Romans 11:11-24
Notes
Transcript
This morning is where the rubber meets the road in some difficulty with scripture
There are some other places that are easier to digest and understand than this
But as we have said the entire word of God is good for teaching and growing and correcting
So we dive into Romans 11.
Because Israel has chosen not to believe and reject God they will be hardened is where we last left it
Church we know this that God has given everyone the opportunity for salvation if they will only choose to believe
To repent of their sin and to trust in Jesus they will be saved
So Paul is going to dive into Israel’s salvation
Gods chosen people
11 I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.
Paul is going to share that because they denied Jesus as their savior
That God offered salvation to the Gentiles
And because now the Gentiles have salvation that started with the Jews
Now the Jews are jealous
We will see how that Jealously is used to bring back the nation of Israel
This is not a wordly jealously but a righteous Jealously
Paul is going to explain this biblical jealousy
12 Now if their transgression is riches for the world and their failure is riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fulfillment be! 13 But I am speaking to you who are Gentiles. Inasmuch then as I am an apostle of Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, 14 if somehow I might move to jealousy my fellow countrymen and save some of them.
Paul explains how or why salvation was extended to the gentiles
Jews often believed that it was only for them
This why they struggle so much with how in the world a gentile could be considered righteous
I mean they didn’t receive they law
They didn't receive the prophets or have the tempe where God Himself lived
But we see in
3 And I will bless those who bless you, And the one who curses you I will curse. And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
That Gods plan was to bring about a blessing through Abraham
Through the Jews
And He did
All be it through their rejecting Jesus
God sent people like Paul to reach the gentiles and share with them the good news that Jesus saves
So if the Jew’s failure to believe in the messiah meant salvation to the gentiles to the rest of the world
Then how much more will their redemption mean for the rest of the world
Paul was called to take the Gospel message to the gentiles
And in doing so he had hoped to save some Jews as well
Even if it meant promoting his ministry in front of the Jews
IE the Jealousy would come in hopes they would ask questions and want more information on how they could be right with God like these gentiles are now
Thus far Paul has seemed to be on the side of the gentile through Romans
Now He is going to share with the Gentile their role in this
You can maybe start to feel it
The gentile is starting to get a big head about themselves
I mean they are considered children of God at this point
15 For if their rejection is the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead?
Do you understand the question
If the jews rejection of Jesus is reconciliation to the rest of the world
What do you think their redemption and return to Jesus will bring to the rest of the world
Praise the Lord that God is not done with us yet
Praise the Lord salvation is avaliable to anyone and everyone who will repent of their sin and trust in Jesus
I know it sounds like we have been preaching the Gospel for sometime and you could almost hit replay but
Church how vital is the Good News that Jesus saves to us today
It is life giving, freedom giving
It is worth telling someone about
And yet I think sometimes we have lost our passion to share the Gospel with lost people
And yet Paul has been talking about it for 11 chapters in a letter
Thus far it has taken us 27 weeks to continue the talk on the Gospel
So yes the Gospel is what we preach and teach here at Maranatha
It is what we are called to go and share with a lost people, lost community, lost neighbor, lost friends or family, lost co worker
We are commanded to take the Gospel to the nations, Mexico, Holton, and are very own neighborhood Topeka
We are also called to disciple people as they come to know Christ
Remember accepting Christ is free, to be a disciple of Jesus is costly and after people come to know Jesus as their personal Lord and savior we need to walk with them as they begin and continue their growth in Christ as disciples of Jesus
Paul continues
16 If the first piece of dough is holy, the lump is also; and if the root is holy, the branches are too. 17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them of the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember that it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you.
So Paul explains how you and I are able to be saved with something they would have understood
grafting in
A tree has roots
If those roots are holy as they are in this explanation
Then the branches are as long as they are connected to the roots
But some Jews rejected Jesus and were cut off making them no longer holy
What God did was pick up another branch from another tree that was not holy and graft it in where the broken branch was
Connected them and tapped them together till growth happened
Thus making that new branch connected to the holy roots and not life through the holy roots
You and I are now grafted in because of the broken off branches
So don’t think to highly of yourselves
You did nothing to be grafted in
God did the saving but rather humble yourself and share the Gospel with people
Remember that it is Jesus who lifts you up
To think you and I did something amazing all on our own is wrong thinking but to understand that God has used you and me, and Maranatha to do something absolutely amazing is righteous thinking
Paul again drives home the point that the gentiles were grafted in to salvation
adopted into the salvation because the Jews rejected Jesus
19 You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.” 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith. Do not be conceited, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, He will not spare you, either.
