Amen. Turn with me, if you would, to Acts chapter 18. Acts chapter 18. Our text for this Bible study is going to be Romans chapter 10. Lord willing, we're going to finish the verses in Romans 10, which will obviously lead us into Romans 11. That's the next chapter after Romans 10. I am, and I have always been, very interested in Romans 11. Very, very interested in Romans 11. I am not interested in prophecy. And I am not interested in predictions. I am interested in Jesus Christ and Him crucified. And that's the subject matter of Romans 11. But our Lord, with all of His New Testament Scripture, when He sent out His apostles, He gave them His Word, and they went everywhere preaching that Word, and our Lord confirmed His message. He confirmed His Word by physical things. When He sent them out, He confirmed what they said with miracles. He gave his apostles the ability to do miracles and perform things because the people of the New Testament day, that New Testament church didn't have the New Testament. It was being spoken. And the physician Luke was following the apostle Paul around, writing down what he was saying. And now we read it and we have the word of God and we believe it because this is God's word. But back then it wasn't written yet. It was being written. So God confirmed it in the hearts of people through physical things, through miracles. When people heard what these men were saying and saw what was done, they knew when God opened their eyes and gave them faith, they knew this is the Word of God. This is the Word of God. Our Lord did not just do that in New Testament times. He did it all through the Scripture. He told Abraham in Genesis, he said, your seed, your people, they are going to be in bondage for 400 years. That's what he said in Genesis. In Exodus, we read that they were. They were in bondage to the Egyptians for 430 years. Isaiah and Jeremiah said, Israel is going to be in bondage to Babylon for 70 years. Daniel wrote, we were. Nebuchadnezzar besieged us and then other kings after him. And it was 70 years. Daniel also wrote, in 490 years, from this set moment in time, in 490 years, Messiah is coming to deliver his people. 490 years later, he came. Matthew 1 says, here he is. Isaiah 7 said, a virgin shall conceive. She did. She did. Now, what if these things hadn't happened? What if they hadn't come to pass? Would we be as confirmed on these things had none of these physical things come to pass? Zechariah said, this is how you're going to know him. This is how you're going to know the one who's going to accomplish salvation for his people. You're going to see him. He's going to come riding into Jerusalem on the colt of an ass. He did. Isaiah 53 said, this is what he's going to accomplish when he comes. This is what he will bear. This is how he will suffer. This is where he's going to make his grave. And he did. He did. Isaiah also said he's not gonna fail. And he didn't. John 19, 30, he cried, it is finished. It's finished. Our Lord told his generation that he lived in, the generation of people that were on the earth while he was here, he said, before this generation passes, You're going to see the abomination of desolations that Daniel wrote about. The book of Daniel. The enemy armies are going to come in to Jerusalem and they are going to destroy this place. They're going to flatten Jerusalem. They're going to destroy this temple. Our Lord said, not one stone is going to be left standing on another one. It's recorded in the year AD 70. That's exactly what happened. So we can see how our Lord has confirmed his message with physical things. He said on many occasions, if you do not believe me because of the things you hear, believe me because of the things you see. He said that many times. Well, the Apostle Paul is telling us in Romans 10 that something has happened according to the Scriptures. Paul always said that. He died according to the Scriptures. This is how we know. He was buried according to the Scriptures. He rose again exactly according to the Scriptures. And in Romans 10, he's pointing out that something else has happened according to the Scriptures. The Scriptures said it would happen. And he said, here it is, it happened. The reason he's telling us that in Romans 10 is because he is going to tell us in Romans 11 that something has not yet happened, but it's recorded in the scriptures. Still not yet happened, but it is recorded in the scriptures. Now, I'm going to repeat to you, I'm going to say this again. I'm not here for prophecy. I'm not here for predictions. I make no prophecy. I make no predictions. We're going to leave all that to God and his apostles. God and his apostles. I'm only here to tell you what he said. I'm only here to repeat to you what his apostles have written. Through these words, I'm here to continually point all of us to the finished work of Jesus Christ and Him crucified. That's my business. That's my job. But we're gonna look today at what Paul has written in Romans 10. If the Lord is willing, maybe next week, we're going to go into Romans 11. We're going to see what he says in Romans 11. Now, I'm going to tell you what it is right now so you're not left hanging in suspense. In Romans 10, Paul is saying, God said that He was going to take His Word. He said He was going to take His Gospel, take His Spirit, take His blessing away from the Jews and he was gonna give it to the Gentiles. And Paul says, that's what has happened. That's exactly what has happened. In Romans 11, Paul says, don't be surprised when you see God take his gospel, take his spirit, take his blessing away from