2. 18. Israel & God’s Salvation Plan Romans 9:30 – 10:21 p. 1045

3. Getting it Right  An example from Scuba diving  More than one factor necessary for success.  Last week:  God has worked in history for his salvation plan.  The Issue: Faithfulness of God to promises to Israel  “Yes” – Abraham’s descendants share his faith, not his genes.  God has been faithful – Israel not  What went wrong?  What must we get right?

4. 1. The Mistake: Zeal without Knowledge  There are 2 things the Jews get wrong – 1. Pursue the Law as a way of righteousness (v 31)  Achieved by works (v 32)  Lose sight of the Law-giver and his purpose  Stumbled over the message of Christ 2. Full of Zeal, not based on knowledge (10:2)  They missed the point of it all  Had spiritual zeal but did not direct it correctly  They did not know, understand, accept the purposes of God  Trying to establish their own righteousness by works (v 3) –Not willing to submit to God’s righteousness (free, by faith)  Their zeal was on their own terms !

5. 1. The Mistake: Zeal without Knowledge... Our problem today:  Misdirected zeal – no knowledge.  Think the details don’t matter too much.  God’s grace is sufficient for weakness  Wilful ignorance and disinterest – symptoms of lack of faith?

6. 2. The Mark: Righteousness by Faith  Characteristics of “righteousness by faith”:  Christ is at the centre of it (v 4)  Not seek him in the heavens or the depths (v 6-7)  Knows that he is near (v 8)  Affirms and believes the message of faith (v 8b-10)  Realize no difference between Jew and Gentile  We are all descendants of Abraham by shared faith.  “Same Lord is Lord of all” (v 12)  If there is one God He is the God of Everyone

7. 3. The Message: Word about Christ  The Message: “the word about Christ” (v 17)  Process of getting the message out:  Someone must be sent – by God (v 15)  The sent one must proclaim Christ (v 17)  The message must be heard (v 14, 17)  It must be believed and received (v 14)  Hearers must call on the name of the Lord (v 12)  Believe and declare: “Jesus is Lord, raised from dead (v 9- 10)  This message has gone into all the earth (v 18; Ps 19:4)  Everything is happening as God has said.

8. 3. The Message: Word about Christ...  Israel is not jumping aboard.  Moses and Isaiah predicted this.  God would go to the gentiles to make Israel jealous  Israel is an “obstinate and disobedient people” (v 21)

9. Getting it Right  We can easily go wrong and drift off the path  Must hold tightly to God’s word  Last week:  Choosing Israel to form a channel for mercy  We are a channel of mercy to our generation.  Take the message of Christ to our world.  Our twofold response:  Get the message straight for ourselves.  Take the message to our world.