Does God Use Failure? Yes! Series

1. Ever read a book and start to sort of dialogue with the author?

a. It happens sometimes in the middle of a good movie too.

b. The author has so captivated us & brought us into the middle of a story that we begin to interact with the characters.

c. Hey why are you doing that? Don’t go there! It’s funny!!!!

WELL AS PAUL writes this letter, he anticipates some of the responses he will get from those that read it.

• The Holy Spirit, inspiring Paul knows exactly what’s on the minds of man and he carefully weaves into the text God’s heart.

Luke 16:15 (NKJV) 15 And He said to them, “You are those who justify yourselves before men, but God knows your hearts. For what is highly esteemed among men is an abomination in the sight of God.

REMEMBER, Paul is painting a very black picture on the condition and state of man apart from God.

• Everyone has been touched & tainted by sin. No exceptions.

• The righteousness that God requires is unattainable apart from the offer of God’s righteousness revealed in the gospel. (1:16-17)

AND Paul, being a rabbi himself, knows that there would a rebuttal in the minds of his readers… so in Q & A format, he weaves his case asking hypothetical questions which he then answers.

APP: WE’RE REMINDED THAT GOD uses us as we are.

• We don’t have to become something, or someone else to be used of the Lord. He’ll use you as you are.

SOME THINK: Well, I could never be used of God because I’m just not perfect… OR I’m not like her… OR I’m this or that…

• There is that mindset though, that we have to be perfect in order to serve the Lord and to be used by Him.

• If that were the case the gospel would have never left Palestine and traveled around the world for 2000 years!

NOTE: It’s been said that God is not looking for ABILITY but for AVAILABILITY. He’s looking for a willing and ready heart.

• God looks at the heart and begins His work there…

• If you’re willing… God will use you, shape you, mold you…

• If you’re not willing or resisting the Holy Spirit: God WON’T

App: That opens a huge door for you and me. “God doesn’t ALWAYS call the qualified into His service. But God ALWAYS qualifies those whom He calls!”

• AND ALL OF US are called to serve Jesus on this earth.

• TRULY Spiritual service is for everyone who lives for Jesus!

Ephesians 2.10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.

SO PAUL the Rabbi continues… let’s look at v1 again…

I. (3:3-4) What About Their Unbelief?

1. (3-4) Doesn’t being a Jew mean something?

a. I like how the NIV translates this:

Romans 3.3-4 (NIV) What if some did not have faith? Will their lack of faith nullify God’s faithfulness? Not at all! Let God be true, and every man a liar. As it is written:

"So that you may be proved right when you speak and prevail when you judge."

Some Jews don’t believe… actually, many don’t believe.

• Did this surprise God? Does it mean that God will no longer keep His promises to the nation of Israel?

• Some were thinking that if God can’t break His word then how can any of the Jews be lost?!

• The misunderstanding surrounds how a Jew is saved.

• They were leaning and trusting on their heritage, their upcoming, their ethnicity, their ceremonies to save them.

• But just being born a Jew doesn’t save anyone.

• Jew is saved same way a Gentile is saved, by grace thru faith.

NOTE: Maybe you’ve heard that because the Jews rejected Jesus, they were scattered & forsaken by God.

• Some would say that God is finished with the Jews today.

• They were Christ rejecters. They killed Jesus and now therefore they are on their own…

• But think for a minute… Who crucified Jesus?

• Well, Pilate gave the final say so… He was an Itailian!

• But see it’s not about a race… sin crucified Jesus Christ.

• You and I, our sin, nailed Jesus to that Roman cross.

• Anti-Semitism is totally from the pit of hell guys…

The death of Jesus Christ was the DETERMINED PLAN of God.

• Jews didn’t crucify Jesus… that’s not God’s Word says at all.

• God GAVE His Son out of LOVE for a hopeless creation.

• He was given so that we would believe in Him and be saved.

• YES Israel rejected their Messiah… And God knew it all along.