“Israel’s Rejection is Not Final!”
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Introduction
Introduction
This morning we come to the final, “Absolutely not!” answer to the THREE MAIN QUESTIONS of (Romans 9-11):
14 What should we say then? Is there injustice with God? Absolutely not!
1 I ask, then, has God rejected his people? Absolutely not! For I too am an Israelite, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin.
11 I ask, then, have they stumbled so as to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous.
NIV - “…Did they stumble so as to fall beyond recovery?”
NET 2nd ed. - “…stumble into an irrevocable fall”
Robert Mounce: “Did Israel’s failure to believe lead to their absolute ruin? Had they stumbled irretrievably? Were they beyond recovery?”
PAUL’S answer is CLEAR and BEYOND REFUTATION! - “Absolutely not!”
Thus, the TITLE of this morning’s message (as well as the CONCLUSION) is straightforward:
“Israel’s Rejection is Not Final!”
“Israel’s Rejection is Not Final!”
11 I ask, then, have they stumbled so as to fall? Absolutely not! On the contrary, by their transgression, salvation has come to the Gentiles to make Israel jealous.
12 Now if their transgression brings riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness bring!
13 Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Insofar as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,
14 if I might somehow make my own people jealous and save some of them.
15 For if their rejection brings reconciliation to the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?
16 Now if the firstfruits are holy, so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches.
17 Now if some of the branches were broken off, and you, though a wild olive branch, were grafted in among them and have come to share in the rich root of the cultivated olive tree,
18 do not boast that you are better than those branches. But if you do boast—you do not sustain the root, but the root sustains you.
19 Then you will say, “Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.”
20 True enough; they were broken off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but beware,
21 because if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.
22 Therefore, consider God’s kindness and severity: severity toward those who have fallen but God’s kindness toward you—if you remain in his kindness. Otherwise you too will be cut off.
23 And even they, if they do not remain in unbelief, will be grafted in, because God has the power to graft them in again.
24 For if you were cut off from your native wild olive tree and against nature were grafted into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these—the natural branches—be grafted into their own olive tree?
PRAYER
PRAYER
Since the ANSWER to the question, “…have they stumbled so as to fall?” is CLEAR - “Absolutely not!”, what follows is PAUL’S EXPLANATION of why Israel’s REJECTION is NOT FINAL!
I believe this is important to keep in mind for at least two reasons:
FIRST, we are not dealing with “IF” Israel’s stumble is irrevocable. That question has already been answered: “Absolutely not!” We are dealing with the WHY!
SECOND, there are some challenging verses before us (both this week and next), and remembering that Paul is providing an EXPLANATION as to WHY Israel “stumbled” will enable me to “…correctly teaching the word of truth!” - (2 Timothy 2:15)
The OUTLINE of our passage is STRAIGHT-FORWARD: I. An EXPLANATION - (vv.11-16); II. An ILLUSTRATION - (vv.17-21); and III. A CONCLUSION - (vv.22-24)
I. An EXPLANATION! - (11:11-16)
I. An EXPLANATION! - (11:11-16)
Paul’s explanation has TWO BASIC COMPONENTS:
A. Israel’s STUMBLE brought SALVATION to the Gentiles!
A. Israel’s STUMBLE brought SALVATION to the Gentiles!
1. Paul uses THREE WORDS to describe their STUMBLE - (vv.11-12, 15)
1. Paul uses THREE WORDS to describe their STUMBLE - (vv.11-12, 15)
1) “transgression” (twice) - (vv.11b-12a)
1) “transgression” (twice) - (vv.11b-12a)
They “stumbled” (v.11), not because they were predestined and had no choice, but because of their own “transgression” (v.12)!
παραπτώματι - ‘misdeed, trespass, transgression’
Trench: “…falling where one should have stood upright.”
Gilbrant: “…reference to obstinate and intentional sin that has no excuse.”
2) “failure” - (v.12b)
2) “failure” - (v.12b)
From ἥττημα - ‘defeat, loss, inferiority, shortcoming’
Only used TWICE in the NT!
7 As it is, to have legal disputes against one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?
“How did Israel transgress and fail?” The text doesn’t say…
41 As he approached and saw the city, he wept for it,
42 saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.
3) “rejection” - (v.15)
3) “rejection” - (v.15)
From ἀποβολὴ - This is a compound word coming from apo (570), “from, away from,” and ballō (900), “cast” or “throw.” It is a “casting away from.”
“When did Israel REJECT Jesus?”
Again, the text doesn’t say. But I can’t help but thinking of when Jesus was before Pilate, and he was trying to spare Jesus:
22 Pilate asked them, “What should I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ?” They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23 Then he said, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they kept shouting all the more, “Crucify him!”
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that a riot was starting instead, he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. See to it yourselves!”
25 All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
A SOBERING DESCRIPTION of Israel’s transgression, failure, and rejection indeed!
