JOY "Unbelief" February 1

February 1, 2012

Unbelief

Romans 10:1-21

I       The Gospel Is Available       10:1-10

II      The Gospel Is Universal      10:11-15

III     The Gospel Is Plain             10: 16-20            

IV     The Gospel Is Faithful             10: 21

(Charles Swindoll has written a short allegory, and it goes like this: "A young man named Sinner, once received, from his father, a beautiful, bright-red convertible. His father had already named the car, Salvation-------it was sparkling, new, clean, modern and powerful. 

The special gift thrilled the son so much, because He could never have afforded it, on the money that he made. The young man was so delighted, that he even changed his name from Sinner to Saved. 

He washed and polished his car; took pictures of it; sent the pictures to friends; kept a constant check on it------front, back, under, top, bottom, inside out. He never, never tired, of telling other people, about the totally free gift, that his father had given him. 

One day, Saved was seen, pushing Salvation down the highway. A person named Helper, witnessed his hard work, so, he walked up, introduced himself, and asked Saved, if he could help him.

Saved told him, "no thanks, I'm just out, enjoying my new car, going to see my Father. I just had a little trouble, because my bumper, kept cutting my hands, especially on these hills. But then, a nice man helped me------he showed me how to mount little rubber cushions right here, underneath the bumper, and now, I can push this thing for hours, without a blister. I've tried to keep a steady, consistent pace, but its hard, because I can't see where I'm going, very well, when my head is down, so much of the time, struggling to keep the car going forward, especially on muddy roads------but I'm making it just fine."

Helper asked, "Have you pushed the car very far?"

"Well about 200 miles, at least", I think. It hasn't been easy, but my Father was so gracious to give me Salvation----- putting forth a little effort, to go home, and thank him, in person, is the least I can do." 

Helper opened the door, on the right side of the car and said, "get in."

After a little hesitation, Saved, decided it was worth a try, so he slid in, on the passenger side, and rested, for the 1st time, since he had been given the car. Helper walked around, opened the door, slid behind the wheel and started the car. 

Startled by a sound, he hadn't heard before, Saved wondered, out loud, where the noise was coming from?" Moments later, they were moving down the highway, quietly, at 65 miles an hour. Saved was shocked. It was strange----but wonderful and exciting and exhilarating, all, at the same time, to sit back, and let Helper, drive him down the road. 

Saved had always known that, in order to see his father, and to express his gratitude to him, in person, that he needed to get his car, Salvation, down the road. But for some reason, he thought that getting there, and getting through the big pearl, entrance gate, was his responsibility, all by himself. It was nice to know, that all the effort He had been exerting was unnecessary. The whole time, all he had needed to do, was to say thank you, to his father, accept his Salvation, and then, let Helper, use it, to drive him home.) 

I think its clear what the moral of this story is-------God has given us the free gift of salvation----we need to accept it in gratitude---because there is nothing we can ever do to earn it or to deserve it----and we need to rest in the fact that we're saved, and let the Holy Spirit lead us home-------He will guide us right though the pearly gates, and will take us straight, to the throne, of our Heavenly Father.  

There is something about the word "saved" that threatens and upsets people. For one thing, it's a "church" word------which, along with words like "lost" and "back-slid" and "alter-call" and "blood"and, even, a lot of churches including the name of their denomination in their church's name, have fallen, by the way side. 

In our world, of spiritually-politically-correct and seeker-sensitive ways, of trying to reach people, we don't want anybody to be offended by our "churchy" terminology, so we're encouraged to leave our "church" words, in a back room somewhere. (I have a Christian friend, who, just last week, prefaced a comment she made with, "You know how I don't like that phrase, "personal relationship", when I'm talking about Jesus---------and she was perfectly sincere in what she was saying------I was thinking, to myself, "you don't have a clue"… but the truth is, she is a fairly new Christian, and she's growing in the Lord, so she will figure out, eventually, that words don't really matter, and that all, that does matter, is that "personal relationship."

But, the word saved, is non-negotiable, because when we open up the Bible, we see it everywhere, in the scripture. And the reason why we have to talk about being saved, is because there are so many people in the world, who are lost. The Bible clearly teaches that the whole human race is "lost" in their sin, separated from God, and that the only hope for lost people is for them to be found, and saved, by God, Himself.

