Expound: Romans 10-11:18 - Part B

So then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God is developed. Somebody speaks truth.

You and I hear the truth, and we make a decision of what will do with the truth. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. People can get hung on how salvation in Jesus Christ actually works today on connect with Skip Skip brings you some clarity on God's sovereign election. Your free will play into your salvation right now to tell you about a resource to grow stronger in your faith joy in the midst of hardship is a hallmark of the Christian life.

But is it really possible is when you hike sometimes what that is the happy trail turns into a really daunting road and we have to figure out how to navigate. A lot of times God's purpose in allowing trials is to give us opportunities to grow to the point where we can genuinely experience joy in the midst of trial, or how to face trials with courage, wisdom yes joy with one use booklet happy trials when you get $20 or more today to help keep this Bible teaching ministry of the air will send you a special bundle of three booklets by Linda happy trials don't test me and speak no evil. Get your bundle of three booklets for gift of $20 or more by calling 800-922-1888, or give online securely connectwithskip.com/offer that's connectwithskip.com/offer Romans chapter as we join Skip today's teacher you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made to salvation. Notice the key elements for salvation. You believe you believe in your heart and it's not speaking of the cardiac muscle, but it just in the core of your being. It has to be a real authentic belief not I just acknowledge God exists. I acknowledge Jesus is right, I acknowledge all that it's in the very heart or core of your being the authentic you the real you. It's more than just a knowledge it's a conviction you have the conviction that that that he is who he said he is that he is the Lord that that he is he is God in human flesh, and that he conquered death by resurrection the God raised him from the dead. This is the core of the gospel.

You believe in your heart you confess with your mouth you believe in your heart you will be saved. For with the heart one believes to righteousness et al. righteousness comes by faith and with the mouth confession is made to salvation.

For the Scripture says whoever believes on him will not be put to shame.

For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, but the same Lord is rich to all who call upon him, for whoever calls on the name of the Lord, quoting Joel chapter 2 whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Okay something is at play here. I just want you to see a relationship.

The apostle Paul has been noting in the last few chapters that salvation is by faith, but it is a sovereign act of God. God sovereignly chooses or elects he elected the nation of the Jews to be the receptacle of the law to be the receptacle of truth to be the receptacle of the Savior I he chose them for very very specific special purpose he chooses you and I as the elect of God to be saved there's predestination we have covered touched on some of those things, but there is also human responsibility at work because it says whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved is not automatic not saved automatically. I was raised in a Christian home. Therefore, I'm a Christian you're not saved irresistibly here to certify I have noticed you know no choice. Although no human cooperation just I was irresistibly drawn as a Calvinist told me I was know that there is a human responsibility. Yes, God enables that that's part of his sovereign plan, but you and I still must make a choice and so who is salvation offered to whoever that's a word that is used. Whoever whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever or whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard and how shall they hear without a preacher and how shall they preach unless they are sent at is as it is written, how beautiful are the feet, quoting Isaiah of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring glad tidings of good things. Faith comes by hearing hearing by the word of God before you hear somebody has to be willing to speak, and you hear the words that they speak. That's how faith is generated. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God and how shall they preach unless they are sent.

Now, the idea being sent here. This does not imply being formally sent by a church or omission border or some Christian organization or group necessarily because here's the truth you've Artie been sent. You've Artie got marching orders.

You just need to read them and obey them. Jesus said, go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. So once you read that you're responsible for that Jesus said to his disciples as the father sent me so I send you so you you and I are sent, even in the book of acts when they laid hands on Paul and Barnabas, and sent them out to since so being sent out by the Holy Spirit. So you and I are sent. We are called to go and proclaim and preach as the father sent me so I send you but verse 16. They have not all obeyed the gospel.

For Isaiah says Lord, who has believed our report now if you you know your Bible you know that that's how Isaiah 53 that servant suffering servant passage begin begins, who has believed our report to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed. So he's quoting Isaiah and the point that he's making his look. They have not all believed or obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah says Lord, who has believed our report.

Let me give you a context once again. What Paul is saying is that okay all of this is true, and yet Israel for the most part has not believed for the most part Israel as a majority rejected their Messiah. He came into his own his own received him not.

But the principle that he made a couple chapters back and is kind of continuing now is that just because the majority doesn't believe doesn't negate God's promise to the minority.

So the fact that God made a promise and and let's say only a few believe it. It's still true and just because most people don't believe it, or most of the nation of Israel rejected Jesus, and still does. By the by the way, to this day doesn't mean that Jesus is invalid.

