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Title: When God turns SOMEHOW into SOMEDAY
Text: Romans 11:13-15, 28-32
The other day during an evening devotion, our group started talking about what life would be like if we didn’t have Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. We all had stories to share about how turning to Jesus in prayer during times of crisis was our best course of action. How could we have ever known peace today if not for Jesus? How could we have possibly endured those tremendous pains of life without Him?
As we talked further we wondered how anyone could survive the onslaught of sorrow and suffering without the Son of God connected to their lives and that’s when our thoughts turned to those that have yet to own a relationship with Jesus Christ. My God! Those poor souls! They have isolated themselves from God and have no idea what they are missing. They are trying to manage life on their own. They are trying to make sense of a world that does not make sense. We’ve tried to help them make sense of this world through Jesus often to no avail. Although some have responded many, including loved ones, still remain resistant. And the saddest thing of all is that those friends or family members that still resist the Gospel, often frustrate us to the point that we don’t know what else we can do or say to change their mind.
Paul was reflecting upon this same scenario as he jotted down his concerns. Paul knew that his ministry would be magnified if only, SOMEHOW, he might “move to jealousy (his) fellow countrymen and save some of them.” Did you catch that special word Paul used; “SOMEHOW”? The word “SOMEHOW” does not seem to invoke much certainty does it? Despite everything Paul has already done to clarify the hope he has in Christ, Paul seems to suggest he was owning a “WHAT ELSE CAN I POSSIBLY DO” concern.
Earlier Paul wrote these words, “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” Paul has spoken the Gospel! His fellow Jews have heard it and yet for some reason they still reject the Good News of Jesus. What else could Paul do? They have rejected the very promise that their ancestors had trusted. They no longer believed in the promises of God because they have rejected the ultimate promise that says, ‘Jesus Christ suffered and died for you so that you might receive eternal life.’
SOMEHOW Paul might be able to move them to jealousy. Maybe that means he could get them to see the Joy that he now had, the passion of knowing Jesus; the comfort that is received in being able to turn to Him, cast our sins before Him, and know that forgiveness has already been conveyed. SOMEHOW, maybe his fellow Jews might be stirred up into realizing that every Word of Jesus is Scripture that has been fulfilled. SOMEHOW his people might make that connection as they search the pages of the Old Writings and compare Prophecy of old with the legacy of Jesus.
You are familiar with this particular longing of hope personally aren’t you? You possibly have that person connected to your family that wants nothing to do with listening to your testimony about Jesus. You might have even been given THE RULES surrounding Jesus talk. You know THE RULES don’t you? You can talk about the weather, about family, about the things that make you happy or sad; you might even be allowed to talk about politics but under no circumstances are you invited to share your faith. That is verboten!
It’s frustrating to have this absolute truth which the world claims does not exist, and yet see so many reject it. It’s all the more stifling to hear family reject this gift that demands nothing other than receptivity of Jesus. Yet SOMEHOW we have to do something but what can we do and how we you do it?
If you can relate to this struggle to make a difference in the life of someone you love, than you can certainly understand and empathize with Paul’s desire to save his people. Therefore please listen further to see how he worked out his concerns as He reflected upon the Promises of God.
Paul said of God promises these words; (v28) “From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers” (v29) “For the gifts of God are not regrettable.” Here Paul recognizes that in connection to the Gospel, unbelievers become enemies of that truth. They are hostile toward the Gospel. Yet despite that condition God deems all of Israel as His beloved. These two statements from Paul really point out the entire foundation of God’s Grace. How can anyone be an enemy of God and yet still remain beloved? Well, that describes us all doesn’t it? James 4:4 says, “…do you not know that friendship with the world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.” Yet earlier Paul wrote in Romans 5:8-9 these words, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more than having now been justified by His blood we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him.”
God loves us all, yet He hates sin. He hates the rebellion found in man’s heart, He hates it so much He sent His Son to suffer and take all that rebellion on Himself. As a result of that action we now have a connection to God’s heart that moves us to hate this rebellion as well.
Now as we heard earlier, owning connection to God’s heart can sometimes leave us in a place of frustration to where the idea that we might SOMEHOW reach the lost becomes more like a fantasy than a possibility. But when we remember that we too were once enemies of God due to our evil behavior and yet for Mercy’s sake restored to God’s Grace, we are more apt to translate the word “SOMEHOW” to personally mean, SOMEDAY!!! God does not regret grafting US into his family nor does He regret making Israel His chosen people which tells us that our Lord will not take away His promises to those that have turned away from Him.
