Rewriting Your Story With Christ

Transcript

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[0:00] Good morning. Thank you. I thought I would be preaching on that nice passage that Pam just read, but I got the passage after it. And so in preparation for today, I watched a movie. I want to start with a murder mystery movie. Have any of you seen Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo?

[0:30] A few. A few. Okay, well, if you haven't, I highly recommend it. And it's okay, I'm not going to give away any spoilers, because this movie, it's like, you just have to watch it. And of course, it's Hitchcock, so it's a wonderful mystery, and mysteries always have a twist, right? And you watch them, and you're always wondering. You're always wondering who's the good guy, who's the bad guy. And in Vertigo, you actually spend a lot of the movie wondering, what is going on? Jimmy Stewart meets and falls in love with Kim Novak, a very mysterious woman. And you're moving along with the film, and then all of a sudden, there's a twist. A very startling fact is revealed.

[1:23] And you're left there going... Wait. I need to start this movie again. I need to watch this whole movie again, because what I thought was happening wasn't. And I need to reinterpret the whole thing all over again. I need to reread the whole story in light of this startling turn of events.

[1:49] That's all I'm going to tell you about Vertigo. You just have to watch it to find out what the twist is. But actually, this is what Paul says. And this is what Paul has been doing with his own story. Right? So Paul was an exemplary Jew. He was a Pharisee who had studied under Gamaliel. So Paul's story was the story of Israel. And it went something like this. The righteousness of God... This is the phrase that we've heard over and over in Romans. The righteousness of God... Will be displayed in his faithfulness to Israel and the fulfillment of his covenant with her. And Israel conceived of this covenant faithfulness of God in terms of ethnic Israel's national triumph over her oppressors.

[2:45] Ethnic Israel's national triumph over her oppressors. The purpose of God's covenant with Israel... Was a cosmic restorative justice. We're going to talk a little bit about justice today. But Israel believed that the purpose of God's covenant with her... Was that through Israel... God would deal with the problem of sin in the whole world. Which would begin with humanity and which would end with all of creation being restored to shalom. To peace and harmony. And it was a cosmic vision. And we heard a little bit of this in Romans 8. All creation is groaning waiting for the sons of God to be revealed. And it would somehow happen through Israel's national vindication. Shalom would come when Israel's oppressors were brought down. In this case Rome. And Israel was liberated.

[3:46] So if we think of a few shapes. Israel saw her story in the shape... Of a megaphone. It started with Abraham. One person. Whom God then expands into a great nation. So that... And it's so wondrous. So wonderful and glorious. That even the Gentiles would come in. So think in terms of a megaphone. And this whole story was what Israel meant when she referred to the covenant. And God's faithfulness to this story. To this covenant. It could be summed up in the phrase. The righteousness of God.

[4:27] Yahweh. The righteous and just one. Would be faithful to the covenant. And Israel's job was to uphold the law. And wait. For his deliverance. So hold that megaphone shape in your mind. The vision of Israel. Rising to... To a kind of national supremacy and prominence.

[4:52] This was the story that Paul the Pharisee lived out of. Until he was confronted with a very startling fact. He met the risen Lord Jesus. And all of a sudden he saw that actually. Jesus' death and resurrection was the fulfillment of Israel's purposes. Right? God's choice of Israel was leading. Not to her political fulfillment as a nation. But rather to the birth of Jesus the Messiah. And his life, death. And resurrection. And it's through Jesus that this cosmic restoration would come.

[5:40] So for Paul it was like... Paul's encounter with Jesus was such a life changing event. That Paul had to go back and watch. The movie. All over again. Paul is having to re-read and re-tell. All of Israel's story. From the perspective of this new and amazing truth.

[6:05] And that's what he's about to do. In this section of Romans. In chapters 9 to 11. He's about to re-tell Israel's story. In the light of Christ. And the shape of this new story. Or rather this old story re-told. The shape that we have is less of a megaphone. And more like a bow tie.

