(# 354) Romans 10 - The Lord is the Seeker of Obstinate People

Class Outline:

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Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church based in Mesa, AZ…my name is Pastor Rory Clark.  Barah Ministries teaches the Word of God from God’s perspective and not from the human perspective.  Our God is the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, the Creator of the Universe and all things in it, including us creatures.  John, Chapter 1, Verse 3 says…

 

JOHN 1:3

All things came into being through the Lord…God the Son, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being. 

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

The Lord is the Seeker of Obstinate People

 

Are you obstinate?  Are you a rebel without a cause?  It’s the easiest life strategy to run.  But it’s a complete waste of time and a prescription for misery.

 

What is God’s attitude toward obstinate people?  Unbelieving Israel and The Unbelieving Jewish Race certainly fit the bill for being obstinate people.  Romans, Chapter 10, Verse 21 says…

 

ROMANS 10:21

But as for Israel and The Jewish Race the Lord says, “All the day long I

have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people (and they have rejected My Hand).”

 

Has the Lord forgotten or abandoned or rejected His chosen nation and His

Chosen race because they are obstinate?  Absolutely not!  What a disgusting

and evil thought! 

 

Well how do we explain the cancer of UNBELIEF?  The unbeliever will use excuses to explain it… “I didn’t know about Christ!” … “I didn’t hear the gospel message!”  Yet from our study of the Word of God, we know that’s not true.  What is true is that unbelievers are disobedient…they reject a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ and they reject the gospel message… they are indifferent to the spiritual life…they are antagonistic to truth…they are, in a word, obstinate…often implacable.  What does it mean when someone is obstinate?  It means they stubbornly refuse to change their opinion or their way of doing things, despite the most convincing and accurate attempts to persuade them to do so.  What does it mean when someone is implacable?  It means they are so locked into obstinacy that they can’t be influenced.  Again…that’s a pretty easy lifestyle to run.

 

As for believers in Christ, we can count on the fact that we have a faithful

God who is always there for us no matter what!  Second Timothy, Chapter 2, Verse 11…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 2:11

It is a trustworthy statement (deserving of full acceptance)…if we believers in Christ died with Him (positionally at the Cross), and of course we did, we will also live with Him (for all eternity)…

 

As it says in Colossians, Chapter 3, Verses 3 and 4…

 

COLOSSIANS 3:3

For you believers in Christ have died, and your resurrection life is hidden (it is both invisible and secure…in union) with Christ in (the keeping of) God the Father.

 

COLOSSIANS 3:4

When Christ, who is our resurrection life, is revealed, then you believers in Christ also will be revealed with Him in glory.

 

Second Timothy, Chapter 2, Verse 12 (the first part)…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 2:12a

If we believers in Christ endure (the suffering of the Christian Way of

Living), and we do, we will also reign with Him (during His Millennial Reign on Earth…our glorification…promised in Romans 8:30)…

 

Romans, Chapter 8, Verses 16 and 17…

 

ROMANS 8:16

God the Holy Spirit Himself testifies with our human spirit that we are adopted adult children of God…

 

ROMANS 8:17

…and if we believers in Christ are children of God, and we are, we are heirs also…heirs of God the Father and fellow heirs with the Christ, if indeed we suffer with Christ, and we do, so that we may also be glorified with Him.

 

Second Timothy, Chapter 2, Verse 12 (the second part)…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 2:12b

…if we (“whosoever”) deny Him (that is, reject a relationship with Him), He

also will deny us…

 

There are many who talk about believing, but never believe…Matthew, Chapter 7, Verses 21 to 23…

 

MATTHEW 7:21

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven…but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven will enter the kingdom.”

 

Those who obey the gospel message will enter the kingdom of heaven, for that is the will of God the Father…that we believe in His Son.

 

MATTHEW 7:22

“Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’”

 

MATTHEW 7:23

“And then I (the Lord Jesus Christ) will declare to them, ‘I never knew

you… depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.’”

Who practices lawlessness?  Unbelievers.  Second Timothy, Chapter 2, Verse 13…

 

SECOND TIMOTHY 2:13

If we believers in Christ are faithless, and sometimes we are, the Lord remains faithful, for He cannot deny Himself.

