Rom 9-Stumbling Over the Stumbling Stone

| Stumbling Over the Stumbling Stone! Romans 9:30-33

September 9, 2007 (New Living Translation) 30Well then, what shall we say about these things? Just this: The Gentiles have been made right with God by faith, even though they were not seeking him. 31But the Jews, who tried so hard to get right with God by keeping the law, never succeeded. 32Why not? Because they were trying to get right with God by keeping the law and being good instead of by depending on faith. They stumbled over the great rock in their path. 33God warned them of this in the Scriptures when he said,“I am placing a stone in Jerusalem that causes people to stumble, and a rock that makes them fall. (Isaiah 8:14)But anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed.” (Isaiah 28:16) PRAY Scripture Memory:If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. – Romans 10:9 (NIV) Intro:   1. Being “Right with God”2. Faith and Obedience 1. Being “Right with God”☞ We all have a desire to be right with God, to be in a good relationship with Him, as opposed to being uncomfortable with Him or having Him angry with us.We can see this desire in our:Ø   Fear of Judgment (rejection by God)We instinctively know, although we often deny, that we will, one day, have to give an account of ourselves.We can see this desire in our:Ø   Prideour desire to look good in the eyes of God & man We are quick to take offense when we feel disrespected by someone.We want to “be like God” (Gen. 3:5) – We naturally desire to what God created us to be – His Sons and daughters. We are constantly defending this with others, and this need to justify and defend ourselves in this matter reveals our insecurity about it.We can see this desire in our:Ø   Desire for BlessingFor many this takes the form of superstitions…We have an innate sense that the blessings and curses of life are often bound up in our obedience or lack thereof of God.We can see this desire in:Ø   The God-shaped Vacuum within UsDeep within us we all have this vacuum, this emptiness which can only be filled by God Himself – this is part and parcel of the spiritual deadness we have because of the fall.We can see this desire in our:Ø   Desire for RelationshipWe are relational beings. However, our alienation from God has a negative impact on all of our other relationships. Deep down, we long to be in good standing with God, to feel the warmth of His smile on our hearts and lives. ☞Our Strategy for Being Right with GodØ   Try harder – We want to work harder at balancing the scales so that God will accept us.Why that doesn’t work:·   Martin Luther – “I was indeed a pious monk and followed the rules of order more strictly than I can express. If ever a monk could obtain heaven by his monkish works, I should certainly have been entitled to it.” – “What works can come from a heart like mine? How can I stand before the holiness of my judge with works polluted in their very source?”·   Paul (Saul, the Pharisee) – Phil. 3:4-7 - 4 Yet I could have confidence in myself if anyone could. If others have reason for confidence in their own efforts, I have even more! 5…I am a real Jew if there ever was one! What’s more, I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. 6 And zealous? Yes, in fact, I harshly persecuted the church. And I obeyed the Jewish law so carefully that I was never accused of any fault.7 I once thought all these things were so very important, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. ·   Why did the Jews fail to attain salvation? Because they pursued it not by faith but as it were by works. That is they sought it in the wrong way. (vv. 31-32)They were trying to get right with God by keeping the law and being good instead of by depending on faith. In the 19th C. in the worst slum district in London – a social worker: Henry Moorehouse – a little girl and a pitcher of milk…Not that there was no value in the broken pieces. There is some limited value, but as far as making us right with God… Ø     Hide our sinSometimes we are like the little child under the blanket or like me when I took a cookie as a little child… Ø     Trivialize our sinBoys will be boys. I’m only human. Nobody’s perfect.The man upstairs…God takes sin seriously even in the life of believers…! Ø     Be religious (keep the law)A form of trying harderGoing to churchSinging in the choir, etc.We see this in the perspective that holds that all religions are merely different paths to God… Ø     GivingAnother form of trying harderGiving to the churchGiving to the poorDoing volunteer work, etc. Ø     PenanceWe often feel the need to atone for our sin, to make up for it, to prove our sincerity. When we do this, we are falling back into SELF-righteousness. Our ONLY righteousness MUST be in Christ.It is not wrong for us to want to be more obedient, or to be more consistent in our obedience. The Spirit within is producing that desire. The problem comes when we forget the gospel… |   | 2. Faith and Obedience☞The Place of “Pursuing Righteousness” (NIV)John 14 – obedience flows from true loveJn 14:23 – Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey my teaching.  