[6:29] So I want you to hold this second shape in your mind too. The shape of a bow tie. I'm going to explain what I mean by that. So now you have in your heads a megaphone and a bow tie. And these are two very theological shapes.

[6:43] So hold on to those. And let's read our passage today. Chapter 9 verse 1. I speak the truth in Christ. I am not lying. My conscience confirms it through the Holy Spirit. I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were cursed. And cut off from Christ. For the sake of my people. Those of my own race. The people of Israel.

[7:17] Theirs is the adoption to sonship. Theirs the divine glory. The covenants. The receiving of the law. The temple worship. And the promises. Theirs are the patriarchs. And from them is traced the human ancestry of the Messiah. Who is God over all forever praised. Amen.

[7:41] It is not as though God's word had failed. For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Nor be they called by God. Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham's children. On the contrary it is through Isaac that your offspring will be reckoned.

[8:01] In other words it is not the children by physical descent who are God's children. But it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham's offspring. For this is how the promise was stated. At the appointed time I will return. And Sarah will have a son. Not only that. But Rebecca's children were conceived at the same time by our father Isaac.

[8:29] Yet before the twins were born or had done anything good or bad. In order that God's purpose in election might stand. Not by works but by him who calls. She was told the older will serve the younger. Just as it is written. Jacob I loved. But Esau I hated.

[8:53] What then shall we say? Is God unjust? Not at all. For he says to Moses. I will have mercy on whom I have mercy. And I will have compassion on whom I have compassion. It does not therefore depend on human desire or effort. But on God's mercy. For scripture says to Pharaoh. I raised you up for this very purpose. That I might display my power in you. And that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Therefore God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy. And he hardens whom he wants to harden. The word of the Lord. Thanks be to God.

[9:39] Let me pray for us. Father God we thank you for your word. We thank you for your son Jesus. Holy Spirit may the words of my mouth. And the meditation of my heart. Be pleasing to you. Oh Lord my God. In Jesus name. Amen.

[10:01] Alright. So this is Paul's retelling. Of Israel's story. In the light of Jesus. But first a little bit of context. If we go back to the context. Of the church in Rome. Up to this point in the letter. Paul has been addressing Jewish arrogance. I think. The church in Rome is wrestling with what it means. To be a multi-ethnic church. With being a Jewish and a Gentile church. And both sides have to learn what it means to be. In the one family of God. And so to the Jewish Christians in chapters one through eight. Paul's been kind of talking to the Jewish Christians. Knowing that the Gentile Christians are listening. And when we think about it. He's already started retelling Israel's story. In this context. Right? So in chapters one to four. He's been saying. Jews and Gentiles are equal. Before God. In our sinfulness. And our salvation. Has always been through God's grace. And so he's retold Abraham's story. Highlighting that it's a story of grace. And then in five to seven. Paul's been wrestling with the law. And it's surprising function.

[11:20] Not of releasing us from the power of sin. But actually of making us. Aware. Of the enslavement. The enslaving power of sin. And then last week in chapter eight. Paul talks about the wonder of the Holy Spirit. Who lives within us. Who are in Christ. And who does for us what the Holy Spirit. Is. And what the law could not do. And that is to give us the power. To live in accordance with the spirit. And not in accordance with the flesh.

[11:53] So he's been saying Jewish Christians. You are not any better or superior. To your Gentile. Brothers and sisters. On account of your Jewishness. Right? Actually the spiritual playing field. Is much more equal than you thought. But now in chapters nine to 11. Paul flips his focus. To look at the Gentile believers. To address their prejudices. Right? Paul is very well aware that in Rome. There was a strong. Vibe. Kind of a culture of anti-Semitism. And the Gentile Christians were not immune to this. They were people of their culture. And we think that around this time. There was probably a return of the Gentile Christians. And a sudden return of Jews to Rome. We think they were probably scattered. Under emperor Claudius. And so. When Claudius died. If you can just picture a sudden influx of Jewish migrants. Back into Rome after a long absence. And how that might have. Fanned the flame. Of prejudice. Including amongst the Gentile Christians. Seeing all these Jewish Christians coming into their church.