 

The Lord will not turn His back on His own righteousness…He will never turn His back on those who are in union with Him…He will never turn His back on those to whom He has made promises…like Israel and The Jewish Race, even in their obstinacy and implacability.  The Lord’s faithfulness is not conditional…it is not based on the condition of our faithfulness to Him.  It is UNCONDITIONAL…just like His love.

 

Welcome to a place where you can learn about your faithful God, through the study of the Word of God.

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

GOD IS FAITHFUL

June Murphy

 

God never turns His back on His believers…here is June Murphy to tell you all about it in her song…GOD IS FAITHFUL!

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

We’re grateful, Heavenly Father, for the privilege of studying Your absolute truth...the Word of God…

 

Thank you, our Faithful Father, for calling us believers into union with and into fellowship with Your Son…thank you that we can count on all Your dealings with us to be run through the filter of your faithfulness, by which you will never turn Your back on Your servants, even when we are not faithful to You…thank you that Your faithfulness guarantees us a spot in heaven for all eternity with you…

Help us to be faithful in the same way in our relationships…

 

We ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...

Amen.

 

A few announcements…

 

BARAH MINISTRIES ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

MARK YOUR CALENDARS!

The Next Lord’s Supper Celebration

April 9, 2017

 

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Visit the Vets

April 9, 2017

1:45PM-3:00PM

 

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Next Deacon’s Meeting

April 15, 2017

7:30A -9:00A

 

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Homecoming for the Non-Resident Congregation

April 21-22, 2017

 

Coming up…looking forward to it…

 

PRAYERS

Barah Ministries Prayer Request Group Is Open!

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Join me in prayer directed at all the intercessions and petitions of the

people visiting the Barah Ministries Prayer Request Group.  Please take time to pray for each other and take time to pray for your Pastor.

 

YOU BELONG @ BARAH MINISTRIES!

We’re Looking for 20 Families

Help Us Build a Church!

 

Let 2017 be the year when we grow our church by inviting people to come.

 

Correction:

Joel and Deanna Perkosky’s anniversary is May 31^st…sorry about that!

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

The Lord is the Seeker of Obstinate People

 

As Romans, Chapter 11 opens, we ask ourselves, “Has the Lord forgotten, or abandoned, or rejected His chosen nation, Israel, and His Chosen race, The Jewish Race?  Decidedly, He has not.  Why not?  God is faithful.  We’ve spent some time recently reflecting on the Person of the Godhead…on how wonderful God is…how God loves us…how God forgives us…how God is gracious toward us.  It reminds me of a television show I watched as a kid called TO TELL THE TRUTH.

 

The show featured a panel of four celebrities whose goal was to correctly identify the one contestant out of three people who actually IS the person He claims to be.  Two impostors who pretend to be the real person accompany the contestant.  The imposters are allowed to lie, but the contestant is instructed TO TELL THE TRUTH.  The celebrity panelists question the three people, and based on their answers get to vote for the person they think is the person He claims to be.  In other words, they have to filter out who is lying.  So it is with God, and our spiritual life.  WE have to filter out the liars.  Second Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 1 says…

 

SECOND PETER 2:1

But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.

 

With the deception of false teachers and imposter gods, it would be tough to identify the One and Only God were it not for His faithfulness in revealing Himself in ways that makes sense to human beings.  How good are you at identifying imposters?  How good are you a flushing our partial truths?  Well here’s the truth…

We have a “Whosoever” Lord. 

 

Salvation is available to all who call on the Person of the Lord for it.  We have a Lord who promises salvation to everyone…Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31…

 

ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved (by God), you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

God does the saving for all those who request it.  Acts, Chapter 2, Verse 21 says…

 

ACTS 2:21

‘And it shall be that everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’

 

People like to make the simplest messages complicated.  But the gospel message is not complicated.  The way of salvation is not by law.  The Mosaic Law was the message of bad news…the way of death…not a message of good news… not a message of life.  Romans, Chapter 9, Verses 31 and 32…

 

ROMANS 9:31

…but Israel, pursuing a law of righteousness (The Mosaic Law), did not arrive at (a fulfillment of) that law (and its promised righteousness).