the Gentiles and send it back to the Jews. Not that he would take it away from someone he's already given it to, but no longer send it to the Gentile people, but in turn send it back to the Jews. Paul said, don't be surprised when you see that because that's what he has written. Paul says, if we see that happen, it's going to be glorious. It's going to be glorious. If we witness that awakening, here we Gentiles are reading in the book of Acts about the awakening that God gave to all of us, heathen rebels against Him. This mighty work of grace that God's Spirit sending His gospel to our hearts. and opening up this wonderful awakening. He said, if we see light, come back to the Jews. Light. If we see a people who have no regard for Christ, none. If we see them fall to their knees, crying out for mercy, If we see them forsake all that ritual and all that law, then it's going to be a glorious thing to say. A very glorious thing to say. All right? Acts 18. Let me read something to you here that's going to set up what Paul is saying in Romans 10. Acts 18, verse 1. After these things, Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth. and found a certain Jew named Aquila born in Pontus, lately come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome and came unto them. And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them and wrought, for by their occupation they were tent makers. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. Corinth was a Gentile nation, But there were some Jews who lived there. This Aquila and Priscilla were forced to move there. And there was a synagogue where they would all gather every Sabbath and with them were also some Gentiles, some Greeks that were persuaded over to the Jewish religion. While Paul lived there, he went every Sabbath and he preached to them, persuading Christ to them. That's what he did. persuading salvation only through His name. He went into this Jewish synagogue and He stood up and He told them plainly, salvation is only in the name and in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. That's it. Persuading that only Christ could mediate make intercession to God on behalf of his people. He persuaded them that sinners can't do it for themselves. Christ must do it for them. Paul plainly told them salvation is not through the deeds of the law that you're trying so hard to keep. He witnessed them trying so hard to keep these laws. And he said, salvation is not in that. Salvation is in the substitution of Christ for His people. Verse 4. And he reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks. And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. My center margin says is the Christ. He is the Messiah. He's the savior that God promised he would send. But the Jews, the very people who were meeting in the name of being God's chosen people, they would not hear it. They did not believe it. They rejected it. They flat rejected it. Verse five, when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. And when they opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads. I am clean, from henceforth I will go to the Gentiles." That's it, I'm turning now from the Jews to the Gentiles. And he departed thence and entered into a certain man's house named Justice, one that worshiped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue, and Crispus the chief ruler of the synagogue, They believed on the Lord with all his house, and many of the Corinthians, hearing, believed and were baptized. Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace, for I'm with thee and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee, for I have much people in this city. He's talking about Gentile people. I have much people in this city." And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the Word of God among them. So Paul first went to the Jews, but when the Jews wouldn't hear it, Paul said, I'm going to the Gentiles. I feel led to preach this message to the Gentiles because I believe God is going to give them ears to hear it. I believe they're going to bow to it. All right, now go with me to Romans 10. This chapter begins with Paul saying in verse one, brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel. He's talking about the Jews, the actual Jews, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved. I pray they might be saved. In Romans 9 verse 1, he said, I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost. I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart, for I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh. That's who he's talking about. His kinsmen according to the flesh. And what He's saying in all of this is, I'm not against them. I'm for them. I'm for them. My heart's desire and prayer to God is that they might be saved. But back in chapter 10, verse 2, He said, I bear them record that they have a zeal of God, but it's not according to knowledge. It's not according to knowledge. They don't know that they've fallen into the false religion bondage of the law. They're thinking they're doing good for God. And all they are really producing is self-righteousness. And they don't know that. They're in the error. They've fallen into the lie of being saved by doing the deeds of the law. Verse 3, for they being ignorant of God's righteousness, the one that God provided for His people. Totally ignorant of that. And going about to establish their own righteousness, they have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone that believeth. The gospel is the message. of Christ doing all the deeds, all the requirements of the law, of the