Sorry and Anguish for the Lost

And Romans is about the gospel.

It's about the good news of Jesus' life and death and resurrection.

! We are now in chapters 9 through 11.

Of course, we are starting with chapter 9, which logically follows from chapter 8.

So if you were here kind of late spring, early summer of this year, you'll remember we ended chapter 8.

And chapter 8 ends with this crescendo.

The very last verse says,

Nothing can separate us from the love of God and Christ Jesus our Lord.

And so we're on this high, Romans 8.

As I told you, some people consider one of the greatest, the maybe greatest chapter of the entire Bible.

But it raises this question.

What about the Jews?

If God is so reliable, if he keeps his promises, if nothing can separate us from the love of God,

what about his promises to Israel?

Aren't the Jews separated from the love of God?

Now, having said that, that's where we're headed in chapter 9.

Today, actually not going to talk about God's promises, really, or the Jews much at all.

But instead, we're going to take a close look at the Apostle Paul and his heart towards and for the Jews.

So we're not so much going to talk about the Jews this morning, although we'll have plenty of time to talk about them in chapters 9 through 11.

Really, we're talking about Paul and what his heart is as he thinks about those who have rejected Christianity.

And that's our question.

What is our heart?

What is our emotions towards those who have rejected Christ?

So with that, I invite you to turn with me to Romans chapter 9.

Romans 9 · chapter mention

You'll find it on page 7 of your worship guide as we go there.

Remember that this is God's word.

Jeremiah chapter 23 tells us that God's word is like a hammer that breaks a rock into pieces,

Jeremiah 23 · chapter mention

which is a way of saying that there is nothing so powerful that God's word is not more powerful still.

And so that's why we read now Romans chapter 9, starting at verse 1.

Romans 9 · chapter mention

I am speaking the truth in Christ.

I am not lying.

My conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen, according to the flesh.

I invite you to pray with me as we come to this portion of God's word.

Our Father in heaven, we do praise you and thank you this morning that you speak clearly to us in your word.

And we ask that you would do that very thing, that you would pour out your Holy Spirit here and now,

that you would help us to understand everything that's written in this passage,

that you would use it to open our eyes, to soften our hearts, that you'd grow our love for you,

and that you would give us great compassion and mercy towards those in this world who are lost,

who do not have you as the light of their life.

We ask all of these things in the mighty name of Jesus Christ.

Amen.

If you are anything like me on a regular basis, you have Mormons or Jehovah's Witnesses knocking on your door,

trying to convert you or to invite you to a Bible study,

or the Mormons will say, hey, we just want to share some scripture passages with you.

And if you're like most people, you probably think, please just, you know, leave me alone.

I find this a little bit annoying.

I actually have a different strategy, which I'll maybe share with you at a different time.

But I'm going to tell you about someone who has a little bit of a different perspective about people evangelizing them.

You may have heard of Penn and Teller, the comedy act based in Las Vegas,

and one of those men, Penn, Penn Gillette, actually is a little bit offended if you are a Christian and you don't try to convert him.

He finds the Bible hard to believe, became an atheist in his teens because of that,

but he tells the story about years ago, he ends this comedy show in Las Vegas,

and a man comes up to him and brings him a pocket edition of a Gideon Bible.

And instead of being offended, he actually says he's impressed with this man.

He says this,

I've always said that I don't respect people who don't proselytize.

By the way, proselytize, we don't really use that word today,

just a way of saying trying to convert someone to a religion.

Okay, that's what you do if you're proselytizing.

He says, I don't respect that at all.

If you believe that there's a heaven and hell,

and people could be going to hell or not getting to eternal life,

or whatever,

and you think that, well, it's not really worth telling them this because it's socially awkward,

how much do you have to hate somebody to not proselytize?

How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?

I mean, if I believe beyond a shadow of a doubt that a truck was coming at you,

and you didn't believe it, that truck was bearing down on you,

there's a certain point where I would tackle you.

And this is more important than that.

And then he says this about the man who came up to him at the end of the show.

He said he cared enough about me to proselytize and give me a Bible.

This is an atheist saying that.

And what he's doing is he's highlighting for us that there are at least two reasons that we wouldn't share our faith.

Reason one, we're not for real.

We don't actually believe what we say we believe.