It just shows the hardness of their heart and the fallenness of humanity. So it does not negate the promise of God. So he's gonna he's gonna develop so then faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.

That's our faith is developed. Somebody speaks truth. You and I hear the truth, and we make a decision of what will do with the truth. Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God. But I say have they not heard yes, indeed, their sound has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the end of the world he's quoting now. Psalm 19 where David talks about natural revelation, sun, moon, stars, biosphere, the creative genius of God. God speaks to people of his existence of his power, just to the natural environment. So some message of the existence or reality of God is evident in creation is the point. But I say verse 19 did Israel not know first Moses says I will provoke you to jealousy by those who are not a nation I will anger you by a foolish nation but Isaiah is very bold, and says I was found by those who did not seek me, I was made manifest to those who did not ask for me but to Israel. He says all day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and a contrary people. Gentiles are the ones he is referring to in verse 20. I was found by those who did not seek me the Jewish people Israel is referring to in verse 21 God said, I stretched out my hands all day long to this people. That is the unbelief of Israel shouldn't take anybody off guard.

Traditionally, historically, they have not believed God's promises. Stephen stood in front of the Jewish Council in acts chapter 7 and he said, you bunch of stiffnecked people. Which one of the prophets did not your father's persecuted and killed. You have a long history of the rejection of God's message of God's truth of God's prophets of God's messengers, so Paul is exploring that using using the prophets, but he was found by those who did not seek me so though, the nation of Israel, by and large, has rejected Jesus as the Maasai individuals. The remnant is referred to in roof will refer to it again in a moment.

Are are saved but look at that last verse of chapter 10, all day long I have stretched out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people. Have you ever tried to stretch out your hands for a long period of time. You may want to try it not. Not now.

Not here, but go home and just do this and see along you can do this.

After a while it won't take very long. You get very weary of this and you won't have the strength to do it. So God says you know I been doing this for a long time with my people. I been stretching out my hand I been making invitations I've sent profit after profit message after message I predicted. I sent my son into the vineyard. They killed him like the parable. I've done this but you can only do this so long so, that would bring up a question in the fact that he quotes this verse the natural thing to ask is will then doesn't that mean God has cast away his people disowned them, rejected them, and that that takes us to verse one of chapter 11 I say then, has God cast away his people. Certainly not for I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin God is not cast away his people whom he foreknew it's a good answer has God cast away his people. Moses asked me. He didn't cast me away.

I was a rabbi. I persecuted the church. I couldn't stand Christians and yet I got saved. Explain that one.

I was intellectually I felt superior to these people morally superior religiously superior. I didn't believe in this Jesus and yet I believe in Jesus now and I follow him wholeheartedly so if God is cast away his people explain me these exhibit a God is not cast away his people. Now it is a good question. Has God cast away the people of the nation of Israel. The Jewish people and it's it's a worthy question because some will answer that, not in the negative, but in the affirmative. Some in the church there is there is a whole spiritual set of interpretations called all millennialism that basically says God has cast away the people of Israel and even though the Bible predicts. I believe a literal millennial.

For Jesus to fulfill all the promises he made to the Jewish nation where he will rule and reign geocentric leave from Jerusalem ruled the world for a thousand years, all millennialism all millennialism says that will never happen because the Jews rejected Jesus Christ nationally all of the promises that God made to the Jews in the Old Testament are fulfilled in the church spiritually. There I can have a literal fulfillment. They have a spiritual fulfillment is not to be a real literal millennium of a thousand years of service spiritual fulfillment of that and they negate or or cancel out God's unique plan for the Jewish nation and all the promises that God made to the Jewish nation so it's if it's an important question has God cast away his people. The millennialist and by the way there there there everywhere there's a lot of them and their brothers in Christ sisters in Christ. As long as a person believes in Jesus are are saved by grace through faith, we believe the essential doctrines of the church, learned a lot, millennialism premillennialism, which I believe in post-millennial, all of those things that that shouldn't separate our fellowship from one another.

We can we can debate over it and I'm happy to do it up to a point where the person does want to listen that I'm done, but I will debate but I won't divide over that okay so so here's what I'm millennialist will save us a well the Miller millennium is in a real literal thousand year. What happened is that Jesus is right now ruling and reigning on the throne in heaven.

