Our Greatest Responsibility to the World

Transcript

GR 1455
12/19/10
Our Greatest Responsibility to the World
Romans 10:14-21
Gil Rugh


We're going to be in Romans 10 this morning. God's plan of salvation has been unfolded and is in operation in the world. When Paul is writing the letter to the church at Rome, the church has been in existence for several years now, beginning in Acts 2. The Apostle Paul has traveled spreading the gospel. He hopes to have the privilege to come to Rome, as he has not been to Rome yet in his ministries. But a church has been established there. He tells the church he wants to come and proclaim the gospel in Rome and see many others come to know Christ and to build up those in their faith who have become believers. And he unfolds in detail something of the beauty of the gospel of God as focused in Jesus Christ, God's good news, the message of His Son. That's what the first eight chapters of Romans unfolded.

But there is a looming question that must be answered, what about Israel in the plan of God? What about all the promises of God to the nation Israel throughout the Old Testament? It is primarily Gentiles who are being saved. What happened to God's program with Israel? For so long the saving work of God focused in the nation Israel. Now there are relatively few Jews being saved and the larger portion of the church is Gentiles. Paul is answering the question regarding the nation Israel in chapters 9-11 in the book of Romans as crucial chapters for understanding the plan and program of God.

Very simply, chapter 9 focused on the sovereignty of God and His sovereign purposes that are worked out in the world and being worked out in Israel. Chapter 10 explains why Israel is not experiencing God's salvation in these days. Chapter 11 will show how God will bring His prophesied plan to its ultimate fulfillment. And basically what Paul is showing in chapters 9-11 is that everything is on course. You know, it is so easy, even for us today as believers, things come into our lives and we get unsettled, we get concerned, we get frustrated, we get confused. It is good for us as believers to remember everything is on track. God is at work. And just like with the nation Israel, we're going to see as it is unfolds, this is exactly what God said. And so it is for us. The purposes and plans of God are sure. But sometimes we forget all that He has prophesied and promised.

I tend to not like the passage where Jesus said, “in the world you have tribulation.” I like the part, “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” But I have to put that in the context. In the world you have tribulation. He didn't say in the world you won't have tribulation because I have overcome the world, he said in the world you will have tribulation. Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

Drawing back to Israel and confusion over where are they in the plan of God. Paul in chapter 10 has been talking about the problem with Israel. Paul desires to see them saved. He opened up chapter 10 that way. Their basic problem is the end of verse 3, “they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” That's Israel's problem, it's their ongoing problem. They refuse, they are obstinate, they are stubborn. Paul is going to come back to this at the end of chapter 10. That's their problem, they refuse to believe. The message of the gospel is available to any and all, including Israel. He is quoting Old Testament scriptures as you note through these chapters because that demonstrates to Jews that what is taking place is exactly what God said would take place.

When you come down to verse 9, the message is available, the message is simple. The end of verse 8 said, “it is the word of faith which we are preaching, the message that you are saved by believing in Jesus Christ. If you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in you heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” There is God's plan of salvation. “You believe in your heart, you confess with your mouth.” We noted the confession of the mouth expresses what is in the heart. Jesus said in Matthew 12:34, “it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks.” We'll come more to that at the end of chapter 10 in a moment. Our confession with the mouth is an expression of what is in the heart. We noted that you can make a false profession. We looked at Matthew 7, “many will say to Me in that day, Lord, Lord, did we not do many mighty things” and so on. Jesus said, “depart from Me, I never knew you.” You are saved by faith and you express that faith with the acknowledgment of your mouth. It is a danger and tragedy I think in many of our churches to move away from the clear proclamation of the gospel and fill it in with things that confuse people. For example, we make it a matter of formality in some churches where when children reach a certain age, 12 or 13, they become confirmed as a member of the church and go through confirmation and so on, as though then when they go through those classes they express these words. Now they are saved. And it lends a false hope and a false security. We will see that what Paul is unfolding here is what is required is individual response to that message. There is not group activity here, everybody that reaches 12 or 13, now it is time for them to be saved. We'll put them all in a class, teach them, and get them to say these words. Now we say you are saved and you are a member of the church. But it doesn't work that way. It is an individual responsibility and accountability. Salvation may happen to some at 12, some at 20, it may happen to some at 90. It doesn't happen to some, in fact it's a tragedy as Paul is going to say, it doesn't happen for most.