Paul explains yes you were grafted it but you were only grafted in by your faith it was nothing you did
They were broken off because of their disobedience
So Understand that if God didn’t spear breaking off His own chosen people then you will not be spared
You were adopted into the family of God because of your faith in Christ it was nothing you did or brought to the table
Just like the Jewish people who rejected Christ were broken off because of their disobedience
Just like the small remnant of believers from the Jewish people
They stayed connected to the root that is God because of their belief in Christ the Savior of the world
Are you starting to see the importance of the Gospel Message and how it will change you and how it will adopt you into the family if only you will repent of your sin and trust in Jesus
This is Gods plan for salvation to a lost world
22 Behold then the kindness and severity of God; to those who fell, severity, but to you, God’s kindness, if you continue in His kindness; otherwise you also will be cut off. 23 And they also, if they do not continue in their unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. 24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree?
As we look at Gods plan for salvation for a lost world we can see it played out here
That God is a good and kind God who desires all to come to Himself
But Because God is a Holy and Just God as we talked about last week
He cannot and will not be a part of sin in your life
So do not think for one minute that it is acceptable to shout praises for Jesus and then turn around and reject Him
Does that sound familiar to anyone that has read the Gospel Accounts
They praised Jesus’s name as He rode into Jerusalem and then a few short days later they called for His execution
Remember as we have seen this morning because of the Jewish unbelief they were cut off except for a small remnant that believed
Paul explains Gods grace in that if they repent of their unbelief and run back to Jesus and believe then they too will be grafted back in
Gods grace is bigger and absolutely far reaching church
Don’t ever think you are to far for the grace of God to reach you
Then Paul goes right into a warning that I struggled with
On face value it sounds like those who have repented and trusted in Jesus can lose their salvation
Church I don’t believe that to be the case
Scripture is clear that nothing can remove you from the love of God
That once you repent of your sin and trust in Jesus you are saved
Here Paul says that you are to be careful to continue in His kindness
To continue to walk with Christ
31 So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine;
If you continue in my Word then you are truly a disciple of Christ
5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.
As believers in Jesus Christ we are to remain in Him and He will remain in us
Understand that when that happens we can accomplish much
We can go and see people who we thought would never come to know Christ come to know Christ
We can see people healed from their physical aliments
Church we got to see Timmy be healed up
We got to see me be healed up
Because we remained in Christ
Because we have people in this room right now who came to know Christ a long long long time ago and continue on
John McArthur says “Genuine saving faith always perseveres”
It always marches on of course you have highs and lows good times and struggles but you remain focused on Christ and continue on with the good fight until Jesus calls you home
Paul continues
24 For if you were cut off from what is by nature a wild olive tree, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these who are the natural branches be grafted into their own olive tree? 25 For I do not want you, brethren, to be uninformed of this mystery—so that you will not be wise in your own estimation—that a partial hardening has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in; 26 and so all Israel will be saved; just as it is written, “The Deliverer will come from Zion, He will remove ungodliness from Jacob.” 27 “This is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins.”
Paul is not telling the church in Rome who is made up of believing Jews and gentiles that there is still hope for the Jewish family member
That there is still hope because the Gentile who was not from the olive tree at all was grafted in and then became and olive branch
This seems to be Gods plan for salvation
Use the Jews to bring about salvation to an entire world
First go to the Jew, God gave the Jews the law, God sent Jesus to the Jews first
Jews reject Jesus, all but a small remnant rejected Jesus thinking salvation was found in the law
Gentiles come to know Christ through faith, this makes the Jews jealous because they could not attain righteousness with God and yet the Gentiles did because of their belief
The Jealously of the Jews with draw them back to a righteous relationship with God through faith in Jesus Christ
As that is the only way to salvation by Grace through Faith in Jesus
When all the gentiles are saved that will be saved God will move to the nation of Israel
here is what should be important
God will save the nation of Israel
That doesn’t mean ever single Jew will be saved
It does mean that we will see the nation of Isreal repent from their unbelief and trust in Jesus as their savior as a nation
That was always the plan
28 From the standpoint of the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but from the standpoint of God’s choice they are beloved for the sake of the fathers; 29 for the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. 30 For just as you once were disobedient to God, but now have been shown mercy because of their disobedience, 31 so these also now have been disobedient, that because of the mercy shown to you they also may now be shown mercy.
The nation of Israel from the standpoint of the Gospel they are enemies
And yet because of the grace and mercy of God Himself they have the opportunity to turn from their unbelief and return to God and be grafted back into the family
Just like you and I were once enemies of God because of our sin in our lives
And yet we praise Jesus because of his awesome Grace and Mercy
See because of God’s grace and mercy that Jesus went to the cross in your place
To pay for your own debt of sin
And church as we come to our close this morning
The band will come up
That is still very much the case
Because of the grace and mercy of Christ you can be saved this morning
This morning you can turn from your unbelief and trust Jesus this morning
And be grafted into the the family of God
Would come you come and do that this morning
Or maybe you need to spend sometime in prayer this morning
The alter is open
