Paul’s Burden & Ours | Verse By Verse Exposition of Romans 9:1-5

Scripture

• Romans 9:1–5

About this sermon

Introduction: New life in Jesus Christ means new burdens. Far from the Christian life meaning no cares, no stresses, no difficulties, it in fact means a new set of cares, added stresses, added difficulties. Without question, our life represents burdens lifted. There is the sweet knowledge of the forgiveness of our sins. There is the new fellowship that we know with God. There is a peace, a supernatural peace, that belongs only to those who are saved. The kind of difficulty we knew in our lostness is sweetly replaced by a kind of difficulty that you only know in salvation. One of those difficulties is a brand-new concern for the souls of the people you love. Romans 8 ends on the emotional high of security. Romans 9 reminds us that we aren’t just concerned for ourselves, we are concerned for others. You know a new concern for all lost people. But there is a special aching, an informed aching, for the people who belong to your own clan. A new burden for your immediate family, for your extended family, and for all the people you’ve had a personal relationship with throughout your life. THIS BURDEN IS ESPECIALLY HEAVY WHEN THE PEOPLE YOU LONG TO SEE SAVED REGARD YOU AS THEIR ENEMY. This is the case for many Christians. Your love, your loyalty toward a person, is regarded by that person who needs the gospel as if it is a betrayal. “Why won’t you just accept me as I am?” “Why do you always have to talk about Christ, or the Bible, or my soul?” “Why can’t you be happy for the choices I’ve made, and the life I’ve chosen to live?” “Why do you treat me like I’m a great sinner, instead of celebrating my choices?” “Why do you condemn me?” “Why have you turned your back on how we were raised?” “Why can’t you just be like you were before all of this church stuff?” In some cases, even, “Why do you question my relationship with God?” There are many more of those kinds of statements that exist, but you get the picture. The burden of knowing that the people you love are without Christ, is made even heavier because it feels like you can’t even get close enough to give them the answer. They run from you, they resent you, they oppose you. PAUL KNEW THAT KIND OF BURDEN. HE GIVES VOICE TO IT IN THESE FIVE VERSES. This morning we think about our burden for sinners. We think about Paul’s burden and our burden. THE SINCERITY OF PAUL’S BURDEN (vs.1-2) Now, there is something unique about the burden that Paul describes here. Paul’s burden was for fellow Jews. His burden was for his people, the people chosen by God out of all the nations of the earth. God, by His own free will, had chosen to establish a covenant relationship with a people descended from Abraham, through Isaac, and Jacob. God had chosen the nation Israel to be a people upon whom He would demonstrate His love and faithfulness, and through whom He would make Himself known to the world. He would make Himself known by how He took care of them, by how He disciplined them, and by the special revelation that He gave to them. Through this people would come the Savior, the Messiah, the King over all realms. He’s going to describe that in a moment, but first he feels the necessity to underscore the sincerity of his concern for them. THE NEED FOR PAUL’S STATEMENTS Why does Paul feel this necessity? Well, because it was denied. Paul’s faith in Christ was viewed by his fellow Jews (those who were lost) as a defection. He was viewed as a traitor. He was viewed as someone who was attacking all that he has once held to. And it wasn’t enough that he had done this himself, he was now out preaching this message for the conversion of Jews and Gentiles. From the vantagepoint of his enemies, he was promoting the “imposter.” Paul’s ministry, of course, always placed on emphasis on demonstrating the unity of his message with all that God had done in the past. He was always showing how the message Christ was not a nullification of God’s law, nor a contradiction to it, BUT THE FULFILLMENT OF IT. Far from being out of step with what God had done in previous times, his faith in Jesus was a completion and a continuation of what God had done in previous times. God gave the New Covenant. God brought the church into being. There are distinctions to be noted when comparing God’s work in the Old Testament times and the New. But there is no disagreement. Paul is the friend of Israel. Paul is a Jew himself. But he is now viewed with suspicion and with opposition. Israel’s friend is regarded as Israel’s enemy. And in that way he was simply sharing in the treatment that our Lord experienced. John 1:10–13 (ESV) 10 He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him. 12 But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, 13 who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

Topics

• Suffering & Trials
• Bible Study