SERMON SPOTLIGHT * 9/13/26
Israel had all the privileges of the old covenant, yet it was meaningless because they missed the one thing they absolutely needed—Jesus. Below is an outline summary of the sermon for your further study and deeper reflection.
SERIES: ROMANS: The Power of God in the Gospel of Jesus Christ
TEXT: Romans 9:1-5
TITLE: Don’t Miss Jesus
PREACHER: Derek Overstreet
BIG IDEA: Jesus is everything, and without him we have nothing. Don’t miss Jesus!
POINTS:
I. Jesus is Everything
II. Everything Points to Jesus
SERMON EXCERPTS:
All quotes and text emphasis are taken directly from the pastor’s notes.
ILLUSTRATION: Stranded in the desert with everything but WATER - the one thing you need to live!
“Today we will see that this is Israel's tragedy. They had all the privileges of the old covenant, yet it was meaningless because they missed the one thing they absolutely needed—Jesus.”
“Paul spent the first eight chapters of Romans to show that the ground is level at the cross. Jew or Gentile, all have sinned, all are under God’s wrath, and all have only one hope—the gospel of Jesus Christ, God’s power unto salvation. No matter who you are or where you come from, faith in Jesus is the only way anyone can be declared righteous and justified in God's eyes.”
“That leaves one big question—How is the gospel consistent with God’s promises to Israel in the OT and His plan throughout salvation history? Romans 9-11, one of the most debated sections in the NT, answers that question. Here’s what we learn today: Jesus is everything, and without him we have nothing. Don’t miss Jesus!”
“We can experience all the joys and privileges of being part of the church, but without faith in Jesus, it’s all meaningless because it’s Christless. If we’re not careful, Israel’s tragedy can be ours.”
“Paul begins Ch 9 shockingly. With a stroke of the pen, he moves from joyful assurance in 8:31-39 to intense anguish. It’s as if he anticipates the shock of his reader, so he frames his anguish in 1, saying—look at it with me—I am speaking the truth in Christ—I am not lying; my conscience bears me witness in the Holy Spirit. In other words, I know this sounds radical, but it’s no joke. Paul’s grief isn’t for effect. His sorrow is real, his anguish is deep, and his concerns are grounded in truth from the Spirit. He wants his readers to get it. So what is the source of his great sorrow and unceasing anguish?”
“The source of Paul’s anguish is that many of his fellow Jews are cut off from Christ. The word Paul uses for accursed in 3 is anathema. Paul doesn’t use the word anathema often, but when he does, it’s not good. (1 Corinthians 16:22, Galatians 1:9)”
“To be anathema or accursed is to be cut off from Christ, which means being spiritually damned without hope. Paul’s fellow Jews are lost and under God’s condemnation, and this deeply grieves Paul. So much so that he would, if he could, trade places with them. Of course, he knows he can’t, because, as he just said in the preceding verses—Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus.”
RUNNING APPLICATION: Paul’s heart for his unsaved fellow Jews is both commendable and convicting. It should compel us to examine our hearts toward the lost in our lives. Do you agonize over the fate of the lost? Do you carry a burden for the unsaved? Or are you indifferent toward them? Do you sit in self-righteous judgment of the unbelievers in your life, or do you grieve over their condition?
ILLUSTRATION: Older man in the coffee shop
“This needs continual evaluation. It sounds like a good CG discussion. If I believe what the Bible teaches about the holiness of God, the sinfulness of man, and the judgment of hell, but I don’t grieve over the lost—why not?”
“At the heart of Romans 9-11 is God’s sovereignty in saving sinners. But the doctrine of election should not make us indifferent to the lost; it should give us a heart for them, knowing God will save whom he will save.”
“When we see God in His sovereignty and holiness, and we see others in their sin, just like we were, and we know what our sin deserves and where it ultimately leads us, and we know what Christ has done for us, it should give us a heart of grief and compassion for the lost. It did for Paul, and it should for us.”
“Nothing is more serious in this world than being outside of Christ, and nothing in this world matters more than being united to Christ by faith. Jesus is everything!”
“Paul’s anguish runs so deep because of everything God has given to them as His people. He rattles off numerous spiritual privileges that belong to Israel as God’s people. Let’s briefly look at each one…”
“Adoption: This adoption language goes back to the Exodus. In His love and mercy, God led the Jewish people out of Egypt and redeemed them as His own. As Hosea 11:1 says—Out of Egypt I called my son. This was not an individual adoption like the NT adoption in Ch. 8. That adoption comes through faith in Jesus and guarantees personal salvation to all who believe. Israel’s adoption was corporate. Out of all the nations, God chose to brand Israel as His people who would serve Him and be a blessing to others. What a privilege.”