 

ROMANS 9: 32

Why? Because they did not pursue righteousness by faith, but they pursued righteousness as though it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone…(they missed accepting a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ through faith alone for the righteousness)…

 

The way of salvation is not complicated…we simply believe or we don’t…in John, Chapter 3, Verse 36, the Lord Himself says…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has eternal life (the resurrection life) right at that moment…but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life, but the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

 

Believing can’t be done if you have not heard…hearing is not possible if someone is not preaching…preaching is not possible unless a preacher is “divinely” sent.  Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 14 and 15 describe how a faithful God deals with His obstinate creatures…

 

ROMANS 10:14

How then will Unbelieving Israel and the Unbelieving Jewish Race call on the Lord in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in the Lord whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?

 

ROMANS 10:15

How will the preachers preach unless they are divinely sent? Just as it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news of good things!”

 

The Lord always sends messengers with “beautiful feet” to spread the good news of the gospel message, so that Christ can be heard, so that Christ can be called on, and so that Christ can be believed!  The good news is this…            

Christ died for us on The Cross.  Christ was buried.  Christ was raised from the dead.  Christ did all these things for “whosoever.”

 

Did Israel and The Jewish Race hear this good news?  Yes they did.  Did they know what the good news meant, and did they understand it?  Yes, they did.  Did Israel and The Jewish Race respond to the gospel message with faith?  No they didn’t.  In Psalm, Chapter 19, Verses 1 to 4, King David says…

 

PSALM 19:1

The heavens are telling of the glory of God…and their expanse is declaring the work of His hands.

 

Personification is in play here…the heavens can’t speak, yet they do…loud and clear…their very creation infers that there is a Creator…the Lord…

 

PSALM 19:2

Day to day pours forth speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.

 

The voice of creation speaks night and day.

 

PSALM 19:3

There is no speech…nor are there languages in which their voice is not heard.

 

PSALM 19:4

Their line (the gospel message) has gone out through all the earth, and their utterances to the end of the world.

 

Creation speaks of a Creator in every language to the ends of the earth.

Revelation, Chapter 2, Verse 29…

 

REVELATION 2:29

‘He who has an ear, let him keep on hearing what God the Holy Spirit keeps on saying to the churches.’

 

Let’s take a music break…it gives you a chance to assess the areas where you find yourself being obstinate and implacable.

 

MUSIC BREAK

SAY AMEN

Finding Favor

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

The Lord is the Seeker of Obstinate People

 

Let’s begin the next portion of our lesson by giving you a chance to make an offering…we need and we value your financial support to continue the work of this ministry…please welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with the offering message.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

ROMANS 5:8

But God the Father demonstrates His own unconditional love toward all mankind, in that while we were yet sinners (as unrighteous, ungodly unbelievers), Christ died instead of us.

 

OFFERING

FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE

Dave McClure, Instrumental

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

The Lord is the Seeker of An Obstinate People

 

We begin our study of the final passage about Israel and The Jewish Race, Romans, Chapter 11…let’s take a listen to the five passages of the chapter to close out our study today…let these final messages to the Jewish Race from this letter seep into your soul…

 

PASSAGE 1

 

ROMANS 11:1

I (Paul) say then, God has not rejected His people (Israel and The Jewish race), has He? May it never be! For I too am an Israelite (a Jew), a descendant of Abraham (a regenerate Jew), of the tribe of Benjamin.

 

Benjamin…the faithful one of the twelve tribes.  Paul knows that God has not rejected the Israel and The Jewish Race because Paul has seen God’s dealings with obstinacy firsthand.  Which causes Paul to say…

 

ROMANS 11:2

God has (absolutely) not rejected His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know (are you ignorant of) what the Scripture says in the passage about Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel?

 

What does Elijah have to say against Israel and The Jewish Race?

 

ROMANS 11:3

“Lord, they have killed Your prophets…they have torn down Your altars…

and I alone am left…and they are seeking my life.”

