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4000 E.
Collins Rd. “Preaching
the Living Word through the Written Word (2Tim 4:2)” |
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THE
OPERATION OF EVANGELISM TO ISRAEL (Romans
10:14-21) 7/20/08 Grace Bible Church, Gillette, Wyoming Pastor I.
THE INTER-WORKINGS
OF EVANGELISM (14-17) A.
Evangelism
Precedes Saving Faith (14) 1. Paul uses the verb “call” (epikaléō) to begin to explain the inter-workings of
evangelism. Note that “call” is in the aorist tense in both vs. 13 and vs. 14
to show that faith must be exercised at a point in time in order for
salvation to take place. 2. If a person calls on the Lord for salvation, it gives
evidence that they do so out of a heart of belief. 3. In order for a person to have a belief in his heart,
he must have heard the message of salvation first. 4. Consequently, in order for one to have heard the
message of salvation, there had to be someone who first preached (kerússō - to herald
or proclaim an official or sacred message, Mt 24:14; Mk 16:15, Lk 4:18-19; Ac
28:31; 2Ti 4:2) the gospel. B.
Commission
Precedes Evangelism (15) 1. A final inter-working of evangelism is that a
proclaimer of the sacred message must be sent (apostéllō - official or
authoritative commission, Eng. “apostle”). 2. While this word is used to refer to an official commission
of someone like an apostle, the commission to preach the gospel is given to
every believer (Mt 28:18-20). 3. Paul was quoting Is 52:7 where Isaiah referred to
those who announced to Judah that God had ended their exile in Babylon. Paul
applies it to express the beauty of “bringing the good news” (lit. “the one who are evangelizing - pres
participle of euanggélizō - ongoing action) of the gospel to
the Jews. C.
Evangelism Does
Not Guarantee Belief (16) 1. However, it is pointed out that not all of Israel
took heed (hupakoúō
- lit. under the hearing, to hear and obey) of the message of the gospel. 2. Isaiah already had made the same assessment in 53:1
that Israel would reject the Lord’s report (akóê - that which was heard, Eng.
“acoustic”). The report is the
message of the Messiah as the sacrificial Lamb of God (Is 53:2-12). D.
Belief Comes
From the Evangelism of the Word (17) 1. Faith therefore comes out of (ek - out of) the act of hearing (akóê - here it means the
act of hearing). 2. It
is specifically through the agency (diá - “through,” agency) of
the act of hearing the word or message (rhếma - a saying, but can
mean a message) which was preached. 3. Some manuscripts state the “word of Christ” instead
of “word of God.” The latter appears to be preferable because the context
implies the “message which preached about Christ” (Ro 10:4, 6, 7, 9, 16 cp.
Is 53:2-12 cp. Ac 5:42; 8:35; 17:18). 4. Christian faith is never “blind faith” or faith in
nothing. It is always faith in the content of the message of Christ. II.
THE INTER-WORKINGS
OF EVANGELISM TO ISRAEL (18-21) A.
Israel Had Been
Evangelized (18) 1. Paul anticipates the argument that Israel could not
have heard God’s message, otherwise they would not have rejected it. 2. On the contrary (menoúnge - rather, indeed), Israel has heard even as David stated in Ps 19:4.
3. In Ps 19:4, David refers to the fact that “all the
earth” has seen God’s general revelation of God’s creation (cp. Ro 1:20),
including Israel. But Israel has also received God’s special revelation in
the Law of the Lord (cp. Ps 19:7-11). Therefore they have heard the message
of the gospel. B.
Israel is Made
Jealous by Evangelism to the Gentiles (19-20) 1. Indeed Israel has heard God’s message (vs. 18), but
they did not come to understand it (vs. 19, ginṓskō, “know,” can mean
perceive or understand). 2. Therefore, in order to help Israel understand God’s
message, God gave the same message to the Gentiles. 3. Paul cites De 32:21 to show that it was God’s
purpose to bring salvation to the Gentiles in order to make Israel jealous (parazelóō - incite
to action, provoke) and bring them
back to God. 4. The Gentiles were not a nation unto God nor did they
have the special revelation of God. Furthermore, they did not seek the Lord
but the Lord sought them (vs. 20 cp. Is 65:1). Nevertheless, it was God’s
sovereign purpose to save them and use them to reach Israel. C.
God Continued
to Evangelize Obstinate Israel (21) 1. Even though Israel rejected God’s message and
Messiah, God continued to stretch out His hand and offer salvation. 2. God said through the prophet Isaiah (Is 65:2) that
Israel remained a disobedient and obstinate people. 3. Nevertheless, God continued and continues to offer
them salvation in Christ. III.
OBSERVATIONS ON
THE INTER-WORKINGS OF EVANGELISM A.
God Evangelizes
Through a Human Vehicle 1. God is sovereign to choose how He wants to
communicate the gospel. He has chosen to use saved sinners to be the vehicle
by which the gospel message is spread (2Co 5:18). If faith comes by hearing
the message about Christ, believers must be diligent in getting the message
out. 2. It is a beautiful and precious thing in the sight of
God when believers share the gospel with a world for which Christ died. B.
God Faithfully
Evangelizes Those Who Reject Him 1. God is faithful in spreading His gospel even to
those who reject it because He wants to give man every opportunity to accept
Christ. 2. It is also the believer’s responsibility to see that
no man will be able to stand before God and say, “I never heard the gospel.” C.
God Always Has
a Purpose in Evangelism 1. Just like God’s purpose in saving Gentiles was to
make Israel jealous, so God accomplishes other purposes in evangelism. 2. Only God knows the changes in the course of history
through one individual coming to know Christ. 3. God uses each and every gospel seed planted. For
some, it will be the beginning of a work of God unto salvation. God continues
to work even in the hearts of the obstinate. 4. God also uses the gospel message that believer’s
share to confirm His judgment upon the unbelieving. |
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