EXPOSITORY SERMON: ROMANS 10: 1 - 21

B. Here in chapter 10 the emphasis is on human responsibility and the subject is Israel's present rejection.

C. Paul continues the theme established in Romans 9:30-33, namely righteousness, as he explains three aspects of Israel's present rejection.


II. DISCUSSION

A. The Reasons for Their Rejection (1-13) Why wasn't Israel eagerly awaiting the coming of the Messiah? The Law and the prophets were well known and both pointed to Christ. When Christ came he was rejected, even though a small remnant was prepared, such as Simeon and Anna (Lu. 2:25-38). The majority were not ready. Why?

1. They felt no need for salvation (1) - They wanted to be politically free from Rome, but felt that spiritually they were saved. "Sure the Gentiles need salvation, but not us (the Jews)!"

2. They were zealous for God (2) -
a. Idolatry had not been a problem in Israel since the captivity. They were so zealous that they attempted to improve upon God's Law adding their traditions. Paul (as Saul) was very zealous in this regard (Acts 26:1-11; Gal. 1:13,14).
b. Their zeal did not however have a basis in knowledge. Sincerity and devotion are important but it's knowledge properly applied that will save a soul.

3. They were proud and self-righteous (3) -
a. Why was Israel ignorant? Because they refused to learn. Their's was not ignorance from lack of opportunity, but from willful, stubborn resistance to the truth.
b. They refused to submit to God. Their pride in their works and religious traditions kept them from admitting their sins. Saul was like that before he became Paul (Phil. 3:1-11).

4. They misunderstood their own Law (4-13) -
a. Instead of allowing the Law to bring them to Jesus (Gal. 3:24), they worshiped the Law and rejected the Savior. They did not recognize that the Law was the signpost, not the destination.
b. As far as Christians are concerned the Law ended at the death and resurrection of Christ (Rom. 6:14).
c. They did not obey the Law, inwardly. In the passage Paul quotes from Moses, Moses is placing emphasis on the inward man, the heart.
d. Salvation is readily available. We do not need to Heaven or hades to find it. The first step for the sinner is to trust Christ.
e. Salvation comes by faith (Isa. 28:16) - A man must recognize the uniqueness of Christ, believe in the resurrection and confess His name with both the lips and the heart.
f. Salvation is open to everyone (Joel 2:32).

B. The Remedy for Their Rejection (14-17) - The Jews must be willing to set aside their excuses and put their faith and trust in Jesus Christ. The remedy begins by hearing the message. But what if the Jews never heard the gospel?

1. The Jews might claim their was no messenger, but meets that objection by quoting Isa. 52:7.

2. But Israel rejected the messengers, now what is to become of them? Again from Isaiah (53:1), Paul shows this rejection was to be expected.

3. The third objection restates the first. Paul quotes Psa. 19:4 to show that God's word demonstrates that the opportunity was there for the taking.

4. The final objection: What if Israel did not understand? What if the meaning of the message was to hard to comprehend? Paul shows that the message was easy enough for the Gentiles to understand, why not God's own people? (Deut. 32;21; Isa. 65:1)

C. The Results of Their Rejection (18-21)

1. This last objection can be restated as a result of Israel's rejection: Israel is guilty . They had heard the word, but they would not heed it. Israel had seen God at work in nature and had His written word.

2. The message goes to the Gentiles, as predicted by Moses in Deut. 32:21.
a. To provoke the Jews to jealousy.
b. The Jews had always had "first dibs" on the gospel. Only after the death of Stephen was the gospel preached equally to the Gentiles. Imagine the shock of the Jewish believers when Peter took the gospel to Cornelius. Peter used this opportunity to show that salvation is for all people - through faith in Christ, not by becoming a Jewish proselyte.

3. God still yearns over His people (Isa. 65:2) - Even though physical Israel, as a nation has been set aside, each individual Jew can be saved. The gospel messenger is obligated to take the "good news" to all people (2 Pet. 3:9). This includes Jew or Gentile, American or Rumanian. Is there a future for the nation of Israel? Chapter 11 will describe that future for us.


III. CONCLUSION

A. Israel had that kind of ignorance that comes from neglect of knowledge. If ignorance of the Law is no excuse, then neglect of knowledge must be an outright sin. We are responsible for knowing what we might have known.

B. Some ignorance comes from willful blindness. Turning a blind eye to the gospel is a fatal mistake. Refusal to look at the facts does not negate the facts.

C. Some ignorance is in essence, a lie. Very rarely can we honestly say that "I never had any idea that things would turn out this way." We have God's word, the guidance of the Holy Spirit both in conjunction with our own conscience.

D. Spiritually we must come to grips with the human paradox that has been in effect since Day Six, namely: GOD IS IN CONTROL YET THE HUMAN WILL IS FREE!