This is the thirty-fourth in a series of verse-by-verse expositions of the book of Romans. This message was delivered at Hillcrest Baptist Church on the morning of January 5, 2014. This message deals with the great burden for reaching the lost, which all believers should bear. This post contains an audio recording of my message, along with my sermon notes and a study outline. Please note that the sermon notes are not a full transcript.
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SERMON OUTLINE:
SERMON NOTES:
Romans 9:1-5
v.1:
Christ is truth (the way, the TRUTH, and the life). Paul being in Christ behaves truthfully.
Paul’s conscience, being controlled by the Holy Spirit, will not allow him to lie (Thou shalt no bear false witness.)
v.2:
Paul’s heart is burdened and grieved for the lost souls.
He is so grieved that he would be willing to be cut off from Christ for their salvation.
Do you have that kind of burden and love for the lost?
Do you exhibit God’s love?
God grieves for the lost souls. Do you?
Are you willing to sacrifice your time, money, energy, comfort, and safety to see them come to faith in Jesus?
v.3:
Paul is so grieved that he’s willing to be accursed. Literally, he’s willing to endure hell.
1 Corinthians 16:22
Galatians 1:8-9
Paul certainly exhibited a Christ-like spirit.
One big reason why Paul is so concerned, is because these are his people.
v.4:
The Israelites were God’s chosen people from the beginning.
The people of Israel are called collectively the ‘son’ of God
Exodus 4:22–23
Hos. 11:1
They were to serve God by keeping His laws, covenants and promises.
God had caused His glory to dwell among them.
Exodus 40:34
1 Kings 8:10-11
To the Israelites, God gave the promise of deliverance. They are the fathers of the covenant.
God has made many covenants with Israel, and has always remained faithful.
It was to them that God gave the law, beginning with the 10 commandments.
Exodus chapter 20
Included in the totality of God’s law are the prescriptions for worship, and promises to His people.
God still speaks to us today. He tells us how to live, serve and worship.
He makes promises, to which He will be faithful.
The covenants still apply to the Israelites, regardless of their failures, just as God’s promises apply to us regardless of our failures.
v.5:
Abraham, Jacob, and his 12 sons are the patriarchs.
It was through them that Christ came in the flesh.
Here, Paul concludes this portion of his letter with a very important note:
Christ is over all, and Christ is God!
He has all authority.
This is particularly important to this audience, because Paul is speaking to Israel, his own people.
It was these same people to whom the Gospel was FIRST given.
It was these same people to whom Christ was FIRST sent.
Matthew 10:5-7
Acts 13:46
Acts 26:20
It was these same people who rejected Christ.
John 1:11
Things are not so different today.
Christ is proclaimed and rejected.
Christ is demonstrated, and greeted with disbelief.
All the while, our children are being taught to not believe.
We live in a nation ruled by skepticism and cynicism toward anything Biblical.
We can’t force belief, but we can proclaim the truth, no matter how unpopular.
Truth is not determined by majority rule, but by the Word of God.
The truth is not dependent upon laws or societal acceptance, but on the Word of God alone.
The truth is not relative, but absolute.
The truth can be rejected, but it cannot be nullified.
The truth is that Christ is God, and is over all, whether you accept Him or not!
And whether you accept Him or not, doesn’t make it any less true!
In Defense: The Blog 
Posted on January 9, 2014
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