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Sermon Outline Prepared by Joseph P. Metoyer, Jr., D.D., Pastor/Teacher January 13, 2002 Text: Romans 9:1-13 Title: “Exposing Christ”! Introduction: Fire engines shrieked through the subzero cold of two o’clock Good Friday morning as flames leaped through the roof of the historic People’s Church in downtown St. Paul. The firemen fought but by the time the sun rose, the spacious building was reduced to a pile of rubble. Thorvaldsen’s eight-foot marble stature, “The Appealing Christ”, an exact copy of the original in Copenhagen was the only thing left of value among the ashes. Several days after the fire Dr. Sydney Powell, pastor of First Baptist Church of St. Paul was driving to his office and there it was “The Appealing Christ” sitting in the middle of the street with hundreds of people seeing it for the first time. The Church had to (catch on fire) or burn down for the people on the outside to see the true treasure it had on the inside. Paul’s purpose is to explain how God could set aside His chosen people and save the Gentiles, and how He will restore the nation at some future date. I.
Israel’s Rejection of Christ (vv. 1-5) You have to admire Paul’s burden for
Israel. His words remind us of
Moses in (Exodus 32:31-32) “Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Oh
these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of
gold! Yet now, if you will forgive
their sin – but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have
written.”
A. Israel had a history of rejecting their Savior. And Paul wants the Church to know that he was in pain for them (Vv. 1-3). Do we have that same kind of burden today for lost souls? Our family, those close to us, some we work with! B.
In (v.4) Paul tells the Church that Christ was exposed to Israel in
several ways but they rejected Him. Paul
says (v.4) that his brethren are Israelites, to whom pertain [whose is
in the Greek] or to whom the following belongs: 1.
The adoption – (Isaiah 43:20-21) Because I give waters in the wilderness and
rivers in the desert, to give My people, My chosen. This people I have formed for Myself; They shall declare My
praise. God chose them because
of His love. 2.
The glory – The presence of God in the tabernacle. (Exodus 24:16-17) The glory of the Lord rested on Mount
Sinai, … and He called to Moses out of the midst of the cloud. 3.
The covenants – through Abraham, Moses, David, God gave unchanging
covenants to His people Israel. 4.
The giving of the Law – God never dealt with the Gentiles like He did with
Israel. Israel heard God’s voice
and received His laws. 5.
The service of God - the priestly service in the tabernacle was a
privilege from the Lord. 6.
The promises – Many OT promises are fulfilled and many remain to be
for Israel. 7.
The fathers - (v.5)
of whom Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Jacob’s12 sons form the foundation for the
nation. From whom according to
the flesh 8.
The Messiah – Christ came. Who
is God blessed forever! No
other nation had these wonderful blessings; yet Israel took them for granted and
rejected the righteousness of God. II.
Let’s take a closer look at Israel’s Rejection & God’s Purpose
(Vv. 6-13). And what does it have
to do with “Exposing Christ”? A. The Christian today also belongs to God’s elect and has similar blessings to enjoy: 1.
Adoption – (Ephesians 1:5)
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according
to the good pleasure of His will. 2.
Glory – (Vv. 6-7) To the praise of
the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins,
according to the riches of His grace. 3.
The new covenant – (Hebrews
9-10) Then indeed, even the first covenant had ordinances of divine service and
the earthly sanctuary… (9:8) The Holy Spirit indicating this, that the way
into the Holiest of All was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was
still standing… (Vv. 11-15)… 4.
The Law written on the heart – (Hebrews 10:16-17) This is the covenant I
will make with them after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws into their hearts, and in their minds I
will write them. Then He adds,
their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more. (10:3)
Says, that the OT law required a reminder of sins every year.
(10: 11-12)…(II Corinth 3:1-3)… 5.
Priestly service – (I Peter 2:4-5) Coming to Him as a living stone
rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living
stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6.
We have Abraham- as the father of the believing (Gal. 3:7-8) Therefore
know that only those are of faith are sons of Abraham.
And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by
faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, In you all the nations
shall be blessed. B. The basis of election (vv. 6-13)… In election, God exercises His sovereign will to accomplish
His perfect plan. Keep in mind that
the election discussed in Romans 9-11 is national and not individual.
To apply all the truths of these chapters to the salvation or security of
the individual believer is to miss the message completely.
In fact Paul carefully points out that he is discussing the Jews and
Gentiles as peoples, not individual sinners.
Not all the children of Abraham are true believers of God (elected). Isaac was the child of promise by faith.
Ishmael was a child of the flesh through works.
God bypassed Esau and elected Jacob and God did this to show that His
purpose in electing His nation would be to fulfilled.
Esau made the choice to rebel against God, but God’s purpose does
not depend on man’s decisions. Man
makes choices but God has a pre-determined purpose! All these blessings are ours today, all because of Christ! But just like Israel, some in our natural bloodline have rejected Christ. Jesus has not been exposed to all the people we know. Application: Have
you been on the mission of “Exposing Christ” to your family, colleagues and
friends? How much does Christ have
to do for you before you tell at least one soul about Him? You go to work every day, you work extra long hours, you
are tired and dragging and when a friend ask what you do, you rarely say;
“Jesus has blessed me with an assignment and opportunity to ‘Expose Him’
to people who are un-churched 14 hours every day.” How much time do you spend on the mall?
While on your last trip to rush into the mall how many people did you
“Expose Christ” to. Standing in your grocery line how many people have you
witnessed to or invited to come to Church. Where are the people?
They are within your sphere of influence? We are lazy, in a comfort zone, scared, or do not feel the
urgency to tell someone about Christ. How many of you feel you can do more?
How many of you will “Expose Christ” to someone new today, or
tomorrow? Or this week? |
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