judge, everything that needs to be done for His people. That's the good news of the gospel. His people, in turn, just believe it. They trust it. They rest in what He has done. But He said, sadly, the Jews have rejected the message. They're more interested in their works than Christ's works. Can't we see this today? He's talking about the Jews. Doesn't it sound like we're talking about the Gentiles? More interested in their works than Christ's works. So he said, I'm going to go preach this finished message, this complete message, this free gift salvation message to the Gentiles. Verse 11. For the scripture saith, whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. That whosoever is not just to the Jew, it's also to the Greek. Verse 12, he said, for there's no difference between the Jew and the Greek, for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. Salvation is for sinners. That's what he's saying. Salvation is for sinners. Sinners out of every tribe, nation, kindred, tongue is for sinners. Verse 13 says, for whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Whosoever, whoever calls for mercy, whoever cries out for forgiveness in his blood shall be saved. Paul said that includes the Gentiles. But he said in verse 14, how are they going to call? How are the Gentiles going to call on Him in whom they have not believed? They don't have all these advantages that the Jews were given. They don't have the ordinances and the laws. They hadn't been told. How are they gonna call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach except they be sent? As it is written, how beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. The message of Christ crucified, the victory over sin in the sacrifice of Christ, what he accomplished, that message must go out to men and women everywhere. Everywhere. So God burdened Paul's heart to do just that. He went and he preached it everywhere. He preached the promise of eternal life through the sacrifice of Christ to every nation that would listen, everyone that would hear. Go quickly with me to Ephesians 3. Ephesians 3 verse 1, it says, For this cause I, Paul, the prisoner of Jesus Christ, for you Gentiles, if you've heard of the dispensation of the grace of God which is given me to you-ward, how that by revelation He made known unto me the mystery. As I wrote afore in few words, whereby when you read you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ, which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of men, as it is now revealed unto His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, And here's what it is, that the Gentiles should be made fellow heirs and of the same body and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel. whereof I was made a minister according to the gift of the grace of God given unto me by the effectual working of his power. Unto me, who am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ." Paul said, I was ordained to this. And he told the Gentiles, you were ordained to this. God foreordained all of this. and He plainly told it in His Word. But He said it was a mystery all of that time. Total mystery. It was plainly written in black and white, but He said we couldn't see it until God revealed it in His Word. Alright, go with me back to Romans 10. The end of verse 15 says, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace and bring glad tidings of good things. But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Isaiah said, Lord, who hath believed our report? It was preached to everyone. But he said, everyone didn't believe it. And how do we know everyone didn't believe it? He said, they have not all obeyed the gospel. What is the gospel command? What does the gospel command? Here it is. Rest. That's the gospel command. Rest. Rest. Stop working. Believe on the finished work of Christ. Here's the command of the gospel. This is the gospel command. Come unto Christ. All you that labor and are heavy laden, He'll give you rest. The command is not earn your own rest, earn your own salvation. The commandment is salvations of the Lord. Believe it, rest in it. Verse 17, So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God. But I say, have they not heard? Yes, verily their sound went into all the earth and their words unto the ends of the world. But I say, did not Israel know? Shouldn't the Jews have known this? That's what he's saying. Shouldn't they have seen the declaration in God's word concerning this? He went on to say, first Moses said, I will provoke you to jealousy by them that are no people. And by a foolish nation, I will anger you." He said, I'll make you jealous and I'll provoke you to anger by sending my word to the Gentiles. Verse 20, Isaiah is very bold and he said, I was found of them that sought me not. The Gentiles, they weren't looking to me. They weren't looking for me. They weren't seeking me. He said, I was found to them that sought me not, I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me. But to Israel he said, all day long I've stretched forth my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people. What Paul is saying here is the Jews should have seen what the Lord wrote. There's no excuse. They should have seen everything that he said. A prime example is our text from last Wednesday night. If you remember our text last Wednesday night, it was, don't turn over there, it was Psalm 117, verse one. Paul quoted that verse. Turn over to Romans 15. Romans 15 verse 8, he said, now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision, the Jews, for the truth of God to confirm the promises made unto the fathers. And that the Gentiles might glorify God for His mercy as it is written for this cause, I will confess to thee among the Gentiles and sing unto thy name. He's quoting second Samuel 22 verse 50. And in the old Testament, he doesn't say Gentiles. He says heathen. He said it was plainly written, written about the heathen. Verse 10, and again he said, here he's quoting Deuteronomy 32 verse 43. Rejoice ye Gentiles with his people. There in Deuteronomy it says nations. But here Paul's saying it's Gentiles. He's talking about the Gentiles. Verse 11, this was our text last Wednesday night. Psalm 117 verse one, and again, praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles. We read it last Wednesday night, it said nations. But Paul said he's talking about the Gentiles. Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and laud Him, all ye people. Verse 12, and again, he's quoting Isaiah 11 verse 1. Isaiah said, there shall be a root of Jesse, and he that shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, in him shall the Gentiles trust. It actually says Gentiles there. So Paul was telling us it was written all through the Word. But when it happened, the Jews were shocked. It was written all through the Word. But when it happened, they were shocked. God started sending His Spirit of faith to the Gentiles. Repentance came to the Gentiles. What that means is they received a right mind. They received a changed mind. They received a new mind about God. And a new mind concerning what man really is. And a new mind concerning the only way that a sinful soul can be saved. And they bowed to Christ, the Gentiles. We do, don't we? We are, aren't we? We're bowing to Christ. The Gentiles turned from the works of their flesh and they believed on the finished work of Christ. And they saw that salvation is not of me, it's totally of Him. And when the Jews saw that happen in the Gentiles, a people who did not know Christ, did not believe on Christ, didn't acknowledge Him in any way, When they saw what God did for the Gentiles, in spite of the Gentiles, they marveled. And in Acts 11 verse 18, it says, they glorified God. When they saw it, they glorified God. They were so thankful to God for what they saw. And they said, then hath God also granted repentance to the Gentiles. Repentance unto life. Amazing. Amazing. Now, why am I telling you all this? Why is Paul telling us all this? Why is God, by the inspiration of His Spirit, telling us all this? It's because in God's Word, He would not have us to be ignorant of some things. Romans 11 is next time going to tell us that God may do that same thing again in the reverse order. Right now, the Jews don't acknowledge Christ at all. They don't want to be associated with anything that has anything to do with His name. We all know Christmas has nothing to do with Christ. But just in case, they don't want to have anything to do with it. They don't believe on Him. They don't believe He's the Messiah. They are still waiting for the Messiah to come the first time. They don't acknowledge Him. He's nothing to them. He's nothing to them. His own. He came unto His own. The Jews of the tribe of Judah. The Lion of the tribe of Judah. He's nothing to them. But turn to Romans 11. Verse 1 says, I say then, after saying all that, I say then, hath God cast away his people? God forbid. You say, well, he's talking about his spiritual people, his elect people. No doubt about it. Amen. Absolutely he is. That's who he's talking about. But they are made up of Jew elect and Gentile elect. And in Romans 10, he was talking about God's favor to the Gentiles. And in Romans 11, he's gonna talk about God's favor to the Jews. And in verse one, Paul said, I say then, hath God cast away his people? God forbid, for I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. He said, I'm a Jew and he saved me. In verse 5, He said, Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of grace. That's the glorious news of God's Word. Right now, God still has a remnant according to His election of grace. He still has a people. Jew and Gentile, Gentile and Jew. God still has a people. It doesn't matter what we are. He keeps saying there's no difference. There's no difference. We all come from the same lump. Doesn't matter whether we're Gentile or Jew. If we belong to him, we're brethren. We're brethren. So as our Lord said to his Jewish disciples, He said, don't hold back. Don't be afraid. He told Paul in Acts 18, don't you be afraid? You speak it out. You go unto all the world and preach the gospel. He told the Jews, don't forget about the Gentiles. You go to all the world and you preach the gospel. May that same command ring loud and clear in our ears right now, in our hearts right now. May God give us a heart to go preach His gospel to all the world, Gentile and Jew. Don't forget about the Jew. Somebody says, well, I'm a Jew. Doesn't mean anything to me. Let me tell you who Christ is. Let me tell you the only hope of salvation. I'm not here for predictions. I'm not here for prophecy. So my answer is, who knows? Who knows? Who knows what God's going to be pleased to do? Only God knows. But there may be a revival coming in this lifetime or a thousand years from now. Who knows? But if we see one, I promise it's going to be glorious. If we do see one, if we see sinners, no matter who they are or where they come from, If we see them fall to their knees and cry out for mercy, it's going to be glorious. It really will. We'll wait and see. All right. You're dismissed. I ran long, obviously. We'll try to have a quick turnaround.