Back to chapter 10, Paul is unfolding the work of God in salvation. There is universality about this, it's important for Israel. And he's going to show how this was prophesied in the Old Testament. Salvation is available for everyone. Verse 11, “whoever believes in Him will not be disappointed. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all who call upon Him. For whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.” It's only by faith but it's for everyone who will believe. So it's narrow, but it's broad; it's as narrow as it must be and it is as broad as it can be. Anyone can be saved by believing in the message of Jesus Christ. Calling on His name as he quoted from the book of Joel in verse 13, “whoever will call on the name of the Lord will be saved.”

Now what he is going to do in picking up with verse 14 is show the logical progression. Then he is going to bring that back and apply it again to Israel and show the failure of Israel. Thus by application, the failure of all who are not saved. Paul picks up with verse 14, following up on the quote he has just made from the prophet Joel in the Old Testament scriptures, “How will they then call on Him in whom they have not believed.” There is a series of four questions he is going to unfold. And he is going to start at the end of the process—calling on God, preceded by believing in God, preceded by hearing the message, preceded by being told the message in this unfolding logical sequence of backing up. “Whoever will be called on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Wonderful. But how then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? Thus you see calling upon God, turning to Him, crying out to Him for His aid, His help, His salvation is an expression of faith in the heart. So calling on God and faith in Christ is not exactly the same thing. The calling upon God is the expressing of the faith that is in the heart. Why did you come to the point in your life where you bowed and said, “God, I'm a sinner. I believe Christ died for me, I believe He rose from the dead. Please cleanse me from my sin. I trust in Him.” That is calling on the Lord. You sought aid from Him. You did it because you believed in your heart.

So how can a person call upon the Lord if they haven't believed in Him? If they haven't believed in Him, it becomes empty words. Religious activity is absolutely repulsive to God when it is not based on faith in the heart. Remember Isaiah 1, God told Israel, quit coming to the temple to worship Me, quit bringing sacrifices. The prayers of the wicked, the Bible tells us, are an abomination to God. So to call upon the name of the Lord in a saving way is to express the faith that is in your heart. So how shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? We are to that word that is key for Israel—believe.

The second question—“how will they believe in Him in whom they have not heard?” How can you believe in Jesus Christ if you have never heard about Jesus Christ? How can you believe in the God of the Bible and His salvation if you have never heard of what the Bible says about God and His salvation? So you'll note, true salvation is a result of hearing the true message. “How shall they call upon Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? How will they hear without a preacher?” Without someone to tell them? This word “preacher” is also known as a herald. Like you see in a movie in an older time when there was a king and he sent his messenger to a town and they would blow a trumpet. Then he would unfold the scroll, “hear ye, hear ye, by the proclamation of the king.” That's what the herald did. He had a message from a king, from a higher authority. And he came and declared it, proclaimed it, heralded it, preached it, if you will, although our word preacher sometimes has added connotations and baggage. It is someone giving forth a message with which they have been entrusted.

“How shall they preach unless they are sent?” They have to have the authoritative One who entrusted them with the message. A herald was a nobody, but whoever sent him, that was the authority of the herald. That's what gave significance to the herald, for the man who came to the city and said, “Here is what you have to do.” They would mock him, maybe stone him. When the herald came and said, “Here is the declaration of the king, I have been sent by him.” That changes everything. What is God saying? Those who have God's authority, those who have been sent by God entrusted with His message, they come with His authority, His power in what they declare.

