Sermon 27

A Passion For Souls

Romans 9:1-3; 10:1

Romans 9 begins a new section is this incredible letter from Paul. There is a section on sin (1-3), a section on salvation (4), a section on security (5-8). Chapters 9-11 are all about Israel. At first glance, this section seems so different from the rest of the epistle, that many Bible students have misunderstood it. Some all but ignore it. (One preacher said that his pastor refused to preach from these 3 chapters). Others have regarded it as a parenthesis in the book that has little, if any, connection to the rest of Romans. It is my view, however, that this section of Romans is very important to the overall theme.

Throughout the letter, Paul has been anticipating objections that his readers might bring up. Knowing that they are likely to say, "But what about this", the apostle anticipates their questions and answers them before they are asked. Such is the case of Romans 9-11.

Here are the objections:

Objection #1. If salvation is and always has been by faith alone, then why are the Jews so intent on keeping the law and thinking that they can become righteous through it? Answer from Romans 9-11: Romans 11:25 - blindness ... is happened to Israel. Romans 10:3 - For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. Romans 11:3 Lord, they have killed thy prophets, and digged down thine altars... In other words, Paul says that as a nation Israel is in unbelief.

Objection #2. If God is sovereign and in control, then why is Israel, His chosen people, in unbelief? Answer from Romans 9-11: Indeed, God is in control - Romans 11:34 For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? There has always been a remnant - Romans 9:27 Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved. God is not finished with Israel. Romans 11:2 - God hath not cast away his people. 11:26 - all Israel shall be saved...

This section, though it seems to be about the nation of Israel, is still centered on the theme that justification is by faith in Christ and that our sovereign God is in control.

Pulsing through this passage also is clearly a revealing of Paul's passion for his people to be saved. It is evident in the entire section. That is, especially, how Romans 9 begins. And so, it is where we will begin today. (Read texts).

It is significant that the evangelistic heartthrob with which Romans 9 begins follows the Spirit-filled life of Romans 8. Living in the Spirit will naturally lead to a passion for souls, especially for family and friends.

Let me ask for a show of hands: How many of you have a loved one who is not a Christian? This message is for you. From Paul's personal example, we can identify three attributes of one who has a passion for souls.

It Must Be Real! - v. 1.

"I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness ..." In other words, Paul starts off by saying three times, in three different ways, "I'm telling you the truth!" He is emphasizing that the passion he has for Israel is real. It is not a show; it is not an act; it is not words in a letter to a church; it is for real.

The reality of this passion can be traced to two factors:

"In Christ" - To be a Christian, to be "in Christ", to be in a personal relationship with Jesus Christ, is to love what Christ loves and thus, to be inseparably associated with a passion for souls. Jesus Christ, sees the multitude and is moved with compassion because of their need. If you do not have a real concern for your loved ones to be saved, I have some real question about the reality of your relationship with Christ.

"My Conscience" - As Christians, we must be concerned with our conscience. A conscience is to your heart what a watchdog is to your property. It warns you of dangerous intruders. I read, once about a lady who had a watchdog, but the problem was that her watchdog was always asleep. Strangers would come to her door and her guard dog in the yard hadn't barked because it was sound asleep. As a solution, the woman bought a pesky duck which kept the watchdog awake! Is your watchdog awake? Has your conscience gone to sleep? As a Christian, you conscience needs to be sensitive. And just as it keeps you from lying or from stealing, it should also create in you a passion for people to be saved.

A passion for souls must be real. But the truth is that is something which can easily be faked. Is your passion for souls real or is it something which you put on and take off, like your shoes, because it serves a purpose? Got lost loved ones? Your passion for their soul must be real!

It Must Be Regular! - v. 2.

Paul said, "I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart." The heaviness was great. The heartbreak was continual. For Paul, every day the weight grew heavier and heavier. Everyday the heartache went deeper and deeper.

The truth is that often the opposite is true for us. Our passion for souls is not continual. It is not regular. It is, at best, occasional. It is spasmodic. It is intermittent. We feel it from time to time but not continually.

Perhaps in the glow of our first love, when we were first saved, we were eager to win the lost. We prayed. We watched. We sought. We shared. We witnessed. We preached. We were bold. The fires were burning hot. But that was a long time ago. The fire has cooled considerably now. The weight of our burden for the lost doesn't seem as heavy. Perhaps we have laid it aside entirely. Oh, for sure, from time to time a revival, a conference, a camp, an especially moving sermon, a death, a tragedy, an event, stirs up the fire of passion for a while but, like smoke, it appears and then it is quickly gone.

That's not passion for souls. That, my friend, is momentary emotion. This passion for souls of which Paul writes is real and it is regular!

It Must Be Redemptive! - v. 3.

"For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh." Here is where we really begin to flounder. The words of truth and experience find their deepest level here. A word which describes what Paul is stating here is the word "redemptive." "I could wish myself ... accursed ... from Christ." That statement is beyond us. We cannot understand it. All we can say is that Paul was prepared to go to hell, if by that means his kinsmen could be saved. Such a desire could never be fulfilled because it would involve the robbery of himself from the Lord who bought him; and having been redeemed, he could not be lost. While it could never happen, what Paul is intending to convey is he extraordinary sacrifice to which he was willing to go for his loved ones to be saved.

Christ, the Savior, tasted death for every man (Hebrews 2:9). Thank God, such a tasting of death has never to be repeated. There is an aspect in which the redemptive work of Christ is that which no one can share.

And yet, there is a sense in which as we share the fellowship of the sufferings of Christ, that we can love so deeply and give ourselves completely because we are passionate for souls. The nearest that I could come to expressing the redemptive passion of Paul for his people is something which every parent can understand. When my daughters, all three of them, lay writhing in severe pain, following a automobile accident - Sarah's stomach from where the seatbelt had cut her intestines, Larah's mouth from some broken teeth and Leah's back - I would have gladly and instantly taken their place, if it had been possible and had meant they could have been spared. Admittedly, I would not feel that level of love and passion for just anyone, but I felt it for my children, as you would also. Though it wasn't possible, I honestly wished for it. And that is the way that Paul felt on a spiritual level for his unbelieving Jewish kinsmen.

Though Paul's primary ministry was to the Gentiles (in fact, here in Romans 11:13, he referred to himself as "the apostle of the Gentiles"), the passion expressed here is for his own people, his kinsmen according to the flesh, who are Israelites.

So how was it revealed? God's call upon Paul's life (that is, to go to the Gentiles) limited his opportunities to reach his own people, but, according to 10:1 his "heart's desire" could be manifest by his "prayer to God." He might not have the opportunity to physically minister to Jews, he certainly could pray for their salvation. And he did!

Our prayers truly do reveal the passions of our heart. So what are you praying for? Perhaps, I need to back up a couple of steps and first ask, "Are you praying?" You ought to be. And your prayers should not mostly be for physical, material things (good health; enough money, etc.). The primary content of our prayers should be for spiritual things - especially for our lost loved ones to be saved.

We need a passion for souls! A passion that is real. A passion that is regular. A passion that is redemptive (sacrificial) that drives us to our knees in prayer. Perhaps today you need to ask the Father for such a passion. If it's not there, why not? Is your own relationship with Christ real? Is your conscience awake? Is your passion for souls just occasion? Perhaps as a church we need to ask the Lord to give us a passion for souls that is continual. Maybe there is some loved one that you need to specifically cry out to God for. Maybe what you need to ask God for is courage to be bold witness or for a help with a lifestyle that will make your words worth something. Whatever it is that we need to ask for, now is the time.