The Gospel is for Everyone

The Gospel is for Everyone
August 8th

Mark 7:24-30
And from there he arose and went away to the region of Tyre and Sidon. And he entered a house and did not want anyone to know, yet he could not be hidden. But immediately a woman whose little daughter had an unclean spirit heard of him and came and fell down at his feet. Now the woman was a Gentile, a Syrophoenician by birth. And she begged him to cast the demon out of her daughter. And he said to her, “Let the children be fed first, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered him, “Yes, Lord; yet even the dogs under the table eat the children’s crumbs.” And he said to her, “For this statement you may go your way; the demon has left your daughter.” And she went home and found the child lying in bed and the demon gone.

The Gospel of Mark is an account that speaks to the Gentiles.  Jesus’ earthly ministry was focused on reaching the Jews. This text demands an explanation of the interplay between Israel and the Church… 

Main Idea: The Gospel is for everyone.

In fact, God had always planned for the whole world to be reached:

I. The Nation of Israel was to be God’s chosen vessel to reach the world.

We see it in the Abrahamic Covenant
Genesis 12:1-3 - Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

A. God selects Abraham to make a nation that was to reach the world.  
B. While God selected Abraham to be at the foundation of this blessed nation, it wasn’t just for the Nations benefit, it was to be a testimony to the world.
C. Isaiah 49:6 - he says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
D. Isaiah 60:3 - And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.
E. Israel was privileged to be able to join God on His mission to reach the world.

II. Jesus’ ministry was primarily focused on reaching the Jews so that they could take part in reaching the world.

Jesus continued the offer to the Jews the privilege to join Him in reaching the nations. But many of the Jews rejected Him.  Early in the Church, we see a shift happening where some of the apostles start to focus gospel proclamation to the Gentiles.

Acts 13:44-48 - The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and began to contradict what was spoken by Paul, reviling him. And Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God be spoken first to you. Since you thrust it aside and judge yourselves unworthy of eternal life, behold, we are turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ” And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed.

A. Jesus’ comment to the Syrophoenician woman wasn’t because He didn’t care for her, it revealed His focus to reach the Jews, who were to reach the world. He knew that the Gentiles were going to get their shot at the Gospel.
B. In Acts 13, Isaiah is quoted: “ ‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’ ”
C. The “you” in this text is the Jews – Jesus was fulfilling OT prophecy with His ministry to the Jews.
D. But God being God, He has the ability to reach the world even when His chosen nation doesn’t do what it should. Listen again at what happens when the Jews reject Jesus, in Acts 13 - "And when the Gentiles heard this, they began rejoicing and glorifying the word of the Lord, and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed."

Main Idea: The Gospel is for everyone. 

III. Israel unwittingly fulfills God’s plan to use them to reach the world.

Romans 11:1-11
I ask, then, has God rejected his people? By no means! For I myself am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, a member of the tribe of Benjamin. God has not rejected his people whom he foreknew. Do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he appeals to God against Israel? “Lord, they have killed your prophets, they have demolished your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life.” But what is God’s reply to him? “I have kept for myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” So too at the present time there is a remnant, chosen by grace. But if it is by grace, it is no longer on the basis of works; otherwise grace would no longer be grace. What then? Israel failed to obtain what it was seeking. The elect obtained it, but the rest were hardened, as it is written, “God gave them a spirit of stupor, eyes that would not see and ears that would not hear, down to this very day.” And David says, “Let their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them; let their eyes be darkened so that they cannot see, and bend their backs forever.” SoI ask, did they stumble in order that they might fall? By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous.

A. God never quits, or gives up on Israel…
B. Israel could have followed Jesus and became powerful witnesses throughout the world. And in fairness, some did. But for the most part, the nation rejected their Messiah.
C. But God can even use the unwilling…
D. But let’s not overlook the last part of verse 11 "By no means! Rather, through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, so as to make Israel jealous."
E. So God still has a plan to reach Israel. - Romans 11:12-15 - Now if their trespass means riches for the world, and if their failure means riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their full inclusion mean! Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry in order somehow to make my fellow Jews jealous, and thus save some of them. For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?

Conclusion: Now, God is calling on the Church to reach the world.  For the Church to reach the world, the Christians that make up the Church must join God on this mission. There are over 3 billion people alive today that have never heard the Gospel. Do we even care? How will they hear?