Romans 11 - God and Israel

Good morning church, we are going to be digging into our bibles this morning as we continue the book of Romans and as we out a capstone on this section in Romans from Romans 9-11 as Paul leads us through theologically rich text and explains to us God's Sovereign choice, wrestling through predestination, election, sanctification, salvation and as we will see in Romans 11 the clearest teaching we have about God's intention for israel post messiah, Post Jesus. Here is what is true, Jesus through Israel is the Messiah for the whole world, but he was first intended to be Israel's Messiah. The one who would bring freedom and restoration to God's chosen people, according to Gods will after the rejection of Jesus God gave salvation to jews and gentiles. That those of us in Christ are now grafted into the branch, grafted into the vine, adopted into the fold of God's elect and chosen. Before Jesus ascended he gave the great commission for his apostles who were jewish Christians, to go out into the world and make disciples, baptizing them (as many of you took that step last week) in the name of the Father the Son and the Holy Spirit. God through the Jewish Messiah Jesus Christ, is bringing salvation to all who believe, all who are chosen, all who are a part of his Church. Israel didn't and as a whole, does not believe in Christ and does not share in his salvation…

And this fact makes Paul sick to his stomach, if you have a family member without Christ, or a prodigal son, daughter, brother, sister, someone you love who rejects Christ you know how Paul is feeling. Remember what he said in Romans 9 “I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For if I could wish that I myself were cursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my people, those of my own race, the people of Israel.” Paul is saying that if he could give up his salvation, be separated from God for all eternity and trade it for his people, and the whole nation would repent and believe in Christ, he would do it. That's love and desire that I can't even comprehend. But as he says, they are lost. So the question I pose to you, and that Paul poses to us in Romans 11:1 is this, “I ask Then: Did God Reject his people?”  PRAY

It may not come to a shock to anyone but I have top tier rankings of what I perceive to be the best companies and products. I am also a brand loyalist so then I stick to that brand. Many of you might be like that for instance, QT is the greatest Gas Station there is. Disney Parks is a great and expensive for the family that leaves memories for life. The Encyclopedia Britannica is world renowned. Yeti has the best the cups, Dewalt the best power tools, I think Carnival Cruises the best cruises and Chick-Fil-a. I trust Chick-fil-a so much that a few months ago in a true story I ordered a Spicy Chicken Sandwich Meal with fries, when they called my name I got my bag, they had given me a grilled deluxe sandwich and a side salad and a powerade. So you know what I did? I trusted that Chick-fil-a knew what's best for me and just ate it. But here is what I know about you and me, when trusted brands make a mistake you take notice. It makes you pause, because you know that isn't up to standard. For instance, a few years ago I bought a Pink Yeti Cup with karlees name engraved in it. Yeti sent me 2 pink cups engraved. Neither of them had a karless name, one said Elizabeth, the other had a B and a C on it, and they couldn't fix it because they were sold out. Makes you pause, make you think…So when I found out this past week that the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica had a major mistake in it, it caught my attention.

You see in the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica had a section on the Hebrew Language which at that point in time was known as a dead or dying language for almost 1500 years. It started in 132 ad the nation of Israel revolted against the Roman Empire in what is known as the Bar Kokhba Revolt. This was Israel’s second revolt against Rome in under 100 years the first led to the destruction of the Temple in 70ad. This revolt lasted 4 years and upon Israel defeat in 136ad it the romans empire totally destroyed the state of israel, and jews were dispersed across the world, and the Romans changed Israel’s name to Syria Palestine mainly do in part to remove the relationship between the region of Israel and the Jews. Israel who occupied that land for thousands of years, were now homeless, were not a sovereign state and their way of life and language began to die out. So much so, the Encyclopedia Britannica said this in 1911 - The possibility that we can ever again recover the correct pronunciation of the ancient Hebrew Language is as remote as the possibility that a Jewish empire will ever again be established in the Middle East. 36 years after this was written, they had to revise it. Because what you have today is people speaking the ancient Hebrew language as an everyday language and doing so in a jewish empire, the Sovereign state of Israel.

