August 9 2009    Reading:  Romans 10

 Theme: The rejection of the Gospel (2).......

Imagine if we could take a camera team along the old cobbled streets of Corinth, just like they do in one of those holiday programmes. What would we see ? Something like this. A city square with some important looking buildings on it, and one or two statues. And then, to the side, a narrow cobbled street, with crowds strolling up and down it. As we go up it, just here on the right are great sacks of corn, and vegetables, apples, plums. This must be a greengrocers. Across the way in the shade is a butcher’s shop, doesn’t look all that hygeinic - there’s the butcher standing, cutting his way through great piece of steak, as a woman tells him how she would like it cut. Next door, a shop selling spices and herbs. There are dried herbs hanging in rows outside, tied on ropes. It smells just wonderful. Just by the look of the street you could guess right away that this looks like a Greek town. Corinth. In its great days as a sea port.

Suddenly we turn off down a small passageway, at the back of some houses, and we are into the working heart of the town, where all the workshops are. There is a lot of banging and shouting, which gets louder as you pass the door of a workshop making iron nails. Then there is another big building next door, where they seem to be turning out loaves of bread.

Another fifty yards or so further on, and it gets quieter. We come to an open courtyard with huge sheets of canvas hanging over long wooden poles in the sunshine. Above the door, it says ‘Sail and tentmaker’. Stepping into the courtyard, and then inside into the workshop in the corner, you can see there are five people, three of them at work. A man of about thirty who is sewing a seam on a sail with a huge needle. A woman, of about the same age, is adding up figures on a big piece of parchment. Two men sit in the corner chatting. And a middle aged man, small, weatherbeaten, is patiently sewing a rope into the corner of a sail, using hundreds of tight stitches to hold it there. The younger man and woman are Aquila, and his wife Priscilla. They have come from Rome in the past couple of years. The middle aged man, is the apostle Paul.

What is Paul doing here in this workshop ? Shouldn’t he be out on the open road, travelling, always travelling with the good news of Jesus Christ ? Well, Paul, has arrived here from Athens, where the Athenian debating society could make little or nothing of the good news. Now, he is here with Aquila and Priscilla, with dear friends. Aquila and Priscilla are a Christian couple, and like Paul, workers in heavy canvas for tents or sails. The two men deep in conversation are Silas and Timothy, who arrived from Macedonia about a month ago.

Supporting himself here, Paul was able, until recently, to speak every Sabbath day at the synagogue a few streets away, proclaiming Jesus Christ, and His Cross, Just as we imagine him doing.

But, about ten days ago, on the Sabbath day, there was a decisive moment. The minute Paul began to speak, there were shouts from the audience, hecklers began to chant. There was uproar in the synagogue. Chaos, though the leader of the synagogue supported Paul, the rest of the congregation began to leave the building. Paul, indefatigable, stood outside and said: “Your blood be on your own heads. I am clear of my responsibility. From now on I will go to the peoples of the earth”.

The following week, Paul preached in the house of the leader of the synagogue and

to the leader’s family and servants, and some of the ordinary people of Corinth.

But now Paul sits, working, all the time thinking, pondering what had happened ?

What is the meaning of all this ?

The Jews are the people of God with two thousand years of history behind them

The people of Israel. Theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the

law, the temple worship and the promises.

Theirs are the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and it was from Israel that Jesus Christ Himself came, yet...... yet, here - in the synagogue in Corinth, as in so many others, they

have rejected the good news of Jesus and His Cross

What had happened ?

As God had promised, a new era has opened for Israel first, and then for the whole world: now, there is no difference between Jew and Gentile

now, "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will

be saved."

yet so many Jews, in so many synagogues, reject this wonderful message

What has happened ?

So, here Paul sits, in the quiet of the workshop, pondering these things. At home in his lodgings he will study the Scriptures, and ponder further, far into the night.

What has happened ? Israel has rejected the Good News.

Why ?

Well, perhaps the problem lay in the way that Paul put the gospel across:

Perhaps he wasn’t interesting enough, didn’t have that charisma that a great speaker should, to hold his audience, have them weep one moment, laugh another, first serious, then joyful............. perhaps that was the problem........

One of the criticisms made of Paul by people in Corinth,

was this: when Paul is with us in person, he is weak, and his words are nothing........

But Paul always insisted that what matters is the message of the Gospel, not flowery words, or great soaring language,

what matters is the wonderful message of Jesus Christ, and His Cross,

the power of the Cross,

where Jesus has dealt with our sin………….. yours and mine,

He took our place there, He took our sins there, he took the judgment that should have been ours............ and took away all our guilt............

This is a message of immense and wonderful power,

to know the Cross of Jesus is to know forgiveness,

healing, the fountain of life............

the Cross, as Paul says, is the power of God

‘The weapons we use in our fight are not the world’s weapons, but God’s.......’

Perhaps the real truth of God’s word just went over people’s heads

But Paul says:

"The word is near you; the word of faith we

are proclaiming: the word is near you..............

If you confess that, "Jesus is Lord,"

and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead,

you will be saved.

To know Jesus as Lord of your life, Lord of all,

to know that God has raised him from the dead, is so simple.........

and the gospel message is simple, so simple,

As Paul says: believe in your heart ...Jesus... you will be saved.

You will find salvation........

Yes, there are great mountain ridges, high country of the gospel,

where there are deep and high things

that we can struggle with all our minds to try and understand,

but the gospel message is simple, so simple,

As Paul says: believe in your heart ...Jesus... you will be saved.

Believe Him, Jesus, who calls to you, and says

Come to me, all you who are heavy laden, and I will give you rest,

you will find rest for your souls...........

the gospel message is simple, so simple

Paul would have pondered all these things.................

What had happened, why had so many in Israel rejected the good news about Jesus ?

the wonderful message of Jesus Christ, and His Cross,

the gospel message, so simple ?

Well, the answer Paul gives, is quite astonishing............

and very, very deep...........

What had happened, why had so many in Israel rejected the good news about Jesus ?

Paul’s answer is that this is within God’s purposes,

this is within God’s loving purposes for the world

In Romans chapter 8, Paul wrote this...........

We know, that in all things God works for good with those who love Him,

those whom He has called according to His purpose...........

Yes, the situation is difficult, there is opposition on every hand for Paul,

and his work, his task, his life is becoming more difficult as each day passes,

how great is my sorrow, how endless the pain in my heart for my people ! he says,

but beyond all this, for Paul,

the whole situation, where he is hunted from city to city, opposed, shouted down,

this whole situation is, he knows, is in God’s care,

even this drastic situation with all its difficulties,

this situation is in God’s care..................

we know, declares Paul, that in all things God works for good with those who love Him.

of course, you and I know situations that are difficult,

where our work, our task, our life becomes, like Paul’s,

more difficult as each day passes...............

but each and every one of these situations is set in what is much wider,

God’s care,

we know that in all things God works for good with those who love Him.

He gave us His Son, will He not also freely give us all things ?

AMEN.