For these we need a heavy heart filled with sadness.

Called to choose.

Rom 9:1  I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost,

Rom 9:2  That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart.

Rom 9:3  For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh:

Rom 9:4  Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises;

Rom 9:5  Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Paul had a choice to make and he had to make it daily.

Paul was a Pharisee.

Act_23:6  But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

Act_26:5  Which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee.

Webster's Definition-PHAR'ISEE, n. [Heb. to separate.] One of a sect among the Jews, whose religion consisted in a strict observance of rites and ceremonies and of the traditions of the elders,and whose pretended holiness led them to separate themselves as a sect, considering themselves as more righteous than other Jews.

Paul lived his life as a strict Pharisee- he considered himself more righteous than other Jews. He persecuted Christians, He despised and hated Christ Jesus and was among those who wanted Him dead. And after Christ Jesus was crucified and there arose followers still of the risen Christ, Paul wanted to destroy those followers too- believing they were against God.

God saw something in Paul though, God saw a heart in Paul that was susceptible to the truth. Paul was such a good and devout Pharisee because he truly believed he was living the will of God, that he was living the truth.  God knew Paul's heart.

When Christ revealed Himself to Paul, Paul did NOT shove aside the vision as a sickness of the mind, as the temporary possession of an evil spirit, but rather his heart was opened to the truth which went against everything he believed to be true.

Just what we do when we are faced with undeniable truth that counters all our previous beliefs that we thought were true is something we have an example in Paul for. Paul LIVED this and he suffered this.

Paul stood by and consented to the MURDER of one of Christ's followers, and was instrumental in the imprisonment and torture of many others. 

Rom 9:1-5  I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost. That 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.  Who are Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises.  Whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, who is over all, God blessed for ever. Amen.

Could Paul have MISSED the life he knew as a Pharisee?  He had a GREAT HEAVINESS, and a CONTINUAL SORROW IN HIS HEART because all those he knew to be his brothers and family in the faith he followed- remember he was a Pharisee and his father was a Pharisee before him, he was PROUD of this heritage. To follow the TRUTH at such a cost, losing that bond he shared with so many and becoming one that was accursed to them, this is the life Paul endured. He knew the Israelites had received many promises, that the Israelites were given the law of God, that they were given ceremonies, and services of God, and he also KNEW they rejected CHRIST who came to save them!  This great heaviness, this continuing sorrow in his heart- it wasn't for a longing to return to that life because he was free to do so- it was because of the knowledge that most of those whom he loved rejected the truth. He could wish THEY would know Christ and the truth at the expense of His NOT knowing the truth. But we know it doesn't work that way. 

The truth is made known, and if Paul rejected the truth that would never make those who also reject the truth suddenly accept it.

We can't unlearn the truth in hopes of those choosing not to know the truth will accept it.  There is NOTHING we can do to MAKE anyone accept truth, not a single thing!  We can live the truth, present the truth, but never force another to take the truth to heart and live the truth.

What sorrow we all must have for those who will not live the truth. We may not know who they are, because we can't judge the truth, but we know few there be that accept the truth and live the truth.  We pray that we are not among those found wanting, all the while hoping many around us will not be found wanting as well. Truth. 

May we all feel such heaviness and sorrow in our hearts, hoping beyond hope that all our relatives, all our friends and all those we know in our lives, will belong to Christ. 

We are all called to choose, as Paul was called to choose and the choice we make is one of continual sacrifice on many levels.  The choice we choose is one that the majority will not desire and this is truly cause for sadness.

While we may not be faced personally with persecution for being followers of Christ Jesus, while we may not know the personal attacks from those who would rather us be dead than preaching Christ, we know that there are many, many out there who are willfully not Christ's.

For these we need a heavy heart filled with sadness.

All by the grace and mercy of our LORD and SAVIOR, now and forever.

Amen.