How Are You Saved, Anyway?
Chapter 10
Paul’s attitude towards the Israel of the flesh is he desires them to come to know God. To be saved from the wrath of God.
The Reasons for Israel’s rejection (10:1-13)
You would think that Israel would have been expecting and waiting for their Messiah but instead they had Him killed. They missed everything that God was doing.
V1 Israel would have been happy to have pollical freedom from Rome but not spiritual freedom from sin.
Luke 18:9-14
9 Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:
10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 "The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ’God, I thank You that I am not like other men-- extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.
12 ’I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess.’
13 "And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ’God, be merciful to me a sinner!’
14 "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."
V2 They have a zeal but it based in ignorance and a complete misunderstanding in the ways of the Lord.
Many people today believe that it is their good works that will save them when in true these practices are what is keeping them from finding God.
V3 They were proud and self- righteous. They refused to learn because they “knew”, so they thought.
V4 Christ is the end of the law for righteousness.
Paul explains Lev 18:5 that the Law warned that you must completely keep it. There is no excuse to not accept Christ. He is not too far away, in heaven or in the grave, He is right close to each person who is willing to leave the Law and accept Him or trust in Him, by faith.
Law Righteousness Faith Righteousness
Only for the Jew For “whosoever”
Based on good works Comes by faith alone
Self-righteousness Christ’s righteousness
Cannot save Brings salvation
Obey the Lord Call upon the Lord
Leads to pride or guilt Leads to humility and joy
Glorifies man Glorifies God
V9 - 10 Powerful, clear verses of what a person must believe to be saved. You will notice there is no baptism mentioned as a condition, no church attendance, no Bible reading, no prayers, no money to be given, no good works of any kind to be saved.
The Remedy for Their Rejection
V14-17 They must call upon the Lord.
Someone must go and tell them. Each one who brings the true message of Christ to Israel is being used beautifully by the Lord.
The Results of Their Rejection
V18-21 There are three results:
1. Israel is guilty (18)
2. The message goes to the Gentile (19-20)
3. God still yearns for His people (21)
This is written in 64AD, 6 years before the fall of Jerusalem.
Deut 28:1-14
CHAPTER 28
1 "Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.
2 "And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:
3 "Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.
4 "Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks.
5 "Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.
6 "Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
7 "The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways.
8 "The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you.
9 "The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways.
10 "Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you.
11 "And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you.
12 "The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.
13 "And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them.
14 "So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right hand or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.
Notice that is blessing is conditional on obedience.Gen 15:1-21
CHAPTER 15
1 After these things the word of the LORD came to Abram in a vision, saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward."
2 But Abram said, "Lord GOD, what will You give me, seeing I go childless, and the heir of my house is Eliezer of Damascus?"
3 Then Abram said, "Look, You have given me no offspring; indeed one born in my house is my heir!"
4 And behold, the word of the LORD came to him, saying, "This one shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir."
5 Then He brought him outside and said, "Look now toward heaven, and count the stars if you are able to number them." And He said to him, "So shall your descendants be."
6 And he believed in the LORD, and He accounted it to him for righteousness.
7 Then He said to him, "I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to give you this land to inherit it."
8 And he said, "Lord GOD, how shall I know that I will inherit it?"
9 So He said to him, "Bring Me a three-year-old heifer, a three-year-old female goat, a three-year-old ram, a turtledove, and a young pigeon."
10 Then he brought all these to Him and cut them in two, down the middle, and placed each piece opposite the other; but he did not cut the birds in two.
11 And when the vultures came down on the carcasses, Abram drove them away.
12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him.
17 And it came to pass, when the sun went down and it was dark, that behold, there appeared a smoking oven and a burning torch that passed between those pieces.
This covenant was only conditional on one party, the Lord. He walked through the agreement by Himself. Oven of persecution and the touch to light the way.
