Engrafted: God's One People

Dennis Ellingburg

Romans: For the Gospel • Sermon • Submitted 2 years ago • Presented 2 years ago

Romans 11:11–32

The Doctrine of the Last Things

Israel

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Romans 11:11–32 ESV

So I 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. 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? If the dough offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole lump, and if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, although a wild olive shoot, were grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing root of the olive tree, do not be arrogant toward the branches. If you are, remember it is not you who support the root, but the root that supports you. Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” That is true. They were broken off because of their unbelief, but you stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, neither will he spare you. Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off. And even they, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God has the power to graft them in again. For if you were cut from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and grafted, contrary to nature, into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, the natural branches, be grafted back into their own olive tree. Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.” As regards the gospel, they are enemies for your sake. But as regards election, they are beloved for the sake of their forefathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. For just as you were at one time disobedient to God but now have received mercy because of their disobedience, so they too have now been disobedient in order that by the mercy shown to you they also may now receive mercy. For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

The Barren Olive Tree: Israel’s Rejection

Paul continues by noting the fall of Isreal. Israel because of their unbelief has been rejected.

Israel failed to see Christ their Messiah and rejected him.

Romans 10:18–21 ESV

But I ask, have they not heard? Indeed they have, for “Their voice has gone out to all the earth, and their words to the ends of the world.” But I ask, did Israel not understand? First Moses says, “I will make you jealous of those who are not a nation; with a foolish nation I will make you angry.” Then Isaiah is so bold as to say, “I have been found by those who did not seek me; I have shown myself to those who did not ask for me.” But of Israel he says, “All day long I have held out my hands to a disobedient and contrary people.”

This rejection of Jesus was foretold by Christ in his life. Let’s turn to Matthew 21 together. There’s just so much here that we can glean from the text. The chapter begins with Jesus’ triumphal entry in v 1 and his cleansing of the Temple in v. 12-17.

As Jesus calls out the Jews for their failure to worship God in the Temple He provided for them as a place of worship.

We then find him giving us an picture of Israel in vv. 18-22 with the Barren Fig tree that he cursed because of its fruitlessness in chapter 20, immediately followed by the priests challenging this authority for cleansing the temple and calling them into question.

He then gives a series of Parables that foretells the rejection of Israel.

You have the Parable of the Two sons in v. 28-32, the Parable of the vinegrowers in vv. 33-41 and the Parable of the wedding feast in chapter 22:1-14.

In each of these, Jesus foretells of the fact that Israel, God’s chosen people would be rejected because of their rejection of Messiah, which he explicitly points out in vv.

Matthew 21:42–44 ESV

Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruits. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”

We also see their rejection in the book of Acts. At Antioch Pisidia they rejected the teaching of Paul and Barnabas to which Paul says:

Acts 13:46 ESV

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.

Even inciting the leading men and God-fearing women.

They likewise resisted and blasphemed in Corinth to the extent that Paul shook out his garments and said,

Acts 18:6 ESV

And when they opposed and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.”

Paul makes clear that Israel was under the judgment of God because of their rejection of Christ. But that rejection was not total, as we saw last week, and it was not final. God has not stopped working with Israel. Even today, thousands of Jews are coming to faith in Christ through the preaching and teaching of the good news.

Romans 11:11–12 ESV

Paul makes clear that it was God who hardened the heart of the Israelites because of their unbelief and rejection of Christ, but it was for his purpose in salvation.

“What Paul makes clear in Romans 11, that may not be as clear in these other texts, is that the spill over of the Gospel to Gentiles did not just result from Israel's trespass -as though this took God off guard, and he had no plan in it. Instead there was divine design behind it. Verse 7: It was God who hardened. And it was the hardening the trespass (v. 11b) that brings salvation to the Gentiles. "Through their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles." This is God's unfathomable wisdom being worked out in history and shown to us in Romans 11.” - John Piper

The Engrafted Shoots: The Gentiles Inclusion

God’s purpose is made clear in the text that God according to his glorious mercy has a purpose by which he would expand Israel to be more than just a collection of sheep-herders in the Levant, and that he purposed to make Israel something more - something greater. God chose to build for himself the Church.

God through the rejection of Israel has expanded his people to include men and women from every nation, tribe and tongue.

Romans 11:11–18 ESV

Like a gardener, God has taken away the branches, those who were members of Israel who were not True Israel, as Paul identifies in Romans 9 in

Romans 9:8 ESV

This means that it is not the children of the flesh who are the children of God, but the children of the promise are counted as offspring.

Romans 9:10–13 ESV

And not only so, but also when Rebekah had conceived children by one man, our forefather Isaac, though they were not yet born and had done nothing either good or bad—in order that God’s purpose of election might continue, not because of works but because of him who calls— she was told, “The older will serve the younger.” As it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.”

God in his goodness has taken those branches that did not bear fruit and has thrown them into the fire and engrafted those who put faith in Christ into Israel, making us one with Israel.

Jesus himself promised this in John 15.

John 15:2 ESV

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit.

John 15:6 ESV

If anyone does not abide in me he is thrown away like a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire, and burned.