So as Paul Said, I ask Then: Did God Reject his people? By No Means! Maybe that's a question you have been asking, Just look at what's happening now, I believe that we are in a time and moment where we are seeing bible prophecies coming to light right before our eyes. The destruction of Israel isn’t a new idea, it's an old idea. Wars raged in the time of the judges, Esther had to go before the king to petition on behalf of her people, Babylon empire, Rome empire, Third Reich all tried it to destroy them and couldn't and Hamas wouldn't either. In case you were unaware October 6th 2023 news began to break that Israel was yet again under attack by Muslim extremists known as Hamas. These extremists are dead set on the total destruction of the Jewish state. On the 50 year anniversary of the Yom Kuiper war Israel once again found itself under siege as Islamic militants committed acts of terror designed to drive Israel from their ancestral homeland. In the last month since the attacks hundreds of innocent civilians on both sides have been killed, let me be clear. I wholeheartedly condemn the death of innocent civilians, men women and children no matter which side of the conflict. Let me also be clear, I believe Israel has the unmitigated right to defend her borders by defeating these terrorists and those who fund them. I, along with this church, stand with Israel and condemn these attacks of terror.

Hear me friends, the nations that surround Israel do not want peace, they want the annihilation of the Jewish people, and you cannot negotiate with satanic ideologies. Why do we stand with Israel? Because  In Genesis 12 God promises to Abraham the father of Judaism and Christianity that “To your offsrping I will give this land” in Genesis 15 God reiterated this unconditional promise, “To your descendants I have given this land, to the river of Egypt to the great river of Euphrates” In Genesis 17 God again repeats this promise, “the whole land of cainan where you reside as a foreigner I will give you as an everlasting possession to you and your descendants after you.” As far as scripture is concerned there is no such thing as a two state solution. The Nation of Israel belongs to Israel because when God makes a promise he intends to keep it.

Friends we can have differing opinions, but I do not now, nor do I ever subscribe to replacement theology. The idea that God has replaced Israel with the church and no longer has a special plan and purpose for the Jewish people. I believe what the Bible says that as the end of the age draws near that the nations in the earth will rise in opposition of Israel in an attempt to destroy God's chosen people, and there will be day where a final battle will be fought in the valley of armageddon, and when all hope looks lost, Christ himself will descend with a sword and defend his people and vanquish the enemies of Israel and all of Israel will then come to the realization that Jesus is in fact the Jewish Messiah.  We believe that God will continue to show himself strong to the nation of Israel and somehow use what is meant for evil will be used for Good. And in doing so we will harvest souls in that part of the world. So did God reject his people?!

By NO MEANS is God done with Israel! BY NO MEANS! Why can Paul say this with certainty? Look at what he says next, “I am an Isrealite myself, a descendent of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.” Paul is saying that I am a Jew who has turned to Christ. God has chosen some jews to see Jesus as the messiah. Look at our church fathers, all of them Jewish, look at the writers of the New Testament most all of them were Jews who believed in Jesus Christ as their messiah. Then Paul here through the Holy Spirit uses the history of Elijah, along with Isaiah 23 and Psalm 69 to show God’s provision and grace towards Israel who were in Sin and how he did not abandon them then, and he won't now. Watch,

God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah—how he appealed to God against Israel: 3 “Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me” (Israel at this point had rejected God, worshiped false God and were lost. Elijah is testifying against his people and for their destruction) ? 4 And what was God’s answer to him? “I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” 5 So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. (What is the remnant? A Remnant are the ones that God has set aside for his purposes and his plans, those who were chosen, predestined, and unblinded to see Jesus as messiah. Paul in that time would be apart of the remnant, along with the other disciples. But this scripture here isn't bound by time, all jews who become Jesus followers are apart of the remnant that God has chosen, and as we will see there will be a greater harvest at the end of time when the jews at that time will see Jesus as their messiah. But why did God choose this remnant? Was it based on their works? Did they deserve it? Or being God's chosen people. No, just like all of us, it's God Grace that saves) 6 And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.7 What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, 8 as it is written:“God gave them a spirit of stupor (stupor…meaning he gave them what they already believed. This word here stupor means an attitude of deadness towards spiritual things. Remember what Jesus would say when he would teach? “For those who have ears let them hear, for those who have eyes let them…see” And a large majority of Jews then, and now have spiritual blindness. ”  , eyes that could not see and ears that could not hear, to this very day.” 9 And David says: “May their table become a snare and a trap, a stumbling block and a retribution for them. 10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see, and their backs be bent forever.” Jewish people in Pauls day were so secure in their own idea of being the chosen people, the very idea became what ruined them.

