Theme:
The rejection of the Gospel (3).......
Heritage, history,
tradition, a
once in a lifetime opportunity for homecoming
all of these came
together on the 25th. and 26th. of
July, at the Gathering
which took place in
The idea
was to bring together from around the world those with Scottish ancestry and
those with a love of
There had been many worries
beforehand, as to how many would turn up, and whether the weather would be
good..............but in the end, worries turned out to be groundless........over
47,000 Scots people from around the world gathered in Edinburgh on the Saturday
and Sunday for the world's largest clan meeting and Highland Games Scots, and on the Saturday
evening some 20,000 lined the streets of the Royal Mile as 8,000 took part in the
Clan Parade.
Peter Lederer, Chairman of
visit
Lord Sempill, one of the directors
of The Gathering said: "This has exceeded my wildest expectations. It has
been a truly wonderful occasion.... an historic occasion and a once in a life
time opportunity." for a homecoming..............
Heritage, history,
tradition, a
once in a lifetime opportunity for homecoming
Actually, these were some of
the things Paul was thinking through in the quiet of the
Tent and Sailmaker’s workshop
in
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.
Heritage, history,
tradition, and
a once in a lifetime opportunity for a homecoming, and we could add to that - a
deep mystery............
Heritage, history and tradition,
that’s what Paul is talking
about in the letter to the Romans
Two thousand years of
heritage, history and tradition.................
The Jews are the people of God
with two thousand years of history behind them
The people of
law, the temple worship
and the promises.
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, are
their, and it was from
and a once in a lifetime opportunity for a homecoming,
Well, the good news that Paul
preached, was that there was a new era now beginning
Just as God had promised, a new era had
opened. The whole world invited to come home to the living God.
and the
mystery ? the deep mystery............
This is what Paul spends so much time
praying over, meditating, pondering
here in the synagogue in
they have rejected the
good news of Jesus and His Cross
so many
Jews, in so many cities have rejected this wonderful message
This is the mystery
?
Now why ?
why had they rejected the Good News of Jesus ?
Was it the way that Paul spoke ?
Paul was always the first to
acknowledge that he didn’t have great charisma as a public speaker,
in fact, he took joy in the fact:
What counted for Paul was the message
of the Gospel, not flowery words, or great soaring language,
what mattered always and
still matters is the wonderful message of Jesus Christ, and His Cross, a message of immense and wonderful power,
healing, and life............
the Cross, as Paul says, that holds in itself the power of God, not flowery
words,
or a great flowing of wonderful speech.........
was it over their heads ?
No, insists Paul,
"The word is near you; the word of
faith we
are proclaiming: the word
is near you..............
the gospel message is
simple, so simple,
As Paul says: believe
in your heart ...Jesus... you will be saved.
No, in fact, in the synagogues,
in
and
among Paul’s own people
they understood the gospel well enough, it seems,
but
there was outright opposition to it !
this
is the deep mystery Paul is pondering..............
Down through long ages, the prophets had complained of the hardness of the people, their refusal to believe......... Jesus Himself had often spoken about this,
and
Paul says: how great is my sorrow, how endless the pain in my heart for my people !
So some might have asked........
well,
if
perhaps
God will reject
Is that the way God works ?
What does Paul say ? Has God rejected
No ! not at all, “God’s
gifts and His call are irrevocable,” says Paul (11 v. 29).
He is the God of steadfast faithfulness, declares the Bible,
there is no shadow of turning with Him.............
His promise made to
But what Paul goes on to say,
is quite astonishing..............
looking
out wider and wider still....... the letter to the Romans declares
this.........
Even though so many in
even this
is within God’s purposes,
even this is within God’s loving purposes for the world
because
salvation
has come instead to all the peoples of the earth ! to
us !
for God’s purposes for the world cannot be diverted or halted..............
truly,
as Paul once wrote:
We know, that in all things God works for good ...........
even
the rejection by
There is a message here for us today, isn’t there ?
There are deep concerns within the Church that so many men and women in
seem to be turning away from the good news of Jesus Christ and His Cross.......
and on every hand there are countless ideas and suggestions as to what can
be done about this.............
but if we listen to the letter to the Romans we can say this........
even this turning away from the Church and the good news is in God’s care,
God’s purposes for the world
cannot be diverted or halted..............
and we know, that in all things God works for good ...........
The
The river, dividing, then coming back together.
This is what the letter to the Romans declares,
That the great force of God’s purposes for the world cannot be diverted or halted..............
but
there will come a day when both will come back together..............
in God’s purposes..............
Romans, declares that
there is coming a glorious day, when, in God’s purposes
when
all the peoples of the earth have been called home, then
but
there will come a day when both
Little wonder, then, that
Paul closes in a great hymn to God’s wisdom and love, as we do too: O the
depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God. How unsearchable his judgments !