We can't do anything to save ourselves. Salvation is 100% grace and 0% human effort. Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9, "For is is by grace you have been saved, through faith-----and this not from yourselves------it is the gift of God-------not by works, so that no one can boast." God's grace reaches down and lifts us up out of our lostness. The Lord Jesus didn't die on the cross, to improve us, or to fix us, or to make us better, or to make us happy-------He died on the cross, so He could save us. There is no other word, that can describe, in any better way, what God has done for us, by allowing Jesus, to take our place on the cross, to save us from ourselves, to save us from satan and to save us from hell.

I.) The Gospel is Available: 9:30-10:1-10

Paul anticipated one last question, at the end of chapter 9, that leads us, into today's study----"If God is sovereign and chooses whomever He will, how can we tell if we're chosen or not?" Well, if we know God's character and we know that He doesn't want anyone to perish and we know that He has given us free-will----the answer is amazingly simple-----we can tell if we're chosen, and we can know, that we're saved, by what we do with Jesus. God has placed a stone, in the middle of human history and the name of that stone, is Jesus. When we encounter the stone, and I believe that all human beings, will encounter the stone, at some point in their lives, we have to make a decision about what we're going to do with it. We can stumble on it or we can stand on it. There's no other alternative. It is what it is----- and it was always decided, by Almighty Sovereign God, in eternity past, to be The Way. 

What will we do with Jesus?------if we stumble over Him, our choice is made, we are choosing the way of the lost, and if we stand on Him, we are choosing the way of the saved. And when we choose Jesus, then we are proving that God has chosen us. In John 6:37, Jesus said, "All that the Father gives me, will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will never drive away." When we place our trust in Him and receive Him into our lives, Romans 10:9 says, "that we will be saved." 

The Jews took God seriously. They believed that He existed, and that He alone, was God. They built their way of life around Him.They believed that He wanted them to behave in a certain way----and they tried their hardest, to keep the rules, that they thought that God was expecting them to. They were zealous, in their pursuit, of doing everything they thought was right. 

The Law, tells us to be good, but it also tells us, that we can never be good enough, no matter how hard we try.////// We will always fall short, and the Law makes it clear, that we have to find forgiveness, if we're going to be right with God. And the need for forgiveness, points us straight to Jesus. He provides us with the forgiveness----- that is the only way that we can stand before a Holy God. Jesus is where the Law will lead us, if we trust it and believe what it says. 

The problem with the Jews, was that they didn't trust God's plan, they didn't trust where the Law led them----- to the atoning sacrifice of Jesus. So, they attempted to establish their own righteousness, based on religion, rituals and works. In the process, they've missed the free gift of God, which is by faith, not works. 

 Paul was heartbroken, at how his own people were stumbling over Jesus, and in turn, were proving to be stumbling blocks, to other people. He had such a passionate desire for them to understand and embrace the Gospel. But, instead of criticizing or condemning them, Paul wept for them. As Cindy said last week----Paul personally knew these people---------some he had grown up, going to the synagogue with; some he had traveled and studied with, when he left Tarsus, to sit under Gamaliel and the other rabbis; some had been former friends and fellow pharisees; some he had pursued and persecuted Jesus' followers with. 

Gut-wrenching sadness, was what he felt, about their pursuing the wrong objectives, with misplaced zeal, determination and sincerity. Paul had walked in their shoes, and he knew how wrong they were. Instead of embracing their Messiah, they passionately and sincerely, pursued a righteousness, of their own making, determined, that it would be enough, to please God. 

Paul knew from experience, how futile it is, to have sincere zeal, without correct knowledge. A person can be as sincere as can be, and still be sincerely wrong. In the case of the Jews, they had failed to understand the character of God and the way to please Him. Instead of submitting themselves to His righteousness, and allowing Him to rule them from within, they tried to bend His righteousness to achieve their own ends----becoming what we would call self-righteous.

  

Unfortunately, the same thing happens in our churches today, primarily for 2 reasons: 

First, ignorance-----people don't really know the scripture, so they don't know how to let it's words form their basic beliefs. Instead, they set goals--- like providing food, clothing and shelter for the poor; protection from abuse; adoption of the world's children, cures for disease and striving for world peace---------convinced that God will be pleased, with their heartfelt, ernest effort. 

And second------ stubbornness----people can become so set, in their ways, that they unconsciously, make tradition, more important, than what the scripture, actually says. When people or churches, let preserving traditions, become more important, than following the leading of the scripture and the Holy Spirit-----its nothing but pride, which leads to legalism---- and they wind up serving themselves, instead of the Lord, leaving no room for love and compassion and mercy.