People call on the name of the Lord when they have believed in Him; they believed in Him when they have responded to the message they have been heard, that has been preached or heralded by one sent with the authority in the message that will bring salvation. That's the simple line—calling, believing, hearing, heralding, sent.

Paul is now going to unfold his statement and take it apart a little bit. Verse 15, “how will they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written.” Now we're going to start at the other end. He started out with the call and backed up to being sent. Now he is going to start with the “sent” and we're going to work through this in pieces. He picks up with what he just stopped with. “How shall they preach unless they are sent? Just as it is written.” Now you see he quotes from the Old Testament, when it is in those capital letters, and most of you will have it in your Bibles that way to show that he is quoting an Old Testament reference. We're not going to go back to these for time, but this is from Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things.” We sometimes refer to this as the people with beautiful feet. Why? Well, in those days people walked most everywhere. And it's a picture of someone coming and bringing you the message, their feet carried them to you. That's the point. And those who are carrying the message to you, how beautiful that feet are that brought it to you. It's a message of good news, of good things, the good news of God regarding His blessings. “How beautiful are the feet.” So he's showing, that's what Isaiah said. Those sent by God to bring good news of God's good things. How beautiful their feet are, that they would carry that message to you, to me.

However, the point of this is Isaiah talked about that the message would be carried, the message is carried and will be carried. There ought to be the recognition of the importance of that and the person carrying the message. Not the person in and of himself, but the message he carries. And he gets to you by him being the vehicle.

The next verse though. There is a problem—they did not all heed good news. So the good news has been sent by messengers and the heralds were entrusted with the message from God. They did not, however, all heed the good news. For Isaiah says, now we have another quote, this time from Isaiah 53:1, “Lord, who has believed our report?” The problem is not that the message has not been sent, the message has been entrusted to messengers, heralds. They have carried it, beautiful feet. However, they did not all heed, meaning obey, the good news. When they heard it they rejected it, they refused to believe it, they refused to submit to it. Remember back in Romans 10:3, the last statement, “they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God”. That's Israel's ongoing problem—disobedience, a refusal to bow before God and obey Him. See in verse 16, “they did not all heed.” This explains why you have this universal provision and invitation in verse 11, “whoever believes”; verse 12,” the same Lord is Lord of all, abounding in riches for all”; verse 13,” for whoever will call.” “However they did not all obey the good news.” For Isaiah says, “Lord, who has believed our report.” Please also note the connection here with obedience and believing. They did not all heed or obey. For Isaiah says, “who has believed?” Obedience comes out of a heart that believes and so submits. We find these terms used interchangeably, although they are not exactly the same. Calling on the name of the Lord is not exactly faith because the calling comes out of faith. “How shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed. But the expression of the faith in the heart comes with the call.” And the obedience. He talked about the obedience of faith in Romans 1:5 when he began this letter. They haven't all obeyed. What's the problem?

Isaiah said, “Lord who has believed?” It's not only that not all obeyed the good news or responded in obedience to it. In fact, Isaiah said it's hard to find anyone who did. The question comes, “Lord, who has believed it? Who has believed our report? Lord, who has believed our report?” So it's not just that not all have, the majority haven't. What is Paul doing here? He is showing Isaiah wrote and prophesied, this is not new. We act like, Israel is not responding in faith, God must be done with Israel. Read Isaiah. Over 600 years earlier it is exactly what God said. There is not a radical change here. This is the problem with Israel. What is the problem with Israel? Just as Isaiah wrote, “who has believed our report?” Look at all the Gentiles who have been saved. They look around the church at Rome and say, “there aren't many Jews here that have become part of the church, have there.” No. I wonder what happened? God's plan failed? Look at what did God say through Isaiah: “Lord, who has believed our report? The good news that we have brought.”

