Paul had a deep, passionate love for the Jewish people because he had a deep, passionate love for God.  It was poured out into his heart by the Holy Spirit. There are two key marks of a true believer: one who has a passionate love for…

●  the lost. If you have the Spirit of God living within you and you desire for the lost to know Christ then that Spirit is not going to be settled in you when you come across somebody who does not know Him.  You will have a desire to share that message with them so that they can experience the same love of God that has been poured out into your heart through the Holy Spirit.

●  God’s people, the people of Israel.

As we begin to look at Romans 9, we must ask ourselves whether the way we live our lives demonstrates a genuine love for our Lord?  Are we engaging the world as a true expression of that love or have we isolated ourselves from the lost world, calling the genuineness of that love into question?  We must be engaging the world!  This passage of Scripture should begin to drive out our apathy for the lost.  The practical application of our security, as seen in Romans 8, is that we should have a passion for the lost, a natural overflow of that security.  When we go out into the world at any given time, our hearts should be burdened for someone we may encounter that day who is lost, separated from God.  We should see our lives as one giant opportunity to speak on behalf of Christ, as His ambassadors.  Our theology should inform our hearts so that we act, so that we help the world understand who God is and what He requires of them.

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“I am speaking the truth in Christ–I am not lying: my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit–² that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart.  ³ For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.  ⁴ They are Israelites, and to them belong the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, the worship, and the promises.  ⁵ To them belong the patriarchs, and from their race, according to the flesh, is the Christ, who is God over all, blessed forever.  Amen.” (Romans 9:1-5, ESV)

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1. The Evidence of Passion (v1) Paul has three witnesses.
   1. The witness of Jesus - All of Paul’s emotions, all of his thoughts, all of his actions are coming from the union he has with Christ.  They are both informed and affirmed by God.  He was so confident in what he was saying it was as if Christ was standing beside him confirming everything he was saying.  Paul frequently called God to testify on His behalf.  (Romans 1:9-10, 2 Corinthians 11:31, 2 Timothy 4:1) In this passage, Paul would gladly summon Christ to testify regarding his passionate love for Israel.

Application: Can you call Christ to testify for your passion for the lost?  Can you begin your presentation of the gospel in the same way as Paul?  Can Christ look at your life and say that this is my beloved child who passionately loves the lost?  If Christ can be this witness for you, there is absolutely no way you will not see fruit in your evangelism!  We need to be equipped for evangelism; but, you simply cannot program this level of passion!  Most methods of teaching evangelism are absent this passion, this genuine love for the lost. Everywhere you go, are you ready to passionately present the gospel in genuine love?  People will know if you really care.

Can you appeal to the next witness Paul calls to testify?

II. The witness of the conscience - Paul’s conscience is clear.  “Conscience” is our moral awareness that God has granted to every person at birth (Romans 2:14-15).  God has written His law on every human’s heart.  By living a consistent, obedient life, by continually reminding himself of the things of the Lord, by filling himself with the truth of God’s word, Paul was able to cultivate a clear conscience.  Paul tells us he was able to keep his conscience clear.  “For our boast is this, the testimony of our conscience, that we behaved in the world with simplicity and godly sincerity, not by earthly wisdom but by the grace of God, and supremely so toward you.” (2 Corinthians 1:12, ESV) His conscience was clear because he behaved in a very specific way.  It was not Paul’s conscience on its own that made it reliable, made it clear but, rather, because his conscience was redeemed, informed and then lived under submission to God.  It is imperative that we cultivate a clear conscience so that we can call it to testify on our behalf.

Application: How is this cultivation done?  Do not neglect the fellowship, practice the “one anothers”, be students of the Word, understand Godly sorrow, live in a constant state of repentance, inform your mind with the truth of God and allow that truth to push out your own opinions and philosophies, do not cause a brother or sister in Christ who is weaker in faith to stumble.

III. The witness of the Holy Spirit - His conscience is clear because he is energized and empowered by the Holy Spirit.  He is walking in the Spirit.  You are living your life in submission to the Word of God and through this submission the Spirit is driving sin out of your life and building a sensitivity to your conscience.  The Holy Spirit works in concert with your conscience to guide you into all truth (John 16:13).

