Sermon Notes - Romans 9:1-13 - Heartbreak - Littleby Baptist Church - February 16, 2025

1.        We ended last week on a high note.

2.        Romans 8:38-39

a.        God’s love is absolute.

3.        This week starts out a bit rough.

a.        Paul’s heart is breaking.

b.       His people, the Jewish people are God’s chosen people.

c.        It tells us this in…

d.       Deuteronomy 7:6

e.        They were picked by God over all of the people of the world.

f.          But they rejected Christ when He walked the earth.

g.        They were rejecting Christ when Paul and the others were teaching about Him.

4.        As we get into the verses today the Jewish people’s lack of faith in Jesus has taken a major toll on Paul.

a.        It is weighing very heavily on him.  

5.        Romans 9:1

a.        This is Paul’s way of wanting the readers to know that he is being sincere.

b.       First, he is stating that he is speaking the truth in Christ.

c.        Then he states he is not lying.

d.       Then he adds in the Holy Spirit for good measure.

e.        He wants everyone to know that what he is about to say is true.

f.          He is laying it out there for them.

g.        He is being as real as he can be.

h.        He is bearing it all before the Roman church.

6.        Romans 9:2

a.        Paul is hurting.

b.       What he is about is share is shaking him to the core.

c.        It is weighing heavily on him.

d.       And it is hurting him deeply.

7.        Romans 9:3

a.        This is major.

b.       These are words form the same man who wrote “For me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.” Philippians 1:21

c.        Paul is so full of remorse over how his people have rejected Christ that he is willing to do something absolutely radical.

d.       He is willing to be cursed and cut off from Christ.

e.        How would a man who loves Jesus as much as Paul does, even say that?

f.          His desire for his Jewish brothers and sisters to be saved is so great that he is desperate.

g.        He would willingly sacrifice himself in order that they would be saved.

h.        Paul was willing to give anything for his people to believe.

i.          He may have been the Apostle to the Gentiles, but his people had a special place in his heart.

j.          We can see that throughout his ministry as he would regularly start witnessing and teaching in the Synagogue and then go from there.

8.        Romans 9:4

a.        His people are Israelites.

b.       Jesus is an Israelite.

c.        Israel is God’s chosen people.

d.       God told Moses to tell Pharoh that Israel was God’s firstborn son, in Exodus 4.

e.        The glory, the presence of God was on the mountain and filled the tent.

f.          The covenants, made with Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, King David, Solomon, and others.

g.        The Old Testament Law was given to the Jewish people.

h.        The Temple Service, the sacrificial system, the worship that was to bring the people closer to God.

i.          And the promises were likely to be those that went hand and hand with the covenants.

j.          The Israelites were meant to be saved, not lost as they were.

9.        Romans 9:5

a.        Paul continues.

b.       The Jewish people were in line from the very beginning.

c.        We see the lineage spelled out for us in Matthew.

d.       From Abraham all the way to Jesus.

e.        Jesus is a direct descendent of the Patriarchs that the Israelites hold to such a high esteem.

f.          They were in line of the promise of the Messiah from the very beginning.

g.        Paul also confirms in this verse that Jesus is God over all.

h.        Confirming His belief.

i.          Reenforcing the gap in what he believes and what many of the Jewish people believe.

10.   God’s chosen people had a special place.

a.        They were given so much.

b.       They should not be left behind.

c.        It was breaking Paul’s heart that they were not accepting Jesus.

d.       He was willing to give anything.

e.        Wishing that they would join him in belief that Jesus is the Messiah.

f.          Even to the point of being cursed and cutoff from Jesus if his people would be saved.

11.   Here is a challenging question for each of us…

a.        When we think of the people in our lives who do not know Jesus.

b.       Many have probably heard of him.

c.        Likely know at least some of the stories.

d.       Might be able to tell you a bit about Jesus’ history.

e.        Could probably talk about Christmas and Easter.

f.          What might we be willing to give for them to believe?

g.        We know we cannot make them believe.

h.        We cannot convince them to accept Christ.

i.          So that might be an unfair question.

j.          Just like we know that Paul could not truly trade his life with Christ for theirs.

k.        Let me ask it in a different way.

l.          What might we be willing to give up from them to hear the Good News of Jesus?

m.     What might we be willing to risk for the chance of them repenting of their sins?

n.        What might we be willing to sacrifice for them choosing to follow Christ?

o.        That is what we need to be praying about.

p.       Those answers are sometimes how God uses us.

q.       Stepping out in faith is not easy.

r.          But it is how our God grows our faith.