[13:05] And so with this long-term vision of the beloved community. In his sights. Paul now turns to the Gentiles. And he shares. His Jewish heart. If the secret of God's righteousness is revealed in Jesus Christ. What does this mean for ethnic Israel?

[13:28] And so if you think back to that megaphone shape. Of Israel. That shape of Israel's ultimate ascendancy as a nation. The covenant had taught them. This was the way. That God would be brought about by God's faithfulness. To the covenant. And so what is at stake for Israel and for Paul. Is the very character. Of God.

[13:51] And we see this in the questions Paul asks in our passage this morning. Okay. Last week we had. Paul's rhetorical questions in Romans 8. And in Romans 9. We have more questions. And so Paul asked two vital questions in our text today. The first. Has the word of God failed. And the second. Is God just. And when we ask these questions we see. These are not just concerns for Israel right. They're concerns for us. Can we trust the word of God. Can we trust that the character of God. Is just.

[14:28] So let's dig into the text. The first thing we see. The way Paul kind of opens his story. Is with. Deep. And anguished. Grief. Paul. Is weeping. For the nation. Of Israel. And I. Remember here he's trying to address at some level the possibility of racism. In the church prejudice. From the gentile believers against the Jews. And I think. When we've received something as wonderful as salvation in Christ. And all the goodness. And the love. And the grace. That we heard about. Last week. This assurance that nothing can separate us from God's love.

[15:14] It's very easy I think to slip from a place of. Wow. I'm saved by God's. Amazing grace. It's very easy to slip from that place to. All that that person's heart. Heart is just. Hard. Not like mine. Right. It's very easy to slip from. I'm saved by grace to. Well. I must have done something right. Right.

[15:42] It's also very easy to despair. Of those. Who have said no to Jesus. And to judge them. And I think Paul was concerned that this was what might have been happening. Amongst the gentile believers. Towards the Jews. Particularly towards unbelieving Jews. And so Paul begins by stepping.

[16:02] Into and fully owning. His. Jewishness. And. He reminds his gentile audience. I am still. Jewish. And these people. Are my people. They're my brothers and sisters. They're my family. And it's. A terrible thing. It is something to deeply grieve. That they who have rejected Christ. Will fall outside. Of his salvation.

[16:34] Even more so. Given that it is through these people. From whom our salvation. Has come. And Paul lists all the things. That makes them special. Theirs is the adoption to sonship. The divine glory. The covenants. The law. The worship. And the promises. And from them we trace the human ancestry. Of. The Messiah.

[17:00] And Paul's heart. Is so desperate. For his people. That he echoes Moses. In verse three. He says. I will not. And wish myself were accursed. And cut off from Christ. For the sake of my own. People. If my being cut off from Christ. Would make a difference for them. I would consider it. Such. Was Paul's love for his people.

[17:24] Just quickly I think. I got three takeaways. From this first section. The first is. Paul doesn't let us be. Universalists. Let's just address the elephant. In the room here. Paul at this point. Doesn't tell us why he's grieving. Over his kin. But the implications of Romans 1 to 8. Make it clear. Not even God's elect. The nation of Israel. Is exempted. From making a response. To Jesus Christ.

[17:58] And their yes of faith to Jesus. Is essential. For their salvation. For their inclusion. In the beloved people. Of God. This is. The pointy end. Of the gospel. And it raises a ton of questions for us. That we're not going to get into today. But Paul doesn't avoid it. Right? He grabs onto it. And he wrestles with this reality.

[18:30] The second thing. I think we can take away is. I think Paul hears. Something from Jesus. That shows us. Is free. From all of this. He says. hasn't stopped loving his people Israel whether they have put their trust in Christ or not.

[19:11] I'm guessing a lot of us can kind of identify with this right? We all have family members and friends whom we love and who for whatever reason have have not at this point confessed Jesus as Lord. And I have many family members who have since passed away who I don't know what their response to Jesus was.