Jesus, is at the end of the Law, but we know, that doesn't mean, that He abolished the Law. The purpose of the Law is to make us aware of our shortcomings. If we didn't have a standard to live up to, we wouldn't be able to know, how lost, we are. The Law makes us aware, that sin is destroying us, and that awareness, is what drives us to the Lord Jesus. And once we've received the righteousness from God, through Jesus, then we've reached our destination, that the Law was created, to move us toward.

Paul used Moses' words, from Leviticus 18:5, to remind his readers, that anybody who keeps the 10 Commandments would be blessed by God-----and when we read those 10 simple rules it seems, like it would be easy to obey them----- but, then, when we try to put them into practice, all of a sudden, we can feel a rebellious spirit, rising up in our hearts, because our free-will, wants us to do it our way, not God's way. The Law can't help us live a righteous life, it just makes it very plain, how wicked, we really are. 

Then Paul used Moses' words from Deuteronomy 30:14 to explain why the way of the Law is so different from the way of faith---------He wanted his people to realize, that the truth, that salvation, can only come by grace, through faith, was not some new, radical idea, that he had dreamed up-------- but that it was a truth that Moses, their greatest leader, had taught, as well. This was so crucial, for his Jewish audience, to understand, but they totally missed it…..Even while Moses was leaving God's presence and bringing the 10 Commandments down the mountain, to them, the children of Israel, were busy, breaking every, single, one of them. 

God revealed His plan of salvation, to Moses, in His instructions, for the sacrificial system, that the Jews, participated in, for hundreds of years, until the Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. The sacrificial system, is proof-positive, that God had planned all along, for people to be saved through faith in Him. The death and resurrection of Jesus was not a change, in the way, that God was going to save human beings. All throughout the Old Testament, salvation was always by grace, through faith in a Savior, who was yet to come. His sacrifice, was symbolically pictured, in the sacrifice, of every, single, innocent animal, that they laid on the altar. The arrival of Jesus, into our human history, was the fulfillment, of how God had already been saving people for centuries. 

The Law has never saved anyone. Animal sacrifices never saved anyone. The only thing that can save, is belief in the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. In OT times, that faith was directed toward a future event-----people died saved, because they believed that Jesus would someday come to deliver them from sin; -------and in NT times, that faith was directed toward an event that was accomplished in their lifetime, there were many who saw and heard Jesus, or they knew someone who had seen seen and heard Him and knew that His death and resurrection had happened;------ and today, on this side of the cross, that faith is directed toward an event that has already happened, and we have the presence of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, authenticating, the truth of it all. The common denominator between all 3, is faith in Jesus. 

That's why Paul quotes Moses in saying, "The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart." Our mouths represent our intellectual understanding of God's plan of salvation, and we express that understanding, with words; -------and then,our hearts represent our spiritual understanding of God's plan----our will and our spirits, on a deep level, inside our souls, believe the the truth, and we are saved. (When my children were little, we had these tapes that we listened to in the car---GT and the Halo Express. We loved them---------the primis was, that an angel band, would periodically come and befriend this little group, of children. There was always a story line, and they would always use, pure scripture, to reveal whatever truth, was being taught. And the thing that was so great about these little tapes was that they set the scripture to music. Its has been 15 years, probably, since I listened to a GT tape-----but I can still remember them singing, "If you confess with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved, for it is with your mouth that you confess and are justified and it is with your heart, that you believe and are saved." Romans 10:9-10 ) I think that this is the most simple and straightforward, explanation, of how to be saved, of just about anywhere in scripture. (My children accepted Jesus into their hearts, believe it or not, at ages 4, 5 and 3, and I am fully convinced, it was due, in a large part, to those GT tapes.)

Salvation begins, with the confession, that Jesus is Lord. That doesn't mean that we have to stand up and make a public announcement, although, I think that is a wonderful thing to do, because, oftentimes it doesn't become real to us, until, we do say, it out loud. Confessing it, with our mouths, means, that we have recognized, that, our lives aren't our own, anymore, and that Jesus, has the right of Lordship, over them. Jesus is the Lord of our past---- forgiving our sins; He is the Lord of our present---- indwelling us and leading us and in control of every aspect of our lives; and He is the Lord of our future------and He is leading us, into a glory, that is  beyond our wildest imaginings. He is the Lord of life and the Lord of death and the Lord over every single thing. When we confess and believe: our sins are forgiven, we have a righteous standing before God, we have the Holy Spirit living in us and we have the same supernatural power, over evil and our free-will, that Jesus had over His. This is a remarkable privilege and blessing from God's own hand, and it wasn't because He had to give it to us, it's because He wanted to. 