 

ROMANS 11:4

But what is the divine response to Elijah?  The Lord says, “I have kept for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.”

 

God says to Elijah…you are not alone.

 

ROMANS 11:5

In the same way then, there has also come to be at the present time a remnant (of Jewish believers) according to God’s gracious choice.

 

ROMANS 11:6

But if salvation is by grace, and it is, it is no longer on the basis of works, otherwise grace is no longer grace.

 

PASSAGE 2

 

ROMANS 11:7

What then? What Israel is seeking (self-righteousness), it has not obtained… but those who were chosen (by God) obtained righteousness, and the rest were hardened (God allows the hardening)…

 

ROMANS 11:8

…just as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor…eyes to see not… and ears to hear not…down to this very day (God allows sin to have its effect….DEATH).”

 

ROMANS 11:9

And David (a regenerate, believing Jew) says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap…and a stumbling block and a retribution to them.”

 

ROMANS 11:10

“Let their eyes be darkened to see not…and bend their backs forever.”

 

PASSAGE 3

 

ROMANS 11:11

I (Paul) say then, Israel and The Jewish Race did not stumble so as to fall,

did they? May it never be! But by their transgression (the hardening God allowed), salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make Israel and The Jewish Race jealous.

 

ROMANS 11:12

Now if the transgression of Israel and The Jewish Race is riches for the world…and their failure is riches for the Gentiles…how much more will their fulfillment be!

 

ROMANS 11:13

But I (Paul) am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry…

 

ROMANS 11:14

…if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen (my kinsmen according to the flesh) and save some of them.

 

ROMANS 11:15

For if their rejection of their Messiah is the reconciliation of the world… what will their acceptance be but the resurrection life from the dead?

 

ROMANS 11:16

If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also…and if the root is holy, the branches are too.

 

ROMANS 11:17

But if some of the branches were broken off, and you (the Gentiles), being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree…

 

ROMANS 11:18

…do not be arrogant toward the branches…but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.

 

ROMANS 11:19

You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”

 

ROMANS 11:20

Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief…but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear (respect God)…

 

ROMANS 11:21

…for if God did not spare the natural branches, and He didn’t, He will not spare you, either (if you are unbelieving).

 

ROMANS 11:22

Behold then the kindness and the severity of God…to those who fell,

severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness… otherwise you also will be cut off.

 

ROMANS 11:23

And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again.

 

ROMANS 11:24

For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?

 

PASSAGE 4

 

ROMANS 11:25

For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in…

 

ROMANS 11:26

…and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.”

 

ROMANS 11:27

“This is My covenant with them, when I (the Lord) take away their sins.”

 

ROMANS 11:28

From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers…

 

ROMANS 11:29

…for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.

 

ROMANS 11:30

For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience…

 

ROMANS 11:31

…so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown

 to you they also may now be shown mercy.

 

ROMANS 11:32

For God has shut up all in disobedience so that He may show mercy to all.

 

PASSAGE 5

 

ROMANS 11:33

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and unfathomable His ways!

 

ROMANS 11:34

For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who became His counselor?

 

ROMANS 11:35

Or who has first given to Him that it might be paid back to him again?

 

ROMANS 11:36

For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever. Amen.

 

We have see the past of Unbelieving Israel and The Jewish Race….we have seen their present…and as we embark on Romans, Chapter 11, we will see their future…the future of an obstinate people at the hands of the Lord, a seeker of obstinate people.

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

ACTS 16:30

“…the jailer asked (Paul and Silas), “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

 

ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

ROMANS 10:10

…for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

 

SECOND PETER 3:9

The Lord is not slow about His promise of salvation, as some accuse Him of, but instead He is patient toward you unbelievers, not wishing for any to perish (in the Lake of Fire) but for all to come to repentance (a change of mind about having a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ).

 

LUKE 19:10

“For the Son of Man (the Lord Jesus Christ) has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”

 

CLOSING SONG

I STAND AMAZED

June Murphy

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

          THANKS - INTERCESSION - PETITION

 

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Thanks for listening!

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