[19:40] And I ask what will happen to them? What has happened to them? And it's a grief that is very real and it does not come from arrogance. It comes from love. Love for my family and my friends. And I think we all have a lot of grief. And I think we see in what Paul is saying here grief and lament can be godly things.

[20:05] It's not a failure on our part to lament those who have not yet said yes to Jesus. And I think the third thing we can take away from this passage and it's probably more of an aside kind of interpretation but I think it's worth mentioning.

[20:27] Saying yes to Jesus doesn't erase our ethnic and cultural identities. Whilst Jesus opens up the way for the spirit to make us one, Paul is speaking here as a Jew to Gentile Christians who are still Gentiles. Even as he is a Jew who has said yes to Jesus, he is still a Jew. And in starting this part of his letter, he's reminding the Gentile readers, lest you join with Rome in your prejudice against the Jews, remember, I am a Jew. And God is not done with Israel yet.

[21:07] And so after this opening lament, Paul starts to retell Israel's story. And the first question, I'm posing it as a question, is has the word of God failed? Actually, Paul poses this issue as a simple assertion of fact. He says it's not as though the word of God has failed. But this is a really big issue. The implication of Romans 1 to 8 is that anyone who rejects Jesus Christ, even if they are Jewish, are not assured of their salvation.

[21:45] And so if someone can be Jewish and not saved, and remember their assumption of the megaphone picture, right? If a Jewish person could be not saved, does this mean God's covenant has failed? Has the word of God failed?

[22:04] And Paul says, absolutely no. If we reread Israel's story through Jesus Christ, we get a different shape. Not all who are descended from Israel are Israel. Not all Abraham's descendants are Israel. Not all Abraham's descendants are his children. So when we look at Israel's story, we see not so much expansion as much as we see God choosing people from amongst Abraham's many physical descendants to narrow the nation down to a remnant, right down to one person, Israel's suffering servant, Jesus Christ. Right down to one person, Israel's suffering servant, Jesus Christ. Right down to one person, Israel's suffering servant, Jesus Christ. When we look at Israel's story this way, we get a bow tie. When we look at Israel's story this way, we get a bow tie. With Jesus as the center, and the expansion that follows comes not from a political nation rising up in power, but through people putting their faith in Jesus Christ.

[23:13] Okay, let me say a little bit about election. I have to confess, I have always kind of avoided this part of Romans. Because it is hard. It's very hard. This whole issue of God and his sovereignty, choosing some and not choosing others, is quite frankly kind of terrifying. And I suspect that different ones of us here have had different encounters with ideas of predestination and election.

[23:43] And one thing that I found really helpful in my prep for today is from New Testament scholar Ben Witherington. He's actually a Christian. He's actually an Arminian theologian. And so that means he's theologically opposed to Calvinists and to the idea of predestination. So let me just get that out on the table to you right now. But what I found really helpful about what he's saying is that election is not the same thing as salvation.

[24:15] He explains that in scripture, election is about God choosing his own people. And that's the same thing that God has chosen people to play a role in his salvation purposes for the world. It's usually communal. So God's election of Israel is of course a key example. Israel has been chosen to play a key role in bringing to pass God's salvation plan for the world. But in the same way, so is God's raising up of Babylon, right? To judge Israel for her failure to uphold the covenant.

[25:00] And later on in our passage today, Paul uses the example of Pharaoh. God lets Pharaoh, brings Pharaoh into power so that God's glory can be shown. God chooses people to play a role in his salvation purposes for the world. But this choice doesn't necessarily mean that person's or nation's salvation is guaranteed or a sure thing. It's not to say it's not relevant, it's to say it's a different question.

[25:34] Salvation, however, particularly when we get to the New Testament, is always in Christ. Our salvation is determined by our response to Christ. And those whom God chooses to play a role in his salvation purposes for the world, always have that freedom to choose their response to God. And in the New Testament, the freedom to choose their response to God revealed in Jesus Christ.