Is Jesus Lord or isn’t He?Luke 6:46 – Why do you call me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ and do not do what I say? ☞What it Means to “Pursue Righteousness” (NIV)To pursue righteousness means two things:1st and foremost it means preaching the gospel to ourselves (and believing it) daily and throughout each day2nd it means a lifestyle of repentance and submission to God – acknowledging that Jesus is Lord ☞Christ – a Stumbling BlockThe story behind Psalm 118:22 – The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone:The building of Solomon’s temple – no stonecutting at the site of the temple – one stone which did not fit…1 Cor. 1:23-24 (NLT) – So when we preach that Christ was crucified, the Jews are offended, and the Gentiles say it’s all nonsense. But to those called by God to salvation, both Jews and Gentiles, Christ is the mighty power of God and the wonderful wisdom of God. Ø   It is foolishness (NIV)Our need for grace runs against our natural grain“There is no such thing as a free lunch”Ø   It is offensiveIt is a plan which brings man to nothingness. – The ramifications of grace…The fact that He is the “only way” often leads either to pride or to resentment“Who do You think You are God, GOD?!?” – Our natural resistance to authorityØ   It is a religion for the needy, for weak people who need a crutchA stone is a lowly thing. This points to Jesus’ humanity and low estate. “A stone… that causes people to stumble is not one that is placed in some high position in a cathedral tower. It is one that is neglected, one that is lying inconspicuously on the ground.” (Boice)Isa. 8:14 – Jehovah is the stone… that causes people to stumble Isa. 28:16 – The stumbling stone is someone whom God is going to place in Jerusalem.These passages not only identify Jesus as the rock, they also identify Him with Jehovah…. “By establishing Jesus as a rock in Zion, God also proclaims Him as the divine rock upon which His people are to build. Texts identifying God as the Rock or my Rock are frequent in the OT. So Paul’s use of the image is evidence of His belief in the deity of Christ.” (Boice) ☞Christ – a Sure foundationThe chief cornerstone – the One on whom all else builds – The faithful One – our Rock – Our strong tower – our fortress… (Isa. 28:16; Heb. 3:6; 10:23; Heb. 3:6; 10:23; Ps. 94:22; 61:3; 94:22) ☞The Place of Faith – Trust – BeliefThe gospel must be received by faith.“A free salvation becomes offensive to men on account of their pride. They cannot bear the thought of being indebted for it to sovereign grace, which implies that in themselves they are guilty and ruined by sin. They desire to do something, were it ever so little, to merit salvation, at least in part.” (Robert Haldane) If you will not have Jesus Christ, he will become a stumbling block to you that will cause you to fall spiritually. That fall will mean your eternal destruction. But if you trust in Him, you will find Him to be the foundation stone that God has Himself established, and you will learn as you live the Christian life, that anyone who believes in him will not be disappointed.Those who have embraced the stone “have come through the tangled grass of this world with their eyes low upon their own bleeding feet, scarred with their walk on the road of sin. When they have come to this stone, they have been willing to stand on it and ask for nothing further. They have believed God’s word about the Lord Jesus Christ as being the only way of salvation. They have abandoned their goal, their road, their strength, their pride, and have taken their stand squarely on the Lord Jesus Christ. To them comes the trumpeted promise from the God of the universe: ‘Whoever believes on Him shall not be ashamed’ (v. 33). (Barnhouse)“To be ashamed means to be utterly confounded in the day of God’s final judgment of the world and all persons. It means standing before God with your mouth firmly shut, with nothing to say in your defense as your deeds are read out, their evil judged by the standard of the perfect holiness of God and your condemnation pronounced in terms too terrible that you will wish to have the mountains fall on you to protect you from the wrath of God or a flood to sweep you from His presence. On that day, your condemnation will be certain unless you are in Jesus Christ. Before it comes, be sure your feet are planted firmly on the Rock.” (Boice) Summary / Review:Do you have a desire to be “right with God…?”Do you fear one day facing His Judgment?Do you feel the need to look good in the eyes of others?Do you desire God’s blessings on your life?Do you feel like something crucial is missing from your life?If so, what are you doing about it?Do you feel that if you just try a little harder…? Are you trying to put your broken pitcher back together so that it will work?What are you doing about your sin? Do you feel the need to keep it hidden, as though God didn’t really see? Do you tend to downplay it, since you can find others with whom you can compare yourself favorably?Or do you try to make up for your sin by coming to church or by serving or giving, or perhaps by punishing yourself in some way?OR is your only righteousness found in the Person and work of Jesus Christ?Does your desire to “pursue righteousness” flow from a love for God, from an acknowledgement that He is indeed your Lord and Master and therefore deserves your full obedience?Do you preach the gospel to yourself over and over again? Do you understand it and believe it?Do you live a lifestyle of repentance and submission to God? Or do you stumble over the stumbling stone?Has Christ, indeed, become your sure foundation, your Rock, your Fortress? Have you and do you continually come back to placing your trust fully and completely on the finished work of Jesus Christ on your behalf A Truth to Remember: God wants us to be in right relationship with Him and He has done all that is needed for that to happen. All we have to do is believe it. A Challenge to Consider:Are you preaching the gospel to yourself and believing it every day? Are you pursuing the righteousness of  Jesus Christ through a lifestyle of repentance and faith? One thing I heard this morning was…   |