God’s purpose for the rejection of Israel is for Israel to grow by bringing not just Jews into Israel, but all those men and women who confess Christ into his people. It is through this: the Grace of God Alone, through Faith Alone, in Christ Alone for the Glory of God alone that God is building his church.

The word for Church is Ekklesia, and it meant an assembly of those CALLED out. When we talk of the church, we are simply speaking of those God has called out of darkness and into his glorious light.

1 Peter 2:9–10 ESV

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

Those God has saved by his grace through faith in Christ. This is where all of Romans 9-11 has been building. God in his sovereign grace has been saving people and building his church.

Paul says that we are engrafted, joined together like a wild olive tree into Israel. You and are all a part of God’s new people, the people of God, made of up Jews and Greeks, slaves and free.

Galatians 3:27–29 ESV

For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.

We are now Abraham’s offspring. We have become the people of God’s promise because of the work of Christ on the cross. What a glorious TRUTH!!!

You and I have been made partakers of Christ’s Divine Nature (2 Peter 1:4), heirs of according to promise (Gal 3:29), and fellow heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:17). God through the rejection of Israel is accomplishing the “fullness of the Gentiles” (Rom. 11:26).

But there is also in this a warning to us that Paul makes. There is a danger to the Gentiles. Paul speaks of us becoming complacent in our favored state, dismissing the "kindness and severity" of God.

We must be careful not to become faithless as Israel did in the midst of this season of God's favor. Yes, we are now engrafted into Israel, but we are still engrafted. God's first-love is with the tree and if he would "cut off" unbelieving Israel then he would equally cut off apostate Christians who deny him.

We live in an era where apostacy and de-constructionism in the church is the rage. Thousands of Christians including some very high profile ones have posted on facebook, instagram, youtube and tik-tok their deconversion stories.

Hebrews 6:4–6 ESV

For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, to restore them again to repentance, since they are crucifying once again the Son of God to their own harm and holding him up to contempt.

These are not true believers, but those who have heard the word of God, who may even have ascribed to parts of Christianity and seem Christian in their outlook, some even going as far as becoming pastors, or other ministers, but who never truly repented and trusted fully in Christ.

These who fall away, who once heard the gospel clearly preached but did not listen, who did not respond in faith, once they fall away they cannot return.

There are many who sit in the pews of our churches for years, hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ and who never truly fully believe on the name of Christ.

The writer of Hebrews further affirms this in chapter 3

Hebrews 3:12–13 ESV

Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 3:15 ESV

As it is said, “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

Hebrews 3:19 ESV

So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.

If you have not repented and believed, would you please repent and believe on Jesus today before its too late

Hebrews 3:8

What a glorious truth that we should praise God for, but Paul is not finished, because his purpose is not just for us, but for all mankind as he has a future purpose for the people of Israel.

The Root Restored - Israel and the Nations restored to God

This is an eschatological truth, one day God will restore - in mass - Israel to himself. There will one day be a time of the quickening and deepening of the spiritual life of the Israel that will spill over into a worldwide quickening whereby Israel "becomes a tonic to the nations that are to be saved" - Everett Harrison

Romans 11:25–27 ESV

Lest you be wise in your own sight, I do not want you to be unaware of this mystery, brothers: a partial hardening has come upon Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And in this way all Israel will be saved, as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness from Jacob”; “and this will be my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”

In the end times, before the return of Christ, God will bring about a restoration of Israel. This will be a national restoration. God will enmasse draw back to himself the nation of Israel. God will pour out his spirit upon the nation and will lead them back to himself.

Paul points to several scriptures in relationship with this drawing. Isaiah 59:20-21, Isaiah 27:9, Jeremiah 31:33-34. In this God promises through the Deliverer to “banish the ungodliness from Jacob.” Now how this will happen is through a mass conversion of Jews to Messiah. Now just as not all of Israel fell away, but a remnant came to Christ before, so too this is not saying that all Jews in history or even in the last times will be saved. No, only those who put their faith in Christ and turn from their sins will be saved, but it is a promise that God in his mercy has not forgotten, nor forsaken his promises. God will restore Israel.

Paul then makes this statement that sums up God’s glorious truth:

Romans 11:32 ESV

For God has consigned all to disobedience, that he may have mercy on all.

As R. C. Sproul once rightly pointed out:

The Gospel of God: Romans The Spiritual Restoration of Israel (11:11–36)

See how God’s plan works out? The Jews are given the blessing; they reject the blessing and the blessing is given to the Gentiles; the Gentiles are brought in, but then after that the Jews are brought back: Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, so they too have now become disobedient in order that they too may now receive mercy as a result of God’s mercy to you. For God has bound all men over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all (verses 30–32).

This is, as Paul reminds us

Romans 11:22 ESV

Note then the kindness and the severity of God: severity toward those who have fallen, but God’s kindness to you, provided you continue in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.

Today is the day to note both the kindness and the severity of God. For those of us in Christ, let us not forget the love of God and grow weary in doing good. Let us share the gospel while the day is still called today, knowing the kindness of God to offer grace, but also the severity of God to remember the hardening of hearts and the judgement to come.