[26:04] And God is faithful to those who put their faith in Christ. That was the message of Romans 8. And I think when we read our passage today through this lens, it's super helpful. What Paul says in Romans 8 is a very important message. What Paul is demonstrating is God's election of the patriarchs who will play a role in God's salvation purposes. And what we see is that God chose them in his sovereignty for the sake of his glory, so that no one could claim merit in the salvation of the world.

[26:42] And so from Abraham, we go to God's choice of Isaac, not of Ishmael. And to understand this, we have to understand that God chose Abraham, not Ishmael. And to underscore that it's all about God's choice and not about anyone's moral superiority, Paul says at the next generation of Isaac and Rebekah's children, before they were even born, God chose Jacob over Esau. And so God overturns the tradition of the younger serving the elder, but it had nothing to do with anything Jacob or Esau had done to deserve this.

[27:19] And looking at this, we see that God chose Jacob over Esau. And looking at Jacob's life of scheming and deceiving, we know that God didn't choose Jacob on account of his moral superiority. Jacob was a very interesting character.

[27:32] But God was faithful to his choice of Jacob. And by the way, the reference in the passage to Jacob I loved and Esau I hated, that is a quote from a passage in Malachi. And here Malachi is actually talking about the nations, the nations of Israel and of Edom. And it was a prophecy that the nation of Edom, which at that time had been devastated, would not be rebuilt. But in the context of this prophecy, its purpose is not to say to Israel, oh, you're superior because of anything you've done.

[28:13] But actually it was a call to humility rather than pride, and it was a call to humility rather than pride, Israel, you're being restored because of God's choice of you. God's gracious choice of you. Another way of looking at this teaching about God's choice, it's kind of Romans chapter 4 from another angle, right? Where it said, Abraham's righteousness was by his faith, not by his work. God chose Abraham and made him a promise. Abraham did nothing to deserve God's righteousness. He did not have God's choice, but he believed God, and this was credited to him as righteousness.

[28:54] And so Israel's story read this way, is the story of God choosing Israel to be the people through whom we receive Jesus Christ the Messiah, the one through whom God's righteousness is revealed. Israel's story is one of the election of the patriarchs, and then of the remnant down to the center, that is Jesus. And it is through Jesus that the nations will come in. It is in Jesus that Abraham's children will be identified, the Israel that's comprised not of ethnic Israel, but of people, including people from ethnic Israel, who place their faith in him.

[29:43] Okay, the third section. Is God a God? Is God unjust? And Paul has to ask this question, because all this stuff about election doesn't make the news about ethnic Israel any easier to swallow. This is still a tough thing to wrestle with. And so again, Paul asks the tough question, is God unjust?

[30:11] And this question goes right to the heart of the covenant, and to all that Paul is saying in Romans, about the righteousness of God. Because this word, unjust, derived from just and justice, is the same word that's translated righteous. The righteousness of God could also be translated the justice of God.

[30:36] For Israel, God's justice is very closely tied to the covenant, and it gives rise to two pictures, two images. The covenant of Israel, the first is a familiar place to me, a law court, but not quite like a Roman law or common law system. The Jewish idea of the law court was more along the lines of a civil dispute, rather than a criminal case. So two parties come along to the judge with a disagreement, and the judge carries out his or her duty to do justice between them. And the judge's decision is to declare one or other party righteous, justified, vindicated.

[31:26] The judge's task, and how the judge carries out their duty, is vital for justice to be done. So who is the judge, and what is the judge's character? The second picture of justice that we have in the covenant is one of the two. It's one of broken things being repaired. So in scripture, sin and evil are seen in terms of injustice.

[31:55] Injustice is a fractured and torn social fabric. Injustice is broken people. Injustice is loss of shalom. And the righteousness of God in the covenant was the idea that God would deal with sin and repair all the brokenness in the world, including the brokenness in our sinful selves.