“Glory: Israel had the privilege of being the people among whom God dwelt. This has always marked God’s relationship with His people—His presence with them. Think of the fiery cloud in the Exodus, God’s presence at Mt. Sinai, or the Ark of the Covenant, first in the tabernacle and then in the Temple. This is where God’s glory, His supernatural majesty, was manifested—in the presence of Israel and no other nation. What a privilege.”
“Covenants: The covenants, those strategic moments in redemptive history when God said in different ways—You will be my people, and I will be your God—from Adam to David—belonged to Israel.”
“Giving of the Law: After leading them out of Egypt, God led Israel to Mt. Sinai, where for the very first time He gave them His written word. He did not leave them to figure out who He is and how they should live for Him. He graciously gave them His Word. What an amazing privilege.”
“Worship: Paul probably has the temple worship system in mind. The priesthood rituals. The animal sacrifices. The festivals. All of these were central to God’s people entering God's presence to praise Him.”
“Promises: God is the God of promise. His ultimate promise in Genesis 3, where God promised that the seed of Eve would crush the serpent, was the first promise of the gospel. Then from Abraham to the patriarchs to the prophets, God was and is faithful to His promises.”
“There’s actually one more privilege. It’s different from the others. Instead of belonging to them, Paul says it comes from them—read 5.”
“Paul’s words are stunning. This Jesus, the Messiah whom the Jews have rejected and been cut off from, comes from their own flesh. He comes from the lineage of Abraham, Moses, and David. Yet he is far greater. He is God in the flesh. Paul declares this emphatically at the end of 5 when he says—Christ who is God over all.”
“They missed Jesus. This is what breaks Paul’s heart. Amid all their rules and religion, they missed Jesus. The privileges of 5, as glorious as they are, were all pointers to Christ and are ultimately nothing unless you are joined to Christ by faith.”
“They missed Jesus, so they have nothing. That’s what Paul is saying here. Your privileges are real. They are precious. They matter. But if you haven’t embraced Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, it doesn't matter what privileges and advantages you have. You don’t have Christ. And if you don’t have Christ, you don’t have God and all His promises and blessings.”
“That’s the source of Paul’s grief and the tragedy of a Christless religion. It’s just as relevant to us as it was to the church in Rome.
You can come to church every Sunday and miss Jesus
You can read the Bible every day and miss Jesus
You can have deep theological conversation and miss Jesus
You can attend CG and miss Jesus
You can have great morals and miss Jesus
You can have all the Christian traditions and miss Jesus
You can give generously and miss Jesus
You can serve everywhere all the time and miss Jesus”
“For the young people:
You can grow up in a gospel-centered home and miss Jesus.
You can attend youth faithfully and miss Jesus.
You can be homeschooled or attend Christian school and miss Jesus.”
“Don’t miss Jesus, because without him you have nothing. Your religion is Christless, which makes it meaningless. Are you missing Jesus? If you are, come to him now through repentance and faith.”
RUNNING APPLICATION: Maybe you haven’t missed Jesus, but you have misplaced him. You love Jesus as your Savior, but if you're honest, he’s getting lost in the shuffle of your life. Every Sunday, you leave him in this room instead of taking him with you. You have Christ, yet your life seems Christless. You are like the Ephesians in Revelation 2:4, to whom Jesus says you have abandoned the love you had at first. Come back to Jesus today and lay it all down.”
“If you get stranded in the desert, it doesn’t matter what supplies you have; without water, you have nothing. When it comes to faith, without Jesus, it’s all meaningless. But with Jesus, you have everything you’ll ever need for a life of joy, meaning, peace, and an eternity with God. Jesus is everything, and without him we have nothing—Don’t miss Jesus!”
ADDITIONAL SCRIPTURE:
This is what the Jews missed. In all their glorious privileges, they missed Jesus:
According to Matthew 2:15, Jesus is the focus and fulfillment of Israel’s adoption.
According to John 1:14, Jesus is the presence of divine glory with God’s people. He condescended to our world, born a man, while remaining fully God.
Through his saving work on the cross, Jesus is the climax of the covenants, ushering in a new covenant, as Matthew 26:28 states, with his blood.
As 10:4 says, Jesus is the goal and fulfillment of the law, keeping it perfectly and providing the righteousness God demands of us.
As the letter to the Hebrews powerfully proclaims, Jesus fulfills the priesthood and is the ultimate once-for-all sacrifice that all other sacrifices pointed to.
As 2 Cor 1:20 says, Jesus fulfills and confirms all of God’s promises, making them Yes and Amen in him.
QUOTES:
John Stott - “One would think that Israel, favored with these blessings, prepared and educated for centuries for the arrival of her Messiah, would recognize and welcome him when he came.”
SCRIPTURE MEMORIZATION:
Romans 8 (entire chapter)
SONGS FROM THIS SUNDAY:
All I Have Is Christ
Christ Is Mine Forevermore
Christ Our Hope In Life And Death
All Glory Be Forever
I Need You
NEXT WEEK’S PASSAGE:
James 2:10 - Bridge
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