At the end of the day, we don't actually believe that hell's a real place and people are going there.

We don't actually believe that heaven is a real place people are going there.

So maybe we don't really believe what we say we believe.

Reason two, our hearts are hard.

Remember what he said.

How much do you have to hate someone to believe that everlasting life is possible and not tell them that?

Now, we could find other reasons.

Those aren't necessarily the only two.

We could say maybe it's because of fear.

Maybe it's because not knowing what to say.

At the end of the day, Penn is raising an important question.

Same question Paul's raising for us.

What is our heart towards the lost?

By the way, the lost is a Christianese term.

It's kind of insider language.

So if you're not familiar with it, when we say the lost, what Christians mean are people who've rejected Christianity.

People who have rejected Christ.

What emotions do we have when we think about that?

Or the feelings that come to us?

Paul, in these three verses, is setting us an example of what our posture should be as Christians towards those who don't share our faith.

He's showing his emotions over his fellow Jews, those who've rejected Christ.

And what are those feelings that are rising up within him?

Well, he tells us, verse 2,

I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.

He doesn't just have sorrow and anguish.

He has great sorrow and unceasing anguish.

In other words, Paul is completely devastated.

And why is he devastated?

Well, because most of the Jews have rejected Christ.

If you're familiar with the Christmas readings that often happen in December,

you'll remember this from the Gospel of John.

John 1:11

Chapter 1, verse 11 tells us,

He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.

Of course, some Jews became followers of Christ,

but not many.

That's Paul's, that's his heartache here.

Now, it gets even more intense in verse 3.

So, he's heartbroken.

We know that from verse 2.

Verse 3 gets more intense.

For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ

for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen, according to the flesh.

Now, notice there, he doesn't say, I wish.

He says, I could wish.

I'll come back to that in a second.

But let's just see big picture.

What is Paul saying?

Paul's saying, I could wish that it were possible for me to go to hell

so that my fellow Jews could go to heaven.

That's what it means to be accursed, to be cut off from Christ.

He said, I want to trade places with them.

That's what he means when he says, for the sake of my brothers.

For the sake of is another way of saying in the place of.

I, Paul, could wish that I could go to hell if that would mean that my brothers, the Jews, could go to heaven.

Now, Paul actually can't wish this because if he did, it would mean that he loved human beings more than he loved Christ.

Okay?

So it's actually impossible for him to truly wish that.

That's why translations of verse 3 say, I could wish.

In other words, Paul's saying, this is what I would wish if I could.

I could wish it, then I would wish it.

That's how distraught I am over my fellow Jews who have rejected Christ.

I know trading places with them isn't an option.

I know I can't actually do that.

But I would if I could.

That's how heartbroken I am.

This is a parent's love here.

It's a mother's love to say, I wish I could suffer so my people don't.

And that brings us back to our question.

How do we feel about the lost?

Especially those that we know personally.

Paul here is not talking in the abstract.

No, he's talking about his family, his friends.

Are we apathetic?

Are we angry or resentful because of what they believe?

Are we scornful?

Do we make fun of them?

Do we mock them?

Or are we sad for them?

Do we grieve over their unbelief?

Do we long for them to come to know Christ?

If I'm honest, I think I'm probably all over the map.

Sometimes numb, sometimes frustrated, sometimes sad.

I don't think I can say I have Paul's level of love.

But Paul is pointing in one direction.

That when he thinks about those who don't know Christ,

he is overcome with grief.

And Paul's not meant to be an anomaly here.

He's actually meant to be an example for us.

That's part of why in verse 1 he says,

I speak the truth in Christ.

In other words, I'm speaking the truth as someone who's being transformed

into the image of Jesus.

In fact, we could put it another way, a negative way.

If we do not have sorrow over the lost,

if we don't have sorrow or sadness or grief

over those who have rejected Christ,

it reveals in us,

it's kind of a test, it's a spiritual test,

it reveals in us a certain hardness of heart.

Great preacher Martin Lloyd-Jones tells us

that this is actually a test.

It's a way we can gauge our spiritual health.

And he says this,

That's a burn, by the way.

That's a burn, by the way.

Martin Lloyd-Jones.

