Day 5: Salvation for Orthodox Jews
Prayer Points
- That God will stir their hearts to actually read the Word of God for themselves, and that they’ll have the courage to break free from tradition and religious leaders when they contradict the Scriptures
- That they'll see that their righteousness works and ethnicity can’t save them, but only God’s grace given as we trust in the Messiah, Yeshua, and receive His perfect sacrifice for us
- That religious leaders themselves will find the truth and surrender their lives to Yeshua, like Saul of Tarsus did
- That God will fill followers of Yeshua with His love and wisdom to overcome all theological objections and the deeply ingrained hatred for Yeshua
- That they will not be satisfied with mere religion, but will thirst for a real relationship with the living God and find it through His Son
Key Scriptures
Romans 11:28-31 Concerning the Gospel [Jewish non-believers] are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy.
Isaiah 29:13-14 Therefore the Lord said: “Inasmuch as these people draw near with their mouths and honor Me with their lips, but have removed their hearts far from Me, and their fear toward Me is taught by the commandment of men, therefore, behold, I will again do a marvelous work among this people, a marvelous work and a wonder; for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hidden.”
Acts 9:4-6a Then [Saul] fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me?”
And he said, “Who are You, Lord?”
Then the Lord said, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads.”
So he, trembling and astonished, said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?”
Isaiah 66:2 “For all these things My hand has made, and thus they came into being,” declares the Lord. “But to this one I will look: to him who is poor and contrite in spirit, and who trembles at My word.”
Isaiah 44:2-3 Thus says the Lord who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you: “Fear not, O Jacob My servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring”
Romans 9:31-10:2 But Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. As it is written:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame.”
Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.
Acts 17:2-3 As was his custom, Paul went into the synagogue, and on three Sabbath days he reasoned with them from the Scriptures, explaining and proving that the Messiah had to suffer and rise from the dead. “This Jesus I am proclaiming to you is the Messiah,” he said.
Philippians 3:7-11 [After Paul listed his religious achievements in Judaism]: But what things were gain to me, these I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing excellence of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.