A Broken Heart for the LORD

📖Bible Passage

Romans 9:1-5

I tell the truth in Christ. I am not lying, my conscience testifying with me in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing pain in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brothers’ sake, my relatives according to the flesh who are Israelites; whose is the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service, and the promises; of whom are the fathers, and from whom is Christ as concerning the flesh, who is over all, God, blessed forever. Amen.

Points

• The Book of Romans is probably the best God-given key to understanding God and His works.
  • It includes themes of works, faith, justification and so much more.
• At the end of the 8th ch. Paul lays out the marvelous assurance of Christ’s righteousness.
  • No one can bring a viable charge (or accusation) against God’s elect.
  • For context of Romans 9, lets first look at Romans 8, starting from v. 31
• Ch. 8 concludes with a wonderful uplifting declaration of God’s limitless love, yet Ch. 9 abruptly changes from joy to sorrow.
  • Paul feels great sorrow and unceasing pain in his heart because his countrymen (fellow Jews) are cursed and separated from Christ.
    • In fact this sorrow is so strong that Paul wishes that he himself were accursed in their place. Romans 9:3
• What does accursed mean? ^5999c2
  • Deuteronomy 21:23 : cursed is the man who hangs on a tree:
    • In ancient times, rulers would execute criminals and leave their body to rot in public. This would serve as a warning to others, not to rebel against their ruler, lest they meet the same horrible fate.
    • In Deut 21:23, God specifically prohibits this shocking practice.
      • It also declares that whoever is hanged on a tree is accursed of God
      • Was Jesus accursed?
        • Jesus was hung on a tree.
        • However Jesus’s body did not remain hung on that tree all night.
    • This context of Deut. 21, further shows the gravity of Paul’s statement, that he wished he were accursed:
      • Paul is saying that he wishes he were killed, hung on a tree, and accursed of God, just as Jesus was.
• How did the Jews react to the Gospel message?
  • There are a few examples of the Jews enthusiastically receiving the Gospel. e.g. the Bereans
  • But throughout Acts and the Epistles, we see that these were the exception, not the rule. On average, the Jews violently rejected the Gospel, even stirring up deadly riots to kill Paul.
    • For example, in Lystra. See Acts 14.
  • This begs the question: Why reach out to the Jews at all, if it is so often unsuccessful and even dangerous? Why not just focus reaching out to the Gentiles?
    • It is because Paul prioritized compassion over pragmatism. His heart was broken for the Jews.
• Evangelism is for all of us:
  • It is not just a task for some of us.
  • Galatians 5:14 : the whole Law is “Love your neighbor as yourself”
  • Are you willing to go the extra mile for your neighbor?
    • Maybe you’ve tried, and it hasn’t worked, but have you tried again?
      • When Paul was stoned by the city of Lystra and left near death did he leave? No he returned straight to the city and offered them salvation through the Gospel.
  • An American saying: Good fences make good neighbors.
    • This cannot be the Christian way of treating our neighbors.

Application

• Try to make it a habit to specifically pray for the people that you see daily.
  • Evangelism without prayer is like breathing without oxygen.
    • Prayer is invoking God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves.
    • These facts ought to drive us to prayer.
• Case study: William Borden
  • Came from a prosperous family.
  • Gave up a life of luxury to evangelize to Chinese muslims.
  • Like Paul, Borden had a broken heart for the lost.
  • One of his mottos was to say no to self, and yes to Jesus, every time
  • He died after only 4 months on the mission field, of spinal meningitis at 25