He's saying, look, if you don't love the lost,

if your heart's not broken over the fact that they've rejected Christ,

your faith is theoretical and intellectual.

That's not a good thing.

But if God's at work in your life,

if you have a real faith that is vital in living,

this is what it's going to look like.

This is going to be your heart towards those outside the church.

So that's the test.

What do we do with the results?

What do we do if we look inside and we say,

I can't say the same thing that Paul says here.

I'm not filled with concern for the lost.

I'm going to suggest a few ways that the gospel speaks into this for us.

One reason we might have hard hearts is our own pride and arrogance.

We look at non-Christians,

especially when there are cultural enemies,

we see them promoting things that are wicked,

and we think, wow, those people are so evil.

They deserve whatever they get.

In fact, maybe I hope they get it, right?

Because I'm so frustrated with what they love.

The problem is this.

Outside of Christ,

we would also promote what's evil.

It's only God's grace.

It's only God's mercy that holds us back.

I mentioned to you before when we were in Genesis,

what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 4,

what do you have that you did not receive?

If you received it,

why do you boast as if you did not receive it?

When we return to the gospel,

really understand it,

if we really grasp it and believe it,

we're going to gain humility.

We're going to say,

my situation is actually so bad

that Jesus Christ had to die for me.

And so I can't look at those outside the church,

no matter what they're promoting or believing,

and think,

oh, I'm better than them.

I hope they get what they deserve.

Because in fact,

the only reason we're different

is because of God's grace and mercy to us.

So you can pray.

You can pray that God would give you humility.

You can pray he would show you your sin,

that you would know deeper and deeper

the grace and mercy of God.

Remember Jesus' words in Mark chapter 2.

Mark 2 · chapter mention

The scribes see that Jesus is eating

with tax collectors and sinners,

and they say,

why would Jesus do that?

Why would Jesus eat with such awful people?

Jesus rebukes them with these words.

Those who are well have no need of a physician,

but those who are sick.

I came not to call the righteous,

but sinners.

If you're a Christian,

that's you.

You're someone who's sick.

You know that you need a physician.

If you're obsessed with how righteous you are,

Jesus is actually throwing you under the bus here.

So one reason,

one reason we don't have a heart for the lost

is our pride and our arrogance.

Another one is our frustration and our contempt.

Maybe we look at non-Christians,

they're not necessarily fighting for things

that are wicked.

You know, they're just living their lives,

but their sinful decisions have led them

to a place of misery.

And so we think,

you know what?

They've made their bed.

Let them lie in it.

Well,

the gospel has something to say about that as well.

We made our beds.

Jesus did not make us lie in them.

We're full of sin.

Jesus doesn't make us face

the full consequence for that.

Remember,

that's what we talked about with Isaac.

All his mistakes,

all his sin,

God's mercy is greater than all those things.

And so if we look at,

with contempt at the world around us,

we're lost,

we're stuck in this place of self-righteousness.

We forget that everything we have

is by God's grace.

In fact,

that's one of the constant threads

in the book of Romans,

that God's grace

is the only reason

you're alive and have breath.

God's grace

is the only reason

you've made any good choice

in your life.

God's grace

is the only thing

you have

to thank.

And so the moment

we congratulate ourselves,

we've lost the gospel.

The moment

we think we're better

than someone else,

we forget

God's the one

who gives gifts.

God's the one

who assigns

circumstances.

And so the more we see,

the more we understand

God's grace

in our lives,

the more we will remember

we deserve

only judgment,

the greater

our compassion,

our mercy

will be

towards those

who reject

God.

So one reason

that could block us

could be our pride

and arrogance.

Another reason

could be our frustration,

our contempt.

Maybe you don't identify

with any of those.

Maybe you're listening

to this and you say,

you know what,

I know I'm saved

by grace.

I know that

without God's mercy,

I would be in hell

right now.

But I'm just not there.

I just don't feel it

when I think about

those who rejected Christ.

I'm just numb.

Okay, I don't look

down on them.

I'm just not moved

for them.

I don't feel

what Paul feels.

Well, the gospel

speaks to that as well.

Remember,

I've told you before,

one way to think

about the gospel

is in these two statements.

First,

I know I must change.

Second,

and,

but,

I cannot

change myself.

We'd add to that

a third sentence.

But God promises

to change

those who follow him.