[32:26] So when Paul is retelling Israel's story with this bow-tie shape of election, he's very aware that it raises the question, is God unjust? Is God's choosing of the nations unfair? Is God's choosing of the nations unfair? And the deeper question here is, is God the judge, the one who is to declare us righteous, is he not righteous?

[32:54] Is the God who promised that he will repair our brokenness, is he within himself broken? This is a really core question for all of us, right? And to answer, Paul goes to Israel's story of the exodus. And he quotes Exodus 33, I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.

[33:24] God says this to Moses right after Israel has turned her back on her commitment to God and made and worshipped the golden calf. So back in Exodus. And it's significant that what God delivers to Israel is not a strict justice, but a true justice. That would have meant immediate judgment on them all.

[33:48] But rather, God delivers mercy and compassion to those whom he chooses for the sake of his covenant with Israel. Then Paul goes even deeper into the Exodus story to Pharaoh who enslaved Israel. And the implication again is, do we really want strict justice? Because strict justice would have demanded that God strike Pharaoh down immediately.

[34:21] But instead, God gave Pharaoh the gift of time. Pharaoh chose hardness towards God in that time. And even in this, God accomplished his purposes and displayed his power through Pharaoh. I think it's really significant that in time, when we're talking about God's justice, Paul falls on God's mercy.

[34:50] Justice can be really confronting. It depends on which side of the law we think we fall. And as Paul established back in Romans chapter 3, all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. But God in his mercy has a great power and gives us time and every chance to repent.

[35:20] And in answering this question, Paul is ultimately pointing towards Jesus and in Jesus we see that God all at once upholds his covenant with Israel, deals with all of the sins of the world, that is, we see his justice displayed at the cross, and in Jesus, God extends mercy towards all humankind.

[35:51] Is God unjust? Not at all, Paul says. He will have mercy on whom he will have mercy and compassion on whom he will have compassion. Praise be to God. And so what does this mean to us? I thought of a couple of things and there's probably many, many more things and more will come out, I think, as we work through this whole section of 9 through to 11.

[36:23] But the first thing, Paul's answer, I think our first take home is that Paul's answer to this question, what does the gospel mean for ethnic Israel, is a question that does matter for us. This part of Romans chapters 9 to 11 is very relevant for us today, because what God does with his covenant with Israel goes to the very heart of who God is and his character. Is the word of God sure or will it fail? Is the God who judges us and declares us righteous in Christ, is he just or unjust?

[37:05] And so even though this passage is really hard, don't do what I used to do and skip over it. Like Paul, there's rewards in grabbing hold of the tough questions and wrestling with it. And they're going to get harder in the weeks to come, and so Hans-Erik will deal with those.

[37:25] The second thing I want to say is, or is more a question to put to us, what is the story that we are living out of? What's the story that we are living out of? It is hard to read and receive these next few chapters and say yes to God's sovereignty.

[37:50] That is not a part of the Western, post-enlightenment, liberal political theory story. That's the story that says, I am an isolated individual who writes my own story. The story of God's sovereignty over the nations is a very different story.

[38:15] Paul was deep within the megaphone-shaped story of Israel. But when he was confronted with the living Lord Jesus, he was willing to do the work of re-reading his story with Christ at the center. And we can see from Romans he really wrestled. Romans is hard. And we're the beneficiaries of all of his hard work.

[38:42] Are we willing to read and rewrite our stories with Jesus at the center? Are we willing to do that work and to wrestle with the reality that Jesus confronts us with? That he is sovereign and that all his ways are just.

[39:04] And then I think the final point that I want to mention is I think probably most of us in this room, if not all, would want to say we really do want to be used by God in bringing about his salvation purposes. And the challenge of our text today is are we willing to lay down our megaphone-shaped ambitions in our picture of what this could look like?

[39:37] And are we willing to live out a bow-tie-shaped story? And really, I'm talking about the cross, right? Are we willing to are we willing to surrender our lives to Christ? Romans 8 Will we suffer for Jesus? Are we willing to go all the way to the cross?

[40:00] That people would see God glorified in Jesus Christ and the nations would come in.