12.   Romans 9:6

a.        This is an odd statement.

b.       I know all my children are my descendants.

c.        So, Paul must be meaning something different here.

d.       If we are talking faith...  

e.        If the Israeli people are the chosen people of God.

f.          Shouldn’t they all follow Jesus?

g.        If they don’t is that a failure of God or His Word?

h.        Paul is saying no, that is not the case.

i.          He goes on to give us some examples.

13.   Romans 9:7-9

a.        Abraham’s first son was Ishmael born to Hagar.

b.       After Sarah passed, Abraham took another wife.

c.        Genesis 25:1-6

d.       Ishmael and the children of Keturah are all descendants of Abraham.

e.        But they are not his children in the line of promise.

f.          They are tied to the Patriarch but they are not part of the Israelite linage.

g.        Isaac is the only child that counts for the Jewish line, the line that leads to Jesus.

h.        Being a physical descendent of Abraham is not enough.

i.          Otherwise, these others would be included.

j.          One must believe, like Abraham believed.

k.        Romans 4:3

l.          Belief leads to being a part of the family of God.

m.     To being His child.  

14.   Romans 9:10-13

a.        Now we look at the next generation.

b.       Isaac’s children.

c.        You would think they would both be included.

d.       But with Paul’s quote from Malachi, we see that Esau was not.

e.        To clarify the love and hate wording here a bit.

f.          God did not hate Esau as we would think of the word hate.

g.        The meaning here is that Esau being the first-born son was being passed over by God in the line of promise.

h.        The promise given to Abraham.

i.          The promise that ultimately leads to Jesus was bypassing Esau.

j.          The line of promise instead was going to continue from Abraham to Isaac, and then to the second born son Jacob.

k.        If you read about when Esau and Jacob are reunited in Genesis, Esau had 400 men with him.

l.          He was not poor.

m.     He was still well off.

n.        He was blessed.

o.        His descendants did serve Jacob’s descendants as was foretold.

p.       God did not hate him, He just passed him over for his younger brother.

q.       Esau was not in the line of Promise, he is not in the line that leads to Israel.

15.   We might think people should know better like the Jewish people.

a.        We might hope they would follow God because they were blessed.

b.       We might think they should because they were brought up that way.

c.        It would be nice if it was that easy.

d.       That is culturally Christianity.

e.        Sadly, many have fallen away because they were cultural Christians.

f.          They believed because their family and friends did.

g.        They believed because it was simply what you did.

h.        But it was not true personal belief.

i.          It was surface belief.

j.          True belief is what leads to righteousness.

k.        Belief like what Abraham showed that led God to credit him with righteousness.

l.          True Belief in God changes everything.

m.     Without it we are lost.

n.        Without it those around us are lost.

o.        Knowing people around us do not believe, should break our hearts.

p.       It should drive us to be witnesses.

q.       To share the Gospel.

r.          To plant seeds of truth.

s.        To water them.

t.          In hopes that someone will repent and follow Jesus.

16.   I want to encourage you to pray for God to break your heart for those who do not know Him.

a.        It might be for one person.

b.       It might be for a family.

c.        It might be for a people group.

d.       It might be for someone you know.

e.        Maybe for someone in another community, or on the other side of the earth.

f.          Pray for them.

g.        And then pray for the Holy Spirit to show you how to minister to them.

h.        How to share with them.  

17.   If you are ready to step out in faith in serving others, pray about it and let’s talk.

18.   If you don’t know Jesus this morning.

a.        It is not too late.

b.       He can and will change your life.

c.        It starts with realizing you are a sinner.

d.       Realizing that Jesus is God.

e.        That He died to pay for your sins.

f.          Asking Him to forgive you for your sins.

g.        Then give your life to Him.

h.        If you are ready to do that, I would love to pray with you.