Look at verse 17. “So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.” Paul focuses on the problem here. It is faith, lack of faith, refusal to submit to God. The Jews weren't giving up being religious, but they had multiplied their being religious. They had added to the 613 commandments of the Law and they had all kinds of additional requirements and commandments. They wanted to be absolutely sure to be diligent and serve God and earn our righteousness. That's the very problem. People think the solution to their problem is become religious or become more religious. That is the problem for Israel. They are seeking to establish their own righteousness, righteousness by their works. Read verse 3 again of chapter 10, “not knowing about God's righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God.” You realize every religious person on the face of the earth is demonstrating that they are being like Israel, not knowing about God's righteousness and they are seeking to establish their own, and in doing so they refuse to submit themselves to the righteousness of God, which is found only by faith in Christ.

So faith, verse 17, comes from “hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.” You have to hear the right message. My faith saves me, I have faith, thus we are people of faith. Meaningless, meaningless, worse than meaningless. It's a disaster. I have my faith, you have your faith. What does that mean? There is only one saving faith. Faith comes by hearing, the saving faith we have talked about in this context, and hearing by the word of Christ. It's the message of Jesus Christ heard and believed that brings salvation. Nothing else. It is the message of Jesus Christ that brings salvation. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. That's why it is so essential that Jesus Christ be presented, the truth of the gospel. And remember anything brought in to add to that or take away from that corrupts it, renders it null and void and puts a person under the curse of hell. There were Jews going around who claimed to be converted to Christ and they claimed to believe in Christ and believe in His death and resurrection. They said, but in addition to that you must be circumcised and keep the Law. And Paul wrote the book of Galatians to address that and said they are cursed to hell, anathema. We have to be sure we are presenting the gospel. This is what a person must believe. A person might say, my church believes differently than yours, your church believes differently than theirs. That's all true, but one thing doesn't change—saving faith, believing what saves you, belief in Jesus Christ and His finished work.

Turn over to II Corinthians. To put this in the context, we must understand the awesomeness of this, that people are going to hear the gospel and hear it from us. We must tell them. An eternity literally hangs in the balance for them. Their response to this message will matter for all eternity. At times it can seem overwhelming, and we forget, this is God's plan, to use you, to use me, a weak, frail, incompetent human being. But to entrust them with the message that must be heard and believed for a person to be forgiven their sins, delivered from an eternal hell, and to become a child of God. Paul recognized the awesomeness of this responsibility in II Corinthians 2:14, “thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ and manifests through us the sweet aroma of the knowledge of Him in every place.” What Paul says is every place we go we give off the knowledge of Christ. And that's like a pleasing fragrance rising to God. We're giving off the knowledge of Jesus Christ, we're making Jesus Christ known, we are telling people about Jesus Christ everywhere we go. We are a fragrance of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. We've giving off this knowledge of Christ and it's an aroma. It's an aroma from “death to death”, verse 16, and to the other an aroma from life to life. Understand every time you share the gospel with someone you are giving off the knowledge of Christ. For some it is used and it draws them and they come to believe in Christ and are saved; for others it just hardens them and they become more stubborn and obstinate. It is also an aroma to death. You know what Paul says? Who is adequate for these things? That's awesome. Who is adequate for these things?

I think about this and I watch the news and I see the President of the country, the governing leaders, the ruler of North Korea, what's going on with this country and the rulers who are powerful and important. And you know, the most important thing going on in the world is there is a little nobody someplace sharing the message of Jesus Christ. And that is what is most significant. That is what is most important. These rulers will come and go but the word of Christ will endure forever. The salvation that is found only in Him is an eternal salvation. We sometimes muddle around, what we are about, what will we do, why we are here. Paul understands, the mighty Apostle Paul, had that sense of inadequacy. Who is adequate for these things, to carry on a ministry, a work that is eternal in its impact.

Then he says, “for we are not like the many”. Do you know what makes you adequate? Not being like everyone else, “peddling the word of God.” That word peddling means to adulterate, to make something salable. You change it so people will like it more to buy it. Paul said that's what most people do with the message of Christ, even at that early stage. “But as from sincerity as from God.” Remember we are sent from God, we speak as representatives of God. We speak in Christ in the sight of God.

