Title: God is just, in dealing with Israel
I. Question One: “Have they not heard?”
Paul begs this question on the heels of verse 17 (which we looked at last week) which says, “Faith comes by hearing…” So the next logical question Paul asks is, “Okay, then maybe if Israel has not heard, they are not at fault.”
But they have heard. And the evidence that Paul points to is in Psalms 19:4
The heavens declare the glory of God.
And the firmament shows his handiwork.
Day unto day utters speech.
And night unto night reveals knowledge.
There is no speech nor language
Where their voice is not heard.
Their line has gone out throughout all the Earth,
And their words to the end of the world.
Psalm 19:1-4
This sentiment is also stated by Christ himself in Matthew 24:14
And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come.
Quickly and efficiently, Paul is pointing out that the excuse of “but we have not heard this message!” Will be proven false because the world has heard this message.
Point:
1. For the Jews: Ignorance will not be a justification for Israel’s rejection of Christ.
2. For us today: No one, not a single person in this room, can offer the excuse to God on the day of judgement that you never heard the Gospel message, or understood the importance of making a decision for or against Jesus Christ.
II. Question Two: Did Israel Know Jesus was the Messiah?
To answer this hypothetical question, Paul offers not one, but three quotations to explicitly make his point, not only that Israel had every opportunity to know that Jesus was indeed the son of God, but even more than that, the prophets prophesied that they would reject the messiah and that adopted sons and daughters would be grafted into the family line in Israel place!
For a moment, consider the sheer magnitude of that with me. I remember reading a story of the great basketball player Michael Jordan who was so good in his prime he’d bring the ball up the court, and then tell his defender, “I’m going to go left. I’m going to go left and I’ll let you think about that for a moment. You can not stop me, even if I tell you what I’m about to do.”
And then, as many Cleveland fans have experienced, Michael Jordan would go left, and nobody could stop him.
If Israel had studied their own Scriptures. If they had honored the Law God had given them. If the spiritual leaders, the Pharisees, the Sadducees, would stop bickering and scheming for more power and do what they should have been doing in leading their people to a right and proper understanding of the Law and prophets then they would have seen plainly that Christ was the Messiah.
And you know what, some of them did. The first Christians were all Jews. But the progressive rejection of the Gospel by that once chosen nation meant the door would become open for you and I.
Let’s look at these three quotations:
Duet. 32:21
They have provoked me to Jealousy by what is not God.
They have moved me to anger by their foolish idols.
But I will provoke them to Jealousy by those who are not a nation:
I will move them to anger by a foolish nation.
Point:
1. For Israel: They lost sight of who God truly was, and as a result he passed over them and decided to then populate his Kingdom with people that were not originally of the nation of Israel.
2. For us today: How many mainline churches can you think of today that have lost sight of God, are teaching a deplorable, non-biblical false doctrine, and will not be spared on the day of judgement?
Isaiah 65:1
I was sought by those who did not ask for me;
I was found by those who did not seek me.
I said, “Here I am. Here I am.”
To a nation that was not called by my name.
Do any of you want to join me this morning in saying, “Wow.”
Point:
1. For Israel: What might God have done if Israel did seek him?
2. For us today: How gracious is our God? If we were seeking him, he did not have to respond to us with anything. Yet he says, “Here I am. Here I am.”
One of my favorite bumper stickers of all time reads: “If God seems far away, who moved?”
I am here to tell you this today, If you ask to find God, listen for his voice. If you heart is honest, and you are not just looking for quick fix to heal the symptoms of your life, but are instead honestly and genuinely seeking the face of God to cure the disease of sin in your life, call to him, ask him.
Has NEVER in the history of the universe, turned away someone who was authentically seeking him. Why? Because if you are seeking him, whether you realize this or not, it is only because God is drawing you towards himself by His Spirit.
In Paul’s final piece of evidence for his point, he continues on to quote Isaiah 65:2 which reads:
I have stretched out my hands all day long to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
according to their own thoughts…
Do you know what is the most frightening part of this passage?
The three words, “All Day Long.”
Friends, this day will not last forever. The sun is setting. And when it does, you chance to be right with God will be gone. He will tire of your disobedience. He will not chase you. He will move on to another people.
This is exactly the tragic story of the nation of Israel.
The sun is setting, you sinners.
Make a choice, today.