A Study of the Book of Romans

Lesson # 22 

“What Is Your Hearts Desire?”

Romans 9:1-4, 10:1 

“Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel, is that they might be saved.” (10:1)

What is the deepest desire of your heart? Perhaps you have defined your reason for being in terms of achieving some vocational goal? Perhaps it is reaching a certain level of economic prosperity. Perhaps it is to live long enough to retire. What ever you identify as your deepest heart’s desire; is what you see as giving your life meaning. Has God really left you here on earth solely to perform some kind of a job, to be able to afford the finer things of life or even to be able to retire in comfort?

       Paul defined his reason for existence, as the need to show men and women how to be saved. Paul had an education, had was a Pharisee and he could have had the respect and admiration of people, had he chosen to. But he said, “All those things that I could have counted as gain, I counted as loss. Yes and doubtless, I continue to count all things as but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord...and I continue for all time to count them as (useless, contaminating and harmful) that I may win Christ”  (Philippians 3:7-8) (Literal Translation)            

Paul’s Passion for Israel  (vv. 1-3)

       Paul begins chapter nine with the words,

“I tell the truth in Christ, I am not lying, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Spirit, (2) that I have great sorrow and continual grief in my heart.  (3) For I could wish that I myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my countrymen according to the flesh, (4) who are Israelites…”  

       Paul’s desire for his countrymen was the natural result of his own salvation. If you are saved it is natural that you would desire others to have what you have.

       Paul’s desire also grew out of his know about their spiritual condition. We need to face some hard spiritual facts tonight.

1. Man is not getting better and better.

2. All roads do not lead to Heaven.

3. It really does matter what you believe.

4. Sincerity is not enough.

In verse two Paul speaks of the Corinthians zeal, but it is misdirected zeal.

5. No one is ever good enough to make it to Heaven. People who have not accepted Christ will not go to Heaven no matter how religious they are or how good a person they are.

       Paul is about to address the problem of Israel’s unbelief and their rejection of Jesus as the Messiah and he did not want to be misunderstood. He did not want anyone to think that he delighted in the judgment that will fall upon the Jewish people because of their rejection of Jesus.

       In chapter ten, verse one Paul express that it was his “my heart’s desire… that Israel might be saved” – he is literally saying the he desire above everything else that they might be saved. In chapter nine he states that was willing to be “accursed from Christ” in the Greek the word is (anathema) meaning “to hand someone over to God for judgment” (that is to be damned). Paul’s love for the Jewish people so consumed him that, if it were possible he would be willing go to hell, if they could be saved in his place. He of course is speaking emotionally here, not theologically. We know from what he has already said to the Romans that is impossible for him to lose his salvation. He has just written in Romans 8, “nothing can separate us from the love of God” (8:39) but he is saying “I am so burden for my people that he was willing to go to Hell that they might go to Heaven.” We may be able to think of someone we love that we would be willing to give up the remainder of our earthly life for, someone for who we would die that they might go to heaven. But it is an entirely different proposition to be willing to give up any hope of eternity in other that someone might be saved. Even though the Apostle knew that his desire was theologically impossible, he still meant it! He knows that it is not possible, but he still says, “If I could I would!”

       Paul mirrors the sentiments of Moses. God became so disgusted with the people of Israel that one point he was ready to kill them all and start over. When Moses was on the Mount receiving the Ten Commandments the people were in the valley seeing how many of them they could break. When Moses went back up on the Mount God said, “He would destroy the people for their sin and if Moses would agree he would rise up a new people from him (Exodus 32:10) Moses replied by saying “No rather destroy me and save them” (Ex 32:32). Moses offered to give himself up in order to save His people.

       Of course neither Moses nor Paul could sacrifice themselves for the sins of others, only one man was ever qualified to do that, Jesus.

       James Montgomery Boice offers five thought provoking questions in his commentary of Romans; (1) Do you anguish over others? (2) Do you anguish over those closest to you, the members of your own family? (3) Do you anguish over those who are you enemies? (4) Do you anguish over those who are great sinners? (5) Do you anguish over those who have great privileges? [James Montgomery Boice. Romans: God and History Romans 9-11. Vol. 3 (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1993) pp. 1023-1024]

       “There is an old evangelist named Eddie Martin…. Eddie is a very blunt, straight-forward guy. He could never be a pastor because he is much too straightforward.