So you come down to II Corinthians 3:5, “not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider as anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God who made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, the message of Jesus Christ.” It's not bad you say, I feel inadequate, I feel so inadequate. Get over it! You are, so am I. Our adequacy does not come from ourselves, our ability to present such a masterful argument. We are not to be geniuses overwhelming people with the power of our scholarship. We are fools for Christ's sake, presenting the message of a Savior. I have nothing original to say, I just say what the One who sent me says. That's what you say, the One who sent you gave you a message. We tell it. That's it, that's our adequacy. It's not in and of the person we are, it's in the message that has been given to us.

You come down to II Corinthians 4, “if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, in whose case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving so that they might not see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ who is the image of God.” You understand there is a war going on, we call it the war for the souls of men, women and young people. The devil desires to keep the unbeliever in darkness, spiritual darkness. He blinds their minds, he hardens them to the gospel. But you know what? Verse 7, “we have this treasure in earthen vessels so that the surpassing greatness of the power will be of God and not from ourselves.” What happens when we present the gospel? Verse 6, “light shall shine out of darkness. God who said, the light shall shine out of darkness is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.” That's what it does when we give the message. We have this treasure in earthen vessels, verse 7 says. Not the way I would have done it, not the way you would have done it. I would have picked a few choice, extra brilliant, extraordinary people in positions of influence that could sway the masses. God puts it in a pile of clay like you and me and says, we have this treasure in earthen vessels. Not gold and silver and precious metals, we have this treasure in these pottery pots. Why? So that when we share that message and the gospel, the power of God for salvation works in a heart and God gets all the credit. Because I know you couldn't do it, you know I couldn't do it. It's only God who can do it.

So there is God's plan. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the message of Christ. And God's plan is to send His people out, those earthen vessels, to tell the message. You say, “I can't do it, I can't talk.” Write it out, sit down and write it out word for word. Then tell somebody, I want to tell you about something that is so important to me I wrote it down word for word. Count how long it would take you to read it—four minutes, three minutes, two minutes, I don't know. Say, let me just read it to you and tell me what you think. So you can't talk very well. Can you read? Practice. If you can't read very well, memorize it. The most exciting, greatest, most significant responsibility in the world entrusted to us, we are entrusted with the gospel, not so we can sit on it, but so we can go and give off the fragrance of Christ that is so pleasing to God. You say, I want to please God with my life. Go tell someone about Christ. That's a pleasing fragrance to Him.

So we come back to Romans 10:17, “faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ.” People can't get saved if they don't hear, and they must hear the message of Christ. Well then the problem with Israel must be they have not heard, right? Verse 18, “I say, surely they have never heard, have they?” That must be Israel's problem. It's not their problem. Indeed they have heard. Everyone who hears is not going to be saved because everyone who hears will not believe. Israel is the example here. Their voice has gone out into all the earth, their words to the end of the world. Quoting from Psalm 19, and this is a quote from Psalm 19:4. Many of you are familiar with Psalm 19, you ought to read it this afternoon in its entirety. It's a short psalm. The first half of the psalm is about the testimony, the revelation of God found in creation; the last part of the psalm is about the revelation God has given in His word. Here he quotes from the first part of that, about creation, about God, but he applies it here to the spread of the gospel that has gone on. And it has gone throughout the earth. That doesn't mean every place in the world by this time had been exposed to the gospel, obviously not. But it's like we would say, the gospel has gone around the world. Over the 2000 years since Christ has died the gospel has been carried around the globe. Does that mean there are places where they haven't heard? Yes. But generally speaking it has been diffused around. Everywhere the Jews are they have heard because where did the gospel begin? Where was the message first preached of the death and resurrection of Christ? In Acts 2, the first proclamation of the gospel following its accomplishment with the finished work of Christ and His ascension to the right hand of the Father. It centered in Jerusalem, it was focused only in Jerusalem for a while, then spread out. And finally through the missionary journeys of Paul and others it was carried out into the world.