II.) The Gospel is Universal: 10:11-15

Paul quotes the prophets Isaiah and Joel, to continue to make his case, that salvation by faith is nothing new, but that God revealed it, to every one of His prophets, and they in turn, revealed it, to the Jewish people-----which meant that they were without excuse. (Isaiah 28:16 "Anyone who trusts in Him, will never be put to shame." and Joel 2:32, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord, will be saved.")

The rest of Romans 10, deals with, one of the most frequently asked questions, about the Gospel--------especially non-Christians, like to know what Christians, have to say about this question, but it is also a question that is troubling, for many believers------the question is----"What happens to people, who have never heard about Jesus?" and then, they go on to say, "I think its unfair for God to punish someone who has never heard about Jesus." Well the truth is, I don't think He does punish anyone that way. Scripture teaches, that everybody, has an opportunity to hear about God. 

In this passage, Paul outlines 5 steps that enable people to be saved, but he presents them, to us, in reverse order:

#5----people must see their need, and call upon the name of the Lord Jesus.

#4----people must believe----their hearts must be involved.

#3----People must hear the truth of the Gospel before they can believe.

#2----People have to be preached to. Somebody has to take the Gospel to them, so that they will hear and believe.

#1----Preachers, teachers, evangelists and everyday Christians, have to be sent out into the world, equipped to share the Gospel, anywhere and everywhere they go.

So----in chronological order, the steps that will bring people to salvation are:

#1 we send out preachers, teachers, evangelists and everyday Christians 

#2 those preachers, teachers, evangelists and everyday Christians, spread the Gospel

#3 People hear the Gospel

#4 They belief the truth of the Gospel, on the basis of what they hear

#5 They call upon the Lord and are saved

Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer, a one-time professor, at Dallas Theological Seminary, always told his students, "Remember that you have not preached the Gospel, until you have given people something to believe-------something God has done, that their minds can grasp, something that they can use, as a basis for understanding, what it is, that God has offered them--- their salvation."

Dr. Chafer's message is clear--------we shouldn't present Christianity, as a feeling, an experience or a philosophical idea. The message of Christianity, is a fact, of History. There is no denying that it is the truth.  The Christian message is, that Jesus was born as a baby in Bethlehem, that He lived a sinless life, as the Son of God, that He was crucified on a cross outside Jerusalem, and that He rose from a tomb------that He had an actual, historic resurrection, and that He ascended to the Father. People saw Him, before and after, His death and they recorded it. The Christian faith, is grounded in events, that cannot be explained away. Those historical events, have the deepest of meanings, for every single person, who has ever lived life, a meaning that Jesus Himself, summed up, in His precious words, "For God so loved the world, that He gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but will have everlasting life." John 3:16.

The message of the Gospel has transformed millions of lives down through the centuries. It's a message that demands a messenger------a messenger that will carry the "good news" to our neighborhoods, our children's schools, our grocery stores, our churches, our friends, the park, the parties we go to, and our children's sporting events--------Every morning when we wake up-----we need to beg the Lord, to give us opportunities, to share the message with somebody, that needs to hear it, that day. Paul quotes Isaiah 52:7 which says, "How beautiful are the feet of those who bring Good News." Anybody who allows God to use them to share the Gospel, of salvation, healing and deliverance, are beautiful, to God. 

There are usually, many, many people, who participate, in the process, of bringing, one person, to a place of believing, in Jesus. I think Michele, told us in Leader's Mtg., last week, that she had read, that statistically, it takes 7 people, to bring one person, to a believing faith, in the Lord Jesus. 

The conversion process, is like turning on a light. We flick the switch on the wall, and the light goes on. It seems so simple----yet behind that simple act, of turning on a light, there is a very complicated process. You have the power plant, which generates power from coal or nuclear fuel or water, passing trough turbines, at a dam. The electricity is transmitted from the power plant, by a series of high-tension lines, substations, transformers and other equipment, that brings the current into our houses, all, so, that we can flick a switch, and turn on a light. 

It's the same way, when somebody comes to the Lord. We don't often get to see the complex behind-the-scenes-activity------we're fortunate, if we get to be there, when the switch of belief, is flipped, and the light comes on. ------There was the birth in Bethlehem, the amazing, perfect life and death of Jesus, the miracle of His resurrection, the giving of the Holy Spirit, on the day of Pentecost, the writing of the scripture, the centuries of church history, moments, in each individual life, where a friend spoke a word of wisdom, where just snippets of the Gospel message, were heard and had an impact, where a sermon or a radio or television or an internet message, nudged a heart, in the right direction. There are so many influences that work together, in the life, of every single believer, to produce that life-changing moment of illumination.------ And behind the whole process, is the sovereign will of God. He designed the process, He began the process, He oversees the process, and after we reach up and flip on the switch, He will finish the process.

