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Title: Turning to the Jews: Part Two: Conclusions
Two weeks ago we looked at Paul’s first argument against his own people, the Jews. Paul clearly lays out the principle that the Law is something that is more than just observed, it is written on the hearts of those who follow it. And that the very reason that God is turning his Gospel to the Gentiles is because he is sick and tired of having His holy name blasphemed among the Jews because of their hypocrisy.
Now, Paul turns his argument to the final stronghold of the Jewish faith. He has blasted their hypocrisy in observing the Law that they want to be exclusively theirs. (Think of it this way, when Paul went from city to city, the Jews were generally very receptive to hear him preach Jesus as the Messiah…until Paul happens to mention that this fulfillment of the Law, this final sacrifice, this Jesus, is also open for the Gentiles to receive.) They only turn on Paul when Paul reveals that a relationship with God is open to anyone, not just the chosen nation of the Israelites.
So Paul turns to their last argument, the physical sign of them being God’s chosen people, the sign of circumcision.
V2/ Circumcision has become uncircumcison (Read)
Without the keeping of the law, circumcision is a testimony against the Jews, not for them.
(Story of Dan selling my car to the priest without realizing he was a priest)
Because of that Priest’s outward sign, his collar, there was a certain expectation of behavior, of honesty, of trust.
For the Jews, they have this physical sign, but their behavior, their hypocrisy contradicts that outward sign, therefore their judgment will be much harsher!
(Think of the story of the Pharisee and the tax collector in prayer.)
My Point: Don’t count on any of your outward behavior to grant you favor before God, you pious church attendance, you abstinence from drinking, dancing, etc. These things not only cannot save you, they can, in fact, render a harsher judgement against you for you hypocrisy!
V26 (read) The other side of the coin
And again, look at the other side of Paul’s argument in v. 26. He says that if someone is lacking the outward sign, but does kept he Law, is he not circumcised before God?
V27-27 (read) The issue of labels
Paul goes on to remind his audience that the perfect judge places the righteous in judgement above the unrighteous.
He tells the Jews, “You are inheriting nothing. Your heritage, your lineage, your understanding of the Law, your outward sign of circumcision means nothing without your heart believing the Law!”
Point: The inner heart points to the truth of the label, the label does not point to truth of the heart.
Imagine for a moment that after church you make your way to Hawkin’s of Beulers and as you stroll down the isle you find a jar with the label you are looking for: Pickles. (I know this one well because my wife is pregnant.) But as you look closer at this jar that clearly says “Pickles” you notice through the clear jar that what is inside doesn’t look like pickles at all. Rather it is a thick pasty red sause that looks like spaghetti sause.
As you sit there in puzzlement you notice that just down the row there are several clear jars that seem to be filled with dill pickles, but their labels all clearly say in bold letters: Spaghetti Sause.
Here’s my question: If you are looking for pickles, which jar are you taking home? The one with the correct label? Or the one with the correct ingredients?
There are a lot of people in church in Ashland, Ohio this morning, some in this very room, who are fooling others with their labels. They are unrepentant sinners who understand salvation, understand the Bible, but they do not live by it. Their sustenance is the praise and admiration and acceptance of men.
There are also people who have another label. Their lives are marred in sin, they don’t go an hour without sinning against the Lord their God, but they know it, and they repent, they sin, they get back up, they repent, they try harder. Their lives will be an endless toil of the flesh against the spirit. They may not pray eloquently, they may not have the most Biblical knowledge, they may not be as attentive to the disciplines of the faith as they should, but they are honest. They do not claim, in anyway, however subtle, to be anything they are not. They are sinners, and they know this. But they do not care for the praise of men, and if they did, they most likely wouldn’t get any anyway, they only care about one thing: That Christ knows them.
Which one are you?