So the problem with Israel isn't they haven't heard. No, that's not the problem, indeed they have heard. But I say surely Israel did not know, did they? I mean, the problem with Israel is they didn't truly know, they didn't have understanding. No, that's not the problem either. Israel knew more than other people knew. In fact, God is going to make them jealous, and he's going to quote here a verse from Deuteronomy 32:21. I say Israel surely did not know, did they? First Moses says, let's go back to the beginning with Moses. Since Israel's problem is the Law, let's start with the lawgiver, Moses to whom the Law was given. “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation.” Then he follows that with a quote from Isaiah 65:1, “by a nation without understanding I will anger you.” The picture here, what Paul is saying, is it's not that Israel didn't hear the gospel, it's not that they didn't know what God had to say. They did. You know what God is doing right now? God is making Israel jealous.

It's like you make a promise to one of your children. Don't make this illustration walk on all fours. But you make a promise to your children that you'll give them a certain gift. And they keep being rebellious and stubborn. So you promised them this gift, the neighbor kid who is so well behaved and so on, you give the gift to the neighbor kid. What happens to your kid? They are jealous. That should have been my gift, it belonged to me. You are my dad, that's the gift I deserve.

That's what God has done with Israel's salvation. He had been promising them salvation, promising to give them the gift of salvation. They keep rejecting it, God gives it to the Gentiles, the dirty the old Gentiles that didn't belong to Him, that weren't a nation He called to Himself, not the nation He said would be His son. What's He doing? “I will make you jealous by that which is not a nation,” meaning they are not My people, they are not the nation that belongs to Me. In Amos 3,” you are the only nation I have chosen for Myself,” God said to Israel. And now the gift of salvation is being bestowed upon those that really aren't the nation of God.

Furthermore Isaiah said, “by a nation without understanding I will anger you.” So what he is showing here is that this is all part of what God said He would do. There is no change in the plan and program of God with Israel. It's not, the Messiah has come and been rejected by Israel, now everything changes. In one sense nothing changes as far as what God has revealed regarding Israel. He promised them salvation. He promised them judgment when they rejected His salvation. He promised them that ultimately He would give that salvation to another people. But even that is not the last word because the ultimate end will come in chapter 11 when he reveals how He is finally going to bring Israel to that salvation. But what he is unfolding clearly is showing the sovereignty of God in chapter 9, Israel's stubborn, obstinate unbelief in chapter 10, to prepare for the climax of the ultimate realization that it is true. The promises of God are irrevocable, the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. What God has promised to Israel must be realized by and in Israel. But you understand what is going on now is exactly what God said would happen. It is a severe chastening and judgment that Israel is enduring. But it is not a replacement of Israel in the plan of God. It is not a change in God's sovereign plan. It is what He revealed and what he is going to reveal in chapter 11 then is how God's salvation in Israel ultimately is like your child who saw the gift being given to the neighbor, the jealousy and anger over that. Ultimately it is going to be used for good and Israel's rebellion is going to be broken. They are going to bow before the Lord and say, “God, we want that salvation. We've been stubborn and obstinate and rejected it, determined to have it on our own terms. Now we will submit and believe in our Messiah.” Call upon Him, then He'll return. But we have to wait for chapter 11.

He goes on in Romans 10:20, Isaiah was very bold. Isaiah 65:1 says, “by a nation without understanding I will anger you.” Then verse 2, and Isaiah was very bold when he says this. This is a strong statement to say, a powerful statement, a bold statement. “I was found by those who did not seek Me, I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me.” That's the Gentiles. For Isaiah, 600 years before Christ, that's a bold statement to tell the nation, that God is going to be found in salvation by Gentiles.