Application: The question to ask then, can you trust your own conscience?  Is your own conscience under Divine control?  As you go about doing the things of life, as the Spirit works in you, does your conscience commend or condemn your intentions?  Can you stand before God and have the Holy Spirit testify that your conscience is clear and that you have a passionate love for the lost?  Is your passion for the lost equal to that of Christ’s passion for the lost?  Another way to look at “in Christ”.  Would Christ say, “Amen”, to everything that I say?  If not, then why?  Have you not been granted grace, have you not experienced the kindness of God, do you know and understand the secure, eternal love God has for you?  If you do not think much about the lost, do not care to be inconvenienced or uncomfortable or want to jeopardize your income, if you try to do your best to isolate yourself from the world, then you must ask yourself, “Do you know God, do you know Christ?”  You are making the gospel second to your comforts.  Our lights are supposed to shine!  Do you see the sharing of the gospel a very special privilege, your main objective (purpose) in life?  If you are numb to sharing your faith, maybe your conscience has been seared.

II. The Extent of Passion (vv 2-3)

1. An ongoing burden (v2) - Paul’s was an immense sorrow, a deep, heavy, weighty pain.  Jesus describes this same sorrow, “When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born in the world.” (John 16:21, ESV) This sorrow Paul expresses is the same sorrow of childbirth.
2. An unceasing grief (v2) - Painful, agonizing, unstoppable, constant, consistent, weighty pain.  Remember: this is the sorrow that Paul has for unbelief.

For consideration: When was the last time you experienced a similar pain?  And is that pain equated to a lost soul or is that related to a life change or an inconvenience or a comfort you had to forfeit or a health issue?  There is a weightiness that we should feel when pondering eternal judgment.  As believers, we should understand with great clarity the reality of eternal judgment, which should put a weightiness on us.  We should carry that weight with us!  However, this is contrary to the culture in which we live.

There is a caution: our motives in carrying this kind of burden can be called into question by God.  What are the motives for wanting someone close to us to be saved?  For whose benefit: ours or God’s?  Is it for the glory of God alone?  Is having this clear conscience how we want our lives to be lived out as we share the gospel and pray for the salvation of the lost?

1. Christ had a great love for the lost; grief over unbelief.  We see in Matthew 9:36 Christ’s compassion for the crowds was a yearning from the bowels, something that made Him sick to think about.  This is the reality of the God we serve, the God who people say is disconnected from the world.  He took on human form, He experienced human emotions and now sits at the right hand interceding for those sharing the gospel with a great burden…He knows exactly what it feels like!)  Paul is saying his grief for the lost is consistent with that of his Lord.
2. Then, Paul expresses an astounding desire that God consider him, exchange him for damnation, for destruction, in order to save the people of Israel (v3) He would trade his conversion for that of the people of Israel.  And Paul says this with a clear conscience.  In Exodus 32:31-32, Moses prayed the same prayer.  Both Paul and Moses knew this exchange was not possible but it was on their hearts.  We should have the same thought in our hearts, too.  Are we even willing to say that to God?  This is Basic Christianity 101, take up your cross (to death) daily and follow me.
3. When is Christ’s return?  We do not know but, Romans 11:25 gives us a clue: “Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”  Sacrifice your time, energy and resources to share the gospel and when the last Gentile is saved, Christ will return and salvation will come to Israel.

For consideration: Find a person who is willing to go to hell to see souls saved and you will find a person who is unstoppable for God!  And a person in whom you would see abounding fruit in his/her ministry.  If you have love and grief for the lost, you do not need a course in evangelism.

III. The Esteem of Passion (vv 4-5) - we will save this evidence for next week.

There is nothing mechanical, robotic or academic about salvation or about sharing the gospel because God’s love is not mechanical, robotic or academic. Where are your affections for God?  Where they are will be played out in your life. Your evangelism is a direct reflection of your love for God.  If you do not like what God has shown you, pray that He will plow the hardened earth of your heart, ready to receive new life.

In closing, with regards to the lost, and the people of Israel:

●  What has God revealed to you regarding the condition of your heart?

●  Can you with confidence say that Christ is ready to stand at your side and affirm your passion, your grief for them?

●  What has to change in your life so that God can produce in you this same clear conscience?

Father, we thank you for your truth, which is weighty at times, because we are confronted with the reality of where we are, where our gaps are.  But, we praise You, God, because Your grace covers those. Your mercies are new every morning, every moment, every day.  So, Father may we be a people who respond to this word to be obedient to the gospel of Christ in their hearts. Through that obedience, Father, grant us fruit  that we are able to see.  Encourage in our faith, build us up, for Your glory so that we would be able to understand and experience Your love for us in a new way.  In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.