The same is true for you and I also, Joel spoke about it in Romans 9, that for those of us in Christ are the elect, predestined, and for many that can lead to pride, boastfulness, judgment and the very thing Jesus came to free us from we stumble over it ourselves and in doing so harm our witness to others. We need to be careful in our walk with Jesus that we do not fall into a stupor where we take following Jesus for granted, our lives dont change, we are deaf to the word of God and where here we become numb to the prompting and movements of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

In 1987 there was a company that realized a growing problem that the elderly and people with a disability were suffering with. Oftentimes, when alone, they would fall and they couldn’t get back up. Life Alert was invented and has saved thousands of lives, and simultaneously created one of the most used catch phrases of all time, “Help, I've fallen and…I can't get up.” That would be how many people would view Israel for their rejection of the messiah, they have fallen and they cannot get up. But Paul makes it clear that, v. 11 - Again I ask: Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery? Not at all! Israel has not fallen to the point where they cannot get back up, instead their stumble was gain for the world, and is a gain for you and I, watch “Rather, because of their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel envious. I am reminded of the parable of the wedding feast in Matthew 22. Where a King was having a banquet, he had invited his people, prepared the best food, and yet when the servants went out to bring the guests ignored the invitation, and even killed some of the servants, exactly how israel treated their prophets. The King was enraged and sent his servants to bring anyone and everyone who would want to attend to come and enjoy the feast. The parable shows Gods reaction to the Jews Rejection. The kingdom of God is open, salvation is possible through Jesus to you, and I because of the jewish response to Jesus. But Paul only calls it a stumble it is not a fatal fall. Why? Their faithlessness cant reject God's faithfulness to them.

Why would salvation bring jealousy and envy to the Jews, aren't those sins? Yes, but even Paul says I am talking to you Gentiles. Inasmuch as I am the apostle to the Gentiles, I take pride in my ministry 14 in the hope that I may somehow arouse my own people to envy and save some of them. It's like what I do with my kids when they don't want to eat their food, I start eating it in the hopes that they realize I'm eating their food, and oftentimes that rouses them to begin eating again. Jews seeing the dirty gentiles coming to faith believing in their messiah, gentiles reading their scriptures seeing Jesus in it, worshiping their God Yahweh as their deliverer through Jesus, you get the picture? Paul hopes for , and we know it did, that this would bring jews to see Jesus for who he is, it led them to do more research, more study, to come to faith in Christ. That the tree of salvation isn't one branch of people, instead, Paul tells us as you read more, that we are grafted into the vine, grafted into the tree of faith and salvation.

Listen, I’ve had to come to terms with this myself, being in Christ doesn't make you better than others. We said earlier it should never lead to a posture of pride but one of humility and a deep yearning for others to come to Christ also. So Paul says that now that we are not to consider ourselves superior because we are in Christ, because if it wasn't for God's chosen people and God's faithfulness in their faithlessness, we as Gentiles would not have salvation.

So let's put a bow on this message, when will God restore Israel? 25 I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in, 26 and in this way[e] all Israel will be saved. (based off of Romans 9 we understand that God has predestined those who will be saved, and they are a part of the election. There is a number that only God knows, and once that's hit, Chrsit returns and Israel (talking about the nation, people and spiritually) will be saved, the jews living at that time will see Jesus as their messiah, the veil will be removed from their eyes and salvation will be given to them. As it is written: “The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. 27  And this is  my covenant with them when I take away their sins.”28 As far as the gospel is concerned, they are enemies for your sake; but as far as election is concerned, they are loved on account of the patriarchs, 29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable. 30 Just as you who were at one time disobedient to God have now received mercy as a result of their disobedience, 31 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. 32 For God has bound everyone over to disobedience so that he may have mercy on them all.

So the question I have maybe you do too, is why doesn't God just do it? Why are some elect, why doesn't Israel come to faith now, why? Maybe you've wrestled with that in the last few weeks, I know I’ve had multiple conversations with others about it. Paul ends this portion of scripture beautifully when he says, Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments, and his paths beyond tracing out! 34 “Who has known the mind of the Lord? Or who has been his counselor?”35 “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?”36  For from him and through him and for him are all things.To him be the glory forever! Amen. We are not meant to know all of God's plans, we are not God. Its like when I was a kid and i’d ask my dad where are we going and he’d say “Its for me to know and for you to…find out”

So here is my point for the message, “God is not finished with Israel, which is good news for you” If he does not cast them away due to their unfaithfulness, God will not cast you away either. If you're still breathing you still have the opportunity to repent, turn from your sin and receive Salvation for Jesus Chrsit. You are not too far gone, you are not too far lost, you may be unfaithful to God but he is faithful to save. Turn to Jesus, the messiah, the savior of not just israel, but of the world, and you.

Pray