I know I must change,

but I can't change myself.

I'm in this catch-22.

But God says,

if I repent,

if I turn to him

for mercy and grace,

his Holy Spirit

is going to be at work

in my life

in a supernatural way,

transforming me

from the inside out,

changing a heart of stone

to a heart of flesh.

And so you can pray.

You can pray

that God would give you

what you do not have.

That's the whole Christian life

in a sense.

Coming to God

and saying,

hey,

I actually have a heart of stone

in this area

and I can't change it.

I need you to give me

a heart of flesh.

You can pray

that God would give you

a heart for the lost,

that what Paul feels,

you would feel as well.

that the Holy Spirit

would be at work

in that way.

Those of you

who are going through

the prayer cohort

right now with Dennis

or went through it

earlier this year,

you can make a little

prayer card about that.

You can make a prayer card

that God would be

showing you people

in your lives

who need the gospel

and that he would

not just show you,

but he'd give you

a heart for them,

give you compassion

for them.

Now,

we haven't talked

about verse 1 much.

I mentioned it briefly.

Paul says he tells us

these things in Christ.

And the simplest way

I can explain it is this.

Paul is saying,

I feel these things

because of God's work

in my life,

because I'm a Christian,

because I'm connected

to God by the Holy Spirit,

sanctified and chosen

because God's been at work

in my life,

in my heart,

in my mind.

This is why I feel this way.

Not because I'm

some weepy guy.

Not because I cry

at every movie.

No,

because this

is what righteousness

looks like.

Righteousness

looks like

a heart

for non-Christians.

This is one test

of God's work

in our lives

that we're growing

more and more

in our compassion

for the world around us

as we see them,

people walking

in the dark

who need light.

final answer

is this.

We've talked about

pride and arrogance.

We've talked about

frustration and contempt.

We've talked about

asking God

to be at work

in our lives

by his Holy Spirit.

Of course,

last of all,

we look at Jesus.

has thou heard him,

seen him,

known him,

is not thine

a captured heart.

And what does

Jesus do?

Most famously

in Luke chapter 19,

Luke 19 · chapter mention

Jesus looks out

over Jerusalem,

he thinks about

the Jews

who've rejected him,

and what does he do?

He weeps.

Back in chapter 13

of Luke,

Jesus says,

I would have gathered

you under my wings

as a hen,

but you were not willing.

Ultimately,

our heart for the lost

is because of Jesus'

heart for the lost.

When we look to him,

see him,

and also remember him

looking at us

and seeing us,

not choosing us,

we'll talk about this

more in Romans chapter 9,

Romans 9 · chapter mention

not choosing us

because we're great

or better

because we're not,

choosing us

because he chose us.

God's mercy

and grace to us

causes us

to overflow

with mercy

and grace.

Of course,

all this grace

available

because Jesus

did

what Paul

can only suggest.

Remember,

verse 3,

I could wish

that I myself

were accursed

and cut off

from Christ

for the sake

of my brothers.

What did Jesus do?

Jesus didn't wish

that he could be

accursed

or cut off

from God the Father.

No,

Jesus was accursed

and cut off

from God the Father

so that

for

the sake

of his brothers,

the sake

of you and me,

for Christians,

for those

who follow

after him

in faith.

Jesus did

become accursed.

He did

trade places

with us.

Jesus did

what Paul

only wishes.

And that's

the foundation

of all of this.

That is what

gives us

compassion

for the lost.

And so we can sing

as in our

closing hymn,

every soul

we long to reach,

every heart

we hope to teach,

everywhere

we show

his peace,

only

by his grace.

let's pray.

Our Father

in heaven,

we do

praise you

and thank you

for your great

mercy and love

and grace

in Jesus Christ.

We ask that you

would soften our

hearts,

that you'd remind

us of the truth

of the gospel,

that we were so

hopeless

that Jesus

had to die

for us,

that we didn't

seek you

out of our

wisdom or skill,

but instead

you sought us,

that you'd use

that to change

us from the

inside out,

that as we

look at the

world,

stumbling in

darkness,

we would be

filled with

great love

and compassion

and sorrow,

that it would

move us to

share with them

about you.

We ask all of

these things in

the mighty name

of Jesus Christ.

Amen.