2. Paul uses THREE WORDS to describe SALVATION - (vv.11-12, 15)
2. Paul uses THREE WORDS to describe SALVATION - (vv.11-12, 15)
1) “salvation” - (v.11b) - “…salvation has come to the Gentiles”
1) “salvation” - (v.11b) - “…salvation has come to the Gentiles”
From σωτηρία - ‘salvation, deliverance, preservation’
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
10 One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.
2) “riches” (twice) - (v.12a)
2) “riches” (twice) - (v.12a)
(v.12) - “…riches for the world, […] riches for the Gentiles”
From πλοῦτος - ‘wealth, riches, abundance’
In Classical Greek, the verb form, pleō, ‘to flow’ carries the idea, ‘to abound!’
It is used to describe God’s kindness, grace, glory, inheritance, wisdom and knowledge!
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and the wisdom and the knowledge of God! How unsearchable his judgments and untraceable his ways!
7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace
18 I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened so that you may know what is the hope of his calling, what is the wealth of his glorious inheritance in the saints,
7 so that in the coming ages he might display the immeasurable riches of his grace through his kindness to us in Christ Jesus.
8 This grace was given to me—the least of all the saints—to proclaim to the Gentiles the incalculable riches of Christ,
27 God wanted to make known among the Gentiles the glorious wealth of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.
WOW! As my pastor used to say, “If that doesn’t light your fire, your wood is wet!”
3) “reconciliation” - (v.15)
3) “reconciliation” - (v.15)
From καταλλαγὴ - ‘reconciliation, restoration to favor’
Thoralf Gilbrant - “A rare noun related to the verb katallassō (2614), ‘to reconcile,’ katallagē basically means ‘the restoration of the original understanding between people after hostility or displeasure […] denotes action initiated and completed by God in restoring man to right relationship with Him through Christ.’”
Q: “Pastor, why are you reading to us from a dictionary?”
A: You need to UNDERSTAND reconciliation because RECONCILIATION IS OUR MESSAGE!
This noun is only used FOUR TIMES in the NT; and of the SIX times the verb is used, FIVE of those are in the same passages as the noun!
10 For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, then how much more, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.
11 And not only that, but we also boast in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received this reconciliation.
18 Everything is from God, who has reconciled us to himself through Christ and has given us the ministry of reconciliation.
19 That is, in Christ, God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and he has committed the message of reconciliation to us.
20 Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us. We plead on Christ’s behalf, “Be reconciled to God.”
BECAUSE of Israel’s stumble, transgression, failure, and rejection, the GENTILES (ἐθνῶν), the WORLD (κόσμου) are SAVED, ENRICHED, and are RECONCILED—restored to a right relationship with God!
And my friends, THAT is our MESSAGE! That is the good news of GOSPEL!
B. Gentile’s Salvation PROVOKES the Jews to JEALOUSY and SALVATION!
B. Gentile’s Salvation PROVOKES the Jews to JEALOUSY and SALVATION!
1. The INTENTION: to PROVOKE JEALOUSY - (vv.11, 13-14)
1. The INTENTION: to PROVOKE JEALOUSY - (vv.11, 13-14)
(v.11c) - “…to make Israel jealous.”
From παραζηλῶσαι - ‘to provoke to jealousy, make envious’
When Paul says in (v.13), “Now I am speaking to you Gentiles. Insofar as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry,” he is not implying that ministry to the Gentiles is somehow more important, or that he was not interested in the salvation of the Israelites!
This passage is only confusing if you STOP READING!
(v.14) finishes the sentence: “if I might somehow make my own people jealous and save some of them.”
In other words, Paul isn’t magnifying his apostleship or ministry to Gentiles because he has rejected his own people, but rather…
2. The GOAL: so they (the Jews) might be SAVED! - (vv.12, 15, 16)
2. The GOAL: so they (the Jews) might be SAVED! - (vv.12, 15, 16)
Stated CLEARLY in (v.14b) - “…and save some of them.”
NOTE: THREE different expressions that Paul uses to describe the salvation of the Jews!
1) (v.12c) - “…how much more will their fullness bring!”
1) (v.12c) - “…how much more will their fullness bring!”
From πλήρωμα - ‘that which fills, complement; fulfillment, that which makes something complete’
2) (v.15) - “…what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?”
2) (v.15) - “…what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?”
3) (v.16a) - “Now if the firstfruits are holy, so is the whole batch…”
3) (v.16a) - “Now if the firstfruits are holy, so is the whole batch…”
35 We will bring the firstfruits of our land and of every fruit tree to the Lord’s house year by year.
36 We will also bring the firstborn of our sons and our livestock, as prescribed by the law, and will bring the firstborn of our herds and flocks to the house of our God, to the priests who serve in our God’s house.
A Jewish person who is saved is God’s FIRSTBORN, and they are HOLY!
“Why?” Because God said so…
22 And you will say to Pharaoh: This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.
CONCLUSION to Part One
CONCLUSION to Part One
16 Now if the firstfruits are holy, so is the whole batch. And if the root is holy, so are the branches.
God’s ability to SAVE HIS FIRST-FRUITS—HIS FIRST-BORN is proof positive that He will save ALL US GENTILE BRANCHES that have been grafted in!
WHICH is NEXT WEEK’S MESSAGE…