III.) The Gospel is Plain: 10:16-20

Paul chastised the Jews, for their obvious unbelief. He found it to be such a puzzle, that they could be so suspicious and self-centered and willfully proud------ that they could resist the "good news", from their loving, long-suffering God.

There is something, that is deeply embedded, in our human natures, that has a hard time believing, in a genuinely, free gift. We're always suspicious------we think "there have to be strings attached, because nothing's free". God has offered mankind all the riches of His wonderful, matchless grace, free------but, for some reason, when people hear the most wonderful news, that the world's ever heard, many, either react, indifferently, skeptically or belligerently, and sadly, way too often, they just wind up, turning and walking away. 

Isaiah encountered the exact same resistance, hundreds of years before Jesus was born, when he tried to convince his fellow Jews, of the truth, of the Gospel. In Isaiah 53:1-6, he gave the nation of Israel, an amazing preview of the coming Messiah---but as a people, they rejected his message, just like they were rejecting Paul's, and just like they are still rejecting it today. Isaiah 53:1, says, "Lord, who has believed our message…" and Romans 10:16 says, "But not all of the Israelites accepted the good news…" and I told you about my friend last week, who told me that she believed "that Christianity is a cult…" Any way you look at it though, the Gospel demands a response-----every person will come to the place, where they will either have to accept it or reject it. 

Paul is very clear in Romans 10:17, that Faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard, through the word, of Christ." And Paul is very clear about the fact, that no one, is without excuse, because all of nature, bears witness, to the reality of God. He uses Psalm 19: 1-4 to prove his point, "The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands. Day after day, they pour forth speech; night after night they display knowledge. There is no speech or language where their voice is not heard. Their voice goes out into all the earth, their words to the ends of the world." 

Paul's meaning is obvious, because He is calling on the words, of Israel's great king, David, because he knew, that that would resonate, with his readers----and he told us the same thing back in the 1st chapter of Romans. Nature, can't give us all the details, of the truth, that's found, in the scripture------it can't tell us Jesus' name, but it does provide us with enough evidence, of God and His glory, that nobody can say, "I didn't know".

So, the answer, to people, who say, "What about those, who have never heard about God?" -----is--------"There aren't any people who have never heard. God has revealed Himself, in nature. Hebrews 11:6 says, and I'm paraphrasing, "that there must be faith, the acknowledgement that God exists and He rewards everyone, who sincerely and genuinely seeks Him." Everyone, everywhere, is responsible, to seek the God, who is revealed in nature. And if people are obedient, to that responsibility, God will reward them, with Himself and will give them more light, more insight and more understanding. 

That's why, when we send missionaries to Africa or to China, and present Jesus to them, they can so readily accept Him, because they have already seen God in nature-----our missionaries just give Him a name and a purpose. (I remember when Mary Kathryn went on mission to Africa------when she got home------I asked her, did she wish that she could bring the people she had met home with her, and she looked at me like I had 2 heads and said, "No Momma, they have so much because of the love and concern, that they have for each other, they don't need TV and magazines and movies---it will just make them jaded-----when you give them Jesus, they have all they need." Out of the mouths of babes----she was only 16 at the time.)

In the world and especially the country, we live in, God even goes, to a deeper level, to reveal Himself to us-----because He doesn't want anyone to perish. God, in His grace, has given us even more light, because progress, city growth and busyness, have blinded, too many of us, to His voice, in nature. So we are blessed, to have a United States, that is filled with Christian churches and Christian publications and Christian radio and Christian TV shows. Christians that appear on the secular news and entertainment shows, talking about their faith. Christians that can talk freely, about the Lord to their friends and to their neighbors. 

God has given us a lot of light, but that doesn't necessarily mean, that more light, means more belief, because people can reject bright light, just as well as they can, dim light. The message of the gospel, has been seen, by most Americans, at one time or another, but sadly, there is still an enormous level, of unbelief, or at the very least, indifference, in our country and around the world. (We were in NYC, over the weekend, with Ashley and Griff and I was amazed, on Sunday morning, at how many people there were, who did not go to church----- now to be fair, they could have gone on Saturday night or maybe they were going on Sunday night, but at the traditional time, for people to be in a house of worship--------it looked like any other day of the week to me-------business as usual, except they were more relaxed, they weren't hurrying quite as fast, to get from point A to point B. And, because I was doing this lesson, I couldn't help but think, "how many of you have any clue what the Lord has done for you"?) It's sad.

