Alba 3-6-2022
LOVE THOSE WHO ARE LOST
Romans 9:1-5
Ray Stedman, who was a minister in California, once asked a congregation why they had dismissed their preacher. “Well”, they said, “he kept telling us we were all going to hell.”
Steadman asked, “What does the new preacher say?” The congregation replied, “He tells us we’re going to hell, too.”
“So what’s the difference?” Stedman asked. “The difference is that when the previous preacher said it, it sounded like he was glad. When the new preacher says it, it sounds like it breaks his heart.”
Romans chapter eight ends with the amazing claim that nothing can separate us from the love of Christ. But before the apostle Paul moves on with what is considered the “practical application” portion of his letter, he first needs to address his concern for those outside of Christ.
So we read in Romans 9:1-5 of his love for those who are lost.
1 I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, 2 that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart. 3 For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, 4 who are Israelites, to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; 5 of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.
Paul’s words in Romans chapter nine clues us in on his prayer life. He prays for the salvation of his fellow Jews. In this passage Paul expresses deep concern about the Jewish nation's rejection of Christ.
The first believers in Jesus were Jews who had surrendered to Christ on the Day of Pentecost. But Paul could see an overall rejection of Jesus Christ as Messiah from the Jewish community as a whole.
Paul knows that these people have no problem believing in God. Their problem is accepting Jesus to be who He says He is. They do not see how a carpenter’s son could be the Messiah.
Most religions today have no problem believing in the existence of God in some form. The do however have a great problem in dealing with Jesus as the Messiah. They fail to recognize the diety of Christ, and sadly many still do.
Paul could identify with these people, for they were his people. He knew where they were, for he too at one time had been stiff-necked and obstinate concerning Christ and His Church.
But now Paul longed that they too would fall down before the light of Christ and have the scales of their eyes removed.
In verses 4 and 5 Paul lists eight advantages that the people of Israel have when it comes to having a relationship with God, including the fact that the Messiah, Jesus, is from their lineage.
But he also makes it clear here that those advantages alone don’t make them right with God or earn them eternal life.
Paul rejoiced that the Jews were given the covenants, the commands and the Law of God, but he wanted more for them.
He gloried in the fact that the Jewish nation had enjoyed special standing and revelation from God in the past.
And he shows how Jesus had come from them. For Jesus was born to a Jewish mother, grew up in a Jewish home, went to a Jewish school, sat in a Jewish synagogue, ministered to the Jewish people.
It was Jesus who said, "I have come to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Matthew 15:24). Yet with all those past advantages of God's special blessings throughout their history, the Jews did not, would not, acknowledge Jesus as the Messiah.
The reason many Jews rejected Jesus as their Savior is because they didn’t think they needed a savior. After all, weren’t they already God’s chosen people? But think about this:
A high school student who receives a university scholarship shouldn’t think that he has already become a doctor or a lawyer. The scholarship only entitles him to study to become one of those things.
In the same way, when God chose the Jews as His special people it didn’t mean that they were automatically bound for heaven. It simply meant that they would be given all the information they needed for salvation. The law was a schoolmaster to bring them to Christ.
And Paul knew that it was not enough to rely on things from the past to gain eternal life. So even though Paul had been persecuted by the Jews, he served them by preaching Christ as the only way for their salvation.
Paul clearly saw their eternal destiny as his chief concern. He had a great love for those he calls his brethren, his countrymen. His “great sorrow and continual grief “ was because they were lost outside of Christ.
There are many others today who are lost, apart from salvation in Jesus. Not only are they rejecting Jesus, they reject the church and those of us who are called Christians.
Twenty-one years ago in a letter to the editor in a California newspaper a reader wrote, "I am one scared senior. These [Christians] scare…me. I believe firmly…they represent the most dangerous threat to my liberty that exists today…I very much fear that, given the power, these people would take away my right to disagree" (Inland Valley Daily Bulletin 2/27/01 A10).
The truth is that today it is more likely that the right of Christians to disagree with what is happening in our culture will be taken away. Yet, more and more people view Christians the way that person does. And when we talk certain ways, we contribute to this.
There was one survey where 87% of young people considered Christians to be judgmental. That is probably a pretty good indication that we are like that far too often.
I read the following dialogue from the once-popular sitcom, Seinfield, between Elaine and her boyfriend. Elaine asks, "Do you believe in God?"
"Yes," her boyfriend replies. Elaine asks, "Is it a problem that I’m not religious?" "Not for me," her boyfriend answers. "How’s that?" she asks. Her boyfriend says, "I’m not the one going to hell."
Well, as funny as that sounds, it comes across as judgmental. The question is do we really care that people are going to die and go to hell!? Do we really care about the fate of the lost?
There is a video on Faithlife TV titled “Dear Church – I’m Gay”. The movie consists of interviews with four different people who identified as homosexuals.
While they are still at different points in their journey with Jesus, all four eventually either returned to Jesus and the church, or turned to Jesus for the first time.
And the common factor in that process was that they all had one or more Christians in their lives who treated them with compassion rather than condemnation.
I am not suggesting that we ignore or excuse sin. But as it has been said, we can’t expect non-Christians to act like Christians.
If we treat others with condemnation rather than compassion, we are likely to push them away from the one person who can actually change their hearts and eventually change their behavior – Jesus.
