God.

TS-------------„³ The majority of the people in the first century nation of Israel had all the advantages, but God did not soften their hearts and so they did not respond.

I. It Is A Fact: Unbelieving Jews (like unbelieving gentiles) Are Lost (1-4a)

1. It broke Paul’s heart (1-2)

2. It burdened him to the extreme (3)

„h Much like Moses was burdened (Exodus 32:32-34)

3. When we are talking about Israel, we are talking about:

(1) Paul’s brothers

(2) Paul’s race

(3) the People Group who at that time dwelt in the land of Israel (the Jews)

4. Should Christians have a special burden for a particular people group?

Even people with all the spiritual advantages will not open their hearts to Christ apart from the Sovereign Grace of God.

II. But HOW Could Jews Remain in Unbelief with All the Advantages They Had? (4b-5)

(note: these 8 points were outlined and borrowed from David H. Stern, The Jewish New Testament Commentary)

1. Given a Family-Like Status as Sons

see Ex. 4:22

2. They experienced the Shekinah glory of God

3. Several Covenants Were Made with Them in Particular

(1) The Covenant of Promise through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

(2) The Old (Mosaic) Covenant of the Law

(3) The (then future) New Covenant

(4) The Davidic Covenant

4. The Blessings of the Law (Torah)

(1) The Law Itself

(2) The Giving of the Law on Pentecost during the time of Moses

5. The Temple Service (God’s only truly ordained Temple in the world)

6. The promises of the Messiah, the Kingdom, and being a blessing to the world

7. The patriarch, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob

8. The physical descent of the Messiah

(1) a descendent of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah, and David

(2) but Who is "God over all, forever praised" as far as his deity

Even people with all the spiritual advantages will not open their hearts to Christ apart from the Sovereign Grace of God.

III. Application: Advantages Do Not Guarantee Success

„h . The implications of today’s message are staggering:

1. We can never force or persuade someone to come to Christ unless God is drawing that person; .belief is not just intellectual!

-----my letter to a man who was sending me nonsense about the Trinity:

Greetings. When I surveyed your last couple of letters, I am not sure if you have sincere questions and are truly a seeker, if you have an anti-conservative Christianity agenda, or if you think you are presenting me with perspectives you assume I have not heard.

I have learned long ago that people tend to believe what they want to believe, and that reason and logic do not always cut it; when people want to go in a direction, nothing can stop them. I have also learned that I cannot tell sincere seekers from those pre-determined to head a certain way.

So, if you are truly interested in looking at matters like the Trinity, I have sent you some information from a positive side. If you have an anti-trinity agenda, you may as well toss it.