SOMEDAY that ever present Word will break through the barriers of rebellion held in check by the lost that we love. We remember that God’s word will not return void or empty. SOMEDAY our loved ones will be lifted up, that is our hope! And we own this hope because we have Christ whose ‘promise of eternal life’ still remains for all in this world to receive. But yet for some reason, despite the assurance of God’s abundant and ever present Grace, there can still be unrest in our spirit over this matter.
I personally would be content with the hope of “SOMEDAY”, if my heart was not still wrenching over the possibility that each day that passes might mean the last day to receive Christ. Listen to Paul testify about this very concern. Romans 9:1-3, “ I am telling the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience testifies with me in the Holy Spirit, that I have great sorrow and unceasing grief in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed, separated from Christ for the sake of my brethren; my kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites, to who belongs the adoption as sons…” Paul was willing to trade his salvation for the salvation of his people because he knew the price that would be paid for anyone that rejected the covenant promise of the Messiah.
Paul’s words of grief denote a desire to personally make a difference and act now. ‘Curse me now Lord, if it means sparing my people!’ I don’t know if you or I have been willing to make the same offer in exchange for salvation of those you love, nor should you. There is however something that we can do, something that promises to make a difference beyond bringing the verboten topic of Jesus up at the dinner table once again. It has nothing to do with a personal curse exchange.
Prayer is something that we all know how to do but sometimes just need more encouragement to do it. So here is some prayerful encouragement! In the words we listened to through our OT reading in Isaiah, we heard the Lord say, “(I will) make them joyful in My house of prayer.” If you’ve got grief over this or any other issue please be reminded that God promises joy especially when we pray in his House. Why do I say especially? In Psalm 27:4 David said, “One thing I ask from the Lord, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life; to behold the beauty of the Lord and to meditate in His temple. For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.” David wanted to dwell perpetually in God’s House because that was the place he could hide and reflect totally on God. David could give to God all his burdens and all his fears, He could look upon the beauty of the Lord found in God’s Word and know that God would hear his cry!
We certainly can pray to God wherever we are but David found solitude in God’s temple. This was so because as he remained there he was better able to focus on God. David wanted to stay in God’s house forever and that says a lot about how the presence of God truly does offer peace.
David did a lot in God’s House of Prayer. David trusted, Listened to, Sang to, hoped in and regularly petitioned God. David knew that both he and his prayers would be lifted up before God. Whenever we pray we are basically agreeing to hand everything over to God. God does all the work and yet we are still able to find some sense of ownership throughout our petitioning of Him.
Prayer is our presentation of faith before God! When we pray for the lost we are in fact offering those upon our heart directly to God. And then after we pray God wants us to wait! Because waiting on God will keep us in that prayerful partnership Him.
Since it’s God’s plan that we trust in as we pray, it’s important to find out how or if we will become part of that plan. That’s where persistence pays off. In our Gospel reading we have an example of this persistence from the Syrophoenician woman who petitioned Jesus for the spiritual healing of her daughter. Jesus ignored her and then called her a dog yet still she waited and trusted in Jesus as she was ready and willing to eat the scraps that fall off the masters table. Finally Jesus told her that she had great faith and her request subsequently was granted. Is that how God will deal with you and I as we pray? Will God wait for awhile before he answers? Will he allow us to receive spirit of frustration and futility only so that we lean more heavily upon Him?
To those questions we do not have certain answers, but what we do know is that Jesus does answer our prayers and as seen with the example of the Syrophoenician woman, Jesus also includes us as partners in that work. Here is what I mean by partnering with God: We ask, He gives; we persist and our hope increases, we trust with the faith God provides us and our Lord responds with His Mercy and Grace.
God certainly is not dependant upon our prayers to act, but we are certainly dependent upon prayer to help us to remain faithful, hopeful and active in the promises of God. And that is Great News not only for us but also for those who are presently resistant to the truth! God truly can turn a SOMEHOW into a SOMEDAY, so keep the faith, continue in prayer to hand over those lost loved ones to God, and then wait on God to see what He will do next to bless both them and you in the blessed name of Jesus. Amen.
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