Notice how Paul refers to those who have been opposing him. He doesn’t call them “Jesus haters” or “Christ crucifiers”. He calls them “my brothers, my kinsmen”.
And rather than condemning them, he reveals that his heart is breaking over their refusal to put their faith in Jesus.
It was painful to Paul that the Jews were not taking advantages of all of their benefits. He wanted the Jews to experience all the rich blessings he enjoyed as a follower of Jesus.
And look! Paul was even willing to give up his salvation in order that his fellow countrymen could be saved. Paul says, “That’s how burdened I am.”
There’s no doubt that Paul loves them. Paul says, “ I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren”. That is how much he cares about his lost countrymen.
The word accursed is anathema, meaning to condemn to utter destruction, or be delivered up to the judgment of God.
How deep was Paul's compassion for his lost countrymen? He was ready to exchange his own eternal salvation and reward in Jesus, if only it would bring salvation to them.
Indeed if their salvation could be purchased by his own eternal damnation, he would readily consent... if such a exchange were possible.
Paul knows that what he is suggesting would NEVER actually bring salvation to anyone. He knew his actions could not save. BUT what this DOES reveal is the burning passion of his heart!
So here is what Paul is essentially saying: “If it were possible, I would give up my own salvation and be eternally separated from God in order for all of my Jewish brothers and sisters to be saved.”
In other words, Paul was willing to sacrifice that which was most valuable to him so that others could experience a personal relationship with God through faith in Christ Jesus.
Isn’t that exactly what Jesus did? Didn’t Jesus hang on the cross, and wasn’t He literally cut off and separated from God the Father on the cross so that you and I could go to Heaven.
Jesus allowed Himself to be forsaken so that He could bear our sins, and so the penalty of sin could be paid by His death on the cross.
Phillip Doddrige, a minister, educator and hymn writer in the 1700's in England wrote about this strong desire of the apostle Paul.
That he was: “Wishing to be made a curse for them, as Christ hath been made a curse for us, that so they might be delivered from the guilt which they had brought on themselves, and be entitled to the blessings of the rejected gospel."
Paul knew that those who were rejecting Jesus were rejecting God's plan. Paul could not give up on his people. He could be angry, disappointed, and full of sorrow over his people, but he could never give up on them. His heart wouldn't allow him to.
Parents of sick children would willingly trade places with their kids if they could. It’s easier to be sick than to watch a loved one suffer.
Paul thought the same thing in regard to his fellow Jews. Only they were suffering from something much worse than the flu.
Many of them had rejected Jesus as their Savior, and so they were bound for hell. Paul couldn’t stand the thought of this, and would have gladly traded places with them if he could.
So again the question is, who are we so burdened for that our hearts won't allow us to give up on them? It is easy for us to think of the heathen in dark remote corners of the world, or undeveloped third world nations as being lost.
Paul reminds us through, that the lost also include brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, children and grandchildren. All of whom need a life-changing experience with Jesus Christ.
So we need to consider. If not our salvation, what would we be willing to sacrifice so that a family member, or friend, or co-worker, or neighbor, or even a complete stranger could hear the gospel?
Our time? Our pride? Our money?
If we have trouble caring for someone, we can try praying for that person every day until we start caring. And we can ask God to bless that person, to fill his or her life with the Lord's presence and greatness. We can pray for God’s will to be done in their life.
Paul speaks of his conscience bearing witness of his love for the lost.
My conscience gives me a twinge as I preach this sermon. Do you know why? Because I know that I am not bearing the concern and burden that I should.
God has given us great advantages and privileges which means we have great responsibilities. To whom much is entrusted, much is required. (Luke 16:10-15). We have a story to tell to the nations!
One minister told of a friend who got saved as a young, adult man. He was so excited about Christ for the first couple of weeks, he told everybody the difference Jesus had made in his life.
One Sunday night he was at his church and they sang this song, “Rescue the perishing, care for the dying, snatch them in pity from sin and the grave, weep over the erring one, bring them to Jesus, tell the poor sinner that Jesus can save.”
He heard that song and he got so excited that as soon as the service was over he rushed up to the minister, and said, “Preacher, I’m ready.” The preacher said, “Ready for what?”
He said, “Man, I’m ready to go rescue the perishing–let’s do it!”
The miniser looked at him and said, “Well, that’s not something we really do, that’s just a song we sing.”
It wounded that man’s spirit for many years until he realized that the normal Christian life is to be excited about rescuing the perishing.
We know that God has provided Jesus as a solution to the sin problem in this world! We need to ask the Lord to give us wisdom, strength and enabling grace.
Then I think we will be amazed at how He will be able to use us to bring others to Jesus.
CONCLUSION:
The founder of the Salvation Army was General William Booth.
Some servants of the Salvation Army went into one extremely tough American city. And after working there for several years, they said, “It just won’t work. We have tried everything. The gospel is just not being received here.”
They telegraphed that to William Booth, and he telegraphed back a two word message. He said, “Try tears.”
Do you have a family member, do you have a co-worker, do you have a student friend, do you have a neighbor who doesn’t know Jesus Christ and you think you have tried everything?
Well, have you tried tears? Have you asked God to break your heart for the lost?