But he tells the story about staying in the home of a very wealthy family one time when he was doing an evangelistic meeting. He said to the lady, “I’ll see you tonight at the services.” She said, “Oh, I’m not going to the services tonight.” He said, “Why not? Is something wrong?” She said, “Well, we have a mission study group in our church and I’m a part of it. Tonight we are meeting to talk about missions.” Eddie Martin didn’t like that too much. He said, “You know, I would have thought that when you have a revival meeting at the church, you’d cancel those things and everybody would support the revival.” Well, she didn’t like him saying that, so she kind of “bowed up” and said, “Well, I’ll have you know sir that missions is every bit as important as evangelism.” He was not going to argue with that, but he came back at her and he said, “Well, you go ahead and go to your mission meeting, but you don’t care about lost people anyway.” By then, the air was getting pretty thick. She says, “How dare you say that? What makes you say that?” Eddie said, “Well, yesterday I talked to your maid and asked her if she was saved. She said no and I asked her if she would like to be saved and she said yes. I led her to faith in Christ. I asked her how long she had been working for you and she said several years. I asked her if you had ever told her about Jesus and she said no. “So,” Eddie said, “you go along to your mission meeting, but you’ll never convince me that you care about lost people.” He said she stomped out and he stomped out but about halfway through the service that evening that lady came in and sat on the back pew and when the invitation was given, she was the first one down the aisle squalling, weeping and broken. She came and stood before the church and she said, “I have been a phony, and I need you to forgive me. I have loved church work, I have loved mission work, and I have loved this church, but I haven’t loved lost people the way Jesus loved lost people. I want you to forgive me and I want God to forgive me” [David O. Dykes. “Are You Concerned About Your Friends Without Christ?” Romans 9:1-5 • March 7, 1999 • #773  • Part 34 of 62 in the Romans series -www.gabc.org/messages ] 

Privileges Enjoyed by Israel (vv. 4-5)

                Paul’s sorrow and anguish over the nation of Israel rejection of Jesus was caused in part by the realization of all the privileges that Israel had been given. In verse four and five Paul lists the eight unique privileges given to Israel. “…. to whom pertain the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the service of God, and the promises; (5) of whom are the fathers and from whom, according to the flesh, Christ came, who is over all, the eternally blessed God. Amen.” 

   First, they are chosen as the people of God.  God chose to adopt the Jewish people as a nation as his special people. Deut. 7:6 states, “For you are a holy people to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for Himself, a special treasure above all the peoples on the face of the earth.” Although not every Jewish individual was his child, Israel has a nation had a special relationship with God. They were not chosen so that they would have bragging right among men but in order that they might be a light among all men to the true God. God speaks of the nation of Israel as being His son. He never said that of any other people. The adoption belongs to Israel.

       Dr. Boice explains in his commentary, “This is the only place in the New Testament where adoption is used of Israel. Normally it is used of believers in Jesus Christ, which is how Paul used it thus far in Romans (8:15, 23). When it is used of believers it refers to their new status before God as his spiritual sons and daughters resulting from redemption and the new birth. When it is used of Israel, as here, it refers to God’s selection of the Jews as an elect nation through which he would bring salvation to the world.” [Boice. Romans: God and History Romans 9-11.  pp. 1026]

       Secondly, they are given God’s glory. The glory here refers to the physical manifestation of God’s glory – the “skekinah.” This physical manifestation of the glory of God had several manifestations. (1) It was the bright cloud that led Israel through the wilderness (Ex. 24:16-17). (2) It later filled the tabernacle (Ex. 40:34-38). (3) After the construction of the temple it would settle upon the mercy seat in the holy of holies (Lev. 16:2). (4) In response to the increasing sinfulness of his people it was seen to depart the temple and return to heaven (Ezek. 10:11).

      No other nation could claim that they had the privilege of God’s visible presence to guide them and protect them. The children of Israel are the only people who have ever had the visible presence of God. There is no visible presence of God today. The New Testament church does not have it, because the Spirit of God indwells every believer.

       Third, they received the covenants. God made covenants with Israel through it leaders, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Moses and David. He made commitments to Israel that he never made to any other nation.

       Fourth, they had the law. God gave a great treasure to Israel through Moses – the Ten Commandments – the law of God. There never had to be any doubt about what God expected of his people because he told them explicitly.

       Fifth, they had the temple of God. “? the service of God” Only Israel was given the privilege of serving God through the tabernacle and later the temple. The entire system for worship acceptable to God was given through the Jewish nation.

       Sixth, they had the promises of God. There are promises made by God that will flow through Israel to all the nations of the world. Many of them regard the Millennial reign of Christ are still to be fulfilled.  

       Seventh, they had the patriarchs. “of whom are the fathers”  All of the nations of the world can read in the Bible about the great men of God like Abraham and Moses and David, but only Israel can claim them as ancestors.

       Finally, they were given the Messiah. The greatest honor and blessing conferred on Israel as a nation was that out of her would be born the Messiah, the savior of the world.