Back up to chapter 9 verse 30, “what shall we say then, that Gentiles.” You have to appreciate that with all the history of the centuries of God's promises to the nation and His dealing with the nation, that Gentiles who did not pursue righteousness attained righteousness, the righteousness by faith. But Israel, back in chapter 9 verses 3-5,” to whom belongs the adoption of sons, the glory of the covenants, the giving of the Law, the temple service, the promises, whose are the fathers from whom is the Christ.” That's what we're talking about in Romans 9:31, “but Israel pursuing a law of righteousness did not arrive at that law.” They did not arrive at the righteousness that God required, that they could not acquire because they could not keep the Law anyway. But the Gentiles are.

That's what he says in Romans 10:20, “I was found by those who did not seek Me,” the Gentiles. “I became manifest to those who did not ask for Me,” the Gentiles. God's intention, placing Israel under His judgment, graciously saving Gentiles, but He hasn't forgotten His plan with Israel. Even His salvation to the Gentiles serves a purpose for Israel, that reminds them, this is what was promised to you. And I'm giving it to someone else. Why do you keep rejecting it?

So he says in verse 21, “but as for Israel” he says, “all the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” What a gracious God. The problem is not with God, the problem is with Israel. They are a disobedient and obstinate people. All day long I stretched out My hands to a disobedient people. God says, come to Me, call on Me. Whoever will believe. Call on Me. Whoever will call on Me. They say, no, no, no. So now I've taken your no and I've given it to the Gentiles and now Israel looks and says, “that belongs to me.” It will take time, it has been 2000 years, and Israel still is not ready to stop their obstinate rejection of God. It will take the seven-year tribulation and there Israel suffering like they have never experienced. They will be brought to their knees, they come to the end of that seven-year period and say, we could have this salvation. Our eyes are opened, He is our Messiah, our Messiah that died on the cross, our Messiah that was raised from the dead. He is our Savior. We can have that grace for ourselves that God promised to us. And they'll turn and call upon Him. And that's when Christ will return from heaven and bring the salvation and deliverance to His people and the establishing of His kingdom.

So everything is on track with God’s plan. As we are often told, God is never early, God is never late. And He is the unchanging God, the same yesterday, today and forever. When we get to chapter 11 we'll be reminded that the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable. Don't worry about Israel, God is not done with them. He is chastening them, He is judging them, and this is a time of salvation for Gentiles. Jews can be saved, too, the offer is good for whomever. The offer of salvation is good for all. But God in His grace is giving special blessing and opportunity to Gentiles in this day. We don't want to reject that opportunity. Why are you not saved? Why have you not believed in Christ? Because you are a stubborn and obstinate person, a disobedient and obstinate person, as verse 3 said, you refuse to subject yourself to the righteousness of God. You are determined no matter what He does, no matter what He says, I will not do it His way. How foolish! How foolish! More than foolish! You would sacrifice the glory of heaven that He made possible for you by the death of His own Son on the cross because of your own stubbornness, pride, arrogance? I will not do it God's way. Why? When God has such great love, gives you the opportunity today to come and hear about Jesus Christ again? No one can make you believe, no one can change your heart. You can have family and friends that press upon you, and they should. Paul said, I beg you in Christ's name, in Christ's place, be reconciled to God by faith in Him. We would beg you if that would do it. Do it, believe in Him. But only you can submit yourself to Him. Only you can place your faith in Him. Only you can turn from being a disobedient and obstinate person and submit yourself to the love of God, His mercy, place your faith in His Son and receive the beauty of His salvation. It can be done today.

And that's the message that you and I are to carry to every place we go, to share with every person we meet.

Let's pray together. Thank you, Lord, that you are a great and gracious God, patient beyond measure. To this day you stretch out your hands to a disobedient and obstinate people, this day you offer the greatness of your love to whoever will call upon your name, to whoever will believe in your Son. How gracious you are to provide a salvation that is sufficient, that is able to save all who will believe. How gracious you are to give an open invitation to whoever will come, to all who will come. We are thankful that you are the Lord of all, of Jew and Gentile alike, that you bestow the abundant riches of your salvation on all who believe in Him. We give you the honor, the glory and the praise. In Christ's name, amen.