So the fulfillment of all those promises of Jesus ruling on the throne the throne of David etc. is happening now. Jesus is seated at the right hand of the father so he's ruling so they say the millennium is in a thousand there. It's just the indiscriminate. Between the first coming in the second coming, which means right now is the millennium you're in it. I just gotta say based on my understanding of my reading of what is predicted in that kingdom age. If this is the millennium. I am highly disappointed if this is it. Try again. It's not so awesome, so it boils down to how a person interprets Scripture and all millennial believer I interprets the Scripture in a spiritualized way doesn't mean that literally they say enhances spiritual meaning. Now I don't believe in spiritualizing the text I my hermeneutic or the way I interpret Scripture is called a grammatical/historical hermeneutic. I take the grammar and the history and I approached the text in all millennial believer will say will so do we. We we believe in a grammatical historical interpretation of the Bible except when it comes to prophecy then we take a spiritualizing hermeneutic and then Mike follow question immediately is on what basis what what is your basis for that just because it's convenient for you because it's in inconsistent hermeneutic and then if it's not literal you have to tell me what is it mean and why does the book of Revelation gets so heavy and numbers seven churches seven seals hundred and 44,000 sealed and therefore it's you know 12 gates, etc. I mean, why is it what will hunting in the that the measurements of the new Jerusalem etc. if you're going to just say it doesn't mean what it says it means, then, pray tell, what on earth does it mean to you really have a problem with that, but there are a lot of people who say God is cast away his room and that is the belief that is the hermeneutic the millennial position as the hermeneutic of the Catholic Church, the Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian Church, the Church of Christ, the Greek Orthodox church the Russian Orthodox Church and a few others. I don't believe it's a responsible way to approach the Scripture.

I think it does great damage to the tax. It more could be said, but time is running out. So as God cast away his people always let Paul answer it. No way, José. Again, that's the NSV. The new King James says God for bid or certainly not excuse me, for I am also the seed of Abraham of the tribe of Benjamin is God cast away his people whom he foreknew or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life. But what does the divine response say to him.

I have reserved for myself 7000 men with not bowed the knee to bail the point he is making is that look the whole nation is turned against Jesus yet. There's a small remnant who do believe like Elijah. Now Elijah was the one who stood on Mount Carmel and had a contest with the prophets of bail in first Kings chapter 18 you. You remember the story right.

He stands up out there alone and there's all these profits of bail and Asherah, and he chooses them on and a contest uses look, let's get an animal Kelly on my altar and you do your altar and a let's let's trust our God's I'll trust my God you trust all your pagan for God's and out whichever God answers by fire and consumes the sacrifice. That's the true and living God fair. Fair enough show on, let's go to live a contest. Prophets of bail start. First they pray from morning till evening. They divide their sacrifice on the altar.

The dance around the cut themselves. Elijah taunts them no louder maybes on a vacation he's traveling is on. He's relieving himself, you know, just use I like his style. You just gonna mock them as he you realize you know you and you of your religion. It's just wacky, it's wrong. So instead of saying what you know you have your belief and I have my believe is yeah your God's sake, and just you notice tonsillitis, like a style and then it's his turn and to rub it in you notices will take water and pour it on my sacrifice because you know the waters not to burn and so just to stack the odds against him is a do it again I will go to third and so they did it, and then he honors the simple little prayer and are probably like not if you don't show up. I'm dead meat that is simple little prayer Lord to show up, glorify yourself and boom lightning fell, struck it and consumed so he won the contest ~prophets of bail. Then he ran away from Jezebel, way down on the Sinai desert. He's underwrote a broom tree.

Exhausted and he says will just take my life. It is one of God. Look, I've been the only one Israel and the all late guy who stands up for you. I'm the only believer God says Elijah, actually I have 7000 people just like you who haven't bowed the knee now for Elijah that's like whoa that's a lot of people. But when you think of the nation of Israel, God's people, all of them there about a million that lived in the land that time only 7000 out of that million believed in God and the covenant, the others did not. So it was a very small remnant is the point. Even so, verse five. Here's the application. Even so, then at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace.

There's always a remnant.

Remember that word around small portion that concludes its message from the series expound room to tell you about enough to take God's word to a deeper level.

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I was at a point in my life where I long for more of God in his word.

Calvert College was the next step in that direction in education from Calvin College will impact your spiritual life for the rest of your play now@calvarychurchcollege.com the global outreach to connect with Skip I think is only possible with the support of listeners like you. Your generous partnership keeps the Bible teachings you live on the air for you and so many others so please consider partnering with this ministry today with your gift to take God's word to more people around the world can't just visit cannot count/donate connect with.com/donate or you can call 819 to 1819 to 18 to God's will