Romans 9:1-5 "The Crown Jewels of the Covenant

Has God failed to keep his promises? And here's why that's important. Because if God has failed to be faithful to Israel, then all the good news of Romans chapter eight isn't that good news. You can't depend on God if he's not kept his word to someone else. You don't know that he'll keep his word to you and that's what we're gonna reckon with. Paul aims to answer that question, not by a series of cold academic arguments, but first, by an admission of his own sorrow over their absence. So let's look at the text together. Romans nine verse one. [00:05:06] (37 seconds)  #HasGodFailed

Those treasured jewels belong to those who know Jesus Christ by faith. But if you haven't put your faith in Jesus, you can marvel at those jewels as if they were displayed in a museum, but you can't say you possess them as a family inheritance. If you don't know Christ, listening to this list of the treasured possessions of his people is kinda like standing outside the door of a great feast. You can peer through the window and see it all set out and how beautiful and amazing it is. You even have the smell wafting over you. It sounds glorious, but you're standing on the outside of a door that's shut. But here's the good news. Romans teaches us again and again that the door is actually open for everyone who will call on Jesus Christ as savior. [00:39:25] (63 seconds)  #OpenDoorToChrist

I can tell you plainly that Paul is not weeping over a government or a political system. He is weeping over a people who don't know Christ. He's wrestling with the question of God's faithfulness to the children of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And we can debate the place of the modern nation state in the fulfillment of biblical prophecy because I know people have all kinds of differing opinions about that and that's perfectly okay. But in that debate, we can't miss Paul's clear focus in Romans nine on the heart of this people and their relationship or lack thereof to Jesus Christ. [00:21:04] (41 seconds)  #WeepingForSouls

Can I give you this one statement? Their actions and interests are not automatically righteous because they come from a nation named Israel. And supporting Israel doesn't mean blessing everything they do because they're called Israel. When you see Israel in the news today, you are seeing a modern nation state navigating modern political problems and issues. But when Paul refers to Israel in Romans chapter nine, he's referring to a distinct people group with a distinct covenant history with God. And while there might be some overlap between the two, it is not absolute. We can support the people and acknowledge their history without confusing a secular government with the Israelites that Paul weeps for. [00:23:01] (56 seconds)  #IsraelNotJustPolitics