We are fortunate that we have TV, radio, internet, magazines and books-------all wonderful tools to use in delivering the Gospel--------The nation of Israel, only had the OT prophets. And, Paul says, that God sent them to Israel, to provoke them to jealousy. He wanted them to realize that their rejection of Jesus, opened the door, for the Gentiles to walk through it, to be saved, and to receive the blessings, that Israel didn't think they needed------- and He wanted Israel to be jealous, enough, to fight for their birthright, as God's chosen people, with all the blessings, that came with that. 

We all know, how the principle of jealousy, works. We've all experienced it, we're like little children, we tire of our toys and we toss them aside, until another child comes along, and picks it up and starts playing with it, and then we become jealous, and all we can think about, is snatching it back, so that we can prove, that its ours. Jealousy is a by-product of sin, pure and simple--------but God can and will use it, to wake people up, and to get them interested in the Gospel. Sometimes, one member of a family, will come to know the Lord, and will experience, an abundance of joy and blessing, in their lives, that will make other family members, envious to know, what they are missing. They might even react angrily to it-------but when they become sufficiently jealous-----they will say, "What are you so happy about." And that is the perfect opening, to tell them. (Lizzie told me just this weekend, about one of her dearest friends-----they have lived together for 3 years, now, and she has never expressed any interest in going to church with Lizzie---but Friday, night at a party, no less, she went up to Lizzie and Andrew (Lizzie's boyfriend) individually, and told them that she wanted to start going to church with them----- that she could see, that something was missing in her life--------Lizzie was ecstatic! So, Sunday night they all went to church------they have a plan to visit different churches, in the Winston-Salem area, cause the friend, is coming from a Catholic background, but she really has never been churched at all. I think her grandmother goes to church. But they started with the Catholic Church, on campus. I thought that was a very good place to begin, because it would be somewhat familiar to her----when I talked to Lizzie Sunday night, I was surprised, when she told me, that they are visiting a Baptist church, next week, at the friend's suggestion. So, I can't wait to see what the Lord does, in this young girl's life.)

Paul says that God is using this same principle of jealousy, on a grand scale. He is using world events to provoke feelings of jealousy, so that the people of Israel, will become ready to hear the Gospel. 

1st---he reminded them, that Moses said, in Deut. 32:21, "that God would use nations that were far less educated and cultured, than the Jews, to accomplish His purpose." And 2nd, that Isaiah said, in Isaiah 65:1, 'that God would use nations and people, who hadn't sought after Him or asked for Him, but who had found Him anyway and wanted to serve Him, and to reveal Him to the world."

One of the most striking things about Jewish culture, is the undeniable, intellectual brilliance, of it's people. From the beginning of history, they have dominated, the fields of science, philosophy, math, literature, art and music. 20 % of the Nobel Laureates have been Jewish. And even in today's world, they can look around and see other ethnic groups, with far fewer intellectual accomplishments---- receiving accolades, and honor, and finding God, and the Jews can see them experiencing the blessings, that they, have always believed, are theirs, by right, and they struggle with it. Paul's primis is, that God wants to provoke them, to a righteous jealousy, that will lead them to a saving faith, in the Lord Jesus Christ. 

IV The Gospel is Faithful  10:21

Paul, closes chapter 10 with the picture of God standing with His arms open, longing to draw all people, Jews and Gentiles to Himself. The most amazing truth, that we need to take away with us, from this lesson, is that God, never sends anyone to hell, without a chance. (really without chance after chance after chance) In order to be condemned, by God, a person has to resist and ignore the patient pleas of a loving Heavenly Father. The entire universe bears witness to the existence of Almighty God, and no one, will end up separated, from Him, because they haven't had a chance to hear. The whole world has seen and the whole world has heard. These words in v. 2, "all day long, I have held out my hands to a disobedient and obstinate people" paint a beautiful picture, of God's character. He displays amazing patience, gentleness and kindness. The phrase "all day long" that Paul uses, encompasses all the years-----from the time that Abraham, was called by God and set out from Ur, until today. And God is still standing, with loving arms outstretched to Israel, waiting for them to come to Him; and the blessing for us, is that those arms are strong enough and wide enough, to gather us in, too.